Chapter 210: Coup at Xuanguang Hall
[The eunuch who changes his attitude according to the situation] Su Shun walked in the palace alleys with his head lowered.
Throughout the dynasties, rulers have done their best to prevent rebellion in the palace.
First of all, the structure of the imperial palace. The entire Northern Wei imperial palace was divided into three areas: the North Palace, the Central Palace, and the South Yamen. All three areas were surrounded by the palace walls. This area can be collectively referred to as the imperial palace area.
For example, the place where Su Ze used to work was a section of the palace wall leading in and out of the Southern Courtyard.
The city walls of the imperial palace area were defended by the Yulin Huben. The Shangshutai, where the imperial guards rebelled, was located in the Nan Ya area.
To the north of the South Court is the Central Palace area, which is the Taiji Hall where the emperor and the empress dowager held important ceremonies.
The Taiji Hall is a huge building, with a capacity of 1,000 people standing in front of it. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the diligent Emperor handled court affairs in the Taiji Hall, making it convenient for him to summon officials of all ranks from the Southern Yamen.
Behind the Taiji Hall are the Xianyang Hall, Hanzhang Hall and other palaces. Emperor Xiaowen usually held banquets here, entertained ministers and carried out important state affairs.
The Central Palace also had a palace for living. Emperor Xiaowen lived in the Badge Pavilion of the Central Palace for a long time and rarely returned to the North Palace.
However, Emperor Xuanwu, who was not very diligent in his work, did not like going to the Central Palace to work.
The Central Palace is tall and majestic, and although it demonstrates the emperor's majesty, it is not comfortable to live in. Except for a workaholic like Emperor Xiaowen, most emperors prefer to work in the North Palace, which is their sleeping palace.
Emperor Xuanwu basically worked in the Xuanguang Hall, and the current little emperor also lives in the Xuanguang Hall.
The North Palace and the Central Palace were separated by a Yongxiang Lane, and entry and exit were through the Yongxiang Gate, which was guarded by the Yongxiang Commander.
To the north of Xuanguang Hall is Jiafu Hall where the Queen Mother lived.
The more reliable system of Left and Right Guards was responsible for guarding the North Palace. These guards often accompanied the emperor and the empress dowager, which was the position that Su Ze's father once held.
The armed forces around the emperor and the empress dowager, from the closest eunuchs and palace maids, to the guards of the North Palace, to the Yulin Huben imperial guards of the entire imperial palace, and finally to the city gate officers responsible for Luoyang’s public security and the Yulin Huben troops stationed outside the city.
The entire power core of the Wei Dynasty is protected within it in circles.
Su Shun crossed Yongxiang and entered the North Palace from Yongxiang Gate. He came to Xuanguang Hall where the young emperor Yuanxu lived.
Su Shun has the affix of [Adapt to the situation]. After he was transferred to the emperor's side, he did not compete with other eunuchs to curry favor with the young emperor Yuan Xu.
This was also due to the guidance of his adoptive father, Zhang Ye, the eunuch of the imperial court.
As expected, the first batch of eunuchs who defected to the young emperor Yuanxu soon disappeared from the Xuanguang Hall.
As for where these people went, Su Shun didn't know, but based on his intuition, these people were most likely to have gone underground.
Su Shun's guess was correct. Those eunuchs who defected to the emperor right away and attempted to take advantage of the young emperor had already been dealt with by the Grand Chamberlain Liu Teng.
Su Shun saw the situation clearly. He abided by his duties and just did what he was supposed to do. He did not ask about what was going on around the emperor. In this way, he stayed with the little emperor.
The eunuchs who tried to get close to the little emperor disappeared one after another. Su Shun was frightened and became more cautious in his actions.
Since being transferred to the little emperor's side, Su Shun has never spoken a word to the little emperor. He also keeps a distance from other eunuchs and has not shown any ambition to get close to the emperor, so he has stayed until now.
Recently, Su Shun once again felt the change in the wind direction.
One of the changes is that there are obviously more guards guarding the Xuanguang Hall.
And sometimes you can see these guards wearing leather armor.
In addition, Xi Kangsheng, the Right Guard General who was usually by the Empress Dowager's side, also began to inspect the Xuanguang Hall.
These are things that have never happened before.
Another change is that the emperor had less contact with the outside world.
In the past, Empress Dowager Hu also restricted the emperor from meeting with foreign officials, but did not prohibit members of the royal family and important officials. She would also allow Confucian officials like Cui Guang to come to the Xuanguang Hall to explain classics to the emperor, or invite eminent monks to explain Buddhism to the emperor.
But now these activities are banned. Except for a few close ministers who can enter the Xuanguang Hall to see the young emperor, foreign officials are basically isolated.
Su Shun collected all these changes and handed them over to the eunuch Sun mentioned by Princess Chenliu, and then continued to stay in Xuanguang Hall and do his own work seriously.
At this time, a handsome young man of about thirteen or fourteen years old stepped into the Xuanguang Hall.
Su Shun immediately went to greet him, bowed and said, "County Lord, His Majesty is waiting for you."
This young man was the third son of Yuan Xie, King of Pengcheng, and Gong Ziyou, the founding emperor of Wucheng County, and the younger brother of Princess Shouyang who married into the Rouran tribe.
When he saw Su Shun, Yuan Ziyou took out a string of copper coins from his sleeve and handed it to him, and Su Shun accepted it tacitly.
Su Shun was not greedy for money, but all the eunuchs did the same thing, and he seemed unique because he did not do so.
In Xuanguang Hall, the most dangerous thing is to be different.
Su Shun bowed and led Yuan Ziyou towards the Xuanguang Hall.
Yuan Ziyou was also looking at Su Shun.
As a member of the royal family and a study partner of the young emperor Yuan Xu, Yuan Ziyou was precocious since childhood.
Although he was only fourteen years old, he already knew the dangers of the imperial palace. His father, King Pengcheng Yuan Xie, was also killed because of political struggles, so he was always cautious.
The little emperor is already eleven years old. As he grows older, more people with ulterior motives surround him.
There is no way around it. For the eunuchs whose honor and disgrace depend on the grace of their lord, a change of power means a major reshuffle of the inner court.
Those "ancestors" who occupy positions in the sky will be knocked down from the clouds when the new emperor takes power, and the earliest group of eunuchs who follow the new emperor will occupy those positions.
The grace of the royal family was limited. Even Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, who had the deepest feelings for the eunuchs, could at most create ten eunuchs to monopolize power, and the total number would not exceed twenty.
In normal times, there are only a handful of eunuchs who can leave their names behind, and it goes without saying how fierce the competition is.
But when to get close to the new emperor is a matter that tests one's eyesight, means, and even luck.
Yuan Ziyou looked at the new eunuchs, who were flying towards the light like moths.
Yuan Ziyou still remembered that a eunuch who had cursed and sworn allegiance to the young emperor Yuan Xu the day before disappeared from the young emperor's side the next day.
Yuan Ziyou investigated the whereabouts of the eunuch on Yuan Xu's behalf.
The eunuchs in Xuanguang Hall were very secretive and refused to reveal the whereabouts of the eunuch. Finally, Yuan Ziyou found out the fate of the eunuch through his sister, Princess Chenliu.
His limbs were broken and he was sent to the previous emperor's mausoleum to guard it. It is said that he died within a week.
Yuan Ziyou knew that if the Grand Chamberlain Liu Teng wanted to deal with the eunuch, he could have done so without leaving any trace, but he chose to use such a conspicuous method. This was to warn the eunuchs around the young emperor that the Wolf King was still strong and not to try to challenge the Wolf King's position.
This incident made Yuan Ziyou act more low-key. The young man felt the chill of power.
Yuan Ziyou watched the eunuchs around the little emperor change wave after wave, and he gradually became blind and even began to wonder how long this eunuch could stay with the little emperor.
Among so many eunuchs in the Xuanguang Hall, Yuan Ziyou saw Su Shun.
Unlike other eunuchs who were vying for the limelight, Su Shun was so low-key that people tended to ignore his existence.
Yuan Ziyou suddenly remembered that Su Shun had been in Xuanguang Hall for a long time.
Yuan Ziyou paid attention to Su Shun again and found that this eunuch was capable, but he never showed up and seldom appeared in front of the little emperor, so he was not noticed by him.
After this, Yuan Ziyou began to contact Su Shun secretly. After gaining Su Shun's trust, Yuan Ziyou also got a lot of information from Su Shun.
Yuan Ziyou also felt the increasingly tense atmosphere around the little emperor, but he didn't know where this uneasiness came from.
When entering the palace today, Yuan Ziyou was stopped at the door of Xuanguang Hall.
It’s Liu Teng!
This damn old dog, leaning on the walking stick given by Empress Dowager Hu, stood at the door of Xuanguang Hall.
It's obvious that anyone could kill the old dog, but people still don't dare to approach it.
Liu Teng turned around, his beast-like eyes fell on Yuan Ziyou, and after a while he crossed his hands and saluted Yuan Ziyou:
"County Lord, His Majesty is not feeling well today, please return home."
Yuan Ziyou's heart skipped a beat. He sensed the strange atmosphere and saw the armored warrior behind Liu Teng. He had an ominous premonition in his heart.
Seeing that Yuan Ziyou did not move, Liu Teng continued, "Please ask the county lord to return to the mansion."
Yuan Ziyou could hear the murderous intent in Liu Teng's weak words, but thinking of the little emperor, he still asked:
"Is your Majesty okay?"
Liu Teng showed an ugly smile and said:
"Your Majesty, you have the mandate of heaven, so naturally nothing will happen."
After hearing the emperor's assurance that nothing was wrong, Yuan Ziyou immediately bowed to Liu Teng and left.
Just when Yuan Ziyou was about to leave Xuanguang Hall, a young eunuch suddenly walked up to him. Yuan Ziyou looked and found that it was Su Shun, whom he had just greeted.
Su Shun looked terrified and whispered in Yuan Ziyou's ear: "County Lord, save me!"
Yuan Ziyou calmed down and thought that Su Shun must know what happened in the Xuanguang Hall, so he decided to take the risk to save him.
Yuan Ziyou immediately said: "Follow me, I will take you out of the palace!"
Su Shun lowered his head and hid behind Yuan Ziyou. Soon Yuan Ziyou reunited with his entourage, and the group began to walk out of the palace.
Yuan Ziyou led his men out of the palace, but more people went inside.
Then Yuan Ziyou saw the imperial guards wearing armor and holding weapons and bows and arrows. He felt even more uneasy. Something big must have happened in the palace!
But Yuan Ziyou thought of his family and did not dare to get involved in such things. The conversation with Liu Teng just now obviously hinted that he could get away by leaving.
Yuan Ziyou continued to quicken his pace. When he left Yongxiang Gate, he was not questioned. The Yongxiang Ling and Langwei who used to guard the Yongxiang Gate were nowhere to be seen.
Yuan Ziyou still resisted the urge to ask Su Shun what had happened in the palace. He continued to leave the North Palace with his entourage and walked directly along Yongxiang to the east gate of the imperial palace. After Yuan Ziyou left the palace, he heard the sound of uniform footsteps in the palace again.
Yuan Ziyou did not dare to delay and continued to take Su Shun out of the east gate of the palace. He waited until the servants arrived with the carriage before Yuan Ziyou took Su Shun on the carriage.
Yuan Ziyou asked: "Tell me, what exactly happened in Xuanguang Hall?!"
Yuan Ziyou knew very well that something big must have happened in the palace.
If nothing serious had happened, how could he have taken Su Shun out of the palace so easily?
Su Shun burst into tears and said to Yuan Ziyou:
"County Lord! The Yellow Gatemen Hu Xuandu and Hu Dinglie of the Staple Food Department have accused Your Majesty of treason! Bribe them to poison Your Majesty's food!"
Yuan Ziyou's whole body trembled. The Zhonghuangmen, the staple food Zhonghuangmen, was the eunuch in charge of the diet of the emperor and the empress dowager. This was not a low-ranking Xiaohuangmen like Su Shun, but a Zhonghuangmen with a high status in the palace.
They accused Prince Qinghe of treason, so it's no wonder that Liu Teng appeared in the Xuanguang Hall.
No, why did Liu Teng appear in Xuanguang Hall? !
Yuan Ziyou discovered something was wrong. If it was Prince Qinghe who was plotting a rebellion, how could Liu Teng, a eunuch, be qualified to interrogate the prisoner?
Shouldn't the eunuchs Hu Xuandu and Hu Dinglie be brought to the Jiafu Palace where the empress dowager resides, and asked the empress dowager to make the final decision?
At this time Yuan Ziyou looked towards the direction of the imperial palace. This was a coup!
Yuan Ziyou clenched his fists, but he knew that it was very difficult for him, a powerless county lord, to escape from this vortex.
He said bitterly: "This bunch of insects who only know how to fight for power and profit! Is there anyone who still takes His Majesty seriously? "
Su Shun was trembling all over. He was good at changing his attitude according to the situation. When he learned what happened in the Xuanguang Hall, he immediately started to think of ways to escape from the Hall.
A clan relative like Yuan Ziyou still had a chance to survive, but the eunuchs in Xuanguang Hall who knew about the coup had no choice but to die.
These people were originally chosen as consumables to serve as the emperor's attendants, and the ruthless Liu Teng would definitely not show mercy when dealing with them.
Su Shun also had a sudden inspiration and begged Yuan Ziyou to escape the disaster.
Yuan Ziyou glanced at Su Shun, who was a smart man and loyal to the emperor.
He comforted her and said, "Come back with me, and we'll make plans after things are settled."
Su Shun could only sigh. He could only report what happened in the palace to Su Ze who was far away in Guanxi. This commissioned mission to sneak into the palace was a failure.
In the Xuanguang Hall, the young emperor was extremely panicked when he heard the testimonies of the eunuchs Hu Xuandu and Hu Dinglie.
Qinghe Prince Yuan Yi was his uncle. Like the late emperor, he was a descendant of his grandfather, Emperor Xiaowen, and a close relative of the royal family with the right of succession.
And as the little emperor grew up, he also heard rumors about the affair between Prince Qinghe and his mother.
Could it be that Prince Qinghe really wanted to depose the emperor and usurp the throne?
The little emperor looked at Liu Teng and asked:
"Liu Changqiu, what should I do?"
Liu Teng said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The loyal ministers in the court are all on Your Majesty's side."
"But the Northern Palace has been infiltrated by Prince Qinghe. Your Majesty, please come to the Central Palace and summon all the ministers to announce that Prince Qinghe is plotting treason. Naturally, loyal ministers will come to the king's defense."
The little emperor was still young after all, so he nodded and said, "Then let's follow Liu Changqiu's instructions and go to the Taiji Palace!"
(End of this chapter)