From the eleventh year of Wude to the seventh year of Tianbao, time passed in a hurry, and Emperor Tianbao, who was only ten years old at the time, is now a seventeen-year-old boy. But everyone in the world knows that the real owner of the current imperial capital center is not the young emperor who sits on the dragon chair, but the curtain empress dowager Xie Pheasant who sits behind the dragon chair.

The so-called curtain is the queen mother or queen listening to the government, and the palace is covered with a curtain, so everyone in the world says: the curtain listens to the government.

Since ancient times, there have been many taboos for women to be in power, and they have been degraded by the world's corporal doctors as the chicken Si Chen, just as the empress once said, what a man can do with ten points of strength, women must use twelve points of strength to do it, which is the general trend of the world.

However, there are many exceptions and coincidences in the general trend. When the empress had not yet ascended the throne and was still the queen, the history books recorded: "The emperor rubella can't listen to the court, and all political affairs are decided by the queen of heaven." Every time you look at the court, the queen of heaven hangs the curtain behind the throne, and the size of the political affairs are predicted, and the inside and outside are called the two saints. Today's Empress Dowager Xie also follows the example of the empress, every time the court deliberates, hangs the bead curtain, and sits behind the emperor's throne, the young son of heaven on the dragon chair is not so much the son of heaven, but more appropriate to be a puppet.

It's just that Xie Pheasant is not completely at ease, except for the woman's body, the main reason why she can take charge of the government is because of two points, the first is her status as the queen mother, and the second is the will left by the emperor. It's just that the original intention of the first emperor's edict was to use the empress dowager to balance the four ministers of Gu Ming, and now that the four ministers of Gu Ming no longer exist, should the queen mother continue to hold the six seals of the Son of Heaven? Should she return to the emperor in power? There are many discussions between the government and the opposition, and this is also the key to the rise of the imperial party.

Xie Pheasant knows that she is just the daughter-in-law of the Xu family, although she can now balance the inside and outside of the court with various means, but she is still suspected of being unjustly said in the general righteousness. On the other hand, Sun Songchan, although he is only a courtier, has the support of several powerful governors in the local area, and is the emperor's teacher, and his status is respected, so he can't be moved.

After the dynasty was dispersed this morning, Xie Pheasant left two important ministers, Sun Ge Lao and King Jin, to discuss the matter of quelling the rebellion of Qin Daofang, the governor of Qizhou. According to the meaning of Empress Dowager Xie and King Jin, Qin Daofang, the governor of Qizhou, swept away the Qingyang Sect rebellion that had been a disaster for many years, and had a great contribution to Sheji, so he should be rewarded heavily. If it is in the peaceful and prosperous era, this reward is really not light, since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty, there are five dynasties, in the cabinet as an assistant for more than 40 years, the first assistant for 21 years of old ministers, has never been knighted; Xu Shisong, who rectified military affairs and repelled the Golden Horde army, has never been knighted, and Zhang Suqing and Qin Xiang in those years were also not knighted. This time, he wants to be knighted in Qin Daofang, and with the move of entering the cabinet, it is not too much to say that he has ascended to the sky in one step.

It's just that now it's a troubled era, not more peaceful and prosperous, today's world, guarding an empty title and cabinet, it's useless, the key is still those feudal officials who hold real power, Empress Dowager Xie's move, but it is the usual Ming Sheng and secret descent in the officialdom, Sun Songchan is unwilling to agree, to Qizhou is still in chaos, there are still Qingyang Sect Liukou everywhere to make trouble, and Qizhou is in ruins, if Qin Daofang is transferred to Beijing at this time, I am afraid that he will change, and rejected the proposal of the Empress Dowager Xie, and at the same time proposed that it is better to let Qin Daofang Yao lead the cabinet scholars, and still concurrently serve as the governor of Qizhou。

Empress Dowager Xie was mostly tentative, seeing Sun Songchan's resolute attitude, Qin Daofang had the support of the Qin valve in Liaodong behind her, she was born in the five sects of Liaodong, and she knew the power of the Qin family, and she did not dare to act rashly, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being, and discussed the situation in the northwest and the border defense of Liaodong, until noon, Sun Songchan and King Jin did not come out of the palace.

Sun Songchan can replace Zhang Suqing as the first assistant of the cabinet, naturally he is a deep person in the city, he does not show the mountain and does not leak on weekdays, and he is old, so he often complains of illness, which makes people not know whether it is true or false, at this time after being busy for a while, Sun Songchan's footsteps are a little unstable, and the king of Jin took the initiative to help him walk down the layers of white jade steps and walked outside the palace gate.

At this moment, raindrops drifted in the sky after a gloomy morning, and then it became bigger and bigger, and in the blink of an eye, it was pouring rain.

Immediately, a eunuch held an umbrella for the two, and the king of Jin took the umbrella, signaled the eunuch to retreat, and personally put the umbrella on Sun Songchan's head.

The figure of the King of Jin holding Sun Songchan gradually disappeared into the wind and snow, Xie Pheasant stood in front of the palace gate, looking at the rapid wind and rain outside the hall, which was mixed with water vapor, as if the land of the two capitals and nineteen states of the Great Wei Dynasty had been shrouded in this vast rain at this time.

"Did Mr. Li send a message back?" Xie Pheasant asked suddenly.

Liu Yi, who was standing behind Xie Pheasant, replied softly: "Back to the Queen Mother, Mr. Li's side transmits a message every three days, the day before yesterday just sent a message, and the next message will not be sent until tomorrow at the earliest." ”

Xie Pheasant's mood was a little gloomy, just like the weather in front of him, and he said in a deep voice: "Now that the Qingluanwei Governor's Mansion is in charge of you, you can ask the people of Qingluanwei later, what is going on in Xijing." ”

Liu Yi replied respectfully: "Huh." ”

Xie Pheasant let out a long sigh.

The state affairs are difficult, and the national situation is difficult.

The Great Wei has been in the country for nearly 200 years, and how many winds, frosts, snow and rain have swept away, and the Great Wei is still standing, but can the Great Wei still hold up to this heavy rain now?

Xie Pheasant looked back, the threshold of the main hall was behind her, and she could step over it in one step, and even the chair at the end of the deepest part of the hall, she couldn't sit on it, but she didn't sit on it for a long time.

If she goes further, will the history books of later generations say that she is a woman who is in turmoil? If she returns to the emperor, can she cope with the current situation with just a young man, and can she deal with those tigers, leopards and jackals?

Xie Pheasant's gloomy mood was a little more gloomy.

According to the law system of the Great Wei Dynasty, the prince or the old and sick minister can carry the public opinion in the palace by two people if there is a special purpose. The so-called double lifting is actually a special chair, the back and both sides are sealed with a whole wooden board, the top is covered with a cover, the front is added a curtain, two bamboo poles pass through both sides of the chair, and are carried by two people or hands or shoulders.

Sun Songchan, as the first assistant and an elderly minister, has long been able to enjoy the double ride in the palace. If it is in the Yanbo Palace, Sun Songchan's lifting can be parked under the stone steps outside the Yanbo Palace, but now the Yanbo Hall has been abandoned for a long time after the death of the first emperor, so the discussion is mostly in this side hall, and the square outside the hall is the place where the civil and military officials participate in the court meeting, so it is not good to park and carry the public, so the two have to walk a distance on foot.

At this time, it suddenly rained, and the two could only brave the wind and rain to complete this journey.

King Jin waved his sleeves and blew away the wind and rain for Sun Songchan, so that the wind and rain could not get close to him.

Sun Songchan, who is becoming more and more old, sighed: "When people are old, they are useless." ”

King Jin said softly: "The elder of the pavilion is serious, and the current Great Wei Dynasty is inseparable from the elder of the pavilion. ”

Sun Songchan said slowly: "It was His Highness who lifted me, and I was not on my shoulders, but on the shoulders of the Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness." ”

King Jin was silent for a while, and said in a deep voice: "What the elder said is not right or not, if you start from the overall situation, the elder pavilion is good, and the queen mother is the foundation of the Great Wei." In some concrete terms, it is not true. Today's court cannot be without a cabinet for a day. ”

Sun Songchan suddenly stopped, raised his eyes, and saw that there was a vast rain and mist, and the surrounding scenery was looming and indistinguishable.

Then he slowly turned his head to look at King Jin, who was supporting him, and asked tremblingly, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"

King Jin smiled: "It's just a feeling"

Sun Songchan suddenly fell silent, standing in the wind and rain for a long time.

King Jin couldn't help but ask, "Pavilion Elder?"

Sun Songchan came back to his senses and said, "The old minister just remembered what Zhang Suqing once said. ”

King Jin said: "I would like to hear about it." ”

Sun Songchan said softly: "If you gather in the fire, you have to clear the cool door." ”