Chapter 1009: The situation changes suddenly, the official family entrusts the orphan
Chapter 1009: The situation changes suddenly, the official family entrusts the orphan
On the first morning after the New Year, the official Zhao Heng also showed up to participate. After many days, the officials saw Zhao Heng for the first time and shouted long live.
Zhou Chen stood among the officials and looked up at Zhao Heng who was sitting on the dragon chair. Although he was far away, his eyes were very good and he could still see that Zhao Heng was in a very bad state, with poor complexion and poor health.
Virtual.
As expected, before the meeting was halfway through, Zhao Heng couldn't bear it any longer and left the hall. When he left, all the officials were worried and unable to discuss matters.
Of course, only a small number of officials are worried about official Zhao Heng's health. The vast majority of officials are full of uneasiness and anxiety about the future.
Prince Zhao Zhen is only twelve years old, and he is very young. Once something happens to Zhao Heng, who will control the court in the future?
Once things change, how to ensure their current power, or even how to go one step further and gain more say, is something that requires careful consideration and careful calculation by those high-ranking officials.
Zhou Chen stood in the crowd and glanced at the faces of many people with his peripheral vision, and found that some people's faces actually showed joy. He could recognize that these people belonged to the Houdang clan.
If the official family is really in trouble, with the current power of Queen Liu Wan, facing a twelve-year-old new monarch, she is indeed sure to listen to the government behind the curtain.
As long as the Queen gains power, these party officials, who have always been ostracized and looked down upon by others, can take advantage of the situation and rise up, so of course they have to be happy.
On the contrary, Xiao Qinyan, the leader of the rear party, stood in the front row with an expressionless face, not talking to anyone, just standing there quietly, not knowing what he was thinking.
After a while, the eunuch came over to announce the dismissal of the court, but the ministers took their time, and it took a long time before they walked out of the hall and left in groups.
"Ziheng."
As soon as Zhou Chen walked out of the hall, he heard his fourth uncle Meng Wei's call and walked over quickly.
"Fourth uncle."
"Let's go together and take my carriage back home later."
"yes."
Zhou Chen knew that his uncle definitely wanted to tell him what had just happened, so he would naturally not refuse.
Before leaving, Zhou Chen saw Xiao Qinyan wink at him again and nodded secretly.
Zhou Chen asked Qin Yi to go back and inform him first, and then got on the carriage of his fourth uncle Meng Wei.
Meng Wei was sitting upright. He was almost fifty years old, but he guarded the northwest region all year round and did not spend much time in Tokyo.
He was born a military wizard, guarding the border for decades without any defeat. His fame among the people may not be as great as Zhou Chen's, but his reputation in the court cannot be compared to Zhou Chen's. Not only his own prestige,
In addition to the bonus from the Meng family, it is normal for Zhou Chen not to be able to compare.
In the past year, there was no war on the northwest border, so he had time to return to Tokyo to report on his duties.
"Zi Heng, you are often in front of the emperor, so you should know more about the situation of the official family, right?"
Zhou Chen thought for a moment and then replied: "A few years ago, the officials summoned me and asked about the prince and Mr. Xiao."
Meng Wei's expression changed, he already understood what Zhou Chen meant, and he was silent for a long time.
"The prince is young. If anything happens, the prince will definitely not be able to govern personally. When the time comes..."
He didn't say any more, but Zhou Chen understood what he meant.
"Fourth uncle, what do you think?"
Meng Wei glanced at Zhou Chen and said, "Our Meng family does not participate in such things."
Zhou Chen secretly rolled his eyes. He knew that the prototype of the Meng family was the Cao family, and the future emperor Renzong's queen was from the Cao family. In other words, the Meng family would have a daughter in a few years.
A queen.
If the Meng family really had no idea about the power of the royal family, how could she let her own daughter become the queen?
"I heard that you are very close to Xiao Qinyan from the rear party?"
Zhou Chen looked surprised: "Fourth uncle, where did you hear the rumors?"
He and Xiao Qinyan always met at Xiao Qinyan's residence, and there were no other people around. It was impossible for him to leak it. If anyone really found out, it would definitely be a problem with Xiao Qinyan.
Meng Wei said in a deep voice: "Don't worry about where I heard it from, Zi Heng, you have to understand that you belong to the noble lineage. We need to strive to maintain the orthodoxy, and the prince is the orthodox one."
Zhou Chen's expression remained unchanged: "Of course I know that. I really have nothing to do with the queen. As for the queen, she wants to win over me, but I have never agreed."
"Although the queen is a woman, she is also very skillful. I will probably go back to the border soon to prevent changes. What I am most worried about is you. You have been in too much limelight recently and your actions are a bit too sharp. This is not a good thing."
"The fourth uncle is talking about Guo Fen?"
"After all, Guo Fen comes from a noble lineage, so there is no need for you to get into such a quarrel with him."
"Don't worry, fourth uncle, I know what's going on."
"Come back with me later and have a meal before going back."
"good."
Zhou Chen fully understood what Meng Wei meant. Meng Wei had been guarding the northwest border. He would only have time to return to Bianjing City when there was stability and no war.
But now the official family is seriously ill, and something is likely to happen at any time. Zhao Heng's death will definitely cause turmoil in the court. If the prince succeeds to the throne, and the young prince cannot govern personally, it will inevitably cause suspicion and chaos in the world. At this time, other foreign countries are most likely to
There is unrest, so someone must guard the border to ensure that nothing happens.
The Meng family was indeed the first family in the Song Dynasty. In Meng Wei's generation alone, several brothers were in the third rank or above, and two were awarded the title of Duke. Among them, the fourth uncle and the eighth uncle guarded two borders respectively.
In addition to them, the Meng family also has a consort, and the other members hold positions in the court. Maybe they are not of high rank, but many of them are in important departments.
These are only the Meng family's own clan members, not counting the in-laws who are married to the Meng family.
Therefore, the Meng family can definitely be regarded as the first family in the Song Dynasty.
After returning home, Zhao Pan'er saw that Zhou Chen was absent-minded, so when he was having a rest at night, he asked about the reason.
Zhou Chen didn't hide anything and directly told her what happened today.
"Is Guan Jia's health really failing?"
Zhao Pan'er looked very surprised. She had met Zhao Heng once, and she had a very good impression. At least he was much more amiable and approachable than the queen.
She did not expect that the official family, which was in good condition a few days ago, would become like this a year later.
"According to my observation, the deadline has arrived, within one or two months. You must not spread this word."
"I know, so the fourth uncle is looking for you today because he wants you to protect the crown prince?"
Zhou Chen frowned, and Zhao Pan'er stretched out her hand to press his acupuncture points.
"If I guess correctly, what my fourth uncle and many people in the court are worried about is that if something happens to the official family and the prince is young, the queen will follow Lu Wu's actions."
Zhao Pan'er looked horrified: "No way?"
Zhou Chen sighed quietly: "Power is fascinating. Before it happens, who can give a definite answer?"
Empress Liu in the official history is a strange woman who has Lu Wu's talent but not Lu Wu's evil. But the Liu Wan in this world, to be honest, is somewhat unworthy of the praise of Lu Wu's talent.
Zhao Pan'er leaned on Zhou Chen's shoulder: "We are husband and wife. No matter what happens, I will always support you."
Zhou Chen hugged Zhao Paner, looked deeply into his eyes, lowered his head and kissed her gently...
A few days later, Zhou Chen received the imperial edict from the palace, allowing him to meet the Holy Spirit. He did not dare to delay, and immediately went to Zhao Heng's bedroom as quickly as possible.
When Zhou Chen entered the hall, Zhao Heng had already sat up with the help of the chamberlain. His face was pale, but when he saw Zhou Chen, he smiled and waved to Zhou Chen.
"Zhou Qing, come."
"I see the official family, long live long live long live."
Zhou Chen walked to Zhao Heng and stopped, looking at Zhao Heng. After resting for a few days, Zhao Heng's condition not only did not get better, but actually got worse.
As the emperor and the lord of the world, those who treat him are all famous doctors and masters of medical skills in the world, and there is no shortage of rare medicinal materials.
But even so, Zhao Heng was still unable to recover, which meant that Zhao Heng's body was already exhausted and the end of the road had come.
Zhao Heng waved to the servant Cui beside him, and the servant Cui bowed and stepped back, leaving the hall. Suddenly, only Zhou Chen and Zhao Heng were left in the hall.
"Zhou Qing..."
An hour later, Zhou Chen walked out of Zhao Heng's dormitory with a solemn expression.
"call!"
He let out a long breath. The conversation just now surprised him. As expected of an emperor who has been an emperor for more than 20 years, Zhao Heng was really decisive at this time.
On that day, Zhao Heng issued an imperial edict, naming Zhou Chen as Crown Prince Taibao, Champion General, and Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Palace.
In this way, Zhou Chen directly became one of the most powerful officials in the court. Although the Crown Prince's Taibao and the Champion General were empty posts, the Crown Prince's Taibao was responsible for protecting and teaching the Prince. The Prince was also the future emperor, so the Prince
Although the Taibao had no real power, they represented the emperor's trust.
At Zhou Chen's level, it is extremely difficult to improve, especially when Zhou Chen is still so young.
But Zhao Heng's decree directly reduced Zhou Chen's ten years of struggle. Not only did he reach the sky in one step, but he also directly entered the center of power.
But in this way, Zhou Chen was tied to the prince. Zhao Heng's move was basically to ask him to be the prince's bodyguard, which could also be said to be to find close ministers and assistant ministers for the prince.
Faced with Zhao Heng's decree, which was similar to Tuogu's, Zhou Chen had no choice at all. However, in doing so, he might offend the queen. After all, if Liu Wan wanted to listen to politics behind the curtain and hold the power, the prince would definitely be killed.
She has control in her hands.
Promoting Zhou Chen to an official position was just a move by Zhao Heng. He quickly issued many decrees, all of which had a great impact. Therefore, although Zhou Chen's promotion caused a shock and received letters of objection from some people, it soon
They were all suppressed by Zhao Heng.
Zhou Chen's promotion was a huge happy event for the noble family. After the decree was issued, people came to the house one after another to give gifts.
The one who was most unhappy was naturally Zhou Chen's former boss, Guo Fen, the commander of the front hall and front department.
"Master Zhou, congratulations."
Guo Fen tried hard to keep a smile on his face, but his smile was so charming.
But he had no choice. All the commanders in front of the palace were lost. Although he was promoted to Liangzhou Jiedushi, the Jiedushi at this period no longer had much military power. He did not even go to the local area to take up his post and stayed in Tokyo.
no problem.
So he seems to be on the same level, but in fact he has been relegated to the sidelines and is no longer on the same level as Zhou Chen.
Although he was extremely unwilling to do so, he could only accept his fate and show weakness proactively, as he did not want to continue to be at odds with Zhou Chen.
"Rejoice together and rejoice together."
Zhou Chen didn't push too far. He and Guo Fen were actually just fighting over power, and they were both members of the same family. There was no deep hatred.
Now that his official position has been promoted, Guo Fen has taken the initiative to show weakness. Naturally, he will not do anything to Guo Fen again. Although the noble family is not all united, but in this situation, if he adds another insult to injury and takes revenge with victory, he will appear to be too generous.
Narrow and dissatisfied.
Soon after, another major event happened. Zhao Heng actually dismissed Xiao Qinyan from the position of prime minister and chose another Tian Wei, who was as famous as Xiao Qinyan, to be the privy envoy, which means he would perform the duties of prime minister.
This was a major event that caused a sensation in the city of Tokyo. Compared with this incident, the impact of Zhou Chen's appointment was much smaller.
Zhou Chen was also very surprised when he learned about this. It seemed that the last time Zhao Heng asked him about Xiao Qinyan, although he didn't give an answer, it seemed that Zhao Heng still didn't have that much trust in Xiao Qinyan.
Zhao Heng trusted Liu Wan, but did not trust Xiao Qinyan, so before the deadline, he removed Xiao Qinyan from the position of prime minister, and then promoted Tian Wei, who had nothing to do with the rear party, to prime minister. The purpose was to balance
In the government affairs, there will not be a situation where one family dominates the government.
As a result, Xiao Qinyan was demoted again less than a year after becoming prime minister. However, although he was no longer prime minister, he still held a high and powerful position as the Minister of Punishment.
Less than a month after the new year, the situation in the court was very turbulent, with ups and downs. Everyone with a discerning eye could see that something big was going to happen, so everyone was cautious and did not dare to take the lead.
Even those yamen in the city of Tokyo who often played and made troubles all shrank down and did not even dare to leave the front door of their homes during this period.
Today's Tokyo city is in a state of turmoil, and even the common people have noticed that something is wrong.
Fushanfang!
It was early today, so Zhou Chen came to Zhang Haohao's place. Because he would not stay overnight, so when he came here, his time was limited, so he would seize the time to communicate with Zhang Haohao.
Although Zhang Haohao was in good physical condition, he still felt weak when facing Zhou Chen.
"It's not very peaceful outside these days. If there's nothing important, don't go out."
Hearing Zhou Chen's warning, Zhang Haohao looked confused: "Is something big going to happen? I heard that a lot of things have happened in the court recently."
Zhou Chen gently stroked her catkin: "Don't ask too many questions. Sometimes it's not a good thing to know too much. It's not that I won't let you go out, but don't go out during this period."
"okay, I get it."
Zhang Haohao responded that although she didn't know what happened, the fact that Zhou Chen was so careful meant that the matter must be serious and she didn't want to cause trouble to Zhou Chen.
After having a good dinner with Zhang, Zhou Chen set off back to the Hou Mansion, and then had dinner with Zhao Pan'er.
In the next period of time, Zhou Chen began to fulfill his duties as the prince's eunuch, went to the East Palace, and met the prince Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen was the future Emperor Renzong and was also known as the tolerant and Mingsheng emperor of the Song Dynasty.
However, Zhao Zhen was only a twelve-year-old child at this time. Although he matured earlier than ordinary children, he was still very young.
Zhao Zhen was very enthusiastic towards Zhou Chen. He talked to Zhou Chen a lot and spoke highly of Zhou Chen in his tone.
After getting along for a while, Zhou Chen really felt that the prince Zhao Zhen had a certain character in the city, but his character was indeed honest and his subordinates were generous. In terms of character alone, he could be regarded as a humble gentleman.
But thinking about Zhao Zhen's future, where the emperor is benevolent and his ministers are strong, this is not a good thing.
Zhou Chen wanted to instill some advanced ideas into Zhao Zhen and give him some advice, but unfortunately, there were always people around Zhao Zhen, and they were civil servants. They were very wary of him and did not allow him to be alone with Zhao Zhen at all.
opportunity, so that even if he wanted to change Zhao Zhen, he wouldn't have the chance.
Another period of time passed, and on one day in late March of the first year of Qianxing, a major event broke out and the official family became seriously ill. Many officials with good channels swarmed to the palace.
As the commander of the Palace Front Division, Zhou Chen had the responsibility of guarding the palace, so he received the information immediately and rushed to the palace.