The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is a small year.
The snow in the courtyard of Taiji Hall has been swept away, but the snow in the cracks of the bricks and on the edge of the square cannot be swept away. The wide ground has become mottled in color, and the gray-brown floor tiles are mixed with the remaining snow, as if they are not clear.
It seems clean.
The weather was still cold, it didn't snow or the sun came out.
Today is not a day for court meetings, but officials are entering this grand courtyard one after another. They are all here to attend the palace banquet. There are also palace maids and eunuchs walking quickly, preparing for the banquet.
Two officials who knew each other bowed to each other. One of them greeted: "It's almost the Chinese New Year." The other said: "Today is also considered a Chinese New Year, a small year."
No one mentioned Wang Feixiao's defeat in the court because it had not been mentioned at the court meeting. The matter seemed to have become an open secret in Luoyang.
This palace banquet had been prepared before the Battle of Dongguan happened, but now the palace has not said it will be cancelled. So everyone just pretended that the Battle of Dongguan has not happened yet, so as not to discuss it today, which would ruin the fun.
Although the recipe program for the banquet in the east hall of the Tai Chi Hall is not necessarily richer than the family banquet of the noble family, the etiquette is very high. There are many official temples involved in the preparation of this matter. It does not mean that it can be canceled immediately. There are many involved
The link is very slow.
At least the Shaofu was responsible for preparing the food, the Qing Commercial Department was responsible for preparing the performances, and Dahonglu was responsible for arranging the rituals and music.
After a while, more and more people came. Most civil and military officials entered the palace through the Shenhu Gate on the west side. After entering the Shenhu Gate, there is the West Palace Gate. People can go straight into the Taiji Hall courtyard, even if they live in the east of the city.
Officials are also accustomed to going to Shenhu Gate; only a few officials come in from the East Palace Gate in the east, and most of them are from Shangshu Province.
The atmosphere was indeed a bit gloomy, and even though the sound of silk and bamboo orchestral music came from the east hall, it still failed to create a festive atmosphere.
Xu Yun, who was wearing green fur clothes, also came to the east hall early. He had a short sword hidden on his back, so he was careful when walking for fear of being spotted. However, the loose robes hid the sword very densely.
, as a civil servant, the range of movements is small, but it is in line with etiquette.
While talking to his colleagues, he paid attention to the direction of the door. Sure enough, after a while, Shangshu Zuopu shot Li Feng and came in. Li Feng looked at Xu Yun calmly. The two did not approach, Xu Yun just stayed away.
He nodded in greeting and at the same time hinted: Get ready!
The colleague in front of him noticed Xu Yun's nodding movement and looked back in the direction. Li Feng nodded as a greeting. His upright Chinese character face looked very calm.
Xu Yun, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel nervous, and his face probably didn't look good either.
Fortunately, although the atmosphere at the banquet was not good, no one could have imagined what would happen. After all, only a few key people knew about the whole thing, and even Xia Houxuan did not know that the first step to be dealt with was...
It's just Qin Liang alone.
This is how a conspiracy should be done. Secrecy is the key. The key is to be quick and decisive and launch suddenly!
Xu Yun found his place. The place where he used to stand or kneel when he went to court had been neatly laid out with banquet tables and small tables. The banquets in the palace were also divided into separate banquets, and everyone ate on their own small tables.
of food and drinks.
People came to sit down one after another, and the seats next to the small table were almost full. The ministers arrived early, and the emperor and his family were usually the last to arrive.
However, the small table next to Gao Rou's table was still empty, and Qin Liang had not arrived yet. Xu Yun turned back from time to time and glanced at the square outside the gate, but Qin Liang was still not seen outside.
When he usually goes to court, Qin Liang usually comes late, so he should have to wait for a while.
Everyone had been preparing and waiting for more than ten days before. Xu Yun felt that it was the longest period of his life. But now that it was coming to an end and was about to start, he felt that the time for half a stick of incense at this moment was even longer! He seemed to have walked away
A tunnel of time has passed, and a long journey can be experienced in an instant.
But no matter how tight the string is, it will always get tired as time goes by.
After a long time, Xu Yun almost felt that he was numb. It was as if he had lost all his feelings. Only his feet in the robe felt stiff and cold.
The weather is really cold!
The red charcoal of the copper furnace in the main hall seems to be cold when it rises. The spacious main hall is supported by large pillars. The space is too big, and it is not easy to warm up when burning charcoal.
At this moment, surrounded by the eunuchs and maidens, the emperor, the queen, and the Queen Mother Guo all entered the east hall from the side back door. The officials who were chatting soon became quiet, and people stood up from their seats one after another.
The emperor was already there! Xu Yun stood up and looked around. Fu Gu, the chief minister of General Wei's Mansion, was also there, but Qin Liang's seat was still empty.
Su Shuo, the supervisor of Huangmen, and Liu Xian, a redundant servant, were also beside the emperor and came to the east hall. Only Le Dun, the commander of the Yongning Department, did not see anyone, but according to the plan, he should be outside the east hall gate and start again after launching.
Armed with swords, they surrounded Qin Liang from the outside and blocked Qin Liang's escape route.
Everything had been arranged, but the person to be dealt with did not come! Xu Yun had to wonder: Qin Liang is not coming today?
Sure enough, Emperor Cao Fang just came in and cast his gaze at Qin Liang's vacant seat, his eyes changing slightly.
After the emperor and his family were seated, everyone kowtowed step by step and shouted "Longevity without Borders", and then the emperor granted them a seat.
Xu Yun was in a state of confusion. He could hardly hear people's voices anymore, as if they were just noise coming from a distant place. He was not in the mood to enjoy the singing and dancing. In his eyes, they were just a group of dancers from the Qing Dynasty Commercial Office.
Wandering around, the emperor seemed to be toasting Queen Mother Guo, but Queen Mother Guo was expressionless, and the relationship between mother and son seemed to be just a dull performance.
The few dishes and drinks served by the palace maids also lost their taste, almost like chewing wax and drinking plain water.
Xu Yun's previously tense mood had indeed relaxed at this time. Because the person he wanted to kill had not come, the thrilling event in his imagination would no longer happen. The tone of his throat was naturally relaxed for the time being.
.
At this time, Xu Yun heard a "dong dong" sound in his chest. He couldn't tell what he felt. Maybe he was afraid?
But there was no rejoicing. The thunderous scene did not happen, but the subsequent worries and troubles gradually shrouded Xu Yun's mind like a large dark cloud! When things have reached this point, there is actually no retreat.
the road!
Why didn't Qin Liang come? Has he already noticed the conspiracy?
If the conspiracy has been leaked, the result will be too bad. Qin Liang and the Wang family are powerful officials, and they will surely be slowly investigated and calculated later!
Xu Yun was puzzled. How could Qin Liang have heard about it? It had only been a few days since the news of Wang Feixiao's defeat reached Luoyang. Even if Qin Liang was wary, he should not be suspicious that something would happen so soon.