Judge of the Lamp

Chapter 268
Emperor Zhaoxing could not convict the prefects of Tuan Xun's two prefectures. If he was convicted, he would fall into Xu Zhiqiong's plan.

Xu Zhiqiong had already calculated this point. If Emperor Zhaoxing dismissed the prefects of the two prefectures for the crime of embezzlement, the prefects of the two prefectures would immediately defect to the prince after receiving the news. Taking down the entire northern territory of Daxuan, plus Tunu's southern imperial province, is enough for the prince to build a country.

Emperor Zhaoxing was still calm enough. Xu Zhiqiong resolved the three strategies one by one, but he did not allow the losses to continue to expand. He quickly stopped investigating the corruption of the prefects of the two prefectures. Let the prince return to Beijing as soon as possible.

It would be too difficult to get the prince back to the capital relying solely on internal means, Liang Jixiong would not agree, and the officials would obstruct it.

Then we can only start from the outside.

As long as this war can be ended, the prince has no reason to continue fighting abroad.

Emperor Zhaoxing originally didn't want to take such a method, and he didn't want to be accused by his officials again.

But so far, there is no more effective method than this.

"Go and call Ren Songde, I want to give him an errand."

"Ren Songde?" Chen Shuncai said with a distressed face, "I'm afraid this person can no longer be used."

Ren Songde is one of the leaders of "Wo Yun He Shu". Xuanren hated him deeply. Under Tunu's persecution, Emperor Zhaoxing made him a duke. The use of this person is bound to attract a lot of criticism.

But Emperor Zhaoxing had already prepared for this: "Wars cost people money and money. If Ren Songde has the merits of stopping the war, he can also make up for his past mistakes."

……

At noon, Chen Shuncai arrived at the residence of Lord Protector Ren Songde.

The Duke's mansion is very large, second only to the imperial family, but Ren Songde's mansion is very deserted, except for a group of servants, most of the courtyard is empty, especially in winter, it is a desolate and desolate scene.

There are two reasons why it is so deserted. One is that Daxuan’s knighthood system is different from that of the previous dynasty. The duke has status but no real power. any official position.

The second is that Ren Songde himself is quite special, he has no military exploits, and he is not even qualified to be a Marquis.

He is a sinner of Daxuan and a disgrace to Daxuan. Usually, few people are willing to come to the door, but now he is fighting against Tunu, and he has won consecutive battles. Ren Songde may become the target of liquidation at any time.The court officials avoided him, and no one wanted to have anything to do with him.

Hearing that Chen Shuncai came, Ren Songde, who was over sixty years old, greeted him warmly. After looking at the simple furnishings in the mansion, Chen Shuncai sighed: "The life of the Duke is a bit miserable."

Is it bitter?

Who do you compare with.

The treatment of the duke is equivalent to that of a first-rank official, but the first-rank is a vain job, and the actual salary is not high. The monthly basic salary is [-] taels, and a series of subsidies such as tea, wine and kitchen materials, extra expenses, salary, and envoy money are [-] taels. Two more.

Salary is only part of the income. The main income of the duke comes from the land property. After being ennobled, the court will allocate a large amount of land, and the annual rent is several thousand taels.

But Ren Songde not only has no property, he doesn't even have a subsidy, just because his duke's name is not right and his words are not right, all the officials in the court are making trouble for him everywhere, and everything that can be cut is cut off, leaving only a basic salary of more than one hundred taels .

More than one hundred taels a month is also a figure that ordinary people can't imagine, but for the status of Duke Protector, this income is only enough for him to live a barely decent life.

Ren Songde smiled wryly and said: "This old man was abandoned by the court, and now he can enjoy the rest of his life here in peace, what a great fortune!"

He has a clear view of his situation.

After chatting for a while, Chen Shuncai explained the reason: "Your Majesty has entrusted the Duke with a heavy responsibility."

Ren Songde was surprised: "I don't know what is the order from the Holy Spirit?"

Chen Shuncai only said two words: "Stop the war!"

When Ren Songde heard this, he was so excited that he burst into tears.

This is his area of ​​expertise.

"Chen Bingbi please recite it to Your Majesty, the old minister will definitely fulfill his mission!"

……

As the twelfth lunar month approaches, the capital gradually has a new look, and there are more stalls selling peach charms (door gods), Spring Festival couplets, and New Year pictures in the market.

Xu Zhiqiong was wandering in the night market, thinking about how to live this year.

This was his first New Year in Daxuan, so he naturally didn't want to live in a deserted place.

But Brother Tong is not here, Wu Qianhu is not here, and a group of good brothers in the Yamen are all fighting in the north. Who should we spend this year with?

Go to the Canglong Temple to find the second brother to celebrate the New Year?
do not.

The New Year is the busiest time for Canglong Hall, and the Second Elder has to arrange various sacrifices.

What's more, Xu Zhiqiong felt unwilling to have to guard a bad old man during the New Year's Eve.

Go to Yinggeyuan for Chinese New Year?

This is a good choice, the second elder brother agreed, the pavilion master can be chosen at will, and it is not bad to spend a year among the Hualin fans.

But what if you want to be poor?Yinggeyuan has never had a relationship with true love, once it enters the realm of sages, the emptiness is really unbearable.

The best choice is to celebrate the New Year with Xia Hu.

Invite Xia Hu to Zhonglang Yuan, call Yang Wu and Chang Decai, then Xia Hu also brings servants, fills up a table, and has a delicious New Year's Eve dinner.

While eating, I took the opportunity to get my wife drunk, then held her down, and then...

And then it must be to help her advance to the sixth rank. We are gentlemen, how can we do things while we are drunk!
But even if Feng Jing'an would make trouble, the year would not stop.

Just as Xu Zhiqiong walked out of the Xiji Night Market, a carriage stopped in front of him: "Zhiqiong, it's easy for me to find!"

The man raised the door curtain, and Xu Zhiqiong's eyebrows moved unconsciously.

It's Sui Zhi.

Seeing him, Xu Zhiqiong instantly became vigilant, but the smile on his face remained the same.

"I met Sui Shilang."

Sui Zhi walked down the carriageway: "Zhiqiong, you have become a thousand householders, and you don't sit in the yamen, why do you come out to watch the night?"

Xu Zhiqiong said: "There are Shi Qianhu in the yamen. I am a junior, so I should do more errands."

Sui Zhi nodded appreciatively: "If you have such a mind, you will become a great weapon in the future. Let me go to Fengle Building with me tonight. There is a noble person who wants to see you."

noble?

The nobleman you recommended must not be a good person.

It's okay to be a bad guy, just to do business, but Xu Zhiqiong is somewhat afraid of Sui Zhi.

One is that the identity of this person is unknown, he must be someone close to the emperor, but Xu Zhiqiong does not know the specific role.

The second is that this person's cultivation level is unknown, he claimed to be the fifth rank of the Dao of War and the sixth rank of the Dao of Killing, but Xu Zhiqiong couldn't see his cultivation level clearly, which also proved that his cultivation level definitely exceeded the fifth rank.

Xu Zhiqiong knew too little about Sui Zhi, so he had to hide as far away as possible.

"Sui Shilang, the new year is approaching, and I am busy with official duties. I really can't get away tonight. I don't want to wait another two days..."

"Why, don't you even give uncle face?"

Sui Zhi insisted on asking, but Xu Zhiqiong couldn't shirk it, so he had to go to Fengle Building with him.

In the private room, an old man got up and looked at Xu Zhiqiong with a smile.

Is this old man a nobleman?
Xu Zhiqiong looked at this person and felt very familiar.

I must have seen it, but I can't remember where.

Sui Zhi quickly recommended: "Zhiqiong, this is Duke Ren!"

Ren Guogong?
Ren Songde?
Xu Zhiqiong remembered where he had seen him before.

In Li Shabai's paintings.

I have to say that Li Shabai's painting skills are really superb, with just a few strokes, a picture scroll is created in an instant, and Ren Songde in the painting is actually the same as a real person.

Ren Songde looked at Xu Zhiqiong with a smile.

Xu Zhiqiong looked at Ren Songde dumbly.

Xu Zhiqiong looked at the sin karma on his head, it looked like an inch or two.

This guy's crime is less than two inches?
This unscientific!

Look at his cultivation base again, there is no fog on his body, he is an ordinary person without cultivation base.

Sui Zhi reminded him again: "Zhiqiong, this is the Duke of the State."

He was reminding Xu Zhiqiong to salute.

Regardless of Ren Songde's reputation, the Duke is the Duke. Except for members of the clan, anyone who sees the Duke must salute, even the chief minister of the cabinet is no exception.

"Oh!" Xu Zhiqiong responded casually, as if he didn't react.

It is impossible for him to salute Ren Songde.

Seeing that Xu Zhiqiong was standing still, Sui Zhi had to ask them to sit down. Ren Songde didn't mind either, and always had a friendly smile on his face.

While the food was being served, Sui Zhi asked, "Zhiqiong, you went to the battlefield and heard that you made a lot of military exploits. How do you feel about it?"

He waited for Xu Zhiqiong to show off his achievements, and then beat him again.

Unexpectedly, Xu Zhiqiong didn't show off, and just said: "It's really not easy to fight a war."

Sui Zhi nodded: "I heard that the battle at Yangjiao Pass was very brutal."

"It's tragic!" Xu Zhiqiong agreed, "After the war, there are as many bones as a mountain. Fortunately, all the dead are Tunu."

Sui Zhi sighed: "It's not just Tunu, our army also lost a lot of soldiers. They are all in good times and good men."

"That's right, they are all good sons of Daxuan."

Sui Zhi said again: "I have been a soldier for half my life, but I am extremely saddened by the war. The casualties of the soldiers are my duty. The poor civilians suffer innocently."

"Yes," Xu Zhiqiong nodded, "The people are really pitiful."

Ren Songde said: "Xu Qianhu is young, it is not easy to have this insight. The war started with man-made disasters, but the pain of war is far better than natural disasters."

Xu Zhiqiong nodded and said, "What the Duke said is that it was all a man-made disaster."

Ren Songde sighed: "If the flames of war can be subsided as soon as possible, it will be my blessing and the blessing of all the common people!"

"It's best not to fight."

Xu Zhiqiong heard something, that he was about to negotiate peace again.

This business is really proficient, but why did he ask me for it?
Ren Songde said: "The old man is willing to stop the flames of war with his humble talents, and I hope Xu Qianhu will not hesitate to help."

He begged me for help?
This is the right person.

Sui Zhi continued to persuade Xu Zhiqiong from the side: "Zhiqiong, quelling the flames of war is a blessing for the community and a blessing for the common people. You must not shirk it."

Xu Zhiqiong nodded and asked, "I don't know where Xu can serve the Duke?"

Things went so smoothly, Ren Songde was overjoyed: "I would like to ask Xu Qianhu to send a letter to His Royal Highness, asking His Royal Highness to cease fighting for the time being, and I will go to meet King Tunu and persuade him to withdraw his troops."

Sui Zhi thought that Xu Zhiqiong would do everything possible to refuse, but he didn't expect Xu Zhiqiong to readily agree: "It's easy to talk about, wait for me to write a book and send it to His Royal Highness, I don't know what the Duke thinks?"

Xu Zhiqiong didn't intend to write a letter to the prince, he just wanted to leave here as soon as possible.

With someone like Ren Songde, Xu Zhiqiong didn't intend to say a word more, and Xu Zhiqiong would be disgusted if he said a word more.

And Sui Zhi was here again, Xu Zhiqiong didn't plan to stay for a long time, he simply followed them and got away as soon as possible.

"Excellent!" Ren Songde was overjoyed, and added a glass of wine to Xu Zhiqiong, "With your words, the suffering of war is over! Please Xu Qianhu drink this cup to the full!"

Xu Zhiqiong drank the wine, feeling suspicious in his heart.

Why is this old thing so excited?
Let me just say something casually, does he really believe it?
Do you want me to write a letter to the prince on the spot?

That is impossible!

If it was forced on me, at worst, I would just run back to Zhonglang Courtyard, but Xu Zhiqiong didn't want to expose his identity in front of Sui Zhi, and he didn't want to use the judge's ability lightly unless it was absolutely necessary.

But Ren Songde didn't make any more requests, and what he said next were all polite words on the wine table.

After a few words of politeness, Xu Zhiqiong got up to leave, Ren Songde didn't stop him, got up and sent Xu Zhiqiong outside Fengle Building.

Sui Zhi took a few more steps, and told Xu Zhiqiong: "Nephew, you must do what you promised the Duke, otherwise you will cause trouble."

Xu Zhiqiong was taken aback: "What does the so-called disaster refer to?"

Sui Zhi lowered his voice and said: "Since you promised the Duke to write a letter, you must write a letter. I know you deliberately didn't say when to write a letter, and you didn't say what kind of letter to write, but a promise is a promise. Do what the Duke says,
If you don't write for a day, you will lose your vitality,

If you don't write for two days, you will lose your cultivation,
If you don't write for three days, you will lose your life,

Do remember that the letter must persuade the prince to cease fighting, otherwise it will not be counted! "

(End of this chapter)