"What are you planning?"
"My son knows that you are loyal, that you have deep feelings for His Majesty, and that His Majesty treats you well."
"But, father, can you tell the child? What are you trying to do?"
"The one who led the troops is the emperor, isn't the one who came back also the emperor? After all, this is a family matter of his Zhao family. Since it is a family matter, how can the ministers make a clear decision?"
Liu Bang did not go directly to the Imperial City, but went around to Changqingfang...
This is Xin Ciying's home.
The house he gave him was in the north of the city. It was his original house, and the Lin'an government office also had a place to live. Therefore, in Lin'an City, where land and land were precious, Xin Ciying had some property.
There were still not many people on the street. Behind the courtyard wall, before he could knock on the door, he heard the people inside talking.
Everyone likes to spy on people, and he was no exception. After a pause, he finally stopped his movements and listened quietly.
After waiting for a long time, he didn't hear Xin Ciying speak. Instead, the voice just now sounded again:
"You are selfless, you serve the country and the people, and you are loyal. These are all correct. When have you ever said this to me in these years?"
"But today, it's just a matter of you saying something and being soft, so why do you insist on hitting that wall? Why, today is the day!"
"Qiao Niang married into our family and didn't even have a comfortable life for half a day. She was either doing housework at home or taking your two grandsons to study. What did she do wrong? Dad, I don't understand, I really I don’t understand!”
The man became more and more excited as he talked, and Liu Bang probably knew his identity. He probably was Xin Ciying's son.
I originally thought that this man was nothing, but then I thought that his wife had just been forced to death...
A group of guards who followed saw the official shaking his head on the spot, but he didn't know what his majesty heard.
Xin Ciying's voice finally sounded:
"It's dad who can't help you..."
The old man was obviously in a mood, and his words were filled with tears.
"You ask too many questions, and dad doesn't know how to answer, but as you said, officials treat fathers very well. I...I can't!"
His son said angrily: "Isn't there even a temporary solution?!"
The courtyard became quiet for a long time before I heard the old man sigh.
"Yes, but it's possible, that's why it's not possible."
"You have also grown up reading the books of saints since you were a child, and most of the things in your mind come from saints. Your father is not smarter than you, and your knowledge is not higher than yours. But my son, I still have something to say. If you listen As long as you have to go in, if you can't listen, then just think that your father is talking crazy..."
"When the city of Kaifeng was destroyed, Duke Zhongyan of the Liu family, the father of Liu Shangshu of the Ministry of War, refused to leave even though he could have done so, and hanged himself to keep his integrity."
"Prince Qing of the Li family followed the Second Emperor northward to angrily denounce Wanyan Wushu... It was clear that he could live without speaking, but he still spoke."
"Going forward a thousand years, Zhuge Wuhou used one state to fight against the nine states of Wei... My son, they are all extremely talented people. Couldn't they have thought of the word 'expediency'?"
"These two words are clearly the reasons that despicable people find for their despicability, and they are clearly the way out that cowardly people find for themselves! There are so many heroes in the past and present, but in the final analysis, they are just one sentence..."
Liu Bang straightened his ears and listened to him:
“You know you can’t do something, but you do it!”
The emperor understood a little better now. No wonder he rarely heard people praising Liu Ji as a great hero.
It was difficult to convince his son with this, not even Liu Bang outside. After all, his Majesty always believed that expediency could be expedient, not to mention the old man among the farmers was an example.
"I know."
He said that, but then he said:
"Erlang wrote a letter from Lingnan, saying that he was living comfortably there, and he kept inviting his son to come there... he never agreed, and now..."
Xin Ciying was a little panicked: "What's going on now?"
"Now, after Qiao Niang's funeral is over, my son will go find him. You want to be your hero. If your son doesn't stop you, don't stop your son either."
Xin Ciying's wife died early and he had no concubines, so he only gave birth to two sons in total.
The second child inherited his youthful demeanor and liked to commit suicide everywhere. He recently settled down in Lingnan.
The man who accompanied him in Lin'an City was the eldest son of the Xin family. In the past few years, Qin Prime Minister was in power, and Xin Ciying's life was not easy. Moreover, he was the one who was most opposed to the minister's son Yin Bu becoming an official. Han Shizhong His son wanted to apply for a job as a salary official, but he forcibly stopped him.
Not to mention his son, who is forty years old and now also white.
"Dad knows..."
Xin Ciying seemed to have lost his strength: "Tomorrow, father will go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to submit his resignation. I'll go with you."
As soon as these words came out, before his son could say anything, Liu Bang quit.
He supported the courtyard walls on both sides with his hands and feet, and climbed up the wall in a few moments. The guards were so frightened that they ran over and stretched out their hands to catch him.
"Dad... why are you going through such trouble? The mountains in Lingnan are high and the roads are far away. How can you withstand such trouble at your age?"
"You'd better not go."
Liu Bang was quick and he climbed up in two or three strokes. He saw the Xin family's father and son sitting under a tree in the courtyard. His son was holding a woman in his arms... It should be a female body. I thought this was his wife.
"Your son is right, old boy, you want to run away without asking me, right?"
He was so unruly. The boss of the Xin family didn't know this person yet. He didn't react for a moment. He thought this was Wang Xie and his friends again. He was about to step forward to scold him when he saw his father with his back to the wall. His whole body was filled with confusion. Started to tremble.
The old man lowered his head and said nothing. The grievances he had suffered in the past few days came to his heart like a tide, making him almost breathless.
Liu Bang was already sitting on the wall of his house. He knew that the old man was sad... just like a child. If he fell and no one paid attention to him, he could get up by himself; if he found someone If you notice yourself, you will start crying.
Xin Ciying is now the child who is about to cry.
"Hey, I wonder if your kid has gone too far? Just push me with your back when you see him, right?"
Seeing that the old man still didn't speak, he didn't dare to jump off the wall that was more than a foot high, so he had to slowly lower his body, put his hands on the top of the wall, and after looking at the correct position, he lowered himself down.
The boss of the Xin family put his wife's body to the side, rolled up his sleeves and wanted to rush over. However, after taking two steps, Xin Ciying grabbed his wrist and could not move.
"father?!"
Liu Bang saw this in his eyes, and while he memorized the old man's attitude of resenting women, and prepared to make fun of him in the future, he also touched the bottom of the tree and patted his shoulder:
"I'm back."
Boss Xin heard clearly and knew that this was Zhao Guan's family. For a while, most of his father's grievances were transferred to him, and he also looked sour and jealous.
Xin Ciying let go of his son and covered his ears with both hands.
Liu Bang only thought it was funny that the old man was still showing off, so he turned to him, and when he saw the old man's eyes that were about to shed tears, he immediately closed them... but instead shed the unshed tears. , was forced down.
"If you pretend you can't see or hear, then you can pretend that I don't exist, right?"
"Your official title is too young, I will give you a bigger one this time."
"Don't let your son go to Lingnan. Is that a fucking place for human beings? I will arrange errands for him."
"Your daughter-in-law will be granted the title of Lady of the County. Your grandson will study with my son from now on. Your father will be granted a posthumous title. Your ancestral grave..."
It’s almost mentioned that Xin Ciying’s family feeds Zhi Yin and the dog, but this person still doesn’t have enough food and salt.
Liu Bang finally sighed:
"That's all, whoever bullied you, just say it and I will take revenge on you."
Xin Ciying finally put down the hands covering his ears and opened his eyes... In the past, in order to vent his anger on him, the officials kicked the Mingzhou prefect's family into the sea, which made this originally generous old man become It was so fussy.
In fact, people don't like generosity very much. It's just the difference between having a choice and not having a choice.
He had a choice, so he was generous!
"The official family..."
The breath he was holding was released, and just like the Huaihe River flooding out of control, he fell on the emperor's chest and began to cry. In just a moment, most of Liu Bang's robe was wet.
"Wang Xie, right? One hundred and seven slaps, right?"
Xin Ciying wiped his eyes: "One hundred and fifteen. Today, when Qiao Niang... had an accident, she beat eight more."
"Okay, okay!" Liu Bang agreed again and again, "My original plan was to wait until tomorrow to go to court to deal with them, but if you want to deal with that king, I will help you deal with it now. The baby is born, how about it?"
Xin Ciying looked at his son: "Da Lang, you make the decision!"
The boss of the Xin family had never felt this... this feeling of holding someone else's life in his own hands, and he had some inexplicable emotions.
That Wang Xie, the arrogant Wang Xie, bullied his family to the point where they couldn't breathe. In the eyes of the people of Lin'an, he was like a devil collecting debts... In the mouth of the emperor, he was no different from an ant.
As long as you think about it, even when that person will suffer disaster, it is already destined.
I don't know why, but all the complaints about his biological father just now turned into a trace of happiness.
A trace of reverence and fear of happiness.
The eldest son of the Xin family looked at the body lying on the ground, with some hay randomly placed underneath. He originally thought about testing it, but his father mistakenly thought he was afraid to speak.
Xin Ciying urged: "Qiao Niang died for the officials, just say so!"
Liu Bang wanted to remind the old man, but after thinking about it, he let it go. He could say whatever he wanted, and just echoed:
"You listen to your father, how do you say it? It's today, tomorrow, now, or night, spring or summer. A grown man, don't ask for a mother-in-law."
This real hard-working man spoke, turned around, squatted down, and stroked his wife's face...
"If possible, I would like to let that thief die immediately!"
"good!"
Liu Bang didn't know when he took out the folding fan from his waist, and flicked it, indicating that he accepted his statement.
Only Xin Ciying stared at the fan for a long time, and finally recognized that it belonged to Prince Yongjia, and he became excited again.
…
As mentioned before, Wang Xie's resume is almost the same as Zhang Taiwei's, but to some extent, he is more accommodating than Zhang Taiwei.
At least that was the case during the Jingkang period when Emperor Xiaoci Yuansheng succeeded to the throne.
When Zhao Huan first succeeded to the throne, he became the commander of the imperial camp and the former army, which is almost the position of Yang Yizhong now.
At that time, Captain Zhang was just a pawn in the Zhong Family Army.
In the early years of Shaoxing, Zhao Ding and the emperor reformed the military system. He also became one of the five great generals of the Shenwu Army, as famous as Liu, Zhang, Han, and Yue. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't even deal with the rebellious Yang Yao, it is impossible to say that the Northern Expedition would be possible now. He also has a place on the list.
But it's not bad now. At least he still has soldiers in his hands. They are not many, but they are enough.
The most important thing is that his own lord, who personally promoted him to the center of the Song Dynasty, actually came back from the North.
The world is changing all the time. Maybe someone was a beggar yesterday, but that day he met someone who threw five taels of silver away, and then he became a rich man.
Wang Xie is not a beggar, he is also a general of an army.
After this time, even if Zhao Huan becomes the Supreme Emperor, Wang Xie will still be able to survive according to Wang Xie's understanding of the ninth son of the Zhao family.
Not only can he live, but he can also live well... There is only one kind of person that the emperor will want to get rid of, and that is a useless person; regardless of whether he has good value or bad value, as long as he is a valuable person, Lao Jiu will keep him. With.
But he is indeed old, too old to think clearly, and he doesn't even have enough energy anymore.
It was still the first lunar month, and Lin'an had stopped snowing for many days, but it was still very cold. What he feared most about his legs was this kind of weather, because at this time, he would suffer from severe vaginal pain.
He was supposed to rest, in the room prepared for Su Wei in the imperial city, where he could still boil a pot of wine and hold two women in his arms.
But he didn't because he had other things to do.
Zhao Shicheng and the Jin people both said that Zhao Gou was surrounded by Jin people in Yingzhou, but news had already come back that Yingzhou had been broken out many days ago.
This means that Zhao Gou is fine, and it is very likely that he will be fine.
In this case, it is only a matter of time before he returns to Lin'an.
You said that Zhao Huan was not panicking, but that is a lie. Otherwise, he would not have visited the homes of those generals at this time.
But if you think about what they can really do...it's not much.
Winning over the ministers in the court is one of them.
They don't need to do anything, as long as they open their mouths and recognize the legitimacy and rationality of Emperor Xiaoci Yuansheng. No matter how unkind Lao Jiu is, he should know that his brother's death will not do him any good, and even all Everyone would suspect that he was the one who did it.
Moreover... even if he were the emperor, he couldn't afford such a big crime of killing his brother.
In addition to Zhao Huan's former ministers who were emperors for more than a year, and the Zhao family members of the Taizong lineage of the Zhao family, these combined, although they are not as good as the empress dowager said, their lives are safe and they can live comfortably.
This is Zhao Huan's purpose and Wang Xie's pursuit.
So when the old man with the foulest mouth and the toughest tongue in the court also accepted soft words, the meaning of this was much stronger than recruiting ten people like Wang Ciweng.
Wang Xie didn't dare to neglect him. He knew that Emperor Xiaociyuan had gone to the residences of several generals, and Xin Ciying had handed him a letter. After all, he wanted to see him.
It is true that he went too far before, but otherwise, how could the old man be so submissive?
Before leaving the palace, Wang Xie thought for a while and went to the palace office. Before he arrived, he heard a noise inside.
"It's not like we don't have enough money. Last year's taxes haven't been paid yet this year. Why should we save money on the expenses of the Northern Expedition?!"
The person who said this was Hu Quan, his dignified Third Secretary. This position was supposed to divide the prime minister's financial power, but now, Zhang Jun had just arrived and made such a request.
He then heard Zhang Jun say: "Anyone who has no long-term worries must have short-term worries! We have enough now, but we can't spend all the money on the Northern Expedition, right?"
"If there is a natural or man-made disaster and you can't get the money out, then the losses will not be something that can be settled with money!"
"Furthermore, the road from the north to the sea is no longer accessible, and many merchants in various parts of the Yangtze River have lost half of their business. It is still unknown how much tax the Shipping Company can collect this year. If we don't make plans early, how far can the Northern Expedition go?"
It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Zhang Jun has also led soldiers, so it is impossible not to know the consequences of letting this news out.
But he still did it, and Hu Quan was unhappy:
"Capturing a county will increase the county's tax, and conquering a state will increase the state's tax. Your long-term plans are not far off!"
As he said that, he looked at Zhao Ding who was silent. Knowing that this man had now surrendered to Zhao Huan, he hummed:
"Anyway, if you want to reduce the fee, I will be the first one not to agree!"
After saying this, he waved his sleeves and walked out the door, just in time to bump into Wang Xie.
Wang Xie entered the office and said in a voice that everyone could hear:
"Mr. Zhang, Xin Fuyin of Lin'an Prefecture invited me to have a drink at his house! We have been staying out for a long time, and we don't know that we can make friends with him in private, but that's not allowed?"
The voice was loud, and it was meant to be heard by those people.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Liu Ziyu suddenly felt as if his soul had been taken away...
If even Xin Ciying is like this, how sad will the official family be when they come back!
Zhang Jun knew what he meant and stroked his beard:
"Marshal Wang is worrying too much, Xinfu Yin is a direct minister! It seems that he was overwhelmed by the marshal's style, and that's why he wanted to make friends."
"Marshal, just go and don't worry about anything else."
Wang Xie said with a smile: "Then just listen to your husband and leave immediately."
There are many people in this office, and many of them feel the same way as Liu Ziyu.
But having said that, even Xin Ciying had voted, and people like myself finally had no reason to persist.
Several people had other thoughts.
Just as Wang Xie took out his legs, he heard someone shouting:
"slow!"
When he turned around, he saw Zhao Ding standing up. He didn't understand what he meant:
"Is there something wrong with Mr. Zhao?"
"I'll go with you."
Wang Xie paused, glanced at Zhang Jun subconsciously, and saw Zhang Jun nodded slightly, then agreed:
"That's very good. I already have a lot to say to Prime Minister Zhao!"
When Zhao Ding and him went out together, several people stood up in the office, ran to Zhang Jun's side, and began to flatter him.
On the other side, Zhao Ding and Wang Xie were each on horseback. Wang Xie knew that this was the first person to seek refuge with Emperor Xiaoci Yuansheng, so he was not so wary of him.
He kept talking to Mr. Zhao, trying hard to make the atmosphere more lively.
But Zhao Ding seemed to be a different person and ignored his enthusiasm, making Marshal Wang, who had always had smooth sailing since arriving in Lin'an, feeling a little frustrated for the first time.
No one likes to touch someone's cold butt with a hot face. Wang Xie snorted coldly and stopped talking to this person.
You are still showing off, you are showing off as your mother!
We are all traitors and traitors, why are you pretending to be a loyal minister?
Only when he could see the archway of Changqingfang did Zhao Ding speak for the first time.
"Do you know what crime you committed?"
There were no people on the street, and he always spoke in a low voice... Only when he spoke in a low voice could others listen attentively and understand clearly.
Wang Xie understood what he heard and looked at this person strangely...
He understood every word, but when they were put together, he didn't understand what they meant.
Fortunately, Zhao Ding seemed to have opened up the chat room:
"The prosperous Tang Dynasty fell in the vassal town. Emperor Taizu learned from this experience and spent a lot of financial resources every year to strengthen weak branches, so he restrained you group of warriors."
Wang Xie only felt that he was chanting sutras, but also felt that this person was definitely not saying anything nice.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. It doesn't matter if you are incompetent."
"But you think you are hugging a big tree, relying on favor and being arrogant and domineering. Since the fifth year of Chongning, I have been an official for thirty-six years. Except when the Jin people went south, I have never seen any The city looks like what Lin'an looks like today."
"And this is all thanks to you."
"Do you really think you're fine?"
"Do you really think that besides Your Majesty, no one else in this world can protect you?"
"You are wrong Wang Xie, you are wrong!"
No matter how stupid Marshal Wang is, it is impossible not to understand these words.
But he still didn't understand why at this time, Zhao Ding, who had been following him for so long and made him look like a human being, suddenly remembered to say harsh words to him.
Either you should be like Hu Quan, or you should be like Wang Ciweng, sometimes on the left and sometimes on the right. What's the point? !
"Master Zhao, don't scare me. If I were afraid of being scared, I wouldn't come to Lin'an."
"We are just warriors. Unlike you, we don't know so many important things about our family and country. We only know how to follow His Majesty's path. No matter it is your Majesty, big or small, you are still your Majesty!"
"If something happens to everyone who follows Your Majesty..." Wang Xie smiled and said, "Do you think it is possible?"
Zhao Ding looked ahead: "His home is fifty steps ahead. You still have fifty steps, Wang Xie."
"What?"
"You can think about how you're going to die."
At this time, Marshal Wang couldn't hold back any longer. He endured it again and again, and finally laughed.
How to die?
Who will let himself die?
Is it you, the old man who has no power to restrain a chicken, or Xin Ciying, that old man who has no power to restrain a chicken, or is it the Nine Emperors who don't know where they are?
The gates of Lin'an City are all in my hands. If someone comes, how can I know about it?
But now I just don’t know, what does this mean?
It shows that Prime Minister Zhao has lost his mind and is really trying to scare himself!
"The officials have said that cutting off the head with a knife is the simplest way to die. It is not pleasant and cannot torture anyone."
Wang Xie agreed: "That's true."
"If it's Ling Chi, it's too slow. It's not suitable every time."
"I didn't expect the official family to have such insight."
"If you dig out your heart and lungs, you will die quickly."
Marshal Wang couldn't hold himself back: "Then what kind of death method is more appropriate?"
Zhao Dingle dismounted, they had arrived.
"There is no one in the world who is not afraid of death. Those who say they are not afraid are mostly because they don't know death... So officials say that death is not scary. What is scary is knowing the terror that death brings."
"Xiang Zhao, don't say any tongue twisters!"
"Cut off his limbs, gouge out his eyes, poison his ears, give him mute medicine, and make him live in the toilet..."
Even though Wang Xie was a soldier, he was already used to seeing corpses. He couldn't help but sweat a little after hearing this description.
Even the golden man... doesn't kill people like this.
He watched Zhao Ding knock the door, and he said with a forced smile:
"Xiang Zhao...what kind of statement is this? Why have I never heard it before?"
The door was opened quickly, and Zhao Ding was the first to step in. When he was about to leave, he looked back at him:
"That's called a pig."
(End of chapter)
