Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 273 If my General Wei were here, he would definitely chop off your head!

Yecheng, Gaoyun Prefecture.

The palace is shaded by green trees, and officials come in and out frequently, making it extremely busy.

Gao Rui strode along the road. The officials he met along the way stopped to greet him. Gao Rui frowned and strode forward. The officials who led the way for him could only jog to keep up with him.

They walked all the way to the study, and without waiting for the clerk to report, Gao Rui pushed the door open and walked in.

The soldiers at the door didn't dare to stop him and were hesitant to speak.

When I pushed open the door, I saw a lot of documents piled up, forming small hills in the house.

Gao Xun was sitting among the mountains with four or five other people, talking about something. Gao Rui's sudden intrusion startled everyone, and they hurriedly stood up and bowed to greet him.

Gao Rui said coldly: "I have something important to discuss with King Pengcheng, you guys go out first."

Everyone looked at Gao Yu.

Gao Yu paused, then motioned for them to go out.

The scribes went out and closed the door.

There were only two kings left in the room, sitting facing each other.

The two looked at each other but didn't speak. They were becoming more and more alike. Although they were both young, they exuded a deep sense of decadence from the inside out.

There is an indescribable tiredness and a suffocating atmosphere.

Gao Yu was the first to ask, "What's the matter, Prince Zhao?"

There was no need for greeting between the two of them as they were both busy.

"Something happened in the palace."

"The Empress Dowager has several female officials around her, all of whom are men. There is also a monk who has entered the harem many times. Many people call him the Emperor Emeritus."

Gao Yu's expression didn't change at all. Although he was still young, he had experienced so much that he was no longer surprised when hearing these things.

There are so many evil spirits and monsters, and so many absurd things, so what does this matter?

Gao Rui said seriously: "Your Majesty discovered it."

At this moment, Gao Yu was a little moved, "Your Majesty, you didn't do anything, did you?"

"Your Majesty ordered the execution of all the men around the Queen Mother, as well as the monk, who was sentenced to death."

"I wasn't being disrespectful to the Queen Mother."

Gao Yu nodded and whispered, "That's good."

"Did Lu Lingxuan send anyone to look for you?"

"Lu Lingxuan?"

Looking at the confused Gao Yu in front of him, Gao Rui asked with some displeasure: "Prince Pengcheng has done such a big thing, but he doesn't care about the affairs of the court at all?!"

"Your Majesty's adoptive mother, Bu Liugu!"

Gao Yu suddenly realized what was going on. He did not explain anything and said, "He never came to see me."

Gao Rui said: "This woman is very ambitious. She contacted me earlier and told me many of the Queen Mother's crimes, and then was discovered by Your Majesty. I don't think this is a coincidence."

"His Majesty just summoned me to the palace, and I found that Liu Taozhi was standing next to the emperor."

"At present, the power of the Hu family is growing stronger in the imperial court. At the local level, the outside generals can no longer control it. Liu Taozhi seems to have conspired with Lu Lingxuan. I suspect that Liu Taozi is also related to this matter."

"Liu Taozi"

Gao Yu said blankly.

At this moment, he no longer has the cleverness and intelligence he used to have. He looks a little slow and a bit behind the times.

Gao Rui simply said it out loud.

"The government is beginning to get out of our control. Hu Changren is meeting with the nobles I dismissed and trying to take charge of major affairs. Lu Lingxuan is ambitious and intends to take charge of the harem. Liu Taozi is colluding with court officials and the harem. The elite of the Warrior Battalion has disappeared. Lou Rui and others are running around for him, sending merchant ships and carriages to the border. We must do something."

Gao Yu was confused again and murmured, "Do something..."

Gao Rui raised his eyebrows and said coldly: "If King Pengcheng doesn't care so much, he might as well have done nothing in the first place."

"The world is falling apart. I dare not say that it is all your fault, but what you did before did make the situation worse. If that is the case, you must continue to do it. Once you have done this, you cannot stop. There is no reason to give up halfway. King Pengcheng, do not underestimate me!!"

Gao Rui hated Gao Yin's inaction.

He had seen people who killed their nephews after coming to power, and had seen people who played with their sisters-in-law after coming to power, but none of these were as shocking as Gao Yu's situation where he worked overtime after coming to power.

After Gao Yun seized power in the imperial court, he actually began to govern the country. He stayed in his office all day long and did not go out for several days. The few times he went out were all for official business.

Instead of winning over nobles or dealing with political enemies, he just thought about working overtime.

After finishing the winter, we start to prepare for the spring, and after finishing the spring, we start to prepare for the autumn harvest.

Is there anyone as powerful as you?

Gao Yu sighed deeply; he also had his own difficulties.

"Prince Zhaojun, you don't know that the government is almost unable to pay salaries. I need to find a way to get food and grass in Jinyang, and the disaster in Qingxu cannot be stopped. The people of the world are the country. If the people can't survive, the officials in various places will be cut off from their salaries, the government will not be able to operate, and the country will be in danger."

"I know all this, but if there is a problem in the government, then no matter how many plans you have in mind, it will be useless!"

Gao Yu looked at him calmly, "Da Qi can't stand any more turmoil. What else can we do under the current circumstances? We can maintain the current order and take it step by step. The Equal Field System has been successful in some places, and I have promoted many people. These people are all useful wise men..."

Gao Rui didn't say anything else.

The two fell silent again.

Gao Yu said slowly: "I understand what the Prince of Zhao wants to do, but the world today is like a terminally ill patient. No drastic measures can be taken. We can only maintain it for now..."

Gao Rui raised his head and said softly: "You don't need strong medicine, but you can't resist others pouring poison into your mouth..."

Gao Yu wanted to say something, but Gao Rui had already stood up. He glanced at Gao Yu and whispered, "Since King Pengcheng is unwilling to do it, I will do it myself. Lu Lingxuan wants to occupy the harem, and Liu Taozi wants to expand her power. I can tolerate these temporarily, but I cannot tolerate Hu Changren sheltering many illegal traitors and trying to re-employ them."

Gao Yu's face flashed with worry, but he couldn't dissuade him, so he said: "We are facing a powerful enemy, I hope you won't be too impatient... Now we need to unite as one to fight against the Pseudo Zhou. The envoys I sent should have arrived at the Pseudo Chen by now... In order to fight against the Pseudo Zhou, even the Southern Kingdom needs to be appeased, let alone the domestic country?"

Gao Rui was stunned for a moment, then became furious, "You sent an envoy to the Southern Kingdom?"

"How come I don't know?!"

"Prince Zhao is busy fighting the Hu family all day, how could he know these things?"

Gao Yu said seriously, "Yuwen Hu sent an envoy to the Southern Kingdom, saying that he was willing to marry a Southern Kingdom woman for his son, hoping to repair the relationship, and he might even want to divide Da Qi... So I also hurriedly sent an envoy, also in the name of marriage, to prevent the two sides from joining forces."

"Join hands?"

Gao Rui laughed loudly, "Does the southerner still want to follow the Pseudo-Zhou to attack us? He should first subdue the princes in the south before talking about the northern expedition!!"

"Submission."

"What??"

Gao Rui was stunned.

Gao Yu continued, "While you were busy fighting, Chen Tanqian had already captured and killed Chen Baoying, Liu Yi and his son, and defeated Zhou Di."

"The Southern Kingdom has finally been unified... The remaining bandits are not a concern. Chen Tanqian has defeated the princes in the south one after another. Now we have abundant food and grass, strong soldiers and horses, and many brave generals are eyeing us covetously. What do you think, Prince Zhao, should I send an envoy to the Southern Kingdom?"

The worry on Gao Rui's face grew even greater.

In the past, he did not take the State of Chen seriously at all, because there were many princes in the south, and the State of Chen was just one of the larger ones. Gao Rui felt that the other party was not qualified to be compared with himself. Of course, the people of the south also felt that the two princes in the north had failed to achieve unification and were not qualified to be compared with themselves.

But now, Lord Chen has pacified the south and started to accumulate strength, and the situation has become somewhat different.

The kings of the two northern countries have not been very outstanding in recent years. Although there have been some who have performed amazingly, their true colors have often been quickly exposed. But it is different in the south. The previous one was very powerful, and this one is not bad either. If it weren't for their national strength being too weak, they would have become a powerful enemy of the north.

Chen, Jiankang.

The wind blew slowly, and the soldiers stood in line on both sides of the steps, neatly arranged and without looking sideways.

The Qi envoy Huangfu Liang and several deputy envoys walked among these soldiers.

An official walked in front of the envoys on the left, leaning sideways and leading the way for them with a smile.

Huangfu Liang couldn't be happy, the current situation was different from the past. After coming to the South, he suffered a lot of difficulties. Officials of all ranks were smiling, but they always had hidden meanings and tried every means to embarrass him.

Huangfu Liang was a straightforward man with a simple and honest character, which made it difficult for him to survive in the State of Chen.

At this moment, looking at the hall in the distance, he was very worried. He didn't know what would happen next.

Just when he walked down the stairs and arrived at the main hall gate, a rough-looking man suddenly flashed out. Huangfu Liang didn't even see where he came from. He was led by many armored soldiers who immediately surrounded Huangfu Liang.

Huangfu Liang hurriedly bowed to greet him.

The official at the side explained with a smile: "This is the one who holds the title of Imperial Envoy, the Grand Master of the Three Departments, the Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the five states of Yangzhou, Nanxu, Dongyang, Nanyu, and Beijiang, the Governor of Yangzhou, the General of the Cavalry, and the King of Ancheng."

Huangfu Liang was stunned when he heard this. He waited until the official finished speaking before he bowed to greet him.

"Greetings to King Ancheng!"

Before arriving, he had made preparations. He knew that the man in front of him was the younger brother of Chen Qian, the emperor of the State of Chen, and his name was Chen Xu.

At present, he is considered a well-known and important official in the territory of Chen State. The emperor values ​​him very much and he has great power.

Chen Xu was tall and burly. He lowered his head and looked at the envoy in front of him.

"Are you Huangfu Liang?"

"Exactly."

"Please follow me to another palace to meet His Majesty the Emperor."

Huangfu Liang was startled. He looked up at the main hall and said, "As an envoy, shouldn't I pay my respects in the main hall?"

Chen Xu grinned and said, "You came too late. You missed the time and the main hall has already closed. You can only go to another hall to meet him."

Huangfu Liang asked in bewilderment, "Can't we wait until tomorrow to see you?"

"Tomorrow? After today, it's hard to say whether we can meet or not."

"Then let's go to another palace."

The faces of the several deputy envoys behind Huangfu Liang changed drastically at this moment and they were very angry.

Such a standard was clearly a sign of contempt for them. How come the envoys of the Zhou people could meet and discuss matters in the main hall, but they had to go to another hall to make reports? Was it such contempt for them? ?

But as the instigator, Huangfu Liang agreed. Everyone couldn't refute him in person, but they were all angry in their hearts.

Chen Xu led them to another hall, striding ahead at an extremely fast pace, completely disregarding the respect due to the envoys.

They walked in the palace for a long time, turning here and there, and finally arrived at the gate of a palace.

Chen Xu asked them to wait here while he went in to report.

While Chen Xu was going in, Deputy Envoy Gao stepped forward and said to Huangfu Liang: "Mr. Huangfu!! We are here on the orders of the Emperor. We cannot be looked down upon by them. Even if we die here, we cannot be humiliated. When discussing important matters, please do not give in!"

Huangfu Liang lowered his head and did not answer.

At this moment, Chen Xu walked into the hall, where sat a man who was slightly older than Chen Xu.

The man looked much gentler than Chen Xu. He had a scholar-style mustache and soft eyes, and looked very amiable.

"Your Majesty, I have brought the envoy."

"That Huangfu Liang is indeed as stupid and cowardly as the rumors say. Perhaps we can use him to find out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

Hearing Chen Xu's words, Emperor Chen Qian of the Great Chen slowly raised his head.

"You didn't embarrass the Qi envoy, did you?"

"It's not a problem, but I don't know why Qi would send such a person."

The emperor whispered, "Most of those overly clever envoys have trade in the south, and they can only send a few people."

He looked at Chen Xu again and asked, "Do you really think we should help the Pseudo-Zhou to attack the Pseudo-Qi?"

"Not to help the fake Zhou."

"The Pseudo-Zhou is pressing us very hard. If we don't take the initiative to attack, I'm afraid the situation will become increasingly difficult. I want to take advantage of their battle to successfully defeat the Hu people, conquer Huainan and other places, divide the river and govern, and no longer be easily controlled by others."

Chen Xu said very seriously.

Chen Xu agreed to follow the Zhou people to fight against the Qi people, which is why he was so rude to the Qi envoy.

When Chen Qian heard his brother's words, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

"Is it just to conquer Huainan?"

Chen Xu was stunned, "What do you mean, brother?"

"If we want to fight, then we should do it with the ambition of conquering the Central Plains. We don't have the resources to fight frequently. We should work hard to build a strong force for a fight, and then conquer the Central Plains with one strike. If we just think about making steady progress, I'm afraid that in the end the fruits will fall into the mouths of others."

Chen Xu was a little unconvinced. He said, "Brother, conquering the Central Plains is not something that can be achieved in a short period of time, but Huainan is different. If we want to accumulate enough strength to annex the Central Plains, how long will it take? How powerful will the enemy be?"

Chen Qian shook his head and said, "Just listen to me. Go and call Huangfu Liang in first."

Chen Xu had no choice but to ask someone to call Huangfu Liang and others to come in for an audience.

Huangfu Liang and others finally walked into the hall, and Huangfu Liang took the lead in paying a visit to Chen Qian.

"Foreign minister Huangfu Liang pays his respects to Lord Chen!"

Chen Xu narrowed his eyes immediately, "You can call me Your Majesty."

Huangfu Liang dared not speak, but Deputy Envoy Gao raised his head and retorted, "My Majesty is in Ye, not in Jiankang."

Chen Xu sneered, "Wasn't your Majesty sent to Jinyang and imprisoned? How can he be in Ye?"

"The Emperor is in Jinyang, but Your Majesty is in Ye. Qi is different from the Southern Kingdom. There are rules of etiquette and clear distinctions between superiors and subordinates. The emperor is the emperor, the Emperor is the Emperor, and the princes are the princes. When the emperor has not spoken, neither the Emperor nor the princes will speak first."

Chen Xu said sternly, "The envoys from Zhou treated us with great respect and never showed any disrespect. I think the etiquette of the north is in Zhou, not Qi."

Deputy Envoy Gao snorted coldly and looked up. "My general Wei defeated Yang Zhong in Wuchuan, then defeated the Turks, captured Yongfeng, attacked Ling, and the people of Xia and Zhou were terrified. They called for a large army to attack, but they dared not face my general directly. They came here specially to ask for help, so naturally they are respectful and bow their heads!"

“If King Chen wants to learn the etiquette of Zhou, he might as well kill a few of us first. When General Wei leads the heavenly soldiers to kill Yang Zhong first and then defeat Yuwen, he will definitely come to both sides of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers and chop off some heads, so that the people here will also have more etiquette!!”

Chen Xu was furious, his eyes wide open.

Chen Qian laughed, "Good envoy, what is your name?"

"I am Gao Daohuo, Duke of Jingzhao County!!!"

Chen Xu was stunned and looked at the envoy in front of him again. Chen Qian reacted first and whispered, "It's Gao Aocao's son."

Gao Daohuo added: "I heard that the Zhou people sent envoys to ask for marriage. When the court heard about this, they were afraid that you would be deceived by the thieves, so they asked us to come!"

"But after we arrived, we were humiliated many times. In my opinion, your country has been bullied by the Zhou people. We are already too late!"

"If Lord Chen doesn't want to kill us, please let us go back. The next time we come here, it won't be the envoys who were bullied, but the general who leads the frontier warriors!!!"

Chen Xu didn't dare to speak for a moment, his brows furrowed.

Chen Qian glanced at his brother, and then looked at Huangfu Liang, "General Wei of Qi, I have heard a lot about him, and I want to make friends with him. If he is willing to come, that would be great."

"As for the Zhou envoy, this is just a betrothal gift, not an agreement to form an alliance or send troops. The Qi envoy should not worry too much."

"I am willing to live in harmony with Qi, send envoys to each other, and trade with each other."

The emperor talked with Huangfu Liang for a long time. The atmosphere was very harmonious and there was no longer the previous embarrassment. After talking for a long time, Huangfu Liang finally left.

Chen Xu sent someone to see them off, then looked at the emperor, "Your Majesty, are you really not going to send troops?"

"If we don't have the strength to seize the Central Plains in one battle, then sending troops will be useless. Don't be anxious."

After Chen Qian finished speaking, he suddenly started coughing. Chen Xu was shocked and hurried forward.

"Brother, you are busy with government affairs every day without eating or drinking, getting up earlier than anyone else and going to bed later than anyone else. How can this be possible?"

Chen Qian had a stern face and said nothing.

His health was getting worse, but the country had so many things to do. The prince was young and ignorant. Chen Qian slowly looked at his younger brother.

"Xu, if I am no longer able to do this, you will take over my position."

Chen Xu was stunned, and immediately knelt down in front of his brother, crying loudly.

"Brother!! If you say so, then I will have no choice but to die!!"

"Oh, get up, get up."

Chen Xu just lowered his head and cried loudly.
There wasn't a single tear on her face.

ps: There has been a buzzing sound in the study room since last night, like an electric current, very obvious. I unplugged all the electrical appliances but it didn’t help. I thought it was tinnitus. As a result, my family members also heard it when they entered the study room. The sound in other rooms was very low. I don’t know what’s wrong. I have been tossing and turning for a whole day, and I don’t know who to find. My thoughts are in a mess! ! I will find a place to retreat tomorrow. Even if I have to write until dawn, I will finish today’s chapter! !
(End of this chapter)