Han Shizu

As if he was escaping from something, starting from the beginning of autumn in the 28th year of Kaibao's reign, the old emperor visited Shangyang Palace in Xiyuan, Luoyang, and stayed there for more than half a year, unwilling to return to the palace or move.

The concubines and even the ministers had no choice but to rush to Shangyang Palace to pay their respects. Even during major festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Winter Solstice, they were unwilling to show up and only allowed the prince to preside over the celebrations according to the rituals.

The old emperor seemed to have returned to his youth, a little autistic.
Shangyang Palace in the Tang Dynasty had already fallen into disrepair due to the destruction of war and the erosion of time, and had been abandoned for nearly 200 years.When Luoyang was under construction, some repairs were also carried out. Of course, from the overall scale, the restored Shangyang Palace could not compare with the magnificence of the Tang Dynasty, and it only had a name.

The old emperor chose Shangyang Palace to "recuperate", perhaps because he wanted to be clean.The main body of Shangyang Palace is still the Guanfeng Hall, which is also the most perfectly restored palace. Sitting west and facing east, it can not only face the rising sun in the east every day, but also be suitable for the old emperor to silently gaze at Ziwei City.

It has been the 29th year of Kaibao. The spring breeze is still cold, the green grass has just sprouted, and the greenery is gradually infiltrating the earth. The old emperor who made an appearance at the New Year's Eve ceremony returned after only a few days in Ziwei City. When he arrived at Shangyang Palace, his temperament and behavior became even more bizarre.

On the imperial steps in front of the Guanfeng Hall, there was a dragon bed. The old emperor was just wrapped in a brocade quilt and huddled on the bed.The gentle spring sun released a shallow warmth, but what it showed was a scrawled and ugly old face. The gray hair and beard looked like they hadn't been taken care of in a few days.

Nowadays, the biggest trouble for the palace attendants in serving the old emperor is to give him a haircut, because he has begun to lose his hair.The hairline continued to recede, and the crown was about to fade away, which made the old emperor very unhappy. His old and ugly appearance was still acceptable, but he was really embarrassed to be bald and bald.

As for the serving maid, although she would not lose her head just because a few strands of the old emperor's hair had been pulled out, the gloomy expression the old emperor always showed was too scary.

Nowadays, the old emperor's condition can no longer be described as a normal person. A few years ago, perhaps he could be said to be old, twilight, and desolate. But now, he is more decadent and degenerate. That is a kind of mentality. It feels like it’s almost worn away by time.
Today's old emperor can't drink freely, can't enjoy all the food, has a weak mind when it comes to women, and doesn't have the physical strength to ride a horse or hunt. As for the relationship between relatives and friends, he has become more and more indifferent, and his energy is low all day long, and he feels groggy.

The only thing I still miss and insist on is to guard the power in my hands, no longer like a real dragon, but more like an old dog, guarding pitifully.
And this stubborn protection has gradually become unstable as time goes by. It is unrealistic that an emperor who has been idle for many years and an old emperor who is not feeling well can still firmly hold on to power. thing.

However, the prestige of the old emperor who founded the country was too high, and his "powerful power" was growing day by day. There were enough checks and balances among the upper-level powers, the system that had been running for decades was stable enough, and the prince behaved sufficiently. patience.Otherwise, if there is any less, drastic changes may break out in a moment.

Today's old emperor is probably only an aging body. Even his ambitions have gradually turned into an incomprehensible stubbornness. As for his leisurely concern for the country and the people, he does not know where he has been forgotten. It is almost impossible to mention it. Not much interest.

The decay of the body is not terrible. What is terrible is that the soul has also fallen. This is also a bit sad and cruel for an autocratic emperor.What's even more tragic is that the old emperor seems powerless to even satisfy his own selfish desires.

"The official family, Your Highness the Crown Prince asks to see you!" Hu De bowed down and reported cautiously from a distance of ten feet, for fear of disturbing the old emperor's "spring sleep".

There was no echo, and the old emperor seemed to have really fallen asleep, and there was no movement at all.The saddest person about this was Hu De. Just give him a word. His Highness the Crown Prince kept waiting until his waist was sore. There was still no movement. When Hu De hesitated to speak again, the old emperor hesitated. Tun's voice finally came: "Xuan"

Suddenly opening his eyes, like a waking monster, the old emperor looked at the sky. The sunlight was not dazzling. With his eyes, he could vaguely see several paper kites flying in the southeast under the blue white clouds.Those who can fly kites in the palace garden should be the nobles of the palace.

While the old emperor was thinking about who it was, Prince Liu Yang approached and bowed humbly.The old emperor was stunned for a moment, and then he looked away and motioned for a seat.

"You disturbed my sleep! If you want anything, tell me!" the old emperor said.

Hearing this, Liu Yang's face showed no emotion. He made a complaint first and then calmly started the matter.This was Liu Yang's daily task. Every now and then, he would always choose some important military and political matters to report to the old emperor in person.

This is also Liu Yang's experience gained from long-term exchanges with the old emperor in his later years. No matter whether the old emperor is willing to listen or not, his attitude must be shown and respect must be given enough. Even if the old emperor is bored, he must come. The more bored he is, the more he will be bored. The more you have to persist.What's more, Liu Yang also had a vague hunch that the hard days should be coming to an end soon.
"The third brother reported that he was ill and could not bear the heavy responsibility. He hoped that the court could appoint another minister to go to Tubo to take charge!"

A piece of news made the old emperor's eyes widen. He turned and stared at Liu Yang: "What's going on? Is it serious?"

"As mentioned in the memorial, it's just a minor illness!" Liu Yang said in a deep voice: "It's just that when it comes to major matters, Third Brother has never been one to shirk and slack off. Since he submitted the memorial to ask for leave, I think his health is really embarrassing. Tubo's remoteness Located on a snowy plateau, the geographical climate is very different from that of the Central Plains, and the environment is harsh. It is said that many of the soldiers who entered Tibet, even if they were strong, contracted diseases and even died of them.

For the sake of the third brother's health, I secretly thought that the imperial court should surrender and summon him to leave Tibet and go to Chengdu to recuperate.Wait until he recovers before returning to Beijing."

There was a hint of sincerity in Liu Yang's tone. Listening to his words, the old emperor looked at the prince carefully, as if he was judging whether the feelings he revealed were true or false.It's a pity that Liu Yang's performance was impeccable. Even his breathing rhythm was almost the same, so he couldn't feel anything strange at all.After a long time, the old emperor gave up and raised his hand to instruct: "That's it! It's been nearly two years since Liu Xi went to Tubo!"

Liu Yang nodded: "Since the 'Tubo Conference' the year before last, the third brother has been in charge of Luoche. Over the past year and a half, Tubo has experienced frequent chaos. Now the situation has been initially settled, and the imperial court's control over Luoche and Fannan has been further strengthened. This is all The third brother's contribution to strategizing can be said to be the result of hard work."

The prince did not begrudge the King of Jin for his contribution to Tubo at all. Hearing that the old emperor felt much relieved, he pondered a little and then said sadly: "When the imperial concubine passed away, Liu Xi failed to return to Beijing. More than half a year has passed, and I am afraid that in front of the mausoleum They are all overgrown with grass. We must let him come back and visit his mother’s grave!”

"Yes!" Liu Yang responded, and asked for instructions by the way: "When the third brother leaves office, whoever will succeed him, please give me your Majesty's instruction!"

"What's the opinion of Zhengshitang?" the old emperor asked.

Liu Yang cupped his hands and said, "I think that Yin Jilun can control Tibetan affairs!"

"Yin Jilun" the old emperor chewed on the name.

Liu Yang said: "The situation in Tubo is more important to suppress than to appease, and it needs to be rectified with heavy laws. Yin Jilun is brave and insightful. He has led the army in western Sichuan for many years and is familiar with the local conditions. He led the army into Tibet and performed outstandingly, extinguishing both large and small. Thirteen rebellions, outstanding achievements. Don’t use it if you are familiar with it. If the third brother leaves office, for the time being, there is no minister more suitable for taking charge than Yin Jilun! "

Listening silently to Liu Yang's introduction, the old emperor tried hard to recall that after the Tubo rebellion, who decided to let Yin Jilun lead the army into Tibet to support it? It was the prince?I tried hard to retrieve my memory, but it was too fuzzy and I couldn't remember it.

However, just like most situations in the past few years, the old emperor did not veto it and said: "Since the political hall has made a decision, let's lower the system!"

"Yes!"

"Song Zhun and those guys are still making trouble?" The old emperor suddenly asked something.

When the word "noisy" came out of the old emperor's mouth, the nature was obviously serious, and it could even be regarded as a political incident.Of course, that's true.

What Song Zhun was causing trouble was naturally the reform plan in Anxi, which Liu Min and Xiang Deming had anticipated in advance. After the intention was reported, even if some modifications and concealments were made, when it came to the Luoyang court, it was still the same. The response was huge, it could be described as an uproar.

The prime ministers who stand in high positions are rich in political wisdom and do not end easily, but the raging public sentiment cannot be stopped by their silence.The one who danced the most joyfully, spoke the most intensely, and had the toughest attitude was Song Zhun, the governor of Luoyang who presented the memorial that day.

In the eyes of Song Zhun and others, Liu Min planned to carry out reforms in Anxi, break the law and chaos, and even completely deviate from the basic political principles of the Han Dynasty, which was as abominable as a heresy.

To put it simply, it violates the ancestral system and cannot be tolerated. Although it is very magical and even slightly absurd to talk about the ancestral system when the old emperor, the most authoritative "ancestor" of the Han Dynasty, is still alive, but A group of court officials headed by Song Zhun, in order to maintain the integrity of the Han Dynasty, also took a clear banner and directly targeted Wei King Liu Min, fiercely criticizing him.

The commotion was so great that when it reached the ears of the old emperor, his first reaction was not the incident itself, but to ask Song Zhun what his intentions were!The old emperor immediately thought of Lu Mengzheng, the two governors of Luoyang, only half a year apart, but they invariably caused trouble.

One targeted his minions, the Imperial City Secretary, and the other simply targeted his son. They were so audacious and unafraid. In the eyes of these people, the majesty of the Tian family was nothing!
It is true that the claims of Song Zhun and others have some truth. The struggle on "ideology" is more serious and more dangerous than the differences on the system.But in the eyes of the old emperor, this was just a political trend set off by Song Zhun for his own interests, and Anxi's reforms were just an excuse.

Under such circumstances, the old emperor naturally felt a little disgusted with Song Zhun, and even easily thought of Liu Yang.After all, Song Zhun, the governor of Luoyang, was promoted to the position by the prince.

So, when he took the initiative to ask at this time, the old emperor's tone was quite unkind: "I've been struggling for more than half a year, but I still won't give up. The political hall has no decision, so it's just dragging on? Others have no idea, and neither do you, the prince. An accurate attitude?"

Facing the question, Liu Yang's heart sank slightly. He raised his eyes and glanced at the old emperor, and then said slowly: "Your Majesty, Song Zhun has already gone west."