Reincarnation of the powerful minister

Outside the walls of the cemetery, the accompanying officials who heard the movement came late, and when they saw the prince with his hat off, his robes torn, and a muddy body, their faces turned green with fright, and they knelt down to plead guilty.

The prince said: "Get up, it has nothing to do with your lords. It was the collapse of the rocks on the North Peak and the sudden rush of the stream and waterfall, which almost hit the cemetery. Fortunately, Gu led the guards to cut down trees to block the road, divert the water, and divert the water away."

All the officials were in an uproar when they heard the words, and all of them felt frightened and terrified. In the joy of escaping the catastrophe, they admired and thanked the prince for his prompt decision and bravely protecting the mausoleum.

The prince humbly said: "It's not an isolated achievement, it's the emperor Taizu who showed his holiness and blessed me with a prosperous dragon vein and a long and prosperous country."

Su Yan secretly praised Zhu Helin's words: he didn't punish the officials present for his ineffective escort, and he also put aside his own business of hunting deer. After the mudslide, he emphasized his actions to protect the mausoleum, and finally attributed the credit to the protection of his ancestors.

This remark seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages, and advances and retreats in a certain way. Compared with confronting the emperor face to face in the capital, it can be said to be a huge improvement.

Among the officials present, several high-ranking elders, such as the Minister of Rites of Nanjing and the Minister of Taichang Temple of Nanjing, discussed a few words and decided to escort the prince back to the palace first, and at the same time, send troops from the Nanjing Ministry of Military Affairs to clean up the washed-up north peak. trees.Then ask Master Kanyu to re-plan this stream and waterfall, block what should be blocked, and divert what should be diverted, so that there must be no more accidents in the future.

According to the law, this major event that almost affected the imperial mausoleum should be reported immediately to the imperial court of the capital.Lu Shangshu planned to write the report himself, so he said to the prince: "Tomorrow, the old minister will go to kowtow to His Highness and ask about the details, so that we can report the truth to the court."

The prince agreed, and returned to the Fudian to wash and change clothes again.Before starting to drive, he suddenly turned his head to look at the crowd and asked, "Where is the eunuch in charge of the Xiaoling Shrine?"

A middle-aged white and fat eunuch in the crowd hurriedly came out and bowed respectfully: "My maidservant's humble name is Yao Quan, what do you want me to do?"

The crown prince stood on the step stool of the carriage and looked down at him condescendingly: "The servants who acted as guides in the palace supervisor, have they returned safely?"

Eunuch Yao replied: "I haven't seen them coming back. Maybe they were washed away by the current. It's more ominous. Well, it's their fate too."

The prince said calmly: "After all, they died because of errands, so they should be compensated. You provide the names, places of origin, family members and other relevant information of these people to... Mr. Su, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, and he will be responsible for the follow-up matters."

Eunuch Yao took the order and said that it would be done tomorrow.

The prince just boarded the car and set off back to Nanjing Imperial City.

When the officials left the Meridian Gate to go home, an internal servant passed the prince's oral order to summon Su Yan into the palace.

As soon as Su Yan stepped into the palace, he heard the crown prince scolding the palace servants and guards in charge: "A big living person slipped away from your nose so easily, you can't say you can't find her, even how did she get out of the palace, where did she go?" Where did you go, don’t you know?”

The man in charge of the palace and the leader of the guards were scolded by him to the point of despair, they bowed their heads and admitted their mistake, saying that they would look for it again, and they must be dug out.

Su Yan said: "Master, calm down. You have been tired all day and you haven't eaten well. Why don't you ask the cook to cook some supper?"

When Zhu Helin saw him, most of his anger dissipated. After sending these people away with a wave, he pulled Su Yan to sit cross-legged on the Luohan couch.

Cheng Sheng and Fu Bao were not there, and the servants on the left and right were not discerning enough, and did not leave the palace immediately without the order of the crown prince.Zhu Helin turned his head and glared at them: "Every one of them is used as wood here? I didn't hear what Su Shilang said, go and ask the cook to cook supper! Make more tricks, don't use up all the tofu and vegetables, the mausoleum is over."

The servants backed away in a hurry, and finally came to their senses, and closed the palace door together.

Su Yan patted the back of Zhu Helin's hand with a smile: "Okay, when the evil fire is about to start, it's almost enough."

Zhu Helin resentfully said: "Young master and you almost gave your life to Zhong Shan today, but you can't tell anyone, and you can only investigate secretly. I really want to die of aggrieved!"

Su Yan was very calm: "There's nothing to be aggrieved about. He has Zhang Liang's plan, and I have a wall ladder. There is a saying... Let's see who has the last laugh."

Zhu Helin pursed his lips.Su Yan narrowed his eyes and looked at him unkindly: "If you want to say I am aggrieved, I am aggrieved and ready to attack? I just returned to Beijing, and I was punished for no reason, and I was driven to Nanjing. I heard that it was because I was given to a certain expert The big hand that painted Hanlin Fengyue became a mannequin?"

The "mannequin" didn't understand, but he understood the four words "Hanlin Fengyue" in seconds, and Zhu Helin's face suddenly became embarrassed, and even the roots of his ears turned red.

He stuttered in embarrassment: "I didn't, didn't think about it... who knew that I would be caught by the emperor suddenly... I just..." He held Su Yan's hand hard, and said aggrievedly, "Go Half a year in Shaanxi, two months after returning to the capital, and another half a year, I just miss you so much."

Su Yan said with a straight face: "Then you can scribble on my yellow pictures? Have you ever thought about what to do if those things end up in the hands of the Empress Dowager, or if they are spread out of the palace by someone with a heart, causing a commotion inside and outside the court?

"I, Su Qinghe, have a thick skin. If I can become an official, I will continue to be an official. If I can't, I will go home and continue to be my second generation official. And what about you? Do you want the reputation of the prince? You have worked so hard before, Don't you feel bad at all even if it's all in vain?

"Did you think that when most of the Wei family fell and the Wei family was thrown into limbo, the crisis would be resolved, and you, as the crown prince, could rest easy?"

Several sharp questions in succession forced Zhu Helin to sweat from the tip of his nose, and his face was extremely embarrassing.

He squeezed Su Yan's hand tightly, and said in an almost pleading tone: "Qinghe, stop talking!"

The hand was pinched so painfully, Su Yan didn't break free, sighed with disappointment, and said word by word: "Prince, son, highness, Your Majesty."

This look was not sharp, and even looked a little sad, but to Zhu Helin, it was like a sharp arrow piercing his heart, and the last address almost made him cry.

There was a raging fire in his stomach, and there was a breath of stale air in his chest, and he wanted to get angry—from childhood to adulthood, this was the magic weapon to solve all problems.

But he knows that now is different from the past, he should control his temper and take on the responsibility of "His Royal Highness" - he should grow up.

Zhu Helin lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "...it's my fault."

Su Yan was a little angry about the erotic paintings, but he and Zhu Helin had a deep relationship and knew each other's temperament well, so he didn't want to settle this account at first.But since it has been mentioned, wouldn't it be a waste of such a good negative teaching material if we didn't take the opportunity to beat it?

So even if the other side looked like a big dog with a dejected head, he couldn't immediately rub his fur softly.

"When you do anything, you have to anticipate the consequences in advance, and only do it if you can afford it. If you can't afford it...and if you really want to do it, then you should plan a way out first, so that you won't even be able to reach a plank when the boat capsizes. The young master is so smart , should know this truth." Su Yan said.

Zhu Helin nodded.Suddenly realizing that he was pinching hard, he quickly let go, and touched the back of the opponent's hand full of finger marks in distress.

With this hand, Su Yan dipped his index finger in the tea, and drew a long line on the Kang table, then drew three circles of different sizes, and strung them on the line.

What's the meaning?Zhu Helin asked with his eyes.

Su Yan pointed to the long line: "This is the path you need to take." Then he pointed to three circles, "These are the problems you must solve in order to reach the end of the line.

"The smallest circle is the Wei family where the queen mother's prejudices and centipedes are dead but not dead."

"The middle circle represents the support of the courtiers and the support of the people of the world."

"The biggest circle is the black hand who always hides behind the scenes and makes trouble."

For the first two, Zhu Helin has no doubts.Regarding the last big circle, he asked: "Hasn't the Vacuum Cult been eradicated? Mr. He, who fled in a hurry, is now being wanted by the whole country."

Su Yan said: "That's only the capital city, and there are some big cities like Nanjing, where the imperial court's edict to ban vacuum religion can be better implemented. But what about the wider rural areas? There are more than 1000 counties in the country, you Do you know which ones have been infiltrated by the Vacuum Cult? Don’t forget, the Vacuum Cult is best at fooling the people, forming secret associations among the people, and secretly absorbing believers.”

Zhu Helin frowned: "According to what you're saying, the imperial court has to issue an order to mobilize officers and soldiers of the guards in all prefectures and counties to search house by house and hunt down the remnants, so that the Vacuum Sect can be completely wiped out."

Su Yan shook his head: "Too strict suppression policy may cause civil uprisings and social turmoil. What I mean is, to solve the largest circle, the key lies in two points - first, the teacher must be famous; Second, to capture the thief, first capture the king.

"We were able to uproot the Vacuum Sect in the capital because we took the Baizhifang explosion as the starting point. My lord, it's 'capture the thief first and capture the king'. It's a pity that the king of thieves escaped."

Zhu Helin nodded while thinking: "If you can catch Mr. He again and deal with him, will you be able to deal a fatal blow to the Vacuum Sect?"

Su Yan replied: "The power of the Vacuum Sect is basically concentrated in the hands of the leader. It is indeed imperative to eradicate Mr. He. But I have been thinking about one thing, and I always feel that there is another mystery behind it..."

"What's the matter?"

"Mr. Crane...is he really a 'player'?"

Zhu Helin was startled: "Why not him?"

Su Yan asked back: "Are you sure it's him? Just because he loves to play tricks and tricks, loves to play chess, and even when he was arrested, he was holding black and white pieces in his hand?"

Zhu Helin fell into deep thought.

Su Yan said: "Have you ever thought about it, if Mr. He is a 'player' and the one who gives orders, why didn't the owner of the Seven Kills Camp get on the prison van with him? The robbery of the prison van was planned in advance by them. The Lord could escape alive, so why was he blocked at the entrance of the secret passage, and finally died surrounded by Jin Yiwei and King Yu?"

Zhu Helin thought for a while, and answered uncertainly: "Because...the Seven Killers camp owner didn't obey Mr. He? So when Mr. He escaped, he didn't care about him at all?"

Su Yan nodded approvingly: "If Mr. He is really a 'player', how could he give up such a powerful chess piece like the camp master easily. From this point of view, Mr. He may not be the supreme master, and the opponent's power is not monolithic. "

The more Zhu Helin thought about it, the more he felt that the power behind this was unfathomable. It seemed to be the ten thousand-year-old tree demon in the storybook. Not only the tree was towering, but also the huge root system extended to all directions in the dark underground.

"...Could the matter of Zhongshan White Deer also be related to 'Yi Zhe'?" He murmured.

Su Yan said: "There is a possibility. We narrowly escaped death today, and we seem to be safe, but the other party is the best at combing tricks, and there must be a backup. We must find a breakthrough point as soon as possible, break the other party's plot, and fight against the army. "

Zhu Helin said: "After the explosion, several guides who went to set up traps disappeared. They may have died in the mudslide, or they may have escaped. The only clue left is that maid named Tao Ling. I ordered people to arrest her as soon as I returned to the palace, but she also died. I didn't know where to go, so I lost my temper with the eunuch in charge and the guards. Young master...not the kind of unreasonable person."

Su Yan showed an expression of understanding and comfort, and couldn't help but reached out and rubbed the hair on the big dog's head: "The young master returned to the palace safely, the maid knew that her crime was exposed, she should have fled to find the instigator."

Zhu Helin sighed: "It's a pity that the only remaining clue is also broken."

"Who said there is only this one clue?" Su Yan suddenly smiled, "I was in the cemetery before, and I asked the eunuch Yao from the palace supervisor for the list of the servants who acted as guides, isn't this a clue?

"I also found that when the officials dispersed at the Meridian Gate, some guards from the Eastern Palace quietly followed. Did the young master send him to follow Eunuch Yao? The young master is much more powerful than I thought."

Hearing his praise, Zhu Helin also saw the confident smile on his face, so he laughed too: "Those guides are servants of the Jingu Supervisor, and Tao Ling was also transferred from the Shengong Supervisor to the palace three months ago. , there must be an inner ghost in the Jingong Prison, or it is a ghost. Eunuch Yao is the eunuch of the palm seal, can I send someone to watch him?"

Su Yan praised him a few more words. Seeing that the dog's tail was also raised, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Let me also contribute a clue. Tomorrow, we will go to the North Peak of Zhongshan Mountain in micro-services—not going to Xiaoling's side." Mountain road, climb up from the other side and check the explosion site."

Zhu Helin rolled his eyes, and immediately realized: "What caused the mudslide was the series of loud explosions at the back. Then the two sounds that were dull before but felt the strongest on the ground, what were they exploding?"

Su Yan saw that he had asked the right point, and was about to speak, when a servant outside the hall asked, "The supper is ready, do you want me to use it now?"

Their stomachs were rumbling in unison, and they couldn't help but smile at each other.Zhu Helin got up, and pulled Su Yan to the dining table: "Eat supper first, and then talk after eating."

Su Yan said: "I'm going out of the palace after eating. Although it's not as strict as the capital, the palace here is also restricted."

"It's no big deal to stay in the palace if it's late, the young master has the final say."

"That's not okay, in case someone gossips."

"Why not? If you don't sleep in a palace, what else is there to talk about?"

"It still doesn't work, in case the young master gets very interested in painting and wants to use me as a mannequin."

"..."

Zhu Helin said angrily: "I won't draw anymore! I won't draw anymore in the future, okay?"

Su Yan smirked: "In the future, it's not a bad idea to draw a picture of concubines. It's the joy of the boudoir. It just needs to be hidden, so that it won't be passed on to future generations. People point to the paintings in the museum and say, 'Oh, I didn't expect that. Song Taizong is still called a painter, drawing yellow pictures of him and Xiao Zhou. This Emperor Mingwu... this Emperor Mingming is even more powerful, and he actually does it himself and produces his own food'—how, is it embarrassing?"

Zhu Helin became extremely angry from embarrassment, and rushed over to scratch Su Yan's itchy flesh fiercely.Su Yan twisted and dodged, laughing out of tears from being scratched.

Zhu Helin gritted his teeth and said, "In the future—you can control how I paint as you want!"

"Don't dare. My master will become a wise king in the future, and future generations will comment on his merits and demerits. Of course, this also includes his personal hobby of drawing little yellow pictures, hahaha!"

"Descendants..." Zhu Helin spat angrily and weakly, "No matter how much they gossip, I can't hear it anyway."

Su Yan said sternly: "You don't want face, I want it. How many more have you drawn? Burn them quickly, and if any one is leaked out, I will break the entire barrel of your pen!"

Zhu Helin was very discouraged and said: "Got it... Didn't you just claim to have a thick skin and not be afraid of being scolded?"

Su Yan squinted at him: "Do you believe this kind of scene? Back then, I (the original owner) ranked first in the provincial examination. When I passed the examination, another examinee asked me how I felt. I blushed and replied, 'My brother is not talented. For teachers and parents, just try again after three years'. They really believed it, and comforted me one after another. When the rankings are released...everyone has your expression."