In the flickering firelight, Sima Rui felt drowsy.
To him, it seemed that there was no clear distinction between day and night. There might be light and darkness in his field of vision, but there was only darkness left in his consciousness.
The prince, Sima, did not take off his mourning clothes and served him day and night. He was extremely pure and filial.
To put it bluntly, no matter how unwilling you are in your heart, you have to keep pretending at this time. If there is pus on Sima Rui's body, you have to suck it out and let others see your filial piety, and you will have nothing to say.
Crown Princess Shan sometimes came to Tai Chi Hall and sometimes stayed in the East Palace.
On August 28, on the Yundu west of the East Palace, there was a forest of rows and oars. Several small boats docked on the shore, and then entered Taicheng through the water gate.
"General Xu." The prince ordered Bian Zhan to come forward.
Xu Chao returned the gift with a stern expression and didn't say much.
Behind him, more than 200 people came up one after another. They were all strong and capable. It seemed that they were either sharp soldiers who had fought in battle or were soldiers of the Xu Dynasty.
After the ceremony, the sergeants were led to various side halls to disperse. Xu Chao and Bian Zhan went straight into Chongzheng Hall, where Crown Princess Shan Yinan was reading under the candlelight.
Xu Chao was a little impressed when he saw it. Even now, he was still so calm. Could it be that Da Jin could still be saved?
He was born in the Jurong Xu family, a serious Jiangdong wealthy family. From the bottom of his heart, he definitely did not want to see Shao Bing attack Jiangnan. Perhaps this was the main reason why Governor Shan sent him to Taicheng.
"General Xu." Shan Yinan stood up and bowed.
Xu Chao and Bian Zhan returned the greeting, and then sat down one by one.
"Brother Cong, can you tell me?" Shan Yinan asked.
Xu Chao said in a deep voice, "The Governor has said, 'The Crown Princess will sit quietly in the East Palace. If something goes wrong, she can take the Crown Prince out of Shuimen, and there will be someone outside Taicheng to help her.'"
After hearing this, Shan Yinan laughed to himself and said, "Brother Cong is wrong. Once we leave Taicheng, everything will stop."
Xu Chaoyi said: "Even if someone causes trouble, as long as they are still there, if you gather the people who are diligent and diligent, there will be a great opportunity to turn things around."
"No, there is no chance." Shan Yinan shook his head and said, "Thief Shao will not give him a chance. If the north is a Xiongnu, this strategy is good. However, the Liang Kingdom is not a Xiongnu, so this strategy will not work. There must be no chaos in the establishment of Ye.
chaos,
Then people’s hearts will no longer recover.”
After hearing this, Bian Zhan nodded secretly, and Xu Chao also sighed.
"What's going on in the west?" Shan Yinan asked again.
"According to Tao Shiheng's report from Jingzhou, the bandits are gradually arriving in Nanyang, but Shao's bandits have not yet arrived," Xu Chao replied.
"Why?"
"I heard that there is a rebellion in Guanzhong and blocking the road."
Bian Zhan was overjoyed when he heard this and said: "In the past, when Cao Cao went south to Jingzhou, there was a rebellion in Guanxi. Could it be a sign from heaven?"
"We can't delay Thief Shao for a few days." Shan Yinan said, "Yuan Zhi, you go to the Prime Minister's Mansion again, just for that matter."
Bian Zhan understood and said, "I obey."
Xu Chao couldn't figure out what riddle they were playing, but he didn't ask any more questions.
However, Bian Zhan asked more: "Over there at Tai Chi Hall——"
Shan Yinan took a deep breath and said, "I will go there in a moment."
Bian Zhan said nothing more, bowed and left.
Seeing that Shan Yinan had no other instructions, Xu Chao immediately arranged for manpower to secretly take over Jiaomen.
When the guards of the East Palace saw it, they were all very angry.
Obviously, because they were once the left guard, and the troops and horses under the right guard general were transferred over for a short period of time.
The prince didn't trust him.
Shan Yinan looked at the empty palace and let out a long sigh of relief.
When I wanted to stand up, I found that my heart was beating a little fast and my legs and feet were slightly weak.
She couldn't let others see her weakness, she still had things to do.
Even though she doesn't really like these intrigues, she has no way out, and neither does Shan.
****
After the first ray of sunshine in the east rose from the horizon, a group of important ministers headed by Prime Minister Wang Dao arrived outside the Jianhe Gate in the south of Taicheng.
Sima Zong, the general of the left guard, stood on the tower, slightly stunned.
The Zuo Wei generals were even more stunned. They all looked at Sima Zong with doubts, not understanding why he was hesitating.
Do you want to stop the Yongxiang and the important ministers from entering the palace to visit the emperor? What is your reason for stopping them? Do you have any written instructions?
Next to Sima Zong, there were several left-guard military officers, all of whom looked at their former comrades with fierce and sinister eyes.
No, it may be difficult for them to be called comrades. After all, they all joined the Forbidden Army halfway, and they stick to each other and don't have much contact with other generals.
Taking a closer look at their identities, they are nothing more than Sima Zong's tribe, Jianghu rangers and even various desperadoes.
In short, they are Sima Zong's closest minions.
As soon as the imperial edict came, most of the Zuowei generals paid homage to them, but these people were not necessarily the same. Compared with their status as imperial generals, they had stronger personal attributes of Sima Zong.
Seeing their ferocious looks, the Zuo Wei generals seemed to realize something and looked at Sima Zong with dangerous eyes.
The atmosphere in the venue was very subtle.
Sima Zong's hands were hidden in his sleeves and clenched tightly. After a moment, he slowly released them.
In broad daylight, in front of everyone, there is no success.
At this time, you have to be patient, wait, and hibernate.
'Open the door.' He finally gave the order.
The door slowly opened.
Director Wang and others got off the carriage and entered one after another.
While walking, no one looked up at the tower. It seemed that the hesitation just now did not exist. This was just a normal procedure of opening the palace gate, which had been done countless times in the past.
Director Wang quickly entered the Taiji Hall. He glanced around and saw that the prince and his wife and the prince's young master Liu Kun were also there. They greeted each other and then went straight to the imperial couch.
"Your Majesty, I'm here." The palace servants moved a couch, Director Wang sat down and said softly.
Dazai Sima, Shangshu Zuopu She Bian Hu, Shizhong Liu, Shizhong Yuan You, Yushi Zhongcheng Zhongya,
The imperial servant Yang Wei, the Huangmen servant Yang Gu and others also found a couch to sit down.
Those who thought it was too far away from the imperial couch simply stopped sitting and stood behind Director Wang.
Sima Rui was awake at the moment. Hearing this, he looked at Director Wang and said softly: "Maohong, I just had a dream."
Director Wang listened quietly.
"I remembered what happened back then in my dream." Sima Rui said: "At that time, I just arrived in Xuzhou and my eyes were covered with sores. Maohong, you were by my side, making suggestions for me. Sometimes I was busy until late at night, and you and I were there.
sleep."
Director Wang looked slightly dazed after hearing this.
Sima Rui's eyes gradually filled with tears, and he heard him say: "After crossing to the south, all kinds of expenses were in short supply, and it was miserable. The Wu people lived in the high gate compound, and we gathered in the grass of the Wu palace. The Wu people drank and drank meat.
The strings and bamboos kept coming, and we were overjoyed to get a dolphin. It was too difficult at that time, too difficult————·
Director Wang sighed.
Humans are not grass and trees, how can they be ruthless?
We have supported each other and have come together. It would be false to say that there is no love. Even if there has been some resentment in recent years, at this time, nothing matters anymore.
"Mao Hong, I am not going to die soon, and I still want to ask you for one last thing." Sima Rui said with tears.
Director Wang wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."
"My son hasn't come here yet." Sima Rui looked at Prince Sima Zhong and said.
Sima Zhong cried loudly, stumbled over, and knelt in front of the imperial couch.
Sima Rui took his hand and handed it to Director Wang, saying: "Maohong, considering our past friendship,
Support my son for a ride."
"Okay." Director Wang only responded softly.
But Sima Zhong could feel that the skinny old man's hand was so strong that it almost hurt him to hold it, and it was obvious that he was not at peace inside.
"My lords—" Sima Rui looked at the others and said, "I have to take the first step one by one. Da Jin Jiangshan has to trouble you to wait."
Everyone burst into tears.
Liu first looked up to the sky and sighed, then looked at the group of white-haired old people in the room, and couldn't help but feel sad.
After these old men who traveled south together die, who will help protect the Jin Dynasty? Will it depend on their descendants?
Bian Hu's sons called Donghai Princess Pei their aunt.
Yuan Xian's family was extremely honored in the North, and his younger brother Yuan Neng married Shao Xun's sister.
Zhong Ya almost didn't cross to the south in the first place. As a Yingchuan noble, she was destined to have a close relationship with the Yu family.
What is the relationship between Liu Kun and Liang Qinzhou governor Wen Jiao and secretary supervisor Lu Chen?
Needless to say, Yang Wei and Yang Gu.
Standing not far away was Crown Princess Shan. Her two uncles were one of Liang Guo's ministers and the other was Yinmi Zhenjiang.
Even the Liu family has many people working as officials in the north.
As for the Langya Wang family, there are two prime ministers in one family, and they serve in the north and south, which is known to the whole world.
These old guys have only a few years left to live, and each of their descendants has an idea of ​​what their attitude will be.
"Your Majesty." Director Wang took a deep breath, calmed down, then leaned into Sima Rui's ear and whispered a few words.
There was sadness in Sima Rui's eyes.
Director Wang didn't push him, he just waited quietly.
After a long time, Sima Rui sighed and said: "It is passed down to Sima Zong that Yu Yin will come to the throne."
Director Wang did not object.
The emperor wanted to give the two of them one last chance, and he still missed their old friendship.
However, in the final analysis, these two people just have a conspiracy, but they have not yet had time to implement it. Give Sima Rui some face now, and Director Wang will come to clean up the mess later.
Sima Zong is in Taicheng and will arrive soon.
Sima Rui asked him to stand without saying anything.
Sima Zong faintly felt something, his face turned pale, and his body trembled unconsciously.
After a while, Yu Yin also arrived. When he saw Sima Rui, he burst into tears and cried: "Brother-in-law!"
Director Wang sighed secretly.
If he calls out "brother-in-law", he may not die.
Besides, the prince may not kill him.
Brothers Sima Shao and Sima Zhong were raised by Empress Jing, Yu Mengmu.
"Yan Zuo." Sima Rui called softly.
Sima Zong knelt down and cried: "Your Majesty, minister————·
"No need to say more." Sima Rui looked at him with complicated eyes and said, "Today you will resign as General Zuowei and be replaced by Zong Zhengqing."
"I obey." Sima Zong was like a deflated rubber ball, losing a lot of energy in an instant.
"Brother-in-law." Yu Yin walked forward on his knees, sobbing.
"Guiyang Prefect Shangque, you are leaving today." After saying this, Sima Rui closed his eyes and said no more.
Yu Yin felt like he was being pardoned and kept kowtowing.
Director Wang looked at the two of them silently and said nothing.
Others didn't bother to look at them.
On this occasion, they were not in the mood to pay attention to these two fools, but thought about what happened after the landslide with a heavy heart.
This day is just around the corner.
On the sixth day of September in the second year of Taixing in the Jin Dynasty (329), Sima Rui died in the Taiji Hall of Jianye Palace. Four of the fifty years of the Spring and Autumn Period.
Prince Sima Zhong ascended the throne in front of his soul and accepted the worship of Director Wang and others.
At this time, armies from both sides gathered in the Huai River, Xieshui, and Mian River basins, and the war was about to break out.
Chapter completed!