Chapter Seventy-Two: The Beginning of the Killing
Time passed day by day, Yang Guang has been in the second year of the throne, Mrs. Cai's departure made Yang Guang's heart have an inexplicable sadness, and then, Mrs. Chen also because of a vicious disease, Yang Guang on the grounds that Mrs. Chen was afraid of infection, locked the door of Mrs. Chen's dormitory, a fire will wait for Mrs. Chen's eunuchs and palace maids all burned to death inside, at night when the palace people walk through the ruins of the original Mrs. Chen's bedroom, there will always be a sound of women crying inside, It was Yang Guang who heard the sound of the woman crying when he rested in the dormitory elsewhere at night, in order to prevent ghosts, he invited dozens of famous Taoist monks from all over the country to practice excessively, and ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange a sacrifice to Chen Cai's two wives After the heart calmed down a little, after experiencing these things, Yang Guang's personality became more gloomy and moody, even the most favored Empress Xiao in the original palace In addition to the formal court meeting, Yang Guang did not spend the night in the queen's dormitory, and often stayed alone in the dormitory, although the emperor already had three princes and two princesses, But as the emperor, the more heirs, the more stable the imperial power, under the auspices of Empress Xiao, a steady stream of beauties from all over the country were sent to the palace, surrounded by these beauties, Yang Guang's face slowly improved. Pen, fun, pavilion www.biquge.info but the wind of extravagance is getting better day by day. There are beautiful women naturally indispensable singing and dancing, the song and dance workshop in the palace is constantly music every day, Yang Guang is not satisfied, and ordered Taichang Temple Qing Gao Xi to recruit the original Northern Qi Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty to go to the folk music workers and folk music. Gao Xi remembered Yang Guang's respectful and simple appearance when he was the prince and the vassal king in the past, and advised Yang Guang in the spirit of loyalty to Yang Guang:
"Your Majesty, the original musicians of the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou Dynasty are easy to convene, but the music of the previous dynasty is the sound of the dead country, and it has been abandoned for a long time. Yang Guang didn't have a good impression of Gao Xi in the first place, and at the beginning of the throne, Gao Xi was used because he wanted Yang Su to have scruples, and it was also a means to consolidate the imperial power since ancient times.
"Gao Xi, as the Zhengqing of Taichang Temple, you should do your own thing, what, do you think you are still the prime minister?" When Gao Xi heard this, he felt a cool air coming out from behind him. Hurry up and lean down to ask Yang Guang for guilt.
"Your Majesty, the minister has lost his words. Please forgive your Majesty! Seeing that Gao Xi's body trembled a little, Yang Guang's anger decreased slightly.
"Okay, I'll leave this matter to you, and you should atone for your sins." Gao Xi still wanted to refuse, but seeing Yang Guang's face, he had to kowtow and thank him and return to Taichang Temple. Calling his subordinate officials and conveying the emperor's holy decree, Li Yi, the Taichang Temple Cheng, said to Gao Xi:
"Old Minister, now that the people are living a difficult life, and the emperor is still so extravagant, you should advise the emperor to put the people first!" Gao Xi said bitterly.
"During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Xuan of Zhou liked music, and the palace sang and danced constantly, and as a result, it didn't take long for the story of the previous dynasty to happen, and now it seems that history is about to repeat itself." His subordinate officials all shook their heads and sighed and went out. Although the beauty is in his arms and the music is in his ears, Yang Guang has never been an otaku personality, and he still has merit in his heart. The canal has not yet been completed, and the border pass has been passed over to the Turkic Datou tribe from time to time to the Great Wall has been disturbed, although relying on the advantages of the terrain to hold the pass, but some places are too old, the city wall has collapsed, not conducive to the enemy, Yang Guang ordered, and then mobilize a large number of people to go to the west and the north of the border pass to rebuild the Great Wall, some of the officials persuaded the Yang Guang Canal has not been completed, if the Great Wall is repaired again, I am afraid that it will repeat the mistake of Qin Shi Huang using improper people's power and perish, I hope that Yang Guang will wait for thirty or fifty years after the opening of the Grand Canal to build the Great Wall. Yang Guang was angry and angrily reprimanded the officials:
"The fall of the Qin Dynasty was not the improper use of people's power, it was actually the Qin eunuch Zhao Gao who took power, forced the prince to kill Fusu, and supported Hu Hai, I had already set up my eldest son Yang Zhao as the prince at the beginning of the throne, Yang Zhao was smart and studious, had the style of a gentleman, and Shen Xiao Zhengong, in the future, he was compared to a generation of Ming lords of my dynasty, and after the canal was repaired, wait for thirty or fifty years, then how many of my people of the Great Sui will be captured by the Turkic barbarians, and the children only want to seek immediate interests, regardless of the life and death of the people, as if for the country and the people, it is really their own reputation." The more Yang Guang spoke, the more angry he became. Under the persuasion of the crown prince Yang Zhao and the empress, he slowly calmed down his emotions. Pei Ju stepped forward and said to Yang Guangqi:
"Qi Shengshang, the Holy Lord is very worried, but the old saying is good - the enemy of the enemy is our friend, the minister heard that in my western border pass, there is a conflict between Datou and Tuyuhun, the minister invites an envoy to the Western Regions, and Tuyuhun is used by my Great Sui, even if Tuyuhun does not defeat Datou, we can also take advantage of the situation to return the homeland of Hexi to my Great Sui." Yang Guang laughed in his heart when he heard Pei Ju's recital.
"What Aiqing said is very good! Then it's hard to love Qing, pass on the military department, choose more horses, select strong soldiers and Aiqing from the Gyeonggi camp to accompany the escort, and I will wait for Aiqing's good news in Luoyang. β
"Thanksgiving!" Pei Ju thanked him. After Pei Ju arrived in the Western Regions, he first vigorously developed the economy in Ganzhou and recruited Hu merchants from the Western Regions. He also went deep into the territory of Tuyuhun many times, and through various schemes, he attracted the Gaochang kings Lu Boya and Yiwu Tutun who were north of the head of the Turkic Dynasty to enter the Central Plains to meet Yang Guang, and also attracted many merchants from Tuyuhun to strengthen Tuyuhun's economic dependence on the Sui Dynasty. He also secretly sent secret troops to pretend to be bandits to kill and plunder the trading caravans between Datou and the Western Regions, and assassinated Tuyuhun's envoys in the territory of the Datou tribe. Tuyuhun Khan Murong Fuyun was furious, led troops to fight with Datou, defeated and retreated, in order to keep the foundation of the ancestors, Murong Fuyun asked Yang Guang to attach, Yang Guang Street Murong Fuyun's request was overjoyed, personally led heavy troops into the territory of Tuyuhun, opened up Heyuan, Shanshan, Xihai, and the four counties of the end, and asked Pei Ju to accompany Murong Fuyun to Chang'an to meet him. In the evening, in the palace, Yang Guang summoned Pei Ju:
"Aiqing, this time Tuguhun is attached, my Great Sui has opened up thousands of miles, and Aiqing has made great contributions!"
"Your Majesty, this is all due to your wise decision-making and proper use of people, if you talk about merit, Your Majesty should be the first." Pei Ju's compliment made Yang Guang's imperial psychology unprecedentedly satisfied. Looking at Yang Guang's face, Pei Ju said to Yang Guang again:
"Your Majesty, the minister also brought a gift for the emperor."
"Oh! Pei Ju, what gift did you bring to me? Pei Ju clapped his hands. Two eunuchs brought in a large box. After Pei Ju opened it, Yang Guang found that it was a bunch of picture scrolls, Pei Ju pointed to the box and said:
"Your Majesty, during this time in Ganzhou, Weichen had a lot of contact with Hu merchants in the Western Regions, and sent his cronies to form a secret caravan to the Western Regions, passing through the Datou Department, reaching a total of 27 countries of all sizes, here are the routes they took and the customs of various countries recorded, today I am here to dedicate to Your Majesty, and the news of Tuyuhun's return has been secretly transmitted to Hu Merchants in various countries, I believe that soon the envoys of the 36 countries of the Western Regions will come to see Your Majesty."
"Good! Aiqing worked hard and made great contributions, and I gave these atlases the name "Atlas of the Western Regions", and first promoted Aiqing to Shangshu Zuocheng, and after returning to Chang'an, I rewarded him again. Yang Guang was even more happy when he heard Pei Ju's report. The Western Regions have a vast land, since the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Western Regions have been reduced to the Hu pasture many times, and it is also the base for the Hu people to invade the Central Plains, as the emperor, Yang Guang worships the martial arts hegemony of the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty, and wants to become a wise monarch after them, but also afraid that if the Western Regions are not controlled in their hands, I am afraid that there will be another tragedy of the grassland Hu people entering the Central Plains in the future.
A month later, the envoys and monarchs from the Western Regions came to Ganzhou to meet Yang Guang, Yang Guang was very happy, and ordered the government to properly arrange the living conditions of the monarch and the envoys, and the ministers who stayed in Chang'an also sent a recital, saying that the Turkic Turkic Turki Khan heard that Tuyuhun was attached, and he wanted to arrive in Chang'an in person to meet him, and after a few days of rest, Yang Guang took Murong Fuyun and the monarch envoys of the Western Regions to set off to return to Beijing, and ordered Chang'an and Luoyang to clean up the streets and repair the city walls. Take out a large number of colored satin silk from the treasury to make flower ribbons, hang them on the tree to show joy, Chang'an Luoyang Defu Kubu silk brocade is not enough, all the inns and restaurants in the two capitals have been notified, when the emperor returns to Luan, the guests are not allowed to charge money for eating and drinking, if the guests ask, they will say that the Central Plains is rich, and the wine and rice will not be charged, and they will be allowed to eat, and foreign monarchs and envoys will come to the shops to buy goods, and they will all be given, and the goods will be sold and purchased at a high price. Civil and military officials, wealthy merchants and nobles must all wear silk brocade clothes, and violators will be beheaded. This holy decree came down, and the hundreds of officials in the court and the central government complained bitterly in their hearts, because due to Yang Guang's reckless military and military construction, the fields of the ministers of the Chang'an and Luoyang families were barren and thin, and the income of the major families was greatly reduced. In order to get more rewards and benefits, the foreign monarchs led by the Gaochang king Lu Boya and the Turkic Turkic Khan shouted Yang Guang as the Heavenly Khan, greeted Yang Guang respectfully, and called the Sui Dynasty the Heavenly Dynasty. Local officials take bribes in violation of the law under the pretext of illegal crimes, corruption and selling the law often occur, local fugitives form gangs, and the matter of occupying the mountain for the king to rob the house is often spread in the mouths of local officials who come to Luoyang, Chang'an to do business, and they dare not report to Yang Guang, Yang Guang has also been immersed in his dream of the prosperity of the Celestial Empire, Gao Xi saw it in his eyes, and his heart was even more painful. One day, Guan Wang Yang Xiong's birthday, Gao Xi came to Yang Xiong's mansion. Seeing that Yang Xiong only set up a banquet, only He Ruobi, Yu Wenbi and Taifuqing He Chou and others were seated.
"Lord Wang, why is your birthday so shabby!" Yang Xiong helped Yang Jian to seize the throne of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, made great contributions, and Gao Xi, Su Wei, Yang Su and others were called the four nobles, holding heavy power, but in Yang Jian's later years, he was suspicious and promoted to a vacant position, but he was deprived of authority and was not allowed to participate in the government.
"Oh! Now that the people are in danger, if they are extravagant, I am afraid that they will attract criticism! Everyone knew that Yang Xiong had something unspeakable, they all bowed their heads and did not speak, Yang Xiong was afraid of the dull atmosphere, so he frequently toasted to everyone, and after drinking a few glasses, several people sitting there were a little drunk, their faces were a little red, and they began to talk more.
"Hey! Today's emperor is treacherous and scheming, and yearns for the exploits of Qin Shi Huang, reckless soldiers, large construction projects, extravagant, the people are displaced, and the foreign people are wantonly exaggerated, in order to reward the envoys of the Western Regions and Tuyuhun, the Turkic Khan, even hollowed out my Great Sui treasury, although my Great Sui seems to be strong, but there are many crises, especially the Turkic Turkic Khan, I heard that he came to Luoyang, Chang'an from the north when he did not take a carriage and horse, all the way on foot, it seems that he is exploring the situation of our pass garrison, in addition, Chang'an, Luoyang although the street, But what about other places? Is that Turkic barbarian a fool and a blind man? He won't look. There is also the suspension of the issuance of hundreds of officials, many ministers do not care about that little money, but in the name of supporting their families, they wantonly embezzle and sell the law, and there is no discipline in the court, if it is at the time of the emperorγγγγγγ Hearing Gao Xi's words, Yang Xiong quickly covered Gao Xi's mouth.
"Old Xiangguo, be cautious!" Gao Xi also realized that his words were a little too much, everyone continued to pour wine, and after the banquet, Yang Xiong returned to the bedroom, thinking about Gao Xi's words. "Gao Xi is honest and honest and is a loyal minister, but the emperor couldn't tolerate him back then, and he had old grudges with Yang Guang, although Yang Guang was kind to him on the surface, but in fact he was just using him as a faΓ§ade, and now his imperial power has been consolidated, Gao Xi is afraid to γγγγγγ Forget it, I'll still go and explain to the emperor, hoping that I won't be implicated at that time. Thinking of this, Yang Xiong ordered his subordinates to arrange a carriage, he entered the palace overnight, and when the eunuch led him to Yang Guang, he saw that Taichang Cheng Li Yi and Taifu Qing He Chou were also there, and he slowly understood.
On the morning of the second day, Yang Guang called Gao Xi out first after shouting long live in Qunchen Mountain.
"Gao Xi."
"The minister is here!"
"I heard that you have often told others that you are extravagant and extravagant, and you are good at wine, right?"
"Your Majesty, the minister is not, the minister is wronged!"
"Humph! Treat unjustly! Li Yi, He Chou, Yang Xiong, tell me everything you heard! When Yang Xiong and the other three came out and said some of Gao Xi's remarks, Gao Xi understood most of them in his heart.
"Humph! High heat! I remember that you are an old minister of the former dynasty, and you are used as Taichangqing, but you don't want to repay the service, and you are here to discuss the government! Put Gao Xi on death row, behead him on a certain day, confiscate his family property, and exile his sons to the frontier! Hearing Yang Guang's order, He Ruobi and Yu Wenbi hurriedly came out to plead.
"Your Majesty, Lord Gao is the old minister of the former emperor, the founding father of my Great Sui, I hope the emperor will be gracious!"
"Your Majesty, Gao Lao Xiangguo is loyal to the royal family, and he will never say such a thing, and I hope that Your Majesty will let Yousi investigate in detail, and don't kill the old minister in vain." In the past, He Ruobi, Yu Wenbi and others had a deep relationship with Yang Yong, and they were Yang Yong's hardcore supporters.
"Good! You usually form a party for personal gain, and now you are discussing the government and slandering the holy monarch, I will serve you today, come on! Take He Ruobi and Yu Wenbi down, and ask and behead them together with Gao Xi, I want to see who else dares to slander the Holy Monarch in the future. That's how it all ended. The hundred officials saw the fate of Gao Xi and He Ruobi and others, and they all bowed their heads and remained silent, and no one ever spoke out in front of Yang Guang from then on, and all the officials flattered Yang Guang. Li Jiancheng saw Gao Xi and He Ruobi hanging on the heads of the city tower, thinking that Yang Guang was cutting off his arms, Gao Xi and He Ruobi were sincerely for the Great Sui, and it was a deterrent to the officials of those families, now that they are dead, the families will have no scruples, and now the Great Sui is like a pile of dry firewood, and the chaos is about to break out, who will really contribute to Yang Guang at that time. Yang Guang, you are killing yourself!