The fox minister in the late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 126 The game between the monarch and his ministers, the knife in the dark
The sun slanted through the clouds and shone on the moss-covered courtyard wall. The carriage stopped in front of the 'Geng's Mansion' among the swaying trees.

The soldiers around were holding spears and knives, looking fiercely at the young man who got out of the car, and then turned back. Geng Qing was sullen, and when he stepped into the threshold, he changed into a smile, and followed the soldiers leading the way to the front yard. It was guarded by the palace guards, standing in a row under the eaves and pressing the handle of the knife.

"Geng Shilang is here."

The eunuch standing by the door made a loud noise, and Geng Qing walked under the eaves, the palace servant blinked at him indistinctly, then stepped aside.

In the middle hall of the front yard, there were voices of voices. Huang Chao, who was dressed in black uniform, was sitting at the head, with hot tea in his hand. When he saw Geng Qing coming in, he didn't move, just talking to the woman in the side seat of the middle hall.

"The death of the son-in-law was not strictly controlled by me, so that the man from the village took advantage of the opportunity, thinking that I was easy to kill. Now that this person is dead, it can be regarded as atonement for the son-in-law. The princess is also famous. I won't make things difficult any more, but why do you live in this house, I have someone clean up the consort's mansion, and buy new servants and maids to make up for the previous mistakes, what do you think, Your Highness?"

When Geng Qing went to the middle hall and bowed his hands and said the words "meet your majesty", Princess Li Huan of Guangde who was sitting on the side smiled and said: "Thank you for your kindness, the son-in-law mansion should be reserved for your majesty to reward civil and military. It is inevitable to feel sad when you die there, and you will feel emotional when you touch the scene.”

She smiled and glanced at Geng Qing, who was clasping her hands, "I can live better here. I don't have too much respect and inferiority. I can talk to many people. A group of sisters get along well. They talk, laugh and do things. They are mostly free. The pain of the deceased husband will be lightened."

When Huang Chao entered the front yard, he had already looked at the woman in front of him. She was over forty, showing a bit of an old look, but her demeanor and demeanor were that of a concubine in the palace, which is hard to be underestimated. It's a pity that the opponent's aura is not weak.

What's more, he is the great general of the rebel army, Huang Wang, and now he is the emperor, how can he care about women, and he is too "shabby" in the eyes of the civil and military around him and the guards outside.

"That's fine too."

He said something softly, then ignored the woman, and then looked directly at Geng Qing who was still holding his hand, and the old man raised his hand.

"Geng Qing doesn't need to be too polite."

Smiling, he pointed to the right side of the hall and asked him to sit down. Geng Qing thanked him and walked to the seat. There were more than 20 women gathered there with nervous expressions. The concubine who called Geng Qing's husband first , Seeing the opportunity, she called out: "Husband." Yingying bowed down, these concubines may have less knowledge on the outside, but they are not stupid, and followed the short blessings one by one.

The word "husband" suddenly rang out delicately. The short women were of different heights and looks, each with their own good looks, so that the guards on duty outside the door couldn't help but sneak a glance at the hall, their eyes were full of envious.

"Hehe, what kind of expressions do you have? It's a blessing for your majesty to come to the humble house."

Geng Qing smiled and said something to them, blinked his eyelids lightly, then turned around and took his seat, waiting for a concubine to come and put down tea for him.

Huang Chao, who was in the first place, grinned and laughed: "Gengqing is so lucky to have so many lovely wives and beautiful concubines, how about introducing them one by one?"

"It's because their ancestors have accumulated virtue that their names can be recognized as sacred."

These were tentative words, but Geng Qing's face was serious, and he called out the name of a concubine: "Wanyi, Your Majesty is running out of tea, why don't you have eyesight?"

Wanyi was the concubine serving the tea, her name was abbreviated when she heard it, and she seemed friendly when she called it. The woman named Xu Wanyi pursed her lips and kicked her skirt and hurried over to refill Huang Chao's tea.

"Hongrou, bring some preserved fruit and cakes. As husbands, I know that you are saving money. I didn't expect Your Majesty to do the same. Be careful of serving at night!"

"Sister Yun, what are you still doing in a daze, follow me to help!"

The famous concubines came out quickly and were busy in the hall. Cui Jiao frowned when he saw that there were more than 20 people. How could it be so easy to distinguish them from the corresponding names? Could it be that they were really husband and wife?

Even Huang Chao looked at Cui Jiao beside him with doubts.

On the seat on the right, Geng Qing was still calling the women's names. Having nothing to do, he went out to show his face to the first old man, Fuli. In fact, Geng Qing used a trick here. He just didn't recognize these names at all. Knowing who is who, and being able to confuse the past at the moment, is also a way of imitating the way the students below respond indiscriminately when the university teacher rolls the roll.

After reading out the name, the concubines behind them stood up proficiently, as if Geng Qing really had a tacit understanding with them as husband and wife.

Seeing this scene, Princess Guangde was a little dazed. She moved in for a while and got along with her on weekdays. Even if she remembered all the names, she would call people wrong from time to time. Geng Qing, who was opposite, only came back once in half a month, and walked around. Walk around and have a look, sit down and drink a cup of tea before leaving, how can you know everything?

However, she didn't think much about it, and the first emperor didn't think about it carefully. He was even more uncomfortable listening to the roll call, especially those women were young and beautiful, and they were quite diligent. , except for the old wife, there are only a few women who were kidnapped from the people, and their looks are just average.

Being an emperor is not as good as a courtier is simply a failure.

"Geng Qing has so many beautiful concubines, I'm really envious." Huang Chao pressed the armrest, suddenly smiled, and looked at the women walking in the hall, "Think about the desertedness of my harem garden, I wanted to put a few more women in, but unfortunately I couldn't find a suitable one."

This statement couldn't be more obvious. In their eyes, concubines are nothing more than goods that are exchanged at will. If Geng Qing is willing to send them, then in this courtyard, there are no concubines of the Tang emperor. The young people are still facing Huang Chao. Needless to say, the women here have confirmed their guesses.

As soon as these words came out, the concubines who had been walking around froze in place. They subconsciously looked at Geng Qing on the chair, and the rest of the concubines who were gathered behind all raised their hearts. They were all concubines of Emperor Tang. Willing to serve an old man, let alone a traitor.

moment.

Countless gazes intertwined and landed on Geng Qing on the seat over there. At this time, his heart was complicated. No matter which one he chose, he would lose the obvious conspiracy. Room, it’s just a purchased item.

But he is a modern person, not to mention that these women were entrusted by the late consultant Fu, even if they were really concubines, he would not be able to give them away.

Can that still be called a man?
"Your Majesty." He still kept a smile on his face, got up and went to the hall and held hands together, "The relationship between a man and a woman cannot be measured by wealth or reputation. Although there is only one wife, they are not divided into wives and concubines in this minister. It is the wives of the ministers, who will support each other and accompany them until they grow old. If you send one or two, the ministers are afraid that they will die when they grow old, and they will always have regrets when they think about it."

Geng Qing's face was solemn and his voice was sincere and sincere. When it came to the emotional part, when he looked at the wives and concubines, his voice was a little choked and hoarse.

".I am so forgetful when I get old, but I never forget lovesickness."

This is a section of Bai Juyi's poems, which everyone has heard more or less. It is especially desolate when it is read at this time, just like a husband and wife say goodbye when they are old and dying. Pity.

The eyes of all the concubines present gradually turned red.

"Geng Qing is rejecting me?"

Huang Chao pressed the handrail and stood up, his words filled with anger, causing the guards outside the door to sweat for the young man. Originally, these were nothing, but the poem outlined a picture surprisingly, parting from life and death Love always touches the pity in the bottom of my heart.

While the guards and eunuchs outside were nervous, Geng Qing cupped his hands again with a sonorous and forceful voice.

"Your Majesty, I can't forgive you."

After his words fell, the women behind him had never felt like being blocked by a man, especially in the face of life and death, many women covered their mouths and noses and sobbed, and knelt down one after another.

"I implore Your Majesty to take back the holy will, I don't want to part with my husband!"

Huang Chao looked at the women who were kneeling together. When the rebels were in the army, they always used force, but now the emperor, who was more or less careful about his identity, frowned, and his voice was cold.

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

All the girls hesitated for a moment, then shook their heads together: "Don't be afraid!"

Hahaha!
The old man standing there suddenly laughed loudly, the laughter shook the hall, his face melted with anger, and he nodded approvingly with a smile.

"I see that your husband and wife are deeply in love. It was just a joke, so get up."

He raised his hand to get Geng Qing and the other women to stand up, and then sat back on the chair again: "I was bored in the palace, so I came here to relax and see Geng Qing enjoying the blessings of being equal, so I made a joke, don't take it seriously Take it to heart. So does Geng Qing."

"Yes, the subject is His Majesty's subject."

Standing over there, Geng Qing kept smiling and seemed relieved. Immediately, he asked the women behind him to go to the back kitchen to get some food, and set up a banquet in the atrium for the emperor, Cui Jiao, and Meng Juehai to eat.

During the meeting, they chatted about some political affairs casually. After the war in the northwest, they sent the old man to the gate of the courtyard and left in a carriage.

The carriages and cavalry gradually fade into the night.

Under the lantern at the door, while the smile on Geng Qing's face was gradually cooling down in the flickering light, the burly old man in the faraway carriage slapped the short one with his palm.

"This Geng Qing is really looking for death." Huang Chao's face was not happy.

However, not long after returning to the palace, a message came from outside the city and broke into the imperial city. The old man hugged his old wife without any sleepiness, and was woken up by the eunuch.

The above is that Shang Rang and Wang Bo were eager to make contributions to the army going west, but they were ambushed by Zheng Tian's design and were defeated!

While the old man was looking at the note in his hand, a group of about [-] Shatuo soldiers and horses entered Jindi to the north of Chang'an, where thousands of lights were lit, and were preparing to go south.

A general holding a long lance, wearing armor and galloping up the steep slope, looked at the night to the south with an indescribable sense of joy.

"Ahhh-"

He rode on horseback, screaming and screaming, his voice was long and loud at night, and was blown by the wind, wandering in the mountains and forests.

It's finally time to fight!
(End of this chapter)