Han Shizu

On a cold, dusk snowy day, by the rocky beach, Liu Wenji, wearing a felt hat and a raincoat, was sitting by the river fishing. However, the fishing rod put out of the river not only had no hook, but also no fishing line. Obviously, what King Jing is fishing for is not the fish, but the loneliness of the dormant person.

There was cold mist on the river, and the line of sight was not very clear, but the passing boats were vaguely visible and continued within the field of vision.

There are many people in Prince Jing's Mansion, and only in this environment of fishing alone in the cold river can Liu Wenji be given a sense of stability, and can he let down his guard and relax his nerves.

The winter in the South is also very cold, and the strong wind from the river makes the cold even worse. Even if there is a charcoal stove beside you, the effect of dispelling the cold is not good. However, Liu Wenji has long been content with such an uncomfortable environment. It is in this kind of self-sharpening and precipitation that his whole person tends to be "perfect" from the inside out.

There are not many followers, only five or six people, standing scattered around to guard the surroundings. They are all the most loyal and capable guards. They are hard to invade by cold wind and calm by water waves.

On the path leading to the fishing place, a figure came hurriedly, which aroused the vigilance of the two guards. However, when they saw the person, they released the handle of the knife and returned to sentry status.

Liu Wenji listened in all directions and naturally noticed the movement of the person coming, but did not move at all. When Xiao Gong rushed to his side, Liu Wenji asked: "The steps are hurried and the emotions are exposed. What happened to make you so rude?"

After hearing the question, Xiao Gong took a deep breath of the cool air from the river, almost without a breath, and exhaled heavily. He was as calm and calm as Xiao Gong. At this time, it was difficult to conceal his excitement. He bowed his hands and bowed, his voice even louder. Shivering consciously is definitely not cold, because the fire inside is enough to smooth out the cold of the winter moon.

"Your Majesty, a letter from the capital. Your Majesty has passed away."

It is difficult to accurately describe the psychological activities of King Jing of the Han Dynasty when he first heard such "bad news". However, from the moment he suddenly stood up, slipped and fell, and then quickly stood up again, staring at Xiao Gong with his eyes fixed on him, all this The reaction seems to be enough to explain his mood.

The meaning in Liu Wenji's eyes was self-evident. Xiao Gong bowed again and said: "Your Majesty passed away in Shangyang Palace on the 19th!"

"Go back to Jiangling!" After saying this, without saying much, Liu Wenji turned around and walked away. He was walking swiftly on the path. It wasn't until he got on the car that he realized that he was still holding the fishing rod tightly in his hand, and the joints were gone. pinch white.

After putting down the fishing rod, he found that the fish basket had been left behind. Without the help of his attendants, Liu Wenji chose to go back and get it himself. When Liu Wenji came back with a very ordinary fish basket, he had returned to his usual calmness, and there was no trace of any disturbance on his face.

For everyone in the Jingwang Group, they don't know if the years of dormancy, accumulation, and waiting are just for this day. However, after the news of the emperor's death came, the people in the inner circle could not conceal their excitement.

Regarding this matter, Liu Wenji's forces naturally held an urgent discussion and made a decisive decision. They decided to set off immediately to go to Beijing and seize the throne!

Immediately afterwards, a letter from Mrs. Xiao flew over, with only one word on it: Steady!

A concise and powerful word, like the word "ding", completely helped Liu Wenji calm down. After only a moment of deliberation, he changed his plan and decided not to rush to Beijing for the time being. After all, the imperial court had not announced the funeral yet.

As for Liu Wenji, there was also a reason to be stable. After the death of the emperor, his connection with the fate of the Han Empire suddenly became closer. For no other reason than because he was the son of Emperor Taizong, a prince who had no other so-called problems except "bloodline issues".

The emperor collapsed without a successor. No matter who was in power in the court, it was impossible to bypass him when it came to deciding the successor! Of course, Mrs. Xiao in Beijing can also give Liu Wenji a certain degree of confidence.

After waiting for another three days, the news of the emperor's death reached Jiangling normally through official channels. Starting from Jiangling, it continued to spread to the entire Huguang, and even more difficult to Guangdong and Guangxi and even Annan.

As a result, Jiangling was shaken, Hubei was shaken, and Central and South China was shaken! You know, just last spring, the emperor visited Huguang. Although it was ridiculous at that time, he still looked normal and strong. How could such a shocking change happen in less than two years?

There are so many smart people in the world! Just before Jing Wangyi drove north from Jiangling and returned to Beijing for the national funeral, a heavyweight in the officialdom of Jinghu North Road, Prince Yan of Yanguo, who was the deputy chief minister of Hubei at the time, came to see him.

Just by looking at the title, you can tell where this person is from. He is the grandson of Wang Pu and the son of Wang Qian. Speaking of which, the Wang family has not developed well in the past thirty years, and has gradually withdrawn from the ranks of the top dignitaries of the Han Dynasty.

The reason lies in the Yulin Rebellion more than thirty years ago. Wang Qian, as the early commander of the counter-rebellion, had many flaws in his handling at that time, and the result was that the situation in Yulin was corrupted. Although there are many more complex factors behind the origin, raging, and quelling of the Yulin Rebellion, Wang Qian's blame is clear.

It was also after Yulin dismissed the commander-in-chief that the Wang family began to decline. Of course, Wang Pu had a great reputation and had a high status in the eyes of the ancestors. If it had been anyone else, he might have been knocked down from the mortal world.

Wang Qian is a man of great spirit, but his mind is not broad enough. His temperament is also very arrogant, but he still has some talents. It was precisely because of the lessons learned from the Yulin Rebellion that he calmed down and started plotting again.

When he was in Danzhou, he spent four years to completely eliminate the local barbarians. He was decisive and ruthless and slaughtered tens of thousands of people, which greatly changed Shizu's impression of him.

Later, he was transferred to Annan and served as the capital commander. He was still responsible for suppressing bandits and quelling the chaos. During his tenure, he eliminated a large number of original indigenous tribes who were superficially submissive but secretly harbored dissident intentions. Although it caused great turmoil for a time, in reality, Promote the development of local Chinese culture in an all-round way. Although the reputation is not good, the hard work pays off.

However, after more than ten years of hard work, just to get back the honor and status that originally belonged to him, this experience was quite depressing for Wang Qian.

At the same time, shortly after the death of Shizu, Wang Qian also died of depression after years of fatigue and the lingering depression. He could not even return to the core area of ​​​​the empire until his death, let alone restore the lintel of the Wang family. , the late father was glorified.

Now, more than twenty years have passed, and the Wang family's talent has been declining. Although the honors and honors continue to be passed down, politically it has degenerated into an ordinary noble family. At least this is inconsistent with Wang Pu's status in the empire and in the eyes of his ancestors during the Qianyou period.

As the direct eldest son of the Wang family and the current head of the family, Wang Zang has been striving for many years to restore the glory of the family and bring the Wang family back to the center of imperial power. Of course, my ideals are full, but my talents are really limited. After so many years, I am only a deputy chief minister of Hubei. For ordinary bureaucrats, this is a high-ranking official and important position, but for Duke Yan, it is far from enough.

At this time of great change, Wang Zeng took the initiative to approach Jing King Liu Wenji. His purpose was, of course, to surrender. Normal efforts are really difficult, so you can only take shortcuts. In the past two years, Wang Zeng was one of the powerful people who silently paid attention to Liu Wenji. He felt that he could take a gamble on Liu Wenji.

Regarding Wang Zeng's surrender, Liu Wenji was more surprised than happy. He had developed a cautious character and did not accept it. Instead, he told him that he should be loyal to his duties and manage the government and the people during this great change. Wang Zeng was disappointed by this, but he was not discouraged. At least, His Highness King Jing did not refuse, right? Immediately afterwards, Wang Zeng began to quietly contact each other, especially those in Gyeonggi Province. He not only learned about the news, but also grasped the development of the situation, and was ready to support King Jing's succession at any time.

There are still three pounds of nails in a broken ship, not to mention the Yanguo Duke family. Some resources are not used, but it does not mean that they are not available. Once they are used, they still have some influence. At critical times, they may not be able to have miraculous effects.

Even the declining Wang family has made plans of its own and even taken risks to take certain actions. One can imagine how treacherous and deceitful the capital is.

In Luoyang in the late winter, except for the colder weather, nothing seemed to have changed much. The death of the emperor seemed to have no impact on the people of the capital. The streets were crowded, transactions were frequent, and the bustle was still the same.

Of course, it is impossible not to have any impact. At least many scholars and people have stopped purchasing and preparing for the New Year. The emperor has passed away, and the upcoming New Year is destined to be difficult.

At the same time, all the imperial troops stationed in Gyeonggi Province received military orders from the Privy Council. The entire army was under martial law and entry and exit were prohibited. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be executed. The same is true for the garrison troops at various key passes around Luoyang.

When the emperor died, even the Privy Council did not have the power to mobilize troops, but a martial law order was still within the scope of its powers. All actions are just to ensure that before the new king takes the throne, the Han army must remain neutral and ensure stability. This is also the consensus of all the nobles. Anyone who dares to act rashly will be besieged.

Of course, patrol security and order in the capital still need to be maintained. Officers, officers and soldiers from Luoyang Prefecture and the Inspection Department are also mobilized in large numbers to strictly control access. This also led to Chang Guzhen, the veteran who actually controlled the Inspection Department, to become one of the few people with the most real power in Luoyang City. Without him, he would have to give up the 30,000 Inspection Department troops he held. His face.

Chang Guzhen came from a mediocre background, and he was a veteran who truly worked his way up from the bottom, and his experience was quite legendary. Tragedy in childhood, revenge in youth, joining the army in middle age, and now that he is nearly 70 years old, he can even influence the succession of the imperial throne and participate in activities that determine the future of the empire.

Chang Guzhen was a standard "Western Expedition" general who fought in the northwest for more than 20 years. He even became one of the camp leaders during Wei King Liu Min's "camp system" reform in Anxi. Under the Anxi system, he enjoys the treatment of a true feudal noble (currently run by his descendants in Anxi).

Behind the rise of Chang Guzhen, of course, the support of Emperor Taizong was indispensable. It was under Taizong that he was continuously promoted to reach his current position. This, at the same time, reflects the intention of promoting junior generals from poor families to balance the traditional noble generals since the time of Emperor Shizu.

No matter what, at least in the winter of the eighth year of Pingkang, a large number of people in Luoyang City, including the dignitaries in the court, needed to see Chang Guzhen's face. At the same time, more people tried to win over him in various ways, and the veteran also felt that A "passion" I haven't felt in decades.

The situation in Luoyang is also in such a complicated, strange and even absurd atmosphere. Perhaps the most absurd part is that when the emperor passed away, except for the palaces, courts, and government offices that hung up white flags and put on mourning clothes, there was no sign of national mourning from the inside to the outside, from top to bottom.

Of course, this is understandable. The emperor left too suddenly, and he had no heirs. Did he have a clear successor during his lifetime, or even a spare tire? Under such circumstances, the powerful officials of the Han Dynasty were naturally focused on who could inherit the rule, which was a major issue related to the future of the empire and the interests of the people.

The struggle for the throne has always been fierce and cruel. What Kangzong left behind was an unprecedented scattered situation, which intensified the conflict and chaos, and even made many powerful people at a loss what to do.

However, after a brief period of confusion, everyone quickly adapted. Although people's hearts are unpredictable and the situation may be chaotic, interests are eternal, regardless of public interests or private interests. The battle for the throne based on interests had already begun after Zi Gong was transported back to Ziwei City.

At that time, the first person to express his proposal was the Prime Minister Kou Zhun. He was always so resolute and courageous, attracting attention, and simply and firmly expressed that the Daxing Emperor had no heirs, so he should welcome Jing King Liu Wenji as the emperor.

It has to be said that in the past few years, Kou Zhun and Liu Wenji had almost no relationship beyond colleagues, and they did not even have any contact. Of course, this was also Liu Wenji's deliberate attempt to keep things secret. He did not make any attempts to curry favor with any of the prime ministers in the court.

However, when the landslide occurred, Kou Zhun chose to support Liu Wenji by name without hesitation. The position he held was also very simple. He resolutely adhered to one position, after Taizong. After talking about Taizong, after counting, in Kou Zhun's eyes, Liu Wenji was the only one.

What Kou Zhun represents is actually the view of a large number of people in the court. At least the premise of "after Taizong" is almost a consensus, but when viewed in detail, there are many considerations.

After Taizong, there was not only Jing King Liu Wenji.

After Kou Zhun, Xu Shilian, Xiang Minzhong and other ministers successively seconded the proposal, but they only expressed their intention to establish Taizong.

Then the voices of opposition began to emerge, and they actually came from Murong's relatives. Of course, they opposed Liu Wenji's succession. There are three reasons: first, since ancient times, only brothers have succeeded each other, not brothers; second, King Jing has been ill for a long time and cannot bear his weight; third, he has Khitan blood.

Of these three points, the first one is of course untenable. Not only brothers will eventually become brothers, but nephews will eventually become uncles.

The second point is that it is a shortcoming, but the disease is not as serious as the legal system. As long as King Jing is still alive, he is qualified to succeed.

The real lethality is naturally the third one. This is enough to trigger the hidden resentment and rejection in the hearts of many powerful people.

Speaking of Liu Wenji, it is only natural that Annan King Liu Wenhuan, the eldest son of Taizong, should be put on the stage.

Compared with Liu Wenji, Liu Wenhuan's legal rationality is stronger, and at the same time, his blood is still red.

But again, after Liu Wenhuan was proposed, the opposition came even faster than Liu Wenji. The reason was that there was basically no need to mention anything about the country. The seven-inch point was that "Concubine Chang had committed adultery and her bloodline was doubtful."

Although this matter has long become a palace secret, the upper-class dignitaries actually know it well. They did not mention it in the past because it was just a taboo for the nobles. But when it comes to the purity of the Han Empire and the orthodoxy of the royal family, they have no regard for face. .

Of course, there is still a solution to this. At least Liu Wenhuan later gave birth to several sons, and he could just deprive the second son of Concubine Chang from the inheritance rights.

This is a method, but the opponents will not consider its rationality, and the battle for high positions is never a reasonable matter. In the end, the battle is still about strength, or a bit of luck.

The struggle for the throne also began to enter a new stage as the two brothers Liu Wenhuan and Liu Wenji arrived in Beijing one after another.