Sign a Lu Fengxian at the beginning

Chapter 143 The King of Shu returns to Beijing

The Marquis Mansion of Xiliang.

The Marquis of Xiliang frowned as he looked at the imperial edict in his hand.

The Marquis of Xiliang did not expect that His Majesty in the palace would suddenly issue an order asking him, the Marquis of Xiliang, to return to Luoyang to report something.

Does Your Majesty really just want to summon these marquises who are guarding the border to return to Luoyang to report?

I'm afraid not.

The imperial court has always been deeply jealous of these princes who are in charge of the frontier armies, and has always wanted to take away the military power of these princes in charge of the frontier armies.

It was the same even when the late emperor was in power.

It's just that they never gave the court a chance.

Therefore, the imperial court was also concerned about their influence on the border army and never dared to take action against them easily.

However, His Majesty in the palace previously issued an order to mobilize the border troops to go south to quell the rebellion.

Now he ordered the marquis who were guarding the frontier to return to Luoyang to report the matter.

In this short period of more than a month, two decrees have been issued in a row, which makes people think deeply.

The Marquis of Xiliang put down the imperial edict in his hand, frowning in thought.

The Marquis of Xiliang made excuses to block the previous decree.

So, how should we deal with this current decree?

Although the Marquis of Xiliang looks tough and rough, and not as elegant as the Marquis of Zhenbei, the Marquis of Xiliang is no less thoughtful than the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to sit on the position of Marquis of Xiliang and command Xiliang's hundreds of thousands of troops.

"Master Marquis, the Prime Minister's letter has already hinted that it was His Majesty who suppressed the memorial to pay military pay."

"Now His Majesty has issued an order for the Marquis to return to Luoyang to report on matters, and by the way, escort the army's pay back to Xiliang."

"I'm afraid that His Majesty's request for the Marquis to return to Luoyang is not just as simple as asking the Marquis to perform duties and escort the military pay!"

A general next to him said solemnly.

The Marquis of Xiliang nodded, "Yes! I submitted a petition to the imperial court asking for military pay. I originally wanted to use the military pay to test His Majesty in the palace."

"As a result, His Majesty in the palace really has thoughts about us, Xiliang."

"It seems that he did not follow the orders to mobilize the troops south to suppress the rebellion, so His Majesty in the palace has completely lost his patience with us border troops."

The Marquis of Xiliang sighed, his face serious.

I originally thought that the country of the Great Zhou Dynasty was about to sink and sink.

But I didn't expect that His Majesty in the palace would forcefully revitalize the situation.

The man in the palace not only understood the power of General Wu Jin and his party in the court.

He also put down the rebellion in the four northern states in a short period of time.

Even a wealthy family like the Bolingcui family, one of the seven aristocratic families, was killed by the man in the palace.

In this way, the person in the palace is no longer the one who can be checked and balanced by all forces, but the one who has already gathered some power in his hands.

This is not a good sign for the Marquis of Xiliang and others who are in charge of the border armies.

"Master Hou, then this military salary..."

The general looked at the Marquis of Xiliang.

The Marquis of Xiliang shook his head and said, "Don't worry about military pay. Your Majesty in the palace won't worry about it for too long."

"His Majesty knows the importance of the frontier better than anyone else. He will not let our Xiliang army shake its morale."

"Besides, even if the imperial court doesn't give me military pay for the Xiliang Army, I, the Xiliang Army, can handle it on our own."

"What I am worried about now is whether the person in the palace will take action against my Xiliang Marquis Mansion at all costs."

"If that's really the case, it would be troublesome."

The Marquis of Xiliang frowned, with a serious look on his face.

The Marquis of Xiliang knows how much he has. Even though he is in charge of Xiliang's hundreds of thousands of troops, he can be said to be a local emperor in Xiliang.

But compared with the imperial court, the Marquis Mansion of Xiliang is not qualified enough to challenge them.

If the imperial court is really determined to take action against him, the Marquis of Xiliang, at all costs, then he, the Marquis of Xiliang, will be in big trouble.

No matter how the imperial court is orthodox, it is because he, the Marquis of Xiliang, is the Marquis of Xiliang that he can make hundreds of thousands of Xiliang troops obey orders.

But if he, the Marquis of Xiliang, is no longer the Marquis of Xiliang in the imperial court, no one dares to say how many Xiliang troops will be willing to obey orders.

"Why don't you contact the Marquis of Zhenbei?"

"If our Xiliang Army and the Zhenbei Army can help each other, your Majesty will have some scruples even if he wants to take action against the Marquis again."

The general said suddenly.

When the Marquis of Xiliang heard this, he nodded, "This is the only way we can do it for now."

Obviously, the Marquis of Xiliang had already thought of contacting the Marquis of Zhenbei, and the two sides were helping each other.

"Xirong has recently invaded Xiliang. I am stationed at Yumen Pass to resist the invasion of Xirong."

"How to word your reply to the court, I don't need to teach you!"

The Marquis of Xiliang glanced at the general and said.

The general immediately said: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, the general will know how to reply to the court."

…

Luoyang City.

On the official road outside the city.

Two ordinary carriages, escorted by hundreds of elite sergeants, slowly walked along the official road towards Luoyang City.

"Sande, where are you?"

"How far is it to Luoyang?"

A tired voice came from a carriage.

"Back to my lord, there are only three or four miles left to Luoyang."

"We'll be there in less than half an hour."

The driver of the car replied respectfully.

The driver of the car was none other than the housekeeper of the Shu Palace.

Needless to say, the person sitting in the car was the King of Shu, Zhou Zhi, who had received the order to return to Luoyang.

After hearing San De's reply, King Zhou Zhi of Shu in the carriage said nothing again.

The carriage continued along the official road in the direction of Luoyang.

After more than ten minutes, the carriage stopped.

San De, who was driving the carriage, looked at the dozens of figures on the official road ahead and frowned involuntarily.

"Sande, why did you stop?"

The voice of King Shu came again from the carriage.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has sent someone to greet you."

San De recognized at a glance that the dozens of figures on the official road in front were all imperial guards in the palace. Among them, the ones standing at the front were all eunuchs like him.

These people appeared on the official road outside the city. Needless to say, they must have been ordered to greet the King of Shu.

"oh!"

There was a whisper from the carriage, Zhou Zhi lifted the curtain of the carriage and stepped out.

At this time, Cao Zhengchun came over with his people.

"Zhajia Cao Zhengchun has met His Highness the King of Shu."

"Your Majesty sent the miscellaneous family out of the city to welcome the King of Shu back to Luoyang."

After Cao Zhengchun came over, he bowed his hands to King Zhou Zhi of Shu and saluted him.

After all, Zhou Zhi is the king of Shu this time, so he still needs to have the proper etiquette.

However, Cao Zhengchun called himself Zajia, not Laonu.

It's not that Cao Zhengchun doesn't take the King of Shu seriously, but that there is only one person in this family who can let Cao Zhengchun call himself an old slave.

That is His Majesty on the Dragon Throne.

Cao Zhengchun?

Zhou Zhi's eyes flashed with surprise.

Cao Zhengchun's name was already well-known in Zhou Zhi even as far away as Shu.

One of the two half-step heavenly beings beside the emperor, the governor of Dongchang who is in charge of Dongchang.

In the past, official residences such as the General's Mansion, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites were all raided by Cao Zhengchun.

Especially the Half-Step Heavenly Man in the General's Mansion was also killed by Cao Zhengchun.

This is enough to show that Cao Zhengchun is an extraordinary character.

Zhou Zhi did not expect that Cao Zhengchun, the governor of Dongchang, would die to greet him, the king of Shu.

San De, who was next to him, also had a flash of light in his eyes when he heard Cao Zhengchun announcing his home address.

No wonder he felt a strong threat from the leading eunuch. It turned out that the leading eunuch was Cao Zhengchun, a strong man who was half a step above heaven.

Zhou Zhi took a look at Cao Zhengchun and said with a gentle smile, "Excuse me, Eunuch Cao."

"Eunuch Cao raided the General's Mansion and killed the Half-Step Heavenly Man in the General's Mansion. I have already heard about it in Shu."

"With a master like Eunuch Cao here, His Majesty the Emperor can feel much more relaxed."

This is the first time Zhou Zhi meets Cao Zhengchun.

Looking at Cao Zhengchun with gray hair on his temples and a smile on his face.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, it turns out that people cannot be judged by appearance, and sea water cannot be measured.

It is hard to imagine that such a person was the ruthless figure who took charge of Dongchang and destroyed the mansions of the generals and other important officials of the imperial court.

"His Royal Highness the King of Shu is so complimentary. This is what the Za family should do."

"Your Majesty is still waiting for His Royal Highness the King of Shu in the palace. Your Highness the King of Shu, let's go back to Luoyang now!"

Cao Zhengchun said softly.

Zhou Zhi nodded; "Okay, I'll bother Eunuch Cao."

After saying that, Zhou Zhi got into the carriage again.

Then, Cao Zhengchun led the imperial army to meet the King of Shu's carriage and headed towards Luoyang.

…

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After Cao Zhengchun and the King of Shu returned to Luoyang, Cao Zhengchun took the King of Shu into the palace and went directly to the Yangxin Hall to pay homage to Zhou Chen.

"My brother has met your Majesty."

As soon as he entered the Yangxin Hall, Zhou Zhi saluted Zhou Chen who was sitting on the dragon throne.

Even though Zhou Zhihe and Zhou Chen are royal brothers, the etiquette between monarch and minister must still be observed.

In this era of imperial power, no matter how close the relationship is, the distinction between monarch and minister cannot be ignored.

Zhou Chen looked at Zhou Zhi and said with a smile, "Ninth brother is back."

"No need to be polite."

"Why do you have any differences with the emperor?"

Zhou Chen stood up and walked down, walked to Zhou Zhi's side, and helped Zhou Zhi up.

"Brother Emperor, the etiquette between kings and ministers cannot be careless."

"We are kings and ministers first, brothers second. This is clear."

"I don't want to be treated like a rude person by those ministers in the court who don't know the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers."

Zhou Zhi stood up and said seriously.

Zhou Chen shook his head; "You!"

"Still more serious."

"Has it been a smooth journey?"

With that said, Zhou Chen asked Cao Zhengchun to bring two squatting chairs.

Then, Zhou Chen and Zhou Zhi sat down opposite each other.

"It went quite smoothly and nothing happened along the way."

After Zhou Zhi sat down, he nodded and said.

"That's good."

"How is the situation in Shu?"

"An unprecedented severe drought has occurred in the four northern states. Will the drought affect Shu?"

Zhou Chen asked about the situation of Zhou's rule in Shu.

Zhou Zhi shook his head and said, "Sichuan has not been affected by the drought, and everything is fine."

Zhou Zhi and Zhou Chen described some situations in Shu.

The two chatted like this for half an hour.

Half an hour later, Zhou Zhi stood up and excused himself, leaving the Yangxin Hall.

Zhou Chen watched Zhou Zhi's leaving figure with a deep look in his eyes.

"Cao Zhengchun."

"How is this King of Shu?"

Zhou Chen suddenly asked.

"Your Majesty, I don't know this."

Cao Zhengchun lowered his head.

Just kidding, can a slave like him answer a question like this?

Cao Zhengchun knew how much he had. Although he was the commander-in-chief of Dongchang, it could be said that he held a high position of authority.

But after all, he was just a knife in the emperor's hand.

There are some things you can do, but there are some things you absolutely cannot say.

Especially a royal matter like this is not something that a slave like him can get involved in.

Otherwise, you are digging a hole for yourself.

Don’t you know?

Zhou Chen smiled and did not embarrass Cao Zhengchun any more.

He knew that Cao Zhengchun didn't know, he just didn't dare to know.

Smart people tend to live longer.

Zhou Chen looked at the figure that had disappeared outside the palace and murmured to himself: "Zhou Zhi, Zhou Zhi, for the sake of my mother, I will give you the opportunity."

"If you don't know how to cherish, then no one can save you."

"It's hard for the king of hell to persuade the damn ghost."

Zhou Chen returned to the dragon throne and continued to handle government affairs and review his own memorials.

…

After Zhou Zhi walked out of Yangxin Hall, his brows suddenly wrinkled.

Sure enough it has changed.

Is he really my brother Zhou Chen?

Zhou Zhi suddenly felt doubtful in his heart.

If it weren't for the fact that he was his royal brother Zhou Chen from his appearance, Zhou Zhi would have suspected that the royal brother in Yangxin Palace was someone pretending to be.

Except for the same appearance, everything else is completely different from before.

Regardless of the way he talks, the wisdom in his eyes, and the momentum he exudes, they are all very different from before.

Can a person really be reborn and grow to such an extent?

In addition, he has been frail and sick since he was a child and has always been in poor health, but now it seems that his body has really fully recovered.

What is it that can make a person who has been frail and sick since childhood make a complete and complete recovery, and how much change can there be?

Zhou Zhi thought secretly in his heart.

Judging from the contact with Zhou Chen as soon as he entered the Yangxin Hall, Zhou Zhi felt that Zhou Chen was different from before.

The difference before and after is very obvious.

In particular, during their conversation, Zhou Chen quietly tested his situation in Shu more than once.

If Zhou Zhi hadn't reacted quickly enough, Zhou Chen might have really trapped him without making a sound.

In the past, Zhou Chen was not so wise, nor was he so thoughtful.

However, the only thing that made Zhou Zhi feel at ease was that the emperor Zhou Chen's attitude towards his ninth brother was quite cordial.

In this way, the previous incidents in the palace should not have been discovered.

This is good news.

Otherwise, Zhou Chen, the emperor, would have a different attitude towards him.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhi felt slightly relieved.

Before, he had always been a little worried about this matter.

It's fine now. As long as he hasn't been found out, he can feel relieved.

Zhou Zhi turned around and took a deep look at the Yangxin Palace, and then walked directly towards the Cining Palace.

After paying homage to the emperor Zhou Chen, Zhou Zhi naturally had to pay homage to his queen mother as soon as possible.

This time Zhou Zhi was able to return to Luoyang so smoothly, all thanks to his mother-in-law!

(End of chapter)