Chapter 274 Cold Food Festival
The prince's three visits to the thatched cottage were destined to be in vain. In fact, except for the first time, he never set foot in Qingshan again. Su Fengzhang did retire and return to his hometown, but unlike what outsiders speculated, he still had a power in his hands that outsiders did not know.
After living at the foot of the green mountain for more than a month and still not seeing anyone from the mountain, the prince became more and more fearful, but he could only set out on his journey home in embarrassment.
Originally, he also wanted to follow the path of Prince Cheng. After all, compared with Su Fengzhang, who was an outsider, Prince Cheng was at least a member of the royal family of the Great Zhou and his uncle.
It's a pity that Su Fengzhang at least showed up once because he was the crown prince, but Prince Cheng never showed up even once.
The two men expressed their refusal so clearly that the prince could do nothing even though he was angry. He couldn't just rush to the mountain and offend them, and he couldn't stay at the foot of the mountain and wait.
The prince came excitedly and left dejectedly. He hated Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng for their disrespectful attitude and secretly vowed that the day he ascended the throne and took charge of the court would be the day he would deal with these two people.
He should be the one in charge of the Great Zhou, and he cannot tolerate anyone sitting above him.
After he left, Qin Fang mentioned it to Su Fengzhang once, commenting, "This prince seems like a member of the Qin family."
In comparison, the current emperor's ninth brother does not look like a member of the Qin family, and even does not look like Empress Dowager Yun and Empress Dowager Fang in the palace. To be honest, he is somewhat similar to his own uncle Fang Yu.
Time flies, and years are always extremely ruthless.
Ten years later, when the former crown prince, now emperor, arrived at the foot of the green mountain with a large number of troops, everyone felt that the situation might have changed.
The prince once thought that after he ascended the throne, he would be able to change the current situation of the court. He was not as easy to fool as his father, and he would not allow the power of the court to fall into the hands of others.
But only after he really came to power did he realize how difficult it was. The current Great Zhou court was like an extremely sophisticated machine, with the six ministries cooperating tacitly. The rules and regulations set by Su Fengzhang not only regulated the ministers, but also restricted the royal family.
Even as an emperor, he could not do whatever he wanted. As long as he dared to do something illegal, many people would jump out to oppose him. Even the censors would point at the emperor's nose and curse him in front of everyone under the pretext that speech was not a crime.
This kind of situation actually occurred when Su Fengzhang was around. After all, he had put forward so many incredible ideas, and there were always people who opposed him every time.
The end of this wave of insults was caused by his blind indulgence. All the civil and military officials knew that if you impeach Su Fengzhang in person in the court, no matter how harshly you insult him, you will not be held accountable. But if you dare to make trouble in private, you must be prepared to be deposed.
Back then, the prince thought it was funny and even felt happy. Now that it was his turn to be scolded, he knew how it felt.
He couldn't understand how Su Fengzhang, who was so powerful in the past, could endure it again and again.
The new emperor once thought that after he came to power, he would be able to deal with all those who were dissatisfied and disrespectful to him. However, in the end he found that he was powerless. At this time, he had to bow his head again and wanted to ask Su Fengzhang to return to the court to help him.
If Su Fengzhang is unwilling to come back, Prince Cheng can also come back.
But it was obvious that this time he couldn't even see Su Fengzhang. The guards guarding under the green hills had no expression on their faces, but they did not hesitate to stop him and did not take the people brought by the new emperor seriously.
The new emperor gnashed his teeth in hatred, but had to beg softly.
After much persuasion, a guard finally agreed to go up the mountain to report. However, after waiting for an hour, he only received one sentence: "Your Majesty, the two adults have said that they are old and will not leave the mountain anymore. Your Majesty, please return."
The emperor's expression suddenly turned cold, and he stared at the guards with a gloomy look, mumbling something: "Forget it, I will live at the foot of the mountain until the Grand Tutor changes his mind."
The guards did not stop him and retreated invisibly.
On the top of the mountain, Su Fengzhang and Qin Fang stood side by side. Looking at the crowd at the foot of the mountain that was as dense as ants, he sighed slightly and said helplessly: "It seems that we can't stay in Qingshan anymore."
Qin Fang asked in surprise, "You're not really planning to leave the mountain, are you?"
"If you don't want to go out, what else can he do to you?"
Su Fengzhang said, "Even if there's nothing we can do, it's still very frustrating, and it also affects the residents living down the mountain."
Most of the people living at the foot of the mountain are members of the Su family. Su Fengzhang usually doesn't pay attention to them, but he doesn't want to bring disaster to them because of himself.
Qin Fang turned to look at him and suddenly laughed: "Stop pretending like this. I know you've been tired of this little hill for a long time. In that case, why not go down the mountain?"
Su Fengzhang also laughed, took her hand and said, "You will always be with me, right?"
Qin Fang raised his eyebrows and said, "Where else can I go? The Great Zhou royal family is eager to expel me from the Qin family. Besides, I am also very curious about what the world looks like."
"In that case, let's go for a walk. When we can't walk anymore, we can decide where to stop."
As the days passed, there was silence on the green hills. Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng showed no intention of showing up, and even the guards gradually disappeared.
The emperor's face became uglier day by day, and his hatred for the two men grew deeper. After all, he was the emperor, and it would have been fine if the two men had not come down the mountain to pay him a visit, but they treated him so coldly.
The eunuchs who accompanied him also advised: "Your Majesty, it has been three months, and Lord Su and Prince Cheng still haven't shown up. I'm afraid they have made up their minds not to come out again."
"Why don't we go back first?" the eunuch asked tentatively.
Who would have thought that after hearing this, the emperor's face turned even colder, and he cursed: "Yes, it has been three months. I have been away from the capital for three months, and the court has not made any movement. It makes no difference whether I am the emperor or not."
"I am the Emperor of the Great Zhou, the ruler of all the people in the world. Am I living only to stamp the imperial seal?"
The eunuch quickly knelt down and apologized: "Your Majesty, that is not what I meant."
"Your Majesty, there's no point in waiting any longer. I'm afraid these two elders have already made up their minds not to come out again. Even if we wait another three months, or even three years, it will be in vain."
The emperor sneered and said, "If they don't come out, then find a way to force them out."
After saying this, he looked towards where the Su family members gathered.
The eunuch's expression changed, and he hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely forbidden. If you use the Su family to threaten Lord Su, this action will not only go against natural ethics, but also violate the laws of the Great Zhou. I'm afraid the loss will outweigh the gain."
The emperor's face twisted for a moment. If he hadn't known the consequences of this action, he would never have restrained himself.
After all, it was because he had no control over the court that allowed that group of unruly people to rebel.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and suddenly said, "I have a good idea."
The eunuch's heart skipped a beat. He had grown up with the prince, so he naturally knew that the new emperor was not as gentle as outsiders saw him, and was even a bit tyrannical in private.
Some old people in the palace once privately discussed that this prince did not look like His Majesty, but rather resembled the eldest prince who forced the palace to rebel and finally committed suicide to apologize for his crime.
The next moment, the emperor's cold voice came: "I once saw a record in the history books. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the prince of Jin, Chong'er, fled to another country. Thanks to the loyal follower of the minister Jie Zitui, he was finally able to become the king of Jin."
"Who would have thought that after Chong'er became Duke Wen of Jin, Jie Zitui, no longer seeking fame or fortune, retired to Mianshan with his mother. In order to force Jie Zitui to come out of the mountain to meet him, Duke Wen of Jin set fire to Mianshan."
The eunuch kneeling on the ground was trembling with fear, and the cold sweat on his forehead gathered into a pool of water when it fell to the ground.
The emperor continued, "Look, how similar are these ancient records to today's? Duke Wen of Jin set fire to the mountain, but it actually made him a wise ruler and his people. Why can't I follow his example?"
The eunuch almost crawled on the ground, but finally mustered up the courage to remind him: "But Your Majesty, after Duke Wen of Jin set the mountain on fire, Jie Zitui refused to come out of the mountain, and was eventually burned to death!"
"Do you think Su Fengzhang is also determined to be burned to death?" The emperor sneered. "If he is, I am not afraid. When the time comes, I will be grateful for his loyalty and bury him in the green mountains. I will build a ancestral hall and a temple for him, and let his reputation as a loyal and honest minister be passed down through the ages!"
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. Please reconsider..."
Before he could finish his words, the emperor kicked him over and sneered, "Even you want to stop me!"
After saying that, he rushed out without caring about anything and ordered the mountain to be set on fire.
The guards who followed looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to take action. Although they were the emperor's personal guards, they knew what was right and wrong. The person living in the mountain was Su Fengzhang. If this Lord Su was really burned to death, His Majesty might not be in any trouble, but they would definitely be dead. The Su and He families had people in the court, not to mention that Su Fengzhang had students all over the world.
The emperor became even more enraged upon seeing this, and he actually poured water and wine on the fire himself and lit the torches.
It was autumn at the time, the weather was dry, and the alcohol fueled the fire. Once the fire started, it spread like wildfire, making it difficult to put out. What was even more terrifying was that the green mountains were continuous, making it easier for the fire to spread.
The fire known in history as the Qingshan Poison Fire was started by one person's selfishness. It burned for six days and was not stopped until heavy rain fell. Countless people were implicated in this fire, and the Qingshan Mountain was directly reduced to ashes.
But after the fire was completely extinguished, the guards brought by the emperor went up the mountain to search, but could not find a body. Some people said that Su Fengzhang had already anticipated that the new emperor would be cruel and ruthless, and fled early.
Some people also said that the fire spread across the entire land, and it was impossible for Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng to escape. Perhaps it burned for too long, so their bodies had turned to ashes.
From this day on, Lord Su, who changed the entire history of the Great Zhou Dynasty and was admired by the people of the world, never appeared in public again.
What awaited the emperor was not a good reputation like Duke Wen of Jin, but a flood of impeachment memorials. This time, all the civil and military officials in the court worked together to impeach the emperor and remove him from office.
The new emperor reigned for only three years before he was impeached and removed from office for burning Qingshan Mountain. He became the first emperor in the history of Da Zhou and even Zhongzhou to be removed from office.
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The author has something to say: The countdown is ticking
The new article that follows is so cute, please collect it~
Traveling back to ancient times, my father roared, my grandmother growled, and my stepmother was sarcastic.
Zhao Jinghuan thought he was holding a tragic family feud script;
Unexpectedly, my grandmother doted on me, my father was partial to me, and my stepmother endured my anger.
Zhao Jinghuan happily planned to live a life of luxury;
A system that suddenly appeared told him that if he didn’t study, he would die?
In order to survive, you have to get up and study even if your legs are broken!
But he didn't expect that his father, an official, would be implicated and the whole family would be convicted?
The descendants of criminal officials cannot study? Can’t take the imperial examination?
Which villain wants to kill me!
If you push me to the limit, I can do anything!
→→→Still following the imperial examination route, if you don’t study, you will die [Imperial Examination]
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