When Huo Ping saw that Guo Xuan and Zhou Jian were silent outside the city, he knew that he had made the right bet. The other party obviously did not dare to die. If they dared to kill the Huo family, there was no guarantee that Huo Ping would suddenly go crazy and take the inner palace hostage. By threatening the imperial court, there is no room for change.
In fact, Huo Ping was also betting that his father had not lost power and was still the powerful left prime minister. He suspected that someone was using the young emperor to coerce the emperor to order the princes and seize the opportunity to stage a coup while his father was no longer in Qingyang. , what they are asking for is nothing more than to squeeze out the Huo family so that they can take their place.
Deep down in his heart, Huo Ping didn't believe that the little emperor had only been on the throne for more than half a year. He would have the prestige to completely destroy the Huo family? It must be some other high-prestige court minister who couldn't stand the Huo family and took the opportunity to cause chaos. He acted like this just to test whether the little emperor had really succeeded in seizing power. If it was true, as the second uncle said, it was the little emperor who The decree had imprisoned his father, Prime Minister Zuo, and his third uncle. If he forced the young emperor to show up, he would be completely convinced. At the same time, he would immediately lose the capital to resist.
As long as the emperor shows up to persuade them to surrender, the soldiers of the Southern Army will definitely no longer trust the Huo family. Some people want to take the opportunity to change their stance and show their loyalty to the new emperor. When the time comes, they don’t have to order the palace gate to be opened, and their heads will be chopped off by their colleagues around them. He was thrown out of the palace gate as a surrender certificate.
Huoping thought for a long time, and he felt that he had to calm down. If outsiders were to stage a coup, the Eastern Patrol Team would definitely come back with the lieutenant's army after receiving the news. The lieutenant's army was also elite. It was not yet known who would win by then. They The Huo family still has a chance to return to the top.
The two sides remained in a stalemate until noon. Seeing that the threats to surrender were useless, Guo Xuan, Zhou Jian and others did not dare to order an attack on the city. They were afraid that Huo Ping would really threaten the inner palace, so the Northern Army had to stop its troops and surrounded the palace first.
Zhou Jian, the captain of the guard army, was very anxious. He glanced at the tall and majestic palace gate. If he ordered a strong attack, it is estimated that many of the Northern Army soldiers under his command would die. There were also 10,000 Southern Army palace guards, which was not easy to deal with. A soft persimmon is best able to solve problems peacefully.
Just when Zhou Jian didn't know how to start, he turned to the court envoy Guo Xuan and asked: "Master Guo, what should we do now? Do we really want to send His Majesty to come here in person to persuade the Southern Army's palace guards to surrender?"
Guo Jue sneered and said: "Don't bother Your Majesty. Huo Ping is just having some luck. He wants to wait for change. Unfortunately, the Huo family is completely ruined. We just need to send a letter to your Majesty to release Lieutenant Huo Qi to come and speak out. Huo Ping Kaicheng will definitely surrender."
Zhou Jian nodded and said, "Master Guo's words make sense. I will send a scout to deliver a message to His Majesty."
Immediately, Zhou Jian ordered the Northern Army to build simple forts around the palace and besiege the palace.
After several days of siege, the people in the city also knew that a mutiny had occurred in the city, and they closed their homes and waited for the mutiny to end.
Today, Huo Ping was inspecting the palace city with his soldiers. After a while, a palace guard from the Southern Army came to Huo Pinghui and reported: "Huo Sima, Eunuch Yang, the general manager of the inner court, wants to see you, the general."
Hearing this, Huo Ping nodded and said, "Wait a moment, I'm going to meet Manager Yang right now."
He knew that the Northern Army was besieging the palace, and the nobles in the palace also knew that something big was happening outside.
Huo Ping passed through several palace restrictions before arriving at the inner palace. Outside the side hall of Xichui Palace, Yang Jin, the manager of the inner court, looked anxious. Seeing Huo Ping coming, he stepped forward and asked, "Huo Sima, please follow me." Come, the nobles in the palace heard that the palace was besieged and want to know some details, please ask Huo Sima to come with me to the palace to see you."
"No." Huo Ping said calmly.
Huo Ping followed Yang Jin into the main hall. Inside the main hall, there was a translucent gauze curtain hanging in front. Several women could be vaguely seen kneeling behind the curtain. The palace was strictly forbidden. They were the emperor's women, summoning foreign ministers. Entering the inner palace, you cannot meet directly.
Huo Ping naturally knew the rules and did not dare to look at them. He hurriedly bowed his head and bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Huo Ping, Commander of the Bus, is here to pay my respects to all of you nobles."
Behind the gauze curtain, it is the ladies in the harem who have been officially granted the title of lady. Mrs. Tian Huitian, Mrs. Zeng Yunzeng, Mrs. Muyinaqimu, and the titles of ladies in the harem are only below the queen, equivalent to the imperial concubine. The three of them She is the highest-status woman in the harem, and the other women who follow the emperor into the palace are only granted the title of beauties.
Tian Hui, Yun'er, and Muyinaqi nodded to each other when they saw Huo Ping arriving, and then Mrs. Zeng Yunzeng stepped forward to ask questions on their behalf.
Yun'er leaned forward slightly and asked, "General Huo, we want to know what happened outside the palace?"
Huo Ping bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, there are only some rebel troops outside the palace who are escorted by Your Majesty and hundreds of officials to patrol eastward. The capital's defense is empty, waiting for opportunities to cause chaos. But don't worry, there are 10,000 Nanjun palace guards. I will I will fulfill my duties and will never let the rebels break into the inner palace and disturb the nobles."
Yun'er asked again: "Who is leading the rebellion outside the palace? Who is planning to rebel?"
Huo Ping lowered his head and replied: "The leader is the commander of the Northern Army and the guard captain Zhou Jian."
Hearing this, Tian Hui suddenly stood up and asked, "How is it possible? The Northern Army can only be mobilized by holding His Majesty's Tiger Talisman. Who is so bold as to mobilize the Northern Army to besiege the palace?"
Huo Ping's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He sweated slightly on his forehead, but he still said bravely: "Your Majesty, three days ago, the Northern Army disobeyed the imperial edict and deceived the city gate into opening late at night, and also arrested a hundred of our Huo family. Yu Kou intimidated his subordinates to open the palace gate. Wei Chen suspected that someone might be falsifying the edict and disrupting his order. It was a very important matter. His third uncle Huo Qi still had 30,000 lieutenant troops under his command. As long as we can stabilize the situation and hold on to the palace city, Lieutenant The army will definitely be able to return to Qingyang in time to help."
Before Huo Ping finished speaking, the expressions of the three beauties changed slightly. They knew that something big must have happened, but they also thought that Huo Ping might have some truth in what he said. At present, the left prime minister Huo Zheng was in power, and it was indeed possible that someone was interested in the Huo family. The emperor was dissatisfied and took the opportunity to cause chaos. The emperor was supported by the Huo family. At present, the royal family and the Huo family are still a grasshopper on the same rope. The emperor has only been in power for more than half a year and has insufficient prestige. If another powerful minister is in power, what can the emperor do? It's hard to say if you can't keep your position.
Thinking of this, Yun'er looked solemn. In desperation, she crossed the gauze curtain and came to Huo Ping, saying: "General Huo, look at me and promise me that you must defend the palace until the Prime Minister sends reinforcements." Come to the rescue."
Huo Ping raised his head slightly and glanced at Mrs. Zeng. His expression was a little dazed, and he immediately realized what was going on. He quickly bowed his head and saluted: "Noble sir, please rest assured. I will fulfill my duties in my humble position and will never let the rebels cross the border."
Yun'er seemed to be relieved and whispered: "Okay, I will leave it to General Huo for the lives and fortunes of everyone in our palace."
Huo Ping bowed and said: "Your Majesty, this is my duty. I will never let bad people step into the palace. If there is nothing else, I will leave."
Yun'er nodded and said, "Okay, please step back."
Huo Ping exited the hall, remembering the shocking glimpse just now, his heart beat faster. He hadn't seen her for so many years, but he didn't expect that Miss Yun would still be as stunning as when he first met her at the Cold Food Festival many years ago. Her appearance was something he could never forget.
At the Cold Food Festival that year, Huo Ping fell in love with Yun'er at first sight. He originally wanted to ask his father, who was the Prime Minister Zuo, to propose marriage to the Zhao family, but unexpectedly, Yun'er ended up marrying his childhood sweetheart, the young master Sheng, as his concubine, and now she is the emperor's concubine. He didn't dare to have the slightest fantasy about women.
Recalling the past and missing the beautiful woman, Huo Ping sighed, feeling regretful in his heart. He had no choice but to return to his post and stick to this majestic imperial city.
Ten days after the Northern Army surrounded the imperial city, Huo Ping still patrolled inside and outside the imperial city as usual, not daring to slack off.
After a while, a soldier from the Northern Army in the imperial city came to the palace gate and shouted, asking to see Huo Ping.
After hearing this, Huoping had no choice but to stick his head out again to see what new situation the Northern Army was going to create.
I saw the formation of the soldiers of the North separated on both sides, and dozens of knights rushed to the palace gate covered with fatigue.
When the bus commander Huoping saw the face of the person in charge, he was shocked as if he had fallen into an ice cave. The person who came was none other than the third uncle Huo Qi who controlled the lieutenant army. He knew that no matter who was behind this coup, they The Huo family has been completely eliminated.
Huo Qi dismounted and came to the palace gate alone. He stepped forward and shouted: "Ping'er, listen to my advice and open the city. We, the Huo family, have an important matter to go. Don't make unnecessary resistance and miss your chance." life."
Huoping asked: "Third uncle, how is my father?"
Huo Qi let out a long sigh, turned around and saluted each other with clasped fists in the direction of the east patrol team, and said: "Now that your majesty is benevolent, you have decreed that Prime Minister Zuo be promoted to the position of grand master. Don't worry, thanks to your majesty's grace, our Huo family can survive wholeheartedly." retreat."
When Huo Ping heard this, he closed his eyes slightly. He knew that the Huo family was really in doom at this moment, and saving the lives of the whole family was already the best outcome.
Huoping turned around and glanced at the palace guards and generals who were following him. He saw that they were all staring at him, waiting for him to give the order to surrender. Some of them even had a fierce look in their eyes and raised their hands. On the hilt of the sword, once he fights back and resists stubbornly, in addition to the soldiers around him, this group of people will definitely swarm up and wait for his result. It goes without saying that they don't want to bear the Huo family's wealth for no reason. The last charge of rebellion, not to mention that the Huo family is now a sunken ship.
Seeing this, Huo Ping had no choice but to give the order feebly: "Generals, listen to the order, put down your weapons, and open the palace door."
When all the generals heard this, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered their soldiers to open the door and accept the surrender.
When Zhou Jian, the guard captain, saw the palace door open, he knew that the situation was decided at this moment.
Zhou Jian, the captain of the guard army, turned to congratulate Guo Xuan and said, "Congratulations to Lord Guo for taking over the post of guard captain. Qingyang City will be temporarily handed over to you, sir. I have to return to the army to serve the king."
Hearing this, Guo Xuan laughed and said, "General Zhou is being ridiculous. Guo is only serving as a temporary guard. Since the general wants to return to the army, the affairs in the city are troublesome at the moment, so I won't send him far away."
Zhou Jian said goodbye with a smile and clasped his fists, leaving only 10,000 Northern troops and horses for Guo Jue to command to maintain order in the city. The remaining Northern troops all went east to accompany the emperor's guard of honor and tour the world.
After Zhou Jian led his troops to the east, Weiwei Guo Jue immediately sent people to publish an announcement to appease the emotions of the people in the city, and the chaos in the city gradually disappeared.
At this time, in Qingyang Dongcheng Restaurant, in the elegant room of Chunjiang Tower, Wu Xie was still the same as before, pouring and drinking by himself, while a singer gently plucked the strings and sang a melodious Vietnamese tune, which seemed to have happened in the city in the past ten days. It didn't affect him at all.
At this moment, the bartender of the restaurant ran all the way to the private room, stepped forward and whispered a few words in Wu Xie's ear.
When Wu Xie heard this, he nodded slightly and said, "Please invite him in quickly."
After a while, the dignified guard Guo Xuan came into the elegant room. When Wu Xie saw Guo Xuan arriving, he turned away the singing girl and said with a smile: "The dignified guard Guo, you actually came to my humble residence despite your busy schedule." ?”
Hearing this, Guo Xuan waved his hands and said with a smile: "Old Wu, Mr. Guo, today I am visiting a friend as a friend, and I am still Lao Guo."
Wu Xie poured a glass of wine for Guo Xuan with a smile and said, "I guess it is His Majesty's intention to come here to find me today?"
Hearing this, Guo Jue was slightly startled and said, "Old Wu, you are really amazing. That's right. Now that the overall situation in Qingyang has been decided, His Majesty will naturally not forget you."
After saying that, Guo Jue took out an edict from his arms and said with a smile: "Old Wu, congratulations to you! His Majesty specially made you the Marquis of Guannei. From now on, you, the master of Wu Village, will be the Marquis of Wu."
Hearing this, Wu Xie was unmoved. He took the edict and took a look at it without saying anything. He sighed and said, "Your Majesty's kindness is appreciated by Wu. Wu assists Your Majesty and never seeks official status. Now Your Majesty Wrestling power from Prime Minister Huo is a time to work hard and sort out the affairs of the country. Now that Your Majesty is firmly in power, it is time for me, Wu, to return to my hometown to take care of myself."
Hearing this, Guo Jue sighed, took out another silk book from his arms, handed it to Wu Xie, and said, "Old Wu, take a look. This is written by His Majesty himself."
Wu Xie took out the silk book and scanned it for ten lines. After reading it, he closed his eyes slightly and instantly understood the emperor's intention. The content of the silk book was his impassioned speech in Yucheng to Prince Sheng, who was still the Nanwang of Shanpup Town at that time. The advice he gave to go north to compete in the Central Plains was actually written down word for word by Gongzi Sheng, which shows how much Gongzi Sheng valued his opinions.
Today is different from the past. Now Gongzi Sheng has become the emperor, the lord of the world, and he is also the emperor who has actually taken control of the power. The emperor will not let a great talent like Wu Xie go easily. He wants to retire after his success. Hiding in the city? It's nothing more than a fool's dream.
Wu Xie put down the silk book, glanced at Guo Xuan, who was already occupying the position of guard, and sighed: "If I don't accept your majesty's canonization, am I afraid that I, Wu, will not be able to leave this elegant room today?"
Guo Xuan was silent and did not directly answer Wu Xie's question. He just said: "Your Majesty often reads Mr. Wu's advice and takes it as a warning. If Mr. Wu is awarded the title, Your Majesty promises that he can return to his hometown to take care of himself. Mr. Qi has the right to write letters to comment on the government and admonish His Majesty for his mistakes in government. His Majesty also said that copper can be used as a mirror to straighten clothes, ancient times can be used as a mirror to know the rise and fall, and people can be used as a mirror to understand gains and losses. My treasure guide.”
When Wu Xie heard this, his face showed emotion. He stood up and kowtowed to the direction of the emperor's eastward patrol and said: "Your Majesty is as kind as heaven. I am ashamed. I worship and accept heaven's grace."
Wu Xie, what else can he say? This is because the emperor respected him as a teacher. Not only did he not kill him, but he also gave him the privilege of reporting on things. He was free from the court, but he could profoundly influence the emperor. To influence the emperor was to influence the court, even though he had no official position. Although he was still a hidden Prime Minister in civilian clothes, the Emperor could be said to have done all he could to be benevolent and righteous to him.
