Zhao Guangyi stood in front of the Longxi County Duke's Mansion in a daze.
To be precise, he is currently standing in front of the former Longxi County Government House, with smoldering ruins in front of him.
After Li Yu surrendered to the Song Dynasty, the imperial court allocated a house to him. This house had been built for thirty or fifty years. The three courtyards were all wooden buildings. The surrounding neighbors also lived in old houses.
The old houses of each family are constantly being renovated and raised, making full use of the existing space. The houses are built in uneven heights and stacked on top of each other. The eaves of one house can extend into the yard of that house. If a house catches fire, it will be very difficult.
It is easy to connect them together, and the houses are all old wooden structures, so the fire burns quickly, and the alley is too narrow, so people from the water dragon shop can get in, but the water tanker cannot, and the result...
…
Now there is a large area of ruins in front of us. I don’t know which family started the fire first, because this area is all burned down. But the strange thing is that it is daytime. A fire during the day will certainly kill people, but all the families will never be burned.
Most of the people who died at home were supported by other families, including the old and young, and most of them escaped. Now they are looking at the ruins of their own homes and shouting for help. But the Li family of Longxi County... there is no one left.
Murong Qiuzui led a man over. The man raised his buttocks slightly, crossed his legs, and walked in a very strange way.
"Sir, this person is a neighbor of the Longxi County Government House. He lives closest to the Longxi County Government House."
Zhao Guangyi came to visit the disaster in person this time. He did not put up an imperial guard or wear a dragon robe, so as not to make too much noise. Murong Qiu was drunk in front of him and did not dare to call the official directly, so as not to reveal his identity.
After hearing Murong Qiuzui's words, Zhao Guangyi turned to the scholar whose movements were a little strange and asked: "What is your surname?"
When the scholar heard that the majestic man in front of him was an official, he quickly raised his butt and stiffened his back and gave a salute: "Xiao Shuyou, a common man, has seen... this gentleman."
Zhao Guangyi nodded and asked: "Since you are a neighbor of Longxi County's public house, did you hear anything or see anything when the fire broke out? Did anyone in the Li family escape?"
Xiao Shuyou couldn't help grinning after hearing this. It turned out that this scholar only wanted to be named on the gold medal list. He studied hard at home all day long and sat for too long. He got hemorrhoids. Today he invited a doctor to come to the clinic for treatment. Who knew that the doctor had just taken off his pants?
After seven or eight silver needles were inserted, flames started to burst out, thick smoke billowed, and hot steam filled the air. The doctor was so frightened that he piled up the patient and ran away. Xiao Shuyou had no choice but to pick up his pants and run away. He only fled outside.
He felt extremely uncomfortable, but there were people everywhere, and he, a scholar, was too embarrassed to reach out and pull it out in front of everyone. The needles were still stuck in the chrysanthemum.
Xiao Shuyou stood there with a pout, looking at the burned yard with only four walls left, and said with a sad face: "Reporting to your lord, the people escaped in too much haste. By then, there were already fires and smoke everywhere.
Do you still have time to see others? But... But when the grassroots invited a doctor to come to the clinic today to treat hidden illnesses, they heard some news at the Longxi County Duke's mansion."
Zhao Guangyi's expression changed and he asked hurriedly: "What's the news?"
Xiao Shuyou said: "When the grassroots came back from inviting the doctor, they heard singing and music in the yard next door, and there was a lot of noise. It seemed that... a banquet was going on."
Li Yu likes to have banquets, and even if he became a subjugated king, he would not dare to do this habit, otherwise he would not spend money like water, causing the embarrassing incident of old ministers of the homeland coming to collect debts, which will go down in history. Zhao Guangyi ordered the people in the Imperial City Department to often Pay attention to the movements of the Li family. You can even find out who he met and what he said every time he had a banquet. He is not surprised by this. What Xiao Shuyou said can be used by the Imperial City Secretary in retrospect. Have someone verify it.
He nodded and asked: "Is there... nothing else next to it?"
"No, that's all the common people know."
Zhao Guangyi waved his hand, and Xiao Xiucai held his buttocks between his legs and moved away little by little.
Zhao Guangyi turned around, looked at the pieces of ashes that were still glowing red, and said in a low voice: "You want to see people alive, and you want to see corpses when you die. Dig, dig for me, clean up the ruins, and find some culprits." Come, be sure to confirm the identity of each corpse. Call Baozheng, check the household registration, and find out how many people there are in the Li family, including the master and servants. Not a single corpse can be left behind!"
Murong Qiuzui bowed and said: "I obey the order, but...it is still burning with heat, is it..."
Zhao Guangyi stood far away, still feeling the heat steaming. He also knew that it was impossible to ask the soldiers to dig out the ruins at this time. If there were really people in this situation, they would have been burned to coke, so there was no need to be busy for a while, so he dug heavily He nodded and shouted: "Kaifeng Mansion!"
Zhao Guangmei hurriedly took a step forward, bowed her head and said, "I'm here."
Zhao Guangyi said: "Put out the remaining fires, treat the victims, distribute pensions, clean up the ruins, rebuild the houses, and surround these alleys, check people one by one, and find out the cause of the fire. At the same time, pay attention to see if there are any people from Longxi County." Those who have escaped from the public house, in addition... put in some shrewd and capable disobedient people and listen to Murong Qiuzui's orders."
"According to the decree."
Zhao Guangyi then said to Murong Qiuzui: "The imperial army must be surrounded by the Longxi County Duke's residence so that the imperial army can dig it out. No one is allowed to come in or out before the news is known, and no news is allowed to be spread to the outside world."
"According to the decree."
Zhao Guangyi stared at the ruins uncertainly for a while, then turned and walked towards the sedan. The waiters all knew that Gu Ruoli hurriedly stepped forward and opened the sedan curtain for him. Zhao Guangyi suddenly paused when he turned around and entered the sedan. : "Little Empress Zhou... a female actress..."
When he thought of those charming people, Zhao Guangyi couldn't help but feel miserable. Even if he was beautiful and fragrant, his skin would be so burnt that he couldn't even look at it, right? His heart moved, and he suddenly thought: "Everything about this is weird. , Li Yu and his wife...are they really dead?"
Zhao Guangyi turned his head and stared gloomily at the ruins of the fire that were still smoking, and then looked at Gu Ruoli. Gu Ruoli immediately bowed and stood closer. Zhao Guangyi whispered a few words, this Then he turned into the sedan. The gong sounded to clear the way, and he walked away...
Qibao Nunnery in the west of the city has its golden body rebuilt, its door repainted, and even its tiles replaced. The golden walls are resplendent and the treasures are solemn, because this place was given the title of "Repaying Mercy Nunnery" by an official, and the princess of Guo State After becoming a monk, he became the master of a temple and was awarded the title of "Repaying Compassion and Purdue" master by the officials.
In the main hall, bells and chimes were ringing, cigarettes were swirling, and the princess of Guo State was undergoing a hair-cutting ceremony. Zhao Guangyi led the civil and military ministers to stand aside and watch the ceremony. Zhao Guangyi's face was gloomy, which made close ministers like Song Qi and Murong Qiuzui stay away from each other. Stand away, for fear of accidentally making the official angry.
Zhao Guangyi has a very bad temper, and things have not gone well during this period. The excitement when he first ascended to the throne of God has passed, and it is strange that he can be happy when he encounters all these troubles.
Confirmed news came from the northwest. After Yang Hao arrived in Yinzhou, Mu Cen, the deputy envoy of Luzhou Jiedu, publicly revealed his identity. It turned out that he was Li Guangcen, the son of Li Yi, the envoy of the Jiedushi Army. Yang Hao also revealed his identity.
After worshiping Li Guangcen as his adoptive father, the Dangxiang Qi family came to see the wind and surrendered to their old master. At this time, Zhao Guangyi could not guess that Yang Hao had known Li Guangcen's identity.
In the contest with Yang Hao, he took advantage of the right time, location, and people, but he was fooled again and again. How could Zhao Guangyi not be annoyed? Now he rushed to give him the title of Grand Marshal of the Army in Longyou, Hexi Province.
Isn't this building momentum for him? What makes Liao Ke consoling is that at least this time, Xiazhou Li Guangrui will not let Yang Hao go. There will definitely be a battle between these two tigers.
Yang Hao also pretended to send Li Guangcen to Luzhou and submitted a memorial requesting the imperial court to send troops to help him recapture Xiazhou. Li Guangrui's father, Li Yiyin, usurped the throne when his nephew usurped the throne. The Song Dynasty was not yet in existence. Li Congke was still in power in the Tang Dynasty at that time, and Li Congke approved it.
Li Yiyin's identity has since gone through the Jin Kingdom, Shi Jingtang, Shi Chonggui, the Han Kingdom, Liu Zhiyuan, the Zhou Kingdom, Guo Wei, Chai Rong and his eldest brother's Song Kingdom, seven emperors in five countries, even if he, Li Guangrui, was illegitimate, he has already become the emperor.
After becoming the de facto master of Xiazhou, it is strange that Zhao Guangyi would turn against Li Guangrui, the de facto overlord of the Western Regions, for a powerless homeless old man.
However, in order to make the Khitans believe that Yang Hao was his confidant and had received his instructions to misjudge the Song Dynasty's expansion of power in the Western Regions, he could not make any objections to Yang Hao's actions, or even publicly support Xia Xia.
Regarding Xiazhou Li Guangrui's attitude, the only thing Zhao Guangyi could do was to keep the memorial silent and use clever means to reveal his reaction to Xiazhou Li Guangrui's people in Bianjing. I'm afraid Li Guangrui has known the news longer than he did.
Early, but he must make a gesture to let Li Guangrui know his position, so as to start a war without any scruples and let the smoke fill the entire northwest.
The situation in the northwest has deteriorated to this point and is somewhat out of his control. It is enough to worry him, and there is no peace in Bianliang City. His favorite son has always been suspicious of him, and he is still obsessed with it.
Poison. If I take over this evil obstacle, the emperor will still be yours sooner or later. My own father doesn't come to help, but he is obsessed with the mystery of his uncle's violent death all day long. How could I raise such a bastard son?
The more Zhao Guangyi thought about it, the darker his face became. At this moment, "Dang, Dang, Dang...", a melodious sound of bells and ethereal wooden fish sounds came to his ears. Zhao Guangyi, who was full of worries, looked up and saw his niece's hands clasped together.
, her black hair has fallen off, and there are six fragrant scars on the top of her head. She stood up gently, put on gray silk clothes and a monk's hat, took the rosary, lowered her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, blending with the light and dust, in the sound of wooden fish, bells
In the sound of smoke and the curl of cigarettes, it seemed that he was suddenly separated from him by a world, and Zhao Guangyi couldn't help but feel sad in his heart.
Although he covets the throne and kills the emperor's brother, his love for Yongqing is sincere. Among the two sons and three daughters of the emperor's brother, little Yongqing has always been the most beloved of his second uncle.
Little girl. Out of caution for the emperor's descendants, and also feeling a little guilty about her, Zhao Guangyi deliberately alienated Xiao Yongqing, but seeing her transform from a swaddling baby into a babbling child,
Now that she has grown into a tall and graceful girl, his uncle really treats Yongqing as his own daughter. How can he easily brush aside his love affairs?
Now, because of the death of her father and the fate of her empress, she was disheartened and saw through the world of mortals. Zhao Guangyi never felt that all this was his own sin, but seeing his beloved niece come to this point,
He still felt sad.
Princess Yongqing..., the current Zen Master Dingru gently took the three sticks of incense, lit them with candles, walked forward slowly to look at the Buddha and bowed, then inserted the incense into the incense burner, came back and knelt down on the futon,
Kowtow your head gently.
Zhao Guangyi looked at Yongqing who was worshiping the Buddha devoutly, and then looked at the three pillars of incense in the furnace. The incense flickered brightly and dimly, the incense curled up, and the bright and dark flames vaguely turned into the Longxi County Duke half a month ago.
The burning ruins of the house.
Li Yu "died" and died in the fire.
He had issued an edict to confer the title of Grand Master to Li Yu, posthumously conferring him the title of King of Yue, and buried him in Luoyang with royal honors. He sent envoys along the way to guard the funeral, offered sacrifices and burials, and made a loud lamentation, deposing the three dynasties for Li Yu's funeral.
Japan. Such a kind treatment was unprecedented for a minister, especially one who surrendered his country to the throne. The whole world had to hear the obituary: Li Yu is dead.
However, Zhao Guangyi knew clearly in his heart that Li Yu was not dead. The number of corpses collected from the Longxi County Duke's mansion was pitiful, and everyone in the mansion was gone. Not only Li Yu's family was missing, but also Xu Xuan, Xiao Yan and several others.
A few old officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty who were still loyal to Li Yu also disappeared, along with their close relatives and family members. It was found that Li Yu invited the whole family of these old officials to have a banquet with them that day, so they all disappeared in this bizarre fire.
The world has evaporated.
How dare Zhao Guangyi let the world know that this subjugated king had fled with his family and so many people under his watch. While he announced the obituary to the world, held a large funeral, and created the pretext that Li Yu was dead, he blocked all the people in the Song Dynasty.
Traffic thoroughfares were inspected openly and covertly to search for traces of these people, but half a month had passed and there was no news at all.
If only one person escaped, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It would be understandable that he could not be found. But so many people disappeared out of thin air. How could Li Yu, a king who had subjugated his country, come from such a skill? From Kaifeng City, from
He had worked hard for ten years, and now he was in the hands of the emperor who could mobilize all human and material resources. So many people were able to escape calmly. Even though he was searched all over the city and outside the city and in the wilderness, he could not find his whereabouts.
How could this be accomplished by a group of surrendered ministers who were not familiar with the situation in Bianliang?
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial City Division was dismissed from his post for investigation and thrown into a prison. An unknown number of urban foxes and rats from Bianliang City in Tokyo were arrested on various charges. All the prisons in Bianliang City were overcrowded and there were still no clues. Zhao Guangyi was more than just a prisoner at the moment.
Angry, but also felt a deep fear: Who is so powerful, and where is Li Yu...?"
In the Royal Garden, baskets of vegetables were loaded onto the cart. Dai Lun, the vegetable foreman, said with a smile: "Eunuch Liu, please go ahead."
A green-skinned eunuch with a long face grunted, raised his legs and sat on the shaft of the cart. The little eunuch driving the cart next to him raised his whip, and the cart rumbled away to the vegetable field, followed by six ox carts, which squeaked and squeaked.
Went back to the palace.
Dai Lun saw the eunuch in the imperial dining room leaving, and then turned back. He went back to his own residence first, and after a while he came out with a huge baggage. He looked around and saw no one was coming or going.
Walk away.
This large area is the royal vegetable garden. On the street in front is the mansion that Zhao Pu built after occupying the royal garden. After being severely punished by the officials, the construction was stopped. Now it is not completely built, so it is just piled there. The courtyard wall behind
It was very deserted inside, and outsiders didn't dare to come in. After the vegetable workers finished what they were doing, they each slipped away to do their own private affairs, so it was very deserted. As the vegetable foreman, Dai Lun was very familiar with the situation inside.
He understood it very well, but despite this, he still tried to avoid the main road and walked to the edge of the vegetable field.
The deepest part behind the vegetable field was a sloping soil slope. Dairen walked to the soil slope, turned around and looked around. Seeing that no one was following him, he quickly took a few steps and walked around a few big trees. There were some trees among the weeds.
A wooden door was opened, and a line of earth steps was revealed. Darren walked down with the big baggage on his back. This is the vegetable cellar, where fresh vegetables are stored in winter. The weather is only in early August now, so
The cellar is still unused and unused.
Darren took out a candle from the hole in the wall and lit it, then took off a lantern from the other wall, put the candle in place, and continued walking inside with the lantern. Inside were rows of shelves, and sundries and sundries piled in the corners.
There were several ladders, and there was an old smell. There was a ventilation passage above the cellar, and the sun was shining, but it was a little too dark. When he reached the depths, Darren looked back again, and tapped lightly on the wall three times.
The sounds are two long and one short.
Hearing the movement, the wall was partitioned by wooden boards. Dai Lun knocked on the wall panel and waited for a moment. A small door creaked open in the wall, and a strong man flashed out: "Old Dai."
Dai Lun handed over the bundle and whispered: "Everything is peaceful. Is there anything else you need in there..."
As soon as he said this, a man in green robes came out and said angrily: "I can't stand it anymore in a day like this, where are the people and ghosts? When are you going to send us away?"
This man was of medium height, a little overweight, with double eyes and buck teeth. Although his hair was messy and his clothes were ordinary, his bearing was extraordinary. He was Li Yu, the leader of Jiangnan Kingdom, whom Zhao Guangyi had searched for thousands of times and even dreamed about his whereabouts.
Dai Lun smiled and said: "I'm sorry, it can't be done now. For your safety, you still have to live here. The noise has been reduced a lot, but there are so many of you, even if you go on the road in batches, it will be too much at first glance.
After a month, it will be much safer."
"One month? Another month?" Li Yu was furious: "The whole day's price is steamed buns and pickles, the bedding is dirty and damp, there is no wine, and I don't see the sun all day long, it drives me crazy, I'm not
How could your prisoner treat me like this?"
Dai Lun had a good temper and said with a smile: "Please bear with me, but we have no choice. Not all of this place belongs to me. In order to avoid leaking the news, I have no choice but to go out and buy some steamed buns and pickles. I want to eat delicious food, but now I can
It doesn’t work…”
Li Yu said angrily: "This place is not for people to stay. I can't stay any longer. I want to go out..."
"Sir, we have survived the past half month, are we still afraid of surviving another month?" Xiao Zhouhou suddenly came out from inside, clothed in cloth, hairpin skirt, and without makeup. This place is clean, and it is necessary to wash up and dress up.
It was inconvenient, but despite this, her hair was still neatly combed, and she tried to maintain a neat appearance. She looked at Li Yu, her eyebrows slightly frowned and said: "Mr. Xu's mother is in her seventies, Mr. Xiao's grandson
My son is just four years old and there is no complaint at all. Mr. Xu is ill and is just trying to hold on. Even the Tang warrior who brought us out doesn't stay here all day like us? There are so many people.
We all can endure it. It’s all for the sake of the officials. Why can’t the officials endure it for everyone? You don’t need to endure hardships. It’s just a hard life. What can’t you endure?”
At this time, Xu Xuan and Xiao Yan also rushed out. Xu Xuan coughed and tried to persuade Xiao Yan. Li Yu, who had lost his temper, returned to the inner room angrily. When the door quieted down, Dai Lun curled his lips and said softly. He sneered and said: "Watch him closely and don't let him cause any trouble. This one... humph!"
The man surnamed Tang laughed and said: "It doesn't matter, if he doesn't complain one day, if he really wants to go out and be caught, he won't even be able to disobey orders. He also knows the pros and cons, but he has just been around since he was a child. A person with good clothes, good food, and a delicate body cannot live like this, so you don't have to take it to heart if you complain randomly."
Dai Lun pulled the man surnamed Tang. The two walked a little further and whispered. Dai Lun carried the lantern and walked around the rows of wooden frames. The man surnamed Tang stood in the dim light. Next, he raised his head and looked at the skylight. A strange look flashed in his eyes. He turned around and walked back to the darkroom gently and skillfully like a raccoon cat. Everything returned to silence...
Another half month has passed, and none of Zhao Guangyi's troubles have been solved. What makes him most irritated is that there is still no trace of Li Yu's whereabouts. As a result of the Imperial City Division's inquiries, rumors have spread about the Tang Dynasty's hometown. Zhao Guangyi was not dead, and quietly returned to the south of the Yangtze River. He wanted to recruit his old troops and make a comeback. Zhao Guangyi was worried and sent Pan Mei to Jinling City to take charge. He also asked Qian Chu, the king of Wuyue, and Chen Hongjin, the military governor of Pinghai navy who had just surrendered. He sent troops into the south of the Yangtze River and obeyed Pan Mei's dispatch. At the same time, in order to appease Chen Hongjin, he also appointed him as the Military Envoy of Wuning Army and Tongping Zhangshi. At the same time, he sent a large number of spies into the south of the Yangtze River to search for Li Yu's whereabouts.
On this day, he had just finished the court meeting and returned to Wende Palace. He ate some snacks and drank a cup of tea. He picked up the memorial and was about to review it. An official from the Imperial City Department arrived and said: "Guanjia, Xiazhou Urgent news has arrived."
Zhao Guangyi was shocked when he heard the sound. He quickly piled up the memorial and said, "Bring it here and let me read it."
The official hurriedly handed over the secret letter with both hands. Zhao Guangyi unfolded it and read it carefully. He couldn't help laughing. Half of the worries for many days were gone. The secret letter said that Li Guangrui of Xiazhou learned that Yang Hao had occupied Yinzhou City. , wanted to send troops to seize it as soon as possible, but the fierce battle with Tubo and Huihe was in full swing at that time. It was already a two-sided war, and it was impossible to start the war lightly and start a three-sided war again. However, his cousin Li Guangcen was still alive and had done the Hengshan Festival. Deputy envoy Du recognized Yang Hao as his adopted son. Once the news of Dang Xiang Qi's rebellion in Luzhou reached his ears, Li Guangrui could no longer keep his temper.
The threat of Tubo and Uighur to Li Guangrui was far less than that of Luzhou Yang Hao. No matter how hard Tubo and Uighur fought, it would be difficult to shake his rule. However, Yang Hao suddenly poached away seven of the eight foundations of the Dangxiang Eighth Clan. This was something that he could not tolerate under any circumstances. Li Guangrui had decided to call a truce with Tubo and Huihe at any cost, even if it meant ceding territory for peace, and gathered troops to start a war against Luzhou.
After reading this good news, Zhao Guangyi was overjoyed. He looked at the secret letter with a smile on his face, thought about it carefully for a long time, called the official Na Gan in front of him, and asked in a pleasant tone: "Find a way to reveal a piece of news to Li Guangrui in Beijing." People, remember to disclose it as subtly as possible, so as not to let them know that I intentionally revealed it to them."
"Please give me your orders, officials." Nagan was flattered when he was an official. The officials were not very good-tempered these days, and they hated the Imperial City Division for making mistakes again and again. Even their commander-in-chief was imprisoned. Now that he saw the emperor looking kind, he Tears almost came down.
Zhao Guangyi said: "I will send troops again in February next year to attack the Northern Han Dynasty. I will find a way to reveal this news to his people. Remember, I must let them know that I will recruit troops from Linzhou, Fuzhou and Luzhou at that time." The horsemen conquered Han."
"I obey the order." The officer agreed quickly. Seeing Zhao Guangyi smiling and stroking his beard, without any other instructions, he hurriedly bowed deeply and stepped out on tiptoe.
The official had just walked to the entrance of the palace when he saw Song Qi, the envoy of the East Pavilion Gate, and Jiao Haitao, the chief minister of Honglu Temple, walking into the palace. He quickly stepped aside and allowed them to enter the palace, and then stepped out. As soon as Song Qi entered the palace, The doorkeeper shouted loudly: "Guan family, Honglu Temple has received an obituary notice from the Khitan. The Khitan Emperor Yelv Xian has passed away."
"What?" Zhao Guangyi was stunned. He had just heard good news, but he didn't expect another good news to come right away. Could it be that it was a blessing in disguise and good luck? He said with joy: "Yeluxian is dead? Who became the new emperor? "
Song Qi said: "This... has not yet been decided. Queen Xiao Chuo has taken control of the government and can still control it for the time being. Unless she gives birth to a daughter, no one in the Khitan royal family who has been severely weakened will dare to covet the throne now."
"ah!"
Only then did Zhao Guangyi come to his senses: "Yes, Xiao Chuo is already pregnant. If she gives birth to a daughter...hehe, this is a 50/50 chance, plus it is common for young children to die..."
Thinking of this, Zhao Guangyi smiled brightly: Compared with these two good news, it doesn't matter whether Li Yu is dead or alive, and his whereabouts are nothing. Li Yu couldn't make a difference when he was in power. What's more, now, he, Li Yu, is as tolerant as Gou Jian and Murong Chong. Hero?
Zhao Guangyi walked quickly around the hall, turned twice, stopped and said: "I order Lu Yuqing and Jia Yan to be the principal and deputy ambassadors and lead the delegation to the North Kingdom to express condolences."
Jiao Haitao bowed and said: "I obey your order."
Zhao Guangyi glanced at Song Qi again, smiled lightly and said: "Deploy some smart people from the Imperial City Department and act according to the opportunity."
Song Qi understood the idea and bowed: "I obey your order."
When the two of them exited the palace, Zhao Guangyi's face was full of spring breeze, and all his worries were blown away by these two good news. When Yelvxian was on the throne, the Khitan people continued to fight for the throne. Now that Yelvxian is dead, Khitan is bound to have civil strife again. The west is in chaos, the north is in chaos, and the world is in chaos. His ambition for hegemony is promising!