"My so-called rebellion and hiding was His Majesty's arrangement."
Your Majesty’s arrangement?
Here we go again.
The officials looked at Duke Cheng with a somewhat helpless expression.
This is really hard to believe. Just like Ning Yunzhao, who was holding the edict, he insisted that this was the emperor's arrangement. If you have any questions, ask His Majesty.
Are you just saying what you say when you see the emperor unable to speak or move?
Are you and the emperor the only two people who know about such a big thing? Is this because the emperor treats government affairs as a child's play or does he ignore the civil and military affairs of the entire dynasty?
"What happened at that time was too sudden, and His Majesty suspected that there was a traitor in the court, so he hid it." Cheng Guogong said with a gentle expression.
Traitor?
These words slightly changed the expressions of the officials present.
What? This is not only to take advantage of the emperor's inability to speak to clear his own sins, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to retaliate against dissidents and pacify others?
Don't let him get off topic.
"Mr. Cheng Guo, what happened so suddenly?" an official asked with a frown, cutting off the conversation.
"The war was in full swing at that time, but the Jin people suddenly proposed peace." Cheng Guogong said.
What's so sudden about this?
Isn't it normal for the Jin people to initiate peace because the war situation is unfavorable?
To say it is strange, it should be said that His Majesty the Emperor agreed to negotiate a peace when the war was victorious.
At that time, there was a dispute in the court because of this, and Ning Yan even resigned because of this.
Duke Cheng Guo also resisted the decree and refused to retreat.
"No, the Jin people's war situation was not unfavorable at that time." Cheng Guogong said, "In addition to the previous Jin soldiers, the Jin people have assembled nearly 50,000 troops in the country. If there is a war, it is still uncertain who will win and who will lose."
The officials looked at Cheng Guogong with more complicated eyes.
I didn't expect that Duke Cheng Guo could be so humble.
"In short, Jin Renyi and His Majesty think it is a very abnormal and weird thing." Cheng Guogong did not pay attention to everyone's looks and continued to speak gently, "So I just agreed. I just wanted to see what Jin Ren had in mind."
"What's the plan?" an official asked.
Duke Cheng Guo looked at him and pointed at himself.
"Divide, frame, and get rid of me." He said, pointing to the imperial city, "Sneak attack on the capital."
Is this what His Majesty the Emperor sees?
Your Majesty the Emperor is so wise and mighty?
"Your Majesty is wise and powerful." Cheng Guogong continued without stopping, saluting the emperor, "I noticed the Jin people's intention at the first moment, so he used his plan to convict me. The Jin people did send troops, and I have returned
Beidi secretly mobilized troops and horses, and this was how the Jin people's conspiracy was solved in time."
Qinghebo was besieged by the Jin people in the north. The situation was critical at that time. All the officials present knew that it was Cheng Guogong who suddenly appeared and led his troops to rescue the siege and repel the Jin people. Everyone also knew about this.
Moreover, the reinforcements arrived in time and repelled the Jin soldiers who besieged the capital.
This sounds like it was already planned.
but....
This sounds reasonable, but if you think about it carefully, it is nonsense!
"Since we have known for a long time that the Jin people have evil intentions, we should have defeated them in one fell swoop." An official raised his eyebrows and said, "How could you give the Jin people a chance?"
Yes, let alone anything else, the siege of the capital caused a lot of casualties and losses.
Is this because you know it's a tiger, but you put your arm into the tiger's mouth to prove that the tiger bites?
"Because only in this way can the Jin man be defeated in one fell swoop." Cheng Guogong looked at him and said, "This is how a strong man cuts off his wrist."
A strong man cuts off his wrist?
"I have said before that the Jin people gathered all the troops from across the country and talked about peace at that time. Firstly, it was to confuse the Jin people and temporarily dissipate their momentum. If we did not negotiate for peace and fight hard, the price we would have to pay would be greater, and it would not necessarily be possible.
It can hurt the vitality of the Jin people." Cheng Guogong continued, looking at everyone, "Now let the Jin people bite their arms, thinking that the trick has succeeded, so they try their best, and a single blow to them at this time is enough to kill them.
.”
There were low murmurs in the court hall.
"Also." Cheng Guogong said.
His voice was neither high nor low, nor urgent nor slow, but it immediately stopped the discussion and everyone looked over.
"The Jin army marched southward, and our people successfully raided the Jin capital." Cheng Guogong said, smiling slightly, "Just three days ago, the news was finally confirmed."
Confirm what?
"Emperor Tuoba Zong of the Jin Kingdom died of serious injuries." Cheng Guogong said.
What?
The Emperor of Jin is dead!
There was an uproar in the court room.
"No wonder the Jin people suddenly retreated." Ning Yan said.
Because the capital was besieged and the emperor fell ill, the court was in chaos. They only confirmed that the Jin soldiers in the north had retreated, but they didn't know that it was because the Jin emperor died.
"Great." A court official couldn't help but high-five, with an excited expression, "There are many princes in the Kingdom of Jin, and the princes also support their troops and respect themselves. Now that the emperor is dead, it is conceivable that there will be civil strife."
First, the army was consumed in the north, and then the country fell into civil strife. It was inevitable that the Jin Kingdom's vitality would be severely damaged this time.
All the court officials looked at Duke Cheng with complicated expressions, no longer doubting him as before.
If this was really planned from the beginning, then...
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
A voice sounded.
This sound is familiar to everyone.
Ning Yunzhao had already knelt down to the emperor's throne in the palace.
The throne is empty, but there is someone sitting behind the curtain.
It was the Queen who was hanging the curtain, but she was not alone. There was a bed beside the Queen, and the Emperor was lying on the bed.
Although the emperor could not speak or move, because he was still conscious, everyone finally decided to let the emperor go to court and listen to everyone discuss the government affairs.
It seems that in this way, everyone can make decisions with confidence.
"Your Majesty, Holy Ming." Ning Yunzhao raised his head, his expression more tragic than before, and kowtowed again.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Duke Cheng Guo immediately knelt down and bowed his head in obeisance.
The other officials no longer hesitated and all kowtowed to him.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
For a moment, the sound in the hall was like a bell ringing.
Seeing the actions of these courtiers and hearing the praise, the queen couldn't help but wipe away her tears.
"Your Majesty is truly a wise king." She choked and said.
But why did I get this disease?
She looked at the emperor and saw tears streaming even more from the corners of his eyes.
The emperor's tears have not stopped these days.
At first everyone thought it was because the emperor was feeling sad because of his illness, but as time went by, one of the imperial doctors said something because there was nothing else to express his feelings but tears.
Does that mean you shed tears when you are sad, but also when you are happy?
Now, under His Majesty's plan, the Emperor of Jin died, and the civil strife in Jin was severely damaged. His Majesty must be very happy to know that this happened.
"Your Majesty is also very happy." The queen stretched out her hand to wipe away the emperor's tears and said in a trembling voice, "Everyone is safe."
Many officials kowtowed and stood up.
But Duke Cheng Guo knelt and did not move.
"I heard that the imperial court has not yet ennobled the crown prince?" he said suddenly.
The officials present were shocked.
Coming!
As expected, Duke Cheng Guo will definitely intervene in the matter of the crown prince.
"What Duke Cheng Guo said is wrong!" Ning Yunzhao's voice sounded, with a somewhat solemn look on his face, and he raised the edict in his hand, "Your Majesty has already conferred the title of crown prince."
"No!" The queen's voice immediately sounded from behind the curtain, trembling and sharp, "This is not your majesty's edict!"
Hearing this sound, the officials present sighed softly.
It started again.
These days, the court is in chaos. The prison of the Ministry of Justice is full of eunuchs and guards. With the interrogation and torture, people are being arrested continuously. The people in the capital are on their backs and panicked. But this is not the most important thing. In fact, the court is
The most important thing about Duan is the selection of the crown prince.
Ning Yunzhao held the edict in his arms every day, determined to conceive the king as the crown prince. At the same time, he was surrounded by a group of officials, but the queen naturally did not allow it. She insisted on making her eldest son the crown prince. She also had
A group of officials supported it.
In addition, other princes were also operating privately, and other officials remained neutral and watched the excitement, causing chaos for a while.
Every court meeting begins and ends with a dispute over the selection of the crown prince.
The quarrel has been going on so far with no results.
Now Cheng Guogong is back and has begun to participate.
"Your Majesty's edict was only seen and received by Mr. Ning." Cheng Guogong looked at Ning Yunzhao, "It's no wonder that everyone doubts it. This kind of thing still needs to be convinced with reason."
The queen's eyes lit up as she sat behind the curtain.
So Duke Cheng Guo didn’t believe this edict either.
Ning Yunzhao looked calm.
"For Ning, His Majesty is the law of heaven." He said.
Duke Cheng Guo smiled gently.
"You say you are right, but he says he is right," he said. "It is unclear whether you are right or not."
"What do you mean, Mr. Cheng Guo?" the queen couldn't help but ask.
Duke Cheng Guo salutes the queen where she is.
"I thought we should not talk about the edict," he said.
Very good!
The queen could hardly bear to lift the curtain and come out.
Duke Cheng Guo smiled slightly.
"Your Majesty is so wise, hasn't he already made arrangements?" he continued.
Already made arrangements?
Everyone present looked at him with some confusion.
"Have everyone forgotten?" Cheng Guogong also looked at everyone, "When Miss Jun asked Your Majesty to make King Huai the crown prince, didn't His Majesty say that everyone should discuss it?"
Everyone knew that Miss Jun said these words outside the emperor's mausoleum, but then the emperor did not give a clear answer, but asked the courtiers to discuss it. This is also known to everyone.
"Then, everyone should follow His Majesty's instructions and discuss carefully whether it is feasible to establish King Huai as the crown prince." Cheng Guogong said, "Isn't this following the holy order?"
There was a silence in the court hall.
Is this how to obey the holy command?
"This kind of sacred command is not known to Master Ning alone, but is something that all of us have heard and seen with our own ears." Cheng Guogong continued, "Then by clearly discerning the result in this way, we can convince people with reason.
"
This seems to be the truth.
That seems pretty good.
There was a slight commotion in the court, and low voices could be heard.
But what is the result of this chaos like now? On the contrary, Ning Yunzhao's side is even weaker. After all, he relies on the emperor's edict.
Duke Cheng Guo looked at everyone and stood up straight.
"In that case, let me express my opinion first." He said.
These words made the court quiet again, and all eyes fell on him.
"I think King Huai is very good." Cheng Guogong said.
The queen sat back down on the dragon bed with a pop.
It's over.
.......
.........
"Gong Cheng Guo asked everyone to discuss it, saying that he wanted to convince people with reason, but what?"
Chen Qi said, seemingly unable to help laughing when he said this, unable to speak any more.
Miss Jun, who was dusty and was taking off her cloak, looked at him.
"But what?" she asked.
"But Duke Cheng Guo led 30,000 troops and stayed outside the capital. He refused to go to the camp on the outskirts of the capital. He said he wanted to guard the capital and protect the stability of the imperial city." Chen Qi said with a smile, while winking, "He said that he would wait until the crown prince is appointed.
I will leave only when the government is stable, lest the gold thieves take the opportunity to cause trouble."
He said and laughed.
"I think he is clearly threatening everyone not to cause trouble."
In many cases, generals with military power can play a key role in the succession of emperors.
What's more, now that the war has just calmed down, and Duke Cheng is even more majestic, and has shown his support for King Huai, many officials in the court will have to carefully consider how to make a choice.
Miss Jun pinched her collar and was slightly lost in thought.
Then this matter......
"It's done!"
Someone suddenly lifted the curtain and rushed in, speaking with a trembling voice.
Miss Jun turned around and saw it was Shopkeeper Liu.
His face looked excited.
"Just now, a summons was announced in the palace to confer the title of Crown Prince Huai." He said in a trembling voice.
.........
.........
There is also a ceremony for canonizing a crown prince.
First of all, the crown prince's attire was to be made. Originally, the emperor had no intention of naming his young son as crown prince, so the palace did not prepare the attire passed down to Prince Huai at his age.
After a busy period of production and a lot of etiquette to teach, Prince Huai's Mansion was no longer closed like before with no one daring to approach it, but there was an endless stream of people coming and going.
"In addition to the crown prince's attire, the emperor's attire has also begun to be prepared." Cheng Guogong said, "After all, His Majesty is in poor health. After the crown prince's canonization is completed, everyone will discuss the abdication matter so that His Majesty can rest and recover."
Miss Jun nodded.
"Zhu Zan didn't come back this time?" she asked.
He didn't care about inner meditation, but asked Zhu Zan.
Duke Cheng Guo smiled gently.
"We still have to be careful over there in the Northland." He said, "Let him come back after a while."
Miss Jun nodded and looked at the busy people coming and going in Prince Huai's Mansion.
"Are you going to see His Highness?" Cheng Guogong asked.
Prince Huai is no longer the former Prince Huai. As Miss Jun, it is not easy to meet Prince Huai at this time.
But of course, this is just a rule. If you want to see him, it's just a word from Duke Cheng.
"I want to meet the Queen Mother." Miss Jun thought for a while, looked at Duke Cheng and said.
........
.............
The heavy palace door was pushed open by the eunuchs, and the sunlight poured in, making the room bright.
But soon the door was pulled shut.
"The imperial doctor said that it would be better for the Queen Mother to recover if she did not see the light." A chamberlain said cautiously.
The woman next to him was only wearing a county-level dress. For a chamberlain who was used to seeing queens and princesses, this kind of person was really not pleasing to the eye.
But facing this woman, he assumed an even humbler posture than facing the queen and princess.
Because this woman's status is not only a miracle doctor, a hero who saved the people of the capital, but also because of the crown prince's canonization ceremony being held in the previous dynasty.
Although the crown prince was decided upon by the court, no one would forget that she was the first person to propose that Prince Huai be the crown prince.
The Crown Prince is not just a Crown Prince, he will soon rule the world and become the new Emperor, the master of this palace.
And she is the greatest benefactor of this palace owner.
This woman not only saved the new emperor's illness and cured his acne, but also saved his life. From a prince who originally lived in seclusion and died in silence, he became an emperor respected by everyone.
Although, his original destiny was to be the emperor.
Miss Jun stopped.
The two chamberlains hurriedly pulled up the curtain, revealing the Queen Mother lying on the bed.
The Queen Mother is still in a coma, and the doctors are at their wits' end. They say she was too frightened and her mind was broken. They can't tell when she will wake up, so they can only use decoction to keep her healthy.
Miss Jun walked over, and the servants lowered the curtains to cover their figures.
The chamberlain who led the way waved his hand and led the people back out. Miss Jun was the only one left in the Queen Mother's palace.
In the past, no chamberlain would have dared to let Miss Jun face the Queen Mother alone.
But now, it's not the past.
Miss Jun sat down and looked at the Queen Mother who seemed to be sleeping. She looked at it carefully for a long time, then reached out and touched the Queen Mother's head. She stroked it slowly for a moment, then raised it up, and there was a slender silver needle in her hand.
With the appearance of this silver needle, the Queen Mother took a breath and opened her eyes suddenly, as if awakened from a nightmare.
Her eyes were confused for a moment, then condensed, looking at Miss Jun in front of her, her face was purple, and she suddenly struggled to get up.
"You, you dare to wake me up now!" she shouted hoarsely, "Aren't you afraid that I will tell the truth?"
She said with a fierce look in her eyes.
"Unless you kill me, I will definitely tell the truth."
Miss Jun smiled.
"No one cares about your truth now," she said. "There are more people who won't let you tell the truth."
Because the overall situation has been decided.
Just like when King Qi became the crown prince.
Those dirty truths don’t need to be revealed anymore, what everyone wants to see is just the glamor.
The Queen Mother stared at her fiercely.
"Are you here to show off?" she said hoarsely.
Miss Jun shook her head.
"I just want to ask you a question." she said.
The Queen Mother looked at her.
Miss Jun also looked at her.
"Have you raised me for so long, do you really have no feelings at all?" she said.
This statement has no beginning and no end, which is puzzling.
The Queen Mother's eyes were also confused for a while. She looked at Miss Jun and suddenly thought of something. She was stunned and then horrified, and she moved back suddenly.
"You, you." She shouted tremblingly, pointing at Miss Jun with a frightened expression, "Are you a human or a ghost?"
Miss Jun watched her stand up.
"I used to think that I was neither human nor ghost, but now I feel that you are the ones who are neither human nor ghost." She said, then turned around and walked out.
The Queen Mother huddled on the bed and looked at the woman's back with a horrified expression. She seemed to see the woman turn her head, but she did not look like Miss Jun, but a seven or eight-year-old girl.
"Royal Grandma, Imperial Grandma." She shouted with a smile and rushed towards her with a bamboo pole and net in her hand, "Look at the butterflies I caught and make them appliques for you."
The Queen Mother couldn't help but screamed and stretched out her hand to push it away.
"Go away, go away," she shouted.
The girl was crushed in her hands and disappeared.
The woman who walked to the door stopped and turned around to look at her.
"No!" The Queen Mother suddenly hissed, her face becoming fierce, as if this could dispel all fear, "No! Not at all!"
Miss Jun said oh, turned around and continued walking. The curtains were raised and lowered to cover the Queen Mother's sight.
"No! No!" She kept saying, slowly shrinking up and hugging her knees, shivering, "No, no, not at all."
The palace door closed, and the servants bowed to see Miss Jun off, watching Miss Jun leave.
I don't know how far I walked before Miss Jun let go of her hand in front of her and sighed softly. In front of her was the front hall. At this time, the crown prince's canonization ceremony was being held. It was only simplified because of the emperor's illness and there was no drum music.
.
Do you want to go and have a look?
Although she was not qualified to go, she knew where to take a peek. After all, she had done this kind of thing a lot when she was a child.
A smile appeared on the corner of Miss Jun's mouth, but the next moment her smile froze because there was a person standing on the palace road in front of her.
He is tall and dressed in red robes, but he retreats from the bright sunlight. Although he is clearly standing in the sunlight, he seems to be shrouded in shadow.
Lu Yunqi?
Why is he here?
Why did he come out again?
Miss Jun's expression suddenly changed.
.......
.........
(Five thousand four hundred words, this is too long, I haven’t finished it yet... Let’s continue tomorrow, okay) (To be continued)