Emperor Renzong of the Great Song Dynasty

The emperor's death was beyond everyone's expectation, but also within everyone's expectation.

After all, the emperor is old and has been sick for several years. To be honest, the big guys have already prepared for this, and even changed several drafts of the sacrificial text.

But Song Zhenzong left so unexpectedly that he didn't even have a process of worsening his condition. He drank medicine and fell asleep well the night before, and he didn't get up again the next morning.

The emperor's death was so sudden and strange that there was no room for people with ulterior motives to be suspicious.

But who can be in the way of an emperor who is bedridden and has a fake hand in the government, the queen and the prime minister?

So gossip can't be inspired.

The emperor's Zigong is still in the palace, and Liu E has already given herself the title of empress dowager, and called Kou Zhun to discuss changing the reign name of Yuan in the coming year.

Kou Zhun was originally a scholar of the Jixian Palace, and he was the prime minister, but with the new dynasty and new atmosphere, even veteran ministers should have a new coat of paint to show that the world has a new master and the prime minister has a new boss.

So Liu E named Kou Zhun a bachelor of Zhaowenguan, supervising the history of the country.

Originally, the Bachelor of Zhaowenguan, the Bachelor of Jixiandian, and the Supervisor of National History were all titles of prime ministers, and theoretically there was no distinction between high and low.

But since then, the supervision of national history by the University of Zhaowenguan has become exclusive to the Prime Minister, and the University of Jixian Palace has become the exclusive exclusive right of the Second Prime Minister.

If the three phases stand side by side, the last one will be assigned to supervise the history of the country.

After the death of Song Zhenzong, the situation in the court seems to have no new changes.

Kou Zhun is still the prime minister, and Liu E is the king.

The difference is that the nominal monarch at this time has changed from the old emperor who never went to bed once a year to the little emperor who obediently sits on the throne and obeys his orders.

Really...

Really?

Zhao Yili doesn't agree with this.

Three feet frozen, not a cold day.

While people's attention was focused on the turbulent undercurrent a few kilometers below the sea level, the surface seawater under the cold wind had already begun to form a thin layer of ice.

As for the reign title of Changing Yuan, Tiansheng was the last one to decide.

Tiansheng, that is, two saints, takes the meaning of two people ruling the world together, and echoes the Tongzhi reign of later generations.

It's just that Tongzhi doesn't know whether it is the West Palace Cixi and the East Palace Ci'an Tongzhi, or the Harem and the Emperor Tongzhi.

The two saints don't know whether Kou Zhun and Liu E are the saints, or who wants to be saints with Zhao Yiyi.

But anyway, the year name was agreed upon by Liu E and Kou Zhun, and Zhao Yiyi couldn't say anything for the time being, so he obediently accepted the arrangement.

But there is one thing that he can already start to do.

He has already ascended the throne as emperor, Liu E Kou Zhun has become the queen regent and the other has become the auxiliary minister. The staged enemy Song Zhenzong they shared has been permanently withdrawn. Let go and muddy the water.

At present, Kou and Liu are maintaining the superficial peace according to the inertia, and Zhao Yiyi has to find a way to break this inertia.

In all the struggles in ancient and modern China and abroad, either the east wind prevailed over the west wind, or the west wind prevailed over the east wind.

Kou Zhun and Liu E's first fight, Zhao Yiyi intends to let Kou Zhun win a phased victory.

It is not easy for Kou Zhun to step on Liu E's painful feet accurately.

But for Zhao Yiyi, a cheating player who understands the plot of the world and has a golden finger, it is very easy.

Liu E's biggest pain was the case of replacing the civet cat with the prince.

As one of the concubines of the royal family, for the sake of succession, she actually used such frenzied means to mutilate another concubine and the flesh and blood of the emperor. Once this scandal is revealed, all the painstaking efforts of Liu E will be in vain.

Because the queen concubine is different from the emperor, the people of the world may accept the king of Qin killing the prince, but it is absolutely impossible for the queen to kill the prince.

What's more, Liu E was not a queen at that time.

Changing the civet cat for the crown prince is Liu E's weakness. As long as she can handle it properly, let her mess up and give Kou Zhun an opportunity to take advantage of it.

But this speed must be in place, because Liu E can't fall for the time being, and Zhao Yiyi will use her to contain Kou Zhun.

Once Liu E falls, Kou Zhun's inflated counterattack is currently unacceptable to Zhao Yiyi.

Zhao Yiyi thought of how to harm Liu E.

The weather was fine that day, and everything was fine. Zhao Yiyi and Liu E finished their lunch together, and coyly said, "Aniang, Yiyi wants to play in the garden."

Liu E glanced at him, feeling that Song Zhenzong's funeral had really suffocated the child, thought for a while, and said, "Okay, let Liu En lead you to the garden, remember to leave the water Stay away and come back sooner."

Zhao Yiyi, who got the permission, was very happy, and took Liu En out after dinner.

Seeing his eagerness, Liu E laughed and said, "I'm still a child at heart, when it comes to playing, I don't care about anything."

Smiling and shaking his head, his face sank again.

The autumn harvest has fallen, and the Khitan people in the Liao Kingdom are expected to go south again this year to thresh grain and grass. As a result, the harvest of several counties on the border has become a problem.

Last year, she originally wanted to build some fortifications along the border with deep trenches and high fortifications. Even if she had a watchtower, she could resist the Khitan cavalry a little bit.

Unexpectedly, the Khitan people went south last year to thresh grain and grass in a particularly large number. After sweeping away the food and money, they even toppled down the fortifications that were about to be completed, and this sum of money was spent in vain.

Also because they angered the Khitan, last year's losses were particularly severe. I heard that the women on the frontier also plundered seven or eight out of ten of them.

Thinking of this, Liu E was so angry that his heart ached.

There is also the annual yearly currency, 30, which is not much for the wealthy Song Dynasty. It is just the tax of the two counties. !

At this time, Liu E would insult her cowardly husband in her heart, why did she kneel so hard at that time, and now she has to clean up the mess!

Back then, she was not a queen, and she was very soft-spoken. If she was the future, she would have tied that coward to Yingzhou!

Only at this time will Liu E feel sympathy for Kou Zhun.

Alas, it's not easy.

When Kou Zhun was squeezed out of Beijing by Wang Qinruo, she was also aggrieved for him. Who would have thought that the two of them would be in such a situation now.

It's a pity that there is no such thing in this world, and her husband has really committed a crime, and she still has to pay every year, she still has to be bullied every year, and naturally she has to swallow every year.

It's hard to be a human!

Liu E calmed down and prepared to type the draft of the Liao Kingdom Letter.

Hello, Youbang, this is the brother country of Song, this year's year coins are sent in full, and I also ask you to stop going south to invade our country.

That's right, this year's letter of credence is written like this, and it's over after asking Kou Zhun to polish it up later.

Liu E thought blankly.

Later, I asked the little emperor to get a seal. In this way, the one who wrote the credential was Kou Zhun, and the one who approved the credential was the little emperor. Such a shameful thing had nothing to do with me, um, it was decided like this.

She felt a little better.

At this time, the little emperor who was supposed to have fun in the imperial garden came back crying.

Liu E felt guilty for a while: "Beneficiary, what's the matter? Come and let my mother take a look."

The little emperor had already changed his name to Zhao Zhen when he was crowned prince, but Liu E was still used to calling him to benefit.

She wanted him to remember that in front of her, he would always be that lonely little boy back then, not a wealthy emperor.

Zhao Yiyi cried and said, "Aniang, who are the people living in the cold palace?"

Liu E's heart shuddered: "In the cold palace, the people who live in it are naturally sinners."

She suddenly remembered the past many years ago.

Not really many years...just 12 years ago.

She is 52 years old this year, and 12 years is not a very long period of time in her life.

But the people at that time, and the events at that time, seemed like a lifetime away.

...not really.

Concubine Li is still alive in the world and in the palace.

Liu E asked Zhao Yiyi in a warm voice: "Why did you ask such a question? Did someone say something?"

Zhao Yiyi cried and shook his head: "No, no, uh, hiccup..."

He actually hiccupped from crying.

Liu E turned to ask Liu En who was kneeling behind him: "What's going on? The good emperor took him out to play, and when he came back weeping, what's going on? Tell me exactly what's going on, or I'll tear you apart." Your skins!"

Liu En replied with a bitter face: "The empress dowager, calm down. The servant just took the official to play ball in the imperial garden. The official threw the ball at the servant. The servant was about to pick it up when a gust of wind suddenly blew the ball. , the servant didn't catch the ball, so the official went to chase the ball. The wind was strong, and the official ran slowly. After passing such a place, I was naturally curious, so I wanted to go in and have a look. No matter where the slaves dared to stop the official family, the official family entered the cold palace. Crying, the officials are kind-hearted, and they also cried, so they just ran back."

Zhao Yiyi pulled Liu E's sleeve: "Aniang, Aniang, that Li Niangniang is really pitiful, please take pity on her, let her out."

Liu E asked him slowly: "Is it Miss Li that Yiyi saw?"

Zhao Yiyi nodded.

Liu E smiled: "Your Madam Li, A Niang recognizes her. She made a huge mistake, and that's why she was kicked out of the cold palace. This is your father's will, and there is nothing A Niang can do about it. "

Zhao Yiyi asked sobbingly, "Mother, what did she do wrong?"

Liu E put on a serious face: "As the emperor, where are you supposed to ask these things? How much homework Master Kou left for you today, have you finished it? Don't go to review the books, Master Kou will ask you tomorrow." I've tested you!"

Zhao Yiyi stopped crying and went back to study.

Liu E sat quietly for a long time, then suddenly smiled: "You, you, look, I almost forgot about you."

She tilted her head: "Guo Huai."

The eunuch with his head down slightly moved forward: "Your Majesty."

Liu E said, "Call me Kou Zhu."

That night, the flames soared into the sky.