Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji chatted in the side hall of the palace until the evening.
In the evening.
Xiaohuangmen once again brought a piece of news into the side hall.
After hearing the news, Chen Lin quickly conveyed it to Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji.
"The officials, the Prime Minister, and the laborers on the Bianshui wharf, instigated by some people, went on strike and demonstrated. Thirty-six grain stores in Bianjing City went out of business..."
With a smile on his face and a fire in his heart, Zhao Zhen said to Kou Ji: "Fourth brother, look, these are my ministers. I just asked them to stop their hands a little, and they did this to me."
Kou Ji sighed inwardly and had no words.
The generous treatment of the Song Dynasty really spoiled the officials of the Song Dynasty.
In other dynasties, when officials received the emperor's decree and wanted to embarrass the emperor, they would first consider the consequences, and then use the attitude of a subordinate to resist.
They fought against the emperor not to win, but for mercy.
If they win, it will be the emperor's mercy.
If you lose, you will accept the punishment obediently.
The Song Dynasty was different. Officials in the Song Dynasty did not consider the consequences at all.
If you say you are embarrassing the emperor, you will embarrass the emperor, without considering the consequences of offending the emperor at all.
The current emperor of the Song Dynasty is Zhao Zhen, who holds absolute military power. He is an emperor who can add the word "武" to his temple name. He is not the Zhao Zhen who only has benevolence in the history books.
If he was going to kill someone, the lives of just one or two people would not be enough to stop him.
Kou Ji could feel that Zhao Zhen was trying hard to restrain his murderous intention.
Perhaps because he was so influenced by him, Zhao Zhen now prefers to do things in the same way as him.
That's a quick way to cut through the mess.
When Zhao Zhen saw that Kou Ji didn't speak, he coldly ordered Chen Lin: "Let people watch carefully!"
Chen Lin agreed and went down to deliver the order.
Kou Ji sighed: "I don't know whether to live or die..."
Once a good person has evil thoughts, he can do unimaginable evil things.
Even some evil people may not be as cruel as them.
Zhao Zhen is undoubtedly a good person, but those officials who do not care about life and death are teasing and forcing him.
Kou Ji can be sure that if Zhao Zhen puts aside his kindness, he can kill to the point of making everyone tremble.
Zhao Zhen in the history books had good intentions for most of his life. In his later years, because he had no children and went crazy, he did many unbelievable things.
For example, if you think there is something wrong with the women in the palace, you will take them to the streets to rob married women who have given birth to children.
"The officials don't need to be upset. The officials have already prepared the means to deal with them. It will be easy to deal with them."
Kou Ji persuaded softly.
Zhao Zhen took two deep breaths to calm down his anger.
"I really shouldn't be angry. I don't know what I will do if I get angry."
"Let's just watch and see what methods they have."
Kou Ji stayed with Zhao Zhen in the palace for two days.
Zhao Zhen ignored the rule that foreign ministers were not allowed to stay in the palace and forced Kou Ji to stay with him in the palace.
Yushitai wrote twice about this and was reprimanded twice by Zhao Zhen.
Kou Ji knew why Zhao Zhen kept him.
In order to help him suppress the anger in his heart.
After Zhao Zhen went crazy, he would dare to do anything.
After his favorite lady Zhang died, he went crazy and wanted to abdicate the throne to Kou Ji.
It was Kou Ji who slapped him awake.
Zhao Zhen knew in his heart that in today's Song Dynasty, only Kou Ji dared to whip him, and only Kou Ji could wake him up after he went crazy.
Two days.
All commerce in Bianjing City has entered a state of paralysis.
The gates of some of the remaining royal residences in Bianjing City were filled with people. They were holding broken bowls and begging at the gates of the royal residences.
It's not that they really can't afford to eat.
They were just instigated by thoughtful people and used this method to force Zhao Zhen to take back his life.
The entrance to the Imperial Ancestral Temple was full of people kneeling.
Howls filled the entire Bianjing city.
In the palace.
There were two secret memorials in front of Zhao Zhen. There was a long list of names in the secret memorial. Zhao Zhen looked at those lists, his eyes were spitting fire, and he could not control his murderous intention.
Those two lists were the officials who were found to be causing trouble behind the scenes by the people from the Wude Division.
Kou Ji watched Zhao Zhen hovering on the edge of an explosion, and he let out a long sigh in his heart.
Chen Lin hurriedly entered the hall with small steps.
"The officials, the Prime Minister, and the King want to see you."
"Isn't he sick? Isn't he begging for bones? How come he still has the energy to enter the palace to find me?"
"..."
Wang Zeng was considered a minister that Zhao Zhen admired very much. Now Zhao Zhen has resented Wang Zeng, which shows how angry Zhao Zhen was.
Chen Lin knew Zhao Zhen's temperament, so he didn't dare to tease Zhao Zhen. He responded cautiously: "Someone went to sell girls at the door of the Prime Minister. The prince couldn't stand it, so he went to the palace to ask for an audience."
"who?"
"Qian Pingzhi, Secretary of the Prison Council of Dali Temple..."
Chen Lin knew that Zhao Zhen was asking about the person behind the scenes, so she decisively reported the name of the person behind the scenes.
Zhao Zhen said nothing, but looked at Kou Ji with burning eyes.
Seeing this, Kou Ji sighed, stood up and said, "I still have important matters at my residence. I want to leave the palace for a few hours..."
Zhao Zhen said without hesitation: "Fourth brother has worked hard with me for two days, and he really deserves a good rest. Chen Lin, please send someone to take fourth brother home."
Kou Ji bowed and exited the hall.
Chen Lin gave instructions to the young eunuch beside her, who immediately went out to see Kou Ji off.
As soon as Kou Ji left, Zhao Zhen said decisively: "If he likes to sell women, then I will let him sell as much as he can! Submit his evidence of crime to Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment, and have the Yulin Guard arrest him, dismiss him from office, and search his house.
They were all killed, and all the female relatives were brought into the Jiaofang Department."
"Here!"
"..."
Under the guidance of the young eunuch, Kou Ji stepped out of the palace complex where Zhao Zhen was located, and saw Wang Zeng standing there a little forlornly, asking to see Zhao Zhen.
When Wang Zeng saw Kou Ji, he immediately pounced on him.
"People are starting to sell their sons and daughters!"
Wang Zeng shouted at Kou Ji.
Kou Ji stared at Wang Zeng calmly and said, "It's obvious that someone is instigating this behind the scenes. You can't help but see it."
Wang Zeng gritted his teeth and said: "Of course I know that someone is instigating behind the scenes, but it is a fact that the people have had a hard time these past two days. If the trouble continues like this, someone will definitely die."
Kou Ji asked back: "So what do you want to do? Let the officials surrender, or let me surrender? If the officials surrender once, they will get worse."
"Song Yisong..."
"Relax?! You say it lightly. You have been in the officialdom for decades. You should know that as long as the officials leave a hole for them, they can tear everything to pieces.
They have now become a cancer in our Song Dynasty. If we don’t eradicate them, in the end they will have to be eradicated by outsiders.
When the time comes, it will not only be them who are killed by outsiders, but also countless people.
The Han Dynasty fattened the aristocratic family, and the aristocratic family became powerful, disrupting the Han Dynasty.
The aristocratic families fought, but in the end they gained the advantage of the barbarians.
When the barbarians entered the Central Plains, tens of millions of people simply took their food into their mouths.
Let them grow up now and wait until they become a wealthy family.
By then the country of Song Dynasty will be in chaos.
If outsiders settle in the Central Plains, how many people will be killed?
We kill outsiders without mercy. Do you expect outsiders to show mercy when they kill us?"
Kou Ji pointed at the deep palace behind him and said angrily: "The murderous intention in the official's heart can no longer be controlled, and his eyes are spitting fire. I suppressed him for two full days and did not let him kill anyone.
But those shady people outside are still trying to tease the officials.
Today, when the officials learned that someone was selling girls in front of your door, they just glanced at me.
With just one glance, I could tell that the murderous intention in Guan Jia's heart was completely out of control.
If I don't let him kill people, we will have to turn against each other."
When Wang Zeng heard this, he was so shocked that his whole body trembled.
Kou Ji shook his sleeves and snorted coldly: "They don't know whether to live or die, so I can only let go of the officials and let them kill them.
They like to go against the officials, so they should be prepared to bear the wrath of the officials."
After saying this, Kou Ji left Wang Zeng behind without any hesitation and walked out of the palace.
Wang Zeng rushed towards Kou Ji with a look of horror on his face, grabbed Kou Ji's sleeve, and said tremblingly: "We can't let officials kill people!"
Kou Ji said coldly: "With the provocation of those ignorant people, the official will have to kill people sooner or later. I can stop the official now, prevent him from killing people, and help him suppress the fire in his chest.
But when the fire in his chest becomes a prairie fire, who can suppress it?"
Wang Zeng stood there trembling, unable to say a word.
He knew what Kou Ji said was right.
Zhao Zhen had anger in his heart and had to vent it.
Otherwise, when the flames accumulate to the point of starting a prairie fire, no one will be able to control it.
Kou Ji took out his sleeve from Wang Zeng's hand and left the palace.
Wang Zeng was trembling all over and rushed towards the palace where Zhao Zhen was.
When Kou Ji left the palace gate, he saw the people in Bianjing City wandering on the streets like beggars.
Wearing tattered clothes and holding broken bowls in their hands, they looked like a group of refugees.
Kou Ji looked at them coldly, without any pity in his eyes.
When Kou Ji crossed the Jinshui Bridge and got into his carriage, he was immediately noticed by interested people.
"Kou Xiang is out!"
Someone shouted.
The people swarmed over in excitement and surrounded Kou Ji's carriage.
One by one, they shouted, "Well done, please," and asked Kou Ji to give them something to eat.
Kou Ji opened the curtain of the carriage and glanced at everyone coldly, "Spreading rumors and causing trouble will be punished! I don't care who is instigating you behind your back, get out of here!"
After saying this, Kou Ji saw that everyone was unmoved, so he added coldly, "Don't forget, I am the Prime Minister who is coming down soon."
"Why did the Kou Prime Minister say this? The villain and the others were just forced to live by the imperial decree, so they came to the Kou Prime Minister to show mercy and ask for a bite of food.
Spreading rumors and causing trouble has nothing to do with us."
"..."
Someone took the lead in shouting, and the others immediately started shouting.
Kou Ji shouted coldly: "I am protected by the Royal Forest Guards. If you block my carriage, it is tantamount to rebellion. Why don't you give way quickly?"
"The villain and others just wanted to ask for Kou Xiang's favor and a bite of food, and they did not stop Kou Xiang from driving."
"..."
Although some people in the crowd shouted this, they did not get out of the way. Instead, they gathered more and more.
Kou Ji looked at them coldly, "If I kill one or two people, you will probably get excited and overturn my carriage. You might even beat me to death, right?"
No one answered Kou Ji's question, they just surrounded Kou Ji's carriage begging for food.
Kou Ji took several deep breaths and knocked on the carriage.
The leader of the Kingsguard responsible for escorting Kou Ji appeared beside Kou Ji's carriage.
Kou Ji calmly ordered, "Go and report to the officials, and tell me, Kou Ji, please arrange thirty-three loud arrows!"
As soon as these words came out, not only the expression of the leader of the Royal Guards changed, but also the expressions of the surrounding crowd.
People in other places may not know what the thirty-three ringing arrows mean.
But the people in Bianjing knew it.
Thirty-three ringing arrows were the order to urgently mobilize two forbidden troops from outside the city to Beijing after the reform of the military system.
Eleven sounding arrows fell to the ground, and all soldiers and horses in Beijing were on alert.
Twenty-two ringing arrows fell to the ground, the five city soldiers and horses sealed the city, and the imperial army rushed to Bianjing City.
Thirty-three sounding arrows fell to the ground, and one hundred thousand forbidden troops must reach the imperial city.
The leader of the Royal Guards looked at Kou Ji in disbelief and said, "Prime Minister Kou..."
Kou Ji couldn't refuse and said: "Go!"
The leader of the Royal Guard gritted his teeth and ordered the other brothers to guard Kou Ji before he rode into the palace.
The people surrounding Koji's carriage were a little flustered.
Someone saw this and shouted in the middle.
"Taizong and the late emperor said that they would not allow the ministers of the court to use troops to commit murder in Bianjing City. He is just scaring us!"
"Yes, if you can hold it back, everyone will have food to eat. If you can't hold it, everyone will have nothing to eat in the future."
"..."
Kou Ji saw those people who were bewitching the crowd with very precise eyes.
The Kingsguard saw it too.
"Kou Xiang..."
The Kingsguard wanted to ask Kou Ji if he wanted to arrest someone.
But Kou Ji raised his hand to stop him.
"If you act stupidly, you will have to pay the corresponding price!"
When the Royal Forest Guard heard this, his heart was filled with chills.
The common people didn't know how ruthless Kou Ji was.
They knew it very well.
The common people saw that Kou Ji lived like a good man in the Song Dynasty, but they didn't know that Kou Ji was a living Yama after he left the Song Dynasty.
Kou Ji lowered the carriage curtain and let out a long sigh.
Unless absolutely necessary, he was absolutely unwilling to put weapons on the people of the Song Dynasty.
If he takes a step back now, everyone will naturally be in peace.
But if he retreats, only officials and wealthy families will benefit.
The common people don't get any benefits, and neither do the officials.
More importantly, he has retired now.
If he then implements other decrees, others will use the same method to force him.
In the end, he will accomplish nothing.
The Song Dynasty will also maintain the status quo and continue to rot.
So he can't retreat.
There is no way to explain it to the people.
Because the harm in the crowd will not make him speak, nor will the people believe him.
What's more important is that the people gathered here are probably all attached to the people who are instigating behind the scenes.
In other words, even if he explains it and the people believe it, they will not retreat.
Because the people behind them don't speak, they can't retreat.
The government's policies to benefit the people are still far off in sight.
But their rations for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow are in other people's hands.
The leader of the Kingsguard left quickly and came back quickly.
After coming back, he just bowed his hands to Kou Ji without saying anything.
"Whoosh!"
A loud whistle sounded from the imperial city.
The sound of the whistle was very sharp and carried far away, spreading throughout Bianjing City and also reaching the camp where the Tianwu and Pengri armies were stationed.
Everyone in Bianjing City looked towards the direction of the palace at the same time.
There were looks of horror on many people's faces.
"Who is it? The officials or Kou Ji?"
"If the officials say it's fine, but if King Kou Yan says something big is going to happen, send someone out to investigate quickly."
"..."
Many officials and wealthy families sent their stewards out to investigate.
When eleven arrows hit the ground in the imperial city.
The stewards have brought the news back to various mansions.
"It's Prime Minister Kou!"
"Oh my God! It's actually the King of Hell. Come on, call everyone in the house back, and tell Madam to sell out all the business in the house immediately. No one can be left behind."
"..."
Scenes like this are happening all over Bianjing City.
The entrance to the palace.
Most of the people who blocked Kou Ji dispersed in an instant, leaving only some with heels and some with hot blood who were bewitched.
Kou Ji just sat in the carriage so calmly, with no waves in his eyes.
A group of imperial guards rushed out from Jinshui Bridge, holding the imperial edict in their hands.
Kou Ji ordered people to stop them.
"Prime Minister Kou, the official family has errands to entrust to Beizhi and others. I also ask Prime Minister Kou not to embarrass Beizhi and others."
Kou Ji stared at the imperial guard holding the imperial edict and said calmly: "Leave the imperial edict to me. I will go and report it to the officials and ask them to hand over the list to me."
The royal guard who followed the order looked embarrassed.
Kou Ji glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, the officials won't blame you. After all, people are going to kill people. It's better for me to help the officials kill them than to kill them directly."
The royal guard who was ordered to do so hesitated again and again, gritted his teeth and said: "I am humble enough to go and meet the officials and ask for the official's sage judgment!"
Kou Ji nodded.
The time for talking passed by for a quarter of an hour.
Eleven more sounding arrows rose into the sky.
The deafening sound of horse hooves sounded from all directions outside Bianjing City.
In Bianjing City, Yang Wenguang, Chen Yaozi and others rode on horseback and hurried to the Jinshui Bridge with their troops in tow.
The people standing in front of Kou Ji dispersed in an instant, and in the end there were only more than a hundred people left.
After Yang Wenguang and Chen Yaozi arrived, they immediately ordered their troops to surround the more than 100 people.
"Plop!"
Someone was so frightened that they knelt on the ground and shouted in horror, "Mr. Kou, please spare your life!"
For a time, the besieged people knelt on the ground one by one and begged for mercy.
In the end, only about thirty people were left standing tremblingly.
Kou Ji has no reason for them.
Yang Wenguang and Chen Yaozi stood by Kou Ji's carriage, one on the left and the other on the right, without saying a word.
The royal guard who obeyed the order galloped out of the palace and handed a list of names to Kou Ji with both hands.
Wang Zeng stumbled out of the palace, and when he ran to Koji's carriage, he saw a man kneeling on the ground in front of Koji's carriage.
Wang Zeng climbed onto Kou Ji's carriage, stared with red eyes, and said in a trembling voice: "Can we not use the troops?"
Kou Ji said calmly: "The arrow has been sent out, is there any reason to take it back? I am the King of Han, not King You of Zhou. I cannot play tricks on the princes with beacon fire."
Wang Zeng trembled and said, "The people seem to have dispersed."
Kou Ji said calmly: "Military orders are like mountains!"
Wang Zeng gritted his teeth in pain and begged: "Can those who beg for mercy be given a way to live?"
Kou Ji frowned.
Wang Zeng clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, trembled, and roared in a low voice: "I will kneel down for you..."
After saying this, Wang Zeng was about to kneel on the ground.
Resolutely and decisively.
Kou Ji almost jumped up, but thanks to Chen Yaozi, he grabbed Wang Zeng by the collar and prevented Wang Zeng from kneeling down.
Kou Ji saw that Wang Zeng was already in tears. He sighed and shouted: "That's it, let's distribute it to the whole family!"
Wang Zeng bit his lip and kept bowing to Kou Ji.
Koji closed his eyes in pain.
It was obviously a group of thieves who were taking advantage of the people to cause trouble, but they forced a loyal and good man to do this.
These thieves really deserve to die.
"Whoosh!"
The twenty-third shot of arrows sounded.
The four gates of Bianjing City are opened.
The horses' hooves were like drumsticks, beating the ground, and they rushed into Bianjing City with a rumble.
There was no one on the streets, and the city of Bianjing was like an empty city.
Everyone in Bianjing City hid in their houses and shivered. Through the crack in the door, they watched the steel jungle whizzing past them, sweating like rain all over their bodies.
The hearts of everyone in Bianjing City felt as if they were being held tightly by someone's hands.
As time goes by, the pinch becomes tighter and tighter, making people breathless.
The thirty-third sound of the arrow fell to the ground.
Hundreds of thousands of ferocious warriors gathered at the gate of the imperial city.
Kou Ji opened the curtain of the carriage, stood on the carriage shaft, and looked calmly at the Tianwu Army and the soldiers who were supporting the Japanese Army.
The Tianwu Army and the general of the Japanese Army all clasped their fists and saluted Kou Ji.
The one hundred thousand soldiers behind him all bent down.
The people in front of Koji's carriage were so frightened that they urinated and fell to the ground, staring in horror.
"Lose the city!"
Kou Ji said calmly.
Yang Wenguang and Chen Yaozi shouted in unison.
“Lockdown!!!”
"Here!"
One hundred thousand soldiers roared together, deafeningly.
Zhao Zhen in the imperial city heard the roar of a hundred thousand soldiers, and most of the anger in his heart dissipated, and he grinned, smiling more freely than ever before.
The officials in Bianjing City who secretly instigated the people to cause trouble and the heads of wealthy families were frightened to death by this shout.
Kou Ji faced a hundred thousand soldiers and waved his sleeves slightly.
After one hundred thousand soldiers bowed and saluted, they quickly rushed to all parts of Bianjing City in units of a hundred people.
In the end, only three thousand soldiers were left behind.
Kou Ji pointed at the people who were paralyzed on the ground, with feces and urine coming out, and said calmly: "Operation!"
Two hundred Royal Guards rushed out and restrained the more than thirty people who had been targeting them to the ground.
Kou Ji flicked his sleeves and got into the carriage.
The royal guard raised his sword and beheaded more than thirty people.
Blood spurted out, dyeing everyone around him red.
A crazy, strange roar instantly echoed around the Jinshui Bridge.
Kou Ji flipped through the list given by Zhao Zhen and calmly told the groom sitting on the carriage shaft, "Go to the residence of Sizhi Qianpingzhi, Secretary of the Prison Council of Dali Temple..."
"drive!"
The groom drove forward, heading east on the deserted road.
Just looking at the carriage seems a bit lonely.
But with three thousand iron armor accompanying him and two hundred gold armor, he looked majestic.
No one can forget this scene.
Anyone who hides in a house and looks out through the crack of the door will feel hesitation, fear, timidity, and a trace of respect when he sees that carriage.