On December 28, the first year of Yongkang (167 years), in the front hall of Deyang of the Luoyang Palace, important ministers gathered, and on the main hall, the Queen Mother Dou Miaogao sat in the court.

The atmosphere was terrifyingly dull, and an invisible solemn aura filled it, and everyone lowered their heads and held their breath, without making a sound, and the needles in the hall could be heard.

The Empress Dowager Dou Miao slowly spoke: "The first emperor died, and the mourning family is not very sad......"

"Please mourn the Queen Mother." All the people in the hall, whether they were party members or eunuchs, bowed together.

"No courtesy." The Queen Mother Dou Miao held her right hand weakly, waited for everyone to straighten her body together, and continued: "However, the country cannot be without a king for a day, and today's need is to set up a new monarch in another and resume the Han heir!" ”

The palace suddenly quieted down again, the deceased Son of Heaven Liu Zhi reigned for twenty-one years, at the age of Chinese New Year's Eve six, the best woman in her life, and even prostituted herself in the daytime, and died suddenly on the woman's belly, which made the empire humiliated, but he had nothing to do, and there were only three daughters under his knees.

Naturally, women cannot inherit the unification, and the establishment of a new monarch is to choose another person from the Han family clan to inherit the unification.

Chen Fan stood in the crowd silently, he turned his head to look at his friend Dou Wu beside him, but he didn't get a response, and he suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

"Qing is a good minister of the country, please express your words." The Queen Mother Dou Miao slowly spoke, breaking the silence for a long time.

"Return to the Queen Mother." Dou Wu slowly walked out of the crowd, held the wat with both hands, and made a salute: "The minister thinks that the Han family clan should be chosen by blood to inherit the unification." ”

"Good." The Queen Mother Dou Miao bowed slightly, "Do you have a recommendation?" ”

"The minister recommended the Marquis of the Pavilion, and he can inherit the unification."

The Empress Dowager Dou Miao frowned slightly, as if hearing this name for the first time, "Who is this?" ”

"Returning to the Queen Mother, the Marquis of the Jie Pavilion is also the heir of the Emperor. Great-ancestor Hejian filial piety Wang Kai, Zu Shu, father Chang, imperial marquis. ”

"Good." The Queen Mother Dou Miao bowed her head again, "What do you think?" ”

"Oh, I am willing to obey the orders of the Queen Mother."

"The minister seconded the proposal."

"The minister seconded the proposal."

“……”

One by one, the ministers went out to worship as if they had a plan.

Chen Fan only felt cold all over, how could he not know? But this is only a twelve-year-old boy! What the empire needs today is a strong, virtuous and capable emperor, not a young emperor who is undecided and easy to become a puppet.

Chen Fan raised his head and looked at the eunuch next to the Empress Dowager Dou Miao on the steps, this group of imperial moths who had fought with him and Dou Wu in the past did not say a word at this time.

"Huh." Chen Fan looked at Dou Wu's figure, and sneered in his heart, this friend who usually regarded himself as a scholar, he was a relative after all.

……

A few days later, that is, the new year, the first month, the afternoon of the new year, the Empress Dowager Dou Miao issued an order to promote the old city gate captain Dou Wu to the general, the former captain Chen Fan as the master, and Situ Hu Guang recorded the Shangshu affair.

In a room, Chen Fan and Hu Guang sat on the ground, looking at each other without saying a word.

"Teacher." Chen Fan spoke first, he looked at Hu Guang, and said angrily: "Dou Wu, how can he act like this? Liu Shuo, the king of the plains, and Liu Kui, the king of the Bohai Sea, are all the younger brothers of the first emperor, and they are all in the prime of life. ”

Hu Guang looked at Chen Fan, his eyes were clear, he was seventy-seven years old, he had gone through too many personnel, and he understood the meaning of Chen Fan's words, but he just shook his head and said, "You Ping is a relative after all." ”

You Ping is the word of Dou Wu, and the Han Dynasty generally called people by name and word to show closeness and friendliness, and calling him by his name is a contemptuous move in the eyes of people.

"I'm only afraid that he has a different heart, and I'm afraid that he will go astray and follow Wang Liang's story." Chen Fan said word by word, his tone was extremely heavy.

Wang Liang is Wang Mang and Liang Ji, both of whom are relatives, among which Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, and Liang Ji poisoned the young emperor, all of whom are recognized as Han thieves today.

"Zhongju, be cautious." Hu Guang's tone suddenly became serious, and he looked at Chen Fan with burning eyes, not at all like an ancient old man.

Chen Fan came down silently, and after a long time, he spoke again: "If he really wants to do such a bad thing, Fan Fan will definitely not be sympathetic to him!" ”

"Teacher, take your leave."

With that, Chen Fan got up and saluted, turned around and went out, walked away in the night, and disappeared into the vast expanse for a while.

"Hey." Hu Guang let out a long sigh, he knew that he had disappointed his disciples, but he knew that the empire could no longer withstand the toss, he was like a pastemaker, trying to maintain a dilapidated big house, although he knew that he was doing useless work, and it was inevitable that it would be destroyed, but he had to do so, only hoping that this dilapidated house could survive for a while longer, and avoid the wind and rain for the people in the house.

Looking at the closed door, Hu Guang could no longer see Chen Fan's figure, and he suddenly wondered how his disciple would look at him? I'm afraid it's-

Suddenly, Hu Guang remembered the sentence that ridiculed him in the capital - ignore everything and ask Bo Shi, there is Hu Gong in the middle of the world - and then a childlike smile appeared on his old and ravine-like face.

In the night, Chen Fan moved forward silently, the empire will usher in a new master in a few days, and in this increasingly treacherous situation, he needs to make a little preparation in advance.

Hopefully, this young emperor will bring some different changes to the empire.

……

In the first month of the first month, on the first day, a series of white-covered cars, under the escort of the Yulin Army, against the piercing north wind, galloped all the way from the river to Luoyang.

In the middle of the car, a young man about twelve years old looked dazed, excited, excited, uneasy, and panicked, he would never have thought that in just a few days, he would become the new master of the empire from the son of a down-and-out pavilion marquis.

Liu Hong didn't know what kind of rights and responsibilities this meant, the only thing he remembered was the joy and worry in his mother's eyes, Dong, who lost her husband at an early age, sold most of her family property to keep her title, and depended on him in the environment of many powerful wolves in Anguo County.

Cao Jie bent over, sat beside Liu Hong respectfully, and told him some things that should be paid attention to, he was a eunuch, a cronie of the Queen Mother, and one of the angels who were ordered to welcome him this time.

But Cao Jie knows that in this deep palace, who is the object he can rely on, the Son of Heaven, only the Son of Heaven is the person he should serve, he is already a person without a descendant, only power can make him forget the pain of his body, and all this can only be given to him by the Son of Heaven, just like the former Five Marquis.

Thinking of this, Cao Jie secretly glanced at the young man who was listening attentively, and a trace of imperceptible eagerness flashed in his eyes.

Liu Yi (shu1) lifted the curtain and quietly looked at the carriage in front of him through the window of the carriage, which was the car of the Son of Heaven.

He can still remember the scene where he and Cao Jiefeng Empress Dowager Zhao galloped across the river a few days ago, he didn't know whether all this was right or wrong, maybe he knew, but he just refused to accept it, but what could he do? I'm just a small clan, what can I do?

Liu Yi lowered the curtain, Luoyang was almost there, and since the road had come to this point, there was no possibility of turning back.

Outside the summer gate, on the side of the Waishou Pavilion, the hundred officials of the imperial court were waiting for the Son of Heaven to drive on the side of the road under the leadership of the general Dou Wu.

"Huh~Huh"

Countless banners hunted in the wind, and under the banners, there were soldiers of the northern and southern armies.

Among them, the five battalions of the Northern Army's Tun Cavalry, Yue Cavalry, Infantry, Changshui, and Shooting Sound stood on the left side of the road with hundreds of officials under the leadership of the Northern Army.

Because the Southern Army had the duty of guarding the Imperial Palace, the Commander of the Southern Army only led the Beigong Guard Order and the soldiers under the jurisdiction of the Marquis of Zuodu and the cavalry under the jurisdiction of the Ruling Jingo who was responsible for the security of Kyoto to stand on the right side.

Since Emperor He, although the empire's national strength is declining, its system of inheriting the former Qin and Han dynasties is still running with a kind of inertia, and the two armies of the north and south are still the elite that the empire can rely on.

Suddenly, there was a commotion, and accompanied by the sound of horses' hooves as dense as a drum came from far and near, Dou Wu's expression suddenly became serious, he looked back at the hundred officials behind him, there were no superfluous words, all the officials were dignified, and their faces were solemn.

A moment later, when the faint smoke and dust disappeared, the car of the Son of Heaven appeared in the sight of the hundred officials, and then Liu Hong leaned out of the carriage at the front, wearing a gown, standing on the front room, remembering the words given to him by Cao Jie, he mustered up the courage to say loudly: "Since you see the Son of Heaven, why don't you bow down?" ”

Dou Wu was stunned for a moment, and then immediately came back to his senses, holding the talisman given by the Queen Mother Dou Miao with both hands, and led the hundred officials behind him to come forward and bow: "Minister Dou Wu led the hundred officials to welcome the Son of Heaven." ”

As soon as Dou Wu's words fell, the hundred officials also replied in unison:

"Greetings to the Son of Heaven."

Then there was the roar of thousands of elite soldiers: "Ministers welcome the Son of Heaven." ”

The voice was like thunder, reaching into the sky, and the momentum was overwhelming.

Liu Hong stood on the wheel, he felt his calves shaking involuntarily, and cold sweat oozing out of his palms and soles for some reason, after all, he was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's time to say yes." Cao Jie didn't know when he would come out, so he drove down and reminded in a low voice.

"Oh." Liu Hong woke up like a dream, hurriedly supported his right hand, and said loudly at the same time: "Zhuqing, don't be polite." ”

However, due to his age, his voice is slightly immature.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The crowd replied in unison.

Dou Wu led hundreds of officials to get up, glanced at Cao Jie as if inadvertently, and then as if nothing had happened, he calmly invited Liu Hong to board the Huaqing covered car that had been prepared on the side of Waishou Pavilion.

Then, the majestic Huaqing covered car was surrounded by hundreds of officials and important ministers and Yulin Army, and galloped towards the inner city of the palace.

After tomorrow, when the Daxing Emperor Liu Zhi is buried, the new emperor's enthronement ceremony will be held, after which Liu Hong will enter the Jiade Hall and become the master of this huge empire.