Chiwuxing
Chapter 74 Chapter 74
Chapter Seventy-Fourth - Yan Jian, an important minister, decided to fix Hu Ji, and questioned the vice-lord's private daughter-in-law
Near the end of the year, a hundred miles away, an urgent military report was delivered to the imperial city of the imperial capital——
Within half a month, the Hulan Allied Barbarian Army of the Hulan Division broke through from Yizhou, captured the northern border defense town of Shibazhou in one fell swoop, and forced them to Fenshui Pass in the upper reaches of Yishui River.The Red Armored Guards retreated in a row, and the main general Jiao Shiling failed to defend well, and died in the night attack of the Hu people.
The news reported in the middle of the night spread to all the officials overnight, causing an uproar in the court.Ni Congwen, taking advantage of the ability of the first assistant, immediately ordered to block the news and strictly forbid the people in the city to talk about it.I just don't know where the news leaked out, and the people from all households in the capital, big and small, were discussing privately, horrified, and in the imperial capital, all the plants and trees were soldiers.
In the early morning, people in the court were panic-stricken, and all the officials avoided preparing for the court discussion. Everyone knew it well and kept silent, unwilling to risk the limelight at this juncture.
After this dreary early morning, the court hurriedly retreated, and several ministers who were in charge of orders in the court went to the Yanying Hall alone to discuss matters.
The prince was on the left side of the seat, silent, his eyes were black and blue, apparently he hadn't slept all night.
Yuan Xing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, couldn't bear the long silence, and took the lead to say: "...According to the content of the report, the Hu and Barbarians have joined forces, and the team gathered is no more than one hundred thousand soldiers. This time the attack is fierce and the city is occupied quickly. Reflect on why such a situation occurs?"
Zhao Xueming, who was in charge of the military department, couldn't sit still, and couldn't help expressing what was in his heart just now: "I want to say that the Red Armor Army has undergone a major military reorganization in the past two years, and the soldiers in the battalion have been replaced. More than halfway, even though I had some opinions in my mind at the time, but due to the solemnity of Mr. Feng's words, the order has been passed, so it's nothing. Farmers said, "You only see mud on your legs when you get out of the water." It seems that this policy is good or bad. You will know when you really come to the test."
The Ministry of War has been under the control of the Privy Council for a long time, and now that these words are spoken, it is inevitable that several people will follow Zhao Xueming and glance at Feng Ru who is sitting directly opposite him.
"How are you doing?" Feng Ru sat on his seat, ignored his provocative words, and said in a serious voice, "I didn't make the decision to replace the soldiers in the barracks alone, and I acted in accordance with the rules of yearning, not to mention that this matter was delayed for a long time because of the expedition and other incidents. It is too biased to attribute the defeat of the war to this, Mr. Zhao."
Feng and Zhao looked at each other for a moment, and the meaning in their eyes clashed secretly.
At this time, Shaoqian still had his usual smile on his head, but because of the occasion, he restrained himself a little, and smoothed things over to the two of them: "It's true that we can't just bring up this matter. As early as four years ago, Jia Yun has already secretly expressed his intention to transfer personnel in the army, and it is not a new resolution. Master Feng has always followed the rules, so there is no need to catch this matter at this time. Master Zhao is worried about the national crisis. Think about countermeasures first.”
Before the two of them opened their mouths, another person snorted coldly during the banquet, and it was Yuan Xing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry.
"That's right." Yuan Xing sat on the left side of Zhao Xueming, but his eyes turned to the opposite side. "Master Zhao, don't be so rash. You have to see who took over this job and whose business it was. Those eunuchs cleared up a lot of things." , The aftermath of the poison has not been wiped very clean, and the current situation is a living lesson."
Yuan Xing's real name was Zhou Xing, and he was originally a scholar from a poor family whose parents both died. He went to Beijing to find a job because he had no money to make a living. The sons of poor families rushing to take the exam funded their studies to prepare for the exam in order to gain a place in the imperial court and pave the way for their own descendants who later entered the imperial court.Zhou Xing was the best among them. Yuan Shi took a fancy to his talent in reading and composition and asked him to continue his studies. As a result, he won the first place in the essay test and became an official.Talent and learning are one aspect, and virtue is another aspect.The Yuan family was rich in wealth, and all kinds of fees were indispensable for becoming an official, so they depended on each other, directly changed their surname to Zhou, and worshiped the head of the Yuan family as their father.Even later, when the young son of the Yuan family entered the court, it was also thanks to his self-dealing, people and money. Yuan Libin, a fledgling merchant, was able to become the servant of the household department at such an age, and his status was rightly marked against the eldest son of the prime minister. Ni Chengzhi, a talented man in Beijing, set an example.Even if there is nothing to achieve, simply staying in place is enough to secretly plot state affairs.
Zhao Xueming snorted, trying to save face.
Ni Congwen was seated on the upper seat, to the right of the crown prince, gently raising the teacup to take a sip.While drinking tea with low eyebrows, his eyes swept across several officials in the hall, and finally settled on Ni Chengzhi at the end of the seat, paused for a moment, and then turned back to other places.
Ni Chengzhi was regarded as the person with the lowest official rank among the few people present, so it was natural that he had a bit of Ni Xiang's face in coming to discuss with him.Seeing his father's secret glance, he immediately understood, and just watched silently at the end of the seat, keeping silent.
The matter of reorganizing the new army in the Chijia Army was originally brought up by King Yu four years ago. At that time, Jia Yunshang was a subordinate of King Yu and did not take charge of the chief affairs of Chijia. The name of Jia Yun... The group of muddy waters stirred up quietly, and Ni Congwen smiled faintly, and then disappeared.He put down the teacup, and there was a very light knocking sound between the white porcelain and the sandalwood, and the people next to him immediately looked over.
Ni Congwen said in a voice: "My lords are worried, and I and Your Highness feel the same way. This border emergency report came suddenly last night. It is related to the country of Yan, so it is natural that there is no room for sloppy. Almost immediately after I got the order Here, he entered the palace urgently to discuss with His Highness, and immediately ordered to mobilize the Chijia Yiwei from various cities to support."
"The war is still going on, and the number of casualties is still unclear. But according to the report, Tang Lan and his group crossed the river and rushed to the northern border city after returning from the imperial capital. However, they were outnumbered, and the red armor was unfavorable in the previous battle. The Hu and Man tribes seized the opportunity and were deprived of the land of Yan in the north one after another. The most urgent task is to mobilize available troops from all directions to repel the Hu Man soldiers in the north."
Feng Rushen said: "The lower officials think that the barbarians' detour from the southern territory to the northern Hudi united to attack the city may be deliberately setting up an attack from the east to attack the west. If the Yiwei guarding the city in the south are also sent to the north , the southern border is unstable, and the barbarians take advantage of the gap, so what should we do? According to the officials, the defenders of the southern border city should stay where they are, and if it is not necessary, the defenders on the outskirts of the capital can be allocated first."
"Absurd!" Before Ni Congwen could speak, Zhao Xueming cut off, "The Gyeonggi army is guarding the key points of the imperial city. Once it is used, not only the safety and stability of the imperial city will be shaken, but also the hearts of the people of Yan Kingdom."
Zhao Xueming was still flustered in his anger. Since the Privy Council divided the military power, the army in the Ministry of War is only the Gyeonggi Guards and the useless guard of honor. It is full of places where the children of noble families in the imperial capital hide their filth and enjoy peace for a long time. Never had experience against an enemy.Once this participates in actual combat, not to mention how many officials and powerful families are involved, this last layer of defense has been stripped away,
"It's true that you can't be so hasty." Yuan Xing echoed.
"What Boyong said earlier is reasonable, but it is just based on the weird style of the barbarians who have been unable to attack for a long time. If this method can be used, it should have been implemented long ago. On the contrary, I feel that the reason why Fu Xuan made a detour from the north to disturb the border. The purpose at the beginning was to wait for the barbarians to respond, so as to slow down their own losses. If they want to reap the rewards at that time, they should not attack from the south at this time. What's more, the barbarians sent most of their troops this time to defend the barbarian land. There are not many soldiers, and if they really want to take advantage of this opportunity to fight, I am afraid they may not be able to be sure," Ni Congwen said to Feng Rudao, "In any case, the last line of defense of the Gyeonggi Army cannot be used. In the worst case, what Master Zhao said is true, the key is not to move many soldiers, but to mess up morale and people's hearts."
"Master Feng has thought too far," Shao Qian said with a smile, "Now that the Hu people and the barbarians have not calmed down, at least resist the attack of the Hu army and the barbarians..."
Feng Ru didn't answer those people's words, and said to Ni Congwen: "Your Excellency just meant that the barbarians are probably using barbarians to resist swords and guns?"
Ni Congwen nodded, and said: "Fu Xuan is used to taking advantage of others and refuses to use swords and guns by himself. The repeated offenses in the past two years all contained the intention of testing, and he obviously refused to reveal his true strength. Perhaps it was because of his weak strength. Its soldiers numbered in the tens of thousands, and after a few years of rest, they sent troops again, and I believe that the Nanmans also had a bluff here, so there was nothing wrong with it."
Yuan Xing turned his head around and said again: "If we talk about dealing with the group of barbarians beside the prisoner... don't we have a ready-made helper?"
Zhao Xueming turned his head and said, "You're talking about... the Utron tribe?"
"Exactly," Yuan Xing continued, "when the Hulan tribe led several of its small clans to attack Jingzhou, didn't He Xuyi deliberately make a statement to clarify that this was the result of a split between the two clans? Since he still has Sincerely surrender, it is better to order him to raise troops to help the attack, so as to test the sincerity in his words."
"No," Feng Ruzheng said, "Although He Xuyi expressed his intention to seek peace, his words are obviously not firm. If you ask him to attack the Hu people who are of the same clan, it is tantamount to making him kill each other , isn’t this forcing him to show his face? What’s more, when Hu Qiang first surrendered to Yan, he made an agreement not to disturb each other’s borders, and he was hired and paid tribute every year, but he was not obliged to raise troops to help him. People, the Hu and Qiang people are always brave and fearless. How do you know that they really don't have any grudges about the extermination of the genocide a hundred years ago? If this incident annoys the Hu people of the Utlong tribe, take this opportunity to follow the Hulan tribe Let's disturb our country together, wouldn't it make things worse at such a critical time?"
"Auntie's duties to slow down the war" was originally a temporary policy to reconcile the remaining tribes in the north. In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the four expeditions lost more than half of their combat power, and the Hudi tribes sent their intentions for peace.
Nominally, the Yan State could take advantage of the revelations in the past to drive the Hu people to send troops, but Feng Ru's worries are still at the heart of the Hu people at this moment.Now that the Hulan tribe has rebelled, it is difficult to determine the attitude of the remaining tribes.
"Oh," Yuan Xing sneered, convinced by Feng Ru's words in his heart, but he was still reluctant to admit it, "Just now when he dispatched his own Gyeonggi Army, he was righteous and strict, and now it's time for Master Feng to measure him in every possible way. Oh...my lord, does this count as turning your elbow outward?"
This remark hit Zhao Xueming's heart stabbingly, and he immediately heard him sarcastically complaining: "No wonder Mr. Feng is still a widower at his age, it turns out he is used to playing prestige internally."
"Okay," when the two of them had finished speaking, Ni Congwen stopped him in a timely manner, and said, "The national crisis is at hand, and it is important for you all to think more about strategies."
There was another silence below, Ni Congwen glanced at the crowd, Zhang Yanque and several other important officials chose not to say a word at this juncture, it was obvious that the words in the palace were clear, and the small palace meeting was abruptly turned into a mess The imperial court was in contention.He sighed in his heart, turned to the right respectfully, and said: "... I wonder if Your Highness has any opinions and guidance after listening to everyone's words?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall seemed to realize that there was still an apricot-yellow figure in the seat.
Zong Zhengyi sat thinly on a golden chair on the left, and the color of his clothes blended with the golden chair. It happened that this place was extremely dark in the morning due to the light refracted by the criss-crossed beams above it, so there was no People noticed the movements and expressions of the highest authority in the temple on this bright face.
His eyes instantly focused on Zong Zhengyi, he was used to the moment of being focused by all eyes, but there was still a hint of panic on his face.
Everyone saw the prince's Adam's apple move slightly, and his eyes turned from the people below to Ni Congwen on the left, and said: "I'm alone...I'm concerned about the military situation, I don't have much advice...but listen to my uncle's advice."
The first few officials looked at each other, and most of the thoughts in their hearts were similar, but the prince had become a puppet in the hands of Ni Congwen, but they didn't know that since the emperor fell ill, the supreme imperial power had secretly shifted his position.
Ni Congwen stroked his chin-like beard, stopped his hands in the middle, and said slowly: "What Boyong said just now is true. Hu people hibernate in the cold and cold places in the north, crouching like tigers and wolves. But wolves will bite when they are in a hurry. I have also read the memorial written by He Xuyi a few months ago, but it is just a common official phrase in previous years. I think he is mostly out of fear of facing our Yan army head-on. This sincerity, if you really say how loyal you are to my country Yan, it is ridiculous for no reason."
"It's just that Master Yuan's words made me think a little bit." Ni Congwen changed his mind.
Yuan Xing looked over.
Ni Congwen said: "According to the current situation, it is naturally better to have one more thing than one less thing. Earlier, the Hulan people used the banner of attacking Yan to capture the city of Yandi, which is enough to show that the Hu people still have a heart of hatred for Yan. He Xuyi was appointed by His Majesty Lord Hu Qiang, the Wolf Lord, his attitude this time is correct, but in order to ensure that there will be no changes in the middle of the battle, he still has to try to contain them."
"But your lord said just now that you can't threaten them with force. At least the Hu people have a bias in their hearts between the same clan and the suzerain country." Feng Rudao.
"That's why we have to be careful here," Ni Congwen said, "We must contain the Utron tribe's subordinates, but we must not push them too fast and suffer from them instead. Everyone...do you have any good strategies?"
The ministers present frowned and pondered. Ni Congwen glanced at the expressions of all parties. Seeing Ni Chengzhi at the end of the seat seemed to be about to speak, he raised his eyes and gave him a slight nod.
Ni Chengzhi got up and bowed to all the people in the seat, and said gently: "I have the courage to offer my humble opinion to Your Highness and all the adults."
"Tell me." Zongzheng said.
"According to the usual practice, the Hu and Qiang tribes will send envoys to Beijing every year on New Year's Eve. This time, we have to restrain their actions. If we don't send people to inform them in advance, this year we specially order them to send a family member of Hexuyi to Beijing. By then After the people come over, detain the capital, and appoint someone to clarify the interests and demands with the Utron family in a letter, and wait for the turmoil here to calm down and the city to recover, and then choose an appropriate time to send him back to Hudi," Ni Chengzhi said "I heard before that that Concubine He Xuyu passed away, and only one daughter was conferred the title of Princess Pingle Zhaoshun when she was born. If she is ordered to come, I am afraid it is the most suitable."
It has been a long time since this method of relying on family members to restrain them has not been seen in the Yan Kingdom. It sounds a bit despicable at first, but after careful consideration, it is indeed a different method.
Yuan Xing questioned: "Master Ni is sure that He Xuyi will not bear the pain to give up his love, so he turned against my country Yan?"
Ni Chengzhi replied respectfully: "The members of the Huqianggu clan believe in the spirit of the wolf clan and have always attached importance to the blood of their relatives. The lower officials think that since He Xuyi can ascend to the wolf leader by his own ability, he should not be a widow."
Yuan Xing nodded: "It's reasonable, I think it's feasible."
"Then I'm afraid we need to find a reason to get Huxun to agree to send his daughter over," Shao Qian interjected, "this is at a critical moment against the enemy, and Huxun is not a fool, so he might not be able to see the connection." orifice."
Ni Chengzhi still wanted to speak, so he looked at the two seated above and swallowed hesitantly.
"I still remember that the former wolf lord and the concubine of Hexu, the father of Hexuyi, was the concubine chosen by the late emperor in the palace. Later, he was named a princess to make friends with each other..." Ni Congwen looked at the front , said leisurely.
Zong Zhengyi froze slightly on one side.
"His Royal Highness has already reached the crown. Previously, there were a lot of evasions due to things. This time, it is better to go along with the flow and accept the Huren princess as a concubine. It happens that there are more people to take care of His Highness." Ni Congwen turned his head to Zong Zhengyi, usually There was no questioning in his tone, more like an order.
The crown prince was about to speak, but his mouth shook a few times before the voice came out: "...Father is still ill, the state affairs are at hand, and I have no intention of doing this..."
"Your Highness, if you want to take advantage of a happy event to be happy." Zhao Xueming said, knowing the direction of the wind.
Zong Zhengyi's face was stiff, obviously he didn't want to say any more.
"Since it's an excuse, there's no need to force her to marry her in-laws," Feng Ru said. "In the past, the title of the princess was only according to my third-rank princess in the Yan Dynasty. This time, I lied and ordered her to come in person." Adding honorary titles and being rewarded by Yan En, that's all."
"... What Feng Qing said is very true." The prince continued.
"If you don't have any objections, then this matter will be settled," Ni Congwen said without any entanglement, "as long as the Hu soldiers in the Utlon tribe don't move, the main force can gather together to attack Hulan. Hu Jun and the barbarian army in the rear. Our army lost tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in this battle, and General Jiao was also in danger. In recent years, the barbarian army has come prepared. Since the incident of King Yu, the veterans and recruits of the Red Armored Army have suffered heavy casualties one after another. It is indeed heartbreaking. At the beginning, Mr. Zhao mentioned a few more words about the transfer of personnel in the army. It seems that this is another difficulty. I wonder if you have any opinions on this, Boyong?"
Feng Ru got up, bowed his head respectfully and bowed his head in a respectful salute, with a heavy cotton official uniform hanging on the ground, with a dignified face, he said: "This battle has suffered heavy casualties. I am in charge of the Privy Council and assist in the management of military affairs. I am indeed guilty. I have failed Your Majesty and His Highness' high expectations, and I would like to accept it." punishment."
Zong Zhengyi subconsciously looked at Ni Congwen on the left, and saw that the latter was just babbling away without saying a word, so he said, "Feng Qing, please calm down first... The war is not over yet, regardless of merits or demerits, let's settle it first." It’s the urgency that matters.”
Feng Ru got up, the few traces of frown still persisted.
Shao Qian said on the sidelines again: "Accordingly, these things are not entirely Master Feng's fault. After all, Master Feng was born as a civil servant in Shangshu Province. It is inevitable that he is inexperienced in matters involving important military and political affairs. The Privy Council used to be closely linked with the Red Armor Army. Now Even if there is alienation, it should be a last resort."
Ni Congwen gave Shao Qian a sideways look, and continued: "But as far as I know, most of the army is replaced by new recruits, and there are really few generals. Jiao Shiling, the chief general, also suffered an accident in this battle. It can be seen that one more person is needed. Pick this leader, take charge of general affairs, and then attack the enemy."
"The only experienced general in the Red Armored Army today is Yu Liaohui, who has been in the army for more than [-] years and can be reused. The rest are a few younger auxiliary generals. Among them," Feng Ru hesitated, "Tang Lan He was originally Jiao Shiling's assistant general, and later he also led the cavalry, and he also made military achievements in the battle against the barbarians, but he is still young and his experience is not as good as that of Liao Hui, so he can continue to practice from the sidelines."
Zhao Xueming naturally knew what the superior was thinking, so he interjected: "That Tang Lan also made great achievements in escorting the noble concubine Yingbao before this battle. I also heard about it in the Ministry of War. Since his own strength is here, why not let him try it? On the contrary, Liao Hui and I I have known each other for many years, and they are straightforward and stubborn by nature, which is a big taboo in the battlefield... If I say that Tang Lan has followed Jiao Shiling for a few years, and his own strength is not bad, it is better to let him take over the military power first."
"In short, things on the battlefield are not discussed. One person must make a decision. If there are too many people, the soldiers must be messed up." Shao Qian said.
Yuan Xing also followed Hua Tou, saying: "I also think that although Tang Lan is younger than him, he always needs to be responsible in order to make progress. According to his past experience, he is not a reckless person."
"What do you think, Your Highness?" Ni Congwen asked without comment.
Zong Zhengyi hesitated and said: "I just think...the two of you both have strengths and can take on important responsibilities. I don't know which uncle thinks first?"
"Tang Lan doesn't have enough experience in the army, and we still can't let him be the leader of such a critical battle," Ni Congwen said, seeing the embarrassment on the faces of Zhao Xueming and Yuan Xing, "Liao Hui can temporarily assume power first. The situation can also be adjusted.”
"The minister seconded the proposal." Shao Qian took the lead.
When the other people saw Ni Congwen speaking, they naturally had no reason to disagree.The discussion in the Yanying Hall was concluded in a hurry, and several ministers also dispersed after the prince left the hall.
Ni Chengzhi waited by the gate of the hall, and waited a few steps behind when his father came out of the hall.
"Your Majesty has not recovered from his injuries, so don't let your servants disclose the news of these border wars, so as not to cause His Majesty to worry about his illness." Prince Ni Congwen expressed concern.
"Uncle said," Zongzheng said, "Gu is also going to the palace to visit the emperor's injury at this time, and it is also extremely hard for the mother and concubine to accompany and serve around the whole day."
"Your Highness is benevolent and filial," said Ni Congwen, "it's a pity that a few days ago, there were officials in the court who wrote a letter saying that the imperial concubine's previous reception of Buddhist relics was a disaster for the army's resources and horses. The empress is very sensitive, so be careful not to say such words." Let people spread nonsense."
"Yes." Zongzheng Yi replied, recalling in his heart the joint remonstrance memorial that refuted this move, the leader was Feng Ru.
Ni Congwen said: "Since His Highness still has important matters, I will not disturb each other, so I will leave."
"Uncle, go slowly." Zong Zhengyi said behind him.
After Ni Congwen got on the carriage leaving the palace, Ni Chengzhi lifted the curtain to follow.
"Zhao Xueming's words today are much more explicit than usual. This is not like his usual muffled style." Ni Congwen leaned back on the back of his seat, and the muscles on his face had already relaxed.
"It's due to the fact that Yuan's family has been cutting profit since the official sale of wine and salt, Yuan Libin was dissatisfied, and he was out of control in the previous few private banquets," Ni Chengzhi said sarcastically, "If only Feng That's all for Confucianism, he was unhappy when he was drunk, and even several adults from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War confided in his heart. If he was said to be young, no one would have paid attention to him, and he would have been just a joke. The old man at home found out, scolded him, and entrusted Yuan Xing to take money here to buy him. This is a lot of benefits, and those who come and go will be connected. But I never thought that Zhao Xueming's partiality was too much Obviously, I'm afraid that the adults here don't know what he's thinking."
"He has been idle in the Ministry of War for many years, living his salary for free. When he has nothing to do, he comes to attack the Privy Council for seizing power, and when he has something to complain for a long time. If he has not been obedient all these years, it is not a bad idea to directly abolish the Ministry of War." Ni Congwen shook his head, his eyes full of indifference, "Zhao Xueming wants to learn from Shao Qian, he has both sides, I'm afraid he doesn't have the official position, and he doesn't have the skills. Painting a tiger is not an anti-dog, and in the end he made mistakes on both sides. "
"That's right," Ni Chengzhi agreed, "Zhang Yanque was like this in the past. When the flood in Maocheng came out, he knew that his father could not help him, so he directly handed over the benefits to flatter Jiang Hua. Obviously, he wanted to both sides. He's all trying to please him, and now he's just an abandoned child here. If he's in trouble, I'm afraid Jiang Hua won't be able to protect him with his current abilities, and he won't dare to protect him anymore... He's really looking for a dead end, blind. "
"Why do you think other people can't learn what Shao Qian can do?" Ni Congwen didn't answer his words and asked instead.
"The main reason is that Shao Qian's rank is high." Ni Chengzhi felt that the answer was too simple, and added, "When Xie Zhi was an official before his death, he was able to care about his friendship with the eunuchs while not messing with Xie Zhi, who has always hated eunuchs." To break the relationship, it must be because he has been in Shangshu Province for many years, and his position is comparable to that of Jiang Huasheng. It is said that he can’t do without him if he insists on the government’s decree. However, in terms of political achievements, he hasn’t done any great things. If my father is in charge of the Shangshu Province, he should do better than him.”
"It's not just a matter of official rank." Ni Congwen said.
"Father thinks Shao Qian is capable?" Ni Chengzhi didn't care.
"Shao Qian was able to get rid of the eunuchs that Jiang Hua was involved with earlier. I'm afraid Jiang Hua contributed to the effort here. It's really not easy." Ni Congwen said.
"Then Shao Qian..."
"As long as he doesn't get in the way," Ni Congwen said calmly, "he will do the rest."
Fanyin stood guard at the gate of the inner hall waiting for orders, but when he saw the movement from outside, the apricot-yellow clothes immediately came into view.
"All blessings, Your Highness."
Zong Zhengyi stepped forward and said to the maid in a low voice: "Mother and concubine should not be up yet?"
"That's right," Sanskrit said, lowering his voice, "When I wake up in the morning, I heard some of the helpers below talking about it. It seems that the border is not smooth?"
"Aunt these rumors must be made clear," Zong Zhengyi ordered in a worrying voice, "don't allow it to leak into the ears of father, queen, mother and concubine."
"This servant naturally understands." Sanskrit responded.
Zong Zhengyi raised his eyes and looked at the closed hollow carved door for a few times, but he couldn't see anything, so he said: "Auntie, tell me the truth, the mother and concubine have closed the door since the last time they came back from Jinguang Temple to welcome treasures. I didn’t see anyone, so what happened along the way?”
"It shouldn't be something on the road," Sanskrit replied thoughtfully, "General Tang Shen was well escorted, and his walks were mostly flat official roads. The maidservant remembers that after the empress came back from the temple, her face began to look strange. I thought it was the journey. I was a little tired from the exhaustion of the boat and the car, and it passed slowly. After returning to the palace, I did not eat or drink for three days. I prayed in front of the Buddha statue for a whole day every day, and then came to see Your Majesty at night. The slaves waited for a long time, Only then did the empress start to resume eating and drinking, but it is obviously less than before. The servant thinks that the empress may be overly worried because the Buddha's relic has no effect and His Majesty's condition does not improve."
"There are other things like this?" Zong Zhengyi was surprised, and then he felt a little worried and angry, "Why didn't you come and let me know?"
"Your Majesty ordered that His Highness not be allowed to know," Fanyin wondered, "One time, this servant was planning to go to find His Majesty in private, and when I was stopped outside the hall, I heard that several adults in the court were talking about your Majesty's use of the army to welcome the Buddha at this time." Regarding the matter of treasures, the words are mostly to criticize and criticize, so the servants came back again, fearing to cause His Highness to worry again."
Zongzheng was silent.
Fanyin saw that the prince's warm face was much thinner than before, and the cheekbones on both sides were protruding. Perhaps his skin was still pale when he came in from the outside. Most of the burden falls on His Highness's shoulders, His Highness has to pay attention to his body, so as not to make Empress worry."
"I got it," Zong Zhengyi slightly bent his lips, showing a childish expression, "My aunt took care of my mother and concubine with all her heart, and she worked hard, so I immediately ordered someone to send some supplements."
Sanskrit responded with a smile and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
The prince's complexion changed, only to hear him ask again: "Where is the meat relic of the Zen master that my concubine welcomed last time? Can I take a look?"
Fanyin hesitated and said: "This treasure is placed under the Buddha statue in the bedroom, Your Highness... Is it inconvenient?"
"Mother and concubine are not awake yet, so I just go inside to have a look, and don't disturb each other." Zong Zhengyi said again.
Fanyin didn't know why the prince insisted on this matter suddenly, and was still thinking about it. He heard the prince explain again: "I am worried that there is something strange on this bodhi that disturbs the mother and concubine. If it is true, the imperial doctor in the palace will be called It’s even more inappropriate, it’s better to go and see for yourself.”
"...Okay, Your Highness, please come with your servants."
The sandalwood fragrance in the room was strong, and the originally mellow smell became thicker and more breathless. Zong Zhengyi frowned subconsciously, and whispered to the Sanskrit voice: "Why did this spice burn so much? Smell Stuffy."
"The empress does not let the servants touch the spices, these are all burned by the empress herself." Fanyin continued.
Zong Zhengyi came to the inner room, the carved lattice window was hung with curtains, and the appearance of the bed and curtain could not be seen. The middle compartment was the place where Concubine Ni Gui practiced Buddhist rituals. The branch is clean and the bottle has a dignified complexion.However, an unknown luminous object in the brocade box under the base cast a layer of red shadow and blood on the white jade glaze, which made the originally extremely clean Jade Guanyin appear a bit strange and coquettish.
Zongzheng's eyelids twitched, before he could ask, Sanskrit had already walked beside him.
She raised her hand to signal the contents of the box: "This is the meat relic received by my mother. It was made by Master Zhiyue Haiyin of Jinguang Temple after his death."
Zong Zhengyi took a closer look, the three pearl-sized relics were evenly placed in the box in a triangular shape, but the light was as strong as a night pearl, it really seemed to be condensed with mana, it was indescribable.
"...It is indeed a rare treasure," Zong Zhengyi's eyes wandered back and forth from the objects on the mahogany tabletop, and stopped on an old wooden box on the bottom shelf. , but placed there alone was inexplicably abrupt, and he couldn't help asking, "What is this?"
Sanskrit followed his gaze and said, "This should be a Buddhist gift from the elders of Jinguang Temple. Every time I go there, I always give some treasured rosary beads as gifts."
If it is a treasure, why not seal it up in a brocade and jade box, instead of keeping the worn-out wooden box intact?
Zong Zhengyi knew his mother's concubine's temperament and style in his heart, so he took the box and opened it, regardless of the Sanskrit voice still at the side.
Sanskrit subconsciously wants to dissuade and remind, but after a moment of hesitation, she feels that it is an ordinary Buddhist object, and the empress will not blame each other, so she lets the prince open the box to observe the object.Seeing that the prince just opened it for a quick look and then put it back to the original place, he didn't care too much, he just said: "Your Highness, can you see something strange?"
The prince sighed softly, and said: "No, maybe it's because I've thought too much... Anyway, maybe it's because my mother and concubine are exhausted from working hard for days and traveling long distances. In the past few days, Aunt Lao is still around to persuade mother and concubine to eat, sleep and sleep. gone."
"The slaves obey."
Zong Zhengyi left Jianzhang Palace, Tong Xiu, an internal servant outside the palace, stepped forward and said to him, "Your Highness, someone just delivered a letter saying that Master Shao from Shangshu Province wants to see you, in the wing room of the teahouse outside the palace. Waiting inside."
"What hour?"
"Exactly, Your Highness..."
Zong Zhengyi blinked his eyes, but he was still tired, and said: "Then prepare your horse and go forward now."
"Yes."
In the wing room of the teahouse in Beijing, cigarettes curled up.
When Shao Qian saw someone coming, he made a virtual salute and said, "Today's private meeting with His Highness is actually a matter that I really don't understand, so I came here to inquire about it."
"Shao Qing speaks bluntly."
Shao Qian said: "I heard that His Highness often invites kabuki and dancers from outside the palace to enter the East Palace. I wonder if there is such a thing?"
Zong Zhengyi's face froze, and he said immediately: "... Where did Shao Qing hear this?"
Shao Qian didn't hide it either: "Liu Cheng, the minister of the East Palace, told the minister."
Zongzheng was embarrassed: "He...why did he tell you about this?"
"He didn't tell the ministers, who does His Highness expect him to tell, and tell Ni Xiang directly?" A bead of sweat on Shao Qian's nose moved down his cheeks, "It's better to wait for the matter to spread more and more, and to directly criticize others in the future." Your Highness's reason?"
Zong Zhengyi pursed his lips and said: "The qin girls that Gu called are all ordinary geisha, with a clean foundation, they just have a moment of leisure to relax after official duties, and they didn't dare to do anything beyond their status."
"If Lei Yu called him to listen to the music for the purpose of taking a break," Shao Qian said, "then how come the 'Hongxiangge' family slipped through the cracks in the case of government-controlled wine vending in Beijing?"
Zong Zhengyi couldn't say anything, Shao Qian continued: "At the beginning, I secretly noticed that this matter was suspicious, and I thought it was Yuan Libin's personal interests who secretly accommodated him, but later he realized that it was wrong. The Yuan family's own wine production can't be kept. With this skill to protect this flower and willow place. I didn't expect to go around and go around, but the root cause is on His Highness's side."
The prince didn't say a word, and Shao Qian didn't say any more, just silently waiting for his explanation.
After a long time, Zong Zhengyi opened his mouth and said: "This matter indeed involves some private affairs, but Gushang knows what the important thing is, so it won't hinder the business. Shao Qing should believe that Gu is a man."
No wonder Shao Qian became suspicious, Ni Congwen was a blood relative of the prince, and Zongzheng Yi still had rebellious behavior in his heart.How much can he know for sure about his intercourse?
Shao Qian sighed softly: "Your Highness speaks seriously, and it should be good for His Highness to trust his subjects. Your Highness dares to show his loyalty in front of His Highness, but Liu Cheng was originally from the Prime Minister's family. Although His Highness has gathered him now, how can he be careful about his loyalty? If If he spreads it out again, it will only harm His Highness's reputation."
Zong Zhengyi didn't take it seriously, and said: "I don't mind this lonely man, if he is really like this, then it will just confirm the name of this foolish and untrue prince, and by the way, he can also use this to understand his nature Nothing to lose."
"Then, does His Highness have acquaintance with the owner of the attic?"
Zongzheng said: "I appointed a reliable waiter to negotiate, the boss of the cabinet should not dare to assume the status of a powerful person and cause trouble."
Shao Qian asked again: "Your Highness's behavior is really for personal matters?"
"That's right, why did Shao Qing ask again?" Zong Zhengyi said with lowered eyes.
The crown prince answered as usual from the beginning to the end, Shao Qian half-believed, but if it really involved personal affairs, he had no right to intervene, and said: "Actually, I have thought about it for a long time, if His Highness is familiar with the owner of the attic, now there is an opportunity available."
"Tell me."
Shao Qiandao: "Now this Hongxiang Pavilion has been rectified after the previous incidents, and it has become a place in the middle of the capital.
Near the end of the year, a hundred miles away, an urgent military report was delivered to the imperial city of the imperial capital——
Within half a month, the Hulan Allied Barbarian Army of the Hulan Division broke through from Yizhou, captured the northern border defense town of Shibazhou in one fell swoop, and forced them to Fenshui Pass in the upper reaches of Yishui River.The Red Armored Guards retreated in a row, and the main general Jiao Shiling failed to defend well, and died in the night attack of the Hu people.
The news reported in the middle of the night spread to all the officials overnight, causing an uproar in the court.Ni Congwen, taking advantage of the ability of the first assistant, immediately ordered to block the news and strictly forbid the people in the city to talk about it.I just don't know where the news leaked out, and the people from all households in the capital, big and small, were discussing privately, horrified, and in the imperial capital, all the plants and trees were soldiers.
In the early morning, people in the court were panic-stricken, and all the officials avoided preparing for the court discussion. Everyone knew it well and kept silent, unwilling to risk the limelight at this juncture.
After this dreary early morning, the court hurriedly retreated, and several ministers who were in charge of orders in the court went to the Yanying Hall alone to discuss matters.
The prince was on the left side of the seat, silent, his eyes were black and blue, apparently he hadn't slept all night.
Yuan Xing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, couldn't bear the long silence, and took the lead to say: "...According to the content of the report, the Hu and Barbarians have joined forces, and the team gathered is no more than one hundred thousand soldiers. This time the attack is fierce and the city is occupied quickly. Reflect on why such a situation occurs?"
Zhao Xueming, who was in charge of the military department, couldn't sit still, and couldn't help expressing what was in his heart just now: "I want to say that the Red Armor Army has undergone a major military reorganization in the past two years, and the soldiers in the battalion have been replaced. More than halfway, even though I had some opinions in my mind at the time, but due to the solemnity of Mr. Feng's words, the order has been passed, so it's nothing. Farmers said, "You only see mud on your legs when you get out of the water." It seems that this policy is good or bad. You will know when you really come to the test."
The Ministry of War has been under the control of the Privy Council for a long time, and now that these words are spoken, it is inevitable that several people will follow Zhao Xueming and glance at Feng Ru who is sitting directly opposite him.
"How are you doing?" Feng Ru sat on his seat, ignored his provocative words, and said in a serious voice, "I didn't make the decision to replace the soldiers in the barracks alone, and I acted in accordance with the rules of yearning, not to mention that this matter was delayed for a long time because of the expedition and other incidents. It is too biased to attribute the defeat of the war to this, Mr. Zhao."
Feng and Zhao looked at each other for a moment, and the meaning in their eyes clashed secretly.
At this time, Shaoqian still had his usual smile on his head, but because of the occasion, he restrained himself a little, and smoothed things over to the two of them: "It's true that we can't just bring up this matter. As early as four years ago, Jia Yun has already secretly expressed his intention to transfer personnel in the army, and it is not a new resolution. Master Feng has always followed the rules, so there is no need to catch this matter at this time. Master Zhao is worried about the national crisis. Think about countermeasures first.”
Before the two of them opened their mouths, another person snorted coldly during the banquet, and it was Yuan Xing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry.
"That's right." Yuan Xing sat on the left side of Zhao Xueming, but his eyes turned to the opposite side. "Master Zhao, don't be so rash. You have to see who took over this job and whose business it was. Those eunuchs cleared up a lot of things." , The aftermath of the poison has not been wiped very clean, and the current situation is a living lesson."
Yuan Xing's real name was Zhou Xing, and he was originally a scholar from a poor family whose parents both died. He went to Beijing to find a job because he had no money to make a living. The sons of poor families rushing to take the exam funded their studies to prepare for the exam in order to gain a place in the imperial court and pave the way for their own descendants who later entered the imperial court.Zhou Xing was the best among them. Yuan Shi took a fancy to his talent in reading and composition and asked him to continue his studies. As a result, he won the first place in the essay test and became an official.Talent and learning are one aspect, and virtue is another aspect.The Yuan family was rich in wealth, and all kinds of fees were indispensable for becoming an official, so they depended on each other, directly changed their surname to Zhou, and worshiped the head of the Yuan family as their father.Even later, when the young son of the Yuan family entered the court, it was also thanks to his self-dealing, people and money. Yuan Libin, a fledgling merchant, was able to become the servant of the household department at such an age, and his status was rightly marked against the eldest son of the prime minister. Ni Chengzhi, a talented man in Beijing, set an example.Even if there is nothing to achieve, simply staying in place is enough to secretly plot state affairs.
Zhao Xueming snorted, trying to save face.
Ni Congwen was seated on the upper seat, to the right of the crown prince, gently raising the teacup to take a sip.While drinking tea with low eyebrows, his eyes swept across several officials in the hall, and finally settled on Ni Chengzhi at the end of the seat, paused for a moment, and then turned back to other places.
Ni Chengzhi was regarded as the person with the lowest official rank among the few people present, so it was natural that he had a bit of Ni Xiang's face in coming to discuss with him.Seeing his father's secret glance, he immediately understood, and just watched silently at the end of the seat, keeping silent.
The matter of reorganizing the new army in the Chijia Army was originally brought up by King Yu four years ago. At that time, Jia Yunshang was a subordinate of King Yu and did not take charge of the chief affairs of Chijia. The name of Jia Yun... The group of muddy waters stirred up quietly, and Ni Congwen smiled faintly, and then disappeared.He put down the teacup, and there was a very light knocking sound between the white porcelain and the sandalwood, and the people next to him immediately looked over.
Ni Congwen said in a voice: "My lords are worried, and I and Your Highness feel the same way. This border emergency report came suddenly last night. It is related to the country of Yan, so it is natural that there is no room for sloppy. Almost immediately after I got the order Here, he entered the palace urgently to discuss with His Highness, and immediately ordered to mobilize the Chijia Yiwei from various cities to support."
"The war is still going on, and the number of casualties is still unclear. But according to the report, Tang Lan and his group crossed the river and rushed to the northern border city after returning from the imperial capital. However, they were outnumbered, and the red armor was unfavorable in the previous battle. The Hu and Man tribes seized the opportunity and were deprived of the land of Yan in the north one after another. The most urgent task is to mobilize available troops from all directions to repel the Hu Man soldiers in the north."
Feng Rushen said: "The lower officials think that the barbarians' detour from the southern territory to the northern Hudi united to attack the city may be deliberately setting up an attack from the east to attack the west. If the Yiwei guarding the city in the south are also sent to the north , the southern border is unstable, and the barbarians take advantage of the gap, so what should we do? According to the officials, the defenders of the southern border city should stay where they are, and if it is not necessary, the defenders on the outskirts of the capital can be allocated first."
"Absurd!" Before Ni Congwen could speak, Zhao Xueming cut off, "The Gyeonggi army is guarding the key points of the imperial city. Once it is used, not only the safety and stability of the imperial city will be shaken, but also the hearts of the people of Yan Kingdom."
Zhao Xueming was still flustered in his anger. Since the Privy Council divided the military power, the army in the Ministry of War is only the Gyeonggi Guards and the useless guard of honor. It is full of places where the children of noble families in the imperial capital hide their filth and enjoy peace for a long time. Never had experience against an enemy.Once this participates in actual combat, not to mention how many officials and powerful families are involved, this last layer of defense has been stripped away,
"It's true that you can't be so hasty." Yuan Xing echoed.
"What Boyong said earlier is reasonable, but it is just based on the weird style of the barbarians who have been unable to attack for a long time. If this method can be used, it should have been implemented long ago. On the contrary, I feel that the reason why Fu Xuan made a detour from the north to disturb the border. The purpose at the beginning was to wait for the barbarians to respond, so as to slow down their own losses. If they want to reap the rewards at that time, they should not attack from the south at this time. What's more, the barbarians sent most of their troops this time to defend the barbarian land. There are not many soldiers, and if they really want to take advantage of this opportunity to fight, I am afraid they may not be able to be sure," Ni Congwen said to Feng Rudao, "In any case, the last line of defense of the Gyeonggi Army cannot be used. In the worst case, what Master Zhao said is true, the key is not to move many soldiers, but to mess up morale and people's hearts."
"Master Feng has thought too far," Shao Qian said with a smile, "Now that the Hu people and the barbarians have not calmed down, at least resist the attack of the Hu army and the barbarians..."
Feng Ru didn't answer those people's words, and said to Ni Congwen: "Your Excellency just meant that the barbarians are probably using barbarians to resist swords and guns?"
Ni Congwen nodded, and said: "Fu Xuan is used to taking advantage of others and refuses to use swords and guns by himself. The repeated offenses in the past two years all contained the intention of testing, and he obviously refused to reveal his true strength. Perhaps it was because of his weak strength. Its soldiers numbered in the tens of thousands, and after a few years of rest, they sent troops again, and I believe that the Nanmans also had a bluff here, so there was nothing wrong with it."
Yuan Xing turned his head around and said again: "If we talk about dealing with the group of barbarians beside the prisoner... don't we have a ready-made helper?"
Zhao Xueming turned his head and said, "You're talking about... the Utron tribe?"
"Exactly," Yuan Xing continued, "when the Hulan tribe led several of its small clans to attack Jingzhou, didn't He Xuyi deliberately make a statement to clarify that this was the result of a split between the two clans? Since he still has Sincerely surrender, it is better to order him to raise troops to help the attack, so as to test the sincerity in his words."
"No," Feng Ruzheng said, "Although He Xuyi expressed his intention to seek peace, his words are obviously not firm. If you ask him to attack the Hu people who are of the same clan, it is tantamount to making him kill each other , isn’t this forcing him to show his face? What’s more, when Hu Qiang first surrendered to Yan, he made an agreement not to disturb each other’s borders, and he was hired and paid tribute every year, but he was not obliged to raise troops to help him. People, the Hu and Qiang people are always brave and fearless. How do you know that they really don't have any grudges about the extermination of the genocide a hundred years ago? If this incident annoys the Hu people of the Utlong tribe, take this opportunity to follow the Hulan tribe Let's disturb our country together, wouldn't it make things worse at such a critical time?"
"Auntie's duties to slow down the war" was originally a temporary policy to reconcile the remaining tribes in the north. In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the four expeditions lost more than half of their combat power, and the Hudi tribes sent their intentions for peace.
Nominally, the Yan State could take advantage of the revelations in the past to drive the Hu people to send troops, but Feng Ru's worries are still at the heart of the Hu people at this moment.Now that the Hulan tribe has rebelled, it is difficult to determine the attitude of the remaining tribes.
"Oh," Yuan Xing sneered, convinced by Feng Ru's words in his heart, but he was still reluctant to admit it, "Just now when he dispatched his own Gyeonggi Army, he was righteous and strict, and now it's time for Master Feng to measure him in every possible way. Oh...my lord, does this count as turning your elbow outward?"
This remark hit Zhao Xueming's heart stabbingly, and he immediately heard him sarcastically complaining: "No wonder Mr. Feng is still a widower at his age, it turns out he is used to playing prestige internally."
"Okay," when the two of them had finished speaking, Ni Congwen stopped him in a timely manner, and said, "The national crisis is at hand, and it is important for you all to think more about strategies."
There was another silence below, Ni Congwen glanced at the crowd, Zhang Yanque and several other important officials chose not to say a word at this juncture, it was obvious that the words in the palace were clear, and the small palace meeting was abruptly turned into a mess The imperial court was in contention.He sighed in his heart, turned to the right respectfully, and said: "... I wonder if Your Highness has any opinions and guidance after listening to everyone's words?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall seemed to realize that there was still an apricot-yellow figure in the seat.
Zong Zhengyi sat thinly on a golden chair on the left, and the color of his clothes blended with the golden chair. It happened that this place was extremely dark in the morning due to the light refracted by the criss-crossed beams above it, so there was no People noticed the movements and expressions of the highest authority in the temple on this bright face.
His eyes instantly focused on Zong Zhengyi, he was used to the moment of being focused by all eyes, but there was still a hint of panic on his face.
Everyone saw the prince's Adam's apple move slightly, and his eyes turned from the people below to Ni Congwen on the left, and said: "I'm alone...I'm concerned about the military situation, I don't have much advice...but listen to my uncle's advice."
The first few officials looked at each other, and most of the thoughts in their hearts were similar, but the prince had become a puppet in the hands of Ni Congwen, but they didn't know that since the emperor fell ill, the supreme imperial power had secretly shifted his position.
Ni Congwen stroked his chin-like beard, stopped his hands in the middle, and said slowly: "What Boyong said just now is true. Hu people hibernate in the cold and cold places in the north, crouching like tigers and wolves. But wolves will bite when they are in a hurry. I have also read the memorial written by He Xuyi a few months ago, but it is just a common official phrase in previous years. I think he is mostly out of fear of facing our Yan army head-on. This sincerity, if you really say how loyal you are to my country Yan, it is ridiculous for no reason."
"It's just that Master Yuan's words made me think a little bit." Ni Congwen changed his mind.
Yuan Xing looked over.
Ni Congwen said: "According to the current situation, it is naturally better to have one more thing than one less thing. Earlier, the Hulan people used the banner of attacking Yan to capture the city of Yandi, which is enough to show that the Hu people still have a heart of hatred for Yan. He Xuyi was appointed by His Majesty Lord Hu Qiang, the Wolf Lord, his attitude this time is correct, but in order to ensure that there will be no changes in the middle of the battle, he still has to try to contain them."
"But your lord said just now that you can't threaten them with force. At least the Hu people have a bias in their hearts between the same clan and the suzerain country." Feng Rudao.
"That's why we have to be careful here," Ni Congwen said, "We must contain the Utron tribe's subordinates, but we must not push them too fast and suffer from them instead. Everyone...do you have any good strategies?"
The ministers present frowned and pondered. Ni Congwen glanced at the expressions of all parties. Seeing Ni Chengzhi at the end of the seat seemed to be about to speak, he raised his eyes and gave him a slight nod.
Ni Chengzhi got up and bowed to all the people in the seat, and said gently: "I have the courage to offer my humble opinion to Your Highness and all the adults."
"Tell me." Zongzheng said.
"According to the usual practice, the Hu and Qiang tribes will send envoys to Beijing every year on New Year's Eve. This time, we have to restrain their actions. If we don't send people to inform them in advance, this year we specially order them to send a family member of Hexuyi to Beijing. By then After the people come over, detain the capital, and appoint someone to clarify the interests and demands with the Utron family in a letter, and wait for the turmoil here to calm down and the city to recover, and then choose an appropriate time to send him back to Hudi," Ni Chengzhi said "I heard before that that Concubine He Xuyu passed away, and only one daughter was conferred the title of Princess Pingle Zhaoshun when she was born. If she is ordered to come, I am afraid it is the most suitable."
It has been a long time since this method of relying on family members to restrain them has not been seen in the Yan Kingdom. It sounds a bit despicable at first, but after careful consideration, it is indeed a different method.
Yuan Xing questioned: "Master Ni is sure that He Xuyi will not bear the pain to give up his love, so he turned against my country Yan?"
Ni Chengzhi replied respectfully: "The members of the Huqianggu clan believe in the spirit of the wolf clan and have always attached importance to the blood of their relatives. The lower officials think that since He Xuyi can ascend to the wolf leader by his own ability, he should not be a widow."
Yuan Xing nodded: "It's reasonable, I think it's feasible."
"Then I'm afraid we need to find a reason to get Huxun to agree to send his daughter over," Shao Qian interjected, "this is at a critical moment against the enemy, and Huxun is not a fool, so he might not be able to see the connection." orifice."
Ni Chengzhi still wanted to speak, so he looked at the two seated above and swallowed hesitantly.
"I still remember that the former wolf lord and the concubine of Hexu, the father of Hexuyi, was the concubine chosen by the late emperor in the palace. Later, he was named a princess to make friends with each other..." Ni Congwen looked at the front , said leisurely.
Zong Zhengyi froze slightly on one side.
"His Royal Highness has already reached the crown. Previously, there were a lot of evasions due to things. This time, it is better to go along with the flow and accept the Huren princess as a concubine. It happens that there are more people to take care of His Highness." Ni Congwen turned his head to Zong Zhengyi, usually There was no questioning in his tone, more like an order.
The crown prince was about to speak, but his mouth shook a few times before the voice came out: "...Father is still ill, the state affairs are at hand, and I have no intention of doing this..."
"Your Highness, if you want to take advantage of a happy event to be happy." Zhao Xueming said, knowing the direction of the wind.
Zong Zhengyi's face was stiff, obviously he didn't want to say any more.
"Since it's an excuse, there's no need to force her to marry her in-laws," Feng Ru said. "In the past, the title of the princess was only according to my third-rank princess in the Yan Dynasty. This time, I lied and ordered her to come in person." Adding honorary titles and being rewarded by Yan En, that's all."
"... What Feng Qing said is very true." The prince continued.
"If you don't have any objections, then this matter will be settled," Ni Congwen said without any entanglement, "as long as the Hu soldiers in the Utlon tribe don't move, the main force can gather together to attack Hulan. Hu Jun and the barbarian army in the rear. Our army lost tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in this battle, and General Jiao was also in danger. In recent years, the barbarian army has come prepared. Since the incident of King Yu, the veterans and recruits of the Red Armored Army have suffered heavy casualties one after another. It is indeed heartbreaking. At the beginning, Mr. Zhao mentioned a few more words about the transfer of personnel in the army. It seems that this is another difficulty. I wonder if you have any opinions on this, Boyong?"
Feng Ru got up, bowed his head respectfully and bowed his head in a respectful salute, with a heavy cotton official uniform hanging on the ground, with a dignified face, he said: "This battle has suffered heavy casualties. I am in charge of the Privy Council and assist in the management of military affairs. I am indeed guilty. I have failed Your Majesty and His Highness' high expectations, and I would like to accept it." punishment."
Zong Zhengyi subconsciously looked at Ni Congwen on the left, and saw that the latter was just babbling away without saying a word, so he said, "Feng Qing, please calm down first... The war is not over yet, regardless of merits or demerits, let's settle it first." It’s the urgency that matters.”
Feng Ru got up, the few traces of frown still persisted.
Shao Qian said on the sidelines again: "Accordingly, these things are not entirely Master Feng's fault. After all, Master Feng was born as a civil servant in Shangshu Province. It is inevitable that he is inexperienced in matters involving important military and political affairs. The Privy Council used to be closely linked with the Red Armor Army. Now Even if there is alienation, it should be a last resort."
Ni Congwen gave Shao Qian a sideways look, and continued: "But as far as I know, most of the army is replaced by new recruits, and there are really few generals. Jiao Shiling, the chief general, also suffered an accident in this battle. It can be seen that one more person is needed. Pick this leader, take charge of general affairs, and then attack the enemy."
"The only experienced general in the Red Armored Army today is Yu Liaohui, who has been in the army for more than [-] years and can be reused. The rest are a few younger auxiliary generals. Among them," Feng Ru hesitated, "Tang Lan He was originally Jiao Shiling's assistant general, and later he also led the cavalry, and he also made military achievements in the battle against the barbarians, but he is still young and his experience is not as good as that of Liao Hui, so he can continue to practice from the sidelines."
Zhao Xueming naturally knew what the superior was thinking, so he interjected: "That Tang Lan also made great achievements in escorting the noble concubine Yingbao before this battle. I also heard about it in the Ministry of War. Since his own strength is here, why not let him try it? On the contrary, Liao Hui and I I have known each other for many years, and they are straightforward and stubborn by nature, which is a big taboo in the battlefield... If I say that Tang Lan has followed Jiao Shiling for a few years, and his own strength is not bad, it is better to let him take over the military power first."
"In short, things on the battlefield are not discussed. One person must make a decision. If there are too many people, the soldiers must be messed up." Shao Qian said.
Yuan Xing also followed Hua Tou, saying: "I also think that although Tang Lan is younger than him, he always needs to be responsible in order to make progress. According to his past experience, he is not a reckless person."
"What do you think, Your Highness?" Ni Congwen asked without comment.
Zong Zhengyi hesitated and said: "I just think...the two of you both have strengths and can take on important responsibilities. I don't know which uncle thinks first?"
"Tang Lan doesn't have enough experience in the army, and we still can't let him be the leader of such a critical battle," Ni Congwen said, seeing the embarrassment on the faces of Zhao Xueming and Yuan Xing, "Liao Hui can temporarily assume power first. The situation can also be adjusted.”
"The minister seconded the proposal." Shao Qian took the lead.
When the other people saw Ni Congwen speaking, they naturally had no reason to disagree.The discussion in the Yanying Hall was concluded in a hurry, and several ministers also dispersed after the prince left the hall.
Ni Chengzhi waited by the gate of the hall, and waited a few steps behind when his father came out of the hall.
"Your Majesty has not recovered from his injuries, so don't let your servants disclose the news of these border wars, so as not to cause His Majesty to worry about his illness." Prince Ni Congwen expressed concern.
"Uncle said," Zongzheng said, "Gu is also going to the palace to visit the emperor's injury at this time, and it is also extremely hard for the mother and concubine to accompany and serve around the whole day."
"Your Highness is benevolent and filial," said Ni Congwen, "it's a pity that a few days ago, there were officials in the court who wrote a letter saying that the imperial concubine's previous reception of Buddhist relics was a disaster for the army's resources and horses. The empress is very sensitive, so be careful not to say such words." Let people spread nonsense."
"Yes." Zongzheng Yi replied, recalling in his heart the joint remonstrance memorial that refuted this move, the leader was Feng Ru.
Ni Congwen said: "Since His Highness still has important matters, I will not disturb each other, so I will leave."
"Uncle, go slowly." Zong Zhengyi said behind him.
After Ni Congwen got on the carriage leaving the palace, Ni Chengzhi lifted the curtain to follow.
"Zhao Xueming's words today are much more explicit than usual. This is not like his usual muffled style." Ni Congwen leaned back on the back of his seat, and the muscles on his face had already relaxed.
"It's due to the fact that Yuan's family has been cutting profit since the official sale of wine and salt, Yuan Libin was dissatisfied, and he was out of control in the previous few private banquets," Ni Chengzhi said sarcastically, "If only Feng That's all for Confucianism, he was unhappy when he was drunk, and even several adults from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War confided in his heart. If he was said to be young, no one would have paid attention to him, and he would have been just a joke. The old man at home found out, scolded him, and entrusted Yuan Xing to take money here to buy him. This is a lot of benefits, and those who come and go will be connected. But I never thought that Zhao Xueming's partiality was too much Obviously, I'm afraid that the adults here don't know what he's thinking."
"He has been idle in the Ministry of War for many years, living his salary for free. When he has nothing to do, he comes to attack the Privy Council for seizing power, and when he has something to complain for a long time. If he has not been obedient all these years, it is not a bad idea to directly abolish the Ministry of War." Ni Congwen shook his head, his eyes full of indifference, "Zhao Xueming wants to learn from Shao Qian, he has both sides, I'm afraid he doesn't have the official position, and he doesn't have the skills. Painting a tiger is not an anti-dog, and in the end he made mistakes on both sides. "
"That's right," Ni Chengzhi agreed, "Zhang Yanque was like this in the past. When the flood in Maocheng came out, he knew that his father could not help him, so he directly handed over the benefits to flatter Jiang Hua. Obviously, he wanted to both sides. He's all trying to please him, and now he's just an abandoned child here. If he's in trouble, I'm afraid Jiang Hua won't be able to protect him with his current abilities, and he won't dare to protect him anymore... He's really looking for a dead end, blind. "
"Why do you think other people can't learn what Shao Qian can do?" Ni Congwen didn't answer his words and asked instead.
"The main reason is that Shao Qian's rank is high." Ni Chengzhi felt that the answer was too simple, and added, "When Xie Zhi was an official before his death, he was able to care about his friendship with the eunuchs while not messing with Xie Zhi, who has always hated eunuchs." To break the relationship, it must be because he has been in Shangshu Province for many years, and his position is comparable to that of Jiang Huasheng. It is said that he can’t do without him if he insists on the government’s decree. However, in terms of political achievements, he hasn’t done any great things. If my father is in charge of the Shangshu Province, he should do better than him.”
"It's not just a matter of official rank." Ni Congwen said.
"Father thinks Shao Qian is capable?" Ni Chengzhi didn't care.
"Shao Qian was able to get rid of the eunuchs that Jiang Hua was involved with earlier. I'm afraid Jiang Hua contributed to the effort here. It's really not easy." Ni Congwen said.
"Then Shao Qian..."
"As long as he doesn't get in the way," Ni Congwen said calmly, "he will do the rest."
Fanyin stood guard at the gate of the inner hall waiting for orders, but when he saw the movement from outside, the apricot-yellow clothes immediately came into view.
"All blessings, Your Highness."
Zong Zhengyi stepped forward and said to the maid in a low voice: "Mother and concubine should not be up yet?"
"That's right," Sanskrit said, lowering his voice, "When I wake up in the morning, I heard some of the helpers below talking about it. It seems that the border is not smooth?"
"Aunt these rumors must be made clear," Zong Zhengyi ordered in a worrying voice, "don't allow it to leak into the ears of father, queen, mother and concubine."
"This servant naturally understands." Sanskrit responded.
Zong Zhengyi raised his eyes and looked at the closed hollow carved door for a few times, but he couldn't see anything, so he said: "Auntie, tell me the truth, the mother and concubine have closed the door since the last time they came back from Jinguang Temple to welcome treasures. I didn’t see anyone, so what happened along the way?”
"It shouldn't be something on the road," Sanskrit replied thoughtfully, "General Tang Shen was well escorted, and his walks were mostly flat official roads. The maidservant remembers that after the empress came back from the temple, her face began to look strange. I thought it was the journey. I was a little tired from the exhaustion of the boat and the car, and it passed slowly. After returning to the palace, I did not eat or drink for three days. I prayed in front of the Buddha statue for a whole day every day, and then came to see Your Majesty at night. The slaves waited for a long time, Only then did the empress start to resume eating and drinking, but it is obviously less than before. The servant thinks that the empress may be overly worried because the Buddha's relic has no effect and His Majesty's condition does not improve."
"There are other things like this?" Zong Zhengyi was surprised, and then he felt a little worried and angry, "Why didn't you come and let me know?"
"Your Majesty ordered that His Highness not be allowed to know," Fanyin wondered, "One time, this servant was planning to go to find His Majesty in private, and when I was stopped outside the hall, I heard that several adults in the court were talking about your Majesty's use of the army to welcome the Buddha at this time." Regarding the matter of treasures, the words are mostly to criticize and criticize, so the servants came back again, fearing to cause His Highness to worry again."
Zongzheng was silent.
Fanyin saw that the prince's warm face was much thinner than before, and the cheekbones on both sides were protruding. Perhaps his skin was still pale when he came in from the outside. Most of the burden falls on His Highness's shoulders, His Highness has to pay attention to his body, so as not to make Empress worry."
"I got it," Zong Zhengyi slightly bent his lips, showing a childish expression, "My aunt took care of my mother and concubine with all her heart, and she worked hard, so I immediately ordered someone to send some supplements."
Sanskrit responded with a smile and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
The prince's complexion changed, only to hear him ask again: "Where is the meat relic of the Zen master that my concubine welcomed last time? Can I take a look?"
Fanyin hesitated and said: "This treasure is placed under the Buddha statue in the bedroom, Your Highness... Is it inconvenient?"
"Mother and concubine are not awake yet, so I just go inside to have a look, and don't disturb each other." Zong Zhengyi said again.
Fanyin didn't know why the prince insisted on this matter suddenly, and was still thinking about it. He heard the prince explain again: "I am worried that there is something strange on this bodhi that disturbs the mother and concubine. If it is true, the imperial doctor in the palace will be called It’s even more inappropriate, it’s better to go and see for yourself.”
"...Okay, Your Highness, please come with your servants."
The sandalwood fragrance in the room was strong, and the originally mellow smell became thicker and more breathless. Zong Zhengyi frowned subconsciously, and whispered to the Sanskrit voice: "Why did this spice burn so much? Smell Stuffy."
"The empress does not let the servants touch the spices, these are all burned by the empress herself." Fanyin continued.
Zong Zhengyi came to the inner room, the carved lattice window was hung with curtains, and the appearance of the bed and curtain could not be seen. The middle compartment was the place where Concubine Ni Gui practiced Buddhist rituals. The branch is clean and the bottle has a dignified complexion.However, an unknown luminous object in the brocade box under the base cast a layer of red shadow and blood on the white jade glaze, which made the originally extremely clean Jade Guanyin appear a bit strange and coquettish.
Zongzheng's eyelids twitched, before he could ask, Sanskrit had already walked beside him.
She raised her hand to signal the contents of the box: "This is the meat relic received by my mother. It was made by Master Zhiyue Haiyin of Jinguang Temple after his death."
Zong Zhengyi took a closer look, the three pearl-sized relics were evenly placed in the box in a triangular shape, but the light was as strong as a night pearl, it really seemed to be condensed with mana, it was indescribable.
"...It is indeed a rare treasure," Zong Zhengyi's eyes wandered back and forth from the objects on the mahogany tabletop, and stopped on an old wooden box on the bottom shelf. , but placed there alone was inexplicably abrupt, and he couldn't help asking, "What is this?"
Sanskrit followed his gaze and said, "This should be a Buddhist gift from the elders of Jinguang Temple. Every time I go there, I always give some treasured rosary beads as gifts."
If it is a treasure, why not seal it up in a brocade and jade box, instead of keeping the worn-out wooden box intact?
Zong Zhengyi knew his mother's concubine's temperament and style in his heart, so he took the box and opened it, regardless of the Sanskrit voice still at the side.
Sanskrit subconsciously wants to dissuade and remind, but after a moment of hesitation, she feels that it is an ordinary Buddhist object, and the empress will not blame each other, so she lets the prince open the box to observe the object.Seeing that the prince just opened it for a quick look and then put it back to the original place, he didn't care too much, he just said: "Your Highness, can you see something strange?"
The prince sighed softly, and said: "No, maybe it's because I've thought too much... Anyway, maybe it's because my mother and concubine are exhausted from working hard for days and traveling long distances. In the past few days, Aunt Lao is still around to persuade mother and concubine to eat, sleep and sleep. gone."
"The slaves obey."
Zong Zhengyi left Jianzhang Palace, Tong Xiu, an internal servant outside the palace, stepped forward and said to him, "Your Highness, someone just delivered a letter saying that Master Shao from Shangshu Province wants to see you, in the wing room of the teahouse outside the palace. Waiting inside."
"What hour?"
"Exactly, Your Highness..."
Zong Zhengyi blinked his eyes, but he was still tired, and said: "Then prepare your horse and go forward now."
"Yes."
In the wing room of the teahouse in Beijing, cigarettes curled up.
When Shao Qian saw someone coming, he made a virtual salute and said, "Today's private meeting with His Highness is actually a matter that I really don't understand, so I came here to inquire about it."
"Shao Qing speaks bluntly."
Shao Qian said: "I heard that His Highness often invites kabuki and dancers from outside the palace to enter the East Palace. I wonder if there is such a thing?"
Zong Zhengyi's face froze, and he said immediately: "... Where did Shao Qing hear this?"
Shao Qian didn't hide it either: "Liu Cheng, the minister of the East Palace, told the minister."
Zongzheng was embarrassed: "He...why did he tell you about this?"
"He didn't tell the ministers, who does His Highness expect him to tell, and tell Ni Xiang directly?" A bead of sweat on Shao Qian's nose moved down his cheeks, "It's better to wait for the matter to spread more and more, and to directly criticize others in the future." Your Highness's reason?"
Zong Zhengyi pursed his lips and said: "The qin girls that Gu called are all ordinary geisha, with a clean foundation, they just have a moment of leisure to relax after official duties, and they didn't dare to do anything beyond their status."
"If Lei Yu called him to listen to the music for the purpose of taking a break," Shao Qian said, "then how come the 'Hongxiangge' family slipped through the cracks in the case of government-controlled wine vending in Beijing?"
Zong Zhengyi couldn't say anything, Shao Qian continued: "At the beginning, I secretly noticed that this matter was suspicious, and I thought it was Yuan Libin's personal interests who secretly accommodated him, but later he realized that it was wrong. The Yuan family's own wine production can't be kept. With this skill to protect this flower and willow place. I didn't expect to go around and go around, but the root cause is on His Highness's side."
The prince didn't say a word, and Shao Qian didn't say any more, just silently waiting for his explanation.
After a long time, Zong Zhengyi opened his mouth and said: "This matter indeed involves some private affairs, but Gushang knows what the important thing is, so it won't hinder the business. Shao Qing should believe that Gu is a man."
No wonder Shao Qian became suspicious, Ni Congwen was a blood relative of the prince, and Zongzheng Yi still had rebellious behavior in his heart.How much can he know for sure about his intercourse?
Shao Qian sighed softly: "Your Highness speaks seriously, and it should be good for His Highness to trust his subjects. Your Highness dares to show his loyalty in front of His Highness, but Liu Cheng was originally from the Prime Minister's family. Although His Highness has gathered him now, how can he be careful about his loyalty? If If he spreads it out again, it will only harm His Highness's reputation."
Zong Zhengyi didn't take it seriously, and said: "I don't mind this lonely man, if he is really like this, then it will just confirm the name of this foolish and untrue prince, and by the way, he can also use this to understand his nature Nothing to lose."
"Then, does His Highness have acquaintance with the owner of the attic?"
Zongzheng said: "I appointed a reliable waiter to negotiate, the boss of the cabinet should not dare to assume the status of a powerful person and cause trouble."
Shao Qian asked again: "Your Highness's behavior is really for personal matters?"
"That's right, why did Shao Qing ask again?" Zong Zhengyi said with lowered eyes.
The crown prince answered as usual from the beginning to the end, Shao Qian half-believed, but if it really involved personal affairs, he had no right to intervene, and said: "Actually, I have thought about it for a long time, if His Highness is familiar with the owner of the attic, now there is an opportunity available."
"Tell me."
Shao Qiandao: "Now this Hongxiang Pavilion has been rectified after the previous incidents, and it has become a place in the middle of the capital.
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