Emperor Tang was still lying on his side on the couch in the Qinzheng Hall. Even though his health was getting worse, he still did not neglect his duties. He simply ate and slept here these days.
This kind of hard work made Chen Jinjue feel a little distressed. Although he was sent to the palace by Wang Yanqing, he was moved by this king after serving the Tang Emperor every day. He was obviously a wise monarch, so why did he Will he be so unpopular with God? Are your bones weaker than those of a 70- or 80-year-old man? Chen Jinjue often thought in his mind that if Lord Shangshu had not been kind to him, he would really be willing to serve this king for the rest of his life.
Chen Jinjue quietly watched the hero. Just as he was looking at him in a daze, a young eunuch suddenly appeared outside the door. Chen Jinjue averted his eyes and walked out softly. The little eunuch whispered a few words in his ear, and then Chen Jinjue straightened up with a serious expression and waved his hand, indicating that the little eunuch could leave. Seeing Chen Jinjue quietly walking back into the palace after the young eunuch had retreated, he walked to the bed with his head lowered and whispered -
"Start the show, Master..."
Emperor Tang was holding a memorial in his hand. When he heard Chen Jinjue's voice, he shook the memorial in his hand to indicate that he heard him speaking and motioned for him to continue. These days, he coughs so much that his chest hurts whenever he opens his mouth, so he chooses to remain silent most of the time.
"Master Zuo is asking for an audience outside the imperial study. Master, you..."
Emperor Tang suddenly tilted the hand holding the memorial, revealing his face that was originally blocked by the memorial. His face still looked a little pale.
Seeing that Emperor Tang didn't say anything, Chen Jinjue continued to say tentatively: "Master, the dragon chariot is ready, I will help you over..."
"Let him come here."
Chen Jinjue was about to stand up when Emperor Tang's hoarse voice suddenly came from in front of him. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard this - Qinzheng Palace? In recent years, only a handful of ministers have been able to come to the Qinzheng Hall to meet the emperor. After Xu Younian retired, there were only three qualified ministers. Today, it is the first time that ministers have been invited to come directly!
"Um--?"
Chen Jinjue was still immersed in surprise, and Emperor Tang seemed a little impatient in waiting. Chen Jinjue's thoughts were interrupted by this soft question, and he quickly said respectfully: "I'll go right now -"
…
On the other side, Zuo Gongming was waiting outside the imperial study room. Suddenly he saw Chen Jinjue running from a distance in small steps. When Chen Jinjue ran up to him, Zuo Gongming said politely——
"Eunuch Chen"
Seeing Zuo Gongming greeting him, Chen Jinjue said breathlessly: "Master Zuo - Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
"Eunuch Chen, don't be anxious. Speak slowly."
Seeing Chen Jinjue breathlessly saying "Holy Lord" two times in succession, Zuo Gongming felt a little strange. If he didn't know anything about it, he would have thought that something had happened to His Majesty.
Chen Jinjue calmed down and continued to speak after his breath relaxed slightly: "Master Zuo, the Holy One has announced that you will have an audience at the Qinzheng Hall."
"What?"
Zuo Gongming's reaction was as shocked as Chen Jinjue's.
Seeing Zuo Gongming standing blankly, with some disbelief in his eyes, Chen Jinjue said with a smile: "Come on, Master Zuo, you heard me right, the Holy Sage is waiting for you in the temple -"
"Oh! Okay! Let's go -"
Zuo Gongming followed Chen Jinjue to the Qinzheng Hall in confusion. He felt a little uneasy along the way. The Sacred Heart was unpredictable. What did the Emperor mean by asking him to come to the Lizheng Hall to pay an audience? He couldn't guess, and he didn't dare to guess.
Just as he was thinking wildly, the two of them had arrived at the entrance of the Li Zheng Hall. Chen Jinjue wisely stood outside the hall and made a 'please' gesture, and then whispered: "Master Zuo, please go in, the Holy Master is waiting inside -"
The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty did not like eunuchs around when discussing matters with ministers, so Chen Jinjue had to stay outside obediently. Looking at this palace, which can be called the "brain" of the Tang Dynasty, Zuo Gongming looked extremely solemn. He shook off the dust on his robe, raised his hand to straighten his crown, and walked in with one foot.
"My Lord Zuo pays homage to His Majesty - Long live our Emperor!"
"Get up...ahem..."
Emperor Tang casually threw the memorial on the bed, and then looked at Zuo Gongming quietly. Although his eyes were a little sleepy, they were still sharp, as if they were asking and waiting for something.
"Your Majesty! There is a case of theft in the Chang Mansion...I have arrested the thief and brought him to justice..."
Zuo Gongming paused for a moment. He raised his eyes and looked at Emperor Tang. Emperor Tang was still looking at him quietly, but he seemed to feel something strange in the eyes of the person on the dragon bed.
"The thief used to be a habitual thief. He had reformed his evil ways, but he started stealing again for unknown reasons a few days ago. This person committed suicide before the officials arrested him..."
Zuo Gongming paused again. He hoped that Emperor Tang would ask more about the thief, but Emperor Tang still looked at him silently, as if waiting for him to report all the details of the case in detail. . Facing the eyes that were as dazzling as torches, Zuo Gongming felt a little unable to bear such pressure. He completely gave up the idea of getting lucky and said -
"The dirty things have been found in the thief's house..."
"oh?"
Emperor Tang finally reacted. He looked curious and seemed to be very interested in the things stolen from the Chang Mansion. But after this burst of 'interest', Emperor Tang immediately changed to a look of disdain and said -
"Isn't it just that you lost some money? Is this worth reporting to me?"
Even though he was fully prepared, Zuo Gongming's heartbeat still accelerated unconsciously. He silently took out the small square box from his arms, stepped forward and respectfully handed the box over with both hands.
"What's in here?" Emperor Tang asked puzzledly, his expression looking a little ridiculous. Then he smiled easily and joked: "Maybe it's a family heirloom from Chang Zhishan, haha...cough, cough..."
Perhaps because he was a little excited from laughing, Emperor Tang coughed a few more times unconsciously.
"Please, Your Majesty... take a look at it personally..." Zuo Gongming still lowered his head and raised his hands.
Emperor Tang's eyes were still a little playful, as if he was a little helpless at Zuo Gongming's 'making a fuss out of a molehill'. Faced with Zuo Gongming's "uprightness" and "persistence", he stretched out his hand to take the wooden box, and then opened the lid casually.
When the objects in the box appeared in Tang Emperor's eyes, Tang Emperor's eyes instantly changed from playful to stunned, then from stunned to serious, and finally from serious to cold, but from the beginning to the end, there was something in his eyes. All with a hint of shock and disappointment. This shock and disappointment were so natural and harmonious that Zuo Gongming couldn't tell the truth from the false.
"Who else knows about this?" Emperor Tang said lightly, and then he gently put the lid of the small square box aside.
"After I seized this thing, I went to the palace to report it. No one else knew about it."
Emperor Tang didn't say anything more and said directly: "Kneel down..."
"I...resign..."
Zuo Gongming exited the Li Zheng Hall, feeling suddenly relieved in his heart. No wonder all the governors have stayed in this position for a short time. How can anyone stay in this position? It's like sitting on an ice pillar, with your back against the thorny wall, and a red-hot iron stove in your hand. You can neither sit nor stand! Sigh... Just like this, I don’t know what kind of dragon power Chang Zhishan will face!
Thinking of this, Zuo Gongming couldn't help but sweat for General Chang.
…
…
After these days of turmoil, the whole of Chang'an gradually returned to its former peace.
The case of the theft of the Chang Mansion was concluded within a day. The thief committed suicide in fear of the crime, and everyone got the stolen goods. This greatly disappointed those who originally wanted to see the excitement. But only three days later, another rumor exploded across the street like thunder, about the dirty thing stolen from the Chang Mansion - it was rumored that the thing stolen by the thief was not gold and silver jewelry at all, but the talismans of the Shence Army. !
When the news came out, it was like throwing a big stone into a pond. It not only stirred up waves on the water surface, but also lifted up all the mud and soil at the bottom of the pond. Not only was it a hot topic among the public, but also The upper echelons of Chang'an were also involved.
General Chang Da will be in bad luck this time!
Theft of military symbols is no joke! If it's within the pass, it's okay. There are Chang Zhishan's pro-army forces over there. Even if there is no military talisman, the army will still listen to Chang Zhishan, but Shence Camp is very different! This is the garrison near the imperial city. It has always been composed of outstanding soldiers selected from the garrison from all over the country. This means that the last line of defense in the New Tang Dynasty should be composed of elites. Secondly, these soldiers come from the east, west, north and south. They are all direct descendants of a certain person. Even if Xu Younian and Chang Zhishan hold this position, there will be no situation where they only recognize the person but not the talisman.
Shence Camp is the emperor's confidant army. Every move in the army cannot escape the emperor's eyes. Any action in the army must be ordered by the emperor himself, and then commanded by General Shence on behalf of Tian. The tiger talisman of the Shence Army is divided into two halves. The right half is in the hands of Emperor Tang, and the left half is kept by General Shence. When the army is mobilized, only the person who delivers the imperial order takes the right half of the tiger talisman to the Shence camp. The general can only mobilize the army after confirming that he has fastened his left half with it. This method of 'recognizing only talismans, not people' effectively prevented General Shence from directly sieging the city and rebelling. During the 'Six Kings Rebellion', Emperor Tang simply took back the other half of the Tiger Talisman and firmly held the general power in his own hands. For a period of time, he even lived in the Shence Camp. This shows that the Emperor was very attached to this tiger talisman. military attention. Nowadays, if Chang Zhishan fails to take good care of this small piece of 'Tiger Talisman', it will be a huge sin. Once something unusual happens and he cannot mobilize the army, the consequences will be disastrous.
For a time, everyone in the streets and alleys of Chang'an, restaurants and teahouses, the homes of dignitaries and even brothels were discussing this matter. It seems that General Chang's holy family... is coming to an end?
