When autumn comes on September 8th, I will kill all the flowers after they have bloomed.
The incense formation soaring into the sky penetrated Chang'an, and the whole city was covered with golden armor.
——"Fu Di Hou Fu Ju" Huang Chao [Tang Dynasty]
…
Li Fuguo soon learned about Xuanzong's interview with General Guo Yingyi from the Mastiff Guards. Li Fuguo was overjoyed.
Li Fuguo, whose original name was Li Jingzhong, came from a humble background and entered the palace at an early age.
There were many eunuchs in the palace who possessed unparalleled martial arts skills. Because they had no children, they often carried their skills into the coffin.
Li Fuguo's mentor was such a eunuch. He was dull and silent. He worked in the palace all his life and was unknown. However, his martial arts skills were unfathomable. He also used the eunuch's own disability to make up for the deficiencies and use eccentric swords to create the only eunuch.
A unique martial art that only one can practice.
Seeing that Li Fuguo was young and had no foundation in martial arts, and it was time to build a foundation, he used his leisure time and boredom to pass on his skills to Li Fuguo.
After Li Fuguo became an accomplished scholar, he originally wanted to rely on his skills to become a respectable eunuch leader. So he took the initiative to join Gao Lishi and join the Feilong Army.
However, Li Fuguo's appearance was too ugly and annoying to attract the attention of the powerful Gao Lishi, so he was sent to the stables and became a horse herder.
Li Fuguo spent most of his life and was still a low-ranking eunuch, depressed and frustrated. Seeing that his life was passing by, he was accidentally discovered by a powerful official during a polo match.
As the saying goes, if you plant flowers intentionally, they will not bloom, but if you plant willows unintentionally, they will create shade.
Under the clever arrangement of this powerful minister, Li Fuguo was able to change his family and enter the East Palace to serve the prince.
At that time, the prince Li Heng was in a precarious situation and could be deposed at any time. Not to mention the hundreds of officials in the court, even the eunuchs and maids in the inner court were unwilling to defect to the East Palace, fearing that the prince would be implicated after he was deposed.
Li Fuguo's choice was not very rational, but more like a gambler, using all his wealth to win.
Li Fuguo, who has passed his forties, chose to take a gamble.
At this age, there's nothing you can't afford to lose, even losing your head. But if you win, you can reach the sky in one step!
When a person is desperate and decides to give it a try, that is often when an opportunity comes.
When there were no guests coming and going in the East Palace and everyone in the palace was confused, Li Fuguo bucked the trend and his appearance was particularly eye-catching.
Soon, Li Fuguo relied on his peerless martial arts and observation of words to gain a firm foothold in front of Prince Li Heng.
During the Maweipo Incident, Li Fuguo conspired and planned, instigating the imperial army to mutiny; Lingwu ascended the throne, Li Fuguo made the contribution of supporting the establishment, and he became prosperous from then on.
However, no matter how powerful Li Fuguo was, Gao Lishi, Chen Xuanli and others never looked at him seriously. In the eyes of Gao Lishi, a crooked and ninth-rate eunuch like Li Fuguo was just a villain who became arrogant when he got his way.
Faced with the contempt of his old boss, Li Fuguo had always held a grudge. Today he finally found an opportunity to avenge his past humiliation.
Li Fuguo said to Su Zong: "The Supreme Emperor lives in Xingqing Palace, far away from His Majesty. He interacts with foreign ministers every day and even secretly communicates with Yulin General Guo Yingyi.
Gao Lishi, Chen Xuanli and others accompanied the Supreme Emperor day and night, gathering people to conspire. I was afraid that they would be detrimental to His Majesty.
This time, the Emperor summoned General Guo Yingyi of the Yulin Army, which quickly spread among the Forbidden Army. Many of the officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army were Lingwu heroes in the past, and they were worried about this and worried that there would be chaos. They specially entrusted Lao Nongmen.
Holy lord, let me report the truth."
Li Fu's national dialect hinted both inside and outside that the Emperor's restoration was imminent.
When Suzong heard this, he couldn't hide his surprise, with tears in his eyes, and questioned: "How is it possible? How could my father do such a thing if he is compassionate and kind?"
Li Fuguo kowtowed and replied: "Of course the Supreme Emperor did not have this intention, but it is hard to say for those people around him who are greedy for wealth and honor.
Your Majesty, as a noble person, you should proceed from the great plan of the country and nip the troubles in the bud. How can you follow the filial piety of an ordinary man!
There is a mixed area between Xingqing Palace and the market place, with low walls. What happens inside Xingqing Palace can be seen clearly from the outside. It is not a place where the Supreme Emperor should live, and it is not suitable for the Emperor to live.
According to Lao Nu's opinion, it is better to welcome the Supreme Emperor back to Taiji Palace. The palace is heavily guarded, so it is more suitable to live in than Xingqing Palace, and it can also prevent the instigation of villains.
If this is the case, the Supreme Emperor can enjoy his old age in peace in the palace, and His Majesty can still visit him three times a day to fulfill his filial piety. In this way, isn't it the best of both worlds?"
Suzong did not adopt Li Fuguo's suggestion and found an excuse to send Li Fuguo back.
After Li Fuguo left the palace, he stopped, looked back at Suzong's palace, and sneered secretly.
Li Fuguo knew Suzong's character very well. He obviously thought so in his heart, but he was indecisive and worried about the criticism of the officials.
"There are some things where I have to be regarded as a villain! Just be so, a eunuch from a miscellaneous family with no children, do you still want a good name after your death?
For the first half of their lives, the Zajia family was treated as a disabled freak, ridiculed and bullied. Now that they have gained power, those who have humiliated the Zajia family must always feel worse than death.
In the past, you were high and proud; today, we will make you crawl at the feet of the miscellaneous family, wagging your tail like a dog and begging for food."
…
Xuanzong always loved riding horses and hunting. Although he hardly left home in his later years, he still kept 300 horses from Dawan and Dashi in Xingqing Palace.
Early that morning, Li Fuguo transferred 290 horses in the name of the emperor's order, leaving only ten relatively weak horses for Xuanzong.
Xuanzong was powerless to stop him. Looking at the empty stables, he said to Gao Lishi sadly: "My son is confused by the auxiliary country and cannot be filial to the end."
Gao Lishi was angry and wanted to see Suzong to ask about the reason.
Xuanzong pondered for a moment, then finally waved his hand and said: "Forget it. Big things are coming, don't lose big for small things. It's just a few hundred horses, I can still afford to lose."
Gao Lishi sighed in his heart: "Whether this matter was Suzong's idea or Li Fuguo's way of stirring up trouble, this matter finally pierced the last layer of veil between Xuanzong and his son.
Unless one person takes the initiative to put down his position, there will be no room for maneuver between the two."
Li Fuguo's fake edict to transfer horses quickly spread throughout the government and the public. However, Suzong acted as if he did not know about the matter and did not make any statement. He neither returned the horses to Xingqing Palace nor blamed Li Fuguo.
All the civil and military officials were elites who had been in the officialdom for many years, and they all guessed the subtleties: the reason why Li Fuguo dared to act so boldly must be because he had an insight into Suzong's mind.
Remonstrate with the officials and speak to the officials, while the collective remains silent.
Some veterans with rich experience in power struggles sensed the smell of an ominous weapon and stayed away from the court on the grounds that they were ill and recuperating at home.
…
PS: Every time I read history, I have an experience: no matter whether it is a virtuous minister or a good general, or a treacherous villain, no one who can be written into the history books is mediocre.
From a certain perspective, the "bad guys" are more perceptive and rational than the "good guys". The "bad guys" always seem to know who the "good guys" are, but the "good guys" often don't know who the "bad guys" are.