Chapter 370

One Hundred and Six: An "Autumn" of Many Events

The second year of Tianyou, autumn, end of the ninth month.

The eldest son of the Vanguard Commander Zhu Lingxu, Zhu Yuheng, led 1,500 former Hongzhou surrendered soldiers as a vanguard army to march on Hongzhou. When they reached a hundred miles from the outskirts of Fushui County, they rebelled halfway and fled to Hongzhou City, surrendering again to the Kuangfu Army.

That afternoon, at the third quarter of the Wei Shi hour, the Vanguard Commander and Hongzhou Governor Zhu Lingxu fled in fear of punishment, wearing women's clothing. He quietly arrived at the West City Gate of Xunyang. During the customs inspection, his whereabouts were exposed, and he assaulted a guarding official. He was beheaded by the Jiangzhou Changshi Ouyang Lianghan and died.

Jiangzhou was shocked, and the atmosphere was tense.

These two pieces of news arrived almost one after another at the center of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Divine Capital of Luoyang.

For a time, the court and the public were astonished, and the Empress was furious.

Zhu Lingxu and his son were originally a pair of surrendered generals. They defected during the Guling battle and were restored to their old positions as Hongzhou Governors. Later, through the recommendation of the two Wei Clan Princes, the Empress bought a horse's bones with a thousand gold, granted a special amnesty, approved the Wei Clan's proposal, and allowed Zhu Lingxu and his son to lead troops on an expedition to make amends for their crimes.

Such a pair, who should have been a benchmark to demonstrate the glory of the Great Zhou's holy grace and the Empress's power of transformation and education, actually rebelled on the eve of battle!

As Master Di said to those around him after the morning court, since the time of Emperor Taizong, this had never been heard of.

Shen Xisheng, who was always passionate and unyielding, said coldly to his colleagues, "A three-surname slave, one after another, wolfish ambition, deserves retribution."

Another old Chancellor of the Political Affairs Hall, Wei Zhenzai, shook his head directly and sighed, "An autumn of many events, an autumn of many events."

The day these two pieces of news from the front line arrived was exactly when Empress Wei Zhao led hundreds of palace attendants and civil and military officials out of the palace to go to the outskirts of Luoyang City to climb high and enjoy the autumn, while observing the people's autumn harvest. They went to the imperial fields, where the Empress personally bent down to harvest wheat, performing the "Wheat Cutting Ceremony," while the monarch, ministers, and people were in harmony.

As a result, just after Empress Wei Zhao had granted amnesty to the world, and at the same time, the Princes and Chancellors led the officials to present a long list of illustrious titles that the high monks had racked their brains and lost all their hair to create.

Immediately after, news of major disadvantages from the front line arrived, and it was the biting back of those granted imperial amnesty... it really damaged the imperial dignity.

That day, Empress Wei Zhao's carriage returned to the palace as usual. At night, many ministers received notifications from palace attendants that the autumn banquet that was supposed to be held in the Shangyang Palace was temporarily canceled due to weather reasons.

In the morning court of the following two days, everything was as usual. The old woman in the dragon robe sat high on the dragon chair, sitting upright, asking about memorials calmly, without mentioning the matter of Zhu Lingxu and his son at all.

However, the civil and military officials participating in the morning court below could feel a tranquility before the storm, always feeling that the Jinluan Hall was covered in haze, and the thunder and rain were slow to fall.

They could not help but look at the backs of the two Wei Clan Princes at the very front of the team on the right, who were quiet to the point of deathly silence, no longer having their usual sharp-eyed and wolf-like gaze.

Others keenly discovered some oddities.

Hey, wasn't that Prince Wei just given the job of Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Circuit Expeditionary Army? He received the imperial decree and left Luoyang, pointing to Jiangzhou. He was moving around the Guannei area, presiding over the formation of the six armies for the expedition, right?

Why did he run back? Did he rush back overnight after receiving the news from Jiangzhou to catch a morning court? Look at that back full of cold sweat, even soaking the collar of his python robe... he must be sweating profusely.

Some gloated, some showed sympathy, and others watched coldly.

The morning court for two consecutive days passed in this tense and oppressive atmosphere.

During this period, some submitted memorials questioning whether Jiangzhou Changshi Ouyang Lianghan had enforced the law too strictly, acting above his station. Even if Zhu Lingxu had the crime of fleeing and the suspicion of rebellion, he was still the Vanguard Commander who had not yet been relieved of his duties, the biggest official on the Jiangzhou front line. Ouyang Lianghan actually used the city defense military law to execute him directly, setting a bad precedent.

Others submitted memorials accusing the female officials and resident censors of the Jiangzhou front line of being lax in supervision, actually being so negligent as to let Zhu Lingxu and his son rebel. It was so easy, one person led 1,500 soldiers away, and another almost escaped from Xunyang City.

These two kinds of mixed voices seemed to be discussing the matter as it stood and questioning it fairly, but considering the timing of the voices and the subtle thoughts of the issuers, who in the court and the public could not hear it?

Interfering with the determination of the scope of responsibility, deviating from the focus of the incident, and implicitly trying to absolve the Wei Clan of guilt.

In addition, to a certain extent, they were testing the attitude of the Empress, who was keeping a straight face and not speaking.

The Empress set aside the memorials.

So very quickly, several censors came out to impeach Prince Wei Weisiji, saying he had received deep imperial grace and served as a marshal, but privately accepted bribes from Zhu Lingxu and his son, recommended treacherous officials, deceived the holy hearing, and had rebellious intentions. He should be suspended for investigation, another good general should be opened up, and the overall situation on the front line should be presided over as soon as possible.

The Vice Minister of the Xia Office refuted with a righteous face, saying that Prince Wei was loyal and devoted, did not doubt those he used, and did not use those he doubted. The matter of Zhu Lingxu might be a conspiracy by Li Zhengyan and others to alienate the Empress from the generals leading the troops, and it must be investigated, as it was an enemy trap.

Although the whole thing was the rebellion of Zhu Lingxu and his son, the issue that everyone was arguing about gradually shifted to whether Prince Wei Weisiji still had the need to continue to lead troops to suppress the rebellion.

Around the appointment and removal of the Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Circuit Expeditionary Army, the Pro-Li faction and the Wei Clan fought fiercely again.

But subsequently, along with more detailed information about the rebellion of Zhu Lingxu and his son, the results of the investigation actively conducted by the colorful-robed female officials, and the unified testimonies of the Jiangzhou officials involved, they were all submitted one after another to the imperial desk of the old woman in the dragon robe in the Luoyang palace.

Very quickly, the Wei Clan and the officials of the clique they had bribed with benefits were disappointed.

On the fifth day, after the court discussion of the hundred officials, at the imperial meeting in the warm pavilion of the East Hall, the Great Zhou Empress officially issued a decree:

Demote Zhu Lingxu and his son to a lowly status, confiscate their family property according to the crime of treason, and the Zhu clan of Hongzhou will never be employed during the Zhou Dynasty. At the same time, order the colorful-robed female officials and Jiangzhou officials to strictly investigate their accomplices;

Re-seal the Xunyang Prince's eldest son Li Fusu as the Jiangzhou Bieja, to assist the Jiang Nan Pacification Ambassador and Xunyang Prince Wang Lixian, to sit in Xunyang City, pacify the officials and people, and stabilize the hearts of the people on the front line.

Also issue a decree to confer the title of Grand Commander of the Jiang Nan Circuit Expeditionary Army on the Left Wuwei Grand General Qin Jingqin, who was recuperating from illness in Yangzhou, Jiang Nan, to mobilize troops and horses, command the Jiang Nan Circuit to suppress the rebellion, and go to Jiangzhou that day to preside over the overall situation.

Also order Jiangzhou Changshi Ouyang Rong to be the Changshi of the Jiang Nan Circuit Expeditionary Camp, to assist the army in suppressing the rebellion...

One order after another was issued.

The court and the public were silent for a time, and then an uproar broke out.

There was already a Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Circuit Expeditionary Army, and now another Grand Commander of the Jiang Nan Circuit Expeditionary Army was sealed, which seemed to be a bigger name than the "Jiangzhou Circuit"... some attitudes were already self-evident.

Sure enough, early the next morning, the Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Circuit Expeditionary Army, Prince Wei Weisiji, submitted a memorial claiming illness and requesting to return to the capital to recuperate.

The Empress did not allow it and rejected it.

Wei Weisiji submitted a memorial again.

The Empress did not respond.

Submitted a memorial again.

After three consecutive times, a "granted" character, which was incomparably precious and full of imperial grace in the eyes of the Wei Clan, was finally approved.

The official position of Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Circuit Expeditionary Army was not taken away, but Wei Weisiji returned to Luoyang in a dejected manner.

The troops, horses, and provisions that had been prepared beforehand were all respectfully transferred to the old general Qin Jingqin, who was about to take office.

As for the generals of the expeditionary army "carefully" appointed by this Prince Wei, they naturally returned to their own homes. Qin Jingqin would certainly not use the previous team...

When Ouyang Rong received the imperial decree from the capital, he was between the two peaks, inspecting the construction of the Donglin Great Buddha.

Upon hearing the news, he could not help but raise his eyebrows.

Qin Jingqin, the old General Qin, had stood out as a young general when he was conquering the Eastern Yi during the Emperor Gao Zong period, when the two sages were in court. He was an old minister of three dynasties, a famous general of the Great Zhou, who had fought for many years. Before going to Yangzhou, Jiang Nan, to recuperate from illness the year before last, he had reached the position of Left Wuwei Grand General.

And speaking of which, Ouyang Rong had actually met this old General Qin once before...

As for the Empress's other arrangements, he was not surprised, but the fact that Li Dala was allowed to serve as the Jiangzhou Bieja made Ouyang Rong silent.

The so-called Bieja, Bieja, actually originally meant the companion of the Cishi when he traveled.

A state Bieja was generally not set up in ordinary states, and even if it was set up, it was only for the children of the Li royal family to hold concurrently, which was considered an honorary title. However, in the current Great Zhou Dynasty, the Empress's surname was Wei, and the children of the Wei Clan also began to enjoy this treatment.

Therefore, the existing Bieja official positions in all states in the world were all held concurrently by the children of the Li and Wei clans, with the name being greater than the reality.

Although in theory, the status of a state Bieja was above the Changshi and below the Cishi, it had long had no real power, and was considered the nominal second-in-command, while the actual second-in-command was still the Changshi.

However, a state Bieja was considered to have the power to supervise local officials and could restrain the Cishi of the state.

By rights, Ouyang Rong should be happy. Li Fusu serving as the Jiangzhou Bieja could help further restrain Wang Lengran.

However, Empress Wei Zhao did not go to seal the Xunyang Prince Wang Lixian this time, but instead took a different path to seal the eldest son Li Fusu as the Jiangzhou Bieja, which implicitly released a signal...

Even though he had long expected this day, when it came, Ouyang Rong still sighed:

"Dala has reached the stage this time, being paid attention to by his own grandmother, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse..."

As for his new position as Changshi of the Expeditionary Camp.

Ouyang Rong raised his head, looked at the Buddha and was quiet for a while, then turned around and returned to the Jiangzhou main hall.

He silently took out an empty memorial, ground the ink calmly, and wrote a...

A few days later, an ordinary memorial flew to Luoyang.

Very quickly, a piece of gossip quietly spread from the Feng Pavilion in the imperial city.

Ouyang Lianghan, on the grounds that the affairs of assisting the Xunyang Prince in making statues were cumbersome and his own ability was insufficient, resigned from the position of Changshi of the Jiang Nan Circuit Expeditionary Camp, requesting the Empress to re-select a talented person, or let the old General Qin recommend a talented person he was comfortable using, to avoid the running-in time.

The words of resignation were sincere and incomparably serious.

The court and the public looked sideways.

They talked about it with great relish.

The Empress tacitly approved.

She did not pull anything with Ouyang Lianghan about resigning three times and declining three times.

Of course, daring to resign directly, Ouyang Rong probably was not brushing for a clear name.

After all, brushing for a clear name was something that only Princes, Chancellors, ministers of the stock, or confidants of the Son of Heaven could do. If a mere small official dared to use the Son of Heaven to brush for a clear name, and the Son of Heaven directly allowed the resignation and never ignored you again, where would you go to cry?

So at this juncture, Ouyang Lianghan's move had a very clear meaning: he was really resigning.

Such a "hard" but "meritorious" beautiful job was given to you, and you didn't want to go to earn military merit and share the cake?

This could not help but make a small number of officials in the court who originally did not like Ouyang Rong look at him with new eyes, as if he was really not a person who sold straightness to raise a name...

Thus, this popular position was left vacant, and was recommended by the Grand Commander of the Jiang Nan Circuit Expeditionary Army, Qin Jingqin, who took office subsequently...

Ouyang Lianghan still served as the Jiangzhou Changshi, assisting the Xunyang Prince in making statues, and at the same time, as a Jiangzhou official, he also had to assist the expeditionary army of the new main official, which was considered working for free.

An autumn of many events, the storm subsided slightly, and the hearts of the people finally settled.

Today I entertained distant friends and was busy for a long time. I couldn't bear to ask for leave. Woo woo woo, this chapter is a bit short. I'll be a bit lazy. Tomorrow as usual. Hug my good brothers tight or (End of chapter)