Chapter 30 Wang Shichong forced Yang Tong to "Zen"

Summer is coming. One morning in early April, when the mist had just cleared, the young emperor Yang Tong, who was sitting in the Qianyang Hall, saw Duan Da rushing up to the hall with a dozen courtiers, and walked straight in front of him with a beaming expression. They brought Wang Shichong's ultimatum. A few days ago, Wang Shichong had ordered his confidants Wei Jie, Yang Xu, Dr. Taichang Kong Yingda and others to start preparations for the abdication ceremony. Now, 80% of the ceremony is ready.Yang Tong heard Duan Da say in an unquestionable tone: "The destiny is not permanent, and King Zheng's meritorious deeds are both prosperous. May His Majesty follow the example of Tang Yao and Yu Shun, and hold the abdication ceremony today, in accordance with the will of heaven and the hearts of the people!"

Although he had been mentally prepared, Yang Tong on the imperial couch felt as if he had been shocked by an electric shock when he first heard the word "abdication".He sat up straight suddenly, pressing his hands firmly on the table in front of him, as if he was about to grab something tightly.Duan Da saw that the little emperor's face that was as pale as paper suddenly turned red, and then said sternly to him: "The world is the world of Gaozu! If Sui Zuo is still alive, this statement should not be said; if the destiny has been changed, Why bother to say 'resignation' again! The public and others are all old ministers of the former emperor, and the officials and nobles are prominent. If you have such words, what can I expect!"

At that moment, Duan Da and the group of ministers behind him were sweating profusely and tongue-tied. This was the first time in their life that Yang Tong spoke to them with such expressions and voices. The court meeting of the day broke up like this. After going down to the palace, the little emperor came to the harem with a dazed expression, and met his mother.At that moment Yang Tong couldn't stop crying.Facing the impending disaster, the only thing the orphans and widows can do is to wash their faces with tears. After all, Yang Tong is still a child. He just turned sixteen this year.

The next day, Wang Shichong sent someone into the palace for the last time and said to the young emperor Yang Tong: "There is no peace in the sea today, and I must establish a prince. When the world is peaceful, I will return the power to you and never break the original oath. " On the fifth day of April, Wang Shichong announced in the name of Yang Tong that he would abdicate the throne to King Zheng. During the entire process of the abdication ceremony, according to the prior arrangement, Wang Shichong offered to resign three times, while Yang Tong issued edicts to persuade him three times.But in fact, Yang Tong didn't know anything about it.When Wang Shichong and a group of gangsters were playing the game of abdication in Qianyang Hall, Yang Tong was being imprisoned in the Hanliang Hall in the corner of the palace.

On the seventh day of April, Wang Shichong entered the palace swaggeringly in the emperor's ceremonial car, displaying the emperor's ceremonial guard, and officially ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. At this point, the shadow court, which had lingered for more than a year after the murder of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, finally declared its downfall. With the collapse of the Eastern Capital court, the last group of generals and remnants of counties who were still loyal to the Sui Dynasty surrendered to Li Yuan one after another, including the guard Chen Ling of Jiangdu who buried Yang Guang; Li Yuan then changed Jiangdu County to Yangzhou, Chen Leng was appointed as the general manager of Yangzhou.At the same time, Wang Bo, the leader of the rebels who first ignited the war against the Sui Dynasty, and others also returned to the Tang Dynasty at this moment, and was subsequently appointed as the general manager of Qizhou (now Jinan City, Shandong).

Although Wang Shichong became the emperor as he wished and became the top of the crowd overnight, his ability to govern has not improved dramatically with his status.Although he also showed a look of hard work, and he wanted to be a new emperor who clarified the universe, but what he did could only become the laughing stock of people in the end. In order to show his diligence and love for the people, Wang Shichong specially ordered people to set up many thrones in various towers and Xuanwu gates of Miyagi, and to carry out on-site office work at any time, and personally accept various forms and memorials.In addition, he often dressed lightly, walked slowly in the street market, neither martial law nor clear roads, and said to the people on both sides with a smile: "In the past, the emperors lived in nine deep palaces. I don’t know anything about it, and Jin Shichong is not greedy for the throne, but just to save the difficult situation, just like the governor of a state, taking care of the common affairs and discussing the government with the common people. And I am worried that you will be blocked by the gate control, so I deliberately go to each The gatehouse works on-site, hoping to listen to the voices of the masses as much as possible." Then Wang Shichong ordered to accept the complaints of injustice in the Xichaotang and accept the government's advice in the Dongchaotang.

Wang Shichong's "diligent government and loving the people" measures soon produced unexpected results.Because every day hundreds of people responded to his call and crowded in front of the palace gate to offer advice.At the beginning, Wang Shichong bit the bullet and barely managed it, but after just a few days, piles of files and documents piled up into a hill.Wang Shichong was dumbfounded, and quickly hid in the "Nine Layers of Deep Palace", never daring to "take care of common affairs in person, and discuss government affairs with scholars and common people".

The ingenious "on-site office" has become an endless joke, so what about the routine "morning office"? Unfortunately, Wang Shichong also encountered embarrassment.Every day when presiding over the court meeting, Wang Shichong would deliver lengthy speeches with the attitude of a wise leader, but he would repeat them over and over again, with no focus, babble, and a myriad of clues, which confused the relevant officials who played the matter. The water made the eyes of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty stare straight, and even the guards couldn't stand his fatigue bombardment, and they were all in great pain.Only Wang Shichong was unaware of it, and he never tired of it.In the end, the censor Su Liang couldn't bear it anymore, so he had to say bluntly: "Your Majesty talks too much, but he doesn't get the point. In fact, it's enough to draw conclusions. Why talk so many irrelevant things!"

Wang Shichong was silent for a long time.He didn't expect that his earnest speeches and far-sighted instructions turned out to be meaningless nonsense in the eyes of all officials! For many courtiers, Wang Shichong's most unbearable problem was not his nonsense and lack of expression, but his narrow-mindedness and mean suspicion.Soon after proclaiming himself emperor, Wang Shichong began to suspect a prestigious former court official. He was Pei Renji, then Minister of Rites. Wang Shichong often thought, this person is not only an old minister of the Sui Dynasty, but also an old minister of Li Mi. He was forced to surrender when he was defeated. Will he be his minister honestly?What's more, his son Pei Xingyan is now serving as the Zuo Fu General in the court, and he has a heavy army in his hands.Can such a pair of father and son, who have experienced many battles and experienced many masters, help me, Wang Shichong, to win the country?

Wang Shichong felt strong doubts about this.At the same time, Pei Renji and his son also strongly felt Wang Shichong's suspicion. They all said that Wang Shichong was mean and suspicious, which is really true! Pei Renji and his son didn't want to sit still, so they secretly contacted Shangshu Zuocheng Yuwen Rutong and Sanqi Changshi Cui Deben and others, preparing to launch a coup, kill Wang Shichong, and support Yang Tong's restoration. However, Wang Shichong had already placed his eyes and ears beside Pei Renji and his son, so their coup plan had just begun to brew. Wang Shichong learned of the news, and immediately arrested and killed Pei Renji, his father and son and the courtiers involved in the conspiracy, and slaughtered their three clans at the same time.Later, Wang Shichong's elder brother, Wang Shiyun, who was named King Qi at that time, said to him: "The reason why Pei Renji and his gang rebelled is because Yang Tong is still alive, so it is better to get rid of him as soon as possible." Nephew Wang Renze and his slave Liang Baibai went to poison Yang Tong.

It was the end of May in the second year of Tang Wude, and also the first year of Zheng Kaiming. In the Hanliang Hall of the Luoyang Palace, Yang Tong, the last deposed emperor of the Sui Dynasty, saw a cup of poisoned wine standing in front of his eyes. Under the midsummer sun, Yang Tong suddenly shivered.He felt again the endless cold that filled the depths of his soul. "Please ask the Taiwei again. According to his original oath, it will not be like this." Although Yang Tong's voice was a little trembling, everyone present heard him, and he still called Wang Shichong "Taiwei" instead of him. "His Majesty". At this moment, even Wang Shichong's slave, Liang Bainian, had to be surprised and admired.Because this seemingly young and weak deposed emperor seems to have an unshakable awe-inspiring integrity.Liang Bainian felt a little pity in his heart, so he suggested to Wang Shiyun and Wang Renze to ask Wang Shichong again. But his proposal was immediately rejected by Wang Shiyun.Desperate Yang Tong asked to say goodbye to his mother, but Wang Shiyun refused. Yang Tong fell silent.He turned around and walked into the Buddhist hall, burning incense and kneeling before the Buddha for the last time.The harsh afternoon sun streams in through the carved rosewood windows.As Yang Tong kowtowed together, he saw some trembling dust fluttering in the sun in panic, some sticking to the flowers in front of the Buddha, and some falling at his feet. Is this fate? Yang Tong thought, this is fate. But who can say that the dust that falls on flowers must be more noble than other dust, and the dust that falls on the ground must be lower than other dust?Yang Tong thought, how could he not be a dust that fell on the emperor's house, and how could he be luckier than the dust that fell on the common people's house? Wang Shiyun's impatient urging sound came from outside.Yang Tong knew it was time for him to hit the road.He bowed in front of the Buddha for the last time and said: "I hope that from now on, I will never be reborn in the emperor's family!" (Volume 187) Yang Tong then calmly drank the poisoned wine, but he didn't get on the road smoothly. I don't know if it was because the poisonous wine was not toxic enough, or because Yang Tong's physique was too good. In short, even though Yang Tong was bleeding from his seven orifices and suffering unbearable pain after drinking the poisoned wine, he never died. Finally, Wang Shiyun ordered someone to strangle Yang Tong's neck with a silk scarf, and then he helped him set foot on the road to Huangquan. For the deposed emperor Yang Tong, whether there is an afterlife or not, death is definitely a relief.