"Yin Zhiping! Rebellion is not your business, just talk and you're done..."
The old emperor said with a gloomy face: "Let's not talk about Tubo, which has always been restless. Let's just talk about the Jiedushi of Nanzhao. Do you know his relationship with me? If you don't have real evidence and say that he is rebelling, I will kill your head.
It’s easier on you!”
"I don't need to know his relationship with you, I only speak with facts..."
In front of everyone, Zhao Guanren said loudly: "The Tang Dynasty controls pig iron and mineral materials. Under normal circumstances, there will be no sharp rise or fall, but the iron materials have surged five times in half a year. It is said that someone in Nanzhao is making illegal salt and buying it.
We use iron to make pots, but the price of salt rises instead of falling, why?”
"Um?"
All the officials looked at each other, and the old emperor became serious.
"Second! The prices of tendons, leather, silk, hemp, and tung oil are also increasing, and their destinations are almost all in Nanzhao..."
Zhao Guanren continued: "The crops produced by Tubo have continued to decrease for nearly a year, but the amount of salt used increased sharply six months ago. There is also Tubo nugget gold on the market, indicating that Tubo is hoarding military rations and even takes out coffins.
But here’s the most important thing!”
The old emperor asked anxiously: "What is it? Tell me quickly!"
"Someone ordered 50,000 copies of the tap fire and life-sustaining pills produced by the Demon-Suppressing Division in batches..."
Zhao Guanren chuckled and said: "The orderers were merchants from Nanzhao and Tubo. They also purchased the medicinal materials for knife wound medicine separately. These are all proper military supplies, and they are transported to high-risk areas in such a concentrated manner. If you don't rebel, you can still take them."
Come to eat?”
"..."
The frowning officials remained silent, but Prince Ning said, "These are just speculations. How can you convict them without real evidence?"
"What evidence do you want? Are the crazy hints from Longyou Jiedushi enough..."
Zhao Guanren said disdainfully: "The army of Longyou is occupying the front and rear. This is telling the emperor with actions! There are people behind us who want to rebel, but the ministers can't provide evidence. People will accuse me of slander and false accusations. Look at me.
The coquettish posture is obvious enough, right?"
"Pfft~"
A princess couldn't help laughing. The old emperor immediately glared at her and frowned: "You have been speculating for a long time. Now that the Zhufan thieves are arrogant and the Longyou Jiedushi is stagnant, what do you want me to do?"
I’m sure they are not supporting themselves with troops, or even proclaiming themselves kings.”
"The power of the Jiedushi envoy is too great, but this is not a human problem, but the binding force of the position is too low. Your own son would be jealous..."
Zhao Guanren said: "The people who say that Longyou wants to stand on its own now are either stupid or bad. Once they send troops to attack Tianzhu Asan, Persia and Dashi will take advantage of the situation. If Tubo and Nanzhao take advantage of the situation to raise troops again, the Longyou army who is cautious about the future will inevitably
The defeat caused our Tang Dynasty to fall!"
“Alarmist!”
An old general from the Ministry of War stepped forward and refuted: "Our Tang Dynasty has more than one army in Longyou. The Jiannan Army alone can suppress the Tubo rebellion. There are also 150,000 troops in Jiangnan Dao. As long as they dare to rebel,
Their homes will be confiscated and their clans will be destroyed!"
"Old man! War is all about combat effectiveness. Ten thousand elite soldiers can kill a hundred thousand peasant troops. Rebellion is not as good as eating royal food. It is a life-threatening job with your head in your hands. Who dares not to fight hard..."
Zhao Guanren said with a sneer: "The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are all in Longyou and the Western Regions. It would be good if the young master Jiannan's soldiers don't run away, and the Nanzhao army will definitely go by sea. You can ask any coastal businessman if the Tang Dynasty can
There are no more than ten warships going to sea, and the rest are eating empty pay!"
"So serious? But really..."
The old emperor suddenly took two steps forward. The old general was stunned for a moment when he was asked, and stamped his feet: "Absolutely impossible! I think he is about to die and there are rumors. The Nanzhao Jiedushi is doing a good job, and he sends greetings every month.
There are still a lot of tributes, so how can you become a rebel?"
"Huh? How would you know if someone is paying tribute? I won't pay you a tribute every month..."
Zhao Guanren said with a bad smile: "Don't argue! Let's make a bet. The emperor only needs to issue an imperial edict and find any reason for him to lead his army to Tubo. He only said that the army's pay, food and grass will arrive soon. If he obeys the edict, I will follow him."
If you jump now, if you don't obey the order, you will jump, how dare you?"
"Why don't you dare? I'm afraid of you, general..."
The old general glared at him fiercely, but Zhao Guanren smiled and said: "Okay! Let's place bets together on who will win between me and the old general. It just happened to be a reference for the emperor. You can enter the room and place your bets privately.
Everyone's thoughts are revealed, what do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Accurate!"
The old emperor waved his hand and sat down. Zhao Guanren asked the guards to remove the shackles, ran to fetch two deep wooden barrels, put them in the room, and then drew a line. He stood outside the line and asked everyone to invest money one by one.
If you bet on rebellion, vote left, and if you bet not, vote right.
"You are not allowed to peek across the line. Each person makes one bet. The left will rebel, the right will be stable, and you will be compensated ten..."
Zhao Guanren stood at the door and faced everyone. Fifty or sixty people whispered to each other for a while. Finally, at the urging of the old emperor, they lined up to enter. After entering, he immediately closed the door. After the investment was completed, he opened the door and came out. The wooden barrel was smashed with a bang, and he was stunned.
It took more than twenty minutes to end.
"Heaven above! The emperor is my witness! We are now beginning to uncover the truth..."
Zhao Guanren waved his hand to the guards to bring out the barrel. The barrel had already been marked. Everyone was staring at the barrel attentively. The old general stood up nervously and clenched his fists hard. He was really afraid that he would miss it.
Be careful of bursting a blood vessel.
"Wow~"
The non-rebellious wooden barrel was suddenly overturned, and everyone's eyes suddenly bulged. The old emperor also jumped up with a "crash", and the old general fell back and sat down, and said with a pale face: "Why?
If this is the case, how could he rebel?"
"Haha~ This is what is really happening in my heart. What is put on the table is all bullshit..."
Zhao Guanren smiled and stepped forward and overturned his bucket. A large amount of gold and silver poured out instantly, but the old general only had a few dozen silver ingots, not even a single gold item.
"What a Nanzhao Jiedushi, a duplicitous bitch..."
The old emperor slammed the tea table, and the solid tea table fell apart in an instant. Zhao Guanren's brows jumped slightly. He didn't expect that the old emperor himself was a master. The cultivation level exposed by this palm alone was not even a first-class one.
Can't do it.
"Your Majesty! The autumn harvest has just ended, it's still too late to provoke..."
Zhao Guanren stepped forward and said: "Just tell me what Nanzhao Jiedushi said. The little king of Tubo wants to rebel. He will be rewarded with a bunch of things to take the lead. At the same time, he will order the Longyou army to divide his troops and attack. This will not only make them dog bite dog, but also
Try to find out whether the Longyou army is loyal or traitorous!"
"..."
The old emperor's palace was quite deep. He looked around in deep thought. King Yujiang immediately knelt down with his fists clasped and shouted loudly: "Father! This plan is feasible. I am willing to lead an army to Nanzhao to keep an eye on the Zhongshan wolf for you."
, If there is any change, I will chop off his head with my own hands!"
"Father! My son is also willing to go..."
The princes all knelt down and begged for orders. This was a rare opportunity to command an army. Even Prince Ji knelt down, but the old emperor suddenly said: "Yin Zhiping! You are not an ordinary person. Are you willing to go for me?"
In the battle of Nanzhao, do you deserve to be punished and make meritorious service?"
'Damn it! This old emperor is so scheming, and he is still trying me now...'
Zhao Guanren cursed in his heart, raised his hands and smiled bitterly: "Yin has never led an army, and he doesn't know how to organize an army. Besides, I don't want to lead an army, it's not worth it!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Nowadays, corruption among officials is rampant, and mages are still serving as corpses. They are still scheming against each other when they are about to die. This makes me unable to trust anyone..."
Zhao Guanren straightened his back and said: "I can only make money by myself, arm the magic master to fight against the demon clan. I don't have a penny to line my own pocket, but in the end I became a prisoner. I am so frustrated. If your majesty still misses me a little bit,
Lao, then let me return to the mountains and forests!"
"I know you have suffered some grievances, but you can't just give up..."
The old emperor waved his hands and said: "No matter what your previous plans were, the Demon Suppression Division has become a mess. If you don't help me to solve it, the people will suffer. If you need anything, just ask it. The matter of the Crown Princess and Xuan Yi
I will try my best to mediate for you, okay?"
"Yin lent the seeds to the Crown Princess, and Xuan Yi was also killed by Long Zi, but I can't tell clearly..."
Zhao Guanren raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty! I have no shame in Luoyang City. Please designate a smart person for me. I will bring him out within half a year and give you a demon-suppressing division that makes a lot of money every day. And I only ask you one thing."
, after the matter is over, let Yin return to the mountains and forests, and ask for immortality!"
"Cowardly! You are acting like a deserter..."
The old emperor stood up and said: "When I was the prince, there were so many rumors and slanders against me. I gritted my teeth and got through it. I can't let you give up. You are a meritorious minister. I want to reward you. Just
You will be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry, the fourth rank, and you will be given the title of Luoning County Bo, which can be hereditary!"
"ah?"
Zhao Guanren was stunned when he heard this, and the civil and military officials in the court also looked astonished. The prisoner was suddenly promoted and given a title. Although he was only a third-class earl, he was still considered a noble.
"You are dedicated to the Tang Dynasty, I cannot treat you badly, and you must not let me down..."
The old emperor smiled and said: "The workshop of the Demon Suppressing Department has been changed to the official production office, and you will be the supervisor. The new Demon Suppressing Envoy will be in charge of the production and will be under your control. This is the reward you deserve, but you did it without authorization.
Borrowing your seed to the Crown Princess brings disgrace to the royal family, so I have to punish you!"
"Uh~ I accept my punishment..."
"Okay! Just listen to me..."
The old emperor said sternly: "Since the Crown Princess has had an affair with you, she will make peace with the Crown Prince and return her to the palace from now on. I will give her to you in marriage. The wedding will be held in three days. If there is no unforgivable sin, she cannot be divorced or married."
Later, you and your wife will fast for ten days for Xuandao Taoist and repent in front of his soul!"
"Cough cough cough..."
The princes coughed violently, and the civil and military ministers were collectively shocked. Even the prince looked confused, and Zhao Guanren was also surprised and said: "You want me to marry the prince?"
"Father! How can this be done? The Crown Princess is my wife..."
Prince Ji suddenly became anxious. Seeing that the Crown Princess's family was "rehabilitated", his wife became extremely important. Not to mention wearing a cuckold, even if the Crown Princess let Zhao Guanren live in the East Palace, as long as he didn't get married, he would
Dare to agree.
"Aren't you embarrassed enough..."
The old emperor angrily rebuked: "You have the nerve to say that you are useless. Go to the Zhao family and ask. Your ex-wife has successfully borrowed a seed and got pregnant in one go. And you are a prince, do you still want to raise a child for others?"
"
'I'm going to go! This old dog is really bad...'
Zhao Guanren suddenly came to his senses. No wonder he had to be promoted to a higher rank. It turned out that in order to make the Crown Princess look good, he not only beat up the Zhao family but also sold out favors. He was also ignored. Even the bad commander was dismissed. He could only
Be obedient and earn money for the court.
"Your Majesty! An old minister has a piece of advice that is unpalatable to my ears. I won't be happy if I don't say it..."
The Prime Minister Zuo suddenly knelt forward and said sadly: "There are three types of unfilial piety, and the worst is not having an heir! The Crown Princess can succeed by borrowing a seed. Obviously there is something wrong with the Crown Prince's health. In order to prevent the Tang Dynasty from changing hands, Li
The family is cut off from the incest, please ask the Holy One to appoint another prince!"
"What Zuo Xiang said is true. How can you be a prince and have no heirs..."
"That's right..."
A group of officials echoed one after another, and the eyes of the seven princes lit up, while Prince Ji said anxiously: "There is nothing wrong with my health, I just don't want the Crown Princess to be pregnant with a dragon seed. My concubine is already pregnant.
If you don’t believe me, go ask the imperial doctor!”
"That bastard! He's talking nonsense, take him to Jingxin Pavilion and ground him for a month..."
The old emperor waved his hand heavily, and the guards immediately dragged Prince Ji away. Prince Ji burst into tears, but the old emperor made up for it again: "All my dear friends, I will give you a life, I will consider the matter of deposing him carefully, you guys
The seven princes should also work diligently!"
'Nah! It's maggots in the belly button - it's really bad...'
Zhao Guanren cursed secretly again, finally feeling that this old dog was a rival. In fact, he had already heard from Chen Guangda that the prince was instructed by the old emperor to deliberately prevent the prince from getting pregnant, but who would have thought that this was also what he had given him.