There was mist on the hot spring water, and smoke came out of the incense burner, making the entire inner hall a little foggy.
On the imperial couch, the white marble statue remained motionless. Behind the imperial couch, an old eunuch was sitting on the blanket, listening to Wang Zhongsi's lengthy words and taking notes with a brush in his hand.
Wang Zhongsi was talking about some things in Shuofang and Hebei. From time to time, he mentioned Turks and Khitan, and some awkward names came up.
"Peiro, the leader of the Uighurs, has died, and his son Moyanchu succeeded to the throne. I thought that after Abu Si fled north, he would either go to the Uighurs or go to Geluolu. In recent years, the Uighurs have controlled Geluolu.
It's so bad that Ge Luolu set up Ye Hu on his own, which may lead to trouble..."
The voice was very weak, and the old eunuch couldn't understand it. His head lowered lower and lower, and he gradually seemed to be falling asleep.
A young eunuch quietly walked in from the back courtyard, his steps were lighter than a cat, and handed over a small scroll.
The old eunuch took a look at the unfolded scroll, cleared his throat slightly and spoke.
"I understand."
A very strange scene appeared. The voice coming out of the old eunuch's mouth was very similar to that of a saint. If you listen through the screen, it seems like the white marble statue on the imperial couch has spoken.
He just followed the script, and his tone was somewhat dull, not as full as the saint's usual tone.
"I know that Ah Xun has been wronged about what happened, so I need to take a good rest first..."
"His Majesty!"
On the other side of the screen, Wang Zhongsi suddenly became excited, as if he wanted to stand up, which made the old eunuch who looked outside feel very nervous. Fortunately, Wang Zhongsi was weak and abided by court etiquette, and did not break into the inner hall, but supported his arms.
, kneeling on the ground.
"The land east of Hedong, with Hefen in its lap and Guanluo in its wings, no matter whether it goes east to Hebei or goes south to the Central Plains to send troops, it is a commanding position. It can be said to be a great victory. Therefore, it is not a confidant and loyal minister who cannot be relied on. I invite your highness, and you must not take Anlu Mountain lightly.
!”
The sudden and fierce remonstrance left the old eunuch in the inner palace at a loss, but he responded again: "I understand."
Fearing that Wang Zhongsi would talk endlessly, he quickly read the contents of the scroll.
"Axun, please step aside and rest for a while. But there is a problem that you are making difficult for me to solve."
"I am guilty, and I know that I have brought your Majesty into trouble, and I am willing to die to atone for it."
Regardless of what Wang Zhongsi answered, the old eunuch read it to himself and said: "You lied to your death and deceived me. The news of your death has been announced. If you change your mind, where will the majesty of the court be? Just stay in seclusion to recuperate. After you recover, I will try to do something for you."
You are reinstated."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wang Zhongsi had already been mentally prepared for this. "I obey the order and will never dare to use my name as Wang Zhongsi in the future."
"I just hope you are in good health and live a long life. You don't have to think too much about anything else."
There was a voice without any fluctuation in tone. When Wang Zhongsi heard it, he felt a sense of loss in his heart, and he swallowed back the thousands of words he had been brewing.
For a moment, he seemed to have been drained of his energy. He fell weakly on the soft couch and let someone carry him out. The excessive blood loss made him dizzy. He thought that he had tried his best and had to hand over all the burdens he should give back.
He went back, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When I woke up again, I was already in Bieye in Zhaoying County, and Wang Yunxiu was calling "Grandpa" anxiously in my ears.
"Xue Lang?"
Wang Zhongsi was unable to pay attention to his daughter. He opened his eyes a little and saw another figure standing in the room.
His throat rolled twice, and he murmured: "Did I finally... see the saint?"
In fact, he had vaguely noticed that the person in the Nine Dragons Palace did not seem to be a saint, because it was so cold that he could not feel the temperature and breath of any living person, but he was not sure whether the saint was that cold.
Xue Bai hesitated slightly, his eyes fell on Wang Zhongsi's defeated face, and replied: "I saw it."
"Is the plan going well?" Wang Zhongsi asked.
"Nothing was too wrong. The saint saw everything he should have seen with his own eyes."
"So, we did it?"
"I have done everything I can, so I have succeeded." Xue Bai paused and continued: "Right now, the saint has detained Ji Wen and Sun Xiaozhe. The team sent by An Lushan to offer prisoners has also been controlled.
, we will investigate this case in detail next.”
For a few seconds, Wang Zhongsi's eyes showed a look of relief, which soon dimmed.
He very much hoped to prove his loyalty to the saint, and advised the saint to beware of Anlu Mountain to avoid chaos in the world during the transition of the throne. At this time, listening to Xue Bai's words, he should have succeeded. However, deep in his heart
However, I still can't completely rest assured.
After a moment of silence, he sighed and asked, "Did it hurt you?"
"It doesn't matter, the saint doesn't trust me for the time being, but it will get better sooner or later." Xue Bai said, shaking his head mockingly, and whispered: "This is not important anymore."
"Counting it all, I don't know how many times you have protected me." Wang Zhongsi turned his head, looked at Wang Yunxiu, and murmured: "I am sick and disabled and I may not be able to repay the kindness Xue Lang has shown me. You must
Remember."
"Grandma, don't worry."
Xue Bai said: "Jie Shuai has great luck. Those young people can't kill you, and all the difficulties can't defeat you. Please cheer up again, the country still needs Jie Shuai as the pillar."
Wang Zhongsi was deeply touched by this sentence and said: "I have never been afraid of Genu, Zahu, Shihu and their minions. It is even more because of your protection several times. Those young people still don't want to follow my path."
life."
He said this very proudly.
He had been framed, squeezed out, poisoned, and assassinated for several years. Even this time he was prepared to die, and finally survived under Sun Xiaozhe's knife. As Xue Bai said, he would never die in Xiao Xiao
in the hands of others.
But what really wanted to kill him all along, what could kill him, was not what it seemed on the surface.
What killed him was the will of the saint.
At the end of the day, the saint still killed him.
Wang Zhongsi was thinking about the last few words he heard in Yutang Jiulong Hall, and all the luster in his eyes gradually faded, and he said casually.
"Wang Zhongsi...is dead."
Xue Bai understood the meaning of this sentence. Even if he could save Wang Zhongsi a thousand or ten thousand times, as long as the suspicion in Li Longji's heart was not eliminated, Wang Zhongsi would be like a thorn in the emperor's throat sooner or later.
to be pulled out.
For Wang Zhongsi, this was a deadlock; but in Xue Bai's view, as long as Li Longji was solved, this deadlock would be solved.
"You don't have to lose your integrity. If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood. If you keep a low profile and bide your time, there will still be a day when you will shine."
"You don't understand me." Wang Zhongsi said, "I was raised by a saint since I was a child..."
He didn't say any more and turned around to give Wang Yunxiu another instruction.
"Let's go ahead with the funeral."
He was raised by a saint since he was a child. He upheld loyalty and filial piety in his heart and regarded the saint as everything. For this reason, he had no time to care about his own children, so how could he betray the saint.
But his biggest dilemma is that the saint wants him to die.
~~
Paper money was raised high.
There were cries in Wang Zhongsi's house in Yanshoufang, Chang'an City, and then the sound of horse hoofbeats was heard. The mourners turned around and saw that Wang Yunxiu, who had been away for three days, had finally returned.
"Little lady, where have you been?"
"I went to ask for a posthumous gift from the saint."
There was not much expression on Wang Yunxiu's face. She took out a roll of imperial edict from her sleeve and said: "The saint posthumously conferred upon me the title of crown prince and grand master."
She held the scroll in one hand and did not open it to read. With her plain expression, she was obviously disrespectful to the saint. But everyone was indulged in mourning and bathed in the majesty of the king's grace, so they did not notice it.
On the contrary, someone asked curiously: "Where is Yuan Zai?"
"He was appointed as Dali Sizhi to investigate the cause of my grandfather's death."
"Wouldn't it be that Yuan Zai has become the person with the highest official position in the family now?"
Wang Yunxiu's aunts couldn't help but chatter among themselves, completely forgetting that they were the ones who often ridiculed Yuan Zai.
The funeral was filled with more chaotic things. Before Wang Zhongsi's funeral, the family tradition of the Wang family had already changed.
A few days later, the funeral was held and he was buried in Bailuyuan.
The sacrificial text was written by Yuan Zai before.
"Gong was originally from Qi in Taiyuan. His ancestors of the sixth generation served as governor of Qingzhou in the Later Wei Dynasty, he served as general of Baidao Town in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and his ancestors of the fifth generation entered the Pass with Emperor Wu of Zhou..."
The memorial text is very long. It starts with the heroic death of Wang Zhongsi's father, Wang Haibin, and details Wang Zhongsi's life achievements, but it seems endless. Starting from noon, I read until the setting sun dyed the clouds on the horizon red.
.
"When the orphan boy was recognized, he made plans and worked hard, and his righteousness and courage overcame hundreds of millions of people. When he was appointed, he strengthened the spirit of the three armies and combined the power of ten thousand men. He killed hundreds of barbarians and invigorated them to subjugate them by force. After breaking the agreement, he was exhausted.
It’s about the country!”
Hearing this, Wang Yunxiu felt a chill on her face, and when she touched her hand, she was surprised to shed tears.
She never kept count of the past, and she often forgot that her grandfather had such a magnificent life.
As the last handful of loess was spread, the funeral procession came to an end.
Wang Yunxiu was thinking that the experience of his grandpa's visit was similar to that of Li Linfu, and he hoped that the experience of Feng Ying would no longer be similar to that of Li Linfu.
In her ears, people began to praise her husband.
"The memorial text of Yuan Zai is really well written, and he is a man of literary talent and filial piety."
"But he didn't even come to the funeral?"
"As I said, I am still investigating the cause of my uncle's death. He is more filial than the sons of the Wang family..."
~~
On the same day, Yang Guozhong handed a petition to Yuan Zai with a bright smile and said: "Congratulations to the Flower and Bird Envoy for officially taking office."
"Thank you, Prime Minister."
Yuan Zai took the notice and took a look at it. He saw the few words on it, "He ordered Yuan Zai to do this." However, he could feel the huge power it brought. On the surface, he was just recruiting the most beautiful women from all over the world.
In the palace, he could take the opportunity to establish a lot of dignity for himself.
From now on, any official who dared to be disobedient would choose his wife or daughter to enter the palace. After all, the flower and bird messengers did errands and did not care about family status or marriage.
In just this moment, the aura on Yuan Zai's body became somewhat different and more intense.
"Haha." Yang Guozhong couldn't help laughing, "Master, don't be so serious. This is a pleasant job. Do you know what kind of beauty the saint likes?"
"But like a noble concubine?"
"wrong."
"Please give me some advice from your right minister."
Yang Guozhong smiled mysteriously and said: "Sages like all kinds of beauties."
This was considered a funny joke on his part, and Yuan Zai had no choice but to laugh. He smiled and occasionally remembered that today was the day of Wang Zhongsi's funeral.
But Yuan Zai knew very well that unlike Yang Qixuan, he was not a villain who betrayed his father-in-law to gain his own future. He really had a plan to realize Wang Zhongsi's wish.
After talking about the duties of the Flower and Bird Envoy, it was inevitable to bring up what happened in the Wu Hall a few days ago. Yuan Zai was not willing to report the truth to Yang Guozhong until he benefited from it today.
"So, we are only a little bit close to overthrowing the prince?" After hearing this, Yang Guozhong twirled his long beard with some regret.
Yuan Zai was surprised to hear such a stupid statement in a power struggle, and quickly covered the contempt in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I am a little confused. Please clarify your doubts."
"But it doesn't matter." Yang Guozhong waved his sleeves coolly.
Yuan Zai said: "The right prime minister is in charge of the government and supervises the prince. It is his duty to supervise the prince. But if he really overthrows the prince, what good will it do to the right prime minister?"
Yang Guozhong had his own considerations and asked: "We have offended the prince so much, why don't we sit back and wait for death?"
Yuan Zai was heartbroken, secretly thinking that someone like Shihu, who was so close to the saint, was still thinking about the next dynasty, which can only be said to be unfounded worries.
"The saint was in his prime, and his subordinates thought that this matter was not a matter of concern for the time being. Instead, An Lushan supported Zhang Bian, Ji Wen and others to compete with You for power in the court. However, the troops and horses in the hands of You Xiang were not as good as him.
Therefore, Anlu Mountain is the formidable enemy."
Yang Guozhong nodded and said, "You mean, I should take this opportunity to deal with Zahu?"
"That's the way it is."
Yuan Zai talked eloquently, talking about how to get rid of Ji Wen and Sun Xiaozhe, weakening Anlushan, and how to get rid of Zhang Bian and Chen Xilie, letting Yang Guozhong take sole power, win over Bianzhen, and completely eliminate Anlushan.
Reaching the height of Li Linfu who covers the sky with one hand.
Yang Guozhong nodded repeatedly and was very satisfied with this idea.
He made up his mind and handed the memorial to the saint. As expected, the saint soon summoned him to see him.
~~
Nowadays, Yang Guozhong's control over the government is far less than that of Li Linfu. In the past, when Li Linfu was there, Li Longji always left the government in Chang'an when he went to Huaqing Palace, but now he brings all the prime ministers to Lishan.
Xue Bai knew that he might be demoted soon, but thanks to Li Longji's unwillingness to announce recent events, he has not been dealt with yet. At least for now, he is still a member of Zhongshushe.
With the power and position of Zhongshu Sheren, every time he noticed that a memorial from Chang'an was sent to Lishan, he would rush there as soon as possible and propose himself to draft the decree.
That day, Chen Xilie finally asked Xue Bai to draft an important edict.
"this?"
Xue Bai looked at the draft and showed some doubts.
Chen Xilie said: "It was you and the Prime Minister who discussed it before. Since An Sishun has been appointed as the military governor of Shuofang, he can be relieved of his post as the military governor of Hexi and Gao Xianzhi can concurrently serve as governor."
"yes."
Xue Bai frankly agreed.
This was Wang Zhongsi's suggestion, and he implemented it at that time and convinced Yang Guozhong.
However, the edict to be drafted today is to comfort An Sishun, saying that the matter of asking him to step down as the governor of Hexi Province is false, and the court has no intention of doing so, so that he can stay in office with peace of mind.
"Does Prime Minister Zuo know why this is?"
Chen Xilie took a deep look at Xue Bai, dug out a copy from a pile of official documents, and said, "Read it yourself."
It was a memorial written by a supervisor named Pei Zhounan, saying that when the officers and soldiers in Hexi and the Hu tribes heard that An Sishun was resigning, they all asked the court to let An Sishun stay in office. Some Hu people even cut themselves off.
He cut his ear and scratched his cheek to express to the court his determination to keep An Sishun.
This is a big deal. Abusi has already rebelled. If Hexi changes again due to the transfer of Jiedushi, no one in the court can bear this responsibility. The only way is to appease An Sishun.
Xue Bai read it and said with a wry smile: "Is this what Zuo Xiang once said about An Sishun's loyalty to the court?"
Chen Xilie said: "Besides loyalty, who is selfless? Does Xue Lang dare to claim to be selfless? If the imperial court asks you to step down as the official of Zhongshushe, you can be willing to do so."
Xue Bai said: "Wang Zhongsi is selfless."
"Stop talking and let's draw up the edict."
Xue Bai then drafted another edict to add to his heart.
Perhaps because he knew the direction of history, he now increasingly felt that the border towns of Datang were beginning to shake like boiling water.
Xixiuling still has beautiful scenery.
Xue Bai then went to the palace gate to ask for an audience, hoping to talk about An Sishun's affairs.
He waited for a long time and saw Yang Guozhong coming and being ushered into the palace. Then the eunuch came over and said with a smile, "Xue Lang, please come back. The saint has state affairs to deal with today and won't play cards..."
~~
Now in Li Longji's eyes, Yang Guozhong is a capable and practical minister, while Xue Bai is a minister who can only serve as a minister like Li Bai.
The difference is that Yang Guozhong knew the emperor's thoughts and could obey the will of the emperor and get things done, while Xue Bai had too many wrong and unrealistic ideas, and thought self-righteously that the country would be better.
It can be seen from the incident of Wang Zhongsi that Xue Bai, because he sympathized with Wang Zhongsi, ignored the threat posed to his family, country and the country by a general who had great achievements, was domineering and untamed, and was too close to the prince.
Of course, Xue Bai is still young and needs to be tempered. It can only be said that promoting him to the position of Zhongshu Sheren is a bit too fast and is counterproductive. Although it is to commend his achievements in the Battle of Nanzhao, it is time to hammer him down.
.
So when Yang Guozhong came to see him, Li Longji brought up the matter first as an appetizer before talking about big things.
"I also believe that Xue Bai's sudden rise to a high position is too domineering and should be tempered."
Yang Guozhong immediately understood the saint's intention and thought about how to demote Xue Bai.
But if I think about it carefully, I can't find the reason for the time being. The imperial court claims that Wang Zhongsi died of illness, so Xue Bai's crime of deceiving the emperor cannot be made clear. Although he seems to be full of tricks, he really needs to be dealt with.
But there is neither corruption nor neglect of government.
What's more, dealing with An Lushan is more important now.
Yang Guozhong then changed the subject and added: "It's just that Xue Bai just returned from Nanzhao not long ago, and he asked Rong Chen to find a suitable forehead."
"Yang Qing will take care of it, don't forget it." Li Longji's mind was not on this matter. He was thinking about the incident in Hebei and frowned slightly, "You must have heard about the conflict between Sun Xiaozhe and the prince."
"I heard this."
"You are the prime minister, how do you think you should handle it?"
Yang Guozhong said simply and neatly: "Please kill Ji Wen and Sun Xiaozhe!"
This is Yuan Zai's suggestion. There is no need to give a reason, because it is not easy to say it. It only needs to be a resolute attitude to force the saint to make up his mind. Once Ji Wen and Sun Xiaozhe are executed, the problem will be solved.
Being pushed to the top of Anlu Mountain, Yang Guozhong can take the initiative.
The premise is that the pressure of the saint must be withstood and the saint must be made to feel the courtiers' strong dissatisfaction with the Anlushan family.
However, Li Longji had stared at Yang Guozhong deeply, forcing Yang Guozhong to lower his head.
"It is easy to kill Jiwen and Sun Xiaozhe. But I ask you, An Lushan sent an envoy back to Beijing to offer prisoners, but he was beheaded. How to comfort him later?"
"I think... An Lushan was so connivant that he even ordered his subordinates to commit crimes. The imperial court should send envoys to investigate the crime, dismiss Fan Yang, and send envoys to Pinglu Festival."
Yang Guozhong's tone was slightly trembling, and he seemed to lack confidence.
"Who can take my place?"
"I have two candidates, one is Ge Shuhan."
After Yang Guozhong became the prime minister, he tried to win over his brother Shu Han, and the relationship between them is quite good now. If his brother Shu Han is transferred to Fan Yang, Longyou will be out of the question, and Yuan Zai recommends Li Guangbi to be Jiedu's successor because of Wang Zhongsi's relationship.
However, Li Longji frowned directly and stared at Yang Guozhong, doubting the prime minister's ability.
In recent years, there have been frequent wars in Qinghai, fierce tensions with Tibet, and constant turmoil in the Western Regions. At this time, it is simply impossible to mobilize Ge Shuhan.
Yang Guozhong really had no experience in this kind of military and national affairs. He felt the saint's dissatisfaction and felt guilty. He pretended that he was just offering advice and quickly answered.
"My second candidate is Xianyu Zhongtong."
"Ha." Li Longji sneered disdainfully, "You think the situation in Hebei is comparable to that of Sichuan and Sichuan."
Hebei is located on the border, with a mixture of Hu and Han people, and the people's hearts are uncertain. The difficulty of governance is far from that of Sichuan and Shu. It is difficult for Xianyu Zhongtong to serve as the governor of Jiannan, and it is even more difficult to compare with Anlu Mountain.
Yang Guozhong did not dare to argue, and he had no better candidate, so he hesitated and was speechless.
Seeing that he was speechless, Li Longji changed the topic and asked something else first, saying: "I read the notes you approved the day before yesterday and let An Sishun stay in his post?"
"Back to the saint, yes." Yang Guozhong said: "An Sishun has been in the border army for a long time and has made outstanding achievements..."
Li Longji didn't listen to these reasons and raised his hand.
"How long has An Sishun been in charge of Hexi? You can't ask him to step down, but how long has Hu'er been in charge of me in Hebei?"
Yang Guozhong hesitated, lowered his head, and responded: "I am ashamed."
He has been shouting that he would deal with An Lushan, but he realized today that this matter does not mean just eliminating An Lushan alone. He has been operating in Hebei for many years and has deep roots.
It's like a radish with a huge root. If you don't dig down and just pull it out, no one can pull it out.
"Not everyone can replace Hu Er."
After thinking for a moment, Li Longji said this.
After that, he added another sentence, saying: "I also believe in his loyalty."
"Saint, but Sun Xiaozhe wanted to kill Wang Zhongsi. The evidence is conclusive."
"He has confessed. It was a personal grudge. When Wang Zhongsi went on a northern expedition to the Turks and killed his father, this matter had nothing to do with Hu'er."
Yang Guozhong opened his mouth and wanted to ask the sage, "Who tried this case? How could the trial result like this?"
But he also understood that this result was exactly the answer in the saint's mind.
"You go check it again." Li Longji said, "If the truth is true, then Sun Xiaozhe will be escorted back to Fanyang to see how Hu'er will be dealt with."
"I... obey your order."
Yang Guozhong still remembered Yuan Zai's repeated instructions to him, "You must be resolute," and he complied involuntarily.
In this matter, it was not that he was too weak, but that there was a problem with the strategies of Wang Zhongsi, Yuan Zai, and Xue Bai. They intended to directly convict An Lushan. This approach was obviously wrong.
To deal with Anlushan, we should dismantle it step by step and dig out its roots bit by bit. We should appoint officials from various counties and counties in Hebei and select generals from Fanyang and Pinglu towns. When the time comes, replacing Anlushan will not cause any problems.
No worries.
Yang Guozhong left Huaqing Palace and met Yuan Zai.
"Right Minister, is this... a failure?"
"How can we say that the matter failed?" Yang Guozhong smiled and waved his hand, saying: "The saint agreed to my request, but he still has concerns about Zahu. He wants to send Sun Xiaozhe to Fanyang to test Zahu's reaction."
Yuan Zai was stunned and admired Yang Guozhong's mouth, which was worthy of being able to catch a mouthful of phlegm from Li Linfu.
Yang Guozhong thought that the sage did not tell Ji Wen how to deal with it just now, so he could use Ji Wen to scare the monkeys and increase the authority of his right-wing prime minister.
Although there were some mistakes, he still followed his plan in general, eliminating political opponents one by one and gradually taking charge of the government.
"Don't worry, we can do it." Yang Guozhong patted Yuan Zai on the shoulder and said.
~~
Xue Bai got the news that evening and heard that Yang Guozhong went to visit Sun Xiaozhe without being tortured.
He sighed slightly, looked at the sunset in the distance, and said something to Wang Zhongsi in his heart.
"Your method failed after all. From now on, just follow my method."
Xue Bai admitted this failure.
He also realized more and more clearly that he would never be able to persuade those who Wang Zhongsi could not persuade with his own life.