Autumn harvest, the most exciting season of the year.
The sky is high and the clouds are light, and people's mood becomes cheerful.
This year, various places suffered from natural disasters and man-made disasters. Although grain production decreased significantly, there was still some harvest.
With a harvest, there will be food, which can alleviate the disaster.
The pressure on the court to provide disaster relief was also alleviated.
In addition, Liu Zhao bought grain in Jiangnan, killed a group of grain merchants, and used bloody means to suppress grain prices, and finally lowered grain prices to normal prices.
Once grain prices fell, food panic eased, and the imperial court was able to respond more easily to disaster relief efforts, achieving more with the same amount of money.
The grain merchants and landlords who had hoarded grain suffered heavy losses.
They hated Liu Zhao so much that they wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
Cutting off someone's source of income is like killing his parents.
Liu Zhao cut off their financial resources, which was equivalent to revenge for their father's death. How could he not take revenge?
Grain merchants and landlords contributed money and effort, contacted the capital, and tried to take revenge.
In the court, all the officials breathed a sigh of relief.
Someone suggested that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince be given credit.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has made tremendous contributions to disaster relief. If his contributions go unrewarded, it will chill the hearts of the people.
Someone else suggested issuing an imperial decree to summon Liu Zhao back to the capital.
The matter of discussing merits can be discussed after Liu Zhao returns to the capital.
Just at this time, someone wrote a letter to impeach Liu Zhao.
Madam Chengzhao relied on the power of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to open a girls' school in Xinmin County and openly recruited female students.
This action is against ethics, ancestral family rules, and the laws and regulations of the court.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince knew that this was inappropriate, but he still allowed Madam Zhao to run a girls' school.
What is this for?
This is clearly treason!
Openly establishing a girls' school is equivalent to openly questioning the ancestral rules.
Does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince want to overturn the laws of the Great Zhou?
Or is it that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is dissatisfied with Your Majesty?
Establishing a girls' school is a small matter, but disrespecting the laws of ancestors and disregarding moral principles is a big matter.
This is a rebellion!
I implore Your Majesty to severely punish the Crown Prince, close the girls' school, enforce the moral code, and emphasize the ancestral rules!
When these words were spoken, the whole court was shocked.
The Minister of Revenue, Lord Zhao, could not help but look at the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li.
Lord Li looked at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, calm as a mountain.
Lord Zhao looked at Minister Lu again.
Minister Lu looked surprised. It was obvious that he had not received any news in advance and did not expect the censor to do this.
At this critical moment, when Liu Zhao had just made a contribution, he was actually impeached for having the intention of rebellion.
"Your Majesty, although the censor's words are somewhat exaggerated. However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is currently in Jiangnan and has experience leading troops in battle. In addition, the rebellion has not yet been quelled. I believe that we must be on guard!"
This is a heart-breaking statement!
The words of the courtiers obviously stimulated the most sensitive nerve in Emperor Wende's mind.
Emperor Wende's expression twisted slightly.
Does Liu Zhao want to rebel?
Girls' schools are not important.
Just a few female students cannot change the ancestral laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, nor can they affect the moral principles.
But Liu Zhao's attitude is crucial.
What did Liu Zhao think?
Does he really want to overturn the ancestral laws?
This is very dangerous.
Emperor Wende glanced at the courtiers and saw excitement in some of their eyes.
But this is not important. What is important is Liu Zhao.
However, plans cannot keep up with changes.
Some people wanted to kill Liu Zhao, but unfortunately, God was not on their side.
News from Jizhou, sent in 800 miles
It’s terrible!
The rebels raised their banners and wrote, "Prince Qing has been ordered to attack the Liu clan rebels, restore order, and uphold the orthodoxy!"
When the news came out, the whole court was shocked.
Who is Prince Qing?
Who is Prince Qing?
Most of the court officials were bewildered.
When did a King Qing appear in the Great Zhou?
Some random person dares to call himself king.
“Ahem…”
The Shaofu Household Officer coughed lightly, reminding the court officials not to talk nonsense if they didn't understand.
"There is indeed a King Qing in this dynasty!"
The Shaofu Household Order has served four dynasties and can be said to be a living history of the imperial secrets.
The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, said, "No one has ever heard of Prince Qing. I would like to ask the Minister of the Household to clarify our doubts."
"Master Li should know this very well."
Lord Li smiled subtly, "Not even one-tenth of what Lord Housekeeper has said. Regarding this matter, I will not presume to teach you anything."
The Shaofu household steward stroked his beard and told the story slowly.
"Everyone should know that Emperor Zhongzong's most beloved Seventeenth Prince died of a sudden serious illness. Emperor Zhongzong was deeply saddened and ordered that the Seventeenth Prince be posthumously granted the title of Prince, 'Qing'. That is, Prince Qing!"
"So Prince Qing passed away a long time ago. What's going on with Prince Qing appearing among the rebels now? Could it be that someone is deliberately making things mysterious and impersonating him?" someone asked.
The Shaofu Household Manager said calmly, "Before Prince Qing passed away, his two concubines were already pregnant. Unfortunately, when Prince Qing passed away, before the funeral was even over, the two concubines disappeared.
Emperor Zhongzong and the previous emperor sent people to search for the two concubines, but they could not find any trace of them. Rumor has it that the two concubines had died and the children had not been saved. There were also rumors that the children in the concubines' wombs were not the posthumous children of Prince Qing.
"Master Housekeeper is saying that the Prince of Qing who appeared on the side of the rebels might be the posthumous son of the real Prince of Qing?"
The Shaofu Housekeeper chuckled, "I didn't say that."
"May I ask what the Lord Housekeeper meant by what he said earlier? Prince Qing's posthumous son is a rebel, and he claims to be under imperial order to suppress him. How can we be careless about such a serious matter?"
"Ridiculous! There is no evidence to prove that the traitor is the posthumous son of Prince Qing. Stop talking nonsense and misleading the people." The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, shouted and stopped the court officials from asking further questions.
"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. I believe that we should send someone to investigate it thoroughly."
Emperor Wende was already so angry that his face turned blue.
His face twisted as he roared, "What are you investigating? Investigating whether this traitor is Prince Qing's posthumous child? So what if he is, and so what if he isn't? The court owes Prince Qing nothing, let alone his posthumous child. Those two concubines chose to disappear, and now they want their status back then. They even dare to plot a rebellion, claiming to be under imperial order. Absurd! Regardless of whether this traitor is Prince Qing's posthumous child or not, I have only one request: kill him without mercy!"
The courtier asked, "Don't you need to investigate?"
Emperor Wende sneered, "I don't need the truth! I know the truth! Anyone who dares to raise the flag of rebellion, regardless of who they are, whether they are of royal blood or not, shall die. No one shall be exempted. Do you understand what I mean, my dear ministers?"
"Your Highness and I understand!"
Emperor Wende's eyes were red, and he made no secret of his murderous intent. "I hereby issue an imperial decree to punish the traitors and execute them without mercy. Lord Li, you will write the proclamation to punish the traitors. I have only one request: the traitors must be crucified and their countless crimes made known to the world. I can forgive anyone, but I cannot forgive the traitors."
"I obey the decree!"
Emperor Wende waved his hand and dismissed the court officials.
It is not appropriate to discuss this matter too much with the court officials.
But he only kept the Shaofu Household Manager.
When Lord Li left the hall, he turned around and glanced at the Shaofu Household Order.
It is obvious that Emperor Wende has concealed some important information.
What could it be?
Lord Li smiled, he already understood in his heart.
The hall was empty, with only Emperor Wende, Chang En, and the Shaofu Household Manager left.
Emperor Wende was no longer as furious as before. He was exhausted and sat dejectedly in the chair.
"Uncle, I left you alone because I have something important to discuss with you."
The Shaofu Household Officer was shocked. What could have happened to make Emperor Wende so depressed?
He managed to calm down and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."
Emperor Wende breathed a sigh of relief. "The Grand Commander-in-Chief of Jiangnan has reported that the rebels are holding a decree of succession written by Emperor Zhongzong himself. The decree clearly states that the throne will be passed to the posthumous son of Prince Qing."
"impossible!"
The Shaofu Household Secretary denied the secret report without even thinking about it.
As the youngest brother of Emperor Zhongzong, he was familiar with many aspects of Emperor Zhongzong's life.
"Your Majesty, the imperial edict held by the rebel must be a fake."
Emperor Wende hurriedly asked, "Why are you so sure the edict is a fake?"
The edict of succession in the hands of the rebels will not affect Emperor Wende's throne.
However, if this edict were known to the world, it would certainly cause all kinds of criticism and speculation, and people would suspect that the previous emperor had obtained the throne in an illegitimate way, which would in turn affect the orthodox status of Emperor Wende.
It may even inspire the ambitions of ambitious people.
There will be many unpredictable situations.
For example, in the future many people will rebel in the name of Prince Qing.
The royal family will also be in chaos.
Human ambition is unpredictable.
Therefore, Emperor Wende only told the matter to the Minister of the Imperial Household, who was also the only person he could discuss it with.
There are very few court officials who have experienced the later years of Zhongzong's reign.
The Shaofu Household Manager is the one who is closest to the truth.
The Minister of the Imperial Household lowered his voice and spoke to Emperor Wende, "During the last two years of Emperor Zhongzong's reign, he was ill. His fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and he could no longer write properly. All memorials, edicts, and memorials were written by the eunuchs around him.
The rebels claimed to have the imperial edict of succession written by Emperor Zhongzong himself. This claim could only fool the uninformed. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was nonsense. When Prince Qing passed away, Emperor Zhongzong was already unable to write, so how could he have written the imperial edict of succession himself?
Emperor Wende's eyes lit up. "What did my uncle say? Is that true?"
"I, this old minister, can guarantee with my life that Emperor Zhongzong would never personally leave behind an edict of succession."
Emperor Wende breathed a sigh of relief, but then he became worried again. "The Grand Commander-in-Chief of Jiangnan has reported that the imperial edict in the hands of the rebels contains the seal of the Imperial Seal and Emperor Zhongzong's imperial seal."
The Minister of the Imperial Household was very calm. "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Your Majesty only needs to determine that the imperial edict in the hands of the rebel is a fake, and then it must be a fake. What is fake cannot be true. Forging the imperial edict of succession is a capital crime! The whole family will be exterminated!"
Emperor Wende nodded repeatedly, his panicked heart instantly calming down. "Uncle is right. As long as I believe that the edict is a fake, then it can only be a fake."
"That's just the way it should be!"
The Shaofu Household Officer hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, did the late emperor leave any words for you before he passed away?"
"I don't understand what my uncle means?" Emperor Wende was surprised.
The Minister of the Imperial Household considered the matter for a moment and whispered, "Your Majesty must be on guard against the rebels' further tricks. They might claim that the imperial seal in the palace is a fake, thus proving the imperial edict in their hands is genuine."
"absurd!"
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "How could there be such a ridiculous excuse? But I still want to thank my uncle for reminding me. I will be on guard."
The Shaofu Household Manager didn't dare to say anything more and bowed to take his leave.
Emperor Wende seemed not to take the words of the Shaofu Household Commander to heart, but as soon as the Shaofu Household Commander left, he ordered Chang En to take out the imperial seal.
The imperial seal, which has gone through the vicissitudes of time and symbolizes supreme power, lies quietly in a rosewood box for people to admire.
He is a symbol of power and a witness to history.
"What kind of person would say something so ridiculous as to say the Imperial Seal is a fake?"
Emperor Wende seemed to be muttering to himself, but also seemed to be asking Chang En.
Chang En bent over and sweat broke out all over.
"Your Majesty, this must be a conspiracy of the rebels."
"Then how do you explain what the Lord Housekeeper said?"
"I think the housekeeper is right. If Your Majesty determines that something is false, then it must be false. Conversely, if Your Majesty determines that something is true, then it must be true."
Emperor Wende first nodded, then shook his head.
"Before my father passed away, I walked into Xingqing Palace several times and saw him staring at the imperial seal in a trance. But he never told me anything about it."
"Your Majesty, are you suspicious of something?" Chang En's calves trembled.
Could it be that this imperial seal is really fake?
Oh my god!
This is a big case!
How can this be possible!
The Shaofu Household Order said that he was too irresponsible and was going to kill people.
Emperor Wende laughed.
"No! I will never doubt my father! I personally took over this imperial seal from my father and inherited the throne of the Great Zhou. He must be the real one."
Even if it is fake, it must become real.
As for where the real one went, Emperor Wende didn't care.
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