Chapter 579 Imperial Meeting!

Chengdu, the imperial palace.

Although he was stranded in Chengdu, at the strong request of the royal family, the imperial court on the southern tour still concentrated a lot of manpower and resources to build a brand new palace for Jiang Rui, the nominal ruler of the world, for Jiang Rui and the Empress Dowager Wang to live in...

At this time, an imperial meeting was being held in the Xuan Zheng Hall of the Imperial Palace. Prime Minister Lin Shize, Minister of Rites Lin Yi, Minister of Revenue Murong Lun, Minister of Personnel Duke Cheng Zhao Yuanan, Minister of Works Yang Chunchen and others were all present. Except for the Minister of War and Prince Zheng Jiang Guang who were supervising the battle in Jianmen, all the important cabinet officials of the court on the southern tour were gathered here!
Sitting on the throne at this time is a young man wearing a dragon robe and full of heroic spirit. Although the boy is only fifteen years old this year, he has ruled the world for eleven years. He is the current Emperor of the Great Zhou, Jiang Rui.

"What is the current situation of the Prime Minister?" Looking at Lin Shize, Jiang Rui asked with hope in his eyes:
Feeling the hope in Jiang Rui's eyes, Lin Shize sighed in his heart and said calmly:
"Prince Zheng is leading tens of thousands of loyal men to defend Jianmen Gate. Your Majesty, please rest assured that we will not allow the rebels to cross Jianmen Gate!"

Although Lin Shize said this with full confidence, Jiang Rui couldn't help but reveal a hint of disappointment in his eyes when he heard this answer.

This young emperor, who has been on the throne for more than ten years, is known for his intelligence and has experienced a lot, but after all, he is only fifteen years old. Although he is shrewd in his heart, he still cannot fully understand his inner thoughts in front of these old foxes in the political arena!
At present, the natural barrier of Jianmen is still in the hands of the southern tour court, but with the crazy attack of the Luoan Imperial Army under the order of Shangguan Hongyuan, the casualties on the Jianmen front are getting heavier and heavier. At the beginning, batches of wounded could be transported down from the front line, but now there are not enough people on the front line. The lightly wounded have to fight with injuries, and the seriously wounded can only fend for themselves...

It is no exaggeration to say that Jianmen is now a meat grinder, where people die every moment. It is a contest of willpower between the Southern Tour Court and Shangguan Hongyuan. Both sides are gritting their teeth and holding on, and it depends on who will collapse.

If the Southern Tour Court can survive this wave, the morale of the Luoan Court, which was only held together by Shangguan Hongyuan's personal prestige, will completely relax. The huge consumption will make Shangguan Hongyuan unable to launch a second war in a short period of time. The Southern Tour Court can get a precious breathing space and reorganize its forces to delay and wait for changes!
If Shangguan Hongyuan takes Jianmen, then there is no doubt that Rongcheng will collapse on its own. In order to beg for Shangguan Hongyuan's forgiveness, many fence-sitters will take the initiative to start an internal rebellion to kill Lin Shize and others and send Jiang Rui back to Shangguan Hongyuan's hands!

In fact, even though Jianmen is still in the hands of the Southern Tour Court, and King Zheng Jiang Guang is leading tens of thousands of troops in a bloody battle in Jianmen, there are still constant disturbances in Rongcheng. Many people who are not strong-willed are full of fear of the Luoan Imperial Guards and think that the Southern Tour Court cannot defend Jianmen, so they begin to become restless.

Shangguan Hongyuan also made full use of this and ordered the Supervisory Office to carry out many actions, hoping to completely disrupt the rear of the court during the southern tour and provide favorable assistance for the Luoan Imperial Guards' offensive in Jianmen!

Precisely because the current situation is precarious and people in Chengdu are in panic, Jiang Rui, as the nominal leader, urgently hopes that there will be some improvement to improve the current situation...

Jiang Rui knew very well that once Jianmen was breached, the entire southern court would be liquidated by Shangguan Hongyuan, and with Shangguan Hongyuan's methods, there would be rivers of blood. Of course, although the Zhou Dynasty was in decline now, it had a history of 300 years after all, and the name of Great Zhou was still very influential in the hearts of the people.

In addition, although Shangguan Hongyuan is strong and domineering, he does not want to bear the stigma of regicide, so his personal safety is guaranteed. Shangguan Hongyuan will at most treat him like a dog, confining him in the Luoan Palace, and let his subordinates watch his every move like a prisoner at all times to prevent anyone from contacting him privately.

Of course Shangguan Hongyuan will not kill him, but that does not mean this traitor will not kill others. Once Jianmen is broken, his mother and his uncle will have no way out. Since the moment they escaped from Luoan, his mother has completely betrayed her cousin Shangguan Hongyuan who helped her become the empress dowager in order to become a real emperor in the future instead of a puppet controlled by others. There is no family affection between the two sides anymore!

Although he knew that even if he was defeated, he could survive by virtue of his status as emperor, this did not mean that Jiang Rui would choose to continue living in the world. Although he was only fifteen years old, Jiang Rui, who had grown up in the palace and was accustomed to intrigues, had a very tough character.

Having received traditional education, the belief that the king dies for the country has been planted in his heart. At the age of fifteen, he has gradually tasted the power under the assistance of Zheng Wang Jiang Guang during the court tour in the south. He is unwilling to be caught and returned to Luoan to become a plaything at the mercy of Shangguan Hongyuan...

After being depressed for a while, Jiang Rui seemed to have thought of something. Hope rose again in his eyes, and he asked Murong Lun, who was standing first on his right:
"Minister Murong, you defended Ye Mingsheng in the court last time and praised him highly. That's why I approved him to be the governor of Yan and Liao. Has he sent troops now?"

Under Jiang Rui's gaze, Murong Lun, the Minister of Revenue, said calmly:

"Your Majesty, the Governor of Yan and Liao has now taken over Jinzhong!"

"Jinzhong? Wasn't that what General Zhao chopped off from Shangguan? Why did Ye Mingsheng beat him? I want Ye Mingsheng to march all the way west to Jinyang and Luo'an to chop Shangguan Hongyuan, the dog thief who never died, into pieces!" Jiang Rui gnashed his teeth and said excitedly:

Although he knew that the Great Zhou was now divided into many factions and each vassal state was established, and that his decrees as an emperor could not leave Chengdu, it was still difficult for the fifteen-year-old emperor to accept all this. Although he had never met Ye Mingsheng, when he heard the nursery rhyme about the scimitar, the sinking wooden boat, swallowing jade, and turning into a dragon, Jiang Rui was still filled with anger towards Ye Mingsheng.

Therefore, when Murong Lun was lobbying for Ye Mingsheng, Jiang Rui was the first to stand up and oppose Ye Mingsheng becoming the Governor-General of Yan and Liao. However, after Murong Lun explained the pros and cons, in order to get rid of the traitor Shangguan Hongyuan, Jiang Rui finally had no choice but to compromise and personally appointed Ye Mingsheng as the Governor-General of Yan and Liao...
It is precisely because of this compromise that Jiang Rui is full of expectations for Ye Mingsheng. However, now that he has only won Ye Mingsheng from Jinzhong, it is obviously not enough to satisfy Jiang Rui.

Murong Lun remained calm in the face of Jiang Rui's roar. Although Jiang Rui was the emperor, he was still just a somewhat willful child in his eyes. Now his main job was to do the job of a mascot. It was not his turn to make decisions on important matters of the court. He did not explain and instead looked at Lin Shize who was silent on the side.

Feeling Murong Lun's gaze, Lin Shize coughed lightly and took over the conversation:

"Your Majesty, General Zhao's son Zhao Jianan has defected to Shangguan Hongyuan. Liang Hao, the special envoy Shangguan Hongyuan sent to Jinzhong, was also captured by the Fengwu Army. Governor Ye is currently preparing his troops in Jinzhong and may launch an attack on Jinyang at any time. Shangguan Hongyuan originally wanted to transfer Jinyang's money, grain and troops to Jianmen, but because of Governor Ye's attack, he had to give up in the end!"

Jiang Rui still respected and trusted Lin Shize, the Prime Minister, so when he heard what Lin Shize said, his face looked better, but he still insisted:
"This is not enough! I made an exception and appointed him as the Governor-General of Yan and Liao. He should work harder to repay the emperor's kindness. The Prime Minister sent a message to Ye Mingsheng, asking him to seize Jinyang as soon as possible and march towards Guanzhong..." "Yes!"

Lin Shize nodded calmly
After talking about Ye Mingsheng, Lin Shize brought up the matter of allowing Jingchu Inspector Sun Liangyu to enter Shu. Hearing Lin Shize mention this matter again, the ministers in the palace began to take sides. Lin Shize, Lin Yi and his son, and Minister of Works Yang Chunchen supported Sun Liangyu's entry into Shu.

Duke of Chen Zhao Yuanan believed that the matter should be considered over a long period of time. As for the Minister of Revenue Murong Lun, his attitude was ambiguous, neither supporting nor opposing, making it impossible for anyone to tell what he was thinking. Seeing that these elders had different opinions, Jiang Rui, who was nearly fifteen years old, had no good solution and could only hastily end this imperial meeting.

After the meeting, Murong Lun did not plan to stay in this brand new palace for long, so he was ready to bow and leave and go home directly. However, as soon as he walked out of the Xuan Zheng Hall, before he could walk far, he heard Lin Yi's voice.

"Minister Murong, please stay!"

Murong Lun sighed inwardly after hearing these words. He left so abruptly just to avoid the Lin family father and son, but the Lin family father and son were more direct than he thought. They started looking for him before he even walked out of the palace gate. Since Lin Yi had spoken, he could no longer pretend that he hadn't heard it. He could only adjust his mood, put on a smile on his face, turned around and said:
"Minister Lin, is there anything I can do for you?"

Lin Yi smiled and explained:
"My father has something to say to Minister Murong. Please wait for a moment..."

Lin Yi's words were within Murong Lun's expectations. Although he was helpless, he could only agree to it. Half a cup of tea later, Lin Shize, leaning on a cane, slowly walked over.

Although he is still in very good health, Lin Shize is now an old man in his seventies, so his walking and physical strength are not as good as before. In order to prevent Murong Lun from escaping, Lin Shize can only let his son go ahead and call Murong Lun to stop him.

Walking in front of Murong Lun, before Murong Lun could speak, Lin Shize said meaningfully:

"Minister Murong left so quickly, is he trying to avoid me?"

After hearing Lin Shize's direct remark, Murong Lun was startled but still said with a smile:

"You are joking, Prime Minister. You are a veteran of three dynasties and I haven't even had a chance to learn from you. Why would I hide from you?"

In response to Murong Lun's compliment, Lin Shize did not respond, but said calmly:
"Minister Murong, you are the pillar of the court. You should understand that the only one who can resolve the court's crisis is Jingchu. As long as the troops of Jingchu arrive, all problems will be solved. The only choice for the traitor Shangguan Hongyuan is to retreat! You should be more resolute in your position on this matter!"

Feeling Lin Shize's tone of instruction, Murong Lun's expression also became serious and he said neither servile nor arrogant:

"Master Prime Minister, regarding the matter of Lord Sun entering Shu, I always think that the most prudent way is for us to discuss it together and seek a consensus!"

Lin Shize was right. With the addition of new forces from Jingchu, Shangguan Hongyuan would most likely be forced to give up attacking Jianmen, and the threat from Shangguan Hongyuan would be easily resolved!

However, this does not mean that the imperial court can rest and recuperate after the southern tour·················

As the saying goes, it is easier to invite a god than to send him away. Judging from the usual style of behavior of Jingchu Inspector Sun Liangyu, although this person is not as arrogant and domineering as Shangguan Hongyuan, he is not a loyal minister or a good general. His appearance will definitely break the power balance that has been hard-won by the current southern tour court. With the disappearance of the external threat from Shangguan Hongyuan, this also means that contradictions within the southern tour court will arise.

Although it is not known what consensus Lin Shize reached with Sun Liangyu as he was so supportive of Sun Liangyu’s entry into Shu, based on Murong Lun’s decades of experience in the officialdom, Lin Shize must be plotting something with Sun Liangyu. Forcing Shangguan Hongyuan to retreat was only one aspect of their idea, while the other aspect was a matter of opinion!

King Zheng Jiang Guang was also a smart man. He was sure that what he could think of was what he could think of, so he left Duke Cheng Zhao Yuanan to stop Lin Shize. However, it seemed that given the current situation, Zhao Yuanan was not very confident about whether Jiang Guang could defend Jianmen, so his attitude softened and he changed his words on this issue, saying that he needed to think about it carefully.

As for Murong Lun, the decision he made was also based on the family's own interests. Although the Murong family was a member of the aristocratic family, they did not completely take Lin Shize's side and become Lin Shize's followers.

In the struggle between Lin Shize and Jiang Guang, the Murong family led by Murong Lun is relatively autonomous and neutral. They do not want to see the east wind overwhelm the west wind, nor do they want to see the west wind overwhelm the east wind. Only when the two sides reach a balance will their Murong family have more room to play.·····················

(End of this chapter)