On Lizi Street, a white horse galloped from north to south, and the young man in white riding on it was laughing all the way.
On Mingkang Street, a black horse galloped from west to east, and the young man in black holding the reins gritted his teeth and grimaced.
"Ouch~~~"
"Ouch~~~"
At the intersection of the two streets, the black horse couldn't dodge and was knocked to the ground by the white horse.
Seeing that he had hit someone, Xu Jinye hurriedly jumped off his horse and was about to go over to check the injury of the young man in black. Before Xu Suye could pass by, the young man in black picked up his mount, jumped on its back, and continued running.
"Hey, if something happens to you, go to the end of Lizi Street to find An Ruqing..."
Ou Xiaoxiao was so anxious and irritable at the moment that she had no time to pay attention to what he said behind her. She just drove her horse straight to Prince Yun's Mansion.
"Haha, this is a weirdo." Seeing that the other party seemed to have no intention of entangled, Xu Jinye shrugged and hurried along Lizi Street to Chengguan.
How could he dare to stay in this capital after he stole a rare horse? He didn't even want to see Xu Xugong or Xu Yuyu, he just wanted to return home to Ruozhou as soon as possible.
"Haha! The snow bird is mine..."
The venue for the martial arts conference was set in Ruozhou, which was already difficult to change. Zhang Suiguang thought about it and no longer worried about it. He decided to stay in the capital to complete the work in hand.
However, he had finished drinking a hundred jars of "Wu Bai", and it seemed difficult to satisfy his craving for other wines, so he simply sat in the yard and fished all day long.
The steward prepared a wooden barrel more than half a foot in diameter for Zhang Suiguang, which was specially used to temporarily keep the fish he caught.
When a fish bit the hook, Zhang Suiguang narrowed his eyes and with a gentle tug, a vividly colored red fish was pulled out of the water.
Zhang Suiguang put the fish into the barrel, smiled and said to himself: "I'm lucky today, I caught a fire carp!"
After admiring it for a while, he called out to the outside of the courtyard: "Come in."
Two men in black walked in and stood in front of Zhang Suiguang. After removing their cloaks, they turned out to be Bodhicitta and "Begonia".
"First of all, what happened to the dead soldiers Xia Muyan sent to Jinzhou?" Zhang Suiguang asked while sitting on a stone chair, holding the railing with one hand and holding a wine gourd with the other, moving his neck.
Bodhisattva bowed and replied: "Our people have already caught up with them. Calculating our distance, we should intercept them at Sima Temple."
"Yeah." Zhang Suiguang responded casually.
Seeing that he seemed to have no intention of speaking for a moment, Bodhicitta said: "Xia Muyan's more than 400 Honghai dead soldiers at the edge of the camphor forest in Kuangjiajiji in the west of the city have also been divided into several groups to hide, and we are all keeping an eye on them. On."
"Crack!" Zhang Suiguang turned his neck, groaned with satisfaction, and responded: "Yeah, okay. Go on."
From the expression on his face, no one could tell whether he was indifferent or confident.
"Hu Branch has been moving around a lot in the past few days. He has visited almost all the second-rank and above officials in the capital." Bodhicitta said softly.
Zhang Suiguang rarely interrupted and said with a smile: "It seems that they will be acting in these few days, so keep an eye on them."
"Yes!" Bodhicitta replied seriously, "Just yesterday, he changed all the guards and generals at the city gate and the palace. All the major gates in the capital were filled with his cronies."
The capital's gold-holding order is the chief officer of the capital's defense. The imperial guards of the palace and the more than 40,000 gold-holding guards in the city are all under his control. After Qie Jue's night attack, Emperor Yonghua also handed over the military camps outside the capital to him.
"Yeah." Zhang Suiguang finally frowned, showing a slightly troubled look, "Are our people confident of tearing apart the defense of the city gate?"
Bodhicitta's face froze, and he was a little stunned, not knowing how to answer.
"Not sure?" Zhang Suiguang's frown deepened and he asked coldly.
Bodhicitta hurriedly replied: "Master, there are 5,200 garrison guards at the gate, 2,900 for day duty, and 2,300 for night duty. In addition, there are 2,300 soldiers guarding the gate, which is less than ten miles away from the city gate." Camp, it’s really difficult for our people to do it.”
After hearing this explanation, Zhang Suiguang's expression softened a little, and he asked again: "How many people are there in Zhijin Weinan Camp?"
"There are three thousand people in total, of which about 1,700 are on day duty and less than 1,300 are on night duty." Bodhicitta replied.
In other words, the garrison at the city gate numbered 4,600 during the day and 3,600 at night.
How many sects in the world can defeat this kind of defense?
"How many more people can we use?" Zhang Suiguang asked in a deep voice, "Including the people from the Salt Gang."
Bodhicitta pondered for a moment, pinched it with his fingers, and replied: "Jiudian still has more than 600 people in the capital. Over at the Salt Gang, I just talked to Elder Li, and he said there are about a thousand people."
"How many people are there in Quzhou, Muzhou, and Sima Miao combined?" Zhang Suiguang asked again.
The Yan Gang is the largest gang in the world, with nearly 30,000 members. However, the main hall is thousands of miles away in Danyang City, Fuyang County.
"There are not many people in Jiudian in these three prefectures, about two hundred people in total. I don't know the actual number of Yan Gang, but Elder Li said a few days ago that there was an epidemic in Shanghe County, and all of us in those prefectures were affected. We have temporarily retreated to Danyang City, and I don’t think there will be many people coming.” Bodhicitta replied.
The people of Yanbang and Jiudian are also human beings, and they will still get sick and die when the epidemic comes. Therefore, Li Xuexi withdrew several sub-rudders in Shanghe County near Pingzhou and transferred the people to Danyang City. I originally thought that my gang would hold a martial arts conference and would need a lot of people, so I made preparations in advance. Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a disaster.
"I know." Zhang Suiguang gently stroked his short beard with the hand that supported his body, and said in a deep voice, "You guys go down, you have something to do recently, so cheer up. Also, I will kill all the spies from Prince Yun's Mansion outside. !”
Bodhicitta and "Begonia" agreed and bowed down.
"Hate Hongchen, your people should keep an eye on the Xu family." Zhang Suiguang thought of this and said again.
"Haitang" heard that the shopkeeper had something to explain, and immediately turned around and respectfully replied: "Yes, Palace Master."
... ...
In recent days, when he had some free time, Xia Muyan would sit down and copy scriptures. His habit has always been that the more critical the moment, the more he has to stay calm.
At this time, he was copying the "Book of Changes Shen Tong Qi", and beside him was the completed "Wuzhen Chapter".
The written page is: Don't be careful! The head of the imperial government is responsible for the reform and innovation, managing the subtle secrets, opening the Shububao, the important roads, Kuipiao, and unifying the key points. The lines move internally, and good and bad luck arise externally. The five latitudes are in wrong order and moved at the right time. Si Qi is surly and looks down. Wenchang recorded it and criticized Taifu. Every official has his own division, and each department has its own department.
After Xia Muyan finished writing, he recited it softly with a smile on his face.
Before the guest arrived, he turned over another page, which read: The right and wrong calendar Tibetan Dharma, look inside and think about it. Walking on the steps of Dougang, Liujia uses the sun as the sun. The Yin (*) Dao is disgusted with Jiuyi, and the turbidity messes up the cells. The gastrointestinal irritation makes the intestines and stomach vomit and exogenous evils are sucked out. He does not lie down and sleep day and night, and does not rest until dawn and dawn. His body is getting tired day by day, and he feels like he is in a trance. Hundreds of meridians and cauldrons are boiling, and they cannot live in peace. An altar was erected on the exhausted earth, and sacrifices were made day and night, and ghosts and creatures appeared in their images. Meng Meng sighs with emotion. The heart is happy and the mind is happy, thinking that it will be postponed, but he dies suddenly and his body is exposed by decay. The actions are contrary to the rules, and disobedience will result in the loss of the cardinal.
When he was copying to "Hai Shuo has not yet stopped", He Fukai walked into the study and reported softly: "The Duke of Li and Lord Hu are here."
Looking at the unfinished scriptures, Xia Muyan had a look of regret on his face, then he laughed and said, "Let's go!"
In the side hall, Hu Fengju and Hu Xiu'an and their son drank tea nervously. When they saw Xia Muyan approaching, they stood up.
"Uncle, Xiu'an, sit down quickly!" Xia Muyan said with a smile, "Why are you so polite to me?" He said and took a seat at the head of the table.
Hu Xiu'an rubbed her palms, her face looked a little awkward, and she didn't know what to say for a long time.
Xia Muyan looked at him with a smile and said in a clear voice: "Xiu'an, it's no use thinking too much at this point. Look forward, there should be a smooth road ahead."
The two of them are cousins, and they grew up playing together, so they naturally have feelings for each other. However, every time Hu Xiuan thinks of what Xia Muyan did, she always feels that it is difficult to get close to him. Listening to what he said, I thought he was warning me, so I quickly calmed down.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Hu Xiu'an replied seriously.
"Haha, you and I are cousins. Just call me Mu Yan as before." Xia Muyan said with a smile.
For more than thirty years, the two of them have known each other by their first names. Hu Xiu'an just blurted out the word "Prince" just now, not intentionally.
Where is the current Xia Muyan still the Xia Muyan of the past? Unknowingly, Hu Xiuan felt a few steps shorter.
Seeing that he was in a daze, Xia Muyan stopped paying attention and started talking about business: "Have the city and palace defenses been replaced?"
"They have all been replaced. They are all my confidants." When it came to business, Hu Xiu'an finally cheered up and replied, "Even so, I still detained a few of the generals' family members."
Xia Muyan nodded appreciatively and said with a smile, "That's good."
When doing such a big thing, there can't be any mistakes. Naturally, the safer it is, the better. Obviously, he is very satisfied with Hu Xiu'an's actions.
"Is Xia Jingyu watching over there?" Xia Muyan asked again.
In his opinion, the biggest thorn in his side was the 40,000 white-clad troops in the south of the city.
Hu Xiu'an naturally knew that the matter was important and had already made comprehensive arrangements. He immediately replied: "Ma Dushan's 60,000 men have been stationed in the south of the city, only thirty miles away from the white army camp. Once they make any changes, Ma Dushan will lead the army to hold them back." They. Although his combat power is not as good as that of the White Army, there are 20,000 more people after all, and as long as they are held back, nothing will go wrong. But..."
"But what?" Xia Muyan asked seriously.
Hu Xiu'an was a little uneasy and replied softly: "But after what I told him is completed, I will grant him the position of general."
Xia Muyan's face turned from cold to warm, and he smiled and said: "What's the point? If you have merit, you will be rewarded. His ability to contain the white army is a great achievement, and he will not be granted the position of general!"
It was really difficult to command a second-grade general who was not allowed to make huge profits from high-ranking officials. Xia Muyan could not leave the palace, so he had to let Hu Xiu'an lobby on his behalf. Unexpectedly, Ma Dushan actually asked for the position of general. At this time, Hu Xiu'an had no room for bargaining, so he immediately agreed.
"How is Father?" Xia Muyan asked again.
These days, Hu Xiu'an and He Fukai have been running errands for him outside. Everything he wants to know goes through them.
Hu Xiu'an was the Minister of Palace Defense. He would routinely call the imperial doctors here every day to inquire about Emperor Yonghua's physical condition. After listening to Xia Muyan's question, he replied: "Yesterday, three imperial doctors consulted with the emperor. Although they made it clear, they all said that the emperor The situation is very bad. It seems that the funeral will be held in these few days."
"Well, it's best to watch more carefully these days and don't let anyone else get close to my father." Xia Muyan said, suppressing a smile.
He had been in the cold for many years, so he naturally resented Emperor Yonghua. Now is the critical moment for him to ascend the throne. Of course, he hopes that Emperor Yonghua will die as soon as possible.
Although I thought so in my heart, I didn't dare to say it with my mouth. Since I was so happy in my heart, it was not easy to hide it.
"What direction is the wind blowing in the court?" Xia Muyan asked again.
After all, he needs the support of ministers to ascend the throne. Over the years, Prince Yun's palace has been building up its strength secretly, and there are only a few ministers in the court, and they are all of low rank. At this time, those people can't be counted on at all.
Hu Fengju, who had been silent for a long time, stroked his goatee and replied with a smile: "Most of the courtiers are just outsiders. I have visited all the dear ministers. Except for a few old stubborns, others naturally did not dare to say anything. We are all willing to sign a joint letter to support you as the new king."
I thought Xia Muyan would be very happy after hearing this, but unexpectedly he remained silent, clasping his fingers gently, and said for a long time: "Liu Yannian and Zhao Qingfeng are all first-class ministers with real power, and they have great prestige in the court. Not low, if they don’t agree..."
Although Hu Fengju did not name those people who did not agree, Xia Muyan already knew it. He shook his head and said: "People like Liu Yannian and Zhao Qingfeng have been close friends of King Duan for many years. Unless King Duan dies, these people will probably not It was so easy for me to take the position. If King Duan wants to push someone at this time, this group of people gathered together is also a very strong force, and we may not be able to take advantage."
"Then...?" Hu Xiu'an already understood and said softly, "But people say that King Duan has run out of oil and is about to die."
Xia Muyan shook his head, frowned and said coldly: "This matter may not be credible. Even if it is true, we should not wait. If he does not die, those who are on the sidelines in the court will not really surrender to me. The old man will never support my ascension to the throne."
Hu Fengju lowered his voice and asked softly: "Are you going to do something?"
"Don't rush yet." Xia Muyan shook his head and said, "If he is not dead after the funeral, we will take action again."
"Buzz~~~" Ou Xiaoxiao's mind was shocked and went blank for an instant.
After coming out of the restaurant, he galloped all the way to Prince Yun's Mansion without stopping even after a severe fall.
It just so happened that today all the gold guards outside Prince Yun's Mansion were replaced by people from Prince Yun's Mansion. Ou Xiaoxiao often ran here, so they naturally recognized him and let him in without any obstruction.
Ou Xiaoxiao ran to "Xiyuan" and did not see Xia Muyan. Later, when he met his sister, he found out that Duke Li and his son were at the house, and guessed that they were in the side hall. Unexpectedly, as soon as he came here, he heard that Xia Muyan wanted to kill King Duan.
