Cai Quan galloped forward, leading a few soldiers from the Beijing camp, and headed towards the west city with the sound of horse hooves breaking through the cold autumn moon frost.
Jia Heng was also in Liutiao Hutong, holding a teapot and pouring himself a cup of fragrant tea. He looked at Liu You and said with a chuckle, "I didn't expect Master Liu to be a family man?"
Again, this kind of villain who colludes with others, expects to be loyal? It's just a fool's dream.
"In fact, there are only a few loyal people, and loyalty is only because there are not enough chips for betrayal."
Jia Heng took a sip of tea and said, "Master Liu, can you tell me first, why are you supporting the Sanhe Gang?"
Liu You sneered and said, "Master Jia, even if you beat Liu to death before you see that Liu's family is safe, Liu won't say anything."
"I don't believe it! Do you think if my people had left a step later and your family members had been kidnapped or even slaughtered, would you resent the people behind it more, or would you resent me more?" Jia Heng said lightly.
What he is not afraid of the most is threats. Moreover, there are some things that Liu You knows that others may not know. For example, Qu Lang and other old Jinyi may not know which powerful family is behind the Sanhe Gang.
It's just that the witness Liu You is more important. If he has his testimony, it will be very important if he reports it to the emperor.
But even so, he was not threatened by anyone.
When Liu You heard this, his expression suddenly changed, his eyes flickered, and he sneered: "Master Jia, does he know that you have offended that person? Even if you are in the spotlight now, he still has many ways to manipulate you!"
Jia Heng looked calm and said: "Then Chief Liu, can you tell me who... he is?"
Liu You said coldly, but kept silent.
As soon as the confession came out, he knew that he would die, and saying anything else was meaningless.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Jia Heng didn't say much nonsense. He glanced at Fan Yi and said, "Mr. Fan, please prepare a pen and paper later to write down the notes."
Fan Yi nodded and prepared pen and paper.
But it was said that Cai Quan rode a fast horse to Xicheng. On the way, he met soldiers from the Wucheng Military and Horse Division who were on night watch. They showed the waist badges given by Jia Heng before leaving, but they all avoided passing. By the time Liu You said the address, he had already arrived. Close acquaintance of Zi Chou.
People kept banging on the door, but no one opened the door for a while.
Just when Cai Quan was thinking about climbing over the wall, the door creaked open. It was an old servant who had just put on clothes. He came out to check with a lantern. He opened the door and stuck his head out and said, "Is it the master?"
Because Liu You was taken away so suddenly, and because Jia Heng tried his best to block the news, the Liu family who lived far away in Xicheng didn't know yet.
However, at this moment, several officers and soldiers were seen dismounting. The leader smiled and said: "Old man, I have been ordered by Master Liu to see my wife to discuss something urgent."
When the old servant heard this, he was shocked and let a few people into the house.
Then he went to call Mrs. Liu You.
Cai Quan turned around and looked at the soldiers behind him, and asked: "Which brother, whose family or relatives live in Xicheng, please settle this family first."
At this time, someone opened his mouth to respond.
Cai Quan nodded, and then he saw Mrs. Liu You, wearing a plain plum blossom woven skirt, coming out of the inner room. The woman in her early thirties looked at Cai Quan and asked tentatively: "This general yes……"
Cai Quan made a sad face and threatened: "Sister-in-law, something happened to Brother Liu, and now he is taken away. Brother Liu said to take you to a safe place first, otherwise someone will do harm to you."
The woman was startled when she heard this and said, "How could my husband do this? Doesn't he often go to the palace...?"
As the woman spoke, she suddenly woke up and hurriedly said vaguely: "What do you call this brother? He is a bit unfamiliar, but there is a letter from my husband."
Cai Quan said with a bitter look on his face: "Sister-in-law, Brother Liu has been taken away. How can there be any letters circulated inside and outside? But this is Brother Liu's purse. You must leave with me now. It will be broken tomorrow."
When she saw the purse, the woman no longer believed it. Of course it was Cai Quanji who was dressed in official and military uniforms and came on horseback at night. If he was a bandit, he would have been taken away by the people from the Wucheng Army and Horse Division.
"Sister-in-law, take the children with you. There are still a few changes of clothes ready. They are all at the place I arranged." Cai Quan said.
The woman responded and took two children, a girl and a boy, who were rubbing their sleepy eyes. Then, under the service of the old servant, they prepared a carriage. Cai Quan and the soldiers from the Beijing camp saw them off. Disappeared into the dim night.
Jia Heng didn't feel too sleepy until Yin Shi. In his previous life, when he was on border defense, he had done this kind of interrogation all night long.
It is said that when a certain Justice Minister was in office, prison guards were required to be on duty and would be dismissed if they did not remove their beds.
Jia Heng even asked Fan Yi to sleep for a while when he saw that Fan Yi was sleepy. As for Liu You, he was anxious and had no sleep at all.
Until Yinzheng time, I heard the clatter of horse hooves coming from outside.
Jia Heng's heart moved and he said in a deep voice: "The man is back."
Fan Yi was also awakened, stood up and looked outside the room.
Not long after, Cai Quan led several soldiers into the house. Facing the expectant looks of Jia Heng and Fan Yi, he said, "Sir, the Liu family is okay for the time being. I asked them to hide in the house of one of my brothers. Yes, this is a letter from my wife."
Jia Heng looked at the letter and couldn't help but take another look at Cai Quan. He thought to himself that although Cai Quan was a little smoother, he was still very thoughtful. Before leaving, he seemed to have taken the purse tied around Liu You's waist in order to win people's trust. , when I came back, I also picked up a letter.
There is no need to explain this, everyone knows this.
Jia Heng took the letter and opened it first. He saw that there was nothing inappropriate in it, and then he brought it closer to Liu You to read.
After reading it, Liu You saw the familiar handwriting. He obviously believed that his family was safe. He took a deep breath, looked up at Jia Heng and said, "Sir."
"Master Liu, can we talk now?" Jia Heng motioned to Fan Yi beside him to write down.
Then I heard Liu You say: "It's the King of Qi. Behind the Sanhe Gang is the King of Qi. They want to share 60% of the profits from their properties to His Highness the King of Qi."
Hearing this, Jia Heng narrowed his eyes and said, "Keep talking."
In fact, I have some vague guesses in my mind, most of them are feudal princes or nobles.
Because this is all a process of elimination, first of all, the reaction of the civil servant group during the day did not seem to be involved. As for the internal prison, Dai Quanruo had the filial piety of the Sanhe Gang, the emperor's servants beat up the nobles, and several The head is not enough to chop off.
Only nobles or feudal lords.
In addition to the four princes and eight princes, there are twelve princes. This range is relatively large and difficult to determine. The same is true for the vassal kings.
So instead of making random guesses, it’s better to verify it first.
"His Royal Highness King Qi, he is currently overseeing government affairs at the Ministry of Household Affairs. He needs this group of people to help unload the grain shipped from Huguang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Sanhe Gang is the group of people he has recruited." Liu You opened his bamboo tube and poured beans. generally.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Then what happened to you? Why did you become the King of Qi's servant in the Five Cities Military and Horse Division?"
Liu You said: "Some people in the Sanhe Gang have violated the law. If it weren't for the secret protection of the people from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division, they would have gone in. This gang has done a lot of evil things."
Jia Heng's eyes flickered, and he thought in his mind. He always felt that it would not be so simple for King Qi to deploy people in the Wucheng Army and Horse Division. After all, the Wucheng Army and Horse Division also had thousands of soldiers and horses, large and small.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Liu You, how much money can these families bring to King Qi in a year?"
"How do I know this? However, I guess I can always bring five to six hundred thousand taels of silver to King Qi every year." Liu You guessed.
"How much property does the Sanhe Gang have in Dongcheng? The city tax they pay to the Wucheng Military and Horse Division is probably very small." Jia Heng said in a deep voice.
In the east and west cities, these industries with the background of the Sanhe Gang don't need to think about it. They don't pay much in taxes, and they are all side businesses.
"With money, you can recruit talents, win over courtiers, and support dead soldiers..." Jia Heng's eyes were deep, and he felt that all aspects involved in this needed to be cautious.
"The question is, does the emperor know these things? This point is very important. You need to bring a confession to the emperor tomorrow. Since this matter involves the King of Qi, the key still depends on the will of the emperor." Jia Heng felt for a moment that this matter It is indeed very difficult.
After asking Liu You and writing his signature on the confession, it was already Yinzheng time, and Jia Heng also slept for a while. At Chen time, after having breakfast, he went to see the emperor without stopping, taking the confession with him.
…
…
The next day, Kunning Palace in Miyagi City was extremely quiet, with several calls of thrushes and magpies, making it look even more peaceful.
Emperor Chongping, accompanied by Empress Song, had breakfast in the Nuan Pavilion, surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs holding towels, whisks, washbasins, and spittoons.
Emperor Chongping wore a bright yellow silk robe with a round collar embroidered with dragons. He picked up a spoon in his hand and gently spread the rice porridge in a porcelain bowl decorated with auspicious cloud patterns to lower the temperature.
Queen Song, who was sitting next to her, was wearing a floral skirt with a light yellow background and a white lining. Her hair was in a cloud-like updo, and her hairpin was adorned with palace makeup, thousands of leaves and gold peony jewelry, making her look more elegant and gorgeous. Her face was as white as a pear pistil, and her slender catkins with jade bracelets were like mutton-fat white jade. She was also gently stirring the rock sugar and snow pear porridge, and said with a sweet smile: "Your Majesty, I opened the mansion after the New Year. Your Majesty feels that Where is the best place to send him?”
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said, "You are sent to the Six Ministries to observe government affairs. What is he interested in?"
It was a rule passed down by Taizu of the Chen Han Dynasty to send six adult princes to watch the government, in order to prevent the clan from being weak and unable to block the vassal imperial family.
But there are side effects...
Empress Song's beautiful face showed a hint of thought, and said: "I see that Ran'er is quite good at martial arts. Recently, he went hunting after school. Your Majesty, please tell me whether you should let him go." In the army, can you help your majesty share your worries?"
"I don't know if he is interested in martial arts or just addicted to hunting?" Emperor Chongping said with a frown, scooped out a spoonful of rice porridge, and said nothing to Empress Song.
There was something strange about the dignified and beautiful face of Queen Song. This beauty in palace clothes, known as the Snow Beauty in the palace, chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, I have seen Ran'er's homework. Hanlin Academician Xu from the academy said that Ran'er had a good sense of justice and could pass the imperial examination even if he took part in the imperial examination. However, Ran'er likes to read military books, which gave me a headache. Recently, he seems to be reading the Three Kingdoms novel written by Jia Ziyu. Ben, holding on to the scroll, even said that he would lead troops to quell the bandits for Your Majesty. Your Majesty said that this child is only a little older and does not know the dangers of war."
The son is valued by the mother, and the mother is valued by the son. The two sons of Queen Song, seeing that the eldest son showed no sign of being established as the prince, became increasingly unable to figure out the intentions of the person next to him.
As for the question, when he was in Qiandi, His Highness King Yong did not allow his concubine to get involved in political affairs, and Queen Song also kept her duty and did not dare to say anything.
When Emperor Chongping heard this, his face became a little brighter, and he said: "The important affairs of the country are the sacrifice and the military. Since he likes to read these, it is okay to let him read some, but don't indulge in it. As for the book Three Kingdoms, let him read it carefully. , I will write an article in two days on why the Han Dynasty lost control and why the world was divided into three parts. I want to read it and tell him that he is not allowed to find others to take advantage of him. He must be clear about his principles and must know that his words must be honest and his actions must be loyal and upright."
Queen Song: "..."
Emperor Chongping thought for a while and said in a deep voice: "Since he is good at martial arts, when the government opens next year, he will first go to the Wucheng Military and Horse Division to practice. There will be major adjustments in the Beijing camp after the year. , with what he can do, going... is also adding to the chaos."
When Prince Tengchabian returns, he will make arrangements in advance and concentrate on adjusting the troops in the capital camp after the new year. By then, the struggle will be fierce.
As for the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, Jia Ziyu had always been obsessed with organizing and training the new army. He sent a vassal king there in advance to show his concern.
Empress Song seemed to sense Emperor Chongping's affection for licking the calf under the cold and stern face. A warm current surged through her heart and she said with a smile: "I will tell Ran'er later. Wei'er said yesterday, Ran'er When I met Jia Ziyu at the palace gate, I looked up to him, and by the way, that kid Chan Yue wanted to eat the peach blossom cake made by my concubine, and he even begged for it."
Emperor Chongping nodded, with some smile lines on his face, and said, "When he arrives at the Five Cities Military and Horse Division in a year, he can ask Jia Heng for more help."
When Queen Song heard this, her jade face, which was as crystal clear as snow, paused for a moment, and she felt a little surprised.
In fact, she was a little displeased yesterday when she heard that the box of peach blossom cakes she had worked so hard to make was given to the young man who had heard the news. But thinking about it, she also felt that this was His Majesty's intention to win over his ministers.
Your Majesty, it has been more than ten years since you used such methods to win over people's hearts, and it was only when you were hiding in your residence...
"This Jia Heng needs to be allowed to get closer to Ran'er." Empress Song concealed her ups and downs in her eyes, picked up a spoon, scooped out a spoonful of rice porridge, and put it in until it was as shiny and plump as a peach blossom. On the lips, the cherry sandalwood mouth reveals the cherry teeth like braided shells and the lilac uvula.
This beauty who has given birth to two children is actually only thirty-five or sixty-six years old, which is the best age for a woman.
And the years have been gentle to her, leaving no trace of time on her body. She has a plump and graceful figure, a beautiful neck with skin as white as a pear, a smooth and white face, no wrinkles on the temples, and a mature woman with a graceful and graceful look. The charm flows silently in every frown and smile.
At this moment, the voice of the inner prisoner was heard outside the palace, saying: "Your Majesty, Yunhui General Jia Heng has handed over a sign asking for an audience."
When Emperor Chongping heard this, his face was startled. He chuckled and said, "Jia Heng, what is he doing in the palace so early in the morning? Let him wait for you in the Daming Palace. I will go there in a moment."
Seeing Emperor Chongping's expression, Empress Song stopped stirring the spoon with her jade hands. She raised her eyes and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you might as well finish this bowl of porridge first."
Emperor Chongping responded and said, "No need for a spoon."
As he spoke, he picked up the bowl and drank the rice porridge at a suitable temperature along the edge of the bowl. .
Seeing this scene, Empress Song said softly: "Your Majesty, please slow down and chew a few times. Be careful not to hurt your spleen and stomach."
Emperor Chongping took the handkerchief handed over by the eunuch, wiped his mouth, rinsed his mouth, and faced Empress Song's gentle eyes, he said in a warm tone: "Don't worry, Zi Tong, I have been here like this all these years. It’s okay.”
Empress Song smiled, stood up, took the crown and hat from the hand of a palace maid and handed it to Emperor Chongping.
Emperor Chongping didn't say much else. Surrounded by a group of internal eunuchs, he moved to the Daming Palace.
After Emperor Chongping left, a touch of melancholy gradually appeared on Empress Song's beautiful and gorgeous face.
This is her husband. Since he succeeded to the throne, he has spent all day and night in state affairs, as if he wants to prove it to others. However, in terms of family affairs, he has... just like this, who makes her the master of the sixth palace of the mother's world? Woolen cloth?
She cannot be like her sister, who is always elegant and beautiful, who keeps everything in mind, who spends her days accompanying her with music and dancing, planting flowers and grass, and teasing Chun'er in her spare time.
(End of chapter)
