"Brother, have you heard that His Majesty seems to be dying!"
In the lobby of Xijiangyue Tea House in the outer city, a strong man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks mysteriously whispered to the old man next to him.
"What nonsense are you talking about? His Majesty beat the rebels to the point of losing their armor a few days ago. How could it be possible that he can't do it anymore?"
When the old man heard this, he asked with suspicion.
"Oh, brother, you don't know that His Majesty has been ill for several days, and the Crown Prince and Queen are in charge now."
"Yesterday, many princes and princes were severely beaten by the Queen because they wanted to see Your Majesty. The way this world is..."
"That's nonsense. When your Majesty defeated the rebels that day, I saw that your Majesty was in high spirits. How could he fall ill?"
A man who looked like a farmer interrupted loudly without waiting for him to finish his words.
The man with the sharp mouth and monkey cheeks was stunned for a moment. Seeing that it didn't attract too many people's attention, he said with a worried look on his face: "I don't know about that."
"It's just that rumors like this are spreading in the capital now, causing people to panic. You said that if His Majesty is really in trouble, and the Queen is in charge, what will we do if the rebels come back again?"
The old man from before heard the words, thought about it, and said with some doubts: "Is your news accurate? You know that our dynasty has strictly ordered the harem to take charge of politics since Taizu. How can the queen be in charge?"
"This is Si Chen, the hen, hey! I'm afraid our Ming Dynasty will be in trouble again..."
At this time, a scholar in Confucian attire said with a sad expression.
"No way, this queen has been working for more than ten years and has never heard of intervening in government affairs. How could she be in charge now? Is there something inside?"
The farmer glanced at the scholar with some dissatisfaction and questioned again.
"Even if it were me, I wouldn't interfere at this time..."
"What are you talking nonsense about? Your Majesty is fine. It's just that he seemed to be resting that day, and those princes and marquises insisted on breaking into the palace for some unknown reason, so they were reprimanded by the queen..."
"If I were to say, those princes should indeed be attacked. When the rebels besieged the city, they were not seen guarding the city. Now Your Majesty..."
"Do you think His Majesty is really sick?"
"How is it possible? Have you forgotten about the golden dragon? Your Majesty is the real Dragon Emperor."
"That's right, that's right, don't worry blindly, think about how to plant the land after it is allocated, so that the harvest can be better."
"Hey, I'm not afraid that if His Majesty falls ill, my field will be hopeless."
...
The strong man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks saw that everyone was already talking about it, so he quietly retreated and walked towards a private room upstairs.
In the private room, Linhuai Marquis Li Zushu and Dingguo Gong Xu Yunzhen were enjoying tea leisurely with a fair-faced, beardless and thin middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man held the blue and white tea cup and took a sip. He closed his eyes and thought about it for a while, then opened his eyes and said slowly: "Well, this tea should be Yandang Maofeng."
"However, although this Maofeng is also from Yandang, compared with the tea our family drank in the palace before, it is too sweet and lacks the aftertaste."
Hearing this, Xu Yunzhen smiled and flattered: "Gao Jianjun, you are absolutely right!"
"I also feel that this tea has a different taste from Yuci's, but I can't explain it clearly. It's you who is so awesome that you can accurately tell the difference after just one sip."
At this time, Li Zushu on the side also said: "Dingguo Gong, you are right. When it comes to tea tasting, who else in the capital has this ability except Gao Jianjun."
"Moreover, the Gao Jianjun is not only proficient in tea ceremony, but also has a deep understanding of military affairs. If His Majesty had not been deceived by others, with the talents of the Gao Jianjun, I am afraid that the rebels would have been defeated long ago..."
It turned out that this middle-aged man was Gao Qiqian, who had been ordered to supervise Ning and the former armies, and abandoned the pass in the middle to escape.
When Gao Qiqian heard the two flattering words, a flash of joy flashed on his face, and then he shook his head pretending to be humble and said: "No, our family is only proficient in military affairs."
"But to say the least, if it weren't for Your Majesty..."
After Gao Qiqian finished boasting, Xu Yunzhen took advantage of his happiness and asked, "Gao Jianjun, is what you said before true? Zuo Liangyu defeated Ma Chongxi with only more than 10,000 people?"
Gao Qiqian heard the words, glanced at Xu Yunzhen with some disdain, and said in a deep voice: "There is nothing suspicious about this. Most of Ma Chongxi's troops are rogues, and they were surrendered by the Xing family before Zuo Liangyu arrived. Quite a few.”
"As for those rogue bandits, let alone 10,000, even if there are only 5,000, our family can catch Ma Chongxi and others in one fell swoop, and we will not give them a chance to escape to Shandong."
When Xu Yunzhen heard this, although he was a little dissatisfied, he still smiled and said: "What Gao Jianjun said is true, but I am too cautious."
Gao Qiqian shook his head and said: "This is not a matter of caution, but a matter of military vision. Our family remembers that your ancestor Wei Duke Xu Da was also quite strategic..."
"Gao Jianjun, you have a sharp eye, how can we people compare with you... Since Zuo Liangyu has defeated Ma Chongxi, why not just send his troops northward, why did he return to Shanxi?"
Seeing Xu Yunzhen's embarrassed and angry look, Li Zushu worried that Xu Yunzhen would lose his temper and delay the important matter, so he hurriedly interrupted Gao Qiqian's words, and at the same time brought the topic to Zuo Liangyu, whom he cared about.
Gao Qiqian glanced at Li Zushu and said thoughtfully: "This matter is quite complicated. Speaking of which..."
"Master Marquis, Li Er is asking to see you outside, saying he has something to report to you!"
At this time, a deep voice came from outside the door.
Li Zushu glanced at Gao Qiqian and saw that he was not dissatisfied, so he said, "Let him come in!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the strong man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks walk in with a flattering look on his face.
After Li Zushu bowed to him, he asked in a deep voice: "How is it? Has the news spread?"
The strong man nodded and said: "They have all dispersed, but many people don't believe it."
"And there seems to be a spies from Jinyiwei among them. I'm worried that I'll be discovered, so I don't dare to do anything too obvious."
When Li Zushu heard this, he frowned and said, "Okay, I understand."
"Go to other places and try to promote them as much as possible. At the same time, urge others to make sure everyone knows about this."
"When the thing is done, I will reward you with the autumn moon, otherwise..."
As Li Zu recounted, he stopped again and looked at the strong man threateningly.
When the strong man saw Li Zushu's gaze, his body trembled slightly. After bowing in agreement, he hurried out of the private room.
"Marquis Linhuai, why are you angry with a servant?"
Gao Qiqian saw Li Zushu's angry face and persuaded him with a smile.
A flash of dissatisfaction flashed in Li Zushu's eyes, and then he smiled and said: "The high-ranking supervisor is laughing at me. I don't have a strategy like you, and Nanjing is in a hurry."
"Thinking that Chongzhen is not in the capital now, I would just take the opportunity to get rid of Zhu Cixiang, which can be regarded as an explanation to Nanjing!"
Gao Qiqian smiled, shook his head and said: "Marquis of Linhuai, this is not how things are done. You have never been in the palace and do not understand Zhou Hou's methods..."
Just as he was speaking proudly, he suddenly saw a suspicious look on Li Zushu's face, a gleam of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes, and sneered: "Marquis Linhuai, you should still remember Concubine Tian, right?"
"At that time, Concubine Tian was the most favored in the Sixth Palace, and even the chief minister, Zhou Yanru, was extremely flattering to her..."
"But what happened in the end? She wasn't docile enough to be taken care of by Zhou Hou, so..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a young boy running in with a panic look on his face and told Li Zu: "Master, something bad has happened. Marquis Xue Lian of Yangwu has been captured by the Jin Yiwei."
When Li Zushu and others heard this, they were all shocked.
