Just as Lu Yu, Wang Guan, Zhong Hui, and Fu Gu of the Taifu Sima Party and He Yan, Deng Yang, and Li Feng of the General Party were quarreling in the temple, General Pingyuan Hou Zhende, the general of Zuo Zhenzhen, The two brothers, Guo Jian and the Marquis of Xidu, General of the Right Guard Army, under the instructions of Sima Division of the Central Guard Army, took the seals of the Central Guard Army and quietly rushed to the eastern suburbs camp of Yunlongmen where the "Xiaoqi Camp" was on duty, and Five schools under the command of Sima Jun, Zhen Yi, Zhen Chang, and Guo Zhi.
A few months ago, Master Sima's second daughter Sima Nianrong, who was Zhen De's previous bride, passed away due to an old illness. But this does not affect the relationship between Zhen De and the Sima family.
This Zhen De was originally from the bloodline of the Guo family in Xiping, and his name was Guo De. He was the cousin of the current Queen Mother Guo. Because the late emperor's beloved daughter, Princess Pingyuan Yi, died young, the late emperor was deeply saddened and arranged a secret marriage for Princess Pingyuan Yi and Zhen's youngest son, Zhen Huang. Guo De then adopted the Zhen family and changed his surname to Zhen and his identity from the late emperor. His brother-in-law became the grandson of the late emperor, and because he was granted the hereditary title of Marquis of Pingyuan by the Zhen family, he had been favored by the late emperor over the years.
When the late emperor was entrusted with an orphan, his orders changed frequently, so he specially arranged for his wife, who is now the Queen Mother Guo, to take care of the young emperor. The relatives of the Guo family and the Zhen family who were in charge of the five schools of the imperial army also had their authority because of the Queen Mother Guo. be preserved. Over the years, the Sima family and Cao Shuang have been fighting. No matter how fierce the fight was, they never offended the Queen Mother Guo and the relatives behind her.
Because both Cao Shuang and Sima Yi understood that although Queen Mother Guo was a female, she was still the widow of the late emperor and was responsible for taking care of the emperor. Behind her, there was a group of uncles and brothers who were in charge of the imperial army of the five schools in the imperial city. Their power should not be underestimated.
As early as seven years ago, after the death of the late emperor, Cao Shuang and Sima Yi competed to promote all the relatives of the Guo family to the capital in order to win over the Queen Mother Guo.
Sima Yi proposed that Guo Man, the father of the Queen Mother Guo, be granted the title of Marquis of the Western Capital. Cao Shuang immediately went up to the court to honor the Queen Mother Guo's mother with the title of Heyang Jun, and also gave Guo Li, the uncle of the Queen Mother Guo, the position of General Xuande and the title of General Xuande. Conferred the title of marquis,
Last year, Sima Yi arranged for his granddaughter Nian Rong to marry Zhen De, further drawing the relationship between the Sima family and the Guo family closer.
Not only that, a few days ago, Sima Yi also specifically asked Sima Shi, who had the power to elect military attachés, to arrange for Zhen De and the Queen Mother, who had been granted the title of Marquis of Xidu County, to be promoted from their younger brother Guo Jian to the rank of guard general, allowing the two to Temporarily taking over the two outer camps of the Central Guard Army, the 'Xiaoqi Camp' and the 'Chengmen Camp', the two of them had direct authority to mobilize the palace guards.
In other words, nowadays, in addition to the Wei Lie under Cao Shuang's sect, who serve as guerrilla generals and restrain the Sima Division, the three battalions under the jurisdiction of the Central Guards Army are the Guards Camp, Xiaoqi Camp, and Chengmen Camp. After all, the camp was firmly in the hands of Master Sima.
As for the Queen Mother's cousin Guo Zhi, he had also served as the Changshui School Captain for a long time and was in charge of Changshui Camp, one of the five schools.
At this time, the Xiping Guo family, headed by the Queen Mother Guo, also became very popular. Although its power was not as powerful as that of General Cao Shuang, who controlled most of the imperial city's guards. But compared to the Sima family, which was suppressed one after another, it was much higher.
This is why Sima Yi continues to win over the Xiping Guo family.
Throughout the past dynasties, whoever has the power to command soldiers and guards has established a firm foothold in the capital. The reason why Lu Fei, the powerful empress dowager of the former dynasty and early Han Dynasty, was so powerful was that the brothers Lu Chan and Lu Lu firmly dominated the military power of the Nangong and Beigong. After the Lu brothers gave up the military power of the two palaces, Zhou Bo and Liu Only then did Zhang and others find the opportunity to eradicate the Lu family in one fell swoop.
Nowadays, the power of Suwei in this dynasty is basically divided into three groups:
The first is the military power in the hands of General Cao Shuang. As the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army, Cao Xi, in addition to the 4,000 infantry and cavalry soldiers in the "Leading Camp" directly under his control, plus the 3,000 soldiers in Cao Wenshu's "Zhongba Camp" and Cao Ze's "Backbone Camp" The three thousand soldiers of the camp, as well as the five thousand elite soldiers of the military guard general Cao Xun, have a total of 15,000 imperial guards in their hands, and they firmly control most of the imperial guards.
Since Sima Division replaced Xia Houxuan as the Central Guard Army, in addition to the three thousand soldiers from the "Gu Jun Camp" under his command, there are also the three thousand soldiers from the "Xiaoqi Camp" under Zhen De and Guo Jian's command. There are 1,000 soldiers in the "Chengmen Camp"; in addition, Sima Jun, the captain of the Tunqi School, also has 1,000 soldiers in the "Tuenqi Camp". Calculating this, there are still 8,000 forbidden troops under the direct control of the Sima family.
As for the Xiping Guo family's relatives group headed by the Queen Mother Guo, four people, including Changshui Colonel Guo Zhi, Infantry Colonel Bian Lin, Yueqi Colonel Zhen Yi, and Shesheng Colonel Zhen Chang, control the four major battalions of the "Five School Camps" of four thousand imperial troops.
The situation above the court has a vague tendency of Cao Shuang, Sima Yi, and Empress Dowager Guo standing in a tripod.
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Just when Li Feng was arguing against Fu Gu and Zhong Hui and gaining the upper hand in the temple discussion, a high-pitched and sharp voice came from behind the east hall of Tai Chi Hall:
"The Queen Mother is here!"
After hearing this voice, Cao Shuang and other officials in the palace and even Emperor Cao Fang were shocked. Only Sima Yi looked calm at the moment.
Cao Fang was not unfamiliar with the voice coming from the back of the palace. It was the voice of Letun, the official in the palace of Queen Mother Guo - Yongning Department.
Not long after, everyone from the back of the palace finally came to the Danqi of the main hall. The emperor and the ministers looked up and saw the Queen Mother Guo, who was in her thirties and not yet aging, wearing a royal crown and majestic appearance. Behind her were the officials of the Yongning Department. Dun, the left and right guard generals Zhen De and Guo Jian, as well as Changshui Colonel Guo Zhi, Yueqi Colonel Zhen Yi, and Shesheng Colonel Zhen Chang.
For some reason, after seeing the five military relatives behind the Empress Dowager Guo, Cao Xi intuitively told Cao Xi that the arrival of the Empress Dowager Guo today was not accidental. He immediately made a gesture to Colonel Yin Damu, the lieutenant colonel who was waiting by the palace in the distance.
On weekdays, many news in the palace were conveyed to Cao Shuang by Yin Damu. Therefore, the Cao brothers and Yin Damu had already agreed on a specific set of sign language signals. Yin Damu had good eyesight and could clearly see Cao Xi's sign language at a glance. Soldier!
Yin Damu nodded, and immediately assigned five of his halberd-bearing men to carry their tokens and quickly go to the 'Leading Army Camp', 'Guerrilla Camp', 'Wuwei Camp', 'Zhongba Camp', and 'Zhongjian Camp' to move the Imperial Guards. .
Originally, the private deployment of troops was inconsistent with the system, but the Queen Mother Guo was a relative of the emperor, and the Cao Shuang brothers were distinguished and powerful. Both parties had the reason and power to "inspect the palace and maintain order" at any time.
The Emperor has not yet been crowned, and Empress Dowager Guo has the power to assist the emperor in court. However, in the past two years, Empress Dowager Guo has behaved relatively low-key, so she rarely goes to the palace. Today, Queen Mother Guo suddenly went to the palace in a hurry, leaving all the officials and ministers at a loss.
The thirteen-year-old Emperor Cao Fang was just stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up from the dragon throne, came to the side of the Queen Mother Guo, raised his hands and saluted:
"My child pays homage to his mother!"
The officials who were still in a daze suddenly woke up and knelt down in the main hall. As for Cao Shuang and Sima Yi, although they had the privilege of going to the hall with swords and shoes, entering the court without following, and praising and worshiping without fame, they After all, the two of them wanted to win over the Queen Mother Guo, who had some real power, so they knelt down respectfully:
"I am here to see Her Royal Highness the Empress Dowager!"
According to the system of past dynasties, the Queen Mother who was proclaimed during the dynasty could be called Your Majesty. Although Empress Dowager Guo now has the power to supervise the emperor, she is still far behind the system of proclaiming herself during the dynasty, so the ministers just call her Your Highness.
After Empress Dowager Guo whispered a few words to Yongning Department Commander Letun, Letun immediately shouted loudly:
"The Queen Mother has important matters to discuss with Your Majesty, General Cao, Sima Taifu, Wei Da Situ, Gao Da Sikong, Li Shizhong, He Shangshu, Deng Shangshu, and Cao Lingjun. The rest of the ministers please leave the palace and stay away!"
After hearing this, all the officials had to disperse slowly. After a while, only Cao Shuang, Sima Yi, Situ Weizhen, Sikong Gaorou, Li Feng, He Yan, Deng Yang, and Cao Xi were left in the hall.
When Emperor Cao Fang saw that all the officials had dispersed, he bowed and asked Empress Dowager Guo:
"I wonder if the mother-in-law comes to Tai Chi Hall. Does she have any holy teachings to teach the children?"
Queen Mother Guo reached out and touched the sun and moon emblem on the emperor's shoulder, and then said with a serious expression:
"Just now, I was in the back hall and heard what your Majesty and the general said about reforming the system. I thought this must be the idea of some treacherous villain. Your Majesty and the general did not investigate for a while, and then they believed his plan to change the ancestral system. fallacy!"
When Empress Dowager Guo said this, her beautiful phoenix eyes, which were hidden by her majesty, flashed coldly, and she glanced at Li Feng, He Yan, and Deng Yang under the Danqi. Several people were made uncomfortable by Queen Mother Guo's sharp eyes, and immediately fell to their knees on the ground again.
After hearing what Empress Dowager Guo said, Cao Shuang looked at Sima Yi's tepid look in front of him, and he was already very clear about the cause and effect of this matter. At this moment, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself: I have promoted many people from the Guo family in Xiping over the years, and I have treated Queen Mother Guo well. In the end, everything I have done is not as valuable as the grandson Sima Yi gave away. Before the emperor could open his mouth to explain to the Queen Mother, he was filled with anger and retorted to Queen Mother Guo:
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I am not being bewitched by villains. This time I want to reform the system, it is really to get rid of the bad government of the Wei Dynasty and for the sake of the great plan of the Wei Dynasty for generations to come. It is not because I want to be good at it. I hope the Queen Mother will understand clearly if we change the ancestral system!"
The emperor was already young, and now he saw that his uncle and his mother were in a tense situation, so he didn't know how to respond for a while, so he could only choose to remain silent.
Queen Mother Guo seemed to have expected that Cao Shuang would say this. She raised her eyebrows and then retorted to Cao Shuang:
"It seems that the general is quite beguiled by these villains!"
After Empress Dowager Guo finished speaking, she waved her hand. The five people around her, Guo Zhi, Zhen Yi, Zhen Chang, Zhen De, and Guo Jian, immediately understood. They turned around and summoned hundreds of elites from the five schools to the main hall!
Cao Shuang was horrified when he saw this. If he was coerced by the imperial army under the command of Queen Mother Guo today, and relented under the pressure and stopped reforming the system, not only would his plan be ruined, but he would also lose important wings such as He Yan, Deng Yang, and Li Feng. He reacted When he came over, he was about to turn back and ask his third brother Cao Xi to urgently mobilize troops, but he saw Cao Xi nodding towards him.
It turned out that the third brother had already sent people to mobilize troops, and Cao Shuang's tense nerves returned to normal in an instant. He understood that now he only needed to delay for another moment and a half, and when the Forbidden Army under his brothers arrived, the situation would definitely be reversed.
When Empress Dowager Guo saw that the forbidden troops from the five schools under her command had arrived, she immediately shouted angrily:
"Li Feng, He Yan, and Deng Yang have been bewitching the Prime Minister and the Supreme Being in an attempt to change the country's ancestral system. I have ordered you to arrest them immediately!"
"I will obey the Queen Mother's order!"
After hearing what Empress Dowager Guo said, the 150 Imperial Guards immediately descended Danqi with sonorous steps and headed towards Li Feng, He Yan, and Deng Yang. At this moment, Sima Yi and Gao Rou in the palace suddenly felt a burst of ecstasy in their hearts.
He Yan, Li Feng, and Deng Yang were in panic at the moment. They did not dare to act rashly and could only cast a desperate look at Cao Shuang for help.
Cao Shuang saw the looks in the three people's eyes and couldn't bear it. He immediately pulled out the sword from his waist and stopped in front of the three people.
As a general who has the privilege of going to the palace with swords and shoes, Cao Shuang naturally carries a sword with him. At this moment, he drew his sword with an angry look and his mustache and halberd spread out, which was quite intimidating. They only heard him shout angrily:
"Let me see who dares to act rashly today!"
After all, Cao Shuang was the prime minister of the country, a first-class general, and the late emperor's chief minister Gu Mingtuogu, who was responsible for life and death. Therefore, the momentum of the one hundred forbidden troops suddenly weakened a lot. However, due to the order of Empress Dowager Guo, they still slowly moved towards Li. Feng, He Yan, and Deng Yang walked over:
"We are following the Queen Mother's decree and did not intend to offend the general. We hope that the general will forgive us!"
When Cao Xi saw this, he felt anxious. He immediately stepped forward and stood in a row with his eldest brother Cao Shuang. After the two brothers looked at each other, they became even more determined.
Just as the swords were tense in the main hall, there was a burst of sonorous and powerful footsteps outside the hall door. Brothers Cao Shuang and Cao Xi were immediately overjoyed. They knew that these must be Cao Xun, Cao Ze, Cao Wenshu, and Wei Lie. The troops came.
"According to the order of the general, come here to maintain order in the court meeting in the palace!"
Just hearing a loud shout, one hundred and fifty elites from the "Leading Army Camp", "Wuwei Camp", "Zhongba Camp", "Zhongjian Camp", and "Guerrilla Camp" outside the palace, led by Cao Xun and other four people, Then we arrived at the main hall!
When the Grand Situ Changyuan Hou Weizhen saw his son Wei Lie coming to make mischief, his heart suddenly felt cramped, and he almost fell down without even breathing. Cao Xi felt warm in his heart when he saw that his uncle Wei Lie was actually willing to lead his troops to invade the palace.
When Cao Shuang saw that his troops had arrived, he no longer panicked at all. Sima Yi did not expect that Cao Shuang would dare to act like this. He lamented in his heart: It seems that Cao Shuang's restructuring cannot be stopped. But with such a commotion today, the estrangement between Cao Shuang and the Queen Mother must be difficult to heal.
Cao Shuang sheathed his sword, looked at the one hundred and fifty elite men behind him who were not wearing armor with satisfaction, and loudly scolded the soldiers of the fifth school who were clearly wearing armor:
"The brave soldiers dare to trick the Queen Mother into forcing the palace to invade, and even dare to go to the palace privately with their armor. Someone, please take these soldiers who don't understand the rules into custody and wait for Your Majesty and the Queen Mother to deal with them!"
After hearing Cao Shuang's words, Queen Mother Guo was shocked. Unexpectedly, Guo Zhi and others ignored the rule that soldiers were not allowed to wear armor to the palace without an imperial edict. She turned around and glared at Guo Zhi, Guo Jian and other brothers and relatives. A few people were so frightened that their faces turned pale.
"only!"
The one hundred and fifty Cao family elites heard the order and immediately surrounded the more than one hundred soldiers from the fifth school.
Empress Dowager Guo knew that she was missing a move today, and if the stalemate continued, it would be difficult to end, so she could only snort and leave in a hurry.
