Although the weather is cold and freezing, there is no shortage of conservatory fragrance in Youzhou Palace. There was an incense burner placed in the hall. The fire in the burner was steaming and smoke was rising. After adding the spices, the young eunuch carefully withdrew, leaving behind a chamberlain who maintained a humble attitude.
Sitting on the seat was the imperial envoy Zhang Dejun, one of the two chief eunuchs in the Han Palace, who stood at the pinnacle of power in the eunuch profession. For the chamberlains below, this is a big shot that can directly affect their wealth, future, and even life and death. Zhang Dejun is even more awe-inspiring because he controls the secret espionage agency of the Imperial City Division.
The eunuch under Gongli was named Chen Yanshou. He was originally one of the powerful eunuchs of the Southern Guangdong Kingdom. In his early years, he came into contact with the imperial court as a messenger to the Han Dynasty. He was bribed by Zhang Dejun and became a spy for the Han Dynasty in the Southern Guangdong Kingdom.
Before the Han Dynasty Pingnan, it provided a large amount of internal information of Nanyue, which kept Nanyue transparent to the Han Dynasty for a long time. In the fifteenth year of Qianyou's reign, Wang's army went south, and Pan Mei led the army to conquer Lingnan. Chen Yanshou also worked secretly and actively cooperated. He even made a considerable contribution when the Han army entered Panyu.
After Nanyue surrendered, Chen Yanshou was sent to Tokyo together with Liu Yuan, the leader of Nanyue. Of course, he went north as a hero of the Han Dynasty. As for the hero, Emperor Liu would not treat him badly, even if he was just a eunuch and a traitor from southern Guangdong.
Initially, he was left in the Han Palace to serve as the supervisor of Yeting, but later Zhang Dejun asked him to go there and serve as the deputy envoy of the Imperial City Department. Probably due to his experience in southern Guangdong, Chen Yanshou accumulated rich experience in information spying and collection. He was also at home in the Imperial City Department, doing well, and successfully attracted the hatred of a large number of courtiers.
"Who leaked the news?" At this time, Zhang Dejun looked at Chen Yanshou with a gloomy look on his face and asked.
"Yesterday, after Concubine Xian asked Empress An, she summoned Privy Councilor Cao for questioning." Chen Yanshou replied.
"Where did the Concubine Xian get the news?" Zhang Dejun asked, his brows furrowed tightly.
"Duke Dai once went to visit the Concubine Xian!" Chen Yanshou said.
Hearing what he said, Zhang Dejun sighed with regret, and stopped asking how Zhe Deqin knew the bad news about the Mobei Expeditionary Force. Information blockade is always time-sensitive, and in the process of transmitting the information, it is inevitable that Give way.
Within the palace, most people are sensitive, and the energy of the emperor's relatives is also huge. It is also very difficult to completely hide the truth from the queen. In fact, it is not easy to hide it for so long.
As for Zhang Dejun, he also gave up the idea of taking advantage of this to attack him. If he was an ordinary person, it would be fine. The Duke of Dai, Zhe Deke, was the father of the country and the concubine Xian. The situation of the Han army in Mobei was also related to the safety of the two princes. Even the queen went above and beyond and directly asked Cao Bin about the military situation.
It is conceivable that this matter has turned into the emperor's household affairs, which is not something that servants like them can rashly interfere with. Therefore, even though he figured out the reason for the leak of the news, Zhang Dejun was not excited at all.
"Secretary, this kind of thing can only be kept secret for a while. The Zhe family has a huge influence in northern Xinjiang, so it is not surprising that we can get some news. When Duke Dai first arrived in Youzhou, the fourth prince was his grandson. In front of the concubine Xian Leaking something out is something unexpected and difficult to control!" Chen Yanshou said: "It's just that the officials had issued strict orders before, so if this thing is revealed, Long Yan will be furious!"
"How can you not be angry!" After Chen Yanshou said this, Zhang Dejun immediately said: "The officials just ordered the silence to save the Queen and the Concubine Xian from worrying. Now, the Queen and the Concubine are both angry and ill. When the officials come back, they can You can only imagine how angry he would be!"
As he said this, Zhang Dejun couldn't help but feel a headache. As Emperor Liu's loyal servant, Emperor Liu's mood was their barometer. Moreover, the angry Emperor Liu was not friendly to anyone.
"How did you find out about the expeditionary force?" Zhang Dejun asked after thinking about it for a while.
Although Emperor Liu did not give Zhang Dejun an edict on this matter because the influence of the Imperial City Department was limited to the capital, Zhang Dejun was very conscious and wanted to share the emperor's worries, mobilize resources, arrange manpower, and secretly follow up and investigate the matter.
However, apparently no results were obtained. Chen Yanshou also showed a slightly helpless expression and responded: "Five teams went north, but only one came back. No useful information was found. The others were probably trapped in Mobei. These are all subordinates. The capable officers and soldiers..."
"If we can find out the whereabouts of King Wei and Duke Zhao, no matter how many people we lose, it will still be worth it!" After listening to his words, Zhang Dejun said with a cold face: "Continue to send people! If our people are not familiar with us, we will find those who are familiar with them." Guides, Xi people, Saibei tribe and even Khitan people, find these people who can be used by me!"
"Yes!" For this reason, Chen Yanshou could only obey his orders.
"Is there anything gained from Wu Desi?" Zhang Dejun's tone unconsciously contained some strange emotions.
Chen Yanshou: "According to the investigation, the Wude Division also sent a large number of detectives to the north. They have more people than us and have been operating among the Saibei tribe for a long time. However, it seems that there are no results. There is no news from the Secretary or the Wude Division. , it’s difficult for us too!”
"I don't want to listen to this. Why don't you think about it this way? What benefits will there be if we take the lead to find out the situation?" Zhang Dejun said.
"You must urge your subordinates to send more manpower!" Although Chen Yanshou still found it difficult, he still promised.
As he spoke, he took a step forward, lowered his voice, and with a sinister look on his face, Chen Yanshou said: "Secretary, if the news is leaked this time, can you try to push it to Wu Desi? Some time ago, the officials have repeatedly behaved Out of dissatisfaction with Wude Secretary, if this kind of problem occurs again, then Wude Secretary..."
As he said that, Chen Yanshou laughed sinisterly. Hearing this, Zhang Dejun was interested, but after thinking about it for a moment, he still refused with difficulty. He shook his head and said, "Forget it! This method is of little use. You can find out clearly. Wude Si may not understand it. , if we do it secretly and expose it, we will get ourselves into trouble.
Furthermore, the consequences of scheming in official family matters are too terrible! In this matter, you have to hold back, not seeking no merit, but seeking no faults, otherwise, you will only give others a handle! "
Seeing Zhang Dejun's resolute attitude, Chen Yanshou did not insist. He just made a suggestion casually. After all, Emperor Liu was not Liu Yuan and was not easy to fool. Some of the palace fighting methods he used in the Nanyue Palace would not be dared in the Han Palace. Do it recklessly, otherwise it is a recipe for death.
"When will the officials arrive in Youzhou?" Zhang Dejun asked.
"According to the previous report, Luan Jia will arrive on the fifth day of November!" Chen Yanshou said.
"Send someone to report the situation in Youzhou to the officials exactly as they are!" Zhang Dejun ordered without much hesitation.
After saying that, Zhang Dejun couldn't help but shook his head slowly and said with emotion: "When the official family comes back, I'm afraid there will be a storm! The queen is so anxious that she even falls ill. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the official family on the queen's side. The explanation has been given..."
Having served Emperor Liu personally for more than ten years, Zhang Dejun knew Emperor Liu too well and also knew the relationship between him and the queen. Although they only care about the emperor, they can't help but care about the queen.
For the sake of the two princes, Cao Bin has been summoned to interrogate the situation, and he has blatantly interfered in politics. This is the first time in so many years, which shows how the queen feels this time.
