After Xie Qian left Tang Yin's residence, he hurried to meet Wang Chang.

After receiving Chen Xi's letter, Xie Qian basically understood Chen Xi's whereabouts. He was very annoyed by Chen Xi's refusal to part with him, and he was thinking on the way:

"If I had known this, I would have taken the brat to the inn yesterday. I personally watched him. Why did I leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night? Isn't this intention to cause trouble for me and make the situation in the court a mess?"

With anger, Xie Qian rushed open the door of Wang Chang's residence with great momentum.

At this time, Wang Chang had already had breakfast, which was different from young people going to bed late and getting up late. Wang Chang was already an old man and liked to keep healthy, and followed the good habit of going to bed early and getting up early.

Wang Chang was having a leisurely tea and enjoying chrysanthemums in the courtyard. He was very surprised by Xie Qian's arrival, because Xie Qian had seen him ask about some information yesterday, and even wanted to convey some information to the outside world. He didn't think Xie Qian was so impatient and needed to come over early the next morning to inquire about the progress. This was a bit too unkind.

"Yu Qiao, you..."

Wang Chang stood up to greet him, not knowing how to talk to Xie Qian, because Xie Qian's face turned dark at this time, as if someone had done something that was sorry for him.

Xie Qian said: "Not to say anything else, have you learned in advance that Zhihou is leaving Juyongguan?"

"What? Did Zhihou go out of the city?"

Wang Chang slept very early last night and didn't get any news at all. He asked in surprise, "How did you know Yu Qiao? Don't worry, sit down and talk slowly."

Xie Qian said angrily: "Is it still calm if I have such a land? I just told him yesterday that no matter what decision I make, I must discuss with others first, especially to obtain the consent of the court. As a result, I turned my head and called him without saying a word. I only asked someone to send a letter in the morning. How much does this mean? Why can't he listen to my words?"

Seeing Xie Qian getting angry, Wang Chang suddenly calmed down for some reason and thought to himself: "If Xie Yuqiao always talks as kind as yesterday, without being anxious or impatient, even when he talks about Shihao, it will be abnormal... Hey, this is what Xie Yuqiao should have for Shihao."

Wang Chang said: "First relieve your anger, sit down and talk."

Wang Chang still didn't understand what happened. Isn't it normal for Chen Xi to invite the emperor back? Others don't have that ability! So they can only try to comfort Xie Qian as much as possible, so that Xie Qian calmed down and made a long-term plan. Of course, Xie Qian didn't think too much about it at this moment, just anger. The main reason was that Chen Xi left after he arrived at Juyongguan. Xie Qian felt that Chen Xi was deliberately demonstrating with him.

However, Xie Qian Yiyan sat down, slapped the letter Chen Xi wrote on the table, waved his hand and said, "Look!"

Wang Chang received permission and read the content of the letter in detail. When he knew that Chen Xi was going to invite the emperor back and even said that he would try his best to maintain the emperor's integrity, Wang Chang was not surprised. After all, Chen Xi had expressed similar ideas in front of him before, and said that as long as Xie Qian came, he would leave. Now Chen Xi was just fulfilling his previous promise.

As a subordinate, Wang Chang would not question his boss's decision much, and he felt that since Chen Xi had said hello in advance, there was nothing to say. He thought he had left for the past two days after Chen Xi disappeared. Now he left for a few days late, which was a great face for Xie Qian. Moreover, Chen Xi also arranged everything before leaving. Xie Qian rushed back smoothly, and there was no reason for Chen Xi to stay.

Wang Chang put down the letter and said, "Yu Qiao, what Zhihou said is somewhat reasonable. He had nothing to do when he stayed in Juyong Pass. The people who received military power in the court have arrived. The Queen Mother even sent Duke Bao and Yang Yingning to Shanxi to quell the rebellion. You, the chief minister of the dynasty who was highly valued by the Queen Mother, have also returned. What else can you worry about?"

Xie Qian said: "Are you confused or what? Do you know why the Empress Dowager made these series of measures?"

Wang Chang was stunned, then shook his head and said, "Who dares to speculate about the meaning of the Empress Dowager for no reason?"

"Don't pretend to be confused with your understanding... Hanying, you are not old and stupid, but you always do some ignorant things. Now I'll ask if you know in advance that Zhihou will go to welcome the car?" Xie Qian asked.

Wang Chang sighed: "What did Zhihou say before? Didn't you tell you in detail yesterday? You have to take him away and make things difficult for me now. Why bother? We have been friends for many years and can tell everything. But Zhihou is the Minister of War and my immediate boss. Before he left, he discussed it with me. It's understandable... Why are you yelling at me?"

Wang Chang was very unfair here. He felt that he had not received any news in advance, but Xie Qian threw his anger on him, which was so innocent.

Wang Chang's mentality is basically the same as Tang Yin before. Obviously, Xie Qian ignored a problem at this time, that is, Shen Xi had already decided to leave and would not say hello to anyone before leaving. This is also to prevent Xie Qian from coming forward to stop him after learning the situation. Shen Xi was very determined to find Zhu Houzhao.

Wang Chang said: "Let's do it, you send someone to chase him now. Maybe you have the chance to catch up. He won't go far... Can the fast horse always catch him back, right?"

Xie Qian narrowed his eyes and looked at Wang Chang, as if he heard a joke, and asked with a cold face: "Do you think this is possible?"

Wang Chang further said: "If you don't send someone, then don't show such a arrogant attitude. If we have something to say, it's not that the sky has fallen. Think about it, if Zhihou does things without a proper degree, he will be as calm as he is now? I think Zhihou's sometimes more calm than you in his work!"

Xie Qian really forced Wang Chang to anger. Wang Chang ignored the huge difference in status between the two parties and directly began to teach Xie Qian a lesson, which made Xie Qian a little unexpected.

Xie Qian looked at Wang Chang, as if saying, "Are you taking the wrong medicine?"

But Wang Chang's attitude is very clear. You provoke first. Don't blame me for being rude to you. We have something to discuss, but you won't speak well for the first time.

After living together for a long time in the court, they are familiar with each other's temperament. In addition, Wang Chang is also an old minister with some qualifications. If it weren't for the rise of Shen Xi, Yang Yiqing and others, Wang Chang would have the opportunity to become the Minister of the Six Ministry. Although Wang Chang is only the Minister of War, he has no hope for the future and acts casually, and will treat Xie Qian normally.

On the contrary, Xie Qian was very concerned about the court's structure because he didn't want to retreat in a short period of time and was very concerned about everything, which was very different from Wang Chang's mentality of following the situation.

After a while, Xie Qian said: "As I told you yesterday, the court has begun to speak out to him, and he seems to have felt great pressure. This time, he is escaping... But in this way, he will be criticized by more people. His Majesty should have stayed to stabilize the overall situation when he goes out to play."

Wang Chang looked at Xie Qian and sneered: "You are sure that Your Majesty is on a trip, not...hehe, pretend I didn't say it."

Xie Qian said angrily: "What, don't you believe it? To be honest, when Your Majesty was the prince of the Eastern Palace, he secretly left the palace and went to the south. At that time, Zhihou was still an official in Huguang. After Your Majesty arrived in Jiangnan, he went up the river to Huguang to meet him. I had been ordered by the late emperor to go south to search..."

Wang Chang suddenly realized: "No wonder Yu Qiao, you are not much surprised by this matter. You already know your Majesty's personality... Since that's the case, why are you so demanding?"

Xie Qian sighed, "I know, but the people in the court may not be clear about the inside story. Judging from the information I received after entering the city, some people in the court want Zhihou to take off his armor and return to the fields to be a casual person, or be a free official in a Qingshui yamen in the court, so that all the civil and military officials in the court can rest assured. No matter what he does, isn't he under the attention of others?"

"Who?" Wang Chang asked directly.

Xie Qian naturally cannot say that it was Yang Yiqing who wrote a letter to tell him that Yang Tinghe and others had made a small move. As the chief minister of the cabinet, he still had to protect Yang Yiqing's reputation so as not to be criticized by his optimistic colleagues.

Xie Qian said: "It doesn't matter who it is. Since someone does this, should Zhilong stay in Juyong Pass and make everyone feel at ease?"

Wang Chang waved his hand and said, "What is this fallacy? He could have done practical things to dispel other people's concerns, so why should he stay and continue to be suspected? He found His Majesty and wouldn't he smash all the rumors?"

Xie Qian said with a dark face: "If you have the same heart as him, you will naturally say this. No wonder the Ministry of War was controlled by him, so there was no voice to object."

"Yu Qiao, if we have something to say, don't be emotional. No matter whether the thing you do is right or wrong, this matter has nothing to do with me. Don't blame the wrong person!" Wang Chang said.

Wang Chang did not say that he would not do what Xie Qian said. The key is that Xie Qian is not talking about the matter now and simply came to condemn him. The target was not Shen Xi or an outsider, so he naturally could not accept it.

I didn't commit any crimes against you, Xie Yuqiao, you will resolve your grudges with Shen Zhihou by yourself, or you will send someone to catch him now, everything has nothing to do with me.

After Xie Qian vented his anger, he seemed to understand that Wang Chang could not blame him for this matter. After the two of them had been silent for a long time, Xie Qian's tone calmed down and said, "Zhihou went to find Your Majesty. No matter what the motive is, it was already a waste of money and could not be saved. Why not hurry up and go to the capital in his name, at least it will also play a role in informing you."

Wang Chang said: "Yu Qiao thought Zhihou wouldn't have thought of this layer? Before you arrived in front of Juyongguan, Zhihou came alone and asked me to inform the two father-in-laws of the Silijian about this matter... At this moment, Eunuch Dai and Eunuch Gao should have brought the news back to the capital, otherwise the Empress Dowager would not have sent Duke Bao and others to the Shanxi area to quell the rebellion!"

Xie Qian nodded: "Then he has made other arrangements? Such as leaving behind people to control the Northwest?"

Wang Chang shook his head and said, "I wonder if it's a matter of transferring Quanqing back to the capital to take charge? Besides, aren't you Yu Qiao, the affairs in the court? He had been waiting for you to come back before. He thought he would discuss with you so that he would be able to find His Majesty with peace of mind, but he didn't expect that he would bid farewell to me and he came to make things difficult for me... How many days can I stay in the court with this old bone?"

Both of them were old ministers, with gray hair and wrinkles on their faces. When they looked at each other, Xie Qian felt a little embarrassed. Although Wang Chang had not become the Minister of Shang, at least he had no conflict with him. Now he almost had a frustration over the matter of Chen Xi.

Xie Qian stood up and said, "Since that's the case, I'll send someone to inform the capital..."

Seeing that Xie Qian was leaving, Wang Chang was about to get up to see him off. After hearing Xie Qian's words, he was a little puzzled and asked, "Will Yu Qiao return to Beijing immediately? Now there is no one in the court. What role can you do when you stay in Juyongguan City? It is better to return to Beijing earlier, and someone needs to take care of the affairs of the court."

In Wang Chang's opinion, the things Yang Tinghe did were very unreliable, which would only intensify the conflict between Chen Xi and the court and intensify the royal distrust of Chen Xi. Therefore, Wang Chang hoped that Xie Qian could return to Beijing as soon as possible, and in addition to this, he also wanted to hide in peace. At least he, the Minister of War, was ordered by the emperor to follow the army. Now the emperor has not come back to mobilize troops to train. He can stay and wait for the news and look forward to the changes in the situation.

Xie Qian sighed, "I have to stay in Juyongguan City to deal with some things... Humph, Li Pin, the commander of Longqing Guard, dared to hide it from Shen Zhihou in a fury manner. Can I let him go?"

At this time, Xie Qian found another breathing mouth. Wang Chang was indifferent to this. Anyway, Li Pin had nothing to do with him, so Xie Qian had to make things difficult for him.

"You have arrived at Juyongguan safely. Remember to report to the court to see what the Empress Dowager means... I am afraid that the Empress Dowager also hopes that you will return to Beijing earlier."

Wang Chang's meaning is very clear. Thank you Yuqiao, don't always be harsh on Shen Zhihou. You are different. You are in Juyongguan City but don't return to the capital. You know that you are indispensable to the court now, and you are both willful and reckless. As a result, you are still accusing Shen Zhihou here without any problem.

Xie Qian looked at Wang Chang coldly, without saying much, but Wang Chang could feel Xie Qian's impatientness, as if he felt that he was not qualified to say this.

After Xie Qian left the door, Wang Chang finally breathed a sigh of relief and sighed softly: "You Xie Yuqiao arrived at Juyongguan, which is much more troublesome than when Zhihou was here."

...

...

Soon Xie Qian rushed to Nei Pass of the Great Wall. The news that he was only one or two days away from the capital was passed back to the capital, which was known to Empress Dowager Zhang.

Empress Dowager Zhang immediately called Yang Tinghe, probably meaning that she asked Yang Tinghe to write to urge Xie Qian to return to Beijing earlier to preside over the overall situation, but this was obviously not the result Yang Tinghe wanted to see.

After Yang Tinghe entered the cabinet, he lived almost all under the shadow of Liu Jin, Zhang Yuan, Xie Qian, Chen Xi and others, and had never had a say. He finally won the trust of Empress Dowager Zhang and made a series of measures, which effectively hit Chen Xi's "arrogance". A group of civil servants began to move closer to him without realizing it. As a result, the boss came back immediately, and Empress Dowager Zhang trusted Xie Qian again. Even if he was respectful to Xie Qian, he would not feel good.

But Yang Tinghe knew that he could not refuse directly in front of Empress Dowager Zhang, and immediately said: "Mr. Xie Ge Lao had just arrived in Juyongguan, and probably had to negotiate military and political affairs with Shangshu Chen. He would set off to return to Beijing in two days. Queen Mother should not be anxious. With Master Xie Ge Lao, there would be no accidents in Juyongguan."

At this time, Yang Tinghe tried his best to give Empress Dowager Zhang a reassurance and told Empress Dowager Zhang whether Xie Qian came back was not related to the overall situation, just keep a calm mind.

As long as the northwest is not in chaos, it doesn’t matter even if Xie Qian continues to stay in Juyongguan.

But Empress Dowager Zhang doesn't think so.

In her opinion, among the few ministers left by Emperor Hongzhi, only Xie Qian was left. Xie Qian helped her maintain her monogamous relationship with Zhu Youzhang and kept giving advice for her. Even Yang Tinghe was recommended by Xie Qian to her side as an advisor. Of course, she regarded Xie Qian as the most trustworthy person. The feeling of entrusting was more like the absolute trust of her daughter in her father.

Xie Qian has a high personality charm. At least in the eyes of Queen Mother Zhang, Xie Yuqiao is very perfect. She is also the help of the husband who entrusted her to take care of her orphan and widowed mother. As for Yang Tinghe, she is just a close minister, Xie Qian is more like a family member with blood thicker than water in her eyes.

Empress Dowager Zhang said: "Gei Ge Lao has not returned for a long time, and the Ai family cannot sleep and eat... Now that Your Majesty is not here, the seal of the Sili Supervisor is vacant. If the Prime Minister of the Cabinet is not here, no one will take care of the matter in the capital. There are chaos in the Central Plains. There are so many yamen in the court, so someone will always come to preside over it. Yang Qing's family, don't say so much, hurry up and let Mr. Xie come back. The Ai family needs him now, and the Ming Dynasty needs him."

Yang Tinghe is more than ten years older than Empress Dowager Zhang, but in the eyes of Empress Dowager Zhang, he is still a "young man", which is very different from a well-established and stern minister like Xie Qian.

After hearing Empress Dowager Zhang's comments on Xie Qian, Yang Tinghe felt more and more uncomfortable, but he still saluted respectfully: "I will go back and ask someone to tell Mr. Xie and ask him to return to the capital earlier."

Yang Tinghe left the words, but he didn't think about whether he would do this. Although he knew that Yu Gong should have invited Xie Qian back earlier, Yu Private wanted to continue to maintain the current situation. At least he could show his ambitions and make a difference. In less than a month, it can be said that it is the peak of his life. Once a person tastes the taste of mastering power, it is difficult for him to let everything go.

Especially in the Ming Dynasty, dynasties that liked to suppress the backwards by placing seniority.

Yang Tinghe has been an official for more than 30 years and has been so close to the peak of power for the first time in his life. He is unwilling to accept it, but he also knows that Empress Dowager Zhang’s orders cannot be violated.

Finally, after thinking about it, he could only do anything lip service and try to delay the time when he moved back to the capital.

...

...

After learning that Xie Qian was about to return to Beijing, Empress Dowager Zhang not only met Yang Tinghe, but also quickly met his two younger brothers and informed them of the matter, asking them to do a good job in the precautionary handover of the capital.

In Yongshou Palace, the Zhang brothers were shocked when they heard this.

Zhang Yanling asked directly: "Sister, what does this mean? If Mr. Xie comes back, come back. He is a civil servant and we are military generals. What is the reason for you to hand over the military power? Can someone named Xie still take charge of military affairs?"

Zhang Heling would unconsciously stop his younger brother's reckless words and deeds, but this time he didn't say anything because he was also very unwilling to accept it. He felt that Empress Dowager Zhang might have been bewitched by someone, because Empress Dowager Zhang had always told him and the two of them to control the military power well until Zhu Houzhao came back.

Empress Dowager Zhang said: "Xie Ge Lao is a minister of resolute life. The emperor trusted him very much at the beginning. After Liu Shaofu and others left the court, Xie Ge Lao was also the only remaining veteran in the court. After he returned to Beijing, he could take advantage of his good relationship with the Governor's Office to take back the military power of the regiment camp. Didn't there be some garrison troops around the capital before? Let's withdraw them together."

Zhang Yanling suddenly stood up and asked, "Sister can't say that after listening to someone's advice, right?"

"presumptuous!"

When Empress Dowager Zhang saw her brother openly contradicting her, she couldn't help but scold her in anger, "Is this the attitude you should have when you talk to the Ai family?"
To be continued...