In the second year of Yingshun, October 24th is approaching.
Chang'an, heavy snow.
Yang Xu led the horse into Chunming Gate and looked up. In front of him, wine flags were waving, orchids were dancing, and wealthy guests were singing. It was a lively scene.
After a turmoil, returning seems to be the Tianbao years.
He sat down in a wine shop and prepared to inquire about some news. Before the wine was served, his attention was attracted by the chattering in his ears.
It was about a man and a woman's affair, which was quite erotic. From time to time, the crowd would exclaim "No way?"
"You are at the age where you are like a wolf and a tiger, how can you endure it?"
"Didn't you say that the person is dead?"
"Fake your own death and escape, so that we can stay together and be with you every day."
"The rumors have always been about him and Third Sister Yang."
"You don't understand this, hee hee..."
A knowing smile appeared on Yang Xu's face. After listening for a while, he could already tell who the two people in question were.
The beautiful and graceful beauty in people's mouth must be referring to Yang Guifei. As for the young man whose name cannot be mentioned, but who holds great power, it is also ready to be revealed.
His eyes fell on the person who stirred up the topic and revealed the most inside information, and observed that the person's expression was somewhat sneaky.
Sure enough, the other party quickly changed the topic slightly.
"Everyone says that he has made great contributions, but how unbearable it must be for a man to covet his grandfather's woman."
"Beasts are not even..."
Yang Xu rolled his eyes and had a guess in his mind. When the man left, he didn't even bother to drink. He immediately followed him and saw that the man went to the next wine shop to discuss.
In fact, there is no need to deliberately spread rumors about romantic affairs. They have been spread for a long time and cannot be suppressed. But in order to prevent it from being forgotten, someone still needs to spread it. It is better to make a few comments and give some people a final conclusion.
If you ask who in Chang'an City can do this, the result is actually not difficult to guess.
After leaving a wine shop, the man walked towards the north of the city. Yang Xu quickly followed him, and after passing through a gate, he suddenly lost track of him.
He looked left and right and walked forward for a while. Suddenly a question sounded behind him.
"Brother, why are you following me?"
Yang Xu turned his head, a smile appeared on his face, and he bowed his hands and said: "I have no ill intentions, I just want to meet your master, and I will give you a generous gift."
~~
The carriage carried all kinds of treasures to Dou Wenyang's house. He counted them and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
As soon as Yang Xu came in, he expressed his position and said: "As the saint's closest brother, King Yong is naturally willing to offer treasures to the saint."
Dou Wenyang had a very high attitude and said: "The Tang Dynasty did not have the practice of letting kings leave the town. The saint originally wanted to recall King Yong and thought of the brotherhood, so he did not issue an edict. What is this? It is trust."
"The saint really trusts King Yong so much." Yang Xu was very understanding, "I would like to express my gratitude to King Yong for his grace."
Then, he changed the topic and asked in a questioning tone: "It is said that the kings did not leave the town, but King Yong went to Fan Yang. It seems that the saint also trusts King Yong very much?"
Dou Wenyang looked at Yang Xu condescendingly and asked, "What is King Yong's attitude?"
"King Yong worships the saint, but he has concerns about King Yong, worrying that he is not at peace with himself."
Dou Wenyang thought that it would be good if he could unite with King Yong to deal with Xue Bai. His attitude immediately improved a lot, and he did not hide it. He pointed out frankly that Xue Bai was too big to lose, and it was not easy to weaken him.
Yang Xu immediately expressed his stance on behalf of King Yong and was willing to contribute money and efforts to this matter.
Dou Wenyang was overjoyed, and after accepting Yang Xu's gift, he soon treated him as an honored guest.
After living in such harmony for two or three days, Yang Xu began to advise Dou Wenyang, mentioning the rumors in Chang'an City and pointing out that the saint should rely on the power of the Supreme Emperor to deal with Xue Bai.
Some time ago, Li Cong's proposal to let Zhang Bian and Chen Xilie become prime ministers had aroused Dou Wenyang's vigilance. He was still deeply afraid of Li Longji and remained silent after hearing this.
Yang Xu saw his hesitation and said: "Mr. Dou, you and I should think about the saint in the long run. To put it bluntly, how old is the Supreme Emperor, and how old is King Yong?"
Dou Wenyang was of a small family and did not want to let go of any power. But the reason is not difficult to understand. After what Yang Xu said, he also understood that if he did not unite with the saint's father and brother, it would be difficult to deal with Xue Bai, and with Xue Bai's
Due to their age, they will not be given a chance in the future.
Yang Xu continued to persuade: "There are rumors that King Yong has an affair with Concubine Yang, and the Supreme Emperor has been disgraced. He wants King Yong to die more than anyone else. When the time comes, Mr. Dou, you will be the number one contributor to saving the country."
This matter was spread by Dou Wenyang. He only thought about ruining Xue Bai's reputation. Only then did he realize that he could kill two birds with one stone.
He finally nodded in agreement.
Yang Xu also proposed that now that the New Year is approaching, he would like to pay tribute to the Supreme Emperor on behalf of King Yong as a filial piety.
Everyone has reached this point. Next, they have to work together to deal with Xue Bai, and Dou Wenyang is not easy to refuse.
After all, although he had received a generous gift, King Yong's contribution to Zuo Zangku had not yet arrived.
As for Li Cong, he doesn't have much say in this matter.
Li Longji had lived in the palace for a long time, and occasionally saw one or two foreign ministers. He was very happy and gave Yang Xu, a little-known official, a glass of wine. During the dinner, he also proposed to move to Xingqing Palace.
His father had a wish, and if Li Cong refused to agree, it would be unfilial. But he was extremely unwilling, so he simply closed his eyes and refused to answer, and Dou Wenyang refused for him.
"Xingqing Palace was much damaged due to the war and is not suitable for the Supreme Emperor to live in. It is better for the Supreme Emperor to live in Taiji Palace."
Being able to stop the Emperor's wish undoubtedly gave Dou Wenyang a lot of power.
Gao Lishi couldn't see his arrogance and scolded him instead: "Since the rebels have not invaded Chang'an, how can the Xingqing Palace be ruined? If the Supreme Emperor is willing to live there, how can you have a slave to boss around?!"
Dou Wenyang's expression changed. He was lectured by Gao Lishi over and over again. He had already made up his mind to demote Gao Lishi and release him before assassinating him.
He also had a straight face and said: "The high man has lived in the palace for a long time and does not know what is going on outside the palace. Since the rebellion of An Lushan, the people have been in dire straits. How can the imperial court have the money to repair Xingqing Palace."
This is to ridicule Li Longji for being fatuous, condoning the rebellion, and blocking his words.
But on the other hand, he also exposed Li Cong's current plight of lack of money, and he would have to compromise sooner or later.
It was decided that on October 28, before the New Year's Day, Li Cong issued an order to worship Chen Xilie as prime minister.
This matter was influenced by Li Longji, and Zhongshu Menxiasheng did not object. The Tang Dynasty has always had a system of group prime ministers, but Yan Zhenqing has always been an independent prime minister since he became prime minister. Previously, he needed to coordinate money and food due to wars, but now he objects to others becoming prime ministers.
It doesn't make sense.
During the war, after Chen Xilie was captured by Xue Bai, he did several things for Xue Bai, which can be considered meritorious.
Using him as a prime minister is a more acceptable result for the Yongwang line than using others.
As for Zhang Bian, since he had become a monk, he finally missed the opportunity to become prime minister again. This was also the result of the trade-off between all parties.
October passed quickly, and Ying Shun's second year ended abruptly.
In just ten months, Li Cong put down the rebellion in Hebei, captured and killed the Khitan Khan, and gradually gained some power in the governance of the court. He seemed to have the appearance of a wise king who would rebuild the Tang Dynasty.
He felt that the two years of Ying Shun's second year were a transitional two years. Xue Bai exerted too much influence on him. Behind every achievement he had was the shadow of Xue Bai, which made him very uncomfortable.
The next step will be for him to dominate the world and show off his power.
~~
The first day of the first lunar month of the Yuan Dynasty, the first day of the lunar month.
Today is Xiu Mu, Yan Zhenqing did not go to the Yamen, and stayed alone in his deserted home.
It is said to be deserted because Wei Yun also went to Yangzhou and has not been brought back yet, so the family has a small population. But in fact, many officials came to visit the prime minister, and the gate was actually bustling with people.
Yan Zhenqing saw no one else. Only one person came to see him, and that was Du Youlin.
"Is Mr. Yan worried about the situation in the DPRK?" Du Youlin asked.
"Why are you worried?" Yan Zhenqing asked.
Du Youlin said: "Chen Xilie is weak and incompetent, swaying from side to side. The saint made him the prime minister just to make him obey the saint's decree. But is what Chen Xilie is really carrying out the saint's intention? I'm afraid it's Dou Wenyang's."
Yan Zhenqing did not answer, knowing that Yidu's idea of having neighbors would only end up swaying Lord Xue Baiqing, and then the war that had finally been calmed down would start again.
Du Youlin continued: "If Chen Xilie is not worthy of attention, I think it will not be long before he will have to introduce Wei Jiansu as prime minister again, but this person should not be underestimated. If so, Mr. Yan will not be far away from being dismissed as prime minister.
"
Yan Zhenqing was not someone who was obsessed with power. He smiled wryly and waved his hands, saying, "If Wei Jiansu really wants to pay homage to the prime minister, it would be okay for me to resign."
Seeing him like this, Du Youlin no longer forced himself. Instead, he asked his own questions.
"King Yong wanted to transfer his brother Yan Gaoqing to stay with Yuan Luqian and others in Fanyang to take charge of military affairs. My brother had served as a camp judge in Hebei, so he is the most suitable candidate."
"Yes." Yan Zhenqing said: "It is more suitable for my brother to go to Fanyang than to stay in Hebei."
Du Youlin said: "In this way, the candidates left in Dongdu will be vacant. This position should be recommended by King Yong. In terms of qualifications, although I am not talented, I am still suitable. However, if I go to Luoyang again
, Duke Yan is in the court, I’m afraid he will have no one to support him.”
Yan Zhenqing said: "The Hebei military camp is a major event. You have served as a transfer envoy and are familiar with the situation in Luoyang. This arrangement is very appropriate. There is no need to delay the official business due to worries about party disputes in the court."
"Then, I'll take office right after the new year starts?"
Du Youlin had actually anticipated the saint's determination to depose Yan Zhenqing, which was why he paid today's visit.
After a somewhat deserted Shangyuan Festival, Du Youlin went to Luoyang to take up his post in the first month of the year.
As the oldest person in the Yongwang line, he took office and a series of personnel transfers followed, which meant that the Yongwang line shifted their focus eastward and northward, from the court to the local government.
transfer.
Chen Xilie was a very tactful person. The first thing he did after returning to the prime ministership was to write a letter to express his loyalty to Xue Bai. He was also very polite to Yan Zhenqing, a junior. He usually kept silent when discussing state affairs, just like when Li Linfu was the prime minister.
.
But before the first month came out, a case broke out in Chang'an City.
Some students from the Imperial College accused Yan Zhenqing of conspiring with Wei Shu, Zheng Qian, Su Yuanming and others, criticizing Cheng Yu, and falsely claiming prophecies.
Li Cong immediately expressed his absolute trust in Yan Zhenqing and ordered that the student who complained was thrown into prison and sent to Zhongshu's lower province. However, Yan Zhenqing did not dare to implement it and simply asked to be appointed to the official position.
He was a hero, so Li Cong naturally would not allow him to become an official, so he ordered Chen Xilie to investigate the case thoroughly and try to clear Yan Zhenqing's innocence.
Chen Xilie took advantage of the opportunity of Yan Zhenqing's recusal from presiding over the case and began to take control of political affairs. He promoted Wei Jiansu as his servant and entered the ranks of the prime minister.
In this way, matters that were decided by Yan Zhenqing in the past can be discussed and voted on by the three prime ministers. As long as two people agree on a matter, it is enough.
As long as this case was not settled for a day, Yan Zhenqing would have to avoid suspicion and would not be able to serve as a director of the province. A few days later, he again submitted his resignation with sincere words.
Li Cong had no choice but to approve the matter.
Therefore, less than a year after the end of the rebellion, the heroes who put down the rebellion either left the border fortress or were in the northwest to prepare for the autumn. The prime ministers who were now staying in the court also retired. Accordingly, King Yong and his family were in the court
His power is at its most empty.
Li Cong worked hard for so long and finally cleared away the obstacles and took charge of the court.
The first thing was naturally to appoint officials. Dou Wenyang promoted his confidants to important ministers of the imperial court. These people regarded themselves as loyal ministers of the emperor and were the best at flattery, which soon made Li Cong feel elated.
After appointing officials, it is natural to have political achievements, and what are political achievements? Naturally, it is to fill the national treasury, so Dou Wenyang asked officials at all levels to find ways to increase taxes.
After the talent and money policies are decided and implemented, the biggest problem to be faced is Xue Bai, a serious enemy.
During the daily court meetings, the ministers gathered together and offered their own suggestions. They all believed that the time had come for Xue Bai to return to Chang'an to guard Li Ying's mausoleum and to remove him from the post of general marshal of the world's troops.
In short, Li Cong has already taken control of Chang'an, and he has to take advantage of Xue Bai before he takes control of Fan Yang.
~~
Jizhou.
The rolling mountains are gone, and there is flat grassland to the north, dotted with black or white cattle and sheep.
A large cloud floated over, very low, as if I wanted to overlook what a large group of people were doing on the grassland.
It was a market that was the mutual market between Khitan, Xi and Tang.
A messenger galloped from the south on horseback. He found a group of tough guards and asked, "Where is King Yong? I have something to tell you."
"Keep your voice down and I'll take you there."
A guard led the messenger forward and saw Xue Bai, wearing an ordinary robe, wrestling with a Khitan boy.
Everyone in the army knew that King Yong was very powerful and could dance a long arm weighing tens of kilograms without any problem. However, they did not expect that the thin-looking arms of the Khitan boy also contained great strength. The two were in a stalemate.
The dark and thin face of the Khitan boy was a little red. He was clearly young, but he had a sense of vicissitudes and maturity after a long period of experience. Only his eyes retained the innocence and simplicity of a young man.
Seeing the messenger coming, Xue Bai increased his strength, the muscles on his arms became more prominent, and finally pushed him down.
He didn't know how the Khitan boy's thin arms could be so strong. He was immediately annoyed, stood up, and said in his unskilled Chinese: "Okay, I'll sell you my horse."
Xue Bai smiled and bought his horse. It was a very handsome colt with powerful hooves and would not stop running.
Just when he saw the Khitan boy pulling the reins, the horse raised its head and neighed. Xue Bai took a fancy to it at a glance and went up to ask for the price. The Khitan boy wanted to sell it but was reluctant to sell it.
He rode this horse himself, but he needed to buy necessities back home, so he was a little tempted by Xue Bai's price.
After receiving the money, he enthusiastically invited Xue Bai to his home and invited him to drink mare's milk, showing the unique enthusiasm of a young man.
When Li Linfu placed great emphasis on the Hu people, he said that they were powerful and simple-minded. When Xue Bai came into contact with them, this was indeed the case.
"King Yong, I'm afraid you have to go back to Fanyang immediately."
The messenger finally found an opportunity, handed over the letter from Chang'an, and conveyed Yan Zhuang's words.
Xue Bai read the letter, waved his hand and said, "Don't be in a hurry, just stick to the planned itinerary."
A few days later, he met the new Khitan Khan in the grasslands farther north, threatened him, and then returned to Fanyang without haste.
Yan Gaoqing, Yuan Luqian and other officials had already arrived and greeted Xue Bai at the city gate.
They were both comrades-in-arms in Changshan, and they were very happy to see each other again.
When it came to the matter of farming, Yan Gaoqing was really clear-headed and answered many of Xue Bai's doubts.
They also mentioned that the imperial court wanted to collect taxes from Hebei.
I thought that Xue Bai was self-respecting as a soldier, so he would not hand over the civil register and field register to the court, let alone pay taxes.
"As early as two years ago, the imperial court issued a decree promising not to raise taxes, but now it frequently breaks its promise. If this continues, where is the prestige of the imperial court?"
As expected, Xue Bai first expressed his resistance to this, but then he changed the topic and said: "But Hebei is also the land of the Tang Dynasty. In the past two years, due to the rebellion, it has not paid taxes. Now that it has been recovered, it should be paid
The taxes will not be less."
After that, he asked people to hand over the field register and the people's register to Yan Gaoqing.
He has great ambitions for the world, and there is no need to resort to the evil tactics of separatist rule for a small amount of money.
The urgent matter that the messenger mentioned was not the urgent matter that required Xue Bai to rush back. Instead, the official decree from the imperial court arrived. Xue Bai Bai was sent to the Marshal of the Army and waited for his official position, and ordered him to return to Chang'an and visit Li Ying's mausoleum.
I stayed at the mausoleum to fulfill my filial piety for three years.
"King Yong, raise your troops."
History is always surprisingly similar. It was only after the Anshi Rebellion subsided that Yan Zhuang once again stood in the lobby of Fan Yang Jiedu Envoy's Mansion and said the same words.
He has already thought about it. The power of King Yong's family in the court is now at its most empty, and Yan Zhenqing is no longer in power. If Xue Bai surrenders his military power and returns to Chang'an, he will undoubtedly die.
But if you don't go back, you are disobeying the decree. It is better to start a rebellion first. Taking advantage of the remaining power of quelling the rebellion, it is not difficult to capture Chang'an.
Xue Bai was very calm and asked: "In what name?"
Yan Zhuang also considered it, and of course he could not raise troops in the name of unwillingness to guard the mausoleum and fulfill his filial piety, so he simply replied: "Qing Jun's side."
He put on a righteous and stern look and said in a deep voice: "Since the saint re-employed the eunuchs, he has gone against the grain and made the people of the world dissatisfied. King Yong should raise his army in the name of killing Dou Wenyang."
Xue Bai asked: "What if Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, Feng Changqing and other generals lead their troops to stop me?"
Yan Zhuang hesitated for a moment and licked his lips nervously because of what he was going to say next.
The reason why the imperial court dared to recall Xue Bai was to bet that these famous generals would not condone Xue Bai's rebellion. Once he raised an army, Feng Changqing could blackmail Xue Bai from behind.
"Please ask King Yong to invite Feng Changqing to Fan Yang for a banquet, get rid of him during the banquet, and seize the military power of Pinglu; and send envoys to win over Li Guangbi. I heard that he has long been dissatisfied with the saint's reuse of eunuchs and has a grudge in his heart. I should be able to persuade him;
In this case, only Guo Ziyi, with the sharpness of King Yong's army, can defeat him."
Xue Bai asked again: "Look at which general under my command who is completely loyal to me has the ability to defeat Guo Ziyi?"
"Fan Yang surrenders." Yan Zhuang said: "Tian Chengsi, Zhang Zhongzhi and others are loyal to King Yong and will definitely be willing to help King Yong seize the throne."
Xue Bai looked around and could see that Yan Zhuang's eyes were very eager, wishing that he would immediately start an army to rebel. This must have been the case when he first persuaded An Lushan.
But Xue Bai is not An Lushan. He has his own considerations and will not mess up his rhythm just because of a few words of encouragement.
Now he seems to have a high prestige, but in fact many of his generals follow him in order to help the Tang Dynasty. To raise an army at this time is to destroy the foundation. And there is no need at all. He believes that there will be better opportunities in a few years.
"Do you know what is the biggest difference between me and An Lushan?"
Yan Zhuang was stunned for a moment and replied: "King Yong's heroic appearance and extraordinary martial prowess are definitely not comparable to those of An Lushan."
Xue Bai said: "He is a rebel, but I am loyal to the imperial court. How can I imitate him and raise an army to rebel?"
Yan Zhuang didn't believe it. He could tell at a glance that Xue Bai's high-sounding rhetoric was used to confuse the world, and there must be a more powerful method behind it.
It's just that he hasn't figured it out yet.
But the next day, Xue Bai actually sent a letter to the court, received an edict to express his gratitude, and expressed his willingness to relinquish military power and return to Chang'an. However, Fan Yang's military camp had just begun, and he could not bear to give up halfway, leaving the soldiers without food and grass and had to wait.
It will take a month or two to set off.
When this memorial was slowly delivered to Chang'an, Li Cong was overjoyed after reading it.
His uneasy heart finally subsided. Looking back on his path to seizing power, he felt that his methods were really superb.
Looking back on everything, ever since the year changed, it has been like time, and many things have gone smoothly. Even he is thinking that maybe it is really God's timing.
Maybe a comet really appeared in the east that night, indicating that he would become a wise king with lasting achievements.
~~
After the New Year, Yang Xu set off from Chang'an and returned to Jiangling.
Although he did not bring back Li Longji's secret decree, he gained a lot and contacted a group of officials in the court.
These officials either saw Xue Bai's ambition and were unwilling to rebel, but failed to be reused by Li Cong, or they saw Li Cong's incompetence and had high hopes for Li Longji and high hopes for Yong Wang Li Lin.
Good impression.
Their intention was that King Yong could increase the authority of the Supreme Emperor so that the Supreme Emperor could correct the mistakes made by the saints in state affairs, such as re-employing eunuchs.
But after listening to Yang Xu's description, Li Lin thought that these officials wanted to make him emperor, and her confidence immediately increased.
"Tell me, what are my chances of winning if I raise an army to clear the emperor?"
Yang Xu was startled and asked, "Are you too impatient?"
Unexpectedly, Li Lin said something that shocked him.
"Xue Bai has made an agreement with me to raise our troops to drive Chang'an together, and whoever enters Guanzhong first will be the emperor. I plan to strike first, what do you think?"
"this……"
Yang Xu was even more surprised and asked: "Why did he make this agreement with King Yong?"
"As early as when I took office, he sent someone to contact me." Li Lin said: "It's strange. I didn't show off before. How did he know that I had great ambitions?"
"King Yong has an imperial spirit, I think he saw it." Yang Xu said: "If he wants to raise an army, wouldn't it be more appropriate for King Yong to lead his army northward in the name of crusade after he has done something?"
"If I let him enter Guanzhong, how can I capture it?"
Li Lin had already had a case against him, and did not listen to the advice at all. He said domineeringly: "I should seize the throne first while these two tigers are fighting!"