Just as the elders were rushing to the palace, a carriage had already been prepared in front of the Changping Hou Mansion.
Yang Jie was wrapped in a fur robe and stood beside the carriage. He listened calmly to the news that the emperor had summoned the ministers. He waved his hand gently and got on the carriage.
On this trip, his destination is...
"The Crown Prince of Changping Marquis Mansion?"
Zhu Yi finally rested for a day and was playing with the two lucky dolls at home, when suddenly she heard someone coming to report.
He frowned, but nodded and said.
"Please come in."
After changing her clothes and walking into the flower hall, Zhu Yi wondered about Yang Jie's purpose.
Speaking of which, he and Yang Jie are friends.
Although noble generals are proud of themselves, they do not understand the ways of the world.
As early as the few years when the court was still stable, Yang Hong was already a general. Not only did he have many military exploits, he also guarded the important town of Xuanfu for the court. He was also quite capable in the army and expected to earn a title in a few years.
, it’s not that difficult.
You must know that the system of nobles is relatively closed, so new nobles often do not emerge for several years. Therefore, with a general like Yang Hong, who will almost certainly be knighted in the future, naturally everyone wants to
To win over.
However, the Yang family only had orphans and widowers in the capital. Even later, after the old lady of the Yang family passed away, Yang Jie was the only one left in the capital.
Therefore, those who want to have a good relationship with the Yang family naturally have friendship with him.
However, at that time, the Chengguo Palace was still a big tree among the nobles. As the young prince of the Chengguo Palace, Zhu Yi naturally had no need to rush to make friends with the Yang family.
The so-called friendship means just acquaintance at a few banquets.
But even this superficial friendship was enough for Zhu Yi to have a preliminary impression of Yang Jie.
In Zhu Yi's eyes, there is only one word that can describe Yang Jie.
thoughtful!
This man is very thoughtful.
This kind of thoughtfulness is not the kind of long-sleeved good dancer who is exquisite in all aspects, but is invisible and thoughtful, which can make people feel very stable and reliable.
Yang Jie's health is not good, this is something everyone in the capital knows.
However, despite being obviously weak, he was able to socialize with many noble disciples who were keen on practicing martial arts, and those people even made him their confidant.
I have to say, this is indeed a skill.
Now, under the current situation, such a capable person came to visit Duke Chengguo, and Zhu Yi couldn't help but think a little more.
The incident at the military camp has become a hot topic in the capital.
Especially after Yang Jun was imprisoned and Yang Hong was behind closed doors, everyone in the government and the public was speculating whether there might be any connection between the two.
Due to some special relationship, although Mr. Zhu was not in the court, he was very well-informed about the news in the court.
So naturally, he knew that two ministers from the Ministry of War rushed to Yu Qian's mansion yesterday and stayed there until nightfall before leaving. If nothing else happened, the plan to organize the military camp should have been almost finalized.
At this time, Yang Jie came to visit Duke Chengguo, whether for help or... something else.
With this in mind, Mr. Zhu went to the flower hall where he was entertaining guests.
As soon as his figure appeared, Yang Jie, who was originally sitting, immediately stood up and cupped his hands.
"My little brother, Yang Jie, came to visit rashly and disturbed the young master."
As the saying goes, don't hit the smiling person, not to mention that Zhu Yi often made a smiling person during this period, so naturally, he would not deny face.
At that moment, Young Master Zhu laughed enthusiastically. He first bowed his hands and returned the gift, then pulled Yang Jie's sleeves and asked him to sit down on the chair, Fang said.
"It turns out to be the wise brother of the Yang family. Our friendship is between you and me. I don't want to disturb you. Sit down quickly and watch tea."
After the two of them sat down, they exchanged a few words. Yang Jie didn't mean to hide anything, so he said directly.
"To be honest with you, I am here because of the military settlements that the Ministry of War is currently handling."
Zhu Yi raised her eyebrows, and her thoughts were as expected.
But there was a trace of embarrassment on his face, and he said.
"Young Master Yang, this... is not because my brother refuses to help, but as you know, the Chengguo Palace is not what it used to be. It is not easy to keep the lintel of your family. Otherwise, I am afraid that there is nothing you can do..."
Yang Jie didn't show anything special, he looked as expected.
In fact, the friendship between them is far from good enough that they can help each other just by saying hello.
Yang Jie gently clasped his right hand and placed it on the table. Yang Jie looked calm and asked.
"So, facing this knife from the Ministry of War, the Duke of Chengguo intends to cut his flesh and leave?"
The current military settlement problem in the Ming Dynasty is so serious. It is definitely not a matter of one family, but is caused by a mixture of talents such as relatives, civil servants, clans, etc.
Among them, the noble forces rooted in the military are the most deeply involved.
You don't need to think about it to know that a veteran nobleman like Chengguo Gongfu will definitely not lag behind others in occupying military villages.
Therefore, Yang Jie asked Zhu Yi directly what he planned to do instead of asking if Cheng Guogong's government was involved.
The atmosphere in the flower hall was a bit cold.
Zhu Yi smiled, turned the jade ring on her thumb, and said casually.
"Prince Yang, this seems to have nothing to do with the Changping Marquis Mansion, right?"
Unexpectedly, Yang Jie nodded seriously and said.
"It really doesn't matter, but if I continue to talk too much, I would like to ask, do the people behind the young master also want him to do this?"
Almost instantly, Zhu Yi's expression became stern, and her cold gaze was directed at Yang Jie, as if she wanted to penetrate him alive.
"Young Master Yang is just joking. What is behind your back? Now that my father has died in the battle, I will naturally handle the affairs of Duke Chengguo's house. Why do you need to ask anyone else?"
It has to be said that Yang Jie’s character is extraordinary.
Facing Zhu Yi's intimidating gaze, he showed no fear at all. Instead, he raised his head and met Zhu Yi's eyes.
After a while, a faint smile suddenly appeared on the face of Prince Yang, and the sight of it made people feel like a spring breeze, and he said.
"Young Master, don't be nervous. I just want to say that the Chengguo Palace has accumulated many years of history. There must be many old generals in the army. Even if you can pick them all off yourself, once they come to seek protection, I don't know what my Young Master has planned."
how?"
Yang Jie had a smile on his face, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
However, Zhu Yi's face had become a little ugly.
Although I had a basic understanding of Yang Jie for a long time, it was only when I actually talked with him that I realized how terrifying this person really was.
You know, everyone will always have mood swings.
Whether the emotion is real or pretended, it is always there.
However, although the man sitting in front of him had a gentle smile on his face and looked like a modest gentleman, in fact, Zhu Yi could not feel any emotion in him.
This is the most terrifying place for Zhu Yi.
This kind of person is either extremely cold-blooded and really doesn't care about anything, so he has no emotions.
Or, he is extremely controlling and can control all emotions to the point where no one can notice any clues.
Judging from the current situation, the fact that Yang Jie was able to come to Duke Chengguo's residence shows that he is not the kind of person who has no desires or desires.
So, in other words, he must be a person who has extreme control over his emotions.
This kind of person is usually more ruthless!
You know, the most difficult thing for people to control is their emotions. Yang Jie can hide his emotions without leaving any trace. It can be seen that this person is ruthless to himself and must also be ruthless to others!
Moreover, Yang Jie wears this mask.
It was difficult for Zhu Yi to judge whether his words really meant he didn't know anything, or whether he just didn't want to expose them.
As a result, Zhu Yi actually calmed down, because he suddenly discovered that the prince of the Changping Marquis Mansion was really interesting.
The other party is naturally difficult to deal with, but how can Zhu Yi himself be a simple person?
Gently touching the jade ring on her hand, Zhu Yi said with deep melancholy, "When my father died in the war, I ran around and used up all the favors from each family. Now, I have become the Duke of the country.
There are only orphans and widowed mothers left. If those uncles really miss the friendship back then, they should think about how to help my father protect the Chengguo Palace instead of causing trouble to the Chengguo Palace."
In fact, Zhu Yi really wasn't worried at all about what Yang Jie said.
The threshold of Chengguo Duke's mansion is not one that everyone can make friends with.
As early as when his father was still alive, those who could step into the Chengguo Duke's palace were either nobles with titles or high officials of the third rank or above in the court.
There are some so-called old generals in the army.
However, since these people have connected with the Duke of Chengguo, their official careers are not smooth sailing, but after so many years, they have to be the generals who guard the local area.
Many of these people are involved with military camps.
However, as Zhu Yi said, given their status, the now crumbling Chengguo Palace cannot protect them.
As long as they have some conscience, they will definitely not come to the Duke Cheng's Mansion to cause trouble for Young Master Zhu.
If there really is such a person, he should be kicked out!
So in fact, sometimes, it is really a blessing in disguise. For example, when the Chengguo Palace is at its peak, and the emperor wants to rectify the military garrison, Zhu Yi really has nothing to do.
Even if he leaves at the risk of huge profits, those who have interests in the Chengguo government will not be willing to do so.
At that time, unless the Chengguo government cuts off the complicated relationship between them, it will be impossible to escape safely.
After Zhu Yi finished speaking, she turned her attention to Yang Jie and looked at him quietly.
If Yang Jie really noticed something as he suspected, then by this time, he would no longer be able to hide it.
Sure enough, in response to Zhu Yi's attitude, Yang Jie gently twisted his right hand on the table, then raised his head and said.
"In this case, I will tell you frankly that the young master wants to protect himself wisely, but those who stand with the young master are the British Duke's Mansion, the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion, the Yangwu Marquis' Mansion, and the Ningyang Bo's Mansion.
, are you also willing to retreat?"
"Or is it that the young master plans to break with them?"
Yang Jie still asked with a smile, as if he was not talking about a mansion that could play an important role among nobles, but a carrot and cabbage.
Zhu Yi was relieved in his heart, but his face changed, as if someone had told him some secret. He was surprised at first, then became a little confused, and said.
"Prince Yang, what are you talking about? How do I know what these mansions are going to do?"
Seeing Zhu Yi's reaction, Yang Jie thought for a while, and for some reason, picked up the teacup and took a sip, and then spoke.
"Why do you need to be so secretive, young master? During this period of time, you have been socializing everywhere and wooing ministers who had previous friendship with Duke Xiancheng. Coincidentally, a large number of these people later spoke for the Supreme Emperor."
"Also, the manors and fields owned by Duke Chengguo outside the capital have recently been taken back one after another. There must be someone behind this."
"These traces are not a secret as long as you are willing to look for them, what do you think?"
Zhu Yi's face turned ugly for a while. She looked at Yang Jie and frowned tightly. Her expression changed for a while. She didn't know what she was thinking.
After a while, he seemed a little irritable, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said.
"Tell me what you want to do, I don't have time to fight with you here."
There was still no fluctuation on Yang Jie's face, and he still had the same look, as if everything was as he expected, and he opened his mouth.
"I want to help the young master, and of course, I also want to help the Changping Marquis Mansion!"
After saying this, Yang Jie took out a tightly sealed envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Zhu Yi.
Frowning, Zhu Yi hesitated for a moment, but finally raised her hand and opened the envelope. There wasn't much inside, just a few pieces of paper.
Zhu Yi took it out and took a look. Just one glance and she almost jumped up from the chair.
"Where did you get this thing?"
The things written on these pieces of paper are actually very simple. There are only two things, but the protagonists are all the same person...
Ningyuan Hou Renli!
The former is a list, with simple numbers and abbreviated place names marked at the end of each name. Basically, most of them are near Gansu.
And each of these names is a former subordinate of Ren Li.
Although he did not write it down clearly, Zhu Yi immediately understood that what was recorded above was some detailed data related to the invasion and occupation of military camps.
As for the second thing, it was written even more obscurely, even just a few simple sentences.
...On the third day of September, fifteen people were reported dead from the epidemic in the Gansu army. Four of them were elite soldiers who stayed at night and were particularly good at sneaking and hiding.
...On the seventh day of the lunar month, the Xuanfu captured three people acting suspiciously near the Deputy General's Military Mansion. One of them wanted to poison him, but after being defeated, he took the poison. The other two were armed with sharp knives and committed suicide after being captured.
...On the ninth day of the lunar month, a man was arrested at the city gate, hoping to blend in with the people and leave the city.
These records are vague and seemingly unrelated.
However, combined with something Zhu Yi knew, he couldn't help but feel shocked.
Yang Jie still had a gentle smile on his face, but with a strong sense of confidence. He spoke again, his tone still calm, and said.
"Young Master, the Yang family has been operating on the border for many years. If you really want to check something, it's not difficult!"
"Especially... on the territory of Xuanfu!"
This chapter has been completed!