Three Kingdoms: The Yellow Turbans finally revolt

Chapter 193 The battle for the throne, the court is torn apart ([-])

Changle Palace is the largest palace in the North Palace, where Liu Hong's bedroom is located.

As soon as Yuan Shao arrived outside the palace gate, he heard the wailing of the maids and eunuchs inside, which confirmed the fact that His Majesty passed away.

A lot of people had already gathered in the outer hall of the bedroom, and the crying came from the maids and eunuchs in the bedroom. They seemed to have been trained, lowered their heads, and cried in unison.

In addition, many officials in the palace were also in place, and they knelt silently by the side without saying a word.

Empress He led Liu Bian, and Empress Dowager Dong led Liu Xie, standing inside behind the beaded curtain, Yuan Shao could only get a rough look.

None of the ten permanent attendants were present at the scene. If Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were not there even when the emperor died, they must have fled.

Yuan Shao glanced at the eunuchs present calmly, resisting the urge to kill them, just stood in the hall in a somewhat dull manner, lost in thought.

Yuan Shao thought to himself: Your Majesty passed away, the great general died, now there is no leader, this place, it is not his turn to be Yuan Shao, this master still needs his uncle to do it.

He silently exited the side hall, just in time to bump into Yuan Shu who had just arrived.

"Brother?" Yuan Shu called out.

Unlike the He Brothers, the Yuan Brothers still seem to work together and love each other.

"Your Majesty's palace has not seen any traces of the ten permanent attendants. They have always murdered the general. They knew that they would die, and they have already escaped. Now there is chaos outside the palace. We should deal with the affairs outside the palace first."

Yuan Shu stroked his mustache and nodded, "Then according to my brother, there is still fighting outside the palace. I, Yuan Shi, should take this opportunity to seize the military power. Brother, the generals..."

"The general's troops are led by Wu Kuang, Bao Xin and other generals. At this time, it is better to think long-term, but the troops of the chariot and cavalry generals can be recruited tonight!"

The two left the palace, the fighting outside the palace was almost over, He Miao died, He Miao's chief Shi Leyin was killed, a large number of troops surrendered, and a few escaped.

After tossing back and forth until midnight, the Yuan brothers had to go back to the Taifu's mansion to explain the situation to Yuan Kai.

In Yuan's living room, the lights were shining brightly, and Yuan Kai sat upright, waiting.

"Teacher, Benchu ​​and Gonglu are back." The official said.

"Call them here quickly!" Yuan Kai said anxiously, and as he spoke, he glanced at the case, where there was a piece of silk with several names written on it sparsely.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Duan Gui, He Jin, He Miao, Dong Zhong...a few of them have been crossed out.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu came and met Li.

"At the beginning, tell me, what is the situation in the palace now?"

This is what Yuan Kai is most concerned about. He can send someone to find out the situation outside the palace.

He Jin's death, He Miao's death, including the news of His Majesty's death, he was informed verbally at the first time, but there are still very few people who know about the situation in the palace at this time.

"Empress He and Governor Dong are both in His Majesty's bedroom. In my opinion, this matter cannot be faked, but why did Your Majesty suddenly..." Yuan Shao stopped talking.

Yuan Kui frowned, and the center of his brows formed a deep crease.

"Your Majesty's death, who is most beneficial?"

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu looked at each other, and besides, naturally it was Empress He. Now that the crown prince has not been established, Liu Bian is the heir in line.

Both of them guessed it, but they didn't tell the truth. Up to now, it doesn't matter if there is or not.

"When Your Majesty was seriously ill, Empress Dowager Dong walked around many times and contacted Jian Shuo and Dong Zhong. How could Empress He just sit and watch." Yuan Kai said lightly, "It's a pity that He Jin and He Miao are all dead now, and Empress He has lost her support. Now he The only advantage is that Liu Bian is the eldest son of the emperor."

"Uncle, who do we support?"

Yuan Kui said: "As the Grand Tutor, I know a little about the two princes, Liu Bian is timid but playful, and Liu Xie, at a young age, is smart and capable, and his bearing is also extraordinary. —”

Yuan Kai dragged his voice, looking at the two most accomplished talents of the Yuan family's younger generation, "I choose Liu Bian!"

"Uncle, Liu Xie is young and needs Empress Dowager Dong to be the regent, and Empress Dowager Dong is already old. If Liu Xie takes over, it will take a long time to assist the government. Wouldn't this be beneficial to the Yuan family?" Yuan Shao asked.

"What I said at the beginning is that one is weak and stupid, and the other is young, but what we need now is not time, but opportunity."

Yuan Shao was secretly startled, opportunity?what chance?
Uncle, this is it, do you want to go further?
Although what he said was that "we" don't need that much time, Yuan Shao suddenly understood that he didn't have that much time.

Yuan Shao glanced at Yuan Shu, and saw that there was nothing unusual about him. His younger brother's temper was indeed a bit stronger than his own.

He has already faintly realized it.Uncle's ambition has gone one step further, perhaps He Jin's death was too easy.

According to the original plan, Yuan Shao urged He Jin to attack the ten permanent attendants, destroying the eunuchs first, and then Yuan Kai competed with him for the first official.

Now that He Jin is dead, I am afraid that uncle also wants to proceed to the next step logically.

As the eldest son of the Yuan family, Yuan Shao was of course happy to hear about it. The higher and farther Yuan Kai went, the bigger and faster he started.

"Gaolu, why did you send someone to set fire to it?"

"I want to force all the eunuchs out so that I can kill them all!" Yuan Shu argued.

"Confused!" Yuan Kai scolded, "We are eliminating harm for the world, and we are doing it out of righteousness. How can we use this to vent our personal anger? If someone with a heart finds out and attacks you, your reputation as Yuan Gonglu will be destroyed. If it is destroyed, I, Yuan Shi, will also be affected!"

Yuan Shu didn't speak, but listened expressionlessly.

"In this regard, you are not as good as at the beginning. His withdrawal from the palace tonight is an act of taking care of the overall situation!" Yuan Kui praised Yuan Shao, and then said: "Now that the He family is destroyed, the situation in Luoyang is already in my hands. In time, I will play for you, and I will regard you as the prefect of Runan."

Yuan Shu's heart twitched, and only then did he realize his intention of praising Yuan Shao. It seems that he made a choice.

The dispute between the Yuan family's heir and concubine started tonight, and Yuan Shu lost.

Unexpectedly, the day when he succeeds will be the day when he loses. Now he can understand the true meaning of the phrase "test" that Yuan Kai said a few months ago.

Yuan Shu cupped his hands as a gift in return. After leaving Luoyang, he was considered to have started a family of his own.

And Yuan Shao, as the successor of the Yuan family in Luoyang, will follow the steps set by Yuan Kui and continue to climb to the next level.

"Uncle, He Jin is dead, and his subordinates, Wu Kuang and Bao Xin, should be recruited. Moreover, the Xiyuan Army is leaderless now. Except for Cao Cao and Chunyuqiong who are familiar with me, what should we do with the others."

"Don't worry at the beginning, I have my own means!" Yuan Kai smiled, and his face relaxed a lot, "All officials must obey, in addition to being suppressed by my Yuan family's reputation, there must also be enough deterrence!"

Yuan Shao didn't understand what deterrence Yuan Kai was talking about for a moment. He Yuan Benchu ​​had some people in his hands, but it was far from deterrence.

……

The next day.

Liu Hong passed away, all the officials mourned, and many loyal ministers and generals in the court were weeping, some were truly loyal, and some were hypocritical.

The throne above the hall is empty, and a little below the throne are two large chairs.

One seated Empress Dowager Dong and Liu Xie, and the other seated Empress He and Liu Bian.

A country cannot be without a king for a day. When Liu Hong was there, Empress Dowager Dong and Empress He secretly competed. However, because of the presence of He Jin brothers and the partiality of Zhang Rang and others, Empress Dowager Dong was in an absolute disadvantage.

Even Liu Hong did not dare to abolish the elders and establish the young easily, but at the last moment of Liu Hong's life, he still had the idea of ​​abolishing the elders and establishing the young, and Empress Dowager Dong would not give in no matter what.

Although Empress He lost He Jin's support, He Miao's support, and Shi Changshi's support, Liu Bian was the eldest son, and the law lay with her.

"Ministers! Your Majesty has passed away, and the whole country mourns. The country cannot be without a king for a day, and the mourning family is bold. Please put the overall situation first, order Liu Bian to succeed, and then mourn." Empress He said.

"No! Your Majesty loves the Prince's Association the most in his life. He has not established a prince for many years, but he intends to let the Prince's Association inherit the great power. This matter is known all over the world. My son is newly deceased and his bones are not cold. Are you going to go against my son's ambition? ?” Empress Dowager Dong did her part and confronted each other.

"Yes, Your Majesty likes the Prince's Association, we should follow His Majesty's wishes!"

"But Prince Bian is the eldest son. According to the ancestral etiquette, Prince Bian should be established."

"I am in favor of acting in accordance with the ancestral etiquette!"

All the officials were discussing intensely, and there were supporters on both sides. In fact, most of the officials knew in their hearts that they had just passed their mouths, and the people who really had the decision-making power were in the front row.

Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, Hussar General Dong Zhong, Situ Cui Lie, Taiwei Zhang Wen, Shang Shu Ling Lu Zhi, and nine ministers.

Among them, most people are unwilling to get involved in the national struggle, because this is a big gamble, and if they lose, they will lose their money.

These people are usually some conservatives, as long as they don't violate the ancestral etiquette, anyone is the same to him, because they didn't bet, and naturally they won't lose anything.

Hussar General Dong Zhong naturally supported Liu Xie, and he had a good personal relationship with Zhang Wen. At critical times, it was okay to have an attitude.

"Your Majesty's ambition is to follow the etiquette of the ancestors, so His Majesty has not done anything against the etiquette from the beginning to the end. If Your Majesty dare not, how can we violate it!" Empress He still grasped this point, and she was the only support at the moment.

"Absurd! Who said that my son has no intention of abolishing the elders and establishing the younger? It's because your relatives are so strong that your Majesty fears them. As a queen, you didn't teach Liu Bian carefully, and you spent all your time trying to make ends meet. Liu Bian, a rough person like you, succeeded to the throne. , my son will not die with peace in his eyes!" Empress Dowager Dong said with certainty, her words were extremely fierce.

She knew that she had the advantage, and that Dong Zhong had approached Yuan Kai, and Yuan Kai said that if His Majesty wanted to abolish the elders and establish the younger ones, he would naturally support His Majesty, so Queen Mother Dong was very sure that even if Yuan Kai did not support His Majesty's death, At least not against it.

And the people in the court hall are all Linglongxin, Yuan Wei does not object, they will definitely not object.

Empress He was so angry that Empress Dowager Dong turned pale, her chest heaved violently, she was at a disadvantage in the confrontation with the court, she did not expect that her mother-in-law, who was usually indifferent to the world, would have such a sharp side.

Empress Dowager Dong saw that Empress He was silent, she felt proud, and stimulated her with He Jin's defeat. It really worked, and it was time to go further.

"Although Prince Xie is young, his mind is much higher than Prince Bian's. He is also intelligent and quick-witted, and has the demeanor of a king. If he inherits the great lineage, he will definitely be able to rejuvenate the great man Dong Zhong!"

As she spoke, Empress Dowager Dong glanced at Sangong Jiuqing.

Come, come, she's coming!
"Dong Zhong, what do you think!"

Dong Zhong: "I think what the Empress Dowager said is very true! The prince will succeed to the throne, and I will definitely assist him with all my heart!"

Dong Zhong cooperated very well.

Empress Dowager Dong felt that it was not enough, everyone must know that Dong Zhong is her nephew, she is absolutely her own.

She looked at Yuan Wei, if Yuan Wei made a statement, today's court meeting would be over.

"Teacher Yuan, do you have any objections to mourning the family?" Empress Dowager Dong asked.

Empress Dowager Dong's questioning was very skillful. It was not an open-ended "what do you mean", but "may you have any objections". According to the agreement between the two, Yuan Kui either supported or did not object, which was naturally the latter choice.

Baiguan also cast their eyes on Yuan Kai. Although he withdrew from the position of Sangong, Yuan Wei's position as the head of civil servants was unshakable by anyone in the court.

After all, everyone knows that Situ Sikong is only worth 1000 million yuan, and Cui Lie's discounted price is only 500 million yuan.

Yuan Kui took a step forward, greeted Empress Dowager Dong and Empress He in turn, and then said: "I have objections!"

Empress Dowager Dong frowned, her gaze turned cold, and she stared at Yuan Kai.

Dong Zhong also looked at him motionlessly, even though he had already said it, Dong Zhong still couldn't believe it——

Yuan Kai actually changed his mind!
Empress Dowager Dong's complexion changed slightly, but she recovered quickly. She looked like a superior person, and she asked, "I don't know Grand Tutor, do you have any objections?"

"The ancestral etiquette cannot be abolished. The great Han has always established the elders but not the young, and established the heirs and not the concubines. If there is any change, His Majesty must personally issue an edict to worship the Taimiao in order to obtain the approval of the ancestors. This is the case. Now His Majesty has You, since you have not left an imperial edict, you should follow the ancestral etiquette and make the elder prince the emperor!"

After Yuan Kui finished speaking, Empress Dowager Dong's complexion finally became ugly.

Whether she agreed to support her or not, she said no objection, but when she opened her mouth, she was full of rebuttals. Empress Dowager Dong suddenly felt betrayed.

But this can't be called betrayal, because Yuan Kui was never hers.

Empress He looked at Yuan Wei in disbelief, and Yuan Kai stood up to support her under the despair of all thoughts. Empress He thought to herself, she really deserves her elder brother He Jin to value Yuan Shao so much. It turns out that Yuan has always supported He.

With Yuan Kui's support, Liu Bian's position is almost stable.

"What the Grand Tutor said is true, the ancestral etiquette cannot be abolished!" Da Sinonong Cao Song said.

"Taifu has high morals and high prestige, and we should follow the etiquette!" Zheng Tai, the minister's assistant, was a person who was handpicked by He Jin himself.

"The ministers agree with what the Taifu said, and we should follow the etiquette and establish the prince as the emperor." A group of voices rang out, and the Yuan faction, led by Yuan Kai, echoed in unison, as if they had discussed it.

Seeing that things were getting out of control, Dong Chong immediately shouted: "Everyone! Last night He Jin led his troops into the palace and brought weapons to face the saint. His Majesty died at this very moment. Think about it, everyone, what He Jin wants to do!"

As soon as Dong Zhong drank, everyone was silent for half. The matter of He Jin's intrusion into the palace can be big or small, depending on how it is characterized.

But this kind of thing, they must not stick to it.

Seeing most people shut their mouths, Dong Zhong turned to Empress He again.

"Queen He, what did you and your brother want to do last night?"

……

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(End of this chapter)