Chapter 392 The Tumultuous Autumn
In the autumn of the second year of Tianyou, at the end of September.
Zhu Yuheng, the eldest son of Zhu Lingxu, the former commander of the vanguard army, led 1,500 surrendered soldiers from Hongzhou as the vanguard to attack Hongzhou. When they reached a hundred miles outside Fushui County, they deserted halfway, fled to Hongzhou City, and surrendered to the Kuangfu Army.
That afternoon, at 3:45 PM, Zhu Lingxu, the former commander-in-chief and governor of Hongzhou, fled in fear of punishment. Dressed in women's clothing, he quietly arrived at the west gate of Xunyang. During the inspection, his whereabouts were exposed, and he attacked and killed the guard. He was beheaded by Ouyang Lianghan, the chief administrator of Jiangzhou.
The news shocked Jiangzhou, and the air was thick with fear.
These two messages arrived almost one after the other in Luoyang, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The court and the public were stunned, and the Empress was furious.
Zhu Lingxu and his son were originally surrendered generals. They defected after the Battle of Guling and were reinstated as governors of Hongzhou. Later, through the introduction of the two princes of the Wei family, Her Majesty the Empress bought a horse bone with a thousand pieces of gold, granted a special pardon, approved the Wei family's proposal, and allowed Zhu Lingxu and his son to lead troops into battle to atone for their crimes.
Such a pair, who should have served as role models showcasing the brilliance of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Empress's transformative and educational power, actually deserted in the face of battle!
To paraphrase what Di Fuzi said to those around him after the court assembly, "This is something that has never been heard of since Emperor Taizong."
The usually impassioned and fierce Shen Xisheng coldly addressed his colleagues, saying, "These three-surname traitors, one after another, harbor wolfish ambitions and deserve retribution."
Another former prime minister of the State Council, Wei Zhenzai, shook his head and sighed, "A time of many troubles, a time of many troubles."
On the very day these two messages from the front lines arrived, Empress Wei Zhao led thousands of palace attendants and civil and military officials out of the palace to the outskirts of Luoyang to climb mountains and enjoy the autumn scenery, while also observing the people's autumn harvest. They went to the imperial fields, where the Empress herself bent down to harvest wheat, performing the "wheat harvesting ceremony," a time of harmonious relations between the emperor, his subjects, and the people.
As a result, Empress Wei Zhao had just granted a general amnesty when, at the same time, princes and prime ministers led their officials to bestow upon a long list of eminent monks a new and prestigious title, which they had painstakingly crafted and shaved their heads in the process.
Shortly after, news arrived that was extremely unfavorable to the front lines: the very person who had been granted imperial pardon had turned on them... This was truly disgraceful to the emperor.
On that day, Empress Wei Zhao returned to the palace as usual. That night, many ministers received a notice from the palace servants that the autumn banquet, which was supposed to be held at Shangyang Palace, had been temporarily canceled due to the weather.
On the morning court sessions of the following two days, everything seemed normal. The old woman in the dragon robe sat high on the dragon throne, upright and composed, calmly asking questions and presenting her report, without mentioning the matter of Zhu Lingxu and his son at all.
However, the civil and military officials attending the court assembly below could sense the calm before the storm, feeling that the Golden Palace was shrouded in gloom and that the thunder and rain would not fall for a long time.
They couldn't help but look at the two Wei princes at the very front of the line on their right, their backs silent to the point of death, no longer displaying their usual fierce and ruthless demeanor.
Some astute individuals also noticed something amiss.
Wait, didn't that King Wei just take over as the Grand General of the Jiangzhou Road Army, receive the imperial edict, leave Luoyang, and head towards Jiangzhou, while he himself travels around the Guanzhong Plain to oversee the formation of the six armies for the expeditionary force?
Why did you rush back again? Did you receive news from Jiangzhou and ride back overnight to attend the morning court? Look at that back covered in cold sweat, even the collar of your python robe is soaked... You must be drenched in sweat.
Some gloated, some looked on with sympathy, and others watched coldly.
Two consecutive days of morning court sessions were spent in this tense and oppressive atmosphere.
During this period, someone submitted a memorial questioning whether Ouyang Lianghan, the Prefect of Jiangzhou, was too strict in enforcing the law and whether he was defying his superiors. Even if Zhu Lingxu had committed the crime of fleeing and was suspected of defecting, he was still the former Commander-in-Chief of the Army who had not yet been dismissed and was the highest-ranking official on the front line of Jiangzhou. Ouyang Lianghan actually used the military law of city defense to carry out the execution directly, which set a bad precedent.
Some people also submitted memorials criticizing the supervising female officials and garrison censors in Jiangzhou at the front line for their lax supervision and negligence in allowing Zhu Lingxu and his son to defect so easily. One of them led 1,500 soldiers away, and the other almost escaped from Xunyang City.
These two dissenting voices, seemingly discussing the matter objectively and raising fair questions, reveal a deeper meaning in the context of their timing and the subtle intentions of their speakers. Who, whether in government or among the public, could not discern their true intentions?
The ruling interfered with the determination of liability, deviated from the focus of the incident, and implicitly aimed to exonerate Wei.
In addition, it was also a way to test the attitude of His Majesty, who remained silent with a stern face.
Her Majesty the Queen put the memorial aside.
Soon after, several censors stepped forward to impeach Prince Wei Jisi, who, despite being deeply favored by the emperor and serving as marshal, had privately accepted bribes from Zhu Lingxu and his son, recommended treacherous officials, misled the emperor, and harbored rebellious intentions. They argued that he should be suspended from his post and investigated, and that a capable general should be appointed to take charge of the front lines as soon as possible.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War retorted with an air of righteous indignation, saying that His Highness the Prince of Wei was loyal and trustworthy, and that he would not employ those he did not trust. He argued that the matter of Zhu Lingxu was likely a conspiracy by Li Zhengyan and others to sow discord between His Majesty and the generals in command, and that it was necessary to investigate this matter lest we fall into the enemy's trap.
Although the whole affair was about the defection of Zhu Lingxu and his son, the issue that everyone was debating gradually shifted to whether Wei Wang Wei Jisi still needed to lead troops to quell the rebellion.
The two factions, the pro-Li faction and the Wei family, once again engaged in a fierce argument over the appointment and removal of the Grand General of the Jiangzhou Road Army.
However, as more detailed information about the defection of Zhu Lingxu and his son, the results of the investigation initiated by the female official in colorful robes, and the unified statements of the officials involved in Jiangzhou were presented to the imperial desk of the old woman in the dragon robe in the Luoyang palace.
Soon, Wei and the cronies he had won over with benefits were disappointed.
On the fifth day, after the court assembly and deliberations, at the imperial meeting held in the East Palace's warm pavilion, the Empress of the Great Zhou formally issued an edict:
Zhu Lingxu and his son were demoted to the lowest social class, their property confiscated on charges of treason, and the Zhu family of Hongzhou was banned from employment for the entire Zhou dynasty. At the same time, the Lady Caishang and the officials of Jiangzhou were ordered to thoroughly investigate their accomplices.
He then appointed Li Fusu, the heir apparent of the Prince of Xunyang, as the Prefect of Jiangzhou, to assist Li Xian, the Pacification Ambassador of Jiangnan and the Prince of Xunyang, in governing Xunyang City, pacifying officials and civilians, and calming the hearts of the people at the front lines.
He also issued an imperial edict appointing Qin Jingzhen, the Left General of the Martial Guard who was recuperating in Yangzhou, Jiangnan, as the Grand Commander of the Jiangnan Road Army, ordering him to mobilize troops and command the suppression of the rebellion in Jiangnan Road, and to proceed to Jiangzhou immediately to take charge of the overall situation.
Ouyang Rong, the Prefect of Jiangzhou, was then appointed as the Chief Clerk of the Jiangnan Road Army Camp to assist the army in suppressing the rebellion...
One order after another was issued.
For a moment, the government and the public were silent, but then an uproar broke out.
There is already a Grand General of the Jiangzhou Road Army, and now another Grand General of the Jiangnan Road Army is being appointed, which seems to be a bit more prestigious than the "Jiangzhou Road" title... Some of their intentions are already self-evident.
Sure enough, early the next morning, Wei Jisi, the Grand General of the Jiangzhou Road Army and Prince of Wei, submitted a letter requesting to return to the capital to recuperate.
The Empress refused and rejected the request.
Wei Jisi submitted another memorial.
The Empress did not respond.
He submitted another memorial.
After three such attempts, the emperor finally granted the "approval" letter, which was considered extremely precious and a sign of imperial grace by the Wei family.
Although Wei Jisi was not stripped of his position as the Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Road Army, he returned to Luoyang in disgrace.
All the troops and provisions that had been prepared beforehand were respectfully handed over to the soon-to-be-appointed old general, Qin Jingzhen.
As for the generals of the expeditionary army whom the King of Wei had "carefully" appointed, they naturally returned to their respective homes, and Qin Jingzhen certainly wouldn't employ the same team as his predecessors...
When Ouyang Rong received the imperial edict from the capital, he was between the twin peaks, inspecting the construction of the Donglin Buddha.
Upon hearing the news, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Qin Jingzhen, the old general Qin, once distinguished himself as a young general during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and the reign of the two emperors when they were conquering the Eastern Yi. He was a veteran of three reigns and made great contributions... well, a famous general of the Great Zhou. He fought for many years and accumulated military merits in the Eastern Yi. Before going to Yangzhou in Jiangnan to recuperate two years ago, he was promoted to the rank of Left Martial Guard General.
Moreover, Ouyang Rong had actually met this old man Qin once before...
As for the Empress's other arrangements, he was not surprised. However, the appointment of Li Dalang as the Prefect of Jiangzhou made Ouyang Rong somewhat silent.
The term "别驾" originally referred to the accompanying official when the governor traveled.
The position of Prefectural Governor is not usually established in ordinary prefectures. Even if it is established, it is usually held by a member of the Li royal family and is considered an honorary title. However, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Empress's surname is Wei, and members of the Wei family have begun to enjoy this treatment.
Therefore, the existing positions of Prefectural Governor in all the provinces are all held concurrently by members of the Li and Wei families, with the title outweighing the actual power.
Although in theory the position of the Prefectural Governor is above the Chief Secretary and below the Governor, he has long lost real power. He is nominally the second-in-command, but in reality the Chief Secretary is still the second-in-command.
However, the Prefectural Governor of a province had the power to supervise local officials and restrain the Governor of the province.
Logically, Ouyang Rong should be happy, since Li Fusu's appointment as the Prefect of Jiangzhou would help to further restrain Wang Lengran.
However, Empress Wei Zhao did not bestow additional titles upon Prince Xunyang, Li Xian, but instead took a different approach by appointing her heir, Li Fusu, as the Prefect of Jiangzhou. This subtly sends a signal...
Even though he had long anticipated this day, Ouyang Rong still sighed as it arrived:
"This time, Dalang has finally stepped into the limelight, gaining the attention of his grandmother. I wonder if it's a blessing or a curse..."
As for the new post he was granted as the commander of the central army's battalion.
Ouyang Rong looked up, gazed at the Buddha statue in silence for a moment, and then turned back to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
He silently took out a blank memorial, calmly ground ink, and wrote a letter...
A few days later, an ordinary memorial arrived in Luoyang.
Soon, a rumor quietly spread from the Phoenix Pavilion within the imperial city.
Ouyang Lianghan resigned from his position as Chief Secretary of the Jiangnan Road Military Camp, citing the tedious nature of assisting in the construction of the statue of Prince Xunyang and his own inadequacy. He requested His Majesty to select a more capable person or to allow General Qin to recommend someone he was comfortable with, thus avoiding a period of adjustment.
His words of resignation were sincere and earnest.
The government and the public are watching with disapproval.
They talked about it with great relish.
The Empress acquiesced.
He didn't argue with Ouyang Lianghan about the three refusals and three concessions.
Of course, Ouyang Rong's willingness to resign directly suggests he wasn't just trying to clear his name.
After all, to get your reputation cleansed, you have to be a prince, prime minister, a trusted minister, or a confidant of the emperor. How could a lowly official dare to use the emperor to cleanse his reputation? What if the emperor simply allows him to resign and never speaks to him again? Where would he go to cry then?
Therefore, at this critical juncture, Ouyang Lianghan's actions clearly indicate that he is indeed resigning.
You're offered this lucrative but thankless job? You don't want to earn military merit or share the spoils?
This made some officials in the court who had previously disliked Ouyang Rong look at him differently, as if he was indeed not the kind of person who would sell his integrity for fame...
Thus, this highly sought-after position remained vacant, and Qin Jingzhen, the newly appointed Grand General of the Jiangnan Road Army, recommended the position himself...
Ouyang Lianghan continued to serve as the Chief Administrator of Jiangzhou, assisting the Prince of Xunyang in creating the statue. As an official of Jiangzhou, he also had to assist the newly appointed commander's expeditionary army, essentially working for free.
In these turbulent times, the storms have subsided and people's hearts are gradually settling down.
I was busy hosting friends today and didn't want to take a day off, so this chapter is a bit short. I'll be taking a short break. Tomorrow will be back to normal. Hugs to my good buddies!
(End of this chapter)
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