The imperial troops retreated in a hurry, and after two or three minutes, a middle-aged man wearing a red official robe crossed the threshold and strode over.
This man is about fifty years old, with a beautiful long beard, a thin face, a serious smile, and a pair of deep and serious eyes, which seem to hide the palace and majesty of the sea.
Zheng Wenhan, courtesy name Jinglun, was the younger brother of Empress Dowager Zheng and the uncle of Zhao Shun.
He was a first-rank official, served as a bachelor of Hongtudian, and was in charge of the central government. He was the most powerful official in the Southern Dynasties.
This dignified and restrained middle-aged official glanced at the dancers dancing in the hall, frowned slightly, and said coldly:
"Back off!"
The sound was not loud, but the dancers in the hall were so frightened that they bowed their heads, bowed their waists, and retreated to the sides. They were so frightened that they even held their breath.
Zhang Yuanqing maintained a lazy sitting posture and said loudly:
"Is Prime Minister Zheng here? Come, set the table and serve wine to Prime Minister Zheng."
Zheng Wenhan calmly said coldly: "Your Majesty, you have just been assassinated. In order to protect your safety, Long Tu died in the line of duty. His body is not yet cold, but you are singing, dancing, drinking and having fun in the palace. Isn't this going to chill the hearts of my ministers?"
Zhang Yuanqing picked up the wine glass and drank deeply, and said displeasedly: "The whole world is not the royal land, and the shores of the land are not the royal ministers. The Zheng family is loyal to the royal family and to the Southern Dynasty. Zheng Longtu died for me, and he died well."
He acted as if I was the emperor and it was natural for him to die for me.
Brother Hong Ji and Jiang Jingwei on the side took the place of Zheng Wenhan. After thinking about it for a moment, they felt their fists become harder.
Zheng Wenhan's eyes were sharp. He knew Zhao Shun's character well. He took a deep breath, calmed down the stern look in his eyes, and his tone remained low:
"There is an assassin lurking in the palace, trying to kill your majesty. It is Long Tu who failed in his duty, and he died in the line of duty, which is only natural. The assassin has not been caught yet, and your majesty cannot be careless. Last night, Long Tu took you to hide behind the side hall. Please tell me in detail
Tao comes."
His tone was more commanding than respectful.
Zhang Yuanqing's sitting posture was still relaxed, but in fact he quietly tightened his heartstrings, made an impatient expression, and said:
"Prime Minister Zheng is very boring, which disturbs my elegance.
"Last night, Commander Zheng took me to hide in the side hall. Not long after, rainwater leaked from the roof and turned into an assassin in black. In order to protect me, Commander Zheng took the initiative to intercept the assassin. Unexpectedly, the assassin was extremely powerful and killed him with just one move.
Commander Zheng sucks a man and fucks him.
"I rushed out of the side hall to ask for help. When I turned around, I saw Commander Zheng's body, but the assassin was missing."
Zheng Wenhan narrowed his eyes, "I heard from the Forbidden Army that it took half a quarter of an hour for you and Long Tu to enter the side hall. The assassin killed Long Tu with just one move. What did Long Tu say to His Majesty before the assassin appeared?"
Tsk, I’ve seen some pictures! The performance was not good, and the assassins attacked on a large scale in the evening. Zhang Yuanqing had expected this question early. From Zheng Wenhan’s perspective, the assassin killed his son Zheng Longtu in an instant
, but Zheng Longtu and the emperor stayed in the side hall for a full quarter of an hour. During this time, Zheng Longtu, who was already planning to do evil, had plenty of time to get into trouble.
Maybe the Zheng family's ambitions have long been exposed.
Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts were spinning rapidly, but his appearance was still lazy:
"My three beauties wanted to assassinate me. I was very angry and reprimanded Commander Zheng in the side hall. Commander Zheng then asked some information about the assassins."
Among the three beauties, only Wan Meiren was the spy arranged by the Zheng family, and the other two were not. It was very reasonable for Zheng Longtu to ask the assassin for details.
Zheng Wenhan looked thoughtful. Through his emotional feedback, Zhang Yuanqing knew that the scheming and powerful minister did not believe him.
Sure enough, I heard him ask:
"Your Majesty, does your Majesty know the origins of the three assassins?"
Zhang Yuanqing frowned as he recalled:
"Chu Meiren was the first one to assassinate. She said she wanted to avenge the dead soldiers. Wang Geji said that she wanted to get rid of me, a foolish king, for the sake of the people of the world. Prime Minister Zheng, tell me, am I a foolish king?"
Zheng Wenhan seemed to have thought of something to avenge the dead soldiers, and his pupils shrank slightly.
He pondered for a few seconds and did not answer Zhang Yuanqing's words. He quickly asked: "What did Wanmei say?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head: "Wanmei didn't say anything. She took action when she came up and almost stabbed me to death. Huh, this bitch, who is so favored by me, actually wants to plot evil. I want to kill her nine tribes."
Zheng Wenhan's expression remained unchanged, but Zhang Yuanqing obviously felt relaxed and no longer tense from his emotions.
Obviously, Zheng Wenhan believed his words and believed that Zheng Longtu was gathering information during that quarter of an hour.
And the beautiful woman arranged by the Zheng family did not reveal her secret.
Suddenly, Zheng Wenhan asked: "I found a pill in the side hall. What is it? Was it left by the assassin?"
Zhang Yuanqing was waiting for him to ask this, and said in shock: "Pills? What pills? Oh, I remembered, that is the detoxification pill that Commander Zheng gave me, which can detoxify hundreds of poisons, so that I will not be afraid of the bites of poisonous insects."
This was to mislead Zheng Wenhan, making him think that Zheng Longtu wanted to trick the emperor into taking a poison pill.
Anyway, Zheng Longtu is dead, and there is no evidence of his death.
Realizing that Zheng Wenhan's mood had completely calmed down, Zhang Yuanqing said impatiently: "Prime Minister Zheng, please step aside if you have nothing to do. Don't disturb my pleasure any more."
Zheng Wenhan hesitated for a moment, bowed his hands, turned and left. When he crossed the threshold, he heard Zhao Shun's loud laughter behind him:
"My beauties, let's play music and dance!"
Waste! He sneered in his heart.
dusk.
Brother Red Chicken, who had been traveling for half a day, returned to the Summer Palace, while Concubine De and Lady Ya came to the Summer Palace in the name of "attendants". Everyone closed the palace door, lowered the curtains, and conspired deep in the palace.
"The details of the Shen Rui Army have been found out. They were indeed an army from the Southern Dynasties, but they were completely destroyed sixteen years ago." Brother Hongji said.
Zhang Yuanqing was sitting on the soft couch and smelled an unusual smell: "The destruction of the entire army should not transfer hatred to the emperor."
"There is indeed a reason." Brother Red Rooster pulled up a small bench and sat down, "Twenty-one years ago, the Northern Dynasty assembled a hundred thousand troops to march south, and it was just like it is now.
After three months, the troops were pushed hundreds of miles away from the capital of the Southern Dynasty. At that time, the Empress Dowager Zheng was still listening behind the curtain. In anger, the Empress Dowager dismissed more than a dozen officials from the Ministry of War, and posted notices in various counties to allow local governments to
The powerful recruit troops and horses, and allow the people everywhere to resist independently."
"Absolutely awesome!" Brother Red Rooster applauded with high fives: "As soon as this decree came out, in order to protect themselves, the wealthy gentry began to recruit and train troops, or invest in loyal people to resist the invasion of the Northern Dynasties. The refugees who lost their homes responded in large numbers. One of them was called
Wu Xin's people rose up under this background and formed a powerful army."
"This Wu Xin comes from a famous family. There have been three civil servants and two military generals in the clan. His generation has declined, but his family roots are still there. This man is good at running the army and uses troops like a god. In the early stage, he accepted donations from local powerful men.
Later, he surrendered to the Southern Dynasty and received money and food support from the imperial court. In just four years, he defeated the Northern Dynasty's 100,000-strong army and drove them back to the north.
"At that time, most of the elite troops of the Northern Dynasty were lost on the battlefield. Wu Xin wanted to send his troops northward to defeat the Northern Dynasty in one fell swoop and end the century-long conquest between the Northern and Southern Dynasties. However, the imperial court ordered the troops to withdraw."
Speaking of this, Brother Hongji patted his thigh regretfully: "I always thought that this kind of scolding scene would only appear in TV series, but I didn't expect that it would also appear in the copy."
"The imperial court is either worried that Wu Xin will support himself with troops and establish himself as king, or the treasury is empty and is in urgent need of self-cultivation." Zhang Yuanqing urged: "Continue talking."
"The imperial court issued twelve edicts in a row, ordering Wu Xin's troops to return to the court. However, Wu Xin did not respect the order and continued the Northern Expedition, so the court cut off his food and grass. As I said just now, Wu Xin ran the army well and never robbed the people.
Because he had no money or food, he could not make the Northern Expedition, and he was unwilling to withdraw his troops, so he led a pro-army army back to the court in an attempt to persuade the court to support his Northern Expedition." Brother Hongji sighed:
"As a result, he died in the capital. The reason given by the court was that he died of illness. His troops did not believe him and gathered a crowd to cause trouble. Some were beheaded, some were dismissed, and some were imprisoned.
"The main force remaining in the northern border soon encountered an ambush from the Northern Dynasty army. The entire elite force was destroyed and the rest fled."
"It's so literate, just like listening to a book." Jiang Jingwei was shocked and said to himself that there are also some literate people in our community of fire masters.
Brother Hongji said honestly: "It was all told to me by officials from the Ministry of War. I am just paraphrasing it."
"So I was so hated that I was so hated?" Zhang Yuanqing sighed to cover up his tears: "I was still an eight or nine-year-old child back then, so what does it have to do with me! That was a bad thing done by my mother."
"You are still involved?" Concubine De (aunt) glanced at him and analyzed: "The elite of the elite army has been lost, and they are unable to enter the palace to assassinate. After the new king came to power, he was greedy for beauty, so they saw the opportunity. This way
If so, the combat power of the Shen Rui Army is at most that of a saint, and there will be no master. If it survives 72 hours, there will be nothing to worry about."
"No!" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head: "The plot line is so rich, and it seems to be a grievance. Based on my many years of experience in high-difficulty dungeons, the branch plot of the Shen Rui Army will not be so simple. This is a dominant level A
Level dungeon, one of the main enemies, the only combat power is the Saint, it’s not very realistic.”
"Then what do you want?" Brother Hongji and Jiang Jingwei said in unison.
With two mouthpieces, Xie Lingxi and others didn't have to ask any more questions.
Zhang Yuanqing pondered: "Concubine Wan has followed the Queen Mother since she was a child. She is a soldier trained by the Queen Mother. She should know many of the Queen Mother's secrets. She is much older than me. She should be sensible when dealing with the Shen Rui Army."
He looked at his teammates and said: "I successfully hid Zheng Wenhan today, and I just experienced an assassination incident. It should be safe tonight. We will discuss leaving the city tomorrow. Li Changshi, after dinner, you go and summon Concubine Wan to come over and sleep with you."
The plot line of Shen Ruijun is difficult to find out once you leave the palace.
Brother Red Rooster bowed and said: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
After dinner at the Summer Palace, the sky was already dark and the lanterns were starting to come on. Brother Red Rooster led the two "palace ladies" Xie Lingxi and Jiang Jingwei out of the palace and walked among the gorgeous buildings like a fairy palace.
Brother Hongji was walking and suddenly said: "Where is Guan Ya, where is Guan Ya? She is also a swordsman, could she be in the army? Sun Miaomiao has not been seen either."
Xie Lingxi looked at Brother Hongji: "Why are you so concerned about Brother Yuanshi's girlfriend? You mentioned Guan Ya several times today."
Brother Red Rooster sneered:
"We are all female people here. Jingwei is not very smart. You and the Queen have too little experience in difficult dungeons. Madoka is a boring gourd. The master of the Killing Palace has a weird personality and is a loser. I feel very insecure.
"It would be nice if Sun Miaomiao and Guan Ya were in the capital, but it's been so long since Yuanshi's poems were spread, and they didn't even come to meet with them."
Jingwei was unconvinced: "My dad said that I am the smartest in the family."
"Is your mother a fire master?" Xie Lingxi asked.
Jingwei shook his head.
"This shows that your father is a scumbag." Xie Lingxi commented.
Jingwei was confused: "Why?"
"Because in your father's heart, your mother is not a family member." Xie Lingxi said.
Jingwei said nothing and walked forward. After more than ten seconds, she and Brother Hongji reacted at the same time and said angrily: "How dare you mock our fire masters."
In the bedroom.
Concubine Wan looked at Concubine De on the left, then at Concubine Ya on the right, and finally looked at Zhang Yuanqing, her strong figure performed an elegant concubine ceremony:
"Your Majesty, I have come to bed with you."
Zhang Yuanqing said with a pleasant look: "Concubine Wan is here, please give me a seat quickly."
Brother Red Chicken brought a small bench.
Zhang Yuanqing kicked him away: "Get on the big chair."
Brother Red Chicken ran to the outer hall and brought a large wooden carved chair weighing 20 kilograms.
Zhang Yuanqing said with a pleasant look: "Concubine Wan, please sit down. Concubine Wan, have you ever heard of the Shen Rui Army?"
Concubine Wan looked at Concubine De on the left again, and then at Concubine Ya on the right.
Zhang Yuanqing smiled and said: "Just say that these two beauties are the loves of my life, and I can't wait to be blessed with my true love every day."
Madoka and the palace owner smiled coldly.
If you say that, does your girlfriend Guan Ya agree? Brother Hongji couldn't help but complain.
"Your Majesty, why do you suddenly ask about the Shen Rui Army?" Concubine Wan, who was as tall as a mountain of meat, asked.
"I have already investigated and found that Chu Meiren is an assassin arranged by the Shen Rui Army in the palace." Zhang Yuanqing did not hide anything.
Concubine Wan suddenly realized and said:
"So it turns out that it is the Queen Mother who the Shen Rui Army wants to take revenge on, but the Queen Mother has been living in the palace for a long time. They have no chance, so they regard Your Majesty as the target of revenge."
Part of the reason was that Zhao Shun was too stupid and killing him would benefit the country and the people! Zhang Yuanqing said in his heart.
Concubine Wan's answer told him that this dead man did know some secrets.
"Actually, the Shen Rui Army has been the Queen Mother's obsession for many years. Since Your Majesty asked, I will tell you directly." As soon as Concubine Wan said this, her expression suddenly changed and she suddenly turned her head to look at the curtain.
Almost at the same time, Zhang Yuanqing, the palace master, Xiao Yuan, Brother Hong Ji and three beauties all looked outside the palace.
In the night, heavy and orderly footsteps approached quickly, and a large number of people were heading towards the palace.