Huo Zheng took the gold box containing the edict of passing the throne and walked out of the hall. As soon as he reached the door, he suddenly turned around and said to everyone in the hall: "Today, the Emperor Daxing shed blood. No one here is allowed to spread the news. If you violate this, your entire clan will be exterminated, do you understand?"
In the main hall, the eunuchs and maids all knelt down and kowtowed tremblingly. In the palace, the right prime minister Wang Yi saw that the emperor's body was surrounded by black blood. It was so unbearable, so he ordered people to clean up the emperor's body...
The left and right prime ministers, Wang Yi and Huo Zheng, came to Xicui Palace all the way. Shaofu Zhao Chu, Zuo General Yang Lin and two other auxiliary ministers had just arrived here after being ordered to do so. When they saw this, they stepped forward to greet the left and right prime ministers. .
Zhao Chu, the young master, stepped forward and asked: "Huo Xiangguo, Wang Xiangguo, why did your Majesty summon us so urgently late at night?"
Just when Huo Zheng was about to read out the edict, he saw the left general Yicheng Hou Yanglin from An Guojun's faction. He was relying on his ancestors' military achievements and looked domineering. He couldn't help but feel a little bored, thinking that he might follow An Guojun to the throne in the future and might be granted the title of Three Dukes. , putting pressure on himself, this person has always had a grudge against him, why not take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get rid of Yang Lin?
Huo Zheng's heart moved, so he secretly put away the edict, and said with a sad face: "General Yang, Mr. Zhao, your majesty is seriously ill, and the imperial advisor is already treating your majesty. Now that the body is getting better, your majesty has given this edict to the prime minister for safekeeping." , Tomorrow we will officially announce the candidates for the auxiliary ministers. It is already late at night and it is inconvenient to convene the ministers for a court meeting. We will wait until dawn to convene the ministers for a court meeting and issue an imperial edict."
Right Prime Minister Wang Yi looked back at Huo Zheng and hesitated to speak. His heart moved and he remained silent. Although the emperor helped Wang Yi to become Right Prime Minister, his time in office was too short and his foundation was not deep. In fact, Except for the emperor, most of the courtiers still acted according to the will of Zuo Prime Minister Huo Zheng...
When the left general Yang Lin heard this, his heart moved. Looking at the faces of Huo Zheng and Wang Yi, he knew that the old emperor was probably going to die. He glanced at the people around him. Zhao Chu, the young man who came with him, had publicly supported the young master to become the prince. He was demoted from Huai'an County, and now he has been reinstated. He is considered one of his own. Prime Minister Huo also prefers An Guojun, but he is not easy to deal with. He is loyal to the emperor and is a close confidant of the emperor. He should not be a monster. At the moment, he only has this The new Prime Minister Wang Yi, who has just arrived, has a neutral attitude, three to one. Judging from Prime Minister Huo's tone, the four people present must be the appointed auxiliary ministers. It seems that the succession to the throne of An Guojun is self-evident!
Hearing this, Yang Lin, the left general, stepped forward with a sad face and said, "Prime Minister Huo, do you want to see your majesty?"
Zhao Chu's face was solemn, and he also agreed that he wanted to see the emperor himself first.
Huo Zheng refused: "Not now, the emperor has already fallen asleep. When His Majesty wakes up tomorrow, he will summon you. Let's go to the outer palace to rest first! News from the inner palace will come tomorrow!"
Yang, Wang, and Zhao had no choice but to obey the order and leave. Now that the country is in crisis, they can only listen to the arrangements of the left prime minister Huo Zheng.
Right Prime Minister Wang Yi was about to turn around and leave. Huo Zheng stepped forward and patted his back secretly. Wang Yi understood and slowed down.
After Yang and Zhao left, Huo Zheng said: "Wang Xiangguo, please take a moment to speak."
Before Huo Zheng could explain, Wang Yi saw that Huo Zheng had left him alone and asked anxiously: "Why did Huo Xiangguo deceive General Yang and Shaofu Zhao just now? Your Majesty has passed away, and the imperial edict has been issued. We are now Should Lord An Guo be summoned to the palace immediately to stabilize the overall situation? Are you, the Prime Minister?..."
A layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on Wang Yi's forehead.
Huo Zheng heard this and said: "Prince Prime Minister, please don't panic. Will Wang Prime Minister follow me to the side hall to discuss military and state affairs?"
Huo Zheng understood that apart from the rest of the inner palace, only he and Wang Yi knew the inside story, so he had to appease him first and then think of ways to attack Yang Lin.
Wang Yi had no choice but to follow him to the side hall after hearing this.
After the two sat down, Huo Zheng spoke first: "You and I are ministers in the same palace, and our personal relationship has been pretty good in the past, so I won't beat around the bush. Don't worry, Wang Xiangguo. Don't you know the character of me, Huo?" ?I will never go against the will of Emperor Daxing. It’s just that before An Guojun officially ascends the throne, there are a few unsightly villains. The truth has to be eliminated with the help of the late emperor first. Only after An Guojun ascends the throne can he clear up the world. , he will take charge of the government personally."
Wang Yi stared at Huo Zheng for a long time without saying a word. Huo Zheng felt embarrassed and said: "Wang Xiangguo, I know you are an upright gentleman and can't get rid of the sand in your eyes, but the current situation is complicated and the new dynasty is Li, you and I are prime ministers of the same dynasty, don’t you want to have a place in the new dynasty?”
Right Prime Minister Wang Yi sneered and said: "Huo Xiangguo, you have always been at odds with General Yang, but you can't use state weapons to retaliate against dissidents, right? Are you waiting for the new king to take the throne and the world is stable? Now? What is this for?"
Huo Zheng said: "Wang Xiangguo, with Yang Lin's friendship with An Guojun, the new dynasty has been established, with my energy, can you still hold him down? Once the emperor and his ministers, if I can't protect my position as prime minister, I have to give it to Yang. Yes, so no matter what, I have to get rid of the new king before he takes the throne. If Wang Xiangguo is willing to help me, from now on you and I will be in charge of the government and assist the new king, what do you think?"
Seeing that Wang Yi was still looking upright and silent, Huo Zheng simply turned his back and sneered: "Wang Xiangguo, if you don't support me, from today on, you can't even think about going out here. Come on. "
Two imperial guards pushed open the door and stepped forward to receive the order. Huo Zheng said: "From today on, I will be optimistic about Wang Xiangguo. No one can enter or leave this place without the order of the Prime Minister."
The two guards took the order and left.
Wang Yi said solemnly: "Huo Xiangguo, the honor and disgrace of one person is not important. I can't stop you from attacking anyone. If you go to Huo Xiangguo, don't forget your majesty's last words. Please welcome King An as soon as possible to rectify the country and restore peace to the country." Peace of mind in the world."
Huo Zheng heard the words and said sarcastically: "Wang Xiangguo, the civil and military forces of the entire dynasty are all about you being loyal and loyal to the country, okay? Do you think who do you think of me? I am loyal to Emperor Daxing. Waiting for the truth Let’s talk about this after taking care of Yang Lin, hum!”
After saying that, Huo Zheng flicked his sleeves and left. Wang Yi saw him leaving, his expression was as usual, he only regretted that he had only been on the throne for too short a time and was still young, so he could not restrain Huo Zheng, the left prime minister...
At dawn the next day, in the palace where the four seas returned to one, the left prime minister Huo Zheng organized a court meeting to formally read out the appointment edicts of the four auxiliary ministers. Among the ministers, only the right prime minister Wang Yi was not seen attending the affairs. The courtiers understood after hearing the selection of the four auxiliary ministers. , even though the heir to the throne had almost been known for a long time, when the ministers really knew the news, they still whispered among themselves.
At this time, Gao Zhong, the imperial censor in the main hall, looked around for a long time, but did not see Wang Yi, the right prime minister, coming to court. He felt a little confused.
Afterwards, Prime Minister Huo went to the ministers in front and read out: "My colleagues, Your Majesty is resting in the inner palace and temporarily absents himself from the court for three days. Currently, the four assistant ministers are handling the affairs of the court on his behalf. Mr. Zhao and General Yang, you two will be with us." We will be together in the palace to share His Majesty's worries!"
Yang Lin and Zhao Chu looked at each other, not doubting that he was there. Although they had not seen the emperor in person, they basically guessed the emperor's current situation. They accepted the order and waited for the emperor's health to improve before going to see him in person.
After the court was dismissed, everyone retreated. Just as the imperial censor, Zhongcheng Gao Zhong, was about to leave, an eunuch came forward to salute and said: "Censor Gao Zhongcheng, please stay. Huo Xiangguo has summoned him."
Gao Zhong had a puzzled look on his face. He was summoned by his immediate superior, so he wanted to meet him. Besides, Gao Zhong was promoted by Prime Minister Huo, and he was regarded as a close friend of Huo Zheng.
Gao Zhong followed the eunuch all the way to the Jin Palace and arrived at the side hall of the outer palace. Gao Zhong pushed the door open and entered. Huo Zheng saw him coming and asked him to sit down.
Gao Chong saw Huo Zheng's face solemn, as if the leader had an important matter in mind that needed to be decided.
Gao Zhong stepped forward and said politely: "Master Xiangguo, why did you summon this official to come here?"
Huo Zheng pondered for a while and then said: "Gao Chong, you have been working with me for many years, right?"
Gao Zhong said: "Yes, I am a subordinate who has been favored by you for your promotion and recommendation. I have been favored by your majesty for this subordinate. I have been with you for almost eighteen years."
Huo Zheng sighed with emotion: "Well, eighteen years have passed by so fast, it seems like it's just a blink of an eye..."
Gao Zhong and Huo Zheng chatted for a while. Gao Zhong saw that Huo Xiang had something on his mind and was not just chatting with him out of boredom.
Gao Zhong's heart moved, and he asked tentatively: "Is there something important in Enxiang's mind that is difficult to decide?"
After hearing this, Huo Zheng nodded slightly for a while and said, "It seems I can't hide it from you. I really have something on my mind. I want to ask your opinion."
Gao Zhong's heart condensed, and he asked: "It's okay to say that I'm a good minister. I'm going to share your worries with you."
Huo Zheng was silent for a long time, then took out the edict of passing the throne from his sleeve and handed it to Gao Zhong to read. Gao Zhong took it and read it doubtfully, and was shocked. This edict of passing the throne could only be produced after the emperor passed away. .
Gao Zhong looked up at Huo Zheng with a look of disbelief on his face, and asked: "Master Xiangguo, this...this...is the imperial edict of An Guojun? But how could your majesty put the imperial edict...this...could it be that your majesty has already..."
Huo Zheng nodded slightly with a sad expression.
When Gao Zhong heard the explosive news, he was stunned on the spot. After a long time, he left the table and knelt down, bowed his head towards the inner palace, and said in a sad tone, "Your Majesty..."
It took Gao Zhong a long time to regain his composure. He didn't expect that the emperor actually passed away. He never expected it. But when he looked at the edict in his hand, he realized that no, how could the prime minister of the great dynasty hide the news of the emperor's death today?
The imperial court has regulations. The death of the emperor must be announced to the public as soon as possible. If it is concealed, it is a serious crime of treason? Thinking of the fact that the right prime minister Wang Yi did not come to court today for no reason, Gao Zhong suddenly broke out in cold sweat. What is the Prime Minister doing? …
Gao Zhong returned the edict to Huo Zheng and said, "Master Xiangguo, what do you want?..."
Huo Zheng said: "To tell you the truth, the late emperor died in Changle Palace at three o'clock last night. Now there is only the inner palace inside and outside the court. Wang Xiangguo and the Prime Minister know the details. You are the third person in the outer court who knows the details."
Gao Zhong smiled bitterly when he heard this. He didn't know what to say. Some things are better not known. Knowing them would be a big trouble.
Gao Zhong suddenly guessed that Huo Zheng wanted to make some small moves before An Guojun came to power to consolidate his position in the new dynasty. Anyway, he was already forced to board the pirate ship, so he had to ask: "Where is the Prime Minister?" What do you want?"
Huo Zheng said: "To tell you the truth, I withheld this edict in order to get rid of Yang Lin, one of the four assistant ministers, and Wang Yi, the right prime minister, before the new king succeeded to the throne. Wang Yi was unwilling to cooperate, so he was I am under house arrest. I called you here today to discuss this matter. After the matter is completed, I will let you, Lord Gao, sit on the high position of Jiuqing. What do you think?"
Gao Zhong was startled when he heard this, his eyes flashed, and his mind quickly became active. He pondered for a long time and said: "Your Majesty, I understand, please allow me to think about it..."
