Dugu De ordered his men to tie up Xiao Kai and led his men into the boat.
The big ship did not dare to set sail without Xiao Kai's order. In the end, all three ships were captured by the Jinwu Guards.
Dugu De and Yu Long came to one of the ship's bottom warehouses and saw dozens of boxes stacked on wooden boards. When they opened one of them, they found that it was full of gold and silver utensils.
Seeing such a large amount of property, the two of them looked at each other and felt a little shocked.
Yu Long said: "His Royal Highness King Zhou will be very happy if we seize this money back."
Dugu De nodded and said: "I just saw a dozen carriages on another boat. They should be the ones Xiao Kai used to transport this property. Let's transport these boxes back to Chang'an quickly."
When the two escorted the carriage to Chang'an City, it was already the third watch and the city gate had already been closed.
The two men were acting on the orders of the King of Zhou, and they were accompanied by Jin Wu guards. After identifying them, the city gate guards opened the city gate and let them in.
Knowing that if something went wrong with such a large sum of money, they would not only lose their credit, but also lose their lives, so they transported the money to Prince Zhou's Mansion overnight.
When Wu Chengsi learned that the two of them had arrived, he only put on a coat and ran straight to the lobby. He held their hands respectively and said with a smile: "Okay, great! You two have made great achievements this time. I will definitely
There is a big reward!”
Dugu De knelt on one knee and said: "The last time the general led his people to break into Princess Taiping's mansion, although he was deceived by Xiao Kai, he still committed a serious crime. Please punish me!"
Wu Chengsi helped him up and said with a smile: "You also said that you were bewitched by Xiao Kai at the beginning, and now you have achieved such great achievements, how can I blame you?"
Dugu De said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your forgiveness."
Wu Chengsi comforted her with gentle words, and promised to help Dugu De speak in front of Princess Taiping. He also promised him to return to Jinwu Guard, and said that there would be other rewards for the two of them.
The two thanked them profusely and then resigned, leaving only the carriage and the Xiao family behind.
Wu Chengsi only checked the boxes in the carriage and found that there was nothing wrong. He did not go to see Xiao Kai and had the Xiao family locked up. Then he returned to the dormitory, filled with joy.
At this point, all the money from the national treasury has been recovered, and then we can go to war with peace of mind.
…
In the Hall of Eternal Life, Li Hong was in a daze when he heard a noisy argument.
"Your Majesty, it's not good!"
"Hey, Dou Wenming, what does 'Your Majesty is in trouble' mean? Are you cursing His Majesty?"
"I didn't mean that, Wei Dongfu, don't talk nonsense!"
"Huh, whether you mean it or not, what you said is inappropriate!"
"Then tell me, what is the appropriate thing to say in this situation?"
"You should say: 'Your Majesty, something big has happened'!"
"I think you and I are talking about the same thing."
Wei Dongfu was about to reply when a sharp voice sounded: "It's so noisy that it won't let anyone sleep!"
Li Hong was still in a daze, but when he heard the sharp voice, he suddenly became alert and woke up immediately, shouting: "My beloved concubine, what's wrong with you?"
Yaruo said angrily: "Those two stinky eunuchs are quarreling to death, please decree and kill them all!"
Wei Dongfu and Dou Wenming were both shocked and knelt down in the tunnel: "Your Highness, spare your life! Spare your life!"
Yaruo just said something angry, snorted and said: "What happened to make you chatter so early in the morning?"
While asking questions, he was wearing clothes rustlingly.
Wei Dongfu rushed to say: "Back to Your Royal Highness, Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother has just passed down the decree to hold a court meeting in Zichen Palace, and she asked Your Majesty to come and attend."
Li Hong was surprised and said: "Why does the Queen Mother hold a court meeting?"
Dou Wenming gritted his teeth and said: "Your Majesty, since ancient times, only the emperor has held court meetings. When the late emperor was still alive, he only asked the queen mother to help handle court affairs, and she was never allowed to hold court meetings!"
Yaruo was furious and said: "She wants to seize power, doesn't she?"
Dou Wenming said: "That's right. If the Queen Mother can also hold court meetings in the future, will the ministers listen to the Queen Mother or Her Majesty?"
Yaruo said angrily: "No, she must not be allowed to hold a court meeting!" She turned to Li Hong and said: "Your Majesty, please say something!"
Li Hong hesitated for a moment and said: "My dear concubine, my father said before his death that if military and state affairs are not decided, the mother will make the decision. If she wants to hold a court meeting, there is nothing I can do!"
Wei Dongfu followed: "Your Majesty is right. The Queen Mother has been handling government affairs for many years and has rich experience. Your Majesty has just succeeded to the throne and should properly handle the relationship with the Queen Mother!"
Yaruo glared at him and said, "Shut up!"
Dou Wenming said: "Your Majesty, now that you have just ascended the throne, it is the time to establish your prestige. The courtiers are watching. If you cannot suppress the Queen Mother, the courtiers will not support you in the future!"
"Little Douzi, do you have any good ideas?" Yaruo asked.
Dou Wenming said: "In my opinion, Your Majesty must stop this court meeting. Not only can you not go, but you must also try to prevent the ministers from going! As long as there are not many people attending this court meeting, the Queen Mother's prestige will inevitably decline!"
Li Hong's face turned pale and he said, "How can this be done? Isn't this a head-on confrontation with the queen?"
Yaruo said angrily: "You are the emperor now, why are you still afraid of her? Are you planning to listen to her all your life?"
Li Hong hesitated and said: "But the Wu clan is so powerful that they will never listen to my orders. They will definitely go to the Zichen Palace to attend the court meeting!"
Dou Wenming said: "I have a plan to make them afraid to attend the meeting."
"What a good plan, please tell me quickly?" Yaruo asked anxiously.
Dou Wenming said: "As long as the imperial edict is passed down, and the ministers are asked to go to the Zhengdian Hall to declare the edict, and the Qianniu Guards are asked to guard the access to the Zichen Hall, they will not be able to go!"
Ya Ruo said happily: "What a good idea, let's do it like this!"
Li Hong said hurriedly: "Wait a minute, those Qianniu Guards can't stop King Zhou, Li Sikong, Su Situ and the others."
Dou Wenming said: "Your Majesty, go to the Prince of Zhou's Mansion immediately and entangle the King of Zhou so that he cannot leave the house. Without the King of Zhou taking the lead, Li Sikong and Su Situ would not dare to go against you easily."
Li Hong said uneasily: "I always feel that it's inappropriate to go to war like this. How about forget it? It's just a court meeting."
Dou Wenming said anxiously: "Your Majesty, this court meeting is extremely critical. They will definitely use this court meeting to let the Queen Mother regain control of the government. You must not retreat from this step!"
"Your Majesty, I think Xiao Douzi is right. The courtiers are watching, so we can't be weak!" Ya Ruo also advised.
Li Hong scratched his head and said with a flushed face: "But the Queen Mother... she will definitely be angry... I am worried that she will... destroy me."
Dou Wenming gritted his teeth and said: "Your Majesty, you are just deceived by the Queen Mother's long-term power. The late Emperor announced your accession to the throne in front of all the ministers. The Queen Mother is not qualified to depose you!"
Li Hong's eyebrows knitted together, still hesitant.
Dou Wenming continued:
"Your Majesty, if you think about it carefully, the last words of the late Emperor are actually quite big or small. They did not allow the Queen Mother to participate in the affairs of the court. As long as she can be isolated from the court, her influence will gradually fade away.
.”
Ya Ruo said: "Your Majesty, Xiao Douzi is right. As the emperor, you are equivalent to our Turkic Khan. How can others depose you?"
Li Hong gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it, then I will listen to you and go to Prince Zhou's Mansion now!" He stood up.
Wei Dongfu looked struggling and wanted to persuade Li Hong.
But now his own position is threatened, and he is worried that if he rashly gives advice and makes Li Hong unhappy, his position as a chamberlain and provincial supervisor will be unstable.
At this moment, Qianniuwei General Cen Changqian strode in. He happened to bump into Li Hong and asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, where are you going?"
Li Hongdao: "I am going to Prince Zhou's Mansion."
He was a little hesitant, so he immediately told Cen Changqian all Dou Wenming's suggestions and said: "Cen Aiqing, what do you think of Deputy Superintendent Dou's suggestion?"
Cen Changqian was furious and said: "Dou Wenming, you son of a bitch, how dare you propose such a bad idea to His Majesty!" She was so angry that she even cursed.
Dou Wenming saw that Cen Changqian's whole face was red and her hair and beard were all growing, so he argued: "My plan is all for the sake of Your Majesty, what's wrong with it?"
Yaruo hummed: "Yes, I think what Xiao Douzi said is very reasonable. What's wrong with it?"
Cen Changqian said solemnly: "Your Highness, you underestimate the Queen Mother, and you underestimate Wu's strength. Now we have a head-on confrontation with her, and the odds of winning are very low. If we lose, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Dou Wenming gritted his teeth and said: "General, do you mean that we just let the Queen Mother hold a court meeting and openly divide His Majesty's power?"
Cen Changqian said angrily: "The Wu family controls most of the power of the DPRK and China. This is a situation that has been formed for a long time. We cannot change it overnight!"
Dou Wenming said anxiously: "But if the Queen Mother is allowed to regain control of the government, won't Your Majesty be suppressed everywhere in the future?"
Cen Changqian said coldly: "Yes, although Your Majesty has ascended the throne, he will inevitably be suppressed by the Queen Mother in the short term."
Changing the topic, he said: "But as time goes by, the situation will become more and more favorable to His Majesty. The imperial court's system is centered on the emperor. The longer His Majesty reigns, the more powerful he will be."
Li Hong nodded repeatedly and said: "The general is right."
Cen Changqian continued: "Your Majesty has the advantage of both imperial power and age. Consolidating the throne is the first priority right now!"
Dou Wenming sighed secretly and said: "The general is right, I am too impatient." He turned to Li Hong and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, my humble minister almost put you in danger, please punish me."
Yaruo said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, Xiao Douzi is also loyal, please spare him."
Li Hongdao: "Deputy Superintendent Dou, I will spare you this time. There must be no chance of it happening again."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Hong turned to Cen Changqian and said, "General, are you here to see me because of the Queen Mother's court meeting?"
Cen Changqian said in a deep voice: "Not only this matter, there is another matter that I want to report to His Majesty."
"What's the matter?"
Cen Changqian said: "Yesterday night, His Royal Highness the King of Zhou led the Jinwu Guards to raid the Song Guogong Mansion and Xu Guogong Mansion, and also ordered people to hunt down the Xiao and Wei families throughout the city."
Li Hong lost his voice and said: "What, he also confiscated the residence of Duke Xu? That is Concubine Shu's natal family! Why did he do this?"
Cen Changqian said: "I sent someone to ask at Prince Zhou's Mansion, and the people from Prince Zhou's Mansion replied that His Highness the King of Zhou will explain the matter at the court meeting today."
Li Hong nodded and sighed: "It seems that I have to attend today's court meeting."
The time of the court meeting announced by Wu Mei was at 4:00 a.m., which was quite late.
She deliberately gave the officials enough time, hoping that all officials who received the order could participate.
After having breakfast, Li Hong found that he still had some time, so he went to Concubine Wei Shu's palace and told her about the confiscation of Wei's mansion.
Wei Shufei's eyes instantly turned red, and she gritted her teeth to prevent tears from falling.
Seeing her stubborn look, Li Hong felt slightly apologetic and said:
"Concubine Shu, during the court meeting today, I will ask the King of Zhou for you. If he doesn't give me a reasonable explanation, I will definitely let him release your family."
Concubine Wei Shu wiped the corners of her eyes, bit her lip and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to ask, I know the reason."
"Oh, why?"
Concubine Wei Shu gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know something. The national treasury is already empty. The King of Zhou has been eyeing our family for a long time in order to collect military pay."
Li Hong was shocked and said: "You said the treasury is empty?"
Concubine Wei Shu said: "Yes, the imperial court has been at war in the past few years, and recently Mount Tai was granted the title of Zen. I heard from my father that the treasury has no money!"
Li Hong said suspiciously: "You mean, the king of Zhou confiscated your home because of your family's money?"
Concubine Wei Shu gritted her teeth and said, "That's right! He was originally worried about the late emperor, so he didn't dare to take action. After the late emperor passed away, my father guessed that he would take action soon, but he didn't expect him to take action so quickly!"
Li Hong frowned and said nothing, as if he didn't believe it.
Concubine Wei Shu said anxiously:
"Your Majesty, don't you understand? With the state of the national treasury, the imperial court will definitely cultivate its resources and reduce all unnecessary expenses, let alone raise an army to conquer the West."
"The King of Zhou is the marshal of the Xitu Camp. If the Xitu Camp is gone, and he, the marshal, is gone, how can he not be in a hurry!"
Li Hongdao: "Even if he is short of money, he won't attack your family. Is your family rich?"
Concubine Wei Shu said hurriedly: "There are two families he is targeting. In addition to our Wei family, there is also the Xiao family. Our two families have accumulated money over the past century. Although the money is not much, it is still in the millions."
Li Hong lost his voice and said, "Does your family have millions of dollars?" His eyes shone.
Concubine Wei Shu gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, every generation of our Wei family accumulates wealth in the hope of helping the country when it is in trouble."
"After my father learned that the treasury was empty, he wanted to donate all our family's money to His Majesty as a dowry for his concubines. Unexpectedly, Wu Chengsi got there first!"
Li Hong was startled for a moment and said loudly: "He, how dare he be so lawless! Just wait, I will definitely help your family get justice!"
Concubine Wei Shu bowed to him and said: "Your Majesty, I, on behalf of our entire Wei family, thank you."
Li Hong said loudly: "As long as I am here, I will never allow such a thing to happen. Just wait." He flicked his sleeves and strode out of the palace.
Li Hong was very upset. He didn't expect that the late emperor would leave him such a mess. The Wei family finally took the initiative to donate money, but was cut off by Wu Chengsi. It was really unreasonable!
Suddenly, Wei Dongfu behind him said: "Your Majesty, I feel a little strange. According to the behavior of His Highness the King of Zhou, he should not do such a thing."
Li Hong was stunned for a moment and said: "Why not? The Western Camp is his lifeblood. Naturally, he is not willing to dismantle it because the treasury has no money."
Wei Dongfu said: "But if the Wei family really donated the money to the treasury, wouldn't the treasury already have money? Why would he use such a crude method to plunder the Wei family?"
Dou Wenming snorted coldly: "This money was used by Duke Xu to make a dowry for His Royal Highness Concubine Shu. It should belong to His Majesty's private treasury. Naturally, Your Majesty will not use it to maintain the military camp. Wu Chengsi should be aware of it, so he made this decision."
Li Hong hummed: "Yes, that money should be returned to my private treasury, and I must get it back!"
Wei Dongfu sighed and did not dare to persuade him again.
At this moment, Dai Zhide and his son hurriedly ran over and shouted from a distance: "Your Majesty, something has happened." After the two approached, they told Wu Chengsi about the Xiao and Wei families.
Li Hong said coldly: "I already knew it. Okay, you can go to Zichen Palace with me."
When they arrived at the main hall, many officials had already arrived and greeted Li Hong one after another.
Looking up, in addition to the large dragon chair in the center of the throne, there is also a small dragon chair on the left.
Li Hong consciously came to the left and sat down on the dragon chair. After a while, Wu Mei entered through the side door. Li Hong hurriedly stood up and said: "Mother."
Wu Mei nodded coldly and did not talk to him.
Looking down, I saw that most of the ministers had arrived, and only two seats were empty.
Wu Mei wouldn't have cared too much if someone didn't come, and would just deal with it afterwards, but one of the empty seats was surprisingly located on the first left hand side.
That was Wu Chengsi's position.
Wu Mei frowned and waved to Xie Yaohuan, about to ask her to go out and ask.
At this moment, two people were seen walking into the main hall. The one in front was Wu Chengsi, followed by the Taifu Qing.
Wu Mei cast a questioning look and when she saw Wu Chengsi nodded slightly, she felt relieved and winked at Xie Yaohuan.
Xie Yaohuan said loudly: "The meeting has begun."
The ministers kowtowed one after another and said in unison: "Kowtow to Your Majesty, kowtow to Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother!"
Wu Mei said: "Without courtesy, all the ministers will sit down with the King of Zhou, Liu Shizhong, Li Sikong and Su Situ."
After Wu Chengsi and others sat down, he said loudly: "I summoned all the ministers here today. I heard that during the court meeting yesterday, the ministers were undecided on the matter of establishing a queen for the emperor, so I summoned the ministers for discussion."
Pei Yan immediately came out of the queue and said:
"Reporting to Her Majesty the Queen Mother, according to the regulations of the imperial court, after the crown prince succeeds to the throne, the crown prince's main concubine should inherit the throne. Now the crown prince has no fault, but your majesty wants to make the concubine his queen. That's why the officials objected."
"Emperor, is this a problem?" Wu Mei said in a deep voice.
Under her prestige, Li Hong suddenly felt fearful, lowered his head and said: "Queen Mother, I like the imperial concubine more and want to make her my queen."
Wu Mei said sternly: "As an emperor, you are in charge of the world, how can you act based on your own preferences?"
He turned to the ministers and said: "There is no need to discuss this matter any further. Everything is in accordance with the regulations of the imperial court and the crown prince and concubine are appointed as the queen. What do you think?"
"Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother is wise!"
Many ministers glanced at the emperor and thought in their hearts: Her Majesty is so afraid of the Queen Mother that she is afraid that in the future, she will still have to listen to the Queen Mother for important matters in the court.
Weiwei Qingqiu Shenji said: "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I believe that your Majesty has just ascended the throne and is not familiar with government affairs. In the future, you will often have disputes with ministers. Therefore, today's court meeting should be made a normal event!"
Many ministers were surprised. If this resolution is passed, the imperial power will be divided into two, which is likely to cause chaos in the government.
When the late emperor was still alive, although the queen and the prince handled the government affairs together, the prince only handled a small part, and the division of labor between the two was clear and did not affect the affairs of the court.
It is different now. The prince has ascended the throne as the emperor and is already an adult emperor. It is impossible for him to only handle a small part of the government affairs.
Although Li Hong had known that the Queen Mother would seize power, he still didn't expect her to be so blatant. He stared at Wu Mei with wide eyes.
Wu Mei didn't look at him, she could see the expressions of the ministers and said calmly:
"Since the emperor has ascended the throne, government affairs will naturally be handled by the emperor. If I also hold a court meeting, wouldn't it cause chaos?"
Qiu Shenji said again:
"The government affairs of the DPRK should naturally be handled by His Majesty. What I mean is that if there are unresolved disputes between Your Majesty and the ministers, they can be put aside temporarily. After a period of time, Her Majesty the Queen Mother will hold a court meeting to resolve them all."
Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan both thought: "In this way, the minister's power will be greatly improved."
They were already worried about Li Hong's ability, so they all said at the same time: "I second the proposal."
Wu Mei declined: "I'm afraid it's inappropriate."
Wu Chengsi came out of the queue and said with a smile: "Aunt, the late emperor has said that if there is any undecided military and political affairs in the court, it is up to you to make the decision. My nephew thinks there is nothing inappropriate."
Li Ji, Su Dingfang and Liu Qixian all agreed with this kind of court meeting.
Firstly, it can prevent the emperor from doing ridiculous things, and secondly, it can improve the status of the ministers and go out together to say: "I second the proposal."