Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

After entering March, the political atmosphere in Luoyang became more and more serious.

People were moved, and more and more officials went to pay homage to the prince.

Of course, in order to avoid suspicion, they could not openly meet the prince.Saints are not made of clay, and you have no intention of handing over power now. You are too eager, and you can only die now, before you can wait until the day you enjoy the sweet fruits.

Therefore, some smart people found another way and secretly went to the houses of Liang Zhen, Zhu Shuzong and others after dark to visit them, seek refuge in advance and build good relationships with them.

Everyone could see that the saint was handing over the family's fortune step by step, and the crown prince's succession was a certainty.

In the past few years, the prince's tours have already shown signs of success.

Last year, the prince's reorganization of the Tielin and Wuwei armies was a clear signal.

This year, isn’t it obvious that for the upcoming sacrifice to heaven in the southern suburbs, chiefs from all the grassland tribes and foreign kings are coming?

On March 28, the day before the memorial ceremony in the southern suburbs, Shao Shude held a banquet in Shendu Garden and entertained several "guests" from afar.

After the banquet, everyone rode horses and hunted in the garden, so happy.

Shao Shude did not end up, he just sat aside and watched.

A tall young man stood beside him, saying a few words from time to time.

Everyone in the palace knew that this was Shao Xiuwen, the eldest son of King Zhao of the Yili Valley, the grandson of the emperor whom the saint had not seen for many years.

The son of King Zhao has "wen" in his name, but he has been educated in the palace since he was a child, so he can be said to be both civil and military.Just now when galloping horses shoot and hunt, ten arrows can hit five or six arrows, which is not bad if placed among the forbidden army.

The sons of the Shao family are all martial artists.

"Your second uncle wants to tell you about your marriage. Ah Weng thought about it and agreed. You can go back later and leave after you get married in the capital." Shao Shu said, pulling his grandson's hand.

"Yes." Shao Xiuwen responded.

As a prince, marriage is a big deal, so you must be extremely cautious.

When he was in Yili, his father once vaguely revealed that he wanted to arrange a marriage for him locally.

The meaning is very clear: marrying generals and high-ranking officials of the country to strengthen internal unity and cohesion.

But when he arrived in Luoyang on behalf of his father and participated in the southern suburbs worship ceremony, the situation changed again.

The prince actually actively intervened in his marriage affairs, and heard that the granddaughter of Bo Xiaofu from Fan County was offered as his wife.

Shao Xiuwen had to think, did Xiao Fu, who used to be the Imperial Academy, have taken refuge in the crown prince?
Thinking about it, the possibility seems unlikely.When his grandfather was in power, he could not tolerate sand in his eyes. Xiao Fu might have had some friendship with the prince and had been inclined to him, but it was far from being a surrender.

He actually had no room to refuse this, because his grandfather had already agreed.No one can disobey his will, not even his father or his second uncle.

"Tomorrow is the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony, and all the chiefs and vassal lords will participate. Before leaving, did your father explain anything?" Shao Shude asked.

"Father said that Zhao Guoshi was the vassal of Daxia and would never rebel against him," Shao Xiuwen said.

Shao Shude nodded and said: "Your second uncle is a warrior with a straightforward temperament. It will be beneficial to get close to him more often."

"Yes." Shao Xiuwen responded.

I secretly thought that my father said the same thing.Perhaps this is the reason why my grandfather handed over the responsibility to his second uncle instead of someone else like his sixth uncle.

Shao Mingyi, the king of Dian, had little contact with him and was not deeply impressed by him. He heard that he was very resourceful and scheming, and he also commanded large armies in battles when he was in Yunnan.There were rumors in Beijing that Uncle Six was the most like his grandfather, but unfortunately he was born later and had no chance to inherit the throne.

Shao Xiuwen thought about it and decided that it would be best for his second uncle in the world.I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well if my sixth uncle succeeds me.

The sound of horse hooves in the field became more and more urgent, the sound of arrows piercing the air was heard continuously, and there were also faint curses.

If you listen carefully, it seems that some people are shouting curses because they are fighting for prey. The person who was scolded was not angry and retaliated on the spot. "Your mother's maidservant" and other similar nonsense words were heard endlessly.

Shao Shude shook his head and laughed after hearing this.

Shao Xiuwen couldn't help laughing.When he was in the Western Region, he could hear vulgar curses almost every day, and he himself did the same.

Maybe some people will talk about the emperor's disrespect, but in this year, there are people who swear at court meetings, can you handle it?
"Your Majesty." The knight stopped far away. After dismounting, the knight carried a deer that was neither big nor small. He lifted it over his head with a heavy weight and said, "I offer this deer to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty Longevity without borders, eternal health.”

Xiao Huangmen stepped forward and carried the deer away.

Shao Shude smiled and said: "Wan Yanxiu, how do you look like a Jurchen? You are really good at flattering others."

"Your Majesty." Wan Yanxiu raised his head and said, "Your Majesty is the only one in this world who is worthy of being flattered by me."

Wan Yanxiu is also a wonderful person when he talks about flattering in such a fresh and refined way.

Shao Shude stood up with a smile, helped Wan Yanxiu up, and said, "I am old, and I will worship heaven in the southern suburbs tomorrow. Don't talk nonsense."

"I am absolutely loyal, and I only pay to Your Majesty." Wan Yanxiu said again.

Shao Shude grimaced, seemingly displeased.

"I sincerely obey your Majesty's order." Wanyanxiu immediately knelt down and said, "Baolu Prefecture has been the country's vassal for generations."

Shao Shude helped him up again and said: "You have fought for the country for many years and have done a great job with your hard work. Why should I be stingy with rewards? I will go to the Shaofu to pick them up later and give him a hundred pieces of gold and silver." "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Wanyan Hugh choked up.

Shao Xiuwen watched with interest.

This Jurchen leader was Wanyan Xiu, the governor of Baolu Prefecture, who once served as a general in the Fengguo Army.After the Fengguo army was disbanded, he briefly served as the Xilin city guard and commanded the town army, and was later transferred to Kucha town envoy.Last year, due to his old age, he resigned from various military positions, returned to his hometown, and continued to serve as the governor of Baolu Prefecture.

This man is relatively brave in fighting, but he is definitely not a reckless man.On the contrary, he was very politically minded.

Tomorrow is the heaven-sacrifice meeting. The saint will not appear, but the prince will preside over it.

what does that mean?It means that the chieftains and lords of foreign vassals who participated in the sacrifice to heaven will officially recognize the prince as the heir of Daxia, which is equivalent to a political statement and is a very serious political event.

It is true that this matter was strongly promoted by the sage, and it was part of the entrustment of the family.But does the sage really have any thoughts in his heart?When hundreds of chieftains and lords bow down to the prince, will the saint really feel comfortable?

It's hard to say.

Wan Yanxiu, the Jurchen chieftain, pretended to be rude, flattered and showed loyalty in front of the saint, as if he had been "rebuked", but after the reprimand, he was rewarded with a hundred pieces of gold and silverware.

This result actually reflects the subtle psychology of the saint.

Shao Xiuwen sighed silently.My grandfather is also a human being, and he also has emotions and desires, as well as doubts and worries.

He is actually using his reason to forcefully suppress the various emotions flooding in his heart and forcefully promote the transfer of power.

All of this is actually for the sake of the entire world.If one acts selfishly, power will be handed over until the moment of death.

Of course, before my grandfather passed away, if my second uncle had acted arrogantly and tried to imitate the story of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and tried to force him into the palace, my grandfather would not be able to suppress all kinds of dangerous thoughts, and the scene would be ugly.

It was obvious which side the military was on.

After Wan Yanxiu offered the prey, the others shouted that he had made a mistake and also stepped forward to offer the prey.It's just that they don't have such good luck. Being rewarded with dozens of pieces of silk is considered good, but it's not comparable to Wan Yanxiu.

The palace guards came forward and took away the prey one by one, then processed and cooked it.

Today is another post-hunting feast.

In the past few decades, there have been countless banquets like this, and the people attending them are also different, and the mood is even more difficult to express.

******
The heaven-sacrifice meeting has been successfully concluded.

Shao Shude sat in the Guanfeng Hall of Shangyang Palace and listened carefully to the whole process.

The title of Supreme Emperor Jianwen Shenwu is still there, and in the hearts of the grassland tribes, he is still the supreme master, but he is no longer the only one.

Regarding this cognition, he has already done a good job of psychological construction.

As I get older and hand over more power, I feel less at ease.This morning I was still thinking about whether to support a few more lucky ministers and compete with the prince in the ring, but gave up after thinking about it.

What kind of heroism and self-confidence are all nonsense in his twilight years.

A person's state of mind in life will never change, and it is even more nonsense in nonsense.

The great terror between life and death may be easier to overcome for people who are indifferent to fame and wealth, but it is much more difficult for people like him who are obsessed with profit.

The more powerful a king is, the less he can tolerate others encroaching on his power, and the less he can tolerate other people's ideas being inconsistent with his own.

It’s really hard to take this step.

He also analyzed why he always likes to run to the military camp recently.The army symbolizes table-turning force and is the source of all power. To be honest, this kind of behavior is also caused by insecurity.

In fact, these are all unfounded worries.

The prince had no ability to threaten him at all, but his emotions were like maggots in the tarsal bones and were always difficult to resolve.

It can only be suppressed by reason.

"From April onwards, a copy of all major military and state affairs will be sent to the East Palace. If the prince has any objections, he can write a separate statement and submit it."

"After the summer harvest, I led the prince to the west to patrol the four roads of Guannai, Hexi, Longyou and Guanbei. The armies of Control Crane, Youguo, Dingnan and Feixiong were reorganized in Chang'an."

After drinking half a bowl of tea, Shao Shude ordered.

Shang Gong Liu wrote them down one by one and prepared to send them to Zhengshitang, Privy Council and East Palace.

The prince cannot directly participate in political affairs, but now the saint has opened his mouth.But if the prince really takes an active part in it, that would be a big mistake. He has capable people around him who would be able to persuade him, and he would not be so naive.

The western tour of the four Kansai provinces is also a means of strengthening prestige, which will have many benefits for inheriting the unification in the future.

Not to mention reorganizing the army, this is more important than anything else.

After Mrs. Liu finished recording everything, she thought to herself that the saint really trusted the prince.Perhaps, it is also because there is really no suitable replacement candidate?Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also regretted killing his son in his later years, but if Liu Shi was still alive, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty would dislike him again. It is really contradictory.

At least until now, it is really not easy to maintain trust in the prince.