After a night of silence, Lu Daoquan got up early the next day, put on a luxurious official uniform, and headed straight to the palace under the leadership of his servants. Above the main hall, all the civil and military officials had taken their seats early. As a foreigner, Lu Daoquan walked with trepidation along the way. Fortunately, Jiang Qing was uncharacteristically waiting for Lu Daoquan outside the palace today. This alarmed many people. Seeing that the latter was unconscious, Jiang Qing Qing took a step forward, held Lu Daoquan's wrist, and said, "Nephew Lu Xian, don't let others see the joke! Just follow me."
Lu Daoquan seemed to be grasping at straws, nodding his head like garlic, and followed Jiang Qing closely. Seeing this, all the civil and military officials couldn't help but wonder who this man's face was. Look at the official badge on his chest. He was just a third-grade civil servant, but he could win the favor of Taishi Jiang. What's more, he was already planning to take his wife with him after retiring from the court. Li paid a visit just to make him look familiar. Once he climbed onto the ship of Taishi Jiang, he would have a smooth sailing as an official in the capital.
In the Zichen Hall, all the civil and military officials were present. According to their rank, the civil and military officials were lined up in order, waiting for Emperor Wu of Liang. Now that Li Jian has been granted the title of king of Qingzhou, the head of the generals will be General Zhu Wang, followed closely by Ye Baiye and Cao Bo, but their dissatisfaction is not hidden at all. It is obvious that they are quite critical of Zhu Wang's rise. While everyone was wandering in their thoughts, they heard the great eunuch Tang Gai shout loudly: "Your Majesty is welcome to the palace!"
After hearing the sound, everyone knelt down and said in unison: "Long live my emperor, long live the emperor." Emperor Wu of Liang slowly sat on the dragon chair, looked at the black head under his feet, and showed a smile that was destined to be unseen. After a while, , and then he said: "Everyone is equal."
"Long live thanks."
Emperor Wu of Liang slapped the dragon chair with one hand and said casually: "Do you have the original memorial?"
Cao Bo took a step forward, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, a group of people has arisen in Xiping Kingdom in recent days and has been causing turmoil on our borders. I sincerely request your Majesty to allocate military pay to quell the rebellion."
Emperor Wu of Liang frowned and seemed impatient: "Are we going to allocate money again? How much money is left in the treasury now, and where is the Minister of Household Affairs?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, the current national inventory of silver is only 300,000 jins of gold."
Emperor Wu of Liang slapped the dragon chair and said angrily: "Three hundred thousand catties? Where did all the money go? But it was pocketed by you, the Minister of Household Affairs!"
Hearing this, Zhang Shangshu was so frightened that he immediately fell to his knees and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty is aware that every expense is recorded in the book and the villain will never dare to embezzle a penny."
Cao Bo looked embarrassed. Over the years, except for Li Jian, the other three generals have more or less continued the war and reaped a lot of benefits, but the rebellion has not decreased. Cao Bo was afraid that Emperor Wu of Liang would raise an army to punish him, so he could only bite the bullet and said: "After years of war, the military salary of hundreds of thousands of soldiers is a big expense. Now the people's taxes are not small, but they can't keep up with the rate of consumption. , if we reduce the pay of border officers, I am afraid it will cause civil strife, so please give your permission."
Emperor Wu of Liang waved his hand and said: "Cao Bo has received the decree. Today I will allocate another 10,000 taels of gold and order you to put down the rebellion of Xiping Kingdom within half a year. If you can't finish it, come and see me!"
Cao Bo felt cold. Originally he just wanted to ask for some money today. After all, war is a competition of human and financial resources. The Liang State is strong and the Xiping State is weak. Naturally, the Liang State will win more and lose less in the battle between the two countries. However, if the country is peaceful and the people are safe, the strength of the generals will be inevitable. will be weakened, so Cao Bo and the others must leave room for war every time, just for the sake of a long flow of water. Firstly, they can gain military merit. Secondly, as long as there is a war, they can apply for military pay from the court and make a lot of money. But I don’t know Why did Emperor Wu of Liang go out of his way today and issue a death order? Instead, he put Cao Bo on the fire.
But in the main hall, when the Nine-Five Supreme Lord opened his mouth, Cao Bo could only bite the bullet and catch it: "I accept the order and thank you for your kindness." When he returned to the queue, he heard Ye Baiye behind him joking softly: "Congratulations, General Cao , One day we will pacify the Xiping Kingdom, gain military exploits, and be crowned king and prime minister."
Cao Bo was extremely angry, but he did not dare to make a mistake in front of Emperor Wu of Liang. This time he shot himself in the foot. He was thinking about how much chance he had of winning against the 150,000 cavalry of the Xiping Kingdom with the 100,000 troops under his command.
The atmosphere in the Zichen Palace was depressing. Seeing what happened to Cao Bo, many people restrained their thoughts and did not dare to speak. Emperor Wu of Liang waited for a long time and then said: "Since you have no written notes, I have something to say. Discuss with all the ministers. Since the founding of Daliang, Qingyang has been the capital for more than three hundred years. After much thought, I have decided to move the capital to Guangling. What do you think of it?"
Just as Cao Bo was about to speak, he was grabbed by Ye Baiye behind him. The latter whispered: "This matter is of great importance, and it is beyond our control. General Cao, don't act out of anger, or you will lose your head in vain!"
Cao Bo then thought about it and realized that what Ye Baiye said was true, but the two of them had always been at odds. He didn't know why this man came to the rescue today, but he still said in a deep voice: "Thank you, General Ye, for reminding me."
As soon as Emperor Wu of Liang said these words, the sound of pindrops could be heard in the Zichen Palace. Seeing that no one among the officials answered, Emperor Wu of Liang looked at Jiang Qing and asked, "What do you think the grand master wants?"
Jiang Qing took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and I have no objections to this."
Emperor Liang Wu nodded, seemingly satisfied with this. He looked at Zhu Wang again and asked, "What does General Zhu have to say?"
Zhu Wang knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and replied: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the general is a rough man. He just goes into battle to kill the enemy. All other state affairs are at your Majesty's discretion."
When Emperor Wu of Liang heard this, he laughed loudly and pointed at the two of them with his finger: "It seems that I can't hear the truth from you two. Where is the new Minister of Rites? I want to hear your opinion."
When Lu Daoquan heard the call from the Holy Emperor, he hurriedly came out of the queue and knelt on the ground: "I have seen the Holy Emperor, Lu Daoquan."
Emperor Wu of Liang said: "Please ask Lu Qing to get up. I wonder what Lu Qing's opinion is on the matter of moving the capital?"
Lu Daoquan thought for a moment and replied truthfully: "Reporting to your Majesty, I think this matter needs to be discussed."
"Oh?" Emperor Liang Wu leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, frowning and asked, "How do you say this?"
Lu Daoquan cleared his throat and said, "The matter of moving the capital is a big deal. The Liang Kingdom has always had Qingyang City as its capital for more than three hundred years since Taizu founded it. Qingyang City is also an extremely important strategic place. Because of this With Your Majesty and the generals stationed here, Yan and Chu did not dare to act rashly. Although Guangling is rich, it is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains. If the capital is moved, without His Majesty stationed at the border, it is difficult to guarantee that the remnants of the Chu Kingdom will not rebel. Moreover, the previous Hubu The Minister also said that there is not much money in the national treasury now, and building a capital city and building a palace will cost a lot of money, and will waste people and money, so I hope your Majesty will think twice about moving the capital."
Emperor Wu of Liang looked indifferent and said nothing after listening quietly. After a while, he said: "What Lu Aiqing said makes sense. Let's put this matter aside for now. I will make plans after thinking about it." After that, he stood up and nodded. He will not leave the main hall.
Lu Daoquan was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. Now that Emperor Wu of Liang had left, the civil and military officials no longer stayed and left the Zichen Palace one after another. Everyone looked at Lu Daoquan with extremely complicated eyes. There were sympathizers and even more mockers, but most of all, there was still an inexplicable look. With an unknown playful smile, he seemed to be waiting to see how the newly appointed Minister of Rites would respond to His Majesty's wrath. Seeing this, Jiang Qing sighed, walked to Lu Daoquan and said softly: "What are you still doing? Come with me quickly." Lu Daoquan was relieved and did not dare to stay for a moment longer. He followed Jiang Qing closely, for fear that he would be in this hall. He was distracted by others.
The two walked out of the Forbidden City. Jiang Qing's groom had been waiting for a long time. After getting into the car with Lu Daoquan, Jiang Qing began to close his eyes and rest without saying a word.
There was no words all the way. Lu Daoquan was on pins and needles, but he did not dare to speak. Soon the two returned to the Taishi Mansion. After leading Lu Daoquan to the study, Jiang Qing dismissed the servants, sighed, and said: "Nephew Lu Xian, Nephew Lu Xian, did you know that you have caused a big disaster today!"
Lu Daoquan was completely out of ideas at this time, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.
He then heard Jiang Qing continue to say: "I advised you yesterday to be careful in your words and deeds. As the saying goes, accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. When serving as an official in the court, what our Majesty wants is not a capable minister who dares to speak out, but one who obeys his instructions. Loyal minister. Not to mention you and me, all civil and military officials know that it is inappropriate to move the capital. But why did I and General Zhu have no objections when your majesty asked about it? Your majesty is the emperor. Once you open your mouth, we ministers , Just do it, it doesn’t matter if you waste people and money, do you, Lu Daoquan, need to pay a penny? It would be better for you to accuse His Majesty in front of all the civil and military officials. Could it be that His Majesty is not as good as a third-grade official like you?"
When Lu Daoquan heard this, he was shocked. His clothes had already been soaked with cold sweat. He didn't know what he was feeling at that time. He dared to oppose His Majesty in the main hall. This was a capital crime for bullying and disobedience. As soon as he thought of this, Lu Daoquan fell to his knees with a plop. He kowtowed to the ground and kept kowtowing: "Master Jiang, save me!"
Jiang Qing looked sad, sighed, and said: "Nephew Lu Xian, please get up first. Whether this matter is big or small depends on His Majesty's will. I will do my best to protect you. In the past few days, except for Except for me, I will leave the rest of the officials if they can, in order to avoid further trouble. I just hope that you will be auspicious and can survive this disaster safely." After saying this, he waved his hand, which was regarded as an order to expel the guests.
After Lu Daoquan left, a smile appeared on Jiang Qing's face, and he said: "Lu Linyi is so smart, how could he give birth to such a stupid son? I just dug a shallow hole for you. It doesn't matter if you don't step over it yourself." However, since you are so generous, I will accept the three thousand taels of gold from Yang Yuan."
After returning to Shangshu's house in a daze, Lu Daoquan was still distracted. Seeing this, Mrs. Lu expected that something big would happen in the morning, so she hurriedly asked: "Husband, what happened?" After asking three times in a row, Lu Daoquan came back to his senses. Come, with a mournful face, she told everything about what happened in the palace today. Mrs. Lu was originally a gentle Xiaojiabiyu, and Lu Daoquan had always made the final decision on all matters of the Lu family. At this time, Mrs. Lu was also panicked and asked repeatedly: "My husband has offended me." Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Although Lu Daoquan was upset when he heard his wife's inquiry, he couldn't bear his wife's worries. Instead, he comforted her and said, "My husband has asked Mr. Jiang for help. I hope he can turn the bad luck into good luck and get through this disaster smoothly."
The couple spent three days in such fear. It happened to be a coincidence. I wonder if Emperor Wu of Liang did this deliberately. For the past three days, he had been claiming to be ill and could not leave the morning court. Lu Daoquan could not guess the emperor's thoughts. But what Lu Daoquan didn't know was that during these days, various forces in the DPRK and China were surging undercurrents, using various methods, and a conspiracy against him was being secretly planned.
It is said that after the morning court that day, Emperor Liang Wu returned to the Funing Palace with an ashen complexion. Seeing this, the personal maid immediately stepped forward to change His Majesty's clothes, but was slapped to the ground by Emperor Liang Wu. The other servants were all frightened when they saw this. Dare to step forward. Emperor Wu of Liang seemed to be still angry, and started smashing everything in the palace. No one dared to approach the huge Funing Palace, and all the servants knelt on the ground, trembling.
After all, his body was hollowed out by wine and sex. Not long after the beating, Emperor Wu of Liang was sweating profusely and sat on the ground panting. All the servants had escaped long ago, fearing that Emperor Wu of Liang would be angry and lose them in vain. life. At this time, an old man in black walked out from the depths of Funing Palace and landed silently. Emperor Liang Wu did not notice it until he stood in front of him. Seeing this person, Emperor Wu of Liang immediately got up, bowed his hands to the bottom, tried his best to control his breathing, and said: "Jingquan has seen the emperor's master. I don't know what happened to disturb the emperor's master?"
The old man looked indifferent and said slowly: "You are so angry in Funing Palace, maybe it's not because you were frustrated in the move of the capital this morning."
Emperor Wu of Liang nodded and replied: "The emperor's guess is good. This morning, Jingquan asked all the officials what they thought about moving the capital. The new Minister of Rites, Lu Daoquan, a small third-rank official, dared to disobey others in public in the main hall. , Jingquan followed the imperial master’s instructions to control his anger in front of the officials and pretend to be sensible, but Jingquan really couldn’t swallow this tone!”
"So you just take your anger out on these servants?" The old man sneered, "My teacher often taught you that you can remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you. You are just too hot-tempered and far less calm than your brother."
In response to the old man's rebuke, Emperor Liang Wu showed great respect and nodded repeatedly. The old man recited the name silently in his mind, patted Emperor Liang Wu on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Forget it, I have a plan for you. Not only can I vent your bad breath, but it will also prevent others from talking about it."
The two whispered for a while, and Emperor Liang Wu put his hands on his hands and laughed: "Thank you, Master, for your help."
The old man seemed quite impatient, waved his hand, and walked straight towards the depths of Funing Hall. I saw a secret door on the wall next to the emperor's dragon bed. It was filled with gloomy air and led directly to the ground. The old man lit the fire seal and walked slowly in. Turning the machine, the bookcase on the side moved over and opened the secret door. Block firmly. If anyone else were present, they would definitely be surprised, why is there a secret passage hidden in the emperor's palace? What is the identity of this old man that he can be called master by the current saint?
The old man walked down the steps and walked for about a stick of incense. He came to a secret room. The structure of the secret room was simple. Apart from the books on the wall, there was only a bed and a few old clothes that had been washed and turned white. Clothes, but when this secret room was originally built, I don’t know what techniques were used to make it not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also able to clearly understand any movement in the entire Funing Hall. The old man lit the oil lamp and closed his eyes to rest. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes and said to himself: "I think back then, you and I were both called dragons and phoenixes, and we joined forces to defeat all the counselors in the world. What a glorious sight, but twenty Years ago, you always believed in the destiny of heaven, but you were stubborn and refused to follow the inferences. You wanted to change your destiny against heaven and continue the reign of Liang Guo for just thirty years. You made one mistake at a time. Ce’s first counselor ended up in a miserable end.”
"Twenty years ago, when you and I had different opinions, it meant we parted ways and planned our own affairs. Now that your son has come to your door, no wonder I am so ruthless. Now I am sending your children and grandchildren to you with the help of the Feng family's children. Meeting you on the road to Huangquan is considered a meritorious deed. Brother Lu, Brother Lu, you often tell me that to cut the grass, you need to remove the roots!"
Long Qian and Fengxiang were born together thirty years ago. They had mixed knowledge and worked together to assist Emperor Shun of Liang in defeating all the princes in the world and expanding the territory of Liang Kingdom to thousands of miles today. This old man was the one who was back then. Qu Huier, the unparalleled counselor known as Fengxiang.
