lady, please calm down

Chapter 498: Internal undercurrent, shocking case?
On the twenty-fifth day, Chen hour is in the middle.

Not long after the posthouse opened, Luo Ruji, the imperial envoy from Lin'an, Sang Yanting, the prefect, and Zheng Huaihan, the regiment training envoy, arrived together.

Knowing that the three of them wanted to see Concubine Cai, the Huaibei soldiers guarding the door went inside to inform them.

Cai Hua, who loves to stay in bed, has just gotten up.

Today she was wearing a white and black collared blouse, and was sitting in the small hall of the front house eating rice porridge. When she heard that the three people were visiting, Cai Hua seemed to have expected it, and said directly: "Please come in."

But the soldier hesitated for a moment, then said: "All three of them looked angry. If Madam doesn't want to see her, my subordinates will send them away."

Cai Hua put down the spoon and said sarcastically: "It doesn't matter, they are not stupid. Now Jiangning is in the hands of our army. If they don't want their whole family to be buried with them, they don't dare to do anything to me."

The guard then turned around and walked out.

After a while, the three of them entered. Cai Hua was still sitting at the dining table and took a spoonful of sweet-scented osmanthus sugar taro seedlings and put it into her mouth. She then showed a satisfied look on her face and praised: "Oh, your Jiangning Mansion is really delicious. It’s very different from me in Huaibei. Can the three adults have a meal together?”

"."

Luo Ruji laughed angrily and heard him say: "Madam, are you really not afraid that King Jin and even the world will know what you have done? Even if you are not afraid, you don't think about Xiang Cai?"

However, he imagined several possible reactions of Cai, but he did not expect that
However, Cai raised his eyebrows, slapped the folding fan in his hand on the table, and scolded: "You are also a minister of the country, but you are so angry for a mere millions of wealth, how can you say that you are so dignified?"

Hearing Cai Hua calling Emperor Zhou by his name, Luo Ruji was frightened and quickly pretended to be righteous.

You, a concubine of a royal palace, invite men to the table with you. There are no rules. If the family of a high-ranking official nearby had not been divorced, they would have been beaten to death by the mistress!

Hearing Shangguan's tough tone, Sang Yanting winked at him and winked at him. This was a last resort. Even if there was still a slight possibility of relaxation, Sang Yanting didn't want the situation to really become irreversible.

There was a battle at the front, and the female family members at the rear were accepting bribes from the enemy. When this kind of thing came out, it was really enough for her to drink a pot. Even if the King of Jin ignored the public opinion of the world and insisted on protecting the Cai family, Cai Yuan's still-unfavoured position might not be preserved.

Seeing this, Cai Hua neither refuted Zheng Huaihan nor dissuaded his guards, and allowed them to surround the three of them.

Sang Yanting was startled and said hurriedly: "Mrs. Cai! I have already left a letter outside. If the three of us are in trouble today, what Mrs. Cai has done will spread throughout the city in a short time!"

When Cai Hua heard this, she didn't see any panic expression. She just said calmly: "Compared to millions of wealth, which one is more important, the future of Mr. Luo, including Mr. Sang and Mr. Zheng?"

Why are we so embarrassed? It’s obvious that you’re the one who takes the money and doesn’t do anything!
It's simply unreasonable, utterly arrogant, and utterly dishonest!

Even Sang Yanting, who had been trying to ease the atmosphere, was confused. What is a mere millionaire? What do you mean we are embarrassed?

Luo Ruji was angry. Although his tone was full of sarcasm, deep down in his heart, he actually had a glimmer of hope and even wanted to hear what Cai said about 'this business'.

In just a few meetings, this charming woman can refresh several people's perceptions every time.

Luo Ruji said secretly: "Madam, how do you say this?"

Cai Hua waved her folding fan to let the guards outside the door disperse further, then stood up, passed the three of them, turned her back to Luo Ruji and said: "If I remember correctly, at the end of last year you invaded Huaibei from the north, and the east and west armies were in charge. It must be Wang Shu, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Wan Qixi, Minister of Dali Temple."

"Mrs. Cai! Please treat my emperor with due respect!"

His tone was a bit harsh, and the guards who had not dared to leave immediately looked at him, and the guards scattered in every corner of the courtyard immediately surrounded him, with their hands on the handles of their knives.

But Cai Hua was not affected at all and continued to chew slowly until she had put all the bowl of sweet-scented osmanthus and taro sprouts into her stomach. Then she wiped her mouth gracefully and waved her hand gently to signal the guards to move away. .

Cai Hua smiled confidently at the spring scene in the courtyard and said: "I, a weak woman, cannot handle your important ministers in Lin'an, but my prince can! Do you think that if my prince's army surrounded Lin'an, with Chai Chong's cowardly temper, would it be possible? Send the person to my prince for disposal?”

This matter was indeed done improperly by the Lin'an court. Luo Ruji wanted to explain, but Cai Hua, who was dressed in men's clothes, was as domineering as a man. He interrupted him with a wave of his hand and continued: "Now, my prince is leading his army to march south. , just to seek justice for Huaibei! Wang Shu and Wan Qixi are always left to our disposal."

Cai Hua picked up the folding fan again and shook it a few times.

Zheng Huaihan seemed to have heard something, and subconsciously looked at Luo Ruji. The latter seemed to have guessed what Cai wanted to say, but he lowered his head and was speechless, waiting for Cai to continue.
After only two or three rounds of verbal exchanges, Cai Huan quickly mastered the rhythm and initiative of the conversation from a dishonest person who was being questioned.

At this point, combined with her sentence "If you give me wealth, I will give you a minister or the minister of Dali Temple", the meaning is already very clear.

Although Luo Ruji, the current Privy Councilor, is a fourth-rank official, there is still a big gap compared to the second-rank Shangshu and the third-rank Dali Temple Minister.

Rather than a rebuttal, Luo Ruji's temptation was to test the other party's determination and methods to get rid of the two of them, so that he would consider whether to really cooperate with Cai.

Sang Yanting breathed a sigh of relief, but Luo Ruji couldn't swallow it. All the money was given away, and this untrustworthy woman didn't do anything. His job was considered a failure.

Although the guards looked worried, they still followed the order and took a dozen steps away.

This was a threat to Cai Hua to make her request for bribes public.

Therefore, loyalty to Lin'an is still his first choice at the moment.
But there is no conflict between loyalty to Lin'an and seeking progress. However, Luo Ruji has been tricked by this woman a few days ago, and this time Luo Ruji is more vigilant.

"."

One million worth of goods is already a year's tax for Zhongshangzhou Prefecture!

Zheng Huaihan, who had been treated like a monkey, saw that Cai Hua was doing nothing. He couldn't help but become even more angry and said: "We are not as elegant as Madam! Everything that Madam eats is the flesh and blood of our Jiangning people!"

Anyway, being forced into a desperate situation, Luo Ruji had less worries and said solemnly: "Madam, do you think that for inking us one hundred thousand taels of gold, we can only knock out our teeth and swallow it with blood? If Madam doesn't give me a way to survive, Madam, don’t even think about living in peace!”

This sounds too ridiculous.

Just listen to him say: "Madam, you have such a strong tone. Wang Shangshu is an old minister of Ding Wei, with high morals and high respect. Lord Wanqi has won the trust of my emperor and Qin. Both of them are important ministers of our court. Madam, you can handle it if you want to deal with it?"

Furthermore, there is a carrot and a pit, there are no vacancies in the current six departments, and the Minister of Dali Temple is his competitor Wan Qixi who is in office, so it is not his turn to be Luo Ruji!
"Madam, do you think I am a three-year-old child?"

"Lord Luo, you will give me millions of goods, and I will give you a position as chief officer or minister of Dali Temple. Can this business be done?"

Luo Ruji was not like local officials like Sang Yanting who could move forward and retreat freely. As a court official, his whole family stayed in Lin'an.

Luo Ruji and Zheng Huaihan were confused for a moment. They even quickly recalled the whole incident and reflected on whether they had done anything wrong. Otherwise, how could this woman be so confident?

Just listen to her continue: "Back then, my prince asked your court to find the culprit, but you only gave Wu Weiguang to fool my court! He is still dead!"

"."

At present, even a difficult person like Cai Hua smiled, raised his hands and apologized to the south: "I was slippery for a moment, and I apologize to the Emperor of Lin'an Zhou Dynasty. I hope that your majesty will pardon the death penalty of this slave."

This apology is totally devoid of sincerity. It is even disgusting to add "Lin'an" in front of "Emperor of the Great Zhou" to indicate that there is another Emperor of the Great Zhou in Anfeng.

Dealing with this charming woman was no easier than dealing with the old foxes in the court, and he would be provoked to anger by her from time to time.

Luo Ruji forced herself to calm down and thought about what Cai Hua said. Although her words were unpleasant, they did make sense.

Given your Majesty's cowardly nature, if King Jin really besieged Lin'an, not only asking for Wan Qixi, but also asking for one of his concubines, your Majesty might also secretly send her to King Jin's camp.

"Madam, you have so much confidence in the King of Jin? Although it is only five hundred miles from Dantu to Lin'an, there are dense water networks along the way, and there are important towns such as Jinling, Wucheng, and Deqing."

"Hehe, how does the important town that Mr. Luo mentioned compare to Jiangning? If Mr. Luo really thinks that your dynasty can stop my prince's army, how can Mr. Luo raise a hundred thousand gold to bribe me, hoping that a girl from the slave family will blow my mind? Advise the prince to withdraw his troops?"

This is a bit heartbreaking. But it is true as Cai Hua said. If Luo Ruji had confidence in Zhou Guoxiang's army, he would not use such methods of bribing women to stop the Huaibei army from advancing.

After repeated temptations, Luo Ruji could not gain any advantage in words, so he simply stopped making useless accusations. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said: "Even if it is as my wife said, Wang Shangshu and Lord Wanqi are going to Huaibei as envoys, what will they have to do with me?" Dry?"

If Wang Shu and Wan Qixi were really handed over to Huaibei, of course they would not be sent as envoys. This was just for the sake of dignity.

But "What does it have to do with me" is almost made clear. Even if they are gone, how can you, Mrs. Cai, guarantee that the official title will fall on my head, Luo Ruji.

Cai Hua, who had always turned her back to the three of them, turned around with a smile on her lips and looked at her carefully. Luo Ruji could ask this, which meant that he was really interested.

Luo Ruji was in his thirties at the time and had been an official in the central government for nearly ten years. He had dealt with many important officials in Lin'an. At this time, Cai Hua saw that he felt uncomfortable and lowered his head involuntarily.

This woman's narrow fox eyes seemed to be able to see through the deepest greed in his heart. Once she saw the greed, she could see the dirty thoughts behind it.

Luo Ruji, he really wants to make progress, and he even wants to step on his competitor Wan Qixi who has been suppressing him for many years.

'Wow~'

Cai Hua opened the folding fan handsomely with one hand, shook it a few times, and said in a charming voice: "Master Luo, just imagine, after our army surrounded Lin'an, what does Emperor Lin'an want most?"

Zheng Huaihan, who had already experienced the power of the Cai family when he came to give gifts a few days ago, always lowered his head and subconsciously said: "What my emperor wants most is of course that the King of Jin withdraws his troops."

"That's right! By then, I can persuade my prince that no matter who comes to negotiate peace, the prince will not retreat! We must wait until Mr. Luo comes forward in person before agreeing to withdraw. I will give Mr. Luo a mission to protect the imperial capital and hold up the sky with one hand. How about an unparalleled achievement?"

"."

Zheng Huaihan and Sang Yanting looked at each other in horror.

They didn't know that King Jin was not ready to take Lin'an yet. Just thinking about it made his scalp numb.

Just imagine, when Lin'an is besieged on all sides, the emperor is horrified and the ministers are helpless. At this time, Master Luo Ruluo enters the enemy camp alone and uses his sharp tongue to persuade the King of Jin to retreat.
Isn’t this the highest pursuit of officials to turn the tide when it is falling and to support the country when it is about to fall! Just thinking about it made Sang Yanting feel excited, and even a little envious of Luo Ruji for having the opportunity to become famous in the world.

And Luo Ruji had fallen into deep thought.
Cai Hua waited for a few breaths, and after they digested it, he said leisurely: "You are all smart people, and you can naturally see that from now on, it is a foregone conclusion that Qi will be strong and Zhou will be weak. In the future, what can I say with the King of Jin? When I spoke to Zhou Chen, he naturally has a greater say. My prince is benevolent and righteous, and has not forced Mr. Sang and Mr. Zheng to change their families."

"Yes, yes, the prince is benevolent and righteous, and the madam is benevolent and righteous."

Sang Yanting quickly complimented, and Cai Hua smiled slightly and said: "From now on, you will continue to be your ministers. With the help of my prince, I will ensure that a few of you will rise to the top."

These words may sound confusing to outsiders, but Sang Yanting and others understand what Cai Hua means. Qi is strong and Zhou is weak. From now on, all the focus of the Zhou court will turn to how to deal with Qi.

In this case, the better the relationship with the King of Jin, the more important he was in the Lin'an Dynasty.

Just like Li Hongzhang in the later Qing Dynasty, every time he returned to the post-war peace talks, the foreigners would appoint Li Zhongtang as the chief representative, and the others would not recognize it.

Naturally, Li Hongzhang became more and more powerful, and the Qing court, which had always been wary of Han officials, had nothing to do when the former became powerful.

That was the era that compradors miss the most
To put it bluntly, Cai Hua wanted to support the Huaibei comprador in the Lin'an court.

This matter is extremely detrimental to Lin'an, but it is not a bad thing for Luo Ruji and the others.

In fact, Luo Ruji had already been persuaded, but Cai was a woman after all. He couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart if he was asked to say something so presumptuous to a woman.

Cai Hua seemed to have seen through Luo Ruji. She closed the folding fan with a swipe and inserted it into the belt around her waist.

Then he walked to the table with a smile, personally held the pot and poured four cups of cold tea. He took the lead in picking up a cup and said respectfully: "Master Luo's talent will be replaced by Qin Huizhi in the future. It will be a matter of course." ”

Sang Yanting hurried forward and took a glass from the table, but found that Luo Ruji and Zheng Huaihan had not followed, so he quickly turned around and winked at them wildly.

Today, he heard Cai Hua's words in his heart. Now that the world is about to change, Concubine Cai has shown us a clear path without having to bear the name of two ministers. Why are you two hesitating!

After only a few breaths, Luo Ruji finally took a step forward.

As soon as he moved, Zheng Huaihan immediately raised his leg.
The four of them were divided into four corners, each holding a cup of tea. At this point, the smile that had always been hanging on Cai Hua's charming face became brighter, and her pair of cunning fox eyes curved into a crescent moon.

"The slave family would like to wish the three adults great success and great success!"

"It's all thanks to Madam's favor and support."

After Sang Yanting finished speaking, Zheng Huaihan also said, "I would like to help you share your worries."

After the two of them passed by, Luo Ruji had to endure the huge sense of shame of surrendering to a woman, and whispered: "Your Majesty, Luo Ruji, I wish your empress eternal immortality and good fortune for generations to come."

Although he didn't say any words of allegiance, the change from calling himself a 'foreign minister' to a 'subordinate minister' made it clear.

Cai Hua was very satisfied. She smiled and said, "Let's drink together."

After that, he raised his neck and drank the tea in the cup.

The remaining three people followed suit one after another, with a sense of ceremony as if they were accepting a younger brother.

After Jiangning City changed hands, order was quickly restored without prolonged chaos.

However, due to the prosperity of business here, the people who come and go every day have complex backgrounds, which brings considerable challenges to the work of military commanders.

After the Jin King's army moved out, this place was temporarily turned into a logistics base for the Huaibei Army.

But after all, Jiangning was not the base of the Huaibei Army. After Su Shengye settled in with the army, in order to ensure the safety and smoothness of logistics supply, he ordered his subordinate Zhang Xiaoyin to develop a group of peripheral military personnel from Shitou Jinlifu.

On the 27th, after the north wind continued to blow for a day, the sky became gloomy, but it also blew away the last remaining trace of summer, giving it a somewhat autumnal feel.

In the afternoon, Su Shengye returned to the city from the camp outside the city where he stored military supplies and equipment.

On the road, my brows are always wrinkled unconsciously, as if I have something on my mind.
Zhang Xiaoyin, who was traveling with him, praised the autumn scenery of the south of the Yangtze River for himself. Su Shengye thought he was noisy and couldn't help but said: "We military commanders are most taboo about talking too much, but you can't keep your mouth idle for a moment, so be careful to say something you shouldn't say." discipline!"

"Hehe~ I'll change it slowly."

Zhang Xiaoyin got acquainted with Su Shengye since he was captured in Fucheng, Hebei Road in the second year of Xuanqing, and officially became his subordinate after changing the flag in Yuzhou.

Due to the special circumstances of the army, the relationship between the old man and the new man is more like a master and a disciple.

At this time, being lectured by his boss and teacher Master Su, the young Zhang Xiaoyin wanted to prove that he was serious about his work, so he couldn't help but said mysteriously: "Master Su, I have heard some rumors recently."

"We'll talk about it when we get back to our place of residence."

As a mature spy, Su Shengye still remained vigilant even in Jiangning City, which seemed to be in chaos.

Not long after, the two of them turned into a dead end alley that only led to one end, and stopped in front of an inconspicuous house.

After two short and one long knocks on the door, the two entered smoothly.

Shao Qing sat down in the study room at the second entrance. A subordinate came in, presented a letter with no words on the cover, and said: "Mr. Su, when Mr. Cai was out just now, a child sent a letter."

Needless to say, the child delivered the letter. It goes without saying that the person who delivered the letter gave the child a few copper coins and asked the child to deliver the letter on his behalf.

In order to hide their whereabouts, military commanders are naturally familiar with this routine.

Su Shengye did not open the letter in a hurry, but frowned first, "Who knows our location so quickly!"

The other party hides its head and tail, but knows that the military commander conceals his location, which makes people wary.

The subordinate replied: "We have sent people to investigate."

Even if you do mental arithmetic but don't care, you won't be able to find any useful information even if you try to trace it.

Su Shengye waved his hand and ordered: "If we find a place in the city, no matter whether the other party is a friend or an enemy, he will be exposed."

"Yes."

After his subordinates retreated, Su Shengye pondered for a long time. He had also heard some things recently. The matters were not complicated, but quite tricky. Today, he went out to the station again to expose this matter, which always made him feel that there was an invisible undercurrent.

"Master?"

Zhang Xiaoyin called out softly, and Su Shengye came back to his senses. He opened the letter and said, "On the road just now, you said you heard some rumors. Tell me, what is the rumor?"

Even though he was stationed in his own place, Zhang Xiaoyin couldn't help lowering his voice and just listened to him say: "Master, I overheard"

Zhang Xiaoyin, who has always been quick to talk to others, hesitated for a moment when he said this, then glanced at Su Shengye and said: "I overheard that the Lin'an imperial envoy and Jiangning prefect raised a large amount of money to bribe."

"If there is no evidence, don't talk nonsense!"

Su Shengye quickly interrupted before Zhang Xiaoyin could say the person's name.

The master and the apprentice couldn't help but look at each other. Zhang Xiaoyin was also a smart person, so how could he not see that the master must have heard about this from some channels.

However, he didn't understand. In the past, military commanders only used to deal with mistakes. As long as someone made a mistake internally, they would definitely get to the bottom of it.

Why was Mr. Su so nervous this time? He didn't even dare to say the man's name.

Su Shengye did not explain. That person was more than just a concubine of the King of Jin. The military commander was born out of the storyteller she created. Even Su Shengye's teacher Li Ke was personally trained and promoted by her.

Zhang Xiaoyin glanced at Su Shengye who was lost in thought and said carefully: "Then you have to tell the prince."

This is the most difficult part for Su Shengye. Now he has only heard some rumors, and he does not dare to investigate Cai Hua. How can he report it to the prince?
If there is no evidence to say that Concubine Cai took bribes, wouldn't that damage the relationship between the prince and Concubine Cai?
Don't report it, it goes against the principle of military unification
Su Shengye was also undecided, but explained sharply: "Xiao Yin, this matter is not that simple. If it really happened, even if Luo Ruji and others did not act secretly, it would not be possible for you and me to know about it so easily. This 'I just heard about it', maybe someone deliberately let us know about it, and today's letter."

Su Shengye raised the half-opened letter in his hand and said, "It was sent directly to our military command station. I don't believe that the Lin'an Dynasty Privy Council Computer Speed ​​Room could find our station so quickly. If they had such ability, how could they be captured by our military commander? Penetrating into a sieve"

Zhang Xiaoyin understood everything and said in astonishment: "Master, are you saying that there is a problem within our military command?"

Su Shengye shook his head, took out the envelope and said: "It may not be within our military command, but maybe within the Daqi Imperial Court or the Anfeng Imperial Court."

"But now that our country is prospering, who in the court would be so blind and want to collude with the Lin'an court?"

Zhang Xiaoyin subconsciously believed that as long as there was a problem in the court, it was due to collusion with other places.

But Su Shengye swallowed back what he wanted to say. Someone inside was interested. It may not be collusion with foreign enemies. Maybe, maybe Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was meant for Pei Gong.
Maotou seems to be facing Concubine Cai. What if she wants to mess with Prime Minister Cai?

Such a shocking thing was completely based on Su Shengye's speculation, so he would naturally not talk nonsense.

Afterwards, Su Shengye turned his attention to today's mysterious letter. It was written in crooked handwriting, "Zhou Chen Luo Ruji and Sang Yanting bribed the Cai family with a hundred thousand gold. They have a big plot. Please ask Jin Wang Che check'

Su Shengye felt as if his hand was hot and subconsciously threw away this strange secret letter.

This time, you have to give up even if you don’t give up.
(End of this chapter)