The devil is coming

Chapter 497
"Sisi, where is my snuff bottle?"
Ji Chengjue asked while tying his official belt.
In Dayan, the princes are all entitled to the title of prince, and they have their own customary python robes to prepare them. However, throughout the ages, any prince with ambition prefers to wear official uniforms instead of python robes, which means that he has errands in the court. , which means that he is not the kind of pure idle rice insect prince.
The sixth prince has always been responsible for observing the affairs of the household department. As a prince, adding the title of minister would look too ugly and break the rules of the game. Therefore, as a prince and the actual controller of the household department, Ji Chengjue usually goes to court and What he wears in the yamen is actually a sixth-grade official uniform, but some specific styles have been deliberately removed. It's almost like a blank slate.
But Ji Laoliu liked this dress very much. It was comfortable and comfortable.
This is just like Uncle Zheng doesn't like to wear gold armor. The more bright and eye-catching clothes are, the comfort will inevitably be compromised. The same is true for python robes.
Ji Laoliu thought that the dragon robe might not be comfortable to wear either.
"Husband, do you want to bring a snuff bottle today?"
Today is the day of mourning for the third prince.
Because the third prince died trying to save his life, His Majesty decreed that he should be mourned as a national mourning.
"Take it, why not take it?"
"here."
He Sisi handed over her husband's favorite chalcedony and bergamot snuff bottle.
Ji Chengjue pulled out the stopper, took a breath into his nose, closed his eyes, then slowly opened them, and let out a long sigh of relief.
The focus of a snuff bottle has never been on the inside, but on the outside. It is not for use, but for playing with and showing off.
Ji Laoliu got on Eunuch Zhang's carriage. In the carriage, today's breakfast and two pieces of white cloth were prepared.
Ji Chengjue tied the white cloth to his arms and forehead and leaned slightly back against the car wall.
As the carriage crossed the street, a smell of meat wafted over, the smell of fried dumplings.
"Zhang Banban, buy two fried dumplings to try."
"Okay, master."
Eunuch Zhang stopped the carriage, bought two fried dumplings and delivered them over.
Ji Laoliu ate with gusto. As soon as the carriage arrived at the palace gate, he finished his meal.
when getting off,
Eunuch Zhang reminded anxiously:
"Master, mouth, oil."
Ji Laoliu smiled and wiped his mouth with the sleeves of his official robe. Then he swung the sleeves behind him and slowly narrowed his eyes as he looked at the majestic palace gate in front of him.
The ministers who came to court today were all tied with white cloths. Logically speaking, the funeral of the prince would not be so grand, at least it would not affect the civil and military officials of Yanjing.
In the past, when a noble person in the palace or the royal family passed away, everyone would just ban the banquet for two days at most.
"Third brother, third brother..."
The fourth prince, supported by two eunuchs beside him, came towards the palace gate while howling.
His carriage was parked further than usual, so the walking distance was much longer than before.
Ji Chengjue turned around following the sound and then stood there, facing his fourth brother.
"Third brother, third brother..."
The fourth prince Ji Chengfeng staggered over.
then,
He saw his sixth brother,
Just look at him, look at him, look at him, look at him...
Ji Chengfeng suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
He didn't know where this emotion came from, but it really appeared in his heart.
"Fourth brother."
"Yes, sixth brother."
"pass."
"..." Ji Chengfeng.
In fact, we have already eaten the dinner.
The feeling of parting was all in the wine that night.
After the incident, Ji Chengfeng didn't think about whether there was something fishy about Lao San's death. No, to be precise, how could there be nothing fishy about Lao San's death!
He had long received some information from the Ministry of War that his father intended to start another national war;
then,
The third child was released,
then,
The third child died saving the driver.
Such a coincidence?
How is it so coincidental?
At the same time, he also recalled that night, the second night after the third child came out of the Huxin Pavilion, the brothers gathered together to drink and "wash away" the third child;
The prince did not come, but only sent wine;
Logically speaking, according to the prince's daily habits, he would not give up this opportunity to show his benevolence and brotherhood.
And Lao Liu,
That night, he was very unusual and cursed the prince for not coming.
Call him cold-blooded,
Call him cruel,
Call him heartless,
In hindsight,
Ji Chengfeng suddenly realized, Lao Liu, was he really scolding the prince, or was he scolding him?
The fifth child, Chengwen, left the capital with Uncle Hirano. Because he got up late, Uncle Hirano didn't wait for him, so he hurriedly chased him out of the city.
Therefore,
Ji Chengfeng doesn't even have anyone to talk to now. Originally, when Lao Wu was around, he wouldn't be so lonely.
Now that the fifth man was not here, he suddenly felt helpless and panicked.
And this feeling reached its peak when he saw Ji Chengjue who looked calm.
co-authored,
You all guessed it,
Just being kept in the dark?
Recalling the words "useful" and "useless" that Lao Wu said to him before leaving Beijing, Ji Chengfeng suddenly felt that Lao Wu might have guessed something.
This feeling of being completely isolated is really bad, and this recognition that he is actually at a low IQ level is really hard for Ji Chengfeng, who has always been arrogant, to accept.
But he had to press his head and force himself to accept it.
in fact,
Ji Chengfeng's tears today were not completely fake. He really cried. He was not acting or applying ginger.
However, I am not crying for my third child, but for myself.
just thought of,
Dad killed one of his own sons, who was the same kind as Ji Chengfeng;
And several other similar people were able to predict this result in advance, but he realized it later;
They are all born to the same father.
Why!
Ji Chengjue's eyes drooped slightly.
plain way;
"A boy from the Ji family who bleeds without shedding tears will make a difference."
It was very rude for a younger brother to speak to his elder brother like this, but these words came out of Ji Chengjue's mouth normally, and Ji Chengfeng listened to them normally.
He wiped his eyes,
Forced to calm down.
Ji Chengjue bypassed Ji Chengfeng and walked to the official road outside the palace gate.
Ji Chengfeng turned around curiously and looked behind him.
There,
A group of young officials came together. Unlike other ministers, these young officials were not tied with white cloth, which symbolized sadness, but with festive red cloth.
They were neither silent nor mourning, and there were actually smiles on their faces.
They laughed and walked over together.
Ji Chengfeng recognized many of them. Most of them were officials with Jinshi background in recent years.
"How dare you be so impudent and rude!"
When going to court,
There were eunuchs responsible for order outside and inside the palace gate. They held whips and waved them when the palace gate was opened to go to court. At the same time, they were also responsible for maintaining order.
The latter, in a normal sense, is rarely taken into consideration, because officials who can go to court will care about their status and dare not lose etiquette.
However, today is the day of mourning for the third prince. The ministers who came first are all mourning, but this group of people came over wearing dazzling red and laughing constantly.
The leader of this group of people is none other than Hu Zhengfang, who has been promoted the fastest among these officials who were Jinshi. He is already the Minister of Household Affairs at a young age. There are elements of his own diligence in this, and naturally there is also the element of Ji Chengjue. .
Hu Zhengfang faced the eunuch who was scolding everyone in front of him.
laughed:
"May I ask my father-in-law, why should I say such things so arrogantly?"
"Today, His Majesty has decreed a national mourning for His Highness the Third Highness. When the whole country is mourning together, you actually..."
"Step aside!"
Hu Zhengfang suddenly took a step forward, his chest almost touching the father-in-law's body.
The father-in-law subconsciously took two steps back. He immediately realized that he had lost his dignity and immediately raised the whip in his hand.
at this time,
The father-in-law's hand was grabbed by a hand from behind. He turned around angrily, and then looked stunned, because the one who grabbed his hand was none other than His Highness Ji Chengjue.
"Your Highness, you, you, you are..."
"Let's ask clearly. They are all the pillars of the country and they will definitely not act unprovoked. If someone is wronged, nothing can be undone with this whip."
When the father-in-law heard this, he was immediately shocked.
Of course, he knows how closely these officials with Jinshi background usually stick together, and he also understands that in the next few years, the proportion of these officials with Jinshi origin in the Great Yan Dynasty will inevitably become larger and larger.
If he had whipped him down before, the majesty of the palace would have been protected, but his life would probably have been lost.
The father-in-law looked at Ji Chengjue with a hint of gratitude.
He actually didn't expect that the person who could really mobilize this group of officials with Jinshi background would be His Highness the Sixth Prince in front of him, right?
This is not a secret in the Great Yan Court. During the previous political disputes in the court, many of these officials with Jinshi background served as pawns for His Highness the Sixth Prince.
Ji Chengjue looked at Hu Zhengfang and said loudly:
"Give me an explanation."
immediately,
Below Hu Zhengfang,
Behind him, a group of officials wearing red ribbons saluted with their hands.
Hu Zhengfang shouted:
"How did I, Dayan, preserve the 800-year-old ancestral state?
It is because of generations of ancestors of Yan Di Erlang fighting to the death against the barbarians and other countries that they have been able to protect the ancestral temple to this day;
I have a great Yan tradition,
But there are foreign enemies coming,
Those who died in battle are happy and mournful;
Mourners wear red ribbons;
He sang loudly and said: You go first, you go slowly, you wait for me, you put the wine, you spread the mat, we will come soon! "
Hu Zhengfang looked around,
Pulling up the red belt on his body,
Raise your arms high,
Shout:
"Today, Chu Nu is determined to be a traitor and sends assassins to commit treachery. Fortunately, His Majesty has brought great blessings to the heavens. Fortunately, Your Highness, the Third Highness, is sincere and filial, and has kept me, Supreme Lord Yan, safe!
Of course,
Chu Nu has already drawn his sword,
We, the bloody men of Yan land,
Encore continues to sit idly by and do nothing?
Your Highness, please go ahead. Your Highness, please go slowly. Your Highness, please wait for me. Your Highness, please buy some wine. Your Highness, please spread the banquet..."
next moment,
Behind Hu Zhengfang, a group of young officials shouted in unison:
"I'll be here soon!"
This momentum really made the palace gate seem to start to tremble slightly.
This is Dayan's bloody nature.
Ji Chengjue's eyes slowly swept across them,
a long time,
Ji Chengjue took off the white cloth from his body.
Reach forward,
Road:
"Is there still red silk?"
Hu Zhengfang got out of the way, and the people behind him also got out of the way. There were more than a dozen men waiting there pushing carts full of red ribbons.
Ji Chengjue stepped forward, took out a red ribbon, and wrapped it around himself.
immediately,
Ji Chengjue pointed to the rows of ministers waiting outside the palace gate in front of him.
Road:
"If you distribute it, I will bear all the consequences. Today is a national funeral!"
All the officials with Jinshi background laughed and started handing out red ribbons.
Most of the ministers had already been infected by this generous atmosphere, and without hesitation they took off their white cloths and replaced them with red belts.
Dayan,
No matter how the finances are, or how the treasury is,
What you can't deny is,
Dayan is now truly the largest country in the East!
Over the past 800 years, Dayan Iron Cavalry has been fighting the barbarians in the East, and has cultivated a sense of self-confidence;
Since the current Holy Emperor ascended the throne, the great victories in foreign wars have brought the sense of honor and pride of the people of Dayan to a peak.
The people are like this,
This is especially true for these officials!
In fact, the easiest way to become an official in the dynasty and leave a name in the history of Boqing is... to fight.
There are also some ministers who obviously know that this matter is not that simple.
Some high-level adults had already gotten wind of the Qiguo war in advance, and then the third prince was assassinated. The assassinated third prince had just been released from the pavilion in the middle of the lake not long ago.
Really
Is it such a coincidence?
But when Zhao Jiulang took the red belt delivered from Ji Chengjue and put it on, all the ministers outside the palace gate put on red belts.
The instigation of Jinshi officials,
The prince’s push added fuel to the flames,
Coupled with the final word from the then Prime Minister,
The ministers outside the palace gate were not given a second option at all.
Either willingly or with some hesitation, they all put on red silk, and a national funeral immediately became "celebratory".
Everyone was laughing and talking, and some were even singing Yandi folk songs. Although it was a bit forced, it also created a hilarious atmosphere.
Ji Chengfeng stood silently behind Ji Chengjue. He knew that everything in front of him was arranged by his sixth brother.
That Hu Zhengfang was originally the official confidant of Sixth Brother.
If it were in the past, Ji Chengfeng felt that he would definitely be impassioned, although he had not had a good relationship with the third child since he was a child. To be precise, the third child was not close to any of his brothers due to his temperament.
But even so, we are all brothers after all;
Moreover, Ji Chengfeng, like the eldest prince, has a more military background, so he is naturally willing to take the initiative to fight in order to get the opportunity to lead troops and gain experience.
but now,
But now,
Ji Chengfeng couldn't get excited.
He suddenly felt that the sixth brother in front of him was like a vulture. His brother's body was right in front of him. Instead of grieving, he went to eat the flesh of his brother.
Ji Chengfeng was scared,
before,
He doesn't think so,
He naively believed that he was not bad at all and that he had a chance to compete for that position.
Even after the fall of the Sanshi Deng family, Ji Chengfeng still has confidence. He can lie dormant and wait for his own opportunity.
But at this time,
He found that the gap between himself and the younger brother in front of him was really too big.
His father's ruthlessness, using his son as an excuse to start a war, has made Ji Chengfeng feel extremely frightened;
But his younger brother seems to be the same person as his father. Even if he is a blood relative, as long as he is valuable, he will squeeze it out as much as possible.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three whips sounded,
The gate of the palace opened.
A group of ministers dressed in red silk entered the palace gate.
On the white brick surface of the palace, a dazzling red stream flows.
Ji Chengfeng subconsciously followed Ji Chengjue's steps and walked in. Then, he saw the prince standing there.
The prince, still emaciated, stood there as if waiting for his two brothers.
Do not,
To be precise,
It has nothing to do with him because he is waiting for Lao Liu.
Ji Chengjue walked up to the prince and saluted.
The prince stood there and did not respond, just said calmly;
"Big money."
"Also." Ji Chengjue said, "Now, people should start to gather at Xizhimen."
The Chu people sent assassins to assassinate His Majesty, but the third prince sacrificed his life to save him and died under the assassin's knife.
The ruthlessness of the Chu people and the pure filial piety of the third prince. With these themes as the theme, students in teahouses, markets, and the Imperial College took the initiative to spread the word, making this matter known to everyone in Yanjing City.
And the anger belonging to the Yan people was also ignited in an instant.
Yan people are so proud.
Their iron cavalry has suppressed the barbarians for hundreds of years, so that the young princes of the barbarian royal courts now have to humble themselves and call themselves juniors;
Their battles defeated the Qian people, and tens of thousands of cavalry went all the way south to drink at the Ma-Bian River, adding to the prosperity of Shangjing, there was also a sound of military iron;
The knights of the Three Jin Dynasties, who once thought they were the strongest knights in the world, were directly defeated by the Yan people's cavalry; the unscrupulous barbarians were also driven away!
Looking at the riverside from the foot of Yupan City, the blood of the Qingluan Army of [-] Chu people was poured out, and the happy spirit of the Yan people was poured out!
The State of Yan, the court of the State of Yan, the people of the land of Yan,
We are all used to going from one victory to another,
The inertia of victory is like a wheel,
If the battle is invincible,
Who would hate war?
"You did well," the prince said.
The prince knew that the big shopkeeper behind many industries in the capital was his sixth brother.
"My father made a good arrangement, and the funeral was suspended for ten days just to find out the murderer before mourning."
Ten days,
It was enough to blow a gust of wind back and forth several times.
In fact, it was not only people from Ji Chengjue's own industry who took action, but also people from the Secret Service.
At this time, another group of people walked out of the palace gate. They were dressed in ancestral armor. Under the leadership of Da Zongzheng, they entered the palace from another gate and gathered here.
They are the clan and nobles.
Some clans and nobles no longer have the power to raise swords, or they no longer serve in the military or court, and even do not even come to court meetings on weekdays.
But today, they all took out the armor and weapons that their ancestors had worn and had been enshrined in the ancestral hall for many years.
of course,
The procession of the clan and nobles is tragic in terms of momentum, but it also feels like they are in their twilight years.
This is normal,
In fact, Uncle Zheng is also a noble man, but what are he doing?
Even if they are not competing with the nobles, in fact, among the clan and nobles, those who can make progress are basically serving in the army. Those who stay in Yanjing City are indeed mostly old, weak, sick and disabled.
"Is this your handiwork, second brother?"
Ji Chengjue knew that because he had taken advantage of the clan and nobles' salaries and food, he had a very bad reputation among them, so they naturally took the initiative to move closer to the prince.
This is human instinct and the instinct of a group.
Of course, Ji Chengjue knew the consequences of doing so, but he still chose to do so.
Let’s not talk about public conscience for now.
Serious officials looked down upon these "moths of the country". In addition, Ji Laoliu did not issue those kind of banknotes and coupons to the officials. Therefore, Ji Laoliu was more and more concerned about the clan and the nobles. Unfortunately, here, his impression will get extra points.
The civil servants in the Qian Kingdom often took the initiative to touch porcelain nobles, just to find an opportunity to spit at them and call them "the worms of the country".
Although the atmosphere here in Dayan is not as exaggerated as that in Qianguo, after the horse has stepped into the family, in the court, everyone is either a new scholar or a person from the head of Guizhou. Everyone and the noble clan are naturally opposed to each other.
It's a good deal to hate this group of ungrateful people and push these pig teammates to the prince's side.
"I'll make you laugh, Sixth Brother."
"Go to state affairs together."
The prince nodded,
Quietly said:
"The third child has left."
The third child has already left, so let him leave in a more valuable way.
The third child has already left, and he can leave. If we don't cooperate well with the father, if we don't obey, the father will let us go with the third child.
Killing chickens to scare monkeys, after all, people kill chickens.
Where is the father?
At this time,
Emperor Yan, who was wearing the Emperor's Sword on his waist, walked out of the hall, followed by Wei Zhonghe at his side.
For a time,
The whole place was silent.
Even Ji Chengjue and the prince immediately walked to where they should stand.
Emperor Yan stood on the imperial steps and scanned the whole place with his stern eyes. Standing there alone, he looked like a mountain lying in front of him. This was the power of the emperor.
"My ministers, what are you doing?"
Hu Zhengfang did not speak, because at this moment, he was not qualified to speak.
at this time,
Those who move forward in line,
It's Zaisu.
Zhao Jiulang walked to the imperial steps,
Take off your official hat and put it beside you,
immediately,
He slowly knelt down and said:
“Your Majesty, Chu Nu has gone too far to bully others;
What's wrong with the third prince?
What is wrong with Concubine Ming?
What's wrong with your majesty?
What's wrong with Dayan?
How can I live up to my 800-year-old Sheji Ancestral Temple?
今，
I ask your Majesty to issue an order to send troops to attack Chu! "
For a time,
Behind Zhao Jiulang,
Hundreds of civil and military officials,
Honor your clan,
They all knelt down,
shouted in unison:
"I ask your Majesty to issue an order to attack Chu!"
"I ask your Majesty to issue an order to attack Chu!"
The sound of thunder shook!
Emperor Yan opened his mouth and said;
"Now my country, Dayan, has an empty treasury."
Ji Chengjue knelt forward and said loudly:
"Father, how difficult it is for our ancestors to start a business, how difficult it is for our ancestors to keep their business, and there are countless sorrows at the moment!
My ancestors gave me bones and blood,
My ancestors gave me their soul,
Bones and blood cannot be insulted, and souls cannot be corrupted.
Although the treasury is exhausted,
I, the great Yanerlang, am passionate and full of blood,
Since ancient times,
There is no shortage of generous people in Yan land!
My son is willing to reduce his salary to support the front line, but he wants to attack Chu, destroy his Ying capital, and destroy his ancestral temple!
A man from Yan land,
Let’s face the national crisis together! "
rear,
The civil and military nobles of the Manchu Dynasty shouted in unison:
"I am willing to reduce my salary to support the front line, and I will fight against the national calamity together!"
Emperor Yan clenched his fists.
Go down the imperial steps,
Kicked Ji Chengjue over with one kick,
Ji Chengjue was kicked down and his forehead hit the steps. The wound was broken and blood flowed out, but he immediately fell back to his knees.
"Guizi, do you know that Chu is a big country, and my country, Yan, has been fighting for years, and the people are already exhausted. If the national war starts again, how can you let my people survive?
The people are my people. I just lost a son today, but I don’t want my people to be hungry and live in poverty! "
The prince knelt down and came forward;
Kneel down,
Loudly said:
"Father, I would like to ask my father to move to Xizhimen and see the hearts of the Yan people!"
Zhao Jiulang raised his head,
and shouted:
"Come on, Xizhimen!"
Wei Zhonghe's face showed panic.
Why was my job robbed?
And Your Majesty, you haven’t issued an edict yet, but this Prime Minister actually dares to issue an edict in front of the Holy One!
But Eunuch Wei immediately showed his generosity again,
Loudly:
"Come on, Xizhimen!"
"You are so presumptuous, so presumptuous!"
Hundreds of officials, civil and military officials, clans, nobles, and imperial troops gathered around Emperor Yan and came to Xizhimen.
When Emperor Yan's Jinwu Dragon Banner was erected on the wall of Xizhimen Palace,
Outside Xizhimen, the crowds of people could not be reached and the people were excited.
At first, they just shouted loudly,
Some were shouting long live His Majesty,
Some were shouting to kill Chu Nu,
Some were shouting to avenge His Highness the Third Prince.
To the end,
The shouts of countless people gradually converged into one:
"Fachu!"
"Fachu!"
"Fachu!"
"Fachu!"
Under the city wall, there are piles of firewood.
There was a group of old men on crutches standing beside the pyre.
scene,
It immediately became quiet.
"The Chu slaves have gone too far. Your Majesty pities my people and cannot bear to waste the country's strength to attack Chu. However, I, the people of Yan, have always stood up to the outside world. Even if I go down below in the future, I will dare to do it in front of my ancestors." Face your ancestors and say: Your reputation has not been ruined by future generations!
The old man is already seventy. If he were thirty or forty younger, the old man would definitely wear armor and buy horses, follow my Dayan Black Dragon flag, and let the Chu slave taste the sharpness of my Dayan saber!
If he had been twenty years younger, he would have entered the camp of the civilians, transported grain and fodder for our Yan soldiers, fed horses and set up camp!
But old age,
Already very old,
This body and bones can no longer do anything.
The only thing I can do now is
Just by walking into the fire, I can save the old man a mouthful of food, so that the men in front can eat more food, so that they can have the strength to kill the enemy!
Your Majesty, I am going,
His Majesty,
Fa Chu! "
The pyre is lit,
The old man walked straight into the fire.
immediately,
One by one, the old men knelt down and shouted three times to the King Wu dragon scroll on the wall of Xizhimen Palace to attack Chu.
Subsequently,
Take the initiative to walk into the fire.
They don’t want to become a burden!
On the wall of Xizhimen Palace, the prince turned to look at Ji Chengjue who was standing beside him.
Ji Chengjue shook his head slightly.
This is not arranged by him.
Therefore,
This is really what happened ten days later, on the initiative of these people and old people in Yanjing City.
Because now it is not just the officials who know that the treasury is empty, but the people have also been let out. The external propaganda is that because the treasury is empty, His Majesty cannot bear to continue to squeeze the people's power and send troops to attack Chu.
Watching old men step into the fire, screaming or laughing;
Under Jinwu’s dragon veil,
Emperor Yan clenched the palace wall mats with both hands, his fingertips already bleeding and tears streaming down his face.
at this time,
The officials who climbed the palace wall together knelt down again:
"I invite your Majesty to send troops to attack Chu!"
"I invite your Majesty to send troops to attack Chu!"
Under the palace wall, the imperial guards knelt down:
"Your Majesty, please send troops to attack Chu!"
"Your Majesty, please send troops to attack Chu!"
Outside the palace wall,
The people also all knelt down:
"Fachu!"
"Fachu!"
"Fachu!"
Emperor Yan roared angrily,
Pull out the emperor's sword,
hold high,
shouted:
"Today, I am determined to attack Chu. I will not turn back until I break the capital of Ying!"
(End of this chapter)