"Shi Langjun, you should know that I had a near-death experience on this trip. If Jin Qing had not sacrificed his life to protect me, I would not have been able to enter Chushan, and I would have been intercepted by the Huai Palace in Shouzhou. Besides, Jin Qing followed Xu Hou to attack Taiyuan.
It is also a life-saving friendship, is Xu Hou really stingy and invisible?"
Zhao Fan grabbed Zheng Jinqing's arm and forced himself to stand still, staring at Shi Zhen almost pleadingly and asked.
Shi Zhen glanced at Zheng Jinqing and secretly felt that it was a pity that he was born into the Zheng family.
Remember when Zheng Huaizhong marched thousands of miles to attack Taiyuan, he had tens of thousands of elite troops, but only sent 500 cavalry to accompany him. Zheng Jinqing was the commander at that time.
Zheng Jinqing was one of the most powerful generals on Qin Feng Road. He fought bravely all the way to Taiyuan and made impressive military exploits.
After returning to the south, although Zheng Jinqing was rewarded with merit, because of his insistence on actively fighting against the Chihu people, or perhaps because of a bad relationship with Zheng Huaizhong's eldest son Zheng Cong, he was not reused in Heluo, Nanyang or Huainan East Road, and was not used in the army.
He can become the core general who leads the elite Shenwu Army; this time he is reduced to escorting Zhao Fan when he travels. It is really a waste of a good general.
Of course, Zheng Jinqing is a descendant of the Zheng family, and it is not Chushan's turn to fight for him. Shi Zhen just calmly refused Shi Zhen's request to see Xu Huai and said:
"Your Majesty is critically ill, and people's hearts are uncertain. As the commander-in-chief of a town, Xu Hou is entrusted with important responsibilities. It is a taboo to have secret relationships with ministers. If I hadn't known that Duke Zhao's trip was difficult, I shouldn't have met Duke Zhao. One more thing,
Since hearing the news that His Majesty is critically ill, Marquis Xu has been in a heavy heart. He has spent several days forgetting food and sleep, burning incense and sitting in meditation in his study to pray for His Majesty. We have not seen Xu Marquis. Please forgive me, Duke Zhao!"
"Can Shi Gong reveal a little bit about what is written in the secret edict?" Zhao Fan asked unwillingly.
"The reason why the secret edict is a secret edict, does Mr. Zhao think that Shi is destined to meet him? Mr. Zhao is joking..." Shi Zhen laughed and said, "Mr. Zhao has suffered a lot during this trip, so please go to the post house to rest for a while.
"His Majesty is critically ill, and it is really inconvenient for Shi to hold a banquet for Mr. Zhao. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
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Although Shi Zhen also specially arranged a residence for Zhao Fan and Zheng Jinqing in Wuyang City, Zhao Fan knew in his heart that if they really wanted to stay in the city, not only would Shi Zhen find excuses to closely monitor them, but their movements would also be subject to greater restrictions.
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Therefore, after leaving Shi Zhen's house, Zhao Fan and Zheng Jinqing left Wuyang City directly.
After they learned that Emperor Jianji's illness endangered the secret edict, they set out from Chuzhou where the Huainan East Road and the Huaidong camp were located; because they had to pass through the jurisdiction of the Huai Palace Army on the way, more than a hundred guards and horses were scattered.
Okay, they won't be combined until they arrive in Xinyang.
Chushan did not prohibit the entry of more than a hundred guards, and even set up a post station in the south of Wuyang City for them to settle in. Of course, Chushan also sent personnel to monitor them, and ordered them not to leave Chushan's sight at will, otherwise they would be considered
This is not friendly behavior.
Zhao Fan and Zheng Jinqing were not the only two important figures in Chuzhou who came to Wuyang. There were others who just didn't show up and were waiting for news at Wuyang City South Station. When they saw Zhao Fan and Zheng Jinqing coming back, they couldn't wait to welcome them into the room and asked: "
Mr. Zhao met Marquis Jingsheng, what was written in the secret edict, and what did Marquis Jingsheng say?"
Zhao Fan smiled bitterly and shook his head, and said: "This Chushan Fox is too slippery. I even begged him humbly and kept being stingy. It didn't work for Jin Qing to come over this time. He was blocked by Shi Zhen at the Marquis of Jingsheng."
Outside the palace! How is it possible to know what is written in the secret edict?"
"What do they mean?" someone asked.
"It's just for sale, what's the point?" Zhao Fan sighed, "Your Majesty must be really desperate. Now the secret edict is in the hands of Marquis Jingsheng. Whoever gives him enough benefits will turn to whichever side he wants.
What can be done to him?"
"Perhaps Xu Huai is not that bad as a person..." Zheng Jinqing said.
As a child of the Zheng family, Zheng Jinqing has no other better choice but to stand with the Zheng family.
Especially this time, if we can join forces with Chushan to support the young emperor, the children of the Zheng family, including him, will benefit a lot, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they will rise to great heights.
However, when it comes to the judgment of Xu Huai, Zheng Jinqing has a different view, thinking that Zhao Fan and others are a little on the rich side.
"Who in this world can escape the words 'fame', 'power', and 'profit'? Maybe Xu Huai had to work harder to resist the Red Husbands, but he was seeking fame before, not power at this time. You see
Seeing that Marquis Jingsheng has been running Chushan like an iron barrel in the past few years, who can step in, isn't it because he is greedy for power?" Zhao Fan said disdainfully to Zheng Jinqing's intention to excuse Xu Huai.
"..." When it comes to talking skills, Zheng Jinqing is no match for Zhao Fan. He said calmly, "Maybe so..."
Seeing that Zheng Jinqing was not completely convinced, Zhao Fan continued: "If your majesty is interested in the king's succession, is it necessary for your majesty to leave any secret edict? Apart from this, what else is the need for your majesty to leave a secret edict?"
After the birth of the prince, from the fact that Zheng Huaizhong was blocked in his fight for the establishment of the Hunan Road in Jing Dynasty, it can be clearly seen that the officials were extremely wary of the Zheng family and basically sided with King Huai, not to mention that King Huai also
He has the legitimate title of the Crown Prince's younger brother.
The Dai Viet dynasty was established, Emperor Taizu died, and Emperor Taizong succeeded him, which was a precedent for brother to succeed to the throne.
There is such a tradition, the legitimate title of the emperor's brother, and the support of the officials. At the same time, the Huai Palace also has one hundred thousand elite soldiers, including ministers such as Ge Boyi, Wang Boxian, Yang Maoyan, and famous generals such as Han Shiliang.
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Anyone can see that if Emperor Jianji wanted to be succeeded by King Huai after his death, there was no need to leave any secret edict.
Leaving a secret edict must be because he did not want King Huai to succeed to the throne.
After Emperor Jian's death, those who could inherit the throne were, in addition to King Huai, the prince born to Concubine Zheng.
Everyone has selfish motives, and it is only human nature for Emperor Jianji to hope that his own blood will inherit the throne.
What's more, when Emperor Jianji was the King of Jing, his relationship with King Huai was definitely not harmonious. After the birth of the prince, Emperor Jianji did not want to make the Zheng family his queen, but he was blocked by the officials.
"If Your Majesty wants to establish a prince, why should the secret edict be given to Chushan instead of Chuzhou?" Zheng Jinqing was still dissatisfied and couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty wants to establish a prince. Is it useful to send a secret edict to the Duke? Is it possible that you are still worried that Huaidong will oppose the establishment of a young emperor?"
Zhao Fan said to Zheng Jinqing a little irritably,
"Huaidong (Chuzhou) does not have the support of the officials, and holding secret edicts is of no use. It may even be accused of being framed by the Huai Palace. The only one who can really join forces with Huaidong (Chuzhou) to suppress the Huai Palace and the officials is
There is Chushan. When His Majesty was dying, he actually saw this very clearly, so he wrote a secret edict to Chushan in a hurry! What a pity, what a shame, Your Majesty believed in the wrong guy after all. He didn't expect it.
If the secret edict falls into the hands of this guy, it will become a bargaining chip for him to sell at a high price!"
"Then what should we do?" someone asked, "We can't see Marquis Jingsheng, and there's nothing we can do here..."
"Since Chushan wants to wait for a price, there is no way he won't discuss the price with us,"
Zhao Fan pondered for a while and speculated anxiously,
"Perhaps he is waiting for someone from Prince Huai's Palace to come, and he doesn't want to give Prince Huai's Palace the impression that he has negotiated with us before someone comes. This should be Chu Shanhu's real plan and intention. He is well calculated. We are now
We need to arrange for people to return to Chuzhou to report the matter to the Duke of Ming Dynasty. It is best to ask the Duke to hand over all the conditions he can agree to in a handwritten letter. We cannot just sit back and watch Chushan negotiate the terms with Prince Huai's Mansion and tear up the secret edict——
If we really push it to that point, it will be too late, and Chuzhou will be cornered!"
At this time, someone walked in and handed a letter to the person on Zhao Fan's left.
Zhao Fan looked over and asked, "What's going on?"
The man handed the secret letter to Zhao Fan and said: "More than a thousand elite cavalry have just entered Wuyang City from the North City. I also heard the news this morning that Marquis Jingsheng is about to travel far..."
Except for a small number of bodyguards, the main force of the selected vanguard army is not usually stationed in Wuyang, but is stationed in Xiangcheng, Liangxian and other places to prepare for the enemy.
If Xu Huai moves around Chushan, two to three hundred guards and horses will be enough. There is no need to mobilize thousands of elites...
"Xu Huai is going to Jianye. He is going to Jianye to negotiate the price in person," Zhao Fan shouted while patting stocks. "Zhuzi is more greedy than we thought!"
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In Huichun Lane, east of Xingyuan, Lu Xiong lived alone in a small courtyard, attended by two retired soldiers.
In addition to living next to Zhao Heng and his family, Huichun Lane and nearby streets are mainly inhabited by officials and their families. They respect Lu Xiong very much. They also know that Xu Huai, Tang Pan, Xu Xin'an and others regard Lu Xiong very much.
Being both a teacher and a friend, life will certainly not be deserted.
For more than half a year, Lu Xiong taught martial arts at the general residence of the Samurai House that moved to Wuyang. In addition to teaching spears, sticks, and kicks every day, he also discussed with his colleagues the practical application of spears, sticks, and swords in military formations and improved them.
Returning to the house at night, he would either have a drink alone or go to Zhao Heng's place to drink. Every once in a while, he would be invited by Xu Huai to have banquets at the house behind the palace.
Everything in Wuyang City remained as before, and they had no idea that such a dangerous undercurrent had been set off secretly in Dayue.
After lunch at the Zhaishe at noon, Lu Xiong was taking a nap in the courtyard of the Zhaishe, and the guards came to the door:
"Jiaoxi Lu, Marshal Jie is going to Jianye and would like to ask Teacher Lu to accompany him. I wonder if Teacher Lu can get away?"
"..." Lu Xiong was full of doubts. On the one hand, he didn't know why Xu Huai suddenly went to Jianye. On the other hand, he had served in Zhaishe since he arrived in Wuyang. He had not directly participated in the military and political matters, and he didn't know what Xu Huai had done.
There was no need for him to accompany us, but Lu Xiong still agreed and asked, "When will we leave?"
"I'm leaving today. If Teacher Lu needs to prepare anything, please give me your instructions..." the guard said.
"So urgent? Oh, I don't have anything to prepare. Apart from weapons and weapons, I just need to bring two changes of clothes." Lu Xiong said.
