From the window of the carriage, the Queen Mother saw dozens of corpses lying scattered in a pool of blood. When she recognized Li Yi's body in a snow-white robe, she suddenly felt a piece of flesh being dug out of her heart, and she felt pain. fainted. When she woke up, she was

Chapter 11 Overt and covert fighting

Section 3 Game

The Queen Mother is indeed heartbroken.

When the Queen Mother learned of Li Yi's death, she desperately came to the place of execution. From the window of the carriage, the Queen Mother saw dozens of corpses lying scattered in a pool of blood. When she recognized Li Yi's body in a snow-white robe, she suddenly felt a piece of flesh being dug out of her heart, and she felt pain. fainted. When she woke up, she was already lying on the bed.

Feng Xi stayed by her side. When he saw the Queen Mother waking up, he asked for medical advice. The Queen Mother stopped her and said, "The Ai family is fine. Brother Xi, tell the Ai family what's going on." Feng Xi told the news from beginning to end and then added: "I also heard that , the emperor also emphasized in the court that the concubines in the harem should maintain their moral integrity and not tarnish the ancestors. The emperor decreed that chaste and virtuous women in history should be respected in the palace and among the people. The story is painted on the screen and the lacquered pillars..."

"Okay, don't say it anymore!" The Queen Mother sat up from the couch with both hands. She tightly balled up the quilt and hugged it to her chest. Her tears were like tears. Threaded beads poured down, and his eyes shone brightly through tears. She spat out four words fiercely: "He deserves death!" Feng Xi clenched his fists and asked, "What should I do? Just listen to the Queen Mother's words."

The Queen Mother shook her head and said softly: "Brother Xi, please step back."

To say that Feng Xi met the Queen Mother and talked about revenge through gritted teeth was indeed influenced by the righteousness and overall situation of his sister, the powerful Queen Mother Feng. However, this time, Emperor Xianwen Tuobahong actually killed Li Yi. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Emperor Xianwen was stabbing the Queen Mother in the heart. Not long after Feng Xi's desire to avenge his parents was extinguished, his desire to avenge the Queen Mother was rekindled. Feng Xi's eyes widened, as if there were flames coming out. He smashed his iron fist against the pillar beside him. The Queen Mother's palace immediately shook like an earthquake, and many unknown particles crackled. fell down. He said: "Queen Mother, as long as you say a word, I will go to the little emperor to ask him thoroughly, or even take his life, and vent the evil spirit of his parents in heaven."

Feng Xi smashed his fist, Immediately, several guards with high martial arts skills flashed out.

Empress Dowager Feng said: "Take him down and tie him up! Don't let him out without my words."

Feng Xi was tied up in a side room, with guards guarding him every step of the way. After a while, Queen Mother Feng came in, personally untied him and put a cup of hot tea in his hand. The Queen Mother asked the people around her to step back, and the brother and sister held their hands tightly together. The Queen Mother said: "Brother Xi, this Tuoba Hong deserves to die, but that is a matter between his mother and I. The Ai family will naturally have their own methods to deal with him. The water here is unfathomable, Brother Xi is a thousand Don't jump in. What the Ai family said is also a word left by your parents. You should never forget it. Brother Xi, the biggest thing for you is to keep the roots of the Feng family and live a good life."

Feng Xi's eyes were burning. The fire was once again extinguished by the tears in the Queen Mother's eyes.

Killing Li Yi was a very fatal blow to Queen Mother Feng, and it also caused a complete change in Queen Mother Feng's thinking.

First of all, the Queen Mother got to know Emperor Xianwen again. Xianwen Emperor Tuoba Hong, the son she raised with all the hardships, not only did not remember her upbringing, but also regarded her as her enemy. Emperor Xianwen, his thoughts, his conduct, and his mind were completely contrary to the Queen Mother's earnest teachings over the years. He only inherited one thing from the Queen Mother, and that was his scheming.Emperor Xianwen, the emperor on whom the Empress Dowager placed great hopes, was not a benevolent emperor. He did not have a generous and loving heart and mind. There would be no future in leaving the country of Wei in his hands. Emperor Xianwen, he didn’t think much about the affairs of the court and the people of Li, and he didn’t take a far-sighted view. He took his own power, his own influence, his own likes, dislikes, and grudges too seriously. Such an emperor was The misfortune of the imperial court is the misfortune of the world. Speaking of which, I don’t blame anyone. I can’t blame Tuoba Hong himself. He is only sixteen or seventeen years old now. He is still a child. The only reason I blame is that Empress Dowager Feng is too confident and thinks that the children she raises will not have any problems. ; The only complaint is that Queen Mother Feng herself had misjudged Tuoba Hong from the beginning, thinking that he was smart, eager to learn, quick-minded, and capable of understanding, and could draw inferences from one instance to another. However, she was naturally suspicious of Tuoba Hong, selfish, had a dark heart, and was good at pretending. Only when the problem is clearly seen can we achieve today’s results.

Empress Dowager Feng also got to know herself again. Empress Dowager Feng was a woman with an important position in the imperial court in feudal society. When she first sat in the court to listen to politics, Empress Dowager Feng revalued herself. She changed from a woman who only wanted to be a good wife and mother to a political figure. Jia, a woman who can control the fate of the country, the country, and the country. Now, she has re-recognized herself. She wants to change from a female politician to a female politician who is more mature than men. In other words, we must completely overcome short-sightedness, weak means, hesitation, and too many illusions in our political career. He admitted that his understanding of Tuoba Hong was wrong, and it was also wrong to return power to him. He blindly gave in and accommodated him, so that now he has no control over the government and Tuoba Hong's words and deeds, allowing Emperor Xianwen to monopolize power. is wrong.

Empress Dowager Feng began to fight back.

Empress Dowager Feng's counterattack was done silently. In the eyes of outsiders, Empress Dowager Feng was just sad about Li Yi's death for a while, nothing else.

She first secretly ordered the spies arranged in various departments of the imperial court to learn about various situations of Emperor Xianwen and the imperial court. The first useful news she got was that Emperor Xianwen had an affair with a minister named Wan Anguo . This made Empress Dowager Feng feel both ridiculous and hateful. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it’s just that you have an extreme personality, but you still like this. There are so many concubines there and you are not tempted, but you invest your body and soul in one man. That's right, you like Mrs. Li, and Mrs. Li gave birth to Hong'er for you and was given death. Since then, you have become a pervert. You no longer like beauties, but instead like beautiful men. I really underestimated you, the emperor at such a young age. The informant said that Wan'anguo was very fair and handsome, and was worshiped by Tuoba Hong as the Great Sima , the Great General, and was granted the title of King of Ancheng. One day, he found that the emperor liked to be with him, so he indulged him. They often ate, drank and slept with the emperor day and night, playing in the dark. The emperor was so happy that he not only promoted him to an official position, but also gave him many rewards.

Then she got the second news, that is, the emperor led his troops to the west and it would take seven or eight months to come back. Since Tuoba Hong took office, corruption in the court has grown, people's hearts have been unstable, and the country of Wei has once again been in a situation of internal and external difficulties. Emperor Xianwen sent He Gu Mohan, the minister in the palace, to the west to recruit soldiers from the Chile tribe. As a result, He Gu Mohan went around the west asking for treasures, gold and silver, which angered the Chile people . In a fit of rage, they killed He Gu Mohan and raised a flag to rebel, gathering tens of thousands of people at once. Emperor Xianwen appointed King Tuoba Tianci of Ruyin to lead the expedition. Who would have thought that Tuoba Tianci had not fought for several years, was not good at fighting, and was arrogant. He fell into the Chile people's trick of false surrender, and suffered more than half of them, and was defeated. Return. Returning to Taihua Hall, he fell to his knees with a plop. Emperor Xianwen was angry and resentful of Tuoba's gift from his uncle, but he couldn't do it. In desperation, Tuoba Hong entrusted Tuoba Zitui to preside over the government and personally led the army to the west.

Empress Dowager Feng felt that the opportunity had come.

One day, the Queen Mother sent a young eunuch to tell Wan Anguo that the Queen Mother had invited him to enter the palace through the back door in the afternoon.Wan Anguo didn't know the details and didn't dare not go, so he had to enter the Queen Mother's Palace alone in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, the palace guards thought he was a thief who broke into the harem and captured him. With only twenty or thirty whips, he was already beaten to pieces. At this time, Empress Dowager Feng came over and asked: "Who are you? Dare to break into the Ai family's palace privately."

"Weichen Wan Anguo is a regular attendant of the Emperor. Weichen came here at the order of the Empress Dowager." "

"Oh, Wan Anguo? Remember, you are the one who is shameless and practices rebellious ways and harms the emperor?"

"Wan Anguo deserves death. At first glance, the Queen Mother knew everything. She lay on the ground and endured the pain.

Empress Dowager Feng picked up the tea cup, took a sip of it gently, and then said: "According to you, it was the Ai family who asked you to come here? The Ai family wants to know who passed the message to you? Please point it out to the Ai family. "There were more than a dozen eunuchs, maids, and guards present, but he couldn't find the person who sent the message after looking for a long time.

"Bold Wan Anguo, you brought trouble to the emperor, and the Ai family didn't even bother to punish you. What's your intention of sneaking into the Ai family's palace today? Tell me!" Wan Anguo understood everything after hearing this. It's coming towards the emperor. He already knew the reputation of Queen Mother Feng. If I knew something, I might be able to save my own life, so I told the emperor everything from beginning to end, signed and fingerprinted the confession, and promised the queen mother to disappear from the capital immediately.

Not long after Wan Anguo disappeared, King Tuoba Xincheng of Jiyin died inexplicably, and everyone in the house cried to death. Tuoba New City has become very close to the emperor in recent years, giving him many ideas and often drinking and having fun with him until dawn. Previously, under the recommendation of Tuoba Zitui, the five kings of the clan and Bu Liugu Dingguo had become the cabinet of the cabinet. Many matters of the emperor were always discussed secretly by them before entering the discussion process. Sometimes, they hit it off immediately and simply issued the decree directly without consulting other veterans, which made many veterans feel angry. Now that King Jiyin has died, and King Yangping Tuoba Xiaoxincheng has died of illness some time ago, there are only three remaining kings of the clan. Tuoba Tianci came back defeated, suffered heavy losses, was ashamed, and could not afford to fall ill. Among the five kings, the only ones who could support the emperor in the court were King Jingzhao Tuoba Zitui and King Rencheng Tuoba Yun.

has been following the emperor for many years, and has been promoted to the rank of Sikong. He has forgotten the kindness and intention of the queen mother in letting him enter the cabinet. He relies on the emperor, has no fear, and does not look down on those old ministers. Gao Yun, Gao Lu and Yuan He didn't say anything, just shook their heads and expressed disappointment with their actions, while Jia Xiu and Liu Ni, the two veterans, cursed regardless of the situation: " These young people were not even born when we protected the late Emperor's succession, but now you are on an equal footing with us. Otherwise, I will not be a vegetarian."

The Emperor personally conquers. When he returned, he found that Wan Anguo was missing. He sent someone to tell him about it, but he said that the man had moved his family a few days ago and had not taken any soldiers with him. He had already fled without knowing where he was. The emperor was furious. Others reported that Tuoba Tianci was bedridden, Tuoba Xincheng died, Bu Liugu Dingguo was in trouble, and the old ministers were unhappy recently and often spoke rudely. The emperor felt that the situation was not good. Over the past six months, so many changes have occurred in the court, so the Queen Mother must be the one responsible. He said to Tuoba Zitui, Tuoba Yun, Bu Liugu Dingguo and others who came to see him: "In the past few years, the Queen Mother has said that she has handed over the country to me, but in fact she has been with me every moment. We are fighting in the front, and the Queen Mother is trying to undermine us. The emperor is doing very boring things."

Everyone said: "The Emperor is angry, the Queen Mother has returned to the harem, and it is the Emperor who has the final say. , I will not hesitate to do anything. "

" I have learned a lot about Buddhism recently.The Buddha statues in the temple seem to be talking to people. They tell people that emptiness is form, and form is emptiness. Everything in the world has cause and effect, and you don't just do whatever you want. Take the imperial court as an example. It belongs to you, and the imperial court will naturally act according to your regulations. If it is not yours, even if you are sitting on that throne, it cannot be controlled by you.

The emperor's uncle Tuobazi said: "It is a good thing that the emperor has become associated with the Buddha." I remember that master Tan Yao once said that the emperor is the living Buddha. The emperor manages state affairs and benefits the people of the world, which is the best way to practice Buddhism. The emperor must not delay important affairs of the court just by worshiping Buddha and practicing scriptures. "

Emperor Xianwen clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, don't worry about this. If I don't do the affairs of the court, someone will naturally do it. Amitabha.

The ministers looked at the emperor in confusion and were speechless.

Tuo Bahong said: "This emperor, it's okay if I don't do anything." I proposed that the emperor's uncle Jingzhao King Tuoba Zitui be the emperor. What do you think? "

Tuoba Zitui didn't know what Tuoba Hong was thinking at all. He suddenly said such words, which really shocked him. Then I thought about it, half of what the emperor said recently was the emperor's words, and the other half was The words of the Buddha. Are these the words of the emperor or the words of the Buddha? A gentleman cannot speak in a joke, and the words of the Buddha are even more mysterious, let alone words of the Buddha. He shouldn't have roasted me on the stove! This, this, he was probably using me as cannon fodder. He worked hard to get back the imperial power, but now he said he wouldn't do it. He couldn't understand it, so he immediately knelt down. The ground said: "How virtuous and capable is this humble minister? I can never agree to this matter. "Others also said that this matter is not trivial and must not be done.

Tuoba Hong suddenly laughed loudly, laughing so hard that he fell back and forth. After laughing for a while, he became serious again and said: "I am by no means a child's play. Tuoba Zitui is the late emperor. His younger brother was originally a member of the royal family, and it was natural for him to be the emperor. Besides, if I were to deal with the Queen Mother, I would obviously not be as prestigious as the Emperor's uncle. Then the Queen Mother would have no other reason to interfere in the government affairs. "

Everyone was still insisting. Tuoba Hong said: "It's settled. Tomorrow morning, I will propose the Zen position in public. "

The day Emperor Xianwen planned to abdicate and proposed to let the emperor's uncle "confront" the Queen Mother, Queen Mother Feng got the news. The Queen Mother was also puzzled by Tuoba Hong's move. What kind of song was he singing? He really didn't want to do it. No! Is he really enlightened and wants to quit the world of mortals? For the first time, the Queen Mother cannot figure out what Tuobahong is thinking. Once you are in a position, you must stabilize yourself and cannot take any measures. Only by stabilizing yourself can you stabilize Tuoba Hong. The Queen Mother In the palace, several veterans came to discuss that they must not stay in Tuoba Hong. When Zitui failed, the young prince Hong'er succeeded him. Sure enough, the next day, after the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty arrived, Emperor Xianwen said: "Since I took over, the government has been in a sluggish state, with external and internal troubles. I am ashamed of the Queen Mother. I am ashamed of my late emperor and my ministers. I have become indifferent to government affairs recently, and I usually have a desire to abandon the world. The emperor's uncle, King Jingzhao, has great achievements, is kind and virtuous, and few people are willing to accept the throne as emperor. From now on, I will study Buddhism together with the eminent monks Samana, and will no longer be involved in state affairs. "

The princes and ministers were stunned by Emperor Xianwen's words. What's going on? What tricks is Tuoba Hong playing? Aren't you trying to regain the imperial power? Which nerve is wrong?

Ren City King Tuoba Yun recently met with the Queen Mother and chatted about the affairs of the court. The Queen Mother said to him: "I heard that there are many people in the court who give the emperor some good ideas and many bad ideas. I hope that the emperor's uncle will not forget the oath he made at that time, and assist the emperor well. He must not follow the crowd, follow what others say, and harm the country and the emperor. Tuoba Yun said that he would abide by the Queen Mother's decree and fulfill his duties. At this time, Tuoba Yun, the king of Rencheng, remembered the Queen Mother's instructions. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say." The emperor had just returned from victory, and everyone was celebrating.Although the imperial court was suffering from external and internal troubles, it was the time for the emperor to bring order to things and make achievements. How could the emperor disobey his ancestors and abandon the country and the people? What's more, inheritance from father to son is the right way.

Immediately, another Taiwei Yuan He stood up and said: "The emperor wants to give up the prince and become the king of the clan. The Zen is located in the emperor's uncle King Jingzhao. I am afraid that the generational hierarchy in the Wei Dynasty will be chaotic in the future, which is treason!"

Tuoba Pi said: "It is not appropriate for the emperor to cede his throne to the sect king. The prince is young and it will not be long before he succeeds to the throne." The emperor is in the year of the dragon and the tiger, and his prestige is rising. He is dealing with all kinds of matters at that time, and the common people in the world are the most important thing. How can he take care of himself alone and take refuge in the ascetics? The old minister asks the emperor to put aside this thought and put the country, the country and the country first. "

At this time, Shangshu Bu Liugujun stood up and said sternly: "The prince Tuoba Hong is talented and intelligent, and the royal family is orthodox. If the emperor wants the Zen throne, he must be the prince. If there is a change, I am willing to die in the court. superior. "This Bu Liuguli was the general who conquered the west during the Wencheng Emperor's period and the eldest son of Dongping King Buliuguli. His younger brother Buliuguli was not afraid of the power to oppose Yihun and was killed by him. The whole court was shocked. I have heard about it for a long time. Now that Bu Liugujun said such words without leaving any way out in order to persuade Emperor Xianwen, everyone present was moved. Tuoba Hong glanced at the people below. The ministers basically objected, and he turned his gaze. Among the eunuchs, Zhao Hei, the minister of election, stood up and said: "Your Majesty, Zen is the crown prince, and all the ministers will support him to the death. "Zhao Hei is Empress Dowager Feng's confidant in the selection department. He has already confessed to the Empress Dowager that he will always serve the Empress Dowager. This is the critical moment. Supporting the Crown Prince means supporting the Queen Mother. He has no second choice.

Emperor Xianwen has already It can be seen that his plan was opposed by most people. None of his best friends came out to support it. Instead, Tuoba Yun took the lead in raising objections. He was very entangled and retreated the same way. He was very embarrassed and brazenly said that the government was not prosperous. He has become indifferent to state affairs and wants to voluntarily withdraw from the government, but now he wants to go back on his word. How can the emperor's words be like child's play? If he continues to insist on being an imperial uncle, what should he do if Gao Yunyou is still a great scholar? Method, he stood up and said: "I think the emperor must still remember that when Zhou Gongdan assisted the thirteen-year-old King Zhou Cheng, the old minister suggested that the emperor might as well imitate it. This will not violate the trust of the ancestors, but also allow the emperor's uncles, brothers, princes and ministers to assist the young master. "

Emperor Xianwen was not in a hurry to answer. He was thinking that in the current situation, we are riding a tiger and are in a dilemma. It is better to just come down from this step. First, it can push away the burden of the court, and second, it can allow the emperor's uncle Zitui and others to stand up and intervene. The imperial government restricted the Queen Mother. Although the three of them retreated, they could stand behind them and control them and take the initiative. So he said: "Since all the beloved ministers have said this, I will obey you. Today I will formally abide by the Crown Prince Tuoba Hong. Please. I tried my best to help him. The Zen Ceremony will be held tomorrow.

Emperor Tuoba Zitui stood up with tears in his eyes. He clasped his hands and said: "Assisting the young master, I should do my best to help you." The minister asked the emperor to consider the prince's young age and serve as the supreme emperor to govern the country together with the young master. Seeing what Tuoba Zitui said, many ministers stood up and said, "Please ask your Majesty to be the Supreme Emperor." "At the critical moment, Tuoba Zitui really helped him, and Tuoba Hong was secretly happy. He stopped refusing and accepted the title of Supreme Emperor.

The next day, five-year-old Tuoba Hong succeeded to the throne. As Emperor Xiaowen, his father Tuoba Hong played a political game and continued to control the government.

That year was 471 AD.

About the author

Ren Yong, Chinese Writers Association member, Chairman of Datong Writers Association, Shanxi Provincial Writers Association member, Datong Traditional Culture Promotion Association consultant, has been engaged in literary creation for a long time, and has published a collection of essays "Not necessarily traveling" ”, essay collections “A Bodhi Leaf” and “My Family’s Short Story”, a long biography “The Biography of Empress Dowager Feng”, the novel “Yellow Flower Woman” was adapted into a movie of the same name and released online, and a series of historical essays “This Is the Northern Wei Dynasty” was published by Business International Co., Ltd. Published by the company.