Emperor Que Shaohua

The busiest and busiest street in Los Angeles is Qipan Street in the southeast of Miyagi City. It is located in the Xuandemen area of ​​the inner city, adjacent to Suzaku Street.Walking along the street, there are silver buildings, wine shops, silk and satin shops, and there are also spice shops and tea houses. The facades are much brighter and brighter than ordinary shops.Those who can open a store here either have a strong background or are well-known names from north to south.

At the end of Qipan Street, there is a three-story Xieji tea house. Pedestrians stroll here all the way, just go in to sit down, have a rest, drink tea and eat snacks.

Xieji Tea House is elegantly furnished, and in the middle of the first floor hangs a painting of elegant style: Qishui Yiyi.All the teas served in the building are seasonal new teas from the south of the Yangtze River and Suyang fine point, which shows that the main family should be from the south.The guys who serve tea are pleasing to the eye and articulate, but they always have a southern accent in their fluent Mandarin. Although they also put a cloth towel on their shoulders and shuttle back and forth in the lobby with a copper teapot, but look It looks more elegant and clean than the general teahouse Xiaoer, and seldom yells loudly.

The teahouse was originally a place for chatting and repairing, not to mention that this Xie Ji is not far from the palace city. The tea guests who would rest and chat on the first floor include merchants from the north and the south, traffickers and pawns, servants of officials in Los Angeles, and some who went to Beijing to study and re-examination Scholars and students, and even ordinary residents in the city, in short, there are all kinds of people, everyone.Here, countless news spread from people's mouths every day, flowed into the ears of others, and merged into the discussions in the streets and alleys.

Xie Ji Tea House opened six years ago and has been selling tea and snacks in a regular manner.Some people have also cared about who its owner is. To be able to open such a teahouse on Qipan Street for a long time must have something to do with the dignitaries in the city.

Later, someone found out that the owner of Xie Ji was a wealthy silk tea merchant from Jinling, and he still had a lot of business in Los Angeles. On Qipan Street alone, there was a silk and satin shop and a tea house.The main purpose of operating Xieji Tea House is not to make a profit, but to build relationships and gain a good reputation for its famous tea.

The courtiers of the imperial court sometimes came to Xie Ji for various reasons: taking a break after going to court, chatting with colleagues and friends, or discussing something.They generally don't stay in the lobby. There are elegant seats on the second floor and comfortable quiet rooms on the third floor.

There are four other teahouses with a similar style in Luocheng, all of which are called Xieji, but the silk and satin shop opened by the same owner has another name, called Huanshafang, which specializes in selling raw silk produced in the south of the Yangtze River, as well as Suzhou embroidery, Brocade and other precious clothing materials.The management is also very meticulous. In addition to tailor-made for wealthy families, embroidery patterns can also be added as required. The embroidery is exquisite and unique, without craftsmanship, which is beyond the reach of other competitors.Over the years since it was opened, it has been gradually welcomed by the female relatives of the high-ranking and deep houses. They are often called to the back houses of some ministers, and sometimes they are asked to keep the embroiderers in the mansion to teach embroidery.

None of this has attracted much attention. After all, there are more than one cloth shop that can provide clothing and embroidery at the same time. It's just that Huanshafang is well-run and does better than others.

As for Xie Feng, the young owner of Huaibi Village in Jinling, he brought a group of followers to Luocheng to inspect his business, and finally stayed at the Xieji Tea House on Qipan Street. Except for some people in his own shop, no one paid much attention. .No matter how rich a wealthy businessman from the south of the Yangtze River is, it is too insignificant for Luocheng, a place in the capital.

Luo Pingyuan originally thought that since Emperor Tianyi said to discuss it later when he retired from the court, he would continue to argue when he returned to the court two days later.He soon discovered that he was thinking too simply.

The next day, as if they had made an appointment, several censors sent four bullets to impeach the court ministers.Two of them pointed to Yan Sicun. One said that his neighbors were not harmonious, and he was suspected of being bullied by officials;General Chen Mingxia of Fengchang was also included in a book, accusing the Yangwei Camp in Gyeonggi under his rule of irregular military discipline, and some soldiers were drinking and making troubles in the city, fighting and wounding others.Even Zhou Bing, Minister of the Ministry of War, was also involved. The crime was that he still had a banquet at home when the border war was critical, which was a failure of the Holy Grace.Several courtiers had to write to defend themselves.

The two points where Yan Sicun was attacked can be large or small. The back wall of his home was renovated a while ago, because an old tree by the wall had grown a new branch, and there was a mistake in measuring the position. The courtyard is more than a foot away.The neighbors were dissatisfied, but the wall had already been built, and the Yan family did not want to tear it down and rebuild it, so they gave up some silver taels as compensation.The brother took other people's land in the countryside, but he didn't know it, so he could only apologize.It can be said that these two items are very difficult to deal with when they are brought up at this stall.It is not uncommon for officials' relatives to seek some personal gain. However, self-cultivation and family peace are common, and their own homes have not been strictly controlled, so how can they talk about military and state affairs such as planning troops and dispatching horses and horses.

For Chen Mingxia, it was the same. Although it was just two soldiers in the battalion who got drunk and started a fight, since they were picked on by the censor, they were very passive.

Zhou Bing's participation was because his wife was celebrating her birthday, and she had a banquet for some relatives, friends and family members in the back house, but it was not a big deal, and she was still being watched, which was also a headache.

So when the court discussed again, the Zichen Palace was no longer evenly matched, and the opinions led by Cheng Tonghua had the upper hand. Although Yan Sicun still fought hard, he lacked the confidence to speak. Some officials who had seconded him had concerns and kept silent.Yushitai takes the responsibility of supervising and inspecting all officials, and does not directly participate in politics. However, at this time, he launched an attack and pointed directly at the Ministry of War. It can be seen that Yushi Zhongcheng Sheng Ruhong has a tendency.

The prince still insisted on his original intention, thinking that [-] troops could be transferred from Suining, and he continued to propose to send more troops to Hanguan, so as to be prepared.

The strategy for deploying troops has not yet been finalized. Regarding the dispatch of generals, the original proposal has also been shelved, and the opinions of the DPRK and China are even more complicated.

Concubine An's maiden name is Liang, and her elder brother Liang Chendong is a fourth-rank commander. However, the military camp under his jurisdiction was canceled a few years ago, and has not been awarded since then. Currently, he only has a false title. King An wants to recommend his uncle. Brother leads the army.Chen Mingxia was originally the best candidate to lead the reinforcements of the [-] Imperial Guards in the capital, but he was involved in the fault of lax military management, and now the Ministry of War can't speak for him.The candidates for other reinforcement generals are also controversial. There are different opinions and each has its own reasons.King Ning frowned after hearing this for two or three days.

Emperor Tianyi was obviously also very dissatisfied with the current situation, lamenting that although there are many generals, there are only a few famous generals who can hold the line, so he issued an order to suspend the court and discuss it in two days.

Luo Pingyuan returned to Prince Jing's Mansion, and then went to Lancang Residence.He was a little worried, although he had spoken several times in the past few days, but his qualifications were too young after all, and his words were not enough to convince the public.Thinking that it was already the eighth day of June in a blink of an eye, and the emperor would go to the Wulan paddock in a few days, it seemed that this matter, as King Jing said, had to be delayed until after the hunt.I'm afraid that there will still be endless debates at that time, and the last day will be delayed, and a result that will be unfavorable to the war in the northern border will be dragged out.

Entering June, the heat is getting stronger, and it becomes a bit hot near noon.But when he stepped into Lancang Residence, he felt a sense of coolness and coolness. The summer heat was swept away, and even the chirping of cicadas outside seemed to cool down, reflecting the quietness in the house.

Luo Yanhua was leaning on an elm bench, as if he was thinking about something.

"Brother Huang," Luo Pingyuan looked around, and found ice cubes two feet high in each corner of the study, "Why did you put so much ice in the room?"

Seeing him coming, King Jing said casually: "It's summer, so naturally you have to cool off, and you also have two pieces of Mixiaozhai." He gave a slight signal, and Gu Yu ran outside and brought an ice bowl to King Ning.

Luo Pingyuan saw that there were two small slices of watermelon, two peeled water chestnuts, a few slices of lotus root in the sky-blue bowl, dotted with tender lotus seeds, and sprinkled with snow-white ice chips; On the contrary, it was thicker than usual, and couldn't help but said: "Although it's midsummer, it's too much to cool off. Putting a piece of ice in the study is cool enough. No matter how afraid the heat is, Brother Huang, you don't need so many. It's too wasteful." gone."

Then he thought that Prince Jing still wore warm jade, so he must be more afraid of the cold, but could he be more afraid of the heat?

King Jing glanced at him, and said with a smile: "It is indeed a good thing that Ping Yuan has the idea of ​​frugality. Today, Director Yang bought a carload of ice and came back. I was also curious for a while, and wanted to see if I put more, the room would be cool enough." To what extent."

Luo Pingyuan thought, this is not only cool, it is almost cold.

Of course, he couldn't control what King Jing was tossing about, and his mind quickly turned to today's court meeting.

King Jing heard that he would have to wait two more days to discuss again, and said: "Father should have already known it in his heart, but Yu Shitai's repeated submissions made him have to give in. Thinking about it, he is also unhappy, and it will take a few days. , when we turn back from Wulan Mountain, we will issue an order."

Luo Pingyuan felt a little annoyed, and said: "According to the current situation, Yan Sicun may not be able to persevere. It may be the Jinzhou Army who is transferred to Shao'an. If the general is no longer effective, it is useless to reinforce the northern border. Master I once said that even if you are a famous general, you need to train first to be able to be handy, not just blindly the more the better."

But King Jing said: "Lin Pian can still hold on to the [-] soldiers and horses under his command. Now that he has tried his best, he will wait for the father to make a decision. What the fifth emperor can do now is to manage Jing Yuwei well, and he will speak up in the future. There will be more weight." In the words, the subject has already changed, "I thought about the case of Liu Kedu in Yuzhou that you mentioned the day before yesterday, and the two soldiers sent to investigate were killed, and Commander Wu was also killed. It is indeed a bit strange. If it is related to the Liu family, it means that they rely on Fei Xiao, and they are afraid of being caught, so they will move Jing Yuwei."

Luo Pingyuan has been to Lancangju many times in the past few days, and unconsciously, he still expressed his doubts about the cause of Wu Tingzhou's death. King Jing didn't say anything at that time, unexpectedly he took it to heart.Seeing that he listened attentively, King Jing continued, "At this moment, Liu Kedu is already on guard, and he can't find any clues in a hurry. If we change the method, it may reveal his flaws."

Luo Pingyuan heard him explain the method, and pondered: "This is to lure the snake out of the hole. If you act like this, Chu Huan will become the bait. Will there be any loss?"

"Jingyu's cavalry guards are not paper-based," Jing Wang said with a smile: "Whether this method will work or not depends on whether the other party has a guilty conscience. It takes about three days to travel from Yuzhou to Luocheng Kuaima, and Chu Huan was secretly ordered to arrive at night, and then go directly to the city. See Deputy Commander Yu Chiyan, and report the investigation and evidence. If Liu Kedu does have someone to cling to in Los Angeles, and hears the news, he is worried that Jingyuwei has the evidence at stake. What will he do? The best choice is natural This is the old trick again, attacking Chu Huan, so that he can't see Vice Commander Yuchi at all. The five emperors have to grasp two things: one is the timing of letting the wind out, neither too early nor too late, the other party will not have time to return to Chu Huan Intercept on the way to Los Angeles, and we have time to arrange strikes in Beijing; the second is to ambush the men at the right place, and if they can be caught alive, maybe they can dig out all the activities of the Liu family."

Hearing this, Luo Pingyuan already thought that he could give it a try, and said: "If we wait a few more days, when you and I are both in the middle of the capital, will it be safer?"

King Jing shook his head slightly: "It's not too late, I just want to take advantage of your absence, so that the other party will have less scruples."

His voice was very soft, but there was a sense of certainty. King Ning's mind had calmed down in the coolness of the room. After a little thought, he nodded slowly.

In the afternoon of the same day, the two deputy commanders of Jing Yuwei both received secret orders from King Ning.Shen Ling personally contacted Chu Huan with a flying pigeon, and ordered him to rush back to Luocheng immediately after receiving the letter, while Yu Chiyan started to determine the location of the ambush and his subordinates, and also sent someone to secretly go to Yuzhou to wait for orders.

It's not hard to guess the location of the action. If the other party wants to deceive others, it can't be in a busy street, and it can't be too close to Yuchi's house, and it must be the only way to get there.Yu Chiyan's residence is at the end of a deep alley not far from Qipan Street in the east of the city, and there are several turns to enter from the entrance of the street. This section of the road is the most likely to cause an accident.Many officials lived nearby, so no one paid special attention to the fact that the residence of Censor Zhongcheng was not far from the partition wall.

There are several taverns on Xiangfan Street in the south of Luocheng City, Piaoxiang Restaurant is one of them, and the shopkeeper's surname is Feng.Like the shopkeepers of ordinary shops and restaurants, he has no special characteristics except that he is smart and capable, and his tongue is easy to give. Therefore, Piaoxiang Restaurant has been open for seven or eight years, and the regular customers here only know one shopkeeper Feng. No one cares about the name.

Shopkeeper Feng has many daily tasks, such as negotiating prices with vegetable vendors and grain shops who deliver ingredients, such as buying high-quality beef and mutton and highland barley wine from Hu merchants in the Western Regions, but other than that, what is unknown is that he is in charge of The Piaoxiang Restaurant is an important contact point of the Kunlun Mansion in Los Angeles.

From time to time, secret orders would come from above, requiring them to be completed quietly, and he often needed to provide support and cover for his colleagues, and report the collected information layer by layer.If the news sent is valuable, you will also get a fairly generous reward.

Shopkeeper Feng is quite satisfied with his life.The method of the Kunlun Mansion has always been very affordable, with heavy rewards for meritorious deeds and severe punishments. If you dare to betray, you will regret being born into this world.Shopkeeper Feng knew that the information he reported had been screened, and if necessary, a copy would be copied separately and secretly sent to the East Palace.

This is of course an important secret, and he will not tell anyone about it, but every time he thinks about it, he feels a little smug in his heart.

He recently noticed an unusual thing, or rather, a person.This military general named Xu Dingzhen started to appear on Xiangfan Street a few days ago, drinking from one restaurant after another. He stayed at this one at noon and changed to another one at night. The table in the corner drinks alone, and starts talking drunk when he drinks too much.Said that he was the deputy general next to King Yun, who had just returned from the northern border, and then complained about the difficulty of fighting at the border, how brave he was, and how many military exploits he had made, but King Yun was self-willed and did not take his advice seriously. Ken listened to him and reused him.

Shopkeeper Feng had many eyes and ears, and quickly found out that those drunken words were not made up out of thin air, and that the guest who drank his sorrows was indeed King Yun's deputy general, who had just been sent back to Beijing to deliver the documents a few days ago.He speculated that Xu Dingzhen should get drunk and indulge because he felt unrecognized for his talent and resentment, so he sent someone to watch, maybe he could get some unknown inside information from the other party.

On the tenth day of June, Xu Dingzhen entered the Piaoxiang Restaurant, still drinking by himself.He came at noon, and he thought the highland barley wine in the building was quite appetizing, and he heard from Xiao Er that there would be a troupe singing two small operas in the evening, so he just sat there and didn't leave.

Shopkeeper Feng certainly didn't want to let go of the opportunity to deliver it to his door. He observed that Xu Dingzhen's appearance was mighty, and his brows and words were filled with resolute and aggressive spirits. He really looked like he had just come off the battlefield. After a whole afternoon, I didn't feel drunk, so of course I wouldn't speak the truth after drinking.

At night when the opera troupe started to sing and the restaurant was full of guests, the little one came over and whispered to Shopkeeper Feng, "That General Xu is still drinking, he seems to have taken a fancy to Feng Zhi who is singing the Dan roles, just now he called the little one over and asked if he could You can't let Fengzhi go and have a drink with him."

These opera singers are all low-ranking subordinates in the Kunlun Mansion. Shopkeeper Feng immediately summoned Fengzhi and ordered her to accompany him for a drink, and said: "Please take care of me, try to get him as drunk as possible, and find a way to talk, and see if he has any unspeakable secrets. If you are dissatisfied with King Yun, in short, you should flatter him, get him to talk more, and then report it to me quickly."

Feng Zhi is the head of the troupe, with a charming appearance, she is very skilled in welcoming and sending off, she immediately takes orders to go, and sure enough, she drinks with the half-drunk Vice General Xu for two hours with smiles and graciousness.

At the end of the song, Xu Dingzhen was finally so drunk that he fell asleep on the table, she returned, and quietly reported: "The servant finally asked, then General Xu said that he will return to the border soon to join the war. It was a big fight. He also said that last winter in Guiyan Peak, the ground dragon turned over, the terrain changed, and a rift appeared on the side of the battle place, which was extremely hidden and dangerous, and was unknown. He accidentally When he discovered it, he thought that there could be a strange soldier hidden in it. When the two armies were in a battle, it would surely cause chaos in the Beiliao army, and our army would win the battle. However, King Yun blindly believed in formations and insisted on relying on formations. Against the enemy, not only did he not accept his proposal, but he was also reprimanded as heresy. He repeatedly advised, saying that even if he did not send troops, he should prevent the Rift Valley from being discovered and used by Beiliao. King Yun not only refused to listen, but said that he wavered Army heart sent him back to deliver documents. Seeing that he lost the opportunity to make meritorious service, he felt depressed and unwilling, so he just wanted to drink and curse at people every day; he also told a lot of tricks for marching and fighting, which the servants could not understand, but he got some rewards. "

Shopkeeper Feng, as if he had found a treasure, carefully interrogated every drunken word Xu Dingzhen said before and after, and recorded all the details. Finally, he left the restaurant with these precious news, and his figure disappeared into the night.