Although everyone was ready for Gu Yankai's death.

But the real thing is coming, and it still seems a bit hasty for this group of people with plans.

Of course, to grab the position of the commander of the Praetorian Guard, he was not in such a hurry.

After all, it was still necessary to wait for Gu Tingye to leave his post first and vacate his position, and then it would be the turn of others to come up with their own means.

On the day of Gu Yankai's death, Gu Tingye handed over Ding Wei's note to Zhao Zhen.

Of course, Zhao Zhen's reply will not be so fast, but Gu Tingye can't stay in the palace at this time, which will give people a handle.

So after handing over the note, Gu Tingye first explained the matter to his deputy, and then went back to his home to deal with the funeral.

And Zhao Zhen's side, and Zhao Zhen's side, has no way to stop Gu Tingye's worries.

After all, as the former prime minister, Fu Bi has already used his actions to give the people behind him a start.

Even the prime minister of the dynasty has to worry about it, and Gu Tingye is naturally no exception.

Therefore, on the sickbed, Zhao Zhen allowed Gu Tingye Ding to treat the funeral, and ordered Gu Tingye to record the line of the Shangshu Provincial Examination of Merit, and moved it to the Taichang Rite Yuan to agree, the doctor wrote the proposal, the examination was reviewed, and the provincial officials were judged to be senatorial. If the provincial officials have objections, they will hear the discussion.

The whole meaning is to let Gu Tingye go home and write his life deeds and hand them over, and then the relevant departments of the imperial court will use this to help Gu Yankai set a name and make a conclusion on Gu Yankai's life.

In this regard, Gu Tingye naturally had to be grateful, and thanked the official family for their grace.

At this point, Gu Tingye has officially resigned, and the position of commander of the Praetorian Guard has begun to wait for the newcomer to arrive.

But who should be appointed as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, this question fell on Zhao Zhen's head.

In fact, at the beginning, Zhao Zhen's candidate was Li Hao.

It's just that Li Hao is now mainly responsible for the affairs of the Salt and Iron Division, although he also has the official title of a squire in the military department, but after all, he is no longer suitable to be in charge of the Praetorian Guard.

And now that Li Hao is also Zhao Zonghan's companion, if Li Hao is allowed to take charge of the palace ban again, Zhao Zhen is also worried that some people will not be able to sit still, and there will be things that he does not want to see.

In fact, before Gu Tingye left, Zhao Zhen had talked to him about the successor.

Gu Tingye's opinion was to be promoted directly from the Praetorian Guard, on the grounds that these people were familiar with the situation and were more trustworthy if they knew the roots.

But for this, Zhao Zhen still has some doubts, of course, Zhao Zhen is not worried about the loyalty of these people, but simply does not want the inheritance of this position to become solidified.

But if it is not selected from the Praetorian Guard, but from the outside, then the overall range of options will be large, and Zhao Zhen really can't think of a suitable candidate for a while.

Just when Zhao Zhen was distressed by this, those who had been staring at this position for a long time also began to be eager to try.

It's just that this matter can't be directly talked to Zhao Zhen after all, especially Li Hao and Zhao Zongquan, whose identities are a little sensitive.

Even Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu couldn't come forward for this, otherwise God knows where Zhao Zhen would think of it.

Since Zhao Zhen can't go there, Li Hao naturally has to think of other ways.

So Li Hao found Cao Jingxiu, after all, the Praetorian Guard was still nominally owned by the Imperial City Division, and it was naturally reasonable for him to recommend the candidates.

However, Cao Jingxiu is also an old slippery head, and after knowing that Li Hao was visiting, his attitude was called enthusiastic.

As soon as Li Hao arrived at the gate of the Imperial City Division, Cao Jingxiu personally led someone to greet him, and then took Li Hao's hand and began his journey to reminisce about the past.

Together with Li Hao, I recalled the scene when I worked together in the Imperial City Division, and my words were sincere, I don't know if I thought the two had worked together for more than ten years.

But when Li Hao really talked about the Praetorian Guard, Cao Jingxiu began to become dodgy in his words, talking about him left and right.

At the beginning, Li Hao was also willing to accompany Cao Jingxiu to talk around the bend, but later on, he never got to the point.

So he lost his patience, and directly asked Cao Jingxiu to invite irrelevant people out under the pretext of having something important to discuss.

After the others left, Li Hao went straight to the topic: "Now that the post of commander of the Praetorian Guard is vacant, I don't know what Lord Cao's opinion is on the successor."

Cao Jingxiu replied, "I thought that Lord Li wanted to talk about something, others didn't know, but Lord Li definitely knew.

Although the Praetorian Guard was nominally subordinate to the Imperial City Division, in fact, the commander of the Praetorian Guard had always been appointed by the official family.

My opinion has never mattered, and I'm afraid I'm asking the wrong person what Master Li said."

Hearing Cao Jingxiu's answer, Li Hao naturally understood that this guy was deliberately refusing, so he said, "The specific person to appoint should naturally be decided by the official family himself.

But as courtiers, it is also the duty of courtiers to recommend suitable candidates to the official family.

Especially Master Cao, you are still a Shangguan, how can your opinion not be important."

After hearing this, Cao Jingxiu still refused: "That's right, but the palace garrison is too important.

The first two commanders of the Praetorian Guard were also drawn up by the officials themselves, and they did not come to ask my opinion.

So it's hard for me to open my mouth this time, so I'd better wait for the officials to decide."

Naturally, having said this, Li Hao could confirm that Cao Jingxiu really didn't want to help, so he didn't force it anymore.

Then skipping this topic, the two chatted for a while, and made an appointment to go to the Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion to mourn, and then Li Hao left the Imperial City Division.

However, although Li Haoren left, he still sent people to keep an eye on the Imperial City Division and Cao Jingxiu's mansion, and did not ask for any confidential information.

Just need to see if anyone came to find Cao Jingxiu after Li Hao.

In fact, it was not surprising to Li Hao, after Cao Jingxiu returned home, Zhao Ceying took advantage of the night to visit Cao Jingxiu's house.

Of course, Li Hao didn't know what they talked about, but as long as he thought about it with his brain, at this point in time, the topic of discussion could not bypass the position of commander of the Praetorian Guard.

So after getting the reward, Li Hao first arranged for all the people who were being monitored to withdraw.

Then he fell into deep thought, but he didn't think about it for long, Zhang Guifen, who also heard the news on the side, said, "Cao Jingxiu didn't mean to help you, could it be that he has decided to support Zhao Zongquan."

After hearing this, Li Hao replied, "This is what I want to know, and I am not concerned about Cao Jingxiu's attitude.

Don't forget, Cao Jingxiu has another identity, he is still the younger brother of Empress Cao.

His choice is also the choice of Empress Cao to a certain extent, and it is the pillow of the official family."

Zhang Guifen also understood the seriousness of the matter at this time, so she said, "If Cao Jingxiu chooses to help Zhao Zongquan, does it mean that the official family still has a decision to let Zhao Zongquan succeed to the throne.

If that is the case, then you should not fight with him again, lest you become suspicious of him in the future."

Hearing Zhang Guifen's concern, Li Hao's heart warmed, and then he took her hand, held it in the palm of his hand and said:

"In fact, in the hearts of the officials, Zhao Zongquan has always been the first choice of the crown prince.

Although Zhao Zonghan was later connected to the palace, in fact, the thoughts of the official family have never changed."

Hearing this, Zhang Guifen asked curiously, "In that case, then why do you still want to fight for the position of this commander."

Li Hao explained: "I want my own people to be the commander, not to fight with Zhao Zongquan.

It's just that I want to fight for more security, and only by controlling the movements in the palace can I really be invincible.

But I won't be reckless, so don't worry, if the official family really wants Zhao Zongquan's people to take over, I won't have any ideas.

It's just that I still don't think it's very likely, until the last moment, the official family will not hand over the defense of the palace to Zhao Zongquan."

Zhang Guifen still understands what Li Hao wants to express, and there is indeed no emperor who entrusts his safety directly to the future prince

Isn't this tempting people to sin?

It's just that Zhang Guifen didn't want Li Hao to do dangerous things after all, so she persuaded Li Hao to let it go first and watch the movement.

And Li Hao also accepted Zhang Guifen's opinion and decided to wait and see what happened.

But the development of things was a little unexpected, and after Li Hao took his eyes off Cao Jingxiu, he ignored a very important person.

Of course, even if Li Hao kept staring at Cao Jingxiu, he might not be able to find anything abnormal.

After all, Cao Jingxiu is the Imperial City Division, and he is the younger brother of Empress Cao, it is normal for him to enter the palace to see the driver, and no one will think that there is a problem.

But the problem appeared at this time, on the day Cao Jingxiu entered the palace to see the driver, after meeting Zhao Zhen.

Empress Cao called Cao Jingxiu to the Baoci Hall alone for a secret discussion, and the issue discussed was the selection of the commander of the Praetorian Guard.

First of all, Cao Jingxiu introduced some information: "In the past few days, Zhao Zongquan and Li Hao have both come to me to ask about the selection of the commander of the Praetorian Guard."

Queen Cao was not surprised by this result, because it was normal for these two people to care about this matter.

But as for the specific candidates to be arranged by these two people, Empress Cao was also curious, so she asked, "Then did the two of them tell you who they are going to recommend to be the commander?"

Cao Jingxiu replied, "Li Hao's side was just tempted, and when he saw that I refused to answer, he didn't say any more.

However, the person he can recommend is nothing more than a promotion from the Praetorian Guard, anyway, they are all his old departments, didn't Gu Tingye and the official family say so at the beginning.

As for Zhao Zongquan, he is quite persistent, and in order to let me help, he also promised me a lot of benefits, and of course, there is a promise to you in his words.

As for the candidates, the person he recommended was General Xiao Zheng of the Loyal Marquis Mansion."

Regarding Cao Jingxiu's words, it was not too unexpected for Queen Cao.

But in fact, Empress Cao actually already had her own plans in her heart, so Zhao Zongquan's side was destined to be disappointed.

Empress Cao said to Cao Jingxiu, "I asked you to inquire about it, how did you inquire."

Cao Jingxiu replied: "I have already confirmed the matter, Zeng Chaosheng, the third in the Wei family, is now the commander of the First Army of the Left Wing of the Divine Guard.

His character is passable, and he also has some reputation among the nobles of Bianjing City.

And if his rank is transferred to the commander of the Praetorian Guard, it will be a match.

As for their opinions, I have also been to the Wei State Mansion to ask them, and they are also willing."

After hearing the affirmative reply, Empress Cao said, "Since it has been confirmed, then the matter will be as we discussed at the beginning.

You will mention this matter in front of the official family first, and I will handle the rest, and I will ask the official family to agree to Zeng Chaosheng taking over as the commander of the Praetorian Guard.

However, the Wei family has no influence in the Praetorian Guard, so I'm afraid I still need you to help stabilize the situation for him."

Regarding Empress Cao's instructions, Cao Jingxiu agreed to it.

After all, since Empress Cao mentioned it until now, I don't know how many times this matter has been planned in Cao Jingxiu's mind.

And Cao Jingxiu also knows and understands the reason why his sister did this.

People can be ruthless, Zhao Zonghan has been in the palace for more than half a year now, and he has been raised by his sister's side.

After a long time, the natural feelings are deeper, and compared to Zhao Zongquan, Queen Cao naturally wants to help Zhao Zonghan fight for something.

Of course, Empress Cao also understood her husband's thoughts, so she didn't really want to rely on the Praetorian Guards to do something.

It's just that Empress Cao has been in the palace for so many years, and she knows the pickled things in the palace, so she thinks about making a guarantee for herself and Zhao Zonghan.

Of course, if there is a real opportunity to do more things, I think Empress Cao is also willing to do it.

But understanding is understanding, but for this method, Cao Jingxiu actually feels a little risky.

In Cao Jingxiu's mind, there was actually an easier way, so he persuaded him: "Actually, Li Hao is the little prince

's accompaniment, and the relationship with the little prince has always been good.

Coupled with the fact that the Praetorian Guard is all his old subordinates, it is not necessarily a bad thing for him to continue to take over the Praetorian Guard."

Regarding this problem, in fact, Queen Cao has not thought about it, but she doesn't want to put her fate in the hands of others after all.

So he said: "People's positions will change according to reality, and no one can guarantee that Li Hao will not have other thoughts in the future.

The safest way is to take the initiative into our own hands."

Cao Jingxiu still didn't agree with Empress Cao's idea after all, but Empress Cao didn't want to argue with Cao Jingxiu anymore, so she directly asked him to do things according to the plan.

In fact, Zhao Zhen's mind was indeed taken care of by Queen Cao.

Under the intentional guidance of Empress Cao, Zhao Zhen's final commander of the Praetorian Guard was Zeng Chaosheng.

This edict of appointment really surprised everyone, and no one thought that someone would suddenly appear and take over this key position.

And Li Hao's first reaction when he learned the news was that Wei Guogong leaned towards Zhao Zongquan.

It's just that this is just a conjecture, because the Wei State Mansion is low-key, and Li Hao has never dealt with them much before.

So Li Hao deliberately found Zhang Guifen and inquired with her.

After all, with the status of the British government, she must have dealt with all these nobles in Bianjing City.

It's a pity that the Wei family is really low-key, and Zhang Guifen doesn't have much communication with their family, so there is no way to give Li Hao a direct answer.

So Zhang Guifen had no choice but to go back to her parents' house again and inquire about the situation from the British public.

According to the British Princess, he believed that it would never be possible for the Duke of Wei to fall to Zhao Zongquan at this time.

In addition to this conclusion, Li Hao, the old man, also gave a friendly reminder, that is, the former Duke of Wei and Empress Cao's fourth uncle were familiar with each other, and they fought side by side in the northwest back then.

Then the gold content of this information is very high, so let's associate it.

Cao Jingxiu didn't answer his own words at the beginning, could it be that he didn't want to get closer to Zhao Zongquan, but was planning for the Cao family himself.

If this is the case, then Empress Cao knows about it.

If Empress Cao knew, or even Empress Cao instructed it, then the situation would be a bit delicate.

Just when Li Hao grasped the key point and found the right direction.

Zhao Zongquan was still in a daze, and once thought that Wei Guogong might have something to do with Li Hao.

There is no way, who let Zhao Zongquan not have a father-in-law who has great powers and can dig out his heart and lungs.

The Zhongjing Marquis Mansion maintained the so-called neutrality in this matter, and did not give Zhao Zongquan enough hints, causing Zhao Zongquan to find the wrong opponent for a long time later.

It wasn't until a long time later that Zhao Zongquan really realized who the opponent he was going to face was.