Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 173 Ascending the Throne
"Emperor Gao Yin, though not guilty of any wrongdoing, was young. Bandits in the west were rampant, the Xi people invaded, and the ministers were at odds. The emperor was unable to control them."

"The crape myrtle is dim, and the country needs a wise leader."

"Now I offer sacrifices to the Emperor Shenwu and consult with divination, and I get his approval. I depose Emperor Gao Yin and make him the King of Jinan, granting him a county and living in a separate palace."

"The sixth son of Emperor Shenwu, Prince of Changshan, was brilliant and talented at a young age. He has the potential to achieve great things. He is capable of both government affairs and military strategies. He can inherit the throne, worship the ancestors, and protect the world."

Emperor Gao Yin sat on the throne in a daze.

Inside the majestic hall, several stone pillars stood tall. Armored soldiers stood in the distance, staring at the many ministers kneeling in the hall.

Lou Zhaojun stood before the ministers and the emperor, and the eunuch beside her read out Lou Zhaojun's edict aloud.

Before Gao Yin could comprehend the situation, two eunuchs came forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, you may stand up and thank the Queen Mother."

Gao Yin still did not respond, so two eunuchs carried him up and brought him to Lou Zhaojun.

Gao Yin looked at Lou Zhaojun in front of him in panic, his eyes full of fear, "Grandma."

Lou Zhaojun didn't even look at him once, but turned to look at the ministers.

"Why are you still standing here? Why don't you go to Jinyang to welcome the new emperor?!"

Gao Zhan and Gao Guiyan hurriedly agreed, then led the ministers to stand up and leave in a hurry.

The hall suddenly became empty.

There was only an old lady and her good-for-nothing grandson.

The old lady's grim expression gradually softened. She walked a few steps with her cane, stood in front of Gao Yin, stretched out her hand, and touched her grandson's head.

"It's all right, it's all right, don't be afraid."

"In the future, I will be a vassal king at ease. I can study when I want to study and have fun when I want to have fun."

"I'll protect you."

Gao Yin looked at Lou Zhaojun's kind and gentle face and was stunned for a moment.

"Thank you, Queen Mother"

"Silly boy, why are you calling me Queen Mother? I am your grandmother!"

"Come, follow me back!"

Lou Zhaojun stretched out her hand, and Gao Yin stepped forward and held her hand, and the two of them slowly walked towards the harem. Gao Yin's heart was indescribably complicated. He still remembered that when he was very young, his grandmother doted on him very much. When several cousins ​​from his uncle's family bullied him, his grandmother always helped him scold them.

But when he grew up, he never saw the friendly look on his grandmother's face again. Instead, it always revealed disgust, anger, and disdain.
Gao Yin suddenly felt a lot more relaxed, and he couldn't help but hold his grandmother's hand tightly.

Lou Zhaojun glanced at him and laughed again.

"Silly boy, silly boy, you don't have this fate~~"

Jinyang, Xuande Hall.

The hall here is different from the one in Yecheng. It is more rough, but much larger. Even the pillars are much larger than those in Yecheng. Although there is no decoration, its size is enough to shock people.

Gao Yan was wearing a crown and sitting on the upper seat.

The ministers were dressed neatly and stood on both sides.

"His Majesty!!"

"His Majesty!!"

The ministers shouted again and again.

Gao Yan's face was calm as he looked at everyone. No excitement or ecstasy could be seen on his face. His expression was still solemn, just like before.

But the way the ministers looked at him was different.

"The emperor has issued an edict, ordering a general amnesty for the whole nation."

"Change the first year of Qianming to the first year of Huangjian."

"The Empress Dowager is still called the Empress Dowager! The Empress Dowager is called Empress Wenxuan, and the palace is called Zhaoxin!"

"His Majesty!!"

The ministers shouted again.

Gao Yan didn't want to make too much trouble, so he acted very quickly. From the edicts deposing and enthroning the emperor to the edict of his ascension to the throne, they were all simple and plain.

In the past, edicts of this level often required extensive rhetoric and often took half an hour to read, but now, deposing and enthroning was a matter of a single word. No one cared what the people of the world would think, nor what future generations would think, as long as the dethronement and enthronement could be accomplished.

After skipping many steps, Gao Yan let his ministers leave.

He still has a lot of important things to do.

Several important officials and royal family members in the court all stayed at this moment.

As they followed Gao Yan into the inner hall, the faces of those royal family members and nobles were filled with ecstasy.

Your Majesty ascended the throne in Jinyang!!

Yecheng and Jinyang seemed to be regarded by them as symbols of two different forces.

Perhaps it was because most of the important Han officials were in Yecheng, while most of the Xianbei nobles were in Jinyang.

Gao Zhan took a few quick steps and caught up with Gao Yan who was walking in front of him. His face was quite excited, "Brother, Your Majesty! The great thing has been accomplished!!"

Gao Yan just glanced at him but said nothing.

They returned all the way to the inner hall, and many of the emperor's confidants knelt before him.

Gao Yan cleared his throat and said, "Zhan, I appoint you as the right prime minister. Pay attention to the government affairs of the world and do not neglect them."

"I obey the decree!!"

"Prince Pingyang, I will promote you to be the Grand Tutor."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"King Pengcheng, you become the Grand Marshal."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"King Ping Qin, you will be promoted to Sikong and concurrently Shangshu."

"King Pingyuan, your position as general remains unchanged, and you will also serve as the crown prince's tutor."

"Mingyue, I will promote you to the Duke of Julu County."

Gao Yan read out the sentences one by one, and everyone present thanked him. However, Wang Xi, Cui Jishu and others suddenly fell silent.

Gao Yan rewarded these royal nobles one by one. Everyone was overjoyed. Some of them even glanced at the Han officials including Wang Xi from time to time, with pride in their eyes.

After Gao Yan rewarded everyone present, he looked at Gao Zhan and said, "As for those meritorious generals who did not come, they must not be treated unfairly. I plan to promote Lou Rui to the King of Dong'an, and the other meritorious royal family members should also be promoted."

"Some of them who are extremely talented can be summoned to the imperial court to take important positions. For example, Lanling Wang, who was the governor, can be brought back to serve as the commander of the central army and command the central army. The same goes for the rest of them."

Gao Zhan hurriedly saluted, "Yes!!"

After giving these instructions, Gao Yan let them leave. The royal family and nobles bid farewell to the emperor happily, and left the place talking and laughing.

Only then did Gao Yan look at Wang Xi and others.

"My Lord, I will make you a regular attendant of the imperial guards. From now on, you can enter the palace anytime to accompany me."

Wang Xi was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

"Shu Lang, I have succeeded the throne and have generously rewarded the royal family and nobles, but I have been particularly stingy with you. Are you dissatisfied?"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty has treated me with great kindness. I am grateful for this reward."

"All right."

Gao Yan interrupted him and continued, "Don't say anything empty. How can you not blame me for favoring one over the other?"

Gao Yan looked at the other Han officials and said, "My Lords, when Prime Minister Yang was still around, he thought that he, as the Prime Minister, was enough to command the world and make everyone obey. But judging from his fate, whether it is the Prime Minister's status or even the Emperor's status, I'm afraid it is not enough to make the people of the world obey. If you want them to obey, you must have money, food, and soldiers. Even if you have less of the first two, you must have the last one."

"The people I have awarded are all in command of powerful troops. Only by gaining their loyalty can we gradually gain control of the world instead of just having an empty title."

"Don't be anxious, my lords. Once I have made military achievements and am in control of the world's military affairs, then it will be time for you to show your talents."

Wang Xi hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, how could we not know your Majesty's painstaking efforts? Your Majesty does not need to say more. We will follow you wholeheartedly and work with you to govern the world, support the country, and complete the great cause that the previous emperor could not complete!"

Gao Yan did not reply. After calming everyone down, he turned and looked at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao was a special case among the ministers. He should be considered a Xianbei noble. Lu Yao was a Xianbei, and his bloodline was purer than Gao Yan, who was half Xianbei. His ancestor was even a Xianbei tribal chieftain, the real Bu Liugu.

He could even be considered a royal family member, as his nephew married Gao Yan's daughter, so he was considered related to the emperor.

But the most outrageous thing is that he still belongs to the Han scholar-official group. It's only because this group of infantry entered the Central Plains too early and had been separated from life outside the Great Wall for many years. They had already been assimilated into their current appearance by Han people. I don't know how much of the Xianbei language they can speak, but they have learned the Five Classics fluently, more scholar-official than the fucking scholar-officials.

Moreover, Lu Yao himself also likes to hang out with these Han officials. His biological identity is Xianbei, but his self-identity is Han.
"Mr. Lu, you should have been sent on the mission last month, but due to the instability outside the Great Wall, it has been delayed until now."

"Now that I have ascended the throne, this matter can no longer be delayed."

Lu Yao's face was solemn as he bowed to Gao Yan and said, "I will leave right away!"

He added: "However, Your Majesty, General Wuyi Liu Taozi is impatient and is not suitable for the important task of escorting. Can you choose one from among the officers to replace him?"

Lu Yao's eyes were filled with anxiety.

He was not afraid of being sent as an envoy to the Pseudo-Zhou, but he was afraid of Liu Taozi! !
He didn't want to have anything to do with this dirty guy anymore. He had never seen such a reckless man with such a strong murderous nature. At this time, there were a lot of problems inside the Pseudo-Zhou. They also wanted to slightly improve their relationship with the Great Qi. But if Liu Taozi was allowed to escort him, alas, my life would be over! !

He had no doubt that this barbarian would beat Wei Xiaokuan. By then, not to mention repairing the relationship between the two countries, even his life would be lost to the Pseudo-Zhou.

Di Xian'an also took a few steps and said seriously: "Your Majesty, what Lord Lu said makes sense. General Wuyi is very talented, and Wei Xiaokuan is definitely not a mediocre person. He must regard him as a great enemy. If we let General Wuyi go, I am afraid that the Pseudo-Zhou will break his promise and kill our general."

“That doesn’t make sense.”

"It would be safest to let General Wu Yi go in this matter."

The person who spoke was Cui Ang, who was the Minister of Shrines at the time.

Cui Ang's face was calm, as if he was commenting on a person who had nothing to do with him. "This time, we are escorting Lord Lu deep into enemy territory. Many generals have blood feuds with the Pseudo-Zhou and have killed too many people. If they go to the Pseudo-Zhou, I'm afraid they will not be able to escape. On the contrary, General Liu has never fought against the Pseudo-Zhou. Most of the people he slaughtered were the Qi people who had no soldiers and had no hatred for the Zhou people. Moreover, he is very courageous. If he goes to the Pseudo-Zhou, he will not lose the demeanor of our great country."

Di Xian'an's expression immediately turned ugly. "Mr. Cui, I know you have a grudge against General Wu Yi, but we are discussing important matters right now, why are you doing this?"

Everyone spoke up, some in support and some against.

Gao Yan suddenly spoke up, "Don't say too much."

He interrupted the argument and looked at Lu Yao, "Lu Qing, please stay. The rest of you can leave."

The ministers had no choice but to bow and leave.

Gao Yan said softly, "Lu Qing has a kind character, while Wei Xiaokuan is ruthless. I am afraid that Lu Qing will be wronged over there. Cui Ang was actually right. Taozi and the Zhou people do not have a big grudge. With him escorting me, I can feel more at ease and not afraid that Lu Qing will be humiliated."

Lu Yao said: "Your Majesty, I am worried that Liu Taozi will have a conflict with the Zhou people."

"No, Taozi may seem reckless, but he actually does things very thoughtfully and is definitely not a reckless man."

"He is still young, so it is not a bad idea to let him go and see his own enemy. The Pseudo-Zhou needs our help now, so they dare not attack you and Liu Taozi directly. Otherwise, they will definitely not be tolerated by the world. Don't worry."

Lu Yao slowly lowered his head and saluted the other party, "I obey your command!"

After walking out of the palace, Lu Yao couldn't help but look up and sigh.

It seems that I can't get rid of it.

Lu Yao did not dare to delay and returned home. In fact, his subordinates had already made preparations. Lu Yao's mission had been decided several months ago. It was only because Liu Taozi caused a lot of trouble outside the Great Wall and Yecheng and Jinyang were in unrest that he delayed his departure.

Now that Gao Yan had given the order, he dared not delay any longer and set out from Jinyang and headed for Wuchuan that day.

Lu Yao's trip this time was of extremely high standard. He carried the emperor's ceremonial staff and was escorted by the most elite guards. Naturally, Qian Zhubu once again followed Lu Yao, sitting in the car, sometimes preparing hot water and sometimes looking for sweet fruits.

Seeing Lu Yao frowning and looking unhappy, Qian Zhubu smiled and said, "His Majesty has appointed you as a regular attendant of the imperial guards. If this mission is successful, you will definitely be sent out as a governor of a large state. After a period of time, you can return to the court and take up a rank of official. This is a great thing. His Majesty is personally paving the way for you. Why are you worried?"

Lu Yao sighed and said, "If I were to go alone, there would be no worries, but this time I have to go with General Wu Yi!!"

"Who is General Wu Yi?"

"Liu Taozi."

"Ah?! Why is it him again?! Didn't you say you were going to write a letter to persuade His Majesty?"

"I did advise you, but Your Majesty didn't listen."

"It's a disaster, it's a disaster!"

Qian Zhubu was so anxious that he was running around in circles, sweating profusely. Seeing his appearance, Lu Yao calmed down instead, "Why are you so flustered?!"

"I hold the emperor's staff and am his sponsor, so how can I not control him?!"

Qian Zhubu lowered his head quickly and said, "If you come forward, you will be able to control him."

"Then tell me, how can I control him?"

"I"

Qian Zhubu blinked blankly, "Mr. Lu is powerful, just yell at him..."

Lu Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I should have kicked you out earlier. What use is there for you as an aide?"

Qian Zhubu did not feel ashamed, but laughed along with them.

Lu Yao no longer thought about what was going to happen next and began to seriously prepare for his trip to the Pseudo-Zhou. This time he was going to meet Wei Xiaokuan. He didn't know whether the Pseudo-Zhou emperor and other important officials would show up. Regardless of whether they showed up or not, Lu Yao had to be prepared to face them. In the following days, he sat in the car, reading a lot of information about the many officials of the Pseudo-Zhou. He felt dizzy and extremely tired.

We traveled on this journey for a long time.

Lu Yao's carriage finally arrived at the border.

Such a huge group of people certainly could not be concealed. When they saw someone coming with the emperor's staff, officials along the way came forward one after another and asked to welcome him. However, Lu Yao did not dare to waste time and simply said that he had important business to attend to and would not stay.

He rushed to Lou Rui and read out the imperial edict of enthronement.

Lou Rui was conferred the title of king.

Lou Rui was overjoyed and wanted to keep Lu Yao for a banquet, but Lu Yao just refused and set off for Wuchuan again.

Lu Yao stood on the high slope, looking into the distance with his eyes wide open.

"Why are there so many villages and towns here?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhubu hurried away. A moment later, he brought back a man dressed as a low-level official. When Qian Zhubu pulled him over, he was trembling with fear. When he saw Lu Yao, he quickly knelt down and saluted.

"Are you an official? What's your position?"

"My Lord! I used to be a minor official in the county, and now I am a minor official in Wuchuan, in charge of the Anmin Town here."

"The scattered officials of Wuchuan?? I have been to the border before, why don't I remember there is any town here?"

The man said quickly, "There weren't any in the past. After General Wu Yi arrived, he settled the civilians from all over the place, gathered the refugees and settled them around the garrisons for defense. Garrisons such as Wuchuan, Huaishuo, Jiangchuan, Baima, Huijiao, and Yicheng have become large counties with many villages and towns around them."

Lu Yao rubbed his forehead and asked, "Is it a township? Or a village?"

"The number of households is ten or a hundred, and they all receive the general's salary."

At this moment, Lu Yao's face suddenly froze and he didn't speak for a long time.

He took a deep breath again and said, "Okay, you can go back now."

After seeing off the official, Lu Yao got into the car again, and the group headed towards Wuchuan. On both sides of the road, one could often see villages under construction, with a large number of laborers busy at work. There were also people working in the surrounding farmland, some were reclaiming wasteland, some were harvesting grain, and some were digging canals for irrigation.

Lu Yao had been to the border many times. Because of years of war, this place has become a pure military fortress. Almost all civilian buildings have been abandoned. Several garrison cities face each other to defend the border. Now, villages have appeared around these border garrisons. Lu Yao knows that His Majesty had ordered the use of civilian laborers to cultivate the land in the border areas in the past, but the reclamation he had in mind seemed to be somewhat different from that of General Wu Yi.

After walking for a long time, Wuchuan City finally appeared in front of them.

Before they could get close, Liu Taozi appeared in front of them with his men.

Lu Yao walked out of the carriage, holding a staff, and looked at the army in front of him.

Yao Xiong and the others were horrified, "It's actually County Magistrate Lu!!"

They excitedly dismounted and came to pay their respects to their old friend. Liu Taozi also dismounted and bowed to Lu Yao.

Lu Yao frowned and, surrounded by several people, quickly walked in front of Liu Taozi.

He lowered his head and looked at the mighty young man in front of him.

"May I ask General Wu Yi, are you planning to gather people to rebel at the border?"

Tian Zilie, who was kneeling, suddenly raised his head. The other generals were also startled at this moment, but Liu Taozi raised his head calmly.

“I never thought of that.”

ps: At first, the emperor and Jinan agreed not to harm each other. ——"Northern History·Volume 7"

Lu Yao, the assistant to the Prime Minister, is about to go on a diplomatic mission.

(End of this chapter)