Yinas suddenly felt an impulse and almost wanted to tell Shen Lie directly that she was not Hesijia, but the maid Anya was the Turkic princess.
However, when the words came to her lips, she held back.
What if the cunning Shengtang people were just deceiving themselves? The identity of the princess that she had worked so hard to conceal was completely exposed.
In other words, even if the other party really plans to exchange hostages, they may not believe the real and fake princess. In the end, it will make the situation more complicated and put Hesijia in danger.
Thinking of this, Yinas tried her best to suppress her nervous and entangled emotions, and pretended to say casually: "Master Shen, I also believe that Father Khan will care more about me. However, there is something I am curious about and want to ask you."
"Princess, it's okay to speak up."
Yinas smiled faintly: "Why does Mr. Shen keep staring at Lao Jianhua? You know, in terms of my identity, isn't it more valuable to you Shengtang?"
Shen Lie's face was calm: "Shen's beloved wife and daughter were killed by thieves back then. No matter what the price, I will catch him. Princess understands."
Inas did not expect that there was such a deep hatred between the two people, and she was stunned for a while. After a long time, she sighed softly: "Please forgive me for making you mention something sad. "
Shen Lie smiled lightly: "It doesn't matter. Shen is already used to it."
Inasi secretly grasped the other party's heart and tried to say: "Sir, I am willing to cooperate with your substitution, but there is a small condition."
"Oh? Please tell me."
"I hope to take that maid with me," Inas said cautiously, "She has been by my side for many years and has a deep relationship with her. I can't bear to leave her in a foreign country."
She observed Shen Lie's reaction and added: "If you don't agree, then I would rather stay in the imperial capital. Please believe me, as long as I don't want to, there are a hundred ways to destroy your plan and prevent you from getting anything." Lao Jianhua."
Shen Lie once again showed the same puzzled expression as before, but he responded: "This is a small matter, it shouldn't be a problem."
Seeing the other party nodding, Yinas finally felt relieved and stood up Yingying: "If there is nothing else, I will go back first. Please arrange for the maid to come back to me as soon as possible."
Shen Lie did not comment on this and asked instead: "Oh, by the way, there is one more thing. I want to hear the princess's side of the story."
"What's the matter?"
"Xu Youchang, do you know the princess?"
Yinas first looked at Shen Lie, who was sitting firmly opposite, and then said word by word: "He is the great hero of Shengtang who captured me with his own hands. How dare you not recognize him?"
Shen Lie smiled: "Really? How did Shen hear that there was someone else who captured the princess? But this is not important. What is important is, why does Captain Xu care so much about you?"
Inas showed an amused expression: "He cares about me? How come I don't know?"
"Last time Shen went to visit the princess. As soon as he left, Xu Youchang also went to the small courtyard of Xuanzhengfang." Shen Lie stared at Yinas: "Ordinarily, his Xuanjia Army has nothing to do with the Turkic prisoners of war, no. Do you know what you all talked about?"
Just when Yinas was about to speak, Shen Lie suddenly raised his hand to stop her, and then said: "Princess, it is best to be honest about this matter. Otherwise, it will directly affect Shen's decision on whether to return it to you or not." That maid."
Yinas was stunned for a few seconds, and then smiled: "To be honest, I'm afraid that you won't believe me. Your General Xu has taken a liking to my maid Anya, and has visited me several times. The person he wants to visit is not me, but How about his beloved girl? Are you satisfied with this answer?"
-
The year 820 of the Holy Tang Calendar was destined to be an extremely unsettling year for the emperor Li Chengwu.
In the early spring of this year, six northern states suffered from a rare drought in history, and hungry people were everywhere. Not long after, another major earthquake occurred in Southwest Jiange, affecting hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
The imperial court opened the treasury and worked hard to provide disaster relief. It was not easy to resettle all the victims in the south and north. Suddenly, military news came from the Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang.
The Turkic Empire's 150,000 Blood Wolf Clan army roared in, and the thirty-six countries were in danger!
With no other choice, Shengtang quickly cheered up and sent out his most elite legion to join forces with the Zhenjiang Protectorate to fight against the enemy, and finally drove the Turks out.
However, before everyone could take a breath, Taifu Nian Shi, who was regarded as the mainstay of the court, suddenly died of illness due to overwork.
The pillars of the country collapsed in one day.
The political situation in Shengtang suddenly fell into panic.
At this time, the Xuanjia Legion, which had made great achievements in battle, suddenly followed the commander Xie Guang back to the Central Plains without meeting the orders, and staged a scene of troops approaching the imperial capital.
For the sake of the overall situation, Li Chengwu finally chose to endure the matter. Whether it was the imperial envoys or officials who sent letters one after another, or the Nilin Division's secret report, he ignored it, and instead rewarded the Xuanjia soldiers heavily.
But unexpectedly, the emperor's kindness of tolerance did not make Xie Guangzhi of Shangzhu Kingdom restrain himself. On the contrary, the general in charge of the army intensified his efforts and further extended his hand into the court.
In just a few months, many important officials from the Ministry of War, the Imperial College, and Jiangnan Province, from the central to the local levels, were overthrown by Xie Guang, and the conflicts between the two sides intensified.
Li Chengwu spent the whole day trying his best to appease Tan Shiming while trying to persuade Xie Guang. He couldn't help but feel confused and worried.
After surviving until the end of the year, Li Chengwu thought that as long as he persisted and got through this rough year, he might be able to improve a lot in the coming year.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
After all, this year is not over yet, and of course it is not easy either.
As the New Year approaches, a rumor suddenly spreads in the imperial capital, saying that the guardian of the Holy Cult Covenant and the Taifu Nian Jinsong passed away. The emperor then had the intention of breaking the contract and planned to depose the prince Li Xuance and replace the prince of Huai'an with Li Xuanye as the crown prince.
This vicious rumor immediately made Li Chengwu restless.
He was lazy, fun-loving, and out of tune. He admitted all these, but he never thought of breaking his original oath and betraying his royal brother.
What are the benefits of being an emperor? I don't want my son to suffer like this!
This is the truest thought in Li Chengwu's heart.
At the same time, as an emperor, he also knew very well that the rumors of deposing the crown prince were by no means idle speculations of meddling people. There was an extremely strong flavor of conspiracy behind it!
In order to find out the whole story, Li Chengwu ordered the Nilin Division to launch a secret investigation. It was necessary to find out as soon as possible who was responsible for such vicious sowing discord and what was the purpose.
In addition, he also asked the Jingzhao Yin Mansion to closely inspect the wine shops and teahouses in the city. If Jufan found anyone spreading rumors in public, he would immediately capture them and detain them for questioning.
However, what Li Chengwu didn't expect was that Jingzhao Yin Liu Zhong did not bother to report the arrest of those who spread the rumors, but instead sent a memorial to complain.
Xie Guang, a first-grade military lord, the commander of the Shangzhu Kingdom and the Xuanjia Army, led his troops to attack the imperial palace without authorization, and deceived the emperor!
Li Chengwu's head was enlarged twice and he felt very annoyed. He pointed to the memorial and asked Shen Lie, who was standing under the imperial steps: "Do you know about this?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, I was at the scene at that time," Shen Lie said calmly, "I was fortunate enough to witness the whole process with my own eyes."
Li Chengwu was slightly startled: "Are you there? Why didn't you stop Xie Guang?"
Shen Lie: "Shangzhu State claims that Qi Ying is a deserter from the Xuanjia Army, and he carries important military information that cannot be lost. Even the humble ministers cannot compete with this reason."
"Nonsense!" Li Chengwu said depressedly: "Others don't know your true identity, don't Xie Guang and Liu Zhong know it too? Ni Lin Chang Shi represents me, why can't you come forward to shoulder it first? You have to get it It’s so incompetent that you come here to give me problems, it’s really annoying!”
Shen Lie smiled and shook his head: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Precisely because the Nilin Division is your Majesty's people, it is even more difficult for me to come forward easily, otherwise..."
Li Chengwu knew what he wanted to say, and waved his hand helplessly: "Okay, I don't really want to blame you. Tell me, what do you think about this matter?"
Shen Lie said with a serious expression: "Xie Guang does have evil intentions, and Qi Ying probably represents more than just Lao Jianhua."
Li Chengwu also became serious: "You mean, there are... Turks?"
"It's probably not wrong." Shen Lie nodded slightly: "The Turks, Lao Jianhua, and Xie Guang must have some kind of connection in private, and the thing they want to do may be the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang."
Li Chengwu was silent for a moment, and then said quietly: "It seems to be similar to what I originally guessed. The Turkic Empire has been coveting the Western Frontier for a long time, and it is definitely not something that hundreds of thousands of blood wolf troops can stop with a casual attack. And they are afraid of the Holy Spirit. If the Tang Dynasty's national and military power wants to succeed, it needs to rely on internal support. Our Shangzhu Kingdom is the best candidate."
"That's not all," Shen Lie analyzed: "Xie Guang also has his own plans. The Turks will never be able to bribe him with money and treasures. In addition, Lao Jianhua, who has been absconding in fear of crime, was once a member of the King of Jin. He If you are involved in the situation at this time, you may have ulterior motives."
Li Chengwu nodded: "I agree with what you said. Lao Jianhua himself is not simple, and now he has become the link between Tujue and Xie Guang. Catching him is the key to the whole incident. Only by mastering a solid and sufficient Only with evidence can we leverage Xie Guang. You know, his prestige in the military is almost unmatched by anyone. Sometimes I feel helpless."
Shen Lie knew in his heart that the emperor's worries were justified.
The kings of the Shengtang Dynasty were all the most brave heroes in the world. Under the dual suppression of imperial power and military power, the armies of the dynasty were naturally honest and loyal. However, Li Chengwu happened to be an emperor who did not like to fight and was not good at fighting. In addition, the process of his succession was somewhat unfair, so he had never been able to truly control Shengtang's armed forces.
For many years, the royal family, the Taifu, the Ministry of War, the commanders of the legions, and the governors of state capitals have been running military affairs in a state of mutual restraint and relative balance. This has also led to the opportunity for generals like Xie Guang to form secret alliances. Party, rapid rise.
After Nian Jinsong's death, the court no longer had the power to suppress the general, and Xie Guang immediately became arrogant and domineering.
If this continues, the political situation will be in danger.
Including Li Chengwu, many people have already seen the clues. However, it is one thing to see it, and another thing to deal with it properly.
Xie Guang is not the princes and princes who were captured and killed, nor the ministers of the Ministry of War, the governor of Jiangnan, and the Imperial Academy who were dismissed. He is a famous general with hundreds of thousands of elite troops in his hands. If he wants to overthrow him, he only needs to It is not enough to wear the label of "disloyal".
There must be irrefutable proof!
Without solid criminal evidence and careful military preparations, no one can touch Xie Guang, not even Li Chengwu.
As a close secret minister, Shen Lie certainly understood the emperor's difficulties. Now I am blindly holding back and giving in, just so that one day I can win completely.
He sighed secretly, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the arrangements for exchanging Princess Yingyang of the Turks for Lao Jianhua have already begun. I believe there will be a result soon. In addition, I have secretly found out that the Xuanjia Army Hussars are in the capital. It is indeed as the princess said that Xu Youchang, the captain of the Wei Dynasty, frequented each other because he fell in love with her maid Anya, and was not acting secretly under Xie Guang's order. Not only that, I also learned that Xu Youchang had some criticisms of Xie Guang's recent actions, which shows that They’re not all the way.”
Li Chengwu nodded slightly and took a long breath: "That's good. Alas, he is a descendant of the Xu family after all. I don't want him to really get on Xie Guang's ship. In this case, go and pass the order and ask the old general Xu Lie After entering the palace, I can safely talk to him about the future events."
