"Your Majesty Chengdong, please pay homage to the Queen."
"Get back on your feet." Cheng Wen said calmly: "Servant, I will have a chat with the Duke of Zhenguo about domestic affairs. You can all step aside for the time being. There is no need to wait here."
The chambermaids and maids agreed in unison, and they were all gone in the blink of an eye. Cheng Wen glanced at the elder brother standing in front of him and said in a deep voice: "How is the matter? Do you have any clues?"
Cheng Dong shook his head: "The Criminal Department is still investigating, but there is no progress. I went to see Tian Mu the day before yesterday. He only said that he had found another den of the Xinjiang Army and arrested four people. However, the evidence about the murder of the second brother is currently unknown. have not Get it yet."
"A bunch of trash!" Cheng Wen gritted her teeth and cursed: "We usually brag to the sky, but at critical moments we can't expect anything. Without evidence, what's the use of arresting more secret agents of the Xinjiang Army? There is still nothing we can do against Li Jiangyao! "
Cheng Dong hesitated for a moment and said hesitantly: "Sister, is it appropriate to bite Li Jiangyao so hard right now? After all, he has to lead his troops to suppress the rebellion. I'm afraid..."
Hearing this, Cheng Wen immediately glared at the other party and said coldly: "What are you talking about? What's wrong with counterinsurgency? Is it great? Even if Li Jiangyao kills all the Jiangnan rebels, he can't do anything for me. The second brother deserves his life! Big brother, don’t forget, why did the second brother offend Li Jiangyao? Wasn’t it to kill that bitch Lian Ji to avenge our father? Now he has been plotted for this, but we don’t plead for him If you get justice, will you still be considered a human being?"
Being scolded by his sister, Cheng Dong suddenly blushed. He sighed helplessly and muttered: "I have told my second brother a long time ago that there is no rush to avenge my father. At this moment, please be patient. Don't easily anger Li Jiangyao and cause the situation to get out of control. But not only did he not listen, but he also took the initiative to attack the opponent. Isn't this...isn't he asking for trouble? Along with the entire Cheng Mansion, it is possible that the Zhenjiang Army will take revenge. The goal."
Cheng Wen raised her eyebrows and said angrily: "What? Are you scared?"
"Are you not afraid?" Since Cheng Dong made his words clear, he simply continued: "In less than a month, Wei Zixuan and Tian Mu, under the banner of revenge for their second brother, swept away the intelligence network of the Zhenjiang Army in the imperial capital. , killing nearly a hundred people. This is a bloody debt. If Li Jiangyao is pushed into a hurry, once he abandons the bottom line, won't it be our family that will be unlucky in the end?"
Cheng Wen sneered and said: "How dare he?! I am the queen, and you are relatives of the emperor. If Li Jiangyao blatantly harms the Cheng family, it will be a rebellion! At that time, it will be time for the emperor to destroy him!"
Cheng Dong felt helpless about his sister's self-righteousness. Although Cheng Wen can be regarded as a smart and intelligent person, she is only limited to managing her own family, or at most the harem. She knew nothing about government affairs, let alone the power of the army and the battlefield.
Let the emperor destroy Li Jiangyao? If Li Bing relied on himself, he might not even be able to defeat the Jiangnan rebels. Why would he still want to defeat the Xinjiang Army? It’s simply a fantasy.
However, he couldn't explain these truths to Cheng Wen, and she couldn't understand them. In the end, she laughed at him for being a cowardly elder brother.
Now that the matter has come to this, all we can do now is think carefully about how to keep the Zhenguo Palace.
Cheng Dong sighed secretly and said: "If things really get that bad, Shengtang will probably be in chaos again. In my opinion, it's better to control the situation as much as possible. Only when you have real strength can you prevent yourself from being hurt."
Cheng Wen knew what he meant by "really gaining strength" and also understood that her eldest brother was not optimistic about the power of her "Queen" yet, so she nodded: "You are right. Based on my status alone, it is true that It's hard to say that victory is guaranteed. Only when the Cheng family controls the power of the court can it be stable. Brother, have Cheng Nan and Cheng Bei made arrangements?"
Hearing her ask about this, Cheng Dong nodded and replied: "Both of them were selected and transferred by the Forbidden Army. The third brother joined the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and the fourth brother was assigned to the first banner of the Forbidden Army. They are both direct soldiers of the emperor. , and the treatment is generous. In addition, the brothers in the second and third bedrooms have also gone to the Azure Dragon Corps and the Suzaku Corps, and at least they have become captains."
Cheng Wen nodded slightly: "That's good. I'll say hello to the Prime Minister later and promote them as soon as possible to raise their rank."
Cheng Dong frowned when he heard this, and couldn't help but said: "Sister, there is something that I cannot help but remind you. You have only become the queen not long ago, your foundation in the palace is not yet stable, and the relationship between the emperor and you is not deep yet. , try not to interfere in the affairs of the court. Interfering in politics in the harem is a taboo for the royal family. Once His Majesty finds out, something will happen."
"Brother, don't worry, I'm not that stupid?" Cheng Wen smiled coldly: "I said hello just as a metaphor, but I didn't really ask Wei Zixuan to say anything. He is also a smart person and will understand what I mean. Not only He has to find a way to help the Cheng family and those aristocratic families who have good relations with us. This is the overall situation, and it is also good for him. "
Cheng Dong sighed secretly and said: "There have been many changes in the court recently. Wei Zixuan himself has a headache. The so-called overall situation may not be so easy to advance."
Hearing this, Cheng Wen raised her eyebrows and asked curiously: "What exactly has changed? Even Shangshu Zuopushe has a headache?"
"Actually, those things are also related to our plan," Cheng Dong explained: "Didn't Wei Zixuan and Yin Chengyi suggest to the emperor that they recruit noble children to join the army and gain military power? Li Xiuming, a subordinate of Tong Zhongshu's sect, also took the opportunity to go to Shu , recommended several honorable men to join the government and participate in politics, filling the official vacancies caused by the massacre of poisonous soldiers and assassins."
"Oh? Who have been recommended?" Cheng Wen asked.
"There are more than twenty in total, both civilized and military, and they are all acquaintances." Cheng Dong introduced: "Li Maoxun, Chang Sunyue, Chen Ziling, Huang Xuan, they all came forward."
Cheng Wen nodded: "Indeed, they are all acquaintances. The relationship with our Cheng family is neither far nor close. What? Are they going to fight against Zuo?"
Cheng Dong sighed: "Not yet, but it will happen sooner or later. Because these people are usually very dissatisfied with Wei Zixuan and his family, thinking that many of their actions are motivated by selfish desires and harm the interests of the country."
Cheng Wen was very sensitive: "It's strange that Duke Jing and Duke Fu never liked to participate in government affairs. After Prince Hejian was injured in the battle in the early years, he even became a wandering crane. Why did such good people jump out? And it was Li Xiu who made the show. Recommended, no matter how you look at it, it’s weird.”
"You don't know yet," Cheng Dong said angrily: "Li Xiuming is just a front-stage opera singer, there are people behind him."
Cheng Wen was stunned: "Who is it? Is it the Liu family?"
Her position as queen originally belonged to Miss Liu Yanru of the Liu family, so she was very concerned about Wen Kui's capital.
Cheng Dong shook his head: "Li Xiuming's backer is not the Liu family, but Princess Fenyang."
"Oh, who do I think it is? No wonder!" Cheng Wen couldn't help but sneered: "Li Xi married Murong Xue and later had an affair with Li Jiangyao. She instructed Li Xiuming to move out of the Hejian County Prince just to help His adulterer!”
Cheng Dong said: "I don't think so. Although the seventh princess belongs to Li Jiangyao's faction, Prince Hejian and Duke Jingguo are not. I have known these people since childhood. They only have Shengtang in their hearts and will not easily favor military generals. of."
Hearing this, Cheng Wen couldn't help but laugh secretly in her heart: The eldest brother Cheng Dong is too naive. Why does he only have Shengtang in his heart? It's okay to tell the emperor this kind of nonsense to show loyalty. Who would take it seriously?
However, she was too lazy to talk about this with the other party, and instead asked: "What does your majesty say about the Hejian County Prince and the others entering the court?"
"Your Majesty seems to have nodded." Cheng Dong responded: "To be honest, Wei Zixuan was a little too impatient. He arranged for nobles to join the army and tried to support and win over him. The emperor was not blind, so he was naturally wary of this. He was worried about Zuo As a result, the Xiang Yi Department expanded its strength and became too powerful to lose in the future, so it accepted Li Xiuming's suggestion and decided to introduce Li Maoxun and others into the DPRK to check and balance the left prime minister."
Cheng Wen was slightly stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect that the situation in the DPRK was so complicated, and she couldn't help but worry again: "Can you find a way to suppress this matter? Do you want me to advise your majesty?"
"Don't!" Cheng Dong quickly stopped: "Have you forgotten what I just said? It is really taboo to interfere in politics in the harem. Once you cause His Majesty's displeasure, you are finished! It's better for Wei Zixuan to let Wei Zixuan have a headache. Yes. As far as our Cheng family is concerned, it’s best if both parties don’t offend.”
Cheng Wen shook her head helplessly and thought to herself: If the second brother was here, he would never be so cowardly. It's a pity that God is jealous of talents. The second brother plotted for Li Jiangyao and lost a general of the Cheng family.
Thinking of this, she snorted angrily: "No matter what, I must avenge the second brother. It doesn't matter whether the eldest brother is willing to help."
Cheng Dong was stunned for a moment and said in surprise: "How do you plan to repay this?"
"You don't need to worry about it, I have my own way." Cheng Wen responded coldly: "In short, I won't hurt you."
When Cheng Dong saw his sister saying this, he knew that her mind had been made up and that his persuasion was in vain, so he could only sigh helplessly and resigned.
After leaving the palace, Cheng Dong returned directly to the mansion. He sat down and drank half a cup of hot tea when a servant came to report that the governor was outside asking for an audience.
Yin Chengyi came to visit in person. Cheng Dong couldn't help but feel surprised. He quickly got up and went out to greet him in person. As soon as the two met, Yin Chengyi said with a smile: "Master Zhenguo, I haven't seen you for a long time. Your demeanor is even better than before. Today, I am here to congratulate you."
As soon as these words came out, Cheng Dong was even more confused. While guessing the other party's intention, he cupped his hands and said, "The Governor is joking. How happy is Cheng Dong?"
Yin Chengyi deliberately played it off: "What? Don't you invite me in for a cup of tea? Let's talk slowly?"
"Oh, blame me for being confused, I'm rude and rude." Cheng Dong greeted quickly: "Commander, please come in quickly, please."
He enthusiastically led the way and accompanied the other party to the main hall. At the same time, he ordered his servants to serve good tea quickly.
Yin Chengyi sat down safely, and after everyone was busy, he smiled faintly and said: "Dong Zhen Guo, you are going to be promoted."
Cheng Dong was stunned: "Gaosheng? Where do you start talking about this?"
"Then I have to thank the Prime Minister Zuo." Yin Cheng said resolutely: "Just now, Mr. Wei met with Your Majesty and offered you a prestigious official position."
"What official position?"
"The military affairs inspector of the Southern Expedition," Yin Chengyi grinned: "To put it simply, he is the commander-in-chief who inspects each legion!"
