Kyoto, Zhongshu Provincial Government Office.

If the six departments and bureaus of the imperial court are the hands and feet of the empire, then the Zhongshu Province is the brains of the empire.

The Zhongshu Province is located in the Zhengzhengfang outside Shunyi Gate on the west side of the imperial city. There are so many official letters and orders sent and received every day. The officials of the Zhongshu Province will sort the memorials sent in according to the priority every day. Important memorials that reach a certain level will be submitted directly.

After entering the palace, some ordinary memorials will be handled in Zhongshu Province.

The person in charge of Zhongshu Province was Xiahou Yuanzhen, the current Prime Minister.

Under the control of the Prime Minister, the Zhongshu Province has been relatively orderly for many years, and all matters, big and small, have been handled reasonably well.

Both the government and the public knew that Xiahou Yuanzhen was able to sit in the position of Prime Minister, not only because of his support in the past, but also because he was the saint's brother.

However, there are still many people in the court who understand that the reason why Xiahou Guoxiang has been in Zhongshu Province for more than ten years is not just because of his family relationship with the saint.

It is also well-organized and has allowed Zhongshu Province to operate in an orderly manner for more than ten years. The talents of this Prime Minister are not weak.

Most of the officials in the Zhongshu Province were directly promoted by Xiahou, the Prime Minister, but few of these officials were descendants of the Xiahou family.

The saint ascended the throne, and the Xiahou clan's chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. Naturally, the descendants of the clan were highly valued. Except for a few who stayed in the capital, most were assigned to hold important positions in various states of the empire.

However, saints and state ministers did not just reuse their relatives. Xiahou Yuanzhen also spared no effort in promoting talented people. Among them, many officials serving in Zhongshu Province were promoted by Xiahou Yuanzhen from the local area.

Not all have good local reputations, but they all belong to capable officials.

Xiahou Yuanzhen put talent first when hiring people. As for the lack of character or even morality, he didn't care too much.

Du Wenchang, the assistant minister of Zhongshu, had an old-fashioned temperament and followed the rules, and even seemed a bit pedantic in the eyes of many people.

But this person was very down-to-earth in his work. After being transferred to the Zhongshu Province by Xiahou Yuanzhen, he was promoted to the position of Vice Minister of Zhongshu in just a few years. This Du Shilang could not tolerate disdain in his eyes, as long as someone broke the rules in doing things

, has always been merciless, and even often had disputes with the Prime Minister.

According to common sense, such a person is not suitable for officialdom. As a subordinate of the Prime Minister, if he has disputes with the Prime Minister from time to time, he is asking for death.

But it was precisely this kind of person who stayed in Zhongshu Province for nine years.

For nine years, many people thought that Du Shilang might be kicked out of Zhongshu Province at any time, but like a stone in a latrine, he remained motionless and as stable as a rock in Zhongshu Province.

It was dusk, Du Wenchang looked solemn, took a piece of paper to a courtyard in the Yamen, walked directly to the outside of a room: "Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, I want to see you!"

"Come in!" Xiahou Yuanzhen responded. Du Wenchang entered the room and saw the Prime Minister working at his desk. He stepped forward and cupped his hands, but did not speak immediately.

Following Xiahou Yuanzhen for many years, Du Wenchang knew that it was best not to speak until the Prime Minister put down his pen.

Xiahou Yuanzhen was reviewing something. After a moment, he put the Zhuhao in his hand on the inkstone, closed the fold, looked up at Du Wenchang, and asked: "Is something wrong?"

Du Wenchang was very capable of doing things, and he was conscientious and meticulous in handling things. This was what Xiahou Yuanzhen admired about him. However, he was sometimes too forthright in his speech, which even made him, the Prime Minister, unable to step down from office many times.

Publicly speaking, the Prime Minister admired Du Wenchang's ability and attitude in doing things, but privately speaking, the Prime Minister was quite dissatisfied with Du Wenchang's temperament.

Du Wenchang stepped forward directly and presented the memorial he had brought over.

The memorial was sealed, but there was a red feather stuck to the back of the memorial.

Xiahou Yuanzhen frowned.

Red feathers represent rebellion or even mutiny.

There are so many folds sent to Kyoto every day. In order to express urgency, some signs are put on some urgent folds. Red feathers are the most urgent among urgent cases. Unless it is a big event, red feathers should not be easily stuck on the folds.

Xiahou Yuanzhen glanced at the seal, but it was an urgent note sent from Jiangmen County, Suzhou.

"Suzhou?" Xiahou Yuanzhen frowned.

He would not be surprised if Hong Yu's memorial was delivered from the north or the south, but when Hong Yu's memorial was sent from Suzhou, it was really shocking.

Apart from saints, only he, the Prime Minister, could read such a memorial.

"Suzhou is an important tax base for the imperial court." Du Wenchang looked solemn: "If there is turmoil there, it will be unimaginable...!"

Xiahou Yuanzhen had already broken the seal and opened the memorial. He only glanced at it a few times before his expression suddenly changed. After reading it carefully, his expression became extremely solemn.

To be able to make the Prime Minister of the State, who had always kept his emotions and angers secretive, look so shocked, Du Wenchang knew that the matter in Suzhou was definitely not a trivial matter, but he did not dare to ask more questions.

"Wenchang, send someone immediately to inform Dou Fu of the Ministry of War, Song Shiqing of the Ministry of Industry, and Chen Shutong, the envoy of the South Academy, to go outside the palace gate immediately."

." Thinking of something, he asked: "When will this booklet be delivered?"

"It's less than half a stick of incense." Du Wenchang knew that the situation was urgent, so he cupped his hands and said: "The memorial was sent to Zhongshu Province. When it was found that it was Hongyu's memorial, it was immediately sent to the lower official. The lower official did not dare to delay and hurriedly submitted it to the state.

Mutually."

"Where is the messenger?"

"Xiaguan has asked the messenger to wait at the Zhongshu Provincial Yamen and can be summoned at any time." Du Wenchang said immediately: "Xiaguan will call the messenger over now."

Xiahou Yuanzhen picked up the crown and hat and put it on, while shaking his head and saying: "No need, let him enter the palace with me to meet the saint."

The saint was currently in the royal garden of the palace.

There is a sea of ​​seven stars in the imperial garden, and there are two palace ships on the sea of ​​seven stars. When I learned that Xiahou Yuanzhen brought several officials to the palace to ask for an audience, the saint was playing the harp on a palace ship.

The sound of the piano suddenly stopped, and the saint raised his eyes slightly, glancing at Wei Wuya, the eunuch in charge of the palace: "Who are they?"

"In addition to the Prime Minister, Dou Fu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Song Shiqing, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Chen Shutong, the envoy of the South Academy, came to the palace to see him." Wei Wuya's stooped body said respectfully: "There is also a messenger from Suzhou. The Prime Minister came to see

I was very anxious when I went up."

The saint's slightly thick brows squeezed together and asked: "Who sent the messenger? Is it Musk Moon?"

"The person sent by Jiangmen County in Suzhou is not a princess."

The saint stood up suddenly and said to Changsun Meier beside him: "Go to the Imperial Study Room!"

In the imperial study, several loyal ministers of the court, led by the Prime Minister Xia Hou Yuanzhen, were kneeling on the ground. The saint looked solemn and held the red feather memorial in his hand. After reading it, he said in a deep voice: "Prime Minister, the Queen Mother

There will suddenly be an uprising in Suzhou, and you won't be aware of it in advance?"

Xiahou Yuanzhen solemnly said: "The old minister is guilty of negligence. When there was a rebellion by the Queen Mother Society in Qingzhou, it was put down by the court. Since then, the Queen Mother Society has almost disappeared, and there has never been heard of a Queen Mother Society in the south of the Yangtze River.

people’s activities.”

"But the excerpt makes it very clear that in one day, followers of the Queen Mother were everywhere in Jiangmen County. Before that, a rebellion had broken out in Suzhou and rebel flags were raised on the city walls." The saint's charming face was full of smiles.

With a look of anger: "The Suzhou Lin family took the lead in the rebellion." Looking at the messenger kneeling far behind, he said coldly: "Are you coming from Jiangmen County?"

The messenger was tired and haggard, with his forehead pressed to the ground: "Reporting to the sage, Mr. Tu, the magistrate of Jiangmen County, learned of the rebellion in Suzhou and was about to seal the city. Unexpectedly, followers of the Queen Mother had sneaked into the city and suddenly gathered a crowd to launch an attack. They responded to the rebellion outside the city.

Bandit, at a time of great urgency, Master Tu wrote this urgent note and ordered the villain to travel day and night to deliver it to Kyoto. The villain did not dare to delay. He almost did not dare to stop along the way. He only dared to drink a sip of water at the station on the way, and ran to death.

It took two horses four days to get to Kyoto." After saying this, the man suddenly tilted and fell to the ground.

Running from Suzhou to Kyoto in four days was already the limit. The messenger completed his mission and after saying these last few words, he could no longer hold on and fainted.

"Take him down quickly and ask for the imperial doctor." Seeing this, Changsun Meier immediately ordered, and two deacons and eunuchs carried the messenger down.

"The book said that there was a rebellion in Suzhou, and the rebels were the Queen Mother Society." The saint's voice was cold: "Do you know whose banner the Suzhou rebellion was?"

The Prime Minister raised his head and said: "I just used the same banner as when the Queen Mother Society rebelled in Qingzhou, respecting the Queen Mother. However, the brochure said that the Qian family led the crowd to rebel, which should not be wrong. The Qian family is very powerful in Suzhou.

Without the support of the Qian family, the Queen Mother Society would not be able to cause trouble in Suzhou."

Dou Fan, the Minister of War, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "As a reminder to the sage, Her Royal Highness the Princess knows the situation in the south of the Yangtze River best. I would like to ask the sage to issue an order for the princess to come to discuss this matter."

In fact, everyone present could understand this.

The sage rebuked the Prime Minister for not knowing that the Queen Mother would be active in Jiangnan. However, as we all know, the Prime Minister's influence has never penetrated into Jiangnan. The seven surnames in Jiangnan have been loyal to Princess Sheyue for many years. They can almost be said to be the princess's domestic slaves. Now there is a rebellion in Jiangnan.

The leader turned out to be the Suzhou Qian family. Princess Sheyue was not aware of it in advance, so she was certainly to blame.

She Yue's trip to the south of the Yangtze River was very secretive, and very few people knew about it.

"The inner treasury in the south of the Yangtze River has been stolen." The saint knew that the matter could no longer be concealed. The top priority was to discuss counter-rebellion strategies with the important ministers in the court. He said in a low voice: "She Yue left half a month ago because of this case.

Suzhou, we must personally investigate the case of the inner treasury." He sneered and said: "Now it seems that the theft of the inner treasury was the work of the Queen Mother Society."

As soon as these words came out, several people's expressions suddenly changed.

Chen Shutong, the envoy of the Nanyuan, is a loyal general who was granted the title of Imperial General, and he also plays an important role in the military. Although the Nanyuan today is no longer as powerful as it was when Emperor Wuzong was in power, it is still an important factor in the formulation of the imperial military strategy.

yamen.
Chapter completed!