turmoil

Zhang Jingche wasn't overwhelmed with sympathy, it was just that he saw something familiar in Concubine Xian. His only relative had fallen into a situation similar to Concubine Xian's, and in the end he could not withstand the wind, knife, frost and sword, and died in the deep palace.

Zhang Jingche didn't want Concubine Xian to follow in Zhang Jingsu's footsteps, whether it was for herself or for Marquis Ding.

The dispute in the front court still had no result, and the ministers tried their best to break apart all kinds of pros and cons, but Liu Yanzhao couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart, and he refused to let go.Seeing the emperor leave in anger, the officials looked at each other and sighed from the bottom of their hearts.

The movement of the front court was under Zhang Jingche's control. He didn't say yes or no, but ordered someone to release a letter eagle.In the early morning of the next day, the Huihe Huqi stationed in the suburbs of Beijing suddenly moved, advancing twenty miles forward with lightning speed, and shrouded the century-old imperial capital in the shadow of a rising army.

Everyone understood that this was Zhang Jingche's ultimatum, and his patience was gradually running out.The imperial court can't delay the time by delaying the troops. Before King Qin's army arrived, he had enough time and troops to take down the capital.

The Beida Camp stationed at the Nine Gates is facing a formidable enemy, and they really want to implement a strong wall to clear the field, but the Anding Gate has been under the control of the frontier army Qingqi from beginning to end.Once the two armies cooperate internally and externally, the change of ownership of the capital will only happen overnight.

What's more terrible is that news came from the northwest inspector censor, saying that the northwest frontier army also showed signs of aggressively moving out-it was a tiger-wolf division that was honed from the slaughter, and once the guns were turned, the sky would collapse and everything would be destroyed.

The ministers turned up and down again and again in panic, urging Emperor Xinglong to put the overall situation first and endure his anger for the time being.Snow flakes flew into Qinzheng Hall, flooding the imperial case again.Enraged, Liu Yanzhao retreated to the left and right, locked himself in the hall for a whole night, and finally ordered someone to bring Zhang Jingche to the Hall of Qinzheng when the sky was about to dawn the next day.

Zhang Jingche was in a good mood at that time, because Yang Fan had just woken up, and although he was a little dazed, he knew he needed water.Zhang Jingche mixed a little honey into the water and fed it to him spoonful by spoonful. Yang Fan licked the corner of his mouth after drinking half of it: "...Sweet?"

Zhang Jingche smiled: "Drinking the bitter medicine these days, your tongue is stiff, right? I'll give you some sweetness to taste, next time you drink the medicine, don't make trouble!"

Yang Fan grabbed his sleeve and rubbed his face, and stuffed his head with disheveled hair into the man's arms: "It's not sweet enough...I want something else!"

Zhang Jingche was angry and funny, pinched the back of his neck, and lifted him out of his arms: "Don't make trouble, your injury is still not healed! After drinking the water, lie down obediently, I'm the one to do things outside!"

Yang Fan was exhausted after the injury, and after Zhang Jingche reminded him, he remembered the bad thing about Bei Le's hidden pile.He wanted to ask about the battle situation, but Zhang Jingche stretched out a finger first and pressed it against his lips: "I know what you want to ask... The turmoil in central Beijing has been quelled, and there are quite a few barbarians in Beile, all of whom have been arrested by Jin Yiwei."

Yang Fan really didn't have the energy to speak, so he stretched out his fingers and began to write stroke by stroke in Zhang Jingche's palm.Zhang Jingche followed his movements and counted silently, distinguishing that it was the word "Huang".

He clenched his palms knowingly: "The emperor has me...he should let us leave Beijing soon."

Yang Fan knew Emperor Xinglong well, and he didn't think the emperor would be willing to give in, but Zhang Jingche said so firmly, he had an inexplicable trust in this man, and he closed his eyes in peace after hearing this.Zhang Jingche grabbed his wrist, carefully stuffed it into the quilt, got up and folded out of the hall, and saw the servant beside the emperor was already waiting at the bottom of the steps.

"Master Zhang," the servant's attitude was far more respectful than before, and he bowed and said, "The Son of Heaven has summoned you, please come with us."

Liu Yanzhao’s confidant servants brought out from the East Palace—Chao Xing was insane, Honglu died in the rebellious army, and Yuezhao died in the sun. Now he is using a young servant who has just been promoted to his side. He hasn’t figured out the emperor’s temperament. Not so easy.

Although it was only a minor detail, it added a straw to Liu Yanzhao's already depressed mood. As soon as Zhang Jingche arrived outside the Palace of Qinzheng, he heard the crisp sound of cups being pushed to the ground: "Useless things, this point Little things can’t be done well!”

The little servant was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and when he first came to serve the emperor, he was already trembling and easily offended.Hearing the words, he was so frightened that he rolled over and fell to the ground, desperately kowtowed to plead guilty: "Your servant should die, please appease the emperor!"

Liu Yanzhao's brows were filled with irritability, and he said impatiently: "You don't need to serve here, go down!"

As if he had been pardoned, the little servant hurriedly cleaned up the messy broken porcelain, and hurriedly exited the hall, almost colliding with Zhang Jingche when he went out.

Zhang Jingche avoided it in time, and did not forget to reach out to help him in his busy schedule: "Eunuch, be careful."

The little servant didn't recognize him, so he nodded gratefully.

Zhang Jingche straightened his cannon sleeves, and walked into the hall without haste. The gate of Qinzheng Hall suddenly closed behind him, and a huge haze covered his head.This is another confrontation between Zhang Jingche and the Nine-Five Supreme. The two have completely torn off the last trace of warmth. Their mutual suspicion and hatred are like invisible weapons, pointing at each other's vitals.

Zhang Jingche stopped bowing down pretendingly, and said bluntly: "Your Majesty called me here, but you figured it out?"

Liu Yanzhao looked at him with a cold and unfamiliar gaze, as if he had never known this person before: "In the past two days, the important officials in the court have come forward one after another, urging me to make Dingbianhou the king of Dingbei, and take the west of Hetao as the fiefdom... Can your wish come true?"

Zhang Jingche stood with his hands tied, and smiled faintly: "Dingbian has been in the same line for many years, and he has made outstanding achievements and is deeply respected by the people. A throne is not enough for me!"

Liu Yanzhao summoned him here today, and he had already made up his mind to break everything, but after hearing such words, his anger surged into his heart uncontrollably: "Then what do you want to give away this dragon chair? What ecstasy soup did you drink to make you so devoted to him?"

Zhang Jingche turned his head and listened to the increasingly violent noise outside the hall: "Is it meaningful to entangle these things now?"

Liu Yanzhao raised his eyebrows, only to hear the man continue calmly: "Actually, Your Majesty knows very well that you have no other way to go except to become king... Huihe Huqi is just outside the city, as long as I say a word, the capital will change hands only in Between the ups and downs. With Liu's foundation and wealth and life, what is a 'Dingbei King'? To be honest, you still earned this deal."

Liu Yanzhao clenched his fingers tightly, his chest felt like a heavy stone: "You... you are really good at tricks! Since you have taken control of the overall situation, why don't you simply take this dragon chair and give it to Yang Yuanzhou?"

Zhang Jingche glanced at him: "You think I haven't thought about it?"

Liu Yanzhao was chilled to the marrow by this casual glance.

"If Yuanzhou is willing, I can certainly send three thousand miles of mountains and rivers to him. It's a pity that he abides by the way of a monarch and a minister, and he is unwilling to take such a step against the emperor. I respect his wishes and don't want to embarrass him," Zhang Jingche said frankly, "You should be thankful that you have a brother and courtier like Yuanzhou... But even so, I won't let him fall to Uncle Zhongyong."

Liu Yanzhao was slightly shy at first, and then became indescribably sad—he was indeed afraid of Yang Fan, and he had thought about weakening the military power, but he had never thought of sitting back and watching the border marquis fall into the same situation as the Duan family back then.Even though the courtiers criticized him in every possible way, Emperor Xinglong still remembered the brotherhood of the past and the friendship between the monarch and his ministers later, and took good care of Yang Fan.

Could it be that all these hard work and exhaustion were fed to the dogs?

"You...you just insist that I am a mean and ungrateful person?" Liu Yanzhao's eyes were red, "You can't tell how I have treated you and him all these years?"

Zhang Jingche turned his head to look at him, the ice in his eyes melted a little, of course he knew that what Liu Yanzhao said was true, he really cared about his past friendship, and he was always sympathetic.But Zhang Jingche understands better that the Dragon Seat in Qianqing Palace is the seat that is most likely to change people's hearts. The so-called "sincerity" is a little bit worn away by the world situation, a little bit by the political situation, and after a while, only cold suspicion and jealousy remain.

"Does your majesty still remember Concubine Xian?" Zhang Jingche said lightly, "Although she is of Duan's blood, she has never changed her infatuation with you, and has sacrificed herself several times to protect her... How did you treat her?"

Liu Yanzhao heard the sharp ridicule, and a grievance surged out of nowhere in his resentment: "Infatuation? She is full of family hatred, how can she have sincerity towards me? I asked myself that I treated her well, but she kept me in the dark Here, she even indirectly killed the Empress Dowager... such a traitor, how could I tolerate her!"

Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes, rubbed his temples, and stopped arguing with Liu Yanzhao, as if he expected early on that it was impossible to get a satisfactory answer from the emperor.

The huge hall suddenly fell silent, and Liu Yanzhao felt uneasy in the silence.Since the reunion, he and Zhang Jingche have fought countless times, but they have never gained the upper hand.He is the noble son of heaven, and Zhang Jingche is just a commoner, but in front of Zhang Jingche, Liu Yanzhao felt that the status of the two was reversed.

He once thought that he could firmly control this person, but after a long time, he realized that it was just an illusion of self-deception. He had never controlled this person. Ninety-Five Supreme stepped into the dust.

"Summer insects can't be talked about, and your Majesty and I will never reach a consensus." After a long time, Zhang Jingche shook his head mockingly and self-deprecatingly, "Your Majesty, your time is running out—if the imperial decree is not delivered within today Go to the Tai Chi Hall, at this time tomorrow, Huihe Huqi will enter the capital in large numbers, you can choose for yourself."

After saying that, he turned around unhurriedly, and was about to go back and forth.

Liu Yanzhao gritted his teeth and called him: "Wait! I... how can I not compare to Yang Yuanzhou? Why do you hate me so much when you plan everything for him?"

This was a stalk in Emperor Xinglong's heart. Even though he was praised by all the officials, he failed to convince Zhang Jingche, and the so-called peaceful and prosperous age was cast with a lingering haze.Liu Yanzhao thought he was diligent in governing and caring for the people, and he had made a lot of achievements since he took office. Even the harshest courtiers couldn't fault him, but he was repeatedly defeated in front of Zhang Jingche.

This is Emperor Xinglong's knot in his heart. If he cannot pass this hurdle, his life in the mountains and rivers will never be complete.

He couldn't understand the depression in his chest, so he simply confessed the grievances and unwillingness of these years: "You blame me for harming Concubine Shu... But I didn't know that she was your sister, and I asked myself how well I treated her. Two lives, I am also very sad!"

"You blame me for being mean and ungrateful, and imprisoning you like a pet... But don't you think about it, with your unruly temperament, you have never made your own decisions, why have you ever put your master in your eyes? If I am really that cruel, You self-willed person, where did you get the chance to speak nonsense in front of me?"

"I also know that my morals are shallow. Since I took the throne, I have been trembling, lest I let down the foundation left by my ancestors... These years, not to mention Haiqing, Heyan, the lives of ordinary people have always been much better than those of the first emperor. Everyone knows that I am the Holy King of Zhongxing, but you are the only one who disdains me!"

"What the hell...what did I do wrong!"

Zhang Jingche turned his head, his eyes were bottomless, he looked at Liu Yanzhao, and saw the sincerity from the unwilling and aggrieved face of the Ninth Five-Year Supreme. At this moment, he believed that Liu Yanzhao had spoken the truth. Zhang Jingche seems to be "too light".

"Does Your Majesty feel wronged?" Zhang Jingche asked indifferently, "You feel wronged because you think you have done something that the previous emperors could not do. You have given so much sincerity but you have not received anything in return, so you are full of resentment."

"If it were someone else, I might be grateful and kowtow three times. Unfortunately, as you said, I don't have a master in my eyes. Your sincerity is far from enough for me."

Liu Yanzhao stared at him blankly, almost bewildered: "Not enough? I treat you like a treasure, you... what else do you want?"

"You treat me like a treasure, but it doesn't matter if it's a treasure or a treasure. In the final analysis, it's just a plaything. If you do what you want, you will naturally be kind to me, but if you do, it means turning your back on me! "Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes, playing with the crystal-like jade fan bone, "And Yuanzhou... he regards me as a 'person'!"

Liu Yanzhao was stunned as if someone had slapped him across the face.

"He doesn't ask for anything in return for his kindness to me, and my relationship with him does not bring any utilitarianism. He respects my wishes, treats me as an equal individual, and never forces me to do anything I don't want to do."

Zhang Jingche looked up at Liu Yanzhao, and paused every word: "I could have endured the darkness...if I had never seen the light."

His understatement of a few or two sentences, on the contrary, made Liu Yanzhao more embarrassed than a long speech with a harsh voice.He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute.

"Your Majesty is a superior person, and he is used to responding to everything. However, if you have an order, all the people below will rush to obedience." Zhang Jingche put his hands behind his back, with a calm expression, "But I want to warn you, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. You Seeing the world as ants, the world will naturally regard you as worthless. You say that I am bold and reckless, and always feel that everyone should be a puppet in your hands... But in my opinion, this is the real arrogance. The ancients warned early If you think of high danger, you think of humility and self-pastoralism, and if you are afraid of overflowing, you think of rivers and seas, but you turn a deaf ear to it. If things go on like this, even if there are no powerful officials and powerful generals, the Liu family's world will be ruined in your own hands sooner or later!"

Every word of Zhang Jingche was like a sharp weapon that suddenly appeared, stabbing at the vital point with all his strength, Liu Yanzhao was in so much pain, but he was powerless to parry.He watched Zhang Jingche walk out of the Palace of Qinzheng. From the beginning to the end, the man never looked back, dismissed him, and showed no nostalgia.

I don't know how long it took, Emperor Xinglong seemed to be in so much pain that he couldn't stand it, he covered his chest and coughed vigorously, then trembled slightly, and vomited a mouthful of blood.The bright red in the fingertips was shocking, he was stunned for a moment, then wiped it off quietly with a handkerchief.

In the evening of the same day, the long-delayed imperial decree was sent to the Hall of Taiji through the six ministries of the three provinces: Yang Fan, Marquis of Dingbian, made outstanding contributions, served as a fan screen in the imperial family, and was enshrined in the royal family. Do not replace!Qinzai!

So far, the overall situation is settled?