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"For such a big matter, wouldn't it be more appropriate to invite a highly respected person to Yuquan Mountain?" Uncle An Xiang asked tentatively.
As a member of the lords, he would naturally support using the capital in exchange for the safety of their lords and families, but he had no desire to do anything like contacting the people of the Tiger Flag in person.
Once this kind of thing leaks out, he, the person who contacted him, will only become a scapegoat. Not only will he lose his title, but his whole family will also be implicated.
The British prince Zhang Weixian, who had lived for a long time, knew from the moment Uncle Anxiang opened his mouth that he did not want to take responsibility and wanted to take advantage of him.
In this business, how could a suitable candidate who was finally selected be allowed to shrink.
The British Duke Zhang Weixian immediately said: "The reason why I chose you is entirely because you have been to Yuquan Mountain and have seen tiger thieves. You are the most familiar with each other. You are the most suitable to come forward. No one else would be as good as you."
"My lord, please don't talk nonsense. My nephew is not familiar with the tiger thieves at all. They only met once and still obeyed your majesty's order." An Xiangbo hurriedly cleared the relationship for himself.
If word got out that he, Uncle Anxiang, knew the tiger thief, it might spread and it would become that he, Uncle Anxiang, was the tiger thief's internal correspondent in the capital.
It may not be possible to avoid such rumors. He wants to eliminate this possibility from the root.
The British Duke Zhang Weixian laughed and said: "My dear nephew, you are too nervous. It is His Majesty's order that you go to Yuquan Mountain. This is something everyone knows, and no one will spread it outside."
"Thank you so much, Duke, for your understanding." Uncle An Xiang bowed his hands gratefully.
With the words of the British father, he felt a lot more at ease.
"Don't worry, I haven't finished what I said yet." The British Duke Zhang Weixian waved his hand to him and said immediately, "You have been in contact with the tiger thieves in Yuquan Mountain, so you can be considered acquainted with them. This is an indisputable fact. The capital's Among the nobles, you are the only one who can handle this matter well."
Hearing this, Uncle An Xiang turned into a bitter face.
After going around and around, the British prince still wanted to throw this matter of private contact with the Tiger Flag behind the court's back on him.
"My lord, you can't catch someone and use him to death. There are so many lords in the capital, and I'm the only one missing, so you can't replace him with someone else." Uncle An Xiang said humiliatedly for himself.
He really doesn't want to do something so easy to lose his head.
After being rejected one after another, the British Duke Zhang Weixian's face darkened and he said: "I have made it clear to you. As a member of the lords, you should do your part. So, as long as the matter is settled, I will go to Nanjing in the future. I, together with the other two princes, have taken action to turn you, Uncle Anxiang, into the Marquis of Anxiang, that's enough!"
"this!"
Uncle Anxiang wanted to refuse, but when he saw the British father's frosty face, he still did not say the words of refusal.
"That's it." British Duke Zhang Weixian decided the matter directly without giving Uncle An Xiang a chance to object.
As for turning an earl into a marquis, it was not a big deal in his opinion.
It wouldn't work here in the northern capital, but when I went to the southern capital and changed to a new king, the three princes would always find a way to help An Xiangbo become a marquis.
"My nephew, I obey."
An Xiangbo, who couldn't refuse, had to bite the bullet and agree.
He was also afraid that if he continued to refuse, he would offend the British Duke in front of him. In the future, his family, An Xiangbo, would be ostracized among the lords. Moreover, he also had brothers and cousins. If the three Dukes joined forces, they might not be able to let him go. The inheritance of Uncle Anxiang is changed to another person.
"That's right." The British Duke Zhang Weixian put a smile on his face again and said, "You are also doing things for the Lord in Beijing this time. When things are done, I, as an elder, will never let my nephew You suffer."
Uncle An Xiang nodded with a bitter look on his face.
It's not that he doesn't want to refuse, but that he doesn't even have the capital to refuse. In the final analysis, he, the little earl, is easier to bully.
"Okay, I won't keep you. My nephew has not returned home from seeing His Majesty in the palace. He should go back to meet his family and have a good meal with them." British Duke Zhang Weixian picked up the tureen on the table and began to serve it. guest.
Uncle An Xiang moved and asked, "I wonder when my nephew will go to Yuquan Mountain again?"
"Go back and have a good rest tonight. I will send someone to inform you tomorrow." British Duke Zhang Weixian said.
Uncle Anxiang understood.
He stood up from his seat, bowed respectfully to the British Duke Zhang Weixian, and said, "My nephew, I will not disturb the Duke."
The British Duke Zhang Weixian just held the tureen in his hand to his mouth and took a sip.
After saluting, Uncle An Xiang straightened up, turned and left the room.
Butler Zhang had been waiting outside the door. As soon as he saw Uncle An Xiang coming out, he immediately came up to him and led him out of the British mansion.
After Chongzhen failed to recruit generals of the Tiger-Character Banner again, the news quickly spread among some high-ranking people in the court.
Because the Xungui family has deep roots in Beijing, there are even people from them in the imperial palace, and there is Uncle An Xiang, one of his own who has been to Yuquan Mountain in person, so he can naturally get the news first.
But the way for civil servants to obtain information is not slow.
As soon as Cao Huachun and others returned to Beijing, Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren and other cabinet officials also knew about the matter.
The news quickly spread among the senior officials such as the six departments and ministers. On the contrary, not many low-level officials knew the news, and only some well-informed officials knew about it.
The response from the Lord's side was to protect the Lord's lineage, and some civil servants who were close friends also gathered in the mansion privately to discuss the next Jueshi.
Officials with a little foresight knew that this time the army threatened the capital, which was different from the previous attacks on the capital. All external signs showed that it would be difficult to defend the capital this time.
"Mr. Ge, please tell me something right when the time comes! We can't let everyone just sit back and wait for death!" A minister from the Ministry of Rites stared at Wen Tiren's face.
Mr. Wen Ge, who was considered a lonely minister by Chongzhen, also had many officials who served him.
If he was really a lonely minister, how could he be competing with Zhou Yanru, the chief minister, for the right to speak in the cabinet.
Without the support of factions around him, even the chief minister's orders cannot get out of the cabinet.
"Why are you anxious? The capital has gone through so many ups and downs, but in the end it is still standing. When you go back, it will be the same as usual. Don't think too much. The capital can hold on." Wen Tiren said.
"But even His Majesty used his title as a prince to bribe the general of the tiger thief." said the Minister of Rites.
Wen Tiren glanced at him and said: "I know that your Majesty used the prince to bribe the tiger thief general, and the cabinet also knows it, but this is not because he is afraid, but because your majesty wants the tiger thief to cause internal chaos and make them internally internal. Fight, I, the Ming Dynasty, will reap the benefits."
(End of chapter)
