Song Xiu

Chapter 29 Duke Wei's Move Startled the Imperial City
The next morning, Wei Renpu tidied his clothes in front of the bronze mirror and then opened the door.

As usual, the eunuchs and maids in Yande Palace were diligently cleaning every corner of the palace.

In their minds, today is no different from any other day.

It wasn't until Wei Renpu appeared before them and decisively walked towards the palace gate that they understood.

Is Duke Wei going out?
This astonishing idea arose in the minds of the eunuchs and palace maids of Yande Palace.

For more than half a month, Wei Renpu has not only refused to leave the palace, but has also rarely stepped out of his room.

The eunuchs and palace maids, accustomed to being driven, did not like any unexpected events to occur.

With the eldest and second princes not currently in the palace, they had no idea who to consult regarding Wei Renpu's unusual behavior.

Should we stop them?
Some eunuchs and palace maids began to have this question in their minds.

But when Wei Renpu's identity was mentioned, no one in the palace dared to stop him until he actually stepped out of the palace gate.

As for outside the palace...

As the prince's residence, Yeondeok Palace was frequently patrolled by imperial guards.

To protect Zhao Dexiu's safety, the imperial guards stationed outside Yande Palace were all personally appointed by Zhao Kuangyin.

Since they had not received prior orders, they would not obstruct Wei Renpu without cause, but they still quickly reported the news to Zhao Kuangyin.

When Zhao Kuangyin suddenly heard the news, he was somewhat incredulous.

"Did Wei Renpu really head towards Xuande Gate?"

Xuande Gate was the main gate connecting the outer city and the imperial city.

Wei Renpu walked towards Xuande Gate, his intention to leave the imperial city was obvious.

While Zhao Kuangyin was still pondering Wei Renpu's intentions, Chu Zhaofu, who was standing nearby, sensed something was amiss and quickly advised Zhao Kuangyin:
"Your Majesty, Wei Renpu has many protégés and old friends in the court. We should send someone to prevent him from leaving the palace."

Currently in the Wansui Hall is Fu Yanqing, who has just been summoned back to the court.

After noticing the wink Chu Zhaofu gave him, Fu Yanqing quickly chimed in, "Inspector Chu is right."

Fu Yanqing was the son of Fu Cunshen, a famous general of the Later Tang Dynasty. He was known for his bravery in his youth and became Li Cunxu's personal commander after adulthood.

Fu Yanqing served through the four dynasties of Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou, and was appointed as an important local governor due to his outstanding military achievements and family prestige. He enjoyed high prestige among the various armies in the border towns.

Because of Fu Yanqing's high prestige in the army, Emperor Shizong of Zhou bestowed upon Fu Yanqing the title of Prince of Wei during his lifetime, and successively made Fu Yanqing's two daughters empresses. His favor was above that of all other ministers.

Most importantly, when the envoy sent by Zhao Kuangyin arrived at Fu Yanqing's residence, Fu Yanqing planned to personally go to the capital to demonstrate his submission to the new dynasty.

Given Fu Yanqing's prestige, his voluntary submission greatly benefited Zhao Kuangyin in stabilizing the regional military governors.

With this merit, Zhao Kuangyin fell into thought after listening to Fu Yanqing's words.

Zhao Kuangyin's thoughts were observed by Zhao Pu, who had been silent at the time.

Chu Zhaofu was a former official from the Prince's residence, and Fu Yanqing was a meritorious frontier official. Normally, with the advice of these two, Zhao Kuangyin should have readily agreed.

But Zhao Kuangyin did not; instead, he pretended to be considering the pros and cons.

It was obvious that Zhao Kuangyin had made the connection, and that Wei Renpu's high-profile departure from the palace might be for Zhao Dexiu's sake.

As Zhao Kuangyin's confidant, if Zhao Pu couldn't see the signals Zhao Kuangyin was sending at this time, then he wouldn't deserve Zhao Kuangyin's trust.

"On the day His Majesty ascended the throne, he demonstrated his benevolent and compassionate heart to all his subjects."

Everyone knows that Duke Wei resided in the deep palace to educate the eldest son of the emperor, not because he was a criminal.

If Your Majesty rashly prevents Duke Wei from leaving the palace, people will think that Your Majesty is using the guise of teaching to confine Duke Wei to the inner palace.

With so many disciples of the Duke of Wei, Your Majesty's sincerity will be questioned at that time.

This is disadvantageous to the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Pu directly framed the matter of preventing Wei Renpu from leaving the palace as a threat to the security of the state. Ironically, Zhao Pu's argument was so logical and well-founded that those who wanted to oppose him couldn't find a reason to object.

After listening to Zhao Pu's words, Zhao Kuangyin, without giving others time to think, pondered and said:

“Zeping’s words are words of wisdom for the country. Pass down the order that no one is allowed to prevent Wei Renpu from leaving the palace.”

As soon as Zhao Kuangyin spoke, a palace attendant came out to carry out the order.

The emperor's word is law. Seeing that Zhao Kuangyin had already given the order, Chu Zhaofu couldn't say anything more—in any case, it wasn't Zhao Dexiu who left the palace, so it was acceptable.

To reach Xuande Gate from Yeondeok Palace, one must pass through the State Affairs Hall and the Privy Council.

In the past few days, envoys from various regions have come to Kaifeng to submit petitions of submission.

In order to properly handle this important matter, apart from some chief officials who were discussing matters with Zhao Kuangyin in the Wansui Hall, the other ministers were busy in the Zhengshi Hall and the Privy Council.

Some officials even had to carry newly delivered memorials from various places, shuttling through the main passages of the palace from time to time.

Wei Renpu served as the head of the State Council and the Privy Council from the beginning of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Countless current officials in the two ministries were promoted by Wei Renpu. Even those who were not promoted by Wei Renpu all knew this tolerant and peaceful prime minister in the past!
When Wei Renpu passed by the Hall of State Affairs and the Privy Council, many officials recognized him.

"Lord Wei? That's Lord Wei!"

Once they recognized Wei Renpu, most officials would come over and pay their respects to him, regardless of how urgent their business was.

When the officials came to pay their respects, Wei Renpu returned the greetings to each of them.

Wei Renpu's appearance quickly alerted Fan Zhi and Wang Pu, who were working in the Political Affairs Hall.

Fan Zhi and Wang Pu exchanged a glance, then went outside to watch the figure walking further and further away.

Fan Zhi and Wang Pu noticed that no matter how far away Wei Renpu was, some officials would still respectfully step forward to pay their respects.

This is Wei Renpu's reputation in the court.

“He wasn’t usually such a high-profile person.”

Fan Zhi said to Wang Pu beside him thoughtfully.

As one of the three giants of the former central government of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Fan Zhi immediately noticed the abnormality.

If Fan Zhi could see it, how could Wang Pu not know it?

Wang Pu recalled Wei Renpu's current status, and also the envoy sent by Zhao Guangyi some time ago.

Soon, a guess formed in my mind.

Someone angered him.

Is he trying to show the world that he is the crown prince's right-hand man?

One affirmative sentence and one hesitant sentence revealed Wang Pu's complex thoughts.

Wang Pu's guess made Fan Zhi involuntarily narrow his eyes.

"Get ready, things are about to get complicated in the Central Plains."

After saying this, Fan Zhi could no longer see Wei Renpu.

Wei Renpu continued on his way and soon arrived at the heavily guarded Xuande Gate.

Xuande Gate controlled the main road from Kaifeng City into the Forbidden City, and its importance was similar to that of Xuanwu Gate in the early Tang Dynasty.

Gazing at the vast and strategically important palace gate before him, Wei Renpu stroked his long beard and began to ponder:
"How could Your Highness not know of such a crucial place?"

As a renowned expert in the field of succession struggles, Wei Renpu has made professional judgments on various matters.

(End of this chapter)