In the following days, the capital Jinling was in constant turmoil.
Along the Qinhuai River, various anecdotes of the court and folk spread quickly among the waiters' tongues.
First, a bizarre disappearance caused panic. It is said that there is a pair of charming Yangzhou sisters in Qingxifang. The elder sister is gentle, charming, quiet and submissive, while the younger sister has a face like a peach blossom and is curvy. One is gentle and the other is lively. The two sisters are very good at playing chess, calligraphy and painting. , for a time it was the most famous in Jinling. Among the frequent visitors of the sisters, apart from the dignitaries in the court, the emperor's eldest son, Prince Yan, attracted the most attention.
A few months ago, the two women were suddenly ransomed and taken away by a wealthy businessman from Runzhou. Since then, they have lost their traces. Until recently, someone reported to the police that a mutilated female corpse was found near Zhongshan. The body had been eaten by wild dogs. Half of the body was dragged to the green stream outside the mountain, where she died in a cruel manner. Fortunately, her face was still vaguely visible. After some investigation, the official finally determined that it was the younger sister of the pair of Yangzhou sisters.
The famous prostitute who was bought at a huge price was supposed to enjoy the wealth of her master, but unexpectedly she died tragically in the mountains? The common people have always been interested in such anecdotes, and there were various opinions for a while. There are some good speculators who even occupy a table in a restaurant and start talking about books, making a lot of money by relying on gimmicks. After that, even more outrageous speculations also appeared in the market rumors, that is, the wealthy businessman in Runzhou was actually the result of the impermanence of his fate.
Of course, in addition to the mythical theories of ghosts and gods, people generally believe in another theory that came from unknown sources, that is, the wealthy businessman from Runzhou was actually entrusted by the King of Yan who guarded Runzhou to come and send him back. On the way to Runzhou, he coveted beauty and raped and killed two girls. The wealthy businessman also fled, and King Yan was also very angry because of his love...
The love affairs of princes and famous prostitutes were mixed with human lives. No matter how twists and turns they were, they still became the talk of the common people after dinner. In the end, this matter was reported to the palace, which made Li Jing furious. He ordered Jinling Yin to investigate the case thoroughly, make sure to find out the source of the rumor, and forbid people from talking about it. He also ordered Zongzheng Temple to go to Runzhou to warn King Yan. As a result, the people believed it even more, and the rumors did not stop, but intensified...
It was not until later that the limelight of this case was overshadowed by another major palace incident.
It is said that the sixth prince Li Congjia, who was hiding in Zhongshan to worship Buddha, suddenly fell seriously ill. When Liu Shaojian from the palace was ordered to visit, he found that the prince was foaming at the mouth, his hands and feet were trembling, and he fell asleep for several days. The emperor and empress hurriedly sent several imperial doctors to go there, but they could never find out the cause of the disease and were helpless.
Later, a scholar from the Hanlin Academy reported that the evil star White Tiger had risen in the east, and that the evil star made the Emperor Ziwei dim for a while. Zhongshan was just east of Jinling. The sixth prince was loyal and filial to his father. Praying for blessings by reciting the Buddha's name happened to block the evil spirit for the emperor, so he got this serious illness. Now that Emperor Ziwei is out of trouble, if you want to save the prince, you must first get him out of a dangerous place.
Emperor Li Jing believed deeply in the so-called deep love between father and son, and hurriedly ordered the sixth prince to be sent back to the palace to recuperate, under the care of the queen herself. After a few days, the sixth prince finally recovered from his serious illness under the blessing of "Emperor Qi". But the first thing he did when he woke up was to insist on going back to Zhongshan to continue praying for the emperor and empress.
He had been troubled by the rumors that King Yan was addicted to wine and sex. Now seeing the sincerity and filial piety of the sixth prince, Emperor Li Jing was extremely moved. In the name of the emperor, he "forced" the sixth prince to return to secular life. After building an altar in Qingliang Temple to appeal to the Buddha, Directly issued an order, the sixth prince Li Congjiajin served as King Zheng's attendant, paid homage to General Zuo Yiwei, and began to participate in political affairs from that day on.
This incident immediately caused an uproar in the court. Feng and Chen's party were rarely calm, but Sun Sheng, Han Xizai and others always held objections, especially Zhong Mo, the Minister of Rites, because Prince Zheng and Li Congjia believed in Buddhism and were young and cowardly, so they could not participate in politics. For this reason, he repeatedly sent remonstrances to Shu, which finally made Emperor Li Jing furious and exiled him to Raozhou. Since then, the court's admonitions about King Zheng have gradually subsided.
...
It was already mid-March when the news spread to Chudi.
When Liu Shaojian and his party arrived in Langzhou, Privy Councilor Chen Jue had already led the army northward and was expected to be in the territory of Zhou State. Li Yuan, who was ordered to station here, did not dare to neglect. After hearing the news, he immediately ordered the city gates to be opened and selected strong soldiers to go out of the city and line up to welcome him.
Under the warm spring sun, Liu Jiangsheng and Luo Erhu each led a line of infantry to stand on both sides of the city gate. The brand-new iron helmets of the Holy Guards were dazzling in the sunlight. The lines, the red tassel of the spear in his hand flowed like blood in the breeze, and the scene here seemed like a perfect blend of iron and blood.
As soon as Liu Shaojian and others got off the carriage, they were affected by the momentum of the Tang army here.
"Shua"! As Liu Jiangsheng quickly pulled out the sword from his waist and raised it high in the air, the sergeants on both sides raised their swords in tacit agreement, and then all turned to the middle of the road. After another order, the soldiers all took a step forward, straightened their waists, bowed their heads and stood solemnly, motionless!
Not long after, Li Yuan, still wearing the unicorn bright light gold armor, walked out majestically with his soldiers, and took the initiative to greet Liu Shaojian respectfully: "Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the Holy Guard Army, is ordered to welcome the angel!"
Liu Shaojian's face was full of joy at this time, and the accompanying officials behind him were also immersed in the military appearance of the Tang Dynasty. They were full of praise for Li Yuan's ability to lead the army. Today's battle also demonstrated his utmost loyalty to His Majesty. However, Liu Shaojian confidently believed that everyone was able to receive such a standard of courtesy because of himself. This Li Yuan is one of our own! Liu Shaojian thought so.
"Li Yuhou, long time no see!" Liu Shaojian took Li Yuan's hands affectionately.
Li Yuan naturally responded with a smile and said cheerfully: "The last general will personally lead the way for Liu Shaojian. Angels, please come to the city!"
So everyone was cheered by the Holy Guards, and the people of Langzhou "spontaneously" lined the streets to welcome him, and entered the capital of Langzhou with great pomp.
I saw Liu Shaojian and others being led to the Langzhou government office. After the envoys from Jinling arrived and took their seats, Li Yuan led the generals to sit down one after another.
Li Yuan took the initiative to speak first: "This place is so shabby, and Liu Shaojian laughed at it! Langzhou has been hit by wars, and repairs have not been completed in various places in the city. Recently, my brothers and I have also been living in the military camp. In desperation, we can only I am here to receive you all! Please forgive me for any rudeness!"
Seeing how humble Li Yuan was, everyone returned the favor one after another. Liu Shaojian followed what Li Yuan said, raised his head and looked around, and found that although this place was not as exquisite in materials and ornate decoration as the official offices in Jinling, it was simple and unsophisticated, but it did have a different flavor.
So he smiled disapprovingly and said in a low voice: "Li Yuhou is too polite! We are here to convey the order under orders, not to enjoy the mountains and rivers! How dare you despise Li Yuhou for treating us with such courtesy?" Is the place simple? From our perspective, this place is very good!" Everyone quickly agreed happily in unison.
Immediately, Shaojian Liu stood up, stood in the center of the hall, and read the imperial edict loudly.
The decree was concise and concise, and almost all related personnel appointments were made.
Li Yuan's name was mentioned first. He finally got his wish and was able to go out to build a festival. Basically, as the previous emperor said in Jinling, he worshiped General Qian Niuwei, was promoted to the Holy Army of Wei, and served as the military commander of Jiedushi. He was awarded the title of Captain of the Inspectorate to control the military affairs of Langzhou. The only change is that the sentence "Specialized in suppressing the barbarians in Dongxi" was changed to "Specialized in suppressing the barbarians in Dongxi and guarding the holy camp."
Li Yuan was very clear about the emperor's intentions. The Holy Guard Army was not given for nothing. Not to mention that half of the troops on the left wing were taken away by Chen Jue. More importantly, the troops on the right wing are still under the control of the original Guard Army Li Jinquan. Under his control, he was stationed in Shouzhou at this time. Almost all of the right wing of the Holy Guard Army were old subordinates brought by Li Jinquan from the North. Military power was Li Jinquan's talisman in the Southern Tang Dynasty. How could he give it up so easily? But pushing too hard might lead to chaos. Therefore, Li Yuan wanted to take over the military power in the right wing, but he was afraid that there would be many difficulties and he would wait until later.
In the imperial edict, there were many words of praise for the Western Expeditionary Army. From the commander-in-chief Chen Jue and his two deputy generals to the generals below, they all received rewards. Li Yuan's generals in the hall were all happy and excited.
Finally, there are two meaningful appointments. Bian Hao, the former Wuping Jiedushi envoy, was moved to Guiguan Jinglue envoy, specializing in the southern campaign. Li Jianqi made great contributions to the Jiashan victory and was promoted to Wu'an Jiedushi envoy to guard Tanzhou. Ma Xichong, the former Wu'an Jiedushi envoy, naturally resigned and moved to Yongtai Jiedushi, and moved to Yangzhou to lead Shuzhou.
Li Yuan's face glowed red, and he felt his heartbeat speeding up, and there was a vigorous force filling his whole body. After breathing for a moment, his eyes were bright and he gradually became calm and composed.
After receiving the order to thank him, Li Yuan's mentality suddenly changed. When he came to this era in detail and thought about all the things that happened in the past six months, he had to sigh. No wonder the idea of officialdom has lasted for more than a thousand years. People's mentality and status are really closely related. , from the original fear to getting what you want today, the difference is like clouds and mud...
