Zhongshu Provincial Government Office is located in a large courtyard at the corner of Taiwei City. It is the closest government office to the emperor in the entire empire, and it is also the brain of the entire empire. Every day, the excerpts submitted from all over the country will be published in Zhongshu Provincial Government.
If you encounter an emergency, you can always report it to the nearest saint.
There are officials on duty in Zhongshu Province day and night. As the chief minister and assistant minister of the Imperial State, although Xiahou Yuanzhen does not need to stay in Zhongshu Province every day, this veteran has been working conscientiously for many years, and most of the time he is almost there.
He is staying in Zhongshu Province.
The officials of Zhongshu Province were all a little absent-minded today.
Everyone's thoughts are actually affected by the arena match in front of the Sifang Pavilion. After all, at the moment, the visit of the Bohai envoy to the imperial court is the most important event in the empire. Everyone knows the will of the saint at the court. What is the purpose of the arena match?
Such an outcome is directly related to the honor and dignity of the Tang Dynasty.
Many people even go out to check out the sky from time to time. When the sun sets, the competition in the ring will end, and the results will always be sent to the Zhongshu Province.
The officials whispered and looked into the inner hall from time to time. It was an independent room. The only owner was the chief minister. After lunch, the prime minister stayed in the room and never came out. It seemed that he was not interested in the arena.
Sai wasn't too concerned.
Yuan Gai Wushuang was invincible for two consecutive days, which also made the officials of Zhongshu Province feel depressed.
Watching the sun set a little bit in the west, but no news has been transmitted. Everyone knows in their hearts that this can only mean that no one will take the stage on the last day. If no one dares to take the stage to fight until the sun sets, Yuan Yuan will not be allowed to take the stage on the last day.
Gai Wushuang won without a fight, which was a great shame and humiliation for the Tang Dynasty.
The officials whispered in low voices, discussing whether the Bohai people would really marry off the royal princess if they won, and their expressions were very solemn.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside, but everyone involuntarily looked towards the door, only to see a clerk hurried in from outside, knelt on the ground, and gasped: "It's over...
it's over......!"
The officials ignored their manners and rushed forward one after another. A member of Zhongshushe was obviously a little anxious and asked urgently: "The sun hasn't set yet, why is it over? Did the Bohai people close the arena in advance?"
"This is against the rules." Someone immediately said: "The ring cannot be closed before the time is up."
Du Wenchang, the minister of Zhongshu, raised his hand to signal everyone to stop making noise. Du Wenchang, the minister of Zhongshu, was old-fashioned but upright. He had always been the pillar of Zhongshu. Although his temperament was not liked by the Prime Minister, his talents were highly valued by the Prime Minister.
The other officials in the yamen were also in awe of Du Wenchang. When Du Shilang signaled, everyone held their breath, but they still stared at the junior official kneeling on the ground.
"What is the situation?" Du Wenchang asked in a deep voice: "Should we stop the competition in advance?"
The junior official was surrounded by a group of Zhongshu Provincial officials. He never thought that one day he would receive such attention. He hurriedly said: "It's not that I stopped the fight in advance. It's... that Prince Bohai is dead... he's dead.
!”
Prince Bohae is dead?
The officials present felt that there was something wrong with their ears. One person immediately asked: "Who is dead? Please tell me clearly."
"Prince Bohai is dead." The clerk said, "One knife penetrated the intestines and was fatal. He was also stabbed dozens of times. He is dead!"
The officials looked at each other in confusion. They wanted to say something, but were speechless. All they could see was the look of disbelief on the other people's faces.
"choke!"
In the inner room, the sound of breaking porcelain was heard, and the officials came back to their senses and turned to look over.
The door opened, and the old Prime Minister was seen hurrying out of the house. Everyone bowed, but the Prime Minister walked straight to the clerk and said sternly: "Yuan Gai Wushuang is dead? Are you sure he is dead?"
"Master Zhou, the Minister of Rites, sent someone over to report in detail." The clerk said: "The Prince of Bohai did die in the ring. It is absolutely true and there will be no mistake."
The corners of Xiahou Yuanzhen's mouth twitched and he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
"Who killed him?" Du Wenchang asked.
"Master Qin Xiaoqin, the young minister of Dali Temple." The junior official reported.
Du Wenchang was startled: "Is it him?"
"Qin Shaoqing killed Yuan Gai Wushuang?" An official asked in surprise: "How powerful is his martial arts?"
The other officials came to their senses at this time, and most of them looked relaxed. Some people laughed and said: "The people of Bohai have been extremely arrogant in the past two days, thinking that there is no one in our country. Qin Shaoqing has made extraordinary achievements for our country. It's true."
A hero is born from a boy."
"Now the people of Bohai should understand that the Tang Dynasty is the Tang Dynasty, and other small countries cannot be compared with it." The officials celebrated with their crowns: "Such good news should be reported to the saint immediately."
Although these officials are all extremely shrewd people with different temperaments and different ways of doing things, everyone has a strong balance in mind on this matter.
"Why are you happy?" Xiahou Yuanzhen glanced at the officials and said in a deep voice: "You are all central ministers. How can you still laugh when such a big event happens?"
Everyone was startled. Xiahou Yuanzhen said coldly: "Yuan Gai Wushuang is the beloved son of Yuan Gaijian. Yuan Gaijian is in charge of the Bohai army. His son died in the Tang Dynasty. Do you think this is a happy event worthy of celebration?
?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone present reacted.
The saint allowed Bohai to send a delegation to come to see him. His original intention was to grant a marriage and strengthen the harmony between the two countries through marriage. His purpose was to stabilize Bohai and ensure that the northeastern border could remain stable while the court was doing other things.
But now Yuan Gai Wushuang is dead.
After Yuan Gaijian got the news, of course he couldn't give up. Although the strength of Bohai could not be compared with that of the Tang Dynasty, the tens of thousands of brave and elite soldiers in the Bohai Sea who were good at fighting could still pose a huge threat to the Tang Dynasty. At least once the Bohai people sent troops, the Tang Dynasty would be
There will be no peace in the Northeast.
Qin Xiao killed Yuan Gai Wushuang, which not only ruined the marriage plan between the two countries, but also made Bohai instantly become the enemy of the Tang Dynasty.
"Where is Qin Xiao now?" Xiahou Yuanzhen asked with a stern face, staring at the clerk.
The clerk hurriedly said: "The body of Prince Bohai was carried back to the Sifang Pavilion. The people of Bohai wanted to capture Mr. Qin on the spot, but Mr. Zhou ordered the Wuwei Camp to stop him, and sent officers and soldiers from the Wuwei Camp to send Mr. Qin back to Dali Temple."
"Wenchang, you immediately issue an order in the name of Zhongshu Sheng and send it to the Ministry of Punishment, instructing the Ministry of Punishment to immediately send people to arrest Qin Xiao and imprison him." Xiahou Yuanzhen said in a deep voice: "I will go to the palace now to meet the saint.
."
Du Wenchang did not agree immediately. He raised his hands and asked: "Prime Minister, under what name are you arresting people?"
"Of course it was in the name of killing Crown Prince Bohae.
"
"Prime Minister, if Qin Xiao is arrested for this crime, the lower officials cannot issue this order, let alone exempt this order from Zhongshu." Du Wenchang said solemnly: "Contesting in the ring, taking responsibility for life and death, these are all
It was something that was discussed in advance. If Qin Xiao was going to be detained and imprisoned because he killed Yuan Gai Wushuang, then why didn’t the court arrest him after Yuan Gai Wushuang had killed so many people before? Zhongshu Province was the center of the Tang Dynasty.
Every order is related to the safety of the empire. If you issue this order in the name of Zhongshu Province, what will everyone in the world think?"
An official nearby also bravely said: "Prime Minister, this order cannot be issued lightly. It is easy to arrest Qin Xiao, but the consequences are very troublesome. Qin Xiao has saved the dignity of the Tang Dynasty, and now he must be despised by everyone in the world."
He is regarded as a hero of the empire. At this time, instead of praising him, the imperial court will detain him and imprison him. The subordinate is afraid...!" He hesitated for a moment, but did not dare to say the next words.
"Didn't you understand?" Xiahou Yuanzhen said coldly: "Qin Xiao not only stabbed Yuan Gai Wushuang through the intestines, but also slashed him dozens of times. If it was a martial arts competition and one stab was fatal, why bother with dozens more stabs?
This is no longer a murder because he has no eyesight, it is a real murder."
All the officials looked at each other, but did not say a word.
"Qin Xiao saved the face of the Tang Dynasty, of course I am very happy." Xiahou Yuanzhen saw that everyone wanted to protect Qin Xiao, sighed and said: "But we are not ordinary people, otherwise we can speak loudly for Qin Xiao
Applause. This is the Zhongshu Province, and you are all important members of the Zhongshu Province. The rise and fall of the empire depends on you, so when we deal with things, we cannot act according to ordinary people's ideas, but must consider the overall situation."
After a pause, he said: "You all know that the saint has prepared to regain Xiling. Because of this, we must have a good relationship with Bohai. Otherwise, how can we allow the Bohai envoy to come to propose marriage? Now that Yuan Gai Wushuang has been killed, if we
What will the Bohai people think if they fail to deal with it in time and even indulge Qin Xiao? Do you really want to see the Bohai troops stationed at the border?"
Everyone present knew that what the Prime Minister said was not unreasonable, but Du Wenchang shook his head and said seriously: "Prime Minister, there is justice in the world. Everyone knows the will of the saint, the martial arts competition in the arena, and the responsibility for life and death.
Now, Qin Xiao must be held accountable for disobeying the imperial edict. We don’t care what the Bohai people think. But if Qin Xiao is arrested for this, the people of the world will definitely be resentful. Prime Minister, we should do more than appease the Bohai people.
Comply with the wishes of the people of the Tang Dynasty."
"This is what I mean." An official was heartbroken and said with cupped hands: "What is more terrifying than the soldiers and horses of the Bohai Sea is the resentment of the people in the world. The people of the Bohai Sea must make careful considerations if they want to be enemies of the Tang Dynasty.
Do they have that strength? Even if they are really fighting with each other, is the Tang Dynasty still afraid of them? On the contrary, if the court loses the hearts of the people of the Tang Dynasty, it will be difficult to restore it no matter what. Prime Minister, I will be bold.
, Qin Xiao must not be arrested at this time, it is up to the saint to decide whether he should go to the palace to meet the saint."
Most of the other officials nodded slightly, deeply agreeing with what this official said.
"Confused." Xiahou Yuanzhen said angrily: "The saint does have a purpose. If you make a mistake in a martial arts competition, you will be responsible for your life and death. But Qin Xiao didn't make a mistake. He intended to murder. I even suspect that he intended to provoke a dispute between the two countries.
You are all the pillars of the imperial court, how can you not even tell right from wrong? The purpose of arresting Qin Xiao is not to convict him immediately, but to show that at least we can talk to the Bohai people. Yuan Gai Wushuang was killed, we
It’s not that we are indifferent. Although the country is big and will be destroyed if it is warlike, do you really want the situation to develop to the point of meeting the swordsmen of the Bohai Sea?" He glanced at Du Wenchang and sneered: "Since Mr. Du is unwilling to draw up this order, I will personally