The Child Emperor

The emissaries from the extreme west did arrive in the capital, but they were rejected from the city because they did not comply with the rules.

By convention, envoys from all sides arrive in Beijing at the end of the summer, and after a month or two of training, they can gather to meet the emperor in the autumn, send tributes, and then receive rewards, and leave one after another before the spring of the following year. Demonstrating the great Chu Tianwei, it can also make the envoys from afar return with satisfaction.

All the countries that are eligible to pay tribute to the Great Chu are on record. If the old and new dynasties change, the situation must be explained to the Great Chu in time in order to inherit the corresponding qualifications.

The messenger of the gods and ghosts violated almost all the rules. First, the time was wrong. Second, this was a new country, but he refused to explain the origin of the country.

Logically, the Western Regions should not send the envoys into the Dachu realm, but for some unknown reason, they blatantly violated the rules. The Dachu officials were confused for a while and sent them along the way. When the Ministry of Rites discovered the problem, the messengers had already left the city.

The Ministry of Rites was in charge of the arrival of foreign envoys, and the response was slow. Since the envoys came and could not be driven away, let them live in the post house outside the city, and then instruct the officials of the Western Regions to supplement the corresponding materials. It is summer, and the envoys of the gods and ghosts can be trained together with the envoys of other countries, waiting for the autumn meeting.

This is the plan of the Ministry of Rites, and they never thought of discussing it with the emperor, because this is one of their daily responsibilities, and even the Minister of Rites, Yuan Jiuding, did not care about this matter, and directly handed it over to a subordinate department to solve it.

The letter from the Western Regions was not handed in through the Ministry of Rites, but was sent to the Ministry of War, so the emperor could see the letter.

Han Ruzi wanted to see the envoy, but Yuan Jiuding firmly opposed it.

The Minister of Rites is usually a good-natured person. His duty in the Palace of Qinzheng is to go along with other ministers, and he has never violated the emperor. Only when it comes to etiquette, he will never back down.

No one has ever heard of this so-called 'god and ghost' in the West. I don't know if it is true or not. Maybe it was faked by a Western businessman.

The Emperor of Great Chu has always been generous, and the gifts he gave back to foreign envoys were all valuable goods they needed. After returning to China, they resold them for five or ten times the value, which was a huge profit. Therefore, there were bold foreign merchants who pretended to be envoys to pay tribute. In fact, it is in business.

The Ministry of Rites must never allow such a person to see the emperor.

The ministers of the Qinzheng Hall all agreed with the Ministry of Rites' approach. The Ministry of War was very guilty because he accidentally leaked the news. Shang Shu Jiang Juying fully supported Yuan Jiuding's opinion, The Western Regions are probably also suspicious, so they sent a letter to the Ministry of War, but The language is unclear, and the Ministry of War also needs to investigate clearly.

Even the prime minister, Shen Mingzhi, who had decided to resign after the first month, felt that it was not appropriate for the emperor to receive a group of strange messengers until the matter became clear.

Han Ruzi then ordered, led by the Ministry of Rites, to find out the facts as soon as possible, give a conclusion within three days, and then discuss whether to see or not.

Yuan Jiuding felt that the time was too short, The messenger is from the Western Regions, so I should ask there. It will take at least two or three months to exchange letters.

Han Ruzi said patiently, You can also ask the envoy directly.

Yuan Jiuding was stunned for a while, and didn't seem to understand what the emperor meant. They...they won't tell the truth. There are officials from Great Chu in the Western Regions, and their words are more credible.

Is it true that you can make a judgment after hearing the truth? The verification of the Western Regions is proceeding normally. A little news within three days is better than no news.

Yuan Jiuding was still hesitating. In his impression, the Great Chu Emperor really didn't need to care so much about foreign envoys. Today's sage seems too urgent.

The Prime Minister Shen Mingzhi said: The Ministry of Rites can ask the messenger first, and then ask the people who are familiar with the affairs of the Western Regions for confirmation. Three days may be a bit short, so ten days may be better.

The speed of the court is like this. The advantage is that there are few accidents, and the disadvantage is that the best time is often missed in the face of emergencies.

Han Ruzi could only accept that he had only just started to reform the court, so he couldn't be in a hurry.

This afternoon, he summoned the newly appointed Zong Zhengqing at Lingyun Pavilion. This person was named Han He. He was an old minister. Zong Zhengqing, who had served for a long time, was an official during the reign of Emperor Huan, and now he was invited out to take charge of the clan again.

Han Xi, do you have an impression of the boss? Han Ruzi sent someone to inquire carefully in private. Han He has an excellent reputation and a high level of seniority, which deserves the emperor's respect.

Han He was over seventy years old. He was allowed to use crutches in front of the emperor and sat on a round stool. Hearing the name Han Xi, he immediately laughed, Of course, he actually found His Majesty?

He was guarding outside the Marquis Mansion for three months, and I only saw him years ago.

Hehe, three months is not a lot. I think he had to wait a full year outside Zongzheng's mansion to see the old minister. In the end, many people bet on how long he could wait, and the old minister lost a hundred taels. silver.

Han Ruzi smiled, Han Heel was a temporary emergency, and he did not pursue power, but let go in front of the emperor.

Han Xi still wants to return to the position of Marquis of Anyang? Han He asked.

Han Ruzi nodded.

Well, Han Xi has been working on this matter for many years, but the Marquis of Anyang was abolished because of treason. Reason. Han Xi... how do you say it? He is very stubborn and admits death. The old minister once told him that as long as he gave up fighting for the marquis position, he could be recommended to go to another place to become an official, be a county magistrate or something, or join the army. Starting as a general, there is also the possibility of being promoted as a marquis after accumulating merits. But he disagreed, and he had to restore the Marquis of Anyang first. I asked him why he had a reason, but he couldn’t say anything, he just said that he was willing to pay any price.”

Han Ruzi had only seen Han Xi once, and his impression was exactly the same as Zong Zhengqing, who was too stubborn.

Han He continued: Any price? This is not something that a clan's son or a minister should say, so the old minister expelled him from the palace. He has been paying attention to him for a while, and hoped that he would not take risks. Later, it was discovered that he was just a mouth. People who talk big, really need desperate people, don't look down on him.

After Emperor Huan, there were several crises in Great Chu, and Han Ruzi did not see Han Xi.

In the identity of Han Xi, he was only a despicable son of the clan, and he couldn't even wear a new robe. Naturally, no one wanted to win him over.

Han Xi is willing to go to the far west for me. Han Ruzi said.

Holding the cane in both hands, Han He raised his head and thought for a while. He didn't do this on purpose, but because his back was so hunched, if he lowered his head, he could only speak to the stool under his butt.

Your Majesty really believes that there is a strong enemy in the extreme west, and they are eyeing the Great Chu?

I am hesitant, so I really want to know what's going on over there.

Han He thought for a while, When it comes to leading an army to fight and govern a place, the old minister would never recommend Han Xi. As for sending an envoy to a distant place or going deep into dangerous places, with Han Xi's stubbornness, maybe it can really be accomplished. There is only one thing, Your Majesty. Are you really willing to restore the Marquis of Anyang? Han Xi will not give up on the things he has identified.

I understand. Han Ruzi sent Zong Zhengqing away, and called Jin Chunzhong again, asking him to write a letter to the Xiongnu, explaining the situation and asking for their reaction.

Other than that, Han Ruzi couldn't do anything but wait patiently.

The New Year is over, and Han Ruzi picked up his old affairs again.

Not the whole world was immersed in the festive atmosphere. Yun Chuze went to war. Huang Pugong was not the kind of general who planned first and then cut off. On the third day of his tenure, he led an army to attack a thief village and returned without success. They also launched two offensives against different stockades, but they failed to achieve results.

In the eyes of both the enemy and the enemy, the emperor had chosen an unreliable general.

But Huang Pugong has his own style of play. Although he did not make any contribution to the three trials, he roughly figured out the pattern, fighting method and terrain of the group of thieves.

On New Year's Eve and the first or two days of the new year, he let his soldiers rest. In the early morning of the second day of the new year, he suddenly ordered an expedition, targeting a thief village in a dangerous place. He swore in public that if there was no further success, he would immediately cut off his head. , and let others bring them back to the capital to plead guilty to the emperor. If they make meritorious deeds, they will definitely reward the soldiers and soldiers, and they will never waste the New Year.

The battle was a complete victory, and the thief village did not expect to be attacked on this day.

There are many thieves in Yunmengze, and they support each other. Huang Pugong calculated the path and time, and ambushed the three groups of bandits in succession, all of which were broken.

The stockade captured by Huang Pugong was extremely important. Once the village was broken, the main fortress where Luan Banxiong was located was exposed to the Chu army. Another general of the Chu army, Shao Kejian, planned to attack the village in half a year, but Huang Pugong took it first.

Hearing the news from the front, Shao Kejian and others were shocked. They didn't believe it at first. After confirming it again and again, they immediately sent troops to support.

When the official document was delivered to the capital, the battle in Yunmengze was in full swing, and the Chu army was conquering various small villages, and the main village was gradually encircling it.

The Alliance Leader Conference planned by Yang Feng was not affected, it was still in progress, and the location was set in the main village of Yunmengze. Luan Banxiong seemed to really take the Alliance Leader seriously and was determined to win.

Han Ruzi was very happy that he did not choose the wrong person, and immediately sent an order to reward Huang Pugong's army. At the same time, he sent an urgent letter to Yang Feng, asking him to pay attention to protecting Huang Pugong. Luan Banxiong was unable to defeat him on the battlefield, and it is very likely that he would send an assassin.

Of course, Yang Feng understood this truth. Long before the emperor reminded him, he had sent experts to protect the generals in the army, especially Huang Pugong.

There is also news from Zhuo Ruhe. Taking advantage of the new year, he recruited a large number of robbers in the name of the imperial court, and sent them to silver taels to let them go home for the New Year. are borne by the government.

The work is very hard, and it is not as comfortable as being a robber, but after the event is completed, everyone can get the land, and depending on the situation, rent-free for one to five years, since then, you will become a good citizen, and you will no longer have to worry about it, so it attracts many people, etc. The Chu army launched an offensive, and more people accepted the recruitment.

In short, the general situation of Yunmengze has been determined, and Han Ruzi has been busy dealing with this matter for several days, urging the various ministries of the imperial court to cooperate, and almost forgot the messenger of the gods and ghosts.

But the imperial decree will not be forgotten. After receiving the decree, the Ministry of Rites fulfilled its duties. Ten days later, a memorial was sent. The first half of the content was about the untrustworthiness of these messengers.

At the end, Han Ruzi was both angry and laughable.

Shenguidadan is the name of the Huns, and the envoy's name for the master is more complicated. Translated into Chu text, it is probably the only true son of the gods in the sky, and they themselves assigned a simple title - Zhengtianzi.

The righteous emperor in the west sent an ultimatum to the pseudo emperor of Chu, ordering him to bow his head as a minister and go to the west to worship in person.