Chapter 379: Meeting the Emperor in Chang'an
Under normal circumstances, Emperor Liu Yu would at most communicate with Qiao Yan about court arrangements through correspondence.
Whether it was because he was clearly aware that some situations were beyond his control, or because as the emperor he wanted to give Qiao Yan, the minister who was conquering all directions, absolute initiative as much as possible, Liu Yu rarely interfered with Qiao Yan's whereabouts.
With two powerful enemies, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, to the east of Luoyang, Liu Yu would never make such a stupid decision!
Because the situation was changing rapidly, Qiao Yan could suddenly arrive in Yangzhou, and then go north to Xuzhou, officially ending the confrontation between the north and the south. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could also take advantage of Qiao Yan's absence from Luoyang to launch an attack on this place.
The time spent on the road may seem short, but it is very likely to become a fatal delay at a critical moment.
Liu Yu has proved with his own actual experience that he is indeed not good at military affairs, so he would not make such unwarranted interference.
But for Liu Yang, who is holding the imperial seal at this moment, and Wang Yun, who intends to assist him in eliminating Qiao Yan, such a problem is not what they need to consider at this moment, but should be considered after eliminating Qiao Yan, the Grand Marshal!
That's the difference.
In their view, the deployment of Youzhou, Bingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou and Jingzhou could launch a deterrent attack on the territories of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao at any time. No matter how they thought about it, they felt that even if the two of them joined forces, they would never take the initiative to launch a counterattack at the beginning of the fifth year of Jian'an.
It was with this idea in mind that they were so decisive and resolute when they affixed the imperial seal to this forged certificate.
The characters were written by a skilled copyist whom Chunyu Jia specially sought out, based on the handwriting of the Secretariat when it drafted the imperial edict for Your Majesty.
The seal was directly snatched by Liu Yang from Liu Yu. It had not even been forged, so there was no problem at all.
This was an imperial edict that Qiao Yan had to accept.
As for whether this imperial edict was appropriate, that was another question. It would not be too late to discuss it after Qiao Yan arrived in Chang'an.
But when she really went to Chang'an and was trapped in that prison, it was hard to say whether she could still control the situation.
Xian Yuyin looked at the imperial edict that he had read countless times on the way from Chang'an to Luoyang. Even though he knew that Qiao Yan would never be able to find any problems in it, he still couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
In such a tense mood, he naturally did not notice that when Qiao Yan's eyes fell on the four words "return to Beijing immediately", a flash of sarcasm flashed in his eyes. He only heard Qiao Yan ask:
"Your Majesty, why don't you make the details of what you want to discuss clear in your decree, so that I can think about it on the way back to Chang'an. Or, why don't you let me know the general situation first? If the affairs in Luoyang are more urgent, I can deal with the affairs here first before returning?"
"In Chang'an City, there are General Huangfu, Minister Wang, Minister Huang and others by your side, as well as many ministers who are loyal to the country. What is so important that I need to go back with them?"
Qiao Yan's reaction did not surprise Xian Yuyin too much. When he set out from Chang'an, Wang Yun had already told him that the principle of "a general is not always subject to orders from his sovereign" would most likely be brought up by Qiao Yan.
This was not necessarily because she had seen through the problems in the imperial edict and the plot against her in Chang'an City, but because -
When she was in Luoyang City, she was not only the Grand Marshal of the Chang'an court, but also the highest-ranking official here. She did not have to be bound by anyone, but in Chang'an City, she was bound to be subject to various restrictions.
Last year, Yu Fan had predicted that Qiao Yan was in conflict with Chang'an City. If he stayed there, he might face the threat of being beheaded within two years.
Before Sun Ce's death, Yu Fan had reminded him of this. Although Qiao Yan did not believe in the theory of destiny and only believed that man could conquer nature, he still needed to be careful about this.
Then not returning to Chang'an for the time being may be the best option.
Thinking of Wang Yun's reminder, Xian Yuyin did not say anything like "We will know about this matter when the Grand Marshal returns to Chang'an", or "The Grand Marshal asks this question, does it mean that he does not intend to follow the emperor's will?" He just whispered, "This is also unavoidable. Your Majesty's health has not been very good since October last year, and now it is even worse... Some things are not convenient to write in the edict to summon the Grand Marshal back to the court, so I can only ask you to go back first.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yan frowned immediately, "Are you serious?"
"We dare not make up this story." Xian Yuyin replied, "His Majesty has rarely asked about your actions, but now he has asked you to return to discuss matters, which is a very serious situation. Mr. Zhang Zhongjing changed his consultation every three days to staying in the palace half a month ago. This is really not a good sign."
Qiao Yan's eyes were fixed on Xian Yuyin in front of him.
When his heart almost jumped out of his chest, he heard the other party say, "Okay, I will rush back to Chang'an immediately."
If it wasn't inappropriate at this time, Xian Yuyin would almost breathe a sigh of relief because of this reply.
But what he just said couldn't be considered a complete lie.
When he set out from Chang'an City, Zhang Zhongjing was transferred to the inner palace of Chang'an.
Liu Yang was not unaware that he and Wang Yun were plotting to eliminate Qiao Yan, and although they could use the excuse of caring about the foundation of the Han Dynasty, when their actions also included restricting Liu Yu's personal freedom, compared to Qiao Yan who was only "potentially able to seize power", his was a real traitor!
Because of this, he must not add another crime to himself.
Liu Yu must not be angry to death because of his act of snatching the jade seal!
Thinking about his father's illness which had already made him in poor health, Liu Yang's brain finally worked for once. After using the imperial seal to issue the news of temporarily suspending court and transferring Qiao Yan to Chang'an, he found Zhang Zhongjing on the pretext of considering his father's health.
But rather than saying that this allowed Zhang Zhongjing to stay in the palace permanently, it would be better to say that this was also a case of detaining this miracle doctor there.
Liu Yu was almost fainted from anger because of Liu Yang's series of performances.
When Zhang Zhongjing took the long acupuncture needles out of his body, he barely managed to take two breaths and cursed angrily: "Rebellious son! Why did I give birth to such a rebellious son!"
He thought that Liu Yang was at best an unlearned man with a bit of arrogance that was common among the descendants of the Han royal family.
Anyway, he had already made his attitude clear. Liu Yang was absolutely not suitable to be his successor to the throne. I don't think any official in Chang'an would be so desperate as to place their bets on him. Then at most he would just squander the property and land allocated to him by Liu Yu in the manner of a dandy boy, and it shouldn't cause any big trouble.
With his promise to himself that he would never be an enemy of Qiao Yan, even if the worst-case scenario that Liu Yu had anticipated came true, given Qiao Yan's temper, he would never do anything to Liu Yang.
But Liu Yu never imagined that Liu Yang's ambition, which was not in line with his strength, would actually be supported by someone, so that he had already accomplished the feat of taking control of the Chang'an Palace and imprisoning his father!
Yes, this is definitely not something Liu Yang can accomplish with his own abilities.
Liu Yu felt extremely anxious when he thought about these people of unknown identities gathering around Liu Yang, instigating his ambitious son to fight for power and profit, while he was already under house arrest.
"Why on earth did this bastard think that was something I didn't have the guts to do!"
Is this gutless? That's not possible!
"Your Majesty, please don't be so angry. Your illness is caused by heart disease. If you still have trouble controlling your temper at this moment, I'm afraid it won't last long." Zhang Zhongjing said as he calmed Liu Yu down, causing the distressed old father to turn his attention to Zhang Zhongjing.
It was obviously not feasible to use the emperor's status to force the soldiers outside the gate to open the gate. Those guarding there were all Liu Yang's confidants. It was useless for Liu Yu to waste his energy on this matter. Instead, as Zhang Zhongjing said, he was just destroying his own life.
He suppressed his anger and sat down, sighing, "It's my fault that I have caused trouble for you, sir."
Zhang Zhongjing could have treated countless patients or taught dozens of students in a day in the Chiyang Medical College, but now he had to be trapped here as a hostage like Liu Yu. Liu Yu really felt sorry for him.
Regardless of whether Liu Yang's absurd behavior was successful, Zhang Zhongjing's situation was unsafe and he was simply dragged into the water innocently.
Zhang Zhongjing shook his head, "Your Majesty, there is no need to say that. A doctor is like a parent. Even if the person who asked me to come to see him today was Prince Yang himself in danger, I would still choose to come, not to mention your majesty, such a benevolent ruler."
"Benevolent monarch?" Liu Yu smiled bitterly. "If I still thought that a benevolent monarch was necessary to stabilize the people's hearts in Guanzhong when I was first supported to take the throne, then today I have to admit that a true benevolent monarch is definitely not the same as someone like me who can hardly detect the movements of the court and the people."
"You said that my illness is caused by depression in my heart. That's true, but even a depression in my heart can be cured and then rebuilt. But when termites enter my body and eat the branches, the only result is that the tree collapses!"
Seeing that Zhang Zhongjing looked at him with a puzzled look, Liu Yu sighed, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand what I'm saying now. I just hope that if the jade seal is really used by that bastard as a token to lure Ye Shu back to the court, Ye Shu must not come back."
That was clearly the only hope for the world to return to peace, but why did it encounter such a sudden disaster!
He suddenly thought of something and asked Zhang Zhongjing, "What kind of illness requires going out to get medicine, the kind that can make the biggest noise the better? Maybe we still have a chance to pass on the news!"
As long as everything can be prevented from happening, the city of Chang'an can still maintain the appearance of peace.
At least... at least it hasn't reached the point where Qiao Yan and the Han court have a falling out.
"Your Majesty," Zhang Zhongjing sensed that Liu Yu was in a bad mood at the moment, and hurriedly advised: "You don't have to be so pessimistic. The Grand Marshal is so smart and clever, how could he be deceived just because Prince Yang took control of the palace and usurped the imperial seal. If you have any problems with your health at this time, it will be really bad."
If Liu Yu's life was really in danger because of his intention to pass on the message, then in the eyes of the world, Liu Yang, who forced him into such a situation, would inevitably be held accountable, and Qiao Yan, the Grand Marshal, would also have to bear certain responsibilities. This was definitely not the result Zhang Zhongjing wanted to see.
Instead of doing this, it would be better to let Da Sima complete this breakthrough.
Since he was invited to Chang'an by Qiao Yan from Nanyang, and witnessed the establishment and prosperity of this medical school in Chiyang, north of Chang'an, in Zhang Zhongjing's mind, Qiao Yan had become a person who frequently created miracles.
If even she can't solve the current predicament, who else can?
After all, even doctors who were in a low status a few years ago could achieve such career progress under her!
After hearing Zhang Zhongjing's firm reply, the dejected look on Liu Yu's face eased a little, but it did not disappear completely from his face.
What Zhang Zhongjing said was right. With Qiao Yan's ability, even if Liu Yang really had someone helping her, he should not be able to cause any fatal blow to her.
But he could also hear that Zhang Zhongjing and he were not thinking about the same thing.
Liu Yu looked towards the sealed window. The sunlight outside was blocked and fell into the hall, which reduced its temperature and made the hall look more bleak.
What he was worried about was not just Qiao Yan's safety.
But what else can he do at this time?
Perhaps the only thing we can do is to calm ourselves down and hold on for a few days!
"My Lord, do you think that the salty fish captain who came to report the news looks a bit suspicious?"
While Lu Lingju was proud that Qiao Yan took her with him when he returned to Chang'an, she couldn't help but think that Qiao Yan had told her before that she planned to take Lu Lingju with her to fight alongside her. If that was the case, the situation of returning to Chang'an was somewhat delicate.
With this preconceived idea in mind, Lu Lingju looked at Xian Yuyin with a bit more critical eyes.
She didn't know if it was because of her intuitive instinct, but she felt that there was something wrong with this guy.
So guilty!
That’s right, I just feel too guilty!
"Look, if he really invited you back to Chang'an because he was worried about your majesty's health, he should be worried about the situation in Chang'an. If we still have the time to go see him, he should also let us speed up. Why avoid my gaze?"
The more Lu Lingju spoke, the more he felt that this was the truth, so he simply jumped off the horse he was riding and climbed onto the carriage where Qiao Yan was.
With the curtains separating the carriages, Xian Yuyin could not possibly hear their conversation, so Lu Lingju continued, "My Lord, I think we should be careful."
"That's Commander Xianyu, not Commander Xianyu. Give him some face." Qiao Yan smiled and replied.
However, she said that she was giving Xian Yuyin some face. In fact, even someone as simple-minded as Lu Lingju could hear the sarcasm in her words.
She quickly asked, "Did I guess right? Does this guy really have a conspiracy?"
Qiao Yan replied, "That's half right. But if you say that what he came up with can be called a conspiracy, then you are overestimating him. At best, he was just thrown out to play as a forward."
A striker who can even be regarded as just a messenger.
In this whole arrangement, he can only be regarded as a small follower.
The implicit meaning revealed by Qiao Yan immediately made Lu Lingju jump up from her seat, but she forgot that she was sitting on a carriage. This jump caused her head to hit the roof above, and she sat down again with a grimace in pain.
Qiao Yan, who was originally feeling somewhat unhappy about the plots of Wang Yun and others, couldn't help but smile knowingly when he saw this scene.
Lu Lingju muttered, "My Lord! Is this the time to laugh at me?"
"It's not, but you don't need to worry so much."
Qiao Yan glanced out the window. It seemed that because of the movement on the carriage side just now, Xian Yuyin didn't care about her guilty conscience and subconsciously looked in the direction of the carriage. Unfortunately, there was a distance between them and the window screen, so Xian Yuyin couldn't clearly see what was happening on Qiao Yan's side, let alone the deep coldness hidden in her gaze.
"If I had not prepared for them, why would I have brought you, Zilong, and our Yamen general with me?"
Lu Lingju nodded.
The prince brought them along, obviously with his own safety in mind.
Not to mention Dian Wei's close combat ability and Zhao Yun's ability to command soldiers, let's just talk about Lu Lingju herself. She also thinks she is a good fighter.
She could even fight her way in and out of the Wuhuan battlefield in Liaodong several times, so it shouldn't be a problem for her to get to Chang'an City.
If only she could ride a horse.
Qiao Yan asked again: "Besides, how much of Chang'an City do you think they can control?"
Her second question made Lu Lingju couldn't help but snap her fingers.
Although Chang'an was nominally under the jurisdiction of the emperor, it had been heavily branded as an exclusive place since Qiao Yan led his troops from Liangzhou all the way into Guanzhong and captured Chang'an.
The Jinwu Guard, which was directly under Liu Yu's command, was, to be more precise, only responsible for an area centered on the Chang'an Palace, not the entire Chang'an.
Almost all the soldiers guarding the outermost city of Chang'an and the military garrisons in the three prefectures belonged to Qiao Yan.
The most they can do is gain control of the palace. It is simply nonsense to expect them to form a strong army that can pose a sufficient threat to Qiao Yan!
"Wait a minute," Lu Lingju couldn't help but frowned, "They spread false news that the emperor was ill, seized the palace, and tricked you back. It is very likely that they would harm you. Isn't this..."
"Isn't this the same method that Emperor Xiaoling used to deal with General He Jin?!"
In order to prevent these students from being out of touch with the times, the course content of Leping Academy included a complete analysis of Dong Zhuo's rebellion, which included Emperor Ling of Han's attempt to eliminate the intentions of his foreign relatives.
It really cannot be blamed on Qiao Yan for enjoying the fame and status given to her by Liu Hong and then stabbing him in the back. If anyone should be blamed, it should be blamed on Cai Yong for having to supplement the subsequent events that were not recorded in the "Dongguan Hanji" and other historical manuscripts when he was compiling them, including the late Emperor Ling of Han.
Lu Lingju was, after all, an outstanding graduate of Leping Academy, and he had naturally done research on this. How could he have mistaken the similarities between the two?
But when he thought of this, especially after getting Qiao Yan's tacit response, Lu Lingju was about to explode on the spot.
“How can they compare you with He Jin!”
Crazy! It's crazy!
In Lu Lingju's view, comparing a regent like Huo Guang with Qiao Yan was a blasphemy to her, not to mention using He Jinlai as an analogy.
It is true that General He Jin's mansion is full of talented people, but how many of them are truly dedicated to him, and how many of them can be used by He Jin to contribute to the foundation of the Han Dynasty? The answer is enough to make He Jin jump out of the ground.
They used the same method to deal with He Jin to deal with Qiao Yan. I don’t know whether it should be said that they underestimated Qiao Yan or that they took themselves too seriously.
If Qiao Yan hadn't raised his hand to signal Lu Lingju to sit still, she would have wanted to pick up her halberd and chop Xian Yu Yin to death. How could she let him act so presumptuous here?
But even if she didn't do such a brutal thing, she couldn't help but whispered: "Lord, can't we just go home?"
The fact that he had to jump into the trap even though he knew someone was plotting against him made Lu Lingju feel more and more uncomfortable the more he thought about it.
Who knows, when they led the troops to surround the Chang'an Palace City, these shameless guys still had the courage to say that they had no intention of assassinating you. In fact, you are judging others by your own standards!
"Why go back home? There is no such thing as a thief being a thief for a thousand days! Instead of being on guard against these people day and night, and even forcing ourselves to let them rise to high positions and sit in positions that should not belong to them, it is better to be resolute and use this method to lure them out and catch them all in one fell swoop."
Just as Lü Lingju was about to say something, he suddenly heard Qiao Yan say, "Captain of the Wuhuan Guards, Lü Lingju, listen to my orders!"
She immediately swallowed back what she was about to say and replied, "Yes! Please give me your orders!"
"Once you reach the gates of Chang'an, you must not delay and immediately dispatch the elite troops in the Grand Marshal's Mansion to... to the Guardian's Mansion to rescue General Xianyu."
"Ah?" Lu Lingju was stunned for two or three breaths before realizing that Qiao Yan was talking about rescuing the brother of the insignificant captain outside.
Why was that guy locked up? Why did he need her rescue?
But Lu Lingju reacted quickly. Her mind could not keep up with the various games that Qiao Yan was trying to play at the moment, so she simply shouldn't ask more questions on issues she didn't understand, which would only waste time. In short, this was the order of the Lord, and the opportunity to fight side by side that she had been looking forward to for a long time was right before her.
Then why is she hesitating? She just needs to agree!
"Ling Ju obeys the order!"
The moment she finished speaking, she heard another order from Qiao Yan, "Once you succeed, lead your troops to attack the Chang'an Palace immediately. No mistakes are allowed."
Hearing this, Lu Lingju's expression suddenly brightened.
She knew that the prince would never make any compromise.
So what if attacking the Chang'an Palace seemed like an act of rebellion?
Someone has already brought this fatal plot upon them. Why should the princes and lords have to swallow their anger for the sake of being loyal subjects of the Han Dynasty?
These are the guys we are going to hit!
but……
"My Lord, if I remember correctly, your Grand Marshal's Mansion has many elite soldiers and cavalry, but there are only more than a hundred of them. Together with the people we have rushed back to Chang'an, there are only more than 400 of them. If the Weiwei does not cooperate, we may not be able to break through the palace wall of Chang'an by ourselves."
During the renovation of Chang'an in the early years, Qiao Yan carried out a round of rigorous repairs on the palace walls under the pretext of considering the safety of the emperor. He almost installed a crossbow. But in the end, he thought that the situation of seeing enemies everywhere might damage the emperor's demeanor, so he pulled back a little.
But even so, it is not an easy place to break into.
It is easy for Qiao Yan to ask her to go to the Weiwei Mansion to rescue people now, but it is a bit troublesome to rely on this part of the manpower to break through the palace wall.
Qiao Yan replied: "Who told you that you are the only one with this group of troops?"
Dian Wei was bound to follow her into the Chang'an Palace.
In order to expose the plots and plans of Liu Yang, Wang Yun and others to the public, she must go into the tiger's den herself.
After sending Lu Lingju to rescue Xianyu Fu, there was still one person left.
"Look, Zilong is here." Qiao Yan pointed to the rear of the carriage and added.
Lu Lingju suddenly realized why Qiao Yan allowed Zhao Yun to accompany the team not as a general, but as an inconspicuous soldier.
That was not meant to allow Zhao Yun to provide any support by relying on his martial arts strength when others were caught off guard!
Sure enough, before they arrived in Luoyang and passed through Huayin, Zhao Yun had already disappeared quietly from his position at the end of the team.
Xian Yuyin was only concerned about Qiao Yan being brought to Chang'an smoothly, so he didn't even notice such an episode.
When they officially passed Tongguan and entered the area around Chang'an, Xian Yuyin's mind almost flew to Chang'an City.
If he hadn't remembered his mission, he could have barely attributed his eagerness to expect Qiao Yan to fall into the trap to the emperor's urgent summons. He would have almost exposed his thoughts completely.
When he saw the palace gate open, he breathed a sigh of relief silently.
Then he saw that Qiao Yan had not anticipated that they had set numerous traps inside the palace gate. He straightened his clothes for meeting the emperor and walked straight into the palace.
step.
Another step.
Xian Yuyin's breathing almost stopped at this moment.
But just as she was about to step into the palace gate, she suddenly stopped where she was.
It was this action that almost caused Xian Yuyin to bite his tongue.
Seeing Qiao Yan suddenly turn around and look at him, Xian Yuyin asked hurriedly, "May I ask if the Grand Marshal has any other instructions?"
She stretched out her hand and beckoned to the guards behind her, "Follow me inside to see the emperor."
"This is against the rules!" Xian Yuyin tried to stop it, but before he could move, Dian Wei grabbed him and pulled him aside.
Qiao Yan calmly replied to him, "It's against the rules? Who made the rules?"
"The emperor has issued an edict ordering me to return to the capital from Luoyang immediately. I am back. But I have caught a cold recently. It is freezing cold right now. To prevent the cold from exacerbating my illness, I need twenty or thirty strong men to form a shield to keep me out of the wind. What's wrong with that?"
“This isn’t something that’s explicitly stipulated!”
The moment the last sentence was spoken, Qiao Yan had no intention of seeking Xian Yuyin's opinion again. He led Dian Wei and others and walked towards the palace.
"Your Highness, what should we do?" When the soldier on the palace wall saw this absurd yet reasonable scene, he hurriedly ran to Liu Yang who was hiding in the watchtower and asked him.
Although Qiao Yan only brought with him twenty or thirty people, these people surrounded Qiao Yan like a human wall. This meant that if they wanted to take Qiao Yan's life directly with bows and crossbows, it would become much more troublesome than before.
This was truly an unexpected event that they had not expected.
Liu Yang gritted his teeth and replied, "Let her in! She insists on taking her subordinates with her to die together, so let's just keep them company on the road to the underworld!"
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