Only ten days had passed since Shejia fell into Huizhou, and the troops were directed towards Jiangning.
At that time, communication mainly relied on people and horses. It took more than ten days for the news to reach Yanjing. However, an uproar was quickly caused in the Jianghuai area. When the news reached Chongzhou, businessmen, travelers and ordinary people were stunned and panicked for a while.
As the saying goes, the eggs are not finished when the nest is overturned. How do the people know that Huaidong has made many arrangements to deal with the current situation? In the minds of most people, if Jiangning is destroyed and the imperial family collapses, no matter how strong Huaidong's troops are,
How can we not panic when we are alone?
After staying in Chongzhou, Qin Chengzu directly moved the 9,000 labor camp troops that had been deployed near Chongzhou into Chongzhou according to the order issued by Lin Fu.
The fifth brigade expanded the original 6,000 soldiers and horses guarding Chongzhou to 15,000. In addition to strengthening martial law in important places such as Chongzhou New City and Old City, it also strengthened the control of business travelers in and out of Huaidong.
Although it does not help to eliminate the panic of ordinary people, it at least puts the situation in Chongzhou and surrounding areas under firm control.
People in the old city of Chongzhou were also in panic. As soon as Zuo Guitang stepped into the gate of the palace, Miao Shuo came to greet him from the inside and asked, "Is there any new news?"
"Everyone in the tea house said that Meng Yishan led the Hanghu army to surround the She family in Liyang. Some said that Meng Yishan had surrendered to the rebels; there was heavy snow for days over in Hanghu, and Huaidong soldiers and horses were blocked in Xiaoshan. They also said that Huaidong soldiers and horses were blocked in Xiaoshan.
They have already gone north and fought with the She family in Changxing. There was not much movement from Dong Yuan's side, and perhaps any movement could not be transmitted. Yue Lengqiu led the Jiangzhou Army and said that he had come out early, but wherever he went, various
There are various theories, but it is far away from Jiangning. It is also said that She Feixiong sent troops to attack Jiangzhou in Yuzhang, and Yue Lengqiu led his troops back. The Hu people in the north are also ready to move, and waves of cavalry are attacking Guoyang.
It is also said that Chen Zhihu is leading his troops to attack Hezhong Mansion - it is in a mess anyway, everything is said in the teahouse, and I don't know who to believe?" Zuo Guitang said, "If you really want to know any news, the Queen Mother should send someone directly there.
If I go to the Military Division Yamen to ask questions, I think the Huaidong Military Division will not hesitate to talk... Mr. Miao, what do you think the Queen Mother is planning?"
"What does the Queen Mother think? How can we, as slaves, guess blindly?" Miao Shuo said, "I won't say more. The Queen Mother and the Prince are waiting inside to hear the news!"
Zuo Guitang wanted to say something else, but when he saw Chang Shi Gaoqiang's head emerging from the corner of the corridor, he kept silent and followed Miao Shuo inside.
Since Lin Fu's previous visit, the defense inside and outside the palace has been taken over by the Huaidong Military Division. In fact, all matters in the palace are directly controlled by Qin Chengzu. Gao Qiang's long history has naturally become a decoration. Zuo Guitang, Miao Shuo
Although the situation of the others may not get better, they don't need to look at Gao Qiang's face anymore.
Gao Qiang looked at Zuo Guitang and Miao Shuo avoided him. He felt bad, gritted his teeth and decided to follow him.
Walking to the moon gate of the East Chamber, Zuo Guitang looked back at Gao Qiang and asked, "Does Master Gao have anything to tell the Queen Mother?"
"Gao Qiang is also outside?" Empress Dowager Liang's voice came from the courtyard, saying, "Come in together!"
Zuo Guitang remained silent and let Gaoqiang follow them into the east chamber.
The Empress Dowager Liang was sitting in the corner pavilion of the east chamber, accompanied by Prince Yuan Jianhai of Hailing, Princess Tian Shi and Princess Yuan Yan of Yangxin.
The corner pavilion had wind leakage from all sides, and it was the highest in the courtyard. King Hailing's face turned blue from the cold. Seeing this, Miao Shuo hurriedly came over and said, "Where's our ancestors? It's so windy outside.
My body can’t stand being blown like this!”
"Nonsense, Aijia's body is still very strong!" Empress Dowager Liang said energetically, "The room is too stuffy, Aijia wants to come out for some air. The wind is strong, but there is nothing that cannot be blown."
Yuan Yan sat beside her, feeling strange in her heart that the Queen Mother had been in poor health since she arrived in Chongzhou. She stayed in her room all day and did not dare to go out for a walk. However, she was in surprisingly good spirits these past few days and her body suddenly became sharper.
Yuan Yan was worried that it was a return to the past, but the Queen Mother's appetite had improved a lot in the past few days, her body had indeed suddenly improved, and even her eyesight had improved a lot. She just urged Zuo Guitang and Miao Shuo to take turns to go out and inquire every day.
information.
The Empress Dowager Liang refused to go back to the house and insisted on sitting in the limelight. No one could persuade her. Miao Shuo felt sad. If it were not for today's predicament, the Empress Dowager would have to walk outdoors even in the freezing cold Yanjing.
, put up curtains with colorful flowers, and fill some fire pots, the outdoors will be as warm as spring. Where is the need to blow the cold wind in this biting corner pavilion?
Zuo Guitang recounted the messy news he had just heard from the teahouse word for word.
The news passed down from mouth to mouth in the tea house was all hearsay, 30% true and 70% false, or an exaggeration caused by panic. Miao Shuo said: "There are many opinions, and I don't know which one is true and which one is false. Chongzhou's gods are like this
The weather is fine. Although it is a bit cold, it is also sunny. However, it has been snowing heavily in Hangzhou for many days. This day is also strange..."
Yuan Jianhai had a hard time arguing whether the news he heard from the teahouse was true or false, but Miao Shuo's words also spoke to his mind: he somewhat suspected that Lin Fu was being delayed by Xiao Shan and refused to send troops.
Empress Dowager Liang slightly narrowed her cloudy old eyes and said only: "Be more patient. The situation may not be as bad as imagined, but most of the newspapers in various places have stopped at this time. No one can cope with this crisis for a while.
"If you really want to know accurate information, you might as well go directly to the Huaidong Army Si Yamen," and then looked at Chang Shi Gaoqiang, "Gaoqiang, do you think this is true?"
"What the Empress Dowager said... is true." Gao Qiang Xiaoyi replied, secretly thinking: The Empress Dowager will ask me to go south to find Qin Chengzu for information? Although he is also very worried about the current situation, he is sent by the Jiangning Clan Mansion.
Official, if Jiangning is defeated, he will be sandwiched between the Hailing Palace and Huaidong, and he will not be human inside or outside. But if Gao Qiang is asked to go directly to Xincheng to inquire about the information from the Huaidong Army Si Yamen, he will also feel dissatisfied - Huaidong
Why tell him accurate information?
At this moment, the gatekeeper came in and reported: "Mr. Gu of Jian'an County said that she would come to pay respects to the Queen Mother, Princess Yangxin and Princess Yangxin. She sent a special female official to come to listen to the summons..."
Lin Fu was granted the title of Duke of Pengcheng, and Liu Miaozhen was granted the title of Lady Qiaoguo as an exception. The title of Prince of Jian'an was the title that Gu Junxun received as the principal wife - Gu Junxun had never visited the gate of Hailing Palace.
When Prince Ling came to Haizhou, Gu Junxun also demoted himself out of the house because the Gu family was involved in the dispute between Prince Ning and Prince Ning, so he did not go to the Empress Dowager Liang to say hello.
The Empress Dowager Liang had been in Hailing for the past two or three years and it was naturally impossible for her to seek trouble by summoning Lin Fu's wives and concubines.
At this moment, Gu Junxun suddenly sent a female official over to pay his respects, which naturally meant a lot.
Lin Fu was supervising the war in Xiaoshan. Although Chongzhou had dedicated personnel for military and political affairs, only Gu Junxun could officially represent Lin Fu in front of the Empress Dowager Liang. Qin Chengzu or Lin Meng were not suitable.
Miao Shuo, Zuo Guitang and others looked at each other, and Gao Qiang could also realize that this was a very strong signal; Hailing Prince Yuan Jianhai stood up with a bang, as if there were nails scattered on the couch to prevent him from sitting still, Hailing Princess Tian
She was a little confused about the situation, but Yuan Yan was thoughtful. Compared to what others thought, she might just want to see what Lin Fu's wives and concubines looked like.
Queen Mother Liang was still calm and asked Miao Shuo to go out and invite in the female officer sent by Gu Junxun.
After waiting for a while, Yuan Yan saw a beautiful woman with a graceful figure and bright appearance walking back, bowing her head and greeting them: "I am from the Lin family, Mrs. Gu, greeting the Queen Mother, the prince, the princess, and the princess, Mr. Jian'an County."
When I learned that the Queen Mother was ill, I was worried about it and wanted to come to say hello. I would like to ask the Queen Mother for her kindness..."
"Jian'an County Lord is interested, and the Ai family's health is not in trouble, but idleness is also idle. I have never seen the Ai family in Jiangning. If you are willing, you can liven up the afternoon with an old woman from the Ai family, that is
It couldn't be better." Empress Dowager Liang said, agreeing to Gu Junxun's request for a meeting.
After the people sent by Gu Junxun left, Queen Mother Liang asked Miao Shuo: "Who is this Lin family member? Lin Mengde's wife?"
The person in the room was granted the title of the county monarch, and Guanlin's surname was her husband's. Empress Dowager Liang could not remember who this beautiful woman was.
"It seems that she is the niece of Gu Bingbu, the aunt of Prime Minister Lin, and the first cousin of Pengcheng County Duke..." Miao Shuo said. In his early years, he presided over the Yudong Palace and lived next to Chongzhou. He knew all the complicated relationships in Chongzhou.
Quite a lot.
The son called his father's concubine his aunt. Since this woman was Gu Wuchen's niece and cousins with Lin Fu's main wife, so she was of extraordinary origin. Why did she willingly become the concubine of Lin Xuwen's father? Many people in the yard couldn't figure it out.
.
However, Lin Xuwen was the deputy prime minister of the dynasty and a dignified second-grade civil servant. His mother died young and she wanted to be granted the title of county monarch. It was in line with the rules for his aunt to be granted the title of county monarch.
"Oh!" Queen Mother Liang responded without thinking too much.
Yuan Jianhai couldn't wait to say to Gao Qiang: "Can Gao Changshi please say hello?" He wanted to drive Gao Qiang away with his words, so as not to hinder their conversation.
Gao Qiang knew that he had treated King Hailing and the Queen Mother so badly that it was difficult to redeem himself, so he could only ask An to withdraw. Yuan Yan and Princess Tian of Hailing also wanted to resign. Queen Mother Liang said to Yuan Yan: "Yanya girl, please stay and beat me for me."
Beat the back..."
Yuan Yan's face was filled with doubts. She wondered what the Queen Mother and her uncle were hiding from her, so why did they want her to stay now?
King Hailing didn't know the reason, but after the other unrelated people left, he couldn't wait to ask: "Ancestor, according to this situation, does it mean that Jiangning may not be able to defend it?"
Zuo Guitang and Miao Shuo both knew that if Jiangning City was destroyed by the rebels, what would be brought to them? They were a little confused, but Lin Gu, who had never shown up before, was coming to pay respects to the Queen Mother, which did not mean that Lin Fu was also
Are you preparing for the establishment of a new emperor?
From a down-and-out prince who lives in a hut, endures hunger and cold, and is even bullied by petty officials, to a man who may ascend to the throne of the Dragon Throne in one fell swoop, who can take it calmly?
Zuo Guitang and Miao Shuo have also suffered countless hardships over the years. Thinking of the possibility of "achieving enlightenment and ascending to heaven" together, they can't help but feel excited.
"No one in this palace understands military affairs. Who knows whether Jiang Ning can be defended? Didn't there be news that Jiang Ning is not bad, and there are still 40,000 soldiers and horses guarding it? It can't be like a piece of paper.
It will be broken. Moreover, even if Jiangning cannot be defended, Jiangning is next to the Yangtze River. If King Ning and his officials escape, it will be too late," said the Empress Dowager Liang. "If King Ning is still there, Huaidong will force you to sit on it.
That chair that's hot from the fire, do you feel better?"
Miao Shuo was shocked. If the city of Jiangning was destroyed, and Emperor Yongxing died or was captured, it would be a matter of course for Huaidong to support King Lu.
It's just a chess piece and a puppet in Huaidong's hands - the difference between the two is huge.
"In my opinion, Huaidong is also making two-pronged preparations. Lin Fu must have ambitions, but judging from his actions, he still knows etiquette, justice and shame, and will never take the initiative to abolish the establishment," Empress Dowager Liang said.
O sea, it’s better to be calm and calm!”
"How can I be at peace, how can I not be impatient?" Yuan Jianhai couldn't help but become impatient, stood up and said excitedly. He was trapped in this palm-sized place all day long, being bullied by a petty official who didn't dare to say a word, and he still kept saying nothing.
They were all worried about when King Ning would send people to kill them to avoid future troubles. Even if they were Huaidong's puppets, they would at least be sitting in the dragon court and on the dragon chair. There was a huge difference between the two. He said, "As long as you sit on
If you take that position, the world will still belong to Dai Viet, and the subjects will still be subjects of the Yuan clan, and it will not be Huaidong's turn to cover the sky with one hand!"
Seeing Yuan Jianhai so excited, Queen Mother Liang felt inexplicably pity in her heart. She asked him to calm down and said: "The more you act like this, the more likely it is that Lin Fu will stand still, and the more we will become pawns in his hands - but before we were
Xianqi, next time, I think no matter whether Jiang Ning can defend or not, or whether King Ning successfully escapes and patrols Huaixi or Jiangzhou, we will no longer be Xianqi. We spent all our efforts to come to Huaidong, but we are not just waiting for this moment.
Really? You must be patient!"
Miao Shuo understood it and said, "Our ancestors have long-term plans."
"What is the foresight of the Ai family? As long as Lin Fu is ambitious, the Ai family and Jianhai will be of some use. It is better than running to Jiangning for two years to die," Empress Dowager Liang said, "I think about it, the imperial army will be defeated again and again.
The Hanghu Army was defeated again and again. Even if Jiangning defended this time, the Huaidong troops would not withdraw from Jiangning honestly. But this matter of status was very important, and Lin Fu did not dare to ignore it.
, he can’t be above the temple and do everything so stiffly that Prince Ning can look at his expression, right? The Aijia and Jianhai are somewhat more useful than before..."
Zuo Guitang also thought about it. The imperial army was vulnerable. Once the Huaidong troops entered Jiangning City, they would be able to control the defense of Jiangning. With the cooperation of Lin Fu, Lin Xuwen, and Huang Jinnian, they could almost control the government. However, Chen Xiyan and other officials
They may not be willing to bow to Huaidong, and Yue Lengqiu and Dong Yuan are not without any strength to fight against Huaidong.
If you don't want to cause trouble, everyone has to follow the rules - what rules Huaidong needs? What rules Huaidong needs is that although Emperor Yongxing is the 95th emperor, he still has to follow the rules in front of the Queen Mother and King Hailing.
We must "respect the old and love the young".
Besides, since this dynasty, there has been a precedent for brothers to succeed each other. Emperor Yongxing’s heirs are still young. If anything happens to Emperor Yongxing, King Hailing’s accession to the throne will be a smooth process. Only the Queen Mother and King Hailing are together.
After going to Jiangning, Emperor Yongxing would be more honest and let Huaidong control the government.
Even if Chen Xiyan and others had any opinions or doubts about Huaidong, Huaidong might push the Queen Mother out of the way.
If Lin Fu didn't want to cause infamy by rashly abolishing the establishment, in addition to controlling Jiangning's defense, the Queen Mother and King Hailing would be the most important move for him to control the government.
Yuan Yan can figure out some things, but she is tired of the intrigues in the emperor's family: the emperor is her cousin, but he wants to kill them, and everyone here doesn't care about Jiang Ning's safety at all, and they want the emperor to accompany Jiang Ning
The city was buried together.
"Yanya Tou..." Queen Mother Liang called.
"Ah," Yuan Yan came back to her senses in shock and asked, "What did our ancestors give you?"
"If I let you, Yan Yatou, go to Pengcheng Palace to study and work, will you be wronged?" Queen Mother Liang asked.
"Ah!" Yuan Yan was stunned for a moment, then continued to figure out what the Queen Mother meant. Lin Fu wanted to take advantage of this. Lin Fu's thoughts were not taken advantage of here, but there was no chance before. Now that there was a chance, the Queen Mother was eager to take advantage of it.
Using her as a chess piece and throwing her out, Yuan Yan felt aggrieved, but she had to agree, "Yuan Yan will obey the Queen Mother's arrangements in everything."
"I think the person from the Lin family who came just now is a smart and capable woman. If you have more contact with her, you can learn a lot of things." Empress Dowager Liang could see Yuan Yan's reluctance, and let the princess frequently visit the Lin family.
The inner chamber is also too unruly, but the chess pieces she can use are too few, too few, and the headache now is to use some name that sounds respectable.