The candlelight flickered in the room, and Zhu Houzhao stood in front of the door, the hesitation on his face was so obvious.
Regarding Zhang Mao's emotions, Zhu Houzhao's senses are quite complicated. Such a person has survived several dynasties and has been honored by emperors of all generations. This is not only because he is the head of the nobles.
Since the battle of Tumubao, the Xungui Group completely lost power, and the power in the DPRK suddenly underwent earth-shaking changes. The civilian group overwhelmed Wu Xun in one fell swoop.
The consequence of the imbalance between civil and military affairs was that the imperial power was greatly threatened, especially as the civil servant group began to frantically compete for power from the emperor.
The cabinet was established from the beginning as a secretarial agency for the emperor, assisting the emperor in handling government affairs.
This can actually be seen from the official ranks of cabinet ministers and cabinet ministers.
But slowly, as the power of the civil service group grew larger and larger, the cabinet, which originally had only the power of suggestion, began to gradually decentralize power from the imperial power, and later evolved into an institution that commanded hundreds of officials and could compete with the imperial power.
The nobles and the country live together, and they are destined to choose to stand with the royal family on many issues. Zhang Mao did this very well.
For decades, he has served as a bridge between the royal family and the noble group, working hard to maintain the relationship between the royal family and the noble group, and providing assistance to the royal family when it competes with the civil service group.
Over the past few decades, Zhang Mao has become more than just a British citizen. He is almost a representative figure of the Xungui Group, and his opinions almost represent the opinions of the Xungui Group.
Even the emperor relied heavily on him.
Why did Zhu Houzhao let Zhang Mao sit in the capital camp before? It was because Zhu Houzhao believed that others would betray him as the emperor, but the British Duke Zhang Mao would not.
Not only would it not happen, but with the British influence in the army, it would suppress any chaos that might occur in the army.
However, Zhang Mao's carelessness almost caused this catastrophe. If Li Huan hadn't brought his people here in time, he, the emperor, might have become a prisoner of the rebels.
It is natural that Zhu Houzhao, who had just escaped the disaster, was dissatisfied with Zhang Mao, but this was temporary after all. If we really want to say it, the emperor Zhu Houzhao still attached great importance to Zhang Mao in his heart, otherwise it would not be possible.
I wouldn't have had such a big reaction after hearing the news that Zhang Mao was seriously injured and dying.
Under the beating candlelight, Zhu Houzhao's figure was reflected on the window.
Li Huan, Zhu Fu and others outside the door could even clearly see Zhu Houzhao's shadow reflected on the door and window. They also knew that the emperor was in front of the door at this moment.
Seeing the emperor's shadow reflected on the door and window, Li Huan pondered for a moment and vaguely guessed why the emperor had already arrived at the door but did not open the door.
Looking at the pale British Duke Zhang Mao on the ground, Li Huan sighed in his heart.
This old prince is absolutely responsible for the rebellion of Marquis Changxing. After all, the emperor ordered him to stay in the capital just in case.
As a result, Zhang Mao's people were not in the capital camp when Changxing Hou rebelled. Otherwise, Zhang Mao would have noticed the changes in the Xiaoyong camp immediately and would have been able to stop the Xiaoyong camp before it entered the capital, and the attack on Emperor Luanjia by the Xiaoyong camp would not have happened.
thing.
This is what made the emperor angry. It is conceivable that if Zhang Mao had not done anything, the British lineage, which had been trusted and favored by the royal family for hundreds of years, would definitely be despised by the emperor and no longer be the leader of the noble family.
However, when Zhang Mao learned about the rebellion of Marquis Changxing, he resolutely chose to lead his army to Beijing to quell the rebellion. He even risked his life and rushed to the front. Isn't this a statement to the emperor and asking for his forgiveness?
Li Huan just looked at Zhang Mao. His old face was no longer as rosy as before, and even his eyes full of wisdom were tightly closed at this moment.
At this moment, this is not the British Duke of the Ming Dynasty who has dominated the Ming Dynasty for decades without falling, but is just an old man who is seriously injured and dying.
With arrows stuck in his body, his body covered in blood, and his face like gold paper, Zhang Mao would probably be a little sentimental to anyone who saw him.
And given the emperor's true love and nature, it is conceivable that once he sees Zhang Mao like this, I am afraid that the previous dissatisfaction with the British government due to Zhang Mao's negligence will disappear.
This is how people are, when a person dies, everyone will only talk about the good things about the other person and subconsciously forget about the bad things about the other person.
Therefore, with the death of Zhang Mao, the emperor will only remember the loyalty of the British Duke Zhang Mao, who was devoted to the Lord and did not hesitate to die. If nothing else is said, Zhang Mao's death will not only wash away the righteousness of Zhang Mao not long ago.
The bad impression left by Zhu Houzhao directly left a huge blessing to the British government. I am afraid that from now on, the Zhengde Dynasty, with the death of Zhang Mao, will be endlessly honored and favored.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Li Huan's mind: Zhang Mao might have rushed forward deliberately to seek death.
Shaking his head, Li Huan felt that he might have thought too much.
Kneeling down next to Zhang Mao, Zhang Lun seemed to be able to feel the emperor standing just across the door.
Despite his grief, Zhang Lun could clearly sense the emperor's attitude.
If it were in the past, let alone Zhang Mao being seriously injured and dying right in front of his eyes, I am afraid that even if he was injured or something, the emperor would personally send his servants to visit him.
The emperor really has a grudge against the British government.
Suddenly, Zhang Lun understood why his grandfather chose to die.
He knew very well that his grandfather lived under the title of British Duke and devoted his whole life to maintaining the inheritance of the British Duke family.
He would rather die than see the British government fall silent and defeated in his hands, so he resolutely chose to die to wash away the grudge in the emperor's heart in exchange for the endless favor of the British government.
After thoroughly thinking about this, Zhang Lun felt even more sad and couldn't help crying loudly: "Grandpa, grandpa..."
With a bang, the door was suddenly opened, and Zhu Houzhao's figure appeared in front of everyone.
Zhu Houzhao was seen standing at the door. When his eyes fell on Zhang Mao lying on the ground in front of the door, he couldn't help but froze, and his originally tense face finally couldn't help showing a look of emotion.
color.
Almost as a conditioned reflex, Zhu Houzhao took a step forward and appeared directly in front of the wooden board. He saw that his body was covered with arrows, and his armor was dyed red with blood.
Just as Li Huan thought, Zhu Houzhao only had infinite sadness and regret in his heart at this time, and there was no dissatisfaction with the British government.
With trembling hands, Zhu Houzhao slowly pushed aside Zhang Mao's long gray hair, revealing an old face full of vicissitudes of life.
"Old Duke..."
Zhu Houzhao let out a low cry, which contained deep emotions.
It's a pity that where Zhang Maoshang was lying, there was no reaction at all. Only his weak breathing and undetectable rising and falling chest could prove that Zhang Maoshang was still alive.
Zhang Lun on the side said to Zhang Mao with a trembling voice: "Grandpa, grandpa, please wake up. Your Majesty is here. Your Majesty is here to see you..."
Facing Zhang Lun's call, Zhang Mao still did not respond, but Zhang Lun subconsciously looked towards Li Huan.
It seemed that he was praying to Li Huan, hoping that Li Huan could wake up his grandfather.
Zhang Lun already understood Zhang Mao's hard work. Although at this time, the change in the emperor's attitude had proved that Zhang Mao's hard work was not in vain, but Zhang Lun did not want his grandfather to even see the emperor before he died.
None of the wishes can be fulfilled.
Li Huan took a deep breath and took a step forward, about to wake up Zhang Mao.
But Zhu Houzhao suppressed the sadness in his heart, his voice was a little hoarse, and he shouted in a trembling voice: "Mr. British, don't you want to see me? I am right here. Do you have anything to say to me..."
Following Zhu Houzhao's slightly rude shout, Zhang Mao, who was lying there without any reaction, suddenly trembled. His closed eyes trembled slightly, and then he slowly opened his eyes.
Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Mao's eyes. The moment they saw him, they first showed a look of surprise, then showed guilt and a bit of relief.
Looking at the complicated emotions in Zhang Mao's eyes, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but recall every moment between Zhang Mao and him since he was sensible.
Thinking about the past in his mind, Zhu Houzhao's eyes became softer when he looked at Zhang Mao.
"His Majesty!"
The call directly made Zhu Houzhao's heart tremble. He couldn't help but stretched out his hand to hold Zhu Houzhao's calloused old hand and said: "Old Duke, I am here. Why is my beloved like this? Why is she like this..."
In the past two years, Zhang Mao has gradually faded out of the court, and even the post of admiral of the capital camp has been relieved, and he no longer interferes.
Given Zhang Mao's physical condition, if he puts everything down and rests, he may not be able to live for a few more years.
It's just that no one expected that such a change would occur due to the twists of fate.
Zhang Mao looked at Zhu Houzhao, with a smile on his face and said: "Your Majesty, please don't be sad. All I want is to be wrapped in horse leather as an old minister in the army. If he dies on his sickbed, wouldn't it weaken the power of our British line?"
, the old minister’s momentary negligence led to this catastrophe. Now that the rebellion has been put down, and I can see your majesty for the last time, the old minister can rest in peace even after falling into the Nine Springs.”
As he spoke, Zhang Mao couldn't help but cough violently, and even large mouthfuls of blood gushed out. The situation was extremely horrifying.
When Zhu Houzhao saw this, he couldn't help shouting: "Old Duke, please stop talking, please stop talking, imperial doctor, please pass on the imperial doctor..."
Zhu Houzhao shouted loudly to Qiu Ju, Gu Dayong and others beside him.
With a sigh, Li Huan stepped forward and quickly touched several large acupuncture points on Zhang Mao's body. However, it miraculously stopped Zhang Mao from vomiting blood, and he could clearly feel that Zhang Mao's energy seemed to be returning.
His eyes brightened a bit.
However, whether Zhang Lun or Zhu Houzhao saw this scene, they knew clearly that this was Zhang Mao's last flashback. I am afraid that even if he survived this breath, even the magical skills of Chinese medicine would not be able to save Zhang Mao for a moment.
Zhang Mao smiled gratefully at Li Huan, then looked at the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, if I die, I will die, but I still have concerns in my heart..."
Zhu Houzhao squeezed Zhang Mao's big hand and said in a trembling voice: "What else does the old man wish for? Just say it, I will listen."
Zhang Mao looked at Zhu Houzhao and said: "My biggest concern is your Majesty. Your Majesty has succeeded to the throne young and has great ambitions. In the future, he will definitely be an eternal emperor like Taizu and Taizong. It is a pity that my luck is shallow and I will not be able to see your Majesty achieve eternal achievements."
It’s the day of the emperor.”
Zhu Houzhao said with emotion: "Old Duke..."
Zhang Mao added: "But His Majesty acted too hastily after all. Liu Jin's New Deal had good intentions, but it touched the interests of too many people, and even got into the hands of lower-level officials, who cleverly created names and tampered with the contents of the New Deal.
On the contrary, it has become a policy that will harm the country and the people. If the old ministers observe this and continue to push it forward, there will be a civil upheaval in the future."
After taking a breath, Zhang Mao looked at Zhu Houzhao and said: "Even if His Majesty was assassinated this time and the rebellion of Marquis Changxing, Fei Hong and others, it may not be because His Majesty favored Liu Jin and pushed for the New Deal."
Zhu Houzhao looked solemnly and looked at Zhang Mao intently.
As if he didn't feel Zhu Houzhao's gaze, Zhang Mao said with a smile: "I was worried about your majesty's safety before, but with a loyal minister like Li Huan beside your majesty, I can go see him if your majesty is safe."
The late emperor."
Then he said to Zhu Houzhao with a guilty look on his face: "Due to my negligence, the rebels entered the city to harm Your Majesty, so I had to tie up the supervisors of the four military camps and force all the soldiers to follow me to the capital without an order to protect him. This crime of chaos is all
As an old minister, I would like to ask Your Majesty to forgive the sins committed by the officers and men of the army."
Zhu Houzhao said in a trembling voice: "Does the old man have other wishes?"
Zhang Mao said to Zhang Lun beside him: "Lun'er, kowtow to Your Majesty."
Zhang Lun turned around and kowtowed to Zhu Houzhao.
I heard Zhang Mao say: "After the death of the old minister, the title of Duke of England will be inherited by Lun'er, please Your Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao nodded. The British Duke's title was hereditary and retired with the country. Zhang Lun was Zhang Mao's chosen heir long ago, so it was natural for him to inherit the title.
Looking at Zhang Mao, Zhu Houzhao said in a deep voice: "I have agreed to this matter, and the title of Duke of England will be inherited by Zhang Lun."
Hearing this, Zhang Mao had a bright smile on his face, as if he had put down the biggest thing in his heart. Then his breathing became rapid, and his face that had regained some rosiness began to quickly turn pale.
Seeing Zhang Mao like this, Zhu Houzhao, Li Huan, and Zhang Lun felt their hearts sinking.
Zhang Lun saw this and said hurriedly: "Grandpa, do you have anything else to say?"
Zhang Mao breathed rapidly, and his eyes fell on Li Huan. Li Huan was very puzzled and said hurriedly: "Old Duke, do you have something to say to me?"
Zhang Mao stared at Li Huan for a while, and suddenly sighed: "I have a daughter at my knees, and it's hard to find a good husband. I had a joke with Lun'er before, and Mr. Li is a good man. I wanted to find an opportunity to ask your majesty to take care of her."
A red thread, now..."
With a "wow" sound, while Zhang Maozheng was speaking, a mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out. The big hand that was originally held by Zhang Lun and the Emperor suddenly grasped their hands. His breathing suddenly became rapid, and blood gushed out. He could no longer say a word.
Words come.
"Old Duke...Old Duke..."
"Grandpa...Grandpa..."
The next moment, Zhang Mao, who was originally tense, trembled violently, grasped his grip, and Zhu Houzhao's big hand suddenly became weak. With a trace of calmness and a trace of regret in his eyes, he just let go.
Li Huan stepped forward, tested Zhang Mao's breathing and pulse, and pointed it at Zhu Houzhao. Zhang Lun slowly shook his head and sighed: "Your Majesty, the old prince is gone!"
After listening to Li Huan's words, tears suddenly rolled down from Zhang Lun's eyes, which were already full of sadness, and he cried loudly.
Zhu Houzhao also had a somewhat sad look on his face. He just looked at Zhang Mao and slowly stretched out his hand to close Zhang Mao's eyes.
However, it was said that Li Dongyang, the chief assistant, suddenly learned that Changxing Marquis Feng Haixin had entered the city with the intention of rebelling, and almost immediately he rushed to the imperial city with more than a dozen servants at home.
In the night, Li Dongyang kept urging the servants around him, and suddenly saw a group of people coming with torches from a distance.
Li Dongyang's heart tightened. When he got closer and saw clearly that the person coming was Yang Tinghe, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Tinghe also saw Li Dongyang and hurriedly led people to come forward and salute Li Dongyang: "Xi Yagong, have you received the news of Changxing Marquis Feng Hai's rebellion?"
Li Dongyang nodded and said: "I guess you have also received the news from Jiefu, so hurry up and go to the imperial city to see His Majesty."
Yang Tinghe said with a solemn look on his face: "Yes, when such a terrible disaster occurs, as important ministers of the cabinet, we must go to see His Majesty as soon as possible and try to stop Feng Hai, Fei Hong and the others as much as possible."
Li Dongyang looked at Yang Tinghe, breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's so good, so good, I'm really worried..."
When the words came to his lips, Li Dongyang took another breath, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't.
Yang Tinghe glanced at Li Dongyang in confusion, but at this time Li Dongyang said to Yang Tinghe: "Let's go, you and I will go to find His Majesty."
The two sides met at one place, and there were dozens of people in total, rushing towards the imperial city.
However, when Li Dongyang and others arrived at the imperial city, they found that the rebels seemed to be heading in another direction in the distance.
Li Dongyang looked at the killed soldiers and chamberlains guarding the palace gate, his face became extremely ugly and he said: "Your Majesty..."
Yang Tinghe showed a bit of relief on his face, and said to Li Dongyang with a bit of joy: "Xi Yagong, your Majesty is fine, your Majesty should be fine."
Li Dongyang suddenly raised his head and looked at Yang Tinghe.
Yang Tinghe said seriously: "If my prediction is correct, His Majesty must have left the imperial city. Looking at the direction in which the rebels went, most likely they went towards the direction of the Tengxiang Fourth Guard Camp."
When Li Dongyang heard what Yang Tinghe said, he was surprised and said: "So your Majesty should have gone to look for the Fourth Guards Camp in Tengxiang."
Yang Tinghe nodded and said: "Your Majesty obviously has capable people around you. If your Majesty can arrive at the Tengyang Fourth Guards Camp in time, we will have nothing to worry about."
When Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and others avoided the rebels and took a detour to the Fourth Guard Camp of Tengxiang, the British Duke Zhang Mao happened to come over with the army of the Beijing Camp.
After taking a long detour and finally avoiding the rebels, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe rushed to the Tengyang Fourth Guards Camp.
At this time, the rebels were almost put down, and only some soldiers from the Tengxiang Fourth Guard Camp were still in the city hunting down those who had slipped through the net.
At the entrance of the camp, a group of soldiers were on high alert. When they suddenly saw Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang's group arriving, they almost instinctively aimed their weapons at them.
"Who is coming? The military camp is a powerful place. Anyone who approaches without authorization will be killed!"
The Emperor Luan is here, and the remnants of the rebels have not yet been wiped out. It can be said that anyone who approaches this place will become the object of suspicion. Even if he is shot and killed on the spot, he cannot blame others.
When Yang Tinghe saw the black firecrackers and bows and arrows, he felt a chill all over his body, and he quickly said loudly: "My official is Yang Tinghe, and the chief assistant, Mr. Li Dongyang, is here, and I have come to see your majesty."
When the soldiers heard this, they couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, as if they didn't expect that the people coming were actually two pavilion elders.
Naturally, the soldiers did not dare to treat Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe lightly, but they also did not dare to be careless.
The leader of a small flag officer pointed at Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe cupped his hands and said: "You two adults will wait for a while, and I will send someone to communicate with His Majesty."
Li Dongyang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. Listening to what this little flag official said, it was obvious that the emperor had safely entered the Tengyang Fourth Guards Camp, so he must be fine.
Taking a deep breath, Li Dongyang cupped his hands towards the flag officer and said, "This will help you."
The small flag officer didn't even dare to say anything, so he quickly summoned a subordinate and ordered him to go to Bing.
When the soldier arrived, the emperor happened to be talking to the dying Zhang Mao, so he could only tell Gu Dayong.
When Gu Dayong learned that two pavilion elders were asking for a meeting outside the camp gate, he wanted to tell the emperor, but when he saw the emperor and Zhang Mao, he suppressed the news for the time being.
Here, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe stood outside the camp gate, naturally feeling quite uneasy.
Previously, they were so worried about the Emperor's accident that they had no thoughts to think about anything else. However, now that the Emperor's safety was confirmed, the two of them had to think about what to do when they met the Emperor later.
Originally, after the emperor woke up, he seemed to be quite dissatisfied with them, especially Liu Zhong and Liang Chu who were killed by Li Huan because they prevented Li Huan from seeing him. If the emperor had no objection to them, I'm afraid it would be
They themselves don't believe it.
I was originally thinking about how to apologize to the emperor, but I never thought that before this day had passed, Changxing Hou Feng Hai and Fei Hong rebelled.
As a bachelor, Fei Hong is an important figure in the civil service group. Fei Hong is just one person. The key is that he participates in the rebellion. What will other people think of it? What will the emperor think of them? Will they think that they are civil servants?
The group had turned against him, the emperor.
Others may not consider these issues, but as the head of a hundred officials and members of the cabinet, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe must consider them.
In the night wind, the two of them just looked at the beating torches in front of them. From time to time, they could hear screams coming from the distance. Needless to say, this must be the tragic scene when the remnants of the rebels were discovered and killed.
Call.
Yang Tinghe suddenly looked in the direction of the camp, glanced at Li Dongyang and whispered: "Xi Yagong, how long has it been?"
Li Dongyang sighed slightly and said, "I'm afraid it's time for a stick of incense."
Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang looked at each other, with worries in their eyes.
A stick of incense was enough for the soldiers to go back and forth a few times, but until now they had not been summoned by the emperor. What this meant, the two of them didn't know.
Is this the emperor expressing his attitude to them?
However, Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang did not know about the British prince's request to see the emperor. The emperor did not know about their request at this time, so how could he summon them.
Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Lun who was lying there crying, sighed softly, and stood up slowly. At this time, Gu Dayong saw him, and just stepped forward to support Zhu Houzhao and said: "Your Majesty, although the old Duke is dead, he is still alive."
No regrets, Your Majesty must not be sad."
Li Huan stood aside and said to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty, Manager Gu is right. The old Duke passed away with a smile on his face. He certainly didn't want your Majesty to injure the dragon's body because of this."
Hearing this, Zhu Houzhao showed a smile on his face and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Gu Dayong suddenly said, "Your Majesty, just now you were talking to the old Duke. Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and they asked for a meeting outside the camp. The old servant made the decision without permission and did not inform Your Majesty at the first time. Please forgive me."
Zhu Houzhao frowned when he heard this and said, "Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and the others are here?"
Gu Dayong stood with his head lowered and said: "Waiting outside the camp gate, it will take about a stick of incense."
Zhu Houzhao snorted coldly when he heard this and said, "Then let them wait for another stick of incense."
Even a fool can detect the anger in Zhu Houzhao's words, which is clearly dissatisfaction with Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe.
Looking at Zhang Mao's body on the ground, Zhu Houzhao said to Zhang Lun: "Zhang Lun, please order someone to clean up the old man's body. It's not good for the old man to be seen in such an embarrassing state."
Zhang Lun respectfully kowtowed to Zhu Houzhao and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Several chamberlains hurriedly stepped forward and carefully pulled out the dozens of arrows stuck in Zhang Mao's body one by one. Then they helped Zhang Mao clean up his face and tidy up his clothes. At least they looked more pleasing to the eye than before.
many.
At this time, Zhu Houzhao said to Gu Dayong: "Go and bring Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them!"
Gu Dayong nodded quickly when he heard the words.
At the gate of the camp, they seemed to understand that the emperor wanted to give them a break and vent their dissatisfaction with them. Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe were helpless and could only hope that the emperor would not break out into a thunderous rage when he saw them later.
.
Finally, there was a sound of footsteps, and a familiar figure came into their sight. Who could it be if it wasn't Gu Dayong, the Chief Supervisor of Horses?
When they saw Gu Dayong, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the emperor was going to summon them.
Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe waited until Gu Dayong approached, stepped forward and cupped their hands and said: "I have met Manager Gu, but His Majesty summoned us?"
Gu Dayong glanced at the two of them and said with a smile: "Two pavilion elders, come with us."
Although Gu Dayong's attitude is very bad, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe are not annoyed. The emperor must be angry with them now. If Gu Dayong, the emperor's servant, comes to see them with a smile on his face
If so, that would be weird.
Soon the two of them followed Gu Dayong into the camp. After a while, they vaguely heard a voice crying there.
Hearing the sound of crying, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe paused slightly, feeling curious in their hearts.
This is the place where the Emperor is in charge, and in a place where the Emperor is present, there are people who do not shy away from the fact that the Emperor is by their side and are crying here. This is not suspicious.
Li Dongyang and the other two subconsciously looked at Gu Dayong, but Gu Dayong had a straight face, expressionless, and didn't pay attention to their intentions at all.
Seeing this situation, the two of them knew that it was obviously impossible to find out what was going on from Gu Dayong's mouth.
However, as they got closer and closer, the crying sound became louder and louder, and the two of them even felt familiar.
After looking at each other, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe became even more curious.
Who is he and why is he crying here? What is even more suspicious is that the emperor did not stop him.
Turning the corner, their eyes lit up, and the sound of crying suddenly became clearer. Even through the firelight around them, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe had already seen the crying figure there. It was Zhang Lun, the young prince of the British government.
The British Duke is old, and Zhang Lun is the next generation heir appointed by the British Duke. In the past two years, Zhang Lun has received and been responsible for almost all the British Duke's external affairs, so Zhang Lun has dealt with Li Dongyang and Yang Ting more than once.
, so naturally he is no stranger to Zhang Lun.
But why is Zhang Lun kneeling there crying again?
The two of them had some bad feelings in their hearts, especially when they walked closer and saw a figure lying there quietly, covered in blood, with gray hair and a face like gold paper. It was not the British Duke Zhang Mao.
Who is it again?
When they really saw Zhang Mao lying on the ground so silently and turned into a corpse, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe couldn't help but change their expressions.
It can be said that they have been fighting with Zhang Mao for decades. During these decades, there have been disputes and cooperation. For Zhang Mao, who would stand on the side of the imperial power and oppose them most of the time, they can be said to be
It's love and hate.
But the old friend who had been fighting for so many years suddenly turned into a corpse, especially when it appeared in front of them under such circumstances. Both Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang were stunned for a moment.
Gu Dayong on the side coughed lightly when he saw the two of them losing their composure.
Only then did Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe react, and their eyes fell on the emperor who was looking at them with his hands behind his back and a cold face. The two of them hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to the emperor.
"My ministers, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe, pay their respects to Your Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao looked at the two cabinet ministers who prostrated themselves in front of him and said nothing. He just glanced at them lightly and turned his eyes to Zhang Mao's body. While Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang were feeling uneasy, he slowly said:
"The British Lord fought for the country to suppress the rebellion. He rushed to the front to kill him. Unfortunately, he was severely wounded by the rebels. He served his country with his own life and passed away!"
Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe were stunned when they heard this, and then said: "The old prince is loyal and loyal, but he suffered such a disaster today. Our Ming Dynasty has lost a certain Poseidon Needle, which is the disaster of our Ming Dynasty!"
Zhu Houzhao added: "The British Lord worked hard for the Ming Dynasty throughout his life, and he remained for me until his death. He worked for the Ming Dynasty and set an example for all officials. His sudden death today is really a great loss for our Ming Dynasty, and my heart is very sad."
"
As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao glanced at several people and said, "I want to make the British Duke King of Ningyang, with a posthumous title of Gongjing, and hide him with the gift of a prince. What do you think?"
Hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, several people couldn't help but be shocked, especially Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and the others. This is the supreme honor of being crowned king after death.
During the Ming Dynasty, apart from the beginning of the founding of the country, over the past hundred years, several people were able to enjoy the treatment of becoming kings after their death.
Even though Zhu Houzhao conferred the title of Prince of Ningyang on the British Duke, which was a two-character title, it was still very important and even exceeded the standards.
If it were any other time, Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang would definitely have remonstrated, but at this time, no matter what happened to the British Duke during his lifetime, even if he was at fault, his death to save the driver was enough to outweigh all his faults.
If you oppose the emperor at this time, you are provoking the emperor, the British government, and even the entire noble group.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Fu, a noble official, was staring at them with all his might. The two of them dared to say that if they objected, Zhu Fu would definitely rush up and spit at them without hesitation.
The most important thing is that the emperor's words just now had a decisive meaning, which shows that the emperor has made up his mind, and the reason why he asked them is nothing more than a formality.
After seeing the situation clearly, the two of them bowed to Zhu Houzhao and said, "Your Majesty is wise, if the British public spirit in heaven knows, he will definitely be grateful for the great kindness of your Majesty."
Seeing that the two of them had no objection, Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly and said to Qiu Ju beside him: "Qiu Daban, write down the reward I just received, and send an order from the Ministry of Rites to dispatch officials to assist the British government in organizing the funeral of the British Duke.
"
Qiu Ju said respectfully: "Old slave, I have written it down."
Zhang Lun's face was filled with joy and sorrow. He was happy that everything was as his grandfather said. His death pushed the popularity of his British family to its peak, but he was sad that he would never hear it again.
My grandfather taught me, and I saw his voice and smile.
However, Zhang Lun reacted by bowing to Zhu Houzhao and saying, "I thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao nodded to Zhang Lun with a kind face and said: "At dawn, I will order someone to take you and the old prince back to your home."
As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao turned his eyes to Li Huan and said thoughtfully: "I will leave the rebellion cases of Li Qing, Fei Hong, and Changxing Marquis Feng Hai to your Jin Yiwei."
Li Huan immediately said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely handle this case well."
Li Dongyang looked at Li Huan, who had a murderous look on his face, and sighed in his heart. This major case will probably lead to bloodshed, and he doesn't know how many people will be implicated by then.
Just as he was about to say something to Zhu Houzhao, he saw Zhu Houzhao waving his hands towards the two of them and saying, "You two ministers, please go and appease the courtiers for me. If you have any questions, it won't be too late to discuss it in court tomorrow."
After saying this, Zhu Houzhao turned around and walked into the room, paying no attention to what the two of them meant.
"His Majesty……"
Li Dongyang let out a low cry and watched the door close with a look of despair on his face.
Qiu Ju, Gao Feng, and Gu Dayong looked at Li Dongyang with sarcastic expressions.
Li Huan stepped forward and said to Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and the two of them: "Two cabinet ministers, please get up quickly. The courtiers in the capital still need two people to comfort them at this time. We must not let down His Majesty's expectations."
After listening to Li Huan's words, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe slowly stood up, cupped their hands towards Li Huan, and left slowly.
Qiu Ju looked at the two people leaving and walked to Li Huan and said: "Brother Li, you should just ignore them. If they hadn't taken the lead, the officials wouldn't have shouted to deal with you."
, as long as they have some restraint on the officials, it is impossible for such a major rebellion to happen."
Li Huan smiled and said, "That's what Brother Qiu said."
Qiu Ju said with a smile: "Okay, you must have your own ideas on how to act. We are just nagging you."
Qiu Ju said to Li Huan, "It's time for our family to serve His Majesty and rest. Brother Li, do you want to say goodbye to Your Majesty?"
Li Huan smiled and said: "I won't disturb your majesty's rest. Brother Laoqiu will apologize to your majesty for me."
Taking the surviving dozen Jinyiwei and Yue Buqun, Li Huan rushed back to the Jinyiwei Yamen.
Along the way, soldiers from the Fourth Guards Camp of Tengxiang can be seen from time to time searching for the remnants of the rebels in the city. After all, there are thousands of rebels, and it is impossible to kill them all in the dark. They will definitely
Some people escaped.
But as the sky gets brighter, even if it is impossible to find all of these rebels and kill them, they certainly have no place to hide.
Li Huan could already predict that after dawn, a big storm would inevitably come. He just didn't know what kind of thunderous anger the emperor would burst out.
In fact, when the emperor faced Yang Tinghe, Li Dongyang and the others, his reaction was too bland, which in itself was abnormal.
If Zhu Houzhao really yelled at Li Dongyang, maybe the matter would have passed just like that, but the emperor did not get angry or show a trace of anger, and he was terrifyingly calm.
Li Huan didn't know whether Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and others were aware of the overwhelming anger hidden in the emperor's heart, but he felt it.
Jinyiwei Yamen
Previously, Li Huan set off in a hurry to rescue the driver. Except for a few officials in the huge Jinyiwei Yamen who were really powerless to stay behind, the rest of the people went with Li Huan.
Even Shi Wenyi, the former commander of the Jinyi Guards, went to the battle in person to accompany Li Huan to escort him, and was one of the dozen or so people who survived.
When Li Huan returned to the Jinyiwei Yamen, several figures came up to him. They were Du Guang, Meng Hui, Chen Ke, Zhao Yi and others.
Several people were previously sent by Li Huan to capture imperial prisoners suspected of treason, and now they have apparently returned from completing their errands.
When several people saw Li Huan returning safely, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
You must know that when they returned not long ago, they originally wanted to report the results of the case to Li Huan, but they never thought that the Jinyiwei Yamen seemed to have been hollowed out, with only three or two big and small cats left.
After asking, I learned that Feng Hai had led troops into the city, and Li Huan had led people to rescue him. Several people were thinking about whether to rush to look for Li Huan, and Li Huan just came back.
"grown ups!"
As he spoke, Chen Ke looked behind Li Huan and found that there were only a dozen people returning with Li Huan, and his expression changed slightly.
"Other brothers?"
Li Huan sighed softly: "The other brothers all died in the battle."
Although they had expected it in their hearts, but they were really sure, a few people were still excited in their hearts.
After walking into the yamen, Li Huan, who had been struggling for half the night, couldn't help but feel a little tired even though he was full of energy. However, when his eyes fell on a few people, he still asked: "How are things going? Can you control both prisoners and prisoners?"
Living?"
Chen Ke said with a solemn expression: "Back to your lord, Taiyuan Hospital has been controlled, and Chen Ju's family has also been captured and thrown into prison."
Zhao Yi said: "Liu Zhong and Liang Chu's family have also been put under surveillance."
Du Guang said: "The entire Changning Bohe Mansion has also been captured at this moment, and they have been taken to the imperial prison."
Meng Hui said: "The manpower of my subordinates is really limited, so I can only send people to watch the residences of Geng Li, Peng Guang, Xue Yi, and Song Jing."
Part of Jinyiwei's men in the capital went to Fuzhou with Li Huan. Because Li Huan was in a hurry to come back, hundreds of Jinyiwei's elite were still on their way back to the capital.
Not long ago, Li Huan mobilized hundreds of Jinyiwei elites to follow him into the imperial city. It can be said that the manpower suffered heavy casualties and almost emptied the Jinyiwei.
Otherwise, during the previous rescue operation, the Jinyi Guards would not have to go up and down, and almost even the helpless officials would be dragged in to help.
After listening to Meng Hui's words, Li Huan couldn't help but think of the big case Jin Yiwei was about to face, and he couldn't help but feel tight in his heart: "How many more people can be mobilized now?"
When Chen Ke, Zhao Yi and others heard this, you looked at me and I looked at you, then they totaled it up and said with a wry smile: "Sir, I'm afraid there are less than 200 people left."
"What!"
Chen Yao looked at Chen Ke in astonishment, obviously unable to believe that the dignified Jin Yiwei only had so few manpower at its disposal.
Li Huan took a deep breath, glanced over several people, and finally said to Chen Ke: "Chen Ke, I will promote you to the rank of Jin Yiwei to command the general affairs. Please allocate manpower to me immediately. Within three days, you must transfer a thousand Jin Yiwei to me."
Listen and use it.”
As he spoke, Li Huan stared at Chen Ke and said, "Is it possible?"
Chen Ke was overjoyed when he heard this. He obviously did not expect that Li Huan would be promoted directly to his official position, from Jinyiwei Qianhu to Jinyiwei commanding Qian affairs. That was a step beyond Jinyiwei town governor. It can be said that he was promoted suddenly.
Suppressing his inner joy, Chen Ke immediately turned to Li Huan with a serious face and said, "Don't worry, sir. I can assure you that within three days, you will allocate one thousand elites for your use."
Patting Chen Ke on the shoulder, Li Huan smiled and said: "In that case, I will be waiting for your good news."
Then his eyes swept over Zhao Yi, Chen Yao and others, and a bright light flashed in his eyes: "After handling this major case, I will ask for your credit for you. Even if you are promoted to the third level, it is not impossible."
possible."
Hearing what Li Huan said, everyone bowed to Li Huan and said, "I will swear allegiance to you to the death."
Shi Wenyi on the side couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he saw Li Huan gathering people's hearts.
Li Huan went to rescue him before. Almost 80% to 90% of the senior officials in Jinyiwei went with him regardless of whether they wanted to or not. Unfortunately, these people were obviously unlucky and they all died in the chaos.
among.
Although honors and compensation after death were definitely indispensable given Li Huan's temperament, they lost their lives one by one.
The deaths of these people suddenly created vacancies for various official positions in the Jinyiwei Yamen, allowing Li Huan to easily place his confidants in each of the vacancies.
I am afraid that none of the Jinyiwei commanders in the past could control the Jinyiwei Yamen as thoroughly as Li Huan.
With Li Huan's appointment, I'm afraid the emperor will not object. By then, Li Huan's control over the Jin Yiwei will reach an unprecedented level.
Looking at Li Huan, Shi Wenyi seemed to be able to see that above the Ming Dynasty, a person with overwhelming power was rising, and in the next few decades, it would be the young man in front of him.
It's a pity that he has been frightened by the chaos. Otherwise, he would have tightly hugged the thigh of the young man in front of him, and he might not be able to ascend to heaven alone.
Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and others left the Tengyang Fourth Guards Camp. The sky was gradually getting brighter, and the white fish belly on the horizon indicated that a new day was about to begin.
But the hearts of Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe were filled with endless haze.
With their political acumen from decades of ups and downs in officialdom, how could they not detect the change in the emperor's attitude towards them?
Obviously since the emperor ascended the throne, in the past few years, the civil servant group has repeatedly suppressed the imperial power, which has angered the emperor. Especially this time, someone actually planned to murder the emperor. If the emperor is really dead, then that's fine.
.
However, the emperor is fine, so what kind of thunder and wrath will be waiting for them. Even though they know that the emperor is kind-hearted, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe are also filled with infinite worries at this moment.
I don't know what kind of storm will be waiting for them and all the civil and military officials in the court hall tomorrow.
After looking at each other, Li Dongyang sighed and said: "I don't know why, but I am a little envious of Zhang Mao. He caused such a big disaster, died like this, and kept the honor and favor of the British government for decades. I
Why don't I see that Zhang Mao is so determined on weekdays?"
Yang Tinghe stroked his beard and said with a sparkle in his eyes: "Xi Yagong, please don't underestimate the wisdom of a man who has been favored for many dynasties. For the sake of the British government, there is nothing Zhang Mao dare not do.
, can’t be done.”
Obviously Zhang Mao's plan cannot be hidden from people like Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them, but so what if they see through it, Zhang Mao is risking his own life, what else can they say.
Looking at the white fish belly on the horizon, Yang Tinghe said quietly: "Go back, the situation is your Majesty's. We can only hope that the butcher's knife of your Majesty's purge can fall lightly. Otherwise, I really don't know what kind of disaster it will cause."
The melodious bells echoed in the Forbidden City, and the turmoil in the capital was completely calmed down at the moment the sun rose.
The corpses on the long street have also been cleaned up by the soldiers of Tengxiang Fourth Guard Camp. However, although the corpses were taken away, the traces of the fight were clearly visible, and even the dried blood on the ground was still extremely dazzling.
The civil and military officials who had been on tenterhooks all night received the news from the Yamen early that the emperor was going to hold a court meeting in front of Qianqing Palace, and all civil and military officials in Beijing must be present.
Therefore, as soon as the sky dawned, from one residence to another, an official in official uniform walked out of his house either anxiously, fearfully, or calmly, got on a sedan, and headed towards the Forbidden City.
The long street leading to the Forbidden City is the same long street that the rebels passed through yesterday when they attacked the Imperial City. Although the fighting did not break out on this long street, the long street can still be seen wherever the rebels passed.
Both sides showed signs of being ravaged by rebels.
However, when approaching the Forbidden City, it was the main battlefield where Zhang Mao led the soldiers of the Four Yong Battalions to encircle and suppress the rebels last night.
It was here that Zhang Mao led his men to block the rebels who were trying to escape, and the two sides started a fierce fight. It was here that Zhang Mao was seriously injured.
As you can imagine, broken limbs and broken arms can be seen everywhere here.
At this moment, some soldiers from the Tengyang Fourth Guards Battalion were cleaning up the dead and injured soldiers here. They were sure to chop the wounded soldiers who were rebels with a single knife.
Carts were parked there one after another, and soldiers in twos and threes were carrying stiff corpses and throwing them on the carts like garbage.
Whenever a carriage was full, it would be pushed away by several soldiers, and blood would flow and spill on the ground.
Official sedans or carriages arriving one after another were obviously unable to pass.
On the road ahead, there are still swords, guns, swords and halberds everywhere, as well as corpses and body parts.
Therefore, when a group of officials who came to attend the imperial meeting arrived here, they could only get off the sedan or carriage, walk on foot, and cross this section of the road to the Qianqing Palace.
It was just tea time, but hundreds of officials had already gathered here. These officials were obviously stunned by the scene in front of them.
The corpses were covered with dazzling red blood, and the smell of blood rushed to their faces. Some officials couldn't stand the stimulation and simply lay aside and vomited.
Many people looked pale and did not dare to take a step forward. They were obviously suffocated by the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Even some military officers and generals couldn't help but look ugly when they saw the scene in front of them.
At this moment, a carriage roared towards the scene, and all the officials couldn't help but dodge when they saw it, because it was a carriage belonging to the British government.
On top of the carriage, a figure walked out, wearing solemn court clothes.
Everyone thought that the person who came was the British Duke Zhang Mao, but when they saw Zhang Lun coming out of the carriage wearing a national uniform, they couldn't help but be stunned.
There were expressions of astonishment and disbelief on many people's faces. They had not heard about the death of the British Duke Zhang Maosheng, nor had the imperial court announced that Zhang Lun would succeed the British Dukedom. How could the young Zhang Lun be here? Sir, where is the British Duke Zhang Mao?
This is a large court meeting. If you don't have that identity and appear at a large court meeting, it will be a serious crime.
Zhang Lun walked down from the carriage with an expressionless face. The emperor had promised him to inherit the title of British Duke last night, so from last night, he would be the new generation of British Duke.
The emperor summoned all officials, and he, the newly appointed British Duke, had to be present in person to represent the noble family and stand up for the emperor. Even the funeral of the old Duke Zhang Mao had to be put aside for the time being.
Many nobles who had already known the news of Zhang Mao's death saw Zhang Lun's arrival at this moment, and they all walked towards Zhang Lun, obviously Zhang Lun was the main one.
Even the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Fu, and the Duke of Ding, Xu Guangzha, were half a step behind Zhang Lun. Others, such as the Marquis of Taining and the Marquis of Wu Ding, stood behind Zhang Lun to express their attitudes.
Zhang Lun nodded to the nobles and strode forward, ignoring the corpses and blood at his feet as if he hadn't seen them.
The officials were stunned when they saw the attitude of many nobles, but at this time, someone shouted: "Master Chief Assistant, Mr. Yang Ge is here!"
Hearing this shout, the civil and military personnel who were originally uneasy felt certain, and looked towards the sedan chairs of Chief Assistant Li Dongyang and Pavilion Elder Yang Tinghe as if they had found a backbone.
The two small sedan chairs looked simple and unpretentious, but sitting in them were the two most distinguished pavilion elders in the Ming Dynasty today, who were also the backbone of the civil and military officials.
[This is the first update, and there will be updates in the evening. As usual, if you like it, subscribe, give it a monthly pass, and reward it.]