(I've been sick for the past two days, so the updates are few and far from timely. I'm extremely sorry!)
Lu Zhongtian suddenly said goodbye and left, which made Yuan Zhengqian quite embarrassed. He sensed Lu Zhongtian's displeasure. Although he really wanted to be the Privy Councilor, the prerequisite was that he could not offend Lu Zhongtian. So he quickly called out: "Prime Minister Lu, I'm going to lower my rank. I have absolutely no intention of doing so. Please stay, Mr. Lu."
Lu Zhongtian laughed and said: "I'm just too drunk. Besides, it's not advisable to drink too much in the face of a formidable enemy. I'll go back and have a good sleep. There may be another fierce battle tomorrow. Mr. Yuan, you must also exercise restraint. Don't try to imitate me." Some people raise their tails when they get some advantages, thinking that they have already secured victory, and that the world is peaceful. As everyone knows, the more they think so, the more dangerous the situation will be."
Lu Zhongtian walked away with a puff of his sleeves. Upon seeing this, Chen Bin, Zhu Zhirong and others also said goodbye and left. Most of the dozens of officials who participated in the banquet left in a hurry, leaving only a few officials standing in the hall at a loss. I don't know whether to leave or stay.
Guo Xu sneered in his heart and waved his hands: "My dear friends, the prime minister is right. It is not suitable for the enemy to drink alcohol at the moment. The banquet will stop here today. You can all leave."
A group of officials hurriedly bowed and resigned. They did not want to offend either Prime Minister Lu or the emperor. This was the most embarrassing time for them. It was best to leave here quickly without offending the emperor. The emperor gave them a message to them. Leaving was like being granted amnesty.
Several officials filed out, and Yuan Zhengqian also hurriedly bowed his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have also resigned."
Guo Xu smiled and said: "Where is General Yuan going?"
Yuan Zhenqian said: "My troops are still stationed outside the West City, so I naturally have to go back to camp. Although I won today, we cannot take it lightly. Early tomorrow morning, I will lead the army into the city and participate in the defense. Your Majesty will rest early." , there may be another war tomorrow."
Guo Xu slowly walked back to the throne, and slowly sat on the dragon chair, resting his chin with his hands and thinking silently. Yuan Zhengqian didn't know what Guo Xu was thinking, and he didn't dare to leave, so he just stood quietly under the emperor.
"Close the palace door and all irrelevant persons should leave Chongzheng Palace." Guo Xu suddenly sat up and ordered in a deep voice.
The chamberlain and guards quickly agreed and rushed to close the palace door. When the palace door closed, the hoarse friction sound echoed in the empty hall. Clang, clang, clang, the heavy door bolt fell, followed closely by the chamberlain and guards. There was the sound of clattering footsteps as they evacuated the Chongzheng Hall. Soon after, all the noise quieted down, and the hall fell into a dead silence. Guo Xu still sat on the throne motionless, like a clay and wood sculpture.
Yuan Zhenqian waited for a long time without seeing Guo Xu speak, so he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty..."
"Yuan Aiqing..." Guo Xu suddenly interrupted Yuan Zhengqian's words and stared at Yuan Zhenqian condescendingly with bright eyes.
Yuan Zhenqian felt panicked for no reason, but he forced himself to calm down and replied: "I'm here."
Guo Xudao: "Does Yuan Aiqing know my current situation?"
Yuan Zhengqian's heart moved and he muttered: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The Liao soldiers and horses have been defeated by me in Taiyuan Mansion. There are less than tens of thousands of defeated soldiers left and they have no time to take care of themselves. The Jurchen soldiers and horses also failed to attack the city today and suffered heavy losses. I have the confidence to defend Bianliang, defeat the Jurchens, drive them out of our Great Zhou Dynasty, and return our Great Zhou Dynasty to peace and prosperity..."
Guo Xu nodded and said with a smile: "Yuan Aiqing, I am not talking about the Liao people and the Jurchens, I am talking about the affairs in the court. I am talking about my current situation in the court."
Yuan Zhengqian said hoarsely: "This... I don't understand..."
Guo Xu chuckled and said: "Don't you understand? Yuan Aiqing, I'm afraid you understand better than anyone else. I am a loner now, and I am just a decoration. Do you really don't understand or are you just pretending to be confused? You don't know what happened tonight. Do you see? Some people don’t take me seriously at all. Some people regard me as a canary they raise. When they are happy, they feed and water me. When they are unhappy, they starve me to death of thirst. It's sad. The Zhou Dynasty was founded for more than 150 years. In my hands, there are treacherous ministers in the court, but I can't do anything. Yuan Aiqing, tell me, even if Bianliang is saved, the Jurchens will be defeated. What does it mean to me?"
Yuan Zhenqian's heart was beating wildly. Of course he understood what Guo Xu's words meant. Why did Guo Xu leave him behind and say these words to him? What was his intention? If he said these words to the emperor here, if Lu Zhongtian knew about it, he would how to think?
"Yuan Aiqing, do you know why I went to the tower today to join the battle in person? I just want to die. I want to die on the battlefield defending Bianliang. I don't want to die in the hands of traitors. I don't want to be raised in captivity and treated like a pig. At the mercy of you. If I die on the battlefield today, or have the dignity to meet the ancestors of the late emperors, at least I will die for the great Zhou Dynasty. But I cannot do what I want. I feel bitter in my heart. The anger and pain in my heart are so great. Who knows? Who can I talk to?" Guo Xu continued to say in a deep voice.
Yuan Zhengqian hurriedly said: "The Emperor must not have such thoughts. The Emperor is the backbone of the army and the people in the world. How can he not cherish the dragon body and have the intention to die? If something happens to the Emperor, won't the morale of the army and the people be shattered?"
Guo Xu glared at Yuan Zhengqian and said: "Yuan Aiqing, I know that you are very scared now, and I also know that you are the prime minister. I can understand your difficulties in the original situation. When Yang Jun died, those of you who used to follow Yang The people around Jun naturally want to protect themselves. The prime minister killed dozens of local leading generals in order to eliminate Yang Jun's cronies. I can understand you that you took refuge in him to protect yourself."
Yuan Zhenqian was shocked and knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, I am...I am only loyal to the imperial court and loyal to the emperor. I am not someone else's person, I am a person of the imperial court..."
Guo Xu frowned and waved his hands: "Yuan Aiqing, why are you doing this? I don't blame you. How can I not know these things? Why do you need to defend yourself?"
Yuan Zhengqian was sweating and murmuring speechlessly.
"But, Yuan Aiqing, have you forgotten that you were once promoted by Privy Councilor Yang Jun? I heard that Yang Jun regarded you as his own son. At first you were just a young boy from a poor family, and it was Yang Jun who brought you up. Fighting all over the world, rising all the way up. Without Yang Jun, would you be where you are today? Yang Jun tried his best to recommend you to lead the Northwest Army, and it was he who placed high hopes and trust in you. People must not forget their roots. If a person forgets his roots, what is he like an animal? Weird?" Guo Xu shouted coldly.
Yuan Zhenqian's face turned pale, which was the most painful scar in his heart. After Yang Jun's death, many people scolded him for his actions as ungratefulness, and many of his generals were also dissatisfied with him. There were also generals in the army who pointed at Yang Jun's face after being drunk. His nose insulted him, and Yuan Zhengqian suffered a lot of accusations, especially his own psychological guilt and pressure, which was difficult to deal with. Today, even Guo Xu said this about him, and Yuan Zhengqian couldn't bear it anymore.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry for being rude. After all, isn't it the Emperor who ordered Privy Minister Yang to be killed? Privy Minister Yang has been loyal to the country for decades and has accomplished many feats. Did the Emperor ever think about this when he killed him? ?I accept the emperor’s accusation. I am also in a dilemma between loyalty and righteousness. I can only obey the orders of the court. I also admit that I have selfish motives and want to survive. I don’t want to follow in the footsteps of Privy Yang. But Privy Yang was not killed by me. He destroyed the Great Wall by himself. It's not your minister who is responsible for you. How can the emperor let your ministers bear all this?" Yuan Zhengqian raised his head and said loudly, he was already ready to break up.
Guo Xu was not as angry as he imagined. His face was very calm. After Yuan Zhenqian finished speaking, he nodded lightly and said: "Yuan Aiqing, you are right. I made a big mistake. I killed Privy Councilor Yang with my own hands. I have lost my mind. From then on, every time I thought about this matter, I secretly cursed myself for being stupid and fell into the traitor's trap. I killed my great Zhou general and destroyed the Great Wall. I set up a memorial tablet for Privy Yang in the dormitory hall. I often repent and blame myself in front of his soul, just because of this big mistake. But... Yuan Aiqing, do you know why I killed Yang Jun in the first place? Do you know the real reason?"
Yuan Zhengqian said softly: "Didn't the emperor agree to the Liao people's condition of killing Privy Yang in order to make peace with the Liao people? That was a request made by the Liao people. Does the emperor want to tell me? The emperor has no choice but to do so?"
Guo Xu suddenly burst out laughing. Yuan Zhengqian stared at Guo Xu blankly and frowned.
Guo Xu laughed wildly, and in the end it sounded like he was crying. He shook his head and sighed: "Yuan Aiqing, I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you. I fell into someone else's trap. But this trap was not set by the Liao people, but by the people of the Liao Dynasty. It's me
Did you know that the original agreement between the Liao people and the Liao people did not include the clause of killing Privy Council Yang, but only the three clauses of paying money, increasing the annual coins, and asking me to honor the Liao Kingdom as the country of my uncle. Yelv Zongyuan did not know at all There was no provision for killing Privy Master Yang."
Yuan Zhengqian was shocked and said: "How is it possible? How could such a clause appear? What did the emperor mean when he talked about the traps of people around him?"
Guo Xu stood up, slowly walked down from the throne, came to Yuan Zhengqian's side, gritted his teeth and said in a very low voice: "That's because, in order to achieve the purpose of monopolizing power, someone sent people to propose to the Liao people. This one. Hehe, Yuan Aiqing, I'm afraid you didn't expect it. In order to gain power, the traitors and traitors actually ignored the safety of the Zhou Dynasty and did such things that harmed the country and the people. But I was completely kept in the dark and thought it was Liao. The conditions proposed by others. I was indeed stupid and weak. After Privy Yang defeated Xijin Mansion, I was also really angry. All of this was taken advantage of. Some people took advantage of my anger and my eagerness to reach a peace agreement. Psychologically, he took advantage of my trust in him and secretly did this kind of thing. I naturally bear great responsibility for the death of Privy Council Yang, but the biggest culprit is not me, but the man who brought disaster to the country and the people for blinding me for his own ambitions. Use my people."
Yuan Zhengqian couldn't believe his own ears. Guo Xu's words were so shocking. Yuan Zhengqian never expected that there was such an inside story behind Yang Jun's death. The emperor said that the man who used the emperor's emotions to fight for power for his own ambitions actively colluded with Liao. In fact, there is no need to guess the person who took the initiative to kill Yang Jun. I am afraid that the person the emperor was talking about is that person.
"Your Majesty...are you serious about what you said...?" Yuan Zhengqian asked in a trembling voice.
"Can I still talk nonsense? They think everything is perfect, but there are people who are loyal to me, and I also have my own eyes and ears. I swear to God, if there is even half a lie in this matter, I will die without a burial place and suffer the thunder and the earth. He will be burned to death, his body and soul will be destroyed, and he will never be reincarnated for eternity." Guo Xu made the most vicious oath.
"But... the person the emperor mentioned... could it be... is... Lu... Lu..." Yuan Zhenqian was speechless.
"That's him, my grandfather Lu Zhongtian, yes, you guessed it right. He and Yang Jun were incompatible, and Yang Jun's defeat was the opportunity for him to kill Yang Jun. He had encouraged me to kill Yang Jun before, I felt it was inappropriate, so he asked Liu Zhenbang to reach a secret agreement with Han Desui, the king of the South Court of Liao Kingdom, so Han Desui added a clause to kill Yang Jun in the peace agreement. Lu Zhongtian had an old relationship with Han Desui before. Before the relationship between the Liao and the Liao Kingdom broke down, he went on a mission to the Liao Kingdom, and it is said that he and Han Desui became sworn friends. I also heard him talk about some of his experiences in the Liao Kingdom before, and he spoke highly of Han Desui's character. I didn't care about this at the time, but now it seems that it was the trip to the Liao Kingdom that gave Lu Zhongtian the connection with the Liao people. And all of this, I, the whole Zhou Dynasty, were kept in the dark. Yuan Aiqing, you may not believe it. He will do this, but you can easily come to the conclusion just by looking at the reality in front of you. The military, political and financial power of our country is now concentrated in the hands of Lu Zhongtian, and all important official positions in the court belong to him. I say that I am Being alone is not an exaggeration at all. I am now empty-handed, and everything is at his mercy. You saw it just now, when I wanted to mention you as Privy Councilor, he immediately turned away and left. In his heart, does he still have me as the emperor? ?The reason why I kept you here today is because I think you, Yuan Zhengqian, are loyal ministers who are loyal to our Zhou Dynasty. Because you are the person Yang Jun likes, and Yang Jun’s vision is not wrong. That’s why I dare to tell you this. .I only hope that Yuan Aiqing knows my situation. I may be killed by him soon. I don’t want to die inexplicably. I want to tell these secrets to someone I can trust. In the future, Aiqing can announce the truth to the world. , expose the ambition of the old thief, expose his ugly face, and don’t let the people of the world be deceived by it. I want you to protect my country, the Zhou Dynasty, from falling into the hands of the old thief. I want to vindicate Privy Yang Zhaoxue, so as to comfort his spirit in heaven. .If Aiqing can do this, he is a person who combines loyalty and loyalty. Even if I am killed by the old thief, I can rest in peace. Yang Jun under the spring will also rest in peace. And Aiqing will turn the tide and save me, the Great Zhou Dynasty. , leaving a name in history and lasting forever..."
