The news that King Lixian of Xunyang was assassinated and seriously injured was reported back to Luoyang, shocking both the government and the public.
Originally, the government and the opposition were engaged in a game over the deployment of troops to deal with the military rebellion in Lingnan and Hongzhou, and secret torrents continued.
After this news came back, it was like a raging fire cooking oil, and the court discussions became more and more fierce. At the meeting in front of the emperor after the staff was lowered, the princes and ministers started arguing passionately.
Some courtiers suggested that King Lixian of Xunyang was suspected of missing Ligan and being ambitious, so he should be deposed immediately, escorted back to the capital, and severely imprisoned.
Some courtiers retorted, saying that King Xunyang Lixian worked hard to build the statue for His Majesty and put filial piety first. This was a plan to alienate the rebel Li Zhengyan. Using King Xunyang's sunset flag and reign name was a trick. If King Xunyang was unjustly imprisoned, It will further encourage Li Thief's remarks, which will definitely increase the spread of rumors and false accusations against Her Majesty the Queen. Don't fall into the trap.
Some courtiers also used the latest facts to remonstrate, saying that Wang Junzhi, an associate of the rebels, acted as a lobbyist to deceive King Xunyang. King Xunyang was loyal and filial to His Majesty and remained unmoved, which led to the rebels jumping over the wall and attacking and assassinating him at night. His Majesty should Summon King Xunyang back to the capital for protection.
There are also some courtiers who support King Xunyang's return to Beijing, but the reason is that Jiangzhou is too dangerous and is becoming a battle front. It is necessary to prevent Jiangzhou from falling, causing the rebels to capture King Xunyang and occupy the great cause.
All kinds of remarks, with various hidden thoughts, filled the Luoyang court in the past few days.
Just when the undercurrent is surging and everyone insists on their own opinions,
In the evening of this day, after a certain imperial meeting ended, an imperial edict was issued from Feng Pavilion and flew to the south of the Yangtze River.
Appointed Wang Lixian of Xunyang as the ambassador of Jiangnan Dao.
Sitting in Jiangzhou, he comforted the soldiers and soldiers of Jiangnan Road, monitored the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, and guarded against the southwest rebels.
At the same time, they were waiting for the arrival of the newly appointed marching general and the conquest army to help put down the rebellion.
in short.
King Xunyang not only refused to leave, but also assisted in quelling the rebellion, and even became the nominal leader of the crusade and quelling the rebellion.
The government and the public were astonished. For a while, not many people raised any objections.
…
"Ambassador of Jiangnan Province, what kind of official position is this?"
In Prince Xunyang's Mansion, the study in Juxian Garden had been burned down. Everyone moved to another place and went to the study where Li Xian was studying to continue the discussion.
Not long ago, in the evening, the imperial court's latest imperial edict arrived in Xunyang City. He lay down on his bed and received the edict with a pale face.
Late at night, Ouyang Rong came to Prince Xunyang's Mansion, and everyone gathered in the new study.
Li Xian, who had just been revived by the imperial doctor two days ago and was bedridden, was really "lively" sitting on the Taishi's chair, serving bowls and vegetables, and eating late night snacks.
Although his face and lips are still gray and bloodless, looking at the way he is picking up vegetables quickly and his eyes bright, he looks like a patient who has just recovered from a serious illness.
It's just that Miaozhen and the other female officials couldn't see this scene. Well, even if they saw it, they probably pretended not to see it.
At this moment, a scroll made of bright yellow cloth was spread out on the dining table. The hungry Li Xian swallowed the food, pointed at the imperial edict with his chopsticks, and asked doubtfully.
Li Guo'er was shocked in his brief words and replied in four words:
"Stabilize people's hearts."
Li Xian looked curious, glanced at Ouyang Rong who was silent after entering the room, and asked again:
"Oh, is it the same position as the Jiangnan Supervisor who was previously in charge of the construction of the Donglin Giant Buddha?"
Li Guo'er shook his head and answered crisply:
"It's different."
First, she glanced at Ouyang Rong, who nodded in approval. Her voice and expression were full of energy and she said:
"Although the Jiangnan Road Pacifying Ambassador does not have as much military and political power as the Chief of the March Army and is not responsible for the specific counter-insurgency, his title is much greater. This is an important and temporary position. In the past, only famous people could hold it.
"Right now, we are facing a powerful enemy. It's not like some big and empty post. My father really wants to appease the people and officers of Jiangnan and assist in countering the rebellion. It's not untrue.
"I was the governor of the south of the Yangtze River before, just in name only. At most I was in charge of the statues in Jiangzhou.
"But now, it is different to serve as Jiangnan Province's pacification ambassador. In the name of pacification, my father can interrogate and even summon the governors of various states and counties in Jiangnan Province, and he can also legitimately contact the nobles and nobles of Jiangnan...
“After all, this is part of the appeasement, the court has nothing to say, and my grandmother will acquiesce.
"And officials from various states and counties in Jiangnan Province, if they are willing, can come to Xunyang City to meet my father and report some counter-insurgency matters or suggestions. This is justifiable."
Li Xian opened his eyes wide and was surprised: "Is this really what the Queen Mother means?"
Li Guo'er, Xie Lingjiang, Wei Mei and others had smiles on their lips.
Ouyang Rong put down his teacup and nodded gently:
"Your Majesty should know roughly what happened that night. My uncle passed the test smoothly and even handed in a good answer sheet. At least Your Majesty should be quite satisfied.
"So this time, the United Front Ambassador... No, it is the official position of the Comfort Ambassador. It is regarded as a reward for my uncle to pass the test."
He turned his head:
"Her Royal Highness the Princess's analysis just now is correct. It is indeed not a false position. You can gain more fame and presence.
"After all, my uncle was demoted to Jiangzhou for more than ten years and had been away from the officialdom of the Zhou Dynasty for a long time. Many officials who wanted to leave their jobs had no way to get close to my uncle. They were afraid of being suspected by His Majesty. At the same time, they were also worried about being reported and detained. Big hat.
"So before that, even if my uncle re-established the Xunyang Palace, there were only some frustrated officials in Xunyang City who dared to approach the water tower to show their goodwill, and the rest were mostly commoners without official status...
"This time, I took this opportunity to pass the trust and ability test of His Majesty. The confinement was naturally lifted for the most part. It is almost as loose as the freedom of His Highness the Prime Minister in the capital, allowing some officials and forces to get closer."
"I see."
Li Xian suddenly understood, and he smiled broadly: "Thanks to Tan Lang, the Queen Mother is finally relieved of this king."
Ouyang Rong calmly shook his head:
"It's not all my fault, His Majesty also had selfish motives in letting my uncle stay on the front line in Jiangzhou, and he also held the important position of appeasing the ambassador.
“This move can not only dilute the legitimacy of Li Zhengyan and others in restoring Li Qian and stabilize the morale of the Taoist priests and civilians in the south of the Yangtze River, but it can also send a clear signal to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty and the people of the world.
"My uncle has now officially entered the game. The Xunyang Palace, which has lost the restriction of imprisonment, has gained the power to stand on the top of the mountain. It is no longer a simple chess piece, but a chess player.
"Uncle, be prepared. Next, there should be a lot of 'Li Qian loyal ministers' seeking refuge through various channels. Of course, there will also be many secret attacks and traps. We need to treat Wang Junzhi and Yue Zi'ang's affairs with caution. It’s a lesson learned from the past.”
"Absolutely." Li Xian and his son nodded seriously.
Ouyang Rong sighed again:
"This official position is not in vain. The rebels are about to attack Jiangzhou, and Xunyang City is not safe. If it cannot withstand it and falls into the enemy's hands, my uncle's current position will become a burden.
"If my uncle takes it, he will be officially separated from Li Zhengyan and the others, but if he doesn't take it, it will be even more inappropriate... His Majesty, he has finally mastered the art of emperorship."
Li Xian was used to having fun in the midst of hardship, so he smiled optimistically and said, "Nothing's going to happen. Tan Lang is here and everyone will work together, so there's nothing to be afraid of."
Ouyang Rong laughed helplessly.
At this moment, two clean, peeled white pears were handed to him.
Two different jade hands.
When he looked up, he saw that one was from junior sister and the other was from Li Guo'er.
Both women looked at him, not at each other.
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not.
Ouyang Rong calmly withdrew his gaze.
He didn't choose one or the other, he nodded, took both white pears, turned his head, and handed them to Li Xian and Li Fusu respectively.
Li Xian and his son were stunned for a moment, then each took the pears.
"Uh, thank you, sister."
"Thank you, niece Xian."
Li Xian and Li Fusu thanked the two girls respectively.
Ouyang Rong acted like a bitch and made the transfer, as if he didn't like pears.
"..." Xie Lingjiang and Li Guo'er.
Wei Mei smiled, peeled a pear, and handed it to Ouyang Rong with a smile.
He took it this time.
This made the two girls, who were squinting their eyes and preparing to peel another pear and hand it over, pursed their lips and gave up.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at Li Guo'er, who had a pretty and composed face, withdrew his gaze, changed the subject, and hummed slightly:
"Now Wang Lengran should be unable to do anything to our palace."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Your Majesty, just wait a moment. In less than two days, Wang Lengran will come to visit him personally. From now on, Your Majesty will be his immediate superior. After all, Jiangzhou also belongs to Jiangnan Road, right? The Ambassador of Comfort will comfort him."
Everyone couldn't help laughing, Li Fusu patted the table:
"In the past, I couldn't protect myself, so I couldn't control him. Now that I can control him, I can forget about other things for the time being. But this official must open up his mouth, welcome back Tanlang again, release the authority of Jiangzhou Hall, and let Tanlang Participating in assisting defense, as well as military and political matters, we need to be more liberal."
Everyone in the study agreed.
Ouyang Rong took a long breath:
"This matter is actually simple. The general trend and His Majesty's attitude are there. Wang Lengran cannot stop him. He is not stupid, he is just bad. You can see it."
Glancing at Li Xian and his son who were aggrieved for him, Ouyang Rong could only nod his head and said slowly:
"Well, let's sing a double act tomorrow..."
Everyone started discussing together, and after a while, everyone's eyes brightened.
At this moment, Wei Mei suddenly said:
"A letter has arrived from the Prime Minister's Mansion in Luoyang."
"What letter?" Ouyang Rong asked.
Li Xian hesitated for a moment, then took out two letters from his sleeve, handed one to Ouyang Rong, and held the other in his hand:
"The emperor's brother said that he was not imprisoned, and he only found out about what happened that night later. Someone pretended to be his name and tricked us into leaving the city.
"The emperor's younger brother also said that he never expected that Guo Yu, Meng Shouguang and others would take refuge in the Wei family. This was an oversight by him and the Prime Minister's Palace, and he felt extremely guilty. Therefore, this time, at the meeting in front of the emperor under the staff, he and My master tried his best to speak for me..."
Xie Lingjiang interrupted directly and asked:
"What about the jade plaque? The Hotan jade plaque always belongs to him, right? The former crown prince gave it to my uncle and him. Shouldn't it be carried close to his body?"
"Well, our Highness the Prime Minister has also explained it."
Ouyang Rong put down the letter, pointed at it, and smiled:
"On August 8, at Princess Changle's birthday party, His Highness Prince Xiang met Liang Wang Wei Sixing. Although Prince Xiang's Palace was incompatible with Prince Wei's Palace, their relationship with Prince Liang was not broken on the surface.
"After three rounds of drinking, King Liang took the initiative to strike up a conversation with His Highness the Prime Minister, as if to show his goodwill. Although His Highness was still wary, it was not easy to offend King Liang. After drinking a few glasses of wine, King Liang again proposed to bury the hatchet. They exchanged tokens and specifically asked for the jade plaque on His Majesty's waist. He changed it without thinking much at the time.
"After returning home, I sobered up. The more I thought about it, the more something was wrong. I was worried about being deceived and being impersonated. So I made a public statement the next day and presented a Hetian jade plaque to His Majesty the Prince of Liang. I also wrote a letter to remind all parties, among which Including the prince, who went out of his way to clarify the matter.
"But I didn't expect that this jade medal would come to Jiangzhou so soon, especially that Guo Yu and others would defect."
Li Xian put down the letter in his hand and said with a complicated expression:
"This was sent the next day after that night. Looking at the date of this letter, the emperor's brother did send a letter to inform the king as soon as possible, but Guo Yu and others were faster and arrived one day earlier... Wei It's so cunning, even the emperor's younger brother was tricked."
Ouyang Rong suddenly chuckled: "Uncle, actually I am the First Emperor."
"ah?"
Xie Lingjiang, Li Guoer, Li Dalang and others were stunned and sounded suspicious.
But some fools really believe it.
"Is it possible that Tanlang is reincarnated?" Li Xian was shocked.
"..." Ouyang Rong.
You really dare to believe it.
Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched, and he didn't know whether he should be grateful for this trust.
But when I think about this world, there is indeed mythical power, and there are many magicians who encourage immortality and reincarnation.
In other words, there are still many people who fear ghosts and gods and are very fond of this.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Li Xian and said nothing for the time being.
The emperor's family affairs are complicated, now is not the time...
The next day, morning.
As expected, Wang Lengran paid a visit to Li Xian, and discussed with the newly appointed Jiangnan Dao pacification ambassador about resisting the rebels, and sincerely thanked His Highness for his assistance...
The Jiangnan Province Comfort Ambassador is equivalent to the nominal superior of each state capital in Jiangnan Province. He is naturally taller and has the right to make suggestions.
Now, the residence of Prince Xunyang is in Jiangzhou. In terms of authority, the affairs of Jiangzhou are no longer decided by the governor alone. He has to ask the Jiangnan Dao Ambassador Li Xian for instructions.
After seeing everyone's plan last night, Li Xian smiled faintly. He put down his teacup leisurely, raised his eyelids, and looked at Wang Dashi. The latter suddenly had a smile on his face, his butt touched the stool, and he sat only half of the way...
Immediately, under Li Xian's rehearsed manipulation, Wang Lengran smiled brighter than a flower and strongly requested the prince to release Ouyang Changshi and stop him from being busy with the construction of Buddha.
Wang Lengran's face was full of sincerity, and he reiterated that Jiangzhou Hall needs Ouyang Changshi. If a good man cannot come out, what will happen to the people? King Xunyang reluctantly nodded and finally welcomed Ouyang Changshi back to the Jiangzhou lobby. Everyone was very happy...
When Ouyang Rong returned to the Jiangzhou lobby, he clearly felt that after King Xunyang gained power, the officials warmly fawned over him, who was suspected of being the "Tan Lang" of King Xunyang's palace, and the official affairs progressed surprisingly smoothly.
Sure enough, there are people up there, so it's not difficult to do things.
With the establishment of the Jiangnan Dao pacification ambassador, the formation of the expeditionary army was proceeding at a rapid pace following the issuance of "talisman deeds" similar to red-headed documents from the Luoyang court.
The Great Zhou Dynasty still had a government military system. Each Zhechong Mansion was the main source of troops. The march of the conquering army was provided by each Zhechong Mansion.
There are only six Zhechong mansions in Jiangnan Road, which has been at peace for a long time. In addition to the fourth and fifth Zhechong mansions in Jiangnan Road that fell with Hongzhou, there is also the third Zhechong mansion in Jiangzhou.
Yangzhou and other Chongzhou, which had the remaining three Zhechong Prefectures, responded quickly and were the first to be recruited.
During this period, the first batch of small reinforcements were arriving in Jiangzhou one after another as advance preparations for the conquest of the army.
Just two days after Ouyang Rong returned to the main hall of Jiangzhou, news came from the front line that the Hongzhou rebels had invaded the hinterland of Jiangzhou, all the Yanbing checkpoints had been captured, and several counties had surrendered. Cai Qin and Zhu Lingxu's army was in full swing. .
Ouyang Rong had no time to gloat over the misfortune. King Lengran was defeated and concentrated on defense.
(End of chapter)
