In the palace, the official matters were discussed, and it was rare for the emperor to have a cordial chat with his father-in-law.
Yang Songcheng stroked his beard and smiled, "Yes! Quite strong."
The emperor nodded, "It is a good thing to have more children."
This is a hint to the king, your second son has poisoned my second son... Chen Shen lowered his eyes slightly, thinking that Yang Songcheng's second son was in charge of poisoning King Wei, and turned around to kill King Wei. If you kill him, how will the debt be settled?
The key is that while King Wei was in custody, Concubine Shu ran away. It was said that she went to Northern Xinjiang.
Even in the emperor's palace, it still took more than ten days to suppress the humiliation caused by this incident.
Yang Songcheng said calmly: "I heard that the King of Yue is ill?"
Since King Wei was imprisoned on the Mirror Stage, the King of Yue had become a favorite. Those who wanted to follow the throne lined up outside the palace of the King of Yue. But the King of Yue soon fell ill and stopped seeing guests.
——You only have such a useful son. If you have the ability, kill him. I won’t hesitate!
As for respecting the king, that's a joke. Mud can't hold up a wall.
Everyone felt the undercurrent between the two.
Once the overall situation in Northern Xinjiang is certain, the emperor will rush to clean up and take control of Northern Xinjiang. Everyone knows what he will do next.
Suppress the family members!
In fact, what the emperor wanted to do was no different from what Emperor Wu did back then, which was to suppress the noble families. The difference was that Emperor Wu tried his best, while the emperor was fighting fiercely with the noble families while stumbling upon them.
Now the two have begun a secret war for the benefit of Northern Xinjiang in the future.
A chamberlain came in and said, "Your Majesty, Yushi Zhao of Jingtai would like to see you."
The emperor looked away from the abbot and nodded.
Zhao Sanfu came in slowly.
"Your Majesty, urgent report from Northern Xinjiang."
Report urgently, report urgently, you slow-moving one, where is your hurry?
Everyone slandered.
Zhao Sanfu said slowly: "Urgent report from Northern Xinjiang, in September, the Shegu army will be dispatched..."
Yang Songcheng was startled. The emperor's hand stroking his beard stopped at his chin. Zhang Huan looked sideways at Zhao Sanfu, eager to know the news.
"The two sides fought, and Shegu was defeated."
Zhao Sanfu's voice was very heavy.
The emperor's breathing quickened for a moment, "Did the Shegu people withdraw?"
That mud can't hold up the wall!
"Nearly all the tens of thousands of people the Shegu people relied on were wiped out, and King Shegu was killed..."
Zhao Sanfu's voice became deeper and deeper, "The Northern Xinjiang army destroyed Beicheng, and all the remaining Shegu people were wiped out... Shegu no longer exists."
After he finished speaking, he felt that the hall was unusually quiet, so he raised his head and took a quick glance.
The emperor looked calm, but he looked like a wooden statue of a god.
Yang Songcheng smiled, but that smile looked fake no matter how you looked at it.
Zheng Qi was panting silently, as if his body had been hollowed out.
Han Shitou clenched his fists and his face turned red... This old dog was indeed the most loyal to the emperor.
His Majesty!
Han Shitou shouted in his heart: Your Majesty, the young man has unified the north, Your Majesty! I have waited for many years and finally waited for the day when the dark clouds in the sky were broken.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the emperor stood up and said, "It's gone!"
He kicked the table to the ground, and a calligraphy and painting on it was scattered on the ground. This was a painting he had made before. Halfway through, the ministers came, and the monarch and his ministers talked casually.
The painting is of a dog. The dog sticks out its tongue as if panting.
Yang Songcheng left the hall and said to Zheng Qi: "Tell our people to be quiet recently."
"The head of state is worried..." Zheng Qi glanced at the palace.
"I smell something ominous!" Yang Songcheng said.
"I hope Shi Zhongtang still has time." Zheng Qi's voice was filled with gloating, "If he had arrived earlier, Northern Xinjiang might have fallen by now."
"I'm thinking about what will happen next!"
The father-in-law didn't say anyone, but he seemed to have said it again.
…
"That wild dog!"
The emperor was roaring, "If it weren't for me, he would be just a low-ranking general in the Southern Xinjiang Army who was bullied. But he failed me!"
"Even if Shi Zhongtang arrives with his army in time, do you think the southern Xinjiang army plus the Chang'an army could capture northern Xinjiang?"
The Supreme Emperor was sitting on a tiger skin, with a small table next to him. On the small table were fine wines and fruits that could not be seen by the outside world at this time of the year.
"Why not?" the emperor said: "Yang Ni led an army of 100,000 people to go out, but only 50,000 defenders were left in northern Xinjiang. The southern Xinjiang army plus the Chang'an army have great righteousness, so why not?"
The Supreme Emperor drank a sip of wine, ate some fruit, and sighed: "Unify the north. This is something that all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty wanted to do, but none of them could achieve. Now, a minister has done it. Unfortunately, that minister
You call him a traitor."
The emperor sneered, "I'm thinking that the traitor must be very ambitious at this moment. But he needs an excuse."
"Excuses are never a problem." The Supreme Emperor reached into his chest and scratched it a few times before coughing dryly, "You should think about one thing at this moment, how to block the Northern Xinjiang army that will no longer cause any trouble."
"He never destroyed Northern Xinjiang for righteousness, but to eliminate future troubles!" The emperor's eyes flashed with a stern look, "If not, how could he stay in Ningxing when Chang'an's army entered Xingzhou? He was taking risks. But what's the value?
When did he take such a risk? After thinking about it, I can only..."
"It was your step-by-step oppression that made the soldiers and civilians of Northern Xinjiang share the same hatred of the enemy." The Supreme Emperor sighed, "Back then, I wanted to get rid of Pei Jiu, but I refused to force him. This is not giving people evidence. And you...that's all, your reputation is there.
It must have already stunk outside."
"You didn't want to force Pei Jiu, so you went to force your grandmother!" The emperor uncovered the scar of the Supreme Emperor. "That year, I launched a palace coup, and my grandmother was seriously ill and lying in the palace. I took advantage of the situation. That night, you went to see your grandmother.
, saying that Pei Jiu has a fiery nature, and I am worried that he will take risks."
The Supreme Emperor was silent.
The emperor's voice echoed in the palace, "You also said that you were going to have Pei Jiu's family captured and used it as a threat..."
"My children and grandchildren jointly launched a palace coup. I think my grandmother's last attachment to this world at that time was the country! If she was about to leave, the Tang Dynasty would be in chaos. That would be for her to use her as a woman as the emperor to rule the country.
Don’s denial.”
"You threatened to take down Pei Jiu's family. Pei Jiu will definitely be furious if he finds out. Although no one can say what he can do. But my grandmother still wrote a handwritten letter and asked people to send it to Northern Xinjiang immediately. This is how Pei Jiu came to be.
Nine chapters in Chang'an, committing suicide outside the imperial city."
The Supreme Emperor suddenly smiled, "Later, you launched another palace coup, followed suit, threatened me with my beloved beauty, and ordered me to write a handwritten letter to recall my beloved general."
"You and I, father and son, are exactly the same!" the emperor sneered.
"At least I still know my sense of shame!" The Supreme Emperor suddenly roared, "And you don't even have any shame."
The emperor was startled, and then smiled and said: "You have been living until death these years. I thought you were heartbroken, but I didn't expect it, hahahaha!"
The Supreme Emperor finished his glass of wine and said coldly: "You should still worry about when the Northern Xinjiang army will go south! The guards of Chang'an are in Xingzhou, and Guanzhong is empty..."
The emperor said coldly: "Yang Songcheng and others are training private armies. Do you think I don't know about it? The guards of Chang'an are gone, but there are still troops loyal to me in the city. With just one order from me, they can plow the courtyard and sweep the holes." .”
"When did you get such courage?" the Supreme Emperor said sarcastically: "For so many years, you have been coziing with the family members, and if the ancestors saw it, they would probably strangle you to death. Furthermore, if it were a sword or a gun, Xiang Xiang, aren't you worried about the instability of the country?"
The emperor shook his head.
"What does the country have to do with me?"
…
Just as he was about to leave the main hall, the emperor ordered: "Let the guards of Chang'an be recalled as soon as possible."
…
Zhou Zun reported that he was sick at home today.
In fact, from the time the army set off from Chang'an, he had almost nothing to do in Zhongshu.
Zhou Zun persisted at first, but when he learned that Ning Xing was defeated, he complained of illness.
Life at home was not easy, so Zhou Qin simply gave up his job and left his troubles to him.
For example, Zhou
"Alang, Wang Douxiang wants to see you." A steward reported.
"What is he here for?" Zhou Zun thought for a while, "The Wang family has been fighting openly and secretly with the Chunyu family recently. Several of the Wang family's mines have been closed, and there is a shortage of iron materials... Is he here to ask for help?"
"I invited you here first," Zhou Qin said.
Wang Douxiang came with a smile, "Mr. Zhou looks good."
Zhou Qin and his son exchanged pleasantries with him, and then Wang Douxiang told him the reason for his visit.
"The Chunyu family teamed up with Yang Songcheng to find an excuse to seal off the two mines of the Wang family. My brother asked people to mention this matter in court, but the emperor remained silent..." Wang Douxiang said: "Iron mines and iron tools are now the foundation of the Wang family. Please ask Zhou The servant will help."
The Zhou family also had power in the court. Zhou Zun himself was the minister of Zhongshu. If he spoke to help the Wang family, Yang Songcheng and others would not be able to cover up the sky with one hand.
But, nothing is done in vain.
The last time the Zhou family was besieged, Wang Douxiang brought the Wang family's elite to help at the critical moment. Afterwards, the Wang family asked the Zhou family in a roundabout way to help the Wang family win an important position and a mine.
Wang Douxiang knew what Zhou Zun was thinking, and said: "Everyone in the palace knows Zhou's thoughts. My brother said that if the time comes to meet Tu Qiongdeng, Wang is willing to protect five people for Zhou."
These five people must be Zhou Qin's children and grandchildren.
This condition is somewhat empty. If that time comes, Zhou's own power will be able to keep his children and grandchildren away from Chang'an.
But this is also Wang's statement: Given Zhou's current situation, it's better to form some good relationships!
Although this cannot be said to be adding insult to injury, it does look down on the Zhou family.
Zhou Zun was slightly stunned, but Zhou Qin smiled and said, "That's easy to say!"
Wang Douxiang handed over his hand and said, "Thank you very much."
He left immediately.
"There is no need to be angry." Zhou Qin said: "I have reflected on many things over the years and thought about the way people in the world work. People tend to be profitable. Wang Douxiang gave him an illusory benefit, so he asked me, Mrs. Zhou, to help him. It seems that It’s rude, but isn’t it a reminder?”
"He is hinting that the Zhou family should take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of all Chang'an's properties." Zhou Zun knew what Wang Douxiang meant, but this kind of behavior smacked of robbery, which made him secretly dissatisfied.
"When you are down, even if you have suffered a loss, don't yell loudly. This will only make people laugh."
Zhou Qin said: "What people like most is to watch others suffer misfortune. This is true for the common people, and it is also true for the aristocratic families. The Wang family is already very friendly."
The steward came in again and Zhou Zun said, "Why are there so many guests today?"
"Alang, Wang Douxiang wants to see you."
Zhou Qin and his son looked at each other in confusion, "What did this man do?"
"I tend to forget things when I get older." Zhou Zun said with a smile.
"Are you making fun of me?" Zhou Qin blew his beard and glared.
Zhou Zun said: "This is a wedding in colorful clothes."
The father and son were making fun of each other, but it seemed to the old servant beside them that they were having fun. He couldn't help but sigh, "What a stupid old dog!"
The old dog thought someone was calling him in the birdcage, so he barked a few times.
Wang Douxiang came again.
"But what did you forget?" Zhou Qin asked.
Wang Douxiang saluted, "Wang is willing to use three farms as reward for the mine."
Could this man be an old fool?
Zhou Qin and his son looked at each other in confusion again.
Wang Douxiang smiled bitterly, "I am not the kind of person who forgets his loyalty at the sight of profit, but... the news just came that the Zhou family's uncle, Yang Xuan, the governor of Northern Xinjiang, destroyed the Shegu tribe."
Zhou Qin and his son were stunned for a moment.
…
The so-called military strategists in Chang'an have recently been very fond of discussing the war between the Northern Xinjiang Army and the Shegu Tribe.
According to their calculations, one of the Shegu people was worth ten at least. The Northern Xinjiang Army suffered a lot of losses in the battle to destroy the Northern Liao Dynasty. The maximum number of men and horses was 90,000. Ninety thousand people compared to 100,000 of the Shegu tribe... No matter how you look at this battle, you are losing!
Therefore, the fate of Bei Xian and Yang Xuan was being discussed in the wine shops and brothels of Chang'an.
In a certain brothel, a military strategist was explaining the situation of the war to a group of female prostitutes and friends in a room on the second floor.
"The Chang'an army is stationed in Xingzhou and is watching eagerly. Yang Ni must be uneasy, but the ancient Shegu people have won consecutive battles and their morale is high. The outcome of this battle is self-evident. I am only worried about one thing..."
The military strategist is a frequent visitor to the brothel and is very familiar to the female prostitutes. Someone smiled and said: "What's Mr. Chen doing? Could it be that he took the rejuvenating pill?"
Mr. Chen coughed dryly, "I'm only worried about whether Yang Ni can escape."
One of the female prostitutes sighed, "Qin Guogong's poems are both outstanding, especially the line... The falling flower is independent, and the swift swallows fly together, which makes people feel sad, but the beauty of the artistic conception makes people get drunk without drinking. It's a pity..."
"What's a pity?" Mr. Chen said with a smile: "Many famous poems were written in prison. Perhaps, we can hear more of his poems in the future."
"Mr. Chen's words are too harsh." The female prostitute was an absolute fan of Yang Guogong. She sneered when she heard this, "What if Yang Guogong wins?"
Mr. Chen said calmly: "If he wins, I will jump out of the second floor window."
When he arrived outside the door and saw Mr. Chen there, he said, "Brother Chen, this is a big event."
Mr. Chen met this man and asked, "What's the matter?"
"There's an urgent report from Northern Xinjiang, it just came out."
The visitor took a breath, and everyone was worried, especially Mr. Chen, "Come on, is it a big defeat?"
The visitor glanced at him and said, "In September, the Duke of Qin personally led the Northern Xinjiang Army to fight with Shegu's 100,000-strong army and defeated the Shegu tribe. King Asibao of Shegu died, and the Shegu tribe... was destroyed."
There was silence in the room.
Until the female prostitute shouted excitedly: "You jump!"