Although the emperor's condition worsened and he was in danger, he did not attract attention in the court. After all, careful calculation shows that the death of the late Emperor Liu Bei was only six years ago, and only ten years have passed since Liu Xie disappeared. Ten years may seem extremely long to a child, but to life, it seems short. Therefore, people feel both unfamiliar and familiar with the change of throne. That is to say, they lament in private that when the emperor succeeded to the throne, he thought he could achieve such great achievements as Zhongzong and Shijong, but who expected that he would die young and be lucky? It is evident from this that he is fooling people.
The emperor's demise was a foregone conclusion, and the courtiers turned their attention to the new emperor's accession to the throne, speculating on how the court situation would change. According to the old practice, the queen mother should be in charge of the government at this time, and would be returned to the emperor after the emperor took over. Such as the story of Queen Mother Hexi. However, what all the officials did not expect was that on the day after the emperor died of illness, two edicts were issued one after another in Deyang Palace.
The first edict read: "I inherited Hongji from my ancestors, but I am ignorant of political principles. I am afraid that I will not be able to obey the work of heaven and clone my ancestors. I am wary at night but worried, as if I were wading in the spring ice. I rely on the Prime Minister to assist loyalty and Taoism to help Yiwang. , the group is sincere, the agreement is broken, the internal and external rules are fulfilled, the civil and military forces are bowed to the bandits, and I hope to make up for my losses because of the way. Every time I think that the war is not over, the public and private affairs are exhausted, the town has its own borders. During the military expedition to garrison Huaidong Mountain, there may be a Baishou Rong formation, but the loyalty and labor are not mentioned, or the service may be long-lasting, and the stones must be stored too much. Why not be ignorant of getting up in the morning and forgetting to sleep at night. Although I cannot patrol it, and If you want to achieve this goal, with the help of the prime minister, you can send envoys to visit the generals, ask the officials, arrest them at the border garrison, and declare a banquet to ask for their peace. They also raise funds to give them and order Zhou Pu. "
The second edict reads: "The royal family has many problems. The late emperor passed away early, the emperor moved long ago, and the country was in decline. I inherited the great power because of my premature decline. The succession has lasted for many years, with little virtue and no achievements, and has brought harm to all people. I am truly ashamed of myself. The spirit of the ancestors. The late emperor thought deeply about the imperial throne and made plans early. He said that with Prime Minister Chen Chong as his assistant, he would obey the heavens and the people, coordinate with the divine strategy, command the generals, and respect the Ming Dynasty. Although Yi Yin will be in peace with the Yin Dynasty, Bo Lu will be in peace. The Han Dynasty has nothing to be proud of. I am humble and do not worry about morning and evening. Today I am on the verge of death. I think of myself as a loser and get this surplus, which is actually contrary to this edict. Therefore, I change my admiration for the noble way and entrust it to virtuous people. . With the Prime Minister in charge of the affairs of the government and the arbitrary control of the palace, and the hundreds of internal and external officials, big and small, all returning to each other, it will surely lead to the prosperity of the country and the peace of the world."
After reading the two edicts, it immediately caused a disturbance in the court. The first edict is understandable. It is nothing more than appeasing the officials and soldiers and rewarding them with money and food. But regarding the second edict, all the officials felt it was unreasonable: The emperor actually wanted to transfer all government affairs to the prime minister? Even when the late Emperor Liu Bei was alive, Chen Chong was so powerful that he could only lead the Sili Mansion alone, and he and the late Emperor were jointly called two Mansion to rule the world. But now the emperor seems to mean that the entire court is ruled by the prime minister alone, so what is the difference between the prime minister and the emperor? And with such a division of power, where would the Queen Mother be placed?
However, Liu Xie's move out of Liu Bei's posthumous edict was really unexpected. Liu Bei's posthumous edict was originally a top secret, and Chen Chong had never publicized it. As a result, the court only knew at this time that Liu Bei had left Chen Chong a posthumous edict that could depose and establish the emperor. For several years, no news has been circulated, which shows Chen Chong's high integrity. And some voices who were preparing to use filial piety to oppose the imperial edict, after hearing the late emperor's will, all stopped at this moment.
At this point, Chen Chong successfully obtained arbitrary power. But Chen Chong knew very well that this was only nominal power. My current control over the capital is actually very weak. If someone has any evil thoughts, things may change. Therefore, after he received the order, he immediately began to rebuild the Prime Minister's Palace and placed it between Xuanwu City and Baichilou. He legitimately took over the defense of the two places, placed it under the Prime Minister's Palace, and ordered the Shangshu Taiwan to be moved accordingly. Go to the prime minister's house.
This is only the simplest preparation. Based on Chen Chong's detailed interviews during this period, he has a rough understanding of Zhong Yao's efforts to rectify the party. They are now on the same side as Henan Yin Yangdan and Shaofu Liu Bao. Guang Luxun Fan Xian and Weiwei Gao Tanglong are also their people. This means that although they do not have military power in their hands, they may control the palace. If there is any evil, With a strong heart, one can threaten the Tian family and the ministers. Chen Chong considered this aspect and thought that Prince Liu Yi was the most important. As long as the prince does not fall into the hands of others and can successfully succeed to the throne, the entire situation is still under his control. At this time, the crown prince's canonization period was short and he had not yet settled in the East Palace. This could be used as an excuse to make him independent. So Chen Chong appointed Deng Ai and Jiang Wei as the stewards of the East Palace. One was responsible for the specific defense of the East Palace, and the other was responsible for the safety of the prince.
all of these
All of this happened in just two days. After Deng Ai reported that the prince had entered the East Palace, Chen Chong breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but laugh at himself at this time. Everything was going so smoothly. Was he a little suspicious? Although Yuan Chang and others have the intention to fight for power, I am afraid that they will not reach the point where there is no bottom line. If they do this, they may intensify the conflict. But there is no regret medicine in politics. At the moment, he has no other choice but to be cautious.
After everything was arranged, Chen Chong led 3,000 Shanglin troops to the center of the capital, took over the city gates, and announced to the whole city that because the emperor was seriously ill, martial law would be imposed inside and outside until the emperor's condition improved or he died. Chen Chongcai and Guan Yu entered the palace with hundreds of soldiers and went straight to the Deyang Palace where the emperor was.
At this time, everyone who should be there in Deyang Hall has arrived. Taifu Zhongyao, Taiwei Fazheng and other seven princes and nine ministers stood at the entrance of the palace, whispering and looking around. When they saw Chen Chong arriving, they immediately stopped talking and just nodded. After Chen Chong returned the gift, he continued walking inside without further delay until he reached the emperor's bed. King Zhao and King Pingyang were standing by the screen. When they saw Chen Chong coming quickly with his sword in hand, their expressions were a little unnatural, while Queen Mother Liu Jia was sitting next to the hospital bed with a gloomy face, not knowing what she was thinking.
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Chen Chong turned to look at the emperor, and found that his face was haggard, like a skeleton, and he was moaning weakly with his eyes closed, as if he were a ghost in hell, which was creepy. Chen Chong immediately asked the imperial physician on the side: "How is your majesty doing?"
The imperial doctor whispered: "Based on the pulse, I'm afraid it will be either tonight or tomorrow morning."
In fact, Chen Chong could guess it without asking. He said: "In that case, you should retreat first." Then he ordered the palace people to remove all the medicines in the palace, open the doors and windows, and disperse the atmosphere in the palace. The bitter smell lingered for a long time. After escaping from death several times, Chen Chong knew that this smell was the most intolerable thing for people.
Sure enough, when the wind outside the window blew into the hall, Liu Xie became much quieter. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his family members in front of him. He said in a hoarse voice, "I seem to smell the fragrance of flowers."
Chen Chong said: "There are a lot of sweet-scented osmanthus blooming outside, and chrysanthemums are everywhere."
Liu Xie smiled and said, "I really want to see it!" He immediately stopped Chen Chong and said, "Don't bother uncle, it's just a chat."
After resting for a long time, Liu Xie said again: "I really want to go back to Chang'an!" He was recalling his true hometown in his memory, Guanzhong, a place with clear skies and surrounded by mountains. At that time, he was still very young, with a wife and elders. He had many friends and playmates. Chen Zhang, Zhou Buyi and others were very high-spirited and thought that the future was under his control. At that time, he thought that he could completely dominate the prosperous world of Luoyang. Unexpectedly, before he died, he was recalling these memories in his mind.
Chen Chong was about to comfort him, but the emperor immediately said: "I have thought about whether I should follow Emperor Taizong's example of being buried in Guanzhong. But now that the mausoleum has been decided, it is difficult to change it." Then he turned his attention to Liu Jia said slowly: "Mother, I know I have disappointed you a lot in my life, but that's what it is like to be an emperor. There are many things you can't do for yourself. Although it's not heartless, you can't care about many personal affairs. I'm afraid that in this life The biggest mistake I made was having too many personal relationships."
Seeing that Liu Jia was silent, he added: "After I die, I have no other thoughts. I just hope that my mother will see it for my sake and let my two younger brothers go and join the vassal. The vassal king is in the capital, which is not only against the law, but also against the common law." The people of the county are also not responsible. If my mother feels lonely, she can go somewhere to see them." He suddenly smiled and said: "There are gains and losses. This is the right way in the world. Mother, don't be too willful."
Liu Jia felt sad and bowed his head.
Liu Xie used his strength and said to the two brothers standing aside: "You two, I won't say any polite words. We don't have any brotherly feelings. This was the case at the beginning and it is still the case now, but I care about the late emperor. In my last words, I have indulged you until now, and now I have enough time. Don’t have any unreasonable thoughts, and don’t take any chances. After my death, I will directly become a vassal, and the local officials will not make things difficult for you. If you stay in the capital , there is no humane thing to speak of. I hope that the three of us brothers will not become a joke for future generations."
Liu Dan and Liu Cheng didn't dare to disobey after hearing what he said. They both knelt on the ground and agreed repeatedly.
Finally, to Prince Liu Yi, Liu Xie said: "After you ascend the throne, you must obey the Prime Minister in everything. Remember, if something goes against the Prime Minister, you must reflect on your own mistakes!" At this point, the emperor has already She didn't have much strength, and she had to put her ear to his mouth to hear his words clearly.
He did not give any instructions to Zhong Yao, Fazheng and other court officials.
In the evening, Liu Xie had a slight appetite and actually ate some porridge. The next morning, the weather was blue and clear, and the sun shone in through the cracks in the curtains, but Liu Xie did not wake up, and his pulse had become extremely weak. Finally, after a gust of autumn wind, he completely lost his breath. According to Liu Xie's last wish, the emperor's coffin was buried directly after three days of mourning by all officials. The burial place was near Kongtong Mountain. The location was inspected by Chen Chong. He was eventually buried together with Empress Zhong and the prince, and the full name was Fanling.
As for the posthumous title of the emperor, he was called Zhuang because of his military power, and he was designated as Emperor Zhuang of Han Dynasty.
