The three of them came to the study, and as soon as they sat down, Hu Yufei couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and then asked: "Have you heard about what happened at Chengtian Gate the past two days?"
Shen Lie nodded slightly: "Of course I have heard about it. Such a big event has almost shocked the whole world. We have heard a lot of rumors before we even entered the imperial capital."
"Crazy, really crazy!" Hu Yufei slapped his leg: "Hundred officials with imperial staff! How rampant is that demon queen Cheng Wen?! In the 820 years since the founding of the Holy Tang Dynasty, even the most violent emperor never touched her Such appalling thoughts!"
Shen Lie and Yuan Bin looked at each other and asked curiously: "Could it be that... Mr. Dong is among them?"
Hu Yufei smiled bitterly and shook his head: "With Dong Xiandi's character, can he not go? Forget about him, if I hadn't retired for many years, I would definitely go with him!"
Yuan Bin couldn't help but said anxiously: "I heard that Chengtianmen killed several ministers on the spot. Dong Shangshu is old and his body is weak. How is he?"
"It can be considered a blessing from God." Hu Yufei responded: "There are many people in the Forbidden Army who came from the Southern Army, and the soldiers in charge of Dong Xiandi's imperial staff happened to be all soldiers of the Southern Army. Because Dong Xiandi originally wanted to persuade The Jingxiang army surrendered to the emperor, and they often dealt with the Southern Army. Everyone in the Southern Army knew that he had made great contributions to Shengtang and was kind to the Southern Army. Therefore, other officials wanted to beat him to death, except for the Southern Army. He showed mercy. Otherwise, his old bones would have been beaten to pieces."
Hu Yufei sighed and continued: "However, even if it is so, the pain of the flesh and blood cannot be avoided after all. Dong Xiandi was so angry and in pain that he fainted on the spot and was later carried back to the mansion to recuperate. The next day, the inner court issued a reprimand edict. , although he was not dismissed from his post immediately, but he was given a serious reprimand and asked to reflect on his crime at home."
"I'm not afraid of being dismissed," Shen Lie said in a deep voice, "I'm just afraid that Cheng Wen will hold on to the relationship between Mr. Dong and the Protector and want to punish him to death."
Hu Yufei frowned: "I'm worried about this too. The relationship between Brother Dong Xian and the Protector, and the relationship between you and Murong Consort, is known to everyone in the court, and it's probably impossible to avoid this."
"Before Shen came here, the Protector General had foreseen this situation and made special arrangements. Therefore, we can transfer Lord Dong at any time." Shen Lie said solemnly.
"That's good, that's good." Hu Yufei nodded repeatedly: "Hurry up and leave this place of right and wrong, the sooner the better. However, Brother Dong Xian's matter is easy to handle, but it is difficult to handle Princess Fenyang's side."
Shen Lie raised his eyebrows: "What? Cheng Wen also attacked Li Xi?"
Hu Yufei said sadly: "It's not yet to the point of taking action, but it's almost the same. The Demon Queen found an excuse to take the princess into the palace by force and live with Concubine Hui. You think, isn't this a hostage?"
Yuan Bin looked at Shen Lie and said, "It's the same as what Protector Dadu and Commander Murong guessed."
Shen Lie nodded and turned to ask: "Master Hu, do you have a way to contact Li Xi?"
Hu Yufei thought for a while and responded: "I do have a disciple who has been serving as an errand at Zongzheng Temple and can enter and leave the inner court freely. In this case, I will contact him first and take a look."
Shen Lie said happily: "It's not necessary to get in touch with the princess right away. It would be better to find out about her and Concubine Hui's current situation first."
Hu Yufei nodded, thought for a while, and suddenly lowered his voice and said: "Shen Changshi, your coming this time should be more than just rescuing the princess, right? The Zhenjiang army is full of talents and masters. A mission like this can be done casually. Anyone can be sent.”
Shen Lie secretly praised Hu Yufei for his maturity, and responded with a smile: "To be honest with you, I came here for Cheng Wen and the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion. Mr. Hu, do you think the emperor is really being raped?" Cheng Wen is under house arrest for murder."
"Is there any need to say that? That's for sure!" Hu Yufei said angrily: "Whether the emperor is poisoned or sick, even if he is paralyzed by a stroke and bedridden, there is no reason why he should not see the ministers all the time! What if he is really unconscious? , then according to the rules, the royal family and important ministers will work together to govern. But as it is now, His Majesty can still issue edicts and decrees to the outside world, but he just hides from everyone. What does it mean? It means that something is wrong with the emperor! Otherwise, , and we won’t tear ourselves apart at Chengtianmen and beat up hundreds of officials!”
Shen Lie frowned: "If that's the case, why do everyone continue to tolerate it? Doesn't anyone want to rescue the emperor?"
Hu Yufei shook his head: "Hey, it's easier said than done, Brother Shen. Do you think it's still the same as when you were in the court? Back then, Beiya Nilinsi, not to mention a mere queen, even if all the people in the royal family were put together, , and no one dares to touch even a hair of the emperor. You know, the Nilin Division is the emperor's private army, so they really dare to kill and bleed for the emperor. But what about now? The current Nilin Division is just a bunch of cowards who are picking on the inside and outside. !”
He paused and continued: "The emperor was suddenly plotted, and the Demon Queen quickly used the imperial edict to control the imperial army. Without military power, no matter how high-ranking the courtiers are, they are just like lambs to be slaughtered. You let them How to save the emperor? They can't even withstand the beating from Chengtianmen."
Shen Lie took a long breath of helplessness and thought to himself: Who can be blamed for this? The person most to blame is Li Bing himself. As the leader of a country, he is suspicious and stubborn, jealous of talents and talents, alienates loyal ministers and good generals, and gets close to treacherous villains. From Wei Zixuan to Tian Mu, from Tian Mu to Cheng Wen, this series of crises are all the consequences of what he has planted with his own hands.
Back then, as the prince, he did not believe in the late emperor, but was willing to believe in Xie Guang and Lao Jianhua, which almost led to the destruction of the Shengtang Sheji.
Now, he is no longer worried about Jiang Yao, Shen Lie, and even Murong Xue. Instead, he trusts the rebel spy Wei Zixuan, trusts the profit-seeking Tian Mu, and trusts the snake-hearted Cheng Wen.
It is no exaggeration to say that it is one’s own fault!
What Jiang Yao said at the beginning still makes sense: "There is no need to compete with people like Li Bing for a moment. If you do many unjust things, you will be killed. There will be times when he will suffer a big loss."
Now it seems that Jiang Yao was right. Li Bing himself brought misfortune to himself and brought misfortune to the whole world.
To tell the truth, if the late emperor hadn't generously died for the Holy Tang Dynasty, I'm afraid that his heroic soul will be so clear that he will never be able to rest in peace. I really don't want to deal with this mess in front of him anymore!
-
Hu Yufei's words suddenly pulled Shen Lie out of his complicated thoughts: "Brother Shen, please tell me how to deal with the Demon Queen next?"
Shen Lie cupped his hands and said: "Master Hu, you are an old man in the imperial court. Shen would like to hear your opinions first. Please give me your advice."
"Guidance is out of the question," Hu Yufei waved his hand: "I'm old, and many things are useless...Hey, to be honest, even if I wasn't old, I wouldn't be considered a top figure in the court. . Taifu Nian and Commander He are the mainstays of Shengtang. However, from my perspective, there are only two ways to solve the current crisis, one with a small cost and the other with a high cost."
Shen Lie responded: "You mean a coup in the imperial capital, or sending troops to quell the rebellion."
Hu Yufei stroked his long beard and nodded: "That's right. If you want to pay less, then launch a coup within the imperial capital and eradicate the Demon Queen and all the forces of her Cheng family in one fell swoop. But if you don't care about the cost, you have to look at The capital has been protected. Hundreds of thousands of troops have mobilized to serve the king and fight back to the capital!"
Shen Lie smiled bitterly: "Of course we hope that we can avoid major wars. We will try not to engage in major wars. Over the years, Shengtang's army has done nothing else. Only brothers are fighting against each other and killing each other."
"Then let's carry out a small-scale coup!" Hu Yufei waved his hand: "As long as you are well prepared, a few or a dozen people can actually make it happen. Isn't that what the Demon Queen does? And our Shengtang's When the Holy Lord opened his pilgrimage, he only brought nine people with him, and he killed Prince Yin who was competing with him for the throne."
Of course Shen Lie understood the truth he was talking about, but as Mr. Hu said, the prerequisite for launching a coup to seize power was to be well prepared. Otherwise, it is tantamount to dying in vain.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Lie said in a deep voice: "Then we will make full preparations in this direction. The first step is to confirm the safety of the princess, Concubine Hui, Concubine Shu, and the princes, as well as the condition of His Majesty."
Hu Yufei slapped his chest: "I'll ask about these things."
Shen Lie nodded gratefully, then turned to Yuan Bin: "You go contact the brothers in the Intelligence Department and prepare to escort Dong Tianxing's family out of Beijing. This matter needs to be done quickly!"
"I humbly obey my orders!" Yuan Bin agreed loudly.
Shen Lie then said to Hu Yufei: "Mr. Hu, since our first choice is to launch a coup, we must now try to paralyze Cheng Wen and make her relax her guard and think that she has the overall situation under control. Only in this way can we have a chance to succeed. "
Hu Yufei agreed: "You are right. I understand what you mean. I have secretly informed some old friends in the past few days to advise them not to confront the queen head-on, but to take the initiative to show their loyalty."
"It's not necessary to show loyalty, as that will arouse Cheng Wen's suspicion." Shen Lie sneered, "Shen will go find someone and ask him to come forward to perform in the opera. Then everyone will be asked to cooperate."
Hu Yufei hesitated for a moment and tried to ask: "Brother Shen, can you explain it in more detail? I would like to talk to the courtiers in advance. Of course, if it is not convenient to say it, then forget it. I can just remind them to pay attention." "
Shen Lie said calmly: "What's the inconvenience to say? I don't have to hide anything from you. The person I'm looking for is Tian Mu."
"Tian Mu? The guy with the head and the rat on both sides?" Hu Yufei was a little surprised.
"Yes, it's him." Shen Lie smiled and said, "I want to force Mr. Tian to write a memorial to Cheng Wen, suggesting that while the emperor is ill, the queen should temporarily handle the affairs."
Hearing this, Hu Yufei showed a shocked expression at first, and then reacted: "Wonderful, Shen Changshi, it is indeed you!"
