The first year of Zhengxing is about to pass, but Du Wulang is still staying in Lingwu.
He had already quietly sent a secret letter to Xue Bai, expressing his suspicions and planning to find out more clues.
On New Year's Eve, he got the name "Cao Lingzhong", so he wrote a few more letters and gave them to several of his followers, giving them some instructions.
"It seems that Pugu Huai'en's seizure of the messenger is true. I will go and confirm Cao Lingzhong's life and death. Send these messages back to Chang'an respectively. Also, if I don't come back tonight, I will tell Guo Ziyi that Lingwu City is very dangerous.
It's dangerous, don't come alone."
"Wulang, why do you have to go to this step?" Quanfu persuaded with a sad face: "This is not like you."
"Oh, I don't want to either." Du Wulang scratched his head and said, "But what should I do? My brother-in-law friend has become the emperor. Now that my status has reached this point, I have to share his worries."
"But what Goro wants to do doesn't seem like something a big shot would do."
"Otherwise, what else would I do? Stop nagging and go quickly." Du Wulang said, "I'm just going to meet someone, there's not much danger."
He was indeed just going to meet one person, a personal soldier of Pugujuan.
Previously, Du Wulang had already made a promise to this private soldier. As long as he confessed truthfully, his future would be guaranteed. However, he was uneasy and had to get Du Wulang's promise in person before he dared to speak.
They made an appointment to meet at a brothel in the east of Lingwu City.
This area was called Dongqu. Du Wulang, wearing a felt hat, arrived sneakily, found a small courtyard along the alley, and knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door was a pretty woman with a bright and good appearance, but her eyebrows were a little stale and she looked a little tired. Du Wulang didn't like it. He had only liked the kind that was as pure as water since he was a child.
"Who is Mr. Lang looking for?"
"Is Liu Dazhi here?"
"Hey, my guest is not looking for a slave, nor is he looking for other young ladies, but he is looking for a very rude man?"
Du Wulang then squeezed in and said, "Since the young lady knows that he is a rude man, he must have already arrived."
"My husband is so smart." The woman praised with a smile, knowing how to please people very well.
"Take me there quickly." Du Wulang was impatient.
"Come with the slave family."
The woman walked in front of her. Du Wulang hurriedly followed behind. After a while, he arrived in front of an elegant house.
"The person is right here." The woman opened the door.
Du Wulang strode in, and then he stayed there.
There was indeed one rude and burly man in the room, but there was more than one, and the room was full of burly men.
"Du Qi."
A man called Du Wulang's name and stood up, it was Pu Gujuan.
"You said you wanted to return to Beijing, but you are stuck in Lingwu. What do you want to do?"
Du Wulang was stunned for a moment, and then he had an idea and said: "When I return to Chang'an, I will have no freedom and can't look for flowers and flowers. So I stay in Lingwu secretly and play more, haha, play for a few more days."
Pu Gujuan's face darkened and he said coldly: "Do you think I'm a fool? Take it down!"
He was a battle-hardened general. Once he became fierce and murderous, Du Wulang was like a little rabbit in front of him. He couldn't escape and could only tremble.
"General... what are you doing? I am a close friend of the emperor, and I want to seek an officer from the general. If the general kills me, it will become a rebellion..."
"Am I afraid?!"
Pu Gujuan slapped the case and shouted angrily, "Detain him!"
Soon, the people in the room retreated with a roar.
"Da Lang." The woman just now sat down next to Pu Gujian and said softly: "That idiot just said that he was a 'best friend of the Emperor'. If we take him, will nothing happen?"
"Humph, what are you afraid of?" Pugu Jing said: "The worst case is that I will openly challenge the imperial court and be used as multiple hostages. I just want an official position to see if the emperor with a foreign surname who has just ascended the throne dares not to give it."
"Dalang is so mighty."
"Pour the wine."
Not long after drinking, someone came over from outside, whispered in Pugujuan's ear: "General, Ma Chongying has sent someone again..."
~~
The second year of Zhengxing is the Year of the Rat.
During the Lantern Festival, the streets and alleys of Chang'an City are lit up with lanterns again, as bright as the stars.
Xue Bai now has a new habit. He often stands alone on the heights of Daming Palace and overlooks Chang'an City.
This can make people feel self-centered. Emperors of all dynasties must have had this hobby since the completion of the Daming Palace, but Xue Bai felt that it was not much different from working in a high-rise building until late at night and then looking at the dim lights of the city.
There is a sense of accomplishment, but also dissatisfaction.
After standing for a while, he drove to the Huaxianhui Building to hold a banquet. This was something Li Longji liked to do in the past.
To deny it, since there are conditions, the people are looking forward to celebrating the Lantern Festival happily, but if it doesn't happen, it will always be a disappointment.
There was no Shangyuan Banquet last year. This year is the first Shangyuan Banquet held after Xue Bai ascended the throne. The process is similar to that in the Tianbao period, with some specifications and costs reduced, and some new ideas added, such as setting up stages in every square of Chang'an City.
Arrange some performances such as opera, cross talk, acrobatics, etc. to truly pursue the enjoyment of the people.
"The saint has arrived!"
"I have seen the sage, and the sage is in good health."
Amid the cries of hundreds of officials, Xue Bai climbed up to the calyx tower.
Returning to his old place, this time he came as a king. After sitting down, he glanced at the officials and felt that everyone was very reserved.
"No need to be polite, gentlemen. Let's have a drink together."
Xue Bai took a sip from the wine glass, and when he looked again, he saw that the officials were still drinking in a serious manner, and the atmosphere was very tense.
In the past, Li Longji could liven up the atmosphere with just one or two words and hearty laughter, but Xue Bai had seen so many fun things that he really couldn't bring himself to play with these ancients.
"Let the show begin."
The performance was actually pretty good. There was also a dance secretly choreographed by Yang Yuhuan. The dancers wore green cross-dress long-sleeved shirts, white-bottomed floor-length skirts with blue flowers, and white stockings on the big drums. They danced gracefully with a bright rhythm.
.
Ordinary officials and emperors had very different feelings about watching songs and dances. Xue Bai sat there, and during each graceful movement of the dancer, her eyes looked at him with enthusiasm, hoping to gain his favor.
Just like in a spring garden, when you open the window and door, you will see the chirping spring orioles flying in front of you on the branches.
After singing and dancing, it was time to recite poems and compose poems. Xue Bai didn't want to compose poems, so he had talented people like Li Bai and Wang Wei to do it.
There is no shortage of new talents in the poetry world of the Tang Dynasty. This year there is a Jinshi named Sikong Shu, who is famous for his poems in Chang'an and is recommended by officials to write poems.
It's a pity that Sikong Shu was a little nervous and composed a flattering piece with no new ideas, such as "Xun Xian sings Shun De, and the auspicious sky is full of the capital" and so on.
Xue Bai clapped his hands carelessly and said, "Sikong Qing's poem reminds me of a poem."
When Sikong Shu entered the officialdom for the first time, he seemed a little dull. He quickly crossed his hands and saluted meticulously, and said: "I respectfully listen to the holy teachings."
When the ministers saw that the emperor was finally interested, they all acted as if they were listening attentively.
Seeing that they were all so serious, Xue Bai said, "There's no need to be so nervous."
After that, he recited the poem.
"After returning from fishing, I didn't tie up the boat. The moon was setting in Jiangcun, and I was sleeping. Even if the wind blew away all night, I was only by the shallow water with reed flowers."
Including Sikong Shu, all the officials were stunned after hearing this.
They couldn't help but think, of course this poem is an excellent poem, but what does it have to do with the Shangyuan ceremony? The emperor suddenly composed such a poem at the Shangyuan imperial banquet, it must have a profound meaning and refer to
What is it?
Some people looked at Yan Zhenqing, Du Youlin, Yuan Zai and other important ministers, hoping to get a glimpse of something from their expressions, but they all looked at the nose and the heart, and their expressions were calm. They had obviously guessed the Holy Heart.
.
Xue Bai saw this scene and smiled happily.
He didn't have any deep meaning. He just thought of this poem when he saw Sikong Shu.
By now, he no longer cares whether to copy or not. As long as the poetry world is prosperous, it will naturally stimulate Sikong Shu to write better poems. Since ancient times, the rise and fall of culture has often been caused by hundreds of flowers blooming or thousands of horses standing silent.
He wanted to create an era of beautiful poetry and prose. He was no longer limited to one or two poems, and his focus was already on the education and cultural dissemination of the entire Tang Dynasty.
As for whether you respond to the occasion or how others view it, that's not worth caring about.
He is an emperor and has the realm of an emperor.
"Light the lamp."
"Oracle, light the lamp!"
The Calyx Xianghui Building gradually became brighter, and cheers from the crowd came from not far away. After all, this building was built at the western end of Xingqing Palace, only one wall away from Chang'an Street.
Xue Bai got up and walked to the railing to watch the lanterns.
This was just a show. He didn't think there was much to see, so he waved to Du Youlin and started chatting with him.
Xue Bai had long noticed that during this royal banquet, Du Youlin always had a faint look of worry on his face.
"Is Goro back?"
"Not yet." Du Youlin said, "Looking at the time, he should be back before the Lantern Festival."
The emperor and the prime minister were talking, and no one else dared to come forward. Xue Bai also took this opportunity to leave the imperial banquet, and walked and talked with Du Youlin.
"Don't worry. Since I sent Wulang to Lingwu, I think Lingwu is most likely safe."
"It doesn't matter if it's not safe, the unscrupulous man should have some experience." Du Youlin said.
Xue Bai said: "Pugu Huai'en doesn't want to rebel, otherwise he would have raised his troops long ago. He will have better opportunities before I ascend the throne."
This is a basic judgment. What Pugu Huai'en wants is for his son to inherit his position as Jiedushi, so he should wait for the court to agree. The longer it takes, the higher the prestige of their father and son in Shuofang's army.
Based on this judgment, Xue Bai did not arrange any means to deal with Pugu Huai'en. All the mobilization of troops, horses, food and grass were just a cover-up. In fact, they were all aimed at raiding Tibet. The only ones sent to Lingwu were Du Wulang and Guo Ziyi.
, all to appease.
Now that everything is ready, the imperial court is just waiting for the results of the reconquest of Liangzhou.
It's time for Du Wulang to come back.
"I don't think it was Pugu Huai'en who dared to detain him. Maybe the weather on the road was bad, or maybe the unscrupulous boy was just having fun and ran away somewhere else..."
As Du Youlin spoke, he saw the steward Quan Rui looking downstairs, as if he had something to report.
Xue Bai also noticed Quan Rui and sent someone to summon him.
"The saint Shangyuan Ankang, Wu Lang has a family letter, which arrived in the evening. Everyone in the house is rushing to celebrate the Yuan Dynasty night, and it was only opened now, but it is to be presented to the saint."
"Who did it come back through?"
"It was delivered by a private post office."
When Du Wulang wrote back, he did not use an official post office, but used a post office, indicating that he did not want to attract Pugu Huaien's attention, and obviously had secrets to report.
Xue Bai took the letter and read it, and saw that Du Wulang said in the letter that Pugu Huaien seemed to have detained the envoy returning from the North Court of Anxi, and he stayed to investigate.
"How come?"
Xue Bai felt a little surprised and felt that there was no need to be in such a hurry.
Nowadays, Pugu Huai'en is in charge of the military, and the court has no time to touch him for the time being. It is the time for him to slowly consolidate his position. The detention of the envoy from Anbeiting is a major matter that violates Xue Bai's bottom line. It is not worth it.
.
Unless there is something that Pugu Huaien is afraid of dragging on.
What is it?
"I will think about it alone, you can go down first."
Xue Baiping stepped back and stood by the railing at the top of the calyx building, thinking about what unexpected situations could make Pugu Huaien jump over the wall.
The wind jingled the bells on the eaves, and a burst of cheers suddenly sounded outside the palace wall.
That was someone performing the Hundred-foot Building.
The so-called Hundred-foot Building means that different scenes are set up on high wooden poles, and artists control the puppet performances on the top through long poles. In this way, the dignitaries can watch the performances outside the palace wall from a high place and enjoy themselves with the people.
.
Tonight, the hundred-foot building erected outside Xingqing Palace was very large, probably with hundreds of poles, and the top was arranged into pavilions and pavilions.
What's even more peculiar is that this time, the performers on the top of the pole are two real people, short in stature and extremely flexible.
Regardless of whether it was dangerous or not, Xue Bai stood in the dark and looked at the two actors, feeling that their eyes were peering into the Xingqing Palace.
But if someone wants to do harm to him and has such ambitions, he should at least be someone with high authority. How could he even take a peek at what Xingqing Palace looks like now?
Xue Bai also suspected that he was overthinking, so he summoned a confidant and ordered: "Go and find out who arranged the performance of the Hundred-foot Building?"
The lights were as bright as day all night long, and Chang'an seemed to have returned to its heyday.
~~
After the Shangyuan Festival, Du Youlin thought about it and asked to see him.
He didn't come here for Du Wulang's safety.
"Your Majesty, I can't sleep at night because I'm worried that the unscrupulous man has dug a big hole."
"What do you mean by this?"
Du Youlin said: "If the story of detaining the Anxi and Beiting envoys is true, then Pugu Huaien has committed a serious crime, and the court will definitely not tolerate it."
"good."
"But right now, the imperial court is preparing to go to war with Tubo and regain Liangzhou." Du Youlin said: "Your Majesty has no preparations to put down Pugu Huai'en's rebellion. If he conceals his charges, everything will be fine. But Du Qi
If you think you are too smart and try to scare the snake, you will backfire on Pugu Huai'en and may delay important events."
Xue Bai asked: "In your opinion, what should we do?"
Du Youlin said: "In order to prevent Pugu Huai'en from joining forces with Tubo and Huihe, I thought that your majesty could pretend to agree to appoint Pugu Jing as the remaining queen, or postpone the crusade, thus solving the troubles in Shuofang."
"Confused."
Even though Du Youlin had always been like an elder, Xue Bai scolded him without hesitation.
Because Du Youlin's words were too confusing from beginning to end.
"First of all, Pugu Huai'en dared to detain the Anbeiting messenger. You knew it was a serious crime, but you still took the attitude of calming down the matter. You said you were afraid of 'snatching the snake', but in fact you were afraid of forcing him to rebel. Why are you afraid?"
"I...I am afraid of the imperial court..."
"You have no confidence in the court." Xue Bai said: "But I tell you, since I have talked with Pugu Huai'en, I have made preparations. If he dares to rebel, I will fight and will never tolerate him!"
"I know I was wrong."
"When you seize the courier, once you find any clues, you should strictly investigate to the end. There is no such thing as 'forcing rebellion'. You always say that Du Qi is unworthy. He is not as cautious as you, walking on thin ice."
Du Youlin still wanted to admit his mistake, but just as he bent down, Xue Bai shouted again.
"Straighten up! As the prime minister, you represent the court, how can you still be afraid of him?"
"Yes, I understand." Du Youlin puffed up his chest and said, "If Pugu Huaien dares to commit a serious crime, the court will punish him severely. If he dares to rebel, the court will put him down!"
"The second mistake you made was to allow me to temporarily appoint my servant Gu Jian as a rear guard for Shuofang's army."
It's a pity that Du Youlin is so old, but when he stands in front of Xue Bai, he is like a boy being trained in front of his teacher, and he has to hold his chest up.
"Only names and weapons, not fake people." Xue Bai said, "If Pugu Huai'en is arrogant and the court tolerates it, do you know that he is pretending to be an official? What will the officials and the people think? All the officials in the world are about to be abolished.
What do you think? Do you want to set an example for them?!"
"I am confused."
"You are confused. You have made three mistakes in just three sentences." Xue Bai said: "Your third mistake was to ask me to postpone the crusade. Since Anxi and Beiting sent envoys back to Chang'an, they were returning to the Tang Dynasty.
, the more this is the case, the more Tang Dynasty must not let down their enthusiasm. Now that the troops, horses, food and grass have been mobilized, the arrow is on the string, and it has to be fired. There are wolves in front and tigers behind. It is even more important to kill decisively. How can we be indecisive?
?”
Ever since Tianbao rescued Xue Bai from the snow in the fifth year, Du Youlin had never been scolded by him like this. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what Xue Bai meant. He hesitated whether he thought he was too stupid and wanted him to resign.
.
"I have betrayed His Majesty's trust. I am really useless..."
"Do you know why I'm telling you this?" Xue Bai asked in a slower tone.
Du Youlin said: "I don't know."
"Because at least 90% of the civil and military officials in the entire dynasty have the same idea as you."
After saying this, Du Youlin finally felt that he was not so stupid. Thinking about it, in fact, his view was a normal reaction, and the stability of the country was the first priority.
On the contrary, although the emperor's momentum is overwhelming, in the final analysis, there is no perfect way to ensure that the country will not be in chaos.
If the imperial court is really that strong, once Puguhuaien is forced to rebel, among other things, it will be a heavy blow to the prestige of the emperor who has just ascended the throne.
"I am stupid." Du Youlin said, "I wonder if your majesty has a perfect plan?"
"How can everything in the world be perfect?"
"this……"
"I want you to show courage." Xue Bai said: "I said that if Pugu Huaien wanted to rebel, there were many better opportunities before. Since he hesitated and backed down, now it is enough for Guo Ziyi to go alone.
"
"What if?" Du Youlin said, "Your Majesty, isn't this a gamble?"
"I'm not betting, but the imperial court must show confidence and domineering, and must not show weakness to these governors. They are all tigers and wolves. As long as the imperial court shows a little weakness of 'taking the overall situation' into account, they will follow each other step by step.
Force, we must suppress them from the beginning."
"I understand."
"Regarding this matter, you must support me in the court and stand unswervingly on my side."
"I obey the decree."
Xue Bai took a deep look at Du Youlin and felt that he had not understood that this matter was actually not easy to do.
Sure enough, within a few days, a news spread in Chang'an City.
People in the streets and alleys spread rumors that Gu Huaien had killed Du Wulang and raised his troops to rebel.
~~
"Why did Pugu Huaien rebel when he had a stomachache?"
"It was Du Qi and Du Wulang, a close friend of the saint. He went to Lingwu to express his condolences and was killed by Pugu Huai'en. Now Pugu Huai'en has united with Uighurs and Tubo has rebelled."
"Let me tell you, before and after the New Year, soldiers, horses, food, and wages have been mobilized to the west. The imperial court has long been prepared to quell the servants and Guhuai En."
"..."
The streets and alleys were full of such discussions, and Du Youlin, who was riding by on horseback, felt very confused.
All the way to the Daming Palace, Yuan Zai happened to have just arrived, and the two chatted for a few words.
"Don't worry, Mr. Du. The rumors in the market are not to be believed. My son should be fine."
Du Youlin knew that Yuan Zai was smart and asked, "If Quan Zi is not dead, why didn't Pugu Huaien go up to the table to defend himself?"
"Don't worry." Yuan Zai said: "Pu Guhuai'en is seeking hereditary inheritance. He should secretly compete with the court instead of breaking up. It can be seen that the news was released by others, and even Pugu Huaien has not responded yet.
Come here. It will take some time until he gets to know the rumors in the capital and then writes a letter to defend himself."
"Why can Gongfu make such an assertion?"
"For the news to spread so quickly, it must be someone with good intentions who is adding fuel to the flames. No one else can benefit from it. It can only be a trick sent by Tubo and Uighur to Chang'an. This is to alienate the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty."
"But how did Tubo and Uighur know so quickly?"
"That must be because he has extremely frequent contact with Pugu Huai'en." Yuan Zai said.
After saying this, Du Youlin became even more worried and said, "Then, is it really possible that Pugu Huai'en will rebel?"
"certainly."
Yuan Zai looked around, beckoned Du Youlin to come over, and said in a low voice: "I think the suppression of Pugu Huai'en is too hasty. It should not be done at the same time as the recovery of Liangzhou."
Du Youlin said: "Yi Di Jian has already committed a crime last year, how can he still let Pu Gu show his kindness?"
"The main thing should be to appease him. I'll give him a post as long as I can. I'll have more ways to get rid of Pu Gujun."
Yuan Zai obviously knew that Du Youlin had been handling this matter all along, and now he was deliberately putting pressure on him and taking the opportunity to take advantage of him.
Fortunately, Xue Bai had already had a fight with Du Youlin before, so he was not completely unable to cope with it.
Du Youlin said: "The key to this matter depends on whether Guo Ziyi has entered Lingwu City?"
"Mr. Guo is old. What's the point of going alone? I just hope he's fine."
Yuan Zai shook his head, said no more, and asked Du Youlin to go ahead.
Du Youlin knew that the courtiers would definitely have a similar attitude in the future, so he sighed deeply.
really.
The officials who were discussing matters today arrived at the side hall. First, some expressed their condolences to Du Youlin, and then some began to criticize.
"Duke Du, I'm afraid your son is a little too reckless in doing things. Why bother to anger Pugu Huai'en?"
"Yes, now that Du Qi has forced Pugu Huai'en to rebel, he has not even mentioned his death, but has also brought great disaster to the court!"
After hearing this, Du Youlin couldn't help but feel angry.
With Xue Bai's attitude that day, he shouted and asked: "You are afraid of Pugu Huai'en in every word. Where do you put the majesty of the imperial court?! Should the imperial court tolerate and condone these domineering generals?!"
"We fight every year, where will the money and food come from? Will Du Guong become a hero?"
"Yeah yeah."
When it comes to the money and food needed for the war, all the officials get headaches and sigh.
Instead, more people complained that Du Youlin's son had forced Pugu Huai'en to rebel and left this mess for them to clean up.
This scene made Du Youlin so angry that he stamped his feet.
"The saint has arrived!"
Finally, Xue Bai arrived at the main hall, and the officials fell silent.
Xue Bai walked slowly to the dragon chair and did not sit down. He just stood there and looked at them.
Just because he usually has such a cold attitude, the atmosphere at his Shangyuan Banquet is not very lively.
"Do you know what I'm looking at?"
Xue Bai did not wait for them to make a noise and struck first.
"I'm looking to see if there are any hard-core among you..."