Bei Zhao Capital Shangjing
In the imperial book of the palace, King Zhao rubbed his sore eyes, looked at the memorials piled up like mountains and had not yet been reviewed, and sighed tiredly.
Concubine Lin served a bowl of porridge for King Zhao. After taking a few bites, the King Zhao suddenly asked: Concubine, do you think I am a good emperor?
Concubine Lin was shocked, her hands trembled, and the soup in the spoon was almost spilled out, and she hurriedly said: The emperor is wise and magical...
King Zhao smiled and said: Concubine, don’t panic. I just sighed for a moment. You don’t have to learn from those court officials who sing merits and make ethics. This position of the emperor has always been the easiest and most difficult to do. It is easy to say, but it is naturally extremely easy to be a fool, but it is the most difficult to be a good emperor. I have self-knowledge. I can see what the disadvantages in the court are, but I want to solve it but I am powerless. I cannot be considered a good emperor with great achievements.
King Zhao sighed: My throne is the easiest thing in this dynasty. The late emperor had only two sons in his life, and King Changping never competed with me. Therefore, I have vowed to be a wise king of unification in the world since I was a child. When I sat in this position, I realized that it was not easy. Just various trivial matters inside and outside the court made me anxious and fell asleep in the third and fifth sessions. When I went to court, I had no free days. Sometimes I really envy King Changping, carefree, free and easy, and it was a life like a god.
Concubine Lin felt that this was a taboo and dared not touch it. The room suddenly became silent.
King Zhao suddenly asked: Is it okay for Mingtang to be in Pingyuan County?
Concubine Lin was shocked: The Emperor...
I know that you and Mingtang often have letters. King Zhao sighed. He has gradually become distant from me in the past two years. Could it be that I am blaming me for not transferring him to the court yet?
Concubine Lin hurriedly left and knelt down: The emperor clearly understands, my brother will never dare to have such intentions.
King Zhao helped her up: I also believe that Mingtang is not such a person. Maybe it is because of the difference between the king and the minister. In addition, he is working thousands of miles away. After a long time, he is always a little bit distant. Guo Huai from the northern border. Every time he sends memorials, he has some clichés. He no longer feels like we and the three of us talk at night in the capital. Right, you three are still fellow villagers, right?
Concubine Lin replied: Yes, we are from the same village
King Zhao smiled and recalled: I had just ascended the throne at that time. The top scholars in the imperial examinations in that year were Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai. After looking at it, they were still fellow villagers. I couldn't help but feel curious about them. So I sneaked out of the palace with General Manager Cao and found them in a small tavern. Then I went up to talk to them about Mingtang and Guo Huai, who were both generous people, talked about literature and theory. They were indeed two rare geniuses. However, the bad wine in the pub really made it difficult for me to swallow, so I had to let General Manager Cao quickly get a jar of tribute wine from the palace.
Concubine Lin also laughed. Chu Mingtang had told her about this.
King Zhao continued: Guo Huai tasted the tribute wine, and then held it in his arms and refused to let go. Mingtang was anxious and wrestled with Guo Huai. I had to promise to send them one jar. Then the two of them gave up and said that the two of them had a far worse alcohol tolerance than me. Not long after, Mingtang was already drunk and began to give guidance to the government. After saying a few words, he actually started to scold me, saying that I was a fool, debauchery, and scolded me for no reason. He asked Guo Huai on pins and needles, and then he realized that he had a sister named Chu Lin, who was forced to be sent to the palace by the prescription officials before he was sixteen. I wrote down your name and ordered someone to find you when I returned to the palace.
How could Concubine Lin Chu Lin not remember this? She was not outstanding in the selected girls. She originally thought she would live in the palace all her life, but she didn't expect that the emperor would suddenly see her. After asking a few questions, she made her a concubine. It was not until her brother came to the palace to see her.
King Zhao suddenly stopped talking and looked at the woman in front of him, and a feeling of guilt arose in his heart.
In terms of talent, she is not inferior to her brother. She has helped him a lot in politics for many years. In terms of temperament, Chu Lin is also extremely virtuous. Because she is favored, all the concubines in the palace, including the queen, are extremely jealous and often unite to deal with her, but she never said any complaints in front of her.
She has no children and has never been pregnant again after a miscarriage many years ago
King Zhao has always suspected that the miscarriage was done by someone in the palace, otherwise Doctor Cai would not have been diagnosed with her and found out that it would be unknown after the diagnosis. However, there is no evidence in this matter.
King Zhao often wondered, if Concubine Lin could give birth to a prince, there would be Chu Mingtang in Chinese and Guo Huai in Wu, and Zhao would not be able to move towards Zhongxing.
Thinking of the prince born to the queen, King Zhao shook his head, seemed to have made up his mind, and suddenly stood up and said: Beloved concubine, come with me
Chu Lin didn't understand why, so he followed King Zhao into the inner room of the imperial study. King Zhao pressed three times on a protruding place on the wall. After a rumbling sound, a door appeared in front of the two of them.
Chu Lin followed King Zhao down dozens of steps before reaching the secret room underground. The size of this secret room was far beyond her expectations. It was seven or eight feet high and dozens of feet long. It was brightly lit around. I saw a man in white holding a pen on the wall. He was depicting something on the wall.
Hearing someone coming in, the man in white turned around
Chu Lin looked at him. This man was about forty years old, with an ordinary appearance and a slightly dull expression. However, his eyes were heroic and almost impossible to look directly at.
King Zhao seemed not surprised by this person here, but just said: You are also looking back and simply said to Chu Lin: Beloved concubine, this is Mr. Ye
The man in white looked at King Zhao and wanted to speak, but stopped, bowed to Concubine Lin and said: See Concubine Lin
Chu Lin returned the tribute and was surprised. He didn't know who Mr. Ye was, but he didn't even politely in front of the emperor.
King Zhao pointed to the wall and said: Concubine, come and see
Chu Lin looked at the wall and suddenly exclaimed
Oh my God, what is that Ah
I saw a huge map engraved on the entire wall, which was dozens of feet in a circle, and all the mountains, rivers and rivers were vividly remembered.
Chu Lin quickly found her hometown Xionger Mountain. Not only were the nearby official roads clearly marked, but the mountain trails were also outlined with gray lines. Chu Lin grew up there since she was a child. Some of these trails may not even be aware of, but there was no omission in this picture!
King Zhao explained on the side: Concubine Lin, look, this green represents mountains and rivers, this is the Yellow River, this is...
Chu Lin looked at it in a daze and suddenly turned around and asked: Master, what is this picture?
King Zhao smiled and said: The imperial concubine should know that the palace where we live was originally built by the Later Han Dynasty. It was discovered by chance after our dynasty Taizu expelled the northern barbarians and returned to Beijing. The drawings were extremely accurate. This is the biggest secret of our dynasty. He pointed to Mr. Ye on the side. Mr. Ye’s sect has protected this picture for generations and traveled around the world. From time to time, he modified this picture according to changes in various places.
Mr. Ye sighed: Over the years, the more I have gone, the more I feel the accuracy of this picture. I really don’t know how much manpower and material resources the previous dynasty spent to make this picture.
Chu Lin bowed respectfully to Mr. Ye and said: Chu Lin thanks Mr. Ye for the Great Zhao Kingdom.
Mr. Ye also replied: I have heard about the reputation of Concubine Lin for a long time. I saw her today and she is indeed well-known.
The King of Zhao pointed to the map and said: Concubine, look, today, the rule is four parts, the northern Zhao, southern Qi, the eastern Wu and western Qin, the situation of our great Zhao country is the most severe, and the enemy is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the southern Qi and Eastern Wu are across the river. The western border is tense with the Western Qin country. The northern border and the Hu Man have been fighting for many years, restraining half of our elite troops, but among them, the Qin country is still the greatest threat. The Qin people have always been fierce in the people, and the powerful generals in the court are like clouds. Look at our dynasty troops, there are Chu Mingtang in the south, and the navy has been trained to suppress the Eastern Wu of Southern Qi for many years, and Guo Huai has won many battles with Hu Man. If it weren't for the Western Qin Dynasty, they would have gone out to pursue it. Only the commander of the Western Front, Fang Lingming, is the clan of the prime minister Fang Lingxin, with mediocre talents. If it weren't for the repeated drastic changes in the Western Qin palace and had no time to fight in the east, our dynasty would have been in danger.
King Zhao said to Chu Lin: I already knew that you wanted to transfer Chu Mingtang into Beijing, but he is still indispensable on the southern line. You can pass on the message to him for me. I will give him the prefect of Pingyuan and the commander of the southern line camp. I will give him three years to train me to have several naval generals who can stand alone. I will let him return to Beijing as prime minister. In addition, I will be preparing to transfer Guo Huai as Secretary of the Ministry of War tomorrow.
King Zhao said pitifully: Concubine Lin, I know that you have suffered a lot in the harem. If I have a few shortcomings in the future, the harem will definitely not let you go. With Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai in the court, I will feel much more relieved.
Chu Lin cried and said: Thank you, Your Majesty
********************
The next morning, King Zhao looked at His Highness and the ministers and said: The family of all the ministers, Zhang Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel died of illness the day before yesterday, and the old Marquis of the Ministry of War was already old and ready to resign from the position of Shangshu. These two departments must not be left alone for a day.
The Prime Minister Fang Lingxin had already wanted his clan brother Fang Lingming to serve as the Minister of War. After hearing the King of Zhao mentioned it, he quickly stepped forward and said: I recommend it...
King Zhao waved his hand and said: No need to worry, Prime Minister, I have made a choice, I believe that the person recommended by Prime Minister will be the same as what I have set.
The imperial edict was issued, and the prefect of Pingyuanqun, Chu Mingtang, was appointed as the Minister of Personnel, and Guo Huai, the commander of the Northern Frontier Camp, was appointed as the Minister of War. The two of them quickly went to Beijing to take office.
As soon as these words came out, the court suddenly became noisy
After the Northern Zhao Taizu pacified the north, he carried out a major reform of the official system of the previous dynasty, changing the previous Taifu and the three dukes into the three prime ministers, namely the prime minister, the Taiwei and the Situ, abolishing the Shangshutai, and dividing them into six functions, namely the military, official, civil, criminal, ritual, and work. The heads of each department were the Shangshu, with four ministers and twenty-four officials under the jurisdiction of the officials, and the rest of the official positions did not change much.
Local officials have abolished the prefecture and changed to county, prefecture, county, middle and small counties.
The army mainly has three major camps on the northern border, the western front and the southern front, and almost 80% of the troops in Zhao State were gathered. The highest commander was the commander, with two deputy commanders, four generals on the front, back, left and right, more than a dozen generals, school captains, commanders, and garrisons in each county also had major camps. The highest position was the generals, and the three major camps were under the jurisdiction of the local authorities.
In the court, except for the prime minister, the three ministers were the heads of all officials, although the Taiwei and Situ were in charge of the six ministries, they did not have much real power. The one who actually handled affairs was the ministers of various ministries, and they had great power.
Over the years, the Secretary of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry
Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai were not as young as 40 years old and had little experience in the court. After hearing the emperor's order, His Highness suddenly became a noise, and four or five ministers took the lead and objected at the same time.
Fang Lingxin glanced at Chu Mingting, the Minister of Justice standing opposite, and retreated silently.
The emperor issued this order in vain without discussing with him and the Ministry of Personnel. It seems that he has decided.
Besides, regardless of qualifications or talent, Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai are almost impeccable and are fully qualified for these two positions. If you want to oppose it, you can only start with fallacies. But how can a dignified prime minister fall into his own status? You can only hope for other ministers.
Chu Mingting, the Minister of Justice, looked coldly. Not long ago, Concubine Lin asked someone to tell him that she wanted to ask the emperor to transfer her brother Chu Mingtang to the court, hoping that the Chu family could mediate. He chuckled and said that the two ministers in one dynasty would inevitably arouse criticism, so he politely declined.
Chu Mingting always feels indescribable annoyance to this Chu brother and sister
Back then, he admired Wang Lie, the eldest daughter of Jingbei Hou, but Miss Wang actually liked and married Chu Mingtang, a rural man, which really made him furious. Chu Lin, a village girl, was deeply favored by King Zhao and had such a great influence on the emperor. The order was issued in court to transfer Chu Mingtang into the capital, which made Chu Mingting even more angry.
Seeing so many people objected, King Zhao angrily said: Chu Mingtang has been appointed as the prefect of Pingyuan for almost two terms, and is deeply loved by the people in the county. How can he not have high qualifications and insufficient abilities? Guo Huai defeated Hu Man's 100,000 troops in the northern border, killed Hu Man Shanyu, and split the land and made a king. He could not be a Shangshu?
Chu Mingting suddenly stepped out and bowed: Emperor, Commander Guo, the Northern Frontier Camp, has made great achievements and has a bright record. The old Marquis Wang retired. He should take over the position of Minister of War. The prefect of Chu of Pingyuan County thought it was not suitable to return to Beijing. In recent years, Prince E of the Southern Qi Dynasty took charge of military and political power, worked hard to govern and expand his army and build ships, which was quite ill-intentioned to our Great Zhao. Commander Du of the Southern Front was also old. The prefect of Chu remained in Pingyuan County and could assist him in actively preparing for war in case of accidents.
Several ministers of the Chu faction immediately spoke out
Fang Lingbai, the Minister of Works, sneered and said: "Your Majesty Chu is worried that Southern Qi is worthy of praise, but my true confidant Zhao is that the commander of the Western Qin side has been stationed on the Western Front for more than ten years. He has been trying hard to resist the Qin army outside the national gate. He should be given heavy use. Commander Guo fought with the Human last year and wiped out all the Huns. Since then, the northern border can maintain peace for at least ten years. Such great contributions must be rewarded. However, the Northern Front Camp was also seriously injured. How could Commander Guo leave easily? Moreover, the 50,000 elite troops transferred from the Western Front to the Northern Front have been killed and injured. I think it is better to send Commander Guo to the Western Front Camp, gather the commander of the Northern Front, and make up for him as soon as possible and train him in preparation for the Tiger and Wolf Army of the Western Qin.
Chu Mingting sneered: Lord Fang is really a good person. He doesn't need to use those who have outstanding achievements, but he appointed a mediocre person. If this is true, wouldn't it be a shame for all the people in the world?
you……
The two factions of officials scrambled to attack each other, and the quarrel made a furious King Zhao furious and slapped the table: Shut up
As an important official of the court, he was like a public servant in the market who didn’t know the importance of the matter. What kind of morality is it!
King Zhao said in a deep voice, "Come here, I plan to appoint Guo Huai as Minister of War, and the position of commander of the Northern Frontier Camp will be taken over by former deputy commander Meng Deqi.
In addition, King Zhao took out a memorial from his sleeve. Commander Du Wei of the Southern Front Daying submitted a memorial the day before yesterday. Since he was old and weak, he wanted to resign from his position as commander. I have approved the report. Since all the ministers believed that Chu Mingtang, the prefect of Pingyuan County, should not be the position of Minister of Personnel, he would also serve as the commander of the Southern Front Daying and take office today.
Before the ministers at the ranks could react, King Zhao stood up: I have decided, and I cannot report to retreat! He turned around and left
The ministers have never seen the emperor as tough as they are today, and they can't help but look at each other
Fang Lingbai walked to his brother Fang Lingxin and whispered: Brother, you talk about this...
Fang Lingxin shook his head slightly: Let's discuss it slowly when he returns home
Chu Mingting stood there for a long time, but he didn't expect that the fight would be like this. He couldn't help but look at Fang Lingxin secretly.
Fang Lingxin seemed to have some awareness, turned around and looked at him with a sarcastic look on his face.
Returning to the palace, King Zhao smiled and said to Concubine Lin: My beloved concubine has not visited her for three years, so I will allow you to visit her in Pingyuan County.
********************
Chu Mingting sat in the carriage, thinking about the morning court, and was full of hatred
I don't know what the emperor thought, but he actually appointed Chu Mingtang as the commander of the southern camp.
In this way, Chu Mingtang not only controlled Pingyuan County, but also controlled the 100,000 cavalry and 80,000 naval troops on the southern line of Zhao State, and controlled the defense of more than a thousand miles of three counties along the Yangtze River.
The commander of the southern front line is one level higher than that of the county prefect. Although one is in charge and the other is in charge, the two are not affiliated, once there is a war, Chu Mingtang can easily control the three southern counties. Even if there is no war, the prefects of the other two counties are disciples of Wang Lie, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and are loyal to the Wang family. Chu Mingtang is the eldest son-in-law of the Wang family. The prefects of the two counties must have bowed to him.
Wang Family, Wang Family
Chu Mingting closed his eyes and muttered silently. This was the biggest pain in his heart. He admired the eldest daughter of the Wang family, and was almost open to the public secrets of the King of Chu. The elders of the two families even agreed, but everything changed after the rural man won the top scorer. The young lady of the Wang family fell in love with Chu Mingtang, and the old man of the Zhenbei Hou Wang Lie agreed for some reason.
If he married Miss Wang, Chu Mingting punched him hard on the wall of the car, how could the Prime Minister be on Fang Ling's turn to the head of the letter?
The coachman was startled by the loud noise in the car and asked: Master, what are the instructions?
Chu Mingting also felt that he had lost his composure, so he calmed down and said: It's okay, go home.
The Chu Mansion is located in the west of Shangjing City and is the largest mansion in the west of the city. The mottled traces on the vermilion gate seem to represent the century-old journey of the Chu Mansion. Only the horizontal plaque of the Xiaoyao Hou Mansion written by Taizu is still as brilliant as new.
Chu Mingting walked into the mansion, and the servant next to him came up to report that the old man was back and was waiting for him in the study.
Chu Mingting was shocked. My father returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors a few days ago. Why did he come back so quickly and dare not neglect now. He hurriedly walked towards the study room.
Chu Tianfang, the contemporary sect leader of the Chu family, was sitting in the study and reading a person who was over 60 years old. Although he retired for many years, he was still energetic and could not tell what an old look.
Chu Mingting walked in and gave a gift to Chu Tian: Father, when did you return to Beijing? Why didn’t you notify your child in advance?
Chu Tianfang ignored him and was still reading books alone
Chu Mingting felt a little uncomfortable. What he feared most since childhood was his father's appearance, which showed that he was very dissatisfied with himself.
Chu Tianfang suddenly said: This morning court is very lively
Chu Mingting was not surprised. He knew that although his father had retreated, there were still many ears and ears in the court and was very informative. He replied carefully: Yes, the father, the emperor, wanted to transfer Guo Huai, and Chu Mingtang returned to the court, but the ministers were angry and submitted a complaint to object. In the end, Guo Huai was transferred back to the court as the Minister of War, and Chu Mingtang was appointed as the prefect of Pingyuan County and the commander of the southern front camp.
Chu Tianfang said lightly, and asked again: Did you hear that Vice President Li next to Concubine Lin in the uterus a few days ago had you seen?
Chu Mingting was stunned and replied: Yes, but his heart sank, thinking to himself, how could the old man know about this?
What's the matter?
Concubine Lin wanted the child to do his best and transferred Chu Mingtang back to the court.
Then how did you deal with it?
Child wanted to return to the court with the position of prefect Tang as the prefect, and only two newly vacant positions of Shangshu were suitable for him. I believe that Concubine Lin had the same intention. However, Child was already the Minister of Justice, and there was no precedent in the court that all the same clans served as Shangshu, so she rejected her with this reason.
Confused!
Although Chu Tianfang had already guessed that Chu Mingting had definitely not agreed, otherwise he would never be able to hide what he had in the court, but he did not expect Chu Mingting to refuse so directly.
Chu Tian stood up in anger, paced back and forth a few steps, pointed at Chu Mingting and cursed: My father knows that you have always been arrogant and domineering, but what kind of person are the two brothers and sisters now? How can you allow you to be so negligent and don’t want to do your best? But if you just entrust it with a snake and agree with it, do you have to offend them?
Chu Mingting's face was flushed. Since Chu Tianfang retired, he has rarely been in charge. He didn't expect that he was so angry about this matter today. He was very dissatisfied and replied: What's wrong with offending? Is our Chu family still afraid of them?
Chu Tian laughed with anger and said: "You are a ruthless thing. Do you think you are a minister of justice. You just retired for your father. In order to comfort the Chu family, you are the one who presided over the Ministry of Justice. But you see what you have done over the years and you have to ask the emperor to deal with any major cases. You are not upright. Who is respectful to you and is still uneasy in the court? The so-called officialdom does not make a meaningless enemy. You have been in vain for so many years? What's more, the brothers and sisters of the Tang Dynasty are not others. Their surname is Chu, and they are also members of the Chu family.
Chu Mingting was furious and stood up and said: Yes, their surname is Chu, they are not outsiders, but I am your son. If you don’t help me, you will help outsiders instead.
Chu Tianfang was stunned and said: When did I help outsiders
Chu Mingting made a fuss and sent out all his resentment for many years: When Wang Xiuhe was going to marry Chu Mingtang, I was out of reach for Qingzhou as the prefect, but why didn't you help me, the two families of King Chu were not in harmony, but as long as you came forward, Wang Lie would not dare to easily refute your face. Not only did you not help me, but you also presided over the wedding as a parent of Chu Mingtang in Beijing. What did you write a marriage made by heaven and gave it to them? Don't you know that Chu Mingtang, a rural man, snatched your son's love with a knife? You are not helping outsiders, what is that?
Chu Tianfang pondered for a while, calmed down and said: My father always thought that you looked down on Chu Mingtang because he was born in poverty and humbleness. It turned out that you still hold a grudge against this matter. But you and Miss Wang had no matchmakers and were not in Beijing. What do you want me to do?
Chu Mingting said: You just need to come forward and drag this matter down. When I rush back from Qingzhou to meet Miss Wang, I will definitely change her mind.
Chu Tianfang was so happy that he said: Can you tell her to change your mind when you meet Miss Wang? You really think too much of yourself. At the beginning, that old boy Wang Lie really looked down on Chu Mingtang. If her daughter hadn't forced her to die, how could he agree to this marriage.
Chu Mingting said hatefully: Chu Mingtang must have used some despicable means to prevent Xiuhe from doing it.
Chu Tianfang shook his head. Chu Mingting was so paranoid that he could not persuade him at all.
He stood with his hands behind his back and suddenly said lightly: How could you not know what you thought about as a father? But how did you know that you had never found Wang Lie for your father?
Chu Mingting said in surprise: I've searched for it, but why don't I know it
Chu Tianfang sneered and said: Have you ever asked?
Chu Mingting said anxiously: What did Wang Lie say?
Chu Tianfang said leisurely: In fact, it is not only Miss Wang’s family who really forced Wang Lie to agree to this marriage, but someone else
who?
Chu Tianfang pointed upwards: The Emperor
Chu Mingting was shocked for a moment, Emperor? Chu Mingtang was just the top scholar at that time. How could he let the emperor suppress the Marquis of the Northern Palace for him?
Chu Tianfang said: At that time, Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai separated from the top scholars in high school. The emperor left the palace in vain many times and had a close personal relationship with them.
Later, Chu Mingtang didn't know how to meet Miss Wang's family. Miss Wang was afraid that Wang Lie would not allow it, so she specially asked the emperor to make the decision for them.
Chu Mingting murmured: Why did I never know these things
Chu Tian snorted and said: Don’t you know? Don’t look at what you are busy all day long, and don’t think about it. Guo Huai and Chu Mingtang have only been in more than ten years. One is about to be the Minister of War, and the other is to control the military and political power of the Southern Front. The entire town of the Southern King. Chu Mingtang can also be said to be the son-in-law of the Wang family. Guo Huai has no background and is now an important minister of the court. If it were not for the support of the emperor, how could he have reached this point. Although the emperor is not a wise lord, he is definitely not a simple person. He has long been very dissatisfied with the ministers of the court. However, the three major families have controlled the government for many years, with deep foundations and disciples all over the world. Otherwise, the emperor would not have transferred Guo Huai to the court until today.
So, Chu Mingtang is the emperor's direct line? Chu Mingting gritted his teeth and said, since that's the case, father, this person must not be kept, and he must find a way to get rid of him.
Chu Tianfang shook his head, looked coldly at his son Chu Mingting, and was so nervous that he was staring that he was panicked, and said in a stuttering: Father, what's wrong with you...
Chu Tian waved his hand and said decisively: Ting'er, I used to be with you for my father, but in the future, we will not be embarrassed by Mingtang's brother and sister when we go to the capital of Beijing. If necessary, we will also report all the big and small things about the Chu clan.
What?
Chu Mingting jumped up immediately, why didn’t they become deacons of the clan?
Chu Tian slapped the table: Why, it depends on the current status of this brother and sister
Chu Mingting was angry: No matter what, I asked Chu Mingtang and I to bow our heads, it would be impossible. After saying that, I slammed the door and came out.
Chu Tianfang looked at his son who was leaving, his eyes gradually became indifferent. For the future of the Chu family, if he had no choice, the son would give up.
Suddenly, a creaking door sounded, and a red old man walked out of the inner room
If Chu Mingting was still here, he would be extremely shocked. This was not someone else, but his father's mortal enemy, Chu Mingtang's father-in-law, and Wang Lie, the Minister of War of the Ministry of War, Jingbei, Wang Lie
How about it? You should give up
Wang Lie swayed and sat on the chair that Chu Tian put. He had told you that I had a weak life and had no children, but none of your two sons were as good as me. Hehe, arrogant and not very good at seeing this boy. Back then, Xiuhe couldn't hide, but this boy actually thought that this was a shy look in his daughter's family and always clamored in my ears. If I didn't take it for your sake, I would have already lost him. You have worked so hard to cultivate him for so many years, and you wouldn't have seen such a bad boy. It would be fine if you didn't have such a bad boy.
Chu Tian was so angry that he had no place to scatter. He heard this and said: Forget it, except Xiuhe, those girls in your family are nothing more than the ears. After all, their daughter is from other families. After marriage, they have nothing to do with your Wang family.
Wang Lie's biggest taboo is that he has no children when he is old. In recent years, he has never been able to get married, no matter which son of the court's ministers get married, so as not to be sad.
But today he doesn't want to argue with Chu Tianfang, and he can't get a result even if he fights. After all, it's already an ironic fact that he has no son.
Don't argue with you, you and I have not argued enough in front of outsiders over the years. The emperor has been ascending the throne for many years and is getting richer. It seems that he wants to take back the power of the court. You and I are old. Although the remaining power is still there, you have retired for many years. My husband's Minister of War will also hand it over to Guo Huai. Guo Huai is loyal to the emperor. It is not a good thing for him to take the position of Shangshu, but his military achievements are unattainable to this dynasty. He is known as the two famous generals of the world together with Xue Fangzhong of the Western Qin Dynasty. This matter is basically a foregone conclusion. If you rely solely on your precious son in the court, you may be slaughtered in a few years.
Didn't you hear it just now?
Chu Tianfang calmed down, and I decided to name Tang as one of the six deacons of the Chu clan. Lin'er was inconvenient to go out in the harem, so although she did not serve as a title, she had the same power.
Wang Lie said disdainfully: Mingtang is now the commander of the Southern Front Daying and the prefect of Pingyuan County. He may not take this little Chu family deacon seriously.
The position of a mere deacon is indeed aggrieved. Chu Tianfang smiled sly. What if I was willing to give the position of the leader of the Chu family?
Wang Lie stood up: Do you think this is serious?
Outsiders all say that the two families of the King of Chu are enemies of the world, but only the sect leaders of the two families know the truth. Chu Tianfang said lightly, let alone, have I ever made false statements in front of you?
Wang Lie was still a little suspicious: Can you really let go?
Chu Tianfang said helplessly: No matter how glorious the great families of all dynasties were at their peak, once they declined, they could make a comeback. Now the emperor is pressing against the three major families step by step, and my Chu family is the first to be the first to be the one who is a bad boy. If I have half of my evil sons, Mingtang, how could I take such a bad strategy, let alone the position of the leader of your Wang family must be passed on to your nephews. Only Mingtang can convince them. Hehe, King Chu, King Chu, people mentioned that the aristocratic families in this dynasty are Chu first and then King. If the Chu family cannot suppress your Wang family, what face will I have to meet Xianxinggong in a hundred years?
You... Wang Lie was about to curse, but thought it was important to do the most important thing. He suppressed his anger and snorted: I don’t know you like you, but don’t think too beautifully. How did your Chu family treat Mingtang over the years? He is probably already heartbroken.
Chu Tian smiled: Mingtang has great ambitions and will never be satisfied with dominating the emperor's ambition to take back the power of the court. No matter how much he values Mingtang, he will never give him such power as the leader of the Chu family. Mingtang must know this, let alone his surname is Chu, and Guo Huai is invincible on the battlefield, but in this court, he is far inferior to Fang Lingxin. However, this time he only transferred Guo Huai back to the court but did not transfer Mingtang, which is enough to prove that the emperor still has concerns.
Besides, with you, your father-in-law, and Xiuhe's niece lobbying, she will definitely not let Mingtang go to the emperor, right?
Old fox! Wang Lie said gritting his teeth, you have already planned all this. If I had known this, I would not have traveled this time.
********************
Where are you now? Chu Lin opened the curtains and asked the eunuch who was accompanying him:
The little eunuch replied respectfully: Concubine, you are about to arrive outside the plain city.
Chu Lin nodded and lowered the curtain, feeling a little excited
As the saying goes, the feeling of being close to the hometown is timid. Although Pingyuan City is not her hometown, there is her own mother there. The eldest brother. It has been missing for five years since the eldest brother left the capital and released it.
This time I went out to Beijing to visit relatives, Chu Lin was very low-key
Apart from saying goodbye to the queen on a routine basis, she did not tell anyone else in the palace, just to say who could she say to? Which of the concubines did not regard her as a thorn in the eyes and a thorn in the flesh, and thought that she was the one who dominated the emperor, and even the queen was extremely jealous of her.
Every time she meets the queen, she clenchs her fists in secret, fearing that she can't control her rude things.
Over the years, how many times have I dreamed of midnight? When I think of my unborn child, Chu Lin's shirt was wet with tears and her heart was trembling with pain.
It was this woman who killed her son who was still in her belly with a bowl of osmanthus soup, and almost killed herself.
After walking for about half an hour, he finally arrived at the city of Pingyuan. The officials of Pingyuan County, led by Chu Mingtang, had been waiting for a long time.
There was no time left at the city gate, Chu Lin and his group went directly to the Chu Mansion. As soon as they entered the door, they led the family members of the Chu Mansion to salute: See the Imperial Concubine!
Chu Lin quickly took a few steps forward and helped Mrs. Chu up before she could shed tears. Old Mrs. Chu stroked Chu Lin's face and said tremblingly: Lin'er, you've been miserable.
Chu Lin did not answer, and hid on the old lady Chu's chest and cried loudly, as if she wanted to vent all the injustices she had suffered over the years. Wang Xiuhe, who was standing beside her, also silently accompanied her to cry.
After a long time, Chu Lin stopped sobbing and said to everyone: You don’t have to be too polite to your family, just get up.
When they arrived at the inner palace, they sat down. Wang Xiuhe greeted a few children: Come and pay homage to the concubine.
Chu Lin looked at the children and smiled and said, "Let my aunt guess, this is the boss Chu Xuan, you are Chu Yuan, these two girls are Chu Xin, Chu Qian, this... is Chu Zheng."
Chu Lin waved to Chu Zheng, Chu Zheng walked over, Chu Lin looked at him, her eyes suddenly turned red, and she burst into tears
Chu Zheng was puzzled, wondering why the elegant and luxurious woman in front of him started crying.
Chu Lin's crying softly made her already beautiful face even more beautiful. Although she was nearly thirty years old, her skin was as white as a little girl. However, compared to the little girl, she had more mature charm, which was incomparable to the charm of a young girl.
Although Chu Lin has a plump figure and a big waist and a big buttock, any man standing in front of him will have a sense of protection in his heart, because Chu Lin's weak eyes always seem to have a faint sadness.
Mrs. Chu and others knew in their hearts that Chu Lin was thinking of her child again
Wang Xiuhe and Chu Lin were pregnant almost at the same time. Chu Lin had the first child and the pregnancy reaction was very serious. Wang Xiuhe had given birth to several children and had some experience. She often went to the palace to take care of her.
Later, because Chu Mingtang came to Pingyuan County, Wang Xiuhe also came here with her husband, but Chu Lin was poisoned in the palace. Although the person survived, he was unable to save the fetus in his womb.
Wang Xiuhe advised: Don’t be sad, Empress, you can treat Xiaowu as your own child.
Chu Lin wiped her tears and said: I'm fine, sister-in-law doesn't have to worry. She smiled and said to Chu Zheng: Last time your mother took you back to the capital, you were still learning to speak, but now you are almost a big child
But Mrs. Chu sighed: Lin'er, you don't know, this child just suffered a serious illness not long ago and has not recovered yet
Chu Lin hurriedly asked what was going on. The old lady Chu had caused Chu Zheng to be injured and how to treat him. Chu Lin was also very afraid and asked the entourage palace maid to take some property and let Chu Mingtang send it to the genius doctor Wu to show her reward.
In the imperial book of the palace, King Zhao rubbed his sore eyes, looked at the memorials piled up like mountains and had not yet been reviewed, and sighed tiredly.
Concubine Lin served a bowl of porridge for King Zhao. After taking a few bites, the King Zhao suddenly asked: Concubine, do you think I am a good emperor?
Concubine Lin was shocked, her hands trembled, and the soup in the spoon was almost spilled out, and she hurriedly said: The emperor is wise and magical...
King Zhao smiled and said: Concubine, don’t panic. I just sighed for a moment. You don’t have to learn from those court officials who sing merits and make ethics. This position of the emperor has always been the easiest and most difficult to do. It is easy to say, but it is naturally extremely easy to be a fool, but it is the most difficult to be a good emperor. I have self-knowledge. I can see what the disadvantages in the court are, but I want to solve it but I am powerless. I cannot be considered a good emperor with great achievements.
King Zhao sighed: My throne is the easiest thing in this dynasty. The late emperor had only two sons in his life, and King Changping never competed with me. Therefore, I have vowed to be a wise king of unification in the world since I was a child. When I sat in this position, I realized that it was not easy. Just various trivial matters inside and outside the court made me anxious and fell asleep in the third and fifth sessions. When I went to court, I had no free days. Sometimes I really envy King Changping, carefree, free and easy, and it was a life like a god.
Concubine Lin felt that this was a taboo and dared not touch it. The room suddenly became silent.
King Zhao suddenly asked: Is it okay for Mingtang to be in Pingyuan County?
Concubine Lin was shocked: The Emperor...
I know that you and Mingtang often have letters. King Zhao sighed. He has gradually become distant from me in the past two years. Could it be that I am blaming me for not transferring him to the court yet?
Concubine Lin hurriedly left and knelt down: The emperor clearly understands, my brother will never dare to have such intentions.
King Zhao helped her up: I also believe that Mingtang is not such a person. Maybe it is because of the difference between the king and the minister. In addition, he is working thousands of miles away. After a long time, he is always a little bit distant. Guo Huai from the northern border. Every time he sends memorials, he has some clichés. He no longer feels like we and the three of us talk at night in the capital. Right, you three are still fellow villagers, right?
Concubine Lin replied: Yes, we are from the same village
King Zhao smiled and recalled: I had just ascended the throne at that time. The top scholars in the imperial examinations in that year were Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai. After looking at it, they were still fellow villagers. I couldn't help but feel curious about them. So I sneaked out of the palace with General Manager Cao and found them in a small tavern. Then I went up to talk to them about Mingtang and Guo Huai, who were both generous people, talked about literature and theory. They were indeed two rare geniuses. However, the bad wine in the pub really made it difficult for me to swallow, so I had to let General Manager Cao quickly get a jar of tribute wine from the palace.
Concubine Lin also laughed. Chu Mingtang had told her about this.
King Zhao continued: Guo Huai tasted the tribute wine, and then held it in his arms and refused to let go. Mingtang was anxious and wrestled with Guo Huai. I had to promise to send them one jar. Then the two of them gave up and said that the two of them had a far worse alcohol tolerance than me. Not long after, Mingtang was already drunk and began to give guidance to the government. After saying a few words, he actually started to scold me, saying that I was a fool, debauchery, and scolded me for no reason. He asked Guo Huai on pins and needles, and then he realized that he had a sister named Chu Lin, who was forced to be sent to the palace by the prescription officials before he was sixteen. I wrote down your name and ordered someone to find you when I returned to the palace.
How could Concubine Lin Chu Lin not remember this? She was not outstanding in the selected girls. She originally thought she would live in the palace all her life, but she didn't expect that the emperor would suddenly see her. After asking a few questions, she made her a concubine. It was not until her brother came to the palace to see her.
King Zhao suddenly stopped talking and looked at the woman in front of him, and a feeling of guilt arose in his heart.
In terms of talent, she is not inferior to her brother. She has helped him a lot in politics for many years. In terms of temperament, Chu Lin is also extremely virtuous. Because she is favored, all the concubines in the palace, including the queen, are extremely jealous and often unite to deal with her, but she never said any complaints in front of her.
She has no children and has never been pregnant again after a miscarriage many years ago
King Zhao has always suspected that the miscarriage was done by someone in the palace, otherwise Doctor Cai would not have been diagnosed with her and found out that it would be unknown after the diagnosis. However, there is no evidence in this matter.
King Zhao often wondered, if Concubine Lin could give birth to a prince, there would be Chu Mingtang in Chinese and Guo Huai in Wu, and Zhao would not be able to move towards Zhongxing.
Thinking of the prince born to the queen, King Zhao shook his head, seemed to have made up his mind, and suddenly stood up and said: Beloved concubine, come with me
Chu Lin didn't understand why, so he followed King Zhao into the inner room of the imperial study. King Zhao pressed three times on a protruding place on the wall. After a rumbling sound, a door appeared in front of the two of them.
Chu Lin followed King Zhao down dozens of steps before reaching the secret room underground. The size of this secret room was far beyond her expectations. It was seven or eight feet high and dozens of feet long. It was brightly lit around. I saw a man in white holding a pen on the wall. He was depicting something on the wall.
Hearing someone coming in, the man in white turned around
Chu Lin looked at him. This man was about forty years old, with an ordinary appearance and a slightly dull expression. However, his eyes were heroic and almost impossible to look directly at.
King Zhao seemed not surprised by this person here, but just said: You are also looking back and simply said to Chu Lin: Beloved concubine, this is Mr. Ye
The man in white looked at King Zhao and wanted to speak, but stopped, bowed to Concubine Lin and said: See Concubine Lin
Chu Lin returned the tribute and was surprised. He didn't know who Mr. Ye was, but he didn't even politely in front of the emperor.
King Zhao pointed to the wall and said: Concubine, come and see
Chu Lin looked at the wall and suddenly exclaimed
Oh my God, what is that Ah
I saw a huge map engraved on the entire wall, which was dozens of feet in a circle, and all the mountains, rivers and rivers were vividly remembered.
Chu Lin quickly found her hometown Xionger Mountain. Not only were the nearby official roads clearly marked, but the mountain trails were also outlined with gray lines. Chu Lin grew up there since she was a child. Some of these trails may not even be aware of, but there was no omission in this picture!
King Zhao explained on the side: Concubine Lin, look, this green represents mountains and rivers, this is the Yellow River, this is...
Chu Lin looked at it in a daze and suddenly turned around and asked: Master, what is this picture?
King Zhao smiled and said: The imperial concubine should know that the palace where we live was originally built by the Later Han Dynasty. It was discovered by chance after our dynasty Taizu expelled the northern barbarians and returned to Beijing. The drawings were extremely accurate. This is the biggest secret of our dynasty. He pointed to Mr. Ye on the side. Mr. Ye’s sect has protected this picture for generations and traveled around the world. From time to time, he modified this picture according to changes in various places.
Mr. Ye sighed: Over the years, the more I have gone, the more I feel the accuracy of this picture. I really don’t know how much manpower and material resources the previous dynasty spent to make this picture.
Chu Lin bowed respectfully to Mr. Ye and said: Chu Lin thanks Mr. Ye for the Great Zhao Kingdom.
Mr. Ye also replied: I have heard about the reputation of Concubine Lin for a long time. I saw her today and she is indeed well-known.
The King of Zhao pointed to the map and said: Concubine, look, today, the rule is four parts, the northern Zhao, southern Qi, the eastern Wu and western Qin, the situation of our great Zhao country is the most severe, and the enemy is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the southern Qi and Eastern Wu are across the river. The western border is tense with the Western Qin country. The northern border and the Hu Man have been fighting for many years, restraining half of our elite troops, but among them, the Qin country is still the greatest threat. The Qin people have always been fierce in the people, and the powerful generals in the court are like clouds. Look at our dynasty troops, there are Chu Mingtang in the south, and the navy has been trained to suppress the Eastern Wu of Southern Qi for many years, and Guo Huai has won many battles with Hu Man. If it weren't for the Western Qin Dynasty, they would have gone out to pursue it. Only the commander of the Western Front, Fang Lingming, is the clan of the prime minister Fang Lingxin, with mediocre talents. If it weren't for the repeated drastic changes in the Western Qin palace and had no time to fight in the east, our dynasty would have been in danger.
King Zhao said to Chu Lin: I already knew that you wanted to transfer Chu Mingtang into Beijing, but he is still indispensable on the southern line. You can pass on the message to him for me. I will give him the prefect of Pingyuan and the commander of the southern line camp. I will give him three years to train me to have several naval generals who can stand alone. I will let him return to Beijing as prime minister. In addition, I will be preparing to transfer Guo Huai as Secretary of the Ministry of War tomorrow.
King Zhao said pitifully: Concubine Lin, I know that you have suffered a lot in the harem. If I have a few shortcomings in the future, the harem will definitely not let you go. With Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai in the court, I will feel much more relieved.
Chu Lin cried and said: Thank you, Your Majesty
********************
The next morning, King Zhao looked at His Highness and the ministers and said: The family of all the ministers, Zhang Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel died of illness the day before yesterday, and the old Marquis of the Ministry of War was already old and ready to resign from the position of Shangshu. These two departments must not be left alone for a day.
The Prime Minister Fang Lingxin had already wanted his clan brother Fang Lingming to serve as the Minister of War. After hearing the King of Zhao mentioned it, he quickly stepped forward and said: I recommend it...
King Zhao waved his hand and said: No need to worry, Prime Minister, I have made a choice, I believe that the person recommended by Prime Minister will be the same as what I have set.
The imperial edict was issued, and the prefect of Pingyuanqun, Chu Mingtang, was appointed as the Minister of Personnel, and Guo Huai, the commander of the Northern Frontier Camp, was appointed as the Minister of War. The two of them quickly went to Beijing to take office.
As soon as these words came out, the court suddenly became noisy
After the Northern Zhao Taizu pacified the north, he carried out a major reform of the official system of the previous dynasty, changing the previous Taifu and the three dukes into the three prime ministers, namely the prime minister, the Taiwei and the Situ, abolishing the Shangshutai, and dividing them into six functions, namely the military, official, civil, criminal, ritual, and work. The heads of each department were the Shangshu, with four ministers and twenty-four officials under the jurisdiction of the officials, and the rest of the official positions did not change much.
Local officials have abolished the prefecture and changed to county, prefecture, county, middle and small counties.
The army mainly has three major camps on the northern border, the western front and the southern front, and almost 80% of the troops in Zhao State were gathered. The highest commander was the commander, with two deputy commanders, four generals on the front, back, left and right, more than a dozen generals, school captains, commanders, and garrisons in each county also had major camps. The highest position was the generals, and the three major camps were under the jurisdiction of the local authorities.
In the court, except for the prime minister, the three ministers were the heads of all officials, although the Taiwei and Situ were in charge of the six ministries, they did not have much real power. The one who actually handled affairs was the ministers of various ministries, and they had great power.
Over the years, the Secretary of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry of the Ministry
Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai were not as young as 40 years old and had little experience in the court. After hearing the emperor's order, His Highness suddenly became a noise, and four or five ministers took the lead and objected at the same time.
Fang Lingxin glanced at Chu Mingting, the Minister of Justice standing opposite, and retreated silently.
The emperor issued this order in vain without discussing with him and the Ministry of Personnel. It seems that he has decided.
Besides, regardless of qualifications or talent, Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai are almost impeccable and are fully qualified for these two positions. If you want to oppose it, you can only start with fallacies. But how can a dignified prime minister fall into his own status? You can only hope for other ministers.
Chu Mingting, the Minister of Justice, looked coldly. Not long ago, Concubine Lin asked someone to tell him that she wanted to ask the emperor to transfer her brother Chu Mingtang to the court, hoping that the Chu family could mediate. He chuckled and said that the two ministers in one dynasty would inevitably arouse criticism, so he politely declined.
Chu Mingting always feels indescribable annoyance to this Chu brother and sister
Back then, he admired Wang Lie, the eldest daughter of Jingbei Hou, but Miss Wang actually liked and married Chu Mingtang, a rural man, which really made him furious. Chu Lin, a village girl, was deeply favored by King Zhao and had such a great influence on the emperor. The order was issued in court to transfer Chu Mingtang into the capital, which made Chu Mingting even more angry.
Seeing so many people objected, King Zhao angrily said: Chu Mingtang has been appointed as the prefect of Pingyuan for almost two terms, and is deeply loved by the people in the county. How can he not have high qualifications and insufficient abilities? Guo Huai defeated Hu Man's 100,000 troops in the northern border, killed Hu Man Shanyu, and split the land and made a king. He could not be a Shangshu?
Chu Mingting suddenly stepped out and bowed: Emperor, Commander Guo, the Northern Frontier Camp, has made great achievements and has a bright record. The old Marquis Wang retired. He should take over the position of Minister of War. The prefect of Chu of Pingyuan County thought it was not suitable to return to Beijing. In recent years, Prince E of the Southern Qi Dynasty took charge of military and political power, worked hard to govern and expand his army and build ships, which was quite ill-intentioned to our Great Zhao. Commander Du of the Southern Front was also old. The prefect of Chu remained in Pingyuan County and could assist him in actively preparing for war in case of accidents.
Several ministers of the Chu faction immediately spoke out
Fang Lingbai, the Minister of Works, sneered and said: "Your Majesty Chu is worried that Southern Qi is worthy of praise, but my true confidant Zhao is that the commander of the Western Qin side has been stationed on the Western Front for more than ten years. He has been trying hard to resist the Qin army outside the national gate. He should be given heavy use. Commander Guo fought with the Human last year and wiped out all the Huns. Since then, the northern border can maintain peace for at least ten years. Such great contributions must be rewarded. However, the Northern Front Camp was also seriously injured. How could Commander Guo leave easily? Moreover, the 50,000 elite troops transferred from the Western Front to the Northern Front have been killed and injured. I think it is better to send Commander Guo to the Western Front Camp, gather the commander of the Northern Front, and make up for him as soon as possible and train him in preparation for the Tiger and Wolf Army of the Western Qin.
Chu Mingting sneered: Lord Fang is really a good person. He doesn't need to use those who have outstanding achievements, but he appointed a mediocre person. If this is true, wouldn't it be a shame for all the people in the world?
you……
The two factions of officials scrambled to attack each other, and the quarrel made a furious King Zhao furious and slapped the table: Shut up
As an important official of the court, he was like a public servant in the market who didn’t know the importance of the matter. What kind of morality is it!
King Zhao said in a deep voice, "Come here, I plan to appoint Guo Huai as Minister of War, and the position of commander of the Northern Frontier Camp will be taken over by former deputy commander Meng Deqi.
In addition, King Zhao took out a memorial from his sleeve. Commander Du Wei of the Southern Front Daying submitted a memorial the day before yesterday. Since he was old and weak, he wanted to resign from his position as commander. I have approved the report. Since all the ministers believed that Chu Mingtang, the prefect of Pingyuan County, should not be the position of Minister of Personnel, he would also serve as the commander of the Southern Front Daying and take office today.
Before the ministers at the ranks could react, King Zhao stood up: I have decided, and I cannot report to retreat! He turned around and left
The ministers have never seen the emperor as tough as they are today, and they can't help but look at each other
Fang Lingbai walked to his brother Fang Lingxin and whispered: Brother, you talk about this...
Fang Lingxin shook his head slightly: Let's discuss it slowly when he returns home
Chu Mingting stood there for a long time, but he didn't expect that the fight would be like this. He couldn't help but look at Fang Lingxin secretly.
Fang Lingxin seemed to have some awareness, turned around and looked at him with a sarcastic look on his face.
Returning to the palace, King Zhao smiled and said to Concubine Lin: My beloved concubine has not visited her for three years, so I will allow you to visit her in Pingyuan County.
********************
Chu Mingting sat in the carriage, thinking about the morning court, and was full of hatred
I don't know what the emperor thought, but he actually appointed Chu Mingtang as the commander of the southern camp.
In this way, Chu Mingtang not only controlled Pingyuan County, but also controlled the 100,000 cavalry and 80,000 naval troops on the southern line of Zhao State, and controlled the defense of more than a thousand miles of three counties along the Yangtze River.
The commander of the southern front line is one level higher than that of the county prefect. Although one is in charge and the other is in charge, the two are not affiliated, once there is a war, Chu Mingtang can easily control the three southern counties. Even if there is no war, the prefects of the other two counties are disciples of Wang Lie, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and are loyal to the Wang family. Chu Mingtang is the eldest son-in-law of the Wang family. The prefects of the two counties must have bowed to him.
Wang Family, Wang Family
Chu Mingting closed his eyes and muttered silently. This was the biggest pain in his heart. He admired the eldest daughter of the Wang family, and was almost open to the public secrets of the King of Chu. The elders of the two families even agreed, but everything changed after the rural man won the top scorer. The young lady of the Wang family fell in love with Chu Mingtang, and the old man of the Zhenbei Hou Wang Lie agreed for some reason.
If he married Miss Wang, Chu Mingting punched him hard on the wall of the car, how could the Prime Minister be on Fang Ling's turn to the head of the letter?
The coachman was startled by the loud noise in the car and asked: Master, what are the instructions?
Chu Mingting also felt that he had lost his composure, so he calmed down and said: It's okay, go home.
The Chu Mansion is located in the west of Shangjing City and is the largest mansion in the west of the city. The mottled traces on the vermilion gate seem to represent the century-old journey of the Chu Mansion. Only the horizontal plaque of the Xiaoyao Hou Mansion written by Taizu is still as brilliant as new.
Chu Mingting walked into the mansion, and the servant next to him came up to report that the old man was back and was waiting for him in the study.
Chu Mingting was shocked. My father returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors a few days ago. Why did he come back so quickly and dare not neglect now. He hurriedly walked towards the study room.
Chu Tianfang, the contemporary sect leader of the Chu family, was sitting in the study and reading a person who was over 60 years old. Although he retired for many years, he was still energetic and could not tell what an old look.
Chu Mingting walked in and gave a gift to Chu Tian: Father, when did you return to Beijing? Why didn’t you notify your child in advance?
Chu Tianfang ignored him and was still reading books alone
Chu Mingting felt a little uncomfortable. What he feared most since childhood was his father's appearance, which showed that he was very dissatisfied with himself.
Chu Tianfang suddenly said: This morning court is very lively
Chu Mingting was not surprised. He knew that although his father had retreated, there were still many ears and ears in the court and was very informative. He replied carefully: Yes, the father, the emperor, wanted to transfer Guo Huai, and Chu Mingtang returned to the court, but the ministers were angry and submitted a complaint to object. In the end, Guo Huai was transferred back to the court as the Minister of War, and Chu Mingtang was appointed as the prefect of Pingyuan County and the commander of the southern front camp.
Chu Tianfang said lightly, and asked again: Did you hear that Vice President Li next to Concubine Lin in the uterus a few days ago had you seen?
Chu Mingting was stunned and replied: Yes, but his heart sank, thinking to himself, how could the old man know about this?
What's the matter?
Concubine Lin wanted the child to do his best and transferred Chu Mingtang back to the court.
Then how did you deal with it?
Child wanted to return to the court with the position of prefect Tang as the prefect, and only two newly vacant positions of Shangshu were suitable for him. I believe that Concubine Lin had the same intention. However, Child was already the Minister of Justice, and there was no precedent in the court that all the same clans served as Shangshu, so she rejected her with this reason.
Confused!
Although Chu Tianfang had already guessed that Chu Mingting had definitely not agreed, otherwise he would never be able to hide what he had in the court, but he did not expect Chu Mingting to refuse so directly.
Chu Tian stood up in anger, paced back and forth a few steps, pointed at Chu Mingting and cursed: My father knows that you have always been arrogant and domineering, but what kind of person are the two brothers and sisters now? How can you allow you to be so negligent and don’t want to do your best? But if you just entrust it with a snake and agree with it, do you have to offend them?
Chu Mingting's face was flushed. Since Chu Tianfang retired, he has rarely been in charge. He didn't expect that he was so angry about this matter today. He was very dissatisfied and replied: What's wrong with offending? Is our Chu family still afraid of them?
Chu Tian laughed with anger and said: "You are a ruthless thing. Do you think you are a minister of justice. You just retired for your father. In order to comfort the Chu family, you are the one who presided over the Ministry of Justice. But you see what you have done over the years and you have to ask the emperor to deal with any major cases. You are not upright. Who is respectful to you and is still uneasy in the court? The so-called officialdom does not make a meaningless enemy. You have been in vain for so many years? What's more, the brothers and sisters of the Tang Dynasty are not others. Their surname is Chu, and they are also members of the Chu family.
Chu Mingting was furious and stood up and said: Yes, their surname is Chu, they are not outsiders, but I am your son. If you don’t help me, you will help outsiders instead.
Chu Tianfang was stunned and said: When did I help outsiders
Chu Mingting made a fuss and sent out all his resentment for many years: When Wang Xiuhe was going to marry Chu Mingtang, I was out of reach for Qingzhou as the prefect, but why didn't you help me, the two families of King Chu were not in harmony, but as long as you came forward, Wang Lie would not dare to easily refute your face. Not only did you not help me, but you also presided over the wedding as a parent of Chu Mingtang in Beijing. What did you write a marriage made by heaven and gave it to them? Don't you know that Chu Mingtang, a rural man, snatched your son's love with a knife? You are not helping outsiders, what is that?
Chu Tianfang pondered for a while, calmed down and said: My father always thought that you looked down on Chu Mingtang because he was born in poverty and humbleness. It turned out that you still hold a grudge against this matter. But you and Miss Wang had no matchmakers and were not in Beijing. What do you want me to do?
Chu Mingting said: You just need to come forward and drag this matter down. When I rush back from Qingzhou to meet Miss Wang, I will definitely change her mind.
Chu Tianfang was so happy that he said: Can you tell her to change your mind when you meet Miss Wang? You really think too much of yourself. At the beginning, that old boy Wang Lie really looked down on Chu Mingtang. If her daughter hadn't forced her to die, how could he agree to this marriage.
Chu Mingting said hatefully: Chu Mingtang must have used some despicable means to prevent Xiuhe from doing it.
Chu Tianfang shook his head. Chu Mingting was so paranoid that he could not persuade him at all.
He stood with his hands behind his back and suddenly said lightly: How could you not know what you thought about as a father? But how did you know that you had never found Wang Lie for your father?
Chu Mingting said in surprise: I've searched for it, but why don't I know it
Chu Tianfang sneered and said: Have you ever asked?
Chu Mingting said anxiously: What did Wang Lie say?
Chu Tianfang said leisurely: In fact, it is not only Miss Wang’s family who really forced Wang Lie to agree to this marriage, but someone else
who?
Chu Tianfang pointed upwards: The Emperor
Chu Mingting was shocked for a moment, Emperor? Chu Mingtang was just the top scholar at that time. How could he let the emperor suppress the Marquis of the Northern Palace for him?
Chu Tianfang said: At that time, Chu Mingtang and Guo Huai separated from the top scholars in high school. The emperor left the palace in vain many times and had a close personal relationship with them.
Later, Chu Mingtang didn't know how to meet Miss Wang's family. Miss Wang was afraid that Wang Lie would not allow it, so she specially asked the emperor to make the decision for them.
Chu Mingting murmured: Why did I never know these things
Chu Tian snorted and said: Don’t you know? Don’t look at what you are busy all day long, and don’t think about it. Guo Huai and Chu Mingtang have only been in more than ten years. One is about to be the Minister of War, and the other is to control the military and political power of the Southern Front. The entire town of the Southern King. Chu Mingtang can also be said to be the son-in-law of the Wang family. Guo Huai has no background and is now an important minister of the court. If it were not for the support of the emperor, how could he have reached this point. Although the emperor is not a wise lord, he is definitely not a simple person. He has long been very dissatisfied with the ministers of the court. However, the three major families have controlled the government for many years, with deep foundations and disciples all over the world. Otherwise, the emperor would not have transferred Guo Huai to the court until today.
So, Chu Mingtang is the emperor's direct line? Chu Mingting gritted his teeth and said, since that's the case, father, this person must not be kept, and he must find a way to get rid of him.
Chu Tianfang shook his head, looked coldly at his son Chu Mingting, and was so nervous that he was staring that he was panicked, and said in a stuttering: Father, what's wrong with you...
Chu Tian waved his hand and said decisively: Ting'er, I used to be with you for my father, but in the future, we will not be embarrassed by Mingtang's brother and sister when we go to the capital of Beijing. If necessary, we will also report all the big and small things about the Chu clan.
What?
Chu Mingting jumped up immediately, why didn’t they become deacons of the clan?
Chu Tian slapped the table: Why, it depends on the current status of this brother and sister
Chu Mingting was angry: No matter what, I asked Chu Mingtang and I to bow our heads, it would be impossible. After saying that, I slammed the door and came out.
Chu Tianfang looked at his son who was leaving, his eyes gradually became indifferent. For the future of the Chu family, if he had no choice, the son would give up.
Suddenly, a creaking door sounded, and a red old man walked out of the inner room
If Chu Mingting was still here, he would be extremely shocked. This was not someone else, but his father's mortal enemy, Chu Mingtang's father-in-law, and Wang Lie, the Minister of War of the Ministry of War, Jingbei, Wang Lie
How about it? You should give up
Wang Lie swayed and sat on the chair that Chu Tian put. He had told you that I had a weak life and had no children, but none of your two sons were as good as me. Hehe, arrogant and not very good at seeing this boy. Back then, Xiuhe couldn't hide, but this boy actually thought that this was a shy look in his daughter's family and always clamored in my ears. If I didn't take it for your sake, I would have already lost him. You have worked so hard to cultivate him for so many years, and you wouldn't have seen such a bad boy. It would be fine if you didn't have such a bad boy.
Chu Tian was so angry that he had no place to scatter. He heard this and said: Forget it, except Xiuhe, those girls in your family are nothing more than the ears. After all, their daughter is from other families. After marriage, they have nothing to do with your Wang family.
Wang Lie's biggest taboo is that he has no children when he is old. In recent years, he has never been able to get married, no matter which son of the court's ministers get married, so as not to be sad.
But today he doesn't want to argue with Chu Tianfang, and he can't get a result even if he fights. After all, it's already an ironic fact that he has no son.
Don't argue with you, you and I have not argued enough in front of outsiders over the years. The emperor has been ascending the throne for many years and is getting richer. It seems that he wants to take back the power of the court. You and I are old. Although the remaining power is still there, you have retired for many years. My husband's Minister of War will also hand it over to Guo Huai. Guo Huai is loyal to the emperor. It is not a good thing for him to take the position of Shangshu, but his military achievements are unattainable to this dynasty. He is known as the two famous generals of the world together with Xue Fangzhong of the Western Qin Dynasty. This matter is basically a foregone conclusion. If you rely solely on your precious son in the court, you may be slaughtered in a few years.
Didn't you hear it just now?
Chu Tianfang calmed down, and I decided to name Tang as one of the six deacons of the Chu clan. Lin'er was inconvenient to go out in the harem, so although she did not serve as a title, she had the same power.
Wang Lie said disdainfully: Mingtang is now the commander of the Southern Front Daying and the prefect of Pingyuan County. He may not take this little Chu family deacon seriously.
The position of a mere deacon is indeed aggrieved. Chu Tianfang smiled sly. What if I was willing to give the position of the leader of the Chu family?
Wang Lie stood up: Do you think this is serious?
Outsiders all say that the two families of the King of Chu are enemies of the world, but only the sect leaders of the two families know the truth. Chu Tianfang said lightly, let alone, have I ever made false statements in front of you?
Wang Lie was still a little suspicious: Can you really let go?
Chu Tianfang said helplessly: No matter how glorious the great families of all dynasties were at their peak, once they declined, they could make a comeback. Now the emperor is pressing against the three major families step by step, and my Chu family is the first to be the first to be the one who is a bad boy. If I have half of my evil sons, Mingtang, how could I take such a bad strategy, let alone the position of the leader of your Wang family must be passed on to your nephews. Only Mingtang can convince them. Hehe, King Chu, King Chu, people mentioned that the aristocratic families in this dynasty are Chu first and then King. If the Chu family cannot suppress your Wang family, what face will I have to meet Xianxinggong in a hundred years?
You... Wang Lie was about to curse, but thought it was important to do the most important thing. He suppressed his anger and snorted: I don’t know you like you, but don’t think too beautifully. How did your Chu family treat Mingtang over the years? He is probably already heartbroken.
Chu Tian smiled: Mingtang has great ambitions and will never be satisfied with dominating the emperor's ambition to take back the power of the court. No matter how much he values Mingtang, he will never give him such power as the leader of the Chu family. Mingtang must know this, let alone his surname is Chu, and Guo Huai is invincible on the battlefield, but in this court, he is far inferior to Fang Lingxin. However, this time he only transferred Guo Huai back to the court but did not transfer Mingtang, which is enough to prove that the emperor still has concerns.
Besides, with you, your father-in-law, and Xiuhe's niece lobbying, she will definitely not let Mingtang go to the emperor, right?
Old fox! Wang Lie said gritting his teeth, you have already planned all this. If I had known this, I would not have traveled this time.
********************
Where are you now? Chu Lin opened the curtains and asked the eunuch who was accompanying him:
The little eunuch replied respectfully: Concubine, you are about to arrive outside the plain city.
Chu Lin nodded and lowered the curtain, feeling a little excited
As the saying goes, the feeling of being close to the hometown is timid. Although Pingyuan City is not her hometown, there is her own mother there. The eldest brother. It has been missing for five years since the eldest brother left the capital and released it.
This time I went out to Beijing to visit relatives, Chu Lin was very low-key
Apart from saying goodbye to the queen on a routine basis, she did not tell anyone else in the palace, just to say who could she say to? Which of the concubines did not regard her as a thorn in the eyes and a thorn in the flesh, and thought that she was the one who dominated the emperor, and even the queen was extremely jealous of her.
Every time she meets the queen, she clenchs her fists in secret, fearing that she can't control her rude things.
Over the years, how many times have I dreamed of midnight? When I think of my unborn child, Chu Lin's shirt was wet with tears and her heart was trembling with pain.
It was this woman who killed her son who was still in her belly with a bowl of osmanthus soup, and almost killed herself.
After walking for about half an hour, he finally arrived at the city of Pingyuan. The officials of Pingyuan County, led by Chu Mingtang, had been waiting for a long time.
There was no time left at the city gate, Chu Lin and his group went directly to the Chu Mansion. As soon as they entered the door, they led the family members of the Chu Mansion to salute: See the Imperial Concubine!
Chu Lin quickly took a few steps forward and helped Mrs. Chu up before she could shed tears. Old Mrs. Chu stroked Chu Lin's face and said tremblingly: Lin'er, you've been miserable.
Chu Lin did not answer, and hid on the old lady Chu's chest and cried loudly, as if she wanted to vent all the injustices she had suffered over the years. Wang Xiuhe, who was standing beside her, also silently accompanied her to cry.
After a long time, Chu Lin stopped sobbing and said to everyone: You don’t have to be too polite to your family, just get up.
When they arrived at the inner palace, they sat down. Wang Xiuhe greeted a few children: Come and pay homage to the concubine.
Chu Lin looked at the children and smiled and said, "Let my aunt guess, this is the boss Chu Xuan, you are Chu Yuan, these two girls are Chu Xin, Chu Qian, this... is Chu Zheng."
Chu Lin waved to Chu Zheng, Chu Zheng walked over, Chu Lin looked at him, her eyes suddenly turned red, and she burst into tears
Chu Zheng was puzzled, wondering why the elegant and luxurious woman in front of him started crying.
Chu Lin's crying softly made her already beautiful face even more beautiful. Although she was nearly thirty years old, her skin was as white as a little girl. However, compared to the little girl, she had more mature charm, which was incomparable to the charm of a young girl.
Although Chu Lin has a plump figure and a big waist and a big buttock, any man standing in front of him will have a sense of protection in his heart, because Chu Lin's weak eyes always seem to have a faint sadness.
Mrs. Chu and others knew in their hearts that Chu Lin was thinking of her child again
Wang Xiuhe and Chu Lin were pregnant almost at the same time. Chu Lin had the first child and the pregnancy reaction was very serious. Wang Xiuhe had given birth to several children and had some experience. She often went to the palace to take care of her.
Later, because Chu Mingtang came to Pingyuan County, Wang Xiuhe also came here with her husband, but Chu Lin was poisoned in the palace. Although the person survived, he was unable to save the fetus in his womb.
Wang Xiuhe advised: Don’t be sad, Empress, you can treat Xiaowu as your own child.
Chu Lin wiped her tears and said: I'm fine, sister-in-law doesn't have to worry. She smiled and said to Chu Zheng: Last time your mother took you back to the capital, you were still learning to speak, but now you are almost a big child
But Mrs. Chu sighed: Lin'er, you don't know, this child just suffered a serious illness not long ago and has not recovered yet
Chu Lin hurriedly asked what was going on. The old lady Chu had caused Chu Zheng to be injured and how to treat him. Chu Lin was also very afraid and asked the entourage palace maid to take some property and let Chu Mingtang send it to the genius doctor Wu to show her reward.
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