The bright sunshine shone through the window, and Zhao Ning washed his face under Xia He's care. He took a moment to look at the blooming lotus in the pond outside the window, and heard the chirping of magpies, which made him feel very good.

During breakfast, Zhao Ning asked Xia He to sit down and eat together. Seeing her holding the bun and chewing the skin with aggrieved look, she couldn't help but feel funny: "Are you full again?"

Xia He suddenly blushed and almost buried her head in her collar. As Zhao Ning's personal maid, she had some privileges. For example, she could eat something by herself when she got up early. But she stretched herself to death every time.

, it’s still a bit embarrassing to say it.

Zhao Qiyue came in and relieved Xia He's embarrassment. When she heard that Zhao Qiyue had not eaten yet, she decisively put down her buns and stood up, serving porridge and dishes to Zhao Qiyue attentively and thoughtfully.

"Okay, there are only a few salted radishes in total, why do I need you to help with the dishes? You can go and have fun by yourself." Zhao Ning waved his hand and freed the embarrassed Xia He, who gave him a shy but polite look.

His smile disappeared in a flash.

Zhao Qiyue swallowed a mouthful of mica porridge and said with a smile: "This maid doesn't look like she's good at taking care of people. If she's not considerate, I'll find another one."

"It's quite considerate." Zhao Ning originally wanted to say that he was not good at taking care of others, but suddenly he remembered something, and a faint smile appeared on his face, "He is also quite good at taking care of others."

After finishing breakfast, he put down his bowl and Zhao Qiyue said: "Last night someone came from the imperial court. They were the emperor's special envoys. They came at high speed and interrogated Fan Zhongming and Beihu practitioners overnight. Early this morning, my grandfather followed him back to the capital to let us eat.

I will return to Beijing immediately after breakfast."

"He's the emperor's special envoy, not someone from the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple?"

Zhao Ning was startled. He didn't expect the matter to be so urgent. However, he was not worried about anything. He and Zhao Xuanji had carefully discussed how to handle this matter and how to achieve the situation Zhao wanted.

Zhao Qiyue shook his head: "There are no people from the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple. It seems that there are some different opinions in the court about this matter, and His Majesty also has his own ideas, so he handled it this way."

Zhao Ning was reborn and was naturally familiar with Emperor Song Zhi of Da Qi. In his opinion, he was a fairly wise king. "I thought I could go to Yanmen Pass and meet my parents, but I didn't expect that I would have to leave now."

Already."

Zhao Qiyue glanced at him strangely, "When we met, my father had to teach you a lesson. In order to protect you, my mother had to teach my father a lesson. In the end, it was just the two of them arguing and throwing you away.

Give me... Aren't you always tired of this?"

Zhao Ning touched his nose and found that this was indeed the case.

Everyone in the Zhao family, from Zhao Xuanji to Zhao Qiyue, was very fond of Zhao Ning, but Zhao Beiwang was the only one who had strong objections to his son, who claimed to be gifted and never did his job.

Every time they met, Zhao Beiwang would give him some advice, and at least some "guidance" in martial arts. When Zhao Ning was beaten, his mother would jump out because she felt sorry for her son, saying that the upper beam was not straight and the lower beam was crooked.

Once she is unhappy, she will roll up her sleeves and ask Zhao Beiwang for advice. At this time, the two of them have no time to talk to Zhao Ning, and will most likely call Zhao Qiyue, the eldest sister, and ask her to

Zhao Ning took him out and supervised his practice.

"Xia He, it's time to put away the dishes. Hurry, we are going back to the capital today!"

Zhao Ning shouted out the door, and Xia He, who had just run off to have some fun, immediately poked his head in from the door, took a look with his big eyes, and agreed to let him in easily.

Leaving Daizhou City and riding back south, the number of the team was not large, slightly less than when they came. Many practitioners had died in the battle before, and the escort resources were still piled in Daizhou City, waiting for Zhao Bei to visit Xiu Mu.

Come and get it yourself.

However, there are several more experts in the team, not only members of the Zhao family, but also worshipers of the Zhao family, and none of them are lower than the middle stage of the Yuanshen realm.

"Why is grandfather so anxious to let us return to Beijing?" Zhao Ning asked Zhao Qiyue on horseback. The team did not run wildly, but it did not affect the conversation.

"The autumn hunting period is coming soon. At that time, young people from noble families, including important officials, will gather in the Imperial Garden. The emperor will also inspect those who have reached the age of sixteen to see how you are in cultivation and intelligence.

If you perform well, the emperor may personally grant you an official position, which will be a great opportunity for you to become an official."

Zhao Qiyue is nineteen years old. He has experienced these things and is very experienced.

Unlike Zhao Ning, she did not become an official when she turned sixteen. As the legitimate daughter of the eldest wife of the Zhao family, she would get married when she was twenty, that is, she would enter the palace as a noble concubine and would not need to be another official.

As for whether she will become a queen in the future, it depends on her own destiny. However, from the beginning of the Qi Dynasty to the present, nearly half of the queens are from the Zhao family, so the possibility of Zhao Qiyue becoming the master of the harem is still very high.

"Brother, when the autumn hunting comes, you have to perform well. If you are valued by the emperor, your starting point will be much higher, which will be of great benefit in the future. Our father's temperament is not suitable for being an official in the court. After my grandfather retired, he became the governor

Your location cannot be used by others."

Zhao Qiyue acted like a big sister again, encouraging Zhao Ning with a serious face.

Zhao Ning nodded solemnly: "It seems that what happened in Daizhou this time has made my grandfather aware of the crisis. He wanted me to have some guidance on my practice before I participate in the autumn hunting, so that I can have more confidence in the autumn hunting."

Zhao Qiyue was very satisfied with Zhao Ning's self-consciousness. Then he thought of something and said with a sullen face: "That bad old man Xu Minglang, this time he instigated Shi Fan to collude with Beihu to deal with us. I'll see how he handles himself when he gets back!"

Zhao Ning shook his head: "Xu Mingliang comes from the Xu family in Xishui, one of the thirteen sects. He has an extraordinary family background. He is also your Majesty's teacher. He is also the prime minister of the dynasty, the leader of hundreds of officials, and the leader of the civil service group.

Fan Zhongming is one-sided, and it is not easy to deal with him.

"He is just an old fox. He must have a way to stay out of it this time."

Zhao Ning knew Xu Minglang quite well and knew that it would not be easy to deal with him.

He never thought about overthrowing Xu Minglang all at once. As long as the Daizhou incident could make the emperor pay attention to Beihu and agree to increase troops at Yanmen Pass so that the Zhao family could take the opportunity to increase its strength, it would be considered a success.

Dealing with Xu Minglang, in the final analysis, is to change the situation in the court and suppress the arrogance of the civil servant group. There is a long way to go.

Zhao Ning is now sixteen years old, has not yet become an official, and his cultivation level is not high. Logically speaking, he will not be able to play any role in this matter.

However, Zhao Ning knew that he didn't have much time and there was no reason to wait. His advantage was that he had past life memories, so he knew that there were many things that he was capable of and could have an important impact on the overall situation.

Beihu's plan to conquer Daqi is a big chess game that has already begun. It is divided into two parts. On the one hand, it is Mobei's plan, and on the other hand, it is Daqi's infiltration. Zhao Ning actually has a plan in his mind about what to do next.

Rough plan.

But these require two prerequisites.

First, the emperor must face up to the threat of Beihu; second, his official position also required a specific position.

The latter is decided by Qiu Lie, and Zhao Ning can control it himself, while the former depends on the outcome of Zhao Xuanji's return to Beijing to communicate with the emperor this time.

...

The imperial palace is divided into two parts. The imperial city in the south is where the central government offices of the three provinces and six ministries are located. The palace city in the north is where the emperor lives and handles state affairs. It can be regarded as the emperor's own home.

When Zhao Xuanji entered the palace, it was already evening. The place where Song Zhi summoned him was also in the Imperial Garden, and it was also the same pavilion where he had talked with Xu Mingliang.

This pavilion is called Fengxue Pavilion. It is located on a low mountain. It overlooks the entire imperial city and most of Yanping City. At the foot of the mountain is a clear lake with flowers blooming by the lake. The scenery is beautiful, especially the sky.

When it rains or snows heavily, it has a different flavor.

"Grandpa, I want to hear you talk about Daizhou in detail. After all, the space of the secret is limited."

There were several plates of wine and food on the white jade table. Song Zhi poured two glasses of wine himself and handed one to Zhao Xuanji, who quickly stood up and thanked him. Since there were dishes, this conversation had the flavor of a family banquet.

The atmosphere among people is very good.

Song Zhi was not the biological grandson of Zhao Xuanji. His mother was just an ordinary concubine in the palace. She died in childbirth when giving birth to him. The queen at that time was the daughter of the Zhao family and had no children, so she raised Song Zhi by her side. Later, she succeeded.

Let the late emperor make him the crown prince.

In private, Song Zhi was always courteous to Zhao Xuanji and never called himself "I". He would also chat with him over wine in the palace from time to time. This was something that made Zhao Xuanji very proud.

Zhao Xuanji sighed: "Thinking about this matter still makes my hair stand on end..."

Fan Zhongming and the great Northern Hu cultivator are now imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, and they have already been interrogated by the Minister of Punishment, Yushi Zhongcheng, and the Minister of Dali Temple. He already knows everything that Song Zhi should know.

Asking Zhao Xuanji now is nothing more than checking for omissions and filling in the gaps, and by the way, showing the importance to the Zhao family.

After hearing what Zhao Xuanji said, Song Zhi pondered for a moment and hesitated, "Grandpa, you may not know that the confession of the great practitioner of Beihu is different from what you said."

Zhao Xuanji looked surprised: "It's different?"

In Daizhou City, the great Beihu cultivator had accepted his fate and confessed to colluding with Shi Shi. Zhao Xuanji also briefly wrote down the other party's remarks on a secret book. Could it be that the other party has now retracted his confession?

Song Zhi nodded slightly, took out a confession from his sleeve, and handed it to Zhao Xuanji to read.

Zhao Xuanji quickly browsed through it and his expression changed slightly.

In this confession, the great Beihu cultivator said that he was the escort of Princess Tianyuan Royal Court, and the reason why he appeared in Daizhou City was because the princess yearned for the prosperity of Daqi and secretly went to Daizhou City to play and shop.

The reason why I showed up at the Zhao family's mansion that night was because I heard that there was a fight between masters in the Zhao family's mansion, so I went to check it out, hoping to help the Zhao family and flatter the Zhao family. I didn't know why I met Zhao Xuanji, and...

He was wounded and arrested.

As for colluding with Shi Fan to murder the children of the Zhao family, it is absolutely a lie!

"This, Your Majesty, is nonsense! These barbarians have ulterior motives. Please be aware of this, Your Majesty!" Zhao Xuanji bowed down quickly, feeling that the situation was getting out of control.

However, he was not too anxious. This was a confession submitted by Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Punishment, Yushitai, and Dali Temple were all civil servants, so the emperor might not completely believe it.

Song Zhi helped Zhao Xuanji up and signaled the other party not to panic. He took out another official document from his sleeve and handed it to him: "This is Beihu's apology letter."

Zhao Xuanji opened it and took a look. He couldn't see it twice and his heart felt tight.

The Khan of the Tianyuan Royal Court stated the incident in Daizhou in this petition, and apologized for the princess, saying that she should not have entered the Daqi territory without permission, and also violated the Zhao clan, asked the Emperor of Daqi to forgive her, and offered

A generous apology was given.

"Your Majesty, this..." Zhao Xuanji looked very frightened. He looked at Song Zhi without blinking. In fact, he wanted to ask what Fan Zhongming said.

"This is Fan Zhongming's confession." Sure enough, Song Zhi took out the third official document.

After Zhao Xuanji read it, his face turned purple. He prostrated himself on the ground and kept pleading guilty. He swore and swore that these people must have been tortured to extract confessions. Then he retracted the confessions. He looked completely unexpected and greatly shocked.
Chapter completed!