turmoil

Liu Yanzhao arrived at Fusi, Jinyiwei North Town, late at night. At that time, the palace gate had already been keyed, but was hastily opened under the repeated urging of the new emperor.Liu Yanzhao couldn't hear the eunuch's persuasion, and couldn't care about the possible accusations from the eunuch, and only had one thought in his mind: This is impossible!

How can a person who is fine at noon commit suicide?How... did he die?

"No, it's impossible!" Liu Yanzhao thought, "If you live, you need to see people, if you die, you need to see corpses... If I don't see him, I will never believe it!"

Then, he saw that man's pale face in Fusi's wing in Beizhen.

Zhang Jingche committed suicide in fear of crime, and before he had time to bury his body, he just wrapped the body in a straw mat and placed it in a disrepaired wing.Half of the straw mat was opened, revealing his pale and bluish face, his facial features, eyes, mouth and nose were all familiar, but his eyes were tightly closed, lifeless.

Liu Yanzhao trembled all over, pushed the little eunuch away, and staggered two steps forward.He snatched the torch, and tremblingly held it closer, and saw an inch-long bloody gash on the man's neck under the straw mat, the flesh and blood rolled up naked, and the blood had dried up.

"What, what's going on?" Liu Yanzhao panted violently, and heard himself asking in embarrassment, "How can there be a weapon in the imperial prison?"

Han Xun, the guardian of Jinyi, had already knelt by the side, and kowtowed endlessly when he heard the words: "Your Majesty, forgive me... I never imagined that Commander Zhang would have the will to die! He, he smashed the porcelain bowl used to deliver food, and waited until the minister By the time I found out... I had already died of exhaustion, and there was no way to recover!"

Liu Yanzhao turned his head suddenly, and stared at him sharply: "You bastard! Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him... What are you doing, that's how you do things!"

Han Xun was extremely terrified: "I will die! Commander Zhang has been keeping himself safe since he was imprisoned. I thought he had finally figured it out, repented of his past mistakes, and waited for His Majesty to punish him. Who would have thought that he suddenly... didn't know anything beforehand?" A sign! I have failed His Majesty's entrustment, and death is inevitable!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed, and the blue bricks were soon stained with blood.

Liu Yanzhao's prepared attack was stopped by this sentence.

He recollected Han Xun's words - "I have always kept myself safe" and "There was no warning beforehand", and a frightening thought suddenly came to my mind.

"It's because of me," he thought tremblingly, "because of... what I said!"

Liu Yanzhao knew well that the so-called "cleaning himself and entering the palace" was just an angry remark, but other people were not roundworms in his stomach, so they didn't know his thoughts that were going through all kinds of twists and turns.With Zhang Jingche's arrogance, he absolutely couldn't bear to enter the palace without sanitation, so it was reasonable for him to kill himself.

Liu Yanzhao should have thought of this, but he ignored it... Maybe it was because the emperor was angry, or maybe it was because he never lowered his head and really saw that person in his eyes.

"It's...it's my fault," the new emperor muttered to himself, "it's me...that hurt him!"

Han Xun leaned over and kowtowed, exhaling a cold air almost imperceptibly.

Suddenly there was loud laughter from behind, and before the Jin Yiwei, who were all over the courtyard, came back to their senses, a man with disheveled hair suddenly barged in.Jin Yiwei yelled and rushed forward, surrounded Liu Yanzhao in the center, but the man didn't even look at the new emperor, and went straight to the wing.

Liu Yanzhao suddenly realized something, and repeatedly exclaimed: "Come on, stop him!"

It's a pity that it was too late, the man looked crazy, but his skills were surprisingly agile.Before Jin Yiwei could grab him, he kicked over the brazier, and the charcoal fire splashed on the straw mat, but the flames exploded in an instant, swallowing the tattered straw mat... and the lifeless corpse inside.

Liu Yanzhao seemed to have been gouged out by someone, and rushed in desperately, but was stopped by Jin Yiwei hurriedly.He couldn't break free, so he could only shout hoarsely: "No... put out the fire! Put out the fire!"

The emperor has orders, how dare Jin Yiwei not obey?A group of people waited to take down the lunatic, and then put out the fire with all their might. Even so, the corpse in the straw mat was also burned into a charcoal beyond recognition.

Liu Yanzhao's mind and soul seemed to be burned together. He didn't care about interrogating the lunatic, and walked forward tremblingly, but he stumbled when he raised his leg.Han Xun hurriedly supported him, and turned his side to block the charred corpse: "Your Majesty... this corpse is already ugly, so don't look at it."

Liu Yanzhao tried his best to tear him apart, but he has been pampered and pampered for many years, how can he earn more than Jin Yiwei?Being surrounded and dragged aside.The new emperor poked his neck to look at the charred corpse, only to feel that the sight of a thousand arrows pierced his heart, and eventually he even stopped breathing.

"If I had known earlier," he thought blankly, "If I had known..."

It's a pity that even a thousand dollars in this world can't exchange for the words "I knew it earlier".

Zhang Jingche was waiting for a crime and committed suicide. It is said that he didn't even deserve to have a coffin. It should be wrapped in a straw mat and thrown on the mass grave.However, Liu Yanzhao refused to allow it, and insisted on staying in Beizhen Fusi for seven days. Seeing that the corpse was smelly, he completely stopped thinking about it.

Zhang Jingche's funeral was taken care of by Han Xun. He used a thin coffin to contain the body and did not throw it in the mass grave. Instead, he found a beautiful geomantic treasure land and erected a bluestone tomb.Liu Yanzhao went to worship in private, and stared at the tombstone in a daze for a long time, the corners of his eyes were red, as if he was about to shed tears.

However, he finally didn't lose his composure in front of people, turned around and walked away stiffly.

After all, the new emperor is different from Emperor Taiping, with three thousand miles of mountains and rivers on his shoulders, there is not much time left for him to mourn the spring and autumn.Especially at this moment, there was an urgent message from northern Xinjiang—Beile, who had been quiet for more than a year, was about to move. Although there was no sign of an invasion, he formed an alliance with Huihe in private, and his intentions were self-evident.

Ten days later, Yang Fan, Marquis of Dingbian, went to the imperial court and asked to return to northern Xinjiang.

"...Beile's wolf ambition, and Huihe's seemingly obedient, but in fact harbors evil intentions. The two secretly collude, which will surely cause serious trouble!"

At the great court meeting that day, Marquis Dingbian came out and knelt down, with sonorous words: "My Great Yin is a country of etiquette, and we should educate our neighbors with benevolence and virtue, but if the neighbors teach us badly, there is no reason for us to be passively beaten. Please Your Majesty Xu Chen goes north, if Bei Le is safe and secure, then let it go, if not, I will teach him to experience the power of the soldiers of the upper kingdom!"

It’s not that there were no courtiers who expressed objections. For example, Minister of the Ministry of Household Jian Sihui said: “Nowadays, the national treasury is not rich, so it is not appropriate to start a war lightly. Moreover, Beile is only forming an alliance with Huihe, and the small border countries communicate with each other. It is not a big deal. Marquis Bian will make a trip in person?"

Yang Fan said sternly: "Master Jian's words are wrong! Although Beile is small, the whole people are soldiers, and they are brave and hard to tame! Huihe guards the key areas of the Western Regions. Over the years, it has exchanged with other countries in the Western Regions, and its family background is really rich. Both sides One has soldiers and the other has money, if they collude together, it will be a great threat to my wealth!"

Jian Sihui wanted to add that Yang Fan had already turned to the new emperor: "Your Majesty! Back then when he went from north to south, the places he passed were burned, killed and looted, and the people suffered terribly! It is true that my great Yin used benevolence to educate the four realms, but this benevolence is right. Neighbors, but also to the people in the territory! If even the capital of Limin and Guizhou cannot be preserved, I will be ashamed of the emperor, and even more ashamed of my ancestors in Dingbian! Linyuan envy fish, it is better to plan ahead, and I hope the emperor thinks twice!"

In the war in Northern Xinjiang, the Marquis of Dingbian played a very important role. Even if Yang Fan has made up his mind to be a dandy who eats and waits to die since returning to Beijing, he still has the right to speak in the four-border war that cannot be underestimated.

At the same time, Guo Chen, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, wrote an excerpt. The memorial did not mention anything about Beile and Huihe, but only said that the Hetao area was very important, and it was an important place to guard the commercial roads of the Western Regions.Now that the national treasury is not abundant and the people's livelihood is weak, the imperial court, instead of expropriating the people and adding to the burden, should expand trade routes, communicate with the countries in the Western Regions, and fill the treasury with tariff profits.

If it is said that "preparing for the northern border" just made Liu Yanzhao hesitate, then Guo Chen's remark hit the heart of the new emperor.After two days of deliberation, he still issued an imperial decree. The decree did not mention preparing for war and guarding the border, but only ordered the border marquis to guard the Silk Road, try to contact the countries in the Western Regions, strive to open up trade routes, and subsidize the national treasury with the benefits of tariffs.

The Marquis of Dingbian accepted the decree happily.

At this time, October has passed, and the autumn wind in the capital is heavy, and it has rained a few times.The day when Marquis Dingbian left Beijing was a rare sunny day, the autumn was crisp and the sky was clear and cloudy. The new emperor set up a guard of honor and personally sent Marquis Dingbian out of the city.After the two of them drank the farewell wine, they seemed to be relatively speechless.

After a long time, Liu Yanzhao patted Yang Fan's shoulder, with a look of shame on his brows: "You have just the right wind and cold, and you have to go northward. It's really hard work."

During this period of autumn and winter, the climate is unpredictable, many people in Beijing are suffering from wind and cold, and Marquis of Dingbian is no exception.This time when he left Beijing, he did not ride a horse, but took a carriage instead.His face was pale and looked sickly.

Hearing this, Yang Fan responded politely: "His Majesty Lao is concerned, and my minister is fine."

Hearing his distant tone, Liu Yanzhao sighed quietly: "I know, you blame me in your heart."

Yang Fan's eyebrows moved slightly, and he said lightly: "The emperor's words are serious, and the minister dare not."

Liu Yanzhao couldn't help but smiled wryly: "You say you don't dare, but you still blame me in your heart... In fact, why don't I blame myself? If that day, I can be more patient and tell him clearly, he... doesn't have to This is the way to go.”

Yang Fan knew that he shouldn't speak, the emperor didn't need others to express his opinions, he just needed to be a competent tree hole.But Yang Fan couldn't help it. After all, he said a few words out of nowhere: "The emperor thinks...the problem you have with him is only about the word 'patience'?"

Liu Yanzhao froze slightly, and for a moment, his face sank visibly.

Yang Fan knew that he had said something wrong, so Ma Liu knelt down and pleaded guilty: "Your Majesty made a mistake... It's been so many years, I don't know when we will see you again, I hope Your Majesty will take care!"

Looking at Fa Xiao who was kneeling on the ground, Liu Yanzhao didn't know what it was like.At this moment, he truly realized that he could only walk this high and low road by himself in the future.

Even if you look at the small mountains, you can't escape the coldness of the high places.

Marquis Dingbian led his own soldiers to leave the capital, and traveled fast all the way, and only slowed down a little when they left the border of Gyeonggi.On this day, when I reached the boundary of Qinghe, there was a dense bamboo forest in the distance. Even though it was late autumn, there were still phoenix songs and lush greenery.Yang Fan signaled the soldiers to rest on the spot, got out of the carriage, turned around and handed over a hand.

After a while, the curtain of the car was lifted, revealing half of the face that covered Qiu Se: "Thank you, Lord Hou."

It was Zhang Jingche who was supposed to die in prison.

He supported Yang Fan's outstretched hand, and got out of the car without any haste, and a dozen or so men in black came out from the bamboo grove, and they seemed to have been waiting for a while.The leader was Xu Shen. He saluted Yang Fan first, then turned to Zhang Jingche, with a sob in his throat: "My lord!"

Zhang Jingche nodded with a smile, and then looked at Yang Fan: "Thank you, Lord Hou, to see you off... I will see you off today, I don't know when I will see you again. I have prepared a little wine, Lord Hou, would you like to honor me?"

Yang Fan naturally had no reason not to agree.

The two entered the bamboo forest side by side, and a table of wine and food was prepared in the pavilion.Yang Fan picked up the jug, filled himself a glass, and was about to put it to his mouth, but Zhang Jingche grabbed his wrist.

Zhang Jingche looked at it carefully, and frowned slightly: "Master Hou's complexion is not very good, and it's on the way to the army, so it's better to drink less."

Yang Fan "cut": "It's not that you said 'prepare a little wine', and now you don't let me drink, isn't this a gimmick?"

Zhang Jingche couldn't help laughing, and let Hou Dingbian be obsessed, and changed him to a cup of hot tea: "Then owe it first... The mountains and rivers meet each other, and there is always a time to see you again. When the time comes, I will ask Lord Hou to taste it all over the world." Good wine."

Yang Fan took two sips of hot tea and picked up a few chopsticks of vegetables. He only felt that the tea was weak tea and the vegetables were clear vegetables.

"That's what you said," he swallowed his sore throat forcibly, and smiled nonchalantly, "When the time comes, I'll ask Mr. Zhang for a glass of water and wine."

The two of them had a tacit understanding and drank together. Neither of them mentioned the capital city and the feigned death. The sky is high and the earth is far away.

It's not worth mentioning, and it doesn't have to be missed.

Yang Fan couldn't help but look at Zhang Jingche, trying to get some clues from his eyebrows.However, maybe it has been imprisoned for a long time, and the moment he got out of the cage, this person's expression is indifferent, and he can't see the sorrow of parting, nor the joy of being free again.It was just that at the moment when the bamboo leaves shook, he tilted his head and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of waves in the vast expanse of bamboo sea, showing a little bit of relaxation.

At this moment, Zhang Jingche finally had a sense of belonging that "this life is up to you".

Yang Fan still had to set off for the northern border, so it would be inconvenient to delay too long, and so did Zhang Jingche. No matter how far you go, cut off the connection with Beijing as soon as possible.

Yang Fan originally thought he had overlooked it, but when Zhang Jingche got up and walked deep into the bamboo forest, he felt a great panic for no reason, as if he knew that something extremely important was slipping out of control inch by inch.

Yang Fan stood up immediately, subconsciously catching up two steps: "...Brother!"

Zhang Jingche paused, looking back in surprise, the two looked at each other, Ding Bianhou relaxed his iron blood and calmly, there was no way to hide his reluctance and sadness.

Zhang Jingche's heart trembled slightly, and many doubts and grievances that he didn't dare to think about, suddenly disappeared.

With a gentle smile, he turned back quickly, took out a folding fan from his sleeve, and held it in front of Yang Fan with both hands.

This kind of carefulness and preciousness is the most important thing, as if it is not only a folding fan, but an unknown friendship and fate.

There is no way to put it down and nothing to repay, so I can only keep it in my heart properly, and dare to taste it when the night is quiet.

Yang Fan understood what he meant, took the fan with the same care, and opened his mouth as if to say a thousand words, but there was only one sentence on his lips: "You... Take care all the way."

Zhang Jingche bowed and saluted, turned around and walked into the depths of the bamboo forest, Xiao Xiao's white clothes melted into greenery, and was swept away by the long wind without a trace.

At this point, the sky is high and the ground is far away, the mountains are long and the water is wide.

upper end