Che cavalry general Lu Yi, right guard general Zhao Yun, rear general Yushi, left general Yan Liang, Wuwei general Wen Chou, town army general Zhang Baiqi, Ning Shuo general Fan Li, escort general Jia Xu, Huwei general Sima Yi and others greeted each other ten miles outside the city.

After everyone exchanged pleasantries for a while, Koi Yi asked in a low voice, "Don't you go to Liyang to meet the Son of Heaven and the eldest princess?" ”

"We'll talk about it in two days." Li Hong said, "Now that the situation in Chang'an is stable, and the Son of Heaven and the eldest princess are safe, I don't need to go to Liyang to intervene." I've got my business. ”

Everyone looked at Li Hong suspiciously. The general spoke angrily, as if he was extremely dissatisfied with the situation in front of him. The crowd did not dare to speak, and stood silently around.

"The letter told the right general Yang Feng and the generals of the Northern Army, as well as the Wuwei general Liang Baiwu, and asked them to go to the General's Mansion tomorrow to discuss matters."

Everyone's faces changed slightly, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

"I went back to Chang'an this time, mainly for next year's expedition to Western Xinjiang." Li Hong looked at everyone and waved his hand vigorously, "I don't want to take care of the affairs of the court, and I don't have the ability to take care of it, let them go." ”

The generals looked at each other in fear.

"Zilong, how is the Prime Minister?" Li Hong looked at Zhao Yun and asked.

Zhao Yun's expression was gloomy, and he bowed down and replied, "He's sick......"

Li Hong sighed, "Overnight, thousands of heads fell to the ground, old friends died one after another, and Huangquan died, this blow is really too big." It's not easy for him to survive until now. Go, take me to see him. ”

Cai Yong was extremely surprised when he saw Li Hong suddenly appear, struggling to sit up. Li Hong hurriedly took a few steps and held him up, "The boss should lie down." I heard that you were sick, so I came without stopping. You okay? Do you want to send someone to inform Dazhitang and find Master Xiangkai as soon as possible? ”

"Since he's gone, he won't come again." Cai Yi shook his head and sighed bitterly, "It's still easy for him." ”

Li Hong sat on the edge of the couch, grabbed Cai Yong's hand, and comforted him in a low voice: "When the old man takes care of his body, he can ...... like Master Xiangkai."

"No way, I won't live for a few days." Cai Yong interrupted Li Hong's words, and the smile on his face carried a thick sadness, "You went to Liyang to see His Highness?" ”

"I just came back." Li Hong said, "I plan to go to Liyang in a few days. The war in Hexi was coming to an end soon, and Yan Rou's army could take Hexi before winter came. In this way, the conditions for our westward expedition to Liangzhou are basically in place, and if nothing else, I will be able to lead my army westward next spring. ”

Cai Yong looked at Li Hong thoughtfully, and didn't speak for a long time. Suddenly, he understood why Li Hong mentioned Master Xiangkai, although he had also studied Huang Laozhi's learning, but it was not until this moment that he realized the essence of "Taoism and Nature". Natural inaction, natural inaction. Cai Yong suddenly brightened.

Li Hong talked endlessly, talking about the Tuntian border outside the Saiwai, the southward migration of the Hu tribe, and the beautiful scenery on the desert. Cai Yong listened quietly, full of interest, and sometimes interjected a few words. The two are like a pair of old friends who have been separated for many years, they are very happy to see each other, and they are happy, and they have long forgotten the deception of the court.

It was dark, and Li Hong got up to say goodbye.

"I've always had a wish...... Cai Yong leaned back on the couch and said with a smile, "In the past, I thought I would be able to see ...... before I died."

Li Hong bowed as a salute, "I am entrusted by the first emperor to defend the Han Dynasty, even if I am broken bones, I will hand over the Han to the Son of Heaven completely." ”

"Fulfilling the trust of the first emperor and reviving the Han Dynasty is what you should do, and I believe that you can do it, this is not my wish." Cai Yong shook his head, "The eldest princess has paid a lot for the Zhongxing of the Han Dynasty, she deserves the gift of God and a happy home." Back then, the first emperor asked her to go to the north to find you with the edict, firstly to save the Han, and secondly, to entrust her to you and ask you to take care of her, but did you do it? ”

Li Hong's heart trembled, and a trace of pain couldn't help but pass over his face.

"Zimin, I don't have many days to live...... Cai Yong said slowly, "People are old, they are very greedy, and they all want to die without regrets, can you help me fulfill this wish and let me close my eyes in peace?" ”

Li Hong thought for a long time, and finally nodded, "I promise you, I will follow the instructions of the first emperor and guard her until she gets her own happiness." ”

Oak Yang.

On August 29, the eldest princess and the ministers in the Liyang Palace were anxiously waiting for the arrival of the general, but the news that Tian Chou brought back surprised everyone. The general returned directly to Chang'an City, and urgently ordered the generals in Beijing to rush to the general's palace immediately to discuss the military meeting.

What does the general want to do?

The eldest princess and her ministers had a long sleepless night.

On the morning of 30 August, news spread again from Chang'an City that after the general returned to Chang'an City, he first went to visit Elder Cai Yong, and then went to visit Lord Liu He. Late at night, he personally rushed to the prison of Tingwei's Mansion and visited Dong Zhao, a former general who was detained in prison, and Liu Yi, Xu Yan, Wang Kai, Wan Qian, and other officials from various counties and states who had been ordered to return to Beijing. In the early morning, after the general returned to the mansion, the wife of the elder Zhang Wen heard the news and went to meet him, imploring the general to rescue Cai Mao. The general immediately left the house and came to the pavilion to appease the envoy of Xiangyang.

Dong Zhao is a native of Yanzhou and has a long history of former Hanoi Taishou and publicity. After Zhang Yang returned to the imperial court, he served as the Taishou of Yunzhong, but Dong Zhao was recruited by the general to engage in the two governments, and was repeatedly reused by the imperial court. He was close friends with ministers such as Zhang Miao and Chen Gong, and once suggested that the imperial court restore the fifth-class title system, so although he was very close to the Northern Xinjiang Department, he was also implicated. The great Sima Xu Rong tried his best to excuse him, believing that he had made meritorious contributions in the Central Plains War and the reconstruction of Chang'an City, and was deeply respected and trusted by the general, and he should be cautious in his handling. In addition, his younger brother Beihai Minister Dong has not yet returned to Beijing, so his case has been dragged down. At this moment, after the general returned to Beijing, he personally rushed to the prison of the Tingwei Mansion to visit Dong Zhao, which was invisibly a hint to the imperial court.

Dasi Nong Li Wei, Shang Shu Ling Cui Yan, Zhishu Yu Shi Xi Xuan, Tingwei Cheng Chen Hao, and Jingzhao Yin Yupeng had an emergency meeting.

The general stayed in Chang'an City and visited Cai Yong, Dong Zhao and others with obvious meaning. He was extremely dissatisfied with the imperial court's wanton killing of ministers with the help of the assassination of the Son of Heaven. The general's attitude was expected. The more widely involved in this case and the more killings were made, the more crimes the general would bear, and the greater the impact on the general's transcription. Of course he was very angry.

"The current situation is what we expected." Li Wei said, "The eldest princess tried every means to delay time in order to wait for the general to come back to save the situation. Taifu, Da Sima, Taiwei and others are also trying to control the scope of Xulian, so as to balance the power of the court to the greatest extent on the basis of ensuring their own interests and prevent us from controlling the government. According to the original plan, we linked the assassination of the Son of Heaven with the assassination of the general, implicated more ministers, so as to force the general to stand on our side and help us reduce and restrain the imperial power. This revision of the official system can only succeed and cannot fail. ”

At the same time, Taifu Yang Biao, Taiwei Xun You, Dahonglu Yuan Yao, and Guanglu Doctor Zhong Xuan and others were also secretly discussing. The general did not come to Liyang, but convened the generals in Chang'an City to discuss the matter, obviously to further threaten the eldest princess and the imperial court, and intended to help Li Wei sit in the position of prime minister. He went around the prison of the Tingwei Mansion, not necessarily to end the murder of the Son of Heaven, maybe he was warning us to bow our heads when we should bow our heads, and not to fight him.

Taifu Yang Biao proposed to give up the competition for the position of prime minister, and instead jointly played to support Li Wei as prime minister, but the premise was to re-establish Shangshutai to restrain the expansion of Li Wei's power. Yang Biao believed that this suggestion could not only satisfy the eldest princess and the general, but also further consolidate the power of Guan Luo and Yingchuan scholars in the court, killing three birds with one stone.

Shi Xiaolan, the head of the eldest princess's mansion, and Xu Rong, the eldest Sima, were summoned to the Jinhua Hall by the eldest princess.

The eldest princess was furious. When the general returned to Kyoto, he did not come to see the Son of Heaven, and he was arrogant and perverted the law to the extreme. She asked Xu Rong, what does it mean that the general is stranded in Chang'an City and convenes the generals in Beijing to lead the army? Is it important to conquer Western Xinjiang now, or is it important to solve the Chang'an crisis? Does he count as a public threat to me? I now have every reason to believe that the Chang'an crisis was deliberately created by him, and what his purpose was, the world knows.

Xu Rong was terrified and had no way to defend himself.

"You go to Chang'an immediately and tell him to come to Liyang immediately, otherwise you will bear the consequences."

Xu Rong retired and galloped to Chang'an.

Xiao Lan persuaded in a low voice, "Your Highness, you have to trust the general. After all these years, don't you know what kind of person he is? ”

"People change." The eldest princess said coldly, "When Dong Zhuo entered Beijing, his ideal was to kill the traitorous eunuchs and revive the dynasty, did he ever think that he would destroy the society?" ”

Xiao Lan looked at the eldest princess in pain and was speechless. After the general returned to Chang'an this time, he went against the norm, not only did not come to the audience, but instead convened the generals to discuss under the pretext of conquering the western frontier, which made the situation in Kyoto more tense and posed a huge threat to the eldest princess.

"Tell Master Taifu, I want to see him." The eldest princess made a categorical order.

Taifu Yang Biao hurriedly saw the driver, he didn't wait for the eldest princess to speak, and first handed over the chapter and strongly recommended Li Wei to be the prime minister.

The eldest princess was so angry that she threw the chapter on the table, glared angrily, and wanted to scold but couldn't. Yang Biao is already old, his beard is gray, his leg disease has not been good, and he walks with a limp. Now he is struggling to support the court, not because he is greedy for the powerful, but because the court really needs him and does not let him go home to retire. For the sake of the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, he can be regarded as exhausted and exhausted, and he really can't blame him for anything.

"What about the future?"

Yang Biao pondered for a long time, and said slowly: "Children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, and they will worry about the future." ”

The eldest princess was angry and threw up her sleeves and left.

The first year of the Yuan Ping of the Han Dynasty, September.

On the first day of the ninth month, the Son of Heaven issued an edict to worship Li Wei as the prime minister, Zhang Yan as the captain, and Xun You as the imperial doctor.

On the same day, the great Sima Xu Rong returned to Liyang alone and brought back the general's recital.

The general played the Son of Heaven and the eldest princess, the situation in Chang'an is stable, and the situation in Western Xinjiang is becoming more and more chaotic, and the minister is responsible for guarding Sheji, and he should try his best to plan to pacify Western Xinjiang and defend Gyeonggi. After the ministers and the generals in the army agreed on the strategy of conquering the western frontier, they went to Liyang to present.

On the second day of the ninth lunar month, five ministers, Taifu Yang Biao, Prime Minister Li Wei, Taiwei Zhang Yan, Grand Sima Xu Rong, and Imperial Historian Xun You, gathered to discuss the revision plan of the official system.

On the third day of the ninth lunar month, the five ministers jointly played.

Since the filial piety of the Han Dynasty and the emperor, the imperial system has been repeatedly severed, and it has to be inherited by selecting virtuous people from the clan. In order to allow the Son of Heaven to rule as soon as possible, the imperial court set the crown of the Son of Heaven at the age of thirteen or sixteen according to the Zhou system. If this practice is followed, the crown ceremony will be performed six years later. Six years have come and gone. In order to ensure the continuous advancement of the great cause of Zhongxing and the continued stability of the court, the ministers suggested that the Son of Heaven and the Shangshutai be moved to Weiyang Palace, and the assistant minister assisted the little emperor to gradually familiarize himself with the government and participate in the handling of state affairs. His Royal Highness and the Zhongshu Supervisor live in Liyang Palace and control the overall situation.

The eldest princess was immediately angry.

In order to balance the power of all parties in the court, the ministers really reduced and restricted the authority of the eldest princess at all costs.

Li Wei became the prime minister, and the biggest goal of the people in northern Xinjiang was achieved, so it was necessary to give way, so that the eldest princess and other forces in the court could also be satisfied. The best way, of course, is to agree with the eldest princess and let Shang Shutai and Zhongshu Jian share power equally. But Li Wei was worried that the eldest princess would collude with Guan Luo and Ying Rushi, set up a book supervisor in the air, and weigh the Shangshutai, and finally worked in vain, and even the power of the foreign dynasty would have to be taken back by the eldest princess. If ZTE's strategy is distorted again, and the court fights break out again, let alone solve the crisis six years later, even the crisis in these six years will be difficult to control. Therefore, he categorically decided to move the Son of Heaven and Shangshutai to Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City, and Shangshutai was jointly led by the auxiliary ministers, and state affairs were discussed together to control the authority to the greatest extent.

If this suggestion is implemented, the authority of the eldest princess will be seriously weakened, and it will be basically difficult for the eldest princess to interfere in court politics except for some major national affairs. The Son of Heaven in Chang'an completely relied on the auxiliary ministers to handle state affairs, and Shang Shutai basically lost its role. The authority of the foreign dynasty will be greatly expanded, which will greatly help the foreign ministers headed by the prime minister to firmly control the strategy of Zhongxing and promote the sustainable development of Zhongxing. According to this plan, there are six auxiliary ministers in the court, and the general is only one of the six auxiliary ministers, and his power will be effectively checked, which is self-evident for the benefit of Xiao Tianzi's smooth administration after six years. In addition, all the forces in the DPRK and China are tied up with Xiao Tianzi, and in order to gain a foothold in the court after Xiao Tianzi takes power, everyone must stabilize the court as much as possible, compromise with each other as much as possible, and try to check and balance the power of the court in order to grab the greatest benefits for themselves.

The biggest drawback of this suggestion is that there are six auxiliary ministers in charge of state affairs, which generally makes the struggle in the court more intense. However, judging from the current composition of the six auxiliary ministers, the northern Xinjiang people occupy four seats, among which the most powerful prime minister is in the hands of the northern Xinjiang people, that is, the northern Xinjiang people actually completely control the government. Among the four auxiliary ministers of the Northern Xinjiang Department, the Northern Xinjiang warriors occupied three more seats, which ensured the stability of the court and the stability of the Zhongxing strategy to a certain extent.

At this time, the only one who can affect the stability of the court is the eldest princess. If the eldest princess adjusts the composition of the six auxiliary ministers and makes the people of northern Xinjiang lose control of the court, then it will be difficult to stabilize the court.

The eldest princess controlled the auxiliary ministers, which was equivalent to controlling the Son of Heaven and the court, and she could continue to hold the authority, and she could still firmly control the authority after the Son of Heaven was thirteen years old. When the Son of Heaven is twenty years old, will she keep her agreement and hand over all the authority in her hands? Judging from the history of the harem of previous dynasties, it seems that this possibility is too small, and it is generally not to die and not to hand over power.

Who can restrain the eldest princess, the last and most powerful authority? There was only the general's military power, but the general's military power was divided into three in this plan, and he was now only one of the six auxiliary ministers, and his former official Li Wei had much more power than him. If he used his prestige, prestige, and actual control over the army to forcibly restrain the eldest princess, in a sense, he was above the Great Han Law. This is what the ministers do not want to see, and it is also a terrible threat to the Son of Heaven and the imperial court.

Therefore, the ministers did not hesitate to move Xiao Tianzi to Weiyang Palace, in fact, forming a hostage trend and threatening the eldest princess in disguise.

The safety of the imperial system is the fatal key to the eldest princess.

The year before last, the general invited the Son of Heaven to the Luoyang battlefield, which has fully verified this. This time, the ministers simply followed suit.

The eldest princess can not agree. But now the general refused to go to Liyang, and resolutely stood behind the ministers, working together with the ministers to coerce the eldest princess, especially after the presentation of this official system revision plan. In fact, the general was also forced to the point where there was no way out, he had to force the eldest princess to submit and move the Son of Heaven and Shang Shutai to Weiyang Palace, otherwise he could only help the eldest princess, raise the butcher's knife, and cut down the ministers in the court who tried to hold the little emperor hostage and openly rob the imperial power one by one.

Of course, the general would not do such a thing that people and gods are angry about.

The eldest princess was helpless, enraged, and finally lay down.

The eldest princess can't be a director, and the little son of heaven comes out.

Taifu Yang Biao's early education has had an amazing effect. Xiao Tianzi didn't have much understanding of the ministers' performances, what Empress Lu did in politics and Xiaoxuan, Emperor Xiaoxuan died of depression, all the princes died one after another, what Empress Dowager Dou held power, Emperor Xiaowu swallowed his anger and achieved nothing, etc., he didn't have a clear concept. In his opinion, the biggest advantage of moving to Weiyang Palace is that he can get rid of the care of the eldest princess and play freely. Why not regain your own freedom and avoid the human tragedy that the ministers said could break out in the future? He happily agreed.

Under the instructions of the ministers, the little emperor ran to the eldest princess's sickbed and begged. He didn't know the importance of it, and said in a vague way about Empress Lu's interference in politics and Empress Dowager Dou's holding of authority. The eldest princess was so angry that she almost vomited blood, she hugged Xiao Tianzi and cried bitterly, "Do you know how Emperor Xiaowen inherited the imperial line?" Do you know how Emperor Xiaoxuan sat on the throne of the emperor? Do you know why your father was able to inherit the throne? Once the emperor's family affairs become state affairs, will you still be able to decide your own fate? ”

Xiao Tianzi didn't understand, he was completely confused, so he had to hug his aunt and accompany her to tears.

"Auntie, I will go to Chang'an and invite the general, are you optimistic?" Xiao Tianzi asked pitifully.

The eldest princess shook her head, heartbroken, "When I die, he will come." ”

The little emperor was shocked, and after withdrawing from the Jinhua Palace, he immediately ordered the general, my aunt was going to die, please come quickly.

On the third night of the first month of September, the general received a letter from Xian Yufu.

The imperial court's plan to revise the official system completely exceeded the general's expectations, which caught him off guard, and he sat alone in his study and pondered countermeasures.

Xian Yufu was worried in the letter, and he thought that Li Wei's policy was extremely inappropriate. On the surface, the imperial court reduced the power of the eldest princess and the general in order to enable the little emperor to govern smoothly in the future, but in fact, Li Wei used the little emperor as a shield and monopolized the power. Taifu Yang Biao and Imperial Historian Xun You did not express objections, which is normal, because this plan is in their interests. And the great Sima Xu Rong and the chief lieutenant Zhang Yan did not raise objections, and the problem was serious. If the two of them have the intention of hindering in the future, the influence of the general in national policy decisions will be greatly reduced.

Xian Yufu warned the general that the checks and balances between the imperial power and the relative power were necessary, but now the new official system taken out by the imperial court has seriously lost the imperial power and is extremely detrimental to the stability of the society. Although six years later, the little emperor was in charge and there were many crises, but if he did not hesitate to damage the imperial power and the checks and balances of power in the court in order to let the little emperor rule, it was really a short-sighted move, and the consequences were endless. At present, the little emperor is too young, and it is more appropriate to control the decision-making power of national affairs in the hands of the eldest princess, so as not to be in charge of the ministers in the future and cause chaos to the society.

In the early morning of the fourth day of the ninth lunar month, the official system revision plan drafted by the imperial court was sent to the general's palace. The general summoned Fu Gan, Wang Ling, Sima Yi, Jiang Ji and others to discuss.

Fu Gan thought about it for a long time and sighed, "If the imperial court implements this official system, it will indeed be conducive to the smooth reign of Xiao Tianzi in six years." But the problem is that at present, the military power is actually controlled by the generals, and in recent years, the generals have to make frequent expeditions, and the military power cannot be handed over. In this way, after six years, even if the little emperor is in charge, the eldest princess will not hand over the authority in her hands, because she is the only one who can restrain the general. Taking a step back, even if the general handed over all the military power to the Son of Heaven six years later, how could the thirteen-year-old little Son of Heaven ensure that the military power was not lost when the foreign ministers firmly controlled the government? Therefore, the eldest princess will not hand over the authority after six years, unless the little emperor grows bigger, and ensures the military power in his hands, and the power of the prime minister is effectively restricted, otherwise this crisis will always exist. ”

Sima Yi expressed the same opinion. "Under the current circumstances, this plan to revise the official system is obviously out of date. Once the general leads the army to the battle, the eldest princess in anger will inevitably fight back. This will not reduce the strife in the court, but will only exacerbate the crisis in the court. ”

Wang Ling disagreed, "The reason why the Prime Minister dares to come up with this plan is that he has the support of the general at present, and he has no fear, so this opportunity cannot be missed." The second is that he took into account that the people of Northern Xinjiang controlled the government, and in the case that Xu Rong and Zhang Yan both became auxiliary ministers, even if the eldest princess wanted to move, she must first consider the stability of the army. In this crisis, the eldest princess neither dared to trust the tiger feather forest, nor dared to trust the southern army, so what else did she rely on? In fact, without the support of the general, she would not have any strength. ”

Jiang Ji is very cautious, "After this crisis, a large number of people from northern Xinjiang have poured into the court, especially the entry of warriors from northern Xinjiang, which will have a great impact on the court." It will take time for the warriors of Northern Xinjiang to gain a foothold in the court and expand their strength, and this period of time is still relatively long. We can imagine that during this period of time, whether it is the capital, or the prefectures and counties, the open and secret battles between the warriors and the scholars will be extremely fierce, which is very unfavorable for the warriors in northern Xinjiang to take root in the court. At this moment, if the warriors of Northern Xinjiang can get the trust and support of the eldest princess, the situation will be greatly improved. ”

"I don't know if you know one thing, the entry of the warriors in Northern Xinjiang into the court will play an immeasurable role in the smooth administration of the Son of Heaven in the future, and the smooth takeover and consolidation of military power. Therefore, I think that at present, the great general should support the eldest princess in order to maintain the checks and balances between the imperial power and the relative power in the court, which is extremely important to ensure that the warriors enter the court and gain a foothold in the court. ”

Jiang Ji's words were unanimously approved by everyone. But the problem now is that the Chang'an crisis was caused by the eldest princess's wrong strategy in appeasing the rebellion, she bears unshirkable responsibility, her prestige has been severely damaged, and the general has made a gesture of supporting the imperial court to revise the official system. If the general suddenly jumped up at this moment, defended the eldest princess, accused the court of all kinds of wrongdoings, and overturned the official system revision plan drawn up by the imperial court, wouldn't he slap himself in the mouth and damage his majesty? In addition, the general also had to try to rescue Dong Zhao and more than a dozen other officials, and also use the responsibility of pardoning the Xiangyang envoy to appease the rebellion in the south so as to concentrate his forces to go west to quell the rebellion. If the two sides are at a stalemate, stabilizing the court as soon as possible is an empty word.

What can be done to keep the authority in the hands of the eldest princess and meet the requirements of the imperial court?

On the morning of the fourth day of the ninth lunar month, the general received an edict from the little emperor. He sighed and said nothing.

On the afternoon of the fourth day of the ninth lunar month, the ministers jointly wrote a letter to urge the general to rush to Liyang immediately to preside over the overall situation. Although the eldest princess is ill, state affairs cannot be delayed and need to be agreed as soon as possible.

The general had a splitting headache and locked himself in his study to meditate.

The eldest princess did not eat or drink, and resisted to death.

The little Tianzi was so anxious that he was spinning around, jumping up and down in the Jinhua Palace, at a loss. Suddenly, he thought of Shinoarashi. He grew up drinking Xiao Lan's milk since he was a child, Xiao Lan is his nursing mother and the earliest teacher, and he has always been responsive to requests. And the relationship with my aunt is very close, and it may be effective to ask her to persuade her. Xiao Tianzi rode out of the palace and ran to the pavilion to find Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan smiled bitterly, held Xiao Tianzi in her arms, put her face to her face, and tears couldn't help but flow, "It's not that the minister doesn't go, but it's useless for the minister to go." His Royal Highness is dead in heart, so ......"

"Auntie's heart is dead?" The Son of Heaven was very strange, "No." When she hugged me, I could hear her heart beating. ”

Xiao Lan thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, do you know who His Highness likes the most?" ”

"Of course it's me." Xiao Tianzi pointed to his nose and said very seriously, "Auntie likes me the most." ”

Xiao Lan couldn't help laughing, a smile rose at the corner of her mouth, she was afraid that the Son of Heaven would see it, so she hurriedly pretended to wipe her tears and hide the past, "What else?" Does Your Highness like Your Majesty alone? ”

"And ......" The Son of Heaven hesitated for a moment, looked around, and then put his mouth to Xiao Lan's ear, lowered his voice, and said very mysteriously, "Don't tell others, this is my aunt's secret, only I know." ”

Xiao Lan nodded solemnly.

"My aunt still likes the general." Xiao Tianzi was afraid that others would hear it, and his voice was very small, "This time, the general came back from outside the Saiwai, and he didn't come to see her, nor did he give her gifts, which made my aunt angry." In the past few days, my aunt often sheds tears alone, and she is very sad. ”

Xiao Lan said "oh......", a look of surprise, and then gently patted Xiao Tianzi's back, "Then you still came here?" You should stay by Your Highness's side to comfort and comfort her. ”

"How to comfort? I asked the general to come to Liyang, but the general didn't come, what can I do? ”

"Hmm...... Let the minister think about it......" Xiao Lan frowned, thought for a long time, and suddenly clapped her hands, "With ......" Then she took out a delicate small sachet from her arms, "Does Your Majesty know what this is?" ”

Xiao Tianzi scratched his head suspiciously. "Isn't this a sachet?"

"Wrong." Xiao Lan pretended to be secretive and said, "A woman and a man are in love, so they exchange this personal sachet with each other, so it is also called a love thing." ”

Xiao Tianzi blinked his eyes, suddenly realized, and then remembered something, and said regretfully: "It's a pity that the general doesn't have this thing on him, otherwise I would steal the sachet from my aunt and give it to the general, and then I will bring the sachet back to my aunt ......"

"Your Majesty is so smart...... Xiao Lan smiled like a flower, and kissed Xiao Tianzi on the forehead excitedly, "Your Majesty is too smart." ”

Xiao Lan praised like this, Xiao Tianzi was immediately overjoyed, and said forgetfully, "It doesn't matter if the general doesn't have a sachet, he gave his aunt many gifts, and his aunt should also give him one." I'll go back to the palace and steal my aunt's sachet to the general, who will definitely fly to the general when he sees his aunt's sachet......"

Xiao Tianzi stood up, turned around and ran, ran two steps, he suddenly turned around and ran back, in Xiao Lan's surprised gaze, hugged Xiao Lan, and kissed her the face, "Thank you, mother......"

On the evening of the fifth day of the ninth month, the general arrived in Liyang.

The mighty general He Feng was nervous and led the crowd to greet him. The general gave him five big words, "Yes, well done." He Feng suddenly felt like a spring breeze, relaxed, turned around and ran back to the military tent to sleep. For more than a month, he had a restless sleep and did not sleep peacefully a night.

Taifu Yang Biao, Prime Minister Li Wei and other ministers greeted each other at the city gate. The general greeted everyone one by one, and then took a car with Li Wei and went straight to Liyang Palace.

"General......" Li Wei sat up straight, arching his hand to explain, Li Hong smiled and shook his hand to stop, "Zhong Yuan, you are the prime minister, don't be so polite, right?" I'm still saying that, you have to trust me, no matter what. ”

Li Wei was grateful, ignored Li Hong's stopping, and bowed respectfully.

"You urged me to come to Liyang, what do you want me to help you?"

"If you come now, it's clear that you want me to give in." Li Wei smiled, "If you could come two days earlier, the situation would be completely different." ”

"There are some things that can't be rushed, you have to ......take your time," Li Hong said, "Now the entire court is coercing the eldest princess, making her feel that everyone is betraying her, which will backfire, and it will not be possible to do it quickly." ”

"If you don't do this, how can Your Highness believe you? How can they depend on you? Li Wei said with a pun, "The eldest princess is like an angry tiger now, the only way to calm her down and come to her senses is to let her hold on to you." If she can come to her senses like this, wouldn't it be a blessing for the community? ”

"She has her ideas." Li Hong remained silent, with a faint smile on his face.

"Dahan can get to this point today because of the people of Northern Xinjiang and the army of Northern Xinjiang, she should not forget her roots, she should not forget that when Dahan was about to overturn, who turned the tide and helped Dahan up again." Li Wei's tone was obviously dissatisfied.

Li Hong's face was slightly gloomy, and he said word by word: "We are born as Han people, death is the soul of Han people, reviving Dahan is our duty of Han people, how can she forget her roots?" ”

Li Wei's expression froze, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, and he was speechless.

"You give me a bottom line." Li Hong stared at Li Wei and said coldly.

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, then shook his head very resolutely, "The new official system is the bottom line. ”

"You're pushing me." Li Hong's voice became even colder.

"I have no way out, and there is no way out for the imperial court." Li Wei stared at Li Hong,-for-tat. "General, the royal family has no family affairs, only state affairs. In the past four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, the imperial system has suffered repeated disasters, and the crux of the problem is here. There is an imbalance between imperial power and relative power, and the choice of the imperial system has become a family affair of the royal family, and foreign dynasties have no right to participate in it at all, how can this ensure the virtuousness of the imperial system? If there is a problem with the emperor, what is the use of the law? What is the use of the system? Let's go back and look at the 400-year-old Han Dynasty, as long as there is a problem with the imperial system, the Han Dynasty will suffer once, and the people will suffer once. Could it be that after the rise of the Han Dynasty, we will continue to follow the same old path? ”

"The imperial power is to be restricted, the power in the court is to be checked and balanced, and the law of the Han Dynasty does need to establish absolute authority, and the choice of the imperial system should be a national event, but according to the new official system, the imperial power and the relative power are completely unbalanced, how can you ensure that there will be absolutely no problems with the imperial system in the future? What can you guarantee? Li Hong asked repeatedly.

"I at least want to ensure that my generation will not become the guilty ......minister of the burial of Sheji because of the mistake of the emperor's choice," Li Wei said excitedly, "I hope that the general can die quietly with outstanding feats and supreme glory, and I hope that after I die, I will not be opened and burned, and I will not become a sinner who has been stinking for thousands of years." I hope that all the soldiers who have shed blood and sweat for the Zhongxing Han Dynasty and all the living beings in the world can live a peaceful and happy life. I'm not asking for a lot, is it? ”

"The imperial power is to be checked and balanced, but not now, after the Son of Heaven is in charge, after the eldest princess leaves the court. Think about Empress Lu back then, it was because of her own merits that she suppressed the full house of civil and military, and it was because she held the authority that she did whatever she wanted. She refused to hand over power, and it was only after she died that she threw a mess to a group of old ministers. Isn't that a lesson deep enough? A lesson from the past, a teacher for future generations, look at today's eldest princess, if we don't restrain her, if we don't limit her authority, how many days do we have to live? I can assert here that as long as you live, she will never give up her authority. No matter how wise Xiao Tianzi is, she will never let go of power. Do you want me to tell me why? Need me explain it to you? ”

"Now, you want me to give up the new official system and ask me to return the authority to the eldest princess, do you know what the consequences are? As long as you advance into the western frontier with a large army, this Chang'an City will immediately be full of people and a river of blood. We are dead, how many days are there for you to live? If you don't rebel, someone will rebel, someone will put a knife on your neck and force you to rebel. Li Wei waved his arm and said categorically, "Since this road is gone, there is no turning back, no matter how you force me, I will never retreat." ”

Li Hong glared at Li Wei angrily, didn't say a word, and after a long time, he barely squeezed out a smile on his face, "You kid, you have become a prime minister, it's really different, it's amazing......"

When Lu Bu saw Li Hong, for some reason, his eyes turned red, and tears rolled out unobediently.

Li Hong's heart was sour, he hugged Lu Bu and slapped him the shoulder, "Brother, thank you, thank you......"

"If I could spare my life, I would like to go to the desert."

"The army is about to conquer the western frontier, you can go to the battlefield with me." Li Hong's voice was a little hoarse, "In the future, if you and I are still alive, we will go to the desert together and guard the frontier for the Han Dynasty." ”

Xiao Tianzi spread his arms, shouted all the way, and rushed down the high steps.

Li Hong bent down slightly and hugged him up, "Your Majesty has grown strong." ”

"Aiqing's words don't count."

"Where to start?"

"Aiqing said that as long as you go out to fight, you will take me with you, but Aiqing didn't take me with me this time, and ran away silently." Xiao Tianzi pouted and said unhappily.

"This time I didn't go to war, I was going to prepare grain and grass for the army in Hexi, and I was dealing with cattle, sheep and livestock all day long." Li Hong hugged Xiao Tianzi and said with a smile as he walked up the steps, "After the New Year, we will go to war." ”

"Really?" Xiao Tianzi smiled happily, "Aiqing didn't deceive me? ”

"Of course." Li Hong said with great certainty, "This time, let Yan Ba, Li Xin, and Zhao Tong also go to see the frontier of the Han Dynasty." ”

"Those who offend me will be punished even if they are far away." Xiao Tianzi waved his delicate arms and screamed excitedly.

Xiao Tianzi took the general's hand and walked into the eldest princess's bedroom.

"Auntie, aunt...... The general is here, and he is here to bring you gifts. ”

The eldest princess was much haggard, her face was pale, and there was not a trace of blood. She glanced at Li Hong weakly, her expression was excited, and then she closed her eyes tightly, tears pouring out.

Xiao Tianzi scratched his head with a sad face, not knowing what to do. Liu Wan, the waiter of the Yellow Gate, who was standing by the door, was very anxious and beckoned to Xiao Tianzi again and again. Xiao Tianzi pushed the general, "My aunt hasn't eaten for two days, Aiqing will think of a way for me." Li Hong sighed and nodded. Xiao Tianzi turned around and left.

Li Hong curtsto, "...... minister"

"If I don't die, will you never come?" The eldest princess suddenly opened her eyes and shouted angrily, "You are too bullying, you ......" The eldest princess choked up and couldn't say any more, and then turned her back and cried.

Li Hong slowly stood up, lowered his head and thought for a long time, and suddenly said: "The minister will protect His Highness for the rest of his life, until death." ”

The eldest princess stopped crying, turned to look at Li Hong suddenly, and asked in a trembling voice, "What did you just say...... Say ......"

Li Hong smiled slightly, "The minister will be by His Highness's side for the rest of his life, no matter whether His Highness wants to or not, the minister will not leave." ”

The eldest princess's face was slightly red, and her tearful eyes suddenly welled up with deep affection, and her delicate body fell weakly on the couch, "You lied to me......"

"The minister swears ......" Li Hong looked up at the twilight outside the window, with a faint smile on his face, "In the future, if His Royal Highness still wants to return to Longquan, the minister is willing to give up everything and follow His Royal Highness." ”

Seeing Li Hong come out of Jinhua Hall in a blink of an eye, Yang Biao, Li Wei and other ministers couldn't help but shake their heads in disappointment.

The eldest princess has been on hunger strike for two days, and if something happens, everyone will be in big trouble.

"General, what does Your Highness say?" Li Wei asked impatiently.

"Tomorrow's court meeting, His Royal Highness will personally participate."

"Your Highness is not on a hunger strike?" Yang Biao asked in surprise, "What did you promise her?" ”

"You'll find out tomorrow."

The Son of Heaven issued an order to urgently summon the Minister of Culture and Military Affairs of Chang'an to Liyang Palace to discuss matters.

On the sixth day of September, in the morning, Liyang Palace, Xuande Palace.

The eldest princess and the Son of Heaven sat on the throne, and the ministers of civil and military affairs were lined up on both sides.

In the past 14 years, he has led hundreds of thousands of soldiers to fight bloodily and revitalize the community. Although the great cause of Zhongxing has achieved initial results, the power of heaven is weak, and it is difficult to shake the four seas, so it is handed over to the military power to the power of the whole son of heaven.

Everyone was shocked.

The eldest princess stood up in shock. The ministers were dumbfounded. Only the Son of Heaven was at a loss, and the general smiled calmly.

The general held high the edict of the first emperor, "The minister lived up to the trust of the first emperor, and completed his long-cherished wish with 14 years of conquest." Now I will entrust this decree to Your Majesty, and the ministers will swear to follow Your Majesty to the death, defend the territory, and defend the community, even if they are broken bones. ”

The court was as silent as death.

The general slowly opened the edict, and the big "Han" character was like an optimus stone, shocking the heart.