In September of the second year of Changyuan, the autumn color was already very deep, and the rice in the field had been harvested, leaving a large area of grain stump with green regenerated seedlings, which added a little life color to the season when ten thousand trees withered. Located in Luoyang, the eastern capital along the Yellow River, there are many deciduous trees in the city, when this year is dry, it is natural that the fallen leaves are scattered, and the atmosphere is a little desolate.

Fortunately, Luoyang is the economic and cultural center of the eastern part of the empire, where merchants from all over the world gather, goods are distributed, and people come and go, and the population is quite dense, and the lively atmosphere makes the population almost forget the bleakness of autumn.

In the city, there is a royal palace "Vientiane Shrine" built by Wu Zetian, which is as high as 294 feet (more than 80 meters), which is spectacular and extraordinary, and can be called a miracle of this era. Although after the death of Wu Zetian, since the Zhongzong Dynasty, the political center has shifted to the west, Chang'an gradually restored the position of the center, and after the king of Hedong reformed the Caoyun system, Chang'an became increasingly rich in materials, and Luoyang gradually withdrew from the peak of political governance, becoming a place where the lost and downtrodden people in the central power lived in a drowsy, but it did not affect its prosperity.

The economic prosperity made people worry about food and clothing, and those literati who were full of wealth wrote countless chapters here, which is an ancient capital rich in connotation and romance. After a fierce power struggle in Chang'an at the end of Jingyun ended the curtain, although there was no Daxing prison, there were not a few civil and military people who were demoted from Chang'an, and Luoyang became a place where they were sad and sad, and these scholars with high cultural cultivation also added a lot of cultural atmosphere to this ancient capital.

Former Prime Minister Yao Chong is one of them, and he has been demoted to Luoyang as the governor for several years, because he used to help Li Longji speak many times during the Jingyun period, and he was the prime minister, so naturally he could no longer stay in the center. He was okay, the former forbidden army general Zhang Wei was driven out of the Beijing division in the power struggle, and even an official was given, and he was directly allowed to fend for himself.

Zhang Wei used to be a heroic figure in the rivers and lakes, but because he was appreciated by Li Longji, he was promoted to Beijing and slowly became a general of the forbidden army; Now that he has nothing to do, he continues to do his old job and run the rivers and lakes. However, this starvation did not kill him, Zhang Wei's appeal and organizational skills were good, and he soon had a good job at Luoyang Wharf, where he participated in the organization of coolies for loading and unloading goods, renting cars and renting horses, and some things such as debt collection and lending that wandered on the edge of the law. In addition, Yin Yao Chong of Luoyang Mansion was a pro-princeling bureaucrat before, and naturally took care of old people like Zhang Wei, so he was very prosperous in Luoyang City.

Zhang Wei's background is not very good, and he is very different from the people in the officialdom, so he has no worries in comparison, and he is very righteous when he thinks of Li Longji and his friendship. After Li Longji escaped from Chang'an, he came forward to protect him, otherwise Li Longji, who had been an emperor, would have no place to stay...... People who dare to hide Li Longji really have to risk the crime of killing their heads and exterminating their clans, and ordinary people really don't have the courage and ability.

Now Li Longji has become the person in the Zhang family's tent, and he doesn't see people much on weekdays, and there are Jiang Jiao, Gao Lishi, Wang Ju, Liu Youqiu and other dead friends, these people have basically no other way out except for Li Longji's path to the black, and there is also the eunuch Gao Lishi who is full of hatred for the Taiping Party and wants to take revenge. Naturally, everyone will not abandon Li Longji, a person with a background and identity.

When Li Longji fled, he took three or four hundred guards from the East Palace, and the commander was his domestic slave king Mao Zhong. This product is a Korean, and there is no way in the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji uses him well, and he is also the one who follows San Lang. At that time, after Zhang Wei secretly received Li Longji and others, he thought that the number of guards was too large and easy to be exposed, so he asked Wang Maozhong to take people to go elsewhere.

It just so happened that Zhang Wei's brother got the certificate of the government's mining outside Luoyang City, and was ready to recruit strong men to mine, isn't this just in time? Yao Chong in the yamen knew that he was Zhang Wei's younger brother, and whoever still troubled him would have turned a blind eye a long time ago. So the Donggong guards took off their clothes and armor, put away their weapons, and threw them into the mine in batches, pretending to be coolies to hide their identities. Fortunately, the mine is located in a remote and inaccessible mountain, and the safety is good. In addition, Wang Maozhong has always instilled in the soldiers that he will make a comeback, and he will suffer a little for the time being, only to soar in the future, and the army is already organized and controlled, so it is as if he has disappeared from the world for a while.

It's just a pity that the former emperor Li Longji fell into the plain, hiding in a dilapidated tent all day long, how could he endure such a life if he wasn't just young and still had fighting spirit in his heart, and was accustomed to brocade clothes and jade food, and the emperor who was used to bright and decent food?

After two years of lying on the salary, the opportunity finally came, and the old party in Beijing handed over the news that Princess Taiping was terminally ill and did not know whether she was alive or dead, and she had not seen the courtiers for many days. While the Huairou policy of the Taiping Princess Dynasty played a role in stabilizing the situation, it also left many hidden dangers, such as those who were determined to have a relationship with Li Longji were not liquidated, just like the people who were obviously Li Longji's old party like Urging Riyong were still in official positions...... Because once liquidated, things are complicated, and it is difficult to avoid innocent involvement. Like Wu Zetian, in order to reduce dissidents, there were not a few innocent victims.

This is a great opportunity, Li Longji is absolutely unwilling to let it go, and it is better for him to continue to live the life he is living like this, rather than desperately dying.

A coup d'état was intensively planned at the instigation of a few henchmen.

As soon as everyone adds up, there is no need to move the place, isn't it the best place in Luoyang?

After their analysis, they chose Luoyang for two main reasons: First, they did not choose local prefectures and counties that were prone to trouble, and they learned from the lessons of the failure of Xu Jingye's rebellion during the Wu Zetian Dynasty. Although Li Longji promoted many people when he was in power, and there were former princes and party officials in the localities, but when there was an incident in the locality, people also had to take care of their lives, wives and children, and it was difficult for others to rebel with their heads under the South Tower. Luoyang is different, although it is not a Beijing division, but it has the status of accompanying the capital, as long as Luoyang is occupied, it can be self-proclaimed central, and the momentum and status are not the same.

Second, if you don't choose Chang'an, the reason is too simple, Chang'an is under the nose of the Taiping Party, and now there are people everywhere, it is difficult to start at all, and you can hardly even enter the city.

After a series of arrangements, Li Longji acted very quickly, in line with his usual style, and so far, he only seeks speed rather than stability. For example, persuading Cui Riyong and other gate valve families to participate in major events is risking leakage.

The most risky thing was that he took the initiative to meet Yin Yao Chong of Luoyang Mansion and asked Yao Chong to plot something big together...... The danger is great. Although Yao Chong was very good to the old officials of the prince and the party who were demoted to Luoyang on weekdays, and often made it convenient, he did not have any direct contact with Li Longji, and he didn't even know where Li Longji was before, and of course he wouldn't check it.

If Yao Chong only remembered the old relationship and didn't want to help Li Longji succeed, he sold him after learning that Li Longji was gone...... It's not impossible.

But Li Longji's courage was still there, so he dared to take this risk, because without Yao Chong's participation, it was impossible to capture Luoyang.

After the two met secretly, Li Longji was very surprised by the incident, and he didn't persuade Yao Chong at all, so he knelt down directly in front of him and called His Majesty Xià burst into tears, and the attitude of the camp was clear at a glance.

Li Longji was very surprised, because Yao Chong's personality is very amiable on weekdays, and he basically hasn't seen him thicker than his neck with others, and he treats people with an indifferent appearance, the so-called gentleman's friendship is as light as water, but the gentleman is too light, and he seeks stability in everything, and it is difficult to conspire with them in conspiracy.

In fact, Yao Chong is indifferent on the outside, but he also wants to do something in his heart, otherwise why did he only think of studying to make a name for himself after middle age, and how did he climb to the position of prime minister?

Now that Li Longji has come to the door, it is obvious that he has only two choices: either sell Li Longji and hand him over, or harbor such people, and when the time comes, he will either die; If you don't sell him, you can only get on the same boat with him, is there a hope, once you become more favored, what political ambitions do you have no chance to achieve?

Yao Chongyi changed his usual steady and elegant attitude, and his eyes were full of tears: "After His Majesty left Beijing, the temple was in charge, and the power fell into the hands of women." Now that Taiping has resigned, King Fen is mediocre and incompetent, and the national authority does not know who will be left behind, the society is in danger, and the country is in danger! ”

Li Longji hurriedly supported Yao Chongdao: "Although King Fen is the heir of Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Dasheng, the foundation has been passed down to Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Father, and only the heir of my father is qualified to inherit the unification!" King Fen is already a side branch, which is not in line with the ancestral system, and there is no doubt that he is a pseudo-emperor; And it was the dictatorship of Princess Taiping, when should the unification of my Li family be decided by the woman? When this is the opportunity of the heavens' condemnation, I will take advantage of the situation to regain power, and I want to rely on Yao Xianggong for major matters...... As long as he is the emperor in Luoyang and shows the various lawlessness of the puppet emperor in the world, he will be able to regain control of the society, and the soldiers and horses of the world will enter Beijing to rebel against him, and restore my Li Tang foundation! ”

Yao Chong immediately bowed and said: "For His Majesty to support justice and clarify the United States, the old minister is willing to think that it is a precursor." ”

"Without further ado, in that case, let's first choose a secret place as the center of the former enemy, take the eastern capital first, and then plan the big plan." Li Longji was in high spirits, and his self-confidence was restored to his body in an instant.

Yao Chong wiped away his tears and said, "Where Your Majesty lives, there must be a secret place. ”

Li Longji pondered for a moment: "In Zhang Wei's place, but it is too remote there, and the current major events are not conducive to a quick decision, how about being in the palace of Xiang Yao?" ”

"That's fine, although the people in the house come and go carelessly, but now the dragons in the court are leaderless, Luoyang is far away from Beijing, and I am not afraid of the temporary leakage of news, and the soldiers are fast."

Li Longji immediately said: "Then tonight, I will go to Yao Mansion with the princes, and at the same time transfer the East Palace guards into the city." Yao Xianggong tried to let Wang Maozhong and them enter the city along the way, and they had to transport clothes and armor and weapons, and they must not let the city defenders check it. ”G