The mountains and rivers are quiet and broad

Eunuch Kang tremblingly looked at it for a long time before he recognized that it was Eunuch Ren.

"This is..." Eunuch Kang couldn't help swallowing, his voice still became sharper uncontrollably: "What's the matter, what is this?"

It is not too much to say that it is a blood man.Eunuch Ren lay naked on the ground. There was not a single piece of good flesh on his body. Large areas of skin had been torn off, and only his face was intact.The smell of blood in the air was heavy, and there was also a stench, which came from nowhere.

The captain of the guard, He Xin, had never seen such a situation, and his calves were still trembling, "I don't even know about the humble job."

"How did you find out?"

There is a small courtyard outside the Tianqi Building. The guards have always been guarding the outside of the Tianqi Building. Every time Zhou Zhou came, he would go into the courtyard alone. No one had ever approached the Tianqi Building.

About half an hour ago, there was a sudden noise from inside, and the guards looked at each other. He Xin also felt strange, but without the order of the national teacher, he didn't dare to order someone to go in and check.

After about one stick of incense, shouts came from inside, and after shouting for a full stick of incense, He Xin sent someone to Qingxin Pavilion where the national teacher lived when the first shout sounded.

"Just a moment before your father-in-law came, the door opened by itself, and the smell of blood filled it, so we dared to enter, and then we saw..."

Captain He's complexion was very bad, presumably the scene after opening the door had a big impact on him. "Hey, by the way, Eunuch Kang, why did you come so fast?"

"The national teacher asked me to come."

Captain He nodded respectfully. "I see."

Eunuch Kang lifted his eyelids and glanced into the open door of Tianqi Building. It was pitch black inside, and he stood far away, unable to see anything. There was a bloody thing churning at the door, so he had no choice but to turn his eyes away. , let people take Eunuch Ren away quickly, and invited the imperial physician to come over to save his life, and asked He Xin: "Have you seen it when you go into the building?"

"I dare not to be humble."

Eunuch Kang nodded, "I have to ask the national teacher's opinion."

The little father-in-law who was waiting to deliver the news hurried into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and after telling the story, Zhou Zhou and Chen Mao looked at each other, and saw worry in each other's eyes.

The Tianqi Tower is an important place for the royal family, and it is heavily guarded. Although Eunuch Ren has such a terrifying appearance, he definitely did not go in alone. Someone must have thrown him in.

And the murderer took the Tianqi Building as the location of the murder, and made such a big incident, could it be unintentional?What is the opponent's purpose?

"Enter the building, be sure to catch him!" Chen Mao said coldly.

But they had already lost the best chance to catch this person. If He Xin led someone to break in when there was something strange inside, they would surely be able to catch him, but the murderer was sure and these guards dared not.

He Xin and Eunuch Kang entered the Tianqi Building together. It was pitch black inside. He Xin polished a fire pocket, but he couldn't find the candle after searching for a long time. There was not a single lamp holder in the entire Tianqi Building.

The subordinates carefully handed the torches in, but no one dared to rummage around, and the building was silent, which aggravated their awe of the Tianqi Building in their hearts.

No one knew what was in the building, but they believed in the national teacher and his extraordinary ability.

"This gangster's methods are cruel and heartless. They are disrespectful to God's will, the emperor, and the national teacher." Seeing that everyone couldn't let go, Mr. Kang was anxious, and he said to boost morale: "Catch the gangster, there is no delay!"

The guards received the order and boldly walked into the building.After a while, there was a gasp from the front.

"What happened?"

"My lord, here, there is...a piece of tongue."

Tongue?He Xin suddenly remembered that he had only heard a few screams just now, and the last one was especially shrill, but it stopped abruptly—the 40-year-old strong man stopped in his tracks, facing the darkness ahead, not wanting to move forward.

There was only a bloody smell in the building, which gradually faded as time went by. Eunuch Kang kept covering his mouth with a handkerchief, and his brows were tightly locked.

"My lord, there is a lot of human skin here."

"My lord, there are a few broken stones in the middle of the building, but there is nothing unusual."

"Upstairs?" He Xin held up the torch and looked up. Tianqi Building is four stories high, and the inside is indeed hollow. There are stairs on both sides. After going up, there is a corridor built along the wall. The corridor has no handrails, and people walk on it. I don't feel panicked.Each floor has a corridor leading to the empty mid-air.

"My lord, there is nothing."

The guards even knocked on the wall carefully, but there was nothing in this tower-like building, and it even seemed to be barren.

No one was found in the Tianqi Courtyard either. It is unknown how the villain came and when he left.

After searching all night, with no clue at all, Eunuch Kang and He Xin stared at the dark circles under their eyes and went to report back.And Imperial Physician Wang, along with several imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital, wandered hesitantly at the gate of the Hall of Harmony.

Chen Mao stayed up almost all night and was waiting in the hall.

"Reporting to the emperor, Eunuch Ren's injuries are very serious. His tongue is broken, his skin is completely destroyed, his fingers are broken, his hamstrings are broken, his internal organs are seriously injured, his spleen and kidneys are ruptured, and there is no way for you to recover."

Wang Taiyi said, secretly looked at Chen Mao's expression, saw that he did not speak, and continued: "Ren Gonggong can't speak, hand can't write, legs can't walk, and his mind is not very clear. I'm afraid I won't be able to survive today. .”

Chen Mao nodded, but did not speak.

"The national teacher has arrived—" There was a voice at the door, Zhou Zhou was dressed in layers of costumes, with a mask on his face, followed by a child in the same costume.

It was the first time for the imperial physicians and Captain He to see Xiaotong, and they were a little curious, but no one dared to speak in the atmosphere in front of them.

Zhou Zhou saluted solemnly, and the little boy imitated: "See the emperor."

"Excuse me." Chen Maolang said.

After the accident, Zhou Zhou returned to Qingxin Pavilion without hesitation. According to Zhou Zhou's speculation, since Eunuch Ren is one of the few people who knows the secrets of the state teacher and the emperor, the person who killed Eunuch Ren must have known it too. Prepared 12 points and waited for the storm.

Zhou Zhou and Chen Mao have no idea what will happen to the forbidden love between the state teacher and the emperor, and the empty harem of Emperor Xuande until now.

Others saluted to the national teacher one after another, Zhou Zhou returned the salute, bluntly said that the Tianqi Building was broken into by someone this time, it is really a terrible thing, he has not gone to check the scene yet, please ask the emperor to find out the truth as soon as possible, and said that Tianji has given instructions, war chaos From now on, it is a critical period that will determine the future of Da Chen.

After Zhou Zhou finished speaking, the hall was silent, and no one spoke. Chen Mao was also silent for a while, and first looked at Wang Taiyi: "Although Ren Gonggong is not much longer, please stay here for now." The implication of the words Before the investigation of this matter was clear, these imperial physicians were detained first.

Chen Mao was worried that the news about Eunuch Ren would spread, which was not unreasonable. Even if there was no reason, these old men dared not say anything, so they obediently agreed.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Mao ordered Yang Zhuowen, Minister of the Dali Temple, and Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Shusun, to enter the palace, and He Xin cooperated with them in the investigation.

Then Chen Mao issued a third order: call Yan Keqing, Sangong, three provinces and six ministries and other important officials into the palace to discuss matters.

Xiaotong followed He Xin to Tianqi Tower, and Eunuch Kang led the imperial physicians to resettle Eunuch Ren. For a while, only Zhou Zhou and Chen Mao were left in the hall.

"I'll be the one talking for a while."

"Yeah." Zhou Zhou nodded. He didn't have to go to court on weekdays, and he didn't interact with those courtiers. He naturally wanted to maintain his usual aloof image for a while, and he couldn't talk too much. He mentioned the upcoming war, and the rest There are others to discuss with Chen Mao.

"Perhaps it would be better for you to go to Tianqi Building." Chen Mao said.

Zhou Zhou shook his head: "Be natural and frank. Even if the other party knows our relationship, he can't let it out rashly. I have been covering my face with a mask. Eunuch Ren is already "unconscious". If he is not careful, he will be exposed. Own.His purpose should not be aimed at us. "

This is Zhou Zhou's analysis, and Chen Mao thinks about it carefully, and it makes sense.

When the sky was bright, people finally came together.

More than a dozen people stood in the hall, Chen Mao sat alone on the desk, Zhou Zhou stood on the right, and Yan Keqing stood on the left. Surprisingly, Chen Du was also pushed in by someone in a wheelchair .

The sixth prince was weak and had lived in the Ningxiang Palace for many years. He suddenly started to participate in politics, which surprised many people.

Yan Keqing greeted him calmly, with a neither humble nor overbearing voice, maintaining his usual good demeanor.

The others were surprised in their hearts, but they didn't show their faces. They were all very calm, saluted and waited for Chen Mao to speak.

It was a room full of old foxes. Chen Mao and Zhou Zhou were also deep in thought. Chen Du was the youngest, and he didn't dare to speak rashly. He sat and listened for two hours in a row.

In the past two hours, these people followed the advice of the national teacher Zhou Zhou to come up with an early warning, and analyzed the situation in the west and north. relation.

Compared with Li Kecheng, Li Ke is more rigorous and careful. The most important point - Li Ke is a person cultivated by Chen Mao.

With Li Ke as the lead, Chen Mao replaced a group of court officials with the things that Guan Hanzhong found out. Chen Mao's actions were not small, and he did not cover up.

After all, those criminal evidences were all certain, so Chen Mao acted confidently. Half of the 17 people standing here belonged to Chen Mao, and the other side seemed to be neutral, but it was not clear how to stand in line.

Chen Mao subconsciously looked at Yan Keqing. Yan Keqing was listening attentively to the debate between Minister Zhuoer of the Ministry of War and Lu Yi, the left servant of the Ministry of War. The two were arguing about how to send troops.

Zall believed in the national teacher quite a lot, and believed that the way of heaven had given instructions, and he should raise troops immediately, and catch the opponent by surprise before the Fan clan led troops to kill all directions.Lu Yi, on the other hand, believed that it was unreasonable for us to raise troops first, and we should find a reason to send troops again.

"What the hell? By the time you're moaning, everyone will be at your door!" Zhuoer spoke very aggressively, with a strong personality, staring at his big eyes, pushing his chest forward with all his might, the thin Lu Yi and Xiaojizai like.

Lu Yi's face turned dark immediately, thinking silently not to get closer to this big bastard, he turned sideways and spoke directly to Chen Mao.

Chen Mao did not speak after listening, but asked the opinions of Zhen Guo General Cao Gangbing and Yuanwei General Cao Liji.

Both of these two were founding generals who followed Emperor Xuanwu, and they were not too young. Most of their heirs joined the military, and they were dispatched far away to garrison the frontier at the time of sharpening.

To put it nicely, it was tempering, but in fact Emperor Xuanwu trapped the two generals in Beijing in a disguised form in order to reduce their military power.

At this time, when Chen Mao asked their opinions, Cao Gangbing and Cao Liji looked at each other, and Cao Gangbing said: "If this battle is inevitable, you can raise troops at any time. There are not many troops stationed on the frontier, but natural disasters have continued in recent years. , In addition to those corrupt officials, I am more worried about food and grass issues."

Cao Gangbing is four in fifty, but his body is very strong. He has a loud voice during his military career, and he is a bit angry when he speaks out some orderly words.

Chen Mao didn't care, he knew that Cao Gangbing was much more thoughtful than he appeared on the surface.

The problem of food and grass is also the big rock in his heart. Judging from the news sent back by Chen Ke, the west is not only underdeveloped and the environment is harsh. .

However, many officials closed their doors and daydreamed. This is one, and the other is that the trade is unbroken.

But in order to prevent the second blue and white from appearing, how to regulate and rectify is also a big problem.The chaos in the west is much more serious than he imagined.

Once the war starts, the food and grass in the western barracks may not last for half a month, and the central government will not be able to dispatch more for a while. Waiting for the successive defeats in the west, the hungry wolves in the north will wait for the opportunity to enter.

Dachen Jiangshan, which is peaceful and peaceful on the surface, is already in danger and surrounded by wolves.