Lin Che was stopped by Shen Ying's majestic and majestic low drink, and the words that he wanted to say just now were all blocked in his throat, and he realized that the people on this stage were the emperor and the queen mother. If he dared to contradict him, he had committed a crime of disrespect. It was fine for him to be fined alone, but he was afraid that his family would be hurt.
But Lin Che calmed down and thought about it, and he was still unconvinced. He raised his chest and stood straight on the spot like a gun, without any intention of kneeling down to thank him.
"Why, is this how the Lin family raises their children? Don't you even know the basic rules?" Shen Ying deliberately pretended to be dissatisfied and lowered her face, walked out from behind the table with her arms behind her back, and stood in front of the table with her back facing the Queen Mother. , while talking, taking advantage of other people's unpreparedness, he quickly winked at Lin Zhenyue, signaling to him that there was something strange behind the screen.
Lin Zhenyue has led soldiers for so many years, so his vigilance is naturally higher than that of ordinary people. After receiving Shen Ying's wink, he looked at the screens on both sides without leaving any traces, and he was keenly aware of the knife and axe hidden behind the screens.
Lin Zhenyue's heart immediately brightened like a mirror, but if he showed a hint of reluctance to hand over military power at this time, I am afraid that the Queen Mother would not let them go out of the Huaca Building alive tonight!
Singing and dancing in the main hall, and murderous intentions hidden behind the screen, it is really a grand banquet!
Thinking of Lin Zhenyue's life as a soldier, he has made great achievements in battle, fought countless battles, and suffered countless injuries, big and small, but at the end of the day, he fell into the hands of a deep palace woman, how could he swallow this breath!
But now people are swordsmen and I am fish and meat. No matter how unwilling he is, he still has to cherish the lives of the descendants of the Lin family. Lin Zhenyue suppressed the hatred in his heart, turned his head and said sharply to Lin Che: "Quickly kneel down, before the holy car!" , how can you be rude!"
Lin Che was taken aback by his father's yelling. Seeing that Lin Zhenyue's face was ashen, with a severe expression he had never seen before, he didn't dare to be stubborn, so he had to kneel down reluctantly to thank him.
The other generals of the Lin family also realized the crisis, and they all got up and stood behind Lin Zhenyue, with the intention of advancing and retreating together.
Shen Ying turned her head to look at Empress Dowager Liu, and suddenly said with a smile: "Actually, even if the Empress Dowager didn't mention it today, General Lin has already revealed to me that he intends to hand over the military power."
Empress Dowager Liu raised her long and slender eyebrows, her posture was calm and she was in control of the situation, and she asked slowly: "Oh? Really? When did General Lin tell the emperor?"
"The Empress Dowager doesn't know anything, but before she set off for training in northern Xinjiang," Shen Ying looked at Lin Zhenyue and said with a faint smile, "General Lin told me that my old injuries had recurred and that the leader of the army was getting more and more powerless, so I wanted to leave the army this time. When Beijiang came back, he was dismissed and returned to the fields, and I agreed at that time, General Lin, don’t you think so?”
Lin Zhenyue was a little confused about what the emperor and the queen mother were singing. Just now the queen mother said that he would hand over the military power as a bride price for the eldest princess. Now the emperor lied that he had planned to hand over the military power a long time ago. Soldiers, to whom should I hand them over?
Lin Zhenyue struggled in his heart. If he had to be forced to choose one of the empress dowager emperors, he would still prefer to choose the emperor. After all, it was the emperor who reminded him that there was an ambush behind the screen, so he hesitated for a moment, and nodded following Shen Ying's words Said yes.
"There is still such a thing, and the Ai family doesn't know about it. It turns out that General Lin has long planned to return the military power to the emperor?" Mrs. Liu pretended not to care about it, but she kept sneering in her heart. It was exactly as she expected Well, the Lin family had long wanted to fall for the emperor. Fortunately, she acted first this time. If the emperor became popular, it would be too late.
"I originally wanted to wait until General Lin returned to court before telling the Empress Dowager about this matter. I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to mention this matter first tonight. The Empress Dowager always thinks about me. I am really grateful." Shen Ying walked down the steps, Standing in front of Lin Zhenyue, "General Lin, since the Queen Mother is so sympathetic to you, why don't you hand over the soldier talisman of the Lin family army today, so as to fulfill the righteousness of our monarch and ministers, how about it?"
The emperor has already talked about this point, can Lin Zhenyue still refuse to hand over the military talisman?
Lin Zhenyue took a deep breath, reached into his clothes helplessly, took out the military talisman from inside, held it in both hands and handed it to the emperor. Lin Che, who was kneeling on the ground beside him, saw that his father had handed over the military power so easily, and was furious. Xia blurted out: "Father! You handed over the soldier talisman, what about the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Lin family army?!"
"Shut up! You don't have the right to talk here!" Lin Zhenyue lowered his head and glared at Lin Che angrily, then reprimanded, "What should I do? They are soldiers of the imperial court, not my Lin family's private soldiers. The imperial court arranges them for themselves." It’s your turn to quarrel here? Hurry up and apologize to the Queen Mother and the Emperor!”
Shen Ying waved her hand, "Hey, it's okay, Lin Che is just outspoken, neither I nor the Queen Mother will take it to heart."
After finishing speaking, Shen Ying stretched out her hand to take the soldier talisman from Lin Zhenyue's hand. Empress Dowager Liu couldn't sit still when she saw this, she just forced Lin Zhenyue to hand over the military power under the banner of a stable rule for the emperor, but she never really wanted to hand over the military power In the hands of the emperor, the tens of thousands of Lin family troops are an elite army capable of fighting well. If they are in the hands of the emperor, won't the emperor ignore her as the queen mother even more in the future?
Empress Dowager Liu rested her hand on the table, the sharp eyes of the narrow Danfeng eyes were cloudy and uncertain, she was thinking about how to stop the emperor from receiving the military talisman, when suddenly Shen Ying withdrew the hand that was stretched out to take the military talisman.
Shen Ying also knew very well in her heart that if he took the military power of the Lin family army into his pocket tonight, then it would not be the Lin family members who could not get out of Huaelou, but him, so naturally he would not be stupid for this hot potato To receive the hand.
But it is also impossible for him to just give the soldier talisman to Queen Mother Liu for nothing, so——
Seeing the emperor stretching out his hand and then retracting it, Lin Zhenyue felt a little puzzled, and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, do you think there is something wrong with this soldier talisman?"
Shen Ying coughed pretendingly, waved her hands and said, "It's not that there is a problem with the soldier talisman, but that I almost forgot it. Just now the queen mother said that she wanted the Lin family to hand over the soldier talisman as a betrothal gift to Princess Changping, and to hire the princess with military power. If it spreads, it can be regarded as a good story about the harmony between the monarch and his ministers. How about it," Shen Ying turned around and waved to Princess Changping who was standing beside Empress Dowager Liu, "Changping, come here."
Princess Changping lowered her head and asked the Queen Mother what she meant with her eyes. The Empress Dowager Liu was relieved that the emperor didn't have a military reception talisman. Although she didn't know what the emperor wanted to do, she still nodded and signaled Princess Changping to do as the emperor said.
Princess Changping Yingying came over, stood in front of Shen Ying, and asked in a strange and polite manner: "What is the emperor's order?"
Shen Ying pointed to the soldier talisman in Lin Zhenyue's hand, and said with a smile: "Since this soldier talisman is a betrothal gift from the Lin family, then you can pick it up, and you will keep it until you get married."
Princess Changping was stunned, and looked up at the queen mother at a loss. When the queen mother heard it, the emperor was willing to hand over the military talisman to Princess Changping for safekeeping. If the military talisman was in the hands of Princess Changping, it would be the same as being in her hands. ?So Empress Dowager Liu nodded her head twice, asking Princess Changping to quickly take over the soldier talisman.
Princess Changping had no choice but to turn around and take the soldier talisman from Lin Zhenyue's hand. When receiving the soldier talisman, her gaze accidentally fell on Lin Che who was kneeling beside her. In a pair of sharp eyes, the eyes were as cold as a knife, bursting with resentment and unwilling anger, without any half-heartedness, felt a sharp stab in the heart, quickly retracted his gaze, and returned to the queen mother with the soldier talisman.
Empress Dowager Liu stared closely at the soldier talisman in Changping Princess's hand, although she really wanted to take the soldier talisman now, but she couldn't go back on her word in front of so many people and snatch the "betrothal gift" of the princess.
Forget it, anyway, Princess Changping obeys her now, let her keep this military talisman for a few days to pretend, no matter what, it's better than falling into the emperor's hands.
Empress Dowager Liu, who thought that the soldier talisman was already in her pocket, couldn't help showing a little joy on her face, and looked at the people of the Lin family and said hypocritically: "The Ai family knows that the Lin family is loyal, and they will definitely understand the painstaking efforts of the Ai family. Princess, spreading the word can not only show the emperor's benevolence, but also show the loyalty of the Lin family, so very good!"
Shen Ying understood that tonight should pass without any danger, she tilted her head and let out a sigh of relief, then the corners of her mouth slightly curled up, her eyelashes drooped, and an imperceptible calculation flashed in her eyes.
Gu Min led his personal guards to ambush outside the Huae Tower, always paying attention to the movement in the direction of the Huae Tower, but seeing that an hour was about to pass, he still didn't wait for the "cup throwing as a sign" that he had agreed with Shen Ying. sounded.
Just when he was worried that the emperor had been controlled by the queen mother's men, so he could not send out a signal, the door of the Huae Building suddenly opened, and then he saw Princess Changping helping the Queen Mother Liu out of the building , followed by the emperor in a crimson dragon robe, followed by Lin Zhenyue and his son-in-law.
Everyone came out safe and sound, as if nothing happened in Huae Building!
Gu Min wondered secretly, waited until Empress Dowager Liu and her party had gone far away, left the hiding place, and quietly followed the emperor back to Chengxinzhai.
As soon as he entered Chengxinzhai, before he had time to ask what happened tonight, Gu Min was pushed out by Shen Ying, "You came just in time, I ordered you to lead people to secretly escort the Lin family back to Beijing right now, make sure They returned safely to camp!"
Gu Min pressed Shen Ying's hand to push him, stabilized his figure, and asked with eyebrows raised, "Your Majesty, what happened in the Huae Tower tonight? Didn't the Empress Dowager attack the Lin family?"
"The queen mother has been planning for so long, how could she not hold her hand?" Shen Ying twitched the corners of her lips sarcastically, with a look of determination on her face, "But how do you know that the mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind. Okay. Now, you send the Lin family back for me first, I am afraid that the queen mother will kill them on the way back, what happened tonight, I will tell you when you come back."
Gu Min could only suppress the curiosity in his heart first, and led his guards out of the palace, and followed the Lin family who left first, and secretly protected them.
For fear that the Lin family would find out, Gu Min didn't dare to follow too closely, so he stopped and stopped. After riding for less than half an hour, he suddenly heard a rush of horseshoes on the official road behind him.
Gu Min reined in the horse's reins, looked back, and saw a tall, pure black horse galloping towards them through the vast night behind, with its four hooves hovering like flying.
But in a split second, the person on the black horse overtook Gu Min and the others, and then yelled in front of him with a "wow". After the horse stopped, he turned his head and rode on the horse, facing Gu Min, and clapped his hands together. He bowed and said with a smile: "Master Gu, what a coincidence, are you going back to Beijing too?"
The official road was pitch black, and there were no lights around. Fortunately, the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and a round of bright moon in the sky poured down the moonlight and sprinkled the earth, so that people could barely see in the night.
Gu Min narrowed his eyes and carefully identified the person on the black horse. After recognizing Ling Qingheng, he frowned, "Why are you?"
Ling Qingheng smiled and said, "Why can't it be me? Mr. Gu, don't forget that you sent me the news that I came to the palace."
"Of course I know that." Gu Min sneered coldly, "I'm asking you, why didn't you leave the palace until now?"
Ling Qingheng said lightly: "I also just finished the errands assigned by the emperor to return to Beijing. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Gu on the way. If Mr. Gu doesn't dislike it, how about we go together? There is only one person here, and I am afraid that I will leave alone. Yelu couldn't hold back and dozed off, and then fell off the horse."
Gu Min sneered silently, slapped the horse with a whip and sped forward, passed by Ling Qingheng and said, "There is only one official way, so why don't you take this way if I don't agree?"
The corners of Ling Qingheng's mouth raised, and he immediately turned around to catch up. The two rode side by side in the night. The horses they were riding were equally strong, and it was impossible to tell the winner in terms of speed. After galloping for a while, Gu Min was afraid that the Lin family would find his whereabouts. , and then gradually slowed down.
Gu Min glanced at Ling Qingheng who was also following him at a slower pace. Although he knew that the other party must have no good intentions following him, he still couldn't help but wonder why the emperor left Ling Qingheng in the palace for two or three days and told him what he did, so he pretended to chat Asked casually; "What errand did the emperor ask you to do?"
Ling Qingheng asked strangely: "Don't Master Gu know?"
Gu Min sneered, looked ahead and said coldly: "Don't be eccentric in front of me, you don't want to talk about it."
Ling Qingheng also let out a soft smirk, he still remembered that Gu Min set up a trap to ambush him that day, causing him to almost fall off his horse, he finally waited for the opportunity to make Gu Min feel embarrassed, of course he had to seize the opportunity to retaliate.
"Mr. Gu's temper is still as strong as ever." Ling Qingheng leisurely flicked the whip in his hand, "To be honest, the emperor left me in the palace because he asked me to do something like what you, Mr. Gu, did tonight." Same thing."
Gu Min's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"
Ling Qingheng said slowly: "Empress Dowager Liu in Hua'e Tower held a grand banquet for the generals of the Lin family tonight. The emperor asked Mr. Gu to lie in ambush outside, while I am in Hua'e Tower."
Gu Min turned her head to look at Ling Qingheng in surprise, "Are you in the Huae Tower? When did you go in? Where are you hiding?"
Ling Qingheng said frankly: "I dressed up as a little eunuch and entered the Huae Tower with the emperor."
Ling Qingheng was good at martial arts, with him protecting him, even if Empress Dowager Liu set up an ambush, at least he could protect the emperor for a while.
Gu Min remembered what Shen Ying said when he handed over the badge to dispatch the Yulin Army, "I entrust the lives of all the people in the Huae Tower to you", so the emperor left another note for himself after all. Road, but did not tell him.
The emperor still had reservations about his trust.
Seeing that Gu Min remained silent for a long time, Ling Qingheng asked tentatively, "Master Gu, you still don't know what happened in Huae Building tonight?"
Gu Min glanced at him coldly, but Ling Qingheng didn't seem to care about his indifferent eyes, and continued: "But I'm inside, but I can see and hear clearly."
Gu Min said impatiently, "You followed me all the way, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I just want to say," Ling Qingheng paused, and looked up at the sky, "the emperor we are loyal to has a scheming mind beyond ordinary people's comparability. He hides many things from you, and likewise, he also hides many things from you. I, I was thinking, if one day we help him regain power, will he become like Emperor Gaozong, disregarding family ties, the righteousness of monarchs and ministers, and only seeing power in his eyes?"
Gu Min said without hesitation: "No, the emperor will never be so heartless."
Ling Qingheng smiled: "Don't forget, they are both surnamed Shen, and they are biological father and son in the same line. Father and son have similar temperaments. Do you know what I saw in Huae Tower tonight?"
Gu Min lifted his chin slightly, and said indifferently, "If you just want to say these things, then there's no need to say it."
Ling Qingheng looked ahead, and the figures of the Lin family seemed to be not far away, but also seemed to be far away, and said in a faint voice: "The birds are gone, the good bow is hidden, do you think that if the Lin family knows the truth, will they be grateful to the emperor today?" Save them, or will you resent the emperor for designing them, forcing them to be involved in the struggle for imperial power?"
Gu Min said in a deep voice, "Those who achieve great achievements don't care about small things."
Ling Qingheng said coldly: "It's so casual, but aren't you afraid that he will be the next Emperor Gaozong? Back then, Gaozong was just an unfavorable prince. Thanks to the protection of Xu Jiashu's family, he was able to successfully seize the throne and become emperor. But when he is in power, what is he doing to the Xu and Shu families? Don't you think that the situation of the current emperor is very similar to that of Gaozong when he was an unfavored and powerless prince? Don't you worry that once the emperor takes power? , will you act like Gaozong?!"
Gu Min was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Ling Qingheng abruptly and asked, "Who are you from the Shu family?"
Ling Qingheng was taken aback for a moment, and then said in a blunt tone: "I am not from the Shu family, my surname is Ling."
Gu Min sneered, "It doesn't matter what my surname is. Ten years ago, my surname wasn't Gu either."
The Shu family is the Yue family of Prince Zhaohuai. Back then, the Xu family and the Shu family were the most involved in Prince Zhaohuai's treason case. Almost all of them were punished.
As soon as Gu Min's words came out, it was tantamount to confirming that Ling Qingheng was related to the Shu family. After all, if Ling Qingheng was not a descendant of the Shu family, how could he attract Han Sui, a diehard Prince Zhaohuai, to work for him?
Ling Qingheng's face had completely lost the original banter, and the moonlight shone on his face, as if it had been coated with a layer of white frost. He said coldly: "Master Gu, I just kindly remind you that the two of us serve for it. Your Majesty is not a soft-hearted and incompetent person. The hearts of those who sit on the dragon chair will only become harder and colder, I hope you and I will not repeat the same mistakes."
After speaking, he shook the whip vigorously, and the black horse suffered from pain, and galloped forward. Soon, Ling Qingheng's figure disappeared into the melting night together with the black horse.
Ling Qingheng walked straightforwardly, even though Gu Min had just kept saying that he believed in Shen Ying in the face of Ling Qingheng's questioning just now, it was inevitable that he would be affected to some extent.
Especially when he knew that Shen Ying not only asked him to ambush outside the Huae Building to respond, but also hid Ling Qingheng's move tonight, he understood that even if the emperor trusted him, he would not hold back.
Since ancient times, emperors have always been suspicious. The most terrifying thing is that this kind of suspicion will gradually accumulate more and more with time, until finally it becomes a sharp knife for killing people.
He had always thought that such things as refusing Mongolian marriage marriage, forcing courtiers to donate, clever schemes to return birthday gifts, etc. were all planned by someone behind the scenes to help the emperor, but now he understands that these things were actually planned by the emperor alone, including seizing the Lin family tonight. The matter of military power is also a situation that the emperor secretly set up without telling everyone.
I can't imagine that if one day, when the emperor takes power, will he become like those emperors throughout the ages, suspicious and suspicious, and see power more than anything else.
If this is the case, wouldn't everything they have planned for so long be in vain?
Gu Min's heart felt like a huge rock was being pressed down, the more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became, and he was almost out of breath.
It was also because he was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize that the Lin family's troops had stopped. It was the guards behind who reminded him that he came back to his senses.
Everyone in the Lin family had already dismounted, with weapons in their hands, in a defensive posture, and countless pairs of eyes staring at Gu Min and the others warily, their eyes full of hostility.
Lin Zhenyue opened his mouth first to break the silence: "Gu Shaojun, you have also followed us all the way. Ming people don't say dark words, so why not just say what you want to do."
Lin Che raised the spear in his hand, and pointed at Gu Min unceremoniously, "What? It's not enough to surrender the military power of my Lin family, and I want to kill them all? I, the son of the Lin family, has made many contributions to Daying, but the court treats us like this If I had known this before, I shouldn't have worked my life for this ruthless court!"
Gu Min got off his horse, stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Lin Zhenyue, "General Lin has misunderstood. I have no malicious intentions, but I am secretly escorting you back to the camp under the orders of the emperor."
Lin Che sneered unappreciatively, "The military power has been taken away, so why pretend to be a good person? Who are you pretending to be a show for?"
"Shut up! Don't be rude!" Lin Zhenyue turned his head and scolded Lin Che, then pointed his finger aside and asked Gu Min, "Can Gu Shaojun take a step to speak?"
Gu Min nodded: "Of course, please."
The two walked aside to talk alone, Lin Zhenyue asked straight to the point: "The old man is just a martial artist, and he doesn't like to beat around the bush when he speaks, so if he has something to say, just say it directly. Dare to ask Gu Shaojun, is this Hongmen banquet tonight really the emperor's intention? What does the Queen Mother mean?"
"General Lin doesn't have an answer to this?" Gu Min said with a calm expression, "The emperor is now under the control of the queen mother, what's the use of your Lin family's military power? Naturally, it's the queen mother's intention."
Lin Zhenyue stroked his beard and said: "But the old man still has doubts. Why would the queen mother suddenly want to cut off the military power in my hand? My Lin family has never offended the queen mother."
Gu Min said: "General Lin, do you think that in this situation, the Lin family can continue to protect their lives wisely? How can there be eggs in a nest? The Lin family has a large army, and they have long been afraid of the Queen Mother's party. Taking back the military power of the Lin family is just a matter of time." Sooner or later. Can General Lin know that today I am leading the Habayashi Army in ambush outside the Huae Tower? The emperor guessed that the Queen Mother was going to be unfavorable to the Lin family, so he ordered me to lead the troops outside to respond, and ordered me to ensure that everyone in the Lin family is safe. General Lin , Your Majesty has a kind heart, you have to know how to be grateful."
"Is there such a thing?" Lin Zhenyue's eyes widened in surprise, then he bowed his head in thought for a long time, then raised his head suddenly, "After Gu Shaojun returns, please help me to thank the emperor, and please trouble Gu Shaojun to help me with a sentence To the emperor."
Gu Min looked at Lin Zhenyue and smiled and said, "General Lin, please tell me, Gu will definitely bring it for you."
Lin Zhenyue frowned seriously, and the beard on his chin trembled, as if he had made up his mind, and said in a heavy and slow tone: "Your kindness is immense, and this old minister is very grateful. From now on, everyone in the Lin family will follow the orders of the emperor. !"
But Lin Che calmed down and thought about it, and he was still unconvinced. He raised his chest and stood straight on the spot like a gun, without any intention of kneeling down to thank him.
"Why, is this how the Lin family raises their children? Don't you even know the basic rules?" Shen Ying deliberately pretended to be dissatisfied and lowered her face, walked out from behind the table with her arms behind her back, and stood in front of the table with her back facing the Queen Mother. , while talking, taking advantage of other people's unpreparedness, he quickly winked at Lin Zhenyue, signaling to him that there was something strange behind the screen.
Lin Zhenyue has led soldiers for so many years, so his vigilance is naturally higher than that of ordinary people. After receiving Shen Ying's wink, he looked at the screens on both sides without leaving any traces, and he was keenly aware of the knife and axe hidden behind the screens.
Lin Zhenyue's heart immediately brightened like a mirror, but if he showed a hint of reluctance to hand over military power at this time, I am afraid that the Queen Mother would not let them go out of the Huaca Building alive tonight!
Singing and dancing in the main hall, and murderous intentions hidden behind the screen, it is really a grand banquet!
Thinking of Lin Zhenyue's life as a soldier, he has made great achievements in battle, fought countless battles, and suffered countless injuries, big and small, but at the end of the day, he fell into the hands of a deep palace woman, how could he swallow this breath!
But now people are swordsmen and I am fish and meat. No matter how unwilling he is, he still has to cherish the lives of the descendants of the Lin family. Lin Zhenyue suppressed the hatred in his heart, turned his head and said sharply to Lin Che: "Quickly kneel down, before the holy car!" , how can you be rude!"
Lin Che was taken aback by his father's yelling. Seeing that Lin Zhenyue's face was ashen, with a severe expression he had never seen before, he didn't dare to be stubborn, so he had to kneel down reluctantly to thank him.
The other generals of the Lin family also realized the crisis, and they all got up and stood behind Lin Zhenyue, with the intention of advancing and retreating together.
Shen Ying turned her head to look at Empress Dowager Liu, and suddenly said with a smile: "Actually, even if the Empress Dowager didn't mention it today, General Lin has already revealed to me that he intends to hand over the military power."
Empress Dowager Liu raised her long and slender eyebrows, her posture was calm and she was in control of the situation, and she asked slowly: "Oh? Really? When did General Lin tell the emperor?"
"The Empress Dowager doesn't know anything, but before she set off for training in northern Xinjiang," Shen Ying looked at Lin Zhenyue and said with a faint smile, "General Lin told me that my old injuries had recurred and that the leader of the army was getting more and more powerless, so I wanted to leave the army this time. When Beijiang came back, he was dismissed and returned to the fields, and I agreed at that time, General Lin, don’t you think so?”
Lin Zhenyue was a little confused about what the emperor and the queen mother were singing. Just now the queen mother said that he would hand over the military power as a bride price for the eldest princess. Now the emperor lied that he had planned to hand over the military power a long time ago. Soldiers, to whom should I hand them over?
Lin Zhenyue struggled in his heart. If he had to be forced to choose one of the empress dowager emperors, he would still prefer to choose the emperor. After all, it was the emperor who reminded him that there was an ambush behind the screen, so he hesitated for a moment, and nodded following Shen Ying's words Said yes.
"There is still such a thing, and the Ai family doesn't know about it. It turns out that General Lin has long planned to return the military power to the emperor?" Mrs. Liu pretended not to care about it, but she kept sneering in her heart. It was exactly as she expected Well, the Lin family had long wanted to fall for the emperor. Fortunately, she acted first this time. If the emperor became popular, it would be too late.
"I originally wanted to wait until General Lin returned to court before telling the Empress Dowager about this matter. I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to mention this matter first tonight. The Empress Dowager always thinks about me. I am really grateful." Shen Ying walked down the steps, Standing in front of Lin Zhenyue, "General Lin, since the Queen Mother is so sympathetic to you, why don't you hand over the soldier talisman of the Lin family army today, so as to fulfill the righteousness of our monarch and ministers, how about it?"
The emperor has already talked about this point, can Lin Zhenyue still refuse to hand over the military talisman?
Lin Zhenyue took a deep breath, reached into his clothes helplessly, took out the military talisman from inside, held it in both hands and handed it to the emperor. Lin Che, who was kneeling on the ground beside him, saw that his father had handed over the military power so easily, and was furious. Xia blurted out: "Father! You handed over the soldier talisman, what about the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Lin family army?!"
"Shut up! You don't have the right to talk here!" Lin Zhenyue lowered his head and glared at Lin Che angrily, then reprimanded, "What should I do? They are soldiers of the imperial court, not my Lin family's private soldiers. The imperial court arranges them for themselves." It’s your turn to quarrel here? Hurry up and apologize to the Queen Mother and the Emperor!”
Shen Ying waved her hand, "Hey, it's okay, Lin Che is just outspoken, neither I nor the Queen Mother will take it to heart."
After finishing speaking, Shen Ying stretched out her hand to take the soldier talisman from Lin Zhenyue's hand. Empress Dowager Liu couldn't sit still when she saw this, she just forced Lin Zhenyue to hand over the military power under the banner of a stable rule for the emperor, but she never really wanted to hand over the military power In the hands of the emperor, the tens of thousands of Lin family troops are an elite army capable of fighting well. If they are in the hands of the emperor, won't the emperor ignore her as the queen mother even more in the future?
Empress Dowager Liu rested her hand on the table, the sharp eyes of the narrow Danfeng eyes were cloudy and uncertain, she was thinking about how to stop the emperor from receiving the military talisman, when suddenly Shen Ying withdrew the hand that was stretched out to take the military talisman.
Shen Ying also knew very well in her heart that if he took the military power of the Lin family army into his pocket tonight, then it would not be the Lin family members who could not get out of Huaelou, but him, so naturally he would not be stupid for this hot potato To receive the hand.
But it is also impossible for him to just give the soldier talisman to Queen Mother Liu for nothing, so——
Seeing the emperor stretching out his hand and then retracting it, Lin Zhenyue felt a little puzzled, and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, do you think there is something wrong with this soldier talisman?"
Shen Ying coughed pretendingly, waved her hands and said, "It's not that there is a problem with the soldier talisman, but that I almost forgot it. Just now the queen mother said that she wanted the Lin family to hand over the soldier talisman as a betrothal gift to Princess Changping, and to hire the princess with military power. If it spreads, it can be regarded as a good story about the harmony between the monarch and his ministers. How about it," Shen Ying turned around and waved to Princess Changping who was standing beside Empress Dowager Liu, "Changping, come here."
Princess Changping lowered her head and asked the Queen Mother what she meant with her eyes. The Empress Dowager Liu was relieved that the emperor didn't have a military reception talisman. Although she didn't know what the emperor wanted to do, she still nodded and signaled Princess Changping to do as the emperor said.
Princess Changping Yingying came over, stood in front of Shen Ying, and asked in a strange and polite manner: "What is the emperor's order?"
Shen Ying pointed to the soldier talisman in Lin Zhenyue's hand, and said with a smile: "Since this soldier talisman is a betrothal gift from the Lin family, then you can pick it up, and you will keep it until you get married."
Princess Changping was stunned, and looked up at the queen mother at a loss. When the queen mother heard it, the emperor was willing to hand over the military talisman to Princess Changping for safekeeping. If the military talisman was in the hands of Princess Changping, it would be the same as being in her hands. ?So Empress Dowager Liu nodded her head twice, asking Princess Changping to quickly take over the soldier talisman.
Princess Changping had no choice but to turn around and take the soldier talisman from Lin Zhenyue's hand. When receiving the soldier talisman, her gaze accidentally fell on Lin Che who was kneeling beside her. In a pair of sharp eyes, the eyes were as cold as a knife, bursting with resentment and unwilling anger, without any half-heartedness, felt a sharp stab in the heart, quickly retracted his gaze, and returned to the queen mother with the soldier talisman.
Empress Dowager Liu stared closely at the soldier talisman in Changping Princess's hand, although she really wanted to take the soldier talisman now, but she couldn't go back on her word in front of so many people and snatch the "betrothal gift" of the princess.
Forget it, anyway, Princess Changping obeys her now, let her keep this military talisman for a few days to pretend, no matter what, it's better than falling into the emperor's hands.
Empress Dowager Liu, who thought that the soldier talisman was already in her pocket, couldn't help showing a little joy on her face, and looked at the people of the Lin family and said hypocritically: "The Ai family knows that the Lin family is loyal, and they will definitely understand the painstaking efforts of the Ai family. Princess, spreading the word can not only show the emperor's benevolence, but also show the loyalty of the Lin family, so very good!"
Shen Ying understood that tonight should pass without any danger, she tilted her head and let out a sigh of relief, then the corners of her mouth slightly curled up, her eyelashes drooped, and an imperceptible calculation flashed in her eyes.
Gu Min led his personal guards to ambush outside the Huae Tower, always paying attention to the movement in the direction of the Huae Tower, but seeing that an hour was about to pass, he still didn't wait for the "cup throwing as a sign" that he had agreed with Shen Ying. sounded.
Just when he was worried that the emperor had been controlled by the queen mother's men, so he could not send out a signal, the door of the Huae Building suddenly opened, and then he saw Princess Changping helping the Queen Mother Liu out of the building , followed by the emperor in a crimson dragon robe, followed by Lin Zhenyue and his son-in-law.
Everyone came out safe and sound, as if nothing happened in Huae Building!
Gu Min wondered secretly, waited until Empress Dowager Liu and her party had gone far away, left the hiding place, and quietly followed the emperor back to Chengxinzhai.
As soon as he entered Chengxinzhai, before he had time to ask what happened tonight, Gu Min was pushed out by Shen Ying, "You came just in time, I ordered you to lead people to secretly escort the Lin family back to Beijing right now, make sure They returned safely to camp!"
Gu Min pressed Shen Ying's hand to push him, stabilized his figure, and asked with eyebrows raised, "Your Majesty, what happened in the Huae Tower tonight? Didn't the Empress Dowager attack the Lin family?"
"The queen mother has been planning for so long, how could she not hold her hand?" Shen Ying twitched the corners of her lips sarcastically, with a look of determination on her face, "But how do you know that the mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind. Okay. Now, you send the Lin family back for me first, I am afraid that the queen mother will kill them on the way back, what happened tonight, I will tell you when you come back."
Gu Min could only suppress the curiosity in his heart first, and led his guards out of the palace, and followed the Lin family who left first, and secretly protected them.
For fear that the Lin family would find out, Gu Min didn't dare to follow too closely, so he stopped and stopped. After riding for less than half an hour, he suddenly heard a rush of horseshoes on the official road behind him.
Gu Min reined in the horse's reins, looked back, and saw a tall, pure black horse galloping towards them through the vast night behind, with its four hooves hovering like flying.
But in a split second, the person on the black horse overtook Gu Min and the others, and then yelled in front of him with a "wow". After the horse stopped, he turned his head and rode on the horse, facing Gu Min, and clapped his hands together. He bowed and said with a smile: "Master Gu, what a coincidence, are you going back to Beijing too?"
The official road was pitch black, and there were no lights around. Fortunately, the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and a round of bright moon in the sky poured down the moonlight and sprinkled the earth, so that people could barely see in the night.
Gu Min narrowed his eyes and carefully identified the person on the black horse. After recognizing Ling Qingheng, he frowned, "Why are you?"
Ling Qingheng smiled and said, "Why can't it be me? Mr. Gu, don't forget that you sent me the news that I came to the palace."
"Of course I know that." Gu Min sneered coldly, "I'm asking you, why didn't you leave the palace until now?"
Ling Qingheng said lightly: "I also just finished the errands assigned by the emperor to return to Beijing. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Gu on the way. If Mr. Gu doesn't dislike it, how about we go together? There is only one person here, and I am afraid that I will leave alone. Yelu couldn't hold back and dozed off, and then fell off the horse."
Gu Min sneered silently, slapped the horse with a whip and sped forward, passed by Ling Qingheng and said, "There is only one official way, so why don't you take this way if I don't agree?"
The corners of Ling Qingheng's mouth raised, and he immediately turned around to catch up. The two rode side by side in the night. The horses they were riding were equally strong, and it was impossible to tell the winner in terms of speed. After galloping for a while, Gu Min was afraid that the Lin family would find his whereabouts. , and then gradually slowed down.
Gu Min glanced at Ling Qingheng who was also following him at a slower pace. Although he knew that the other party must have no good intentions following him, he still couldn't help but wonder why the emperor left Ling Qingheng in the palace for two or three days and told him what he did, so he pretended to chat Asked casually; "What errand did the emperor ask you to do?"
Ling Qingheng asked strangely: "Don't Master Gu know?"
Gu Min sneered, looked ahead and said coldly: "Don't be eccentric in front of me, you don't want to talk about it."
Ling Qingheng also let out a soft smirk, he still remembered that Gu Min set up a trap to ambush him that day, causing him to almost fall off his horse, he finally waited for the opportunity to make Gu Min feel embarrassed, of course he had to seize the opportunity to retaliate.
"Mr. Gu's temper is still as strong as ever." Ling Qingheng leisurely flicked the whip in his hand, "To be honest, the emperor left me in the palace because he asked me to do something like what you, Mr. Gu, did tonight." Same thing."
Gu Min's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"
Ling Qingheng said slowly: "Empress Dowager Liu in Hua'e Tower held a grand banquet for the generals of the Lin family tonight. The emperor asked Mr. Gu to lie in ambush outside, while I am in Hua'e Tower."
Gu Min turned her head to look at Ling Qingheng in surprise, "Are you in the Huae Tower? When did you go in? Where are you hiding?"
Ling Qingheng said frankly: "I dressed up as a little eunuch and entered the Huae Tower with the emperor."
Ling Qingheng was good at martial arts, with him protecting him, even if Empress Dowager Liu set up an ambush, at least he could protect the emperor for a while.
Gu Min remembered what Shen Ying said when he handed over the badge to dispatch the Yulin Army, "I entrust the lives of all the people in the Huae Tower to you", so the emperor left another note for himself after all. Road, but did not tell him.
The emperor still had reservations about his trust.
Seeing that Gu Min remained silent for a long time, Ling Qingheng asked tentatively, "Master Gu, you still don't know what happened in Huae Building tonight?"
Gu Min glanced at him coldly, but Ling Qingheng didn't seem to care about his indifferent eyes, and continued: "But I'm inside, but I can see and hear clearly."
Gu Min said impatiently, "You followed me all the way, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I just want to say," Ling Qingheng paused, and looked up at the sky, "the emperor we are loyal to has a scheming mind beyond ordinary people's comparability. He hides many things from you, and likewise, he also hides many things from you. I, I was thinking, if one day we help him regain power, will he become like Emperor Gaozong, disregarding family ties, the righteousness of monarchs and ministers, and only seeing power in his eyes?"
Gu Min said without hesitation: "No, the emperor will never be so heartless."
Ling Qingheng smiled: "Don't forget, they are both surnamed Shen, and they are biological father and son in the same line. Father and son have similar temperaments. Do you know what I saw in Huae Tower tonight?"
Gu Min lifted his chin slightly, and said indifferently, "If you just want to say these things, then there's no need to say it."
Ling Qingheng looked ahead, and the figures of the Lin family seemed to be not far away, but also seemed to be far away, and said in a faint voice: "The birds are gone, the good bow is hidden, do you think that if the Lin family knows the truth, will they be grateful to the emperor today?" Save them, or will you resent the emperor for designing them, forcing them to be involved in the struggle for imperial power?"
Gu Min said in a deep voice, "Those who achieve great achievements don't care about small things."
Ling Qingheng said coldly: "It's so casual, but aren't you afraid that he will be the next Emperor Gaozong? Back then, Gaozong was just an unfavorable prince. Thanks to the protection of Xu Jiashu's family, he was able to successfully seize the throne and become emperor. But when he is in power, what is he doing to the Xu and Shu families? Don't you think that the situation of the current emperor is very similar to that of Gaozong when he was an unfavored and powerless prince? Don't you worry that once the emperor takes power? , will you act like Gaozong?!"
Gu Min was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Ling Qingheng abruptly and asked, "Who are you from the Shu family?"
Ling Qingheng was taken aback for a moment, and then said in a blunt tone: "I am not from the Shu family, my surname is Ling."
Gu Min sneered, "It doesn't matter what my surname is. Ten years ago, my surname wasn't Gu either."
The Shu family is the Yue family of Prince Zhaohuai. Back then, the Xu family and the Shu family were the most involved in Prince Zhaohuai's treason case. Almost all of them were punished.
As soon as Gu Min's words came out, it was tantamount to confirming that Ling Qingheng was related to the Shu family. After all, if Ling Qingheng was not a descendant of the Shu family, how could he attract Han Sui, a diehard Prince Zhaohuai, to work for him?
Ling Qingheng's face had completely lost the original banter, and the moonlight shone on his face, as if it had been coated with a layer of white frost. He said coldly: "Master Gu, I just kindly remind you that the two of us serve for it. Your Majesty is not a soft-hearted and incompetent person. The hearts of those who sit on the dragon chair will only become harder and colder, I hope you and I will not repeat the same mistakes."
After speaking, he shook the whip vigorously, and the black horse suffered from pain, and galloped forward. Soon, Ling Qingheng's figure disappeared into the melting night together with the black horse.
Ling Qingheng walked straightforwardly, even though Gu Min had just kept saying that he believed in Shen Ying in the face of Ling Qingheng's questioning just now, it was inevitable that he would be affected to some extent.
Especially when he knew that Shen Ying not only asked him to ambush outside the Huae Building to respond, but also hid Ling Qingheng's move tonight, he understood that even if the emperor trusted him, he would not hold back.
Since ancient times, emperors have always been suspicious. The most terrifying thing is that this kind of suspicion will gradually accumulate more and more with time, until finally it becomes a sharp knife for killing people.
He had always thought that such things as refusing Mongolian marriage marriage, forcing courtiers to donate, clever schemes to return birthday gifts, etc. were all planned by someone behind the scenes to help the emperor, but now he understands that these things were actually planned by the emperor alone, including seizing the Lin family tonight. The matter of military power is also a situation that the emperor secretly set up without telling everyone.
I can't imagine that if one day, when the emperor takes power, will he become like those emperors throughout the ages, suspicious and suspicious, and see power more than anything else.
If this is the case, wouldn't everything they have planned for so long be in vain?
Gu Min's heart felt like a huge rock was being pressed down, the more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became, and he was almost out of breath.
It was also because he was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize that the Lin family's troops had stopped. It was the guards behind who reminded him that he came back to his senses.
Everyone in the Lin family had already dismounted, with weapons in their hands, in a defensive posture, and countless pairs of eyes staring at Gu Min and the others warily, their eyes full of hostility.
Lin Zhenyue opened his mouth first to break the silence: "Gu Shaojun, you have also followed us all the way. Ming people don't say dark words, so why not just say what you want to do."
Lin Che raised the spear in his hand, and pointed at Gu Min unceremoniously, "What? It's not enough to surrender the military power of my Lin family, and I want to kill them all? I, the son of the Lin family, has made many contributions to Daying, but the court treats us like this If I had known this before, I shouldn't have worked my life for this ruthless court!"
Gu Min got off his horse, stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Lin Zhenyue, "General Lin has misunderstood. I have no malicious intentions, but I am secretly escorting you back to the camp under the orders of the emperor."
Lin Che sneered unappreciatively, "The military power has been taken away, so why pretend to be a good person? Who are you pretending to be a show for?"
"Shut up! Don't be rude!" Lin Zhenyue turned his head and scolded Lin Che, then pointed his finger aside and asked Gu Min, "Can Gu Shaojun take a step to speak?"
Gu Min nodded: "Of course, please."
The two walked aside to talk alone, Lin Zhenyue asked straight to the point: "The old man is just a martial artist, and he doesn't like to beat around the bush when he speaks, so if he has something to say, just say it directly. Dare to ask Gu Shaojun, is this Hongmen banquet tonight really the emperor's intention? What does the Queen Mother mean?"
"General Lin doesn't have an answer to this?" Gu Min said with a calm expression, "The emperor is now under the control of the queen mother, what's the use of your Lin family's military power? Naturally, it's the queen mother's intention."
Lin Zhenyue stroked his beard and said: "But the old man still has doubts. Why would the queen mother suddenly want to cut off the military power in my hand? My Lin family has never offended the queen mother."
Gu Min said: "General Lin, do you think that in this situation, the Lin family can continue to protect their lives wisely? How can there be eggs in a nest? The Lin family has a large army, and they have long been afraid of the Queen Mother's party. Taking back the military power of the Lin family is just a matter of time." Sooner or later. Can General Lin know that today I am leading the Habayashi Army in ambush outside the Huae Tower? The emperor guessed that the Queen Mother was going to be unfavorable to the Lin family, so he ordered me to lead the troops outside to respond, and ordered me to ensure that everyone in the Lin family is safe. General Lin , Your Majesty has a kind heart, you have to know how to be grateful."
"Is there such a thing?" Lin Zhenyue's eyes widened in surprise, then he bowed his head in thought for a long time, then raised his head suddenly, "After Gu Shaojun returns, please help me to thank the emperor, and please trouble Gu Shaojun to help me with a sentence To the emperor."
Gu Min looked at Lin Zhenyue and smiled and said, "General Lin, please tell me, Gu will definitely bring it for you."
Lin Zhenyue frowned seriously, and the beard on his chin trembled, as if he had made up his mind, and said in a heavy and slow tone: "Your kindness is immense, and this old minister is very grateful. From now on, everyone in the Lin family will follow the orders of the emperor. !"
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