Li Xiuyuan walked toward the outside of the imperial city alone.
At the end of the court meeting, there were not many ministers left in the palace. There were only patrolling Imperial Army soldiers and eunuchs passing by in a hurry. Other than that, the entire palace was eerily quiet.
No wonder some people say the palace is cold.
This depressing and empty place really makes people feel cool.
"Since we have already broken up, let's take the first step and use the connections of the six gates to wipe out all the ghosts and snake gods in the capital in one fell swoop. Especially the Shi Hu who killed the Ghost Swallowing Thunder Duke must be found out. As for the National Preceptor
"Li Xiuyuan's eyes flashed with cold light: "Trapped him in the imperial city.
If he dares to take a step, he will immediately send Thunder Lord to surround and kill him."
"Within a month, I will treat the capital city."
He thought secretly in his heart.
So what if he was tricked by these civil servants? He got a crucial hand: he had the right to dispatch the six doors.
This move is extremely crucial.
So this battle has just begun. If the Imperial Preceptor wants to use the power of the imperial court to balance himself, he will take action by himself.
With this idea in mind, Li Xiuyuan quickened his pace.
At this time, a eunuch and a group of palace maids were hurriedly passing by with their heads lowered.
Suddenly, one of the palace maids called out with some joy: "Young Master~!"
"There's so much noise in the imperial city, who's yelling?" The eunuch suddenly turned around and shouted, looking very stern.
Li Xiuyuan took a look and was slightly startled. He saw that the palace maid looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't remember it for a moment. She probably wasn't very familiar.
The palace maid was so drunk that she immediately lowered her head and became a little scared.
"It's you, isn't it? You really don't understand the rules. Have you forgotten what we ordered before? Today, you will have a memory loss." The eunuch immediately walked over and reached out and pinched the palace maid's arm and squeezed it hard, causing pain to the woman.
He cried out in pain.
Li Xiuyuan saw the palace maid clearly, and then he remembered that this palace maid was the woman in the sedan chair he met on the way to Xiangguo Temple some time ago. He remembered that she had thrown a sachet to him, but she was using a spell to give him a gift.
gone back.
I didn't expect to meet him in the palace today.
After a brief encounter, this woman actually remembered him.
"My father-in-law, I know this woman. She just made a small mistake, so why should she be treated so badly? Why don't you give me some face and let it go, what do you think?" Li Xiuyuan said immediately.
The eunuch saw that Li Xiuyuan was wearing a red robe, and he was obviously of high rank. He immediately nodded and bent down and said with a flattering smile: "Sir, if you dare to disobey me if you give me orders, I am blind and don't know that this girl is yours."
If you are an acquaintance, you should be beaten, you should be beaten."
After saying that, he slapped himself twice.
I felt secretly unlucky in my heart: I thought this woman had no background and could be bullied at will, but I didn't expect that a fifth-grade official would appear at random.
"Are these all maids in the palace?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
The eunuch flattered and said with a smile: "My lord, these are a group of beautiful girls selected this time, not palace maids. I really want to take them to the harem."
"Is it?"
Li Xiuyuan looked at the girl again: "Once you enter the palace, it is as deep as the sea. Why did the girl come to the draft to enter the palace?"
"What my father wishes, I dare not shirk." The woman lowered her head slightly and said.
"It is indeed not good to violate the orders of your parents. If the girl is not chosen, she should leave the palace as much as possible." After saying that, Li Xiuyuan took out a few pearls from his arms and gave them to the eunuch: "Take care of me, don't let it happen."
This girl has suffered too much. If she can do it, she won’t meet me next time.
I will treat you badly."
The eunuch looked at the round pearls in his hand and knew that these were pearls from the East China Sea. They were rare items and could not be bought for just a few hundred taels of silver.
Immediately, his face lit up with joy, and his smile became more respectful: "My lord, I will do my best, and I will never let this girl be wronged. If the draft fails, I will make good arrangements for this girl to leave the palace."
of."
He understood what the young man meant, don't let this girl choose him.
"That's good." Li Xiuyuan nodded.
The palace maid's beautiful eyes moved slightly, showing gratitude.
Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly, then bowed and said, "Then I'll take the first step, girl, be careful."
"Thank you, sir." The palace maid's cheeks turned slightly red, a little embarrassed.
Li Xiuyuan smiled, then turned and left.
This girl was punished by the eunuch for calling her, so she couldn't ignore her. After all, she had met her once before, so how could she feel bad about pretending not to know her?
Moreover, it is very stupid to directly scold the eunuch. Who knows how this girl will be made things difficult for once she leaves by herself. The only way is to bribe her with money.
"Haha, you are the same girl. With such a great man favoring you, why should you choose a beautiful girl? Why don't you go out of the palace and get married? Tsk, tsk, an official of the fifth rank is still so young, and he will definitely be an important minister of the court in the future." etc.
After Li Xiuyuan left, the eunuch said with a smile: "Don't say that I don't care."
I'll do it for you, I'll go through the formalities and send you out of the palace, don't waste this time."
The woman's face turned even redder after hearing this, but she couldn't help but look back at the young master's leaving figure frequently.
I still don’t know this young man’s name.
When Li Xiuyuan left the palace, he saw Wu Xiang and Han Meng already waiting at the palace gate.
"Young Master."
"My boss."
The two people saluted hurriedly.
Li Xiuyuan said: "Tell me as we walk, follow me to the Sixth Gate first."
The two nodded.
Soon, the soldier waiting outside the palace brought a horse, got on the horse and walked towards the six gates.
"Han Meng, you have been given the name Han Shizhong by the officials, and you have also been named Yangzhou Commander-in-Chief. Do you know the reason?" Li Xiuyuan said on the way.
"I'm not sure, little one," Han Meng said.
Li Xiuyuan said: "It is to win people's hearts and divide you and me. Whether it is changing the surname and giving a name, or you being named Yangzhou Commander-in-Chief, it has the intention of checking and balancing me. The officials want to use the stratagem to make us fight among ourselves. I
You are the governor of Yangzhou, and you are already in charge of the general army of Yangzhou. He named you the chief soldier of Yangzhou. This title
There is no difference between being sealed and not sealed. Even if someone else becomes the Yangzhou Commander-in-Chief, they still have to serve me. Of course, this is also within my expectation, but this is a normal situation, and now I am left in the capital. If you
If you go back to Yangzhou to serve as the general soldier, you don't need to serve anyone. You can just serve
During my absence, Yangzhou's armaments will be reorganized."
"When the master is weak and the servant is strong, it is easy for people to become suspicious. Once the suspicion starts, it will be the time when you and I will fight against each other. I am sure that once you return to Yangzhou, someone will contact you and advise you to set up your own business and hold the
The military power in Yangzhou fell to the imperial court."
After speaking, he squinted his eyes slightly: "The officials made a good move."
"Why is this emperor so hateful?" Han Meng opened his eyes wide and looked a little shocked.
It seems like a random reward, but there is such a big conspiracy hidden behind it.
"Don't worry, eldest young master. Although the younger one has changed his name to Shi Zhong, the one who is loyal is not the court or the official family, but you, eldest young master. The younger one has not forgotten who gave him a chance to live when he was in poverty. Now,
The eldest young master has taken the younger one along the way, and now he has become a commander-in-chief, making him
Xiao Guangzong Yaozu, this kind of kindness will never be repaid by Xiao Xiao." Han Meng immediately clasped his fists and said firmly, with no intention of being shaken.
Li Xiuyuan said: "Listen to me slowly. I will not doubt your loyalty. When you return to Yangzhou, you will immediately start to reorganize your armaments and prepare for war at any time. In addition, you will urge Xing Shan to see what he has done."
The recruited troops have been trained so well. The number should not be too large. When I go back
It will be enough to train 50,000 imperial soldiers and 20,000 cavalry. The war horses produced by the racecourse this year plus those captured after killing Li Liangjin last time should be almost enough."
"Fifty thousand infantry and 20,000 cavalry are already the limit of my calculations. If there are any more, I won't be able to support them, and it will be a burden to Yangzhou."
"After you go back, in addition to training, read more books. If you don't understand, go to Jinling City to ask Li Linfu. If I need it, I will recruit you to the capital at any time. After receiving my order, I will immediately send 20,000 cavalry to go north first, and 50,000
The infantry followed,"
"Young Master, are you planning to rebel?"
Han Meng lowered his voice and said, "If this is the case, it will not be difficult to capture the capital with our troops. I have seen the defenses of the capital. Five thousand elites can break the city, and the Song Dynasty is short of cavalry. Our support will definitely be able to attack the capital."
The troops of other generals arrived in the capital first."
"Who told you that you were going to rebel?" Li Xiuyuan said: "The Song Dynasty still has its national destiny, and it is taboo to go against the will of heaven. Didn't Zhang Jiao's rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty also suffer the punishment of heaven and die violently? Don't think about these useless things.
The change of dynasties has its own time. It does not mean that rebellion can succeed, and I didn’t think about it.
Once you become emperor, I asked you to mobilize the army because the Song Dynasty's national fortunes were in severe decline, and I'm afraid there will be a catastrophe."
"There will be a great calamity in the country, and we must use weapons. I am preparing for a rainy day, and I also need a foreign aid like you when I stay in the capital to give me a strong reputation. Everything is waiting for my news. I have no news, so don't move, otherwise
You know the consequences."
"I understand, little one." Han Meng nodded solemnly.
"When will the youngster return to Yangzhou?"
Li Xiuyuan said: "After making preparations today, we will set off tomorrow to mobilize two hundred soldiers to escort the Zhengqi Villa. Then I will ask the eight kings to accompany you. As the commander-in-chief, you are no longer what you used to be. You cannot be fooled by others.
intercepted and killed on the road, although the interception and killing of imperial officials rarely happened
Now, but who knows if there will be such a few madmen, after all, even I have been assassinated, so it is right to be careful."
"Thank you for your concern, young master." Han Meng said gratefully.
Li Xiuyuan thought for a moment and said, "You have to use your brain more when you are away from me. It will be different when you become an official. You should be cautious and steady. If you don't know what to do, don't do anything. After all, if you accidentally make a mistake,
If we take another step, it will not only affect you and me, but also our family members.
You can also get a glimpse of what's going on in the imperial court today. Political battles are terrible, and if you make one wrong step, you will be doomed."
"That's all. You go back to the Escort Bureau and get ready. Remember to take other people's rewards back with you. Wu Xiang and I will just go to the Sixth Gate."
After speaking, he waved his hand and signaled Han Meng to leave.
"Don't worry, young master, I will not let you down." Han Meng couldn't help but burst into tears.
In this world, only the eldest young master treats me so kindly.
Such people deserve loyalty from generation to generation.
Li Xiuyuan smiled: "Do your best, Han Meng, no, Han Shizhong."
After saying that, he took Wu Xiang and walked towards the six-door Yamen.
Han Shizhong stood there and watched Li Xiuyuan leave before he shed tears and then rode away: "Drive~!"
When Li Xiuyuan arrived at the door of the six-door Yamen, he saw Cui Wei. Chief Cui was already waiting here.
"I have met Mr. Li in my humble position. When Master Yan learned that Mr. Li was coming, he specifically ordered me to wait for you." Cui Wei cupped his fists and saluted, saying respectfully.
"Master Yan? Is this Master Yan the one in charge of the six doors?" Li Xiuyuan said: "I thought it was you, the chief arrester."
"Sir, you are joking. There is only one chief arrester in each province. Your humble position is just the chief arrester in the capital." Cui Wei said.
Li Xiuyuan said, "I'm sorry, I'm not very clear about the position of the Six Gates. Since Mr. Yan knows that I'm coming, Chief Inspector Lau Cui will lead the way."
"Yes. Sir, sir, please come this way." Cui Wei said.
Li Xiuyuan got off his horse, took Wu Xiang and a few accompanying soldiers, and followed Cui Wei into the six gates.
This institution that does not exist in any history and only exists in novels actually exists.
Sure enough, this world is different from the normal history that I know.
It can be said that it is different. Apart from the mysterious things, there is not much difference. The change of dynasties is still the same as I am familiar with.