There were many important ministers in the court, but Lin Cheng was not the most important one.
The reason is actually simple. Lin Cheng is the general in charge of the Imperial Guard.
Lin Cheng was seriously injured and could not take over the post of imperial guard. The urgent task now was to elect a new general of the imperial guard. The choice of general of the imperial guard was too important. Emperor Mu Xuan had always been the one to make decisions, and the cabinet never made any decisions. Talk too much.
Emperor Mu Xuan asked the imperial doctor about Lin Cheng's injury, asked the imperial hospital to take good care of him, and then sent the imperial doctor away. In the imperial study, Emperor Mu Xuan did not even keep his most beloved servant, and summoned Marquis Feng alone. He ordered Marquis Feng, "Send out immediately A very good person should go and find out whether the Zhennan Imperial Guard is present among the retinue of the Crown Prince of Zhennan, and get back accurate information without getting too close."
"Yes. I have sent people to chase him."
Emperor Mu Xuan frowned, "Who is the other person? Feng Ning said that person's kung fu is sinister and treacherous. It is nothing like the Central Plains style. The martial arts of Beiliang and Northern Xinjiang are strong and fierce. They both advocate wide opening and wide closing. Such sinister martial arts are rare. , are they from the south?"
"But if there are two masters in the Zhennan Kingdom, I think the first thing they should do is kill the Marquis of Nan'an and seize Nanyi Prefecture." Of course Lin Cheng has a high official position, but for a country, the territory is more important than the other. A great general is much more important. If the Zhennan Kingdom had two great masters, it would be impossible for them to stay in Yunnan and Guizhou for many years. Marquis Feng was a little confused.
"What you say makes sense. Then, that person should be someone from our court." Emperor Mu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped his fingers silently on the desk a few times, and looked at Marquis Feng, "Is Qin Longhu's injury not healed yet? ?”
"I have been taking medicine. The imperial doctor said that the meridians are damaged and need to be nourished. The pulse record is consistent with the imperial doctor's statement. When I was close to Qin Longhu, I often smelled the fragrance of herbal medicine on his body. Recently, he was sent on an errand by Longhu Camp. I'll leave more to Qin's consort, so I won't have to take care of it myself." Feng Hou reported.
Emperor Mu Xuan frowned and was about to send Feng Hou down. Feng Hou hesitated to speak, and Emperor Mu Xuan was amused, "What's wrong with you? Is there anything else you can't say in front of me?"
Marquis Feng pursed his lips and said, "I have to ask your Majesty to forgive me. I will privately ask Master Liuli to see the traces left by yesterday's fight."
"Shaolin is a martial arts sect, so he is naturally well-informed." Emperor Mu Xuan nodded, Feng Hou has always been meticulous. At first, he resigned from the post of secret agent leader because he avoided Feng Ning's status as master, but now Emperor Mu Xuan has re-employed him, and he is no less capable.
Feng Hou said, "Master Liuli said that he has never seen such a martial arts method, but the master has seen similar ones."
Emperor Mu Xuan was shocked, "I think Master also remembers the person who used this martial art?"
"Yes." Marquis Feng bowed slightly, "The Master said that when Marquis Rui competed with Qin Longhu in the Imperial Guard, when he was giving a lecture to the Queen Mother in the palace and leaving the palace, he learned that Qin Longhu was defeated by Marquis Rui. , Qin Longhu is also an outstanding disciple among the outer disciples of Shaolin. The master went to visit and saw the injuries on Qin Longhu’s body. The martial arts method that injured Qin Longhu was strange and abnormal, not like the Zhongyuan method."
Emperor Mu Xuan's frown deepened, "Ruihou's hometown is in Hunan, and he traveled to Yunnan and Guizhou when he was young. It makes sense that his martial arts are not as good as those in the Central Plains. Xuanyin Pavilion was created by Ruihou when he traveled around the world. Lin Cheng has always been with I have a good relationship with Marquis Rui and even held an important position in Xuanyin Pavilion. If this person is related to Marquis Rui, how could he assassinate Lin Cheng?"
Emperor Mu Xuan suddenly raised his head, and Feng Hou also thought at this time that this person must be related to Rui Hou, and he must be Rui Hou's enemy!
Although there are clues, it is extremely difficult to track down the clues.
Without him, Ruihou had friends all over the world, but he definitely had many enemies. Moreover, although Ruihou's life was short, his experience was full of twists and turns, and there were even many strange things in it. It would be too difficult to find out.
Emperor Mu Xuan tapped the table lightly and said something that surprised Marquis Feng, "This is easy to investigate."
The emperor's eyes were as deep as the sea, "Sending people to Northern Xinjiang, Ruihou left something for Lao San, and Yue Mo also left people. Ruihou's martial arts must have been practiced since childhood. Things that happened when he was young were still Xuanyin
The people in the pavilion know best. Lao San has people from the Xuanyin Pavilion. Find someone to ask Ruihou about what happened back then."
"yes!"
As for the candidate for the general of the Imperial Guard, Emperor Mu Xuan sent someone to ask Lin Cheng. Lin Cheng recommended Marquis Yong'an, but Emperor Mu Xuan considered it again and again and appointed General Sui, the former General of the Qinglong Guard, as the general of the Imperial Guard.
Northern Xinjiang.
As soon as Li Shangshu and his party entered Yumen Pass, they arrived at a spacious and lively post station. This was a post station that was not included in the records of the Ministry of War. It was a common loess house in northern Xinjiang. It was not very elegant. However, the courtyard was wide, the horses were complete, and
, and a small garrison of more than a hundred people.
There are dozens of loess houses of different sizes around this inn, and the stalls selling wine and wine are all owned by businessmen.
Li Shangshu went over to put down the official documents and was immediately warmly received. Alas, this is a high-ranking official, the Master of the Imperial City. When Yi Cheng asked the Master where you are going, alas, it turned out to be the imperial envoy from the Imperial City.
When Xin Yi met our king, Yi Cheng immediately dispatched twenty cavalry to escort him along the road. Li Shangshuyuan said, "It doesn't have to be like this. It's the same for us to go on our own."
"It's different now. There are rebels in our northern Xinjiang from time to time. You see, merchants are also escorted by us. After all, we are more familiar with the journey. Just don't worry, sir. If you follow us, I guarantee that you will be able to meet the king in half a month."
The Prime Minister said this, and Li Shangshu did not refuse. Knowing that this was a high-ranking official in the imperial capital, the Yi Cheng did not dare to neglect, so he went to the restaurant outside to order some delicious dishes, and also sent the kitchen to boil hot water and put the food prepared by the Yi Station.
Some poplar wooden barrels were found for a few adults to bathe in.
Li Shangshu said to himself, after all, it is a big inn, and the service is attentive. He is a meticulous person. After bathing and changing clothes, he summoned the inn master and asked a lot of questions, such as, "I remember that there shouldn't be an inn here, and your inn doesn't need to be there."
It’s not in the Ministry of War records.”
"This is a temporary one. There was a rebellion among the Sudimir tribe and the Caiyun tribe. The king was worried that the merchants traveling to and from our northern border would be unsafe and the road would be difficult to travel, so he sent us to build this temporary inn."
Yi Cheng patted his empty sleeve, his face was tanned by the sun, but he had a grateful smile on his face, "For boys like us, who were disabled on the battlefield, we shouldn't be able to serve in the army, so that's it."
I don’t have any money, but I can’t farm with one arm when I go home. The Marquis used to support us and let us work in the logistics and supply areas. After all, we are no better than others. Your Majesty, have mercy on me. This kind of post house only selects people like us.
, is a grace given to us. Now I am blessed to serve you all here, and I can also provide for my wife and children." As he said this, he raised his hand and bowed towards the northwest, "This is all the grace of the king!"
Li Shangshu asked, "What is the usual price for escorting merchants here?"
"If you are a merchant going to and from the market, we don't charge any money. You can just take care of food and drink on the way. We have a record this time. The settlement at the end of the month is different, and the amount of money you get for escorting is different." Yi Cheng said simply.
The Yi Cheng said, "Even our post has regulations on how much each dish costs, so we don't dare to charge more money."
Li Shangshu asked many detailed questions, secretly thinking that it was His Highness the Third Highness, who was indeed a virtuous king. Along the way, the entrance and exit fees at each city gate were very regular, and there was no extortion at the gate of the nearby state capital.
Of course, there are also horrific scenes. Li Shangshu saw the glazed human head hanging at the gate of the city on the chessboard. When he inquired carefully, he found out that it was a man who blackmailed merchants. He was beheaded by the king and sent back, and was ordered to hang on the city gate for thirty years.
Day, as a warning to others.
Compared with the Ministry of War's records of the post stations in Northern Xinjiang, Li Shangshu found that there were quite a few private temporary inns in Northern Xinjiang, and the scale of the inns was no less than that of the regular inns.
Mr. Xu, the minister of the Ministry of War, who was traveling with us, was also a very careful person. He recorded all the private stations in northern Xinjiang along the way and marked their locations on the map he brought.
Xu Shilang originally planned to go to the Caiyun Department first and then to Xinyicheng to meet Mu Anzhi. Li Shangshu did not make the decision alone, but consulted the other Minister Wang of the Ministry of Industry for his opinion. Wang Shilang said, "I can do whatever I want, and the two adults will make the decision."
good."
Li Shangshu saw that he was holding a naan in his hand, his finger bones were turning white from pinching, and he was gnashing his teeth. He asked, "What's wrong? How can you compete with this pancake?"
"Look, Sir, I have never seen such dry and hard cakes before."
Li Shangshu took it, banged it twice on the table, and immediately broke it into half. Li Shangshu said, "It's not possible to eat it directly. It must be soaked in soup and rice."
Wang Shilang was born in the Wang family of Langya, and he has been rich since childhood. He has never seen Li Shangshu be so tough. He gathered the broken noodles into several pieces and put them back into the wicker basket. He said with emotion, "His Highness the Third Highness was in court.
The famous hard man is now a vassal, and the cakes in the vassal area are harder than those in other areas."
Li Shangshu laughed, "That's what you said."
Wang Shilang was not used to Northern Xinjiang's milk tea, so he broke the naan cake into smaller pieces and soaked it in the tea soup until soft and ate it. Wang Shilang suddenly thought of something and lowered his voice, "I'm not a timid person, let's tell the truth.
, is it really okay to go to the Caiyun Department without the permission of the Third Highness? There must be troops stationed by the Third Highness in the Caiyun Department. When we go there, we have to listen to the orders of the generals over there, but without the Nod of the Third Highness, we take the imperial edict.
Let me go over there. Even if you have seen the iron mine, you have greatly offended His Highness. This is His Highness's territory after all."
Wang Shilang looked at the steamed cakes in the bowl, glanced at the long yellow sand outside the window, and sighed, "Such a war-torn place..."
Xu Shilang sighed and had no idea. Li Shangshu handed Xu Shilang a piece of hard naan cake. Xu Shilang also hesitated. Although he was Lu Guogong's confidant, he was not stupid after all. Seeing that the Third Highness was obeying the Northern Xinjiang governor.
, not even the city gate dared to charge a penny more. His Highness had long been at odds with Duke Lu. If he didn’t give him face first, His Highness would probably have to leave him in the chaos of northern Xinjiang. The neighboring vassal kings
His Highness the Third Highness couldn't do such a thing. He had an unpredictable temperament when he was in the imperial capital. Xu Shilang looked at Li Shangshu and said, "We still need the old Shangshu to give us an idea."
Li Shangshu refused to take this issue, "Although I am an imperial envoy, I cannot be arbitrary. I have to listen to what you two think."
Xu Shilang took the cake from Li Shangshu and swallowed what he just said, "Then let's go to Xinyi first and pay homage to His Highness Third Highness before going to the Caiyun Department."
"Okay, I'll listen to Mr. Xu." The pot was placed tightly on Xu Shilang's head. Li Shangshu picked up the meat in front of him and tasted it with a smile.
When Li Shangshu and his party arrived at Xinyi City, there was a heavy snowstorm. Li Shangshu felt that it was fortunate that they arrived in time. If they had encountered such weather on the way, they would have frozen to death.
Mu Anzhi was not familiar with the two ministers, but was familiar with Li Shangshu. After receiving the order, he ordered Du Changshi to arrange accommodation for the imperial envoys and hold a banquet in the evening.
Li Shangshu treated Mu Anzhi very politely, so politely that it made people feel unfamiliar, and Mu Anzhi understood. When they met in private, Li Shangshu looked at Mu Anzhi with tears in his eyes and looked at Mu Anzhi's pitiful look on the verge of tears.
An Zhidao said, "Let's just pretend we're not familiar with each other."
Li Shangshu wiped away his tears and smiled, "Your Highness is much more interesting now that he has arrived in Northern Xinjiang than before. Your Highness is good at everything, so I did not suffer all the anger in the imperial capital in vain."
The look of an old man of this age wiping his tears with a flowered handkerchief is really a bit eye-catching. Although Li Shangshu can be said to be elegant and elegant in terms of appearance. Mu An said, "His Majesty is still in office, and you are in the cabinet. How can it be difficult?"
How dare someone named Lu make you angry?"
"Hey, Your Highness, how did you know that since you and His Highness the Second Highness separated the feudal government, Lu Shangshu has been trying to gain leadership in the cabinet. If it weren't for the high prestige of Prime Minister Pei, he would have become Prime Minister Pei's boss." Li Shangshu sighed, "I am the same.
Tell him to come over here."
"Our northern Xinjiang is a bit remote. As for the decline." Mu An said, "Your Majesty is in the prime of life. Even if the crown prince ascends the throne, it will be twenty years later. The surnamed Lu is too arrogant." He didn't like Prime Minister Pei.
But he doesn't like Duke Lu at all. "Gong Lu has always been very hypocritical and pretends to be humble. How could he be so abnormal? When did the fight start?"
Mu Anzhi was sitting on a couch with a large wolf-skin mattress, and the incense burner was burning beside it. Li Shangshu was warming himself by the fire. As soon as he saw Mu Anzhi, his physical and mental fatigue disappeared. Li Shangshu had long thought about Lu Guogong's plans.
This time, he served in the Ministry of Justice, and he was more attentive than ordinary people. Li Shangshu said, "Recently, before His Majesty's longevity, he was the most cheerful person in cabinet meetings. He has never been like this in the past. Because of his status as a foreign relative,
He rarely quarreled with others, but suddenly he changed."
"Abnormality is a monster." Mu Anzhi rubbed his fingers and snorted, "There must be some big event that makes this man named Lu so happy and angry."
"What's going on?" Li Shangshu asked, "Does Your Highness have any idea?"
Mu Anzhi hated Duke Lu Guo from the bottom of his heart, so he said casually, "Back then, when the Eastern Palace was established as the crown prince, he was not as enthusiastic as he was. What makes him so happy now is that the Eastern Palace is about to ascend the throne."
A small spark exploded in the smoke cage. When Li Shangshu heard it, it was like thunder. Mu Anzhi's face turned pale with fright. He glanced outside the window in panic, trembling all over, "Your Highness, you can't talk nonsense."
ah!"
Gang Mu Anzhi was indeed talking nonsense, but when he changed his mind, he stared at Li Shangshu, "Why do I think what I said makes sense?"
Li Shangshu opened his mouth and didn't know what to say. He, he, he couldn't say it. After thinking about it carefully, he felt that what His Highness the Third Highness said made sense.
Yes, when the Duke of Donggong was established as the crown prince, he never got carried away. Now he is so crazy. Is it true? It’s true...
Li Shangshu's heart was beating wildly, like a fish out of water. He opened his mouth wide and could not speak. He was breathing heavily. Mu An didn't notice at first sight, and saw Li Shangshu's breathing becoming more and more rapid, and then
The whole person made a thump and fell to the ground with his eyes closed tightly.
Li Shangshu actually fainted from fear!
Mu Anzhi hurried over to give Li Shangshu first aid, and poured a bowl of tea over him to wake him up. Li Shangshu woke up in a hurry, and Mu Anzhi laughed at him, "You have so much courage and you are still standing in our team in the middle of the court."
Li Shangshu cried and told the truth, "His Highness and I met by chance." It was not him who took the initiative, but His Majesty who arranged His Highness the Third Highness to the Ministry of Punishment. Human beings are not grass and trees, and who can be ruthless?
Are you feeling emotional?
Five days later, Mu Anzhi received the news of Lin Cheng's assassination and summoned Pei Ruyu and Du Changshi for a secret discussion, "It seems that things are really not going well between the DPRK and China."