The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 158 Zhang Cunjing

Shanzhou, Xiashi Township. Mist shrouds the cold stream, withered grass is covered with frost, and white snow floats on the green river surface. On the ancient road between the two capitals, a man, a horse, and a bamboo hat slowly approach, startling the foxes and sparrows that were looking for food.

Zhang Cunjing pulled the reins and stopped on the hill.

On the streets of the two capitals, where soldiers and civilians mixed, people shouted and donkeys brayed. The groom whipped the bamboo cane hard, and the mule's skinny ribs opened and closed, and it kept trying to stand up. Next to it was a seriously overloaded cart, and the soldiers squatted on the ground and frantically claimed things. The convoy and officers stuck behind looked up and saw that some troops were cooking hot meals. From time to time, generals came to reprimand, kicked over the bowls and chopsticks, and quarreled with the soldiers sitting on the ground.

On both sides of the road, soldiers were crowded with luggage on their backs, dragging heavy weapons and armor that they could not fit on their backs, wiping their sweat as they walked silently; the dejected Bian army was returning home.

"Captain, I feel dizzy. Let me rest for a while." A warrior squatted down with a long spear in hand and his hands covering his mouth.

"Uh...uh...cold..." The soldier with red cheeks and high fever staggered.

"I really can't walk anymore, I need to take a car..."

The military commander kept repeating the same sentence woodenly: "Hold on, we'll be fine in Luoyang... Shen Silang! Shen Si dog slave..." Before he finished his sentence, he turned around and hugged Shen Silang, who was lying on the ground, pinched his Ren Zhong, and slapped his face, which was red as a monkey's butt and covered with frostbite. After a long while, Shen Silang finally opened his eyelids and squinted: "I... I'm tired..."

The shivering body gradually stopped shaking, and the snow falling on the blood-red face did not melt.

The soldier rushed to the ground.

Mules and horses, unable to be driven or to resist the harsh winter, gradually fell asleep. Prostitutes, auxiliary soldiers, and warriors with pale faces would ride on the backs of the people in front of them as they walked. The carts carrying the wounded and the bodies of the dead were covered with straw mats and covered with a thin layer of snow. On the highways of the two capitals they passed, people and horses were lying across the road, and they could not see each other.

Someone suddenly became overwhelmed with grief, slashed at the ground with a knife, cursed loudly, threw the knife away and squatted on the ground sobbing. This emotion soon spread to others, and everyone started to make noises, crying or making a fuss; the officers tried to comfort them feebly.

"The heavens are angry and the gods are furious, killing everyone and abandoning the wilderness." Zhang Cunjing, in a trance, forgot when he walked down the mountain, and his whole body was as lifeless as a lotus leaf in autumn. Daliang. It seemed to have opened the prelude to decline.

I don't know what the Queen is doing at the moment. Can she, who lives behind the scenes, perceive all this? The army is in such a state of disarray. If I can defend the western front for the Queen and prevent her from being distracted and anxious about Li Ni, I will be considered successful.

"Oh!" Zhang Cunjing squeezed the horse's belly.

……

On the vast gray land, there are still many men and women fleeing famine.

Food, clothes, kitchen utensils, hoes, plows, livestock, large and small bags, driving oxen to push carts, basically taking everything they could bring. Unfortunately, they were unlucky, the Liangjing Avenue was being marched, so they had to stay away from it.

This year's New Year's Eve was not easy. The bandits had been sweeping across Shaanxi, Henan Prefecture, Zheng, Xu, and Chen for three months, and too many people had become hooligans. Famine had already broken out in the relatively poor Ruzhou.

A group of lonely souls are wandering in the barren fields.

I pushed aside the snow and saw that the charred stalks of the seedlings had already rotted away, and the remaining ears of wheat and millet had been plundered by mice. I turned into a nearby forest of dead trees and burned trees. The bark of the trees was dead. I pulled up a few clumps of newly grown weeds and chewed them. They were very bitter. Hey, there is a nest of fine soil here. I can swallow it with some water.

Zhao Zhenniang, holding her two children, mixed in with the crowd, staggering along like a walking corpse.

On the twenty-third day of the winter month, the husband was beaten to death with sticks when he failed to steal grain from a rich household.

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, my uncle was captured by a tiger while hunting.

On the fifth day, after the husband's flesh was gone, his parents-in-law starved to death that same night.

On the seventh day, the eldest son was captured by a Liang county official who climbed over the wall at dawn and was taken to Huazhou to serve in the army to guard against the invasion of the eastern princes.

On the eighth day, news came from the county government that the second son had disappeared in the river.

On that day, Zhao Zhenniang returned to her parents' home with her remaining son and daughter, but her family was gone. Maybe they had escaped in advance, or maybe...

Zhao Zhenniang's wish was simple. She just wanted the crops she worked on naked in the moonlight at night to have a good harvest, and for her children to grow up safely, and for the boys and girls to get married when they were old enough. She wanted you to farm and I to weave, and for the couple to work together to run the family. At least if others have food to eat, we have it too. If others have clothes to wear, we can afford them too.

But now, everything is gone.

Family members died one after another, and the only thing she could do was cry, cry and cry again, and finally find some grass to wrap the bloody white skeleton and find a place to bury it.

At this moment, Zhao Zhenniang's muscles were atrophied, and the back of her dry hands were only covered by rough skin. Her pair of blood-red eyes were as red as rabbits, and the two children in her hands were dangling. Just as she was about to take a look, she heard a hoarse transaction in her ears.

"I...will give my son to you in exchange."

"Your second daughter is too thin. If you want to exchange, use your eldest daughter."

"Aunt, don't change me, don't change me, wuwuwu... I will never eat and won't burden grandpa and mom. I will find leaves by myself, wuwuwu..."

Ta-da-da, suddenly there was the crisp sound of horse hooves.

Everyone looked over and saw a group of warriors in bright clothes and on horses. The eldest girl who was to be replaced ran out without hesitation, bending down to wipe her face with snow. When she got closer, she knelt in the middle of the road and cried incoherently: "Capture me! I will be your prostitute, as long as you don't cut me into a salt corpse..."

"Get lost!" The personal soldier was annoyed, took out a cake and threw it at him, then whipped him with a whip. All kinds of troubles along the way, incompetent! He personally led the expedition against Li Ni, but failed to defeat him. He tried to suppress the bandits, but failed to stop them, and ended up in such a mess. He is a saint, and that's it?
Ge Congzhou is also an idiot!

"Enough. Did I teach you to insult the emperor and his ministers behind their backs?" Zhang Cunjing stopped him.

"Humph, the saint is so bastard that he has brought disaster to the people, and you can't say a few words to him? If he didn't want to be the emperor, there wouldn't be such a disaster today!"

"Murong Zhang!"

"Just shut up!" The soldier closed his mouth angrily and turned his head away.

"Give these people some dry food and take it to Shanzhou." Zhang Cunjing let out a breath and said in a low voice.

"General! Villains have always been intolerant of gentlemen. Zhu Wen has always been suspicious of you. If it weren't for the Queen's protection, you wouldn't be able to take office in Hezhong today. Would you still be alive? If you do this now, aren't you afraid that someone will accuse you of buying public opinion?"

"If your family is in trouble, I will also help you. Whatever you do, just let your conscience be clear. I will die if I have to." The horse spear reached under his crotch like lightning, and with one hand he swung it up, and the girl who was wolfing down the cake flew over. He stretched out his right hand to let her fall into his arm, and then grabbed her like a fox and sat her on the back of the horse: "From now on, you will be called Zhang Xue, my second daughter."

His eyes swept across Zhao Zhenniang, across those numb faces and pairs of empty eyes. At this moment, Zhang Cunjing was completely desperate.

I thought I could make a name for myself by serving the saint, and put an end to the chaos... If I hadn't been worried about the Queen of Heaven... I don't know where her face is, but the peach blossoms are still smiling in the spring breeze; it's better not to mention it.

……

In Jiafu Hall, Zhu Wen, who had returned to Bian earlier, held a banquet. Green ants and new mash wine, red clay stove. The king and his ministers celebrated the defeat of the powerful enemy, the annexation of Jin and Jiang, and the killing and capture of more than 10,000 Li Ni. The officials who stayed behind heard the news and all danced to congratulate. For a moment, the atmosphere was passionate, as if the great cause of killing Li was already accomplished.

"I hereby inform the common people not to feel resentful. The reason why we are increasing the number of people and taxes is to suppress the rebellion of Li. Once the Guanfu Pass is pacified, men will return to the fields and women will work on mulberry trees. All poor households will receive relief. The Li family does not love the common people, and I cherish them very much..." After drinking a few bottles of wine, the sage's face turned red, and he said lazily: "The way of heaven is constant, and the way of man is to act. We will control the destiny of heaven and use it. Let's wait and see; drink to victory!"

"Cheers!" Kou Yanqing was full of admiration for the saint's calm and nonchalant demeanor. All the ministers stood up and drank.

The sage praised this and praised that, trying to appear indifferent. Anyway, he conquered two states and taught Li Keyong a lesson during the attack on Shangdang. As long as he said it was a great victory, who among the mediocre mortals would think he was defeated?

Realizing that the past cannot be changed, we will make new plans after the New Year and play this game of chess with a different strategy.

Zhao Kuangning and Feng Xingxi, these two thorns, must be removed as soon as possible. The Jin merchants controlled the road into Shu, and Xiangyang was rich. If these two thieves could be killed, the situation would be greatly improved.

We can no longer give Yan and Yun any chance to breathe. We should transfer Pang Shigu, who is stationed in the south, to take charge of the military affairs in the east.

Wei Bo has been jumping around a lot lately, so we need to teach them a lesson about the thunder and lightning offensive to conquer Li Ni. These thieves who were born with their mothers will not cry until they see the coffin; it's just a pity for Luo Hongxin. Now the remnants of Tian Xide are in power, training soldiers and building cities, and the atmosphere is revived, which is not easy to deal with.

Jiangzuo must not be in trouble, and the diplomacy with Yang Xingmi must be improved. Last year, his envoy was killed and 10,000 kilograms of tea were stolen, which made the relationship between the two sides very bad. Regret it! Try to see if there is a marriage alliance.

Oh, Li Ni!
It was as if there was Li Ye's reflection in the golden cup. The excited saint gulped down another cup, with thick white breath coming out of his mouth, and he looked obviously drunk.

Kou Yanqing, He Delun, Fan Jushi, Xu Huaiyu, Zhang Guihou, Zhao Keyu, Wang Tan, Zhang Shensi, Huang Wenjing, Liu Han and other close associates were drunk, dancing and shouting loudly, saying some irrelevant and flattering words, or sitting at the table, eating with both hands and pointing out the situation.

Li Yi, the eunuch of the palace, Chen Ying, the princess of Bo, Wang Yu, the wife of Qi, Ye Zhen, the wife of Chen, Qu Yingying, and other female officials and women of the imperial family were trying to stay alert and endure the discomfort. Especially Wang Yu, she didn't dare to raise her head - many people were secretly glancing at her, guessing the truth of the rumor.

Zhu Wen glanced at her.

Wang Yuxin shuddered, and the giant tongue whipping deep in her memory suddenly emerged. Fortunately, the Queen was here... otherwise she really couldn't imagine how the old dog would defile her after he came back.

“Since you have a daughter named Xuan Jiang, why didn’t you die? If you kill your evil Shuo, what can you do to me…” Wang Yu talked to herself, holding her slightly bigger belly.

Thinking that the team building was almost done, Zhu Wen, who was drunk, took off his crown and trotted to the Pepper Room. The Queen Mother was ill and did not attend the banquet. But Zhu Wen understood that the Queen Mother was in a bad mood.

Jiaofang Hall.

This is the palace that Zhu specially hired someone to build for his beloved in the style of the Han Dynasty. At this moment, a faint light flickered. Zhu Wen pushed open the door. In the gloom, the warm flames reflected the clouds and snow like clouds, shining brightly. The bright black hair flowed gently, and the queen was bare-chested, with her back to the middle door separated by a curtain, quietly blooming in a corner.

He knelt there silently, with his eyes lowered as always.

Zhu Wen swallowed his dry throat, put his hands in order to tidy up his appearance, and said softly, "Ahui."

Ta-da. The Queen threw a cushion to her side: "Sit down."

"As you wish." Zhu Wen took off his shoes and walked over with small steps. As soon as he sat down, he stretched out his hand and slowly leaned over from behind, wanting to hug her.

"take away."

Zhu Wen withdrew his hand awkwardly.

"I ask you three questions, and you must say them all without missing a word."

Hearing this, Zhu Wen was as if he was facing a formidable enemy. He straightened his back and stared at the floor in front of him: "Excuse me, Queen."

"Wei Jin has no moral integrity, and he has been a concubine who has committed adultery and has been ridiculed for thousands of years." The Queen Mother did not beat around the bush with him: "Why is there a rumor in Bianliang that you and Princess Bo are having an affair? Kaifeng Prefecture has repeatedly arrested you, is this just groundless?"

"this…"

"Tell the truth!" Seeing Zhu Wen hesitate, the Queen Mother asked sternly.

"I will return to Song to visit my relatives in July. Why did you summon Wang Yu privately?"

"Find a nun and pray for my parents." Zhu Wen said without thinking, fortunately he was well prepared.

"Who was the attendant on that day? Why was there no record of the content and duration of the conversation in the duty log? It only had one vague sentence: The emperor summoned Wang, a lady from the imperial court, and talked about family matters."

Zhu Wen rolled his eyes and said helplessly, "It's been a long time since I last saw him. I really can't remember clearly. Who was the daily recorder that day? Is the daily record written in accordance with the procedures? Is it against the rules? You should ask the Secretary of State."

The Queen turned her head to look at him, and then said, "Lu was traveling in Chenliu and was robbed. He died of his injuries. The third floor of Hongwen Pavilion, where the daily records were kept, leaked and the books were damaged by the autumn rain in September."

"Oh?" Zhu Wen was surprised and said dissatisfiedly: "At present, the horse thieves have come. The ministers have been robbed. It is undoubtedly the work of Li Ni. The Queen Mother does not know that this thief is despicable and cruel. The criminal soldiers cut off their toes, shaved their heads and beards, and tattooed them to form a group, called the Evil Army. Under them, they are divided into the left wing big evil people and the right wing small bastards, each with a disciplinary officer. Two cakes are given every day. Extra meals are given when there is a battle. The whole family is held as hostage, and they are driven like pigs and dogs. Such a murderer, what can't he do? Don't be fooled by his sanctimonious and kind eyes. The Queen Mother doubts me..."

"As for the dereliction of duty in the Hongwenguan, the chief officer should be dismissed."

As he spoke, his voice sounded a little aggrieved.

"How dare you lie to me."

"If you tell me even one lie, I will die miserably." Zhu Wen raised his hand and swore, looking at her without giving in.

The Queen was silent.

Big villain, little bastard... Li Lang is quite good at making up words.

Smelling that charming and familiar smell, Zhu Wen, who was as tall as a pillar, was extremely impatient. After waiting for a long time for the Queen to speak, he embraced her with his left hand, and then his right hand uncontrollably touched his heart... It was tender again... He really wanted to take a bite: "It's getting late——"

The Queen pushed him away and said, "With hundreds of thousands of soldiers, you can't get rid of the ugly pigs. As a king, you can't provide food and clothing for the people. As a husband, you can't protect them from wind and rain. The court is new, and the warriors are arrogant. The government is in chaos, and the woman is in power, but she doesn't set the rules. I have never seen a country last this long. The Central Plains is empty, without cities or defenses. The princes on all sides are all enemies. In the future, because of this, the carriage will be in turmoil. I don't know where the carriage will go from now on."

What kind of man is he, the emperor, if he can't protect the people from being tortured, and can't protect her from being humiliated by the rebels under the city. The precise destruction by Fei Zhongkang and his ilk that day shattered something in the withered heart of the empress, and it was difficult for her to lick her wounds and put them back together again.

"The Queen..." Zhu Wen was stunned, his blood rushed to his head, and his face turned purple. He felt ashamed and resentful, but the Queen's words were too harsh... I wonder which man could bear it except him. If it was Li Ni, he would have killed his wife.

"A saint loves himself." After saying this in a concerned way, the Queen of Heaven took the Taoist robe and put it on, then floated away.

Zhu Wen's expression changed for the second time.

The husband is the leader of the wife, and the wife teaches her husband in person.

How is this different from Wu Zhao?

There was no one to vent his worries and depression to, and he had to put on a brave face in front of others when he was frustrated in the river. Thinking of his wife's cold, dead face, and the Queen Mother's sometimes fleeting appearance in public - because she dodged the slightest movement of being asked about her well-being by a husband with yellow teeth and bad breath in front of everyone, Zhu Wen, who was already middle-aged, felt a little sweet in his throat, and walked out of the Pepper Room in a daze: "The indulgence of a scholar can still be explained. But my indulgence cannot be explained..."

In the Queen's heart, what exactly is he, a wronged creature?
This time, Zhu's spirit really suffered an unprecedented huge blow.

(End of this chapter)