Fan Zhi suddenly stood up and bowed his head to the ground towards Zhu Xiuchang.

"What are you doing, Master Fan? Please get up quickly!" Zhu Xiu hurriedly helped him.

Fan Zhi ignored Zhu Xiu's obstruction and insisted on saluting: "Fan Zhi is not well-known, but today he is able to get into the eyes of Duke Guo, gain the trust of Duke Guo and the Queen Mother, and take on this important task, all thanks to Zhu Jun's recommendation! There is no way to repay, please accept Fan Zhi."

Pay homage!"

Fan Zhi was much older than Zhu Xiu, so how could Zhu Xiu accept his profuse thanks? He hurriedly supported me and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, Master Fan. I've always heard of Master Fan. I know that Master Fan is one of the few in the Hanlin Academy."

A truly learned man, he hid here because he was suppressed by traitors such as Li Ye.

But gold and stone always have their day to shine. At this time of great change, we need capable ministers like Fan Xueshi to assist the left government, so that the country can be stable and the country can prosper!"

"Zhu Junshi praised him too much. Fan was ashamed and did not dare to accept it!" Fan Zhi struggled for a few times and found that he could not break away, so he had to give up with a long sigh.

The two sat down again, and Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Without further delay, Mr. Fan should discuss the content of the imperial edict with me as soon as possible, set the general direction, start writing the document as soon as possible, and then submit it to the Queen Mother for review after revision."

Fan Zhi nodded and said seriously: "Welcoming the successor is of great importance. I wonder if Mr. Guo has any specific instructions?"

Zhu Xiu smiled. It seemed that although Fan Zhi was a man of integrity, he was not pedantic at all. He knew that he came to him to discuss the content of the imperial edict, and he must have come with Guo Wei's request.

This imperial edict contains many political implications, which cannot be stated explicitly, but must be reflected in the imperial edict.

This is the ingenuity of writing imperial edicts. Not only should the words be gorgeous and grand, showing the court's magnanimity, but more importantly, it should convey the will of the superior to the people of the world.

This quite tests the political literacy and literary foundation of the writer.

Zhu Xiu would definitely not be able to write it with his own ability, and the original author of this imperial edict was Fan Zhi. Zhu Xiu could not remember the content clearly. If he were to write it by himself, he would only be able to scratch his head and copy some of the words he vaguely remembered.

, it is better to invite Fan Zhi to create a new one.

Historically, it was precisely because of this imperial edict that Fan Zhi was favored by Guo Wei. From then on, he rose through the ranks and became one of the famous officials in the late Five Dynasties.

On that day, Zhu Xiu recommended Fan Zhi at the imperial meeting, which was just to earn favors.

Even without his recommendation, I believe Fan Zhi would have stood out through other channels.

Fan Zhi took the initiative to ask Guo Wei if he had any instructions, indicating that he could roughly guess Guo Wei's intention to welcome Liu Yun as emperor.

Zhu Xiu thought about it for a moment and said with a smile: "Guo Gong has three requirements for the content of the imperial edict. First, Liu Yun is not the direct son of the great ancestor, which needs to be clearly explained to the world; second, the rights and wrongs since the Guangzheng Palace Incident are all determined by

Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, Guo Yunming and others made slanderous remarks; thirdly, it was Princess Guo who made the initiative to welcome Liu Yun as emperor."

Fan Zhi stroked his beard and fell into deep thought. Zhu Xiu smiled, did not rush, and waited patiently.

After a while, Fan Zhi seemed to wake up from his trance. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much, Ambassador Zhu Jun, for the tip. Fan already has some drafts of this imperial edict in his mind."

Zhu Xiu admired him and said, "Scholar Fan is really smart and quick!"

"It all depends on Zhu Jun for his guidance! How about Fan writing and asking Zhu Jun to correct it at the same time?"

"Don't you dare? I'm going to grind ink for Scholar Fan. Please ignore me and just use the ink as much as you like!"

"In that case, I'm sorry!"

Immediately, Zhu Xiu found an inkstone to grind the ink, Fan Zhi spread the paper, dipped the pen in the ink, pondered for a moment, and then started writing.

~~~

"Heaven has not regretted the misfortune, and there has been a lot of chaos. The heirs and kings have rushed forward, and the gang of evil deceivers have conspired to cause trouble. They have poisoned their beards. The generals, ministers, and ministers have been slaughtered neck by neck. The good men and women have been slaughtered without guilt.

If you complain when you are walking on the road, if the crowd is upset, then the great great ancestor of the great ancestor will fall to the ground..."

In the Kunning Hall, Zhu Xiu's clear and clear voice sounded melodiously, holding the imperial edict that had been drafted all morning, and read it aloud in front of Empress Dowager Li.

Empress Dowager Li, who was wearing a plain palace dress and shawl, sat under the colorful divine phoenix glazed screen and listened quietly. Zhang Gui, the chamberlain's young eunuch, stood aside respectfully.

Fan Zhi knelt and sat on the side of the main hall, lowering his head and nodding his neck, his expression calm and respectful.

He put on the court clothes that had been kept at the bottom of the cabinet for many years. There was a hole in the back of the gauze hat, and his whole body exuded a musty smell.

Although he has been staying in the Miyagi Hanlin Academy, he has not stepped into the Danrei Gate for more than ten years, and this is his first time in the harem.

The Hanlin Academy, Long Live Hall, and Kunning Hall are only a few miles apart in a straight line, but to him, they are two different worlds.

If Zhu Xiu hadn't recommended him and Guo Wei appointed him as the author of the Queen Mother's edict, Fan Zhi knew that he would never be able to step into the main hall of the palace again in his life.

Fan Zhi raised his head slightly and looked at Zhu Xiu, who was standing in the hall and reciting the imperial edict aloud, with gratitude in his eyes.

An imperial edict to welcome an heir to the throne was written with great eloquence. Zhu Xiu's voice when reciting it was cadenced. The language and text complemented each other so well that no flaw could be found in the sound.

After finishing reading, Zhu Xiu bowed his head and said: "I have finished reading. Please correct me."

Empress Dowager Li was silent for a moment. She listened carefully to the content of the imperial edict and also picked up the hidden meaning.

Empress Dowager Li's eyes were a little complicated and she said softly: "What did Guo Situ say?"

Zhu Xiu bent down a little more and said with great respect, "Guo Gong said, please let the Queen Mother make a decision. If the Queen Mother has no objection, just issue it according to this edict."

Queen Mother Li nodded, she understood.

Guo Wei had already read the drafted edict and must be extremely satisfied with the content, otherwise he would not have sent Zhu Xiu to the harem for her to review.

Empress Dowager Li said softly: "The imperial edict is very well written, and I am very satisfied with it. There is no need to modify it, so just promulgate it as it is!"

"I respectfully obey the Queen Mother's order!" Zhu Xiu saluted.

Fan Zhi also stood up and prostrated: "I would like to thank the Empress Dowager for the compliment."

Zhang Gui stepped forward and took the article from Zhu Xiu's hand, intending to take it to Zhongshu Sheren to copy it later, and then print it and issue it to the world.

Zhang Gui looked at Zhu Xiu and smiled kindly at him.

Zhu Xiu bowed hurriedly and said respectfully in a low voice: "I'd like to thank you, my servant Zhang."

Zhang Gui smiled and said softly: "Zhu Jun is so polite. This is what the Za family should do."

This was Zhu Xiu's first time coming into contact with a palace eunuch. When he got up close, he didn't have the legendary odor unique to eunuchs. Instead, he smelled a faint fragrance. He didn't know if it was masked by the fragrance.

In appearance, the eunuch is indeed different from ordinary people. His demeanor and expression are more feminine, his voice is high-pitched, his face is white and beardless, and his skin is as delicate as a woman's.

I heard that Zhang Gui was a confidant eunuch of Empress Dowager Li, a third-grade young eunuch in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and had always had a good reputation among the government and the public.

The status of eunuchs has risen sharply since the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty, which has aroused the vigilance of those in power in the past. Whenever an emperor with some sense came to power, he would prohibit eunuchs from participating in politics. Currently, the status of eunuchs has plummeted and is considered to be at a historical low.

Empress Dowager Li took the article and glanced at it casually, then handed it to Zhang Gui for no further questioning.

She was not interested in the imperial edict, nor in the style and quality of the imperial edict. Instead, she was somewhat interested in Zhu Xiusheng.

"Scholar Fan is full of talent and knowledge. It is a pity to stay in the Hanlin Academy. I will discuss with Guo Situ to choose a suitable position for Scholar Fan. The imperial court is full of waste and it is the time to recruit people. I believe that Scholar Fan will have great achievements.

A chance to punch."

Queen Mother Li smiled pleasantly.

Fan Zhi pursed his lips, looking a little excited: "Thank you, Queen Mother!"

"You should step back first and tell Guo Situ that Gaowenyu has read it and is very satisfied with it."

"Wei Chen, please retire!" Fan Zhi bowed meticulously, stood up and left the hall respectfully.

Zhu Xiu blinked, a little confused. Did the Queen Mother mean to leave him alone for questioning?

"Your name is Zhu Xiu?" Queen Mother Li looked at him and said softly.

"Yes..." Zhu Xiu hurriedly bowed and saluted.

"Come closer, Zhang Gui, and move an embroidered pillar for him to sit on." Queen Mother Li ordered.

Zhang Gui brought the embroidery pier, and Zhu Xiu hurriedly took it and thanked him. He sat down a few feet away from Empress Dowager Li, feeling a little nervous as he wondered what the Empress Dowager wanted to say to him.

Zhu Xiu took a quick glance, and when she got closer, she saw that Empress Dowager Li looked more and more like a kind-hearted old lady. She was dressed in simple clothes and did not wear any jewelry. She was as simple as a peasant woman.

If she were not in this palace, it would be difficult to associate her image with the mother of a country.

Queen Mother Li looked at him carefully and suddenly murmured: "You are about the same age as Chengyou..."

Zhu Xiu grinned and cupped her hands, not knowing what to say.

Queen Mother Li came back to her senses and said with a smile: "It's just that his appearance is not as good as yours..."

Zhu Xiu pretended to be frightened: "How dare I compare myself with the late emperor?"

Empress Dowager Li sighed softly: "I heard that you got acquainted with Chengyou in Cangzhou more than three years ago. I have heard your name in this deep palace...I know that you and Chengyou have some old grudges.

....”

Zhu Xiu quickly prostrated: "The Queen Mother is serious! How dare I!"

Empress Dowager Li waved her hand to signal him to stand up, with a calm expression: "You followed Guo Situ and raised troops from Yedu. If you didn't have hatred for the imperial court in your heart, how could you have traveled all the way from Jingzhou to Yedu? What happened to you in Jingzhou?

I've heard some before..."

Zhu Xiu lowered his head, not expecting that the Queen Mother had sent someone to investigate him.

There was a nervous and fearful expression on her face, but she was very calm in her heart. Queen Mother Li had a respected position, but she had no real power in her hands.

To put it bluntly, she could still stay in the harem with the title of Queen Mother, firstly because Guo Wei wanted to do it for the sake of old friendship, and secondly, he still needed her to complete the final step of the transfer of imperial power.

Which of these two reasons is more important, I am afraid only Guo Wei himself knows.

Queen Mother Li covered her heart, frowning as if she was having a heart attack, with a look of pain on her face.

"Queen Mother!" Zhang Gui hurried forward with concern on his face.
To be continued...