The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 623 An Extraordinary Woman
In the warm pavilion of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Yu Yun's heart was in a mess. Duguzheng is Li Yuan's real uncle. How can there be any reason in the world for a nephew to kill his uncle?Putting aside this level of personal relationship, Duguzheng is still the benefactor of Li Yuan's family. If it weren't for Duguzheng's operation, Li Yuan would have died in the garden of "Peaches and Plums, Win the World; Queens around Yangzhou, Wanzhuan Garden." Dao Xu?" Under the prophecy, not to mention that the key to Li Yuan's ability to win the support of the nobles in Guanlong is that Duguzheng won the Dugu faction for him.However, Li Yuan repays his uncle and benefactor in this way?
But Yu Yun also knew that Dugu Huai'en would not talk nonsense about his father's death, but he couldn't accept it for a while.After a while, Yu Yun gradually calmed down, and asked in a low voice: "What's going on? Why did the sage want to do this to uncle?"

"You have to promise that you must not let others know." Dugu Wynn said solemnly.

Yu Yun smiled wryly and said: "If this matter gets out, I will definitely die. How can it be spread around?"

"Years ago, my father wrote a letter to Yang Tong. The person who sent the letter was my loyal servant of the Dugu family. But he never returned. Later, it was found that he died in Anyang County, Xiangyang. It is estimated that the letter fell into the hands of Li Yuanzhi. hand."

An unprecedented hatred rose from Dugu Huai'en's heart, and he said through gritted teeth: "Perhaps this is the disaster of killing one's life."

Yu Yun frowned and asked: "Could it be that just because of a letter, he can't punish uncle to death?"

"Of course not!"

"Why is that?"

"In order for the Dugu family to be passed on, my father made a promise to Yang Tong to hand over [-]% of the land, [-]% of the money, and act as an internal support."

Dugu Huai'en's indifferent words set off a storm in Yu Yun's heart, and he was speechless for a long time.

It's no wonder that Li Yuan made such a murderous move. Eighty percent of the land and sixty percent of the money are okay. If the Sui army can't get in, it will be a dead letter. The verbal warning was an opportunity to blackmail, and then as a basis, Dugu was forced to behave with his tail between his legs.

But acting as an internal response is completely intended to overthrow the Li and Tang Dynasty.If the city is destroyed, the Li family will perish, and you are already planning to collude with the enemy and kill my whole family, so why don't I act first?How can there be such a ghost in this world.

To kill a mastermind, Li Yuan has exhausted his benevolence.

It's just that the dead are the greatest and the filial piety is as great as the sky. Yu Yun couldn't say what Dugu was doing. Instead, he raised his own doubts: "If the Guanlong nobles do everything to support the court, they may not necessarily lose. Uncle is resourceful, and he shouldn't be here. Did you make such a big promise before the Sui army invaded?"

"There are two reasons. One is Li Yuan's financial difficulties. He wanted to extract more money and food from the nobles of Guanlong. Dou Gui recommended Dou Lukuan as his minister as he wished. Therefore, the Dou faction headed by Dou Gui and Dou Fankuan actively Raising money and food, but my Dugu family lost my aspect, and my father was dissatisfied, so he naturally became an opponent; with my father around, Dou Gui, who was far less famous than his father, couldn't meet Li Yuan's requirements at all, so the amount of money and food raised every time was very small. Not much, and Li Yuan was forced to exchange various business taxes. His father's actions had already had a major impact on Li Yuan, so Li Yuan was very dissatisfied and treated me, Dugu, in every possible way. In a fit of anger, my father did such an extreme thing .”

Speaking of this, Dugu Huai'en gritted his teeth with hatred and said: "So once my father died, Dou Gui started to raise money and food for Li Yuan yesterday, and all the patriarchs responded to Dou Gui's call after seeing my Dugu family's decline. The reason why the patriarch agreed to claim it today [-]% is actually because I'm afraid that Li Yuan will take the opportunity to make trouble."

Yu Yun understood.

In the final analysis, it was the problem caused by Li Yuan's uneven distribution and unfair handling of affairs. The reason why Li Yuan did not give Dugu a favor was because after Dou Wei's death, none of the Guanlong nobles could compete with Dugu Zheng. The Long nobles caused the Guanlong nobles to become a powerful political force with one heart and one mind, and then shook the stability of the imperial power, so they suppressed the Dugu family and gradually pushed the weaker Dou Gui out of the stage.Another reason is that the relationship between the Dugu clan and the Sui Dynasty was complicated. When Li Yuan was worried that the situation was not good, the Dugu clan led the Dugu faction to oppose the Tang Dynasty, and what Duguzheng did just confirmed this point.

Yu Yun held back the sigh in his heart, and asked again: "What's the second reason?"

"The second reason is that my brother-in-law can't believe it even more!" Dugu Huai'en was also a little speechless, and said with some embarrassment: "In order to suppress Dou Wei, my father used Yang Tong to get rid of the core strength of the Dou family headed by Dou Kang." , Zhen Kuan, Wei Bi, Feng Duan, Chang He, etc. are the backbone of the Dou Clan, and they all died in the Guanzhong Incident and the Daxing Palace Incident. Once these things are done, there is no turning back."

"This..." Yu Yun stood up in surprise, and looked at Dugu Huai'en in shock: To suppress political opponents, Dugu actually bet on the righteousness of the court. This is a complete lunatic. From the direct contact with the Sui army's fine works, we know that the Dugu clan often betrayed top secret information about the Li and Tang dynasties.There are only four words in his mind now, 'the right way to take death'.

"I also know it's a bit unreasonable."

"It's more than that!" Yu Yun couldn't bear it anymore, so he said something.

"But no matter what, my father is my father after all, and my son never blames my father." Dugu Huai'en glanced at him, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and said in a tone of hatred: "If it wasn't for my father , how could Li Yuan be like this today? Just because of one or two trivial incidents, he actually punished his father to death. I must avenge this tone and revenge."

"..." Yu Yun was speechless. He felt that Dugu Huai'en was crazy. After a long time, he sighed and said, "You said that the Holy Majesty knows everything about us. Do you think you can hide it? Do you think you will succeed? According to me In my opinion, it’s better not to risk yourself.”

"Things have come to this, the Dugu family has nowhere to go, it seems that there is only one choice."

"I feel that the Holy Majesty seems to be leading the Guanlong nobles into a trap step by step, but he is not sure how to deal with the entire Guanlong nobles, so knowing that our turnover is not good, he uses the method of borrowing money to repay the interest to get closer. Temptation, if you still try to meet his requirements without money or food, this kind of family should become the target of his wooing; and those who have money and food, or are unwilling to think of a way, I am afraid that the future will be unpredictable." He Dugu After Huai En said so much, Yu Yun felt that he had slowly understood Li Yuan's conspiracy.

Dugu Huai'en smiled: "Even if Li Yuan can tolerate us, how long can his Li Tang Dynasty last? Smart people pay attention to good birds and choose trees to live in. Even birds and beasts have the right to choose, let alone people? Brother-in-law why? Don't give Yu Shi a new choice? Do you really want to be buried with Li Yuan?"

The gap between the Sui and Tang Dynasties is a fatal fact, and Yu Yun cannot avoid it.

Dugu Huai'en said again: "Every family has sent people to Luoyang to express their loyalty, but Yang Tong not only didn't meet anyone, but also didn't make any promises. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"If no family takes real actions, of course they won't get rewards. Yang Tong is rich and powerful, how can he appreciate that little gift, he is not a poor Li Yuan." At the end, Dugu Huai'en sarcastically Li Yuan said it.

"If we set off a storm in Bashu and make Li Yuan feel bad, not to mention the meritorious service of Taotian, at least we can redeem the crime of being a thief. The harvest of the fields is not high, so we don't care. It is said that every time we go on the Silk Road One trip, you can earn enough wealth to live on for a lifetime, at worst, we can start a business, what do you think brother-in-law?"

"..."

Yu Yun was speechless for a long time, and Dugu Huai'en didn't speak anymore. Anyway, he had said all he needed to say. If Yu Yun disagreed, he would not rebel in Shu. Because they all know that Dugu's situation is very dangerous now, if they don't take any action, they can only sit back and wait for death.

Given the general situation, he did not believe that Yu Yun and other patriarchs were willing to die for Li Yuan.

In the final analysis, it was because everyone couldn't see the dawn of hope in Li Yuan. He just followed the trend and dared to be the first.

There was a moment of silence in the Warm Pavilion.

"Squeak!" At this moment, there was a soft knock from the door of the pavilion, and a plain-clothed woman caught their eyes. She didn't seem to expect that someone was here, she was slightly startled, and saluted: "Your guest, If there is a loss, Su Jin, the concubine, will apologize."

This woman who claimed to be Su Jin was in her twenties, dressed in a simple plain robe, but her appearance was elegant, her pale and clear face had a beauty beyond the ordinary, which made people dare not think of any blasphemy!At that moment, Yu Yun thought of the plum blossoms blooming in the courtyard, which had the same bitter fragrance.

He leaned slightly as a gesture of return, and said, "Could it be that Mrs. Su is the 'Shu Jun' among the 'Four Gentlemen'?"

"Wrong, wrong!" Dugu Huai'en on the side said with a smile: "Ms. Su has just arrived in Xiangyang for a few days, and I only met once. Tonight is the second time. She is not the fourth gentleman. Her surname is Su."

The arrival of Su Jin also made it impossible for Dugu Huai'en and Yu Yun to continue their conversation, but Dugu Huai'en was [-]% sure that Yu Yun would choose to be with him, and Yu Yun had to figure out the rest. No amount of it helps.

Yu Yun smiled: "From Mrs. Su's accent, she seems to be from Daxing?"

Su Jin smiled lightly: "To tell you the truth, my concubine is a Daxing person, but Guanzhong fought endlessly in the past few years. I was afraid that Chi Yu would be harmed, so I went to Uncle Hongnong. Who would have expected that the battles between Tang and Zheng and Sui and Tang that happened last year would end with the end of the war?" Hongnong was the main battlefield, so he had to hide in the Qinling Mountains, and then went to Luoyang, and Xiangyang just arrived a few days ago."

Yu Yun was very curious: "Luoyang is the most powerful city in the world. I heard that after the renovation, the prosperity is even better than before, and the battle between Sui and Tang Dynasties is probably about to begin. Why does Mrs. Su come to Xiangyang to make a living? Isn't this a bit of a waste of money?"

"I don't know that Luoyang is prosperous. However, after Emperor Shengwu designated it as the capital of the Sui Dynasty, rich people from all over the place flocked in. The land price fluctuated day by day. Most people couldn't afford houses at all. It also increased prices in Luoyang. In addition, Emperor Shengwu admired legalism and implemented the concept of ruling the country by law in the Sui Dynasty. There were many kinds of legal systems. If someone is found to be forced to be a prostitute, at least they will be expelled, and at worst they will be punished by the three clans..." Su Jin showed a helpless smile, and said depressingly: "The criminal laws of the Sui Dynasty were strict, so that the officialdom was clear, and naturally there would be no one under the feet of the emperor. It's just that the official is a thief, but our business can't stand a small inspection every three days, a big inspection every five days, and what's more terrible is the sudden inspection from time to time. With such inspections, how can any customer dare to go to Qin Lou Chu? House? I don’t have any income, and I have to support many sisters, and Luoyang’s prices are so high that it’s hard to sustain the loss. In desperation, I had to take my sisters to Xiangyang and join my cousin.”

On Dugu Huai'en's face, there was a hint of injustice: "You guys are not involved in this kind of business, and Yang Tong can't tolerate it?"

Su Jin poured tea for the two of them, and said: "Emperor Shengwu is very disgusted with the sensuality of officials, and thinks that gambling houses, brothels and other places are for selling gold. In the end, it is the corrupt officials who benefit, the common people suffer, and the innocent court bears the blame.”

"That's quite reasonable." Yu Yun was a former Jing Zhaoyin, and he was deeply touched by these words.

"Qin Lou Chu Guan is better. Gambling houses are absolutely not allowed to open. Those who open gambling houses without authorization are from the Yi tribe. If officials gather to gamble, three generations will be slaves."

"Ruthless is a bit harsher, but the existence of rules is to prevent the breeding of criminals. The purpose is not to punish, but to restrain." Thinking of the laws of the Tang Dynasty, which were ineffective, Yu Yun couldn't help but sigh.

A flush suddenly appeared on Su Jin's cold face, and she said with a light smile, "A funny thing happened not long ago."

"How interesting?" Dugu Wynn became interested.

"Isn't the Great Court Meeting coming? Officials from all over the country entered the court one after another. More than a dozen local officials were caught visiting brothels. Just like that, they were dragged to the streets naked to show the public, with wooden plaques with their names on them hanging around their necks. There are imperial guards beating gongs and drums to clear the way ahead, attracting the attention of the whole city."

"Puff", "Puff", Yu Yun and Dugu Huai'en, who were drinking tea, sprayed.

"Most of the rich are high-ranking officials. After this incident, they must not dare to go. Therefore, it is really difficult to operate the Qinlou Chu Pavilion in the Sui Dynasty."

Dugu Huai'en coughed and said, "If it were me, I wouldn't dare. If I were paraded through the streets naked, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to enter the ancestral grave after death. This is a heavy punishment that is worse than life. There is nothing more important than this.”

"Forget it, coming to Xiangyang may not be bad..." Yu Yun asked: "Ms. Su seems to be very familiar with Luoyang. I wonder if I can tell you something about Luoyang's style and what I have seen in the court hall of the Sui Dynasty?"

"It is true that Luoyang is the number one city in the world, but it is only slightly larger than Xiangyang. After repairs, the streets of the whole city are paved with bluestones, and the drainage facilities are quite complete. There has never been any water accumulation on the streets. As for the I don’t care about what I see and hear, but there is one thing that the two envoys must be more concerned about.” Su Jin paused, and then said: “Emperor Shengwu appointed Li Jing, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies.”

"and then?"

Yu Yun and Dugu Huai'en's hearts trembled.

"Gone."

"What do you mean it's gone?"

Su Jin thought for a while, and said: "It seems that Li Jing is in charge of everything. Li Jing has the final say on how many troops and equipment he wants, and which generals he wants. Li Jing even decides whether to attack the Tang Dynasty or the Wei Kingdom!"

Yu Yun and Dugu Huai'en were stunned when they heard it. Obviously, they had never heard of or seen such a thing.

The general's style of not caring about how many people, how many things he wants, and how he fights is a habit that Yang Tong has always had, and it is also what the generals of the Tang Dynasty admired most.

However, to attack the Tang Dynasty, it was still Li Jing who was also in Wei State. This authority was too great, and at the same time, this decision was too hasty and arbitrary.Even the most stupid and stupid king would not dare to play with the matter of war like this.

In history, how could there be such an irresponsible emperor?
From this aspect, Yang Tong can be regarded as an emperor through the ages.

But thinking about it seriously, the two of them had nothing to say.

Because Yang Tong has willful strength, even if he fights with all the princes at the same time, he is not afraid. The key is that this strength is obtained by himself, not inherited.

Can you say he is a fatuous fool?

Obviously not.

There is only one reason, that is self-confidence, absolute self-confidence.

"The strength of the Sui Dynasty has surpassed that of the most prosperous Emperor Kaihuang. If our Tang Dynasty is not fully prepared, what should we do?"

Dugu Huai'en sighed, glanced at Yu Yun, turned to the thick night, and said pointedly: "I have less than [-] elite troops in the Tang Dynasty, and I am not even as good at fighting as other county soldiers. The main force of the army is confined in the Jingxiang area, if the Sui Dynasty's million-strong army attacks the Bashu counties in an all-out war, the morale of our army will collapse and the country will collapse."

Yu Yun was silent for a long time, then cupped his hands and said, "Let me think about it for three days." Then he strode away.

Dugu Huai'en sat for a while longer, until the alcohol dissipated, and then left with money, and Su Jin got up to see him off.

There was nothing to say all the way, when he reached the door, Dugu Huai'en suddenly said: "Thank you, Mrs. Su just now."

"Thank me for what?" Su Jin stopped and looked at Dugu Huai'en suspiciously.

Dugu Huai'en examined it for a moment, then laughed loudly and said, "I mean, thank you, Mrs. Su, for telling so many interesting stories."

Su Jin covered her mouth and smiled: "Your words are serious, we are open for business, and we should make our customers happy."

Dugu Huai'en nodded, and when he reached the side door, the carriage was already waiting there, he cupped his hands and said, "Madam Su, please stay."

"Let me go slowly." Su Jin saluted.

……

The carriage gradually left the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Dugu Huai'en pondered for a long time, summoned his attendants, and ordered in a low voice: "Send the order, let our people use all the connections, and be sure to find out the details of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion for me. The more detailed the information, the better." Alright. Also, let our family's caravan try to sneak into Luoyang to see if they can ask about Su Jin's background, I think this woman is extraordinary."

The entourage said softly: "Could it be someone from the Sui Dynasty?"

"I don't think so!" Dugu Huai'en categorically denied it, just because he was already a high-ranking official of Li Tang, and with his line, he didn't think there was another more complete source of news in the Sui Dynasty, so there was no need to set it up, at most There are also some assassins who are responsible for the assassination.

If the Xiaoxiang Pavilion was an espionage agency of the Sui Dynasty, instead of investigating, he would hide it for them.In this way, he can pretend not to know, express Dugu's loyalty and yearning for the Sui Dynasty explicitly or secretly, and finally influence Yang Tong's view of Dugu through these women. benefit.

(End of this chapter)