After leaving the Zichen Palace, Shangguan Wan'er suddenly ran over and said, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen Mother, please come over."
Wu Chengsi nodded and followed her to the back hall.
Entering the house, they saw Wu Mei brushing off the cold face she had shown when she went to court just now, with a smile on her face, and she was reading a book.
Seeing Wu Chengsi coming over, he smiled and said: "Chengsi, come quickly and help me make reference."
"Reference for what?" Wu Chengsi asked curiously.
When I came to her side, I glanced at the book she was reading. It seemed to be a miscellany of unofficial history titled "Shu Yi Ji".
Wu Mei said: "I want to change the surnames of the Xiao Wei and Xue families so that when others hear their names, they will know that they are guilty people!"
"..."
Wu Chengsi was silent for a while and said, "Aunt, is that not necessary?"
Wu Mei said seriously: "You don't understand. If you want others to not dare to do treacherous things again, you have to use some methods to warn them and let them know the consequences of going against me!"
Wu Chengsi was secretly amused.
Although Wu Mei is smart and capable, sometimes she still shows some of the pettiness of women.
"You asked your nephew to come here just to pick a name?"
Wu Mei glanced at him and saw that he was not very active, so she waved her hand and said: "Forget it, I don't need you anymore, I can think about it myself."
Wu Chengsi was silent for a while and said: "Aunt, my nephew wants to use troops against the Japanese country to eliminate the hidden dangers in the east, and then he can concentrate on fighting the Tubo people."
Wu Mei raised her head and said hesitantly: "Although the treasury has recovered some money, I heard that the Japanese country is not weak. Fighting them will cost a lot of money, right?"
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Don't worry, to deal with the Japanese country we only need 20,000 Yangzhou local naval troops, plus the new weapons from Shenhuofang. It won't be a big burden."
Wu Meiqi said: "Listen to what you said, is the power of Shenhuofang's new weapon still higher than that of gunpowder?"
"That's natural, otherwise my nephew wouldn't be fighting against the Japanese at this moment!"
Wu Mei pondered for a moment and said: "You are better at military affairs than I am. Since you said so, let's go ahead. If you have any difficulties, feel free to mention them to me, but there is only one problem."
Wu Chengsi asked: "Which point?"
Wu Mei said slowly: "This month is the period of national mourning for the late emperor. The war will not begin until at least a month later."
Wu Chengsi nodded and said, "My nephew understands."
After Wu Chengsi left, Wu Mei crossed her legs and continued to read the miscellaneous journals of unofficial history. She read: "Hip, a legendary venomous snake that always lives in the water." nodded and said: "Well, let's use this surname.
!”
At this moment, Shangguan Wan'er walked in from outside the door and said softly: "Your Royal Highness, the Vice Minister of Zong would like to see you."
The smile on Wu Mei's face disappeared instantly and she said lightly: "Let him come in."
Not long after, Zong Chuke came in, bowed down and said, "My nephew meets my aunt!"
Wu Mei said coldly: "After Taishan and his party, you were named Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I summoned you three times, but you always found reasons to refuse to come. I don't have a nephew as filial as you."
Zong Chuke's face turned pale, and he fell to his knees suddenly, his forehead even knocked on the toe of Wu Mei's shoe, and hissed: "Auntie——"
"Don't call me aunt." Wu Mei said lightly, stood up, walked to the couch and sat down.
"Your Highness the Queen Mother, I am wronged! You asked me to monitor the prince in the East Palace. After the fall of King Pei, the power of the East Palace increased greatly. Because of my relationship with you, many East Palace officials are watching me. I really can't come here."
Wu Mei leaned on the couch, took out another book of "You Ming Lu" and flipped through it without even looking at Zong Chuke.
Zong Chuke said sadly: "Your Highness the Queen Mother, it is all because of your cultivation that I am here today. How could I betray you?"
Wu Mei said calmly: "If there hadn't been this court meeting today, you should be saying this next to the emperor, right?"
Zong Chuke said in fear: "No, no -"
Wu Mei interrupted: "Chuke, I only give you one chance, please listen carefully."
"Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Auntie!" Zong Chuke said happily.
"Don't be happy so early. Let me finish what I have to say."
"Yes, yes! Please speak, nephew, listen."
Wu Mei said calmly: "Immediately resign from your position as Minister of Civil Affairs, and then go to Lingnan to stay for ten years. After ten years, you come back to see me again."
Zong Chuke was stunned and his face became stiff.
"Why, you don't want to?" Wu Mei's voice turned cold.
Zong Chuke was silent for a long time, then said in a trembling voice: "I, I am willing."
"Back off."
Zong Chuke stopped every step, as if hoping that Wu Mei would change his mind. However, he didn't hear Wu Mei's voice until he reached the threshold.
Countless thoughts went through his mind, including asking Wu Chengsi to plead for mercy, or Qiu Shenji to plead for mercy.
I even thought about completely committing myself to the emperor's side and receiving his blessing.
But there was a voice in his heart telling him.
It's useless. My aunt has always acted arbitrarily, and it's useless to ask for mercy. Moreover, she is cruel and ruthless, and the emperor is extremely afraid of her and cannot protect himself at all.
Zong Chuke walked out of the palace in a daze, and did not notice Li Chongyi, the Minister of Personnel, staring at him silently on the palace road on the side of Zichen Palace.
Li Chongyi waited for his figure to disappear and walked quickly towards the Hall of Eternal Life.
When we arrived outside the hall, we made an announcement and entered the side hall to wait.
After waiting for about an hour, a eunuch finally arrived. The eunuch said sharply: "Li Shangshu, I have kept you waiting for a long time. Your Majesty has summoned you."
Li Chongyi followed the eunuch to the main hall, which was only one-fifth the size of the main hall of Zichen Hall. Li Hongduan sat behind the dragon table and was reading the memorial.
Li Chongyi cupped his hands and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty."
Li Hong raised his head and said, "Li Qing, come here to see me. Do you have any business with me?"
Although Li Chongyi also visited the East Palace, he was not as frequent as Cen Changqian, Dai Zhide and others, and was not considered Li Hong's confidant.
Li Chongyi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report to you, so please stay away from others."
Li Hong hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Except for Deputy Chief Dou, everyone please step aside." All the eunuchs and maids responded in unison and filed out of the palace.
Li Chongyi looked at Dou Wenming with doubts on his face. Li Hong urged: "Li Shangshu, you have something to say."
However, Li Chongyi did not speak and said: "The matter that I have reported is very important. Please ask your Majesty to ask Deputy Chief Dou to step down as well."
Li Hong said displeasedly: "Deputy General Dou is my confidant. If you have anything to say, just say it without any scruples."
"Your Majesty, what I want to say is related to the late emperor."
"Then tell me, I'm still busy with government affairs. If you don't tell me, just step back!"
Li Chongyi sighed and said, "Your Majesty, do you know any bad people?"
Li Hong's eyebrows jumped and he said: "I heard someone mentioned it, but when I asked the late emperor about it, he always refused to tell me."
Li Chongyi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the bad guys are the secret guards of the royal family. They perform the most secretive tasks and are never known to outsiders."
Li Hong snorted and said: "Yes, it is not known to outsiders, but you know it, but I, the emperor, don't know it."
Li Chongyi hurriedly said:
"Your Majesty doesn't know something. The late emperor has always disliked bad people. He wanted to get rid of bad people very early. Due to various reasons, he failed. He hoped that starting from you, there would be no more bad people in the court, so he didn't tell you."
Li Hong snorted and said, "If that's the case, why do you want to tell me now?"
Li Chongyi's face darkened and he said: "There are four branches of bad guys. Except for one in the hands of the late emperor, the other three were originally in the hands of King Zheng, King Lu and King Han."
"After the incident at the Taishan Palace, Your Majesty took back two groups of bad guys from the hands of King Han and King Lu and gave them to King Zhou and King Yin respectively."
Li Hong said angrily: "What! Is the late emperor sick and confused? Why don't you give it to them but to me?"
Li Chongyi sighed: "Your Majesty, this is the late emperor's painstaking efforts. He summoned two people separately and asked them to assist you in the future, and then handed over the two bad guys to them."
Li Hong was even more angry: "Assistant? Then tell me, did they assist me at the court meeting today?"
Li Chongyi smiled bitterly and said: "The situation of today's court meeting is indeed unexpected. The King of Zhou seems to have been won over by the Queen Mother. For some reason, King Yin did not stand up to support you."
Li Hong said angrily: "The late emperor was so ignorant. Wu Chengsi is the queen mother's nephew, so of course he will help the queen mother!"
Li Chongyi was silent for a while and said: "The late emperor should have his own considerations, but I think that your majesty also has a responsibility."
Li Hong was shocked and said angrily: "What responsibility do I have?"
"The late emperor has asked you to get close to the King of Zhou many times, and even asked you to marry the eldest and second daughters of the Liu family with him. However, according to my observation, you have never tried to win over the King of Zhou. He will naturally be won over by the Queen Mother."
Li Hong was speechless.
Many ministers in the Eastern Palace also advised him to win over Wu Chengsi, but because he was afraid of making his beloved concubine angry, he agreed but never took any actual action.
Li Chongyi sighed: "If the King of Zhou is on your side, Su Dingfang and Li Ji will also be on your side, and today's situation will be very different."
After Li Hong took the throne, he gradually realized the importance of Wu Chengsi, especially his control of military power, which made him feel as if he had a light on his back.
"Li Shangshu, if I go to win over the King of Zhou now, is it still too late?"
Li Chongyi said in a deep voice: "Today the King of Zhou pushed the Queen Mother to come to court, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to turn back."
Dou Wenming suddenly said: "I don't think so."
Li Chongyi raised his eyebrows, very displeased with his sudden remarks, and said, "What do you think, Mr. Dou?"
Dou Wenming said: "There is no unbreakable relationship in the world. The Queen Mother is suspicious. We can take advantage of this to drive a wedge between the two, and your Majesty can use your kindness to win her over."
Li Chongyi snorted coldly: "Mr. Dou underestimates the Queen Mother. With her shrewdness, no matter how suspicious she is, she will not cut herself off. This kind of trick will not work."
Dou Wenming snorted secretly and stopped talking.
Li Hongdao: "Li Shangshu, according to what you said, we can't win over the King of Zhou?"
Li Chongyi said in a deep voice: "In my opinion, instead of trying to win over the King of Zhou, it would be better for your Majesty to win over the King of Yin."
"Laoba?"
Li Chongyi said: "Yes, at today's court meeting, King Yin did not say a word and remained neutral, which shows that he is full of hesitation in his heart. At this time, he must be kind and win over, otherwise the Queen Mother will take the lead!"
Li Hong nodded and said: "That makes sense."
Li Chongyi added: "In addition, you should also recall King Zheng to Chang'an and grant him important positions. Although King Zheng has never been involved in party disputes, he is a descendant of the Li family after all. He will definitely stand on your side at critical moments.
.”
Li Hong said happily: "Yes, how could I forget him!" After a pause, he said uneasily: "But if I issue an order, will the Queen Mother stop it?"
Li Chongyi smiled and said: "Your Majesty is too busy. Although the Queen Mother has won the power of the court, as long as your will is not opposed by the ministers, she will not be able to interfere too much."
"Then will the ministers object?"
Li Chongyi said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The reason why the ministers are siding with the Queen Mother today is to enhance their voice and not to oppose you intentionally. As long as you do not harm their interests, they will not easily oppose you."
Li Hong slapped the table and said: "Then it's best. Immediately pass on my decree, summon King Zheng to the palace, and grant——"
Li Chongyi reminded: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that Mr. Liu's health will not last long. You might as well put aside the appointment of King Zheng and wait until Mr. Liu dies before letting King Zheng serve as the Secretary of the Central Committee!"
Li Hong nodded and said: "According to your words, how can I win over Lao Ba?"
Li Chongyi pondered for a long time and said: "You and King Yin are brothers. You might as well call King Yin to talk to you more often. If he needs anything, he will speak to you."
Dou Wenming suddenly said: "His Royal Highness King Yin is now the general of Youjinwuwei. Why not promote him to the general of Youjinwuwei so that he can check and balance the king of Zhou!"
Li Chongyi said coldly: "It's easy for you to think. Can King Zhou agree to it easily? When the decree is rejected by King Zhou, it will be a blow to His Majesty's prestige!"
Seeing that Dou Wenming's two ideas were not good, Li Hong reprimanded him: "Wenming, what I am discussing with Li Shangshu is a major matter. You can no longer interfere at will."
Dou Wenming responded hurriedly and did not dare to say anything more.
Li Chongyi cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, although the late emperor did not want you to keep bad people, he also took a precautionary measure."
"What measures?" Li Hong asked hurriedly.
"He asked me to hand over the last group of bad guys to you if there is a crisis after you ascend the throne."
Li Hong said happily: "Then give it to me as soon as possible!"
"Please come with me."
At Li Chongyi's request, Li Hong took only a few guards and followed him all the way to Jinluan Villa.
There is a remote courtyard in the southeast of the villa. There are no guards around this courtyard, and fallen leaves are piled on the ground. It seems to have been abandoned.
Li Chongyi handed a black stone jade plaque to Li Hong and said: "Your Majesty, take this jade plaque and knock on the door. I will wait for you here."
Although Li Hong felt uneasy, he still walked towards the gate. The gate was dark and there was a plaque on the lintel with the words "Wutong Courtyard" written on it.
Li Hong knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time.
Just when he turned to look at Li Chongyi, there was a creak and the door opened from the inside. Li Hong hesitated for a moment and finally stepped in.
At the same time, an old palace maid in her forties came to Wu Mei's bedroom and said, "Your Highness the Queen Mother, I have something important to report."
Wu Mei waved her hand and dismissed everyone, leaving only Xie Yaohuan alone, saying: "If you have anything to do, tell me."
The old palace maid said in a deep voice: "Just a quarter of an hour ago, Your Majesty went to Wutong Courtyard!"
Wu Mei suddenly raised her head, was silent for a while, and said quietly: "He still left the bad guy with Li Hong." After a pause, he said: "Who took him there?"
"Li Chongyi." The old palace maid replied.
Wu Mei nodded and said, "I guess it's him."
The old palace maid said in a deep voice: "Your Highness the Queen Mother, the new emperor is no better than the previous emperor. The Qianniu Guards and bad guys are now in his hands, which poses a danger to your safety!"
Wu Mei smiled faintly and said, "Does he still dare to openly attack me?"
The old palace maid frowned and said: "The emperor's ears are too soft and he is easily deceived by the people around him, especially the Turkic noble concubine beside him, who never considers the consequences of his actions."
Wu Mei flipped through the pages of the book and said, "You don't have to worry. Master Cao Ren is in charge of guarding the Zichen Palace. Even if the emperor comes, he can stop it, enough for King Zhou, Qiu Shenji and others to come to the rescue."
Seeing that she could not be persuaded, the old palace maid had no choice but to give up and said: "By the way, Your Highness, I have conveyed your decree to Chen Zi'ang, but two days have passed and he is still in the Xitu camp."
Wu Meifeng raised her eyebrows and said coldly: "How dare he ignore my order?"
The old palace maid said: "Your Highness, Chen Zi'ang was cultivated by you. He has never disobeyed you in the past. Why don't you call him into the palace?"
Wu Mei hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, send someone to take him to Chaofeng Palace."
Chen Ziang was in the military camp and wasted a lot of time going back and forth. When the old palace maid came to report that Chen Ziang had arrived, it was almost noon.
Wu Mei said: "The Taiping Association will come over to have dinner with me, let him wait first."
After lunch, Xue Yuanchao, the Minister of Rites, and the new minister of Honglu Temple asked to see him.
Wu Mei met the two of them in the main hall, and the two presented the arrangements for the royal banquet and the coming of all nations to the court.
Wu Mei finished reading and said: "Nowadays, during the national mourning period, there should be no overly elaborate arrangements. Two conferences can be simply organized. In addition, it is not appropriate to put the King of Zhou first in the seat, so let him sit behind the King of England."
The two of them only accepted the order and retreated.
After leaving the main hall, Wu Mei came to Chaofeng Palace and saw Chen Ziang kneeling on the ground, obviously waiting on his knees.
"Kowtow to the Queen Mother." Chen Ziang bowed his head and kowtowed.
Wu Mei walked past him, sat down on the brocade couch, drank tea slowly, and stared at him silently.
Chen Ziang gritted his teeth and said nothing, his fingers trembled slightly, and he felt uneasy in his heart.
After a long time, Wu Mei said calmly: "Get up."
Chen Ziang straightened up, his eyes drooped, and he did not dare to look directly at Wu Mei.
"Zi'ang, I heard that you are unwilling to leave the Xitu Camp. What's going on?"
A majestic voice came from the front.
Chen Ziang gritted his teeth, banged his forehead heavily on the ground, and said: "Your Highness, Ziang wants to join the army to serve the country, defend the Tang Dynasty, and protect your safety. Please help me!"
"Guarding my safety? Humph! I'm afraid you are tired of working for me, so you want to get away from me, right?"
Chen Zi'ang was greatly frightened and shouted: "Zi Ang is here today only because of your kindness. I would never dare to have such thoughts. Your Highness knows this!"
Wu Mei stood up and said expressionlessly:
"Chen Zi'ang, I don't have that much time to talk to you. If I give you one last chance, why are you unwilling to leave the military camp? If you lie again, do you know what the consequences will be?"
Chen Ziang was frightened and said sadly: "Your Highness, I, I met two peers in the army. Whenever I talked with them, I heard their ambition to serve the country, and I felt a surge of blood in my heart. I wanted to talk to them.
Same……"
"no!"
Wu Mei interrupted ruthlessly: "If you don't leave the military camp, it will affect the relationship between me and the King of Zhou. You should be very clear about the seriousness of this."
"Your Highness!"
"I will only give you half a day. If you don't leave the military camp, I will not spare you!" Wu Mei waved her sleeves and left the hall.
Chen Ziang clenched his fists tightly, and kept banging his forehead on the ground, with hot tears flowing from his eyes.
I don't know how long it took, but a sharp voice came from behind.
"Hey, how long are you going to kneel on the ground? Get up quickly. After I send you out of the palace, I have to report back to the higher ups!"
Chen Ziang stood up silently and turned around. The person who spoke was the young eunuch who took him into the palace.
Following the little eunuch, he made a big circle, first going around the Taiji Palace, then entering the imperial city through the side gate, and then exiting through the side gate of the imperial city.
It was already mid-afternoon when we left the palace.
The little eunuch went back without looking back, while Chen Ziang stood silently outside the imperial city.
The sky was gloomy and the wind was freezing. He suddenly remembered Wu Mei's last mission. He didn't dare to delay any longer. He looked around, recognized the direction and walked towards the west gate.
He came to a tea shed near the city gate, picked up the temporarily released horses, and drove them back to the military camp.