Chapter 173: Dominate Hebei
Lantern Festival, Bianliang.

Imperial City.

Chui Gong Hall.

In this season when the whole world is celebrating, there is auspicious snow in the sky and lanterns on the earth. It can be said that the auspicious snow is truly a sign of a good harvest. Citizens are celebrating, officials are taking a day off, and there is no curfew in the whole city, just to allow people to enjoy themselves for three days and three nights.

However, even such a Lantern Festival that was celebrated by the whole country could not clear the depressing atmosphere in the imperial city. Since a few days ago, there seemed to be an unspeakable anger that deeply enveloped the entire imperial city. The eunuchs and palace maids who came and went were all very careful in their actions, for fear of suddenly offending the Emperor Zhu who lived in the imperial city.

On the day before the Lantern Festival, an eunuch offended the majesty of heaven and all the palace servants were beheaded. Under such circumstances, everyone was in danger and prayed that the Lantern Festival would make the moody Emperor Zhu better.

Although no one knew why the Zhu emperor was so angry, they could guess it.

Hebei...

The return of Yan territory to Daliang was not only a hot topic of conversation for the people of Bianliang, but also an important matter that was well known to the eunuchs and palace maids locked in the palace.

For the eunuchs in the palace, in the past, when facing Zhu Wen, as long as they flattered him about the victory in Hebei, not only would they please the emperor, but they would also just laugh off any minor mistakes. If they flattered him well, they would at least be rewarded with some silver items.

But in these few days, if anyone dared to mention the word Hebei in front of Zhu Wen, at the very least he would be beaten to death.

In this case, if you still can't guess what went wrong, you'd be a fool...

……

Outside the Chuigong Hall, two eunuchs were hunched over and guarding the entrance to the hall. In this icy and snowy weather, they dared not even breathe, and had no intention of listening to the conversations inside the hall, for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.

However, the two did not worry for too long. They stayed outside the hall on guard for a while. When they saw a figure walking slowly around the corner of the corridor, they felt relieved.

The man was wearing a red round-necked, narrow-sleeved shirt with embroidered patterns. From the color and pattern of the shirt, it was clear that he was a fifth-rank eunuch. A fifth-rank eunuch in the palace could only work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, holding real power that ordinary eunuchs could not achieve.

When the two men saw the eunuch walking towards them, they bowed to him with joy and called out in a low voice: "Grandpa (godfather)..."

Ding Zhaopu ignored them and instead kowtowed and smiled kindly at the guards at the palace gate. He looked harmless and had a bit of fawning intention. He pointed at the two young eunuchs and said, "This is the first time these two guys are on duty at the Chuigong Palace. Let's come and see if there is anything wrong. There are some small matters that I need to instruct them on."

The imperial guards ignored him and just waved their hands arrogantly.

With the lessons of Li Tang, Zhu Wen once killed thousands of eunuchs of all sizes in Chang'an and Luoyang in one go. Now the status of eunuchs is ridiculously low. To the military men, these eunuchs are not even as good as ordinary people, so naturally they look down on them.

And because Ding Zhaopu was appreciated by Zhu Wen in Jiaolan Palace a month ago, he has now jumped from the most ordinary eunuch to the fifth-rank internal official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in charge of accepting imperial orders and inquiring about provincial affairs. Although there are ten other internal officials of this rank, it is obvious that he has made a greater impression in Zhu Wen's eyes and his status in the palace is much higher.

Of course, he had to thank Xiao Yan for all this. Although he was appreciated by Zhu Wen, the most important thing was that when Jiao Lan presented his victory in the palace, he just happened to flatter Zhu Wen and thus stood out from the eunuchs.

But if Xiao Yan had not often given him gold and silver in the past, he would not have had the extra money to bribe people, and he would not have had the opportunity to show his face in front of Zhu Wen. If it were not for Xiao Yan, he might have had to endure this palace for many years, or even be beheaded for no reason one day without knowing it.

Ever since he met Xiao Yan, he began to rise rapidly, and within just one year he was promoted from an ordinary eunuch who depended on others for his livelihood to an internal official. This was partly due to his own good manners, but the main reason was that Xiao Yan gave him money to do things for him.

To Ding Zhaopu, Xiao Yan was his benefactor. Calling him his adoptive parent might be an exaggeration, but he had personally gone to Hebei to convey the imperial edict, and he knew a few words about Xiao Yan's tactics. No matter whether it was harboring enemies or forming cliques for personal gain, he would not have any other thoughts except being secretly frightened.

For the eunuchs of this era, if they could have a powerful military man as a backer, they would be much safer in the court and the palace. The greater Xiao Yan's power, the more he could get, and the more stable he could live in the Zhu family's imperial city where people's heads could be chopped off at any time.

As for loyalty to the Zhu emperor?

Sorry, for Eunuch Yu Ding, the only person in his eyes now is his Grandpa Xiao.

Xiao Yan did not rebel, he just raised a small number of private soldiers. Naturally, there was no need to report such a small matter to the higher authorities.

Ding Zhaopu walked and sat upright, without any psychological pressure. He smiled flatteringly at the imperial guards and called his two adopted sons to the shadowy corner.

After arriving here, he stopped bowing and scraping in front of the imperial guards. He straightened his back, his face was neither cold nor icy, and asked calmly, "Can you see clearly for me? Who has entered the palace?"

One of the eunuchs immediately humbly flattered him, "Sir, your sons have seen it clearly. Prince Bo (Zhu Youwen), Prime Minister Jing, Grand Tutor Ge, Minister Han, and Minister Zhang have all entered the palace..."

Ding Zhaopu frowned.

There is no need to introduce much about Prime Minister Jing. He is Jing Xiang, the envoy of Chongzhengyuan. He is bound to attend the several small court meetings held in Chuigong Hall in the past few days. As for Grand Tutor Ge, he is Ge Congzhou. Due to the unrest in Bianliang a year ago, he was dismissed from the post of General of the Jinwu Guard and had been idle in Beijing ever since. He was only re-employed after the news of Kang Huaiying being trapped in Hebei came.

As for Han Shizhong and Zhang Shilang, the former was the Minister of the Interior, the Co-Prime Minister, the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner, and Shizhong Han Jian, whose status was equivalent to that of the prime minister, almost on par with Jing Xiang. Although he was previously the governor of the Zhenguo Army who ruled Huazhou, Zhu Wen believed that he had both civil and military talents, and understood agriculture, military affairs, and finance, making him an all-rounder. Since his surrender, he has been favored and treated with special favors.

As for Minister Zhang, he was Zhang Wenwei, the former Minister of Rites of the Tang Dynasty, who served as the Minister of the Secretariat, the Co-Prime Minister, and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He was a demoted official of the former Tang Dynasty, and it was he who presided over the abdication of the deposed Emperor Li Yu two years ago.

What is particularly noteworthy is that in addition to a large number of official positions, Li Zhen has been the Minister of Revenue since the first year of Kaiping. Zhang Wenwei can be said to be Li Zhen's direct subordinate. Now Li Zhen is trapped in Hebei. Zhang Wenwei has never been summoned to the small court meetings some time ago, but today he was summoned to the Chuigong Hall together. This is very interesting.

Ding Zhaopu had served Zhu Wen for many years and had a keen sense of smell. He immediately sensed the key information after a brief thought. A smile appeared on his face, and he glanced at the two of them and said, "No more?"

The young eunuch who had not found an opportunity to do so immediately said, "Grandpa, Grandpa, it's not just that. My son came to Chuigong Hall half an hour earlier than him and saw Prince Jun (Zhu Youzhen)..."

After that, he lowered his voice, looked around, and whispered to Ding Zhaopu in front of the eunuch's slightly incredulous and jealous eyes: "Your Majesty summoned Prince Jun before summoning the ministers. My son heard it clearly. Your Majesty asked Prince Jun: 'You know a good general. Can I use him with confidence?'"

Ding Zhaopu narrowed his eyes and stared at him: "How does Prince Jun answer?"

"Prince Jun replied: 'Your Highness is also a general of your father. If your father doesn't like you, you can kill me immediately. What's more, Xiao Yan is a person without any foundation.'..."

"it is good!"

Ding Zhaopu cheered secretly. When he heard this, he knew that the matter was settled. He usually only knew that Prince Jun Zhu Youzhen was only interested in sensual pleasures and was debauched day and night, but he didn't expect that his brain could work so quickly at the critical moment.

With this sentence, at least most of the things Xiao Yan asked him to do have been done. Zhu Youzhen took some risks for Xiao Yan, and maybe Zhu Wen would still have doubts, but at a critical moment, he might only believe in Xiao Yan's loyalty.

He smiled slightly, glanced at the unconvinced look of the adopted son, and patted the shoulders of both of them at the same time, saying, "Among all the adopted sons in our family, only you two are smart, which is why we are willing to use you two.

But I have something to say in advance. If you acknowledge me as your grandfather, from now on you two will be brothers, closer than your parents who are still living outside the palace! It doesn’t matter if you each use your skills or tricks, but if anyone dares to trip up your brothers, don’t blame me for not cherishing our friendship! "

The adopted son who was reporting from behind was stunned. Knowing that Ding Zhaopu was calling on him, he nodded hurriedly and said, "Grandpa, don't worry. I will definitely treat Tian Er as my own brother..."

Tian Ersui also said: "Don't worry, Grandpa, I will definitely treat Wang Da as my own brother."

Ding Zhaopu glanced at the two of them and put away the whisk in his hand: "Remember, this palace is not peaceful, especially for eunuchs like us. If you recognize this relationship, you will know the benefits in the future. Go back and remember some rules. Bow your head to everyone you meet. If you can really treat me as your master, I don't care whether it is true or not. As long as you act like it, don't have any other thoughts. Don't worry, you will enjoy wealth and honor in the future."

Wang Da and Tian Er were overjoyed and bowed down one after another: "Thank you, Grandpa..."

"Alright, alright, get over here."

Ding Zhaopu greeted the imperial guards again, then walked back slowly, carefully writing a note. When he arrived at the imperial kitchen, he immediately called a son-in-law, handed him the note, and said, "Anle Pavilion has a new dish. Go to the palace gate to receive it. Remember, you must personally hand it over to the young man named Luo Xiaobei. If someone else comes to deliver it, just take the dish and don't give it to him."

The adopted son smiled and said flatteringly: "Grandpa has read it a hundred times, and my son can recite it by heart..."

"Be careful in everything." Ding Zhaopu smiled, then patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "We have so many adopted sons, but you are the smartest. This is also the reason why our family..."

------

Chui Gong Hall.

wow-

An exquisite teacup was smashed heavily to the ground, with fragments scattered all over the floor. The tea inside splashed up, with large drops splashing onto the faces of several ministers.

Several ministers stood with their hands clasped together, not saying a word.

In the center of the hall, Zhu Youwen knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head. But after the leader's breath stabilized a little, he still gritted his teeth and said, "I think it is not appropriate to let Xiao Yan lead the surrendered troops in Hebei, let alone let him train an army alone?
"Xiao Yan is a former Tang surrendered person. Whether he is loyal or not is not mentioned. However, how could he not be involved in the chaos in Yan? When the Yan army was about to rise, how could they not fight with the surrendered troops from Hebei and the three thousand imperial guards? How could this martial arts trick of nurturing the enemy and gaining self-prestige be hidden from me, your son?"

"Shut up, rebellious son!"

At the top, Zhu Wen finally lost his patience and shouted angrily: "We can fight! We can fight! You mean we can fight until Youzhou is lost? I can't control more than 200,000 Yan thieves, can Xiao Yan control them? Or can you control them?! Fuck your mother!"

Normally, Zhu Wen had always been very fond of Zhu Youwen, but he had been in a very bad temper in the past two days. As soon as he finished speaking, he found that he had nothing to hit with, so he drew out the sword hanging behind him in anger.

bass--

After hearing this, Zhu Youwen looked up with a pale face, somewhat incredulous.

Fortunately, Zhu Wen still had his wits about him. He just stared with a pair of red tiger eyes, slashed the imperial desk with a sword, and cursed: "I have even built the altar for offering sacrifices to heaven, but Li Zhen actually lost Youzhou to me? How long did it take to fight back Youzhou? Where will it be lost next? Zhuozhou, Yingzhou, Cangzhou? Or your damn Yellow River!?
All the people in the world are waiting for me to offer sacrifices to the heavens and proclaim the orthodoxy. The whole of Bianliang is ready to celebrate. Tell me, if my subjects knew this news, how would they look at me? How would they look at me!!!"

wow——

Zhu Wen kicked over the imperial desk, and all the reports, big and small, on it fell from the high platform to the ground. Occasionally, some of them were opened, and they were all covered with words like "Urgent! Urgent! Urgent!"

Several important officials lowered their heads even lower, not daring to speak.

Zhu Youwen also immediately hit the ground with his forehead and swallowed his saliva.

He could see that Zhu Wen was really furious. He lost his composure and spoke directly from his heart.

Did the usurping emperor of the Zhu family really care about Hebei? Of course, that was a given, but perhaps what he really cared about was the prestige and legitimacy that taking Hebei would bring him.

Last year, Zhu Wen had just become emperor and was drinking and playing gambling in the palace with his relatives. At that time, his brother Zhu Quanyu said to him in public: "Zhu San, you were originally a commoner in Dangshan. You followed Huang Chao to become a bandit. The emperor appointed you as the governor of four towns, and you were extremely rich and powerful. But you destroyed the three hundred years of the Li family in one day. If you act like this, won't someone destroy our clan in the future?"

At that time, Zhu Wen was very unhappy and canceled the banquet.

Perhaps from that time on, Zhu Wen wanted to strive for the so-called orthodoxy so that everyone would be convinced of him.

But...

Zhu Wen's eyes were red, and he threw his sword not far from Zhu Youwen, "Someone, drive this rebellious son out!"

In fact, Zhu Youwen didn't dare to stay any longer. He actually had a lot of things to say, but when he saw Zhu Wen's expression, which he had never seen before, he was actually a little scared.

The hall was once again quiet. Zhu Wen glanced at several important officials in the hall and said in a fierce voice, "Youzhou has been lost. What do you think we should do?"

Several people were silent for a moment.

At this time, Zhang Wenwei saw that no one spoke, so he stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, you can really let Xiao Yan patrol on behalf of the emperor and take charge of the affairs of Hebei. What Prince Bo said about Xiao Yan's loyalty may be true, but I think that Xiao Yan actually loves money more than power..."

He took out a memorial from his bosom and said, "Everyone in Bianliang knows that the business of this Marshal Xiao, Anle Pavilion, is a den of money. It is not an exaggeration to say that it makes a fortune every day. According to my investigation, Xiao Yan is not satisfied with this. Some time ago, when Xiao Yan's family returned to Bianliang, they pulled more than a dozen carriages of various sizes... Although Li Situ said that Xiao Yan distributed the Youzhou treasury without authorization, according to the investigation of Xuanming Sect, Xiao Yan seemed to have embezzled a lot of it himself, and it was not really distributed to the surrendered troops in Hebei as Li Situ said..."

Zhu Wen narrowed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and waved to a eunuch to bring the memorial over.

He read it carefully, then looked at Han Jian: "Zuo Shi, do you have any suggestions?"

Han Jian smiled bitterly, hunched over and said, "Your Majesty, I have long been ignorant of military affairs, and I know even less about Xiao Yan, so I really don't know what to say. However, the matter in Hebei is of great importance, and we should take advantage of the fact that Jin has not yet made any response, and the sooner we can settle it, the better. The best troops of Daliang are all in Bianliang, so why should we be afraid of a surrendered army from Hebei?"

Zhu Wen did not comment and looked at Ge Congzhou.

"Tongmei?"

Ge Congzhou clasped his fists and said in a hoarse voice: "If Your Majesty trusts me, let alone Hebei, I will wipe out all disloyalty for Your Majesty even if I die."

Zhu Wen nodded slowly, but was still not satisfied, and looked at Jing Xiang.

Several people glanced over with their peripheral vision.

Jing Xiang sighed, stroked his beard, smiled, and said, "Your Majesty, may I have your permission to come forward and offer some advice?"

Zhu Wen was delighted and agreed immediately.

Jing Xiang didn't need to look at other people's expressions and moved closer. Zhu Wen even walked down from the platform himself so that Jing Xiang could whisper in his ear.

"This Xiao Yan is a lone minister. At this moment, if everyone in the court doubts him, only Your Majesty believes in him..."

Zhu Wen narrowed his eyes and understood what Jing Xiang meant.

But the latter had not finished speaking, and continued in a low voice: "Your Majesty's ambition to reduce the power of the vassal states, why can't you start with this boy? This boy is a surrendered person, a person without any foundation. If he wants to gain a foothold in the court, he can only accomplish extraordinary feats amidst all difficulties. The military governors of various towns have already taken root in the court, and it is not surprising that they have their own private armies. If you allow this man to compete with the other armies in the future, how can he not become one of Your Majesty's sharp weapons to reduce the power of the vassal states?"

Suddenly, Zhu Wen opened his eyes wide.

Jing Xiang stroked his beard, smiled, bowed and walked away.

The others were still confused, but Zhu Wen had already put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly. Then he slowly scanned the crowd with his tiger eyes, and said loudly with a little pride: "Come here, draft the decree!"

"Immediately send an imperial edict to Hebei, ordering Songzhou Jiedushi Xiao Yan to take charge of all affairs in Hebei, patrol on behalf of the emperor, and organize the Hebei surrender army, named "Guide".

Dispatch the cavalry of the Imperial Guards to the north to assist, and tell him that if this matter is resolved, I will grant him the title of a prince, so what? "

(End of this chapter)