Hello Chang’an

 In the golden autumn of August, the good news of the two consecutive defeats of Beidi in the north spread to everywhere with the autumn wind.

But as long as the war never ends, no amount of news can only temporarily appease people's hearts.

Moreover, the war in Beidi is still too far away for most people. Compared with the knife that has not struck them, the world is more concerned about whether the chaos in front of them can be resolved.

Looking around the world today, more than half of the people are in dire straits, especially in the Shannan East Road area. Even during the autumn harvest season, corpses of people who died of starvation and disease are common on the roadside.

The grain harvested in the autumn was forcibly plundered by the "court" named Bian as a supply of food and grass to resist the army of King Rong.

Facing the approach of King Rong's army, Bian's army was defeated again and again, and his methods of plundering the people became more and more brutal.

Like a vicious bandit, Bian Jun broke into one house after another to "recruit food". Anyone who stopped or hid food would be bloodied on the spot.

A man with red eyes wanted to step forward to fight Bian Jun to the death, but was held back by an old woman crying: "Son, I can't..."

"Bear it a little longer..." After the group of Bian soldiers carried the food and walked away, the old woman cried and tried to comfort her: "Bear it a little longer, I heard that King Rong is about to fight back to the capital..."

When the people around him, who were either sad and angry or numb and suffering, heard these words, most of them agreed with hope.

They didn't understand why after Bian Jun, who had been claiming to be an uprising for the people and seeking justice for the people, finally took control of the capital, life became even more difficult for civilians like them, and they even had no way to survive.

They couldn't figure it out and could only curse Bian Chunliang for "going back on his word" and hoped that the benevolent King Rong would return to the capital as soon as possible and take charge of the overall situation.

And the Crown Princess... Some people say that the Crown Princess is fake, but ordinary people don't care, as long as someone can save them and let them live.

A poor scholar with better information said: "The Crown Princess fought two victorious battles in the north..."

"This is a good thing! When His Royal Highness Prince Rong returns to the capital and drives away the Bian thieves... His Royal Highness the Crown Princess calms down the chaos in the north, then the world will be at peace!"

"But then...who will be the emperor?"

In peacetime, such taboo topics would not be accessible to them, and they would not care about it, but at this time, this issue is closely related to their life and death, and they are eager to be freed from this sea of ​​suffering.

"Prince Rong is highly virtuous and the concubine is a general..." A thin old man with a sallow complexion said, "Prince Rong is the emperor that everyone expects. When the concubine continues to be a female general, our lives will be better!"

The scholar who spoke first shook his head, but could not criticize the old man's naivety and ignorance. He just walked away in confusion: "How can there be such a simple thing..."

This is Shannan East Road, which happens to cut Huainan Road and Shannan West Road. In other words, it is the buffer zone between the power of the Crown Princess and Prince Rong.

The people here have no clear sense of belonging to the two forces. People who are soaked in a sea of ​​suffering from head to toe will regard whichever straw they can grab as their savior. Now, compared to the Crown Princess who was far away in the north, Prince Rong, who was advancing towards the capital, was better able to carry their hopes.

The old woman cried and knelt down to the west, not only to worship the gods and Buddha, but also to worship the King of Honor, asking the gods, Buddha and King of Honor to take away the life of the Bian thief as soon as possible.

I wonder if God really has eyes and heard the people’s prayers -

On August 24, as the Double Ninth Festival was approaching, Bian Chunliang, the new emperor of Daliang, died suddenly.

No one had thought before that this man, who was born as a salt dealer but slaughtered all the nobles in aristocratic families, fought his way to the throne with **** blood, and was regarded as a generational hero. The way he died was not by a sword, but by dying in the palace. .

Bian Chunliang, who was in his prime, had always been vigilant. Even the carefully screened servants around him were not completely at ease. They never allowed palace servants to serve him personally when going to bed at night.

When the chamberlain came to serve him early the next morning, he saw Bian Chunliang bleeding to death on the dragon bed.

The chamberlain's face turned pale, he retreated and fell to the ground. After a long time, he was able to scream and crawl out to report.

There was chaos in the palace for a moment.

Bian Chunliang died of poisoning, and there was a banquet in the palace last night.

Everyone knew how vigilant the new emperor was, and his diet was never sloppy... and the matter was finally traced to the "second prince" of the Bian family's new dynasty.

Bian Chunliang's eldest son Bian Cheng died of the Yuezhou plague. After Bian Chunliang ascended the throne, he posthumously named his eldest son the former prince of Daliang Dynasty.

Except for the eldest son who was willing to die, Bian Chunliang's remaining three sons have always respected their father and never dared to be disobedient. Bian Chunliang has always been confident in this, so even until his death, he could not understand what happened. What.

Bian Cheng died early, and as the eldest son, the second prince had the greatest chance of being appointed crown prince.

But Bian Chunliang had no intention of appointing a crown prince in a hurry, but was preparing to fill the harem and choose a queen of noble birth to stabilize and decorate his new dynasty.

The second prince was worried about his future, but he was far from the point of wanting to kill his father... Besides, he was not a fool. At this moment, King Rong's army was approaching. If he killed his father, who would support the overall situation? Rely on him? As long as he is not completely crazy, he would never dare to have such delusions!

But the poisonous wine that was found to be extremely poisonous was indeed poured by him himself to his father!

When the second prince was identified, he suddenly thought of something. He said that the bottle of wine was brought to the banquet by his cousin. It was not him who killed his father, but his cousin!

The second prince's cousin's name is Bian Zan, who is Bian Chunliang's nephew.

Bian Zan followed Bian Chunliang in the battles and never left him at the critical moment of life and death. He made many military exploits and saved the life of his cousin the second prince. He had a high status in front of Bian Chunliang.

The second prince trusted and relied heavily on this outstanding cousin. Thinking of the future battle for the crown prince, he wanted to gain his cousin's support in advance, so he was very close to him and obeyed his words.

On the day of the banquet, Bian Zan brought a jug of good wine to drink. When the second prince saw it, he went to ask for wine as a joke. When he tasted it, it was really good wine, just a little stronger. Bian Zan smiled and handed the jug to him. Let him pour a drink for his uncle who is used to drinking strong liquor.

Bian Chunliang was already slightly drunk at that time, so he didn't think much about his second son's diligent pouring of wine.

Facing the identification of the second prince, Bian Zan did not panic. He said with an almost decisive tone: He had drunk that wine himself, and the second prince had also drank it, but they were all safe and sound. The only possibility is that the second prince was pouring wine for His Majesty. He did some tricks.

The second prince was shocked and angry, but Bian Zan did not leave him a chance to continue arguing.

Bian Zan, who led troops all the way to the capital, had military power, and the second prince was executed by him on the same day for the crime of patricide.

Bian Chunliang's subordinates were suspicious of this, and brought the third prince to question Bian Zan. A conflict broke out between the two sides, and the capital fell into civil strife.

King Rong's army was unstoppable all the way, and soon came to the capital.

Although Bian Chunliang's troops distributed around the capital were not weak, Bian Chunliang was dead, the morale of the army was shattered, and they were unable to support resistance at all.

However, in just two days, the heavy city gate of the capital slowly opened in front of Li Yin.

Bian Zan came out of the city. He carried the heads of the third princes of the Bian family. He knelt down in front of Li Yin, who was sitting on a horse in armor. He took off his sword and kowtowed to show his submission.

Li Yin accepted his submission and slowly drove his horse into the city.

Luo Guanlin followed beside him, stepping through Zhuque Street with the mighty cavalry, heading towards the palace city.

Along the way, I heard many people weeping with joy, and there were also officials waiting in tears outside the palace. Most of them were coerced by Bian Chunliang to serve the Daliang New Dynasty, and they consciously endured the humiliation. At this moment, seeing King Rong's army and the banner with Li characters, they all shed tears. They all went down and knelt down to salute to show their continued loyalty to the Li dynasty. Li Yin dismounted and helped the leading officials up, showing no sign of harshness or contempt.

As Li Yin and his ministers entered the Hanyuan Hall, the flags and flags embroidered with the word "Liang" everywhere were removed and burned, and the Liang Dynasty, which only existed for less than a year, was declared dead.

In the next few days, Bian Zan followed Li Yin's orders to wipe out the remnants of Bian's army in the capital.

In order to calm the hearts of the people, Li Yin also personally visited both inside and outside the capital, focusing on the people, rather than eagerly lingering on the dragon throne.

In September, all the flowers are gone, leaving only the fragrance of chrysanthemums filling the city.

Li Yin walked slowly on horseback to inspect the capital and saw the surrounding scenery. He said to Luo Guanlin on horseback beside him: "This time, I can take back the capital at such a small price and save the people from falling into great turmoil again. Sir Take the lead.”

Bian Zan's decision to poison Bian Chunliang was not an accidental decision.

Bian Zan had also participated in the war against King Rong's army. As early as that time, Li Yin had already thought of trying to alienate Bian Chunliang. After Luo Guanlin thought about it, he suggested that he might as well start with this person.

Afterwards, Luo Guanlin recommended himself, met with Bian Zan in private, and successfully convinced him with a heart-attacking strategy.

Bian Zan was far more outstanding than Bian Chunliang's sons, but he was destined to have nothing to do with the position of prince. The only high position he could reach with the Bian surname was here.

But the risks he had to bear far outweighed the benefits. Once King Rong's army invaded the capital, he would be implicated and liquidated.

He has a clear idea of ​​how the battle will turn out.

Bian Chunliang will naturally fight to the end. That is because he is the emperor, and fighting or not fighting means death. But he is different, he still has a chance of survival, it just depends on whether he is willing to grasp it.

Moreover, Luo Guanlin told him that King Rong was benevolent and valued talents. As long as he worked hard, not only could his life be saved, but he would also have the opportunity to be reused.

That was two months ago.

At this moment, Luo Guanlin lowered his voice and said: "Bian Zan is too cruel and ruthless. We must try to get rid of him in the future. Please don't be soft-hearted."

Li Yin sighed and nodded lightly: "Yes, sir, you are thoughtful."

Not long after, people and horses passed Dayun Temple. Li Yin dismounted and wanted to enter the temple to offer incense.

Luo Guanlin then dismounted and saluted, "I'm waiting here."

"It's windy and cold today, how can I keep you here waiting for a long time? Please come to the temple with me, sir." Li Yin invited and persuaded.

Luo Guanlin hesitated for a moment, and then followed Li Yin inside.

Dayun Temple was built when Emperor Shengce ascended the throne, and it cost a lot of money. Although Luo Guanlin did not say it explicitly, it was not difficult to detect his hatred of others.

After Li Yin offered incense in the front and rear halls, he looked at the pagoda in the distance that was half hidden among the vegetation in the temple, and asked someone to guide him.

It is said that after the Ming Dynasty built this tower, people were not allowed to approach it because it enshrined the goddess who was reincarnated to save the world, and it was rumored that the queen of the Ming Dynasty was the reincarnation of the goddess.

This is a very common method for kings to win the hearts of the people. Li Yin didn't notice anything different. He didn't have much curiosity about this pagoda before. The reason why he wanted to enter the pagoda now was because Princess Gu'an knew it. Lo’s reply—

Previously, Mingluo sent Tuyuhun's credentials to show his goodwill, mentioned his cooperation intention in the secret letter, and claimed to have a secret about the former Prince Xiao...

Li Yin wrote back to test, but did not agree to cooperate with him.

The premise of cooperation is that he needs it, but Li Yin does not think that he needs to cooperate with a madman at this time, and he also wants to be a madman who takes risks. Being a madman has to pay a price, and the aftermath is a very troublesome thing.

Although he didn't agree, he didn't refuse it completely. It wasn't a bad thing to leave a way out, and he was indeed somewhat interested in the "secret matter" Min Luo mentioned.

Seeing Li Yin's attitude, Mingluo did not rush to reveal in her reply that she did not have an advantage in this cooperation. The secret was also one of the bargaining chips she used to negotiate cooperation, so she naturally had to make good use of it -

Mingluo said in the letter - His Royal Highness King Rong will return to the capital in the future. If he can go to Dayun Temple and enter the Tiannv Pagoda, he will definitely think about cooperation seriously.

Li Yin has always scorned the mystical behavior, and it is a very stupid thing to be led by the mysterious person.

He despised Min Luo's methods and did not put too much thought into this matter, but since he was passing by this time, he might as well take a look.

The bamboo forest in the pagoda courtyard has turned yellow, and when the wind blows, it becomes a bit desolate.

Li Yin followed the sound, looked up at the copper bell hanging on the eaves of the tower, and walked into the tower.

What he saw surprised him.

The jade pool in the pagoda was damaged, and the statue of the goddess enshrined on the jade platform in the pool had also collapsed and broken into pieces, leaving only the pool filled with residual water and broken jade.

Soon, a monk came quickly, bowed hastily, and explained this.

The statue of the goddess in the pagoda was destroyed on the order of Bian Chunliang. It is said that Bian Chunliang heard that this pagoda was equipped with formations to protect the imperial fortune of the Ming Dynasty and the Li family, thus affecting the national destiny of the new dynasty -

Bian Chunliang didn't believe this at first, but after losing the war again and again, he naturally preferred to believe it.

Li Yin looked at the broken jade statue in the pool, feeling a little regretful: "I see."

Luo Guanlin said: "Although Thief Bian committed a heinous crime, it is not wrong for him to destroy this statue. It was originally used to deceive the world, so it should be destroyed."

Hearing these sharp words, the monks on the side could only recite the Buddha's name and did not dare to say anything.

Li Yin looked around at the furnishings in the destroyed pagoda, and half obeyed Luo Guanlin's words, saying, "In that case, let's level this pagoda and build another Zen courtyard."

After coming out of the tower, Li Yin was not in a hurry to reply to Mingluo.

To him, the other party's proposal was nothing more than something he could use at will.

As for the so-called secrets about the former Prince Xiao, there is no need to rush to inquire about the deceased's past affairs. Tuyuhun will be under Dasheng's control again in the future. If he wants to hear it, the other party will naturally tell him carefully.

Right now, he has many more important things to do.

Li Yin said to Luo Guanlin in a serious tone: "Sir, I need to worry more about the next thing."

Luo Guanlin saluted him, lowered his eyes and said, "There is nothing Luo can do but do his best." (End of this chapter)