Chapter 595 Fanning the flames and drawing the fire from the bottom!
A house at the junction of Chuifuchang Street and Chongwenmenwai Street south of Chongwenmen. From the outside, it looks no different from the ordinary houses in the south of the capital. At most, the house is more spacious, and the interior is more spacious.
He also ordered two servants. As the master, the old man was very amiable. When he had nothing to do, he would often walk around the neighborhood without even bringing a servant with him. The neighbors began to talk about this.
The beardless old man was still a little curious, but hearing his natural voice and refined manner, they naturally thought he was an old scholar. Several adults even discussed raising money to ask the old man to open a private school to teach children, but they all made the old man laugh.
Hehehe refused.
The old man actually has one or two younger generations who come to visit and ask for advice from time to time. The young man who often comes and goes is also familiar with the neighbors, and some of his acquaintances will even call him "Xin Ge'er" or "Shiro". Although this young man has already
He was a scholar, but he was extremely polite and courteous to others. Even some people from well-off families came to inquire about his marriage, but the old man laughed and dismissed him. In addition to Xin Silang, there was another person who often came and went.
The shyer boy, with a tender face and unwilling to speak much, was also polite to others. Occasionally, he would take out some rare candied fruits from his sleeves and give them to the children. Naturally, everyone liked them.
However, on this day, a rare guest came to the old man's house. This guest came in a carriage, and he was not surrounded by people in a very ostentatious manner. Moreover, when he got off the carriage, he was already trembling and could not even walk.
Unstable, he must be in his seventies or eighties. Although the neighbors had seen some wealthy guests from this family that were rarely seen in other houses before, this was the first time for such an old man to see them, and he had to take a few glances at them.
Li Rong didn't care at all about the surprised and suspicious looks from outsiders. At this moment, he held the hand of a child next to him and entered the yard. He saw Xiao Jing taking the soft towel handed by an old servant and wiping his hands.
He walked forward with a smile. Even though it had only been more than a year since he officially retired, looking at the other person's energetic appearance, he was completely decrepit. He still felt a kind of envy from the bottom of his heart.
"Eunuch Xiao, your life as a hermit is really like wandering clouds and wild cranes, you are very carefree."
"The big hermit hides in the court, the middle hermit hides in the city. The small hermit hides in the wild, I can only be regarded as the middle hermit at best. What's more, every three days, a nephew from the family comes to greet me and talk about knowledge. What is free, that is, happy and at ease.
That's all." Having said this, Xiao Jing looked at Li Rong thoughtfully, then waved his hand and told the old servant to leave. Then he calmly asked, "I heard that Eunuch Li was originally going to Nanjing, but later he didn't.
I left, but I never got to see you again. Today you are here..."
Li Rong broke free from the hand of the child next to him and sent him to wait outside. He just took two steps forward with a cane and saw that he was only two steps away from Xiao Jing face to face. He just took a deep breath.
Said: "Eunuch Xiao, since you left the palace, although Rui Sheng has been the most famous person in front of the emperor, for those old people who stayed in the palace, they have not been given much attention, let alone reused. They have all said that they are leaving.
Cha Liang, I heard that your great-nephew Xiao Xin also failed the provincial examination this year. What happened now, how much you cultivated that boy Xu Xun back then, and what is the result now?"
Xiao Jing didn't expect Li Rong to come to his door for such a rare thing, so he raised his eyebrows. Then he laughed dumbly and said: "I didn't expect that a junior in my family would be so tired that Eunuch Li would be so concerned.
.It is common sense in official circles that people should take the exam, and since he wants to take the exam, he has to rely on himself. Besides, he is still young, so it is a good thing to suffer some setbacks."
Having worked with Xiao Jing for decades, Li Rong had already figured out seventy-eight points of his character. Knowing that this alone would not arouse Xiao Jing's resentment and spirit, he emphasized his tone and said:
"Eunuch Xiao is really upright and upright, but now you can't just stay out of it if you don't want to do anything. Liu Jin and Xu Xun are no longer like water and oil, like glue and paint before, but they are like water and fire, and they must decide a winner or loser.
"There is a saying that when two tigers fight, one will be injured. Although we are already in our seventies or eighties, there are still so many juniors below us. Are you willing to let them be bullied?"...
Seeing that Xiao Jing seemed to be moved, Li Rong talked eloquently: "The people who preside over the Shuntianfu Township Examination in this subject are Liu Chun, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and Wu Yan, a bachelor of the Imperial Academy. Needless to say, Wu Yan is the deputy examiner, and his qualifications are
It is shallow, but Liu Chun has always had a literary name. Moreover, his tutor was Wu Kuan, the number one scholar in the eighth year of Chenghua. Wu Kuan and his first assistant Li Xiya were close friends, and they often sang poems together, so Liu Chun also
He is a very diligent member of the Li family. Do you think Li Xiya meant this? Not long ago, when Xu Xun was spitting in the Shuangta Temple, he also ridiculed others for failing in the provincial examination. An Zhi
Didn't he cause any trouble? Eunuch Xiao, you trust this naughty boy too much, and you also trust Ruisheng too much. Although he comes to you frequently, how much care does he get?"
After listening to Li Rong speak so eloquently in one breath, Xiao Jing gradually put away the smile that was still hanging on his face. It wasn't until the other party finished speaking that he said lightly: "Eunuch Li, the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and every generation
New people replace old people. We are all in our seventies and eighties. Why don't we want to enjoy our lives at home with our grandchildren, but we still want to fight with others? I know that you were overthrown last year, so you don't want to give up.
But rather than being dragged into the two camps and falling to pieces, it is better to retreat bravely. You and I have worked together for so many years, even if I give you one last piece of advice, sometimes it is a good thing to retreat, and don't be hated and benefited.
Blinded!"
Hearing that Xiao Jing actually said such words, Li Rong suddenly changed his expression, knowing that his hope that Xiao Jing would have any remaining men in the palace was in vain. A ferocious expression appeared on his face for an instant, even though
He suppressed it immediately, but he knew that his purpose could no longer be concealed. After staring at Xiao Jing for a long time, he finally clenched his fists.
"Xiao Meidong, I just hope you won't regret it in the future!"
Seeing Li Rong say these words, he turned around and walked out step by step on crutches. Xiao Jing couldn't help showing a trace of pity. However, when he walked out of the door, he still couldn't help but sigh again.
He breathed a sigh of relief. From the chief ceremonial officer who was worshiped by everyone in the palace, to an old man who is no different from an ordinary old man in the capital, this gap is indeed difficult to bear, but it is something that people who once held high positions must get used to.
Otherwise, how would those old ministers who returned to their hometowns live their lives?
"Li Maochun. You don't want to end up like Wang Yue..."
Before the words in Xiao Jing's mouth faded away, he heard a burst of noise suddenly coming from outside the door. He frowned at first, and then his expression suddenly changed. He didn't even bother to call the servant. He just said three words
He ran straight out the door in two steps. He saw that there were already twenty or thirty burly men in black clothes beside Li Rong's carriage, and Li Rong, a very old man, was being twisted by two of them, one on the left and the other on the right.
He was shocked and angry, and immediately shouted angrily: "What do you want to do in broad daylight!"
"Xiao Meidong, have you seen, this is the way the world is today!" Li Rong has recognized that many of these are the clothes of people in the Dongchang. Thinking of the past, Wang Yue, who controlled the Dongchang, he was able to make these Xuanyi
Fanzi moved around at will like a finger, but now such a group of people came to kill him. He just felt ridiculous and regretful. When he saw that the people even brought ropes to tie him up, he was even more excited for a moment.
He said in a loud voice, "It's me today, and it's your turn next!"
Seeing that there were many people around watching the fun. Wei San, who led the team out today, suddenly shouted in a high voice: "The inner factory is doing business in the east factory, and the idle people should stay away, otherwise don't blame us for being rude!"
Although it was not a good idea to look at these people at first, when they heard that it was the factory guard, everyone immediately dispersed. At this time, Wei San just looked at Xiao Jing with a half-smile but said: "Eunuch Xiao, our family
I just followed Eunuch Liu's order and brought people from Neichang and Dongchang to arrest the traitor who was deceiving the public with his lies. I didn't mean to disturb him." As he spoke, he waved his hand to signal for someone to stop Li Rong's mouth, but he showed no respect for the elder at all.
Heart, stretched out his palm and patted Li Rong's wrinkled face, and then said with a double entendre. "Eunuch Liu spared your life, but who knew you would be so restless?
Who’s to blame?”….
Even though Xiao Jing had long since lost his desire to be competitive, he still felt deeply angry when faced with such a character who became arrogant when he succeeded. He and Li Rong fought openly and secretly back then, and there was a lot of discord. But after all, they were never completely
So even if Li Rong came to the door today with no good intentions, he couldn't just sit back and watch when he was treated like this in front of his door. Thinking of this, he said in a deep voice: "Even if Mr. Liu sends you to do something,
You should never have been allowed to use such rude methods! You must know that when the emperor was young, he was always served by Eunuch Li, a kind of affection that even Eunuch Liu could not compare to!"
Wei San immediately turned around, and after a moment of surprise, he showed a sneer on his face: "Eunuch Xiao, our family respects you as a senior in the palace, but we are not afraid of you! Now and then, a hero
Don’t mention how brave you were back then. Think about how majestic Wang Yue, Xu Qing and the others were back then. Now they are just piles of dead bones on a mass grave! Someone, take this person away for me!”
Bang bang bang bang——
Just when Xiao Jing felt that he was so angry that his chest felt stuffy, he suddenly heard a burst of unhurried clapping. Looking around, he saw three or five people on the street outside Chongwenmen.
When he turned out slowly, he recognized the leader at once, and his tense nerves suddenly relaxed. As his whole body relaxed, he couldn't help but reach out to the door.
After giving him a hand, he smiled.
"So majestic and domineering!"
While walking slowly and applauding softly, he saw that Wei San and everyone around him first felt as if they were facing a powerful enemy, and then they all showed unprepared expressions. Only then did Xu Xun look around at these people unhurriedly, his eyes
Finally, it fell on Li Rong: "I didn't expect that the former Chief of Ceremonies, the eunuch in charge, even the emperor wanted to call Li Banban, but now a few minions in the Dongchang and Neichang have been regarded as thieves.
I don’t know what the emperor’s expression would be if he knew about it.”
Wei San no longer wants to know how this matter alarmed Xu Xun, let alone why Xu Xun, who has never heard of being at odds with Li Rong, actually came forward in person. He only knows that if this matter breaks out, there is nothing he can do about it.
There was no way to explain the consequences to Liu Jin - the biggest possibility was that he would be thrown out by Liu Jin as a scapegoat and bear the wrath of all the emperors. However, his bright future had just begun, and naturally he did not want to completely ruin it, so he almost
With his most attentive and respectful smile and the most groveling attitude, he stepped forward and said with a smile: "Master Hou, Master Hou, this is just a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstand?"
"Yes, yes." Wei San swallowed hard, and then said softly, "Hasn't the Marquis always been at odds with this Li Rong? I heard that he was the one who secretly slandered the emperor and tried to drive a wedge between the emperor and you.
relationship, such a thief..."
"Oh, so Eunuch Liu is thinking about me?" Xu Xun saw Wei San's head nodding like a chicken pecking at rice. He suddenly raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Do you think I am a three-year-old child?
Okay, I won’t talk nonsense with you little minions. Since this happened to me, I can’t treat it as if it never happened. Leave me alone and you can get out! If you let me see it again in the future
You haunt Eunuch Xiao's private residence, so don't blame me for being rude!"
Wei San didn't expect Xu Xun to be so arbitrary and forceful. He didn't even consider the consequences of falling out with Liu Jin. However, even if he wanted to order his men to ignore these things and take the people away, or simply have a conflict with Xu Xun in person, however,
When he saw a group of men wearing dark purple coats walking towards the other end of the main street of the branch factory, he suddenly thought that the land on the south side outside the city had always been the chassis of the West Factory and the Fujun avant-garde.
No matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to win. Moreover, since Xu Xun was willing to tear his face, he would always have an explanation to Liu Jin when he went back. So, after rolling his eyes for a moment, he immediately made a painful decision...
"Okay, since Lord Marquis must do this, then naturally I dare not disobey him! Let him go, let's go!"
Seeing that the group of people from Neichang and Dongchang were coming and going faster, they all receded like the tide in a moment. Xiao Jing saw that there was no one holding him hostage, and it was actually Li Rong who was sitting there paralyzed.
He showed an unusually complicated expression. He glanced at Xu Xun first, then walked forward slowly, reached out and untied the rope for Li Rong himself. Then he pulled out the ball of rags that were used to gag. Seeing that Li Rong was almost
He coughed violently while pressing his chest, and finally collapsed to the ground weakly. He just whispered: "Li Maochun, listen to my last words of advice and leave the capital, a place of right and wrong!"
Li Rong, however, seemed as if he hadn't heard anything and stared at Xu Xun fiercely. His throat was so hoarse that he asked: "Why did you save me?"
"Eunuch Li must have made a mistake." Xu Xun shrugged, and then said with a cold expression, "Just because you have plotted against me time and time again in the past, and today someone has taken advantage of you to kill or cut you into pieces, then that's okay.
It's none of my business! But since we are in front of Eunuch Xiao, I can't sit idly by and ignore it! Today is the only and last time. If you still want to seek death again, it won't be so easy. I
That’s it, you can take care of yourself!”
Having said this, Xu Xun turned to look at the ten or twenty sergeants and ordered: "From now on, I will send people to protect Eunuch Xiao's private residence. If there is another person like that who just showed off his power,
Or maybe they are just spying on you, so let me fight them all away, and I will take care of them if anything happens!"
"Got the order!"
After saying this, Xu Xun stopped looking at the embarrassed Li Rong and the lonely carriage behind him. He walked straight to Xiao Jing, helped his arm affectionately, and then said: "There happens to be someone here today.
I came here to see Eunuch Xiao. I wonder if I can excuse you for a meal?"
"You!" Although Xu Xun was rude to Li Rong, his behavior was very different from that of Wei San's group before. In addition, Xu Xun arrived in time and gave him a lot of face.
Naturally, he remembered his feelings and immediately said with a smile, "Now that you are here, can I still drive you out? Sit in the room!"
He glanced at Li Rong, and an idea came to his mind. While Xu Xun was here, he quickly sent someone to send him out of the capital, and he could still save his life!
While talking, the two of them entered the house, and Xu Xun's entourage and bodyguards dispersed, and the sergeants from the Xichang and Fujun vanguard also gradually dispersed. Li Rong collapsed on the ground.
After thinking about what Xu Xun had just said, although the hatred on his face had not yet dissipated, he knew deeply in his heart that his era had truly ended. If Xu Xun hadn't happened to kill him today, I'm afraid he would have
Like Wang Yue, he will die an unexplained death.
The chance encounter with Zhu Houzhao was carefully planned. As long as Liu Jin and Xu Xun were on guard, he wouldn't be able to do it a second time! And Zhu Houzhao has now established a queen, which is the moment when the spring breeze is proud. Even if he thinks of him, Li Rong,
He will also be covered up by others. With his old bones, he is no longer the powerful Da Xun in the palace!
The commotion outside once made everyone in the Xiao house panic. However, when Xu Xun came in with Xiao Jing, the two old servants who had known the Pingbei Hou for a long time immediately breathed a sigh of relief and served hot tea.
, he followed Xiao Jing's instructions and went to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Xiao Jing saw Xu Xun sitting down leisurely in front of him, and immediately asked with a half-smile: "My old bone just got angry for a moment, but what?"
Shizhen, your rare tough attitude is not just to save my face?"
"Eunuch Xiao has a sharp eye." Xu Xun did not deny it and nodded readily, "What I did today was just to put the last straw on the camel that could no longer carry anything on its back, so I
Eunuch Xiao, please put your tiger skin to some use. When I was a young man, I rarely showed off my power in front of others, but recently I have done so several times. I guess the rumors about this official's bad temper are spreading all over the city.