The great general of Wu was lying on the ground, his heart was ashen, and his whole body seemed to be lifeless.
The Chief Governor of Wu Dynasty glared at him angrily. If he hadn't gone to the palace to take off his sword and shoes, it seemed that he would have drawn his sword and killed someone in an instant.
Taichang of Da Wu stood tall and proud with a look of disdain on his face, as if he was determined to die.
The ministers of Da Wu...were as silent as a cicada, hanging their heads in silence.
The emperor of Wu sat on it and looked at everything happening below indifferently.
Although everything in front of him is going according to his imagination.
At this moment, he seemed to have become a real loner.
Perhaps the emperor should be a loner by nature.
Just when the big guys in the court were at war with each other, the rest of the people were silent and did not dare to say anything.
The voice of Emperor Sun came suddenly and suddenly:
“Gu Taichang, are you really unwilling to apologize to the Governor?”
When Gu Tan heard this, he turned his head suddenly, looked away from Quan Cong's face, raised his head to look in the direction of the emperor, and then immediately lowered his head.
That is the emperor, not someone he can glare at at will.
I heard Gu Tan lower his head and ask sadly and indignantly:
“Your Majesty, do you really believe that we, the descendants of the Gu family, would do such a thing?”
The four surnames of Wu County are Zhang Wen, Zhu Wu, Lu Zhong and Gu Hou.
Lu's loyalty.
So the general can plead guilty. Anyway, your majesty is just saying that he has selfish motives, not that the general is disloyal.
Moreover, even if this matter is true, it is at most a crime of negligence to go to the general.
After all, he judged the merits of the garrison based on the merits recognized at the time, and he did not know that the military merits were falsely reported.
But Gu's is different.
Why is Gu Tan unwilling to apologize?
Because Gu's family is thick.
Apologizing would mean admitting that Gu Cheng had an affair with Chen Xun and had falsely claimed military merit.
Admitting this matter would shake up the Gu family’s reputation in Jiangdong:
Which family with a strong family tradition would do anything to deceive the superiors and conceal the truth from the subordinates, and seek private honors and benefits?
This is not only a matter related to Gu Cheng, but also a matter related to the status of the entire Gu family.
Once the reputation of the family tradition collapses and the younger members of the family are looked down upon, how can the Gu family gain a foothold in Jiangdong?
So he gritted his teeth and would rather contradict the governor Quan Cong in court, or even ask Sun Quan, the emperor of Wu, rather than compromise.
Seeing Gu Tan standing there upright, unwilling to bow his head, Sun Quan felt agitated for no reason.
The nameless fire in his heart grew stronger and stronger, making his head feel hot.
It burned away what little patience he had.
Looking at the ministers below, he felt disgusted in his heart.
At this moment, he didn't want to sit here and argue with them for a moment. He just wanted to leave quickly and return to the harem to find the immortal couple and the goddess.
Probably only in the presence of a fairy couple can you relax yourself.
“There are all the witnesses and physical evidence of this matter. No matter how much I don’t want to believe it, how can I still pretend that this matter never happened?”
The Gu brothers are essentially one in the arts and the other in the martial arts.
In his early years, Gu Cheng first led the Yulin Army, and later followed Zhuge Ke to pacify Shanyue, and has been developing in the army.
Gu Tan was not like that. He first served as an academic friend of the prince, and was transferred from the middle concubine to the commander of Fuzheng. Later, he replaced Zhuge Ke as Zuo Jiedu, and then served as minister. He never led an army.
Hands on all kinds of dirty tricks in the army.
At this time, Sun Quan asked him to refute. How could he refute?
So he could only plead again and again:
"Your Majesty, this is a villain's greed. Your Majesty must not be deceived by a villain! I would like to ask your Majesty to issue an edict and have someone check it again."
Sun Quan stood up impatiently and shouted:
"enough!"
Originally, I wanted to give your Gu family some face for the sake of Gu Yong.
I asked you to apologize to the Governor because I want to make this matter less serious.
If you want me not to believe it, you should explain it!
He couldn't explain it, and said that I was deceived by greedy words.
Okay, you are noble and great!
Since you said so, then just follow the rules!
“I’ve ordered you to investigate the case of Shouchun’s military exploits!”
After finishing speaking, he was too lazy to look at Gu Tan and Lu Xun, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, and turned around to leave.
Since the emperor left, the meeting could no longer continue. The ministers retreated one by one and filed out.
Outside the Dragon Palace, Gu Tan saw Quan Cong coming out and stepped forward, clenching his fists and staring at Quan Cong.
Although Quan Cong is older than Gu Tan, he has led the army for many years. Compared with scholars and Confucian scholars like Gu Tan, he is taller.
Seeing him standing still, Dan looked at Gu Tan with a sneer:
"What? Mrs. Gu wants to compete with someone here?"
"Quan Zihuang, you are the governor of Wu in vain. Your children cannot perform meritorious service in front of the battle, but you do such villainous behavior in the court to seek benefits for them. You are truly a treacherous person, acting like a fox. mouse!"
Quan Cong’s face darkened:
"Gu Zimo, Your Majesty has ordered a department to investigate the case as per your wishes. Now that the conclusion has not been drawn, you are saying that I acted like a villain and said evil words. At this time, which one of us is more like a villain?"
Gu Tan gritted his teeth and said bitterly:
"Shou Chun's military exploits have long been concluded. If you, the whole family, hadn't interfered with it and deceived the Lord with slanderous words, how could His Majesty have been deceived?"
Quan Cong was furious:
"Gu Zimo, you can't answer His Majesty's questions, so you shout slanderous remarks. Your Majesty ordered a department to check, but the department didn't come to a conclusion, so you keep saying that His Majesty was deceived."
“If Yousi discovers a problem, are you still going to say that Yousi is incompetent and have wronged you, the Gu family?”
Gu Tan loudly said: "Impossible! Zizhi will definitely not do this!"
“If you Gu family can’t do it, does that mean our Quan family can’t do what you say?”
Quan Cong was really too lazy to have a verbal argument with this person, so he turned around and left.
In the case of Shouchun on meritorious service, the evidence was true and false, nine were true and one was false.
In the military, one can count his merits and report an extra level, which is considered a rare example of integrity.
It is common to apply for two or three more levels.
For those who are more greedy, killing one hundred and capturing one hundred can be said to be killing five hundred and capturing two hundred.
Chen Xun is not a saint, how could he do it perfectly?
Your Majesty executed this person from the very beginning precisely because this person had no defense at all in the face of the evidence he produced.
As for whether Gu and Zhang falsely claimed military exploits...
Chen Xun is dead anyway, and dead people cannot speak.
The one who can speak is himself, the coach of the Shouchun First Battle.
"you…"
Gu Tan followed behind and wanted to call Quan Cong to stop, but a hand stretched out from behind and held his shoulder to stop him.
Gu Tan turned around and saw that it was Lu Xun.
Facing his uncle, Gu Tan could not help but slow down his tone:
“Come on to the general?”
Lu Xun shook his head:
"Let him go. It's useless to talk more. Besides, this is the palace. Don't cause any more conflicts or lose etiquette."
Gu Tan took another look at Quan Cong, who had already walked away, and could only swallow his breath bitterly.
Sun Quan naturally didn't know about this little conflict outside the Dragon Palace.
The Zhang family, one of the four Wujun clans, has been silent in the court for many years because of Zhang Wen's involvement in the Jiyan incident twenty years ago.
Due to Gu Yong's death, the Gu family's influence in the court was not as good as before. Coupled with the Shouchun merit discussion incident, advancement and retreat were all based on one's own thoughts.
As for the Lu family…
Sun Quan couldn't help but "tsk" when he thought of Lu Xun's confession in court during the court meeting.
Not enough, not enough.
Even if Gu was later found to be wrong, to Lu Xun, it would be nothing more than unfairness and a momentary oversight.
His current status cannot be shaken at all.
Thinking of this, Sun Quan couldn't help but lightly tapped the table with jade ruyi, frowning a little.
But after thinking for a while, he finally couldn't make up his mind and could only skip it for now.
“As for the Zhu family…”
Sun Quan murmured four words softly and fell into deep thought for a longer period of time than before.
The Zhu family was the one who caused Sun Quan the most conflict and hesitation.
Because Zhu Ju, the representative of the Zhu family, married Sun Quan’s daughter, Sun Luyu, also known as Princess Zhu.
Zhu Ju was a serious son-in-law of Sun Quan, which was different from his niece-in-law like Lu Xun.
Not to mention that Princess Zhu is Mrs. Bu’s youngest daughter.
Moreover, Zhu Ju is still the only general in Wu State who has fully learned the art of cavalry warfare in Han State, and he also commands the only cavalry army in Wu State.
Thinking of this, Sun Quan let out a long breath.
Forget it, it’s not a bad idea to leave Zhu alone for the time being.
After all, the prince also needs a foundation. If it is cut too much, it will not be beautiful.
Having made the decision, Sun Quan stood up and was about to call someone, preparing to sit in the chariot and go to see Mrs. Pan.
Who expected that when he opened his mouth, he groaned and stumbled.
It turned out that all he felt was that the sky and the earth were spinning in front of his eyes, and the stars were flying around.
I wanted to stand firm, but for some reason, my chest suddenly became extremely heavy.
His heartbeat quickened and his breath became short, causing him to subconsciously use Yu Ruyi to prop himself up on the table.
There was only a "pop" sound, probably because of excessive force, and Yu Ruyi was crushed to pieces.
Sun Quan made a "thump" sound and sat back in front of the case again.
Hutching his chest, Sun Quan closed his eyes and opened his mouth, breathing rapidly.
When he left the court, he was in a bad mood and kicked everyone out.
Without his call, the palace people would not dare to look inside.
Over the past year or so, His Majesty’s temper has become increasingly erratic, making it difficult to understand.
Sometimes they just come in to report something, but then they are pulled down and killed with a cane for no apparent reason.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, good news, great news!”
At this critical moment, Lu Yi's voice came from outside the door, "Your Majesty, I have something to ask you to see me!"
Sun Quan opened his mouth, made a few whoosh sounds, and squeezed out the last bit of strength in his body: "Come in... come in!"
After Lu Yi trotted in, he did not dare to get too close. He did not raise his head and saluted directly:
“Your Majesty, it’s a great joy for General Nie…”
Sun Quan couldn't help but feel angry and anxious when he saw that Lu Yi didn't notice anything strange about him. His throat felt like a leaky bellows, and he could only breathe "ho ho".
Fortunately, he regained some strength in his hand. He grabbed the broken jade Ruyi and smashed it down.
“Bang!”
Half of the jade Ruyi was smashed not far in front of Lu Yi, split into two again, and jade fragments flew everywhere.
Lu Yi naturally knew that His Majesty was furious in public this morning. He only said that Sun Quan's anger was still lingering at this time, but he shrank back and became more respectful:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I have a big happy event for you. Your Majesty will definitely be happy after hearing this."
I'm glad you're a sifter!
Sun Quan had no choice but to lie down on the desk and rest for a while. Only then did he feel the dizziness disappear and finally be able to catch his breath.
Looking down at Lu Yi, who had been so respectful that he dared not look up, he became furious and shouted:
“Dog slave, raise your head!”
Only then did Lu Yi dare to raise his head: "Your Majesty?"
"come over…"
Lu Yi stepped forward and realized that something was wrong with Sun Quan's expression. He quickly changed his expression to one of over-worry and surprise:
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you okay?”
It would have been better if Lu Yi didn't say this. As soon as he said this, Sun Quan was so angry that he picked up the other half of the jade on the case and threw it at Lu Yi who was obeying the order and shouted angrily:
“Even if I die in front of you, I’m afraid you won’t know it!”
Lu Yi didn't dare to hide, letting Yu Ruyi hit him squarely.
"Your Majesty, please be careful what you say. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven and is blessed by the gods. How can you talk about death lightly?"
Looking at Lu Yi's appearance, I also thought about how Gu Tan and others looked during the early dynasty.
Sun Quan couldn't help but feel a little emotional, and because he was angry, he felt a slight dizziness, forcing him to control his emotions and slow down his tone:
"Okay, let's first tell you what good news you are going to tell me."
"Here! Your Majesty, I have received the document. General Nie and General Lu, who were sent to sea by your Majesty last year, have returned!"
Hearing the news, Sun Quan's eyes suddenly widened:
“What? Are you serious about this!?”
"How dare I deceive Your Majesty?"
Sun Quan couldn't help but stand up and was about to speak. Unexpectedly, due to the excessive mood swing, he felt that the world was spinning again.
This time, he did not have jade Ruyi in his hand.
Fortunately, there was Lu Yi in front of me.
Seeing that something was not right with His Majesty, Lu Yi did not dare to be negligent this time. He quickly stepped forward and finally supported Sun Quan before he fell to the ground.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you okay? Come, come quickly, call the doctor, call the doctor!”
Sun Quan fell into Lu Yi's arms and closed his eyes without saying a word.
I don’t know if he fainted or was speechless.
The last month of the sixth year of Yanxi was destined to be a restless month for the monarchs and ministers of the Wu Kingdom.
Quan Cong's reexamination of the Shouchun military merit case marked the beginning of a fierce battle between the two palaces in the Wu Kingdom.
And Sun Quan's illness made the already chaotic Wu Kingdom court become increasingly undercurrent.
Sun Quan, who was lying on the bed, not only had no intention of stabilizing the court, but instead planned to take this opportunity to speed up the purge and rectification of all internal forces.
General Nie You and captain Lu Kai, who were sent by Sun Quan to attack Yazhou, finally returned to Wu in embarrassment with their remaining troops after more than a year.
They were right as Lu Xun said:
"Traveling far away is barren, attacking people thousands of miles away, and the storms are unpredictable. Moreover, it is a foreign land, isolated from the sea, and the water, soil and air are poisonous. This has existed since ancient times. When soldiers enter and leave the people, they are bound to get sick and become polluted. Those who go there are afraid and cannot fight back, so How can we gain so much?”
“Moreover, when people change water and soil, diseases will inevitably occur. If you want to gain, you will suffer more, and if you want to gain, you will do harm. The soldiers on the river bank are in vain, hoping to gain something, and the foolish officials are still uneasy..."
This time when we went to sea, nine out of ten people died of diseases.
At the beginning, Sun Quan ignored the advice of his ministers and insisted on sending troops overseas.
If it were Ming Zhu, or even the former Sun Quan, I'm afraid he would have already reflected on himself and accepted it humbly.
But at this time, Sun Quan only felt his face burning.
Overcome with regret, he simply excused himself from going to court due to illness and did not see his foreign ministers.
Fortunately, although there were heavy casualties, the envoys from Funan Kingdom who followed the fleet saved Sun Quan’s last bit of face.
Funan Wang Fanzhan specially sent an envoy to Wu to present music and special products.
There are also dozens of tribal people who accompany the tribes, and they have also presented ivory, peels, sea beads and other things.
In the past, Zhuge Zhi and Wei Wen were ordered to float across the sea in search of Yizhou. Although they finally found their destination, they were still imprisoned and killed for "violating the edict and failing to achieve merit."
Although Nie You and Lu Kai were much worse off than Zhuge Zhi and Wei Wen this time, it was precisely because of these barbarians that they escaped.
"Your Majesty, I found something in the tribute gifts from those small barbarian countries. I dare not make a decision, so I can only risk my life to disturb your majesty."
Lü Yi was one of the very few who could see Sun Quan's favorites at such a time.
At this time, he was quietly reporting his discovery to Sun Quan.