xymnovel Chapter 59: 1 emperor and 1 courtier
Chapter 59: 1 emperor and 1 courtier
The 17th day of the 11th month of the fourth year of Changxing (1078), Gengyin day.
At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), after the fourth drumbeat, the palace was deep in the stillness of the night.
Li Siyuan, who had been in a deep sleep all day, suddenly sat up on his imperial bed and asked the palace maid in charge of the night watch, "How many minutes have passed tonight?"
The palace maid replied, "The fourth watch."
She cautiously probed, "Does this make things easier for the Emperor?"
Once a positive reply is received, the emperor will inform the empress and the other concubines.
In an instant, all the concubines arrived. Empress Cao, representing the imperial concubines, joyfully announced, "Everyone has been resurrected today."
Just as Li Siyuan was about to speak, he coughed violently and vomited out several pieces of meat, shaped like lungs, as well as a peck of urine.
Then a bowl of porridge was served, followed by soup from the imperial physician.
By dawn, Li Siyuan's illness had slightly improved, and he regained a healthy complexion. Everyone was overjoyed, and the Yonghe Hall was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"But then Meng Hanqiong came to report that the King of Qin had rebelled, led his troops into the palace, and attacked the Duanmen Gate."
The palace was filled with weeping and wailing. Despite his serious illness, the pillar of the state, Li Siyuan, remained calm and confirmed with the Privy Councilor Zhu Hongzhao and others: "Is it truly so?"
Upon confirming the truth, Li Siyuan pointed to the sky, wept, and after a long while said, "Yicheng should handle the matter himself, so as not to cause a disturbance in the capital."
Hua Jianxiu glanced at Li Congke and said, "At that time, Li Chongji was by my side. The late emperor said: 'Your father and I rose from humble beginnings to seize the throne, and you have saved me from danger many times. What strength does Congrong have to do such a wicked thing! You must quickly guard all the gates with soldiers.'"
"Upon receiving the imperial edict, Li Chongji immediately led the Crane Control Soldiers to guard the palace gates."
"Good, good, Shigekichi did a great job."
Li Congke praised him several times, his eyes welling up with tears again: "Even if I have failed my godfather, you have truly done nothing wrong."
"Li Congrong believed that the late emperor had died and feared that he would not be able to succeed him. He conspired with his associates to send troops to the capital to subdue the powerful ministers. However, upon learning that the late emperor was still alive, he fled in panic."
"The day after, he again led a thousand soldiers to form a battle array at Tianjin Bridge, where five hundred imperial guards came out from the palace to resist him. Li Congrong was defeated and fled to Henan Prefecture, where he and his wife hid under their bed, where they were killed by An Congyi, the Imperial City Envoy."
Hua Jianxiu said sadly, "When the late emperor heard this, he was so horrified that he almost fell off his imperial bed. He was nearly unconscious but was revived several times. As a result, his illness worsened like a landslide, and it was impossible to reverse the collapse of the dynasty."
November 20th, Gui Si day.
Feng Dao led the officials to wait for the emperor in the Yonghe Hall. Li Siyuan, weeping and choking with emotion, said, "My family's situation is like this; I am ashamed to face you all!"
The emperor and his ministers looked at each other speechlessly, and both wept, their tears soaking their lapels.
November 21st, Jiawu year.
He bestowed imperial robes and jade belts upon all the prime ministers and privy councilors, and brocade, silk, saddles, and horses upon Kang Yicheng and others.
Meng Hanqiong was dispatched to summon Li Conghou, the Prince of Song, to Yedu.
November 22nd, Yiwei day.
They were exiled to the Qin Prince's residence.
Li Congrong's two sons were still young and were raised in the palace. His two grandsons were both convicted and executed, which undoubtedly dealt another heavy blow to Li Siyuan's mind and body.
November 25th, the day of Wuxu.
After persisting for several days, Li Siyuan died in the Yonghe Hall at the age of sixty-seven.
"My adoptive father was a hero all his life, but in his old age, he could not find peace before or after his death because of us unworthy sons."
Li Congke sighed and lamented, drinking continuously as if trying to quench the pent-up emotions in his heart.
As the effects of the alcohol washed over him, he swayed as he stood up, sweeping the cups and plates off the table with a clatter. "Get up!"
"Your Majesty, please rise!"
Everyone hurriedly helped the emperor to sit in the imperial carriage. A eunuch came to Gao Xingzhou and said, "Grand Tutor Gao, I will escort you out of the palace."
Gao Xingzhou nodded slightly, his gaze inadvertently falling on Hua Jianxiu again.
Unexpectedly, Hua Jianxiu was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they quickly looked away.
After seeing the imperial carriage off to the palace gate, we walked a few steps together and saw a rose bush by the wall, exuding fragrance in the quiet night.
Hanami seemed to be moved by something, and casually recited two lines of poetry: "The beautiful tree by the window is named Rose, its flowers fell last year but bloom this year."
Gao Xingzhou did not understand its meaning, but hastily jotted it down for the time being.
Upon returning to the inn, he asked the accompanying clerk and learned that the poem was titled "Palace Lament".
The next two lines that Hua Jianxiu did not say aloud were: "Even the heartless spring knows to return, but when will your heart, which has suddenly broken, return?"
This unexpected reunion leaves us wondering when we will meet again, or even if we will ever meet again.
……
Upon ascending the throne, Li Congke rewarded the soldiers, honored those who had rendered meritorious service and punished those who had committed crimes, and buried the late emperor. Once things had settled down, Li Congke began to make sweeping adjustments to the personnel of the court.
As imperial edicts were issued, the political landscape shifted dramatically in an instant.
The sixth day of the fifth lunar month, the day of Yi Si.
An Shenqi, the Left Commander of the Dragon Martial Guard, was appointed as the Left and Right Commanders of the Imperial Guard, while Fu Yanrao, the Right General of the Thousand Oxen Guard, was appointed as the Left and Right Commanders of the Imperial Guard, respectively in charge of the Imperial Guards and the infantry.
An Shenqi came from the Shatuo tribe, a family of generals for generations. His father, An Jinquan, was a scout in the Liang Kingdom and had a nickname, "An Wudao," which meant "General of the Five Paths of Ghosts and Gods."
Li Congke served as the military governor of Hezhong and once appointed An Shenqi as his personal guard commander. Although An Shenqi's tenure was short, he was still considered one of his former subordinates.
Fu Yanrao was the second of Fu Cunshen's nine sons and was Fu Yanqing's elder brother.
The seventh day of the fifth lunar month, Bingwu day.
Han Zhaoyin, a scholar of the Duanming Hall, was appointed as the Privy Councilor; Liu Yanlang, the official in charge of the estate, was appointed as the Deputy Privy Councilor; and Fang Gao, the acting Privy Councilor, was appointed as the Commissioner of the Northern Court of Xuanhui.
He was originally a staff member of the Fengxiang Prefecture who followed the emperor. He was promoted to a high position and took charge of military and political power as well as various departments and eunuchs in the palace.
On the same day, Li Congke made his decision.
Shi Jingtang remained as the garrison commander of Beijing and the military governor of Hedong, with the additional titles of Grand Tutor and Chancellor. His duties remained unchanged, and Li Conghou's decree to transfer him to another post was revoked.
Zhao Yanshou, who married another daughter of Li Siyuan, was granted the title of Duke of Lu. His father was Zhao Dejun, the Prince of Beiping who guarded Youzhou.
The father and son, one in charge of the northeastern defense line and the other in the heart of the Central Plains, were powerful enough to influence the political situation.
After the mausoleum was completed, Shi Jingtang dared not mention returning home, and he lost his appetite and could not sleep. Within a few weeks, the once strong and brave man who was known for his courage and fighting skills under the late emperor and who rivaled Li Congke had become thin and weak.
Empress Dowager Cao and the princess of Wei repeatedly spoke on his behalf, while the former generals and assistants of Fengxiang strongly urged Li Congke to keep him. Only Han Zhaoyin and Li Zhuanmei believed that Zhao Yanshou was in Bianjing and it was not appropriate to suspect Shi Jingtang.
After much deliberation, seeing his emaciated state, Li Congke ultimately chose to prioritize reassuring the people, saying, "Shi Lang is not only a close relative, but has also shared hardships with me since childhood. Now that I am the emperor, who else can I entrust my affairs to but Shi Lang?"
He was then reinstated to his original position and released to return to Taiyuan.
The ninth day of the fifth lunar month, the day of Wushen.
The Secretariat and the Chancellery reported that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Court of Imperial Rites had submitted a memorial stating that Emperor Mingzong would be enshrined in the ancestral temple on the 20th of this month, with the Grand Chancellor acting as the Grand Commandant.
Unexpectedly, Feng Dao was on leave, and Li Yu was observing a fast on the eighteenth day of his personal death anniversary. Liu Xu petitioned the emperor, and the Three Departments were ordered to waive the sacrificial rites.
He cited an old precedent: "When a prime minister performs official duties, he stays in the inner palace, does not attend court, does not visit the inner palace for daily activities, and does not have his seal. As I am in charge of the affairs of the Three Departments, I humbly request that sacrificial rites, national mourning ceremonies, and incense offerings be exempted."
The three prime ministers surprisingly all requested to fill vacancies for this important matter.
Interestingly, among the three, whose reason for declining was the most compelling?
After deliberation, the Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial stating: "On the anniversaries of private deaths, if a grand court assembly is held and the deceased is summoned to the palace, all must attend the ceremony. However, since the matter of offering sacrifices at the ancestral temple is of great importance, and the anniversaries of death are private, we request that the summons be made in accordance with the regulations for grand court assemblies."
Finally, Li Yu was pushed forward.
Feng Dao asked for leave in advance, and since there was no such thing as working overtime at the time, he successfully avoided it.
The tenth day of the fifth lunar month, the day of Ji-You.
Left Guard General Kong Zhiye and Right Valiant Guard General Hua Guangyi were both suspended from their current positions.
The dismissal of the two men was also a consequence of the lingering effects of the incident involving Li Siyuan's enshrinement in the temple.
Li Congke first sent Kong Zhiye to Yingzhou to report to the temple, but Kong Zhiye declined the assignment due to illness. He then sent Hua Guangyi instead, but Hua Guangyi claimed to have fallen from his horse and injured his foot. Since no one was willing to take on the assignment, they were both dismissed, and other people were sent instead.
May 11th, Gengxu day.
Feng Dao got his wish and was appointed Grand Commandant and Chancellor, and then sent to serve as the military governor of Tongzhou.
Fan Yanguang, the military governor of Tianxiong Army, was appointed as the Grand Councilor and granted the title of Duke of Qi, while still stationed in Weibo.
When the late emperor was alive, Fan Yanguang and Zhao Yanshou were originally appointed as Privy Councilors, but they resigned from their positions one after another because they feared that Prince Qin, Li Congrong, would rebel.
He also had another identity: his daughter married the second prince, Li Chongmei, making him Li Congke's in-law.
Li Congyan, son of Prince Qi Li Maozhen and military governor of Yunzhou, was appointed military governor of Fengxiang.
When Fengxiang was besieged, Li Congyan provided all his wealth, armor, and soldiers to support the army. After the siege was lifted, Li Congke prepared to lead his army eastward, but the soldiers and civilians of Fengxiang blocked his way and asked Li Congyan to return to Fengxiang. This shows the support of the people for the city over the past forty years.
Li Congke made his promise and is now fulfilling it.
May 12th, Xin Hai year.
An Congjin, the commander of the Imperial Guards and the inspector of Luoyang, was appointed as the military governor of Heyang, guarding the northern gateway to Luoyang and continuing to command the imperial guards.
Yin Hui, the commander of the Yanwei Army, was appointed as the defense commissioner of Qizhou.
Yang Siquan, who first initiated the uprising, got his wish and was awarded the insignia and appointed as the military governor of Binzhou; Yin Hui, who followed closely behind, was ranked one rank lower, and there was a reason for this.
Li Congke had originally agreed to appoint Yin Hui as the garrison commander of Yedu, but when Yin Hui and Shi Jingtang met at the main road, Yin Hui did not dismount to pay his respects, but only bowed with his whip across his body, which angered the late emperor's son-in-law.
Shi Jingtang was in a bad mood, and during the audience, he subtly criticized the man, saying that he was of ordinary talent and not suitable to be appointed to govern a famous prefecture.
As a result, Yin Hui only received the title of Defense Commissioner, with vastly different power.
May 18th, Ding Si day.
Prince Li Chongmei, who was appointed as Grand Master of the Palace and concurrently Minister of Works, was appointed as Grand Minister of Education and General of the Left Guard.
May 19th, Wu-Wu day.
Xiangli Jin, the defense commissioner of Longzhou, was appointed as the military governor of Shanzhou.
When Li Congke issued a proclamation to contact neighboring vassal states, only Xiangli Jin sent his judge Xue Wenyu to discuss matters, so he was rewarded with the title of military governor. Xue Wenyu was also appointed as the Director of the Bureau of Personnel and Academician of the Privy Council.
Therefore, the Imperial City Envoy Song Shenqian led the troops, Li Zhuanmei and Xue Wenyu were in charge of planning, and Han Zhaoyin, Fang Gao and Liu Yanlang were in charge of confidential matters.
The military governors, prefects, and civil and military officials of all circuits were granted additional official titles, ranks, and fiefs to celebrate the new emperor's ascension to the throne.
The saying goes, "A vast land of rivers and mountains, a thousand miles of dust; a new emperor, a new court."
……
Amidst the personnel changes at court, Gao Xingzhou had already embarked on his journey home.
Li Congke faced numerous difficulties: the government's finances were insufficient to cover expenditures, key positions urgently needed to be filled, and the Sichuan region was in turmoil, leaving him no time to attend to the petty squabbles in the northwest.
With tacit approval to act freely, Gao Xingzhou's trip to the capital can be said to have achieved most of its objectives. In addition, with Feng Dao's suggestion to contact Zhang Xichong in Lingzhou, it was an unexpected gain.
Having been away from home for over a month and about to return to Yanzhou, Gao Xingzhou couldn't help but wonder: During my absence, has Gao Huaide gone wild? And how is he getting along with that kid from the Yang family?