turmoil

When Zhang Jingche woke up, his temples were in severe pain like needles. He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, but something pulled his wrist and made a "crash".

Zhang Jingche shivered and fell asleep in an instant.

He took a closer look and saw that there were shackles on his wrists, and the end of the chain was fixed at the "head of the bed".Look again, what kind of bed is this? The "bed board" swayed rhythmically, and a window was opened on the "wall", and the scenery outside the window moved back unhurriedly, and it turned out to be lying on the carriage.

Zhang Jingche struggled a little, and sat up with difficulty, when someone beside him asked, "Master Zhang, are you resting well?"

It was an unfamiliar voice, Zhang Jingche raised his head subconsciously, only to see a man in his thirties sitting in front of him.This person looks quite upright, but his eyes are unusually sharp, and the pupils are bursting with cold light, making people dare not look at each other easily.

Zhang Jingche was silent for a moment: "The current deputy commander of You Yunwei...Xiao Heshan?"

Xiao Heshan was a little surprised at first, and then smiled and said: "It's a great honor to think that Mr. Zhang has heard of my name."

Zhang Jingche tried to squeeze his fingers, but found that his muscles were weak, and he trembled after a little effort.He frowned and said, "Why, you used Ruanjin powder for me?"

Xiao Heshan was thinking about Emperor Xinglong's order to "be safe and sound", fearing that this man would have a comeback one day, he did not dare to force him too much, his words were very modest and cautious: "Just in case... please rest assured, Mr. Zhang, as long as you are on the way Cooperate, I will never dare to be disrespectful."

Zhang Jingche's headache hadn't passed yet, and everything he saw was doubled, so his mood wasn't much better.He paused, and the corners of his mouth curled up mockingly: "I've been 'dead' for so many years, but the emperor still refuses to let me go..."

Xiao Heshan said euphemistically: "My lord Zhang's words were wrong. Your Majesty has a kind heart, and he has long forgotten those old sesame seeds and rotten millet... This time, it was also by chance that he heard that you are still alive. I couldn't help but be overjoyed, so I ordered my humble official to welcome you back to Beijing, to say goodbye..."

Zhang Jingche shook his wrist and curled the corners of his mouth mockingly: "Welcome back to Beijing? Are you sure you're not arresting him and waiting to be punished?"

Xiao Heshan could hear the dissatisfaction in his words, and paused for a moment before saying: "The emperor really values ​​Mr. Zhang, what happened back then... is in the past, if you are willing to repent sincerely, the Holy Majesty will treat you as before."

Zhang Jingche said in his heart: As always?That's really thankful.

He expressed his "dissatisfaction" at the right time, thinking that the fire was in place, so he closed his eyes on his own, and lay down in the carriage with closed eyes and rested his mind.Although Xiao Heshan was very cautious and didn't reveal too many things that shouldn't be revealed, Zhang Jingche still confirmed his guess from the words he had screened.

"I really don't intend to take my life now," Zhang Jingche thought, "This is enough!"

He looked out of the window while he was on his way, and saw the blue sky in the northwest, with occasional goshawks flying across the clouds, and the long hawks, wrapped in the sound of the wind, drifted to the end of the world.Zhang Jingche couldn't help but think of Yang Fan who was far away in the Northwest camp. Counting the time, he should have heard that he was taken away by You Yunwei.

"I hope Zhuo Jiusi can persuade him," Zhang Jingche thought, "Yuan Zhou's violent temper... I'm afraid he will rush up and rob people regardless."

Facts have proved that Zhang Jingche's understanding of the Marquis of Dingbian is very deep. At this time, Yang Fan is really going crazy-he was full of joy and returned to the camp, and he couldn't wait to share the results of this trip with Zhang Jingche. Zhuo Jiusi stopped him head on, and whispered something in his ear.

Yang Fan's shock was no small matter, he immediately got on his horse and was about to lead his men to chase after him. Zhuo Jiusi hastily pulled the reins and persuaded: "Commander, calm down, catch up now, all the drama we bothered to perform before will be in vain Already!"

Yang Fan's eyes were red, and he tried his best to hold back the imminent murderous aura: "Let go! This Marquis wants to see, who dares to take my people away!"

Zhuo Jiusi hugged the horse's head, and did not let go: "Mr. Zhang dared to throw himself into the trap, he must have made all-out preparations. He made such a plan all because of you—Marshal, do you want him to waste all his efforts?"

Yang Fan is about to blow up, he doesn't know how much Zhang Jingche's painstaking efforts cost, anyway, his own painstaking efforts are rushing to the top of his head, and he only has a hole in the top of Tianling Gai: "My Yang Yuanfan's affairs, I can plan it myself, he needs his life Come to Bo? He is planning for me, he is clearly stabbing my heart with a knife!"

When Yang Fan mentioned his hatred, he simply raised the whip and threw it down hard.Hearing a crisp sound, half of Zhuo Jiusi's sleeve was shattered, and there was a striking red mark on his flesh.He let go of his hand involuntarily, and saw that Yang Fan was about to gallop away as soon as he clamped the horse's belly.

Zhuo Jiusi really had no choice but to use his trump card: "You Yunwei, who came to lead people, the emperor's own army! Are you rushing up now, are you determined to plot rebellion!"

Yang Fan was slightly startled, and suddenly reined in the horse's reins.

Zhuo Jiusi quickly caught up and grabbed the bridle: "Mr. Zhang asked me to bring you a sentence. If you are determined to seek rebellion, you don't have to go to such trouble. You only need to send a sentence to He Ling, and someone will naturally respond." Mr. Zhang comes out. At that time, you just need to gather your elite soldiers, enter the capital, burn the emperor and traitors to the ground, and make yourself king!"

Although Yang Fan was furious, he didn't completely lose his mind after all, and the iron blood of Dingbian's blood still flowed in his bones.Hearing this, he felt as if icy water was pouring down on him, and it was cold from head to toe. It took him a long time to vent his strength, and he said tiredly, "What else did he say?"

Zhuo Jiusi looked at Yang Fan's expression, knowing that he had calmed down, he didn't know whether to be disappointed or to breathe a sigh of relief: "Mr. Zhang said, if the commander-in-chief has no intention of committing a crime, please bear with it for now until the traitor in Beijing is found out. He has his own way of getting out."

Yang Fan was silent for a long time, finally lost his whip and got off his horse.Zhuo Jiusi hurriedly took the reins, only to hear Yang Fan say in a deep voice, "What did he ask me to do? Tell me in detail, and don't hide a single word!"

Zhuo Jiusi regained his composure, and said in a low voice, "Young Master Zhang said, your most urgent task is to deliver a letter to the imperial court as soon as possible."

The wind and clouds are rolling in the northwest, but the capital thousands of miles away is full of flowers and brocades, which is even better than spring.Half a month ago, the Empress Dowager recruited Cai Yunxian, the daughter of Cai Yun, the head of the Ministry of War, into the palace. She nominally served the Empress Dowager, but anyone with a discerning eye knew why.

In these years, Empress Dowager Wu often arranged people around Emperor Xinglong, but Liu Yanzhao was determined to oppose his mother, but all the people sent by Empress Dowager Wu were ignored and ignored.Empress Dowager Wu persevered, and she seemed to be fighting with Emperor Xinglong.

This time, everyone...even the eunuchs around Emperor Xinglong thought that Empress Dowager Wu's expectations were about to come to naught again. Unexpectedly, last month in the Royal Garden, Liu Yanzhao bumped into Miss Cai's family by accident and froze on the spot. After being dazed for a long time, he came back to his senses, and then his face changed drastically, and he walked away.

The little eunuch next to the emperor thought that this matter was over, but who knew that that night, Emperor Xinglong somehow thought, and ordered someone to call Miss Cai to serve her bed, and made her a concubine the next day.All of a sudden, there was a lot of discussion in the harem, and they became more and more confused about the emperor's changes from day to day.Liu Yanzhao didn't care about the reaction of the people below, but spent [-] out of [-] days resting in Concubine Xian's Jiuhua Palace.

Such honors and favors naturally aroused Liugong's attention, invitations and gift boxes flew into the Jiuhua Palace like a snowflake, the concubine Xian was also cautious, reasoning that she was not in good health, except for a few high-ranking concubines, no one else was seen.

At this moment, the secret report of Xiao Heshan, deputy commander of You Yunwei, and the battle report of the Northwest Camp were sent to the Hall of Qinzheng one after another.

Liu Yanzhao spent the day in a state of ups and downs. Originally, he saw You Yunwei's secret report saying that he had found Zhang Jingche and was escorting him back to Beijing. Liu Yanzhao was both happy and angry, and hated him. pity.When he read the Northwest Express that Beile attacked Kaipingwei violently, and even played with his hands to attack the Northwest camp, he was shocked in place.

"Xuan Jinyiwei Commander Han Xun has an audience!" Emperor Xinglong stood up abruptly, and said sharply, "What are Jinyiwei and Youyunwei doing for such a big incident? Why didn't they hear anything!"

It is no secret that Beile attacked Kaipingwei fiercely. Emperor Xinglong also ordered reinforcements, but even though the order was issued, the soldiers, horses, money and food did not respond. Very much, money is spent everywhere, and there is really no room for it; secondly, the little money allocated with great difficulty, when it is sent to the front line, is already a drop in the bucket that can be sent to the hands of soldiers after layers of exploitation.

If Bei Le hadn't been too aggressive and almost captured Kaipingwei, even Liu Yanzhao would never have imagined that the subordinates would have the audacity to do this.

"Where's Jian Sihui?" Liu Yanzhao was still angry, "I handed over the huge household department to him, what is he doing for food, immediately announce him to see me!"

The Beile people who fled in a hurry never dreamed that the thread they planted a few months ago would actually set off a huge storm in the Great Yin Dynasty Hall. Evidence of officials extorting money, embezzlement and bribery was concatenated and packaged and sent to Emperor Xinglong who was far away in the capital.

The timing was just right, as if someone had prepared everything early in the morning, just waiting for this to be difficult.

An unprecedented cleansing was carried out by Emperor Xinglong in the court hall, and soon, the matter of Northwest military rations being exchanged was rediscovered on the table.Liu Yanzhao might not have been so angry if he had just used it as a pretense and profited from it, but the evidence presented by You Yunwei showed that this batch of military rations that had been swapped out was actually shipped to the territory of the Beile people!

After all, Emperor Xinglong was not a stupid late emperor. The timing of this series of incidents was too coincidental. Reminiscent of the sudden attack of the Beile people and the sudden plague in the northwest camp, it was not difficult for him to come up with a fact that Zhang Jingche and Yang Fan had already guessed: Someone in the middle colluded with the Beile people!

"Okay...very good!" Liu Yanzhao was shocked and angry, "My humerus, my country's father, actually colluded with foreigners and did the business of eating inside and outside! It's really good!"

Emperor Xinglong couldn't help but put a hat of "colluding with foreigners" on Jian Shangshu's head, feeling his conscience and saying that it was a bit wronged.Jian Sihui may have selfish intentions, and may do some corrupt activities for profit, but he never has the guts to collude with foreigners and ruin his bright future.

By the time he realized that he had been swayed by someone, he was already in deep trouble, and he didn't know where to start when he wanted to argue.

The court was in chaos, and the emperor's blade had already been unsheathed, just waiting to come down with the momentum of thunder.At this moment, the Northwest sent a second excerpt, which was less than half a month away from the first memorial, but the content was very different—the Marquis of Dingbian got the Uighur cavalry to surrender and help, and repelled the army of Beile, but the troops stationed in the Northwest Already irritated, Yang Fan, the commander in chief, did not stop doing anything, chasing Beile's army deep into the grassland, beheading Beile Khan, annihilating more than ten thousand enemies, and even setting the royal court on fire.The defeated Beile people fled into Mobei in a hurry, and they will not be able to make trouble again within 20 years.

As soon as the memorial arrived, the huge court was shocked.

Of course, the princes of the court knew the weight of this battle report - beheading the Khan of Beile, annihilating over ten thousand enemies, and driving the army of Beile to Monan.What's more, after this battle, Beile's vitality was seriously injured, and he had no time to look south for 20 years. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a merit that will go down in history... If such a contribution, such a result, is not greatly praised, it will be the people of the people. I can't even close my mouth.

However, the princes in the court still have misgivings: First, Marquis Dingbian is already a first-rank military marquis, holding military power in his hands, so he is not valuable.If there is another reward, I am afraid that he will only be named a vassal king with a different surname. At that time, he will dominate the northwest and have a heavy army. Who else can restrain him?If you say it more presumptuously, wouldn't you want to go beyond the Ninth Five Supreme?

More importantly, the timing of the two memorials being delivered one after the other was too delicate.

Beijing Central’s impression of Northwest is still that “Marquis Dingbian was infected with the epidemic and his life was dying”. Although You Yunwei sent back a secret report saying that Yang Fan’s condition is gradually improving and his life is safe, but “life is safe” and “rehabilitation "As before" are two concepts after all.The time between getting better and going into battle is so short that one cannot but feel suspicious.

However, doubts are just doubts after all, without conclusive evidence, even the Ninth Five-Year Supreme is not good at attacking meritorious ministers.Furthermore, when Beile invaded, You Yunwei had already "invited" Zhang Jingche and was on his way back to the capital. Xiao Heshan had no time to take care of the military situation in the Northwest even though he had three heads and six arms.

Just passed by so abruptly.

Liu Yanzhao is not the Marquis of Dingbian who is not afraid of the master of high achievements, but right now, the bad debts in Beijing are obviously more important. Thinking of the secret collusion between the important officials in the court and the foreigners, Emperor Xinglong will have a hard time sleeping and eating. Military rations, will he be able to give him the head of the ninety-five supreme with both hands in the future?

"...I will leave this matter to you!" Before Xiao Heshan came back, Liu Yanzhao thought about it, but Han Xun was the most trustworthy. I caught it!"

Han Xun prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed.

Jin Yiwei has always been vigorous and resolute. After receiving the order, the relevant people were imprisoned. Among them, the household department was the hardest hit area, and even the secretary of the household department, Jian Sihui, was not spared.Jin Yiwei invited a driver's card, surrounded Jian's mansion, and "invited" the three members of the Jian family, father and son, who worked in the household department, into the imperial prison, and did not release them back for a day and a night.

Jian Sihui is Emperor Xinglong's nephew, he has always been favored by his family, even he is treated like this, not to mention others involved in this matter.For a while, people in the court were panicked, and the harem also heard the wind.In the afternoon of the next day, Empress Jian, who was in charge of the Sixth Palace, took off her hairpin and plain clothes, and knelt outside the Hall of Qinzheng to plead guilty. Emperor Xinglong refused to see her, so he ordered Yuezhao to come out and pass the decree, telling her to go back to Zhaoyang Hall to contemplate her mistakes behind closed doors. The high-ranking concubine took care of it for her.

Empress Jian wanted to ask again, but Emperor Xinglong ordered someone to pick up Concubine Xian. Empress Jian had no choice but to kowtow to thank her, and walked away step by step.

For the "insider traitor" case, there was an uproar inside and outside the court, Jin Yiwei and You Yunwei worked overtime, and everyone was busy as a top not touching the ground. At this juncture, the Xuanfu mission returned from northern Xinjiang finally arrived in the capital. nine doors.