turmoil

The cane punishment in front of the Palace of Qinzheng was a thorn in Zhang Jingche's heart. He once again understood the horror of imperial power. The superior can use any absurd reason to take a person's life, and was used by Emperor Taiping as a tool to teach his successors. In the eyes of the critically ill old emperor, it may still be a kind of honor.

As for what the "tool man" thinks, no one cares, and it doesn't matter.

"That night... Father probably knew that the deadline was approaching, so he forced the empress to announce you into the palace. If the empress refused, he would ask Commander Lu to read out the second will." Liu Yanzhao paused, without deliberately explaining, Liu Yanzhao But he roughly guessed what was written in the decree, "Father... the late emperor blamed you for the elder brother's imprisonment and confinement, deliberately gave you... and also taught me a lesson."

Zhang Jingche's face was expressionless, and his eyelashes showed thick and colorful marks under his eyelids.

Liu Yanzhao paused for a moment, with a tone of reproach: "However, you can't blame the late Emperor for this matter. I warned you earlier in the morning, don't rely on your cleverness to play around with those nasty things all day long, read more sage books, Isn’t it good to learn the way of a gentleman? Of course, the calculation of organs can be beneficial for a while, but what this court needs is a gentleman who is clear, bright and generous.”

Zhang Jingche couldn't bear it any longer, and chuckled lightly.

Liu Yanzhao stopped short of warning, and asked in astonishment, "What are you laughing at?"

Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes, and said calmly: "Your Highness, how many real gentlemen do you think there are in the Great Yin Dynasty today? Or, do you think that humble ministers are willing to mess with these under-the-table affairs?"

Liu Yanzhao was dumb: "Gu, Gu doesn't mean that..."

Looking at the young prince in front of him, Zhang Jingche felt tired.This new emperor is just like the rumored Qingming, benevolence, light, wind and moon... but he is too magnanimous, his eyes only look up, and he can't see the sorrow and wailing of the ants and grasshoppers under his feet.

Liu Yanzhao thought that he had spoken too seriously, Zhang Jingche would of course have a temper after narrowly escaped death.He paused, and reached out to pat Zhang Jingche's shoulder: "Okay, I know that you have been wronged, but fortunately all of this is over. If you stay alone and inherit the big position, you will never forget your hard work, and you will naturally agree A good prospect."

Zhang Jingche wanted to hide, but he knew that he was a little bird in the hands of others, and he didn't know what to do with the retreat just now. If he did it again, he would probably offend this clear and loving new emperor.

"Now is not the time..." Zhang Jingche gritted his teeth and thought, "I am fledgling, Jing Su is still in the palace, I can't tear myself apart with him."

He resisted the urge to retreat and let Liu Yanzhao put his hands on his shoulders.

Liu Yanzhao was overjoyed by his belated obedience, and thought that he had finally moved this man with his earnest words.Excited, he pulled Zhang Jingche into his arms, patted his back with one hand, and said softly: "What happened that night... I can't help but feel sorry for you. Don't worry, I won't do it again." I will. There will be a long time to come, Gu will definitely treat you well, and will not disappoint your heart."

Zhang Jingche didn't hear right, and wanted to make an excuse, but was stopped by a sudden feeling of nausea.He didn't dare to open his mouth, for fear that he would spew all the boredom and evil all over Xindi, but he thought of the Marquis of Dingbian whom he hadn't seen for a long time in his mind for no reason.

The next day, the new emperor came to the throne, and the enthronement ceremony was extremely grand, even in the small courtyard of the Zhang family, which was in a quiet corner, faint sounds of ritual and music could be heard.

This is the first time Zhang Jingche has experienced the new emperor's ascension to the throne after he came to this world. It would be a lie to say that he is not curious, but perhaps he is exhausted after the injury. He is not interested in going to the scene to join in the fun, but he would rather stay in his own small Live leisurely in the courtyard.

Han Xun was not around that day, and the Youyun Guard named Xu Shen was in charge of guarding. Zhang Jingche turned a page of the book and suddenly remembered something: "That day in Suzhou, Yan Ling was going to escort me back to the capital, so you went to find me. the Marquis of Dingbian?"

Xu Shen didn't expect that Zhang Jingche would suddenly bring up the old matter after so many days. He was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked around, seeing no one around, and then whispered: "...It's a humble job."

Zhang Jingche remained calm, and pointedly said: "You Yunwei was originally created for the royal family, and the new emperor is your real master... Are you afraid that your superiors will find out and blame you for doing this?"

Xu Shen gritted his teeth: "The humble job is a child of a poor family. There was a famine in my hometown that year, and the whole family had no food to eat. You gave my parents silver and brought me into Youyunwei, giving me a chance to survive... ...The humble position followed you to lurk in the northern border, and almost died in the hands of the Beile people, if it wasn't for saving me, you would not have exposed your identity and fell into the hands of the prince of Beile."

Zhang Jingche paused slightly for holding the scroll.

Xu Shen's cheeks tightened, he suddenly lifted the hem of his clothes, and knelt down on the ground: "I made an oath earlier in the morning that I will only be loyal to one Tongzhi in this life...not only me, many brothers in You Yunwei think so, Tongzhi If there is an order, you can give it to the humble official, and the humble official will go through fire and water, and die!"

He lowered his head and knocked heavily on the stone slab. The momentary movement made Zhang Jingche's fingertips tremble, and he almost lost his grip on the scroll.

Zhang Jingche once again felt that he couldn't see through people's hearts. People's hearts were like ravines, and no one knew what was hidden inside.Some people hide their filth, so sinister that it is daunting.Some people still remember the kindness of a little effort many years ago, and spare no effort to return the kindness.

As if there is light in the corner, there must be shadows, making people unable to tell the truth from the fake.

At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, the new emperor has a series of things to do - to change the year name, to assign meritorious officials, and to amnesty the world.Zhang Jingche listened carefully, next year will be the first year of Jianyin - the new emperor's long-suppressed ambition and aspirations can be seen from this year name.

What Zhang Jingche didn't expect was that Lu Xiang, the former commander of Jinyiwei, asked the new emperor to beg for bones. It happened to fall on Zhang Jingche's head.

To others, this is a great honor and favor, but to Zhang Jingche who just wants to get out, this is a hot potato.

From an outsider's point of view, Zhang Jingche can be said to have reached the sky in one step. From a third-rank Jinyiwei Tongzhi to a third-rank Jinyiwei commander, it seems that he has only been promoted by one level, but the power and responsibility are very different.At least, the Commander of Jinyiwei is in charge of the Fusi of the Nanbei Township, and he can justifiably supervise the officials. All major events and small affairs in Beijing have to be handled by him, and he has caught the lifeblood of many people invisibly.Even the chief assistant of the cabinet should be afraid of this position.

The premise is that Zhang Jingche must have the ability to hold Jin Yiwei firmly in his hands.

On the day of receiving the decree, Zhang Jingche went into the palace to thank him, and ran into Lu Xiang who was walking out at the gate of the palace.Zhang Jingche stopped and took the initiative to bow to salute. Lu Xiang looked at him expressionlessly, and asked after a long while, "Did you get your wish?"

Zhang Jingche said frankly: "I have never coveted the position of Commander of Jinyiwei."

Lu Xiang squinted at him: "You are a smart man, courageous, and capable... But I have to remind you, no matter how capable you are, you can't play tricks in front of Tianjia!"

Zhang Jingche looked indifferent.

"Sitting on this seat, you are a sharp knife and a vicious dog of the emperor... When have you ever seen a sharp knife and a vicious dog have their own consciousness?" Lu Xiang said coldly, "If you bite back and hurt the owner, even if No matter how fast the knife is, no matter how fierce the dog is, you can't escape being rejected!"

Zhang Jingche turned his eyes away, before others disliked him, genuine disgust flashed in his eyes.

He brushed past Lu Xiang and followed the internal officials into the palace city, but instead of going to Qinzheng Palace, he made a circle and went straight to Compassionate Ning Palace.

Now that the new emperor ascended the throne, the empress naturally moved into the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and became the empress dowager of the country.Zhang Jingche knew it well, so he entered the hall and paid respects in a respectful manner: "My minister kowtows to the queen mother."

The empress... Now she is the empress dowager, wearing a nine-dragon beaded emerald crown, a real red long-sleeved gown and a long red skirt, sitting behind the beaded curtain, she has the demeanor of a mother.Seeing Zhang Jingche, she smiled slightly, and her tone was more gentle than usual: "Get up, your body is just about to enter the palace to thank you, thank you for your hard work."

Zhang Jingche stood with his head bowed and did not respond.

The Empress Dowager felt slightly embarrassed, but she didn't feel offended, and said more gently: "All these years, the Ai family has seen all your efforts and efforts for the emperor... I wronged you that night, but don't worry, The Ai family sees your contribution, and will definitely not treat you brothers and sisters slowly."

Zhang Jingche finally raised his eyes, as if the still water was wrinkled by the breeze: "Your Majesty has been honored as a great treasure, this minister has repaid the kindness of the past, and also fulfilled the promise to the empress..."

The queen mother heard what he meant, and Liu Mei frowned slightly.

Sure enough, I heard Zhang Jingche's next sentence: "... Now that the position has been confirmed, I ask the empress to see that Xu Chen and his younger sister will retire for the sake of Weichen's work as a cow and horse all these years!"

The Empress Dowager sat up straight, pressed the corners of her eyes with a silk cloth, and smiled after a while: "You...you are so different! Others have achieved the merits of being a dragon, and they wish to rise to the top of the sky and become an extremely human minister, but you are about to get the glory in your hand." Wealth is pushed outward."

Zhang Jingche said indifferently: "I know how important I am, and I only deserve to stir up the situation under the table... Now that the new emperor is in power, it is time to get in touch with gentlemen who are so insidious and gentle like this little minister." It's really not suitable for a person who stays by your side for a long time."

"You are underestimating yourself!" The Empress Dowager sighed, "Although the new king has ascended the throne, the court is not a stagnant pool of water. Those old ministers have been suppressed by the previous emperor for many years. How can they not jump out and point fingers when the new king takes over with great difficulty? It's still the same sentence, you must have gentlemen around you, and you can't have sinister people, and if you take good care of the Jinyiwei, you will naturally have your future."

Zhang Jingche raised his eyes suddenly, the light was fleeting, and the sharpness of that moment shocked even the mother of a country.

The queen mother paused, changed her loving mother's face, and said worriedly: "I know you don't want to...you look submissive, but you are actually very rebellious, and you don't want to be humble in front of the emperor. It's just that the new emperor is no better than the first emperor, He is a kind person who misses old feelings, has a heavy heart, and is not easy to communicate with others... He treats you unusually, if you leave, he must be very sad."

Zhang Jingche laughed at himself: "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that my servant will instigate you to ruin your lord?"

The Empress Dowager laughed and said: "Your character, Aijia knows very well, the rumors in the market are all nonsense, you don't have to take it to heart, just handle your errands with peace of mind..."

Zhang Jingche didn't speak, and his face was hard to distinguish.

The Empress Dowager thought suddenly, and suddenly said: "Everything in the palace is complicated, and the new emperor needs the help of you humerus ministers... It's like the side concubine Zhang of the Eastern Palace who was unwell the day before yesterday. She was more than a month pregnant."

Zhang Jingche's newly bred blood faded visibly, and he said in a voiceless voice, "What?"

"In the past few months, the Ai family has watched with cold eyes. Concubine Zhang has a deep affection for the emperor's son. Now that she has a child, it can be considered to comfort her infatuation," the queen mother said softly, "The Ai family discussed with the emperor. After sealing the Six Palaces, Concubine Zhang is the concubine Shu who is second only to the empress, so it is not in vain that your brother and sister have worked hard all these years."

Zhang Jingche clenched his teeth, his knuckles turned white from his clenched fingers. After an unknown amount of time, he finally bent down and slammed his head on the cold gold brick floor: "Mr.... Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness!"

When he exited from the Palace of Compassion and Peace, Zhang Jingche did not hold back his emotions in a rare way, letting the gloom in his heart show on his face.About a shot away, the little eunuch finally caught up with him, panting, "Commander Zhang, Your Majesty announces your audience."

Zhang Jingche gave him a cold look, and the little eunuch felt aggrieved by him for no reason.

What Zhang Jingche didn't expect was that the new emperor was not the only one in the Palace of Qinzheng, Xu Qian and Yang Fan were both there.Perhaps it was because of the new emperor's accession to the throne and the status of the monarch and his ministers, the Marquis of Dingbian put away his usual rebelliousness, looked at his nose, nose and heart, and looked very obedient.

When Zhang Jingche walked in, Xu Qian was talking to the new emperor: "Nowadays, the world has settled down, and there should be some new things... For example, since the Taiping Dynasty, the trend of land annexation in various places has intensified. The livelihood that depends on it will either become a tenant farmer or become a bandit. If things go on like this, the foundation of the country will definitely be shaken..."

Liu Yanzhao raised his eyes unexpectedly, and seeing Zhang Jingche walking in, he quickly waved at Xu Qian, showing a warm smile: "Ming Huang is here!"

Zhang Jingche kowtowed and saluted, stood aside with his hands tied after getting up, at first glance he was exactly the same as Dingbianhou.Liu Yanzhao couldn't help laughing: "Why don't you talk? Yuan Zhou, you used to be the one who talked a lot. Why did you go to the south of the Yangtze River and become a gourd with sawing mouths instead?"

Yang Fan didn't dare to lift his eyes, lest Zhang Jingche's figure would fall into his eyes, and it would stir up his suppressed emotions.For a while, he thought about what Liu Yanzhao said that day, and the more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and for a while, he felt pity for Zhang Jingche for bearing the stigma of "in-law" for no reason, and he absolutely couldn't bear to speculate on him with such dirty thoughts.

Hearing Liu Yanzhao speak at this time, he forced a smile and said: "How could I? In the past, it was clear that Zijing talked more... Besides, I'm just a warrior, how can I know this? It's ridiculous to say it, it's better to be a peace of mind Saw-jawed gourd."

Liu Yanzhao's thoughts were not on him at all, he dismissed him and Xu Qian after a few jokes, and embraced Zhang Jingche in front of him.Zhang Jingche's footsteps staggered, and he stepped aside without showing any traces. Liu Yanzhao didn't take offense, and asked in a low voice, "You were called by your mother just now? What did you say?"

Zhang Jingche said indifferently: "It's nothing...just said a few words about what happened that night, and told me to try my best to help you."

Liu Yanzhao heaved a sigh of relief, and said with a smile, "That's good...the empress mother is always gentle, so I don't think I will embarrass you."

He looked at Zhang Jingche with his hands behind his back for a moment, and said with concern: "July is coming soon, although it's hot, but your body is just right, don't wear too thin... There is nothing else to do today, just eat in the palace? Call the imperial doctor to show you later..."

The more he talked, the closer he got, Zhang Jingche couldn't bear it anymore, took two steps back, and distanced himself from him: "Thank you for your kindness...but I still have to go to Fusi of Jinyiwei North Town, and please leave first."

Liu Yanzhao was obviously stunned when he looked at the arms that were suddenly empty.