"Don't..." Chu Chuyan exclaimed and hurriedly stopped his evil hand, "There are people outside!"
Zu An knew that she was thin-skinned and probably wouldn't be able to be as affectionate with him in the carriage, so he didn't continue. He just stretched out his arms to wrap his arms around her waist and said, "Let's hug the head office like this."
Chu Chuyan's body was ice-cold, and she felt particularly cool and comfortable when held in her arms. It was most comfortable to hold her in the summer.
"We are divorced, we shouldn't be like this..." Chu Chuyan's face turned slightly red.
"We can still be friends even after divorce. It's not like we haven't hugged each other before." Zu An said with a smile on his face.
"Do you have friends who hug each other like this..." Chu Chuyan spat, but she also knew that the divorce was just out of necessity, so she did not resist his hug, but pressed her face against his chest, "Ah Zu, can you tell me what happened to you along the way?"
Zu An laughed dumbly: "I'm afraid what you want to hear most is what happened between Manman and I."
"How dare you say that?" Chu Chuyan sat up straight and felt a little itchy when she saw his playful smile, "We haven't seen each other for a few months, my husband is gone, and he hooked up with my best friend, and I didn't even look for him. You're settling the score."
Zu An hurriedly hugged her and said with a smile: "Whatever you want to know, madam, I will tell you everything..."
Chu Chuyan's heart softened when she heard the word "wife". Although the two of them were divorced in the eyes of the world, they were not divorced in her heart, so she felt particularly happy when she heard him call her such a natural name.
The two of them clung to each other tightly like this, telling each other about their respective experiences after separation. Of course, Zu An was mainly the one telling the story.
"Have you and Manman lived together in the secret realm for decades?" Chu Chuyan was a little annoyed. In fact, now that Zu An's fate was uncertain, she didn't care about being jealous at all. Anyway, Pei Mianman was also her good friend, so It can be said that the rich water does not flow to outsiders.
But after learning that the two of them had lived like a couple in the secret realm for decades, she finally became uneasy. How could she make it look like they were a real couple? Azu and I have never grown old together like this.
Zu An felt guilty: "Actually, it shouldn't have been more than a few decades. The flow of time during the trial was a bit weird. It was as if a voice told you that the past few decades made you believe it, but in your own experience, time passed in a flash. It’s not as long as decades.”
"Even if it's not decades, there are always years!" Chu Chuyan glared at him. She didn't know why she was angry, but the more she thought about it, the more unhappy she became.
The anger value from Chu Chuyan is +233+233+233...
Zu An gently put her into his arms again: "Honey, you are actually jealous of me. I'm really happy. I thought you didn't care about me that much."
Chu Chuyan's face finally couldn't hold back anymore, and she couldn't help but said angrily: "You guys have to make people angry to be happy, aren't you perverted?"
Zu An knew very well that it was not wise to continue to dwell on this topic. There might really be a fire in the back house, so he hurriedly changed the subject and said: "Honey, please tell me about the situation in the capital in detail, so that I won't have a black eye after entering the capital." .”
He had also received some information from Sang Hong and his daughter before. Unfortunately, everyone was being hunted along the way and there was still too little time for communication, so he still knew very little about the situation in the capital.
Seeing that he was about to talk about business, Chu Chuyan's expression became serious: "In addition to the emperor, there are eight people with the highest official positions and the most prestige in the court, who are respected by everyone as the Eight Dukes: Taishi, Taifu, Taibao, Situ, Sikong, Grand Sima, and Grand General.”
"By the way, the father of Shi Kun, the one you offended in Mingyue City, is Shi Miao, one of the Eight Dukes."
Zu An had a strange look on his face: "Why do people from the Shi family have such strange names? They are either Japanese or stupid."
Chu Chuyan: "..."
What is this guy thinking about all day long?
She continued: "Of course you don't have to worry too much. Although Hachigong has a high status, these positions are false and do not actually manage affairs. Therefore, even if you offend the Shi family, it will not be as difficult as you think."
Zu An couldn't help but laugh and said: "That Shi Kun looked like his nostrils were turned up in the air before. I thought he was really awesome, but it turns out he is just a paper tiger."
Chu Chuyan reminded: "I just said that just because I don't want you to have too much psychological burden. Although Hachigong is in a false position, his status is there. His disciples and former officials are all over the government and the public, and many of their nephews and sons are in full-time positions. You also It cannot be taken lightly.”
Zu An smiled: "Anyway, even the emperor has been provoked now, and the Shi family is really nothing."
"You are optimistic." Chu Chuyan sighed secretly. Indeed, the biggest enemy now is the emperor, and the things that provoked the Shi family were not ranked at all.
She then began to introduce the forces in the capital: "Under the Eight Lords, there are generals such as the Hussar General, the Chariot General, the Central Leader, the Central Protector, etc..."
"My grandfather and the others are the leaders of the Central Army and the Protector of the Central Army. I have just told you... The General of the Hussars is held by the King of Qi. Originally, this position was an honorary position and was not under the jurisdiction of direct line troops, but the King of Qi is too special. , there is still an army of cronies under his command.”
Zu An nodded: "I understand. The fight between King Qi and the Emperor is naturally not ordinary people."
I heard too much about King Qi in Mingyue City. On the surface, King Qi and his nephew the prince were competing for the position of crown prince. In fact, it was him and the emperor who were fighting in the ring. It would be strange if he was weak.
"Chariot General Liu Guangze is the father of the current queen, that is, the eldest brother of Liu Yao outside."
Zu Anxin thought that this must be the leader of his relatives. The emperor raised his status so high, presumably to check and balance King Qi.
Although Liu Yao has cultivated to the ninth level,
, but I always feel like a fool. I wonder if his elder brother will be more powerful.
"By the way, what's the position of Prince Liang outside?" Zu An asked curiously. It couldn't be that he only had a title but no official position.
Chu Chuyan replied: "The King of Liang also serves as the rear general."
"General?" Zu An was a little confused. These positions sounded a bit complicated.
Chu Chuyan explained: "It's like this. The leaders, guards, left and right guards, Xiaoqi, and guerrillas are collectively called the six armies. Leaders are the battalions of the central leader; guards are the campers of the central guard; and the left and right guards are composed of left guards. The generals and right-guard generals are responsible for guarding the palace; the valiant cavalry and guerrillas are mobile troops in the palace, used to deal with various emergencies. These six armies are the military power of the palace."
"In addition, outside the imperial city, there is an army on the front, rear, left, and right within the capital, each responsible for the defense of the city gates, regional security, etc. There are four generals in the front, back, left, and right, and the King of Liang is one of the rear generals."
"On the outskirts of the capital, there are six troops stationed: Tunqi, Infantry, Yaoqi, Changshui, Shesheng, and Yijun. Their commanders are called six captains. These six troops are the main field forces in the center of the empire. Once If there is any war anywhere, it is up to them to take action.”
"That's it!" Zu An nodded, finally understanding the military structure of this world.
Chu Chuyan continued: "The center of power in the imperial court is Shangshu Province, Zhongshu Province, and Menxia Province. Among them, Zhongshu Province is composed of the emperor's trusted ministers. They discuss important matters with the emperor and are responsible for drafting edicts; Menxia Province is responsible for examination and approval. The edict; the Shangshu Province is responsible for executing it and handling specific government affairs..."
Zu An asked from time to time and finally understood what was going on. The Zhongshu Province was equivalent to the secretariat of later generations. Basically, many important and confidential matters were decided by them;
The top leader of the Zhongshu Province is the Zhongshu Supervisor, the second-ranking one is the Zhongshu Ling, and below them there are the Zhongshu Minister, Zhongshu Sheren and the like.
Many people in Menxia Province are eunuchs, more like the emperor's personal assistants. After all, the ministers in Zhongshu Province cannot live in the palace. Many people in Menxia Province are eunuchs, so naturally this problem does not exist.
Of course, it was actually impossible to let eunuchs do everything. After all, eunuchs had limited knowledge, so the emperor would give many of his subordinates the power to enter and exit the palace.
The top leader of the province is called the Shizhong. Generally speaking, there is more than one. There are four in total in this dynasty. Below them are the Huangmen Shilang, the Sanqi Changshilang and so on.
The Shangshu Province is the executive agency. The top leader is the Shangshu Ling, followed by the left and right servants, and below that are the ministers of various ministries.
In many Machiavellian dramas of later generations, the protagonists used their plans to defeat the various ministers and that was it. In fact, the ministers did not belong to the center of power at all, because they were only the specific executors of the policy, not the policy decision-makers.
Although the status of the three provinces in this world is equal, strictly speaking, the power of Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province is much greater than that of Shangshu Province. Of course, things are not absolute. If the emperor is not strong enough or capable enough, the Zhongshu Province and the Menxia Province will not play a big role, and the Shangshu Province will become the main decision-making body.
Of course, the emperor is now the most powerful person in the world, and the status of Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province is obviously much higher.
"By the way, Shangshu Ling Pei Ming and his subordinate Pei Zheng are all members of the Pei family, which is the big family to which Manman belongs." Chu Chuyan suddenly remembered something and added.
"Your family backgrounds are all so awesome?" Zu An's eyes widened. The family backgrounds of the women around him were really more awesome than the others, which made me not even want to work hard.
Chu Chuyan frowned slightly: "Manman's position in the family is a bit...a bit embarrassing. It is not as glamorous as you imagined."
Zu An asked hurriedly: "What's going on with her at the Pei family, and what's going on with her mother? She seems to be anxious to go back to see her mother this time?"
Chu Chuyan hesitated to speak: "It is better for her to tell you the things about Manman's family in person. It would not be good for others to tell you."
Seeing her worries, Zu An thought thoughtfully, could it be the setting of an illegitimate daughter...
Chu Chuyan continued: "In addition to the three provinces, there are also Jiuqing, who are responsible for special affairs in their respective fields. For example, the Taichang Department, the head of the Jiuqing, is responsible for the affairs of the Tianxia Academy and has a transcendent status."
Zu An thought of Mingyue College, where the teachers and principals were all strange people, and they had also trained a large number of talents. There are countless such colleges in various states and counties throughout the empire, and what a huge force they add up to.
"This is the rough composition of the forces in the capital. You haven't seen those people yet, so I'm afraid you can't match the names. If there is a chance in the future, I will introduce them to you one by one." Chu Chuyan felt sad. This time After entering the capital and meeting the emperor, I wondered if Azu would have a chance to come out alive.
Zu An pondered for a moment, then asked: "Last question, among the people you just mentioned, which ones belong to the lineage of King Qi, and which ones belong to the direct lineage of the emperor? Which ones are neutral?"
In Mingyue City, the Chu family was so fiercely contested by both sides. In the capital, how could these two camps be so stupid?
Therefore, we still need to clarify these relationships, so that we can have some confidence after meeting the emperor in the future.
Chu Chuyan carefully looked outside the carriage, and then Yuan Qi said: "No one will admit this kind of thing publicly, but we can still judge the camp they belong to from their daily words and deeds."
"In King Qi's camp, the core ones should be the Qin family, the Yu family, and the Pei family. The Qin family is my grandfather's family. My grandfather's sister is the mother of King Qi. As the uncle of King Qi, they are naturally Those who are close to the King of Qi..."
Zu An couldn't stop complaining after hearing this. For a long time, your grandfather was a staunch supporter of the King of Qi. Before that, the Chu family was completely neutral.
"The head of the Yu family, Yu Xuanchong, is the minister Zuopushe. The Yu family has in-laws with all the major families. At the same time, they started out in the yuan stone business. They can be said to be as rich as the enemy."
Zu An suddenly looked strange: "What is the relationship between Yuyanluo and the Yu family?"
He thought of the beautiful young woman he rescued in the valley when he first arrived in this world. She seemed to be in the Yuanshi business and was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital in the past.
But that woman was not kind. She originally said she wanted to repay her kindness, but in the end, she was not seen at all in Mingyue City. Damn it!
Beautiful women can indeed lie.
"You actually know about Jade Yanluo?" Chu Chuyan was a little surprised.
"Isn't she the most beautiful woman in the capital in the past? She should be very famous. I know it's not strange." Zu An said matter-of-factly.
Chu Chuyan's face turned red and she snorted: "Men are all big pigs!"
She finally understood why her mother would react like that every time she heard her father talking about Jade Yanluo.
However, she still explained: "Yu Yanluo is indeed from the Yu family. The men of the Yu family have always been handsome and the women are beautiful. They are the objects of marriage among major families. Yu Yanluo is the most outstanding one among them. …”
Zu An put his arms around her soft waist and kissed her cold face: "I think the Yu family is just like this, and the women of the Chu family are prettier than them."
Chu Chuyan knew that he was praising her, and she couldn't help but feel a hint of sweetness in her heart, but she was not embarrassed to admit it at all: "If you had seen Yu Yanluo, I'm afraid you wouldn't say this. My father met her back then. After one time, I couldn’t forget it, hum…”
Zu An muttered softly: "It's not like I've never seen him before..."
But thinking about the scene when he saw her, he had to admit that she was a gorgeous woman.
Chu Chuyan continued: "There are two main branches of the Pei family. One is Linhai Gong Pei Zheng, who is the head of the family. His official position is that of a servant, and he is Manman's grandfather."
"Manman's grandpa." Zu An suddenly felt like he was in love with his family.
Chu Chuyan hesitated to speak: "Their family may not be so harmonious, so don't have a favorable impression of anyone based on your wishful thinking."
Then she added: "The other one is Julu Gong Pei Ming. His position is Shangshu Ling. He and Pei Zheng are cousins. Compared with Pei Zheng, who is a die-hard member of the King of Qi's faction, his attitude here is a little bit... Ambiguous, but overall I am leaning more toward King Qi."
"The emperor's camp is dominated by the Yang family, the Meng family and the Prince of Liang. You have already met the people of the Prince of Liang and the Yang family, so I won't talk about it. Meng Jing of the Meng family is one of the eight princes. Sikong has extremely high qualifications; his son Meng Yi is the Supervisor of the Zhongshu and is in charge of the Zhongshu Province..."
"What do you think his son's name is?" Zu An asked in surprise.
"Meng Yi, do you know him?" Chu Chuyan was a little confused.
Zu An couldn't help but sigh, "Meng Yi, what man doesn't know this? What kind of names do fathers give their children?"
Chu Chuyan didn't understand his point at all and continued: "By the way, Meng Yi has a daughter who is married to the concubine of the acting king Zhao Ping."
"Acting King?"
"King Dai is the younger brother of the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has many younger brothers. The King of Wu you met in Jibei County before and the King Dai mentioned this time are all one of them."
"King Wu, remember, remember." Zu An looked strange. He didn't just remember. He was very familiar with her, especially with Princess Wu.
"Your expression is so strange. Are you thinking of something bad?" Chu Chuyan stared at him, her cheeks slightly red.
Zu An's old face heated up, he was embarrassed to tell what happened with Princess Wu Yun Yuqing, and hurriedly changed the subject: "By the way, since the prince has so many younger brothers, and these younger brothers seem to be smart people, why does the emperor have to How about making a fool the prince?"
Judging from the previous contact with King Wu, apart from some special hobbies, he is much smarter and more capable than ordinary people, and he is definitely more than qualified for the position of prince. As for the current prince, although everyone said it very cryptically, he is obviously a big fool.
Chu Chuyan replied: "The emperor probably wants a normal son to be the prince, but he can't do it. You should have heard the story of the emperor and King Qi. Although they are brothers, King Qi was adopted to Their uncle, the late emperor, due to the chaos of the times and the young King of Qi, made the older emperor inherit the throne, so the King of Qi is actually qualified to inherit the throne."
"Now that the emperor was injured in the battle with foreigners in his early years, his end is approaching, and King Qi is a wise man. Many ministers in the court feel that the throne should be returned to King Qi's lineage. The emperor wants to pass the throne to his own son, and the only one who can kill him is The legal principle is that the eldest son inherits. If you skip the eldest son and appoint someone else, it would be a matter of establishing the virtuous rather than establishing the elders. But in terms of virtuousness, how can those princes compare to the King of Qi?"
"So the emperor knew that the prince was a bit stupid, so he could only bite the bullet and make him the prince."
Zu An was a little puzzled: "But can such a fool secure the throne? Isn't the emperor afraid that the entire country will be defeated in the future?"
Chu Chuyan explained: "Although the prince is not smart, he is not stupid. It is not impossible if he chooses some close and wise ministers to assist him. Moreover, the prince also has an heir. Although he is young, his IQ is normal. It will be the same in the future when the throne is passed on to the grandson."
Zu An was surprised: "I heard that the prince got married not long ago, and he had an heir so soon?"
Chu Chuyan's face turned red, and she whispered: "It was not the crown prince's birth. In the early years, the emperor was worried that the prince was incompetent...and was inexperienced in human affairs, so he gave him a beautiful concubine in the palace to help him...Later, the concubine became pregnant. , because he didn’t want to conflict with the Crown Princess, so he returned to the palace to live in the palace and give birth to a child after becoming pregnant.”
Zu An looked strange: "Then is this the foolish prince's seed or the emperor's seed? He even returned to live in the palace, your circle is really in chaos!"
---
Two chapters combined
