Volume 1: Swan Goose Chapter 106: The Arrow in Darkness is the Hardest to Defend (1)
The scorching sun in August is like a fireball. The strong light penetrates the layers of banana leaves and shines down, but it is still so dazzling that it makes people upset.
An old man with a sharp mouth and a stooped figure, lying down and taking a nap in a quiet and spacious side room with his hair disheveled, was none other than Liu Bingwen, the Minister of Rites. The smoke from the incense burner curled gently, he picked up the small glass bowl next to him and took two quick bites
Rock sugar bird's nest. Putting down the bowl, I couldn't help but sigh.
"Why did father sigh?" The speaker was a middle-aged man with a brown beard, a sullen face, and droopy eyes. He was his son Liu Rong.
Liu Bingwen slapped his thigh and said bitterly: "What a mistake! What a mistake that will lead to eternal hatred!"
"Is father worried about Lan Yu?" Liu Rong probed carefully.
It was okay not to mention it, but when it was mentioned, Liu Bingwen immediately beat his chest and became very angry: "Do you know that since the founding of Beiyu, even the once all-powerful Gui Lichi has never been awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief, let alone the Crown Prince Shaobao!
What an honor is this? I really didn’t expect that this time I failed to suppress Lan Yu, but instead promoted him to an official position. It will be difficult to deal with him in the future!"
"Huh, Beiyu doesn't have a crown prince, and his title of Prince Shaobao is just a false title!" Liu Rong curled his lips with disdain on his face.
"What do you know!" Liu Bingwen glared at him and angrily said, "Lan Yu was promoted by Xia Yunqing at the beginning. As the saying goes, 'a man can ascend to heaven'. With Lan Yu's blessing, Xia Yunqing will have more power in the court in the future.
It will be even bigger, and you and I will no longer have a foothold!"
"No, it can't be that serious!" Liu Rong scratched his scalp and felt a little panicked.
"In the past, there was a conflict between three parties in the court. First, Marquis Pingyang and his son died suddenly. Now even Wang Su is depressed. We can't deal with Xia Yunqing!" Liu Bingwen stared at the smoke curling up from the incense burner with a depressed expression.
Liu Rong rolled his eyes and suggested: "Then we can win over new party members! Think about how many people Xia Yunqing has offended over the years. Aren't the enemies of our enemies our friends?"
Liu Bingwen closed his eyes, looked up to the sky and sighed: "That's true, but Pingyang Hou, who has a noble status and holds a golden armored guard, and Wang Su, who has hands and eyes that reach the sky, is insidious and cunning, are no match for Xia Yunqing. How can there be anyone in this dynasty?
Who can deal with him? Those who have no ability, no matter how many we recruit, it will be useless!"
"What does father think of Man Tingfang? My son thinks he has the strength to compete with Xia Yunqing." This was the first person who popped into Liu Rong's mind.
"Hmph." Liu Bingwen curled his lips disdainfully: "This old fritter is very cunning! He has no ambitions. He only wants stability. He doesn't want to offend anyone, so he will not get on our ship!"
"What about Gu Zhili? He is fawning everywhere now! It's easy to win him over." Liu Rong suddenly remembered that Gu Jiyun always groveled in front of him.
"He used to be quite prosperous! It's a pity that he became Concubine Ying and lost Concubine Ying. From being popular in front of the emperor to being a thorn in the flesh, it is impossible to cause any more troubles!" Liu Bingwen twirled his beard with a hint of regret.
mocking.
While the two were talking, a servant from the house hurried in and reported: "Master, Master, there is an adult outside the door asking to see you! The visitor calls himself Si Sizheng, Xie Ji'an, a pedestrian!"
The father and son looked at each other and couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"What is a mere ninth-grade sesame official doing to come to me?" Liu Bingwen snorted disdainfully.
"He has something to say and wants to ask the master for advice!" the servant replied respectfully.
"Father, this man is a student of Xia Yunqing's sect. You'd better meet him." Liu Rong suggested carefully.
Liu Bingwen squinted his eyes and thought for a moment before nodding: "That's it, let him in!"
Soon, a servant came into the room with a young man with a single eyebrow and narrow eyes, a face like a silver basin, and fair skin. Liu Bingwen, however, still had his hair disheveled and was lying on his side on the couch with his clothes disheveled and his eyes closed to meditate.
"Sisi Zheng, a humble minister, thanks Ji'an and pays his respects to Liu Guozhan!" The young man bowed respectfully and bowed to the ground.
"Master Xie, what do you want to see me for?" Liu Bingwen didn't even raise his eyelids.
"I have been studying history hard in recent days, studying it day and night, and after repeated
After careful consideration, I drafted a memorandum to send to the emperor. However, the humble official spoke softly and did not know whether the memorandum was appropriate, so I boldly wanted to ask the minister to read it and give me some corrections!" Xie Ji'an lowered his eyes and was cautious.
Si Sizheng, a little pedestrian, actually wants to curry favor with the emperor? What a wishful thinking!
Liu Bingwen cursed in his heart and said angrily: "I remember that you are Xia Shoufu's disciple. Your teacher is known as the 'Prime Minister of Thick Mo'. Why did you come to ask me for advice?"
Xie Ji'an grabbed his clothes with both hands and said cautiously: "My lord, my mentor told the students everything he knew and answered all questions. But when it came to government affairs, my mentor didn't want to be said to be forming a clique.
So I rarely give personal advice!”
"Humph, this old guy just likes to put on airs!" Liu Bingwen couldn't help but cursed.
Xie Jian lowered his head, holding on to his robe and not daring to say a word.
Seeing his modest and prudent look, and thinking that the Pingren Division was half the Ministry of Etiquette, Liu Bingwen's attitude became a little relaxed: "Have you brought the memorial you wrote?"
"Bring it, bring it!" Xie Jian's face was filled with joy, and he quickly took out a clean and flat memorial from his arms and presented it respectfully with both hands.
Liu Bingwen supported his head without reaching out, so Liu Rong hurriedly took the memorial and handed it to him. Liu Bingwen lazily opened the memorial and glanced at it a few times. His eyes lit up involuntarily, and he immediately sat up straight. He stared at it and read it carefully several times, fearing that
Misread a word.
"Father, what's wrong with this memorial?" Liu Rong saw Liu Bingwen's expression was different and asked hurriedly.
Xie Ji'an also sat upright, staring at Liu Bingwen for a moment, swallowing his saliva nervously: "If you think there is anything wrong, I will go back and correct it immediately!"
"No need to change! No need to change a word!" Liu Bingwen interrupted him immediately, stood up, and began to look at this fair young man with a smile: "Okay! You are such a talent! You are so young, you are so talented.
You can put forward such good suggestions that benefit the country and the people! The future should not be underestimated!"
Xie Ji'an's face turned red, and he was surprised and happy at the same time. He hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Excellency, you have over-honored me, and I am ashamed of my humble position! However, since Your Excellency thinks this memorial is good, why not just say that this memorial was written by you, and as long as it lasts, Your Majesty
Just mention the villain briefly in front of the emperor!"
"No!" Liu Bingwen's eyes flashed, and he quickly stopped him: "This is a good policy for governing the country that you have worked hard to write. I can't pretend to claim it, it is better for you to hand it over to the emperor in person! Moreover, this is for you to be promoted to an official position.
This is a perfect opportunity, how could you miss it so easily!"
Xie Ji'an was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply: "I'd like to thank you for your advice! I'll go to the palace tomorrow and personally deliver this memorial to Your Majesty!"
"No rush, no hurry!" Liu Bingwen pulled him to sit down and said warmly: "Your memorial has a good intention and your views are clearly explained. But after all, this is your first time writing a memorial, and some of the words and sentences are not very interesting.
.”
"Your Majesty is right! I hope you can give me some advice!" Xie Jian hurriedly held up his hands to ask for advice.
Liu Bingwen twirled his beard and said thoughtfully: "Well, you can make a copy of this copy, and when I am free, I can make some modifications for you, and then I can order someone to send it to you."
Xie Ji'an was flattered and immediately stood up and bowed deeply: "How can I be so virtuous in my humble position that I can get the guidance from Mr. Liu? Mr. Liu's support will be unforgettable even in my humble position!"
The sun was gradually tilting. Although it was hotter than before, the sunlight seemed less dazzling. After sending Xie Ji'an away, Liu Rong watched with suspicion as Liu Bingwen put on the python robe, took Wusha with him, and ordered his subordinates to prepare
What a nice sedan.
"Father, where are you going?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Entering the palace to meet the saint!" Liu Bingwen's face was filled with joy, he shook his head and hummed a little tune.
"Father, what was written in that memorial and why are you so happy?" Liu Rong asked again.
Liu Bingwen patted his son on the shoulder and laughed: "My son, the opportunity to defeat Xia Yunqing has arrived! My father will not miss this opportunity again!"
Home.
When he arrived at the Zichen Palace, Emperor Yu had just gotten up from his nap. When he heard that Liu Bingwen was coming, he immediately expressed that he did not want to see him. However, Eunuch Shuangxi accepted a piece of gold from Liu Bingwen and could not help but say something nice, so he reluctantly let Emperor Yu
He changed his mind and decided to take a look at this national war that was giving him a headache.
Seeing Liu Bingwen walk in the door arrogantly, he immediately regretted it and said angrily: "Liu Shangshu, if you have something to do, you must see me now. I will have a headache when I see you!"
"Your Majesty, I have something very important to report to you!" Liu Bingwen stood in the palace and bowed respectfully, then took out the memorial and presented it with both hands: "I have just received this treasonous memorial.
Come and submit it immediately for the Emperor to take a look at!"
Emperor Yu waved to Shuangxi with a downcast face, and Eunuch Shuangxi hurriedly presented the memorial. Emperor Yu only glanced at it casually a few times, but his expression immediately changed. He sat up straight and read it carefully from beginning to end, then suddenly stood up and cursed.
Said: "Asshole!"
Eunuch Shuangxi and Liu Bingwen immediately prostrated themselves on the ground: "Your Majesty, calm down!"
"Liu Bingwen! Please explain clearly the causes and consequences of this memorial!" Emperor Yu threw the memorial in his hand heavily in front of Liu Bingwen.
"Your Majesty, the traveler Si Si Zheng Xie Ji'an came to visit me and showed me this memorial, claiming that it was written under the guidance of a certain important minister in the court. After reading it, I was shocked and went to find
I withheld this memorial as an excuse and sent it to His Majesty immediately!"
"Since someone else has given you advice, why don't you just go ahead and show it to you first?" After hearing what he said, Emperor Yu always became suspicious.
"This...I don't know about this. Maybe it's because...as the Minister of Rites, I manage the etiquette in the palace like him. So, he, he trusts me more, so he comes to ask for advice."
..." Liu Bingwen was speechless and his palms were sweating. He didn't expect Emperor Yu to question him.
"Did he say who was behind the scenes?" The look in Emperor Yu's eyes kept changing, but the anger just now was gone.
Liu Bingwen stabilized his mind and then raised his head: "Pedestrian Si Si Zheng Xie Ji'an is the disciple of Xia Yunqing, the chief assistant!"
Emperor Yu's thick eyebrows moved slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Double happiness, Xuan Xia's first assistant and Xie Jian will enter the palace quickly——"
"Wait a minute!" Liu Bingwen interrupted him in a hurry, and after swallowing his saliva, he said: "Xia Yunqing is eloquent, so he will definitely shirk it. But Xie Ji'an is only a ninth-rank official, and he definitely dare not correct the chief minister!
I have a clever plan that will make the people behind the scenes unable to hide!"
"Do you have a clever idea?" Emperor Yu was no longer angry. Instead, he looked at him with interest: "Okay, let's hear it."