"Father, Guan Shoufu wants to see you." Duke Shi Qiwen of the Dian Kingdom was lying in his bedroom, and his son Shi Xiaozhong came to report.
"Guardian guard? Alas! Those who talk about right and wrong are right and wrong!" Shi Qiwen sighed quietly and told his son: "I just said that my father fell ill because he was worried about the health of the dragon body and was overly anxious."
"The Duke of Dian is ill?" Guan Shouzhen was stunned after hearing this.
"After my father heard that His Majesty Long was ill, he was so anxious that he was bedridden and unable to go out to meet the First Assistant. Please forgive me." Shi Xiaozhong looked sad and did not seem to be faking.
"Alas! I have known the Duke of Dian for decades. He is ill and we have to go in to visit him." Guan Shouzhen also pushed Shi Xiaozhong away with a sad look on his face and walked to the main room of Shi's house.
It was an August day, and the stove was hot. Shi Qiwen was lying on the bed with his quilt in his arms, but he was still crying, "I'm so cold, please light the stove quickly!"
"Oh, Mr. Shi, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh, it's Guan Gong." Shi Qiwen's eyes widened, and it took him a long time to recognize it was Guan Shouzhen. He smiled bitterly and said, "I'm old, my bones are useless!"
"Oh, Mr. Shi, weren't you still in high spirits a few days ago and went hunting in the countryside from time to time? Why are you in such a state?"
"Alas! Ever since the emperor became ill, I have been sad for a while and cried bitterly several times. For some reason, I couldn't get out of bed." Shi Qiwen burst into tears.
"It seems that Shi Gong is overly sad. He will recover in a few days. I still have a few old wild ginseng trees at home, so I will ask someone to fetch them and prepare medicine for you. Shi Gong, you must take care of yourself, otherwise you will be sick."
After getting well, he found that one of his old brothers was missing again. How sad would he be?"
Guan Shouzhen explained Shi Qiwen's words in a wide manner, and the latter responded repeatedly. Suddenly he snored loudly and went to find Duke Zhou.
Seeing his condition, Guan Shouzhen felt very sad. The famous figures of the older generation were withering away day by day, and even the Holy Emperor could not afford to fall ill. It was reasonable for Shi Qiwen to fall ill because of his sadness. He and Shi Qiwen were about the same age.
, it seems that time is running out! I wanted to retire to the countryside and enjoy peace and happiness. But as the chief minister, at the top of the power, how can I retreat if I want to? At least, the crown prince would never dare to retreat before he ascended the throne.
If we retreat, the lives of the entire clan will be in danger!
With a heavy heart, he comforted Shi Xiaozhong with a few words and returned.
"Father, haven't you always supported His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Why did you refuse to confine the Chief Assistant to the sickbed?" Shi Xiaozhong asked his father in confusion.
Among the twelve Dukes of Conglong in the Guangwu Dynasty, Duke Yan Tianfeng of Fujian, Duke Li Mingzhong of Chang, and Duke Yuan Zongdi of Yue died of illness one after another; Duke Jin Shenghuan of Yu, Duke Zheng Cai of Jianguo were descended generals, and Duke Mu Tianbo of Guizhou
He lives in Yunnan and has little influence. The remaining six are Fan Youxian, Duke of Shu, Yan Zungao, Duke of E, Yang Huai, Duke of Jin, who is a die-hard imperialist who only listens to the words of the old emperor; Gongsun Gui of Guangdong is the father-in-law of Zhu Ruofeng, the king of Yu.
, naturally favoring the King of Yu; while Li Dingguo, the Duke of Qin, and Shi Qiwen, the Duke of Dian, have always been regarded as the crown prince.
Shi Xiaozhong and the crown prince's confidant, the new Duke of Fujian Yan Xiaoyong, are close buddies. They are very puzzled by the distance between their father and the princeling leader Guan Shouzhen.
"Alas! Do you know why Uncle Ruyan and I were relieved of military power by the Holy Spirit and allowed to take care of ourselves at home?" Shi Qiwen asked his son quietly.
"I heard that the Holy One was concerned about the old minister. He was afraid that you and Uncle Yan were old and overworked, and their bodies and bones could not bear it. So I made Uncle Yan the Taishi and you the Taibao, ranking among the three princes, and raised them at home. The old man also said,
After some time, I will abdicate and become the Supreme Emperor, and travel with Uncle Yan and you to live a fairy-like life. Unexpectedly, before the Holy Spirit's wish was fulfilled, Uncle Yan passed away. What a tragedy!" Shi Xiaozhong!
Full of emotions.
"Abdication to become the Supreme Emperor?" Shi Qiwen smiled bitterly, "It has been several years. Have you ever seen the Holy One show any intention of abdicating the throne and going into seclusion?"
"This~" Shi Xiaozhong thought thoughtfully, "Father, are you saying that the Holy One is jealous of you and Uncle Yan, so he gave you honorary posts with high status and removed his military power?"
Shi Qiwen smiled and said, "No! Although Uncle Ruyan and I are ministers of Conglong and have some prestige in the court, we are just ministers after all. The sage has great talent and can control his ministers like an arm, so how can he be afraid of us?"
?What his old man is really afraid of is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Therefore, his father and uncle Ru Yan were relieved of their military power, and the two generals who were good at conquering and fighting were transferred to Qin Guogong and Nanlinghou to guard the border. To put it bluntly, his old man
I don’t want to abdicate now, for fear that His Highness the Crown Prince will snatch his power!”
Shi Xiaozhong suddenly felt cold all over, the most ruthless emperor's family! The Holy Emperor was actually afraid of His Highness the Crown Prince! These words, the old father had never said to him before, but now that he said them, he suddenly felt horrified. It took him a long time to murmur:
"Are you saying that the Holy One is pretending to be ill to test His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the civil and military ministers?"
"I don't know whether the Holy Father is pretending to be sick to test His Highness the Crown Prince and the ministers. Even if he is really sick, how could he not leave a backup plan in advance with his wisdom and prowess? So as soon as there was a dragon in the palace,
Upon hearing the news that he was in poor health, my father was immediately distraught and bedridden. On the one hand, he wanted to keep a proper distance from the crown prince to avoid getting into trouble; on the other hand, he also wanted to express his loyalty to the Holy Father! How could he be a father-in-law?
"I'm sick, why should a minister not be sad?" Shi Qiwen proudly stroked his long beard and taught his son.
Shi Xiaozhong couldn't help but be dumbfounded. No wonder people always say, "An old man in a family is like a treasure." This ginger is really old! It can be seen from his father that these Conglong veterans who followed the emperor to conquer the country are really
No one is easy to get along with!
With great respect, he asked his old father again: "How long do you plan to be sick?"
"My father will remain ill until the real news comes out. You must remember that as long as the Holy One is still there, you must not get too close to the Crown Prince; but if the Holy One is gone, given our friendship with the Crown Prince, we still have to contribute.
", a cold light flashed in Shi Qiwen's eyes, "Don't think that my father has lost his military power. But in the army, there are still some close friends and old generals!"
"A son should obey his father's teachings." Shi Xiaozhong learned from his own experience.
In fact, Shi Qiwen thought too much. He followed Zhu Hengjia for a long time and kept going from victory to victory, so he developed a blind worship of the old emperor. Deep in his heart, he always felt, how could such a great emperor be knocked down by illness? Even if he was ill.
, you should also have a backup plan to arrange everything properly.
It's a pity that no matter how good a person is, he can't be as good as the sky. Emperors throughout the ages can't withstand the illness that comes like a mountain! This time, Emperor Guangwu really fell ill suddenly, and there was no warning in advance, and no arrangements were made!
Shi Qiwen didn't know this, so he made up his mind that as long as the old emperor was alive, he would remain neutral and not get on the crown prince's chariot.
There were quite a few important officials in the imperial court who suddenly fell ill, such as the great scholar Sun Jinding, Zheng Feng, Yu Chaoxiang, Taifu Ding Kuichu, Gongsun Gui of Guangdong, Fuluhou Liu Wenxiu, Fu Minghou Lincha, etc., all of them were great servants.