turmoil

The Year-end Ceremony is the most important ceremony before the New Year’s Eve. Traditionally, the emperor has to fast in advance and go to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests to burn incense and pray in person on the day of the ceremony. Civil and military officials and relatives of the emperor must also accompany them.

This year's situation is particularly different. The Marquis of Dingbian defeated the royal court of Beile in the northwest, captured the head of Tumen, and expelled Beile to the wild land of Mobei.Naturally, this was due to His Majesty's decision-making by Sheng Ming, and the regulations for the ceremony drawn up by the Ministry of Rites were extraordinarily grand, as if otherwise it would not be enough to show the wisdom and might of the emperor.

It stands to reason that the Marquis of Dingbian should return to Beijing to report on his duties, but after much deliberation, he instructed Zhuo Jiusi to hand over the invitation letter, using the excuse that the injury had recurred and that it was not suitable for traveling, so he had to pass it across the mountain, wishing the emperor all the best and good health. For generations to come.

"Xiao Heshan took you away from the northwest. If it's not good, I have to be suspected." Yang Fan lay on Maitreya's couch, playing with the corner of Zhang Jingche's clothes boredly, "It's fine if we don't see each other. The emperor can do it anyway." Think of me, when we meet, he might remember what happened back then, and he might blame me for your escape by feigning death, I can't afford it."

The twelfth lunar month in Beijing has already set up a charcoal basin, the house is as warm as spring, and Boshan Road is spraying with fragrant mist.Zhang Jingche was lying in front of the case, counting an account book, and every time the calculation came to a critical moment, Ding Bianhou would rub around behind him, trying his best to make trouble, so that he couldn't keep his mind on the calculation.

But for a moment, Zhang Jingche was startled and broke out in a hot sweat. He pinched the back of Yang Fan's neck with two fingers, and pulled him away: "I'm right in the middle of the calculation, so don't hire me. If I make a mistake, the money will be lost." It has to be counted on your Dingbianhou residence."

Yang Fan had a hippie smile on his face: "What's the point? You just go to the Hou's Mansion and take whatever you fancy, and I'll be stingy to you!"

Zhang Jingche sneered with his nose: "I don't care about your little family background... Speaking of which, I would like to ask, you subsidize the Northwest Garrison every year from your own pocket, how much property is left in the Hou Mansion? The huge Dingbian Hou Mansion, Isn't there just an empty shell left?"

Yang Fan was poked in the sore foot, rubbed his nose, and fell silent.

Zhang Jingche sighed pretentiously: "Oh, it seems that it is impossible to rely on you to support the family. I have more than 5 people in my family, and all of them are on my shoulders... I always feel that this deal is a big loss."

Yang Fan rushed forward with all his teeth and claws, and pressed Zhang Jingche under his body: "If you lose too much, you are not allowed to change. This Marquis is yours. If you dare to abandon him forever, I will not spare you!"

Yang Fan made up his mind, and when the traitor was over, he handed in a letter of resignation to the imperial court, and followed Zhang Jingche to the Western Regions to have a good time.As for the [-] Northwest Army under his command, if he is willing to stay in the army, he will arrange a good future for him. If he doesn't want to, he can simply go with him. Anyway, Zhang Jingche's family has a great career, so he can always find a job for them.

"Take it as the Marquis's dowry!" Yang Fan said confidently, "You have to be nice to me. How can I say that Ben Hou is also a direct descendant of the Dingbian lineage? I can't chase you to the ends of the earth!"

Zhang Jingche was laughed angrily by him, grabbed his hair and asked, "Let's be clear, who started in disorder and ended up abandoning?"

Yang Fan was swept away by his half-smiling eyes, and his two-foot-eight arrogance suddenly became shorter, and he smiled half courteously and half flatteringly: "I... I always give up!"

Only then did Zhang Jingche let go with satisfaction.

The two made a good plan, but the traitor in the palace didn't stop. Soon, You Yunwei sent back news that Beijing and China have not been peaceful recently, and many ministers of aristocratic families are conspiring in private, and they don't know what they are planning.What's more subtle is that Youyunwei secretly discovered the whereabouts of the Beile people in Beijing. He wanted to find out the roots and find out the lair of this group of people, but these Beile people were very cautious, and someone responded. Disappeared out of nowhere amid the pervasive stalking.

"Beile people?" Zhang Jingche looked up in horror, "Is it really Beile people? Are you reading that right?"

The person who came to report was none other than Han Xun who "ignited the fire" in the mansion not long ago.After he left his errands, he just felt relaxed. From then on, he followed Zhang Jingche wholeheartedly, and made sure to come to the foreign hotel every other day to say hello.

This is a habit left over from serving the emperor, which made Zhang Jingche a little dumbfounded.It's just that he didn't expect that Han Xun's trip would bring such news.

"It's absolutely true," Han Xun said, "This subordinate has been lurking in Beile with the master for more than a year, and he is very familiar with the appearance and style of Beile people. Even if they change their clothes from the Central Plains, they can recognize them at a glance!"

Zhang Jingche narrowed his eyes slightly, and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table: "Isn't Tumen already dead? These Beile people are not in a hurry to run for their lives, what are they doing all the way to the capital? Could it be that they want to avenge Tumen?"

He raised his eyelids and looked at Han Xun, both of them tacitly said: Although this guess is wrong, it is not far away.

"The aristocratic families are connected with each other, and Beile is ready to move. What are they planning? Is it deliberate or a coincidence that the two sides came together?" Zhang Jingche stood up, took two steps on the spot, and wrinkled his brows.He turned around suddenly and approached Xu Shen on the other side, "You said just now that the aristocratic families in the capital conspired to gather, and who was in it?"

Xu Shen didn't know why, so he repeated it honestly: "They are all famous families in Beijing, headed by Fang Zhen, the servant of the Ministry of officials, and even Jian Zhaoting, the commander of the Imperial Forest Army."

Zhang Jingche was stunned for a moment: "Jian Zhaoting? But Jian Sihui's distant nephew? I remember that in terms of seniority, he still has to care about Empress Jian in the palace calling her cousin?"

Xu Shen nodded: "Exactly."

Zhang Jingche took out a folding fan from his sleeve, and rubbed the shiny fan bones repeatedly: "Beile people are restless, and the aristocratic family is also undercurrent... If I remember correctly, at the year-end ceremony in more than half a month, the Imperial Forest Army will be responsible for protecting the holy driver To lead Jian Zhaoting?"

Xu Shenjiu was in Jianghu, and he was no longer so sensitive to the struggle between the court and China, but Han Xun gasped: "The master means... Jian Zhaoting wants to rebel?"

"Jian Zhaoting is a collateral descendant of the Jian family, so it is impossible to guarantee that he is not involved in the case of reselling military rations," Zhang Jingche said lightly, "Now that Jian Si is dead, judging from the current situation, it seems that he doesn't intend to stop. Of course he will be afraid. Unreasonable."

Han Xun was a little confused: "But if you really plan to investigate thoroughly now, how can you allow Jian Zhaoting to continue to lead the Imperial Forest Army in front of him? This is not like what he used to do!"

Zhang Jingche was reminded by his words, thought about the whole thing together, and changed his face slightly: "Then it can only be that someone deliberately misled Jian Zhaoting, making him think that he has made up his mind to kill them all now, and this person has a special status. At least he is a close person of the emperor, so Jian Zhaoting has no doubts about what he said."

He and Han Xun exchanged a look of surprise and uncertainty, and they thought of "the traitor in the palace" at the same time.

"This father-in-law Yuezhao is so amazing that he counted everyone into it," Zhang Jingche murmured after a long while, "If I hadn't escaped suddenly, Xiao Heshan would have been busy searching for me from heaven to earth, and his plan would have been useless." Can't hide it so well...Even I became a pawn on his chessboard, I really underestimated this orphan of the Duan family!"

Zhang Jingche didn't know what the aristocratic family and the Imperial Forest Army were planning, but he knew very well that the army closest to the capital was stationed at the Zijing Pass, and it would take at least two days to reach the capital.The most terrible thing is that Liu Yanzhao personally appointed the guard of the Bauhinia Pass. Without the emperor's warrant, even if the guard's head was cut off, he would not dare to act rashly.

This means that if the aristocratic family and the people of Beile really had trouble in the imperial capital, no one would be able to solve the situation in a hurry.

"Go get the letter eagle," Zhang Jingche said decisively, "I want to write a letter to Northwest."

Zhang Jingche tamed the falcon to send messages over long distances. The falcon traveled day and night, and finally descended from the clouds exhausted in the evening two days later.

At that time, Ding Ru'an had just rushed back from Gaochang City to Northwest Daying. He spent a considerable amount of money and finally persuaded the newly-elected Huihe Queen not to pursue the behavior of prying the corner of the wall. For this reason, half of the profits of the Silk Road business road were handed over again. give away.

"The price is not small." Ding Ru'an held a piece of dog's tail grass in his mouth, with his left leg crossed over his right leg, and he weighed and weighed it while lying on the felt blanket in the Northwest Camp. Filling up half of the Northwest camp is no problem, it hurts..."

Zhuo Jiusi gave him a helpless look in his busy schedule, and saw that he didn't intend to reach out, so he had to do it himself-removed the letter from Xinying's leg: "It's from your master, don't you want to read it?"

Ding Ru'an yawned lazily: "Do we need to distinguish between the two masters so clearly? Anyway, it will be a matter of time before your handsome man gets married, so it doesn't matter if you see it."

Zhuo Jiusi murmured silently, "It's not sure who will marry into the family", while unfolding the letter, just glanced at it twice, his expression suddenly changed: "Beile people sneaked into the capital, and their whereabouts are unknown?"

Ding Ru'an's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he sat up straight suddenly.

Zhuo Jiusi swept to the end, with a grim expression: "Beile people have evil intentions, and the aristocratic family is also plotting against the law. Fang Zhen, the minister of rites, colluded with Jian Zhaoting, the commander of the imperial army, and there is a possibility that troubles will arise at the year-end ceremony of worshiping heaven!"

Ding Ru'an suppressed his smile: "How did the Beile people get together with the family?"

"Mr. Zhang didn't say anything in the letter, but only mentioned one sentence, saying that this matter may be related to the servants in the palace." Zhuo Jiusi handed the letter to Ding Ru'an, and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhang said, let us think of an excuse and adjust it." Send Qingqi back to Beijing, just in case."

He paused, and smiled wryly: "Your master really gave me a problem."

The Northwest Garrison belongs to the frontier army system. It guards the northwest border all year round. It is not allowed to leave the post without an order, otherwise it is intentional rebellion.Not to mention that Marquis Dingbian is not here, even if Yang Fan is in charge in person, he would not dare to transfer the army without authorization, and he will bear the label of "rebellion and rebellion".

The focus of Ding Ru'an's attention is not this: "Who is this official Fang Shilang? There are so many aristocratic families in Beijing, why are they willing to listen to him?"

Zhuo Jiusi sighed slightly.

"The Fang family is also a well-known family. More than 20 years ago, it was one of the most prestigious families in Beijing. The father and son are all important officials in the court," he said. , I found a general disciple for my daughter, but who would have thought that general disciple was involved in a rebellion lawsuit, not only ransacked his entire family, but also killed the Yue family..."

Listening to this passage, Ding Ru'an felt inexplicably familiar, and couldn't help asking: "The general you're talking about is..."

Zhuo Jiusi nodded: "It's Zhongyong Bo Duan Hongshi!"

Ding Ru'an came to a sudden, as if a certain gateway had been opened somewhere, and countless scattered traces were connected in series by a thread surrounded by clouds and fog.

"Speaking of which, the Fang family also suffered from the disaster," Zhuo Jiusi felt a little regretful, "Master Fang has no concubine daughter, only a concubine lady, who usually doesn't pay much attention to her. For some reason, this Miss Fang and Duan At that time, Uncle Zhongyong's mansion was in full swing, and the Fang family had long wanted to get a share in the military. Naturally, they were very willing to this marriage, but unexpectedly, a case of treason came out... Boss Fang People wanted to persuade their daughter to reconcile with the Duan family, but Miss Fang just refused. In a rage, Mrs. Fang tricked Miss Fang back to the mansion on the grounds that her aunt was seriously ill. I gave him the letter of Heli. The young master of the Duan family was a sensible person, and he did not force others, and agreed to Heli, but Miss Fang was a virtuous woman. Hearing that Uncle Zhongyong ransacked her family, she hanged herself from the beam in her room..."

Ding Ru'an didn't know what to say, so he could only sigh with Zhuo Jiusi.

"I don't know how many people were involved in the shocking case back then. If it wasn't for the fact that the commander-in-chief was still young, he might not have been able to get away with it." Zhuo Jiusi said with dark eyes, "It's a pity that Uncle Zhongyong's family is full of loyal and good people, but it ended up like this in the end." . . . what a pity."

Ding Ru'an could hear the deep worry hidden in his voice. At that moment, he suddenly understood that what Zhuo Jiu was worried about was not the dead who became Huangtu, or even the imminent crisis in the capital, but Yang Fan's future fate.

Since ancient times, holding a heavy army and being a master of high merit have been taboos for kings, and the Marquis of Dingbian has both. Who can guarantee that he will not follow in the footsteps of Uncle Zhongyong in the future?Who can be sure that today's emperor will not be suspicious of heroes like his father, and hide everything?

Ding Ru'an was silent for a moment, then patted Zhuo Jiusi on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, you are worried. Of course, the master will not ignore it. He will not let Yang Hou follow the old path of Uncle Zhongyong. He has probably already planned his way out," he said. Yes, according to me, why don't you both hand in your resignation letter, and live with my master from now on... I dare not say anything else, just keep enough food and drink, kill sand bandits in your free time, and go for a walk in the desert for a while when you're bored Isn't penning a horse much more comfortable than doing calculations all day long?"

Zhuo Jiusi may have gone to the doctor in a hurry, or he may have been in court for a long time and was tired of intrigue, so he actually felt that what Ding Ru'an said was quite reasonable.

"These are all things to say later." After all, he didn't dare to make the decision for Yang Fan, and changed the subject, "Mr. Zhang's request is a bit difficult for others, and the northwest garrison is not the private army of Dingbian Houfu. Mobilized?"

Ding Ru'an thought for a while: "It's impossible to mobilize the army, but I see what the master means. You don't need too many troops. You only need to send thousands of light cavalry to deal with the fire in the capital and delay it until the reinforcements arrive."

Zhuo Jiusi smiled wryly: "Isn't that the same? If the military situation is not urgent, the frontier troops are not allowed to act without edicts. This is a rule passed down by the late emperor."

Ding Ru'an rolled his eyes, and suddenly asked: "Of course, the surroundings are safe and secure, but what if there is an emergency military situation?"

Zhuo Jiusi was stunned for a moment, not knowing why, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Ding Ru'an smiled secretly: "The general forgot... Thirty miles north of the Northwest camp, there is a Huihe Huqi stationed!"