Chapter 18 Storm
Although significant progress has been made in the negotiations, all conditions still need to be reported to the emperor for approval before they can take effect. However, Eunuch Huang, who was ordered to supervise the inspection, was very confident about this. He personally went in to guide the Crown Prince and the young cabinet minister in writing the memorials. He also specifically reminded them that they could just write a few empty quotes from saints, but must emphasize the profits from tribute trade. They could also elaborate on the creative idea of "even foreign vassals should learn to write Qing Ci", which would surely have a miraculous effect.
Eunuch Huang was very straightforward: "We can just submit your memorials directly, and there is no need for the Tongzhengsi to review them. Why bother with those bookworms? The court is just a few government offices, and they have to make a living!"
Mu Qi nodded repeatedly, with great realization: Although the old Taoist priest doesn't understand human nature very well, as long as he understands the context, he can still communicate with him - isn't he much better than his grandson who is always giving up until death!
He and the young minister worked for half a day and drafted a manuscript for Eunuch Huang to consider. After returning, they planned to check the historical materials carefully and add some details that would excite the old Taoist priest, such as the fact that Japan produces sulfur, which is particularly effective in alchemy. But as soon as he opened the system, he saw the avatar of the deposed emperor playing mahjong jumping repeatedly and sending several video communication requests.
After he clicked it, Zhao Fei's avatar popped up. Compared to the high-spirited look a few days ago, the deposed emperor and the princess now have a gloomy face and a stiff expression, as if someone had punched them in the face.
Mu Qi and Liu Li were both shocked:
"What's wrong? Did something happen to Mr. Zong?"
"Mr. Zong is still running a fever and his mind is very hazy, but he is fine for now." She said coldly, "But something happened again in the past few days. Du Chong's death seems to have irritated some people in the city. I originally sent people to take over the defense of various parts of the city, but some officials who stayed behind were so frightened that they committed suicide overnight - or were forced to commit suicide. Anyway, there was chaos when we entered the city, and we can't find out clearly for the time being..."
Mu Qi was quite surprised, but he didn't take it seriously: "He was scared to death by such a small noise. He must have something to hide. Death is nothing."
Zhao Fei sighed.
"You can't generalize." She said, "Some people's deaths are indeed not worth regretting, such as Wang Xiaodi, the 'Four-End Secretary'. He assisted King Zhou in his atrocities and helped the Jin people plunder the people of Bianjing. It was said that 'all men were killed, all women were captured, all palaces were burned, and all gold and silver were taken'. It is not a pity to be cut into pieces. But some people just hide their heads and try to make a living. They don't have obvious evil deeds. At most, they are exiled. There are too many of these people who died, and they died too tragically. The impact on public opinion is very bad..."
Mu Qi and Liu Li looked at each other in the video, speechless for a moment. The Jin people marched southward, plundering like crazy. Except for a few kind-hearted and patriotic people, most of the people tried to protect themselves and stayed on the dry shore. If Zhao Fei were to take ruthless action against such a person, it would certainly arouse widespread fear among the bureaucrats, and that kind of mutual resonance would probably be difficult to control.
The most speechless thing is that if Zhao Fei had really made up her mind to cross the mountains and rivers and use iron-blooded means to eliminate the double-dealers and use human heads to demonstrate her determination to fight, it would be fine. But she was really clueless and was inexplicably blamed for a huge crime that could not be lifted with her life. The confusion and anger she felt were really indescribable.
"…The city was in an uproar. They all said that I had sent people to assassinate these officials. They also said that I was cruel and wanted to kill all the old people to seize power. The order in Bianjing was unstable to begin with. After a few days, rumors became rampant. Many Confucian scholars went to the government office to cry and complain for the dead. It was unbearable." Zhao Fei said angrily: "Today I took people to the Zong Mansion to see a sick patient, and some bold people actually found out about the itinerary. They brought the family members of the deceased and hundreds of refugees, beggars, and military ruffians in the city guarding the imperial guards to open a mourning hall outside the Zong Mansion to cry and cry, and asked the Zong Xianggong to come out to take charge of the situation and save them..."
Liu Li was puzzled: "What does this have to do with Mr. Zong?"
Mu Qi knew a little about the inside story of Song Mo, and whispered:
"I'm afraid these troublemakers were recruited by Lord Zong..."
After the Jingkang Incident, the country was in turmoil. The two emperors and most of the court were captured and taken north, leaving Henan and Hebei in ruins. Zong Ze stayed in Bian Jing in his old age, facing a desperate situation that was on the verge of collapse from both inside and outside. The situation was extremely precarious at the time. Externally, he had to resist the harassment of the Jin army, and internally, he had to suppress the swarming bandits. Zong Xiangong had no choice but to cooperate with everyone he could, try his best to unite all the forces that could be united, put aside past grudges, and move forward together. It is natural to imagine that there was a mixed crowd of good and bad people in Bianjing.
Now that the Jin army has retreated and the area south of the Yellow River has become slightly more stable, Zhao Fei naturally has to start sorting out the muddy water in Bianliang. But the rumors pointed out the most heartbreaking speculation - some people made a big fuss and restored order as soon as they entered the city. Could it be that they wanted to clean up the old people of Zong Xianggong and follow the path of the Zhao emperors of all generations, who always crossed the river and demolished the bridge?
...Considering Zhao Song’s past credit record, you really can’t say that this statement is unreasonable.
Of course, such speculation is malicious and sinister, but it is not difficult to resolve. As long as Mr. Zong can stand up and say a word, the people in the capital will be determined. But right now, Mr. Zong is so ill that he can't even utter a word, let alone disturb him with such a dirty matter; Zhao Fei was framed with such an inexplicable crime for no reason, which of course is disgusting beyond words!
Liu Li roughly understood the reason, but was even more surprised: "How could it become like this? I thought that pacifying Bianjing was a great achievement, and that things would be smooth sailing in the future."
Mu Qi sighed and said, "What's so strange about this? In troubled times, people's hearts are unsettled and anything can happen. Apart from anything else, aren't you also..."
He originally wanted to say that after the defeat at Yiling and the death of Emperor Zhaolie, didn’t the Later Han Dynasty also experience a great upheaval and chaos? But just as he was about to open his mouth, he thought of the biggest difference between them - Liu Li, this stinky seal, has been protected by his father-in-law since he was born! With the wings of his father protecting him from the wind and rain, how could he have ever experienced any strong winds, dangerous waves, or roaring seas?
It’s great to have a father who is kind to him. Children with such a father are like treasures! How can one remain so peaceful and calm when being at the center of a political whirlpool? Isn't it just that there are people guarding on both sides, taking on all the dirty water at once?
Mu Qi choked: Damn stinky seal!
Zhao Fei's face darkened, and she obviously thought of the same pain point. She paused for a moment before speaking calmly:
"You can't blame people's hearts for everything. In the final analysis, my authority is still insufficient. Authority in troubled times is determined by victory, but since I took control of the government and joined forces with Han Shizhong and Yue Fei to start an army, although I have achieved some small, tactical advantages, I have never achieved a decisive strategic victory. I have never fought a big battle, and without a key victory as a foundation, my confidence is certainly insufficient. I originally planned to have a big decisive battle around Bianjing to establish my prestige in one fell swoop; but I didn't expect the Jin army to retreat on their own, missing the opportunity for a decisive battle. Although there was no bloodshed, my prestige is still under a lot of doubt..."
She spread her hands, "There are many rumors in Bianjing that make fun of me. Some say I am a hen that crows at dawn and poisoned the late Emperor Wanyan Gou. Well, this is not a rumor, but since there is no evidence, why say it so bluntly? There are also people who say I am more vicious than Wu Zetian, eager to abuse power and never stop. This is slandering me. Empress Wu only deposed two emperors. How can she compare to me?"
Mu Qi had a blank expression on his face while Liu Li's mouth twitched - after the Jingkang Incident, Zhao Fei fled south in a hurry and finally joined up with the remnants of the Northern Song Dynasty court in the south; in order to clear the obstacles and counterattack as soon as possible, Zhao Fei, with the help of the two of them, overthrew Wanyan Gou with a bowl of porridge, supported Wanyan Gou's youngest son Zhao Bing to ascend the throne, and took charge of the government in the name of the Princess Zhenguo. She appointed Yue Fei and Han Shizhong as her confidants, won over Zhang Jun and Wu Jie as her wings, and spared no effort to integrate the anti-Jin forces.
However, at that time, the three of them were just starting out and their hands and feet were not very flexible; things kept dragging on and on, and they had to seek help from off-field factors; the plan to seize power after poisoning Wanyan Gou was designed by Liu Li himself, who asked his father-in-law to design it (I really don't know how he explained it to the prime minister. Perhaps in front of the emperor who was not his own son but was better than his own son, the prime minister could only turn a blind eye); and the poison in the porridge was pufferfish toxin that Mu Qi had extracted using a traditional method after repeated attempts. It was guaranteed that no one would make a sound after eating it, and the death would be painful and quick, and there would be no trace left. For this reason, although rumors about Wanyan Gou's death are flying everywhere, no one can insist that it was Princess Zhenguo who was responsible, which leaves a lot of room for explanation.
And half a year ago, in order to eliminate the remaining influence of Wanyan Gou, Zhao Fei forced Zhao Bing to abdicate and become the emperor on the grounds that "the country depends on the eldest monarch", and the throne was passed to an unknown distant clan member. In this way, together with the false emperor Zhang Bangchang who was deposed after gaining a firm foothold, the Princess Zhenguo deposed as many as three emperors, exceeding the record once held by Empress Wu Zetian. Mu Qi once joked privately that the emperors she had deposed were about to play a game of mahjong, so she said, "Do you want to depose the emperor to play mahjong?" Therefore, she was known as "The Deposed Emperor Playing Mahjong."
But looking at it from the other side, since he was already able to control the government and depose the emperor, why didn't he ascend the throne himself in one go? Aren’t we still limited by the shackles of identity and gender, and political authority is not enough to accomplish such a great thing?
The officials of Bianliang were always shrewd and cunning, and the Song Dynasty had a tradition of the imperial guards making trouble for pay and spreading rumors. Even the legitimate emperor couldn't stop it back then, so what's the point of bullying a princess like you with an unstable foundation?
Zhao Fei was very familiar with this, so she was quite helpless. Today, she was blocked by a group of mourning thugs outside the clan's residence. She couldn't use force in front of a patient's home, so it took a lot of effort to finally disperse them. It's not hard to imagine how depressed she felt.
Liu Li seemed to be thinking about something, and he sighed: "It's so troublesome to pacify the situation... Of course, I really have no experience in this kind of mess, and I could go back and ask my father. But now my father is preparing for the Northern Expedition, how can I disturb him? I can only rely on the guidance of the Seventh Brother. The Seventh Brother has experienced it all - he has even experienced the Great Ceremony Debate, so what's this!"
Mu Qi ignored the vague Versailles of this stinky seal. As the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you have seen pigs run. He had certainly heard of the event during the imperial dynasty's grand ceremony where all officials knelt down in front of the palace and cried and remonstrated. This event was quite similar to Zhao Fei's current situation. However, if we follow the rules of great etiquette, the situation will be simple.
"The old Taoist priest is not a good person usually, but he is really good at dealing with political enemies." He thought: "Based on the old Taoist priest's experience, if they want to make trouble, let them make trouble, don't bother to deal with them; after they are exhausted, use the Jinyiwei to surround them and drag them away to prison one by one; if they refuse to leave, beat them to death on the spot. Generally speaking, it's not a difficult task."
Zhao Fei snorted, obviously unwilling to accept it. Obviously, "beat him to death" was not enough for her current anger; but even considering the influence of Zong Xianggong, she couldn't do it for the time being; so after thinking for a moment, she shook her head:
"...Forget it, let's see what happens first. Anyway, Bianjing City has been used to the chaos in the past few years. Compared with the situation during the Jingkang period, this is not a big deal. By the way, after entering the mansion, I carefully observed the face of Mr. Zong and felt that he seemed to have a lung infection and difficulty breathing, which led to the high fever and coma. Old Seven, please get me some more penicillin so that I can try it out."
Mu Qi went through a lot of trouble and found skilled craftsmen to custom-make a full set of glassware. He used traditional methods to extract a lot of broad-spectrum antibiotics, which played a huge role in the war. The drugs sold by the system are terribly expensive, they really can't afford it, and can only rely on these things to ensure logistics.
Mu Qi nodded in agreement and closed the video window. He just looked down, but he didn't feel any doubt:
Why is this dog flashing faster than the system’s red light?
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