Jiuxi

Chapter 268 266 [Wan Muchun in front of the sick tree]

In the 14th year of Jianwu, on the fifth day of the first lunar month, Ji Ximing, who was far away in Huaizhou, Jiangbei, had just received news of Lei Ze's victory and was about to put pressure on Lu Tong in every possible way. The city of Yongjia in the south was still full of joy.

According to the Daqi ancestral system, this festive atmosphere will last until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. During this period, schools will be on holiday, officials will take a break, and court meetings will be suspended. Regardless of whether they are a powerful family, a small family, or even the nobles in the palace, they will temporarily put down their business and visit relatives and friends to have dinner and celebrate the festival together.

Perhaps it was because the weather was good last year, or because the good news of the Northern Expedition kept coming from Huaizhou in the north of the Yangtze River two years ago, the atmosphere of the festival seems to be stronger this year, and everyone in the streets is happy.

In the southeast corner of Yongjia City, not too far from the palace, a carriage arrived near the dark blue building, followed by more than ten men in black clothes holding long swords.

The carriage entered through the side door and went straight to the second door. A middle-aged man with a face like a flat lake and eyes like a deep pool came out of the carriage. It was Qin Zheng, the Sutra Weaver.

He stepped forward to the heavily guarded courtyard, then rejected his entourage and came to the east house alone. He raised his hand and opened the door. Feeling the warm breath that hit his face, he relaxed his frown a little.

After bypassing the screen and coming to the inner room, the young man at the desk heard the movement and quickly stood up and saluted: "I've met my uncle."

Qin Zheng glanced at the file on the table, then looked at his fair face, and sighed: "It's the January Festival, everyone is resting and relaxing, but you have to hide here. I know, you and your aunt We are not very close to our brothers and sisters, but there is no need to feel too sorry for ourselves.”

The young man was Yang Jingxuan. His tone was very soft and he said with a smile: "Uncle, you are serious. How dare my nephew disrespect my aunt? It's not that my nephew wants to show his pain, he just thinks that the intelligence in the department has been accumulating during this period. Rushan, the frontier army is in a critical period of the Northern Expedition. Anyway, my nephew is idle, so why not come here to kill time."

His parents died young when he was young. Fortunately, Qin Zheng treated him as his own. He not only sent him to Fengya Academy to study, but also allowed him to work in the Sutra Weaving Department. Therefore, he had great respect for Qin Zheng and at the same time, he also had great respect for his own responsibilities. Very caring.

Qin Zheng shook his head helplessly. He didn't have much to say to his only nephew, not to mention that he was serious about business, so he changed the subject and asked, "Is there any important news in the past two days?"

Yang Jingxuan's eyes narrowed and he said slowly: "Uncle, a rumor began to circulate in Beijing a few days ago. The content was too sensational. It was only spread in a small area at first. Our manpower has been relatively short recently, so until the rumor appeared They only noticed it when the frequency was higher."

Qin Zheng asked: "What rumors?"

Yang Jingxuan said: "Some people say that Huaizhou Ruishi Camp Captain Lu Chen is actually the posthumous son of Yang Guangyuan, the then coach of Jinghe. Because of this relationship, Huaizhou Commander Xiao Wangzhi will pay special attention to Lu Chen."

It could be seen from his expression that he scorned the rumor.

However, Qin Zheng frowned and said, "How can you conclude that this is a rumor?"

"uncle?"

Yang Jingxuan was young after all, with a look of disbelief on his face, and then explained: "According to the records in the department, Lu Chen is twenty years old this year, and Yang Guangyuan passed away eighteen years ago. First of all, the time does not match. . Secondly, Lu Chen has been going through life and death in the border areas in the past two years and has made so many contributions to Daqi. If he was Yang Guangyuan's posthumous son, how could he have achieved this?"

Although he has never met Lu Chen, as the person directly responsible for the intelligence collection of Northern Xinjiang within the Warp Weaving Department, he is very familiar with Lu Chen's life and how much he has done for Daqi in the past two years.

Qin Zheng said unhurriedly: "As for the two reasons you mentioned, first of all, Yang Guangyuan had a premonition before the accident happened, so he tried his best to dismiss his trusted generals under various names to avoid those people. Xiao Wangzhi is the most typical example of this. So how can you confirm that Yang Guangyuan did not secretly arrange for Lu Tong to take care of one of his pregnant concubines before the accident? "

Yang Jingxuan hesitated to speak, but it could be seen that his eyes were not convinced.

Qin Zheng added: "Second, if Lu Chen is Yang Guangyuan's posthumous son, why can't he make contributions to Daqi? How can he rise without credit? How can he take power without ascending to a high position? Whether he wants to avenge his father or rehabilitate his father. , he must have enough strength, right?”

Yang Jingxuan was stunned for a long time before saying, "Uncle, don't you believe in Lu Chen either?"

"It doesn't matter whether I believe him or not."

Qin Zheng sighed softly and said earnestly: "Jingxuan, we are the Sutra Weaving Department. We don't need to have our own opinions. We just need to collect as much information as possible from all aspects and then submit it to the emperor truthfully. As for whether this information is true or false, or it is Whether the need is true or false is not a question we should consider. If you don’t understand this, then don’t continue..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Jingxuan said quickly: "Uncle, my nephew understands."

Qin Zheng nodded slightly, with a solemn look in his eyes. Although the information compiled by Yang Jingxuan did not shock him, the moment he heard it, he confirmed that there was no smoke without smoke.

"By the way, uncle, I just received a message."

Yang Jingxuan rummaged around on the table for a moment, took out a file and said, "Tidings, Master Ji quietly went to Taixing Mansion in Huaizhou."

"When did this happen?"

"It should have been before the year before, but the specific time is not clear, because Mr. Ji himself has very high authority and has a group of good people around him, so the people in the department cannot keep an eye on him too closely."

"Huaizhou Taixing Mansion?"

Qin Zheng's tone was solemn, and then he frowned and said, "This Ji Ximing is too presumptuous."

Yang Jingxuan was slightly confused. He obviously couldn't keep up with Qin Zheng's thinking rhythm.

At this moment, a low voice sounded faintly outside: "Sir, the angel in the palace has arrived. Your Majesty summons you to enter the palace immediately."

"understood."

Qin Zheng responded calmly and said to Yang Jingxuan: "You go home first and don't interfere in these things anymore. I will arrange for others to take over." This time his attitude was unquestionable. Although Yang Jingxuan didn't understand what was going on, he also I know this is my uncle's love and care.

Having been in the Sutra Weaving Department all year round and dealing with conspiracies all day long, he now realized that this matter was probably a whirlpool, and anyone involved in it might be shattered to pieces, so he said respectfully: "Yes, uncle."

The carriage left the main office of the Warp Weaving Department under the protection of a group of experts, and then turned towards the imperial city.

When Qin Zheng stepped into the East Nuan Pavilion of Wende Hall, he immediately felt the solemn atmosphere here.

Looking up, I saw the emperor sitting behind the imperial court with an expressionless face, and the two prime ministers each had a round stool sitting upright.

"Your Majesty, Qin Zheng, comes to see you!"

Qin Zheng came forward to salute, and then heard the emperor say: "Ping Shen, have the Sutra Weavers Department paid attention to some recent rumors in the capital related to Lu Chen's life experience in Huaizhou?"

"Back to Your Majesty, I have heard about it and am ordering people to collect it quickly and form a complete text to submit to Your Majesty."

Qin Zheng spoke in a gentle tone and carefully considered every word and sentence.

Li Duan nodded slightly, turned to look at Left Prime Minister Li Daoyan, and said calmly: "Left Prime Minister, since you took the initiative to bring up these rumors, I want to hear your opinion. Are these rumors fabricated out of thin air?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not make a conclusion."

Li Daoyan frowned slightly and said calmly: "Previously, there was an inexplicable turmoil against the right prime minister in the DPRK. The old minister felt in his heart that this was a divorce plan from the north. Later, through the review of Yousi, it was proved that the DPRK and Zhongzhong were indeed There are a few fools who are fascinated by the gold and silver treasures in the north, and some others have other motives. Now that the wave has just subsided, another wave has arisen, and rumors about Lu Chen's life experience suddenly appeared in the capital, maybe they are also from the north. means?"

Li Duan then asked: "What is the figure?"

Li Daoyan said slowly: "Your Majesty, the momentum of the Northern Expedition of the frontier army is improving now, and this young man Lu Chen has fully demonstrated his talent. Not only is he talented in strategy, but he is also a good hand in leading troops into battle. Wasn't he the one before? Leading the army to attack Yongquanguan at night and win the first battle of the Northern Expedition? If he is deeply troubled by rumors, he will definitely have to return to Beijing to explain the matter clearly. This may shake the morale of the frontier troops, and naturally the pressure on the north can be greatly relieved. .”

Li Duan looked indifferent, and after a moment of silence, he asked: "So in the opinion of Prime Minister Zuo, should I recall Lu Chen to the capital?"

At this moment, Qin Zheng and Xue Nanting looked at each other and could see the worry in each other's eyes.

As the emperor's right-hand man, the two were the staunchest supporters of the Northern Expedition. They knew very well that the emperor's attitude was the backing of the frontier army.

If the emperor did not remove the resistance and the imperial court did not provide sufficient support to Jinghuai and Huaihe, how would the more than 200,000 border troops be fed, drank, and paid?

The people in these two places alone cannot support so many troops, so the knowledgeable people in the court have always dismissed Xiao Wangzhi's idea of ​​separatist rule in one place.

Could it be that if Xiao Wangzhi climbed up and shouted, the people of Huaizhou would rather starve to death than support an army of 100,000 people?

The real reality is that the taxes of the thirteen states on the south bank of the Hengjiang River can support the border troops in Huaijing. In this case, what can Xiao Wangzhi use to rebel?

Rather than saying that he would rebel, it would be better to say that he might defect to the Jing Dynasty in the north in anger. This is the situation that the Jiangnan family headed by Li Daoyan tried their best to avoid.

However, when this rumor appeared, Qin Zheng and Xue Nanting clearly felt that the emperor's always extremely firm mind was weakening.

They turned to look at Li Daoyan, and saw the old man hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is serious and deserves a holy judgment. In fact, the old minister doesn't believe this so-called rumor. How could Lu Chen be Yang Guangyuan's posthumous son? It's just that things are unpredictable. , If Lu Chen is really Yang Guangyuan’s posthumous son, there will probably be a lot of obstacles, ugh..."

Li Duan remained silent.

In the past two years, he obviously felt that his physical condition was not very good, so he pushed hard for the Northern Expedition.

He hopes to set foot in Heluo City again in his lifetime and take a look at the capital that has been inherited by Daqi for more than 140 years. This will not be in vain for the care of the ancestors of the Li family in heaven, and it will also be considered worthy of the fact that he, as a descendant of the Li family, has devoted so much effort for more than ten years. years of dedication.

That day, he received the good news sent by Xiao Wangzhi and learned that the Huaizhou Army had successively recaptured Yongquan Pass, Tongshan, Gushu, Qingtian and other places. He laughed loudly in his bedroom for the first time and made an exception. Drink until tipsy.

However, at such a festive moment, the news brought by Li Daoyan was like a bucket of cold water poured on his head.

Is it possible that Lu Chen is Yang Guangyuan's posthumous son?

Of course Li Duan knew that Yang Guangyuan died unjustly. He admired the famous general who met once in a century, and he also knew that this was an unjust case caused by his dead father.

However, the key to this matter is not how he views Yang Guangyuan, but how Lu Chen views the unjust case that shocked the world!

If Lu Chen is really Yang Guangyuan's descendant, and he is full of resentment towards the court, then everything he has done before may be to seize power, and then stab the Qi court in the heart at the most critical moment.

This is human nature, and it is only natural to avenge one's father.

But for Li Duan, how could he accept such consequences?

There was silence in Dongnuan Pavilion, and the three important ministers all looked at the emperor behind the case.

After a long time, Li Duan said quietly: "Block the news for now, let me think about it, think about it..."

The tone is harsh and heavy.

……

(Explain the time issue. If we follow the normal chronological order, we can only write one paragraph and one paragraph after another. For example, when Lu Chen wants to start beating Ji Ximing, he has to write a chapter about what happened in the southern capital first, but I think this will be very disruptive. Everyone's interest. So in this situation where the time is not long, there will occasionally be cases where the subsequent plot is pushed forward, but I guarantee that this will be rare. I also ask for your understanding~ PS This paragraph was added later, No billing.)

　4 updates today, still owe 25 updates~

　　

　

(End of this chapter)