The King of Lu, Li Congke, was the adopted son of Emperor Mingzong and grew up accompanying his father in military campaigns.
He won numerous battles in the war against Later Tang against Later Liang and was eventually promoted to the post of the Military Governor of Fengxiang.
Shi Jingtan, the Military Governor of Heyang, was the daughter-in-law of Emperor Mingzong and was also a distinguished warrior who won great victories and gained the hearts of the army.
Both held higher positions and enjoyed greater reputations than Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Wen, which led to their deep resentment.
Li Congke, upon arriving in the capital for the funeral, immediately realized the new emperor's suspicion, so he always acted modestly.
In reality, it was difficult for him not to know about the new emperor's suspicion.
His eldest son Li Zhongji served as the Commander of the Guanhe Command and managed the palace guards.
His daughter, Li Huiming, known as You Cheng in religion, became a nun in Luoyang.
As a result, Zhu Hongzhao encouraged the new emperor to demote Li Zhongji to the position of Chief Military Commander in Bozhou and remove him from the palace guard, and also summoned Li Huiming to the palace as a hostage.
Li Congke, upon seeing his son demoted and daughter recalled, knew that the court harbored suspicions towards him, which made him constantly anxious and insecure.
But it was for the safety of his family that he temporarily held back and endured.
Yes, Li Congke initially did not have any thoughts of usurping the throne.
Not until today, after listening to the fortune teller, did a thought spontaneously arise in his heart.
Despite his martial prowess and administrative ability being far superior to Li Congke, he was still subordinate to him, which left him with a sense of unease and dissatisfaction.
"How could the throne be claimed by Li Congke and not by me, Li Congke?"
This thought, once born, even startled Li Congke himself.
This is a great sin.
If others were to find out.
The whole family would face dire consequences.
I cannot be deceived.
Li Congke tried to comfort himself and refrained from thinking about "replacing him."
Perhaps it was the weight of his thoughts that was too heavy.
As soon as he returned home, his wife Liu was the first to learn of it.
Liu asked: "Husband, why is your face filled with so much worry?"
Li Congke couldn't help but let out a long sigh, "Alas, I can't sleep or eat in peace."
Liu thought he was talking about his son and daughter's situations, with a slight sense of sadness and consoling him: "Although Chongji and Huiming are deeply trapped, it's a great fortune to keep their lives. Husband, do not have any other thoughts, otherwise the consequences would truly be unimaginable."
Li Congke said helplessly: "I also know this, but today there is a deity who has helped me calculate the future…"
He recounted everything that had happened during the divination to his wife.
In the end, Li Congke added: "According to the old man, 'the reversal of fortune indicates a turning point, and I can take over.'"
"I'm not buying any of that," Liu replied, "Although we've had our ups and downs, we're far from the point of total reversal. That fortuneteller must be delusional."
As soon as she finished speaking, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Soon after, the voice of his second son, Li Chongmei, sounded panic-stricken from outside, "Daddy, Mommy, something terrible has happened!"
The door burst open with a clang.
If his sons were to be impolite as usual, Li Congke would certainly scold them.
But he knew that his second son was usually very steady, so his panic-stricken voice was quite unusual. It was probably because of something major happening.
Li Congke's heart skipped a beat, and he rushed forward to ask, "Chongmei, what is it that has you so panicked?"
Liu hurriedly pricked up her ears as well.
At this moment, Li Chongmei's face was filled with terror. He said with a hint of fear in his eyes, "I just heard that the emperor has listened to the advice of two old fools, Zhao Hongzhao and Feng Wen, and through the Supreme War Council ordered a transfer of command for four major military zones: Fengxiang, Heyang, Chengde, and Tianxiong. The order will be issued on a future date. Among them, father you have been transferred from Fengxiang to Heyang!"
"What... what?"
"Is the emperor really going to exterminate them?"
Li Congke and Liu were both greatly surprised.
It was clear to anyone that Emperor Li Congke's actions were to weaken the power of Li Congke and Shi Jingtan, among others.
If they were truly transferred, then their power would be weakened, and they would indeed become vulnerable to others.
Moreover, the reason why the new emperor is discussing this matter with Zhao and Feng at this time is that…
It must be that he wants to establish the orders directly while Li Congke, Shi Jingtan, and others are still in the capital.
If Li Congke and Shi Jingtan, among others, do not comply, they will be dealt with without mercy!
Liu was so shocked that she almost turned to a fool.
At first, Li Congke was also like this, his face as pale as death.
However, this situation did not last long.
The image of Chen Pi's face appeared involuntarily in his mind again.
Li Congke finally understood why the divine being had said "from adversity comes prosperity."
Apparently, he has no way to retreat.
The only way out is to rebel, or face annihilation!
At this moment, the ambition in Li Congke's heart began to take root and sprout, and he couldn't wait to rise up and start a rebellion.
However, he had no certainty of victory, and he didn't know what to do for the time being.
Thoughts filled his mind, and Li Congke couldn't help but secretly regretted his actions.
If only he hadn't acted impulsively and overturned the fortune teller's stall today.
Perhaps he could still seek advice from the fortune teller.
Unfortunately, it's too late now to say anything, and the fortune teller has already disappeared.
Li Congke had nowhere to find the fortune teller, and he could only secretly regret in his heart.
...
The next day, the Burma delegation arrived at the palace to offer condolences.
Li Congke, Shi Jingtan, and others, as important officials of the empire, were all invited to attend the morning court session.
During the morning court session, all the officials would gather in the East Hall to wait. Once someone came to call them, they could proceed to the Taiji Palace for the early morning court session.
The Taiji Palace was the main venue for the Tang Later Emperor to hear government matters and conduct court sessions.
On the first and fifteenth days of each month, the emperor would usually come to this palace to meet with the officials and discuss national affairs.
Of course, this was a routine morning court session.
In reality, many important ceremonies such as the emperor's accession to the throne, the consort's coronation, the crown prince's and princes' installations, as well as feasts for tribute ambassadors were also held in this hall.
As the representatives from the Chitedan sent to pay their respects to the late emperor, they would naturally have to receive them in the Taiji Palace out of respect.
Li Congke and Shi Jingtan were in similar situations now.
Therefore, when they met in the Eastern Wing, they couldn't help but glance at each other, revealing a look of mutual respect and camaraderie.
However, they dared not discuss anything, lest they accidentally say something wrong and get caught by the new emperor, ending up being confined again.
Because he dare not talk to anyone, Li Congke sat there in a state of regret over the mistake he made the day before by turning away the fortune teller.
At the mid-dawn hour, a protocol officer came to call everyone to proceed to the Taiji Palace for the morning court session.
All the officials, scholars, and imperial relatives, including Li Congke and Shi Jingtan, rose to proceed to the Taiji Palace for the morning court session.
Soon after, they arrived at the destination.
The ministers and royal relatives, according to their ranks, found their respective seats.
Here's a sentence that cannot be ignored.
Before the Song Dynasty, during the morning court session, there were seats for the ministers to sit on, unlike in historical dramas where they stood during the court session.
Even when the emperor asked questions, it was generally a matter of standing up to answer, rather than kneeling as seen in the Manchu-style dramas.
As important officials and imperial relatives, Li Congke and Shi Jingtan naturally sat in the front row.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the drums and music began to play in unison.
Emperor Li Congke, dressed in dragon robes, walked out and slowly sat down on the throne.
The total number of officials in the audience was about three hundred, and they all rose to bow and say, "Your Majesty."
After the formalities were over.
Li Congke had everyone stand up again and then spoke slowly, "Today, the Chitan have sent envoys to offer condolences to the late emperor. To show proper etiquette, I have summoned you all to join me in receiving the Chitan envoys."
Unlike on television where everyone looked serious.
The officials of Later Tang spoke in a somewhat casual manner.
"The arrival of the Chitan envoys to offer condolences is a major event."
"Now that the Chitan's power is strong, we cannot afford to lose our manners. Otherwise, if they find any excuse to go to war, the consequences would truly be unimaginable."
"I don't know which envoy from the Chitan has been dispatched?"
All the officials were speculating about it.
Li Congke chatted with everyone for a moment.
A protocol officer stepped forward to inform that the Burma delegation was waiting outside.
He immediately ordered for them to be brought in.
In the next moment, the bells and chimes rang out loudly, accompanied by eight different musical instruments, filling the hall.
Yelai Wa led a group of Chitan officials and monks into the hall.
Upon entering, Yelai Wa bowed and said, "The Chitan envoy Yelai Wa greets the Great Tang Emperor."
All the officials and monks behind Yelai Wa bowed as well.
However, three people stood proud and ungracious without making any gesture of respect.
The three people were respectively a tall and burly young Taoist priest, another who was as emaciated as a skeleton, and the third who was slightly chubby with a fierce countenance.
Seeing this, all the officials of the Later Tang Dynasty felt some dissatisfaction, considering these three people as arrogant.
Li Congke felt a jolt when he saw the young Taoist priest.
To his surprise, the divine being he had been thinking about day and night turned out to be in the Chitan delegation to offer condolences!
Li Congke first felt delighted, but then he was confused and uncertain.
And he even doubted whether the divine being was sent by the Chitan to seduce him.
Just as his thoughts were intertwined,
Li Congke smiled and reached out his hand to say, "Envoys, please be at ease."
Yelai Wa and the others finally straightened up their spine.
After that, Li Congke ordered someone to give a seat to Yelai Wa.
As for the others, they should have been given a seat according to protocol, as well.
However, he secretly was annoyed by the three people in the delegation who did not bow, feeling disrespected. So he deliberately did not give seats to everyone.
Unexpectedly, the seated Yelai Wa trembled and said, "Your Majesty, since you have only offered one chair, I dare not sit down."
You are leading the delegation of condolences.
It's clear that you have the highest position and status.
Why are you so afraid to sit down?
Shi Jingtan and all the officials were all perplexed.
Only Li Congke had a vague understanding of what was going on.
Li Congke was also somewhat surprised and said, "Yelai Envoy, why are you not daring to sit?"
Yelai Wa pointed to the three people who had not bowed earlier and said, "Your Majesty, three immortals have been summoned to accompany the envoy. These three immortals are still standing, how can I dare to sit down?"
On hearing this, everyone in the hall was taken aback.
Li Congke and the officials were completely unprepared for the Chitan emperor's great emphasis on the mourning ceremony for Emperor Mingzong. They had even invited three immortals!
At this moment, they finally understood why the three people in the delegation were so arrogant that they did not pay their respects to the emperor.
To bow down to an immortal is to shorten the lifespan of a mortal, isn't it?
Li Congke quickly stood up and said, "May I inquire about the names of the three immortals?"
Yelai Wa first pointed to the man who looked like a skeleton and said, "He is my Chitan shamanistic religion leader Wahe Zun.
Li Congke was moved by this and quickly bowed and kowtowed, saying, "I was not expecting to see the Wahe Zun himself. Please excuse me for the inconvenience."
All the officials hurriedly bowed in return.
Wahe said, "Your Majesty's body is precious, how could I dare?"
Yelai introduced the second person, "This is my Chitan shamanistic religion's vice-patriarch Wahe Zun."
Li Congke and the officials bowed again.
Wahe also returned a bow.
Finally, Yelai introduced the last person, saying, "This is my Chitan guardian of the state, Mr. Chen Pu."
Li Congke had not yet had a chance to speak.
A Taoist official in the crowd exclaimed in amazement, "May I ask, Sir, are you the great master Chen Pu from the Zhenyáng Temple under the Master Zhengyang of Ningshan Peak?"
(Chapter completed)
