On the evening of the 23rd, news came from the Yongshou Palace that the concert calling for the establishment of the Song King was rejected by Empress Yang. The news spread like a whirlwind.

In the small Yongfang, in the home of Xiao Pi, the servant of the Ministry and the head of the Hanlin Academy, Bachelor Xiao was drinking tea in the study of Qu Wei, the champion of the seventeenth year of Yongzhi.

Qu Wei was dressed in a scribe's shirt, thirty-two years old, with outstanding appearance, and said with a smile: "Sure enough." "He blocked Jia Huan outside the Imperial Palace yesterday and participated in the whole process. He was also present today. Regardless of what the forces of all parties think, in the end, there is one fact that cannot be avoided: King Yan was pushed out as a candidate for the throne.

Yang Shilang deliberately mentioned King Wei, just afraid of getting Jia Huan's instructions. In fact, it is to highlight the identity of King Yan. And Hu Bingyong is even more shameless, willing to be Jia Huan's lackey!

And now, Jia Huan refused to succeed the Song king in the name of Empress Yang, causing the ministers to suffer another setback. Under this successive defeat, the will of the ministers to resist was further eroded.

Bachelor Xiao smiled indifferently, "Jia Huan is not stupid enough to agree, right?" The situation is stalemate again. Let's see how he fools him. ”

Of course the monarch killer must be killed! Otherwise, where is the discipline? However, Jia Huan holds the power of the army, what can hundreds of officials do? He is inclined to settle accounts after the fall. At present, as long as there is a reason to fool the officials, this political game can be over.

It is true that hundreds of officials are dissatisfied with Jia Huan's murder. But how many people will give up their official positions and lives to compete with Jia Huan to the end? Throughout history, in so many coups d'état, all the officials of the court swore to the death? It's up to the individual.

Qu Wei smiled and drank tea. Luo Xiangyang and Ji Cheng, who are in the same department as him, are involved in this matter. Princess Yongqing's concubine Fu Zhengmeng was even killed.

Qingliu has been clamoring for severe punishment of Jia Huan. If the ministers take a step back here, the impasse can be ended. How long can Jia Huan endure those clear streams? Jia Huan returned home this evening and was assassinated again at four o'clock.

He and Mr. Xiao are both bystanders, and Jia Huan seems to be a bystander in addition to being scolded as a target. But in reality?

…

…

The night was getting darker. In the Yongfang of the Great Times, Fei Minzheng was wandering in the study. In the afternoon, he was worried that Jia Huan would not agree to the succession of King Song, and now it was so. What should he do? He has the consciousness of bloodshed and sacrifice, but can this stop Jia Huan?

"Boom..."

The old servant knocked on the door and came in to report, "Sir, there is a visitor." "Hand over the name card in your hand.

Fei Minzheng's face changed, at the time of the curfew, who else could come to visit besides Jia Huan? was about to refuse sternly, his eyes swept to the name post, but it was the same year of the first subject, the first place in the Wuxu Hui Examination, the first place in the second class of the palace examination, and Lu Chu, a native of Shunde, Guangdong, who was also Hanlin.

"How could it be him?" Fei Minzheng suppressed the doubts in his heart and ordered, "Please invite him to the hall." ”

The courtyard where Fei Minzheng lives is only three entrances. He walked into the flower hall in the front yard. After waiting for a while, I saw Lu Chu coming in under the leadership of the old servant. got up to greet each other and said bluntly: "If Lu Shuhou is a lobbyist for Jia Huan, then he will not be respectful." ”

Lu Chu was thirty-four years old, with an ordinary appearance, smiled and bowed, and said, "Ziyun, whether he is a lobbyist or not, I will talk about it later." Let me take a sip of tea first. ”

It's hard to refuse. After the guests sat down and exchanged a few words, Lu Chu put down the teacup leisurely and asked, "Ziyun, do you still want the overall situation?" ”

Fei Minzheng sneered, and asked rhetorically with strong emotions: "Shuhou, what is the overall situation?" The overall situation of admitting Jia Huan's innocence of killing the king? Acknowledging the overall situation of Jia Huan's usurpation? ”

Lu Chu smiled and said, "Ziyun, listen to what I say." Now the throne is vacant, and the governor of Qi leads the government with the imperial history of the left capital. The name is not right, the word is not good! A letter came from the Western Regions, and the Persian Emperor Abbas sent an army of 100,000 to invade the river. How should the imperial court respond? ”

Fei Zhuangyuan was slightly stunned, looked at Lu Chu's eyes, and said seriously: "Is this true?" ”

Lu Chu nodded and sighed: "This was Jia Huan's self-preservation strategy. Before returning to Beijing last year, he sent an envoy to Baghdad to reprimand the Persian emperor. The results can be imagined! The Governor of Qi is now in the center, and the generals of the Western Regions have no clear subordination. If you fight, you will definitely lose. Ziyun, the center needs to stabilize quickly! Time can't afford to delay. ”

Fei Zhuangyuan was silent. If he had been a shameless man, he could now say, "What does it matter to me? But the actual situation is that the princes of the temple, except for the Chinese and Song dynasties, are desperately resisting. I'm afraid that there will be people who want to compromise for a long time. Look at the attitude of the King of Beijing?

These people just cared about the public opinion of the government and the opposition, and did not explicitly support Jia Huan. The so-called public opinion of the government and the opposition is actually the Qingliu led by him now.

However, when Jia Huan rebelled that day, why didn't anyone say a word to Jia Huan: We must focus on the overall situation? Now he is framed by the big picture. A gentleman can be bullied, right?

Lu Chu persuaded again: "Ziyun, now you can't solve the problem just by scolding." Compromise is coming! It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge. ”

Fei Zhuangyuan confessed: "Uncle Hou, the Son of Heaven treats me well!" Jia Huan shouldn't have killed the king! Ten years is not too late? Hehe, that's just self-deception. Now Jia Huan's power is so strong, what about ten years from now? His political skills, you and I haven't seen them? At that time, how can there be any hope of punishing him? Pipe dream! ”

Now is when Jia Huan is at his weakest and weakest!

Lu Chu groaned. Fei Ziyun is indeed very level, and he sees the problem very thoroughly.

Jia Huan became friends with Wu Guanheng, the leader of the 13 Commercial Houses in Guangzhou. Come to the house in the evening and talk to him. Jia Huan said it very thoroughly: I don't want to kill people, so that the world is in turmoil. That's why he came to be this lobbyist. The news of the Western Regions was heard by him from Jia Huan's mouth.

After half a ring, Fei Zhuangyuan asked: "Shuhou, since it is a compromise, what kind of conditions does Jia Huan offer?" His bottom line is: Jia Huan must not usurp the throne.

Lu Chu said: "Jia Ziyu asked me to tell you." Rest assured, he will never usurp the throne! He said that it was too tiring to be an emperor. ”

Fei Zhuangyuan was stunned: Too tired to be an emperor? The country is picturesque, how many heroes and heroes have bent their waists for it since ancient times? Would someone say that being an emperor is too tiring? But, with Jia Huan he knows, this is eighty percent true.

Jia Huan's resume and deeds, he is clear! Jia Huan is the poet of this dynasty, and the world has attracted attention. Jia Huan has been exploring flowers since the thirteenth year of Yongzhi, and since then for seven years, his career has been all passive.

When he was an official in Beijing, Jia Huan often asked for leave, or arrived late or left early. His money was basically gone.

After a while, Fei Zhuangyuan came back to his senses slightly. Feeling is feeling. But he can't believe that Jia Huan will not usurp the throne because of this sentence, he is no longer a young political rookie. Said slowly: "How can I confirm?" ”

Lu Chu smiled, Fei Ziyun's reaction was really the same as what Jia Huan said, and said, "You can just watch it tomorrow." If you don't agree, you will make trouble again. ”

Fei Zhuangyuan nodded lightly and said, "I can stand by and watch." But I can't control anyone else. ”

What about Empress Yang's refusal to succeed King Song? As long as King Song insists, he can take his supporters to make a big fuss. Do you really think that Empress Yang's approval will make the courtiers submit?

Lu Chu breathed a sigh of relief, his task was completed, and he arched his hand: "You can just wait and see." ”

…

…

On the night of the twenty-third day, it passed again. There's so much going on in the night. Jia Huan in the Wuying Hall received a message, and Lu Chu said that he was the champion of the fee. He issued an order to end the operation, codenamed "Goku". The next action, codename: Thang Long.

The faint light of dawn shone on the south three institutes. In the early morning of late spring, it was a little cool, and the temples stood quietly in the dawn.

In the West, King Song was sweet. He dreamed that he ascended the throne as the emperor, wearing a bright yellow crown of the Son of Heaven, in the imperial palace, facing south, looking down on His Majesty Dan's ministers, and the shouts of "Long live, long live, long live, long live" surrounded him and buried him.

He raised his hand and said, "Zhu Qing is flat!" He still wanted to say in his mind, when he pushed Jia Huan out and beheaded him. But he woke up with this sentence of "flat body".

King Song still had a smile on the corner of his mouth. If only that! However, there was news last night that Empress Yang refused to issue a decree to let him succeed to the throne. This made him very unhappy.

Song Wang was thinking like this, and suddenly felt a little slimy on his body, he moved under the thin silk quilt, and when he looked at it, he saw that the sheets were full of blood. He was covered with a sheet, as if his feet had been amputated.

"Ahh

"Ahh

The terrible cry resounded throughout the West Institute in an instant. The eunuch who was waiting outside King Song's bedroom rushed in quickly, and saw King Song sitting on the bed covered in blood, and beside him, there was a huge, bloody dog's head. It is the dog of King Song!

There is a circle of fighting dogs in Kyoto. This dog was originally supposed to be in King Song's courtyard in the outer city.

"Ahh

King Song howled with all his might, his whole body trembled involuntarily, and the fear in his heart was beyond measure! He was in his sleep, since Jia Huan could put the dog's head beside him, what about his head?

…

…

In the Jincheng Square in the west of the city, when I got up early in the morning, Fan Yushi sorted out his official uniform and prepared to go out.

Last night, Jia Huan manipulated Empress Yang and refused to succeed King Song, who was recommended by the courtiers, and the news had already spread throughout the officialdom of the capital. He also received the message.

However, how naïve Jia Huan is! Tingtui represents the choice of the important ministers of the DPRK and China. What if Empress Yang refuses? Don't the ministers make trouble? He made up his mind that he must have a good time today!

It is best to take advantage of the situation to put the king of Song on the throne. Then the future of their Song and Chinese officials can be preserved.

Fan Yushi pushed open the door and saw two brocade guards standing at the door, he couldn't help but be stunned, and then he was furious and roared: "What are you doing at the door of this official's house?" Who asked you to come? How dare Jin Yiwei assassinate an official of the imperial court? ”

The two Jinyi guard captains grinned, stretched out their hands to hold Fan Yushi, tied him up quickly, gagged his mouth, and said: "Guozi Jian Middle School opened a study class today, according to the order of my family's thousands of households, please let Master Fan go!" ”

Jinyiwei stuffed Fanyushi into a small sedan chair and carried it to the Guozijian in the north of the city. Such a scene is happening everywhere in Beijing, including Jia Huan's friend Tang Daobin in the same year, who was invited to Guozijian to "drink tea".

Guozi's sacrificial wine is Wei Hanlin Wei source quality. He is the father-in-law of the eldest brother Sun Liang and the master of Jia Huan. In this public opinion turmoil, the prisoners, who have always been fond of making trouble, did not participate.

Today, it has been two days since Jia Huan raised his troops. Among the officials and middle- and low-level officials, who is the diehard, and who is the backbone of scolding Jia Huan, has long been investigated by Qin Hongtu's spy department and Jinyi Wei.

Perhaps, the day before yesterday, when they scolded Jia Huan for being so happy outside the Emperor's Palace, they didn't expect this time! Officials like Qu Wei who paddle and watch will not have this kind of treatment.

…

…

The morning sun erupted, and the golden-red light was sprinkled in the Jingshi. On March 24, the sky was fine. No wind.

One by one, the courtiers came out of the mansion in the morning glow, walked on different streets, and gathered in the imperial palace again, and the news that Empress Yang refused to agree to the succession of King Song last night has come out.

So, who should be on the throne? The courtiers wanted an outcome. Three days passed, and the strong impact of Jia Huan's killing of the monarch began to recede. And as the news of the Persian Empire's dispatch of troops to the river spreads in Beijing, the ownership of the throne is imminent!

At about 6:40 in the morning, Qi Chi entered the imperial city from the Xihua Gate, passed the gate of the Wuying Palace, passed through the Huangji Gate, the square, the Jinshui Bridge, the Dan Majesty, and stepped into the Huangji Palace. At this time, there were about 200 officials who had arrived early.

The officials looked at each other. The prestige of the Governor of Qi grew. Approaching the Ling, Zhou Shen in the Hanlin phalanx saluted and asked in a loud voice: "Lord Qi, King Song was rejected by the Queen Mother, what should I do now?" ”

Qi Chi nodded, did not say anything, and after worshipping the Son of Heaven, he stood at the head of the left side and closed his eyes to recuperate. In a few days, the officials in the temple gathered more and more, and all the princes in the temple arrived. Gao Changlong, the head of Shaanxi Province, was designated by Qi Chi as the supervisor of the imperial history, so that the hundred officials remained quiet.

Only then did Qi Chi speak, "Go and invite King Song over." ”

In the phalanx of the Hanlin Academy, Master Xiao watched coldly. Doubts in my heart. Didn't Jia Huan talk about it? This is absolutely illogical!

After a while, the official who went to invite the Honglu Temple of the King of Song walked in quickly and said, "Lord Qi, His Royal Highness the King of Song is not in the side hall, but in the South Third Temple. His Royal Highness King Song claimed that virtue and talent were not enough to be the Son of Heaven. I would like to take my resignation from all of you. ”

"Huh?" In the Imperial Palace, more than 400 officials were in an uproar. What's going on again? And such a thing?

Mr. Xiao's heart suddenly dawned, it turned out to be like this. The bottom of the kettle is drawn! The king of Song is unwilling to be the emperor again, how can the ministers toss?

…

…

Soon, the reason was found out and spread to the Imperial Palace: King Song's dog was killed last night, and he slept with the dog head for one night, so he retreated in fright.

In the Imperial Palace, with the pressure of the imperial history, the noisy scene slowly quieted down. Shi Shijun, the waiter of the Criminal Department, said extremely dissatisfied: "Jia Huan has gone too far. How dare you threaten the prince like this! Is there any etiquette in his eyes? ”

He doesn't care who did this, he will detain Jia Huan first. The leading figures of their Chinese and Song families all discussed and united to elect the king of Chu. However, King Song's accession to the throne was far better than that of King Yan. He blamed Jia Huan very hard.

"That the night before, a eunuch in King Yan's residence was poisoned by the Han Palace, and there was no etiquette in his eyes?" A voice sounded very abruptly at the door of the Imperial Palace. Shi Shijun asked at once and did not answer.

The ministers in the Imperial Palace were all looking ahead, and they heard someone at the door. All eyes converged: a tall and thin man stood at the door! He was facing away from the rising sun, and his body seemed to be dyed with a golden red light!

Jia Huan stepped over the threshold. At this time, everyone saw clearly: he was dressed in a water-blue robe, and his figure was thin and straight. He wears a Tang scarf on his head and has an ordinary appearance. His expression is calm and his steps are calm.

The burly Yang followed him step by step. Keep him safe.

"It's Jia Huan!" "It's him!" After quieting down for a while, the Imperial Palace was boiling again. Most officials didn't expect Jia Huan to dare to enter the Imperial Palace at this time! This is the eye of the storm, the crater!

Fei Zhuangyuan looked at Jia Huan who walked in, suppressing the urge to shout in his heart. He promised to wait and see today.

Jia Huan walked all the way to the front of the courtier's shift, saluted Qi Chi, and said, "Lord Qi, I'll leave after I say a few words." ”

Qi Chi looked at Jia Huan, nodded slowly, and said in a deep voice, "Okay." "Whether it succeeds or not, it's up to you.

Shaanxi Daoist Yu Shi Gao Changlong scolded the noisy officials, "Be quiet, don't lose the minister's dignity!" "Bring the scene down again.

Jia Huan turned his back to the ministers and waited calmly. At this time, he turned sideways and asked Zeng Jin, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites: "Does Zeng Shangshu think that King Yan has the qualifications to inherit the throne?" ”

In matters of etiquette and law, the Ministry of Rites naturally has the right to speak. Zeng Jin pondered the words, "King Yan is the bloodline of the Son of Heaven, and it is recorded in the palace, and his identity is undoubted. Since ancient times, there have been grandchildren, but there are no grandchildren. King Yan came after King Chu, King Song, and King Wei. ”

He gave a middle-of-the-road answer.

Jia Huan faced the ministers and said loudly: "The King of Song is unwilling to be the emperor. Yesterday, the court pushed the highest number of votes to King Yan. The one you have doubts about is nothing more than that I am the teacher of King Yan. If King Yan is the emperor, I will definitely be in charge of the government.

I hereby promise that one day King Yan will be the Son of Heaven, and I will not be an official in this dynasty. Ladies and gentlemen, push again! Let me see your options! After speaking, Jia Huan arched his hand, walked out of the Imperial Palace, and waited for the result outside the hall.

Perhaps, it was the who invited them to drink tea, perhaps, it was Jia Huan who walked too fast, perhaps, the officials did not react, and no one asked Jia Huan: What if King Yan died? He walked all the way out, leaving a back.

After Qi Chi discussed with the important ministers, he pushed again. As a result, King Yan received the highest number of votes. Twenty-four votes.

There was an uproar in the Imperial Palace.

Jia Huan talked to Cheng Guogong, Zhan Chenghou, Zhao Shangshu and others last night. That's why there is such a result! However, the result of this court push made many middle- and low-level officials emotionally difficult to accept for a while.

Fei Minzheng walked out of the column, threw the official hat on his head on the ground, sneered, and said angrily: "Since the princes have already made up their minds in their hearts, it is okay if the officials of this new dynasty are not in charge!" ”

He knew what Jia Huan's concession was at this time. If Jia Huan is not in the officialdom for twenty or thirty years, even if he can operate secretly, he is still far from the standard of usurpation! He endorsed the concession. However, he was not happy.

At the beginning of Fei Zhuangyuan, more than 80 officials resigned and left on the spot. The Hua Party and the Song Party headed by Li Kangshi, Shi Shijun and others were the mainstay. And in the cold window of ten years, there are only a few people who are angry and don't want official hats.

The doubts and noises in the Imperial Palace slowly disappeared and gradually quieted down as time passed.

Yan Wang Ning Xi was invited from the side hall to the main hall.

Qi Chi asked King Yan to stand in front of the spirit of the Son of Yongzhi and face the hundred officials. Then, kneeling down and bowing three times and nine times: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live." ”

Six books, and the attendants knelt down. Afterwards, the officials knelt down and bowed: "Long live, long live, long live!" The voice echoed in the Imperial Palace. Full flood!

Yan Wang Ning Xi stood in the hall and looked at the ministers blankly. Listen to the sound of "Hooray". It was as if everything had become unreal.