Chapter 674: The Eminent Man
In the hot summer of June, Jianye City was swelteringly hot.

The streets are sparsely populated.

On the top of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Zhang Zhao climbed up and looked out.

I saw that the gate of a house not far away was open, and the Shanyue soldiers were moving lazily, carrying the dead bodies under the supervision of the guards.

Since May, there has been a major epidemic between the Yangtze River and the Huai River.

Except for the area occupied by Qi State, the people of the remaining three states in Guandong continued to migrate south.

Not to mention the lower-level officials and the garrison troops, even the high-ranking officials and the imperial city were afflicted by the epidemic.

The entire administration came to a standstill, and in some post houses, it was said that postmen and passengers died side by side, with their bodies lying on the ground.

Even Zhang Zhao’s good friend Zhang Hong was infected with the disease and was on the verge of death.

Zhang Zhao watched for a long time, completely silent.

The Imperial Censor Zhang Wen quickly stepped onto the stage and bowed, “Prime Minister, Your Majesty invites you.”

Zhang Zhao saw that Zhang Wen was also weak and had obviously just recovered from a serious illness, so he said, “Okay, let me change my clothes.”

“Yes.”

Zhang Wen responded in a low voice and watched Zhang Zhao leave. Then Zhang Wen raised his hand to touch his chest and coughed twice. He felt better only after he spat out a mouthful of thick, bloody phlegm.

Soon, the two of them rode a ox cart into the relatively simple palace.

In the small hall behind Jiande Hall, Liu Fu was lying on a couch, and an eunuch was pulling a rope beside him.

The ropes are connected to the drapery, and the drapery wall swings back and forth, bringing some cool breeze.

Liu Fu was already seriously ill, his face was pale and his spirit was distracted.

His voice was weak, and Zhang Zhao could only sit down beside the couch and barely hear what Liu Fu said.

At this moment, Liu Fu was sad and exhausted: “Zi Bu, I regret not listening to Zi Bu and Zi Tong’s words.”

“His Majesty……”

“Don’t try to persuade me with empty words. I know I don’t have much time left. I have a handwritten letter. Zibu can try to send it to the Grand Marshal… The situation in the world should not be like this.”

Liu Fu took out a scroll of silk book from under his body and put it in Zhang Zhao’s hand, and Zhang Zhao could only grab it.

They took advantage of the crown prince’s escape to purge most of the big families in Jiangdong, leaving only the five families of Gu, Lu, Zhu, Zhang and Yu. However, crown prince Liu Jing died outside, and Liu Fu was critically ill. All the efforts before were like a mirage. Who could be willing to accept this?
“At this point, we have no choice but to let Zi Bu and Gu Yuantan take charge of state affairs together.”

Liu Fu closed his eyes tiredly after saying this. Zhang Zhao stretched out his hand to feel Liu Fu’s breath, and his arm began to tremble uncontrollably.

Zhang Zhao turned to look at Sikong Gu Yong, Yushi Dafu Zhang Wen and Shangshu Ling Jiang Gan: “Ziyi, does His Majesty have any will?”

“His Majesty!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Gan wailed and tears could not stop flowing. He crawled forward and saw Liu Fu lying there motionless.

In an instant, there were loud cries inside and outside the hall.

After the crying stopped for a while, Zhang Wen wiped his tears and said, “The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The prince is in exile and his life or death is unknown. Please ask the queen dowager to govern the country.”

Jiang Gan took out three copies of the will with red eyes and handed them to Zhang Zhao: “Prime Minister, here is the will of His Majesty. You can follow it.”

After Zhang Zhao flipped through it, he handed it to Jiang Gan and said, “Ziyi, read the will.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Gan turned around and looked at the ministers: “All officials, listen to my order.”

“only.”

According to the level of their official positions, Gu Yong was the leader in the front, followed closely by Zhang Wen, leading more than thirty ministers to kneel and kowtow.

Zhang Zhao, who enjoyed the privilege, also moved his feet, came to the train, and kowtowed beside Gu Yong.

Jiang Gan held up the first edict: “The Emperor decrees that the former Crown Prince Jing was unfortunate, and now Concubine Gu’s son Ke is appointed as the Crown Prince to continue the great throne.”

Zhang Zhao turned his head slightly to observe and found that Gu Yong was trembling even more violently.

Gu Yong did not refuse, and the matter was settled.

Jiang Gan began to read the second edict: “The Emperor decrees that the Crown Prince is young and it is difficult for him to take charge of state affairs. His mother may be made regent.”

Then came the third edict: “The Emperor decrees that Sikong Gu Yong be appointed as the Left Prime Minister, and share the responsibility of governing the country with Zhang Zhao, and also be in charge of the affairs of the Secretariat. Lu Yi is appointed as the General of the Southern Expedition and the Governor of Guangzhou, and is sent to carry out a campaign against Yuan Tan in Jiaozhou.”

The three edicts were written one after another, not completed in one day, and were constantly improved as Liu Fu’s condition worsened.

“I obey the imperial edict.”

Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong led the way in bowing, and Jiang Gan then handed the imperial edict to Gu Yong and others for review. After confirming that it was correct, Gu Yong said, “The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Please join Zi Bugong in welcoming the crown prince to the throne. All officials will bow and perform the ceremony of monarch and ministers before discussing state affairs.”

Many people still went to see Zhang Zhao first. Zhang Zhao nodded: “It should be so.”

Although it feels like the ship is about to sink, etiquette cannot be disrupted.

During this period, ministers and officials fell ill one after another, and the rate of replacement could not keep up with the rate of death.

The military camp was in an even more miserable state, with a doomsday scene that resembled the demise of a country.

But things like welcoming a new emperor still made them a little excited.

Perhaps if the emperor is replaced, the country’s destiny will change.

The palace was small to begin with, and under the guidance of eunuchs and palace maids, Concubine Gu and Crown Prince Liu Ke were quickly welcomed into the Jiande Hall.

Concubine Gu held Liu Ke and sat at the top of the table. She didn’t even feel afraid or excited, like a puppet.

The epidemic and the continuous deaths during this period have made her numb.

She also knows something about state affairs.

So the position of empress dowager was just a simple matter to her at the age of 19.

Just because she becomes the queen mother, she can’t avoid the epidemic.

When the old is replaced by the new, the first important thing is for all officials to kowtow and establish the righteous relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

Now that the status was determined, they began to discuss the second important issue, the reign title.

The court was relatively clean, and Gu Yong did not want to provoke Zhang Zhao’s stubborn temper, so he backed off a little.

Soon, the new dynasty’s reign title was chosen as Yanxi according to Zhang Zhao’s suggestion, and the next year was designated as the first year of Yanxi.

Then the third thing is to announce this matter to all parties at home and abroad.

Especially in Guanzhong, if they want to safely get through this most dangerous period of change, they must stabilize the Grand Marshal of Guanzhong.

Although Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong both knew Black Bear’s bottom line, they did not dare to gamble.

Black Bear is far away in Guanzhong. If he is slow to react, and Zhou Yu, Taishi Ci and others attack first and fight well, Black Bear will not be able to retreat by force.

Therefore, it is necessary to notify Guanzhong as quickly as possible, and to let Lu Su, Huan Jie and Huang Zu be on high alert to avoid a surprise attack by Zhou Yu.

Next in line are people like Lu Yi, Cao Cao, Yuan Shang, and Zang Ba. Just notify them.

You can’t expect too much, these people all have their own plans.

Until there is a major reaction from Guanzhong, these people will not see any major changes.

After being busy until late at night, Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong had a vegetarian meal in the hall.

They all wore white clothes. Under the light of the fish oil lamp, Zhang Zhao’s face was dim and dark. “Now the people of clothing and knowledge have migrated southwards and accumulated in the Three Wus. Sooner or later, they will become a disaster. I intend to encourage them to open up Guangzhou. What do you think, Yuan Tan?”

If the conflict arises again, it will spread between the two of them.

One was the leader of the scholars who migrated south, and the other was the leader of the remaining local scholars.

There is no third party force that can divide them, and if a conflict really breaks out, it will be the demise of the other side.

Gu Yong glanced at Zhang Zhao, his eyes dull: “This is the only way. The most difficult thing right now is the Langya navy. If we don’t recall them, they will definitely join forces with Cao Cao. Recalling the navy will also help Lu Boyan advance to Jiaozhou. The battle in Jiaozhou cannot be delayed. Once Guanzhong makes a decision, it will be troublesome to take it again.”

Yuan Tan is too weak and his war potential cannot be fully exploited.

Lu Yi alone is enough to defeat Yuan Tan.

However, Lu Yi’s monopoly of Jiaozhou and Guangzhou is very detrimental to the overall situation.

Anyway, the final destination of the people who migrated south was Jiaozhou, and the Three Wu areas were just a transit station for many people.

Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao looked down on these scholars who migrated south.

The truly decisive and talented scholars have already entered officialdom.

Those who stayed until now and ran away have no talent or vision. They are the kind of people who are afraid of death and value money and property.

Kick these people to Guangzhou and Jiaozhou, and let them compete with the local people for resources. The more intense the fight, the better.

It’s not that Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao like to stir up conflicts between the natives and the Hakkas, but they feel that the Grand Marshal likes this kind of thing.

Given the current situation, they are the ones who have to bear the blame.

Yuan Shang and Cao Cao were both preparing to sail to Yingzhou. They were just ministers, so what reason was there for them to continue insisting?
Ensuring Liu Fu’s bloodline and wealth would be enough to repay his kindness.

(End of this chapter)