country

If the atmosphere in the court hall was relatively relaxed when the little emperor bestowed the marriage on Han Xiang, then at this time, the court hall was full of solemnity, as if there was a thick layer of dust floating in the air, making the ministers a little breathless.

"Rescued?" Xue Poye sneered, and said indifferently: "It's too coincidental to be rescued today after interrogation? Could it be that someone has been waiting for this opportunity?"

Kong Bufan gritted his teeth, prostrated himself on the ground, his body was cold.

All the ministers were standing in the main hall. The little emperor closed his eyes and leaned on the dragon seat, as if he had fallen asleep. Xue Poye saw it and sighed in his heart: "Little Shitou is really smart, this is the emperor!" In just a few days, I understood how to deal with things, hey, it’s better to have genes.”

I don't know how long it took, but when the atmosphere in the hall overwhelmed the officials, Moy finally came back to report.

"My lord, Sima Jinglun was abducted by more than a dozen masked men on his way back to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice." Mo Yi said: "The escort officers and soldiers fought hard and killed two masked men."

Xue Poye was startled, he knew that the group of masked people must be Qinglianzhao's congregation led by Lady Lv, but it was beyond his expectation that two people were killed, so he couldn't help but glanced at Moy, and thought: "This Guy, don't you understand what I mean?"

Moy continued: "After identification, the identities of the two masked men have been determined."

"Who is it?" the little emperor asked anxiously.

Moy said: "One is called Kong Chou and the other is called Kong Dao, they are both servants of Kong Shangshu."

Kong Bufan couldn't bear it anymore, and shouted: "Moy, you spout blood, you...you are talking nonsense!"

Moy was calm and composed, without even looking at Kong Bufan, he said: "The corpse is in the Ministry of Punishment. If Mr. Kong doesn't believe it, please go and see for yourself. But before you go, please ask Mr. Kong to look at these!" After finishing speaking, from He took out a few letters and sent them to the little emperor through the eunuch.

The little emperor looked at it carefully, and snorted coldly: "Sure enough, there are green characters!" Standing up from the dragon seat, he threw the letters far away in front of Kong Bufan: "Look for yourself."

Kong Bufan only glanced at it, his expression changed dramatically, and hissed: "Conspiracy, this is a conspiracy. Your Majesty, there is a traitor who harmed me... There is a traitor!"

Xue Poye and Lan Wuqing's expressions were not friendly, I'm sorry, there are traitors, doesn't that mean us?

The little emperor's face is also very ugly, he is also one of the masterminds!

"Prime Minister, how should we deal with this situation?" the little emperor asked Lan Wuqing.

Lan Wuqing said: "Deprived of his official position, he will be imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. The Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple will jointly interrogate him. After signing and detaining him, he will be punished according to the criminal law." He said in a deep voice, "Samurai in front of the palace, detain him!"

Two warriors in front of the hall in armor entered the hall and stood behind Kong Bufan.

Kong Bufan stood up slowly, closed his eyes, the matter had come to an end, he knew that it was useless to yell out his throat, the evidence presented by Moy was solid, even if there were officials in the DPRK who wanted to speak for him, but in the face of the ironclad evidence , what can I say?

The victim of political struggle never depends on whether your character is upright or despicable, but whether your position in this game is an obstacle to certain interests.

……

……

"Your Majesty, Kong Bufan treats the body of sins. This Ministry of Rites can't do it. But the Ministry of Rites is about the etiquette of the world, and it is rare to have someone to preside over it. According to the old minister, the minister of the Ministry of Rites... Pan Yue is also a talented minister, and he can be a minister! Seeing that Kong Bufan was being escorted, Lan Wuqing played immediately.

This candidate has been considered long ago.

In addition to Shangshu Kong Bufan, the Ministry of Rites also has the left servant Han Nanfeng and the right servant Pan Yue. In terms of seniority, Han Nanfeng is naturally the best candidate to succeed the Shangshu, but it is impossible for the little emperor to hand over the position of the Minister of Rites that was finally vacated to the Queen Mother. However, Pan Yue is a staunch royalist, so no matter from which point of view, he has become the new Minister of Rites as a matter of course.

When the court dealt with Kong Bufan in a lightning-like manner, the courtiers vaguely saw the shadow of Emperor Deqing from the young emperor. They understood that the person sitting on the chair was not a young man, but an emperor, an emperor with the power of life and death. .

The Qianlin Hall was silent for a while, and the breathing sounds of civil and military men from all courts mixed together, which was solemn and funny.

Xue Poye finally came out of the class and said: "I am going to play for the Holy Master. I can't sleep at night after listening to the Holy Master. I hope that the King Mingyue will stay. I can't share the worries for the Holy One. I am sincere and terrified. My minister suggested that the six departments and three divisions jointly sign the fold, and I implore the Mingyue King to stay in Beijing." .”

He Ruhui, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, will play: "The minister seconded the proposal!"

Minister of the Ministry of War, Xi Muquan, played: "The minister seconded the proposal!"

Mo Yi, Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, played: "The minister seconded the proposal!"

"My minister agrees!"

"My minister agrees!"

……

All of a sudden, many ministers woke up. They vaguely knew that there seemed to be something else going on in the scene of Kong Bufan colluding with the rebel party in the court today.

The six co-signed letters were written to force Mingyue King to stay. Obviously, many ministers knew in their hearts that Kong Bufan had a close relationship with Mingyue King, and it is very likely that they would not participate in the joint letter. The identity of the emperor's mother changed His Majesty's will.

This is of course unacceptable to the little emperor.

So in this incident, it is very likely that Kong Bufan was not convicted of colluding with Qinglianzhao, but because he got close to King Mingyue.

King Mingyue is a sensitive topic in Da Chu, and the emperor of a country within a country. The so-called "there is no second sky, and the people have no second master", the existence of this kind of pattern, of course, the court is quite dissatisfied with.

During the reign of Emperor Deqing, no matter what the reason was, he did not attack King Mingyue, but now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, it seems that he is going to clean up the situation.

Keeping King Mingyue behind must be a means to deal with Yongzhou affairs.

Although there are still many ministers in the court who have a heart of admiration for King Mingyue, they also deeply understand that the Great Chu Kingdom belongs to the emperor, and King Mingyue who left Yongzhou and arrived in Kyoto is like a raptor caught in a quagmire.

Many people wondered, did King Mingyue not think of such a consequence when he entered the capital?

Perhaps King Mingyue was too confident, so confident that he didn't believe that the little emperor would attack him from the very beginning of his ascension to the throne, or that King Mingyue came to Beijing for other purposes...!

It's just that all of this can only be thought about quickly under the calm faces of the officials, and no one will reveal what they think in their hearts, let alone raise questions.

The six ministers, the patrol case department, the Duzhi department, and the procuratorate department all came out to second.

Everyone knew in their hearts that Kong Bufan had learned from the past. If anyone is not active at this time, he may become the next Kong Bufan. Everyone also firmly believed that the little emperor with Lan Wuqing and Xue Poye as the backstage really wanted to take action. Come on, definitely not as gentle as Emperor Deqing.

……

……

Cining Palace.

The Queen Mother was sitting alone in the cool gazebo, the chessboard on the stone table was full of black and white chess pieces, with a faint smile on her lips, she was playing chess with great interest.

"Report to the Empress Dowager...!" A eunuch rushed over and knelt down on the ground: "On the court, the six ministries and the three divisions jointly signed a petition to ask Mingyue King to stay in Beijing."

The queen mother pressed a white character on the chessboard, and said indifferently: "Where is Kong Bufan? He also signed a joint name?"

The eunuch replied: "Master Kong intends to collude with Qing Lianzhao to assassinate the Holy Majesty. He has been stripped of his official position and sent to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment."

The Empress Dowager's complexion darkened, her eyebrows frowned, she was taken aback for a moment, and immediately sneered, "Xue Poye, Lan Wuqing, I'm afraid only you can come up with this kind of trick, it's full of loopholes."

This crime is very simple, but extremely practical.

In a short period of time, this method of making charges has become the most effective weapon. Even though many people doubt it, the emperor doesn't care about it. He only needs an excuse, a charge that can bring down Kong Bufan.

"Queen Dowager, besides this, the Holy Majesty also granted a marriage, betrothing Princess Minglan to the son of Master Han, the servant of the Ministry of Rites."

The Empress Dowager suddenly changed color this time, and her eyes became colder: "What a powerful method." She stood up, walked to the gazebo, and looked at the rippling lake beside her, as if she was thinking about something.

The surface of the lake is uneven, and people's hearts are not calm.

She beckoned, the eunuch hurried over, the queen mother leaned closer and whispered something, the eunuch nodded and said: "I understand."

The queen mother took off the ring in her hand, handed it to the eunuch, and said: "King Mingyue will know that you are my man when he sees this. If I say it, you have to take it with me verbatim."

The eunuch took the ring and walked away quickly.

The queen mother walked back to the gazebo, with a graceful figure, sat down gently, and murmured: "General, you were promoted by Emperor Yangwu, and King Mingyue came out in person... don't you miss your old love?"

……

On the path, a court lady walked in front, leading a strange man towards the gazebo.

He is called a weirdo because on this hot day, his whole body was tightly wrapped, the black cloak covered his body, and the black-brimmed hat blocked his face. He walked very slowly, but But he is very elegant. Even though his figure is covered, it is undeniable that his body is very slender.

The maid brought the strange man to the gazebo, and said softly, "Queen Mother, he is here."

The Queen Mother waved: "You go down first, let them be more careful, don't let people come in at will."

The maid agreed and withdrew.

The strange man walked into the gazebo consciously, sat down on the stone chair opposite the Queen Mother, and said flatly, "You shouldn't have let me come."

"But I miss you." The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes, smiled sweetly, and said, "You...don't miss me?"

The strange man pondered for a long time before uttering a word: "Think!"

"I miss you, you miss me, why can't I call you here?" The Queen Mother stood up and walked behind the weird man, her full breasts pressed against the strange man's shoulders, twisting slightly, the full breasts squeezed against the strange man's shoulders press.

The strange man stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to push the Queen Mother away, but when he touched the Queen Mother's arm, he paused, but held it gently.

His hands are white and beautiful, with slender fingers.

The queen mother said softly: "What are you afraid of? That damned old guy is dead."

"I have a sense of guilt." The weirdo replied quickly, "Don't you think we are doing a huge mistake?"

"What's wrong?" The queen mother sighed quietly: "What is right and what is wrong in the world? If there was something wrong, we shouldn't have met that time, and you shouldn't have entered the palace... Guilt... Hee hee hee... …Don’t you think it’s more exciting, more fun, to do something with guilt?”

The strange man gently stroked the queen mother's slippery little hand, sighed, and did not speak.

The queen mother finally arrived: "The six ministries and three divisions jointly signed to keep the Mingyue King."

The strange man snorted coldly and said, "That's his business, what has it got to do with me?"

The queen mother stuffed the weird man's mask with her little hand, gently stroked his face, and said softly: "Silly boy, we want to be together for life and life, but we need him for this sneaky life. "

The weirdo said nothing.

"You will have a chance only if he raises an army and fights with Liu Zichan for both losses." The Queen Mother's voice is soft and charming, no one can imagine that the normally dignified Queen Mother is tender and flirtatious at this time.

"Today, Liu Zichan played tricks and forced King Mingyue to stay... This is a good thing. Only in this way can he anger his subordinates, and even King Mingyue himself began to loosen his mind." The Queen Mother said softly.

The strange man said indifferently: "He is for you!"

The queen mother giggled and said, "Are you jealous?"

The strange man sighed, and asked with indescribable emotion, "Since he is kept in Beijing, then Liu Zichan will definitely transfer all the capable ministers and generals of Yongzhou to the capital in his name, and then attack them one by one. If we send people to take over Yongzhou again, I am afraid that this war will not be able to be fought." After a pause, he sighed softly: "Wars will kill people, so it would be better for you and me to leave here and fly far away?"

The Empress Dowager's face immediately sank: "No, the old guy has delayed my youth, I'm going to... destroy his world!"

The strange man said coldly: "For your own selfish desire, thousands of people died?"

The queen mother shed tears and said wronged: "You...do you say that about me? Do you think... think that I am a bad woman...!"

The weird man sighed and said, "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

The Queen Mother whispered in her ear, the strange man was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "Do you think I have that ability?"

"You have." The Queen Mother leaned close to the weird man's ear, exhaling like blue: "You are my man, and my man is the most intelligent man in the world. You must have a way!"

The strange man smiled wryly and asked, "Why did you win over the general? With his temperament, it is impossible to walk with you."

The queen mother said indifferently: "Nothing is impossible. Besides, we don't necessarily need him to stand with us. What we need is that he not stand with Liu Zichan."

"It turns out that you have already thought about all this."

The queen mother giggled: "For you, can I not think about it?"

……

……

In the Qianlin Hall, the little emperor held the booklet in his hand, and a stone finally fell from his heart. This is the booklet with the fingerprints of the six departments and the three ministers. The content of the booklet is very simple, it just wants King Mingyue to stay in Beijing to serve the country, but the weight is extremely heavy , because from a certain point of view, this is the beginning of solving Yongzhou, a country within a country.

In addition to being able to keep King Mingyue, the little emperor is even more happy that with the assistance of Lan Wuqing and Xue Poye, the officials in the court have surrendered at his feet, at least on the surface.

After the court was over, the little emperor had to leave Xue Poye and Lan Wuqing alone to discuss matters.

"Master, how should we deal with Kong Bufan?" The little emperor asked Kong Bufan how to deal with it first.

The three knew Kong Bufan's innocence, and they were sacrificed for political purposes. According to normal procedures, once Kong Bufan's criminal evidence was confirmed, they would all be executed.

"Procrastinate!" Xue Poye said indifferently: "Procrastinate, Kong Bufan's case will not be tried first, let him stay in the prison, after the limelight, find a reason to prove that he is innocent Lian Zhao wants to frame him, and then let him out."

Lan Wuqing agreed: "That's right, Master Xue's method is feasible."

"After leaving King Mingyue behind, should our next step be to transfer those ministers from Yongzhou?" The little emperor asked again.

Xue Poye thought for a while, and said: "This still needs to be done step by step, but there is one thing we must do now."

Lan Wuqing stroked her beard and said, "Master Xue is talking about preparing the army?"

Xue Poye gave a thumbs up and said with a smile: "Jiang is still old and spicy, yes, no matter whether Yongzhou can be resolved peacefully, we must prepare the army from now on. I got the news that 30 soldiers in Yongzhou have been fighting all day long. Drill, they are in the northwest, the folk customs are tough, and their individual combat capabilities have always been very strong. Once there is a real change, we will have to send at least [-] troops to restrain them in terms of combat effectiveness."

The little emperor stuck out his tongue and said, "30?"

Lan Wuqing thought for a while, then shook her head and said, "Master Xue, for a real fight, 30 people are still not enough. It is said that the armored soldiers in Yongzhou in the northwest have learned the fighting methods of the Hu people, and they have 20 cavalry. From then on, it is not uncommon to say that food is looted along the way. Therefore, their logistics personnel will not be too many, and the army will not exceed 30. But the soldiers and horses of the imperial court cannot loot the property of the people along the way? What kind of soldiers are they? In this way, the number of logistics personnel responsible for 50 soldiers and horses will be a huge number. Ask me for a rough estimate, and the total number will exceed [-].”

The little emperor smiled wryly: "50... a lot of people!"

"What the prime minister said is that I am only counting soldiers and horses. I forget that fighting requires logistics personnel, eating, sleeping, feeding horses, blacksmiths who repair armor, and food transport teams... at least it costs 20. In this way, 50 There will only be more people and no fewer." Xue Poye's face began to become serious: "These 50 people have to eat, drink and scatter, and if Yongzhou does not surrender for a day, we will have to spend a lot of money to support... But at present, the Ministry of Household Bank Curry, it’s only 200 million taels of silver, let alone 50 people, it is estimated that 10 people’s supplies will be a problem.”

"Master, if we really want to fight, how much money will we spend?" The little emperor was a little anxious.

Xue Poye shook his head and said, "I can't say for sure, it depends on how long the fight has been. 50 people, plus horse feed, will eat 10,000+ taels of silver just for one day, not including weapons and horses and equipment."

"Then what can we do?"

Xue Poye thought for a while, and said: "No matter what the situation in Yongzhou is, we must be prepared. We fight for money, so we want money, a lot of money." From the beginning, it is necessary to prepare money in the state capitals and order taxes to be paid in advance...!"

Lan Wuqing sighed: "It's midsummer now, and there are still a few months before the autumn harvest. I'm afraid it will be difficult to harvest. We can't force it too much. At that time, don't force the common people to switch to that side."

Knowing that Lan Wuqing's words were true, Xue Poye really wanted to put them away by force, but don't make any bigger mistakes. He frowned, thought for a long time, and then smiled wryly: "There is really no way, we have to search for the lost documents of the Ministry of Finance with all our strength. Official bank."