Startled Meng

The officer knocked over the silver chopsticks with rough hands and feet, quickly took two steps back and covered his face with the tray, without apologizing or kneeling.

Yan Cijing thought to himself, is this a broken jar?It was expected that he would not dare disturb the emperor's interest by making noise in this hall, but he was so bold and arrogant.

But he really didn't intend to care about it, it wasn't because the internal official was much taller than him when he straightened up, it was because the courtiers in the hall had already started lending the opportunity to the emperor to send congratulatory gifts, and they were running on each other.

First, officials from the Ministry of Officials sent a birthday poem, and invited calligraphy master Mr. Wang's calligraphy.

The emperor had visited Mr. Wang when he was traveling abroad, and now he has such a look, he was overjoyed at the moment, and hurriedly asked the internal officials to present it to him for a closer look.

The emperor was overjoyed: "The brush strokes flow like clouds and flowing water, the strokes are elegant, the brushwork is exquisite, very wonderful!"

The people below all agreed, and some people said, this calligraphy is good, and the birthday poem is also a quatrain through the ages, but the transcription of the whole poem is too clichéd, let's take a look at the birthday gift of Mr. Fan, Minister of the Ministry of household affairs!

What Fan Qi presented was an Antarctic fairy carved in white jade, the size of a baby, with a clear body. The kind eyebrows and kind eyes of an immortal are the best birthday gifts, but he was ridiculed: "The emperor is in his prime, so it would be too early for the Antarctic fairy to celebrate his birthday. "

Just as Fan Qi wanted to explain, his face was blocked by a huge fifteen-foot painting.

The ministers below couldn't sit still and started making noises, and the emperor came down from the stage to take a closer look.

Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Shaoqiu made a bow and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, this "Picture of Removing the Years of the Great Liang" has been drawn since the beginning of the year. Dozens of painters have worked day and night to make this painting look holy today!"

An official said: "The children lighting up the firecrackers are so lifelike, I seem to have heard the sound of the cannonballs!"

Someone else said: "It's more than that! The pavilions and shops on the street are so detailed that people who buy cakes and meat can see them with just a few fingers!"

The emperor caressed the golden wheel on the painting, and was fascinated by the lively scene: "The people of Great Yin live and work in peace and contentment, and the capital is prosperous and prosperous, good! good! good!"

He even said three good things, and he was rewarded a lot, Zhang Shaoqiu couldn't hide his excitement, and thanked him loudly, and when the scroll was rolled up again, Zhang Shaoqiu bowed to the prime minister Wei Cheng who was sitting opposite him: "Mr. Wei must have made preparations a long time ago, right? If not now, when will it be?"

Wei Cheng just smiled, clapped his hands, and the internal officer came forward with a brocade box in both hands.

The brocade box was only a little bit bigger, not as ostentatious as a fifteen-foot-long painting, but when the lid was lifted, even the emperor who was used to seeing treasures was amazed.

Wei Chengdao: "The birthday gift of a humble minister is not as clean and generous as Mr. Zhang's. Little things are just for the emperor's pleasure."

The emperor held the gadget in the palm of his hand. The small ivory ball, carved with intricate flowers, rolled in his hand, and there were other layers of small balls nested inside the ball.

The minister below said: "The painstaking efforts of three generations of master jade carving masters! After so many years, such a one has been obtained. The eighteen-layer nest is not carved from the inside to the outside, but the whole piece is carved. Wei Xiang was able to find this peerless treasure!"

"Rewards! There are many rewards!" The emperor was overjoyed, and gave Wei Cheng all the thirty new gold silk brocades. How much money, Wei Cheng only said to celebrate the emperor's birthday, and the treasure that is hard to buy is worth it.

The two came and went, you laughed at me for being poor, and I laughed at you for being vulgar, the emperor was holding the ivory ball and couldn't put it down, and he let the two camps fight each other.

Yan Cijing didn't stand on either side, just focused on looking at the ivory carving that he had never seen before. Unfortunately, the seats were far away, and he could only see a round white ball from a distance. He also heard his colleagues tell him how difficult and laborious the ivory carving was. Curious, he stretched his neck to look, but he still didn't see anything, but he heard a casual "cut" behind him.

Yan Cijing recognized it because of his lack of knowledge, but the eunuch standing behind him seemed to be used to seeing rare treasures. He wanted to see who among the eunuchs was so arrogant.

"Report! A letter from the north—"

The eunuch of Chuanxin slammed, and turned everyone's attention to the palace gate. The officials wiped their saliva and sat down. The emperor put down the ball in his hand, and all of them restrained their emotions, hung their hearts, and couldn't take their eyes off it. He stared at the northern sergeant coming against the light.

The sergeant honed by the yellow sand in the north is tall and strong, with dark and rough skin, and he is out of place with the Splendid Hall. He has a cloak and awe-inspiring aura. He kneels on one knee with his shoulders straight. He spoke, and the sound shook the entire hall:

"The last general is Song Hui under the command of General Xie, who brought millions of soldiers from the north to congratulate the emperor on his birthday, and wish the emperor a healthy body and a long life!"

"Although the general is far away in the northern border, he has always been concerned about the emperor's birthday, and at the end of the special order, he will rush to send this special Great Yin army flag."

At this time, the two young generals following behind Song Hui stepped forward and shook off a ten-foot-long silk neatly, and the word "Yin" appeared, majestic.

Xie Xuantong was in the hall, and he had already recognized the handwriting: "My father's handwriting!"

Song Hui said yes, but more people in the hall were attracted by the red cloth with uneven edges and uneven color patches.

Seeing the sharp light in Song Hui's eyes, he was angry and furious: "This military flag was made by 320 soldiers and civilians who survived the Battle of Yanshan in Ru, Su, and Yan three states overnight, representing our Great Yin. Don’t cut a centimeter of territory, don’t give up an inch of land, God bless me, the Yin country is strong and the people are rich, and I will never let anyone bully me!”

As soon as this remark came out, there was an uproar in the hall, and some ministers wiped their tears silently.

The emperor mourned, and stepped off the stage amidst the eunuch's admonishment, brushing the rough red cloth with his hands. This flag is stitched together and sewn from several pieces of cloth, and the joints are tightly stitched, which means that the territory of Great Yin is intact.

Blood-stained mountains and rivers, bright red banners.

In the 56th year of Yuankang, the enemy invaded on a large scale and captured the three prefectures of Ru, Su and Yan one after another. They burned, killed and looted all kinds of crimes. state.

Corpses were strewn all over the field, blood flowed into rivers, and what the enemy left behind were three dead cities with no life left.

The cloth is light in weight, but the emperor feels that it is extremely heavy when he holds it in his hand.reward?Reward what?Gold and jade treasures are not enough to comfort the soldiers and civilians of the three states who died in vain. Temple steles have been built a long time ago, and repairing it back and forth is a waste of money and money.

We have to reward dozens of talents who are proficient in dry farming and weaving techniques, reward cold and drought-resistant crops, reward raw cattle and sheep, and reward the spirits of the dead with hundreds of altars of fermented wine.

Song Hui thanked En and retreated, Xie Xuan came out after him, and went to inquire about the recent situation of his father and brother. All the officials began to congratulate the emperor that the real dragon came to the world, which can keep Dayin safe for several years, and the hall was lively and lively again.

But in this hall, when the old things are brought up again, it is inevitable that some people will feel sad.Fu Chun muffled his head and poured wine, Su Hongzhang lowered his head to cover his red eyes, Bi Zhixing suddenly realized.

Fermented wine to comfort the dead?There was also Yan Cijing's table, he drank it in one gulp, the liquor burned his throat, but even the eye sockets were burnt red.

At the emperor's birthday banquet, he was too drunk, so the jug on the table was no bigger than a child's fist, and two cups were drained, Yan Cijing worried that he had just been heated up by strong alcohol, and still wanted to drink, so he waved his hand to follow behind The inner officer poured the wine again.

The color of the wine was slightly yellow, Yan Cijing glanced at it and poured it into his mouth.

"cough--"

It's not wine, it's strong tea, very bitter, Yan Cijing asked the stupid eunuch to pour the wine again.

But the inner officer said: "My lord, drinking like this is too harmful."

Yan Cijing said in a deep voice, "What does it have to do with you?"

The internal officer was silent, and did not try to persuade him, but he did not exchange tea for wine.

The front hall suddenly became lively again, it was said that Chen Guiren in the harem gave birth to a little princess the day before yesterday, plus today's Qianyuan Festival, it can be said to be a double happiness, these words made the emperor's face flushed.

The emperor is young but he doesn't have many heirs. In addition to the newly born little princess, there are only two princes born to concubines in the palace, so the emperor is overjoyed when he hears others talking about the little princess.

Chen Guiren's father, Chen Kaiyang, was the envoy of the Yantie Jiedu on Yecheng South Road. A few days ago, he reported the corruption of Yantie officials in Changjun County south of Yecheng.

Smuggling of salt and iron is strictly prohibited in Great Yin. In Chang County, government and businessmen colluded to smuggle salt and iron for smuggling. They also caught up with bandits along the way in an attempt to deceive people. Jiedu envoy Chen Kaiyang found out the way and reported it to the court. Only then did the incident come to light.

Because of this incident, and the fact that the daughter who entered the palace was the emperor's birth daughter, Chen Kaiyang was favored by the emperor.

When the little princess was mentioned at this time, Chen Kaiyang was a little overjoyed. He took the opportunity to present the unique Xiuyu in Chang County as a birthday gift, and he did not forget to mention his political achievements. I didn't know that there was such a fine jade in Changjun.

As soon as these words came out, the faces of everyone in the hall changed slightly.

The emperor immediately lowered his face, said "reward" lightly and stopped talking, the eunuch in charge glared at Chen Kaiyang, and waved his whisk to make him retreat quickly.

Seeing Chen Kaiyang's puzzled face, he hated the eunuch for iron, and scolded Chen Kaiyang for being an idiot in his heart.

Although Yan Cijing's position is far away, he can have a panoramic view of everyone's reactions.

The incident in Changjun exposed the flaws in the emperor's governance of the country. Chen Kaiyang was really smart enough to take the emperor's pain to make himself proud.

Yan Cijing glanced at Wei Cheng, seeing his pale face, he understood.

The official Yantie whose home was confiscated and imprisoned happened to be the younger brother of Mrs. Wei Cheng's mother's family. Once the incident was revealed, his enemy Zhang Shaoqiu criticized him a lot. It was inconvenient for him to plead for mercy, so he had to leave a whole body behind. He was really unhappy. Of course it was impossible to give Chen Kaiyang a good face.

"Lord Chen just took advantage of his predecessors. The Changjun incident happened more than ten years ago, but no evidence has been found. In addition to the chaos in the court, it has been shelved until now."

"Chen Guiren is also very domineering in the harem, and he can do things like contradicting the queen. It's outrageous."

Yan Cijing didn't say a word, but the two adults sitting next to him kept muttering. While listening, he stared at Fu Chun who was opposite him.

Fu Chun has been in poor condition since Song Hui sent the birthday gift from the north.

The Three Youyun Provinces once fell into the hands of the enemy. Meng Xiao's treason and collusion with the enemy were involved behind this matter. Fu Chun is Meng Xiao's best friend. Thinking of the past, it is inevitable that he will feel depressed.

In addition to the fact that Chen Kaiyang reported Yantieguan, before Meng Xiao's accident, Meng Xiao had found the hiding place of the bandits by following the vines, but the bandits had nowhere to go and kidnapped Meng Xiao's only son as a threat. In exchange for a way of life.

Speaking of Changjun, Fu Chun recalled the scene of working with old friends, and felt sad.

Seeing him secretly wiping away tears, Yan Cijing felt infinite sadness in his heart, and wanted to ask him why he knew such a secret thing, because he was also a person who experienced it back then.

The bandits are vicious, and the child is so young, how could he stand up to the bloody long knife that fell down.

Even if someone said that Meng Xiao colluded with the enemy and treason was controversial, Yan Cijing had witnessed the bandit's long knife that almost fell on Meng Jingyuan's body, even though the knife finally fell on himself who was standing behind Meng Jingyuan.

Tracing back to the source, is it just the little Yantie official who is colluding with bandits?

Yan Cijing glanced at Wei Cheng with burning eyes. After a while, he lowered his eyes, rolled up his sleeves, and quietly left the hall while no one was paying attention.

The one who left at the same time as him was the inconspicuous internal officer who had been standing behind him.

The author says:

More!Good night!