Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 469 Noble Concubine
Imperial City, Shangshu Province, and Household Department.

The spring sunshine shines through the window paper on the table, and a box of peach cakes is placed there, looking very delicious.

Yuan Zai stretched out his hand, picked up one, put it in his mouth and chewed it, closing his eyes and savoring the taste that melted in his mouth. As for the hard biscuit on the side, he hasn't taken a bite yet.

He is not greedy, but Chang'an City is short of food now, and food demonstrates power better than anything else. This small box of peach cakes could probably cost ten thousand guan, but he could be respected by others. This was power.

Yuan Zai has always been accommodating each other, and his relationship with Yang Guozhong and Xue Bai is sometimes distant and sometimes close, but they have never been at odds with each other. The last time Li Cong's palace changed, he cooperated secretly and was among the first batch of officials to support Li Cong. Now he has been appointed as a doctor in charge of money and food in Chang'an City.

He is very good at doing this, and he is determined to rule the whole world. He can naturally handle the affairs of a small corner of Chang'an very appropriately with ease. The strange thing is that Xue Bai is always on guard against him and never relaxes in his inspection. While Yuan Zai was dissatisfied, he also thought with disdain that if he really wanted to be greedy, who could see it?
There was a knock on the door. Yuan Zai picked up a stack of official documents as if nothing had happened, casually covered the box of peach cakes, and said, "Come in."

An official in green robes walked in and said, "Mr. Yuan, this is the military ration book you want."

"Leave it alone." Yuan Zai responded calmly.

The green-robed official was about to turn around and go out when a "gurgling" sound suddenly came from his belly. Yuan Zai then raised his head and glanced at him, saying, "You look strange, have you just arrived at the Ministry of Finance?"

"Hui Yuan Langzhong, yes."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in awe. Cui Rong was a famous official in the Wu Zhou Dynasty. His articles were elegant and well-known, and he was known as the "Four Friends of Articles" together with Su Weiwei, Li Qiao, and Du Shenyan. He was one of the founders of the rhythm of Tang Dynasty rhymed poetry. This shows his reputation among officials and literati.

"When Dr. Yuan Zhong was invited, it must be that Dr. Yuan Zhong was not around when we came to the door, and the concierge wouldn't let us in..."

"Ye Ping?" Yuan Zai thought for a while and murmured: "I seem to have heard your name before, 'White jade is not a treasure, I don't need a thousand pieces of gold. Remembering a thousand pieces of paper, holding thousands of books in my heart', this poem is You wrote it?"

Hearing this, Yuan Zai smiled slightly, seemingly disapproving.

Yuan Zai just wanted to know if Xue Bai had appointed a new person to keep an eye on him, so he asked like a casual chat: "The Humble Poetry Society?"

Words like this were not only spoken by Cui Yuxi, but had spread to the ears of all the officials in Chang'an City in a very short period of time.

"Let's go to Tai Chi Palace to meet the saint!"

Ye Ping sat down carefully, took two mouthfuls of the biscuit, and responded: "In recent years, countless students from poor families have stood out due to public newspapers and literary newspapers. How can I be so good and capable?"

More and more officials arrived. When they heard the word "Xue Bai", they knew that today's matter was not simple.

If anything else had happened, these nobles and nobles, who were well-born and elegant in character, would naturally not come forward in person. But today is different. First, because Xue Bai accepted their rations, which made them feel an unprecedented crisis. Second, Xue Bai kidnapped the saint, and their move today was to rescue him.

Yuan Zai thought to himself that Xue Bai had transferred a group of officials to the Ministry of Household Affairs just a few days ago to pay for food. This person should be Xue Bai's person. When I was asked, I didn't take the initiative to give my name. I don't know if it was because I was stupid or because I didn't want to attract attention.

After hearing this, Yuan Zai was a little confused and said: "Why didn't you invite me to join the society? Not to mention that I also come from a poor family. At that time, bamboo and paper were becoming popular, and I was publishing classics and history books under Yang Zhang's family."

Today it was Cui Yuxi's turn, and he didn't need any evidence at all. The most fundamental reason for the whole incident was that Xue Bai's attitude towards the family's payment of food aroused their anger. So, when angry people spread rumors, uninformed people will naturally swarm them like headless flies.

"The lower official Ye Ping is from Raozhou, Jiangnan West Road."

Ye Ping's eyes couldn't help but light up, and he replied: "I've seen it before. First, when Xue Lang was demoted, he accompanied Chang Gun to see him off outside the city. Later, the Hanmen Poetry Society was established, and Du Fu also brought him here several times. Now he is at the top of the city. I can see him often.”

Therefore, they encouraged more and more officials to rush to Tai Chi Palace.

Especially Chen Xuanli, who holds the imperial army and has the highest prestige. He has always been loyal to the saint. As long as Chen Xuanli expresses his stance, the situation will be decided.

Ye Ping said: "It is a society formed by those of us from humble backgrounds. We have literary meetings every month, as well as our newspapers and schools."

"Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince has sent an envoy to appease An Qingxu. An Qingxu has only one request, to kill Xue Bai. However, His Highness is benevolent and righteous, but he still has scruples. We will go to Taiji Palace and ask the saint to issue an edict to punish the traitors and pacify the rebels. , and bring peace to the Tang Dynasty!”

"Let me tell you, Xue Bai kidnapped the saint and took away the remaining grain reserves in Chang'an City, not to defend the city at all, but to rebel!"

Cui Yuxi added: "I want to confess my sins to the saint today. In the spring of the seventh year of Tianbao, my seventh brother Cui Qiao was the minister of the Ministry of Rites. You must all remember that the number one scholar that year was Xue Bai. Cui Qiao At that time, he told me that "Xue Bai has evil intentions." The reason why he refused to nominate Xue Bai as the number one scholar was because he believed that character is more important than talent when serving as an official. "

Cui Yuxi ignored those who questioned him, and continued in an old and powerful voice: "Do you know, gentlemen? An Qingxu is ready to surrender and has told the truth about the rebellion - you think that Xue Bai, the famous loyal minister who conquered the rebellion and Dingxing, It’s the main culprit that caused the rebellion!”

"You and the younger generation may not recognize me anymore. I am Cui Yuxi, whose courtesy name is Hongfan. He was named Viscount Qinghe and became an official in Zhongshushe. He was born in Wushuifang, the southern ancestor of the Cui family in Qinghe. My father's last name is "Rong". ”

"Does Mr. Yuan actually know?"

Ye Ping's stomach rumbled again, and he was a little surprised, and responded: "I am ashamed to be in this position for a low-level official."

Wouldn't it be foolish if the rescuer didn't actively strive to appear in front of the saint?

"Eat, my quota is larger than yours. Sit down and eat, drink some water... Since you have such an opportunity, you must be very popular with Xue Lang, right?"

They didn't think they could kill Xue Bai just by talking. Instead, they had sent people to contact Chen Xuanli, Wang Sili, Li Chengguang and other generals earlier. What they are doing at this time is just to build momentum and force these generals to make up their minds.

He pushed through the crowd and squeezed forward, and soon heard the old man's slow but powerful words.

Yuan Zai didn't believe it and asked, "Have you seen Xue Lang?"

"Sure enough, Wang Changling personally selected your poems for the first issue of "Tianbao Wenxiu"." Yuan Zai said with a smile, "That's right."

While talking, there was a sudden noise outside.

"However, Xue Bai coerced public opinion, encouraged the scholars to cause trouble, and confused right and wrong. He said that Cui Qiao's failure to rank him on the list was because of his sinful and lowly status, which aroused people's anger. At that time, even I didn't notice it. Right and wrong, I came forward to ask the right minister to demote Cui Qiao, thinking that he was being impartial. But many years have passed, and it is only today that I see Xue Bai's bad character and ambition!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Ye Ping was shocked. He shouted and was about to step forward, but was quickly blocked by someone.

Yuan Zai heard that something was wrong and went out of Shangshu Province in person. He saw an old man sitting on a carriage talking in the middle of the long cross street of the imperial city, with many officials standing around him.

"You guys think Xue Bai welcomed the saint back? You're wrong, he was the one who forced the saint out of Chang'an. Do you still remember the fireworks that suddenly exploded above Xingqing Palace that night?!"

Many years ago, it was here that Du Wulang incited a group of poor men to besiege Cui Qiao. At that time, he realized that in order to create a storm of public opinion, the most important thing is not to be justified or not, but to heighten the atmosphere and ignite emotions.

"..."

Yuan Zai picked up the Hu cake on the table and handed it over. Ye Ping was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyes and saw that the powerful Dr. Duzhi had a friendly look on his face and was very charming like a man of power.

The crowd in the imperial city was heading north, as if a great court meeting was being held during the day.

"What is your name?"

Yuan Zai turned around and could no longer find Ye Ping. Nowadays, 70% to 80% of the officials in the court are from the family. Even those who enter the imperial examination are mostly from famous families. Ye Ping, a small and humble family, is mixed in among them, like a grain of sand, has been buried.

"Brother Gongfu."

Suddenly someone shouted. Yuan Zai looked at the person and saw that they were Li Qijun and Li Jiayou, so he nodded.

These two people were both from the Li family in Zhao County, and were of the same age as Xue Bai. Not long ago, Yuan Zai saw them working with Xue Bai, looking like they were united.

Talented people from well-known families are born with a calm and confident temperament. Although their official positions are far less high than Yuan Zai, they can interact with each other freely and on equal terms.

"You two are also going to the 'Qingjun side' of Tai Chi Palace?" Yuan Zai asked. He used a very serious word, but there was a smile on his face, which neutralized the severity.

Li Jiayou said: "The rations from my clan have also been requisitioned, and there are many uncles and brothers of mine there. But if Xue Bai is killed, the rebels will surrender. I don't believe it."

Li Qijun said: "I am afraid that Ji Sun's worries are not in Zhuan Yu, but within Xiao Qiang."

Yuan Zai nodded, and it could be seen that among the famous noble families, there were still some sober people after all.

"It is useless to argue about right and wrong at the moment." Li Jiayou said, "We want to talk to Xue Bai to see how to calm down the public anger. Does Brother Gongfu know where he is?"

Yuan Zai shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"Then what choice will Brother Gongfu make?"

Yuan Zai would never place a bet rashly. He raised his hands and bowed to the sky, saying: "I will do my duty and fulfill my duty as a minister."

Li Qijun took a deep look at him and seemed to see his swaying intention. He cupped his hands and continued to look for Xue Bai with Li Jiayou. Yuan Zai watched their backs, hesitated slightly, and followed the crowd towards Tai Chi Palace. go.

They parted ways. On one side were the famous children with five surnames and seven hopes, who did not care about their own interests and were trying to save the situation; on the other side were the common people who were born in poverty and had finally climbed to a high position, thinking about how to protect themselves. Sometimes, to determine which class a person belongs to, it may not only depend on their origin, but also where their heart is. Their origin will not change, but their hearts will.

~~
A sky street passes through the Zhuque Gate of the Imperial City and leads directly to the Chengtian Gate of the palace city.

The Forbidden Army standing guard in front of Chengtian Gate, holding halberds, changed their expressions slightly when they saw the nobles and ministers coming towards them with great force.

"I request to see the saint!"

"Please ask the saint to punish the traitors and pacify the rebels!"

Such a cry fell on Chen Xuanli's ears through the vermilion palace wall. He frowned with two thick eyebrows, thought about it, and went to find Gao Lishi again.

Gao Lishi has been a lot lazy recently and doesn't often accompany the saint. Today he moved a recliner and sat on the corridor, staring at the clouds in the sky in a daze.

Chen Xuanli walked up to him, looked up at the sky, and listened. He could indeed hear the noise coming from the distance, so he asked doubtfully: "Can't you hear it?"

"I'm getting old." Gao Lishi sighed, "You know, many years ago I asked the saint to pray for my death. My legs and waist hurt after standing for a long time. Others admire me for my majesty, but what I want is the opposite. It’s time to live a leisurely life after becoming an official, so you don’t have to worry so much every day.”

"Don't think I'm stupid." Chen Xuanli said, "I can see something is wrong. Have you ever been so careless before?"

"But you still went back to Chang'an."

Chen Xuanli said: "That means I believe you."

"Since you believe me and just sit back and wait, you and I are old, so let's leave the matter to the young people to solve."

"If you refuse to tell the truth, how can I sit still?" Chen Xuanli looked at Gao Lishi for a while, and when he saw that he still closed his eyes and said nothing, he said: "Okay, then I will do it my way!"

Gao Lishi said: "The saint has not issued the decree yet..."

"What I uphold is the will of the saint! What the Manchu minister said today, that Xue Bai had ulterior motives and incited rebellion, was a matter of imperial decree!"

Chen Xuanli strode away without looking back.

Gao Lishi moved his fingers, as if he wanted to stop him, but in the end he stopped and murmured: "The saint's intention."

At the end of the discussion between the two, it was he who was convinced by Chen Xuanli.

Over there, Chen Xuanli walked to the top of Chengtianmen City, looked at the ministers condescendingly, summoned his generals, and issued military orders one after another.

"Go and take Guo Qianli into custody, and you will command his troops!"

"Here!"

"Lead a team of people to find Xue Bai and bring him to face the Holy Spirit. If there is resistance..." Chen Xuanli hesitated, but finally said: "If there is resistance, capture it immediately."

Rather than saying that he was forced by these officials, he had to kill Xue Bai to quell public anger. Rather, he wanted to use this incident to capture Xue Bai and find out some truth.

"Here!"

"Go and invite the Crown Prince to come down and tell him that the public is boiling and no one but His Highness can calm it down."

"Here!"

After the arrangement was completed, Chen Xuanli ordered someone to announce to the minister that he was going to arrest Xue Bai. As soon as he got it, he would ask the saint to find out the matter, punish the evildoers, and give everyone an explanation.

In front of Chengtian Gate, more ministers and ministers gathered than at the Great Court Meeting. After hearing Chen Xuanli's statement, everyone felt relieved.

"It seems that Chen Xuanli has made up his mind."

"I have known for a long time that Xue Bai has provoked everyone's anger. What will happen?" Suddenly, someone came over in a hurry and said, "Xue Bai has not been found, but I found that Wang Rao has summoned soldiers and horses."

It has to be said that these ministers are extremely powerful, have good ears and eyes, and can get news in advance.

"What do you mean? Do they still dare to touch us?"

"He is good at killing ministers, unless Xue Bai really wants to rebel..."

"The saint is coming!"

Somewhat unexpectedly, the saint's ceremonial chariot suddenly appeared on top of the Chengtianmen city.

Everyone was surprised and worried that the saint was being held hostage by Xue Bai and wanted to protect this treacherous villain.

Cui Yuxi comforted everyone and said: "Since Chen Xuanli has made up his mind, the saint must have got rid of Xue Bai's hostage."

So, all the ministers looked up, waiting for the saint to issue an order to eradicate the traitor.

~~
And on the Zhuque Gate across the entire imperial city from the Chengtian Gate, Xue Bai was holding a telescope and observing the situation in the imperial city.

When he heard the sound of horse hooves and saw the king's rare troops approaching in formation, he had a trace of pity in his eyes and ordered: "Except the Suzaku Gate, close all the gates in the imperial city."

The flag order was waved and spread far away. Starting from Hanguang Gate, Shunyi Gate, Anfu Gate...the imperial city gates began to close one after another. This was in order to control the situation, and at the same time, it also made the ministers have nowhere to escape.

Wang Jinlan's horses had already passed Zhuque Gate, and were driving along Tianjie to Chengtian Gate. The troops he brought were not many, and more troops were still near Chunming Gate, but they were enough to deal with these nobles.

"Let's go."

Xue Bai put down his telescope and walked towards the city.

He will not just wait here, but will face the family's anger against him in person.

However, on the Heavenly Street, Wang Rao suddenly reined in his horse. Because in front of him, a group of people suddenly shouted and ran past, as if to stop his troops.

It was a group of officials, mostly in green robes and blue robes, and many were officials. Only occasionally could I see some red robes.

"Don't move forward!"

Wang Rao frowned, drew his sword in his hand, and murderous intent flashed through him. After a moment, he realized that something was wrong, because he did not feel the arrogance of wealth and wealth from these officials.

"Xue Bai was wronged!"

"The Chang'an family wants to kill Xue Bai because of the grain issue, but the soldiers and the people are hungry, how can they defend the city?!"

"How can the court believe that the rebels will surrender easily?!"

With these shouts, Wang Rao finally realized that these people were actually here to support Xue Bai.

This matter was outside their plan. In order to keep it secret, except for the core personnel and close associates, they did not contact many people, let alone create momentum.

However, time was running out now, and his troops were actually blocked by these people. On the other side of Tianjie, the officials gathered in front of Chengtian Gate were also alarmed.

"Get out of the way!" Wang Ran shouted loudly, "Don't block the road."

He was still thinking about what words he should use to drive away these officials, when a horse rushed to his side, it was Xue Bai.

"Someone in the court is secretly treasonous and wants to open the city gate. Get out of the way immediately! Don't stop General Wang from suppressing the rebellion!"

"It's Xue Lang!"

One of the people in the team supporting Xue Bai was Ye Ping. He looked around and saw Xue Bai coming on horseback wearing armor. He felt relieved and quickly retreated to the roadside. He raised his arms and shouted: "We will follow Xue Lang to put down the rebellion." !”

"Counter the rebellion!" Wang Nannan immediately led his troops forward.

When his soldiers and horses were rushing towards Chengtianmen like a stream of water, Ye Ping quickly followed and shouted at the same time: "There are rebels in the city who want to eliminate Zhongliang. Now that the army has put down the rebellion, I advise you to wait until you know how to return." "

Soon, the officials just now also shouted along with him, creating momentum for Xue Bai.

"careful!"

There was a sudden conflict ahead, and screams broke out one after another. On the streets of the imperial city on the left and right, there were also guards from aristocratic families rushing towards us, shouting reports as they ran.

"Xue Bai rebelled! The imperial city was blocked..."

In the chaos, a stray arrow hit Ye Ping. He couldn't avoid it. Fortunately, another official next to him gave him a hand.

The two people immediately took shelter under the wall of Sinong Temple nearby.

"Thank you very much. May I ask your benefactor's name?"

"Huayin Yao Runeng."

"Brother Yao also believes in Xue Lang?"

"It's not important." Yao Runeng is a middle-aged scholar. He squints his eyes slightly when looking at things. Although he knows the danger ahead, he still moves forward. "I still plan to become famous through newspapers, so naturally I am on Xue Bai's side."

After hearing this, Ye Ping suddenly thought of something and exclaimed: "I know you!"

Since the rise of newspapers and stories, there have been many newspapers in Chang'an City that publish essays and stories, famous ones such as "Chang'an Stories" and "Tianbao Miscellaneous Records", and Yao Runeng is the one who often compiles articles in these newspapers. He is good at writing Anecdotes about famous people at that time.

Ye Ping had been curious about this person for a long time, because Yao Runeng wrote "The Deeds of Li Linfu" and even knew the name of Li Linfu's family assets clearly.

At this time, he couldn't help but asked: "Brother Yao, I wonder where you come from? Are you so knowledgeable?"

"What kind of background can I have? If I didn't have this way of making a living while being able to hear and reach the princes, I'd probably have to sell my family to be able to qualify for the imperial examination."

Ye Ping felt ashamed. He was from a worse background than Yao Runeng. If he hadn't become famous in newspapers, he wouldn't even be qualified to sell his family.

"So, you and I are both from humble families who have received favors from Xue Lang. At this time, we should step forward."

"it is good!"

Yao Runeng responded, quickly took out a piece of paper and charcoal from his sleeve, scratched a few times, and wrote down something.

Suddenly, a group of forbidden troops in front broke away from the array and rushed in their direction. At the same time, they shouted: "Under the orders of General Chen, Xue Bai is captured, and everyone who has nothing to do with it gets out of the way."

Yao Runeng raised his head again but was unable to react in time.

"Brother Yao, be careful!"

"Hey!"

In the flash of light and stone, a fast horse rushed forward, pulled Yao Runeng away, turned the horse's head to confront the Forbidden Army.

The knight on the horse was high-spirited and shouted: "Are you following General Chen's orders, or are you following the Holy Order?! Are you going to guard Chang'an, or are you infiltrating the rebels?!"

~~
"No, Xue Bai and Wang Nan have led their troops to kill us, accusing us of infiltrating the rebels."

"He dares?!"

The ministers in front of Chengtian Gate obviously did not expect that Xue Bai would be so rebellious and so resolute. They were frightened and frightened. When they heard that the imperial city had been sealed, their faces turned pale with fear.

But soon, they figured out a way.

"Quickly, please ask General Chen to open the palace gate and let us enter the palace city!"

"General Chen, open the palace gate!"

Suddenly, countless ministers began to wave to the top of the city, urgently asking Chen Xuanli to open the palace city and let them in.

At this time, the imperial driver finally slowly arrived at the city gate.

Chen Xuanli was about to order the palace door to be opened when he turned around and saw that the royal mantle was still hanging on the imperial chariot. Yang Yuhuan stood up from the phoenix chariot, glanced at him and signaled a small yellow gate to carry an imperial edict.

"General Chen." Yang Yuhuan also stepped forward and reminded in a low voice: "Don't be impulsive. Before doing anything, please think about the consequences."

Chen Xuanli frowned and responded: "The saint's intention..."

"The situation has reached this point, which shows that the saint's intentions are wrong. Does General Chen not want to give the saint a step down?" Yang Yuhuan said: "Don't worry, as long as General Chen stops now, he will still be one of our own."

Chen Xuanli was silent for a while, turned his head, and out of the corner of his eye could see Wang Jinpo's troops approaching the palace wall. Further away, there was a cavalry force that stopped all the soldiers and horses he sent out.

Sweat was dripping from his forehead. Finally, he reached out to take the imperial edict, unfolded it, and then his pupils trembled. He saw clearly written on it, "Add Xue Baitejin and Yushi doctor to investigate the spies in Chang'an." He knew that once the order was issued, a massacre would happen under his nose.

"this?!"

"General Chen." Yang Yuhuan said the last word again. This time, she used a voice that only the other party could hear, "You think you are following the saint's will, but you forgot one thing - you You are the one who shares the same secret with Xue Bai. If you don’t support him, who will protect you if the matter is revealed?”

Chen Xuanli was stunned and his eyes widened with fear in his eyes.

"As expected, you..."

Yang Yuhuan shook his head and said: "It's all for the stability of the country, let's pass on the decree."

Chen Xuanli closed his eyes helplessly, and after a long time, he finally gave the order.

"There are rebels under the city. Close the palace door tightly and don't let them in!"

"Here!"

"Preaching the imperial edict..."

Soon, increasingly desperate and angry shouts sounded outside the palace gate.

On the other hand, Chen Xuanli also felt unwilling to do so, so he clenched his fists tightly.

He had already suspected it, but he was not sure. But now it seems that the saint in the palace is indeed fake.

~~
"Zhang Xiaojing?"

On the sky street, Yao Ru could hear Zhang Xiaojing's name and couldn't help but get excited. No matter what he was doing, he stepped forward and asked: "I have heard of you. You have experienced the Chencang Incident, right?"

"Go away!" Zhang Xiaojing shouted, but then asked curiously: "How did you know?!"

"I was writing "The Deeds of Yang Guozhong" and I asked a lot about it, but there was one question. Where did Yang Guozhong go after the Chencang Incident?"

"I shot him."

Zhang Xiaojing responded casually, pushed Yao Runeng away, and went to cooperate with Wang Nanlan in besieging the minister.

Yao Runeng staggered back a few steps, lowered his head, and wrote down on his paper, "Knight Zhang Xiaojing shot Yang Guozhong." After that, he looked at Zhang Xiaojing's back in the chaos, feeling that there must be more to discover about this matter.

But the screams all over the sky have already begun to sound...

(End of this chapter)