Two hundred and forty-first chapter candidates for the new prime minister
On this night, Weiyang Palace was extremely quiet.
Zhidu led dozens of patrolling guards and walked in the corridor of the palace, moving forward and arriving at the gate of Yeting.
There, dozens of eunuchs and maids who had been detained by the guards were huddled in a ball, shivering.
That night, the stars were dim and there was no moonlight.
It was even more difficult to see anything near Ye Ting, and only dim oil lamps could point the way forward.
"General Zhonglang, all relevant maids and eunuchs are here..." An officer came forward and reported to Zhidu.
"Are you all here?" Zhidu took a silk book and walked forward and said: "I am Zhonglang General Zhidu. Now, I will start to call the names. Those who are called must agree. If there is any objection,
Follow, kill!"
"promise……"
"promise……"
The eunuchs and maids trembled and nodded hurriedly.
By the light of the fire, Zhi Du read out the first name: "Zhang De!"
A cowering and embarrassed eunuch immediately knelt down and said: "My slave is here..."
Zhidu waved his hand, and guards immediately came forward and pulled Zhang out of the crowd.
"General, spare your life..." As soon as Zhang De was pulled out of the crowd, he immediately knelt down and begged.
"Don't worry..." Zhidu leaned close to Zhang De's ear and whispered: "I'm not here to kill you, but I'm just asking you to stay in Yanchi, Shu County for a few years..."
As soon as Zhang De heard what Zhi Du said, he immediately kowtowed and said: "No! No! I know this..."
There is indeed a royal industry in Shu County, and it is a large-scale industry with amazing profits.
The output of Tongshan and Salt Pond in Shu County basically accounted for 10% of the annual income of the Han Dynasty Shaofu.
At that time, Deng Tong became prosperous because he helped the late emperor take care of Shu County's industry, so he was favored.
Not only that, Shu County was usually the place where political prisoners of the Han Dynasty were exiled. Across Chengdu, to the west of Dujiangyan and past Linqiong, it was the famous Yandao area. Since the Qin Dynasty, it had been the place where noble political prisoners and some sensitive eunuchs were exiled.
At that time, Huainan Li Wang Liu Chang was sentenced to move to Yandao and be placed under residential surveillance.
There is a salt pond in Yandao, which is one of the properties of the Han royal family.
Of course Zhang De knew this very well, because he followed Deng Tong to that place back then.
For Zhang De, it was a blessing to survive.
Zhidu was too lazy to pay attention to so much. All he could think about was carrying out the emperor's orders.
He took the silk book and called the names one by one. After calling out all the names recorded on the silk book, Zhidu waved his hand and the soldiers stepped forward with their shining swords. Many of them almost screamed in fright.
Zhidu hurriedly stepped forward and glared. These people immediately calmed down.
"The Emperor has an edict, and you have not served Concubine Su properly. As a result, Concubine Su fell ill and died. All of them were sent to the Nanling Tomb to guard the tomb of the Empress Dowager and to offer sacrifices at all times without any mistakes!" Zhidu read out the verdict against them.
These people suddenly felt as if they had received a general amnesty, and they all kowtowed in gratitude.
Then, there were soldiers escorting them through the quiet corridor of Ye Ting and walking towards the outside of the palace. At the entrance of the palace, several carriages had already parked there, carrying these assigned eunuchs and maids, towards the outside of the city.
go.
After leaving the city gate, these carriages began to change routes and drive in different directions. Only the driver and the soldiers responsible for escorting the carriages knew where they were really going.
As for Nanling? It’s just a cover.
These people may have to spend their entire lives in a dark environment of a Han palace or an emperor's garden, a salt pond and a workshop.
Zhidu personally escorted Zhang De into another carriage. This carriage walked around the palace wall, and then changed to another carriage on the way. When the carriage reached the city gate, Zhidu got off the carriage.
, ordered the coachman: "Keep it clean..."
"No..." The coachman nodded.
Zhidu bent down and wiped the blood on his shoes.
This time he escorted Liu De back to Chang'an. His biggest mission was to deal with the aftermath and silence him.
Other eunuchs and maids can survive as long as they confirm that they don't know much.
But people like Zhang De who know too much must die!
Zhidu slowly climbed up the tower of Chang'an City and looked at the earth in the dark night.
At this moment, his heart was as dark as the world in front of him.
"All my life, I have only been loyal to Your Majesty..." Zhidu held the sword in his hand and told himself: "I only need to carry out His Majesty's orders, and I don't need to have my own ideas!"
Of course Zhidu knew what impact it would have if this matter were disclosed.
How did Emperor Hui's prince die? No one will forget it.
"I will take this secret to my grave and will not mention it to anyone..." Zhi Du swore to himself in his heart.
…………………………………………………………………………
At the same time, Liu De summoned Shen Tumi, the eldest son of Prime Minister Shen Tujia, the late An Hou, in his palace overnight.
This was the first time Liu De met Shen Tumi.
Shen Tujia was an old-school and upright minister who usually did not accept bribes and did not like to engage in nepotism. Therefore, he could only live on the food and salary of the feudal state.
With such a small amount of money, it is naturally difficult to maintain the expenses of the dignified prime minister and the reception and transportation. Therefore, basically every year, Queen Mother Dou will specially give many rewards to Shentu Jiaduo at the beginning of the year and the first month to provide subsidies.
Even so, Shen Tujia's family did not live a particularly good life.
This can be seen from Shen Tumi's dress.
He didn't have any decent formal clothes on his body. He was wearing a green robe made of ordinary cloth, which was very different from the eldest son of Marquis Che.
Moreover, Shentu Mi's body is not as good as Shentujia at all. He is very thin and his face seems to be sallow. He looks older than Shentujia... But he is only fifty-six years old this year!
Liu De remembered that in his previous life, Shen Tumi seemed to have only been the Marquis of Gu'an for three years before passing away.
On the contrary, Shen Tu Mi's son Shen Tu survived the illness for a long time. At least he was still alive and kicking before Liu De's death in his previous life.
"How is the old prime minister's health now?" Liu De asked as soon as Shen Tumi sat down.
"I would like to express my gratitude to Your Highness for your concern on behalf of my father. Although my father suffered a stroke, he has been able to eat normally after being treated... It's just..." Shen Tumi bowed his head and said: "When I came, my father asked me to send a message to Your Highness: I am old and old.
, I am very sorry that I can no longer assist Your Highness! However, Your Highness should not worry about the old minister, and it is fundamental to attend to the funeral of your mother with peace of mind..."
As he said this, Shen Tumi couldn't help but sob.
Liu De sighed and said: "I am very sorry that the old Prime Minister, the pillar of the country, is suffering from this illness..."
Liu De thought about his words and asked, "Does the old prime minister have any recommendations for successors?"
Although it may seem ruthless, it is an inevitable reality.
Shen Tujia suffered a stroke. No matter how you look at it, his position as prime minister has reached its end.
Everyone knows this.
But what is different from his previous life is that this time, Shen Tujia can exercise his power as prime minister and elect a successor.
According to the Han Dynasty system, the prime minister could propose a successor to the emperor.
Just like the example of Xiao He recommending Cao Shen.
And Liu De also urgently needs an old minister who can continue to protect him.
Rather than someone like Liu She who has no ability or prestige and is completely ignored by other Jiuqing.
"Back to Your Highness, my father has already reported to the Emperor, proposing Zhang Wuhou as his successor..." Shen Tumi kowtowed.
