In the Ministry of Official Affairs, Cui Zhixia's foot had just been treated with wound medicine, and he was lying lifelessly on the couch, motionless.
"Xia'er...you have to cheer up. You can't get back down because of a small failure. You are the most valued by the old lady among the younger generations of our Cui family. You can't stay depressed like this."
Cui Yizhong sat by the couch, looking at his lifeless son with some worry, and advised him gently.
"Father... I have lost all face in this competition. As you can see, I made a fool of myself in the ring that day. Now... how do you want me to get out? How do I face those who are waiting to see my jokes? people?"
After Cui Zhixia finished speaking, she leaned over the couch and spat hard. The maid standing beside her hurriedly brought a cup of fragrant tea.
Cui Zhixia took the tea cup and opened the lid. A fragrant aroma wafted out, but it was the finest Xinyang Maojian.
He took a sip, rinsed it in his mouth, and spit it into the saliva bowl. Since returning home, he has brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth countless times, but he always felt a stench lingering in his mouth.
"The centipede is dead but not stiff. I still underestimated Zhixingyuan. I didn't expect... In addition to He An, he also trained a freak like Fan Dazhi. This dog-killing talent. I must kill him with my own hands before he can be eliminated." The hatred in my heart!”
When she thought of Fan Dazhi, Cui Zhixia felt uncontrollably agitated. His handsome face became ferocious due to the distortion, and he spat a few more times.
"Xia'er, don't worry, that boy's father will definitely find an opportunity to have his hands, feet, and limbs broken off first, and then bring him to you, and let you..."
Cui Yizhong said, stretched out his palm and scratched his neck, making a motion of cutting his throat.
"Fan Dazhi must die, otherwise... my Taoist heart will be damaged, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to progress in my cultivation state from now on!"
Cui Zhixia kept spitting as she spoke, then picked up the teacup and rinsed her mouth.
Cui Yizhong picked up the thin blanket beside the couch and gently covered Cui Zhixia. He looked at his son with fine stubble on his chin. His heart was filled with pity. He patted Cui Zhixia's shoulder gently and sighed. Get up and prepare to leave.
"Father seems to be worried. Is there any news from the palace?"
Cui Zhixia asked casually while lying on the couch.
Cui Yizhong looked solemn, sat down slowly, and said: "Xia'er is really smart. Our academy failed in this Qingming Competition. Your Majesty is very dissatisfied with us!" "
Cui Yizhong frowned tightly, thought for a while, and said softly: "Your Majesty has two princes. The eldest prince was born to Queen Cui, and the second prince was born to Wang Shuyi. Now he has issued an edict to promote Wang Shuyi to a noble concubine. This is obviously for Our Cui family is exerting pressure... If our Cui family makes any mistakes in the future, Your Majesty... may even depose the Queen!"
"Also, our imperial merchants have been reduced by 70% by His Majesty. Over the years, we have been managing everything inside and outside the palace, and we have also received dividends from the ministers of the DPRK and China. It is a big expense every year. Since then, we have Many related businesses of the Cui family will also be affected. Soon... we will be stretched thin. Those old and cunning guys in official circles and shopping malls will definitely be able to smell these anomalies. They are likely to jump out and add insult to injury. This will undoubtedly make things worse for our Cui family..."
Cui Yizhong sighed worriedly and continued: "However, what worries me most as a father is not these things...but His Majesty's attitude. As long as our Cui family's holy family does not fall, we can get back everything we have lost at any time, so we will never do anything in the future. There can be no more deviations to make His Majesty displeased. His Majesty's thoughts... are always unpredictable. The emperor's mind is so unpredictable! My father is thinking... If we can guess His Majesty's next move, we will To be prepared...to be targeted, I wonder...what is Xia'er's opinion on this?"
Cui Zhixia turned over, resting her arms on her arms and said: "Your Majesty has long wanted to suppress the power of Zhixingyuan. The reason why he has not taken action is because he is afraid of the national master Li Xingzhi... Li Xingzhi, this old monster, is both civil and military, and he is He is one of the best masters in the world, and his reputation among the government and the public is unrivaled. Your Majesty has resorted to taboos and has been holding back."
"Last year, His Majesty allowed us to establish Longmen Academy. He must have had a way to deal with Li Xingzhi... Now Li Xingzhi has been away from Beijing for half a year and there is no news at all. I guess something may have happened to him... Longmen Academy failed in this competition. He failed to suppress the reputation of Zhixingyuan, so His Majesty’s next move will definitely revolve around Zhixingyuan.”
Speaking of this, Cui Zhixia's eyes regained some sparkle. He turned over and sat up, and continued: "Kezhixingyuan is just an academy after all. As far as I know, they have done a good job in all aspects, and there are no omissions. I guess Your Majesty has no reason to take action again, so I guess that His Majesty will most likely start with officials from the Zhixingyuan in the court..."
After Cui Yizhong listened, he stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.
Cui Zhixia lifted off the blanket on his body and jumped off the bed. The stinging pain from the wound under his feet made him take a breath of cold air. He sat on the couch, raised his injured foot and put it on his knees, and muttered: "Since the founding of the great Chen Dynasty, , there has been no war for more than ten years, and I heard that some civil servants and military generals accepted bribes and misappropriated land, and among them there must be officials from Zhixingyuan."
"The reason why these things did not come to light is because Prime Minister Ding Fengyuan suppressed him. However, Prime Minister Ding is old and has been ill for a long time. His Majesty is very likely to let him retire and return to his hometown... In addition to my father, the position of Prime Minister in the whole court There is no more suitable candidate in the civil and military circles. Next... His Majesty is very likely to appoint you as prime minister to deal with the officials of Zhixingyuan..."
Cui Yizhong's brows gradually widened when he heard this, and he said with a smile: "Xia'er is indeed full of wits. We must take action in advance. I will have people secretly investigate and collect evidence of corruption, bribery, and bending of the law by officials in Zhixingyuan to prevent To alert the snake."
He clenched his fist and knocked it lightly on his leg, with a ruthless look on his face, and frowned: "But the Holy Heart is unpredictable... If His Majesty appoints another prime minister and no longer reuses our Cui family, we will have to appoint another prime minister. Thinking of countermeasures... you contact the people in charge of Xiliang at home and ask them to inform Prince Kan Cheng to send troops to attack Dachen. These wolf cubs have received so much money from us, so they should do something for us..."
…………
The setting sun was shining, and the loess was blown by the wind and the dust was flying into the distance. The blood on the ground had dried up. Several ownerless horses were pawing their hooves and snoring. Several soldiers in the costumes of the Great Chen Kingdom were cleaning the battlefield. You can see Come on, there was a small-scale battle here not long ago.
The setting sun was like blood, and the chilling wind blew across the border. In the front tent camp of Yongdeng County, Lanzhou, Fang Yizhi leaned on his chair tiredly.
His clothes were stained with blood. The sergeant on the side carefully unbuttoned his shirt and saw more than ten scars on his chest and back. There was a long and narrow new knife wound on his right shoulder. The flesh was rolled back and still leaking. There was blood, and there was a triangular arrow on the right chest, embedded in the muscle.
The sergeant grilled a small knife on the stove, and after it cooled down a little, he carefully dug out the arrowhead. Fang Yizhi's chest suddenly started to bleed like a column. He clenched his teeth, his cheeks were raised, and his forehead showed fine lines. beads of sweat.
The sergeant quickly took the clean gauze and pressed it hard on the wound to stop the bleeding...
Fang Yizhi had darkened a lot, his skin was bronze, and his angular face was unshaven. His originally gentle and clear eyes sometimes looked into the distance, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
In just one year, the originally elegant and graceful scholar has turned into a calm and resolute soldier. His strong chest rose and fell sharply, and he frowned slightly as he endured the pain in his chest.
After a long time, the sergeant finished bandaging and said: "Commander Fang, your old illness has not recovered yet, and now you have a new injury. Please be sure to rest for a few days to recuperate!"
Fang Yizhi shook his head and said: "The situation is serious now. It is the time when we need to find out the enemy's situation most. This small injury will not be a problem. Go and ask Lei Houzheng and Zhang Houzheng to come over and talk."
The sergeant sighed helplessly, and had no choice but to accept the order and leave. Fang Yizhi looked at the direction in which he was going. The wind was tugging at the flags and flags, and the horses tied outside the camp were uneasily fluttering their manes and hooves. tap.
Fang Yizhi suddenly changed his expression. He grabbed the long knife beside him and rushed out of the tent in one stride.
The west wind was strong and the sun was getting late. Fang Yizhi looked into the distance with a solemn expression. For a moment, he leaned down, held a knife in one hand to support his body, and put his ears to the ground. After a while, his face changed drastically, and he jumped up and shouted loudly: "Enemy Attack, warn!"
Soon many soldiers poured out of the tent. Everyone picked up their weapons and looked around with alert expressions.
The ground trembled faintly, and gradually the trembling became more obvious, as if there was an invisible giant hammer beating the earth. The experienced sergeant quickly came to his senses with a look of shock on his face.
This is the earthquake caused by the galloping of thousands of war horses.
As the desolate horn blows, dust rises in the distant sky, and a dark cloud rises on the horizon...
"Hurry up and raise the smoke to warn the counties along the way!"
Fang Yizhi shouted, and his voice was quickly drowned in the wind.
The dark clouds in the sky were overwhelming, and a dense army could be vaguely seen galloping towards them, with clanging armor, swords and guns, and boundless murderous intent rushing into the sky...
At this moment, everyone's eyes showed a trace of panic. The most terrifying thing finally happened - Xiliang Kou Bian.
In the Chen Empire, on an ordinary day in the spring of the seventh year of Taiping, there was the sound of rapid horse hooves on Zhuque Street in Luoyang City.
A postman in ragged clothes, with a small yellow flag tied around his waist, galloped desperately while pedestrians were trying to avoid him.
Eight hundred miles urgent!
The people of Luoyang, the imperial capital, had not seen such a scene for many years, and they looked in a daze as they looked at the direction in which the strong horse disappeared.
Immediately, an explosive news shocked the world. Fifty thousand Xiliang cavalry were the vanguard, followed by an army of 250,000. They attacked Lanzhou with force...
The court of the Chen Empire was in chaos. Emperor Chen looked at the noisy ministers in the hall and frowned...
After some deliberation, Emperor Chen finally appointed Cui Canyun as the chief general and Liu Daxia's eldest son Liu Ben as the deputy general, leading an army of 200,000 men to reinforce Lanzhou.
