turmoil

Yang Fan waited to see Lezi, but before the joy came, there was another disturbance in the capital—a rumor spread out from nowhere, saying that in the past, Uncle Zhongyong had contacts with foreign countries and all his families were imprisoned. Distinguishing right from wrong, and killing the whole family of the sincere uncle's house, he is really a first-class stupid king.

The rumors became more and more intense, and even Emperor Taiping, who lived deep in the palace, had heard about it. The old emperor who had always been "benevolent and generous" sent thunderous anger and introduced the prince into the palace.What the father and son said, the eunuchs guarding outside the palace didn't know, they only knew that the prince was in a cold sweat when he came out, and the inside of the palace was like a gust of wind passing through, smashing the ground into a mess.

"Come here!" The old emperor roared in the hall, "Xuan Jinyi Guard Commander Lu Xiang has an audience!"

Lu Xiang hurried into the palace, and Zhang Jingche also received the news. When he arrived at the East Palace, he saw the little eunuchs standing next to the prince standing in a row under the eaves, and an elderly servant with a face like dried orange peel, They are asking questions one by one.

Zhang Jingche lifted the hem of his clothes, walked into the hall at a leisurely pace, kowtowed on the ground, "My minister kowtows to Your Highness."

The prince's face was livid, and when he saw him coming in, his expression softened a little: "Ming Huang doesn't need to be polite, get up."

Zhang Jingche stood up, looked at Liu Yanzhao's expression, and knew that his conversation with the old emperor was not pleasant.His eyes flickered, and he looked at Xu Qian subconsciously. Xu Langzhong sighed and said in a low voice: "Zhang Tongzhi, I invited you here today to ask clearly about the news that Zhongliang was framed by everyone in Uncle Zhongyong's residence. You Yunwei, who else knows?"

Zhang Jingche understood what he meant. When he first heard the rumors, he also suspected Dingbian Hou, but after thinking about it carefully, he denied this guess.

"It can't be him!" Zhang Jingche thought, "How could he think of such a method with his brain that has degenerated into an almond after leaving the battlefield? Besides, he values ​​Donggong more than anything else, even if he wants to serve Zhongyongbo's family." Overturning the case will definitely not disregard the great cause of the Eastern Palace."

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes and said succinctly: "This matter is of great importance, and I dare not reveal it at will."

Xu Qian nodded, as if he believed his words, turned his head to look at Liu Yanzhao, and said without saying, "You Yunwei is His Highness's confidant, Yang Hou also knows the importance, so it can only be..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood: it could only be that the servants of the Eastern Palace leaked the news.

"The servants in the East Palace are all appointed by the emperor and the empress, especially those who serve closely. Their family backgrounds are very clean. Normally, there shouldn't be such a thing that eats inside and out," Liu Yanzhao said with a gloomy face. Discussion, the most urgent task is how to deal with the father's challenge."

Xu Qian never dared to ask in detail, but now he heard Liu Yanzhao himself bring up the topic, he hurriedly asked with concern: "The Holy Majesty summoned His Highness today, what exactly did he say?"

Liu Yanzhao supported his forehead with a tired expression: "You are all lonely confidants, so you naturally know how much your father cares about Uncle Zhongyong... He asked me today if I heard the rumors in the market, and what do you think about this matter. "

Xu Qian asked anxiously, "Then how did His Highness reply?"

"How else can I reply?" Liu Yanzhao smiled wryly, "Gu can only bite to death without knowing it... Fortunately, Gu will get married next month, and things are really busy these days. Judging by Father's expression, he doesn't seem to doubt it."

Xu Qian breathed a sigh of relief: "It's fine if the emperor believes it...Since this matter has been dealt with perfunctorily, why is Your Highness so frowning?"

There was a haze between Liu Yanzhao's handsome brows: "Father ordered me to lead the Sanfa Division and Jin Yiwei to thoroughly investigate this matter. The time limit is ten days. We must clearly investigate the source of the rumors!"

Xu Qian gasped, and Zhang Jingche also showed seriousness.

It's not difficult to track down the rumors. Leaving aside the San Judiciary, Jin Yiwei has eyes and ears all over the capital, from the prince's mansion to the streets of the city, almost everywhere and everywhere.

The hard part is how to deal with it after finding out the source.

Zhang Jingche ordered people to transcribe the rumors in the market, which were passed on clearly and clearly, and the details were very detailed. It didn't seem like nonsense, but rather it was spread by someone who knew the inside story back then.

There are only two possibilities for the so-called "knowledge like the palm of your hand", either the chief culprit who framed Zhongyong Boman's family, or he has a close relationship with Zhongyong Bo's family.If it was the chief culprit, he had done something wrong, and wished he could cover it tightly, there was absolutely no reason to reveal the scars himself.Then there is only one possibility - the instigator of the rumors is probably related to Uncle Zhongyong.

What is the background of this person, and where is he hiding now?

He let out the rumors, is he purely trying to be a crap stick to stir up trouble, or... through some way, he learned the inside story, knowing that the crown prince held the evidence of the Zhongyong uncle being framed by others, and deliberately used this method to create public opinion , to force the prince to produce evidence of his crimes, to reverse the case for Uncle Zhongyong?

Zhang Jingche is not a person who thinks too much, but came to this world of internal and external troubles for no reason, and he is used to being considerate in everything.He and Xu Qian looked at each other, and when their eyes met, they had sorted out the stakes. Xu Qian gritted his teeth and said, "This job...is not easy to accept."

Of course Liu Yanzhao knew that the job was not easy to get, and Emperor Taiping was furious. He couldn't find out the reason for being a son. It was because he was incompetent, and even worse, he was ignorant of reason, and he had no eyes on his father. He dared to collude with the traitor .However, the rumors spread wildly. If the prince really finds out the perpetrator, it will fall into the eyes of the people, and he will inevitably be suspected of "ruining the loyal and good" and "collaborating with others".

"It's wrong to check, and it's wrong not to check." Xu Qian had never been so embarrassed in his life, and said with a bitter face, "Didn't His Majesty make things difficult for His Highness?"

Liu Yanzhao didn't say anything, he was playing with the lid of the teacup in his hand, knocking on the teacup lightly.While pondering, he glanced at Zhang Jingche with a good eye, and saw that he lowered his eyebrows, seemingly respectful, but in fact he was a little careless.

Liu Yanzhao was secretly surprised. In his opinion, since Zhang Jingche had unreasonable thoughts for him, he should naturally do his best both in public and in private.But when he encountered a problem right now, instead of rushing to share his worries for the emperor, this kid put on an attitude of "it's none of his business and he doesn't speak up".

The anxiety in Liu Yanzhao's heart gradually subsided, and then an unknown fire arose - he was the current crown prince, surrounded by countless people who flatter him, but he had never met such a master as Zhang Jingche.The more he couldn't see through it, the more Liu Yanzhao couldn't help looking into it, and deliberately called out his name: "Minghuang, what do you think?"

Zhang Jingche knew that he couldn't escape, he was placed beside Liu Yanzhao by the queen just to protect the prince from the knife.However, he was unwilling to be this human shield, and would never speak unless the question was on his head.

"My minister thinks that the root of evil around me should be eradicated as soon as possible, but the most urgent task is not to find out the traitor, but to try to complete the confession of the Holy Majesty!" Zhang Jingche said lightly, "Actually, the Holy Majesty was furious because of two reasons: one is worried Uncle Zhongyong's old story spread, ruining his reputation as a sage; secondly, he was afraid that His Highness would sympathize with the rebel and go against the will of the emperor..."

This was correct, but it was too blunt, Xu Qian didn't hear it right, he coughed and winked.

Liu Yanzhao's eyes sank slightly, and he put the teacup back on the table: "Ming Huang, be careful with your words!"

Zhang Jingche is the most impatient with their tone of "fearing the king as revering the gods". It's a pity that people are under the eaves and have to do as the Romans do: "The Holy Majesty ordered His Highness to investigate this matter thoroughly. He just wanted to see His Highness's attitude. Your Highness just needs to show his attitude, and then I will give you an order." Your Majesty made a plausible explanation, and diverted the attention of the court and the public... Presumably the Holy Majesty will not be too difficult for His Highness."

Xu Qian's thoughts changed, he glanced at Liu Yanzhao's expression, and said with a smile: "It seems that Ming Huang has already made up his mind...Your Highness, I don't bother the two masters. Since the evidence of Uncle Zhongyong's framing was brought back by Ming Huang, you may as well hand over the matter to me." Give Minghuang full power to deal with it."

Zhang Jingche instinctively resisted this proposal, but Liu Yanzhao couldn't argue, and made a decision with a smile: "If that's the case, it will be hard work for Ming Huang."

Zhang Jingche: "..."

When he came out of the East Palace, Zhang Jingche's face was cold, and Xu Qian called out a few times from behind, but he pretended not to hear it.Xu Qian had no choice but to quickly catch up with the hem of his clothes, calling out repeatedly: "Brother Ming Huang, just wait for me!"

Zhang Jingche paused, turned back and looked at him coldly: "Master Xu, did you offend me before this?"

Xu Qian smiled and said, "Brother Ming Huang, what are you talking about? You and I are both under the Eastern Palace sect, so we should work together with all our strength, how can we offend you?"

Zhang Jingche was unmoved: "Father and son in the Tian family, how can there be room for me and other little people to comment? You pushed this hot potato to me, didn't you mean to make it difficult for me?"

Hearing his bad tone, Xu Qian had no choice but to hold back his smile. After a long time, he sighed softly: "Brother Minghuang, no matter what the previous situation was, you are now a member of the Eastern Palace, and your wealth and future depend on your Highness. You should be rewarded for your loyalty and service." ...To put it bluntly, if one day, the East Palace is gone, you will not be able to survive alone."

"Brother Ming Huang is so smart, why can't he understand such a simple truth?"

Of course Zhang Jingche understood that the reason why he got out of this matter was that he didn't want to get too involved in this muddy water, so that he wouldn't be able to leave in the future.

Unfortunately it backfired.

The carriage left the palace, and went straight back to the mansion. Zhang Jingche was alone, with enough food for one person and no worries for the whole family. The house was not too big, with three entrances and three exits, plus a small courtyard.There are some flowers and plants planted in the yard, and now the weather is warm, Yingchun spits out delicate yellow flower buds, a figure stands beside the flowers, lifts the tender branches, and sniffs them.

This scene can be drawn into the painting with a few strokes, but the person in the painting is a rough guy who doesn't understand elegance. He smelled it for a long time, but he probably didn't smell any fragrance, so he threw it aside in disgust: "You said you plant some fragrant flowers and plants. How nice, the color of this flower is not bright, and it has no fragrance, so it would take up too much space in the yard."

Zhang Jingche: "..."

All right, fortunately, this guy has a pretty good face, but if he doesn't speak, he can still pretend to be a handsome young man in a chaotic world.

"Master Hou," Zhang Jingche bowed and saluted, "I came to the door for no reason, what can I teach you?"

The children of Beijing Zhong pay attention to light fur and gentle belt, detached and unconventional, and they are arty with folding fans at every turn.Marquis of Dingbian was born as a military general, so he couldn't be a literati. In his right hand, he twirled a sapphire locket.

"I just returned to Beijing, and I don't know how many eyes are staring at it, so I don't want to go in and out of the East Palace frequently," Yang Fan said, "I came here uninvited just to ask you a question. Cope with it?"

Zhang Jingche felt upset, as if he was vomiting a dead fly, unable to swallow or spit it out, he asked indifferently, "How did Hou know that this matter happened to me?"

"I heard rumors from the palace, and the Holy Majesty was furious, and ordered the prince to find out the cause and effect within a time limit." Yang Fan didn't think it was disobedient, and said calmly, "This task is a hot potato, even with the assistance of Jin Yiwei and Sanfa Division, it is not so easy. Disposal. Most of the people around Donggong are like Zijing, and they have learned too much. I can't think of anyone else except you."

Zhang Jingche snorted lightly: "Master Hou thinks highly of Zhang."

With hands behind his back, Yang Fan strolled up to him: "You have been lurking in Beile for more than a year, and even the son of Beile has been played around by you. How can you trap your leader Zhang in a mere capital?"

Zhang Jingche sneered and said, "What if I'm the same?"

Yang Fan finally turned his head, looked at him carefully, and frowned slightly: "You've been on gunpowder today, why do you speak with a thorn in your mouth?"

Zhang Jingche took a deep breath and suppressed the anger that was about to move - he knew that he was nothing in the eyes of these nobles, at best, he was a machete knife, a biting dog, and if he used it, he would reward him with a bone. Take advantage of it, if it is broken, it will be broken, just change it.

There is a saying that "learn literary and martial arts and sell them to the emperor's family". In this world, there are many young talents who are willing to devote themselves to the Eastern Palace's sect and die after devoting themselves to death, but Zhang Jingche is not one of them.

There was a haze in his bottomless eyes, but Yang Fan got it wrong and said in surprise, "Why, it's so difficult? Even you can't help it?"

Zhang Jingche closed his eyes, swallowed unwillingly, and suddenly bowed: "This matter is really difficult, can I ask Lord Hou to help me?"

Yang Fan did not hesitate: "You say so."

Marquis Dingbian and Zhang Jingche had a secret conversation for an hour, and they didn't leave until sunset.Before he left, he didn't know what to think, and suddenly looked back, and saw Zhang Jingche looking at the jasmine clump, his expression couldn't tell whether it was loneliness or exhaustion, and the shadow trailed behind him, a slender and dim line.

Yang Fan suddenly found that after passing by Bei Le, this man was so thin that he could be crushed with a single slap, as if his flesh and blood had been exhausted by years of hard work.

He recalled Zhang Jingche's anxiety and worry in the alley that night, and unexpectedly stood still, and turned around and said, "If you have any difficulties in the future, send someone to Dingbianhou's mansion to tell me, I can help you." Help as much as you can, if there is nothing you can do, just forget it, His Highness has always been kind and will not blame you."

Zhang Jingche raised his head in surprise, as if he didn't expect that Ding Bianhou, whose eyes were above his head, would say this.Yang Fan knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, he turned his head hastily, and the leaving figure almost ran away.

As the rumors in Beijing became more and more intense, the Sanfa Division and Jin Yiwei came out in full force, and a lot of suspects were arrested, most of them were street thugs who committed crimes, but they still couldn't find the source of the rumors.

At the same time, King Ping's faction, which had been gradually dormant, raised its head again, and all the officials went to the evacuation, saying that the people who spread rumors behind them have ulterior motives and heinous crimes.Anyone who has anything to do with these rumors should be sent to prison and severely punished, as an example to others!

Although the rhetoric was fierce, it hit Emperor Taiping's heart. Although the old emperor didn't make it clear, he sent his confidants to Prince Ping's mansion the next day, and sent many precious medicinal herbs that nourished the body to King Ping who said he was sick at home.

The princes in the court are all bright-minded people. Seeing that the East Palace is in dire straits, King Ping shows signs of regaining his favor, and he is more cautious in his words and deeds, not daring to speak easily.At this moment, a sensational news came, which turned the still water and deep court upside down——

Yang Fan, Marquis of Dingbian, was assassinated and seriously injured. The murderer fled on the spot. Jin Yiwei searched the stronghold occupied by the murderer and found weapons and documents belonging to the Beile people. -+