Chapter 370 The Empress's Reward
The news of Xunyang Prince Li Xian's assassination attempt and serious injury reached Luoyang, shocking the court and the public.
The court and the public were engaged in a power struggle over the deployment of troops to deal with the military unrest in Lingnan and Hongzhou, with undercurrents constantly surging beneath the surface.
When this news reached the court, it was like adding fuel to the fire, and the court debate became even more intense. After being flogged, the princes and ministers held a heated discussion in front of the emperor.
Some court officials suggested that Prince Xunyang, Li Xian, was suspected of harboring longing for Li Gan and harboring wolfish ambitions, and that he should be immediately stripped of his title, escorted back to the capital, and imprisoned.
Some court officials countered, saying that Prince Xunyang, Li Xian, had painstakingly commissioned the statue of Her Majesty with filial piety as his primary goal. This was a scheme by the traitor Li Zhengyan to sow discord, using Prince Xunyang's former banner and reign title. It was a treacherous trick. If Prince Xunyang were unjustly imprisoned, it would only embolden Li's rhetoric and intensify the slander and defamation against Her Majesty the Empress. We must not fall for his scheme.
Some court officials also advised against this, citing the latest facts. They said that Wang Junzhi, an accomplice of the rebels, acted as an envoy to bewitch the Prince of Xunyang. The Prince of Xunyang remained loyal and filial to His Majesty and was unmoved, which led the rebels to take desperate measures and launch a night attack to assassinate him. His Majesty should summon the Prince of Xunyang back to the capital and protect him properly.
Some court officials also supported the Prince of Xunyang's return to the capital, but their reason was that Jiangzhou was too dangerous and was becoming a front line of battle. They had to prevent the fall of Jiangzhou, which would lead to the rebels capturing the Prince of Xunyang and seizing power.
Various opinions, each harboring different intentions, filled the Luoyang court these past few days.
Just as undercurrents were swirling and everyone held their own version of events,
That evening, after a meeting before the emperor, a decree personally issued by the emperor was swiftly dispatched from the Phoenix Pavilion and sent to Jiangnan.
Xunyang Prince Li Xian was appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit.
He was stationed in Jiangzhou to appease the people, officials, and soldiers of Jiangnan Circuit, assess the sentiments of the people of Jiangnan, and guard against the rebel army in the southwest.
Meanwhile, they awaited the arrival of the newly appointed Grand Commander of the Army and the expeditionary force to assist in suppressing the rebellion.
in short.
Not only did the Prince of Xunyang not leave, but he also assisted in suppressing the rebellion, and even became the nominal commander in charge of the campaign.
The government and the public were astonished, and for a time, very few people raised any objections.
...
"The Pacification Ambassador of Jiangnan Circuit, what kind of official position is that?"
The study in Juxian Garden of Xunyang Prince's Mansion had been burned down, so the group moved to another place, Li Xian's study, to continue their discussion.
Not long ago, at dusk, the latest imperial edict from the court arrived in Xunyang City. Li Xian, pale-faced, received the edict.
As night deepened, Ouyang Rong arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, where everyone gathered in the new study.
Li Xian, who had just been revived by the imperial physician a couple of days ago and was bedridden, was now sitting "lively" in a grand chair, picking up food from a bowl and having a late-night snack.
Although his face and lips were still pale and bloodless, the way he quickly picked up food and his bright eyes showed no signs of a patient recovering from a serious illness.
However, Miaozhen and the other female officials couldn't see this scene. Well, even if they had, they probably would have pretended not to have seen it.
At that moment, a scroll made of bright yellow cloth was casually spread out on the dining table. Starving, Li Xian swallowed his food while pointing at the imperial edict with his chopsticks and asked in confusion.
Li Guo'er's concise and shocking answer can be summarized in four words:
"To stabilize public sentiment."
Li Xian looked at Ouyang Rong, who had been silent since entering the room, with a curious expression, and asked again:
"Oh, is it the same position as the Jiangnan Construction Supervisor who was nominally in charge of the construction of the Donglin Buddha?"
Li Guo'er shook her head and answered crisply:
"It's not the same at all."
She first glanced at Ouyang Rong, who had nodded in approval, and then spoke with great enthusiasm and radiance:
"Although the Jiangnan Circuit Pacification Ambassador does not have the military and political power of the Grand Commander-in-Chief and is not responsible for the specific suppression of the rebellion, the title is much more prestigious. This is an important position that was temporarily set up and could only be held by people with a reputation in the past."
"With a formidable enemy at hand, this is not some empty, perpetual post. Father truly intends to appease the people and military officers of Jiangnan and assist in suppressing the rebellion; it is not without substance."
"His previous position as the Jiangnan Construction Supervisor was merely a nominal one; at most, he was in charge of the statue-making matters in Jiangzhou."
"However, now that I am serving as the Pacification Ambassador of Jiangnan Province, it is different. My father can use the pretext of pacification to inquire about or even summon the officials of various prefectures and counties within Jiangnan Province, and he can also legitimately contact the nobles and gentry of Jiangnan..."
"After all, this is part of appeasing the local people, and the imperial court has no say in it, and my grandmother will tacitly approve."
"Officials from various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan Circuit, if they wish, can come to Xunyang City to pay their respects to Father, report on matters related to suppressing the rebellion, or offer suggestions. This is perfectly legitimate."
Li Xian's eyes widened in surprise: "Is this really the Empress's will?"
Li Guo'er, Xie Lingjiang, Wei Mei, and others smiled.
Ouyang Rong put down his teacup and nodded gently:
"Your Majesty should know roughly what happened that night. My uncle passed the test smoothly and even submitted a good report. At least Your Majesty should be quite satisfied."
"So this time, the position of United Front Ambassador... no, I mean Appeasement Ambassador, is considered a reward for Uncle's success."
He turned his head:
"Your Highness's analysis is correct; it's definitely not a nominal position. It allows us to build more reputation and increase our visibility."
"After all, my uncle was demoted to Jiangzhou for more than ten years and has been away from the officialdom of the Great Zhou for a long time. Many officials who wanted to leave the government wanted to get close to my uncle, but they had no way to do so. They were afraid of being suspected by His Majesty, and at the same time, they were worried about being reported and having serious accusations leveled against them."
"So before that, even when my uncle rebuilt the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, only some disgruntled officials in Xunyang City dared to curry favor with him because of their proximity to the mansion. The rest of the people who sought refuge with him were mostly commoners and retainers without official positions..."
"This time, we took the opportunity to pass His Majesty's test of trust and ability. The restrictions were lifted by most of them, and we are now almost as free as the Prince Xiang in the capital. Some officials and forces are allowed to come closer to us."
"I see."
Li Xian suddenly realized, and he smiled broadly: "Thanks to Tan Lang, Mother Queen can finally rest assured about me now."
Ouyang Rong calmly shook his head:
"It wasn't entirely my achievement; His Majesty also had his own selfish motives, allowing my uncle to remain on the front lines in Jiangzhou and appointing him to the important position of pacification ambassador."
"This move can not only divide Li Zhengyan and others in their efforts to restore the legitimacy of the Li Gan regime and stabilize the morale of the Taoist priests and soldiers in Jiangnan, but also send a clear signal to the civil and military officials and the people of the country."
"Uncle, now you've officially entered the game. The Xunyang Prince's Mansion, freed from the constraints of imprisonment, has finally gained the power to establish its own faction. It's no longer just a pawn, but a player."
"Uncle, be prepared. There will be quite a few 'loyal ministers' coming to join us through various channels. Of course, there will also be many attacks and traps in the dark. We need to be careful. The things that happened to Wang Junzhi and Yue Zi'ang are a warning to us."
"Definitely, definitely." Li Xian and his son nodded earnestly.
Ouyang Rong sighed softly again:
"This official position wasn't obtained for nothing. With the rebels about to attack Jiangzhou, Xunyang City isn't safe. If we can't hold out and it falls into enemy hands, Uncle's current position will become a burden."
“Uncle accepting it is a formal way of parting ways with Li Zhengyan and the others, but not accepting it would be even more inappropriate... That emperor has truly mastered the art of imperial rule.”
Li Xian, however, was used to finding joy in hardship, and smiled optimistically: "It's alright, with Tan Lang here, and everyone working together, we have nothing to fear."
Ouyang Rong chuckled helplessly.
Just then, two peeled, clean white pears were presented to him.
Two different jade hands.
Looking up, I saw that one was handed to me by my junior sister, and the other by Li Guo'er.
Both women were looking at him, not at each other.
I don't know if it's a coincidence.
Ouyang Rong calmly withdrew his gaze.
He didn't choose between the two; he nodded, accepted both white pears, turned around, and handed them to Li Xian and Li Fusu respectively.
The father and son, Li Xian, were stunned for a moment before each accepting the pear.
"Uh, thank you, sister."
"Thank you, my dear niece."
Li Xian and Li Fusu thanked the two women respectively.
Ouyang Rong acted like a lackey, making the transfer as if it weren't his own preference for pears.
"..." Xie Lingjiang, Li Guo'er.
Wei Mei smiled and peeled a pear, handing it to Ouyang Rong with a smile.
He accepted this time.
This made the two women, who were squinting and preparing to peel another pear and hand it to each other, purse their lips and give up.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at Li Guo'er, whose pretty face remained composed, then looked away, changed the subject, and gave a soft hum:
"Now Wang Lengran should be unable to do anything to our Wang Mansion."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. In no more than two days, Wang Lengran will personally come to pay his respects. From now on, Your Highness will be his superior. After all, Jiangzhou is also part of Jiangnan Circuit, isn't it? Envoy, please appease him properly."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh, and Li Fusu slapped the table:
“In the past, we were barely able to protect ourselves, so it was fine if we couldn’t control him. Now that we can control him, we can put other matters aside for the time being, but we must open up this department, welcome Tanlang back, relinquish the authority of the Jiangzhou Grand Hall, and allow Tanlang to participate in the defense. Also, we must loosen our grip on military and political matters.”
Everyone in the study agreed.
Ouyang Rong let out a long breath:
"This matter is actually simple. The general trend and His Majesty's attitude are there. Wang Lengran can't stop it. He's not stupid, just wicked. You can see that."
Glancing at the indignant Li Xian and his son, Ouyang Rong could only nod and slowly say:
"How about this, we'll do a double act tomorrow..."
The group discussed it together, and soon their eyes lit up.
Just then, Wei Mei suddenly said:
"A letter has arrived from the Prince Xiang's residence in Luoyang."
"What letter?" Ouyang Rong asked.
Li Xian hesitated for a moment, then took out two letters from his sleeve, handing one to Ouyang Rong and keeping the other in his hand:
"My brother said he wasn't imprisoned, and he only learned about what happened that night later. Someone impersonated him and tricked us into leaving the city."
"My brother also said that he never expected Guo Yu, Meng Shouguang, and others to have sided with the Wei family. This was due to his and the Prince Xiang's oversight, and he felt extremely guilty. Therefore, during the meeting before the emperor after the caning, he and the tutor both spoke up for me..."
Xie Lingjiang interrupted directly and asked:
"What about the jade pendant? That Hetian jade pendant must have been his, right? It was a gift from the Crown Prince to his uncle before the Great Founding; shouldn't he have kept it close to his body?"
"Yes, our Prince Xiang has also explained."
Ouyang Rong put down the letter, pointed at it, and smiled:
"On August 8th, at Princess Chang Le's birthday banquet, His Highness Prince Xiang met Prince Liang, Wei Sixing. Although Prince Xiang's mansion and Prince Wei's mansion were irreconcilable enemies, their relationship with Prince Liang was not broken on the surface."
"After a few rounds of drinks, Prince Liang took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Prince Xiang, as if to extend goodwill. Although the prince was still wary, he could not refuse Prince Liang's request. After drinking a few more cups of wine, Prince Liang tried to get closer to him by proposing to let bygones be bygones and exchange tokens. He specifically asked for the jade pendant on Prince Xiang's waist. He did not think much of it at the time and exchanged it with Prince Xiang."
"After returning home and sobering up, His Highness Prince Xiang felt increasingly uneasy and worried that there was a trap or that someone was impersonating him. So the next day, he publicly presented a Hetian jade pendant to His Highness Prince Liang and also wrote a letter to remind all parties, including the Prince, to clarify the matter."
"But I never expected that this jade tablet would arrive in Jiangzhou so quickly, especially with the defection of Guo Yu and others."
Li Xian placed the letter in his hand, his expression complex, and said:
"This letter arrived the day after that night. Judging from the date, my brother did indeed send a letter to inform me immediately. However, Guo Yu and the others arrived a day earlier... The Wei family is too cunning. My brother was also tricked."
Ouyang Rong suddenly chuckled: "Uncle, actually I am the First Emperor."
"ah?"
Xie Lingjiang, Li Guo'er, Li Dalang and the others were stunned, their tone doubtful.
But some fools actually believed it.
"Could Tanlang be a reincarnation?" Li Xian was greatly surprised.
“…” Ouyang Rong.
You really believe that?
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched; he didn't know whether he should thank him for this trust.
However, considering that mythical powers do exist in this world, and that many sorcerers encourage the pursuit of immortality and reincarnation, it's quite remarkable.
Or rather, there are still quite a few people who revere ghosts and gods and are easily swayed by this belief.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Li Xian, but said nothing for the time being.
Imperial family affairs are complex; now is not the time...
The following morning.
Wang Lengran indeed paid his respects to Li Xian, the newly appointed Pacification Commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit, to discuss the defense against the rebels, and sincerely thanked His Highness for his assistance...
The Pacification Ambassador of Gangnam Province is equivalent to the nominal superior of each prefecture in Gangnam Province, naturally holding a higher position and possessing the right to make suggestions.
Currently, the Prince of Xunyang's residence is in Jiangzhou. In terms of authority, the affairs of Jiangzhou are no longer decided by the governor alone, but must be reported to Li Xian, the Pacification Ambassador of Jiangnan Circuit.
Having received the advice from everyone last night, Li Xian smiled faintly, leisurely put down his teacup, raised his eyelids, and glanced at Governor Wang. The latter immediately beamed, his bottom touching the stool, and he only sat on one side...
Immediately after Li Xian's rehearsed and carefully crafted speech, Wang Lengran smiled more brightly than a flower and strongly demanded that the prince release Ouyang Changshi and stop him from being busy with the Buddha-building project.
Wang Lengran, his face full of sincerity, reiterated that the Jiangzhou court needed Chief Secretary Ouyang; without Lianghan, what would become of the people? The Prince of Xunyang reluctantly nodded, finally welcoming Chief Secretary Ouyang back to the Jiangzhou court, and everyone was happy…
When Ouyang Rong returned to the main hall of Jiangzhou, he clearly felt the attitude of the officials towards him, who was suspected to be a "son-in-law" of the Prince of Xunyang, after the Prince of Xunyang gained power. They were very eager to curry favor with him, and official business progressed surprisingly smoothly.
Sure enough, having connections in higher places makes things easy.
With the establishment of the Jiangnan Circuit Pacification Commissioner, the formation of the expeditionary army proceeded rapidly, closely following the issuance of official documents similar to red-headed documents by the Luoyang court.
The Great Zhou Dynasty still used the Fubing system (a military system based on the military force of the local militia), with each Zhechongfu (a military prefecture) serving as the main source of soldiers. The marching force for the expeditionary army was provided by each Zhechongfu.
Jiangnan Circuit, which had been at peace for a long time, had only six Zhechong Prefectures. Apart from the fourth and fifth Zhechong Prefectures of Jiangnan Circuit, which fell with Hongzhou, there was also the third Zhechong Prefecture of Jiangzhou itself.
Yangzhou and other major prefectures that possessed the remaining three Zhechong Prefectures responded quickly and were the first to be summoned.
During this period, the first batch of small reinforcements has been arriving in Jiangzhou as a vanguard for the expeditionary force.
Two days after Ouyang Rong returned to the main hall of Jiangzhou, news came from the front that the rebel army in Hongzhou had invaded the heart of Jiangzhou, captured all the heavily guarded passes, and surrendered several counties without resistance. Cai Qin and Zhu Lingxu's army was advancing with unstoppable momentum.
Ouyang Rong had no time to gloat over Wang Lengran's humiliation; he focused intently on the defense.
(End of this chapter)
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