In late April, the weather was just right, and it was time for Yu Jia to return to Chang'an.
Gao Lishi stepped into the back hall and looked around. There was a mist of water floating around the spring, and Li Longji was leaning against the wall of the pool, seemingly sleeping.
"Sage, another memorial has been sent back from Li Xian." Gao Lishi still spoke, disturbing the saint's calmness.
This is Li Xian's ninth memorial in recent times. The imperial court does not lack information about the Shiling Pass Incident. But the real test for those in power is to distinguish the closest to the truth from the various information.
In other words, the most favorable direction for the situation.
Li Longji has been a wise king all his life, and he is the best at distinguishing these.
He closed his eyes, letting the hot spring water steam his face, and said: "There is a secret memorial on the shelf, take a look."
"Here."
Gao Lishi carried the tray over and saw a thick pile on the shelf. He put Li Xian's memorial aside, forming a sharp contrast, and couldn't help but secretly thought something bad.
After opening it and scanning it quickly, An Lushan did not write a secret letter to complain, but explained in detail the causes and consequences of every time someone accused him of evil intentions in recent years.
For example, Xiongwu City is located at the intersection of Taihang Mountain, Yanshan Mountain and Yinshan Mountains. It is a choke point connecting Shuofang, Hedong, Hebei and the outside of the Great Wall. At that time, An Lushan and Wang Zhongsi made an agreement to jointly build Xiongwu City to resist
Khitan, Xi. As a result, Wang Zhongsi arrived first, but An Lushan's generals wanted to intercept the soldiers and horses east of Hedong. Wang Zhongsi accused An Lushan of hoarding private soldiers and coveting Hedong.
According to this secret memorial, the situation at that time was that Anlushan considered Xiongwu City as a thoroughfare and proposed that soldiers and horses from Shuofang and Hedong could also be stationed in Xiongwu City to detect the changes of the enemies in the north in time. He was motivated by
Considering state affairs, Wang Zhongsi did not expect that Wang Zhongsi only had selfish motives and thought that he wanted to intercept his troops.
On the other hand, An Lushan also admitted that He Qianqian, the general under his command who built Xiongwu City at that time, was a Hu man. He did not know etiquette and disrespected the court. He was indeed unruly and had conflicts with Wang Zhongsi. He even said some treasonous things that were almost
Words of rebellion.
Looking back, he poured out his bitterness and apologized to the saint. He frankly admitted that there were many such "rebellious" generals under his command, and there were also some Hu tribes within him who were really likely to rebel at any time, such as Ba Yigu.
, Tongluo tribe, etc. In short, Fanyang is a place where Hu and Han live together, and there are many desperadoes. If they do not follow the king's law, it will inevitably give people the feeling of a place of alienation. Over the years, he has suppressed these possible
Being rebellious is already beyond my capabilities, and I didn’t expect to be accused of being rebellious again.
The same was true for the Shilingguan Incident. He helped Hedong resist the Khitan. His old grudge with Wang Zhongsi broke out, and his generals were indeed too unruly. He also confessed to this.
Finally, An Lushan complained in a pleading tone that he was in poor health, suffered a lot, and could no longer hold back his arrogant soldiers. He hoped to return to Chang'an, visit the saints often, and bathe in the grace of the saints... This section occupies a lot of space.
space.
The whole stack of secret notes was really long. Gao Lishi was old and his eyes were dry. Tears overflowed after reading it.
He took out his handkerchief, wiped his tears, and turned around, only to see that Li Longji had gotten up from the soup pool and was standing there with several maids serving him to wipe his body.
"saint."
"Are you crying?" Li Longji said, "Hu'er is still sincere."
Gao Lishi was silent for a moment, unable to refute. After waiting for a while, Li Longji asked: "What? Do you still think he has different intentions?"
"I saw some alien intentions in this secret letter." Gao Lishi paused and said, "I saw... a threat."
Li Longji put on his clothes and looked at him with some surprise.
"Hu'er pretended to ask for dismissal, but the implication was more like saying that if he was dismissed, those arrogant and powerful generals would rebel." Gao Lishi had no choice but to say it clearly.
"Is what he said false?" Li Longji said lightly: "Li Huaixiu, Li Yanchong, are there not many people who have betrayed me?"
"But Li Huaixiu and Li Yanchong both served as Fan Yang Jiedu in Hu'er..."
"It was precisely because I realized that Pei Kuan was weak and incompetent and could easily be hijacked by others that I dismissed Pei Kuan and replaced him with Hu'er, who was most loyal to me and had a way with the frontier fortress, to guard Hebei." Li Longji raised his voice, interrupting Gao
The verbosity of a strong man.
His eyes looked wise and decisive.
"I have predicted a long time ago that Hu Er will be subject to countless slanders and frame-ups. He is in that position, so it is inevitable. My only solution is to give him enough trust."
"The saint is wise, but..."
"That's enough, I'm still thinking it's time to bring Li Xian back."
Gao Lishi knew that speaking any more would only have the opposite effect, so he forced himself to keep his mouth shut.
He glanced at Li Xian's memorial on the shelf, thinking that the saint would probably not read it again, so he thought about Xue Bai's treatment.
It is difficult to clear Xue Bai from the guilt of the Shilingguan Incident, and it would be very risky for Gao Lishi to protect Xue Bai again. But now that the situation has reached this point, it seems that except for Xue Bai, who can contain An Lushan
Suggestion, I can't think of a better way.
This is ridiculous. Many people in the huge court can clearly see that Anlu Mountain will rebel or even has already rebelled, but they can't make the saint believe it. It's like watching the Tang Dynasty Sheji slide down from the high mountain, and everyone is shouting
, but no one can reach out to help him.
~~
Li Longji had arranged singing and dancing in the Liyuan today, and was about to go there after taking a bath. However, he frowned when he reached the palace gate.
Looking around, the rain was misty, covering the beautiful Lishan Mountain in the distance.
It has been raining continuously for more than ten days recently. Originally, an official in Sitianjian said that it would clear up today. It seems that he was deceiving him.
Just as he was about to punish the Si Tian Supervisor official, Li Longji suddenly thought of the previous Si Tian Supervisor, Qu Tan, who had said that there would be severe floods this year. At that time, Yang Guozhong reported that Qu Tan's fortune telling was never accurate, so he dismissed Qu Tan.
It's over.
"Sage, your chariot is ready."
"I'm not going." Li Longji was no longer in the mood to watch the singing and dancing, and his face was gloomier than the weather. "Here comes Yang Guozhong."
Yang Guozhong also knew that he was to blame for such weather, so he did not dare to hold an umbrella in the palace. When he rushed to the palace, his back was completely soaked.
Li Longji looked at his drowned appearance, still unhappy, and said: "If there is a flood this year, you are the only one I can ask!"
"I am doing my best to prevent flooding, the saint can rest assured."
Regarding the rainy weather, Yang Guozhong had no choice but to give the shortest answer.
As for the saint's mood, he was very capable, and then said: "I am coming to see you today, and I have good news to report to the saint."
"Yeah?"
"Please ask a saint to take a look...it's a good news!"
Yang Guozhong emphasized his tone and carefully took out a memorial from his arms. It turned out that he was caught in the rain, but he protected the official document with his generous back.
The image of an official who worked conscientiously for state affairs appeared in the eyes of the saint.
When Gao Lishi saw it, he quickly hired someone to wipe it for him.
"Beiting Protector Cheng Ang has captured Li Xianzhong!" Yang Guozhong shouted loudly and ignored it.
Li Longji was opening the memorial casually, but upon hearing this he immediately cheered up.
"Li Xianzhong fled to Anxi?"
"Yes, he was chased by troops sent by An Sishun and defected to the Ge Luolu tribe." Yang Guozhong said: "Cheng Ang learned about this and immediately led his troops to force Ge Luolu. The Ge Luolu tribe then handed over Li Xianzhong and his troops.
Family members, as well as thousands of members of his tribe..."
"good!"
Li Longji was overjoyed.
Shuofang's army and Anxi's army chased and blocked each other, and finally captured the rebellious Li Xianzhong.
The significance of this matter is not just as simple as making him feel bad. Previously, Gao Xianzhi was defeated in the Battle of Talos because of Ge Luolu's betrayal. Now that Cheng Ang can intimidate Ge Luolu, it represents the success of the Tang Dynasty.
The national prestige of the Western Regions remains the same.
This is a very powerful and heroic thing, far more than just handing over a Li Xianzhong.
"I want to highly reward Cheng Ang!" Li Longji issued the order without hesitation, "Order Cheng Ang to escort Li Xianzhong back to Chang'an and offer him as a prisoner under the palace!"
"What about the Protector of Beiting?"
Yang Guozhong asked tentatively, intending to find another position for Yang's party forces. However, Li Long was very clear about the matter and said: "Feng Changqing can take up the role concurrently."
Under such circumstances, Yang Guozhong had no choice but to accept the order.
This good news made Li Longji's mood a little brighter, and his views on the Hedong incident also changed a little.
He showed a satisfied expression, patted his knee, and asked: "Has the Hedong people been drafted?"
He didn't discuss this matter with Gao Lishi just now, because Gao Lishi was the one who served him by his side, and Yang Guozhong was the prime minister.
"Sage, the Ministry of Personnel has already issued regulations, and I have brought them here." Yang Guozhong took out another official document unhurriedly.
Gao Lishi personally stepped forward to take it and unfolded it in front of the saint.
He stood behind him, peeking out of the corner of his eye, focusing on a few places he cared about.
For the time being, Yang Guozhong did not deal with Xue Bai this time because he saw the number "Yan Gaoqing moved to Pingyuan Prefecture". This was Xue Bai's letter asking him, and he gave Yang Guozhong's instructions.
Including the candidate for the deputy envoy of Hedong Jiedu, the Ministry of Personnel also selected Li Guangbi based on Li Xian's recommendation.
The situation seems to be changing for the better.
After that, Gao Lishi's eyes fell on the words "Hedong Jiedu Envoy" on the memorial, but the candidate was blocked by the saint. He leaned slightly, his eyes were slightly focused, and a trace of surprise flashed past.
"Didn't the officials follow Li Xian's recommendations for the candidates for the Hedong Jiedu Envoy?" Li Longji asked.
Yang Guozhong was deliberately stunned and said: "It all depends on the saints."
He didn't like Gao Xianzhi's temperament, so he naturally wouldn't seek an official position for him. And he knew very well that if the saint wanted to appoint Gao Xianzhi as the governor of Hedong, he could just approve Li Xian's memorial without asking the officials to draft it.
Sure enough, Li Longji said: "I'm asking you why."
"I think Wang Chengye is a more suitable candidate. Gao Xianzhi has an arrogant temperament and is determined to act in his own way. I am afraid that he will force An Lushan to rebel when he comes to Hedong. In comparison, Wang Chengye is calm and can take the overall situation into consideration..."
Among the generals of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Chengye was not well-known and had no military exploits known to others.
But Gao Lishi knew who Wang Chengye was and was quite familiar with him, because Wang Chengye was General Zuo Yulin who was beside the saint and one of the generals in the palace guard.
For Yang Guozhong to be able to recommend such a person to Hedong, he must have established a deep relationship with Wang Chengye over this period of time, and he must have put one of his own in that important position to replace Yang Guanghui's role in Bei.
This seemed to be a very smart choice, and it understood the thoughts of the saint. The saint did not want to believe that An Lushan would rebel, but also wanted to see the situation clearly, so he definitely wanted to send a trusted general to go there. In this regard
, Wang Chengye is indeed the most suitable candidate.
The question is, can Wang Chengye fight?
~~
Seven days later, Taiyuan.
The official document sent this time was not expedited at 500 miles, but it was still very fast.
When Li Xian received it, he was inspecting the city defenses and happened to see a fast horse coming from the south. He guessed that his memorial had been approved.
He works differently from other officials. He is more responsible and more worried because he is a member of the Tang clan. He believes that this transcendent status allows him to play an important role in critical times. The saint obviously understands this.
, will you trust yourself and let yourself go.
Thinking of this, Li Xian took the official document, unfolded it, and looked at it intently... The imperial court had appointed Hedong Jiedushi, and the saint was very satisfied with him as a consolation envoy, and moved him back to Chang'an to serve as Jing Zhaoyin.
After Wang Chengye takes office, Li Xian can set off.
The Xuan comfort envoy was originally sent on a temporary basis, and this matter was in line with the imperial regulations. However, it can be seen that the saint paid no attention to his reminder.
Transferring his clan and sending General Yulin who has no outstanding military exploits shows that the saint is still checking and balancing power. To put it more bluntly, the saint would rather believe in An Lushan than Li Xian.
After receiving this official document, Li Xian wrote a letter to Xue Bai.
Before Xue Bai took office in Changshan County, the two made an agreement that Li Xian would provide Xue Bai with sufficient military support in Hedong.
But now something unexpected happened, and Li Xian had to be transferred early. He was a man of great promise, but he could do nothing in the face of the imperial court's transfer order. He could only express his apology and reminded Xue Bai that he must contact Wang Chengye and Li Guangbi in time to reach mutual agreement.
For the tacit understanding of the horns.
"Sanlang, since you want to return to Chang'an, should you kill Yang Guanghui?" Dugu Ziwu asked.
Li Xian thought about how he felt ashamed of Xue Bai, and subconsciously nodded.
After a moment, he thought of another possibility, so he changed his mind and said: "The official document only needs to report that he committed suicide out of fear of crime. He will be taken into custody and I will take him away when the time comes."
"Here." Seeing that Li Xian was still worried, Dugu Ziwu said, "Sanlang is returning to the capital this time to serve as Zhaoyin of the capital. He should be happy."
"Jing Zhaoyin?"
Li Xian thought of the official position that had been vacant since Xianyu Zhongtong was transferred.
I wonder what happened to Xianyu Zhongtong after he went north to Fanyang?
~~
Changshan County, Zhending County.
When the genius dawned, Xue Bai had woken up. He glanced at Yan Yan, who was sleeping soundly next to him, and quietly got up from the bed.
He felt very thirsty, so he poured himself a glass of water, drank it all, rubbed his numb arms, and felt that his body was stiff, so he stood there in a daze.
Recently, he has had some strange troubles. It's not a big deal, it just caused him some minor trouble before and after going to bed.
"Um?"
Yan Yan snorted, rubbed her eyes, turned her head and murmured: "What are you doing standing here?"
She was too hot, so she kicked off a bit of the quilt during the night. At this time, she lazily turned her body just a little, revealing her graceful lines, hazy in the dim light.
"I was wondering if you are feeling better," Xue Bai replied.
Then he realized something was wrong and added something.
"My uncle and aunt are leaving soon. If you go south with them, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear the hardships on the way."
Yan Gaoqing has also received an appointment order from the imperial court, appointing him as the governor of Pingyuan. Xue Bai definitely wants to send Yan Yan away, and has already planned for her to go south with the team, to Pingyuan County, and then to Yangzhou.
Recently, Xue Bai thought about it a lot, and finally decided to settle his family in Yangzhou first. With Lao Liang leading people to protect him, Li Bai taking care of it, and Du Jin having started a business in Yangzhou a long time ago, he was relieved.
He hoped to prevent the Anshi Rebellion, but he was not sure that the war would not spread to Chang'an.
As the parting was about to begin, Yan Yan always showed some reluctance.
"Come here." She waved.
"I'm ready to go to the Yamen to see what's going on."
Although Xue Bai said this, he still followed her request and lay back on the couch.
Yan Yan then put her head on his hand with a satisfied look on her face and asked, "I'm not in good health and don't want to rush. Can I stay here?"
"No, we have already agreed."
"Do you know why Qinglan went to sleep with Yong'er last night?"
"She said she wanted to see how Yong'er pronounces the word 'Yong' when sleeping."
"Idiot." Yan Yan scolded and whispered: "I won't call you 'husband' anymore, I will call you a fool."
"Why?"
"The eldest lady said that we are not a real couple."
Xue Bai then wanted to teach her a lesson.
At this time, it can be seen that Yan Yan said she was scared, but she was actually very scared in her heart. She shrank subconsciously, turned around, and gasped a little.
Listening to her breathing, Xue Bai didn't dare to make a fuss and whispered: "You go to Yangzhou first and wait for me to pick you up. By then you will be cured and grown up..."
Yan Yan understood what he meant and remained silent.
After a while, she said dissatisfiedly: "I am no longer a child."
~~
During the period when Yan Gaoqing was here, he was of great help to Xue Bai in taking over the government affairs of Changshan County, including Xue Bai's understanding of Fan Yang through Cui's gossip.
But after all, he was an official of the imperial court, not Xue Bai's staff, so it was impossible for Yan Gaoqing to stay forever.
On May 18th, he set out for Pingyuan County.
Xue Baixiang was sent outside the city and had a final conversation with Yan Gaoqing by the official road. What needed to be said had been said recently, and at this time, it was nothing more than a "frequent contact".
"Gone."
Yan Yan had been a little angry with Xue Bai since last night, but when it came to parting, she flattened her lips in grievance, got off the carriage, ran to Xue Bai again, and said, "You have to pick me up earlier."
"Yes, there is not much time left for you to recover."
Xue Bai said this out of nowhere, and then saw the shame and anger in Yan Yan's eyes, thinking that he had seen it wrong.
Qing Lan probably cried, her eyes were red. She didn't want to be seen, so she wiped away her tears and pretended not to cry, but at the last moment she tried to persuade Xue Bai to change her mind.
"Would you please leave me to take care of you, sir? I can endure hardship."
Xue Bai waved and asked Qing Lan to come forward and whispered: "I'm just telling you that I will be demoted soon and plan to go to Yangzhou to rest for a while."
"ah?"
"Don't tell others and make others worry."
Qing Lan was still easily deceived, so she helped Yan Yan board the car.
Li Tengkong and Li Jilan walked to Xue Bai.
"Let us accompany you to Changshan. It turned out that you were tricking us out of Guanzhong and sending us to Yangzhou?"
"Yangzhou is safer." Xue Bai didn't need to coax Li Tengkong. He told the truth and quietly held hands with her when she was unprepared.
He turned to look at Li Jilan and said with a smile: "Ji Lanzi can ask Li Bai and Cui Hao for poetry advice. Isn't it worth the trip?"
Li Jilan hesitated to speak, and finally whispered "Xue Lang farewell".
Watching the team go away, Xue Bai breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that there were too many confidantes and it was too tiring to coax them away one by one. But fortunately, he could finally concentrate on working in Changshan. Even if there were many changes in the future, he would not
Too concerned.
On the way back to Zhending City, he drove his horse slowly, thinking about many things in his mind. There was some rapid sound of horse hooves behind him.
Xue Bai felt that the sound of the horse's hooves seemed to be coming towards him. He turned his head and his eyes were immediately attracted by Li Tengkong's galloping horse.
He stopped his horse and waited by the road with lush grass, unable to describe how he felt, until Li Tengkong arrived in front of him.
"I won't leave."
"Listen to me, Changshan will be in danger, you can't feel at ease while I'm here..."
"Xue Bai, if you haven't married me, why should you let me listen to you?"
Li Tengkong had obviously thought of his words and blurted out. As expected, Xue Bai choked up with just one sentence.
She felt that her words had hurt him, and she was a little ashamed, but she still strengthened her heart and said: "I am free, you can be angry or drive me away. It is my choice to stay."
.”
Xue Bai could feel that no matter how he acted at this time, he would not be able to influence Li Tengkong's thoughts.
"If there is danger, you must leave when I send you away."
Li Tengkong looked at him steadily and asked: "Why do you think of sending me away when you are in danger, instead of letting me face it with you?"
Xue Bai didn't answer, and his expression became serious.
"Okay, I promise you too." Li Tengkong took a step back in time and said with a rare coquettish tone: "Then you let me stay?"
Xue Baisui felt that he was not able to handle the women around him. As the relationship between them became closer, it became harder for him to make her obey.
But then again, what a master and servant want is obedience.
~~
Changshan Changshi Yuan Luqian reined in the reins and looked back. He could see that Xue Bai was still talking to Nu Guan on the roadside. The relationship was obviously not ordinary friends.
"This prefect is too unstable." Yuan Luqian couldn't help but sigh.
No wonder he thought so. After all, Yan Gaoqing had just left and Xue Bai started to have a tryst with his lover. This was obviously not something a calm local official could do.
This situation makes people feel even more difficult.
He was a subordinate and did not want to embarrass Xue Bai. After waiting for a while, he got back on his horse and headed for Zhending City.
When they arrived at the city gate, a man ran over and almost hit his horse. Fortunately, he was stopped in time by the guards.
"Yuan Changshi, it's me." The visitor shouted in a hoarse voice, "Save me."
"Xianyu Langjun?"
Yuan Luqian looked at him intently for a long time and finally recognized the other person. He was quite surprised.
"Why are you like this?"
"Save me! My grandpa...is dead."
"What did you say?" Yuan Luqian quickly dismounted and asked, "Is Xianyu Gong sick?"
"No, save me first."
Listening to this frightened voice, Yuan Luqian felt inexplicably frightened...