After Mo Haoli fell ill, he went to the palace to beg for his body, but Emperor Kaiping naturally refused. The emperor and his ministers went back and forth more than ten times. In the end, Mo Haoli could only stay in the palace to recuperate, and still retained the official position of Zuo Ruizhi of the East Palace.

Emperor Kaiping's respect for him didn't end there, and he granted him the titles of Grand Master and Taibao in succession within one day. Mo Haoli had already been the Grand Master of the dynasty ten years ago, and now he has become the first person in Daliang to confer the title of Grand Master.

He was a civil servant. His honor during his lifetime was so great that many people even believed that he would receive the posthumous title of "Wen Zheng" after a hundred years.

To be born as Taifu of the Jin Dynasty and to be given the posthumous title of Wenzheng after death is the highest honor pursued by civil servants for thousands of years.

Mo Hao immediately became the most lively residence in the capital, overshadowing the Zhongshan Marquis Mansion which had been on the cusp of the storm since the beginning of the new year. Countless ministers came to express their concerns every day, even though they knew they would never see Mo Hao.

Courtesy, after all, it means doing what you mean.

Mo Haoli had four sons. Except for the third and fourth sons who had not returned from serving as officials in other places, the eldest son Mo Xiuting and the second son Mo Xiujun had resigned from office. Emperor Kaiping kept all these memorials, which fully demonstrated the

The emperor's favor towards that veteran minister.

At the same time, Emperor Kaiping decreed that Han Gongduan, a Hanlin scholar, would be promoted to the East Palace to participate in politics. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that His Majesty was setting up the court after Mo Haoli left, and Han Gongduan was obviously the best candidate in his mind to take over the government.

.

For courtiers, this is really not good news.

Han Gong Duan's reputation spread all over the world, and he was recognized as a great scholar and moral figure in the world. Although he stayed in the Hanlin Academy for nearly twenty years, such a long time of raising his reputation was enough for him to become the leader of the Qing Dynasty civil servants.

The new combination of Luo Ting and Han Gongduan seems to be very different. The former emphasizes practicality and the latter talks about morality. However, both of them treat themselves as harshly as an ascetic, let alone other ministers. In the past, when Mo Haoli was in charge of the overall situation,

Luo Ting must respect this old man's views. Now that he is partnered with an honest and upright gentleman, he is afraid that a frightening officialdom storm will be set off.

Sure enough, when the time came to mid-May, less than half a month after Han Gongduan took office in Dongfu and participated in politics, a shocking news came out from Dongfu.

Jingcha is on!

This matter was led by Dongfu, personally presided over by Han Gongduan, assisted by Ning Huaian, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, carried out by the Ministry of Civil Affairs Examination Department, and supervised by Yushitai throughout the process. The Beijing inspection targeted all high-ranking civil servants in Beijing, ranging from the six ministers to the ninth-rank officials.

, everyone’s ministry performance in the past three years will be evaluated one by one.

The atmosphere among the officials in the capital changed. No one in any government office asked for leave anymore, and everyone was so busy that their feet never touched the ground.

The Jingcha campaign is not the first of its kind this year. The reason why the response this time is so enthusiastic is because the people in Dongfu have already let out the wind. The imperial court is determined to purge the officials. There are many deposed positions in the hands of Luo Ruizhi and Han Shenzheng.

.

No one wants to stand out at this time.

…

The chaos among the civil servants has no impact on Pei Yue. He has always been very clear about his position and duties, and has no interaction with most civil servants. The only two who have never met, Luo Ting and Jian Rong, will not be betrayed by Beijing.

Chaboji. In fact, in the eyes of outsiders, he and Luo Ting had no friendship other than planning to build the Carboniferous Temple, and they broke up publicly with Jian Rong because of the incident of marrying Lin Shuyue.

After all, he is now a top martial artist, and he cannot urinate in the same pot as the civil servants.

Of course, Pei Yue was not in the mood to gloat.

Xicheng, the back house of Xiangyunhao main store.

Pei Yue sat on a wicker chair in the corridor, looking at the green branches and leaves on the trees in the courtyard, listening to the constant laughter coming from the room, and frowning slightly.

From Mo Haoli's sudden illness, he vaguely smelled a hint of conspiracy, especially the conversation with Mo Haoli that day, which made him realize that the emperor was playing chess again. In the past few years, he either experienced it personally or

Watching in secret, Emperor Kaiping always listens to the thunder in the silent place when planning his plans. It is silent at first, but the full picture is often revealed at the end.

Using the war in the Western Region to plot Lu Min, using the four princes to temper the eldest prince, and even Pei Yue himself were once pawns in the emperor's hands, but who knows who he is plotting against this time?

Pei Yue was not a god, so he could not get a full picture from Mo Haoli's specious hints. He could only constantly remind himself that before his wings were far from full, he should try his best to be cautious and avoid being involved in the emperor's chess game.

"Master, Master!"

The crisp voice woke Pei Yue out of his thoughts. He turned to look at Peach Blossom in a green dress, smiled and said, "What's wrong?"

"Mom, let me wash my face and change my clothes." Taohua replied obediently.

Pei Yue saw that her eyes were red and swollen from crying and her sleeves were full of traces of tears. He nodded and said warmly: "Go."

Peach Blossom left as briskly as a spring swallow. Although she cried a little miserably this time, the joy in this maid's heart could be seen.

Pei Yue calmed down, then got up and entered the house.

There was a middle-aged woman in ordinary clothes in the hall. When she saw Pei Yue, she took the initiative to step forward and salute: "Greetings to the Marquis."

"No need."

Pei Yue said calmly: "Please sit down."

After the two sat down, Pei Yue looked at her nervous appearance and asked in a gentle tone: "Have you met Chen Xizhi?"

The middle-aged woman is Taohua's biological mother, and the maid Leng Ning who was next to Miss Chen's family back then.

"I see you. Thank you so much, Lord Marquis, for your kindness." Leng Ning stood up and saluted again.

Pei Yue waved his hand and said straight to the point: "This is the promise Ye Qi made to her. I just don't want to see Ye Qi sad, so you don't have to thank me. To tell you the truth, my opinion of her has not changed at all even now."

.As long as she can live an honest life, if she has any other thoughts, I won’t give her a chance to take action."

Leng Ning sighed softly: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, the girl won't do anything wrong again."

Pei Yue said: "This is best. What are your plans in the future? Will you live in the Marquis Mansion or find a proper place for you in the capital?"

Leng Ning hesitated and said: "I can understand the good intentions of the Marquis. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to live in the Marquis' mansion, right?"

Pei Yue said calmly: "The relationship between you and Taohua cannot be made public, but it is not difficult to create an identity for you. This will not only save Taohua from the pain of missing her mother all the time, but also make me feel more at ease."

Both of them knew what peace of mind meant.

Leng Ning smiled bitterly and said: "When I was still in Lingzhou, I had given up the idea of ​​revenge, so the girl drove me away. Peach Blossom can't let you go, Mr. Hou, and I can't leave her and the girl. Now that

With such a sound choice, how could I be stubborn? Whether I live in the Marquis's mansion or find another house, I will obey the Marquis's instructions in everything."

Pei Yue nodded slowly, wanting to end the conversation: "You can stay here for now, and I will make arrangements as soon as possible."

"Master Hou, please wait a moment."

Seeing that Pei Yue had already stood up, Leng Ning shouted hurriedly.

Pei Yue looked at her puzzled.

Leng Ning looked hesitant, clasped his hands together, and said nervously: "In addition to seeing the peach blossoms, I have one more thing I want to tell Mr. Hou."

Pei Yue was startled for a moment, sat back slowly, and said calmly: "Please tell me."

Leng Ning sighed: "The Marquis now knows that I am from Zhou. After Ye Qi returned to Beijing with the girl last year, I went back to my hometown. I originally planned to go north to find Taohua and the girl at the end of the year, but I never thought that a coincidence happened some time ago.

I will hear some news next time that may be useful to the Marquis."

Pei Yue said: "What's the matter?"

Leng Ning said with a hint of fear: "There are people in this city who want to rebel. They say they want to kill the prince first and then force the emperor to abdicate. They call it the Qing monarch and kill the sycophants. In fact, they want to change the day."

Pei Yue looked at her without saying a word.

Leng Ning only felt a burst of physical pressure rushing towards her face, and she was extremely surprised.

She considered it and said: "If this matter has nothing to do with Mr. Hou, I will definitely not talk too much as a Zhou person. But now Taohua's whole heart is focused on Mr. Hou. If you have any shortcomings, how can she survive? I

I only have this daughter, and I have lost and found her, so I don’t want to see anything happen to the Marquis no matter what."

Pei Yue asked unhurriedly: "Are you sure you heard correctly?"

Leng Ning quickly shook his head and said: "How could you hear such an important thing wrong? I don't know whether this is true or not, but what if it is true? Please be careful, Lord Marquis."

Pei Yue raised his hand and tapped the armrest lightly, falling into silence again.

He felt that things were getting more and more interesting.

The emperor didn't know what he was planning, but someone in the capital actually wanted to rebel and established him as a typical sycophant.

The most absurd thing is that a woman from the Southern Zhou Dynasty traveled thousands of miles to report this matter.

Not only is it interesting, it's even ridiculous.
Chapter completed!