Li Yan dragged his tired body back to his new home in the capital. When the virtuous Tang saw her husband coming back, she quickly asked the servants to prepare hot water for her husband to take a good bath.
Li Yan sat down on the chair, and immediately a maid placed a cup of hot tea on the table next to him. Li Yan picked up the tea cup without thinking and gushed out as soon as he entered his mouth.
"puff......."
Tea suddenly fell on the floor in front of me.
Li Yan put the tea cup back on the table and asked displeasedly: "What's going on? Why is it so hot?"
The maid who brought the tea to the side was already so frightened that she knelt on the ground with a pale face and kept claiming she was guilty.
"Okay, sir, why are you so angry?" Mrs. Tang on the side spoke up to defend the maid, "Husband, don't blame the servant. The tea was naturally hot when it was served. Could it be that, sir, you like to drink herbal tea?"
"well........"
Li Yan sighed softly, put the tea cup gently on the table, smiled at the maid and said: "Okay, go down, I just wrongly blamed you."
After the maid cleaned up the floor, Mrs. Tang, who had been observing Li Yan's expression, carefully asked: "Husband, why do you look so dazed? Did something happen in the court?"
Li Yan sighed softly and said, "It's nothing. It's just that the emperor stayed with my husband after going to court today. He asked me if I would like to go to Liaodong to supervise the division. My husband is very hesitant."
After a moment of silence, an exclamation echoed in the room: "Go to Liaodong to supervise the army! Fight the Tatars?"
Immediately afterwards, Tang quickly walked up to Li Yan and said urgently: "Husband, how can the emperor send you to Liaodong? You are a dignified minister of the Ministry of War, not a general leading troops!"
Mr. Tang comes from a wealthy family, and has always given the impression of being gentle and virtuous, and speaks in a soft voice, but today, he was uncharacteristically asking her husband in an almost sharp voice.
"Madam, it's useless." Li Yan shook his head: "The emperor has discussed it carefully with my husband today. The emperor wants to launch troops against the Tatars, but the generals in Liaodong were originally the main garrison areas of the previous dynasty. Those arrogant and fierce soldiers
Generals are extremely difficult to lead.
Besides, our court is newly established. Although there are many generals who can lead troops, Yunwen and Yunwu are not many who can take charge of their own affairs. The emperor asked his husband to go to Liaodong, which can be regarded as the tallest among the short ones. After all, this Eastern Expedition is about a lot of things.
It’s very important. If we can annihilate the Tatars in one fell swoop, our country, Dahua, will be able to avoid the suffering of the Tatars’ invasion of the country every year, and it can be considered a good deed of immeasurable merit.”
Tang was not an unreasonable person, but even though her husband was right, he couldn't help but feel sad. He sobbed: "I heard that the Tatars have become much more honest in the past two years and have not violated our borders.
Come on, why does the emperor still want to march eastward?"
Li Yan's face darkened, "What do you, a woman, know? Why haven't the Tatars violated the terms of imprisonment in the past two years? Isn't it because they were afraid of being beaten by His Majesty in the past few years? It's not that they don't dare to violate the terms of imprisonment now, but that they are doing so.
Keep up the good work, once the time comes, they will still show their fangs. Your Majesty is right. We cannot rely on the kindness of others for our own safety. To strike the iron, we have to be strong ourselves, not to mention the safety of a country."
Hearing her husband's firm tone, Mrs. Tang knew that she could not stop her husband from traveling. She turned sideways and secretly wiped the corners of her eyes and asked softly: "When will your husband travel?"
Li Yan thought for a while and replied, "It will probably take a month anyway. Your Majesty has promised me that I will allow my husband to take a legion of soldiers to Liaodong. In addition, I will also prepare food and grass, ordnance, armor and weapons to be transported to Liaodong, etc."
, and all of this needs to be shipped from Shandong, and all of this takes time. Besides, His Majesty is getting married next month. As a minister, my husband must drink Your Majesty’s wedding wine no matter what, before setting off, right?
, Madam, we have to give gifts for the Emperor’s wedding. It’s up to you to choose the gifts.” In order to comfort the Madam, Li Yan also said it in a relaxed tone.
After hearing this, Mrs. Tang felt a little relieved. She didn't just have to go right away. At least she and her husband could get along with each other for a month longer. As a woman who received traditional Chinese education, the most important thing in Mrs. Tang's mind was her family. Her husband was her.
The sky, her earth, her everything in her heart. However, her mind was quickly attracted by Li Yan's words behind her.
"Yes, it's the Emperor's wedding. As the Minister of the Ministry of War, my husband, you have to take the lead in giving gifts. And this gift can't be too shabby, otherwise it will make people laugh."
Mrs. Tang clutched the handkerchief in her hand, feeling a little worried. The emperor was rich all over the world, and no matter how much gold, silver and jewels he gave, others might not be able to appreciate them. However, as his husband was the minister of the Ministry of War, the gift he gave was
It’s really nerve-wracking that the price can’t be reduced yet...
Not to mention that Mr. Tang was having a hard time at home, almost everyone in Beijing now knew that the emperor was getting married. For a time, the prices of various antique trading firms were booming. For the same piece of calligraphy, painting or equipment, the price was at least higher than before.
It's 50% more expensive, so don't think it's too expensive, just for the sake of acquaintances.
In the southwest corner of the outer city of Gyeonggi, there is a willow tree alley. There is a high-end inn inside. The signboard at the door reads "Hao Zai Lai" in three big characters. There is also a man standing at the door wearing a square scarf on his head and a shawl on his shoulders.
The waiter wearing a white towel was greeting the customers coming and going.
Since this inn also functions as a restaurant, the weather at this time has reached noon, which is the time for dinner. Many guests are dining in the lobby of the inn, and it is very lively with people coming and going.
At this time, a man wearing a light blue gown came from a distance. This man was about 20 years old, with a handsome face and an air of calmness and dignity. He held a hand in his right hand.
A folding fan was slowly walking towards the door of the inn, and behind him were a burly middle-aged man and a young man with a white face and no beard.
I saw this man slowly coming to the door of the inn. When he saw the three "Hao Zai Lai" in front of me, he smiled and said: "Xiao Dezi, is this the inn?"
The young man following behind quickly lowered his head and said softly: "Master Qi, this is the inn."
"Okay, let's go in!"
"yes!"
The three of them came to the door of the inn, and the sharp-eyed boy hurriedly came over, nodded and bowed, and said: "Hey, the three guest officers are very keen on looking at you. Are you the first to come? Are you staying in the hotel or the sharp-eyed one?"
, or eating?”
The leading man smiled and said: "No, we are looking for someone, is it possible?"
"Oh? I wonder who the guest officer is looking for?"
Although the young children are not very old, as children, observing words and expressions is a basic skill for them. Although the clothes worn by the man in the lead are not very luxurious, they are well-dressed and finely tailored. They are obviously made by an expert.
, and although he tried his best to suppress it, a sense of majesty still emanated from his body. This man was obviously a big shot who was used to giving orders. Therefore, even though he just came here to find someone, the waiter still did not dare to neglect and was attentive.
asked.
The man said: "We are looking for Mr. Hong and Mr. Cao from Jiangnan!"
"Oh, it turns out that I'm here to see Mr. Hong. Guest officer, please come in and let me show you the way."
After saying that, the child diligently walked in front to lead the way for everyone.
Soon, the waiter brought these people to a small, clean courtyard.
At the door of the second courtyard of the store, he said respectfully: "Sir, Mr. Hong and the others live here. I will report to you later."
"No need. We can just call him ourselves. You can go down." The leading man waved his hand, signaling for the waiter to go down.
"Yes Yes!"
The waiter kept claiming that he was, but at the same time he stood there unmoved. When the man in charge saw it, he frowned at first, then smiled faintly, and winked at the white-faced and beardless young man behind him.
The young man quickly took out a piece of broken silver from his sleeve and threw it to the waiter. He shouted in a sharp voice: "Come on, get down quickly. Don't be an eyesore here!"
"Thank you sir for the reward, thank you sir for the reward!"
The waiter secretly weighed the silver in his hand. It was one or two weights, which was almost equivalent to one month's salary. He laughed so hard that he couldn't even see his eyebrows and passed out.
After the waiter left, the leading man was about to push open the store door. The burly man behind him stepped forward and whispered: "Master, you are rich in gold, why bother to take risks yourself, just in case someone
What a mistake. This villain can’t afford to pay for it even if he loses ten thousand lives.”
The male character said resolutely: "What are you afraid of? Everyone carries one head on two shoulders. They are more valuable than anyone else. They all dare to personally risk thousands of miles to come to the capital. Don't I even have the courage to meet them?
?”
It turned out that this man turned out to be Pang Gang, the first emperor of Dahua. I am afraid that no one in the civil and military circles in the dynasty would have thought that he would come to an ordinary inn to find someone in person.
After Pang Gang finished speaking, he reached out and pushed open the door to the front yard, and walked in first. The big man behind him had no choice but to follow closely, and the young man with a sharp voice walked in at the end.
.
In a small room in this courtyard, a middle-aged man wearing a blue robe and a long beard and an old man in his fifties with a white face and white hair were sitting opposite each other.
The old man frowned tightly and asked with a displeased look on his face: "Master Hong, why have you not been able to contact the Emperor for so long? Is there something wrong?"
The middle-aged man said unhappily: "Eunuch Cao, what do you mean? The emperor is currently in the Forbidden City. It is not that simple to contact the emperor. You used to be the admiral of Dongchang, so there is nothing you can do.
Have you contacted the Emperor?"
"You..." the old father-in-law shouted loudly: "You Hong Chengchou, how dare you speak to our family like this? Could it be that you have a different intention?"
It turned out that the middle-aged man in the room was Hong Chengchou, the former governor of Jiangnan, and the old man next to him was Cao Huachun.
Before Hong Chengchou could answer, he heard a loud laugh coming from outside the door, "Hahaha, Eunuch Cao, I haven't seen you for two years, are you still so impatient?"
As the sound came, the door was pushed open, and several people walked in. The awe-inspiring person walking in front was Pang Gang.
When Pang Gang walked in, the two people in the room almost jumped up.
"Pang Gang...you...you are here!"
Cao Huachun's face suddenly turned as pale as the white snow in winter. His trembling right hand pointed at Pang Gang who was standing in front, and his body was shaking like a squirrel in the cold winter.
"Hahaha... Isn't it just me, Cao Huachun, you didn't expect it, right? I have been looking forward to your arrival for a long time."
Pang Gang laughed and came into the room, looked around, found a stool and sat down very familiarly. At this time, Hong Chengchou, who had been silent at the side, changed his expression very complicatedly several times.
Finally, he knelt down and said softly: "Hong Chengchou, the criminal minister of the former dynasty, comes to see our emperor. May your Majesty live long live!"
Seeing Hong Chengchou kneeling on the ground and praising His Majesty, Cao Huachun on the side suddenly realized. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood and stretched out his "orchid finger" and tremblingly cursed: "You Hong Chengchou, I didn't expect you to betray His Majesty.
Having betrayed the Ming Dynasty, you...are you worthy of His Majesty's trust?"
A look of shame flashed across Hong Chengchou's face as he was kneeling on the ground, but he soon disappeared. His face regained its firmness, and he said resolutely: "Eunuch Cao, I have failed to live up to the emperor's trust.
, It is true that the Ming Dynasty has exhausted its power, and even the Supreme Emperor has given his Zen position to the current emperor. As ministers, we just have to obey the decree, so why do you have to be stubborn to the end?"
"Okay, what Hong Aiqing said makes sense." Pang Gang, who was sitting on the chair, said with a smile: "As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to roost in. Besides, this position was given to me by the Supreme Emperor, so sitting in this position can be regarded as a blessing.
It's natural and natural, why not?"
"Bah!" Cao Huachun glared at Pang Gang. "You are a treacherous villain. In vain, the emperor valued you so much and promoted you from a small thousand households to the position of champion, and this is how you repay the emperor.
Yes? And you, Hong Chengchou, you are a complete villain and a hypocrite. You lied about taking me to Beijing to meet the emperor, but I didn’t expect that you secretly joined Pang Gang, the fake emperor. You are extremely shameless.
!”
Cao Huachun was brave enough to point at Pang Gang and Hong Chengchou and cursed them at the same time.
"You are so bold! How dare you insult the current Holy Emperor!"
Cao Huachun scolded him vigorously, but the younger man standing next to Pang Gang stopped. He yelled in a sharp voice: "Cao Huachun, the Holy One is here, so you don't have to kneel down and worship.
You actually said something rude, aren't you afraid of killing the Nine Clans?"
Cao Huachun sneered and said: "Hey, it turns out that the same family as ours has no roots, and you actually taught our family a lesson. Little monkey, when our family entered the palace, you didn't know where you were feeding. Our family
It’s not your turn to teach me a lesson!”
"you......."
The young eunuch standing behind Pang Gang blushed with anger. He stood up and was about to teach his colleague a lesson, but was stopped by Pang Gang.
"hehe......."
Pang Gan laughed and said loudly: "Okay, Cao Huachun, I can understand that you have complaints in your heart. Isn't the reason why you ventured to Beijing this time just to see the Supreme Emperor? I will grant you permission. The Supreme Emperor and his family are all in the palace at the moment. I
How about I send someone to take you into the palace to meet the Supreme Emperor later?"
"You...you mean what you say?"
Cao Huachun's eyes widened and he looked at Pang Gang in disbelief. This old eunuch who was loyal to Chongzhen risked beheading to go to Beijing this time just to see Chongzhen for the last time. At this moment, he heard that Pang Gang agreed.
On the contrary, his wish became unbelievable. Pang Gang looked at Cao Huachun with an expression of disbelief on his face, but he sat upright on the chair and looked at him with a smile and said nothing.
Cifang Hong Chengchou and Cao Huachun entered the capital, which was also beyond his expectation. Originally, Pang Gang planned to let Jiangnan go first, and then attack Jiangnan after regaining Liaodong. Hong Chengchou's surrender was indeed unexpected.
His expectation.
Just after Pang Gang ascended the throne last month, he secretly sent an envoy to contact Hong Chengchou. Originally, Pang Gang just tried to contact Hong Chengchou to see if it was possible to try to win the peace of Jiangnan. Unexpectedly, and
After Hong Chengchou contacted him, Hong Chengchou's reaction was beyond his expectation.
Hong Chengchou readily agreed to the envoys who came to contact him. He not only promised to surrender to Dahua and led all the soldiers and civilians in Jiangsu and Anhui, but he also simply agreed to bring Cao Huachun to Beijing to surrender to Pang Gang in person.
.
After receiving the report, Pang Gang couldn't believe that this pie from the sky was really such a good thing. It could recapture Anhui and Jiangsu provinces without firing a shot? It wasn't until Hong Chengchou and he were
After the newly arrived Cao Huachun entered the city, he accepted this fact with hesitation.
So today, Pang Gang brought his personal guard leader Shi Bowen and a personal eunuch to this inn to see what was going on. Originally, this matter was strongly opposed by Shi Bowen. According to Shi Bowen, as long as he took the
A group of guards came over to take them back, and everything was figured out, but Pang Gang was unwilling. Comrade Pang Gang, who had been staying in the palace for several months without coming out for air, had to come in person regardless.
Only then did the scene just happen.
The atmosphere in the room was very strange at the moment. The person who was most nervous was Hong Chengchou. Hong Chengchou was talented, but he was quite speculative. When he heard about Chongzhen's Zen throne in Jiangnan, the Great China Dynasty was established.
After that, he knew that the Ming Dynasty was over. Although he occupied the two provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui, Zuo Liangyu and his son who had fled to Zhejiang were watching him eagerly. Above and to the left were still surrounded by the forces of the Dahua court. It could be said that if
If he continues to resist stubbornly, his end is already doomed. The only difference lies in how long he can struggle. Therefore, when Dahua's messenger came, he gritted his teeth and stamped his feet and decided to rely on Dahua, a big tree.
.........
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