Although Changsheng tried his best to refuse, Fan Jingming personally sent the guards for dozens of miles, with very thorough etiquette and an extremely considerate attitude.
The reason why Fan Jingming was so courteous to Changsheng was not only because of his respect for him, but also because Changsheng was currently in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and all supplies for the troops stationed abroad were allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs.
When they parted, Fan Jingming finally heard what he wanted to hear most, "General Fan, please come back. The one million taels of military supplies planned to be allocated to Qingyang by the Ministry of Revenue will be delivered within half a month." '
There are multiple considerations why Changsheng made this guarantee to Fan Jingming. First, Qingyang is located on a traffic artery and is the most important border town in Qinzhou. It is responsible for the defense of the north, south, and west, and military supplies and wages must be guaranteed. Second, Fan Jingming was a close confidant of the emperor. Providing food and grass in full and in a timely manner would not only give Fan Jingming face, but also give the emperor face.
The mood on the return trip was much more relaxed than when they came. At the second watch, everyone arrived at Fuyang Realm. Although they could reveal their identities and go to the city to spend the night, Chang Sheng did not want to be too public, so everyone made a fire in the broken house where they rested before and slept outdoors.
Yu Yi and Shi Xuanming still retained the habit of reciting sutras, but they did not recite aloud, but just meditated and recited silently. Yang Kai never spoke much, sitting silently by the fire adding firewood and watching the fire. Da Tou and Chang Sheng sat in the southeast corner. whisper.
"Sir, what are you thinking about?" Da Tou could see that Chang Sheng was thinking about something.
"I'm thinking about the promotion and awards given to us by the imperial court." Changsheng said casually.
Datou said, "You were originally a third-grade official. This time, you were promoted directly to the first-grade. You surpassed the second-grade and second-grade grades. We killed Yang Fugong and helped the imperial court regain the military power of Qingyang. The imperial court promoted you to the second grade. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
"The imperial court has no problem with my promotion. The imperial court knows that the four of you are my people, so it makes sense to promote you all to the fifth rank." Changsheng shook his head and said, "What I'm thinking is why the imperial court didn't wait for us to go back to discuss our merits. Instead of rewarding him, he eagerly sent a eunuch over to deliver the order."
"But to highlight the importance the court attaches to you?" Datou guessed.
Changsheng shook his head, "Not entirely, the emperor should have other considerations for this move. I had a master before I joined Longhu Mountain. In addition to me, the master also accepted four disciples. The Beggar Clan knows these situations, and they also know The ones who occupy Shenzhou and Hepingzhou are my second and third senior brothers. Long Haotian will definitely tell the emperor about these situations. My third senior brother once burned Pingkangfang and killed the princes including Prince Hong and the Minister of War. Minister."
Although Changsheng did not speak too clearly, Datou still understood clearly, "You mean that the imperial court issued a decree to commend us before we go back, in order to prevent you from interceding for your second and third senior brothers with the merits of this trip after you return? "
"It's very possible," Changsheng nodded, "The emperor was worried that I would do this, so he issued a decree to commend us in advance. The purpose was to block this road and nip it in the bud. Since the court has already commended us, it is not convenient for me to reward the two of them. Senior brother begged for mercy."
Datou said, "The burning of Pingkangfang was a big deal. I've also heard that Prince Hong is the emperor's uncle. Your third senior brother killed him. It's really hard for the emperor to pardon him. But since it has happened, It will have to be dealt with sooner or later. What does the emperor want to do if he keeps delaying it like this?"
"I don't know what he was thinking," Chang Sheng shook his head and said, "But the fact that he sent the eunuch to announce the decree in advance indirectly revealed another message to us, that is, the initiative is always in his hands, and what will he reward us with? , we have to accept what we want, rather than what he rewards us with what we want.”
"It does seem to mean that," Datou nodded and asked, "Sir, how do you think the emperor wants to handle the matter in Pingzhou?"
"At present, no matter how he handles it," Changsheng said, "The emperor will never pardon my two senior brothers, because once he is pardoned, he will be accused of being unfaithful and unfilial, but the emperor cannot send troops to attack them. , otherwise it will embarrass me, and I am currently in an important position. If I give up my job and run away, he really won’t be able to find a suitable candidate to replace me for a while. "
"What you say makes sense, but if this matter is not dealt with, it will be a hidden danger sooner or later," Datou Duo was worried, "The imperial court does not need to send troops to encircle Shenzhou and Pingzhou. It can kill them just by encircling but not fighting. These two The city is not big, and there must not be much food and grass stored in it. If the rice and food are used up, what will happen next?"
Changsheng sighed, "My second senior brother also got into trouble because he helped third senior brother with food and grass. They must know that I am now in a high position and they also place their hope on me, hoping that I can mediate and resolve the situation peacefully. This is why they have been so late There is no reason to raise troops to attack other cities. If they don't wait for news from me and the rice and food in the city run out, they will probably raise troops to expand, because this is their only way to survive."
Hearing Chang Sheng's words, Da Tou also sighed and asked, "Sir, how are your two senior brothers' martial arts?"
"The two of them also practice the Hunyuan Magical Technique," Changsheng said, "but they are not allowed to practice Yin and Yang at the same time. The second senior brother practices the Chiyang Magical Technique, and the third senior brother practices the Xuanyin Magical Technique."
"Oh my god," Datou frowned, "If they start a rebellion, the generals and commanders will really not be able to stop them."
Changsheng showed a wry smile, "Master collected a lot of magical secrets back then. In order to prevent people from coveting and snatching them, the four of us memorized these magical secrets. In addition to Hunyuan Magic, each of them also memorized four magical secrets. If they are willing, they can recruit a large number of powerful helpers in a short period of time.”
"Ah?!" Datou stared in shock, "Then what should we do? We can't put off this matter any longer. The beginning of spring is the time when there is no harvest, and the grain reserves in the two cities are definitely running low. If the grain and grass are exhausted, they will We can only raise troops, and then there will really be no turning back.”
Seeing Chang Sheng frowning and saying nothing, Datou turned to look at the other three people, "Don't pretend to be mute, I haven't shied away from you when I spoke. What do you have in mind?"
Hearing Datou's words, Yu Yi and Shi Xuanming both opened their eyes, and Yang Kai also raised his head to look at Changsheng.
"Your Excellency is right," Yang Kai said, "The Emperor rushed to issue a commendation before we returned, probably because he did not want to give Your Majesty the opportunity to plead for the two of us."
Seeing that Yang Kai didn't give any useful suggestions, Datou looked at Shi Xuanming again, "Master, do you have any good ideas?"
"This matter is not easy to handle," Shi Xuanming shook his head, "Looking at the emperor's attitude, he does not want to give in."
"What you said means you didn't say anything," Datou waved his hand and then looked at Yu Yi, "Master, what do you think?"
Yu Yi said, "This matter cannot be delayed. In the end, you may have to face the situation of fratricide, and the emperor will not be able to pardon them. In my opinion, the only feasible way at the moment is to try to meet with them and see." What do they mean, if they wish, arrangements can be made for them to retreat quietly, away from harm.”
"This method is feasible," Datou said. "If they really run away, for the sake of your face, the emperor can turn a blind eye and not pursue them."
At this time, the four people's eyes were focused on Changsheng. Changsheng nodded and said, "After I go back, I will arrange the things at hand as soon as possible and try to meet them."
At this point in the discussion, the matter came to an end. After a brief silence, Changsheng said again, "The emperor has commended and promoted you four, and all four of you are genuine fifth-grade. It can be seen that in the eyes of the emperor, you are all my best friends. If If any of you don't want to be involved in too many grievances and disputes, you can submit a letter of resignation immediately after you return, and you may be able to escape unscathed."
The implication of Changsheng's words is very obvious, that is, the four of them will be tied to him from now on, advancing and retreating together, and sharing blessings and misfortunes.
If it were another topic, Datou would definitely be the first to express his position, but this matter concerns other people. If he rushed to express his position, he would be suspected of being kidnapped, so he could only remain silent.
He remained silent, Yang Kai did not speak, and Yu Yi and Shi Xuanming did not express their opinions.
Although none of the four people had ever solemnly expressed their loyalty, their silence had shown their attitudes and their absolute trust in him.
There was nothing to say in the middle of the night, so everyone got up early the next day and set off again. Since they didn't change horses along the way, the journey was slow. They rested at the Guanjia Station that night and returned to Chang'an late the next day.
After returning to Chang'an, Changsheng first arranged the affairs of the Yushitai. He had previously sent a group of censors to inspect local officials. The number was small at that time, and a few came back during the process. This time, he directly sent a large number of censors to inspect the local officials. The imperial treasury was empty again. If they wanted to make money quickly, they could only start with corrupt officials.
In the afternoon, Changsheng first went to the Ministry of Personnel. Suzhou is Shangzhou, and the governor of Shangzhou is the fifth rank. Officials who want to be promoted or appointed to the fifth rank must go through the Ministry of Personnel, and go directly to the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to explain the reason. He only said Su Pingcuo He had made contributions in the execution of Yang Fugong and the seizure of Qingyang's military power. He was a meritorious minister. In order to avoid retaliation from Yang Shouxin's remaining party, he was transferred back to his hometown to serve.
Changsheng is the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Imperial Censor. Naturally, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel will not refute his face. The most important thing is that Changsheng’s words do not have any official meaning, but reveal a request for private transfer. To put it bluntly, it is an admission of debt. The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was a favor, and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel would not let go of the opportunity to have Chang Sheng owe him a favor. He just said that he would keep it on his body and keep everything simple. The official document of the Ministry of Personnel was sent to Suzhou Prefecture three days later.
After Changsheng thanked him, he left the official department and returned to the household department. He called his subordinate officials and ordered them to expedite the distribution of the one million taels of military supplies that had been allocated to Qingyang to ensure that it would be delivered to Qingyang within half a month.
In the afternoon, Changsheng stayed in the Hubu Department to handle official duties. The Hubu Department was related to the people's livelihood and was the yamen with the heaviest official duties. The Hubu Shangshu was the most hard-working official among the six departments. He was away for seven days, and there was a backlog on his desk. Official documents have piled up.
By the time he finished the backlog of official duties, it was already the second watch. Although the household department also had a place to live, Changsheng still returned to the Yushitai out of habit. When he passed by the West Chamber, he subconsciously wanted to lift the door curtain, but after raising his hand, he remembered Mr. Hei. I have given it to Ni Chenyi.
I was very tired after traveling back and forth, so I lay down and fell asleep, only to wake up at Chenshi.
Just when he went down to open the door, he found Yang Kai walking into the backyard with an eager look on his face.
"What happened?" Changsheng asked with a frown.
"Morning report from the Ministry of War, the Pingzhou rebels have launched an invasion..."
