Chapter 1051 Aftermath
Adou, who stayed behind in Hanzhong, did not expect that Li Fu had just sent back the secret report to his father-in-law, and the urgent report from Guanzhong would catch up with him.
When he saw the urgent report "The Prime Minister died of illness, and the three armies mourned together", his eyes suddenly went dark!
Adou subconsciously covered his chest.
In his chest, it was as if a hand with sharp claws suddenly pierced his heart.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
A sad feeling suddenly emerged in my heart, and my nose was sour.
After a long time, the Emperor of Han Dynasty said with trembling lips:
“Mother?”
Is Xiangfu really gone?
The father-in-law who has always shielded him from the wind and rain is really gone?
Feeling like the sky was falling, Adou raised his head, tears flowed down his round face into his mouth, and a bitter and salty taste penetrated into his heart.
The emperor's gaffe made everyone around him panic.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine…”
Adou held on to the armrests of the chair and tried to stand up. Unexpectedly, he stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
“Your Majesty!”
"no, I'm fine!"
Adou broke away from the help of the chamberlain: "Go, go to the emperor..."
Halfway through speaking, he sat down again and murmured: "No, please slow down and let me think..."
Just after he thought about it for a long time, his mind was completely empty and white, and he felt as if he had lost his soul and was confused.
Until the Queen’s voice rang in my ears: “Your Majesty?”
At this moment Adou came back to his senses from his trance.
Seeing the queen with a big belly looking at him with worry, Adou asked in confusion:
“Queen, why are you here?”
Seeing Adou's appearance, Zhang Xingcai's face became even more worried:
“Your Majesty, are you okay?”
Adou shook his head, and when he was waiting for an answer, he realized that the scene in front of him was very different from what he remembered.
It turned out that he had arrived at the Queen's residence without realizing it.
You were clearly in the front hall just now, why did you suddenly arrive in the harem?
“Why am I here?”
“When Your Majesty just came in, he was so distracted that he didn’t even look at the road. I called out several times but didn’t respond.”
Zhang Xingcai explained briefly, and then asked with concern again: "Is your Majesty okay?"
Adou knew that the queen was pregnant and should not work hard, so he sat in the front hall for so long, thinking about how to deal with the situation at hand.
Unexpectedly, I ended up here subconsciously.
Thinking of this, he remembered the urgent report in his hand.
Unexpectedly, I looked down and saw that my hands were empty.
At some point, the urgent message was actually in the Queen's hand.
Knowing that the death of his father-in-law could not be hidden from the queen, Adou was nervous for a while, but then he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the queen's calm expression.
The emperor and the empress sat down opposite each other. The empress put the urgent report on the table and said softly:
"Your Majesty, since the beginning of spring, there have been many messages exchanged between Guanzhong and Hanzhong about Xiangfu's physical condition. Your Majesty should be prepared for this. Why are you so rude?"
If it were Zhang Xingcai who was pregnant for the first time, no matter how smart she was, she would still be in a state of confusion when she heard the news of her father's death.
But at this time, the queen already knew the importance of controlling her emotions during pregnancy.
Plus, as she said, we should have expected such a day since the beginning of spring, or even earlier.
So at this time, she was much calmer than Adou.
"I know, I know," A Dou's face finally slowly showed a look of sadness, "But, but, how could I, my father-in-law, do this? How could I leave just as I said?"
"Your Majesty, my condolences," the Queen consoled her warmly, "My father-in-law has been running around all these years and has hardly had time to rest. His purpose is to revive the Han Dynasty and return it to the old capital."
"After Xiangfu led the army into Chang'an, didn't he also write to His Majesty and just say how kind God is? His ecstasy overflowed from the paper."
"Now that the old situation has been settled, all your Majesty has to do is to consolidate Guanzhong to prevent the thieves from coming back. Only in this way can we be worthy of my father's hard work over the years."
Hearing this, Adou nodded, wiped away his tears, and asked:
“Then according to the Queen’s opinion, what should I do?”
It is said that one pregnancy makes one stupid for three years.
Empress Zhang, who used to be full of resourcefulness, frowned at this time. She couldn't think of a perfect strategy at once.
But after all, she was the emperor’s virtuous wife. After thinking for a moment, she said decisively:
"The death of my father-in-law is a major national event. Your Majesty must first come up with an idea before announcing it in the court."
“Otherwise, Your Majesty will tie up your hands and ask the ministers. If the ministers have different opinions, it will only cause people’s hearts to wander if it takes too long.”
"It can be said that if we continue to break up, we will suffer chaos. Not to mention the troops in Guanzhong, I am afraid that they are always looking forward to the court's decision."
"If the court's decision is delayed for a long time and the morale of the frontline troops is unstable, Guanzhong will be in danger!"
When Adou heard what the queen said, he quickly said:
“Yes, yes, the queen is right!”
Seeing the emperor's appearance, the queen knew that his majesty had no idea at this time, so she immediately suggested:
“The Prime Minister once said: Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, Guo Youzhi and others are all good and honest, with pure intentions and loyal intentions.”
“Every matter in the palace, no matter how big or small, if you consult it carefully and then implement it, you will definitely be able to make up for the deficiencies and achieve widespread benefits.”
"Except for Jiang Wan who is far away in Jincheng, the remaining three are all in Hanzhong. Why doesn't Your Majesty summon them quickly and ask them?"
Hearing this, Adou completely calmed down:
“What the Queen said is absolutely true.”
Such an important matter cannot be delayed for a moment.
Following the Queen’s advice, Adou immediately stood up and said:
“I will send someone to call them to the front hall.”
After saying that, he hurried away again.
Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and Guo You were either ministers or ministers, and they all had the responsibility of serving the emperor, going in and out of the palace, and hearing about government affairs.
After receiving the emperor's summons, he did not dare to neglect and hurried over.
Unexpectedly, they saw the emperor losing his composure. Only then did they realize that the prime minister had died in Chang'an.
When the three of them suddenly received this news, it was like a bolt from the blue.
I don’t know who cried first. All the kings and ministers in the palace burst into tears.
After crying for a while, Adou finally said:
“My father-in-law has just led the army to pacify Guanzhong, and then he suddenly abandons me. I dare to ask you gentlemen, what should I do?”
Fei Yong stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister led the army to pacify Guanzhong. Now that the Prime Minister has gone, the army is still outside. In my opinion, the most important thing is how to stabilize the mind of the army in Guanzhong."
“Therefore, I think that we should immediately send angels to Guanzhong to authorize the generals to control the army in Guanzhong, so that the generals will not know where to go.”
Adou said:
“Before the Prime Minister’s death, he asked Feng Yong, the general who conquered the west, to temporarily take charge of all affairs in Guanzhong. Do you think Feng Mingwen is qualified for this task?”
Fei Ye immediately replied:
“The general who conquered the West made great military achievements and was well-equipped with both civil and military skills. He also once controlled Liangzhou alone and led the army to care for the people. All of them are impressive."
“Since the Prime Minister has entrusted this person to temporarily take charge of all matters in Guanzhong, he also believes in General Feng. As the saying goes, it is better to remain silent than to move. There is no more suitable candidate than General Feng at the moment.”
Adou sighed:
“I’m afraid that Feng Zhengxi’s qualifications are too young to serve the elderly in the army.”
Feng Mingwen is indeed a suitable candidate, and he is also a candidate that Adou has always been optimistic about.
However, in the secret note that the prime minister asked Li Fu to send over, Feng Mingwen's only weakness was mentioned: lack of qualifications.
Fei Yi and Dong Yun said in unison: "Therefore, Your Majesty needs to send an angel as soon as possible to authorize General Zhengxi to unify the army!"
With the authorization of the emperor, there is great righteousness.
Even if he lacks qualifications, whether General Zhengxi can convince the veteran generals in the army or not, he can at least prevent them from openly objecting.
Adou saw Fei and Dong acting like this, so naturally he would not object.
“Then who can go to Guanzhong to declare an edict?”
This is not an ordinary imperial edict, but is related to the overall situation of Guanzhong, and is also related to the issue of the handover of old and new power.
It is certainly not possible to send just any servant there from the palace.
This person not only wanted to announce the decree, but also made the generals in Guanzhong realize that letting General Zhengxi command the army in Guanzhong was the clearest intention of the emperor and the bottom line that could not be compromised.
This time, it was Fei Yong who took the initiative to ask: "I would like to go."
Adou nodded: "If Fei Shizhong is willing to go, I'll be relieved."
His eyes fell on the remaining two people:
“Foreign affairs have been agreed upon, but what about matters within the DPRK?”
The news of the death of the prime minister must not be hidden, and he must go to court tomorrow.
When the ministers in the court learn that the Prime Minister has passed away, many people will definitely lose their minds.
How to stabilize the hearts of the people in the DPRK as soon as possible is also a major matter.
"I believe that once the Prime Minister leaves, many affairs in the court will be temporarily handled by the Chancellor. Your Majesty can summon the Chancellor to Hanzhong to perform the duties of the Chancellor."
The benefits of decentralizing power to the chancellery in advance a few years ago have become apparent at this time.
With the Prime Minister gone, there is no need for the Prime Minister's Mansion to exist.
Shang Shutai, who has always assisted the Prime Minister's Office in handling government affairs, can now smoothly take over all the powers of the Prime Minister's Office in handling government affairs.
Jiang Wan and others, who both hold positions in the Prime Minister's Office and the Chancellor's Office, can also switch identities naturally.
The only thing to worry about is that Jiang Wan was originally the governor of the Prime Minister's Mansion and stayed in Jincheng.
Now that he has been transferred to Hanzhong, it is natural that Shangshutai will follow him.
In the past, when the emperor visited Hanzhong, it could also be said that he asked Shangshutai to stay in Jincheng to handle government affairs.
If even the Chancellor's Desk is gone, Jincheng, as the nominal capital of the Han Dynasty, will really not even be left as an empty shell.
After hearing what Dong Yun said, Guo Youzhi couldn't help but said with some worry: "I'm afraid someone will criticize me."
He put it more tactfully.
To put it bluntly, once the Prime Minister leaves, I am afraid that many people will jump out.
It is enough to criticize the fact that there is no emperor in the capital of the Han Dynasty. There is not even a chancellery.
In fact, he wanted the emperor to return to Jincheng, and even took the opportunity to prevent the capital from being moved.
Dong Yun retorted:
"That is better than your Majesty returning to Jincheng. The Prime Minister finally regained Chang'an, but Your Majesty returned to Jincheng from Hanzhong. How will the people of the world think about this?"
Fei Yong muttered:
“Just say that your Majesty is making preparations to return to the old capital.”
Reviving the Han Dynasty and returning it to the old capital was the greatest political correctness of Ji Han.
The emperor was making preparations to return the old capital in Hanzhong, who dared to say no?
Hearing what Fei Yong said, everyone said: "Good!"
Fei Yong continued:
“At a time when the country was in turmoil, Li Piaoqi (Li Ping, who changed his name from Li Yan) had the position of assisting the government, so he had to be transferred to Hanzhong and could not stay in Jincheng.”
Adou frowned: "Let the hussar general come to assist the government?"
Fei Yi said quietly:
"Your Majesty, the Hussar General is the person entrusted by the late emperor to assist in the government. How can we treat him lightly? Why not give him the title of Tai Tu to show your Majesty's respect?"
Dong Yun and Guo Youzhi listened and looked at it with their eyes.
This Mr. Fei is not a kind character either.
Adou was still a little confused. Just when he was hesitating whether to agree to Fei Yong's suggestion, a palace maid suddenly brought hot tea instead of cold tea.
At the same time, he secretly handed him a small piece of paper and wrote "Yes".
Adou felt confident now and nodded in agreement: "What Fei Shizhong said is true."
When the three of them saw the Emperor like this, they thought that the Emperor had understood his intention, and couldn't help but sigh:
“Your Majesty has grown a lot in handling government affairs alone over the years. Prime Minister, you can rest in peace!”
Unexpectedly, after they left, the little fat man quickly got up and walked to the inner room, where he saw Zhang Xingcai sitting behind the screen with a big belly.
The little fat man was moved and guilty at the same time:
“When did the queen come?”
What moved her was that the queen knew her well. What made her feel guilty was that she had such a big belly and he had to work **** her all the time.
Zhang Xingcai sat on the chair and replied with a smile:
“When Your Majesty was talking to them about the affairs of the inner dynasty, the concubine came. Your Majesty was puzzled as to why he transferred Li Zhengfang to Hanzhong?”
"Exactly." Adou nodded, "My father-in-law asked Li Zhengfang to stay in Jincheng and not allow him to come to Hanzhong, which was an attempt to use his power. Why did he transfer him to Hanzhong as soon as my father-in-law left?"
“It is precisely because Xiangfu has passed away that we have to transfer him to Hanzhong.”
The queen sighed, "No matter what, Li Zhengfang is also the person appointed by the late emperor to assist His Majesty. His status is so important that he can be said to be the first person in the court now."
"If he is allowed to stay in Jincheng, who knows if someone will use him to do something?"
“After all, no matter what, Jincheng is still the capital of the Han Dynasty, and,” at this point, the Queen glanced at His Majesty and lowered her voice, “The Empress Dowager is still in Jincheng.”
Adou's expression changed: "Li Ping, how dare he?!"
“Dare or not is one thing, but we cannot leave the slightest chance to others.”
Zhang Xingcai's eyes turned cold, "Li Ping has scales on his belly, I can't trust him the most. In the past, when my father-in-law was around, he couldn't make any waves."
"But now that the prime minister is gone, he is the most respected person in the court. Who knows what he will do? I can only feel relieved if he is transferred to Hanzhong and watched closely."
“Just as Fei Wenwei (Fei Yong) said, he was given the post of Three Officials to show his glory, and he was not allowed to record the affairs of the minister.”
“In this way, Your Majesty will not give up the old minister’s excuse, nor will he give him any chance to have any objections.”
After hearing what the queen said, Adou suddenly realized: "That's it."
He thought for a while and asked again:
“Speaking of recording ministerial affairs, the queen thinks, after the prime minister, who can record ministerial affairs? Can Feng Mingwen do it?”
(End of this chapter)