After Su Zhan left, Ying Zheng also drove back to the palace.

The most important purpose of his leaving the palace this time was to meet this young general of Great Qin, listen to his words, observe his actions, and see if he was worthy of use.

Although Baijuan said that this person was the creator of the myth of the undefeated Northern Territory of Great Qin, he had never seen it with his own eyes, and after passing a test or two, he could not be used with confidence.

After today's talk, Ying Zheng finally put his heart firmly in his stomach.

This young general is sincere and sincere, gentle but also passionate. He speaks eloquently about the art of war. He has been working hard in Fengzhou for several years, and he is not a person who talks without words.

Ying Zheng felt a little regretful, and several emperors in the same space said: "It's a pity that I am still young and do not have a princess under my knees, and the original owner does not have a sister from his compatriots..."

At this point, he began to hate the original owner of the whipping corpse again: "Such a beautiful prodigy, I don't even have time to love him and pamper him, so why do you want him to be so insulted now?"

Li Yuanda sighed: "There has always been no shortage of capable ministers in the world, but there is only a lack of Bole. As Cao Yang said, when you use them, you are like a dragon, but when you don't use them, you are like an insect."

"It is true." Li Shimin also echoed: "What about Yue Fei? If he falls into the hands of Zhao Gou, isn't it also a secret investment?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, a hint of pride flashed on his face: "Which one of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun was of noble birth? They are all just farmers. They got their master and the right time! Xu Da and Chang Yuchun are like this, Han

Isn’t it the same on the third day of the Lunar New Year?”

Starting with a bowl, there is no one more difficult than Zhu Yuanzhang at the beginning of the foundation of the emperors of all dynasties.

After he succeeded to the throne, he went to the temple to worship the emperors of the past dynasties. After toasting, he only offered an extra toast to Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty - My father and I, we have the world without a foot of earth, and we are different from others, so we have a special title.

When he went to see Liu Che again, Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was rarer and more praising: "As far as the dynasty of Shu'er is concerned, it is true that he will demote talents in an eclectic way. If Wei Huo meets other monarchs, he may not be so successful.

To be able to enter the Han Dynasty and shine like that."

Liu Che complimented him cooperatively: "You're not bad either. Who doesn't know that you, Lao Zhu, are the most upright people in the country? Hey, wait a minute -"

He suddenly realized: "What's going on? Why does it feel like we are bragging about each other in business?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

You should shut up now!

…

When General Ying Zheng was about to return to Taiji Palace, some of his attendants came to report. Zhongshu ordered Wang Yue and the black-clad guard Cao Yang to come to see him early, saying that he had something important to report. They had been waiting outside the palace for a long time.

Wang Yue was Zhongshu Ling and had the title of prime minister, so Ying Zheng summoned him first.

After Wang Yue entered the house without saying a word, he handed over the memorandum. Ying Zheng unfolded it and took a look, good guy, this cannonball just hit the Feng family's head as if it was free of charge.

Feng Mingda formed a clique for personal gain and collaborated with local governments. The children of the Feng family preyed on the common people and bullied men and women.

Several students of Mr. Feng's family give Mrs. Feng generous birthday gifts every year, and this amount is soaked with the blood and tears of the people...

Ying Zheng recalled Wang Yueshang's memorial to impeach Dong Chang when he first came to the throne, and he laughed angrily. He made small reports and made dirty materials. Wang Lingjun, you are a professional!

Really, if you notice me dozing off with your front legs, please pass the pillow up to your back legs.

The memorial was about ten pages long. Ying Zheng closed it after reading the first few pages, shook it in his hand, and said with great interest: "Please tell me the truth. This memorial is very credible.

How much?"

"Reporting to your Majesty," Wang Yue lowered his eyebrows and said, "At least 70% to 80% of them."

Ying Zheng understood: "Oh, about 40 to 50%."

Wang Yue: "..."

Wang Yue immediately fell to his knees, his knees softened and he knelt on the ground. He said worriedly: "It's not that I deliberately framed the courtiers, but that the Feng family's disloyalty is clearly exposed. Your Majesty must guard against it!"

He said: "What happened that day, if the Empress Dowager was not guilty of being a thief, why would she have become a monk and escaped? The old lady of the Feng family was the biological mother of the Empress Dowager and Feng Pushe. She was poisoned and died in the palace. The two were their children, but they did not

Wouldn't it be suspicious if you dare to open your eyes for your biological mother?"

Ying Zheng listened to him quietly and then said: "Your loyalty to me is really touching to me."

Wang Yue choked several times with emotion, and continued: "I also know that Your Majesty is wise and mighty, with a sharp gaze, and no evil spirit can hide from your eyes. It's just that the viciousness of villains is often unknown! As the first wife of the late Emperor, the Queen Mother,

The Imperial Palace has been in the Sixth Palace for decades, and there are many eyes and ears in the palace, so we must be on guard against it, and Empress Feng in the harem is the niece of the Empress Dowager..."

At this point, he seemed to realize that he had made a mistake, and hurriedly apologized, adding: "I have no intention of interfering with the inner palace. It's just that Your Majesty involves all the people of the country, so you can't be too cautious!"

As the saying goes, you can't hit someone with a smiling face, let alone a professional soul licker like Wang Yue.

Ying Zheng could not help but comfort him with a few words of kindness. After Wang Yue left, Cao Yang came to see him under the imperial edict, and what he said was actually about the Feng family.

"When the incident occurred that day, I was not in the palace. Afterwards, I carefully looked at the internal records of the black-clothed guards and realized that the depth of the matter was beyond imagination!"

Cao Yang hit the nail on the head: "The Empress Dowager would rather become a monk to avoid trouble and cut off her involvement with the Feng family. However, in order to calm the turmoil, the Feng family did not even pursue Mrs. Feng's death - they were willing to pay such a huge price for this. It happened that

It shows how terrifying their hidden conspiracy is. Once the truth buried in the imperial mausoleum is unearthed, the world will tremble!"

Ying Zheng always admired his courage and believed in his ability. Cao Yang was able to rise from the fifth rank position in less than a month, and it was certainly not because of his pretty face.

And Cao Yang did not disappoint him. Even though he was completely unaware of the conclusion reached by the West Pavilion in the palace after several days of auditing, he still deduced a similar final result.

He knelt down on the ground, paused and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me, I did something presumptuously."

Ying Zheng said: "What's the matter?"

Cao Yang said: "I secretly sent people to monitor the posthouses along the way from Fengzhou to Chang'an, because I want to know if anyone will contact Duke Xing."

Ying Zheng's brows moved slightly.

Cao Yang apologized and then continued: "I, Wansi, have heard that your majesty is good at the south wind, so he even summoned Duke Xing to return to the capital when he came to the throne. Later, when I came to the palace to see him, I realized that your majesty is wise and wise.

, he is by no means a dull king. If he is so, how can he be so contemptuous of the important ministers of the country?"

"It occurred to me that summoning Duke Xing to return to the capital, or using the sun and the moon to observe filial piety for the late emperor, were all things that happened in the first few days of your majesty's accession to the throne. Therefore, I thought, maybe these two things were not your majesty's original intention.

, but someone has evil intentions and is trying to suppress the reputation of the emperor."

He raised his head, with a sharp edge in his eyes: "This person chose to push Duke Xing to the forefront. It can be seen that he has no close relationship with Duke Xing. Since he has the intention to subvert the artifact, he will definitely not let go of befriending Duke Xing, a border general.

Opportunity, in this case, he must get in touch with Duke Xing before he comes to Beijing..."

"The guards in black discovered the whereabouts of several sneaky people in a posthouse adjacent to the capital. They traced their roots until they arrived at the gate of Prince Ji's Mansion. Before Xing Guo Gong entered Chang'an, Prince Ji's Crown Prince even went to meet him.

.”

"Very good." Ying Zheng clasped the table with his knuckles, praised him, and asked him again: "Do you know the life experience of Prince Ji?"

When Cao Yang heard what the emperor said, he knew what he was talking about. He was afraid that he had known it for a long time. He felt a chill in his heart and his expression became more respectful: "I heard that when the princess's mother was ill, Princess Ji was pregnant with Liujia and came to Guining to visit her.

, the carriage’s load-bearing shaft broke during the journey, Princess Ji

Frightened, a nearby farm family gave birth to the crown prince. However, in the autumn of the year before last, someone revealed that Prince Ji was not the biological child of Prince Ji and his wife, but that the farmer's family took advantage of the chaos after Princess Ji gave birth to use their own newborn baby.

My son is a fool..."

"Although the real Prince Ji grew up in a farm family, he was favored by Yu Daru and accepted as his disciple by accident. He spent several years examining his character and finally married his beloved daughter to her."

"After the case of the real and fake prince broke out, because it involved the inheritance of the clan throne, it even alarmed the late emperor. After a thorough investigation was made, the late emperor ordered the people involved in the case to be cut off and abandoned in the city. Prince Ji was able to return home and live with Prince Ji and his wife.

reunion……"

Cao Yang was just a commoner in the past, so he naturally had no way of knowing what was going on in the royal palace in the capital. Later, he was favored by Ying Zheng and joined the Black Guards as a minor official. The first thing he did was to read all the documents that could be consulted within the Black Guards.

, be aware of everything.

This time when he heard the report from his subordinates that the case was traced to the clan, he immediately became vigilant. When he heard that the clan was from Prince Ji's Mansion, he naturally thought of this major case involving the real and fake prince.

Now the emperor has brought up this old case again...

Cao Yang's heart skipped a beat, and then he heard the emperor's voice coming from above: "Since you know the reason, I don't need to mention it again. I just want to tell you one thing - the current Crown Prince Ji is not the biological child of Prince Ji and his wife.

son."

Cao Yang's pupils shrank suddenly, and his expression could not hide his surprise.

This case... was handled by the late emperor himself!

It should be noted that at that time, the late emperor had been in power for decades and was in charge of the internal guards. This case was Murong's family affair, and no nobles or important officials in the court were involved. With these several conditions added up, how could it be possible to get it wrong?

Unless the late emperor did it intentionally...

But then, a new question emerged - as the head of a large sect, why did the late emperor resort to fraud and ask outsiders to go to Prince Ji's mansion to occupy the magpie's nest?

Ying Zheng saw that Cao Yang's expression changed several times and showed consideration, so he was not in a hurry to speak, just waiting for Cao Yang to figure out the key.

And Cao Yang lived up to his expectations and quickly grasped a thread in the mess.

"The black-clothed guards were originally born from the internal guards. The archives and records of this department are kept intact. I will go back and carefully check the files on the real and fake prince's case. Regardless of whether they have been deleted or not, if I follow the clues, I will inevitably find clues.

"

Cao Yang said: "After reading the files of the real and fake Crown Prince case that day, I thought that the case had already been settled, so I didn't think much about it. Now, Your Majesty, I would like to remind you that Yu Daru, the teacher and father-in-law of Crown Prince Ji, has something on his body."

I'm afraid there will be a lot of suspicion."

Ying Zheng saw him peeling off the cocoon and grasping the clues in twos and twos. He couldn't help but nodded happily and told him: "Go and dig this mouse out of the hole for me. Be careful and don't scare the snake."

Cao Yang solemnly paused: "I accept your order."

…

The weather in June is really hot, and the chirping of cicadas can be heard throughout midsummer.

Ying Zheng got tired of staying in Taiji Palace, so he drove to the West Pavilion.

When the palace servants who came and went saw the emperor's guard of honor from a distance, they lowered their heads respectfully and obediently, showing their respect for the highest power in the world in the most humble and submissive manner.

The people in the palace are like grass on the wall, best at observing the direction of the wind.

In the past, when the emperor first ascended to the throne, the palace was dominated by two palaces. The Xingqing Palace where the Empress Dowager lived firmly dominated the Taiji Palace.

But now...

In the entire palace, there was only one voice.

That is the emperor.

As for Xingqing Palace, it has long been neglected.

At the same time that the Empress Dowager became a monk, the purge of the remaining forces in the inner palace of the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager officially began.

The internal servants or palace servants who once served the late emperor and are still serving in the palace at this time have found suspicious details in the archives. In recent years, the empress dowager and even the other concubines have placed various details, as well as the control of the harem.

The female officials of the Shang Palace Bureau who have been involved in affairs for decades...

The Empress Dowager's Xingqing Palace was thoroughly plowed. Wu Jieyu took the lead, and Xue Meiren cooperated. They checked all the palace rooms in the Xingqing Palace, counted all the utensils in the warehouse, read all the documents carefully, and kept not a single piece of paper.

.

All the attendants who had served the Empress Dowager were killed with the cane, and a few more honest and sensible ones were selected to serve in the small Buddhist hall in Xingqing Palace. If nothing goes wrong, the Empress Dowager will probably spend the rest of her life in the small Buddhist hall.

Along with this purge, the harem changed drastically. Concubine Feng Shu, who used to be at the top of the list of concubines and the people in the palace were scrambling to flatter her, suddenly became a thing of the past.

The Empress Dowager's loneliness is a foregone conclusion, and as the daughter of the Feng family, Concubine Shu will probably remain lonely as well.

Wu Jieyu and Xue Meiren stayed up all night. At noon on the second day, they returned to Ying Zheng with the tallied list: "It is roughly the same as what is in the account books of Xingqing Palace. It is just a large number of rewards recorded in the late emperor's private treasury.

But there was no trace of them.”

Ying Zheng had already understood this and was not surprised. He encouraged the two of them with a few words and then motioned for them to leave.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud in the space: "Come on, the Queen Mother is cold. She can finally sleep with her eyes closed in the palace."

Li Yuanda was thinking outside the palace: "Tell me, what is Feng Mingda thinking about now? Will he continue with his previous plan?"

Li Shimin shook his head and said: "At this point, the plan is still futile. It's hopeless. Let's wait to die. Say goodbye!"

…

The Feng family was in a state of gloom and gloom at this time.

Today, the Feng family entered the palace originally to witness history, watch the death of the emperor, and celebrate the birthday of the empress dowager. What they never expected was that the fire was lit and their own house was burned.

Mrs. Feng died on the spot, and Concubine Zhang suddenly revolted. The Empress Dowager was forced to become a monk to avoid trouble. Feng Mingda had no choice but to resign from the Dukeship of Cheng'en.

There were several thunderbolts in succession, each one louder than the last.

Mrs. Feng went in vertically and came out horizontally. On one side, the emperor, the two clans of King Dai and King Cheng, and the prime ministers discussed the final result. On the other side, they quickly found a few servants to move Mrs. Feng's body out of the palace.

go.

Come on, this is the palace!

Ordinary people would feel unlucky when an outsider dies in their family, let alone the Tian family?!

If the Empress Dowager was still the Empress Dowager at that time, that would be it. Mrs. Feng, as her biological mother, could be considered a relative of her family. But now that the Empress Dowager has become a monk, you, an old woman who has no connection with the royal family, can

Why put the corpse in our house?!

Get out quickly!

With a dull face, Feng Mingda, together with several servants, carried Mrs. Feng's body to the Feng family's carriage. After politely thanking several people, he silently got on his horse and returned home.

Mrs. Feng died of poisoning, her eyes bulged, her face turned blue, and the blood foam overflowing from the corners of her lips gave off a faint stench.

Her two daughters-in-law, Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Feng, sat next to them. They looked at the body of their mother-in-law who had honored her for most of her life. No one said a word and no one shed tears.

Mrs. Feng Si felt a little sentimental, but not much.

Mrs. Feng was not very kind to her concubine, and she was even more indifferent to her, a concubine's daughter-in-law. Of course, Mrs. Feng did have this ability in the past, and she was inferior to others, so there was nothing to say.

Naturally, under such circumstances, one cannot expect Fourth Madam Feng to have much respect for Old Madam Feng or to be heartbroken after her death.

The slight sadness is just the sadness caused by the sudden death of someone I have seen for a long time, and even the emotion of the impermanence of the world.

Mrs. Feng, on the other hand, fell completely into despair, to the point where she could no longer shed tears.

The Empress Dowager became a monk and Mrs. Feng died unexpectedly. Is this the end of the matter?

No!

Although the emperor didn't say anything, the clan didn't say anything, and the prime ministers didn't say anything either, Mrs. Feng clearly knew that at this moment, the same doubt must be floating in their minds -

If the Feng family didn't have a guilty conscience, why would they have done this?!

The empress dowager was forced to become a monk, and even after her biological mother died, she did not dare to pursue the case. She even took the initiative to resign from the Dukedom of Cheng'en - what kind of heinous crime did the Feng family commit that they were willing to use this to cover up?!

They haven't launched an attack now because they haven't found any evidence for the time being, but after today, the Feng family's plan has been revealed. It's only a matter of time before they get to the bottom of it and come to light.

And the death of Mrs. Feng...

This is not only the death of one person, but the death knell of the entire Feng family!

The most senior member of the Feng family passed away. From Feng Mingda, the minister's right servant, to the prime minister of the current dynasty, to all the descendants of the Feng family who were serving as officials, they all resigned from their posts and returned to the capital to observe their filial piety. This time, I'm afraid it will happen again.

There is no time to leave.

For the first time, Mrs. Feng forgot her manners, and did not even pay attention to the fourth Mrs. Feng who was also in the carriage. She leaned weakly on the hidden bag in an almost rude manner.

Her only daughter Zhu Niang, her sons, her babbled grandson and newborn granddaughter, and even her maternal family...

Where the power of God is, when the thunder falls, how many people can be saved?

Mrs. Feng smiled miserably, her face as white as paper.

After walking in silence like this, we finally returned to Feng Mansion.

The servants of the Feng family carried Mrs. Feng's body into the main courtyard with panic-stricken expressions. They wanted to ask their mistress about the funeral ceremony, but when they touched the expressions of Feng Mingda and Mrs. Feng, they stopped and cautiously retreated.

Got out.

The couple sat opposite each other and were silent for a long time. Finally, Feng Mingda got up and went to the desk. He wrote a letter of divorce and handed it to Mrs. Feng: "The matter has not yet happened. You can take Zhu Niang and come back."

Let’s go to my parents’ house.”

Mrs. Feng looked at the familiar handwriting on the divorce letter and finally shed a tear.

She cried quietly.

But soon, she turned into the dignified and solemn mistress of the Feng family. She wiped away the tears on her face with a handkerchief and tore up the letter of divorce into pieces.

"If the emperor wants to ask questions, how can he escape with a letter of divorce? He is so lucky and takes refuge in secret. Although the disaster has not yet come, he has already been despised by others."

Mrs. Feng said: "Since the emperor has not launched an attack yet, there is no need to rush into chaos. Let's take care of the mother's funeral first. If we can, let her die in a more dignified way."

Feng Mingda held his wife's shoulders, and after a long time, he said: "Thank you very much."

Mrs. Feng hugged him and choked up: "I have been the daughter of the Chen family for seventeen years and the wife of the Feng family for thirty-two years. I have been loved by my parents at home. After I got married, my aunt treated me very well. We have been married for more than thirty years without any differences. My son, this life is enough and I will die without regrets!"

Feng Mingda was touched and burst into tears for a while.

The couple had been grieving each other for a long time, and then worked hard to take care of Mrs. Feng's funeral. After today's incident, it was expected that there would be few visitors, but as children, they should do their best.

Mrs. Feng went to the inner room to change into mourning clothes, and ordered her subordinates to prepare for the funeral in an orderly manner. After Feng Mingda changed her clothes, she went to the courtyard of the fourth room in person.

Fourth Master Feng and Mrs. Feng were wondering about what happened today. Suddenly, they heard someone coming to report that it was the eldest master who was visiting. Their expressions all changed and they hesitantly invited the person in.

Feng Mingda got straight to the point and said: "Fourth brother, if you still regard yourself as a member of the Feng family, then just listen to what the elder brother says and let's separate the families."

As soon as Fourth Master Feng finished listening to the first half, he subconsciously wanted to frown - he thought Feng Mingda was repeating the same old tune and trying to kidnap him morally with the argument that he was a member of the Feng family.

Therefore, after hearing the last sentence, Fourth Master Feng was really shocked.

Feng Mingda had no time to pay attention to what he was thinking in his heart, and looked sad: "I was greedy for a moment, which caused great harm. The destruction of my family and clan is just around the corner. You were not involved in it. You drew a clear line with us long ago, and my daughter has As the current concubine, if the Feng family can survive a breath of blood, it must be your heir."

Fourth Master Feng's expression changed several times, and he didn't even care that the two brothers were already at each other's throats: "Brother, why are you doing this?!"

Feng Mingda smiled bitterly and said: "You don't need to ask more. Even if you know, it will only add to the trouble."

He said: "The fields, manors, gold and silver accumulated by the Feng family over the generations will all be confiscated to the national treasury. If I give them all to you now on the pretext of dividing the family, it will only displease the emperor and do you no good. All of this will be harmful to you. Don’t use the things outside your body. Instead, there are thousands of books in your home. Except for those rare and rare copies, take them all with you!”

Fourth Master Feng seemed to see him for the first time. He licked his lips several times and called out again: "Brother."

He wanted to say something more, but Feng Mingda waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say more.

Finally he smiled and said Qi Ran: "I remember that my ancestor, Duke Wen Xiang, of the Feng family, was a weak scholar who did not know how to ride or shoot. He only relied on his wealth of skills to discuss strategies. He helped the emperor to conquer the world and was granted the title of duke. He never thought that his descendants would be unfilial. We have been reduced to this situation today.”

Feng Mingda sighed: "Fourth brother, after I die, you should resign from office. Even if you are out of filial piety, don't be an official anymore. Just like you said before, open an academy and become a teacher. Sir."

Fourth Master Feng said nothing and just looked at him sadly.

Feng Mingda smiled again: "Teach your children and grandchildren well. The future of the Feng family depends on you."
Chapter completed!