Chapter 1155 Zhou Chen Becomes a Fragrant Steamed Bun
The new emperor Zhao Zongquan is different from King Yong and King Yan. King Yong and King Yan have been operating in Bianjing City for many years. They have inextricable relationships with many officials and nobles in the court. They also have a profound background, so they can Fighting for the position of prince.
But as for Zhao Zongquan, he was like putting out a temporary fire and had no foundation at all in the court. This was the biggest reason why the Queen Mother could listen to politics behind the curtain.
If King Yong and King Yan ascend the throne, the Queen Mother will never have the opportunity to listen to politics behind the curtain.
Perhaps before Zhao Zongquan became emperor, he was unwilling to come to the capital and did not dare to be the prince because of fear.
But after he really became the emperor, his thoughts naturally changed drastically. He was already several decades old. Of course, he didn't want to be dominated by the Queen Mother Cao, and he also wanted to control power.
So after he ascended the throne, he began to think of ways to seize power. Making his brother-in-law the deputy commander of the front department was just one of them. He wanted to arrange his own people in other departments.
But after he implemented the plan, he discovered that the huge Bianjing city and court were beyond the ability of an emperor who came to the throne temporarily to put out a fire.
Many officials began to take refuge in him because he was the emperor, but more of them were still waiting and watching, especially those high-ranking officials and nobles who did not take him seriously at all. Most of his orders did not follow at all. I can't get out of the palace.
Most of the emperors of the Song Dynasty were aggrieved, but he was the first to be so aggrieved when he ascended the throne at his age.
In the Chui Gong Hall, official Zhao Zongquan rubbed his head with a headache, listening to the reports from his cronies.
The only people he can trust now are the subordinates he brought from Yuzhou. After he ascended the throne, he also tried his best to arrange these people under him, but unfortunately, the effect was too poor.
"Is it really impossible to win over Duke Jingguo?"
Zhao Zongquan asked Shen Congxing. For him, the most important thing now is to get the support of courtiers and nobles.
The civil servants and the Queen Mother controlled the affairs of the court, and the great ministers now regarded him more as a puppet. He only had the right to observe most things, and in the end, the Queen Mother Cao had to nod.
Because the most important jade seal now is in the hands of the Queen Mother. Without the jade seal, his will cannot be conveyed at all, and no one will listen to him.
The tiger talisman is in his hand, but the problem is that he has the tiger talisman, but he does not have the jade seal, and he cannot mobilize the troops at all. Except for the people he brought, there are not many generals in the court who are willing to obey his orders. They all work against each other, so establishing a good relationship with the nobles is one of the most important links.
And Zhou Chen happens to be the most noble Duke of Jingguo among the nobles. Now among the military, only the British Duke can compare with Zhou Chen in terms of military prestige, and the others are all a notch behind.
If he could get help from one of Zhou Chen and the British Duke, he would definitely have a good start with the nobles of the Manchu Dynasty.
But the problem is that the British man is very cunning and ignores him now, so he can only hope for the younger and more powerful Zhou Chen, so he sent his most trusted brother-in-law Shen Congxing.
Shen Congxing was very dissatisfied and said: "Your Majesty, Duke Jingguo is very arrogant. I have been the deputy commander of the palace for a long time, but I have only met him twice. I wanted to invite him to a banquet but was rejected. And the palace All the commanders in the former department are either following him or they are from the Queen Mother. Although I am the deputy commander, I can't command anyone at all. It's really frustrating."
Zhao Zongquan said in a deep voice: "I have heard of the name of Duke Jingguo for a long time. When the late emperor encountered a palace coup, there were so many generals in the court, but they chose to write a bloody edict to Duke Jingguo. This shows that the late emperor and the queen mother trusted him. And he lived up to the late emperor's trust and actually succeeded in rescuing the emperor and quelling the rebellion. Duke Jing was really as capable as he was in both civil and military skills as rumored."
"He has the trust of the late Emperor and the Queen Mother, and it is normal for him to prefer the Queen Mother. Since Duke Jingguo can't get through, let's try someone else."
After becoming the emperor, he understood that the court could use civilian officials to suppress military generals, but the emperor must not lack the support of military generals, especially a new emperor like himself.
At this time, Zhao Ceying in the hall suddenly said: "Father, do you still remember Gu Tingye's command?"
Zhao Zongquan's eyes lit up: "Of course I remember. If it hadn't been for him, our father and son might have been in danger. He is the second son of Ningyuan Houfu. His current position is the deputy commander of Ma Junsi. He is a very outstanding talent. .”
"Yes, it's more than that. I heard that Gu Tingye was able to join the army only because of the help of Duke Jingguo. Later, he also made great contributions under Duke Jingguo. On the day of the chaos in the capital, it was he who guarded the Hou Mansion for Duke Jingguo and protected the people. He has married Duke Jingguo's family, so his relationship with Duke Jingguo must be very good, and they are irreversible friends."
Zhao Ceying has been in the capital for a long time and has naturally found out a lot of news about the capital. Everyone in the capital knows about the relationship between Gu Tingye and Zhou Chen. Whenever Gu Tingye is mentioned, Zhou Chen cannot be avoided.
"Perhaps we can start with Gu Tingye. Not only does he have a close relationship with Duke Jingguo, he is also the legitimate son of Ningyuan Houfu. If he can stand on our side, he will definitely give a good signal to the nobles of the court."
"In addition to Gu Tingye, there is also Qi Heng and Qi Yuanruo. The reason why Yuanruo was forced to leave the capital was because the woman he liked was the sixth girl of Sheng Mansion. However, Duke Qi and Princess Ning did not agree, and they were also attacked by King Yong. Because of the threat, Yuan Ruocai had to leave Beijing to avoid the limelight."
"Qi Yuanruo has an unusual relationship with the sixth girl of the Sheng family, and Duke Jingguo's eldest daughter happens to be the eldest daughter of the Sheng family. Perhaps through Yuanruo, we can get off to a good start with Duke Jingguo."
"Gu Tingye and Qi Heng Qi Yuanruo?"
Zhao Zongquan thought of that outstanding talent, the humble and gentlemanly Qi Yuanruo. He liked his appearance and temperament very much, while Gu Tingye's bravery impressed him deeply. Both of them were definitely young talents, and he wanted to conquer them both.
However, the one he wanted to conquer the most was Duke Zhou Chen of the Kingdom of Jing. Compared with the elderly British Duke, Duke Zhou Chen of the Kingdom of Jing will definitely be the number one in the army in the future. What’s more, Zhou Chen is not only brave, but also a scholar with great literary talent. Conquering one Zhou Chen is more useful than conquering a dozen generals.
"Okay, I'll leave this to you to try."
"My son, take your orders."
Zhao Ceying immediately agreed. After coming to the capital, he naturally wanted to do something big rather than just enjoy it.
After everyone left, the queen came to the palace and massaged the official's head with her own hands.
"I know that Your Majesty is upset, but I would like to ask Your Majesty not to work too hard. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing."
"Working hard? Huh, my job as an emperor is nothing."
In front of the queen, Zhao Zongquan could no longer bear it, with a look of unwillingness. He had been emperor for some time, but during this period, he could not make any decisions. Everything was decided by the queen mother and the officials. Every day In the morning, he sat there like a mascot.
"Does Your Majesty think so highly of Duke Jingguo?"
"Of course, if we can subdue Duke Jing Guo, most of the nobles will be able to return to their hearts. Compared with the difficult civil servants in the court, nobles like them are easier to conquer."
"If His Majesty really wants to conquer Duke Jingguo, I can try to help."
Zhao Zongquan pressed the queen's hand and asked in surprise: "Do you have any idea?"
Queen Shen is an extremely dignified and elegant person, and her speaking voice is gentle and slow, giving people a very amiable feeling.
"I heard that Duke Jing loves his eldest wife very much and has not taken a concubine for six or seven years after they were married. This year, his eldest wife helped him take a concubine. This concubine is the cousin of Lady Shanda. , the entire Duke Jingguo’s residence is made by Lady Shanda alone, so Lady Shanda must have a transcendent status in Duke Jingguo’s heart, I thought, maybe we can start from Lady Shanda.”
Zhao Zongquan hesitated and said: "What you said is correct, but I am afraid that the Queen Mother will not be able to deal with it. The Queen Mother also values Duke Jing very much, and I am afraid she will not let you succeed easily."
Queen Shen said: "It will be my birthday in a few days, and it will be a matter of course to invite some noble ladies to the palace."
"In that case, let's try it."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
…………
"Sanlang, Hua'er, come here quickly, come here quickly, let me take a look."
This was the first time Zhou Chen and Hua Lan returned to Sheng Mansion after the palace change, and it was also the first time they met the old lady again after a long time.
Previously, everyone in the Sheng Mansion was very worried about Zhou Chen and Hua Lan. Later, Wang Ruofu took several children to the Duke's Mansion, which was also the former Hou Mansion, but she did not go at that time.
The old lady showed herself holding Hualan's hands: "As long as it's okay, it'll be okay."
Then she looked at Zhou Chen again and praised with satisfaction: "Sanlang is more majestic than before. It's great."
Wang Ruofu said with a smile: "Old lady, your grandson-in-law is now the Duke of the country, and of course he is more majestic than before."
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, except for the founding Duke who was canonized at the beginning, the rest of the Dukes have been granted lifetime titles at most. This kind of promotion from the hereditary and irreplaceable Founding Duke to the hereditary and irreplaceable Founding Duke is still a history. The first one since.
The Duke is very noble, but even more noble is the hereditary and replaceable Duke. Throughout the Song Dynasty, there were only a few hereditary and replaceable Dukes.
In the past, Zhou Chen's Marquis had already made her look good. Now Zhou Chen has become the Duke of Jing, and the eldest daughter is now the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion. She is also a first-grade imperial concubine conferred by the imperial court. It can be said that she truly stands on the throne. reached the top of the imperial court.
As Zhou Chen's mother-in-law, she was naturally honored. If her officials hadn't allowed her to show off, she would have set off firecrackers for a long time to let everyone in the capital know that she was the newly crowned Duke of Jingguo. My eldest uncle.
No, in the past few days, I don’t know how many powerful ladies in Bianjing City have sent her greeting cards, wanting to come to the Sheng Mansion to have a chat, and even invited her to attend this party. The number at that party was even higher than when Zhou Chen succeeded Zhongjing. Hou, Hualan became the eldest wife of the Zhongjing Hou, and she had to be taken seriously.
Nowadays in Bianjing City, which official with a girl in a noble house does not envy their prosperous house?
Nowadays, their Sheng Mansion is also one of the most famous noble houses in Bianjing City.
The old lady was not as excited and happy as Wang Ruofu, but instead gave instructions with a solemn face.
"Sanlang, although you are now the Duke of the country, you still have to be careful in your words and deeds, and don't be arrogant and complacent."
"Grandma, don't worry, I know what to do."
Of course Zhou Chen understood that the old lady was doing it for his own good, and was afraid that he would become drifting off and forget about himself if he achieved such a high position at such a young age.
But how could he do that? He had been the emperor for decades, so how could he become so complacent and get carried away just because he was granted the title of Duke?
Zhou Chen and Hua Lan chatted with the old lady. The old lady was very happy when she learned that Shulan was several months pregnant and that both Shulan and the fetus were fine.
These are her juniors, and of course she hopes that these juniors can be happy and live a noisy life.
Fan Lou.
Zhou Chen came to the private room on the top of the building and saw the three people staying inside, Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and the eldest son of the current new emperor, King Huan.
Originally, if King Huan invited him alone, he would definitely not agree to attend the banquet, but Gu Tingye and Qi Heng persuaded him, so Zhou Chen gave them face and agreed to come.
Huan Wang Zhao Ceying is indeed a character in the TV series. At least he is much stronger than the current emperor Zhao Zongquan, and he looks like a courageous person.
This is also the reason why Zhou Chen agreed to come. If King Huan was a loser who couldn't stand up to the stage, he wouldn't come to the banquet.
According to the plot, Zhao Zongquan has completely changed from the official history of the Song Dynasty after he succeeded to the throne. According to his age, he is completely inconsistent with the official status of emperor after Renzong.
As soon as Zhou Chen arrived, the three people in the room stood up.
"Brother."
"Dong Jingguo."
"I've met Duke Jingguo."
Among the three, Gu Tingye is the most relaxed. Although Zhou Chen became Duke of Jing, his title has never changed. He always calls Zhou Chen brother. Anyway, in his eyes, Zhou Chen is better than his elder brother. More like a brother.
"His Royal Highness King Huan."
Zhou Chen's polite address, given his current status, does not require much respect for King Huan, who is not yet the prince.
"Sit, sit."
Zhao Ceying asked Zhou Chen and the others to sit down, and then asked people to start serving wine and food.
Zhou Chen and Zhao Ceying were not familiar with each other, but with Gu Tingye and Qi Heng there, there was no silence. After a few glasses of wine, they became familiar with each other.
Then Zhao Ceying began to talk about the current situation in the court overtly and covertly. Although the words were very cryptic, everyone could understand the meaning.
Among them, Qi Heng was the simplest one. He quickly talked about how your Majesty is kind, generous, wise and mighty, and how he should assist His Majesty in building a new prosperous age.
Gu Tingye interrupted with a smile and did not give a positive answer at all. As for Zhou Chen, it was even more impossible to give a clear answer.
Nowadays, who doesn’t know that the Queen Mother listens to politics behind the curtain, and if the new emperor wants to regain power, he will have to fight with the Queen Mother, which makes the battle between the Emperor and the Queen Mother inevitable.
Until the situation is clear, no one is willing to take sides easily.
Until the end of the dinner, Zhao Ceying did not get a reply from Zhou Chen and Gu Tingye. She was very disappointed, but she still said farewell to Zhou Chen and Zhou Chen politely.
When leaving, Gu Tingye specially got on Zhou Chen's carriage.
"Brother, His Royal Highness Prince Huan must have come to recruit you on His Majesty's orders."
"Well, not just me, but you too."
Gu Tingye nodded and said in a deep voice: "Now that the Queen Mother is in power, it seems that our Majesty is not willing to be a puppet. He wants to compete with the Queen Mother for power. Brother, what are your plans? The Queen Mother will eventually return to power. To His Majesty."
Zhou Chen said: "Then wait until then. You also know that I am not representing the same person now, but you are different from me. You can make your own decision without considering me."
Gu Tingye smiled casually and said: "Who doesn't know that my brother and I are on the same side now? Unless I fall out with my brother now, any decision I make will be suspected to be related to my brother."
"That's true, but you and I are both hereditary noble families. As long as we don't fall in line, we won't get any credit, but as long as we don't make mistakes, even the officials and the Queen Mother cannot easily deprive us of our titles. "
This is also the benefit of nobility. Even though it is not as noble as civil servants, it can be passed down. This is why so many ladies want to marry into noble families.
"What do you mean, brother, sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers? Aren't you afraid that both sides will be in trouble?"
"Zhonghuai, you are a smart man. Learn from those civil servants and see how they do it."
Zhou Chen meaningfully reminded Gu Tingye that civil servants are said to be noble, but in fact, when it comes to moral integrity, most civil servants have no lower limit. On this point, military attachés still need to learn more from civil servants.
Gu Tingye thought thoughtfully. In fact, he was more inclined to favor the new emperor. No matter what, Zhao Zongquan was still the master of the world, and Empress Dowager Cao was just a prostitute. How long could she listen to politics behind the curtain?
Since he has to return to power sooner or later, wouldn't it be more important if he joins the new emperor's staff early?
Zhou Chen didn't know what Gu Tingye was thinking. If he knew, he would definitely lament that things couldn't be that easy.
The reason why Zhao Zongquan wanted to win over him was simply because he took a fancy to his power and status. He wanted to use him as a gunman to deal with the Queen Mother, and he didn't have much trust in him at all.
For Zhao Zongquan, his most trusted ministers are always his secret servants, just like Gu Tingye in the plot. If he hadn't had a sworn relationship with Zhao Zongquan and his son and saved them many times, how would he be reused by Zhao Zongquan.
With his current identity and status, there is no need to make a fuss and make a clear decision to join one party.
Two days after he had dinner with Zhao Ceying, he was called over by Empress Dowager Cao.
When Empress Dowager Cao saw Zhou Chen, she had a very good attitude, but she expressed her feelings overtly and covertly, saying that Zhou Chen was in his current position because she had recommended him to the late emperor, etc. She meant that Zhou Chen should not be ungrateful and betray her. , took refuge in Zhao Zongquan.
Zhou Chen was very familiar with this situation and immediately stated resolutely that he would never do anything to disgrace the eldest empress, nor would he forget the kindness between the late emperor and the eldest empress.
Zhou Chen's knowledge made Empress Dowager Cao very satisfied. Of course she knew that the new emperor was trying his best to win over the old ministers and nobles, but after such a long time, the response was mediocre. Now with the guarantee of Zhou Chen, the Duke of Jingguo, she was mostly relieved. .