turmoil

Yang Fan was sick for more than a month, and Beile seemed to be in dormancy, but in fact they didn't stop—they didn't dare to provoke the Northwest Camp, so they simply turned around and burned, killed and looted around Kaiping.The frontier generals were disturbed by him and suffered unspeakably. He had no choice but to fortify the wall and clear the field, while trying his best to block the Beile offensive, while asking for help from the imperial court and the Northwest Camp.

At that time, Yang Fan could already get out of bed and walk around.After all, he was young. Although he had suffered a serious illness, he had taken good care of himself in the past two days, he could eat and sleep well, and his face had turned ruddy visibly.

As soon as a person is good, he starts to see the sky as a demon, Dingbian Hou clears porridge and side dishes for a few days, and fades out early, saying that he refuses to eat well.Zhang Jingche had nothing to do with him, so he had to get some freshly grown lambs, slaughtered them, washed them, and roasted them over the fire until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.Soon, the scent wafted all over the camp. Yang Fan was so greedy that he swallowed his saliva: "Are you ready? It's almost done, don't be so particular about it!"

Zhang Jingche gave him a cold look: "Forgot how I got sick?"

Yang Fan didn't dare to say anything.

He was so greedy that he could only distract his attention by rambling: "The barbarians of Beile are nothing. They can't get good things here, and they went to Kaiping to make people hate... If I say it, I should give it to them." Be ruthless, so that the tiger will not show its power and be treated as a sick cat!"

Zhang Jingche heard the meaning behind his words, and quickly raised his eyelids: "Why, Master Hou has an idea?"

Yang Fan picked up his left hand, and rubbed his skin as white as jade repeatedly: "I thought, Beile came out in full force this time, first he suffered from us, and then he went to Kaipingwei. After several close encounters, the wear and tear must be great. Small, about a few years of family savings have been lost..."

How well Zhang Jingche knew him, and he knew the elegance after hearing Xiange: "Do you want to go deep into the tiger's den and complete all your achievements in one battle?"

Yang Fan nodded.

Zhang Jingche didn't say a word, and concentrated on roasting the mutton.

Yang Fan looked at his face, and said cautiously: "Beile has occupied the grassland for many years, and it has become a serious problem for our court. In these years, countless soldiers, civilians and civilians have been harmed by it... I am a Marquis and Dingbian, just to defend the border for the court. How can I ignore it?"

Zhang Jingche sighed: "I didn't say I wouldn't let you take care of it... It's just that the birds are exhausted, the rabbits are dead, and the boat is far away. You have devoted yourself to the court, but have you ever thought about what will happen to you after the foreign troubles are settled?"

Yang Fan couldn't help being stunned.

Zhang Jingche didn't want to talk about this, he knew that under Yang Fan's rogue skin was a passion to serve the country, so if it was not a last resort, he really didn't want to throw cold water on him.But Zhang Jingche has seen too many examples of "loyal ministers and good generals not dying well". In his previous life, he might be able to take it lightly. After all, they are all records in black and white.However, Zhang Jingche couldn't bear it when the boring words were replaced by the fresh human life in front of him.

What's more, this person is Yang Fan... the only concern he has left in this world.

"It's your loyalty to drive away Beile and guard the border, and I won't stop you," Zhang Jingche said, "but you have to think about yourself... If one day, the cancerous tumor of Beile is uprooted, the court will definitely not Allowing you to continue to hold the military power, then you have only two options—either hand over the military power and never ask about the court situation; or be convicted and die, and the famous names of several generations of Dingbian will be wiped out."

He paused, looked at Yang Fan's face, and unhurriedly took the last strong medicine: "Just like Uncle Zhongyong did back then!"

Yang Fan was startled suddenly, his casual eyes finally gathered together, revealing a thoughtful expression.

Overcast and cloudy outside the pass, the capital thousands of miles away is still beautiful and prosperous.The weather was fine that day, Emperor Xinglong accompanied the Empress Dowager Wu to relax in the imperial garden, now it's September, the chrysanthemums in the garden are in season, colorful and colorful.Among them, the most valuable one is "Chunshui Lubo", which is a newly cultivated green chrysanthemum in the flower house. It is very rare. The petals are carved out of emeralds, and each petal is stretched out.

The queen mother didn't pay much attention to this precious chrysanthemum, she just picked up the stamen and threw it into the green pool.After a while, the koi came out of the water, scrambling to snatch the chrysanthemum pistil, and the blue water was full of red, which was very beautiful.

The Empress Dowager wore a beaded emerald crown, although she was nearly half a hundred years old, she still had an undiminished charm: "The Ai family heard that the emperor made a fuss in the Palace of Qinzheng, why?"

Liu Yanzhao raised his head, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Since Zhang Jingche "suicided himself in prison" five years ago, the relationship between the mother and son has plummeted.Although Liu Yanzhao is filial, although he is familiar with the words of sages, he is the emperor after all.What the emperor hates the most is someone arbitrarily taking power and acting behind his back, even if this person is his own mother, doing everything for his own consideration is not acceptable.

"It's not a big deal," Liu Yanzhao said calmly, "It's just that the son-in-law himself is very angry and can't hold his breath for a while... And who is not good-looking and gossips in front of the mother? When I look back, I will definitely send Qin Zheng Your highness will clean it up, and drag this snarky slave out and beat him to death with sticks!"

His tone was calm, but there was a sharp coldness, the eunuch who was waiting on the side knew how powerful he was, and knelt down on the ground tremblingly.

Empress Dowager Wu sighed secretly, and said softly: "Aijia is just asking for nothing, why is the emperor so caring? Aijia is the emperor's mother, so it is natural for him to care about the emperor's affairs."

Liu Yanzhao smiled faintly: "Mother, my son has grown up, and he is no longer the child who relied on your protection for everything... My son knows it well, so I don't need my mother to worry about it."

Mother and son were really strangers when they did this. Empress Dowager Wu reluctantly exchanged a few words, but seeing Liu Yanzhao's expression was cold, she felt so boring, so she excused herself to be tired and went straight back to the Palace of Compassion.

As soon as she entered the palace gate, the Empress Dowager's face fell down, and the palace people on the left and right did not dare to say a word, and bowed their heads obediently.Serving by the side was an old man in front of the queen mother, named Yuxiang, who had followed the queen mother since she was a child, and even married into Emperor Taiping's hidden residence.With a wave of her hand, she pushed the idlers away from the hall, poured hot tea herself, and handed it to the Empress Dowager: "Don't be angry, Empress Dowager, drink a cup of tea to calm down."

The Empress Dowager took the tea bowl and made a gesture to throw it on the ground. The hot tea splashed all over her hands, and Yu Xiang exclaimed, "Master, be careful that you hurt your hand!"

The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, and placed the tea bowl heavily on the table, finally showing signs of grievance and frustration: "Look... Aijia is just asking for nothing, the emperor is so suspicious of me!"

No one knew better than Aunt Yuxiang the knot between mother and child. She didn't dare to persuade her deeply, so she could only apologize with a smile: "The empress dowager is overthinking, the emperor didn't mean that..."

However, the Empress Dowager was heartbroken, and it was not something that could be persuaded by a few words: "Since the death of Concubine Shu's brothers and sisters, the emperor has been lukewarm towards Aijia... Aijia knew it, and he blamed Aijia for making his own decisions and blindfolding him from beginning to end." In the drum! I even complain that the Ai family manipulated the kid surnamed Zhang, killing Concubine Shu and killing him, and the kid surnamed Zhang committed suicide! But who is the Ai family doing for? For themselves? Isn’t it for him to go smoothly? Sit firmly on this dragon chair!"

Yu Xiang was silent for a moment, then said palely: "The master has put in so much effort, the emperor will understand."

The queen mother smiled wryly: "Understood? You have seen with your own eyes how much the emperor was wary of Aijia these years. All the beauties sent by Aijia were neglected in the harem, and even the queen was angered. Aijia is his Mother, but he did this to me for the sake of a commoner..."

The empress dowager became more and more annoyed, telling all the grievances of these years, Yuxiang did not dare to say anything, picked up the white jade beauty hammer on the case, and gently dredged the empress dowager's muscles and bones.

The Empress Dowager spoke for a while, then gradually calmed down, took a sip of hot tea and asked, "What happened to the previous one? The Ai family heard that the emperor was agitated in the Palace of Qinzheng, can you find out the reason?"

Yu Xiang showed a look of embarrassment: "Master knows it. Since the incident happened back then, the emperor has cleaned You Yunwei up and down, but anyone who was a little suspicious was kicked out... Now, You Yunwei is headed by Han Xun. They only follow the emperor's wishes to run errands, and the water can't be poured up and down, like an iron bucket, the slaves are really..."

The queen mother sighed: "Forget it... The emperor has suffered a lot from this, and now he has overcorrected, and it is inevitable that he will be suspicious... He doesn't want the Ai family to intervene, and the Ai family can ignore it, but there is one thing, the emperor must have someone of our own in front of him." , otherwise any news will be delayed, and it will be impossible to plan in advance."

Yu Xiang thought for a while, then leaned into the Queen Mother's ear and whispered: "I think of someone, this servant. There is a small chief in the Ministry of War named Cai Yun. Although his errands are average, he is good at teaching his children. There is a young lady in his family. Fang Shiqi was born gentle and virtuous, elegant and intelligent..."

The queen mother frowned: "I'm afraid it won't work...Ever since that incident, the emperor has been suspicious of Aijia. Look at these years, are there still few beauties sent in? What's the result? The emperor didn't catch a single one."

Yuxiang looked at the Queen Mother, hesitant to speak.

The Queen Mother noticed something: "If you have anything to say, it's okay to say it. You and I have been together as master and servant for decades, and the most difficult days have passed. Let's not deal with these falsehoods."

Yu Xiang then said softly: "My servant has inquired carefully. This Miss Cai is the adopted daughter of Master Cai. Although she is not her own, she looks like a jewel in the palm of her hand. Even if she is the daughter of a duke, it is nothing more than that. The most important thing What's more, this Miss Cai looks very much like a person..."

The queen mother's heart skipped a beat: "You mean..."

Yu Xiang said euphemistically: "To untie the bell, the person who tied it has to be done. Since the emperor has been thinking about Mr. Zhang for so many years, we can't change Mr. Zhang back, and can't we find someone who looks like him to satisfy the emperor's infatuation?"

The queen mother lowered her eyes and subconsciously twirled the emerald beads on her wrist.Yuxiang knew that what he just said was presumptuous, so he didn't dare to say more, so he quietly put on a cup of hot tea.After a long while, the Empress Dowager said calmly: "That's all... If that's the case, find a time to call that Miss Cai's family into the palace and let the Ai family have a look."

Zhang Jingche, who was far away in the northwest border, was unaware of the queen mother's schemes. To him, no matter how delicate the schemes of the women in the deep palace were, they were still doing Taoism in a snail shell, so it was not worth paying attention to.

What's more, since that day, when he confides all his thoughts to Yang Fan, Marquis Dingbian is obviously depressed a lot, and he doesn't like to talk every day, just thinking about it.

Zhang Jingche knew that Yang Fan didn't want to hear this - he is an out-and-out native of the Great Yin, he grew up listening to the selflessness of the sky and the selflessness of the earth, and behind him are generations of loyal and good Dingbian ancestors. thing.

However, Yang Fan knew better than anyone else that Zhang Jingche's words were not impossible to come true. If that day came, Yang Fan himself might not care, but how should the [-] soldiers in the northwest border deal with themselves?Where should Dingbian's reputation of being loyal and good from generation to generation go?

Yang Fan doesn't care about dying for the country, but he must not let the Dingbian Houfu follow in the footsteps of Uncle Zhongyong.

"...I won't let myself become the second Duan Shibo." Two days later in the evening, Yang Fan held Zhang Jingche's wrist and said casually, "I've made up my mind, since the court doesn't like me, I just won't serve you—— After I finish beating the Beile people, I will find an excuse, tell the outside world that the old injury relapsed and died, and ask Zhuo Jiusi to carry the empty coffin back to Beijing, so that the gang of sour scholars in the court will not always think about troubles for me!"

Zhang Jingche never dreamed of it, Dingbian Hou thought about it for two days, and now that he came up with such a bad idea, he couldn't laugh or cry for a while: "You can think about it, once the golden cicada escapes its shell, there is no room for turning back, otherwise you are deceiving the king...you Dingbian The incense of the line is cut off!"

Yang Fan didn't care: "I didn't stay in the Northwest for so many years because of a noble title! Besides, the incense of the Dingbian lineage has long been cut off, but the ancestors have always been reasonable, so I don't think they will blame me."

As he spoke, he leaned forward and rubbed against Zhang Jingche non-stop, until Zhang Jingche was distracted, his clothes were soaked in sweat, and he couldn't even count the books.

"At that time, I'll hang out with you. Anyway, your family has a great career, so I don't need a bite of food." Yang Fan made up his mind to eat soft food, and stuck to Zhang Jingche, "Mr. Zhang, I will rely on you to support my family in the future. How can you?" You have to fight up."

Zhang Jingche couldn't help laughing, and pulled out the determination to endure Bei Le's torture, pinched the back of Dingbianhou's neck, and tore him off his body.

He thought that people's gains and losses really have a definite number. When he first knew that he was living in another world, he was helpless and full of resentment. Only now did he realize that there was a great surprise hidden behind the suffering.

"If all the hardships before were all for meeting this person," Zhang Jingche thought ecstatically, "it seems...it's not that difficult?"

However, they are in the army right now, with foreigners raging in front of them and infighting in the court behind them, it is too early to say this.Soon, most of Yang Fan's recovery was recovered, and he felt that it was easy to go to heaven and earth, so he couldn't sit still anymore.

"I have discussed with Jiusi that Beile is a confidant, and sooner or later there will be a battle. Rather than this, it is better to fight early!" Yang Fan said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow, I will lead [-] elite soldiers to sneak into the grassland, and the pass will be handed over to Jiusi." Sitting in town..."

Zhang Jingche's expression changed slightly: "So anxious? Are you well enough to survive the long-distance travel?"

Yang Fan smiled nonchalantly: "What's the matter? The root of the disease has been cured long ago! I'm not like you, like a beauty lamp, blowing it will break..."

Zhang Jingche gritted his teeth: "Yang Yuanzhou...you're looking for a beating, right?"

Yang Fan coaxed Zhang Jingche with a playful smile, and finally calmed down Zhang Jingche's anger, and said: "Beile's main force is on Kaipingwei, and I never thought that I would go to his lair. When I am away, Jiusi will make more troops to Kaiping Wei's posture forced Beile Khan to have no time to look back."

Zhang Jingche has considered all aspects, but still thinks it's too risky: "The grassland is vast, and the Beile people live after water and grass. Who knows where their royal court is? What if..."

"There is no chance!" Yang Fan lazily said, "War is a gamble, and there is never a sure deal. This is the most once-and-for-all solution. If it works, at least in ten years, the Central Plains will have no worries about the northern border."

Zhang Jingche knew that he couldn't convince Yang Fan - he was a businessman, and he could clearly calculate gains and losses, but there are some things in this world that cannot be summed up in two words.

"...I'll lend you the firecrackers in my hand temporarily, and you can be more sure if you bring them with you." After a while, Zhang Jingche sighed, and offered to make concessions, "Don't worry about medicinal materials, money and food. Me, as long as I am here, the soldiers of the Northwest Camp will not be hungry."

Yang Fan endured it again and again, but still couldn't hold back, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.