Chapter 272 The Fifteen Splendid Territories of the Great Zhou, I Will Help You Shoulder the Responsibility!

In the seventh year of Jiayou's reign, on the sixth day of the first lunar month, Emperor Zhao Zhen of the Great Zhou Dynasty offered sacrifices to heaven and earth in the Ancestral Temple, and formed a sworn alliance with the Tubo Buddhist disciple Zusiluo.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, the imperial court held an annual banquet in Jiying Hall.

This year's imperial banquet did not invite any family members of the officials, but only some high-ranking ministers and Tibetan envoys.

Zhao Zhen did not even invite the envoys from Liao and Xia.

It has been more than a year since shipping began. The sea is usually closed around November until shipping starts again in March of the following year.

In the past year, the imperial court has generated 30 to 40 million taels of silver from tax revenue from shipping alone, which is enough to cover more than half of the other taxes.

The accounts on the surface are like this, but privately, it is unknown how much money Zhao Zhen has received from his inner treasury.

On the Jiying Palace.

Zhao Zhen, who rarely drank too much, looked at the dozens of meritorious men sitting in the hall and slowly said:

"I have been on the throne for forty-one years. People say that I have been the Holy Lord for forty years. I have equaled the achievements of the three emperors and surpassed the five emperors. But I know in my heart that I cannot achieve such achievements and create a prosperous age in this life without the help of all the kings. ”

"I want to thank Fan Zhongyan, thank Di Qing, thank Master Yan, thank Bao Xiaosu, thank Lu Yijian, thank Zhang Zhibai, thank me for being the pillar of the country who have worked so hard for Zhou Dynasty! Thank you!"

"It's you who made me capable of civil and martial arts. It's you who make it possible for future generations to say that I am a good emperor when they talk about me."

"Gentlemen, after all, I have been the emperor for more than forty years. I am old and can no longer accompany you. I hope that you will go forward slowly and assist the prince to achieve great achievements."

"I, thank you!"

After that, he picked up the wine in the glass and drank it in one gulp.

The ministers in the main hall stood up one after another and bowed in unison: "Your Majesty, I respect you, Great Zhou!"

Throughout Zhao Zhen's life, it can be said that it was magnificent, and he was worthy of being an emperor.

Whether the world admits it or not, his dynasty was a prosperous era, an era when the Zhou Dynasty's economy was most prosperous, and an era when the Zhou Dynasty had the greatest shortage of talents.

In his dynasty, there appeared a peerless poetic talent comparable to Li Bai, a world-famous minister comparable to Zhuge Liang, and a world-famous general comparable to Guo Ziyi.

In his dynasty, there were too many romantic figures, and there were endless stories of elegant charm.

In the future, even if Zhao Xi is a mediocre person, with the wealth that Zhao Zhen left for him, such as the tax revenue for opening up shipping, Wang Anshi who is good at internal affairs, and Wei Yuan, Zhao Xi can become a wise king.

After the ministers toasted, Zhao Zhen's face suddenly turned pale. He seemed to be suffering from some kind of pathological pain, and his brows were frowning.

"While everyone is here, I have one more thing to say."

The officials listened carefully.

Zhao Zhen said seriously: "From today on, the prince will supervise the country, Han, Wen, and Zhang will assist in state affairs, and Wei Yuan and Wang Anshi will join the central government to listen to and discuss government affairs."

The prince supervises the country?

Everyone was shocked when they heard the news.

Why does it sound like the officials want to imitate Yao and Shun?

"Official family."

Han Zhang, who was closest to Zhao Zhen, wanted to say something.

However, he saw that Zhao Zhen's breathing became rapid, and he tried hard to wave his hand towards him.

He understood instantly, lowered his head and became silent.

Wen Yanbo took advantage of the situation and said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will be able to live up to my orders!"

The next moment, Zhang Fu and Wang Anshi bowed to each other one after another.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will assist the Crown Prince with all my heart!"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured!"

"."

At this time, Zhao Zhen was breathing heavily, as if trying to ease the pain and pressure caused by his heavy body. Then, he stared at Wei Yuan.

"Qing Wei, my good Qing Wei, stay by my side and guard the imperial city, my good Qing Wei!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood and fainted immediately.

Manager Zhu, who had been standing next to him, suddenly panicked.

"Please call the doctor, please call the doctor!"

In an instant, the entire hall was in panic, and all the ministers walked towards Zhao Zhen.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"Official family."

"The Royal Physician! The Royal Physician!"

"."

Wei Yuan originally wanted to step forward and stand next to Zhao Zhen.

At this time, Han Zhang suddenly pulled out Wei Yuan who was standing in the crowd, dragged him to the beam and said sternly:

"General Wei, if the safety of the capital is in danger, please let me know!"

"In extraordinary times, the first thing to do is that there should be no chaos in the capital!"

Nowadays, only Wei Yuan has the ability to quickly suppress the chaotic consequences of all emergencies.

Because he has soldiers in his hands, the most elite soldiers in the entire Zhou Dynasty - the Danglu Army.

"Please rest assured, Prime Minister Han."

After a pause, Wei Yuan glanced in the direction of Xu Changzhi and said loudly: "Changzhi, send someone quickly to my house to get the armor and sword."

When the latter heard these words, he immediately bowed and said: "No!"

Wei Yuan said again: "Let the soldiers of the Danglu Army enter the imperial city and change the defense!"

"The four former imperial city garrison troops are stationed in the capital and will be led by you personally."

"All the troops in the capital region must not move rashly if they don't see the tiger talisman! Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"

As soon as Xu Changzhi walked away, the imperial doctor came to diagnose and treat Zhao Zhen.

After another half an hour, everyone sent Zhao Zhen to the dormitory.

At this time, both the ministers who were invited by Zhao Zhen to attend the annual banquet and the officials in the capital rushed to the imperial city without stopping after receiving the news that Zhao Zhen suddenly vomited blood and fainted.

It happened that the house was leaking and it rained continuously all night. Not long after, the whole sky above the capital was covered by dark clouds. Within a moment, there was lightning and thunder, and a heavy rain started for no reason.

It seems that even God feels sorry for the serious illness of a benevolent king.

Ever since Xu Changzhi sent someone to deliver Wei Yuan's armor and sword to the palace, Zhang Guifen had been uneasy.

At this moment, in the main hall of the Hou Mansion, after hearing the sound of thunder and lightning, her heart tightened even more. Seeing Baozhu wearing a raincoat walking not far away, she quickly got up and stepped forward to ask,

"What happened in the palace?"

Baozhu shook his head and said: "Madam, according to your wishes, I went to the Imperial City with the badge of our Marquis Mansion, but I saw that the entire Imperial City was under martial law and changing defenses. By the way, I also saw the Marquis' Tiger Guard."

Manjia Camp is Wei Yuan's personal guard camp, and the world also calls his personal guards the 'Tiger Guard'.

"Tiger Guard. Change Defense"

Zhang Guifen murmured, and her face instantly turned ugly.

She had grown up in the capital since she was a child, and had never seen such a serious moment. Even the last time Zhao Zhen was seriously ill, the imperial guards had not changed their defenses.

Moreover, they were all replaced by soldiers of the Danglu Army.

The Danglu Army is the most elite and most ace army of the Forbidden Army. It is a new army that the imperial court spent a lot of money and effort to build.

Such an important army actually directly replaced the Fourth Army to garrison the imperial city.

Various situations can only explain one possibility.

Emperor, no more!

At this thought, Zhang Guifen's face turned pale, like a person who had just died, without any blood.

For some reason, she felt that her limbs were a little weak, so she subconsciously took two steps back and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Baozhu helped her up in time.

Zhang Guifen's breathing became heavy,

"Baozhu. Before the Marquis comes, no one is allowed to leave the house. The door is closed tightly and no guests are allowed."

After giving the instructions, she left the main hall somewhat dullly.

Baozhu was worried that something might happen to her and followed her, "Madam, where are you going?"

Zhang Guifen did not respond, and finally came to the Wei family ancestral hall, knelt down in front of the Wei family's ancestors' tablets, clasped her hands together, and kept mumbling to herself.

Oddly enough, Bao Zhu often came to the ancestral hall to light candles, and felt eerie every time he came there. But since he came here with Zhang Guifen, he felt unusually warm.

Seeing that she was fine, Bao Zhu was naturally relieved and quickly summoned the servants in the mansion to tell Zhang Guifen what he had said.

——

now.

In front of Zhao Zhen's bedroom.

Wearing armor and holding a Guandao, Wei Yuan personally guards this place.

More and more concubines and descendants from the palace gathered in the dormitory.

At this time, Zhao Xi, who had cried bitterly, came to Wei Yuan's side, cupped his hands and said:

"General Wei, my mother asked me to ask you, at this moment, should I wait in front of my father's bed, or should I stay in Zhongshu Province or Xuanzheng Hall to handle state affairs?"

Hearing this, Wei Yuan asked curiously: "Is it true that the Queen asked His Highness the Prince to ask me?"

Zhao Xi was silent.

Wei Yuan sighed, patted Zhao Xi on the back, and said earnestly: "Although the prince is filial, as long as I am here, no one can affect the position of the prince."

Zhao Xi looked up at Wei Yuan and said nothing for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Xi turned around and stepped into the emperor's chamber, "Master Guard, I'm busy."

These five words made Wei Yuan not only feel familiar, but also a little strange.

Looking at Zhao Xi's back, he had the illusion that the little kid in front of him had suddenly grown up.

In an instant, he grew up.

"Commander Yan."

After Zhao Xi entered the palace, Wei Yuan saw the imperial city commander Yanda walking slowly.

He cupped his hands and said, "Commander Wei."

Wei Yuan said earnestly: "Have all the manpower been arranged?"

Yanda nodded, "As you ordered, half of the people dispersed to the capital, and the other half went to Yanbian and Daizhou."

Wei Yuan gave a heavy 'hmm'.

It happened that a bolt of lightning flashed across at this moment, and Wei Yuan's face was a little solemn as it was reflected.

After a while, Yanda asked bluntly, "The official's body"

Wei Yuan shook his head, and he did not dare to ask any more questions.

After a while, Yanda asked again: "The officials just ask you to guard the capital and ensure that there is no chaos in the capital."

"This is a troop transfer and a defense change. Once the officials wake up and find out about this, and use this as an excuse to punish you, what should we do?"

Wei Yuan said sternly: "The army changes defenses with a clear conscience."

Yanda shook his head, "You have a clear conscience, but those censors may not think so."

Wei Yuan did not respond, but thought of the young man standing in front of him just now.

My thoughts can't help but go back to the past,

"Master Wei, promise me! I won't let you down, and you don't let me down either!"

"My father is ill. In the future, no one will help me except the guards and Wang Shangshu."

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I won't be able to carry the country of Zhou."

"Master Wei, you must not betray me, absolutely."

"."

Wei Yuan, with his time-traveling body and thoughts, couldn't help but sigh, why the ancients always said the saying "A scholar will die for his confidant".

In short, one sentence.

If that young man really couldn't bear the splendid land of Zhou Fifteenth Road, he would help that young man carry it!

The next day.

The entire city of Bianjing is under martial law, especially foreign caravans and envoys, who are not allowed to leave the city.

Many noble families have heard that the person guarding the imperial city now is Wei Yuan, the commander of the front office.

So, they all went to the Zhongyong Hou Mansion to inquire about the situation.

However, the entire Hou Mansion was now in a state of closed doors and thanking guests.

Wei Yuan, Zhang Fu, Han Zhang, Wen Yanbo, Wang Anshi, Fan Chunren, Sima Junshi, etc., too many central ministers did not return home all night.

Even the most stupid person can feel that the sky of Great Zhou is about to collapse.

But they are not worried.

Because even if the sky does fall, there will still be someone taller holding on.

Over there at Zhongshu Province.

Han Zhang, Wen Yanbo and others sat on their chairs. They didn't say a word all night long, waiting for news from the emperor.

I don't know how long it took, but Manager Zhu finally came, "Sir, I have kept you waiting for a long time."

Seeing his somewhat relaxed expression, everyone couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and stood up one after another to ask,

"How is the official dragon body? What does the imperial doctor say?"

"."

Mr. Zhu said: "Just now, the imperial doctor took another look at Guan Jia and said that Guan Jia's old illness relapsed due to excessive drinking. Now his condition has been stabilized. However, when Guan Jia wakes up, it all depends on God's will. ”

Everyone was completely relieved.

After a pause, Han Zhang looked at Wen Yanbo and said: "Now His Royal Highness is paying filial piety in front of the official family. I am afraid that the meeting originally scheduled for the tenth day of the lunar month cannot be held as usual."

"Some things that happened last year should have come to an end today. What does Wen Xiang think?"

Wen Yanbo nodded, "What Prime Minister Han said is also what I think."

Han Zhang smiled and said: "In that case, how about we start by checking the old accounts first?"

Check old accounts?

I'm afraid that what I'm checking is not the account books from previous years, but that I really want to turn over the old accounts.

When an official is seriously ill, both Han Zhang and Wen Yanbo need to compete, otherwise, the country will not be able to survive.

Manager Zhu heard what Erxiang said and left here wisely.

He was afraid that if old scores were brought up, his blood would be spilled on him!

As soon as General Manager Zhu left, the door of Zhongshu Provincial Yamen was already closed.

Officials from the three provinces gathered here.

Han Zhang picked up a piece of paper and spoke slowly: "In March last year, Guangnan and Guangxi roads converted mulberry trees into rice to support the Yanbian war. This matter was a national policy, and Wen Xianggong was the minister. The first burden to shoulder."

"But a whole year has passed, and only a few counties on both sides have converted mulberry into rice. How will Yanbian's military and civilian food needs be allocated in the future? This matter was summed up by Prime Minister Wen, but the real Prime Minister felt that it was still necessary Take it out and talk about it.”

"Moreover, those who deserve to be held accountable must be held accountable, and those who deserve punishment must be punished. Otherwise, if such a precedent is set in the future, the imperial decree is not visible in the local area, and chaos occurs, we cannot afford it."

Wen Yanbo said without giving in: "With the opening of sea transportation, people from all walks of life in the south are making money by selling mulberry trees. Even if they want to convert mulberry trees into rice, they still need regulations and time. Don't do it too hastily. Too much is not enough. Doesn't Prime Minister Han clear?"

"The officials have not specified the specific deadline for converting mulberry to rice. Why is Prime Minister Han so anxious? Speaking of this new policy of converting mulberry to rice, it reminds me of something."

“During the Qingli period, Fan Wenzheng announced the New Deal. At that time, Prime Minister Han was responsible for the equalization of public land. After the New Deal, the problem of land annexation in Yangzhou, Bingzhou, and Dingzhou became increasingly serious, resulting in many people in many places having no land to farm and could only become tenant farmers. "

"So far, Prime Minister Han has not given an explanation for this matter. Are you worthy of the people in various states who starve to death because they cannot afford to eat?"

Han Zhang frowned slightly and said, "Xiang Wen, you have gone too far to settle old scores, haven't you?"

Wen Yanbo smiled and said: "Where is this? Don't be in a hurry, let's discuss it slowly."