Emperor Mu of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Dan, came to the throne at the age of two. His mother, the Empress Dowager Chu, set up a white gauze curtain in the Taiji Hall, brought the emperor to the court, and began to listen to politics behind the curtain for thirteen years. The Empress Dowager Chu was smart and knowledgeable, and she was able to deal with the powerful officials.
, good at balancing the forces of all parties and maintaining the stability of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Empress Dowager Chu was very considerate of the people. When she first took charge of the government, she issued an edict: "The people are working hard now, and the ruler should think of some relief. Special edict to the world.
, From now on, every year, except for military and national emergencies, renting, taxing, and raising taxes will be suspended from the province." His kindness and kindness were respected by both the court and the common people——
When Sima Dan was fifteen years old, Empress Dowager Chu returned her son to the throne. However, only four years later, Sima Dan died, and the emperor's son, Sima Pi, was made emperor. Sima Pi only believed in the alchemists' magic of immortality, and took gold and stone bait to get sick.
, so that she could not manage the affairs of the court, the Empress Dowager Chu came to the court again to listen to the government. Half a year later, Sima Pi died in the west hall of Taiji Palace, and Sima Pi and his mother's brother Sima Yi were made emperor. Sima Yi had grown up, so the Empress Dowager returned to power again and still lived in Chongqing.
The De Palace only burned incense and worshiped Buddha in the Buddhist house and no longer interfered with the government affairs. Therefore, the Empress Dowager Chu did not know about the recent uproar in Jiankang City about the entry of Lu's daughter into the palace. After all, the matter had not yet been officially carried out. Emperor Sima Yi and Lu
The family is testing the reactions of all parties. If the time comes, Emperor Sima Yi must inform Empress Dowager Chongde of this matter.
On the 26th day of the fifth lunar month, Queen Mother Chu, escorted by 300 guardsmen, led her female officials and dozens of servants to Waguan Temple outside Qingxi Gate to pay homage to the Buddha. On the eighth day of the previous month, the birthday of the Buddha, Queen Mother Chu died because of her jade body.
Vihe was unable to go to Waguan Temple to worship the Buddha. Recently, he recovered, so he wanted to come to Waguan Temple to listen to the Diamond Sutra taught by Elder Zhu Fatai——
Zhu Fatai greeted him in front of the mountain gate and guided Empress Dowager Chu to various Buddhist temples to celebrate the occasion. It was indispensable to see the eight celestial dragon statues and Vimalakīrti statues on the east and west walls of the Main Hall. However, he saw a pair of young ladies and gentlemen waiting respectfully in the hall.
, the man's eyebrows and eyes were far apart, looking sparse and bright, while the woman's expression was shy and charming, and they both saluted Empress Dowager Chu——
Elder Zhu Fatai said with a smile: "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, do you still know this young couple?"
Gu Kaizhi and Zhang Tongyun are both unforgettable and beautiful people. Empress Dowager Chu smiled and said: "The widow has wasted her forties this year and is not yet dim-sighted. How could the young Mr. Gu of Jinling and the young lady Zhang of Wumen forget them?" She asked:
"Are the virtuous couple here to appreciate old works?"
Gu Kaizhi and Zhang Tongyun only said yes.
Elder Zhu Fatai had already communicated with Gu Kaizhi, saying: "In March last year, Gu Langjun and Chen Langjun, as well as Miss Zhang and Miss Lu, painted this east-west mural together. It became a good talk for a while. Over the past year,
People from as far away as Guanxi, Hebei, and even the Western Regions came here specifically to appreciate the paintings and worship the Buddha, and they were all delighted and amazed."
Empress Dowager Chu nodded and said: "The murals of Waguan Temple have become a famous attraction in Kangcheng. This is certainly the result of the two gentlemen Chen and Gu, as well as the two young ladies Zhang and Lu. They have superb painting skills. They are also a profound example of the compassion and compassion of Buddhism and are deeply touching."
Therefore."
Elder Zhu Fatai repeatedly said, "How good! How good!" He then picked up the subject and said, "Now Mr. Gu and Mrs. Zhang are happily married. They are truly a wonderful couple in the world. Congratulations!"
Empress Dowager Chu looked at Gu Kaizhi and his wife, who were really loving and respectful to each other. She couldn't help but think of Chen Caozhi and Lu Weirui, a pair of bitter lovers, so she asked Gu Kaizhi: "Then Chen Langjun ordered the prince to wash his horse, and he went on an envoy a few months ago.
Di Qin, I wonder if there is any message back?"
Gu Kaizhi replied respectfully: "To the Queen Mother, Chen Zizhong has already made meritorious deeds before arriving in Chang'an, resolving the crisis of Huaibei's docks surrendering to the Di Qin. He must have arrived in Chang'an now."
Empress Dowager Chu nodded and said: "Chen Xima is not afraid of hardships and shares the country's worries. His sincerity is commendable."
Gu Kaizhi immediately said: "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, Chen Zizhong traveled thousands of miles to serve the Jin Dynasty, but the recent rumors in Jiankang City are chilling -"
Empress Dowager Chu frowned slightly and asked, "What is the rumor?"
Gu Kaizhi then told Lu Shi about sending his daughter to the palace one by one. Empress Dowager Chu was greatly surprised. Emperor Sima Yi did not mention this matter to her. Zhang Tongyun also presented Lu Weirui's "Chen Qing Biao". Empress Dowager Chu
He looked at the table and was moved. He was silent for a while and said: "The widow does not know about this matter. We will ask for details when we return to the palace before making any plans." After calmly bowing to the Buddha, he drove back to the palace and asked the servants to inquire about it. Sure enough, a daughter of the Lu family entered the palace.
According to later rumors, it was also known that Sima Yu, King of Langya, had mentioned this matter to Emperor Sima Yi a few days ago. King Langya wanted the emperor to issue an edict to refute the rumors, but the emperor did not allow it. It seems that the emperor did intend to let Lu's daughter into the palace.
, this is such a big event, it will destroy the balance of the existing forces of all parties, and if you are not careful, big changes will happen——
Empress Dowager Chu was very worried and ordered her chamberlain to invite Emperor Sima Yi to Chongde Palace the next morning to directly inquire about Lu's daughter's entry into the palace——
Emperor Sima Yi was very depressed. A few days ago, the emperor's uncle Sima Yu asked him to issue an edict to refute the rumors. Today, Empress Dowager Chongde asked about it again. Her tone was quite dissatisfied. Empress Dowager Chongde was not Sima Yi's mother, but just her aunt.
However, having been in charge of government for more than ten years, Sima Yi was very prestigious in the palace and in the court. Sima Yi did not dare to be disrespectful at all. Moreover, Empress Dowager Chu needed to know about Lu Weirui's entry into the palace as early as possible. If he wanted to be canonized as a queen, Empress Dowager Chu was even more needed.
Only permission is required, so Sima Yi did not hide anything. He made it clear to the Empress Dowager Chu that this was all for the purpose of reviving the royal family. With the support of the three Wu clans, the imperial power would be strengthened——
Empress Dowager Chu had been in court for many years, how could she think about things as simply as Sima Yi said: "The three Wu clans value civility over martial arts. Although they have a good reputation, if something happens, they may not be able to use the power of the clan to help, compared to those who are more martial.
The Zhou family in Yixing and the Shen family in Wuxing were far inferior. The Huan family was only three days away from Jiankang, and they were worried that they could not find an excuse to take over Jiankang. However, the emperor angered the Huan family at this time. Wouldn't it be best to grant him
I'm telling the truth! In the current situation, maintaining the status quo is the first priority. If we seek change, it will be our Jin Dynasty royal family that will suffer."
Sima Yi said angrily: "I accept the concubine, what does it do to Huan Wen? How can I talk about giving him excuses? Could it be that Huan Wen will raise troops to usurp the throne because of this!"
Empress Dowager Chu said nothing and looked at Sima Yi coldly.
Empress Dowager Chu's prestige was still there. Cold sweat broke out on Sima Yi's back, and he did not dare to call himself "I" anymore. He said: "This matter was proposed by Lu Shi, the Minister of the Five Arms, and Lu Qin, the Censor of the Imperial Guard. If my nephew refuses, there will be
To harm the face of the people in the south, how about letting Lu Shi know about Jiankang Feng's opinions and retreat when he sees the difficulties?"
Empress Dowager Chu shook her head secretly. Sima Yi was determined not to fight against the south wall. She wanted to experience Huan Wen's strength. She also thought: "Since I have returned to Chongde Palace, it is not good for me to be involved in politics anymore. Let Sima Yi handle this matter by himself."
No matter if he hits a wall in front of Huan Wen, Lu Weirui cannot enter the palace without my permission."
Sima Yi returned to the Zhongzhai of Shiqian Hall dejectedly. The Prime Minister Long urgently called Lu Qin into the palace to discuss matters. Half an hour later, Lu Qin hurriedly arrived and learned that Empress Dowager Chongde opposed Wei Rui's entry into the palace. Lu Qin's heart dropped. Huan Wen has not expressed his position yet, and the Empress Dowager Chongde alone cannot get around it. The matter can only be postponed until Jiankang public opinion and Huan Wen fiercely oppose it before deciding——
…
Huan Wen received a secret letter from Xi Chao in early June, mentioning that Lu Shi wanted to send Lu Weirui to the palace. Xi Chao asked Huan Wen to express his opposition clearly, but Huan Wen was not in a hurry. He carefully asked the Jiankang officials and scholars for their reactions to the matter, and sneered in his heart. "Wang Shu, Wang Biaozhi and these old scoundrels didn't come out to object, but they wanted to see me, the Huan family, and the Lu family fight. They really have ulterior motives. I will remain calm and look at Sima Yi and Lu Shi. How can they act? Apart from self-inflicted harm. What else can you do with reputation? It’s really unreasonable for the Lu family’s daughter to become a queen!”
On June 23, Huan Wen received a secret letter from Shen Jin and Chen Caozhi. He greatly admired Chen Caozhi's strategy and determined to end Chen Caozhi's loyalty to the Jin Dynasty and let Chen Caozhi work for him. , so he had to create an irreconcilable conflict between Chen Caozhi and Emperor Sima Yi. However, according to Jiankang's secret report, Empress Dowager Chongde reprimanded Emperor Sima Yi for Lu's daughter entering the palace. Sima Yi seemed to dare not accept Lu anymore. If his daughter enters the palace, wouldn't Huan Wen's plot be in vain?
Therefore, the news that Chen Caozhi was kidnapped by the Xianbei people and sent to Hebei spread through the Xifu agent Gu Kaizhi. Gu Kaizhi was a senior official of Huan Wen. It was not surprising to learn this secret. After all, Gu Kaizhi was simple and did not know the sinister hearts of people. He only worried about the safety of his friends. , anxiously rushed back to Jiankang again, and told his wife Zhang Tongyun about the matter. He wondered whether he should report the matter to Lu Weirui. Zhang Tongyun was so anxious that he shed tears and said: "How can I tell Weirui? Weirui will I’ll cry to death!”
When Chen Shang learned about this, he was stunned. This happened thousands of miles away. It was useless to be anxious. He blamed his sixteenth brother for taking such a hard job. What should he do now?
The next day, Gu Kaizhi and Zhang Tongyun were still discussing whether to go to the Lu Mansion to tell Wei Rui about the matter. However, the entire Jiankang City knew that Chen Caozhi was captured by the Xianbei people when he was sent to Di Qin as an envoy. There was a lot of talk, and those who had originally The courtiers who opposed Chen Caozhi's envoy took the opportunity to criticize Chen Caozhi. The Eastern Jin Dynasty never had any contact with the envoys of the Wuhu Tong in the north. They were all rebellious officials and traitors who were about to be attacked and exterminated. How could they go on an envoy as an equal country? Chen Caozhi This trip can be described as self-inflicted humiliation and detrimental to the country’s prestige!
Lu Qin was overjoyed when he heard about this and thought: "Very good, very good. Chen Caozhi will go to the Yan Kingdom to shepherd sheep for the Xianbei people. If heaven has mercy on him, he can be released after nineteen years." Together with his father Lu Shi, After discussing for a while, they went into Taicheng to meet Emperor Sima Yi——
In the east hall of Taiji Hall, Emperor Sima Yizheng was discussing with Sima Yu, King of Langya, Wang Shu, Minister Ling Wang Shu, Xi Chao, Minister of Zhongshu, and others about Chen Cao's capture. According to Sima Yi's intention, he wanted to cut off Chen Cao's crown prince Xi. However, Sima Yu, Wang Shu, and Xi Chao all opposed it. The Yan army raided Luoyang City and was captured. It was not Chen Caozhi's fault. Unless Chen Caozhi betrayed the country, in which case he could be convicted and punished.
Seeing that none of the ministers agreed, Sima Yi was quite displeased and retreated back to Shiqian Palace. Lu Qin received Zhu Lingbao to guide him, and came to Zhongzhai to meet Emperor Sima Yi, explaining that Chen Caozhi had been captured and had no time to return to the country. So, Lu Weirui's entry into the palace is natural and reasonable, and the ruling and opposition parties will agree. Moreover, Huan Wen has not expressed his opposition clearly so far. He must have some scruples and dare not be too domineering. After all, it is just Lu Weirui's entry into the palace, and he is not canonizing the queen. What does Huan Wen have to do? Reasons to object?
