The court concluded that Lu Min's death was suicide due to fear of crime.

The charge was not collaborating with the enemy and treason, but the failure of the battle and improper command, which resulted in the death of more than 50,000 soldiers of the Guping Army and the Beijing Army's North Camp on the battlefield. As for the detailed process and the truth of the matter, no one has mentioned it. It seems that Wang Pingzhang and other people who knew the inside story have all

They all remained silent.

The emperor showed a certain degree of mercy in this matter. He only pursued Lu Min's title and the plaque of the Chengguo Mansion. He had no other means of punishment. Not to mention confiscating the family and exterminating the clan, not even Lu Min's wife and children were affected. Some

The civil servants immediately boasted, as if Emperor Kaiping was a benevolent and kind-hearted emperor.

If not, Lu Jiang would not have the freedom to walk in the capital at all, let alone hook up dozens of desperadoes in an attempt to cause a bloody disaster on the special day of Pei Yue's concubine.

Qi Min and Yang Hu took turns personally leading people to keep an eye on Lu Jiang, and then at Pei Yue's signal, they handed over the matter to Fu Hongzhi.

Fu Hongzhi was gifted and very good at tracking. He could accurately judge the enemy's movements even on the unpredictable battlefield, let alone stare at dozens of mobs. Following Pei Yue's instructions to catch thieves and stolen goods, he did not act rashly.

To alert the enemy, he waited until early this morning when Lu Jiang gathered his men and entered a house before preparing to take action.

However, it was just the skill of the front and back legs. When Fu Hongzhi rushed in with his men, the enemy who was supposedly a turtle in the jar suddenly disappeared mysteriously.

Fu Hongzhi felt extremely regretful that he should not have waited for such a short period of time. At the same time, he was filled with guilt because this incident was very likely to affect today's major events.

Pei Yue asked in a deep voice: "Is there a secret passage in the house?"

Fu Hongzhi nodded and replied: "There are three places, but the entrances are all sealed."

Pei Yue stared deep in thought, calmly thinking about the conspiracy behind this incident.

This matter was definitely not done by Li Bingzhong. Judging from the leakage from all sides of the Fengcheng Hou Mansion, he was absolutely incapable of detecting Fu Hongzhi's traces. Lu Jiangcheng Mansion was shallow and only thought about murder and revenge, so he definitely would not have done it early.

There is no doubt that this kind of cunning rabbit's preparations were made secretly. Not only did he help Lu Jiang escape, but there must be a conspiracy behind it.

Although Pei Yue has many enemies, only Li Bingzhong and Lu Jiang are truly at a life-and-death level. Others, including Wang Pingzhang, will not resort to the method of sharing the fate of each other. Regardless of conspiracy or conspiracy, they will definitely do so on the premise of protecting themselves.

Design a trap.

Li Bingzhong instigated some courtiers to impeach Pei Yue. This was a serious method of court warfare. It was impossible for Pei Yue to go to Fengcheng Houfu to kill him. On the contrary, Lu Jiang acted radically, and Pei Yue took the lead in order to protect himself.

Taking action will eventually lead to truth.

However, the problem is that this reckless and stupid dude is nowhere to be found.

Wang Yong said worriedly: "Young Master, is it okay to give a wedding gift?"

Pei Yue shook his head and said, "No need."

Wang Yong remained silent.

Pei Yue looked at Fu Hongzhi, who was still kneeling on one knee with a guilty look on his face, and said warmly: "Get up. It's obvious that an expert took action this time, and it's not your responsibility because of intentional calculations and unintentional calculations."

Fu Hongzhi stood up and replied: "Master Hou, what should we do next?"

Pei Yue said calmly: "The etiquette will be carried out normally, there is no need to worry."

"yes!"

…

Imperial City, Liangyi Hall, Xinuan Pavilion.

Emperor Kaiping was leaning on the couch, holding an ancient scroll in his right hand, and said casually: "That matter was done well."

In addition to the breathless palace attendants, there is also a minister with a calm expression. He is sitting on a round stool. Although this does not seem to be in line with Zuo Lingchen's status in Taishitai Pavilion, he can sit in front of the emperor. That in itself is a great favor.

Silent Cloud responded: "It is the duty of a minister to share your Majesty's worries."

Emperor Kaiping raised his head and glanced at him, put the ancient scroll on the low table, and said in a deep voice: "Those sons under your command died for the country, and their funeral affairs must be taken care of. Don't let the people who handle the money get greedy for money." ."

When Silent Cloud saw the word "On the Book" on the cover of the book, his heart moved slightly, and then he said solemnly: "Your Majesty, even if Fang Yunhu is not allowed to go back, Daliang can still declare war on Southern Zhou."

Emperor Kaiping sat up and said leisurely: "I know you are reluctant to let go of those elite spies, chasing thousands of miles from north to south. You could have killed Fang Jiazi long ago, but because of my order, you had to let the tiger go back to the mountain. If you have any complaints against me because of this , this is also human nature.”

Silent Cloud lowered his head and said, "I have no such thoughts in my heart."

Emperor Kaiping looked at him for a moment, then showed a weak smile and said slowly: "The Southern Zhou Dynasty is different from the Western Wu Dynasty. When the former Wei Dynasty was destroyed, many aristocratic families migrated southward, so that only Han and Fu were left in Daliang. The two families and the others will not be able to take the stage after all. I not only want to capture the thousands of miles of fertile fields in the south, but also hold those cultural splendid things in my hands, so that we can create a prosperous age in Daliang. Directly sending troops will only arouse the Zhou people's hatred of the same enemy. Even if Daliang is well-prepared and far better than the other side, if the south side is destroyed, why should I bother to plan?"

Silent Cloud nodded and said: "We really need to give some of them a reason to change their stance."

Emperor Kaiping chuckled and said: "That's the reason. Scholars in the world are used to finding excuses for themselves to deceive themselves and others, so I will give them this excuse. The envoy set out five days ago, and I ordered him to tell the Southern Zhou Emperor about the plan. Xie Xiao and his five sons will be punished and sent to Kyoto, and I will wipe out the past grudges."

The so-called grievances are not only due to Fang Yunhu's own actions, which led to the exposure of Southern Zhou's espionage operations in Daliang, but also the fact that when the late emperor was in power, Fang Xie Xiao led his troops north to provoke disputes and took advantage of the border, which ultimately led to changes in Kyoto in Daliang. .

Silent Cloud smiled and said: "I'm afraid the Emperor of Southern Zhou doesn't have the courage."

Emperor Kaiping said: "He should understand why I did this, but he has no way to break the situation. Moyun, Taige's people in the south can start moving."

Silent Cloud understood and said: "I will ask my sons to spread the news and pin the crime of causing a national war firmly on the Fang family."

Emperor Kaiping said seriously: "From bottom to top, from small to large."

Silent Cloud stood up and cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

Emperor Kaiping waved his hands and said: "Sit down. Is there anything going on in the capital these days?"

Silent Cloud muttered: "Li Bingzhong and Lu Jiang conspired to deal with Pei Yue, the Marquis of Zhongshan. The former conspired with the courtiers to impeach Pei Yue, and the latter gathered dead men to attack Pei Yue. Before the minister entered the palace, Pei Yue's men had surrounded Lu Jiang's name. It was an extremely secretive house, but his people missed it because Lu Jiang and everyone disappeared from the secret passage ahead of time."

Emperor Kaiping looked at him with satisfaction. It was obvious that he knew that Silent Cloud had nothing to hide, and he said softly: "Lu Min's son should not be so scheming."

Silent Cloud muttered: "Currently we can't find out who is secretly helping him, but we can be sure that this person's target is Pei Yue."

Emperor Kaiping said indifferently: "Let them go ahead. If that kid Pei Yue can't even solve this problem, it will be in vain Gu Liang's expectations and support for him. As for Lu Jiang and others, if he wants to kill him in a moment of anger, Kill him, you don't have to stop him from venting his anger. I have read the seven strategies he compiled. Although some of the strategies are based on the experience of previous generations, I can still see his talent and ability, especially the seemingly simple mandarin duck. The formation is actually a sharp weapon for fighting in the southern border."

He paused, smiled lightly and said, "I still need to make great use of Pei Yue, so you should try your best to take care of him."

Silent Cloud shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, I forgive you for being frivolous. This matter is slightly inappropriate."

"oh?"

"I have no personal relationship with Pei Yue, and when I broke off diplomatic relations with Xi Sidao, and there were grievances with the Dingguo government mixed in, it is really not suitable to take action rashly. In fact, Gu Liang is backing him, unless your majesty wants to give this Zhongshan After a few lessons, there are not many people who can bully him."

"I vaguely heard that your daughter is very close to the eldest daughter of the Pei family in Dingguo Mansion?"

"It's true."

Emperor Kaiping looked at him steadily and did not continue. He smiled slightly and said: "Well, that boy is so proud now that even the fourth son is rushing to give him money and ask you to protect him from the wind and rain. It’s really inappropriate.”

Silence said: "Your Majesty, I feel that the excessive favor of the Marquis of Zhongshan will inevitably arouse the disgust of the courtiers. If such a good general cannot last long, it may not be a good thing for Daliang."

Emperor Kaiping ignored this sentence and said with a deep look: "Mo Yun, how long do you think the war in the south will last?"

Silent Cloud thought for a long time and said slowly: "Within two years, great things can be accomplished."

Emperor Kaiping said calmly: "That will be three years."

If we want to fight this war to destroy the country, we will definitely need time to prepare, especially if the troops and horses have not yet used food and grass. The military needs to support hundreds of thousands of troops for long-term operations cannot be solved in a short time.

In addition, military training, espionage and troop deployment all take time.

After discussing for less than half an hour, Silent Cloud stood up to leave. Emperor Kaiping suddenly said: "You should keep a close eye tonight and don't make too much noise."

"I will keep an eye on it myself."

After Silent Cloud retreated, Emperor Kaiping's mind came to Pei Yue's elegant and handsome face, and he sighed in his heart: "It is a truth in the world that prosperity must inevitably decline. Three years of glory is enough to deserve your loyalty. After all, most people can only You live a mediocre life doing nothing. Don't blame me, this is the path you chose."

He suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly, raised his voice slightly and said: "Tell the Imperial Academy to criticize Wu Cunren."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch about forty years old standing not far away bowed in agreement.

After burning the incense, Wu Cunren walked into Xinuan Pavilion.

After he saluted, Emperor Kaiping said gently: "Wu Qing, I know that you are quick at debating and have great literary talent, especially in poetry."

Wu Cunren responded with gratitude: "I thank your majesty for the compliment."

Emperor Kaiping said: "But today I don't want you to write a poem, but I want you to draft an imperial edict for me and borrow your literary talent."

Wu Cunren respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

Emperor Kaiping spoke slowly. Wu Cunren could remain calm at first. However, when he heard the content of the imperial edict he was about to draft, even though he tried his best to suppress the shock in his heart, his face still showed a bit of weirdness.

"Wu Qing?" Emperor Kaiping looked at him with a half-smile.

Wu Cunren came back to his senses in time, bowed his hands and responded, hiding his expression, and replied: "I obey the order."

The eunuch brought a small table and the Four Treasures of the Study. Under the gaze of Emperor Kaiping, Wu Cunren began to write in a very complicated mood.

The handwriting is neat and simple, and the writing is smooth and gorgeous. However, when Wu Cunren's name on the paper fell into his eyes, it was extremely dazzling.
Chapter completed!