Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty and October of the 14th year

Pingcheng has been the capital of the Imperial Wei Dynasty for ninety-two years.

Today's Heijo is different from the past, in the early hours of the morning, the weather suddenly dropped, the frost and fog rose, and the wind was cold. The whole city was shrouded in fog, and the towers that could usually be seen more than ten miles away could not see the slightest trace today, and only the bell from the Yongning Temple Tower could be heard from a distance, which was the masterpiece of the continuous cold wind.

Because of its location in the north, the cold season is earlier than in the Central Plains, and this year is colder than usual. In August, I heard that Fenzhou had already reported frost. This kind of annual scene is also rare in the past ten years.

The sky has just dawned, the city gate is wide open, a team of flying messengers with letter flags on their backs and flying horses out, holding down their bodies in order to try to avoid the cold wind brought by the galloping horses, on the fork in the road in the south of the city, the neighing of horses, the trampling of horses' hooves like a storm, drifting around in the silent fog, causing the villages along the way to a sound of chickens and dogs barking, these messengers are sent by Shangshu Province and other departments to the prefectures and counties, border military supervision areas, requiring all localities to strictly prevent civil unrest in the cold winter, once there is a disaster to pay attention to pacify and provide relief, The border gates should continue to strictly investigate the affairs of spies in the South Korea.

In the palace in the bleak wind and cold fog, since the death of the Empress Dowager in mid-September, the white flags have not been completely removed. Officials and eunuchs hurriedly passed by all the way between the pavilions and terraces.

Taihe Hall in the last month is still the place that has attracted the attention of the whole country, for many years the state decree has been issued in this place, many court officials come and go, endless streams, come to pay homage and ask for instructions, the eunuch female officials here have therefore become the most enviable of the palace of the handful.

However, this kind of thing that makes the Taihe Palace glorious has changed since the death of the Empress Dowager last month, and the entire palace is in a gloomy and gloomy state.

Several eunuchs in a side room, female officials gathered around an old eunuch in his fifties, from time to time to talk about relative crying, these are usually favored by the queen mother, the eunuchs expressed their reluctance to the late queen mother, and at the same time worried about their next fate, I don't know how these old people will be placed with the death of the queen mother.

As a senior eunuch of the Taihe Palace, Li Yun has served as a servant of Taihe for more than six years, although it is hard to serve the Queen Mother, but he has enjoyed a lot of glory. The Queen Mother has been sick since the beginning of the year, and it is still not getting better in the middle of the year, Li Gong prays and prays for the Queen Mother's fortunate ministers from time to time, and he also invites a Buddhist shrine to worship. Begging the Queen Mother to turn her body safe. But by the beginning of September, the Queen Mother was no longer allowed to eat, and the Imperial Doctor Order also frequently asked for guilt, only saying that if the Queen Mother could survive the cold winter, the situation would be good when the climate warmed up in the coming year. Li Yun, as a close attendant of the Queen Mother, usually consults the imperial doctor, knowing that these are all excuses, and the Queen Mother's body is obviously unable to survive this year. In a daze, the Buddha stopped worshipping. I often have dinner with a few good colleagues and talk about the uncertain future in private. Worried about each other, but suddenly faced with this kind of queen mother's end, in addition to a few powerful eunuchs, middle-level ministers like Li Yun, especially the ministers who accompanied the queen mother, were also caught off guard for a while. I can't say what I can do. After a few birds and beasts dispersed, Li Yun could only find another way, fortunately he met an insider Ling Zhongcao to the entourage of Wang Yu in the matter, Xiao Huangmen, after losing a lot of money in several consecutive gambling, finally opened the door, Xiao Huangmen had already told him, and there would be news in three days. But five days have passed since today's appointment, the news still hasn't come, and the other party hasn't found anyone to pass on a word, Li Yun is anxious when he sees this, and he can't eat well and sleep for several days, so he is in a hurry.

Finding a way out of these things are all selfish, and they don't see anyone, of course Li Yun won't publicize it everywhere, so the female officials of the Yellow Gate who are subordinate to him don't know, and they can't stop crying there. Li Yun thought about his heart, thinking about the things of the Queen Mother before her death, and thinking about his own future for a while, the crying in his ears made him irritable, and he didn't feel that he got up and paced back and forth, and when he heard the complaining voice for a while, he finally got impatient, turned around and sat down on the bed in front of the desk, picked up the porcelain cup, and prepared to drink some milk to moisten his dry throat, and then scolded them for not being loyal to the king, and only focusing on their own selfish plans. So that you can calm your ears a little.

Just as he was about to put down the porcelain cup and swing his majesty, there was a sound of aggressive footsteps outside the door, Li Yun looked over, and a little eunuch walked in quickly, arching his hand to Li Yun and said: "Li Gong, Zhang Gong of Taihua Hall is here, and he has arrived at Sixian Gate." ”

Li Yun perked up, put down the porcelain cup and hurriedly got up, didn't care about saying anything to a few eunuch maids, walked quickly towards the door, sorted out the mourning clothes as he walked, and asked, "What did Zhang Gongke say?" ”

"Zhang Gong's face was anxious, his steps were brisk, thinking that there was an urgent matter, and the small one was young, so he hurried to inform Li Gong with good physical strength." The little eunuch followed Li Yun closely and bowed down to answer.

Li Yun didn't know what to do in his heart, and Zhang Mao, the chief eunuch next to His Majesty, came to the Taihe Hall in person despite the severe cold, and when the old and the new alternated, he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse, thinking that he had not done anything to offend Zhang's husband. The heart is at peace for a while.

Thinking about his thoughts, he went out of the side door and turned to the stone steps in front of the main hall, and saw a big eunuch who was close to Li Yun's age, with a ruddy face, wearing embroidered clothes and a fur hat, followed by four small yellow doors, and was hurrying towards the main hall.

Li Yun didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly trotted down the steps. He arched his hand and said: "The lower official is late, I don't know if Zhang Gong is not in the palace to serve His Majesty, if there is something to send someone to order, why bother to come in person." ”

Zhang Mao is obviously a little taller than Li Yun, and when he saw that Li Yun finished saluting, he returned the salute, glanced at Li Yun, thinking that this person in front of him served the Empress Dowager, and he had to treat the other party in the past to be polite, lest he offend the Empress Dowager's close attendants and affect His Majesty. Now that the Queen Mother is in control of the West, she doesn't have to condescend in front of this junior, and she suddenly feels a little lighter.

"Your Majesty passed on the edict some time ago, and you will follow the system to keep filial piety, has the built house been complete?" Zhang Mao let herself breathe a few breaths

Li Yun lowered his head slightly, staring at Zhang Mao's eyes a few times, wanting to see something. How could Zhang Mao not know this, she seemed very calm, neither deliberately befriending nor domineering, only a businesslike tone, which made Li Yun unpredictable, and only felt the cold state of the world in her heart for a while.

"I got an edict before, and I have been building a house for many days, and now everything is complete, and the amount of money and materials consumed has been listed in the book file, and the lower officials will go to get it for Zhang Gong to check." After Li Yun finished answering, he had to tell the little yellow door next to him to take the accounts.

"There is no need to do this, this construction of the Lu is the account of the Yonggu Mountain Mausoleum, which is in charge of Du Zhi Cao, and the office where the money and things should go, how dare you and I, as ministers, interfere in the affairs of foreign ministers, so Your Majesty is often responsible for the important affairs of various ministries, and this account book Li Gong is still sent to Du Zhi Cao to enter the file." Zhang Mao knew that this was Li Yun testing whether he had the intention of snooping after this great change, and he didn't know how His Majesty the Emperor would settle these old Queen Mothers, if they were filial piety in the past, these old Queen Mothers would also be treated preferentially, so he refused politely when he thought of this.

Zhang Mao paused, thinking that Li Yun is a common eunuch of His Majesty after all, and he also has some old feelings, although the Queen Mother has passed away, there are not a few ministers and servants who think of the Queen Mother's old feelings, this Li Yun is still worth wooing, thinking of this, it is better to sell it, and then said slowly: "In addition, Your Majesty has made a decree, and the generals will be in the Taihe Palace, and the relevant honor guards must be prepared." Li Gong knows how powerful the new Yi Zhu official is, so don't be caught. ”

Li Yun didn't expect His Majesty to summon the ministers in the Taihe Hall today, the Taihe Hall is the residence of the Queen Mother, and His Majesty used to summon the ministers in the Taihua Palace. Thinking of His Majesty's filial piety in serving the Queen Mother on weekdays, his heart has settled down, and His Majesty will not be harsh on them, right?

"Thank you Zhang Gong for reminding me. Recently, these accounts will be sent to Duzhi Cao into the file today" Li Yun arched his hand and said: "This morning is very cold, and it is windy outside, so please ask Zhang Gong to drink some tea inside to keep warm." Li Yun saw that Zhang Mao did not mean to fall into the well, and his mind was lively, there was no news from Wang Neixing's side at the moment, so it was better to see if Zhang Mao's big tree could be climbed.

As soon as Zhang Mao heard Li Yun's words, he knew that Li Yun had something to say, so he opened his mouth and was about to agree, but suddenly remembered something and said: "Very good, there are not many people in this palace who like pure tea except for the second prince, and Zhang often finds it difficult to find tea friends, which is a pity." Li Gong had this elegant invitation, and Zhang did not dare to refuse. It's just that the ministry is in place, so it's better to go to see the house first, and Your Majesty will have to stay for a few months, so I can't be careless about serving. ”

Li Yunleng paused, was a little surprised, thought for a while and said: "The Lu Sleep has never been big, and the lower officials have personally supervised the construction since they received the construction order, and the materials and rulers used are all built in accordance with the book issued by Yi Cao Shangshu. After it was completed, the lower officials had already gone to review it three times, lest there be any negligence. The next official is about to go to the review, but it is gratifying that Zhang Gong can go with him, Zhang Gong often serves around His Majesty, if there is an omission, he will not hesitate to give advice, and the next official will feel five inside. ”

Zhang Mao didn't have any other intention when he mentioned going to see the Lu Bed, nor did he doubt Li Yun's ability, and this Lu Bed was not all built by the people of the Taihe Palace, Yi Cao, Du Zhi, Zuo Min, and the four departments of the beginning were all cross-responsible. If something really happens, the relevant departments will naturally be responsible, and it has nothing to do with him. The reason why I wanted to go and see it was also a temporary idea.

In terms of etiquette, the requirements for the funeral house such as the Lu Sleep are not high, and there is no need for comfort, as long as it can keep warm. His Majesty learned less Confucianism, and set an example, and has always been very particular about the regulations of Zhou etiquette. Of course, the people below will not really do this, but they will still use as many materials as possible, and make them strong and warm, so that people have nothing to say. He wasn't worried about this, but last night it was very cold and the temperature plummeted. Zhang Mao was worried that the dormitory was not warm enough to see if there was a need for temporary remedy. The emperor's health has never been very good, and he can't be a close minister without much care.

Zhang Mao followed behind Li Yun, because the Lu Sleep was set on the left side of the Taihe Palace, not far away, and it could be reached in a moment.

From the outside, it seems that it is roughly in line with the meaning of His Majesty the Emperor, it is not a luxurious place with carved beams and paintings, there are three rooms, one is for meditation and reading and reading documents, one is for resting, and the other is used to summon the ministers. You can also talk about Buddhist scriptures with the monks here. The emperor likes the Buddha and often discusses with the monks of Pingcheng, although it will not ring the bell and ring the chime like some temples, but the famous monks gather. Meteorologically, it is often not inferior to those large temples and scripture halls, so this house is much larger than the other two.

Zhang Mao turned around the periphery twice, and saw that these houses were also tight, considering that the climate had dropped greatly, the emperor's physique was not as good as that of Emperor Shizu's generations of emperors, and he still asked Li Yunzai to add an extra layer of fur to keep out the cold.

The most important thing is, of course, the resting place, Zhang Mao paced into the house first, and Li Yun also followed in, at a glance, it was not luxurious, only a low case and a large bronze lamp, a reed mat spread on the ground, plus a large blanket and brocade quilt. According to Zhang Mao's original intention, he should have used the bed, but the emperor didn't allow it, so it could only be so.

After all, Zhang Mao was old, and the light in the house was dim, so he could only look at it a few times and touch the blanket brocade quilt, and then added two more blankets as usual.

After inspecting the dormitory, Zhang Mao did not hesitate to praise Mrs. Li for doing things properly, and instructed a few words to pay attention to. The accusation said that there were too many things today, and the emperor was about to summon the courtiers, and he had to personally take charge of these sundries, so he had no time to go to Li Yun to taste tea. I made another appointment before leaving.

Out of Sixian Gate, Zhang Mao looked back at the Taihe Hall in Sixian Gate, and couldn't help but feel that the world is impermanent, and he was more vigilant in his heart, encouraging himself to serve the king loyally.

After glancing at the Taihe Hall for a few times, he was about to turn around and go back to the Taihua Palace, and when he saw a small yellow door behind him, he couldn't help but say: "Wang Qing, if you have something to say, just say it."

"Zhang Gong, I don't know if it's a small clumsiness, don't blame you for making a mistake." The little eunuch Wang Qing took a look at Zhang Mao, and saw that Zhang Mao did not mean to blame, bowed his head and said: "Just look at the brocade quilt in the bedroom, it is so suitable that it is the old thing of the Queen Mother." I don't know if it's rude. ”

Zhang Mao's eyes flashed, and after a while, he smiled and said: "Your Majesty is filial, I have already ordered the Queen Mother's imperial utensils not to be tampered with a month ago, I don't want to come to Duke Li to know about this festival, right?" You go to hide Cao to take the brocade quilt now, and the queen mother's royal brocade quilt is still in the same place. ”

"Yes, the little one will go to the inner hidden Cao" Wang Qing's eyes flashed with joy, and after answering the question, he hurried to the inner hidden Cao. After the other three eunuchs looked at each other, they followed Zhang Mao closely.

"Humph! The Queen Mother has collapsed, and those of you who originally despised others should have gone with the Queen Mother, and you dared to think of him. Don't say that I can't tolerate you, even if Wang Yushi knows about it, he won't spare you. Since you have served the Queen Mother for many years, it is better to go to Yonggu Mausoleum to retire. Zhang Mao looked back at the Taihe Hall again, and after giving Li Yun a verdict in his heart, he thought that Li Yun had been the Queen Mother for many years after all, and now he wanted to use the Queen Mother's light to get a recovery, and he was not the only one who threatened.