Tiger Guards

Chapter 176: Chicken feathers all over the place

To the north of the Hui River is Tang City.

The news of the attack on the Queen's carriage did not reach Zhang Yang until daybreak.

After all, Zhang Yang had seen big scenes and witnessed the deaths of Empress Dowager He and Empress Dowager Dong.

During the Luoyang coup, the armies stormed the palace and hunted down and killed eunuchs. It was impossible that they were all focused on killing eunuchs.

After listening to the detailed report, Zhang Yang simply stated: "Issue the army not to discuss the affairs of the imperial family."

Xue Hong said, "Mingsir, the General's eldest son has been murdered, and Minister Zhao has easily withdrawn his troops. I'm afraid the General will not give up easily."

"What can he do?"

Zhang Yang sat on a couch, his eyes calm. "Only Fu De was killed, and the rebellious soldiers only shot and injured Minister Zhao Fan. Clearly, they were dissatisfied with Fu De, and the soldiers took the opportunity to mutiniate during the march. If we don't investigate, it will only reinforce these rumors."

Seeing Xue Hong hesitate to speak, Zhang Yang, who was by nature tolerant, asked, "Sir, what else do you want to say?"

"It's about Minister Zhao's light troops' rescue last night. I think the general can use this incident to warn Minister Zhao and win his favor."

After saying this, Xue Hong bowed, took a few steps back and walked away.

Zhang Yang also felt that this statement made some sense. After contacting him for the past few days, he also discovered Zhao Ji's weakness, which was the lack of sufficiently reliable support.

It is also because there is no such armed force that is deeply tied to Zhao Ji that various forces cannot exist independently, nor can they exclude other forces. Instead, Zhao Ji can reconcile conflicts among various parties.

For example, the clan bandit forces, the one who can kill them is Zhao Ji, and only Zhao Ji can protect them.

Xu Huang was one of Bai Bo's former generals... When it comes to matters of origin, Xu Huang's words are not the only thing that counts. He followed Yang Feng in battles for a long time, accumulated merits and became a Cavalry Commander and Marquis of Duting. He had a deep imprint of Bai Bo on him.

The local poor warriors in Hedong relied on Zhao Ji even more so, so that the Eight Hundred Tiger Guards could maintain this special path to officialdom.

Even for the common people at the bottom, Zhao Ji gave them a lot of benefits, and by accumulating merits, he was promoted from the Tiger Infantry Army to the Tiger Guard.

Even the Xiongnu and Qiang people were fed up with the disorderly disputes and conflicts of the past and urgently needed a stable ruler of order, especially since Zhao Ji's military record was very good and in line with the survival logic of the Xiongnu and Qiang people.

So Zhao Ji went south to rescue the queen last night. Although it seemed dangerous, the risk was actually controllable.

After all, Fu Wan doesn't seem like someone who can seize power decisively.

Not only Zhang Yang, but also Xu Huang, who was stationed in Xingcheng, ordered the army not to discuss the matter after hearing the news.

In this atmosphere, the queen returned to Jiangyi in her carriage.

Fu De's body had been sent back to Jiangyi earlier, and it appeared directly in front of Fu Wan without any grooming.

Fude was strangled to death by a bowstring and then hung on a tree.

Fu Wan was filled with grief and sat paralyzed beside Fu De's body, speechless for a long time, wanting to cry but unable to.

His concubine's brother, the palace attendant Fan Pu, stepped forward to support him, but Fu Wan waved him away: "My son has been murdered. Could Minister Zhao have captured the rebellious soldiers?"

The two guards escorting the corpse looked at each other and one of them replied, "The rebel army fled to Jishan late at night, and the roads are difficult to follow. Besides, we have rescued the queen, so we will retreat to Beijiang."

"Please thank Minister Zhao on my behalf."

Fu Wan said he was going to see another relative, and the other relative understood and led two Tiger Guards away.

After the Tiger Guards left, Fu Wan said with all his might, "I want to see the Emperor."

The eldest son who had the greatest potential for success was already dead, but we couldn’t just ignore him like that.

But what can he do?
It was the palace guards under Fu De's daily management who mutinied and caused chaos. What does it have to do with Zhao Ji?
Even without receiving the imperial edict, Fude led most of the guards to evacuate the treasury without authorization and forced the queen to march north. If this is investigated, his death would be in vain.

In other words, ministers like Yang Qi were not there, and the other ministers were not there either.

Otherwise, if he were to be held accountable now, even if Fude did not die, he would have to pay a heavy price.

Inside the temporary palace, when Fu Wan arrived, Fu Shou and the others had re-bathed and applied powder to their faces. Aside from Concubine Dong, who rode skillfully and had minimal injuries, the other three walked with a stiff gait, and Concubine Song was even more frightened, her movements stiffening.

Even the palace maids who saw all this were terrified.

Fu Wan felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, and his fantasy was completely shattered.

He stood below, with scowls and narrowed eyes, looking annoyed and resentful, as if he was disgusted.

Liu Xie sat upright in the main seat, his face flushed and seething with anger, his voice trembling, "Marquis Buqi, why did you repeatedly send envoys to urge the Queen to set off north?"

Fu Wan bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, my children suffered because Zhao Yuanming stood by and did nothing. If he had sent the county troops to protect them, how could such a disaster have occurred?"

"Prince Yuanming didn't agree with this matter in the first place, so how can you still blame him?"

Liu Xie asked again, "Was Fude's decision to abandon the treasury and force the queen to go north? Was this his own decision, or was it at the behest of Marquis Buqi?"

"I don't know."

After kneeling down, he felt a surge of regret and could no longer suppress his sorrow, so he fell to the ground and cried bitterly.

He cried bitterly, and his crying gradually dissipated Liu Xie's anger.

Although he did not hold actual administrative power, Liu Xie was well aware of the importance of the Wei family treasury.

As long as Fu De is there, if Zhao Yan or Zhao Ji wants to use the money, they must consider the attitude of the court and themselves.

Whether it is negotiation, lobbying, or exchanging other things, the court will never suffer any loss.

Now, Fude can no longer deduct money from the treasury and has no patience to guard the treasury, which puts the court in a very passive position.

Even though Fu Wan's cries echoed, Liu Xie's anger continued to rise, lingering and difficult to extinguish.

After a moment, Fu Shou, who was standing beside him, turned to look at Shi Qian and said, "Grand Chamberlain, Marquis Buqi has lost his manners. Why aren't you helping him down?"

"only."

Shi Qian stepped out of the line and bowed. With a wave of his hand, two eunuchs came forward and carried Fu Wan out on the left and right.

Zhao Rui watched all this silently, then knelt down and kowtowed: "I am guilty."

Liu Xie turned to look at Fu Shou, and Fu Shou still looked at Shi Qian. Shi Qian waved his hand again, and two attendants on duty came in and dragged Zhao Rui out, one on the left and one on the right.

Zhao Rui did not resist or struggle. After being dragged away, he felt relieved.

The hall fell silent, and Liu Xie took the initiative to ask, "Queen, what should we do now?"

"So what does Your Majesty want to do?"

Fu Shou asked back, her mind calm.

I have encountered a series of bad things. Bad things can be big or small, and it is not the worst at the moment.

At this moment, she was already a person without a father or brother, and was somewhat similar to Liu Xie.

Liu Xie thought for a moment and then said, "I will lead the troops from Hedong and Henei to patrol Taiyuan. Lord Zhao will have the other ministers oversee the repairs of Emperor Yao's mausoleum and temple. After the patrol in Taiyuan, I will lead the civil and military officials to offer sacrifices to Emperor Yao and then return to Luodu."

Fu Shou turned to look at him. "Minister Zhao's request that Your Majesty lead the expedition in person was well-intentioned. Your Majesty, when you tour Taiyuan, must not rely on your attendants but make your own decisions. Otherwise, how will you be able to make decisions on world affairs when you return to Luodu?"

"The Queen doesn't want to go to Taiyuan?"

"Your Majesty, I am tired."

Fu Shou didn't want to say anything after this. Seeing Liu Xie looking at her, she said, "Minister Zhao has made outstanding contributions and is betrothed to my younger sister. I would like to ask for a fiefdom for my younger sister in Hedong."

After a pause, Fu Shou continued, "Your Majesty should be close to Minister Zhao. When Your Majesty tours Taiyuan, you should take Minister Zhao as your long-serving attendant."

(End of this chapter)