Yang Haotai entered the south city of Fugu peacefully. He did not see a single disciple of the Tang Sect, and he was relieved. He, Cheng Dexuan and others were led to the inn and checked in separately. They were given boiling water and boiling water.
Preparations have been made. Everyone bathed, changed clothes, and had their hair trimmed and shaved. Ma Zongqiang had returned to Baihuawu to inform them that Zhe Yuqing might want to meet them at any time after the Yong'an Army stayed in Jiedu.
After entering Fuzhou City, Yang Hao had a brief understanding of the current situation. He knew that General Zhe had personally led his troops to suppress the bandits. Now that General Zhe's brother was in charge, it was natural that he should come over to pay a visit. Yang Hao packed up
After a while, he sat in the room and thought to himself: On this journey, everything was decided by him, and everyone followed his lead. Cheng Dexuan, who was sent by Zhengqin, was almost ignored by everyone. He did extraordinary things from time to time, and it was a last resort.
. Now that my mission has been completed, can I still transcend the throne? The imperial palace reports obtained by the officials in various places clearly stated that the imperial envoys were appointed Cheng Dexuan as chief and Yang Hao as deputy.
Yang Hao sat in the room and thought over and over again, and couldn't help but think of Luo Kedi's heartfelt words to him in Ziwu Valley. He really listened to those words, but he was so busy with everything along the way, how could he have the chance to go there?
He has eased his personal relationship with Cheng Dexuan, and when he first met Cheng Dexuan, he always had a refreshing smile on his face when he saw everyone, but now he has a gloomy face all the time, and it is really difficult to approach him without the right opportunity.
.
The man has passed away, but his painstaking plans for himself still linger in his ears. Emotionally speaking, Yang Hao is unwilling to go against the good intentions of a late friend. At the same time, he also believes that he can bring Cheng Dexuan in and give him a share of the credit.
In fact, it is a matter of mutual benefit. The interests are related to himself, so Cheng Dexuan will not be stupid enough to make a fuss about the matter of seizing the joint.
As for whether the past feud with Cheng Dexuan can be cleared up, it doesn't matter. The top priority is now. Now it is obvious that Cheng Dexuan has a strong backer, but he is like a piece of duckweed in the officialdom, with no foundation at all. The best thing to do now is to avoid making a strong enemy.
reason.
As for the future...who knows what will happen in the future? Zhao Pu, the prime minister of the current dynasty, had a grudge against the Naha Prefecture governor for twenty years. Didn't he wait until today to find an opportunity to break out and bring down the Bazhou Prefecture? Cheng Dexuan's future achievements may not be comparable to
When you go to Zhao Pu, how do you know that your status will not be above him in the future?
Thinking of this, Yang Hao made up his mind and immediately rushed to find Cheng Dexuan. He wanted to invite him to visit Yong'an Army Jieduliu and talk about his plans along the way. Unexpectedly, Cheng Dexuan's room was empty and he went to the inn.
When the clerk asked about it, he found out that Cheng Dexuan had gone shopping on his own.
Yang Hao returned to his residence, pondered for a while, then studied ink and picked up a pen, and wrote a memorial in his ugly handwriting. Following Luo Kedi's instructions, when he mentioned that there was no hope of traveling eastward and decided to return westward,
He lightly ignored the matter of seizing the festival, saying only that he had a dispute with Zheng Qin Envoy, but in the end, under the persuasion of him and other generals, Cheng Qin Envoy followed suit and decided to return westward, and finally arrived safely in the Song Dynasty.
After writing the memorial, Yang Hao thought about whether he should discuss it with Cheng Dexuan first. He thought about it again and felt that doing so would be a show of showing off his kindness. He might as well send the memorial away first, and then tell Cheng Dexuan about the matter.
, this is a matter of mutual benefit, and Cheng Dexuan has no reason to refuse. At that time, he didn’t have to say anything, he should know how to do it, and it was better to have a tacit understanding than to put everything on the surface, in each other’s face
They all look better.
Thinking of this, Yang Hao sent someone to summon Yi Cheng. Although Yang Hao's handwriting was ugly and his literary talent was not up to par, he felt a little embarrassed when he asked Yi Cheng to seal the seal with fire in front of him. He didn't want to say that Yi Cheng
But he didn't take it seriously at all, because although the Song Dynasty was a dynasty of literary talents, it was still the early Song Dynasty. Many officials in the court were old and rough. A big man like Zhao Pu ruled the world with half of the Analects. That was not a compliment to him.
He was able to govern the world in an orderly manner with only half of the Analects, but he laughed at himself for not even learning all the Analects. If the prime minister of the dynasty was like this, one can imagine the cultural quality of the entire court officials. That little official has seen too many ugly words,
Of course it's not surprising.
Yang Hao sealed the secret letter written in the official format he imagined, and asked the clerk to deliver it to Bianliang via military mail. The efficiency of military mail is naturally high, not to mention that it was assigned by the imperial envoy.
Regarding the emperor's affairs, the Yi Cheng registered the letter and immediately sent it out on a six-hundred-mile horse.
As soon as this matter was done, Ma Zongqiang came to visit and wanted to introduce the imperial envoy to see Jieduli Houzhe Yuqing. Yang Hao and Ma Chongqiang went to Cheng Dexuan again. Seeing that he had not returned yet, they could not keep General Zhe waiting for a long time, so they had to follow him.
General Ma went to Baihuawu to see Mr. Zhe Yuqing.
On the street, Cheng Dexuan was leisurely and comfortable, wandering around the market like an ordinary citizen. Sometimes he stopped to ask about the prices of goods sold on the roadside, and sometimes he squeezed in the crowd to enjoy a street style that smashed big rocks, and even threw two
He gave money to others. He seemed to be leisurely, but his eyes were always scanning around vigilantly. Along the way south, Yang Hao sent several soldiers belonging to the Zhe family to secretly monitor him to prevent him from causing mischief until he passed the Zhu clan.
Only then did Langchuan stop this kind of care that was close to house arrest. However, Cheng Dexuan used his own way to save others, and he was always afraid that Yang Hao would secretly arrange help. He now had a very important secret letter in his arms.
Cheng Dexuan walked through the streets and alleys of Fuzhou City for a long time when he suddenly saw a shop. His eyes lit up immediately and he stopped. He had ulterior motives and did not dare to send the secret message to Bianliang through the military post station, but he
We know that Zhao Guangyi has a wide range of eyes and ears, and there are secret message stations in big cities and Fu all over the world. And all secret message stations have a sign on the signboard that is not very eye-catching. Unless someone knows the secret, it is difficult to detect it.
There's something strange about that sign.
Of course, Cheng Dexuan couldn't remember clearly whether there was Zhao Guangyi's secret message station in Fuzhou, let alone where it was located if there was such a message station, so he could only wander around the city with a glimmer of hope, and now he finally found it.
Cheng Dexuan couldn't help but be overjoyed. He stood still, looked at it carefully, and confirmed that the sign was correct. Then he looked around and entered the store in a flash.
This is a leather goods store. Who would come to buy leather goods in July and August? So there is not much business in the store. The two boys lazily lay on the counter and dozed off. When they saw Cheng Dexuan come in, they looked up.
One person asked lazily: "What does this guest want to buy?"
Cheng Dexuan walked over slowly and said calmly: "I want to buy some ramie cloth."
The waiter rolled his eyes after hearing this and pointed upward with a finger. Cheng Dexuan asked in surprise: "What do you mean?"
The waiter yawned and said, "Sir, please take a look clearly. Our place... is a leather goods shop."
"Haha, there may not be any cloth in the leather goods store. I came to your house to buy cloth after listening to someone's advice. Don't drive away the customers and accept the blame of your shopkeeper. Please come out and answer the question!"
The waiter then opened his eyes and looked at him, looked up and down a few times, and saw that he was graceful, calm and concise, like a real person, so he opened the door curtain and went into the back room with hesitation. After a while,
A skinny old man with a goatee came out in a hurry. When he saw Cheng Dexuan, he clasped his fists and said, "This old man is the shopkeeper of our shop. Does this guest want to buy cloth?"
"good."
"Listen to the accent of the guest officer, you are not a local, right?"
Cheng Dexuan smiled and said to him: "I am from Bianliang."
"Oh?" The shopkeeper's expression moved slightly, his eyes sank, and when he saw the gentle movement of the toes of Cheng Dexuan's boots, he suddenly put on a smiling face and laughed loudly: "Your Majesty, you are well-informed, this old man is actually
I am in the fur goods business, but a few days ago I had a customer who bought fur goods on credit and had no money to pay back the debt. I did bring a batch of cloth to pay off the debt. I haven’t thought about how to deal with it yet. I didn’t want you to come to my door. I didn’t know that the customer wanted to buy it.
How much cloth is it?”
"I will buy as much as you have."
The old shopkeeper listened with a smile on his face: "Okay, okay, come on, sir, please come in and let's talk in detail."
The two of them entered the inner room one after another, and the remaining two waiters looked at each other: "When did our shopkeeper get a batch of cloth? Why didn't I know?"
In the inner room, Cheng Dexuan and the shopkeeper confirmed each other's identities. Cheng Dexuan was relieved. He took out the secret letter, put it gently on the table, pushed it in front of the old shopkeeper, and said solemnly: "This secret letter, I want to
Send it to the Nanya of Kaifeng Prefecture and meet Mr. Fu Yin in person, making sure there is no mistake."
The shopkeeper nodded and said, "Yes, tomorrow I will arrange for someone to go to Kaifeng to bring in a batch of silk and bring this secret letter with them."
Cheng Dexuan said in a deep voice: "No, then when will we get to Kaifeng? This is a very urgent matter. We must go there immediately, traveling under the stars and at night, and deliver it to Mr. Fu Yin as quickly as possible."
"So serious?" The shopkeeper was a little surprised. After thinking about it carefully, he said: "Sir, my place is in a remote place. It has just been set up not long ago. There is usually nothing important. Therefore, there are only an old man and a nephew in this shop.
, they are all ordinary people, and they don’t know the identity of the old man. Such an important event cannot be left to them. My nephew just got married and was married to a bride yesterday. It is really practical for him to travel far away at this time.
It’s unreasonable. Well, since this matter is so important, I’ll go and do it myself.”
Cheng Dexuan turned his anger into joy and said: "Thank you for your hard work, old shopkeeper. This matter is indeed very important. It is related to Lord Fu Yin's layout in the northwest, so you must be careful and get this letter as soon as possible."
The letter is delivered to Lord Fu Yin."
The two came to an agreement, and Cheng Dexuan said goodbye and left. He walked out of the leather goods shop, and the old shopkeeper behind him asked the two clerks to close the shop immediately. He said that there was an urgent matter that needed to be returned to his hometown to deal with, and he would close the shop for a few days until his nephew
He continued his business after the wedding date. Then he hurriedly caught a carriage and rushed to Kaifeng Mansion as fast as he could.
Cheng Dexuan stood on the street, looking at the carriage going away. He seemed to have seen the official's butcher's knife on Yang Hao's neck. He felt filled with joy. For the first time since his death, he showed a smile from the bottom of his heart.
, that smile is full of kindness and makes people feel like a spring breeze.
Cheng Dexuan happily wandered around for a long time before returning to the inn. As soon as he entered the gate of the inn, the clerk nodded and bowed and said: "Cheng Qinchen, you are back. Yang Qinchen has been looking for you several times."
Cheng Dexuan said coldly: "What does he want from me?"
The young official smiled and said, "Marquis Ma Yu invited two imperial envoys to come over and talk to Master Jiedulihou, but they couldn't be found, so Yang Imperial Envoy had to go by himself. Now that Yang Imperial Envoy has come back, how can you Just arrived."
Cheng Dexuan sneered and walked away. When he returned to his room, he just sat down and poured a cup of herbal tea. There was a knock on the door. Cheng Dexuan turned around and said, "Come in."
The door creaked, and Yang Hao pushed the door open. When he saw him, Cheng Dexuan's face suddenly darkened. He put down the teacup and said cheerfully: "Rare guest, rare guest. Mr. Yang rarely visits my door, Cheng Dexuan, but I There is not even a cup of hot tea in this room, only a cup of herbal tea, do you want to drink it?"
While he was saying mocking words, he was thinking nervously: "What is he doing here? Could it be that... he discovered something wrong? Hey, there is more than one way to Kaifeng. Even if you find it now, you can't pursue it." Already."
Yang Hao did not feel dissatisfied, he smiled and cupped his hands, and said sincerely: "Master Cheng, when you and I proposed to the officials together to relocate the people to weaken the Northern Han Dynasty, this can be regarded as the same view. Thanks to the officials for adopting it, and You and I are jointly responsible for this matter. Along the way, we have lived and died together and shared hardships, and we have only come to where we are today."
Cheng Dexuan snorted coldly and relaxed: "It turns out that he didn't notice it, so why did he come to the people? Do you want to repair the relationship with me? Hey! It's too late to show weakness to me now!"
Yang Hao said sincerely: "Actually, whether you are going east or west, you and I are all here to complete the mission entrusted by the government. At that time, although the road to the east was very short, the Khitan cavalry had clearly deployed on that stretch of plain road. If Mr. Cheng insists on heading east after falling into the death trap, he will not only lose his own life, but also the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and he will also be betraying the trust of the government. I don’t think Mr. Cheng wants to end up like that. If Mr. Cheng If you thought there was anything wrong with the path I chose at first, you should know now that Xia Guan's choice is actually not wrong. You and I have no personal grudges, everything is for official business. Yang Mou is eager to obey the power and has something to do. I hope that Mr. Cheng can understand and forgive me for the offence."
Cheng Dexuan chuckled, sat down slowly at the table, and said with an upright face: "Master Yang is honest, so Cheng will also tell you frankly. Your choice to go west is right or wrong, a merit or a fault, Cheng is inconvenienced The court has its own fair opinion. As for you and me, we really have no personal grudges. I, Cheng Dexuan, am frank and aboveboard, and I will not have any personal grudges with you. Well...you can rest assured."
He changed the topic and added: "However, I am a righteous angel who was given by the emperor. When you disagree with me, you should take my opinion as the main one. But you took away my sword, issued orders without permission, and marched the army back to the west. I Cheng Dexuan doesn't have to argue with you personally, but as a court official, his behavior of contempt for the king's law and deceiving the king has been seen by countless people. Cheng doesn't dare to hide it. Let's keep it in the open until I return to Bian. Liang, this matter must be reported to the officials."
"I think it's better not to mention this matter."
Yang Hao smiled gently, sat down at the table, and said: "Master Cheng, we sacrificed three thousand soldiers and thousands of civilians to bring them out safely. Do you think...the imperial court will Do you think it is right to go eastward at this time? Are you not indirectly acknowledging that the sacrifices of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians are meaningless?
Since the imperial court will recognize that going west is the right thing to do, then seizing the festival is not a heinous crime. However, if this matter is brought to the imperial court, Yang will definitely be charged with contempt for the imperial power. When the time comes, I, Yang Haogong It's just to maintain the status quo, but you, Lord Cheng, ignored the dangers and insisted on heading eastward. Only at the last moment did I seize the opportunity to change the route. You can't escape the "willful" Kaoyu. You said, why bother... "
Cheng Dexuan looked up to the sky and laughed, and finally couldn't help the resentment in his heart, and sneered: "Then what do you think, Mr. Yang? Do you want me to go to the table, add icing on the cake for you, and say a few nice words to protect you?" Mr. Yang has been promoted to a higher position and has risen to the top, right?"
Yang Hao smiled and said: "No, Yang is not asking Master Cheng to speak well of Yang in front of the officials. In fact, it is Yang who wants to speak well of Master Cheng in front of the officials. To seize the knot, as long as you I ignored it and didn’t mention it. Who would ask for trouble at a time like this when the sedan chair was being carried by everyone? Obviously, the officials also wanted him to be discerning about people. The two imperial envoys made quick decisions, which showed that the officials should be responsible for employing people and the dignity of the officials. Shang Ye is not a good person. What’s more, the generals who knew about it all came out together with you and me, and no one will reveal the secret..."
Cheng Dexuan didn't hear what he said next. His heart was completely attracted by the sentence "Yang wants to speak kindly for Mr. Cheng in front of the officials." He immediately interrupted him hastily and asked: "Mr. Yang, you He said... he spoke kindly to Cheng in front of officials, how do you interpret this?"
Yang Hao cupped his hands and smiled and said: "Please forgive Yang for being presumptuous. Without consulting Master Cheng, he wrote a memorial and ordered the Yi Cheng to report it to the officials. In the memorial, Yang made the decision to head west without authorization when facing danger. The person who made the decision added Mr. Cheng’s name.”
His face became serious and he said solemnly: "Of course, what Yang said focused on the hardships of traveling long distances, fighting against the sky, fighting against the earth, and fighting against the enemy. Among them, the most mentioned ones are those Soldiers on the bloody battlefield. This merit belongs first to Commander Luo, Commander Liu, and Commander He, who sacrificed their lives for the country. With their heroic spirits in front of them, how could Yang dare to claim credit! How can he cherish his merit! This is A share of the credit will be shared with Master Cheng. We can put aside our past grudges and laugh at our grudges, so what's the harm?"
Cheng Dexuan was stunned, completely stunned. He could not imagine that after Yang Hao broke up with him, he risked his life to achieve such a great achievement, and was willing to share the credit for his life with him.
Yes, he knew that even if his memorial was sent to Bianliang and aroused the fear of the officials, it would only harm Yang Hao. He would still be impeached by the imperial envoys. So what? He really couldn't see it. Yang Hao is having an easier time than him. If everyone is unlucky, he will feel happier.
But... But Yang Hao actually generously gave him a share of the great merit. He was an imperial envoy. As long as he had his share of the merit, he would definitely get the largest share. What's more, he was the governor of Kaifeng. Zhao Guangyi's people, there are people in the court who like to be officials, and now the emperor's younger brother is there to support him. This first-class merit, no one else can take it away even if they want to. Mr. Fu Yin is deliberately expanding his power and influence, and with this great merit , Mr. Fu Yin continues to encourage him, are you afraid that he will not be able to open a government and build a government office, and then he will become famous?
But... but... once his memorial and Yang Hao's memorial are placed on the official's desk at the same time, then... what will the official think? In his memorial, Yang Hao was accused by him.
To seize the Yue for the sake of festivals, to deceive the emperor, to be disrespectful, to be greedy for power, to win the hearts of the people, to have ambitions, to be shameless, to establish cliques, is a great evil to the people and ministers, and will not be tolerated by the king's law. But if the officials see it
In Yang Hao's memorial, he praised the merits and asked for the lives of the fallen soldiers. If the two aspects are reflected, what will the officials think? How will they view him, Cheng Dexuan?
Nowadays, the official family is not the master of weak gifts, and he knows kindness and righteousness, and appreciates the kind and righteous people the most. When these two memorials were sent to Beijing, after comparing them, I am afraid that the official family will not even be able to seize the honor.
Putting the blame on him. This is really...this is basically shooting yourself in the foot.
Thinking of this, Cheng Dexuan's hands and feet were cold, and he was sweating in waves. The weather became hot, and Cheng Dexuan's heart felt like it was fried in oil. Within a short time, he was sweating profusely, as if he had just been fished out of the water.
A wise man has a saying, if you have heaven in your heart, there is heaven everywhere. If you have hell in your heart, even if you are in heaven, you will be turned into hell by yourself. Now, Cheng Dexuan is as if he is trapped in the fire of hell. This hell is
He built it for himself with his own hands.
Cheng Dexuan felt dizzy for a while. He raised his head and looked at Yang Hao. He felt that Yang Hao's shadow was suddenly far away and now close, sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. He was so anxious that he stood up and pointed at Yang Hao. Just as he was about to speak, his vision went dark.
fell to the ground.
Stars were flying in front of my eyes, and I felt like I was fainting, but I heard Yang Hao shout urgently: "Master Cheng? Master Cheng?"
Then there was a "swish" sound, and a cup of herbal tea was poured on his face, and then he heard Yang Hao shout loudly: "Come here, Master Cheng has a heatstroke."
Cheng Dexuan's heart was bleeding. He could no longer bear this kind of torture. He tilted his head and fell unconscious.