The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 126 The Palace City is Without a Master
Although the guardhouse was not as warm as the Empress Dowager's bedroom, it was much more comfortable than a tent.

Xiao Yi remembered that he had to check in his subordinates, so he struggled to get out of bed.

He had nowhere to vent his morning grumpiness, so he personally took a gong and woke up himself and all of Li Chongjin's men.

After going to Hedong with Li Rong, he became much more domineering and no longer treated Li Chongjin's soldiers as his own.

Preparations, breakfast, and a lining-up speech.

"You all know perfectly well what happened, I don't need to tell you."

"hey-hey."

"Starting today, the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, all officials are to rest. The inner palace will directly manage the palace gates. Without my order, no one may enter or leave the palace gates."

"Here!"

Xiao Yi paused for a moment, then said, "The General is a man of deep feelings, and was forced to inherit the throne. In these last few days, anyone who dares to touch the palace's property or servants, or tarnish the General's reputation, will be executed without mercy!"

"Here!"

After assigning soldiers to take over the palace gates, Xiao Yi summoned Wang Yan.

This time, he didn't greet me with a smile. Instead, he sat upright on a high chair in the corridor, his face cold and stern.

Wang Yan also sensed the change in atmosphere and looked apprehensive.

"General Xiao, this is..."

"The sky has changed."

Wang Yan was taken aback, then hurriedly knelt down and said with tears in his eyes, "It's getting cold. I hope Lord Guo and General Xiao will wear more clothes."

"How many years has Eunuch Wang been in the palace?"

"I was castrated at the age of five, and it has been nearly forty years since then."

"Have you served several emperors?"

“Having served through five dynasties—Liang, Tang, Jin, Liao, and Han—he entered the palace when the last emperor of Liang moved the capital to Tokyo. He never went to Xijing. He served Emperor Jinzu and Emperor Chu. When the Liao emperor came, he was fortunate enough to survive and then served Emperor Gaozu and the previous emperor.”

Xiao Yi said, "You have quite a lot of experience. Now that the new emperor has entered the palace, how should we arrange things?"

Wang Yan wept uncontrollably and could not answer for a moment.

Xiao Yi said, "I am the one most familiar with you in the palace, so I will ask you first. If you do not want to answer, there are no shortage of eunuchs with higher seniority."

"This old servant is willing to cooperate, but this old servant is just... too sentimental."

"Alright, I know you're sentimental, to be honest."

"Yes, when the throne changed hands, there were no arrangements. When Emperor Jin arrived in Kaifeng, he had already been enfeoffed by the Liao emperor. When Emperor Gaozu entered the palace, there were no ceremonial guards or carriages. He verbally announced his accession to the throne, and it was only ten days later that the imperial edict and sacrificial ceremony were made up for."

"Can the new emperor be compared to them?"

"No, it's different, Lord Guo, no... it's His Majesty. His Majesty is a rare benevolent ruler in history."

Xiao Yi said, "Among the palace servants, please draw up a list for me of those who are loyal to the former dynasty."

"Yes, General, rest assured. Our dynasty has only been established for three years, and our late emperor was not popular."

"How should the two palaces be arranged?"

Wang Yan thought for a moment and said, "There is a royal nunnery in Kaifeng called Taiping Palace, which is a good place to go."

"When Your Excellency ascends the throne, there should be an imperial procession, the support of the people, the encouragement of the ministers, and the proclaiming of the imperial edict to worship Heaven. Those related to the palace should cooperate fully. Remember, it can be simple, but it cannot be sloppy."

"General, rest assured, this old servant will arrange it immediately." Wang Yan asked, "What about the Empress Dowager?"

"Still asking? You've changed owners."

"What this old servant means is that the talisman is still with the Empress Dowager. Should we go and retrieve it?"

"No rush, she won't have it for long. Let's wait for her to hand it over voluntarily."

Finally, the affairs of the palace were arranged.

Xiao Yi finally had a moment to spare, so he quickly ate something, only to see Old Pan rubbing his hands as he approached, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Just tell me if you have anything to say."

"General, the Li family often sends people to inquire about your return to the capital. Will you pay them a visit?"

"Send someone to the Li residence to tell Lord Xinchen that the weather is about to change and that he should wear more clothes."

"Yes, General, who are you going out to see?"

"See Wang Jun."

Upon arriving at Kaifeng Prefecture, he was immediately led into the main hall without any waiting, indicating that Wang Jun already knew about Guo Wei's appointment as emperor.

Perhaps because Wang Yin and Guo Chongwei stole the credit for persuading Wang Jun to ascend the throne, Wang Jun was in a bad mood.

Xiao Yi handed over Guo Wei's memorial, which Wang Jun arranged to be forwarded to the provincial government, indicating that the Empress Dowager would issue an edict to pass on the throne.

Afterwards, they discussed mobilizing the Imperial Guards to defend Kaifeng, replacing generals whose attitudes were questionable, and various matters related to welcoming Guo Wei into the city.

Xiao Yi thought Wang Jun had changed his mind today, but as they talked, he realized that Wang Jun planned to have him assist someone else in guarding the Kaifeng Water Gate, and hand over the duty of guarding the palace to a more experienced general of the Tianxiong Army.

He resolutely refused, saying, "This humble general is acting on your orders, and will not ask about anything else."

"At a time of dynastic change, security is the top priority. You are young and inexperienced; aren't you afraid of making mistakes?"

"I entered Kaifeng first and captured the city without any mistakes. Why should Minister Wang worry unnecessarily?"

“On the battlefield, one can rely solely on bravery. In the palace, there are thousands of concubines. You are young and vigorous, and easily corrupted by power and lust.” Wang Jun said with a cold expression, “My lord is Kaifeng, and I will naturally consider all aspects.”

Xiao Yi said, "Lord Wang, please issue the military order. This humble general must go to the Guo residence as ordered. Farewell."

"Wait! Everything I'm saying today is for your own good. Even if you don't want to hear it, I still have something to tell you."

Xiao Yi stopped and turned to look, seeing Wang Jun's stern face, which he thought was concerned about his juniors.

"Please speak, Lord Wang."

"I've heard that you've been seeing Li Song's daughter frequently. When Su Fengji was captured, many Imperial Guards saw you carrying her to the clinic. Is that true?"

"Have."

"You are forbidden to have any further contact with her."

"I am avenging my benefactor and taking his daughter to seek medical treatment. What dynasty's law have I violated?" "Stop making trouble. You escorted Wu Niang north. How could you not know her intentions? Wen Zhong tolerates you, but I will not. The Guo and Wang families only have this one unmarried daughter left. If you dare to mistreat her in the slightest, I will kill you!"

"No trouble."

Xiao Yi cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left.
Behind them, Wang Jun's shout rang out.

"I've given you a warning today; don't let yourself run into my hands again."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, even if Wang Jun is not wrong in important matters, he is really annoying in small matters. How can a high-ranking official in the court have such a bad character?

But then I realized that I wasn't the only one who disliked Wang Jun, and I felt much more at ease.

Upon arriving at the Guo residence, he relayed Guo Wei's instructions to the old steward, who smiled and said, "Young Master Xiao, please wait a moment."

After saying that, he hurriedly walked away.

Xiao Yi knew that this was to invite Guo Xin.

Putting everything else aside, even if we were just friends, he still wanted to see her. After all, what he hated was marriage, not her.

But after seeing Wang Jun's attitude today, he realized that being the son-in-law of the new dynasty was not an easy job, and that continuing to entangle himself with this would not be good for anyone.

Just turned around and left.

After leaving the Guo residence and leading his horse past the alley corner, a thought struck him, and he stopped and looked back.

A figure was seen chasing out of the side door, looking around.

After nearly a month apart, Guo Xin's baby fat had faded somewhat, and her eyes appeared larger due to her slender figure.

Seeing that no one was in the alley, she lowered her head in disappointment, kicked away the snow on the stone steps, puffed out her cheeks, and muttered something.

Judging from the shape of his mouth, it seems to be "dog kills talent".

Xiao Yi couldn't help but smile.

He didn't go to see her, but he also didn't take his anger out on her because of Wang Jun's words.

……

When Xiao Yi returned to the guardhouse at Xuanwu Gate, the atmosphere was completely different.

At the gate, Wang Yan led the way, followed by a row of eunuchs wearing turbans and purple and scarlet official robes. Each of them held a small box and were very attentive, as if Xiao Yi were the master of this palace.

"What are you doing?"

"We're waiting for the general to give his instructions," Wang Yan said obsequiously. "We all want to get to know the general better."

"Open the box."

"General, these are just lists of palace servants. Why don't you go to the duty room to take a look?"

"Watch it from here."

Xiao Yi's tone left no room for argument, and with a few clicks, the box was opened.

It was clear that these eunuchs were not wealthy, and what they were receiving were gifts, but the fawning smiles on their faces made it seem as if accepting their gifts was an honor for them.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation; I humbly request that the General accept it."

“If I don’t accept it, you will feel uneasy. But I don’t want to be known as greedy. So, each of you keep one tael of silver. Don’t take any more. Consider it a gift for the year.”

"This……"

The eunuchs looked at each other in bewilderment. Some of them realized what was happening, knelt down, and exclaimed, "General, we are deeply grateful for your great kindness!"

"Return to your residences outside the palace and wait peacefully for the new emperor to enter the palace. During the harsh winter months, avoid unnecessary movement."

"Yes, General."

Wang Yan dismissed the eunuchs, then whispered in Xiao Yi's ear, "General, Liu Shang wants to see you."

What are the "Six Virtues"?

"They are palace ladies-in-waiting who manage palace affairs and oversee the palace maids. Most of them are selected from noble families."

"where?"

"Please summon the general."

After passing through the main gate, they turned into a quiet side room next to the Shanggong Bureau. Wang Yan stopped and invited Xiao Yi to enter alone.

Xiao Yi entered the side room and saw only three women. Because the court was too poor, the functions of female officials had been simplified.

Among them, the Shangyi female official was in charge of dance, music, and etiquette. She was very beautiful and kind-hearted. Knowing that Xiao Yi did not have a house in Kaifeng, she was willing to take out her savings to help him. She also asked him if he was living alone and had no one to take care of him. Her words were caring and her smile was charming, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Finally, she shyly made a small request: she wanted to marry him.

"I am but a humble woman, and my heart has long been set on marrying you, General. I offer my meager savings as a dowry. If you do not reject me, I wish to marry you and grow old together."

Xiao Yi realized that it was a repeat of the old story of Guo Wei and Chai Shouyu.

He wouldn't be so easily fooled by a woman, but he didn't reject her outright either. With a hint of regret, he said, "It's a pity we're destined to be apart."

"What do you mean, general?"

"Today, Minister Wang Jun specifically warned me not to treat the concubines in the palace lightly."

"Is the general worried that I was sent by him to test you? Not at all. Besides, palace ladies who haven't been favored can be dismissed when they reach a certain age. If the general sends me out of the palace and we marry properly, who would dare say that you've defiled the palace?"

"To be honest, Prime Minister Wang has been hostile to me for a long time, and I dare not give him any leverage over me."

"Does the general find me unworthy? The late emperor favored Guo Yunming and Empress Kuangzan, but I am a completely innocent person."

"I had no such intention. I was simply trying to protect myself and I am not worthy of you."

Seeing that this female official, despite her beautiful appearance and graceful demeanor, was not skilled at flirting and spoke as if she were conducting business, Xiao Yi took his leave.

Behind her, she muttered a curse under her breath.

"Why is that old man Wang Jun so annoying?"

After leaving the side room, he ordered Wang Yan to settle Liu Shang and the palace servants. He thought to himself that Wang Jun had indeed underestimated him. In the Tianxiong Army, there were probably few people like him who could remain unmoved by the temptations of power and sex in the palace.

After a busy day, Xiao Yi's people replaced everyone at the palace gates. Except for the two palaces that hadn't moved out yet, the Daning Palace was almost empty.

The palace is currently without a ruler.

(End of this chapter)