306, Kyoto changes hands
306, Kyoto changes hands
“Da da da—”
"take away!"
After dawn, the noise in the imperial city stopped, but in Kyoto Prefecture, officers and soldiers were arresting people everywhere. The sound of horse hooves could be heard on the streets, and guards were everywhere.
The people of Kyoto City saw the situation outside through the cracks in the door, and no one dared to go out.
On this day, the shops on the street were not open for business as usual, there were no vendors setting up stalls on the street, and even the city gates were closed.
Lu Youtian sent someone out to check the situation, and not long after, the person came back.
When he saw the people he had sent out come back, he asked, "What's going on outside?"
"Master, there are a lot of guards on the streets. Apart from the guards, there are not many people walking outside now." The servant Jixiang briefly informed their master of the situation outside.
Hearing this, Lu Qingfeng said to Lu Youtian, "Let's wait and see. I'm afraid we can't go out now. As long as the Hu people don't enter the city, ordinary people like us will be fine."
"Well, let's wait a little longer. It's not appropriate to go out now." Lu Youtian nodded. He knew in his heart that the movement in the imperial city would not affect ordinary people like them.
They had just experienced the Hu soldiers entering the city a few months ago, so the commotion in Kyoto Prefecture now was nothing to them.
It was not convenient for them to go out given the situation outside. Fortunately, there was still some food stored at home, so Lu Youtian asked someone to cook. Filling their stomachs was the most important thing.
However, before their meal was cooked, they heard banging on the door and voices coming from next door, and someone entered the next door yard to search.
Upon hearing the noise next door, Lu Qingfeng realized what was going on and immediately ordered his men to hide all the crossbows. Otherwise, if the government saw these things, they would be in trouble.
Fortunately, they had hidden their crossbows, so the sound of "bang bang" knocking on the door was heard outside the yard.
"Open the door, the authorities are investigating a case!" someone outside shouted.
"Hey, here I come."
After having the door opened, Lu Youtian personally came over to greet the officials. He immediately stuffed a purse into the official's hand and said, "Gentlemen, how are you? I wonder what brings you here?"
After taking the purse and putting it in his arms, the official's attitude immediately improved a lot. He unfolded the portrait in his hand and asked, "Have you seen the person in the portrait?"
"No, no, there are no outsiders here except our family members." Lu Youtian glanced at the person in the portrait and shook his head.
"Let's search it." After putting away the portrait, the leading official waved his hand, and the brothers behind him went into the yard to search.
The group of people went into the yard and looked around, but didn't find the person they were looking for, so they left and went to the next house to continue looking for someone.
After closing the door, Lu Qingfeng and Lu Youtian looked at each other, and then went into the house to talk.
The city gates of Kyoto Prefecture were closed for two days and were not opened until the third day.
Moreover, after the city gate was opened, it was heavily guarded and strict inspections were carried out on passing pedestrians and vehicles.
On this day, several new notices and wanted posters were posted at the city gate and at the doors of major restaurants and teahouses in the city.
After seeing the guards on the street withdraw, some brave people walked out of their homes and came to the street. When they met other people who were equally brave, they gathered together and whispered to each other.
After seeing that nothing was wrong, many restaurants, teahouses and some shops in the city opened for business as usual, and there were also sporadic vendors doing business on the streets.
Some ordinary people also went out of their homes to buy things and inquire about news.
After seeing the notices and wanted posters posted all over the city, the people of Kyoto Prefecture realized that the owner of the imperial city had changed. The new emperor who had just ascended the throne not long ago stepped down and became a wanted criminal. The former second prince became the new emperor.
The teahouse was the place where most people gathered, and everyone was talking about what had happened in Kyoto Prefecture in the past few days.
Many people read the notice posted by the government, and considering that the third prince became emperor after the Hu soldiers entered the city, many people linked the two events together and firmly believed the statement on the wanted notice that the third prince had colluded with foreign enemies and betrayed the country.
"I was just wondering why the Hu soldiers suddenly broke through the city gates and entered the city to burn, kill, and loot. It turns out there's a thief inside!"
"Someone must have opened the door for Hu Bing, otherwise how could they have gotten in here so quietly?"
"Traitors deserve to die!"
“…”
Everyone in the teahouse was cursing and hated traitors the most.
Because of what happened in Kyoto Prefecture, Lu Youtian did not leave the city until New Year's Eve and returned to Shihua Village, to the house where his wife and children currently lived.
Last month, they moved out of the Lu family's old house and moved to an empty house in the village. They no longer lived in the Lu family's old house.
Although his brothers and nephews tried to persuade him to stay this time, Lu Youtian didn't want to live in the old house anymore.
Since that incident a while ago, most of the young people and children in the village have moved to the mountains, and there are not many people living in the village now. However, after they returned to the countryside, Liu Sanniang has been living in the village with her children.
They moved back to the village according to the arrangement of their eldest son.
Otherwise, according to Liu Sanniang's own thoughts, she would still be more accustomed to living back in the city.
However, this time something happened in Kyoto, and Liu Sanniang understood why her eldest son asked them to move back to the village instead of living in the city. Because if they lived in the city, if something happened, they wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
Liu Sanniang, who had been waiting in the village, finally felt relieved when she saw her husband return. She asked him, "I heard something happened in the city. Are you all right?"
"Dad." Lu Mingrui shouted.
"We're fine, don't worry." Lu Youtian raised his hand and touched his youngest son's head, and said to his wife.
This year, because the eldest son was not at home, such an incident happened again in Kyoto Prefecture, which made people panic, so everyone spent this year much calmer than in previous years.
***
Lu Mingfei, who was far away in Tong County, only learned about the change of ownership in Kyoto Prefecture after the New Year.
After learning the news, he immediately wrote a letter and asked someone to send it to Zhao Lang in Pingzhou. He also arranged matters in Tong County and the base, and the next day he led his men back to Kyoto Prefecture at full speed.
On the afternoon of the same day he returned home, the new emperor, who had just ascended the throne, sent people to the village to summon him to the palace.
"Please accompany me to the palace, Lord Lu." said the eunuch who came to announce the decree.
"I wonder if the eunuch knows why His Majesty summoned me into the palace?" Lu Mingfei stuffed a purse into the eunuch's hand and asked in a low voice the eunuch who came to announce the imperial decree.
He had just returned from outside and was not very clear about what was happening in the imperial city. He only knew that the owner of the imperial city had changed and the previous emperor who had lost the throne had become a wanted criminal and no one knew where he had hidden.
"Don't worry, Lord Lu. It must be a good thing that His Majesty remembers you." The eunuch took the advantage and revealed some information to this young lord who was kind to these rootless eunuchs.
"Thank you, eunuch. Please wait here for a moment. I will change into clean clothes and then go into the palace with you." After hearing the eunuch's words, Lu Mingfei had some guesses in his mind as to what the newly enthroned emperor had meant by sending someone to summon him into the palace.
However, returning to the court to serve as an official at this time may not be a good thing.
If this emperor does not last long, when someone else comes to power, the first people to be eliminated will be the ministers around the previous emperor.
Moreover, there are still a lot of things going on in Tong County. If he leaves now, there will be no one who can take charge there, which will also have some impact on their plans.
But now the new emperor has sent someone to summon him back. If he disobeys the order, the new emperor can deal with him immediately, so he has to go this time. Therefore, he can only go to the palace first to see what the emperor wants him to go back for, and then see how to arrange it later.
"Master Lu, please go. I will wait for you here." The eunuch nodded.
Lu Mingfei invited his father-in-law to sit here and have some tea, then went back to his own room where his mother and brother were waiting for him.
"Brother Fei." Seeing her eldest son coming in, Liu Sanniang grabbed his hand with some worry.
Lu Mingfei patted the back of his mother's hand and said, "Don't worry, mother. I'll be fine. His Majesty just summoned me to the palace. You guys wait for my news at home. As for father, I've already sent a letter to him. I believe he will be back today."
"Mingrui, take good care of the family and mother."
"Okay, brother, you go ahead. I will take care of mom and the family." The young Lu Mingrui promised his brother.
There was a eunuch outside waiting for him to enter the palace, so Lu Mingfei made it short and handed over the family affairs to his mother and brother. Then he changed into official uniform, got on the carriage that came to pick him up, and went back to Kyoto City with the eunuch who came to summon him to the palace.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of Kyoto City, he realized that the gate was heavily guarded and the inspection of passing pedestrians and vehicles was very strict.
However, they had the eunuch of the new emperor leading the way, and the generals guarding the city did not even search the carriage he was riding in, and let them enter the city.
After a smooth journey into the palace, Lu Mingfei met the new emperor in a yellow robe, the former Second Prince. Meeting him again, he found that the once high-spirited Second Prince had become much thinner and had a gloomy face.
But in front of the emperor, he was just a subject.
After a slight pause, he bowed to the new emperor and said, "Your humble servant Lu Mingfei pays homage to the emperor. Long live the emperor."
"My dear Lord Lu, please stand up." The new emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, looked at Lu Mingfei in front of him and raised his palm upwards.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Mingfei thanked him and then straightened up, looking up at the new emperor sitting on the dragon throne. When their eyes met, he quickly lowered his head and looked at the floor in front of him.
For these ministers, no matter who sits on the dragon throne, he is the emperor and the master of the world.
The situation is stronger than people. If they insist on confronting the emperor, only they, the ministers, will die.
Lu Mingfei knew this truth, so no matter who sat on the dragon throne, he would bow down to him.
"Give Lord Lu a seat." The new emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, felt much better when he saw Lu Mingfei bowing to him.
Upon hearing this, the eunuchs in attendance carried a chair and placed it opposite their Majesty.
"Please sit down, Lord Lu." The new emperor raised his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Mingfei thanked him again before sitting in the seat given to him by the emperor.
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