Detective in the Red Chamber

This is even stranger!

This way of dealing with Prince Yizhong's affairs will not give some people the illusion that the person whom the Supreme Emperor really wants to pass on to the throne is actually Prince Yizhong.

How could Emperor Guangde agree to such a matter of orthodoxy? !

After pondering inexplicably for a while, but still couldn't figure it out, Sun Shaozong could only continue to ask, "Then, have you ever found out how Prince Yizhong died?"

"I heard that the Taoist elixir did not work properly, and he died of poison as a result."

According to Prince Yizhong's nagging performance that day, he really looked like an idiot looking for immortals.

But since the hot air balloon incident, the palace began to impose restrictions on imports and exports. Drugs such as lead and mercury are taboos among taboos. Even if Prince Yizhong wants to take the pill to kill himself, he has no chance at all.

In short, this matter is full of strangeness inside and out!

"Erlang, it's useless to think about anything now, let's go to the palace to see the situation first."

At this time, Brother Cheap greeted him, and headed towards the stables first.

Seeing this, Sun Shaozong hurriedly followed.

Speechless all the way.

In front of the Meridian Gate, there were already many officials standing in the square, discussing something in twos and threes. Sun Shaozong listened for a long while, but found that everyone was either discussing official affairs, or talking about trivial matters at home, and no one dared to discuss the current national funeral.

Also.

How can someone who can be a fifth-rank official not understand the principle of seeking good fortune and avoiding evil?

I am afraid that only those noble second generation ancestors will be dizzy and confused about the situation.

Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong couldn't help stretching his neck and scanning the front row, trying to find out the characters among the four princes and eight princes, and leaned over to listen to see if there was any inside information.

Unexpectedly, before he could see it clearly, a person came up to him and asked, "Sun Qianhu, have you seen our Lord Zhenfu?"

But it turned out that Chen Xingzhi, the deputy Qianhu, Zhao Jiayi and others came to find him.

Seeing this, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to give up his original plan, and walked up to him and said in a low voice, "I've just arrived too—maybe Lord Zhenfu hasn't arrived yet."

Chen Xingzhi and the others exchanged glances, but there was some serious expression on their faces.

What's wrong with this?

While Sun Shaozong was puzzled, he heard Zhao Jiayi whisper, "Your Majesty Zhenfu went to the palace before dawn yesterday. I heard that you were also in the palace yesterday, so I thought you were in the same place. "

Lu Hui entered the palace before dawn yesterday?

This is the first time Sun Shaozong heard of it.

He secretly wondered whether Lu Hui's entry into the palace by order would have any direct or indirect relationship with Prince Yizhong's death, but he said, "I left the palace yesterday morning, but I didn't bump into Mr. Zhenfu .”

After Zhao Jiayi heard this, he put on a look of hesitation, presumably also because he suspected that Lu Hui was involved in this sudden national funeral.

Everyone was staring at each other, when suddenly someone scolded, "Have the people from Beizhen Fusi arrived? Why don't you know how to urge you adults to line up in front of the Meridian Gate?!"

The person who shouted was none other than Dai Quan.

And what he said was obviously to scold his subordinates, but in fact he said it to all civil and military officials, so everyone hurriedly lined up in front of the Meridian Gate according to the size of their official positions.

As for Sun Shaozong and others, since Dai Quan's words were in front of them, they naturally had to put on a show and maintain order by the side.

Because he held the official title of Cong Sipin, Sun Shaozong was naturally in charge of the front row.

As soon as he greeted Xue Pan's father-in-law, Wang Shangshu, a young eunuch quietly came to his side and whispered, "Master Sun, Eunuch Dai asked you to come over and talk."

Chapter 572 Ginger is Still Old and Spicy [2 in 1]

Hearing that Dai Quan was going to summon him, Sun Shaozong suddenly felt uneasy.

It won't be Prince Yizhong's business, what else is there, you need to send yourself to deal with the aftermath, right?

Although Sun Shaozong was thinking just now that he wanted to pry into the secret behind the violent death of Prince Yizhong, he never intended to directly get involved in it.

However, the superior ordered him to do so, no matter how reluctant he was, he could only be careful and think of countermeasures, and followed the little eunuch step by step to the door opening on the right.

Entering inside, seeing Dai Quan leading the two young eunuchs, standing in the darkest place in the middle, Sun Shaozong hurried a few steps, and was about to step forward to pay respects, but suddenly found that the atmosphere was inexplicably weird.

The first thing that makes people feel weird is Dai Quan's state at this time.

I saw that he took off the three mountain hats on top of his head, revealing his gray head, hunched back, facing his hands, his eyes are cloudy and lifeless, and his expression is lazy and desolate. If he is not wrapped in a brocade robe and jade belt, his temperament is almost the same as that of the slack season. The old farmers in the country are no different.

As the head of the eunuchs, he has always been known for his majesty. As far as the aura of berating Fang Qiu is concerned, even the ministers and generals are a little inferior.

Today, for the first time, he showed this tiredness, as if the thing supporting his spine had been taken away by someone.

What's even more strange is that, facing Dai Quan's state, the two young eunuchs next to him neither shied away nor expressed comfort, but instead stared at Dai Quan with staring eyes.

At first, Sun Shaozong thought that one of these two people had the surname Zuo and the other died, but after careful observation, he found that this was not the case.

The expressions of those two people were mixed with apprehension and apprehension, and they obviously knew that under such a situation, they were still staring at Dai Quan intently, it was like a mouse playing with a cat.

But they still kept their eyes on it, as if... they were acting according to someone's assignment.

Thinking about it this way, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but feel even more horrified. In the entire palace, Emperor Guangde is probably the only one who dares to send people to monitor Dai Quan so blatantly!

Could it be that Dai Quan was involved in the death of Prince Yizhong yesterday?

But it shouldn't be!

Dai Quan is an old man who has been with Emperor Guangde for decades, and he is the only one in the palace in terms of closeness. Since he took charge of Beizhen Fusi, he has participated in countless secrets.

After going through all these right and wrong, what else can make him fall into the position of being closely monitored overnight?

Thoughts were turning and turning, Sun Shaozong's movements were only a short pause, and then he bowed and saluted as if nothing had happened, "Your officer Sun Shaozong, I have seen Commander-in-Chief!"

After more than ten seconds, Dai Quan replied faintly, "Let's go, follow me to Qianqing Palace to meet you."

As he spoke, he picked up the gold-threaded three-mountain cap from the desk next to him, and put it on carefully.

When he tied the red velvet rope around his neck, his back straightened up again, and his official gait of swaying his legs seemed to have regained a bit of his former power.

But Sun Shaozong followed behind, but he always felt that Dai Quan's back was rendered a layer of bleak by this late autumn.

But right now, he couldn't care less about it.

Since it was summoned by Emperor Guangde himself, it must be much more troublesome to deal with than previously imagined!

But right now it seems that even Dai Quan has fallen, how dare he go to this muddy water without knowing the depth?

But if the emperor personally arranges the dirty work, who can refuse?

"You wait outside."

Just as he was thinking about what kind of errand he would be on today, he suddenly heard an order from Dai Quan in front of him, only then did Sun Shaozong realize that he had already arrived outside the imperial study room of Qianqing Palace before he knew it.

Seeing that Dai Quan went in to report, he quickly gathered his mind and tidied up his appearance, ready to meet the emperor's summons.

Not long after, I heard a cadenced voice coming from inside, "Your Majesty has a decree, and Sun Shaozong, the emperor of Xuanshun Tianfu, will meet you."

Sun Shaozong hurriedly bowed his body forward, stepped over the half-foot-high threshold, turned over and knelt down and said "long live", while stealthily observing the situation in the imperial study.

Unexpectedly, besides Emperor Guangde and Dai Quan, there were also five important ministers in the imperial study.

The one at the top is none other than the one who had been imprisoned, which caused his son's head to be stained green, and the cabinet minister He Tiren.

The last two to accompany them are Zhao Hong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Households, and Lu Yanbin, Shangshu of the Ministry of War.

Due to the angle of the other two, they couldn't see their faces clearly for a while, but judging from their positions, they should also be cabinet bachelors.

In this way, except for the first assistant who was recovering from illness, and Xu Furen who had submitted his resignation letter but had not yet completed the procedure, the three senior scholars had already arrived.

Plus the two officials from the Ministry of Household and the Ministry of War...

The anxiety in Sun Shaozong's heart disappeared immediately.

Because no matter how you look at this lineup, it doesn't look like they want to discuss the secrets of the palace.

However, judging from the fact that the Minister of the Ministry of Households and the Minister of the Ministry of War attended together, but the other four departments did not participate, it can be inferred that the content to be discussed at this meeting is probably inseparable from the Wuxi barbarian rebellion.

Thinking about it carefully, holding a military meeting at this time is really a good way to calm people's hearts - at least it can show that the emperor's wisdom is in his hands, and he doesn't pay too much attention to the "national mourning" treatment of the loyal prince.

Of course, in this way, I am afraid that a result must be negotiated today, otherwise such a big battle during the national mourning period, without even a sound in the end, wouldn't it make the ministers outside be suspicious out of thin air?

as predicted.

After Li Biping passed away, he listened to Emperor Guangde's order, "Sun Zhizhong, please repeat to all your lords what you said in Jingren Palace that day."

Sun Shaozong hurriedly responded respectfully, and then he planned to use a small number of elites to choose a weak tribe among the Wuxi barbarians as a breakthrough point, launch an asymmetrical raid, and then provoke civil strife among the Wuxi barbarians. He said it all over again.

This was originally an idea that I came up with on the spur of the moment, but after thinking about it these days, it is naturally much more perfect than the original version.

But after he said no, the five important ministers in the imperial study gave four kinds of reactions.

Zhao Hongxi, the servant of the household department, nodded his head with a big face.

Lu Yanbin, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, was busy talking about 'absurd' and 'I don't know the so-called'.

The two bachelors who finally showed their faces looked at their noses, their noses, their noses and their hearts. They seemed to have understood it, but they didn't seem to understand it at all.

As for Elder Cifu Hege, at the first sight he had a little head, as if he was agreeing with his speech, but after finishing speaking, he was still there with his head drooping from time to time.

This old man...

Could it be dozing off?

"His Majesty."

Sun Shaozong was still trying to figure out whether Mr. He Ge was dreaming or waking up. Lu Yanbin, Minister of the Ministry of War, decisively stated, "The Wuxi barbarians have no fewer than [-] adults. Besides, the former broke through prefectures and counties and massacred court officials. Now the morale Zhengsheng will also guard against retaliation by the officers and soldiers."

"At this moment, how can we count on the bravery of hundreds of people in a mere area, when we should have a powerful army and suppress them with thunder?"

"If things go wrong, and the thieves hold on to the prestige of two victories, but the government and army decline again and become exhausted three times, I am afraid that the entire province of Huguang will be corrupted because of this!"

As he spoke, he bowed and clasped his fists again and said, "You are just a child with a yellow mouth, how can you know the danger of war? Also, please don't listen to his empty words, so as to ruin the military and state affairs."

"Ha ha!"

Before Emperor Guangde opened his mouth, Zhao Hong, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, sneered twice, brushed his sleeves, and said disdainfully, "Since Mr. Sun was in charge of the law and order of the capital, countless cases have been solved, and he is known for his shrewdness and courage. But how did you say it was the courage of a man?"

As he said that, he also went out to salute Emperor Guangde and said, "Your Majesty, I think Lord Sun's strategy of hunting down thieves is not completely unreasonable, you might as well give it a try..."

"absurd!"

Lu Wenbin also flicked his sleeves, and almost slapped Zhao Hong on the face, "Those who live in the deep mountains and marshes, not to mention the large numbers of people, are also known for their bravery - and the officers and soldiers come from far away, the right time, the right place, and the right people." If none of them are dominant, how can we be sure to win the battle?"

"It's not..."

"but."

Zhao Hongzheng was about to retort, but Lu Wenbin rushed to say, "If you, old Zhao, are willing to use your wealth and life as security for him, I will have nothing to say."

Zhao Hong was at a loss for words. Although he was inclined to support Sun Shaozong, he still had no confidence in such things as one against a hundred.

If Lu Wenbin had just put his flag to rest at this time, it would be regarded as a return of victory.

However, in the past two years, the Ministry of War has quarreled with the Ministry of Households many times because of food and salary matters. Lu Wenbin has repeatedly suffered from Zhao Hong's cowardice, and now he has finally gained the upper hand in the professional field.

He couldn't help but sneered and said, "It's fine in normal times, but now that it's a matter of military and state affairs, Mr. Zhao still only cares about calculating petty profits. It seems that it really is a family tradition."

Zhao Hong is able to be the Minister of the Ministry of Households, and his background as a merchant is not without benefits, but he hates others to talk about this "the end of the four peoples".

As a result, the neck became thicker at the moment, and he retorted with a red head and a swollen face, "A petty profit? You said it lightly. Right now, the six countries in southern Xinjiang are unstable, and [-] troops have come out of Zhenyun and Guangxi; the black water in the north is chaotic. , the imperial court also had to send [-] more troops to the west of Liaoning; and that Prince Teng, in order to suppress the bandits, imposed a sea ban in the southeast, and seized tea and silk, which reduced the imperial court's annual income by [-]%."

"One by one, which one doesn't need food?!"

"It's all thanks to His Majesty's benevolence and frugality, often using internal funds to subsidize the government, and our household department has worked hard to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, so we can barely maintain the situation."

"It's good now, you, Lu Wenbin, open your mouth, what kind of soldiers do you want to raise! You still have to go to the barren mountains and marshes to pursue those barbarians!"

"Let me ask you, once the rebellion cannot be quelled quickly, where should the food and salary come from?! How to replenish the ordnance?!"

The more he talked, the more excited he became, almost spraying saliva on Lu Wenbin's face.

Lu Wenbin took half a step back in disgust, but he refused to let the wind fall in the slightest, and said with a sneer, "The food and payment are the business of your household department, and our military department only cares about fighting."

"you……"

"All right!"

Zhao Hong was still waiting to catch up and continue to output, but Emperor Guangde finally couldn't help but scolded, "You two are dignified second-rank officials after all, how can you lose your composure in front of juniors?"

Since the emperor opened his mouth, the two of them could only plead guilty with one voice, and each returned to their original positions, eye for an eye across the air.

Emperor Guangde's eyes fell on He Tiren, who was at the top, and he didn't care that he was dozing off like a chicken pecking at rice, and he called out his name directly, "Old He Ge, what do you think?"

Mr. He Ge was agitated, first he said "ah" twice in a daze, and then seeing that everyone was looking at him, he asked slowly, "The old man's ears have been a little out of control recently, dare to ask Mr. Lu, did you just say Prosperous soldiers, right?"