Jiuxi

Chapter 172 Chapter 171 [Everyone is mortal]

Chen Qifu's death spread quickly in Heluo City, and it immediately aroused a lot of discussion among the people.

The people of Li used this case as a topic of conversation in their spare time, and some noble ministers would inevitably feel sad that the rabbit was dead and the fox was dead.

For some of the powerful people living in the Yan Kingdom, they had extremely awkward feelings in their hearts. They did not dare to be openly hostile to the Jing Dynasty, but they hoped that one day they would no longer become puppets.

The rebellion seven years ago was nipped in the bud, and several important ministers and families involved in the plan were killed. Since then, there has been an endless silence. As a veteran of the Yan Dynasty at the beginning of its founding, Chen Jingtang, in a sense, It is the flag in the hearts of these powerful people.

Nowadays, the internal forces of Southern Qi are intertwined, and the Northern Yan court is no less generous. It can be roughly divided into two parts: those who yearn for Jing Dynasty and those who long for independence.Of course, there are some people who still have the illusion of being a Qi minister. These people hide it very deeply because they know that if they are exposed, their families will be confiscated and their families will be exterminated.

Liu Wei resigned, Chen Jingtang was dismissed, and Pang Shigu and Guo Yan took control of the Privy Council with the support of Prime Minister Wang An. Many people gradually realized that it was only a matter of time before the Yan Dynasty was completely digested by the Jing Dynasty.

No wonder it is rumored that the emperor has been increasingly indulged in wine and sex recently...

After Chen Qifu's death, the Chen family mansion in Xicheng was mourned, but many people went to pay their respects.

For example, Lord XX and Lord XX, most of them once or still hold some power. Although they are not in high positions and powerful, they cannot be underestimated if they are united.

They expressed their condolences to Chen Jingtang. Some of them stayed for a while, but it was unclear what they talked about.

The imperial court of the State of Yan also responded quickly to this matter. Prime Minister Wang An and Privy Councilor Pang Shigu jointly petitioned the emperor to sentence the murderer Guo Yijiang to three thousand miles of exile and send him to Pingyuan Military City on the northwest border. At the same time, the Chen family was punished. The compensation not only exempted Chen Jingtang from responsibility for last year's war, but also specifically granted Chen Qifu an official position.

This kind of treatment may seem quite decisive to ordinary people, but insiders can only shake their heads secretly. Who doesn't know that the Northwest Frontier Army is where Guo Yan, the deputy privy envoy, made his fortune. Exiling Guo Yijiang there is tantamount to enjoying happiness.In Guo Yan's land, who dares to make this third young master live a difficult life?
It's just a change of place to relax.

In the final analysis, although Chen Jingtang has no one to give up, he is no longer the deputy privy envoy after all. If the important figures in the court did not hope to maintain the stability of the court, they would probably not even impose such a punishment.

As the number of officials going to the Chen family mansion to express condolences gradually increases, an invisible storm is gathering.

"Your Highness, the list of all officials who have gone to the Chen Mansion to express condolences in the past four days has been recorded, and the Procuratorate has sent special personnel to keep an eye on these officials."

In Zhuoyuan Flower Hall, Xiao Jun reported respectfully.

Qingyu Huaijin stared at the dim sky outside the window and said calmly: "What do you think the enemy will do next?"

Xiao Jun thought for a moment and said slowly: "The villain believes that if the Xueningguan murder was indeed committed by the Sutra Weaving Department of the Southern Qi Dynasty, their next step is to use this incident to deceive people in the city."

"To confuse people's hearts...how to confuse people?"

"For example, he preached that Dajing would annex the Yan Dynasty, so as to arouse fear among the powerful and the common people."

Qingyu Huaijin was silent for a long time and then said: "Go and inform the Prime Minister and the Assistant Chief of the Procuratorate and ask them to pay close attention to every place in the city. The Wang family of Zhai Lin is a local snake in the north, and they have great influence among the people. , at this time, the Wang family must come forward to cooperate, and in addition-"

Xiao Jun watched quietly.

Qingyu Huaijin shook his head and said, "That's all, Guo Yan must not be willing to bear the life of his precious son."

Xiao Jun was shocked, and then he realized that Her Royal Highness the Princess wanted to use Guo Yijiang's life to calm the impact of this incident.

Seeing Qingyu Huaijin change his mind, Xiao Jun responded: "The villain takes the order."

He hurriedly left, Qingyu Huaijin stretched his arms slightly, a look of tiredness appeared on his face.

During this period, most of her attention was focused on subduing several green forest gangs in the north. Compared with the turmoil in Heluo City, this matter was the real important task. Only by eliminating the gangs that had gradually taken shape in the north The resistance forces will have a stable rear when the army marches south.

The death of Chen Qifu affected her energy somewhat. Although she was keenly aware that this was most likely the work of the Southern Sutra Weaving Department, she did not have enough detailed clues in a short time.

After nightfall, Qingyu Huaijin had some snacks and continued to read the latest secret reports.

"Your Highness, Mr. Xiao is here again." A maid reported softly.

Qingyu Huaijin subconsciously glanced at the dark sky outside the window, then frowned slightly, nodded and said, "Let him in."

Xiao Jun quickly walked into the flower hall, knelt down on one knee and apologized: "Your Highness, Yan Qiu escaped."

There was silence in the hall, except for the sound of insects outside.

Qingyu Huaijin muttered: "Escaped?"

Xiao Jun looked ashamed, lowered his head and said: "Your Highness has reminded the villain before that if this matter was done by the Sutra Weaving Department of the Southern Qi Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty shepherd named Yan Qiu was probably a craftsman, so the villain laid out the A trap. But... I didn't expect that when the brothers below noticed something was wrong and entered Yan Qiu's room to check, he had disappeared. After careful search, they found a secret passage in the corner of the room, the exit leading to the west of Xuening Pavilion Adjacent wine shop.”

"In other words, Yan Qiu is indeed from the Sutra Weaving Department of Southern Qi."

To Xiao Jun's expectation, Qingyu Huaijin did not get angry and said in an erratic tone: "This is indeed a conspiracy that has been brewing for a long time. You go and do three things right away."

Xiao Jun said solemnly: "Your Highness, please give me your instructions."

"First, you went to the Guo Mansion overnight and told Guo Yan that it was just right to kill someone with your life. Although Chen Jingtang was dismissed from the military, he was still a veteran of the Yan Dynasty. At this time, all he needed was for Guo Yijiang to die and Chen Jingtang to calm down his anger and come forward. Express your stance, and the city will be stabilized, and the conspiracy in the south will be self-defeating."

"Yes."

"Secondly, tell my three generals to be ready to take control of the situation at any time. However, they should not act rashly unless they have to. I don't want my father's plan to be completed by massacre in the end. Without my Order, they are not allowed to use troops against the city."

"Yes."

"Third, after the sun rises tomorrow morning, all city gates will be strengthened to strengthen their defenses, and people entering and exiting the city gates will be strictly inspected. In addition, you will ask the Procuratorate to step up the investigation of the warp weaving department." "The villain takes the order!"

Xiao Jun accepted.

……

The night is cool and everything is silent.

The entire Chen Mansion is decorated with white walls, and scenes of mourning can be seen everywhere.

At midnight, in the study room.

Chen Jingtang sat in front of the case and stared blankly ahead.

In just a few days, his originally jet-black hair had already turned green.

The pain of losing his son, the disappointment in the emperor and the court, and the resentment towards Guo Yan and Jing Chao were like insects and ants that kept devouring his heart.If he didn't still have some sense, he would definitely contact all the forces that could be united and fight those people to the death.However, every time he thought of Jing Chao's power, the invincible marshal Qing Yugong, and the Jing Chao veterans stationed outside Heluo City, his courage could only turn into endless hatred.

There were footsteps outside the door, and Chen Jingtang said in a deep voice: "Get out."

The voice did not stop, and when he entered the room, Chen Jingtang turned his head with a cold face, only to see a slightly familiar servant walking in first, followed by two more people.

A man in his thirties calmly looked at the furnishings in the study.

A middle-aged man in his fifties, with his hands behind his back, looked extremely calm.

Chen Jingtang felt ridiculous emotions in his heart and shouted: "You are——"

The servant came to Chen Jingtang's side in a flash. His fingers like eagle talons pressed on his Adam's apple, and the rest of his words were blocked.

The man in his thirties had enough time to move a chair and sit across from him. The middle-aged man walked to the bookshelf with his hands behind his back, picked up a classic and opened it leisurely.

The man sitting opposite said gently: "Don't be afraid, Mr. Chen. Please don't shout loudly. Let me introduce you to the senior who is reading. He is the Qiankun Lieutenant Chigui in the Xiuzhong. He is ranked eighth on the Jianghu martial arts list. The ultimate master."

Chen Jingtang felt slightly dizzy. He knew some things about the world, but he didn't understand why the other party appeared in his house.

The man pointed to the servant beside him and said: "Your Excellency, you should be familiar with this person. After all, he has been lurking in your house under the alias Cui Fu for several years. His real name is Yan Jiong, and he is from Qingliu Mansion in Huaizhou, Daqi. I am a spy from the Sutra Weaving Department. I am able to successfully sneak into the Chen Mansion tonight, and I know that the Lord will stay in the study overnight for the past few days, all thanks to Yan Jiong's power."

Chen Jingtang was shocked, but before he could make any move, Yan Jiong pressed his finger on his Adam's apple with slight force and reminded: "Please be patient, sir."

The man smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to peel off his beard, and rubbed the corners of his eyes vigorously. Then a young and handsome face of about 20 years old appeared in Chen Jingtang's sight.

He said calmly: "My name is Lu Chen, and I am currently the captain of the Ruishi Camp of the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion. Mr. Chen should have heard of my name."

More than just heard of it?

The complex expression on Chen Jingtang's face at this moment is difficult to describe in words.

The reason why he is in this situation is that although the Jing Dynasty wants to reshuffle the power of the Yan Kingdom, without the disastrous defeat in the border war last year, Wang An, Pang Shigu and others would not be able to fulfill their wish so quickly. There is still enough time to try to make a roundabout way.

However, last year he was teased in every possible way by the Southern Qi frontier army. He was defeated in the Battle of Guangling and the Battle of Qingxia, and later he lost nearly half of the territory of Moyang Road.If he hadn't worked hard for the Yan Dynasty over the years, and if he hadn't had deep connections in the court and the army, how could it be as simple as being dismissed from office? He might have had his family confiscated and his family exterminated.

Not to mention Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, what Chen Jingtang couldn't let go of was that those strategies of Southern Qi were actually made by a young man.

The culprit who caused his life's efforts to be in vain appeared in front of him at this moment.

Chen Jingtang tried to calm down and said in a cold voice: "You are so brave, you actually dare to appear in Heluo City!"

"Thank you for your compliment."

Lu Chen looked indifferent and continued: "But compared with what I want to do next, a visit to Heluo City is nothing."

After he revealed his identity, Chen Jingtang had an ominous premonition and pretended to be calm and said, "What do you want to do?"

Lu Chen sighed and said: "Your Majesty must be deeply saddened by the unfortunate death of your son, but now is not the time to wallow in pain. The intention of the Jing Dynasty to annex the Yan Kingdom is obvious. When they fully control the military power, all they need is an order from Qing Yugong. , it will become a reality for the Northland to return to the Jing Dynasty."

Chen Jingtang realized what the other party was thinking, and his eyes gradually became cold.

Lu Chen said nonchalantly: "After the death of your son, turmoil arose in Heluo City. After all, not everyone is willing to be a dog for Jing Chao. But this is not enough. Only more shocking blood will make those powerful people The family members recall the cruelty of the Jing Dynasty. The scene of bones in the Northland more than ten years ago should not be forgotten by the world."

Chen Jingtang said in a deep voice: "You want to kill me?"

Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said calmly: "That's right, but before I kill you, there is one more thing I hope Mr. Chen can help with."

Chen Jingtang smiled instead of being angry, and said every word: "You want to kill me, and you still want me to do something for you?"

Lu Chen nodded and said warmly: "Sir, don't be impatient, please listen to me in detail."

Chen Jingtang looked at the young man coldly with eyes full of mockery.

(End of this chapter)