Ever since the third prince Shao Zhen came to power, rumors have been spreading in the court.
People said that Emperor Qing would treat the aristocratic families the same way and would abolish the crown prince sooner or later and pass the throne to the third prince Shao Zhen. This time, he let Shao Zhen lead the army to repel the Tatars in order to give Shao Zhen a chance to make meritorious contributions so that he could legitimately succeed to the throne in the future.
The prince is in danger.
Such rumors have always existed, but they have never spread as quickly or as widely as they did this time.
Even the most honest and kind person would feel angry at this time.
What's more, there are no shortage of people around the prince who are fanning the flames.
The aristocratic family has been suppressed too much, and the blood feud with Lu Shuo has been brewing for a long time, and they are eager for revenge. This time, the fight will not stop until one person dies.
The long-brewing wave finally broke out on this day.
Lu Shuo decided to delay time and negotiate with the Tatars. This method of waiting for the enemy to tire was a good idea.
Although the Tatars were good at fighting bravely, the shortcomings of nomadic peoples were obvious: it was difficult for them to fight continuously and they rarely had any strategies.
However, things did not develop as he expected.
New military intelligence came from Hexi again. It was unknown whether the Tatars had learned the news in advance. Not only did they refuse to negotiate, they also suddenly attacked Jizhou. Before the army led by the third prince arrived, Jizhou had already fallen into the hands of the Tatars.
As the news came out, everyone in the court was terrified. It was the first time that the Tatars occupied a big city like Jizhou. If they continued to move south, wouldn't they be far from the capital?
Such a crisis is unprecedented.
The court blamed it on the negligence of the Third Prince and Lu Shuo's mistake, and impeachments fell like snowflakes.
The Censor Xu Shengkai wrote an extremely sharp article, pointing out that Lu Shuo had ten major sins.
First, he bribed the emperor with huge sums of money and had endless patents. Second, he bribed the eunuchs to spy on the emperor. Third, he formed a clique for personal gain and disrupted the government. Fourth, he…
Most of these crimes are not exaggerations, but are real.
Any one of these sins would have been punishable by death for anyone else.
However, Emperor Qing just kept the order and did not send it out. He issued an edict asking Lu Shuo to atone for his sins and to force the Tatars to withdraw within a deadline, or at least not let them continue to move south.
As for the third prince Shao Zhen, not a word was mentioned about him. Everyone knew that Shao Zhen not only failed to achieve any merit this time, but also lost the possibility of competing for the throne.
But is such a result really satisfactory?
Even if the prince is satisfied, the aristocratic families will not agree. They have finally seen that Lu Shuo's position is shaken. If they don't give it a push, and then wait until Lu Shuo has gained his foothold and they have to settle accounts again, what should they do then?
And now, the only person who has a say in front of Emperor Qing is Xie Shu.
Although Xie Shu and Lu Shuo had the same background, they seemed to have no conflicts, and many people felt that Xie Shu would become the second Lu Shuo.
But there are still some differences between the two.
Lu Shuo usually greets people with a smile, kills people without shedding blood, and is also ruthless. Those who obey him will prosper, while those who disobey him will perish. However, Xie Shu is a dashing and bold person, making him more convincing. His methods are also much gentler. Although he says what he means, at least he leaves room for maneuver.
Moreover, if they nominated Xie Shu, how could Lu Shuo be on good terms with Xie Shu? In this way, Lu Shuo and Xie Shu would become enemies, which would be of great benefit to the aristocratic families.
Therefore, the noble families approached Xie Shu with great fanfare and were willing to give way to Xie Shu. They could cooperate with many of Xie Shu's current projects.
Xie Shu was not clear about his attitude, but he actually got the benefits.
No matter what he wants to do, the other departments of the six ministries are not uncompromising. Xie Shu has issued many policies, such as the Ministry of Industry's construction requires the cooperation of all employees, the Ministry of Industry's projects also have the right to be independent, personnel transfers and material transportation should also have dedicated personnel to connect, the Ministry of Industry is responsible for appointments and deployments, and craftsmen work in shifts, etc.
The policies promulgated by Xie Shu have begun to be implemented, and now he wants new reforms.
He will promulgate a farmland and water conservancy law to encourage land reclamation and water conservancy construction. He will promulgate a transportation reform law to build infrastructure.
He wanted to reform the tax system, re-measure the land throughout the country, and verify the landowners. Even this, the aristocratic families agreed with reluctance.
As time goes by, Xie Shu's power is increasing, and more and more people are attached to him, while Lu Shuo's power is weakening...
Lu Shuo, who was busy dealing with the Tatars at this time, was not unaware of this. While watching the cooperation between the aristocratic families and Xie Shu, he was also reading the articles impeaching him. Among them was a man named Xu Shengkai, who was Xie Shu's fellow townsman in Jinling and they had once formed the Jinling Literary Society together.
Fellow townsmen, and also from the same community!
In the era when the imperial examination system was prevalent, fellow townsmen could almost be regarded as comrades-in-arms, not to mention the Jinling Literary Society that Xie Shu had once founded.
Lu Shuo was filled with rage, he never expected that the person behind all this and stabbed him was Xie Shu!
As soon as the war is over and he returns to Emperor Qing, the first person he will deal with is not the aristocratic families, but Xie Shu!
But the war was far from ending so smoothly. After occupying Jizhou, the Tatars were still greedy and had no intention of retreating. How could they retreat? After finally occupying a city like Jizhou, Hetao still seemed barren.
The current leader of Tatar is the prince of the Tatar king. Unlike his father, he has a more far-sighted vision and greater ambitions.
He grew up in Hetao, where there are many Han people. He started learning Chinese and the Chinese writing system from a young age.
It was also his order to take Jizhou in a swift and decisive manner, because a few days ago, when his father was preparing to negotiate with Daqing, he asked Daqing to give them enough money and food.
However, he unexpectedly heard a piece of news that this negotiation was just a delay. In fact, the third prince of Daqing had already led his troops to attack them.
So the Tatar prince acted decisively and took advantage of the lax defense of Jizhou city at night to capture Jizhou.
But the Tatar prince's ambitions did not stop there. He did not choose to massacre the city and take away everything he could, but to lure the Han people in the city to work for him. He now understood the situation of the Qing Dynasty very well, and he knew what the chaos of the Qing Dynasty was like...
Lu Shuo and the third prince Shao Zhen were ordered to deal with them, but they had bigger enemies in the court. Neither of them was loyal to the emperor or patriotic. One was the biggest traitor in the Qing Dynasty, and the other coveted the position of crown prince.
So the Tatar prince proposed that Tatar was willing to surrender, negotiate with Daqing, and accept Daqing's fiefdom.
Anyone with a brain can see that the Tatars' so-called "surrender" is just a disguised excuse.
He did not pay tribute to Daqing, but instead demanded various things and wanted Daqing to legitimately grant them the territories outside Hexi.
Anyone would feel that such "surrender" is wrong.
However, after Lu Shuo and Shao Zhen found out, they seemed unable to see the reason and did not urge the army to advance. Instead, they reported the matter to Emperor Qing.
Lu Shuo and Shao Zhen came to the same idea. Since Emperor Qing wanted the Tatars to stop moving south, they could not afford to suffer a single defeat. Negotiating peace was the most effective solution.
After Emperor Qing received Lü Shuo's report, he submitted the matter to all officials for discussion, but all the officials opposed it.
Jizhou is an important place in Hexi, how can it be given away? Once it is given to the Tatars, it will surely make people all over the world feel disheartened. Who will have the confidence to resist the Tatars in the future?
What’s more, Tatar is a barbarian land. The barbarians have no integrity and change their orders every day. If they march south again at that time, Daqing will be in danger.
Emperor Qing also felt that it was inappropriate, but at this time, Lu Shuo came to report that the Tatars were willing to offer a thousand war horses every year to show their determination for peace.
With the worst result, and then a good one, in contrast, the Tatars' attitude seems sincere...
The most important thing is that Emperor Qing also knows that the Daqing army may not have a chance of winning against the Tatars, and the cost of the war is also huge. It may last for several years without seeing the outcome he wants. Emperor Qing does not want to toss and turn all day long because of this matter. The previous war was like this, and Emperor Qing does not want to repeat the same mistake again.
If this goes well, it will appease the Tatars and stop them from attacking, perhaps buying decades of peace.
Emperor Qing hesitated. The ministers saw that he was wavering and were very anxious, but they also knew that Emperor Qing was stubborn and self-willed. The more they tried to persuade him, the more he would continue to do so.
If this proposal is really passed, then Emperor Qing will certainly let Lu Shuo be in charge of this matter, so that he can atone for his sins. By then, when Lu Shuo returns to the capital, who else can surpass him?
The ministers could not help but place their last hope on Xie Shu, hoping that he could say something to stop it, anything...
Finally, Xie Shu stood up and said to Emperor Qing, Your Majesty, the Tatars are insincere and are fooling us.
Emperor Qing turned to Xie Shu, the minister who satisfied him in everything, and was still very patient.
He asked solemnly, why do you think so?
Xie Shu said, war horses are not a necessity for us, but what the Tatars ask for is what they rely on for survival.
Once the Tatars solved these problems, they would no longer have any worries.
Emperor Qing was shocked when he heard this.
It's not that he didn't understand this truth, he just held a relatively optimistic idea. However, when Xie Shu spoke too directly, Emperor Qing didn't dare to fantasize anymore.
Emperor Qing asked Xie Shu again, what should we do?
Xie Shu said that the country should be enriched and the military should be strengthened, the border defense should be strengthened, and we should be prepared to attack at any time and make good use of every opportunity to counterattack.
The Tatars have now solved the problem of food and clothing, and they may not still have the morale to fight. As long as he is given three months to prepare, he can defeat the Tatars in one fell swoop.
When such remarks were made, all the ministers were shocked, and Emperor Qing did not quite believe what Xie Shu said. But at this time, a person with a firm attitude is more trustworthy.
Although Emperor Qing is old and his ambition has declined a lot, he cannot accept being insulted.
Finally, Emperor Qing agreed to Xie Shu's proposal. On the one hand, he sent someone to ask Lu Shu to discuss the details of the negotiation in detail and not to agree to the Tatar's demands. On the other hand, he secretly summoned Xie Shu and the two newly appointed ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to discuss the matter.
On that day, after the discussion, Emperor Qing asked Xie Shu to preside over everything. As for the other two ministers, they had no objection and spontaneously gave the leading position to Xie Shu.
Negotiation after negotiation...
The Tatars made several concessions, but also realized the Qing Dynasty's perfunctory attitude, so they gave a final deadline.
But Lu Shuo had already sensed the change in Emperor Qing's attitude, and now all the pressure was on him.
After knowing that it was Xie Shu who did it, Lu Shuo's fear and hatred towards Xie Shu reached a new peak. He could never have imagined that a poisonous snake was lurking beside him and he had never noticed it.
What Lu Shuo is more worried about now is that even if he really returns to the capital in the future, will he still be able to hold power as before?
He heard that after he left the capital, Xie Shu had replaced him. Emperor Qing's birthday memorial and poems were all written by Xie Shu, and his people in the court also successively attached themselves to Xie Shu.
He had been impeached before, but Emperor Qing simply kept the memorial. What would happen after he returned to Beijing?
Shao Zhen had the same concerns. He and Xie Shu had long been enemies, and now he had no hope of becoming emperor, so he might as well go all out...
On the other side in the capital, the prince was also restless.
Emperor Qing was slow to give him a definite answer, and his erratic attitude caused the Prince's people to lose hope again and again.
What made the prince even more worried was that the news that the Tatars accidentally learned this time was actually leaked by one of his men.
If Lu Shuo and Shao Zhen return to Beijing successfully, it will be a bloody storm.
Now the only one who can see the emperor is Xie Shu. Maybe Xie Shu knows what his father means, but Xie Shu has never responded.
As time passed, the prince finally made up his mind after being persuaded by those around him.
Father, oh father, you forced me to do this.
That night, Emperor Qing was awakened from his dream on the dragon bed and heard Wei Qingtong's panicked cry, "Your Majesty, the Forbidden City is surrounded!"
Emperor Qing was horrified and quickly called for protection. The people who came were Liu Qiang and a group of eunuchs.
Emperor Qing only then realized that his crown prince was planning to force him to abdicate. This was really a stimulus for the elderly Emperor Qing.
Emperor Qing looked at the lights outside the window getting closer and closer, and his heart became more and more dejected.
Who can stop it now?
The Kyoto Guards were stationed outside the city. Since the Crown Prince had been well prepared, he would definitely blockade the entire city. However, the elite troops led by the Third Prince Shao Zhen were still far away in Hexi and had no time to come back.
Fortunately, the eunuchs led by Liu Qiang fought desperately to hold the palace gate, so the defeat did not come so quickly.
The time passed so slowly and the day was still dark. While Emperor Qing was making all the necessary preparations and taking out the imperial seal, he still felt hopeful.
He thought, someone would notice something was wrong tonight!
At three o'clock in the morning, the gate of the inner palace was pushed down.
But not only the prince's men came, but also Xie Shu who led the Kyoto Guard.
In the past three months, Xie Shu's improvements to the military have achieved considerable results. Firearms have been distributed to every soldier in his newly built Shenji Battalion, which is far beyond the ability of ordinary troops to resist.
The prince's coup failed, and without waiting for Emperor Qing to decide his fate, he committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
Looking at the prince's body, Emperor Qing fell ill and couldn't get up. It was unknown what kind of remorse he felt in his heart, but Emperor Qing did not intend to stop because of the prince's death.
We must investigate thoroughly! Investigate thoroughly!
Emperor Qing ordered Xie Shu to continue to blockade the entire city and guard the nine gates of the capital as well as the key points in the north and south. No one was allowed to enter or leave without his order, and no news could be transmitted outside the palace.
Who instigated the prince? Everyone must pay the price.
The palace ban lasted for seven days. In the closed capital, the ministers were like lambs in a cage waiting to be slaughtered.
But everyone knew that the one who decided their fate at this moment was not Emperor Qing who was ill and unconscious, but Xie Shu.
Thousands of miles away, Shao Zhen, who was plotting how to seize the throne, also learned that the prince was forcing the emperor to abdicate.
Shao Zhen was angry at first, then overjoyed.
This was a godsend opportunity. He could just return to Beijing under the banner of purging the court.
But Lu Shuo had some concerns.
In Lu Shuo's opinion, the prince was a kind-hearted man who was cowardly. How desperate must he be to make such a decision to force the emperor to abdicate?
But Emperor Qing has not yet decided to pass the throne to Shao Zhen. Who is behind all this, or is this just fake news?
But Lu Shuo's persuasion could not extinguish Shao Zhen's anger.
Shao Zhen was determined to lead his army back to the capital. While on the way, news came that the capital had been under lockdown, and everything was confirmed.
Shao Zhen ordered the army to speed up its march as he wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible.
Finally, they were only a hundred miles away from the capital. Shao Zhen had people stationed outside to find out more information.
Emperor Qing had been drowsy these days due to illness. When he heard Xie Shu had something to report, he forced himself to sit up.
However, he unexpectedly heard a piece of tragic news that came out of the blue. Xie Shu said that the third prince Shao Zhen had returned to the capital with a large army without reporting the incident and was already at the gates of the city.
How could this be possible?
Emperor Qing felt that there was some hidden story behind this, but at this moment, there was no room for any mistakes. Even the Crown Prince could abdicate for the throne, so what about the Third Prince?
But Emperor Qing didn't want to kill another son.
So Emperor Qing issued an edict and sent someone to deliver it to Shao Zhen. He wanted to hear Shao Zhen's explanation. What if there was really any misunderstanding?
But when Shao Zhen learned that it was Xie Shu who sent the letter, how could he accept it?
Instead, Lu Shuo noticed the more complicated internal situation. If the prince's forcing of the emperor to abdicate was successful, how could Xie Shu be by Emperor Qing's side?
This shows that the prince has failed!
But if the prince fails, then Shao Zhen’s return will no longer be legitimate.
But even if Shao Zhen really admitted his mistake, now that Xie Shu was by Emperor Qing's side, how could he allow Shao Zhen to ascend the throne?
And for him, who is the best candidate to succeed him?
After thinking it all through, Lu Shuo fell into deep fear.
It is not difficult to imagine what role Xie Shu played in this palace coup, or perhaps it was more than just this palace coup.
Looking at the overall situation, the invisible hand that pushed the situation step by step to where it is today turned out to be Xie Shu.
Lu Shuo saw through it, and Shao Zhen also figured it out. They had to attack the city as quickly as possible, otherwise it would be too late.
But they could think clearly, but they could not convince all the soldiers.
Attacking the capital city, what kind of crime of treason is this!
Even though the Crown Prince forced the emperor to abdicate, it was not legitimate, but he was still the Crown Prince, the original heir to the throne, the Third Prince was still the Third Prince!
As for Lu Shuo, his reputation was even worse. Everyone in the world knew that he was a traitor. A few months ago, articles impeaching him were circulated everywhere.
Is such a person worth their lives?
Just when the soldiers were hesitating, Xie Shu led his men to stand on the city wall of the capital and read out the imperial edict of Emperor Qing.
It turns out that Emperor Qing is still in power now, and the Crown Prince's attempt to abdicate has been suppressed. Emperor Qing summoned the third prince to enter the city immediately, and the others stayed outside the city, and he would forgive them for what happened, otherwise it would be considered treason.
This was a normal decree. No one would suspect that his father would attack his son, right?
But Shao Zhen was not afraid of Emperor Qing, but of Xie Shu.
He looked at Xie Shu on the city wall and had never felt such fear before. Should he go in? What kind of future and fate awaited him?
Shao Zhen finally hesitated, and his hesitation immediately aroused the suspicion of others.
In the end, Xie Shu ordered people to open the city gates, and some soldiers spontaneously surrounded Shao Zhen. As for Lu Shuo, he could not escape either.
The two were brought to Xie Shu. He ignored Shao Zhen and walked to Lu Shuo's side.
Lü Shuo's hair was disheveled by the soldiers' pulling, and he no longer looked like a great master. He looked at Xie Shu and said gracefully, "I lost to you, Xie Shu. I am not as ambitious as you."
Lu Shuo's judgment of Xie Shu was not out of sarcasm, but he sincerely felt that Xie Shu was very capable and had learned more secret information from the third prince.
Only then did he understand Xie Shu's true methods.
As long as Emperor Qing dies, the one who will succeed to the throne will be none other than the eighth prince born to Wei Qingtong.
But in this world, where can there be a three-year-old emperor?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
