turmoil

Liu Yanzhao spoke sincerely, but Zhang Jingche scoffed. He never thought that the emperor's special respect was such a great favor. When Liu Yanzhao went against his wishes and sent someone to "arrest" him back to the palace, he no longer had any trust in the emperor in front of him. to speak of.

But these words can't be said directly to Liu Yanzhao, because Xia Chong can't say anything, and the ninety-five supreme being who is high above the people can't understand the weight of the words "equality" and "respect".

Zhang Jingche was silent for a moment, then interrupted Liu Yanzhao expressionlessly: "If I remember correctly, Your Majesty has always hated me for my low-handed methods and cruel actions. If that's the case, why put me in front of your eyes? Don't you think you want to offend yourself?"

Liu Yanzhao was slightly uncomfortable when he said the central matter.

He was indeed afraid of Zhang Jingche's endless tricks, and he didn't like this person's overly insidious way of doing things.But after all, he is not the prince of the East Palace who was protected in the greenhouse back then. He has used thunderbolt methods to eliminate dissidents these years, and he will no longer criticize his subordinates for such trivial details.

But he didn't expect that Zhang Jingche would see such duplicity in his eyes, let alone that Zhang Jingche would unscrupulously expose the window paper.

Liu Yanzhao's face was a little restless, he endured it for a while, swallowed his anger, and said patiently: "Which one of the people who are in front of the harem has never done sinister and cruel things? It's just because they stay in this position, some things are not easy." I have to be... I am really not satisfied with some of your actions. You are young, and you are supposed to cultivate your moral character, but you always do some shady things that cannot be tolerated by nature, just like the father and son of Pei Guogong... "

Zhang Jingche sneered and turned to look out the window.

Liu Yanzhao paused for a moment, ignoring the guilt of his disrespect in front of the imperial court, and finished speaking earnestly: "I keep you by my side, firstly because I can't bear to bury your talent. Secondly, I want to compensate you for your achievements in the past. .Thirdly, I also hope that you will stay by my side for a long time, listen to the teachings day and night, and gain some insights..."

Zhang Jingche really couldn't bear this man's self-talk, so he interrupted with a sneer: "Compensation? So, His Majesty still thinks I have merit?"

Liu Yanzhao nodded solemnly: "That's natural! You undercover the northern border, pacified the south of the Yangtze River, and thoroughly investigated the troubles of the aristocratic family annexing the people's land. Which one is not a great feat? Don't worry, I have already thought about it...'Zhang Jingche' has already done it." Self-declaration, it is inconvenient for me to become a living person openly, but you can change your name and surname, and continue to be in charge of Jinyiwei and Youyunwei..."

He wanted to say, "As long as you stay by my side in peace, I will never treat you badly, and I will make up for what I owed you before." Unfortunately, Zhang Jingche interrupted him again before he finished speaking. The man squinted at him, with a sneer ready to come out from the corner of his eyes: "Then I really want to ask His Majesty for a reward."

Liu Yanzhao was taken aback, and said impatiently, "Say it!"

Zhang Jingche said calmly: "I don't like the harem, and I don't even like to bow down to others. Can Your Majesty let me go far away?"

Liu Yanzhao's face darkened slightly.

In Emperor Xinglong, he condescendingly said so much, it can be called earnest, but the person in front of him didn't appreciate it at all, he only wanted to escape from the capital, as if he was in dire straits.

All the thought of step by step and careful paving of the road was fed to the dogs.

"Why, is it so difficult to be around me?" Liu Yanzhao lost his patience, and said in a cold tone, "It's Mr. Zhang who has big eyes and a big heart. He has been out in the wild these years, or knows someone, and he can't even look at the capital. gone?"

Zhang Jingche looked at him calmly, and the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth grew stronger.

Liu Yanzhao probably never dreamed that the request just now was a chance given to him by Zhang Jingche. If Liu Yanzhao agreed, no matter if it was true or not, Zhang Jingche would remember this favor, and the world would still belong to the Liu family.

It's a pity that Liu Yanzhao ignored the deep meaning at all, and just immersed himself in disappointment, resentment, and self-pity that he couldn't control.

"Of course I don't take the capital seriously," Zhang Jingche said lightly, "No matter how many flowers bloom like a brocade, it's just a golden cage. Inside it, I can't help myself at all. I'll always be humble and groveling to others. What's so good about it? Since Your Majesty wants to reward, please respect my wishes, let me go back to the rivers and lakes, and leave a little room for each other to meet in the future."

Rao Liu Yanzhao had already guessed, but when he heard him express his heart so bluntly, his face still changed.He knew that Zhang Jingche was rebellious by nature, and he also knew that he didn't like to be restrained, but he never thought that, as the Ninth Five-Year Supreme, he was so humble that he couldn't touch him.

Liu Yanzhao suddenly became irritable and went around a few times like a trapped animal. He gritted his teeth and said, "Get out! I don't want to see you now!"

Zhang Jingche's legs were sore from standing, but upon hearing this, he turned and walked out without saying a word.

He stepped out of the palace door with his front foot, and there was a crisp "choking" sound immediately behind him, which sounded like a tea bowl was broken.Hong Lu, who was guarding the entrance of the hall, couldn't help but change her face, and hurriedly said: "My lord Zhang, what's wrong with the emperor? It was fine just now... what did you say?"

Zhang Jingche said coldly: "It's nothing... He has been in a high position for a long time, his eyes and ears are closed, and he can't listen to others. Why should someone tell him that no one in this world can hold others in his hands, and the Son of Heaven is no exception!"

His voice was not low, Honglu immediately turned pale with fright, probably heard it from inside, and dropped another set of tea sets.

Unmoved, Zhang Jingche left the Qinzheng Palace on his own, walked along the long street for about a short distance, and the overwhelming anger gradually subsided.

He thought of the tit-for-tat confrontation just now, and suddenly felt a little funny. After so many years in the rivers and lakes, he thought that his mind and vision had broadened a lot. Who would have thought that he would be blush when he competed with a young emperor who was born in the deep palace and grew up in the hands of a woman.It can be seen from this that the square palace walls are indeed very aggrieved, people stay in it for a long time, and their hearts become narrow.

Zhang Jingche was bored in the palace. He wanted to take advantage of the rare sunny day to go to the Imperial Garden to relieve his suffocation. However, as soon as he entered the Chuihua Gate, he saw a dark crowd of court ladies and eunuchs standing in front of him. The Empress Dowager Wu in the middle was wearing Zhucuiguan, holding Aunt Yuxiang's hand, is tasting a pot of newly bloomed green chrysanthemums.

I saw them all, and it was obviously unrealistic to turn around and leave as if I hadn't seen them.Zhang Jingche winked at the little eunuch behind him, straightened his sleeves, and walked forward as if nothing had happened: "The grass people pay their respects to the Queen Mother."

Empress Dowager Wu chatted and laughed with Yuxiang as if she had never heard of it.

Zhang Jingche sneered in his heart, he was very tired of the dismounting of these harem women, he didn't wait for the Empress Dowager Wu to speak, he stood up and said: "If the Empress Dowager has no other orders, the grass people will leave first."

Before the words fell, he turned around and walked out without stopping.

Empress Dowager Wu seemed to have calculated it in advance, and the voice came like a shadow: "Stop."

Zhang Jingche paused: "What is the Queen Mother's order?"

The Empress Dowager supported Yuxiang's hand and sat down on the round stool covered with embroidered cushions, her pretty face showed majesty: "Commander Zhang is really capable. People are walking around, and now they are back, but they still don’t even say hello... In your eyes, there is really no mourner!"

Zhang Jingche lowered his eyelashes, and raised the corners of his mouth with a half-smile: "The queen mother is wrong. These years, although the grassroots are in the Jianghu, they think about the queen mother day and night, toss and turn, and dare not forget it for a moment!"

Yuxiang's face changed slightly, and he wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the Queen Mother waving.The most honorable woman in the six palaces raised her head and looked at him with a smile: "Oh, you miss Aijia so much? It's strange."

Zhang Jingche paused every word: "Thanks to the great blessing of the Empress Dowager, my younger sister passed away at a young age... Cao Min only has this one relative, so I am naturally grateful to the Empress Dowager, and dare not forget it!"

Yu Xiang gasped slightly through his teeth, opened his mouth to say something, and hurriedly went to look at Empress Dowager Wu, only to see that Empress Dowager Wu's expression was cloudy, and she said in a deep voice for a long while: "Everyone, step back!"

The eunuchs were eager for this sound, bowed and retreated one by one.

The huge imperial garden suddenly became empty. Empress Dowager Wu sat on the embroidered stool and sighed faintly: "The Ai family knows that you have been blaming the emperor and the Ai family for the matter of Concubine Shu that day... It's just that the emperor treats Concubine Shu It’s not bad, the Emperor’s Mausoleum was buried with the imperial concubine’s ceremony, and the virtuous concubine who murdered her and the Duke Pei’s mansion also suffered retribution, so what are you going to do? Do you have to turn upside down because of a dead person?”

Zhang Jingche turned his eyes away, and smiled half-smile: "Why not?"

The queen mother choked for a moment, and then said calmly: "You can't be resurrected after death. You are a smart person, so don't be angry... These years, the emperor has missed Concubine Shu, and also missed you, even the one who murdered Duke Pei back then If you don't mention the old things, you can be regarded as the most benevolent to your brothers and sisters."

Zhang Jingche closed his eyes, and suppressed the murderous intent in his chest: "What is the queen mother's intention after saying so much? Or, with my current status, what else is worthy of being the queen mother?"

This world has always been cruel and sober. If you want to get something, you must pay the corresponding price.A long time ago, Zhang Jingche's wish was very humble, but he just wanted the safety of his only relative. For this reason, he surrendered himself and devoted himself to Liu Yanzhao's care.

It's a pity that things backfired. Concubine Shu died of dystocia, with one dead body and two lives.

From that moment on, Zhang Jingche knew that what he wanted could not be waited for. He had to be aggressive and plan ahead. With his own hands, he would take care of everything he valued and cherished.

The queen mother wiped her nostrils with a silk cloth. Perhaps it was Zhang Jingche's undisguised sharpness that made her realize that this humble man was no longer what it used to be, so her tone became more gentle: "The Ai family knows that you are capable. You have a big idea, but only such a person can start such a big business—Ai’s family has heard that you have shares in the Northwest Silk Road and Southeast Shipping, right?”

Zhang Jingche knew the Queen Mother's plan, she revealed her trump card quietly, just to let Zhang Jingche know that no matter how far he travels and how big the business he starts, he will be the emperor's slave for the rest of his life, so don't even think about digging out the palm of the royal family .

"There are some tricks, even my fleet in the southeast can find out," Zhang Jingche frowned and thought with a sneer, "It's a pity that she has exposed her trump card by taking the cup rashly. If she really knows my details, she won't He will hold me in the palm of his hand like a dog."

But can't wait, use any means to get rid of it and then hurry up!

"So what if it is, so what if it's not?" Zhang Jingche had just stood in the Qinzheng Palace for a long time, and now his legs were a little sore. If so, you might as well speak up!"

The queen mother stared at him coldly, showing the majesty of the Tian family, but Zhang Jingche was not frightened or frightened. He ran through the wild sand in the desert, drank the wind and snow in the grassland, and played with the three thousand miles of rivers and mountains in the palm of his hand. He was really not a deep palace. Women can be intimidated.

"These years, when you were away, Concubine Shu also went. The emperor seemed indifferent on the surface, but he was actually very sad in his heart." After a long time, the queen mother sighed, "The emperor is the son of the Ai family, and of course the Ai family wants him to open his heart... just Zhao'er is very stubborn, for the sake of the things ahead, she refuses to accept newcomers no matter what, and there is no one caring around her to serve her, the Ai family is really worried."

Zhang Jingche sneered: "Is there anyone you care about? But Caomin heard that His Majesty only accepted the daughter of Cai Yun, the head of the Ministry of War, last month, and made him a concubine as soon as he entered the palace?"

The Empress Dowager was a little embarrassing, although she loved the world, she has gradually drifted away from Emperor Xinglong these years.Liu Yanzhao respected her, and was even more jealous of her. He concealed the news from the previous court so closely that it could not easily get into the Empress Dowager's Palace of Compassion.Although the Empress Dowager Wu was dissatisfied, she was helpless.

She looked at Zhang Jingche, and suddenly understood the reason why Liu Yanzhao had been obsessed with it all these years. This man was born really good, and the world was full of colors, and seventy percent of it was on him alone.Concubine Xian was only five or six points similar to him, she was already a rare beauty in the world, and she looked at her so mockingly, and she also showed an indescribable charm, which made people unbearable to criticize.

"You are a smart person. If you see Concubine Xian, you will naturally understand why she is favored," the queen mother sighed. Today, if there is any discussion in the foreign court, the Ai family and the emperor will take care of it... As for your business outside the palace, you will also take care of it as usual, if you are too busy, there are some capable people around the Ai family who can call you."

Zhang Jingche understands that the Queen Mother's plan is to kill two birds with one stone - not only to keep him in the palace to please Liu Yanzhao, but also to have a camera for the Queen Mother, so as to ease the barrier between mother and child; but also reluctant to let him outside the palace I want to take the opportunity to get a share of the business.

"The abacus is too smart," Zhang Jingche couldn't help thinking, "Do you really think I'm a fool?"

He couldn't stand still, so he found a clean stone and sat down. The corners of Yuxiang's eyes twitched, and he was about to speak, but was stopped by the Queen Mother.Zhang Jingche asked calmly, "What is your reliance?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes darkened: "What did you say?"

"Five years ago, you used Jingsu to coerce the grassroots people and forced me to stay in Beijing to work for the prince." Zhang Jingche turned his head to look at the queen mother, his eyes were almost innocent and cruel, "but this weakness is no longer there. You broke it with your own hands... I really want to know, what leverage do you have to hold me hostage?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered, and she said after a while: "You faked your death that day and escaped, although you Yunwei helped, but it's not a mere Han Xun who can take care of it... If Ai's guess is correct, there is Ding Bianhou's handwriting here, right? "

Zhang Jingche suddenly raised his head.

With a smile in her eyes, the queen mother said softly: "Marquis Dingbian holds a heavy army in his hand, and he is honest and upright. He is not very popular with the courtiers. There are many people who have joined him in these years... If there is no one who talks to the emperor in front of the emperor, I am afraid that in the future His fate will not be much better than that of Zhongyong Bo."

Zhang Jingche narrowed his eyes slightly, and at that moment, there was a wolf-like evil spirit in his eyes.