Chang Sheng originally wanted to comfort Zhang Shan, but it had the opposite effect. Hearing Chang Sheng's words, Zhang Shan became angrier and angrier, "I came half an hour earlier than you and have been blocked outside the palace. I asked them to explain it on my behalf, but they said The emperor is taking a nap, and he can't sleep until midnight. He obviously doesn't want to see me. Maybe you have more respect than me, so he is willing to announce your presence."
"Not necessarily. Since the Emperor won't see you, he will probably not see me either," Changsheng shook his head and said, "Just now Shi Xuanming used the lion's roar to declare my identity. Not to mention the palace, even half of Chang'an City could hear it. If the Emperor wants to see me, , I have sent people out to summon you a long time ago, I won’t wait until now.”
After Chang Sheng finished speaking, Zhang Shan frowned slightly and did not answer.
After standing for a moment, Zhang Shan asked, "Why did you come back?"
Chang Sheng's previous statement that he returned to Chang'an was because the oracle warned the emperor that the emperor was in trouble was pure nonsense. It was okay to deceive outsiders. Zhang Shan would definitely not believe it.
Naturally, Chang Sheng would not hide anything from Zhang Shan, and told Zhang Shan in a concise and concise manner about Qian Zhonglin's harm to the veterans of the Western Regions.
After listening to Chang Sheng's story, Zhang Shan frowned even more tightly, "Without the emperor's support, Qian Zhonglin would never dare to act so recklessly."
Changsheng sighed, "It's hard to say whether the emperor supports Qian Zhonglin, but his acquiescence is certain. I really don't understand why the emperor condoned Qian Zhonglin to do such a thing. Those veterans have been exempted from death by the emperor. The alchemy book, where rewards come first and harm comes later, is tantamount to breaking one's word, changing orders day by day, and spreading them will inevitably lead to criticism and ridicule from the world."
Zhang Shan frowned and nodded, then said, "You have been staying in Chang'an before, and have had more contact with the emperor and know him better. Do you feel that something is not right with the emperor's recent behavior?"
"Not only is something wrong, it's simply very wrong," Changsheng said seriously, "I worked hard to save tens of millions of taels of silver for the Ministry of Household Affairs. This money was originally used to support the New Army in suppressing rebellion. The emperor actually moved to prepare for the construction of a new capital. We live well in Chang'an, so why do we have to move to Luoyang?"
"I also went to the Ministry of Revenue not long ago. I know all what you said," Zhang Shan said. "This move is simply indiscriminate. It destroys the Great Wall. The military camp consumes a lot of money every day. There is no money or food. How can it be done?" fight?"
Changsheng said, "The emperor's behavior has been very abnormal recently. As far as I know, a female Japanese pirate who is good at bed curtains has sneaked into the harem. This person is probably the extremely favored Concubine Li. We left years ago When I was in Chang'an, I heard that Concubine Li was pregnant. I suspect that the recent things the emperor has done are probably due to Concubine Li's instigation, aiming to undermine the hearts of the people of China and destroy the foundation of the Tang Dynasty."
Changsheng paused briefly when he said this, then shook his head and said, "But according to my understanding of the emperor, he is not a man who can be manipulated by women, and his mind is sufficient. He is not a person who does not understand black and white, and does not distinguish between light and heavy. "
Zhang Shan nodded and did not answer any more words. Both of them felt that something was strange at this time, but it was still unclear what the problem was. They could only know it when they met the emperor.
It was only then that Changsheng found the opportunity to ask about Zhang Mo's current situation, but he held back his words. He didn't want to show off to his uncle in front of his brother-in-law. Zhang Mo must have been busy at this time. Raise military rations for the new army. If something unexpected happens to Zhang Mo, Zhang Shan will definitely tell him as soon as possible.
Regardless of Zhang Mo's situation, Changsheng briefly told Zhang Shan about his encounter with Li Qiuyan and the mysterious Yuqing master during his trip to the East China Sea. He even did not hide the fact that Li Qiuyan sent his daughter to give Jiutian Xianlu as a gift.
After listening to Chang Sheng's speech, Zhang Shan looked extremely solemn, "If this matter is not handled well, there will be endless troubles."
"Brother, do you know that the Yuqing Sect has such a mysterious master who has practiced the Hunyuan Divine Art, and he is accompanied by a yellow-haired monkey." Changsheng asked.
Zhang Shan slowly shook his head, "There are many temples in Yuqing Sect, Liangyi Mountain is just one of them, and Hunyuan Divine Art is not unique to Liangyi Mountain. All Taoists of Yuqing Sect can practice it, and Hunyuan Divine Art can be practiced in Liangyi Mountain." Yishan has been lost, and it may still exist in other temples, but in recent years I have not heard of anyone practicing the Hunyuan Divine Art."
"Brother, please help me find out when the time is right," Changsheng said, "Zhang Mo has my spiritual token. If there are any clues about this person, please summon me to resolve this matter as soon as possible. To prevent misunderstandings from getting deeper and deeper.”
Zhang Shan nodded, "Don't worry, I will send someone to inquire secretly."
The two of them had been standing outside the palace gate for a long time, but no one came out to invite them into the palace. Although it was Shenshi at this time and the sun was not very bright, it was still uncomfortable to stand outside the palace gate for a long time. The two of them were quite annoyed. In addition, the doubts in their hearts were getting bigger and bigger. Something was wrong, something was really wrong. There was a prince and a real protector of the country. On their shoulders, they respectively carried the Dragon Vein Luck and the Troops of the Tang Dynasty. Military, the emperor should not be so negligent.
After waiting for a while, a eunuch finally came quickly and said, "The emperor has a decree to announce that Prince Yong Yong, the real protector of the country, has an audience."
Hearing the eunuch's words, Changsheng and Zhang Shan looked at each other. Before that, they had always wondered if an accident had happened to the emperor. Now that the emperor had summoned him, it meant that the emperor was still safe.
Changsheng turned sideways and raised his hand, asking Zhang Shan to go first.
Since Chang Sheng didn't say anything, the four of them followed the two of them and walked towards the city gate together.
When the soldiers guarding the city saw that the four of them were about to enter the palace, they wanted to stop them, but before they could speak, they were stared back fiercely by the big head.
Not far into the palace, I saw a group of officials coming from the north. The leader was Qian Zhonglin, the provincial servant under the sect, and he was accompanied by seven or eight people, all officials of fourth rank or above.
While Chang Sheng was looking directly at Qian Zhonglin, Qian Zhonglin was also looking at him. There was no fear in his eyes, but only the arrogance of spring breeze.
Chang Sheng was originally half a head behind Zhang Shan. When he saw Qian Zhonglin and others approaching, he took a step ahead of Zhang Shan and walked straight towards Qian Zhonglin and others.
Seeing Changsheng coming towards him, Qian Zhonglin reluctantly moved a few feet east to make way for Changsheng and others. However, when they passed by everyone on his side, Qian Zhonglin and others did not stop to greet Changsheng. , but tilted his head and squinted and walked straight past.
Changsheng didn't complain about the other party's lack of etiquette, because Qian Zhonglin and others were civil servants, and civil servants were good at eloquence. If there was a real quarrel, the other party would have plenty of excuses to refute. Although everyone on our side wore cloaks, they did not wear official uniforms. This group of civil servants Just say that you didn't recognize him, and you can't do anything with him.
As he was walking past his people, Qian Zhonglin glanced at his people with disdain. Seeing that Qian Zhonglin, who had killed everyone in Shifang'an, was so arrogant, he was trembling with anger. He held the hilt of his sword and gritted his teeth angrily.
If he could take action, Changsheng would have done it long ago. The reason why he held back was because he could not find any loopholes in Qian Zhonglin. Although he knew that Qian Zhonglin was nitpicking and harming the veterans of the Western Regions, the other party did not violate the rules during the handling of the case. In the criminal law of the Tang Dynasty, at this time, an army was launched to investigate the crime, but the enemy's own army was unknown.
Seeing smoke rising from Yu Yiqi's seven orifices, Changsheng walked slowly away from the eunuch leading the way, then tilted his head to look at Yu Yi, and at the same time whispered, "You can do whatever you want tonight, just don't leave any clues. .”
Yu Yi was almost suffocated to death, but after hearing Chang Sheng's words, his depression disappeared and he nodded gratefully.
Zhang Shan naturally heard Chang Sheng's words. Normally he would have tried to dissuade them. After all, Qian Zhonglin was assassinated that night as soon as everyone on his side returned to Chang'an. The world would have doubted them. But at this time, he secretly praised Chang Sheng's decisiveness. As the saying goes, if the father is not dead, the disaster will not end. Qian Zhonglin has been involved in all the ridiculous things that have happened in the court in recent times. This old man who is foolish and loyal and has harmed the country will be a disaster if he is left alive.
Although it was not a formal court appearance, the eunuch still led everyone to the main hall of the middle palace.
The hinterland of the palace was heavily guarded. There were nearly a hundred Yulin soldiers standing on the left and right sides of the courtyard. There were several familiar faces among the Yulin soldiers. They were all martial arts scholars who participated in the martial arts examination for children that day.
Changsheng, Zhang Shan and others walked forward, and when they arrived, there was a guard general outside the palace gate asking everyone to leave their weapons. They must not bring weapons into the palace to meet the saint, so everyone left their weapons on the table on the west side of the hall. This desk is not specially set up for everyone, but is placed there on weekdays for civil and military officials to temporarily store miscellaneous items when they go to court.
Leaving their weapons behind, everyone stepped over the two-foot high threshold and entered the hall. There were also guards with swords in the hall. The number of people and their standing positions did not change from usual.
The emperor was sitting on the dragon chair, wearing yellow regular clothes instead of Kowloon court clothes. When he saw Changsheng Zhang Shan and others entering the palace, he showed a happy smile.
According to the court etiquette, when you are in the main hall, you must salute when you enter the door. Among the six people entering the hall, only Yang Kai and Datou knelt on one knee to salute. They are military generals and do not need to kneel down on both knees. Changsheng is exempted from meeting the emperor. Kneel down. Zhang Shan and Yu Yishi Xuanming are monks, so they don’t need to kneel down.
"Everyone who loves me, I would like to grant you a seat." The emperor's voice was as usual, with a smile on his face.
After the emperor finished speaking, eunuchs immediately moved chairs and everyone sat down.
Before Changsheng and Zhang Shan could speak, the emperor took the initiative and said, "After being away for many days, I have been thinking about Prince Yong and the Protector of the Country. These two beloved ministers have worked hard for the country. They are indeed the prime ministers and pillars of the Tang Dynasty."
Changsheng is a prince, so he should answer the question first, "Your Majesty is so complimentary, I am ashamed that I cannot bear it. I don't know..."
Before Chang Sheng finished speaking, he suddenly noticed a shadow flashing in front of his eyes. He looked carefully and found that Zhang Shan had already cast his body skills and rushed towards the emperor who was sitting on the dragon throne in the north...
