Start with Baihuguan

Chapter 178 Confer the King! 【order】

The candles flickered in the room, and Zhu Houzhao was standing in front of the door, the hesitation on his face was so obvious.

Regarding Zhang Mao's emotions, Zhu Houzhao's senses are quite complicated. Such a person has survived for several dynasties and has been honored by the emperors of all dynasties. It is not just because he is the head of honor.

Since the Battle of Tumubao, the Xungui Group has completely lost power, and the power in the court has undergone earth-shaking changes. The Civil Service Group has overwhelmed Wu Xun in one fell swoop.

The consequence of the civil and military imbalance is that the imperial power has been greatly threatened, especially the civil official group began to frantically compete for power from the emperor.

The cabinet was set up from the beginning as a secretarial agency equivalent to the emperor to assist the emperor in handling government affairs.

This can actually be seen from the official ranks of the cabinet elders and cabinet ministers.

But slowly, as the power of the civil servant group grew, the cabinet, which originally only had the right to make suggestions, began to decentralize power from the imperial power a little bit, and later evolved into an organization that commanded hundreds of officials and was capable of confronting the imperial power.

Xungui lived with the country, and he was destined to choose to stand with the royal family on many issues. Zhang Mao did a good job in this regard.

For decades, he has acted as a bridge between the royal family and the honorable group, worked hard to maintain the relationship between the royal family and the honorable group, and provided assistance for the royal family when they were fighting against the civil servant group.

Over the past few decades, Zhang Mao is no longer just a British official, he is almost a representative figure of the Xungui Group, and his opinions almost represent the opinions of the Xungui Group.

Even the emperor is very dependent on it.

Why did Zhu Houzhao let Zhang Mao sit in the Beijing camp before, because Zhu Houzhao believed that other people would betray him, the emperor, but the British public Zhang Mao would not.

Not only will it not, but relying on the influence of the British government in the army, it will suppress possible chaos in the army.

It's just that Zhang Mao's carelessness almost caused this catastrophe. If Li Huan hadn't brought people here in time, he, the emperor, might have become a prisoner of the rebel army.

It is reasonable for Zhu Houzhao, who had just escaped a catastrophe, to be dissatisfied with Zhang Mao, but it was temporary after all. After hearing the news that Zhang Mao was seriously injured and dying, he would not have such a big reaction.

Under the beating candlelight, Zhu Houzhao's figure was reflected on the window.

Li Huan, Zhu Fu and others outside the door could even clearly see Zhu Houzhao's shadow reflected on the doors and windows.I also know that the emperor is right in front of the door at this moment.

Seeing the emperor's shadow reflected on the door and window, Li Huan pondered for a moment, and vaguely guessed why the emperor did not open the door even though he had arrived.

Looking at the pale British Duke Zhang Mao on the ground, Li Huan sighed inwardly.

The old Duke definitely had an inescapable responsibility for the Marquis of Changxing's rebellion. After all, the emperor ordered him to sit in the capital camp just in case.

As a result, when Marquis Changxing rebelled, Zhang Maoren was not in the Beijing camp. Otherwise, Zhang Mao would be able to stop the Xiaoyong camp before it entered Beijing, and there would be no attack on the Emperor Luanjia by the Xiaoyong camp. thing.

It is precisely this that made the emperor angry. It is conceivable that if Zhang Mao had done nothing, the British lineage, who had gained the trust and favor of the royal family for hundreds of years afterwards, would definitely be rejected by the emperor, and would no longer be the leader of honor.

However, when Zhang Mao learned of the rebellion of Marquis Changxing, he resolutely chose to force himself to lead the army into Beijing to quell the rebellion.

Li Huan just looked at Zhang Mao like that, his old face was no longer as rosy as before, and even those eyes full of wisdom were tightly closed at this moment.

At this moment, this is not the British Duke of the Ming Dynasty who has survived the collapse of the Ming Dynasty for decades, but an old man who is seriously injured and dying.

With arrows stuck in his body, blood stained all over his body, and his face like gold paper, anyone who saw Zhang Mao's appearance would feel a little sentimental.

With the sincerity of the Son of Heaven, it is conceivable that once seeing Zhang Mao's appearance, the dissatisfaction with the British government caused by Zhang Mao's negligence before will disappear.

This is how people are. When a person dies, everyone will only talk about the good things about the other person, and subconsciously forget the bad things about the other person.

Therefore, when Zhang Mao died, the emperor would only remember the loyalty of the British Duke Zhang Mao, who was dedicated to the Lord and did not hesitate to die.Not to mention other things, Zhang Mao's death not only washed away the bad impression left by Zhu Houzhao not long ago, but also directly left a great blessing to the British government. I am afraid that since then, Zhengde Once Zhang Mao died, he would be honored and favored endlessly.

All of a sudden, a thought flashed in Li Huan's mind, Zhang Mao didn't charge forward on purpose, he just wanted to die.

Shaking his head, Li Huan felt that he might be thinking too much.

Kneeling beside Zhang Mao, Zhang Lun seemed to be able to feel that the Son of Heaven who was separated by the door was standing inside the door.

In addition to grief, Zhang Lun could clearly perceive the attitude of the emperor.

If it was the past, not to mention that Zhang Mao was seriously injured and dying, I am afraid that if he was a little injured or something, the emperor would personally send his servants to visit.

The emperor really has a grudge against the British government.

Suddenly Zhang Lun understood why his grandfather chose to die.

He knew very well that his grandfather had lived under the name of the British Duke, and he devoted his whole life to maintaining the inheritance of the British Duke.

He would rather die than see the British government fall silently and fail in his hands, so he resolutely chose to die to wash away the bad feelings in the emperor's heart, in exchange for their British government's endless favor.

After thoroughly thinking about this, Zhang Lun felt even more sad in his heart, and couldn't help but burst into tears: "Grandpa, grandpa..."

With a bang, the door was suddenly opened, and Zhu Houzhao's figure appeared in front of everyone.

Seeing Zhu Houzhao standing at the door, when his eyes fell on Zhang Mao who was lying on the ground in front of the door, he couldn't help being stunned, his tense face finally couldn't help showing the expression of emotion. color.

Almost like a conditioned reflex, Zhu Houzhao took a step forward and appeared directly in front of the wooden board. He saw that his body was full of arrows, and his armor was stained red with blood.

Just as Li Huan thought, at this time Zhu Houzhao only had infinite sadness and regret in his heart, and there was no dissatisfaction with the British government.

With trembling hands, Zhu Houzhao slowly brushed away Zhang Mao's long gray hair, revealing that old face full of vicissitudes.

"Old Duke..."

Zhu Houzhao let out a low cry, which contained deep emotions.

It's a pity that Zhang Mao didn't respond at all where he was lying. Only his weak breathing and undetectable but heaving chest could prove that Zhang Mao was still alive.

Zhang Lun on the side trembled and said to Zhang Mao: "Grandpa, grandpa, wake up, your majesty, your majesty is here to see you..."

Facing Zhang Lun's call, Zhang Mao still did not respond, but Zhang Lun subconsciously looked at Li Huan.

It seems to be praying to Li Huan, hoping that Li Huan can wake up his grandfather.

Zhang Lun has already understood Zhang Mao's painstaking efforts. Although at this time, the change of the emperor's attitude has proved that Zhang Mao's painstaking efforts were not in vain, but Zhang Lun did not want his grandfather to see the emperor before his death. Wishes cannot be fulfilled.

Li Huan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and was about to wake Zhang Mao up.

However, Zhu Houzhao suppressed the sadness in his heart, his voice was a little hoarse, and he shouted tremblingly: "My lord, don't you want to see me, I'm here, what do you want to say to me..."

Following Zhu Houzhao's slightly groggy shout, Zhang Mao, who had been lying there without any reaction, suddenly trembled, and his closed eyes trembled slightly, and then slowly opened those eyes.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Mao's eyes, and the moment they saw him, they first showed surprise, then guilt and a bit of relief.

Looking at the complex emotions in Zhang Mao's eyes, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help recalling the details of Zhang Mao and him since he was sensible.

Thinking back to the past, Zhu Hou looked at Zhang Mao with softer eyes.

"His Majesty!"

A call made Zhu Houzhao's heart tremble directly, and he couldn't help reaching out to hold Zhu Houzhao's calloused old hand and said: "Old Duke, I am here, why is Aiqing here, why is this..."

In the past two years, Zhang Mao has gradually faded out of the court, and even the post of Admiral Jingying has been removed, and he will not ask any more questions.

Given Zhang Mao's physical condition, if he let go of everything and recuperated, he might not be able to live for a few more years.

It's just that no one thought that such a change would occur due to the tricks of good fortune.

Zhang Mao looked at Zhu Houzhao, with a smile on his face and said: "Your Majesty, don't be sad. All the old ministers in the army have asked for nothing more than a horse leather shroud. If they die on the sickbed, wouldn't it weaken the power of my British government?" , The old minister’s negligence caused this catastrophe just now, now that the rebellion is over, and I can see His Majesty for the last time, the old minister can rest in peace even if he has gone to the Nine Springs.”

As he said that, Zhang Mao couldn't help coughing violently, and even a mouthful of blood gushed out. The situation was extremely frightening.

Seeing this, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help shouting: "Old Duke, don't talk about it, don't talk about it, imperial physician, pass on imperial physician..."

Zhu Houzhao shouted loudly at Qiu Ju, Gu Dayong and others beside him.

With a soft sigh, Li Huan stepped forward and quickly tapped several big acupuncture points on Zhang Mao's body, but it miraculously stopped Zhang Mao from vomiting blood, and he could clearly feel that Zhang Mao's spirit seemed to be returning, even His eyes brightened a little.

However, whether it was Zhang Lun or Zhu Houzhao who saw this scene, they knew clearly that this was Zhang Mao's last flashback. I am afraid that if he survived this breath, it would be difficult for Zhang Mao to stay for a while even with the magical skills of Chinese medicine.

Zhang Mao smiled gratefully at Li Huan, then looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the old minister will die when he dies, but there are still concerns in his heart..."

Zhu Houzhao held Zhang Mao's big hand tightly, and said in a trembling voice: "What other wish does the old man have, even if you say it, I will listen."

Zhang Mao looked at Zhu Houzhao and said, "The old minister's biggest concern is Your Majesty. Your Majesty succeeds to the throne as a young man with great ambitions. In the future, he must be an eternal emperor like Taizu and Taizong. It's a pity that the old minister's fortune is shallow and he cannot see His Majesty's achievements through the ages." The day of the king."

Zhu Houzhao was moved and said: "Old Duke..."

Zhang Mao said again: "However, His Majesty acted too eagerly after all. The original intention of Liu Jin's New Deal was good, but it touched the interests of too many people, so that it was in the hands of lower-level officials. Instead, it has become a policy that harms the country and the people. Veteran ministers see it, and if it is pushed forward forcefully, there will be civil uprisings in the future."

After taking a breath, Zhang Mao looked at Zhu Houzhao and said, "Even the assassination of His Majesty, the rebellion of Marquis Changxing, Fei Hong and others may not be due to His Majesty's favor and trust in Liu Jin, and forced the New Deal."

Zhu Houzhao's expression was solemn, and he looked at Zhang Mao fixedly.

As if he didn't feel Zhu Houzhao's gaze, Zhang Mao smiled and said, "Before, I was worried about your majesty's safety, but with a loyal minister like Li Huan by your side, I can go to see you if your majesty is in danger. The first emperor."

Then he said to Zhu Houzhao with a guilty expression on his face: "Because of the old minister's negligence, the rebel army entered the city to endanger His Majesty, so I had to tie up the four military battalion supervisors and force all the soldiers to follow the old man into Beijing to escort him. As a veteran, I ask Your Majesty to forgive the crimes committed by the lieutenant generals."

Zhu Houzhao said tremblingly, "Does the old Duke have any other wishes?"

Zhang Mao said to Zhang Lun who was on the side: "Lun'er, kowtow to Your Majesty."

Zhang Lun turned around and kowtowed to Zhu Houzhao.

Then I heard Zhang Mao say: "After the death of the old minister, Lun'er will inherit the title of Duke of England. Please also fulfill it, Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao nodded. The Duke of England's title is hereditary and rests with the country, and Zhang Lun is the heir selected by Zhang Mao early on. It is a matter of course for him to inherit the title.

Looking at Zhang Mao, Zhu Houzhao said in a deep voice: "I have agreed to this matter, and Zhang Lun will inherit the title of Duke of England."

Hearing this, Zhang Mao had a bright smile on his face, as if he had let go of the biggest thing in his heart.Immediately after breathing, he became short of breath, and his face that had recovered a bit of rosiness also began to turn pale rapidly.

Seeing Zhang Mao like this, Zhu Houzhao, Li Huan, and Zhang Lun's hearts sank.

Seeing this, Zhang Lun hurriedly said, "Grandpa, do you have anything else to say?"

Zhang Mao was breathing quickly, his eyes fell on Li Huan, Li Huan was very puzzled when he saw it, and hurriedly said: "Old Duke, do you have anything to say to me?"

Zhang Mao stared at Li Huan for a while, then suddenly sighed: "I have a daughter under my knees, and it's hard to find a good son-in-law. Earlier, I had a joke with Lun'er. Mr. Li is a good man. I wanted to find an opportunity to ask Your Majesty to lead this girl." A red thread, now..."

With a sound of wow, while Zhang Maozheng was speaking, a mouthful of blood suddenly spewed out. The big hand that was originally held by Zhang Lun and the emperor suddenly grasped the two's hands. His breathing was suddenly rapid, and the blood gushed out, and he couldn't say a word anymore. Come on.

"Old Duke...Old Duke..."

"Grandpa...Grandpa..."

The next moment, Zhang Mao, who was tense, trembled suddenly, and the big hands grasping Lei Lun and Zhu Houzhao suddenly became weak, with such a trace of calmness and regret in his eyes, he just let go.

Li Huan stepped forward, tested Zhang Mao's breathing and pulse, slowly shook his head at Zhu Houzhao and Zhang Lun, and sighed: "Your Majesty, the old Duke has gone!"

After hearing Li Huan's words, tears rolled out of Zhang Lun's eyes, which were originally full of sadness, and he burst into tears.

Zhu Houzhao also looked a little sad, just looked at Zhang Mao, and slowly reached out to close Zhang Mao's eyes.

However, the chief assistant Li Dongyang suddenly learned that Changxing Marquis Feng Haixing had entered the city with the intention of rebelling against him, so he brought a dozen servants from his family and rushed to the imperial city almost immediately.

In the night, Li Dongyang kept urging the servants around him, and suddenly saw a group of people coming with torches from a distance.

Li Dongyang's heart tightened, and when he got closer and saw clearly that it was Yang Tinghe, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Similarly, Yang Tinghe also saw Li Dongyang, and hurriedly brought someone forward to salute Li Dongyang, "Mr. Xi Ya, have you received the news that Marquis Feng Hai of Changxing is plotting rebellion?"

Li Dongyang nodded and said: "If you want to come to Jiefu, you also got the news, hurry up to the imperial city to see His Majesty."

Yang Tinghe said with a dignified expression: "That's right, as such a heinous disaster has happened, we, as cabinet ministers, must go to see His Majesty as soon as possible, and try to stop Feng Hai and Fei Hong as much as possible."

Li Dongyang looked at Yang Tinghe and said with a sigh of relief: "It's so good, it's so good, I'm really worried..."

When the words came to his lips, Li Dongyang swallowed again, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say it in the end.

Yang Tinghe glanced at Li Dongyang in confusion, but at this moment Li Dongyang said to Yang Tinghe: "Let's go, you and I will go find His Majesty together."

The two sides converged in one place, adding up to dozens of people, and rushed all the way to the direction of the imperial city.

It's just that when Li Dongyang and the others rushed to the imperial city, they found that the rebels seemed to be heading in another direction far away.

Li Dongyang looked at the killed soldiers guarding in front of the palace gate and the servants, his expression became extremely ugly and he said: "Your Majesty..."

Yang Tinghe's face showed a bit of relief, and he said to Li Dongyang with a bit of joy: "Grand Xi Ya, Your Majesty is fine, Your Majesty should be fine."

Li Dongyang suddenly looked up at Yang Tinghe.

Yang Tinghe said solemnly: "If what I expected is correct, His Majesty must have left the imperial city. Looking at the direction in which the rebels are going, nine out of ten are heading towards the direction of the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp."

Hearing what Yang Tinghe said, Li Dongyang said pleasantly, "So His Majesty should have gone to look for the Four Guards Camp in Tengxiang."

Yang Tinghe nodded and said: "Your Majesty obviously has capable people by his side. If Your Majesty can arrive at the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp in time, we will have nothing to worry about."

When Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them avoided the rebels and made a detour to the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp, it happened that the British Duke Zhang Mao led the Beijing camp army to kill them.

After making a detour and finally avoiding the rebels, Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two rushed to the Tengxiang Four Guards camp.

At this time, the rebel army was almost suppressed, only some soldiers of the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp were still chasing and killing those who slipped through the net in the city.

At the gate of the camp, a group of soldiers were maintaining a high degree of vigilance. When they suddenly saw Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang coming, they almost instinctively aimed their weapons at them.

"Who is coming? The military camp is important, anyone who approaches without authorization, kill!"

Emperor Luan is here, and the remnants of the rebel army have not been wiped out. It can be said that anyone who approaches this place will become the object of suspicion. Even if they are shot and killed on the spot, they cannot blame others.

When Yang Tinghe saw the black firecrackers and bows and arrows, his whole body turned cold, and he hurriedly said loudly: "I am Yang Tinghe, and the chief assistant, Mr. Li Dongyang, is here. I am here to ask His Majesty."

A group of soldiers couldn't help being stunned for a moment when they heard the words, as if they didn't expect that the two elders would come.

For Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and the two elders, the soldiers naturally did not dare to treat them lightly, but they also did not dare to be careless.

A small flag official in the lead cupped his hands at Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe and said: "You two adults will wait a little later, and the younger one will send someone to His Majesty Tong Bing."

Li Dongyang heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the words. Hearing what the little flag officer meant, it was obvious that the Son of Heaven had entered the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp safely, so there must be no problem.

Taking a deep breath, Li Dongyang cupped his hands at the little banner officer and said, "That's enough work."

The Xiaoqi officer didn't dare to say anything, so he hurriedly recruited a subordinate and ordered him to go to Tongbing.

When the soldier arrived, the emperor happened to be talking to the dying Zhang Mao, so he could only tell Gu Dayong.

Gu Dayong learned that two elders were seeking an audience outside the camp gate, and wanted to inform the emperor, but seeing the emperor and Zhang Mao, he finally suppressed the news for the time being.

Here Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two stood outside the camp gate, naturally they were quite disturbed.

Previously, they were so worried about the emperor's accident that they didn't have the time to think about anything else, but now that the emperor's safety has been confirmed, the two of them had to think about what to do when they saw the emperor.

Originally, after the emperor woke up, he seemed to be quite dissatisfied with them, especially Liu Zhong and Liang Chu were killed by Li Huan because they prevented Li Huan from seeing him. They don't believe it themselves.

Originally, I was thinking about how to plead guilty to the emperor, but I never thought that before this day has passed, the rebellion of Changxing Marquis Feng Hai and Fei Hong happened.

As a bachelor, Fei Hongna is an important figure in the civil official group. Fei Hong is fine by himself. The key is that he participates in the rebellion. What will others think, and what will the emperor think? Will he think they are civil servants? The group has objected to him, the emperor.

Others don't need to consider these issues, but as the heads of officials, the cabinet members, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe must consider them.

In the night wind, the two of them just looked at the dancing torches in front of them. From time to time, they could hear screams from a distance. Needless to say, this must be the tragedy when the remnants of the rebels were discovered and killed. Call.

Yang Tinghe suddenly looked in the direction of Daying, glanced at Li Dongyang and said in a low voice: "Grand Xi Ya, how long has it been?"

Li Dongyang sighed slightly: "I'm afraid it's time for a stick of incense."

Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang looked at each other, both of them were worried.

The time for a stick of incense is enough for the soldiers who went to Tongbing to go back and forth a few times, but they have not been summoned by the emperor until now. What this means, the two of them don't know.

Is this the emperor showing his attitude to them?
But Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang didn't know about the fact that the British Duke had asked to see the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven didn't know the news of their request to see the Son of Heaven at all, so how could he summon them.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Lun who was lying there crying, sighed softly, and slowly got up, when Gu Dayong saw him, he stepped forward and supported Zhu Houzhao just now and said: "Your Majesty, although the old Duke is dead, he is still alive." No regrets, Your Majesty must not be sad."

Li Huan stood aside and said to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty, Director Gu is right, the old Duke passed away with a smile on his face, and he certainly doesn't want His Majesty to hurt the dragon's body because of this."

A smile appeared on Zhu Houzhao's face when he heard the words, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Gu Dayong suddenly said, "Your Majesty, just now you were talking to the old Duke. Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them asked to see him outside the camp. The old servant made his own decisions and didn't inform His Majesty immediately. Please forgive me."

Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them are here?"

Gu Dayong stood with his head down and said: "Waiting outside the gate of the camp, it's almost time for a stick of incense."

Zhu Houzhao snorted coldly when he heard the words: "Then let them wait for another incense stick."

Even a fool could hear the anger in Zhu Houzhao's words, and it was clear that he was dissatisfied with Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe.

Looking at Zhang Mao's body on the ground, Zhu Houzhao said to Zhang Lun, "Zhang Lun, order someone to clean up the old man. It's not good for the old man to be so embarrassed."

Zhang Lun kowtowed respectfully to Zhu Houzhao: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Several servants hurried forward, carefully pulled out the dozen arrows stuck in Zhang Mao's body one by one, and then helped Zhang Mao clean up his face and clothes, at least he looked more pleasing to the eye than before many.

At this time, Zhu Houzhao said to Gu Dayong: "Go, bring Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them!"

Gu Dayong nodded hastily upon hearing this.

At the gate of Daying, it seems that the emperor is going to let them cool off and vent his dissatisfaction with them. Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe are helpless, they can only hope that the emperor will see them later, and don't explode into a thunderous anger .

Finally, there was a sound of footsteps, and a familiar figure came into their eyes, it was not Gu Dayong, the chief inspector of horses, whoever it was.

When they saw Gu Dayong, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the emperor was going to summon them.

Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two waited until Gu Dayong approached, they stepped forward and cupped their hands and said, "I have seen Director Gu, but Your Majesty summoned me to wait?"

Gu Dayong glanced at the two of them, and said with a half smile: "You two elders, come with us."

Although Gu Dayong's attitude is very bad, but Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and the two are not upset, the emperor must be angry with them at the moment, if Gu Dayong, the emperor's servant, came to see them with a smile on his face If so, that would be weird.

Soon the two of them followed Gu Dayong into the camp, and within a short time, they heard a voice crying there.

Hearing the weeping sound, Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe paused slightly, and a sense of curiosity arose in their hearts.

This is the place where the emperor is riding. Where the emperor is, there are people who don't shy away from the emperor and cry here. How can this not be suspicious.

Li Dongyang and Li Dongyang looked at Gu Dayong subconsciously, but Gu Dayong had a sullen face, expressionless, and ignored their intentions at all.

Seeing this situation, the two knew that it was obviously impossible to know what was going on from Gu Dayong.

But as they got closer, the crying sound became louder and louder, and even the two of them felt quite familiar.

Looking at each other, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe became even more curious now.

Who is it, why are they crying here, and what is even more suspicious is that the emperor didn't stop him.

Turning the corner, eyes lit up, and the sound of crying became clear all at once. Even with the surrounding firelight, Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two had already seen that the figure crying there was the young prince of the British government, Zhang Lun.

The British Duke is old, and Zhang Lun is the next-generation heir appointed by the British Duke. In the past two years, Zhang Lun has received and been in charge of almost all the affairs of the British Duke and foreign affairs. Therefore, Zhang Lun has dealt with Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and others more than once. , so Zhang Lun is no stranger to him.

But what did Zhang Lun kneel there and cry again, could it be?
A bad feeling arose in the hearts of the two of them, especially when the two of them approached and saw a figure lying there quietly, covered in blood, with gray hair and a face like gold paper, it was not the British public Zhang Mao. Who is it again?

Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe couldn't help but change their complexions when they really saw Zhang Mao lying on the ground so silently, turning into a corpse.

Speaking of which, they have been fighting with Zhang Mao for decades. During the decades, there have been disputes and cooperation. For Zhang Mao, who will stand on the side of the imperial power and oppose them most of the time, they can be said to be It's a love-hate relationship.

But the old friend who had been fighting for so many years suddenly became a corpse, especially when he appeared in front of them under such circumstances, both Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang lost their minds for a moment.

Seeing the two lose their composure, Gu Dayong coughed lightly.

Only then did Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe come to their senses, their gazes fell on the Son of Heaven who was looking at them with his hands behind his back, with a cold expression on his face, the two hurriedly stepped forward to bow down to the Son of Heaven.

"Your Majesty, Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe, greet you."

Zhu Houzhao looked at the two cabinet ministers who fell in front of him, didn't say anything, just glanced at them lightly, and turned his eyes to Zhang Mao's corpse. When Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang were feeling uneasy, he said slowly: "The British government fought the rebellion for the country and rushed to the front. Unfortunately, it was severely injured by the rebels and served the country with its own body. It is dead!"

Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe were stunned when they heard the words, and then said: "The old man is loyal, but he has suffered such a calamity today. I must have lost the Sea God Needle. It is my death!"

Zhu Houzhao said again: "The Duke of England worked diligently for Ming Dynasty all his life, and he remained for me until his death. He worked for Ming Dynasty and set an example for all officials. Today's sudden passing away is really a great loss for Ming Dynasty, and my heart is very painful. "

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao glanced at several people and said: "I want to make the Duke of England the King of Ningyang, posthumously named Gongjing, and keep him as a princely gift. What do you think?"

Hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, several people couldn't help being shocked, especially Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them, this is the supreme honor of being crowned king after death.

In the Ming Dynasty, apart from the beginning of the founding of the country, for hundreds of years, how many people were able to enjoy the treatment of being crowned king after death.

Even if Zhu Houzhao proclaimed the Duke of Ningyang as the King of Ningyang, it was still very important, even a bit beyond the standard.

If it was any other time, Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang would definitely persuade him, but at this moment, no matter what happened to the British Duke, even if he was at fault, but he died to save him, this death is enough to overwhelm all faults.

If you oppose the emperor at this time, you are provoking the emperor, the British government, and even the entire noble group.

They didn't see that Zhu Fu, the noble family official, was staring at them. The two dared to say that if they objected, Zhu Fu would definitely pounce on them without hesitation.

The most important thing is that the emperor's words just now carried a decisive meaning, which shows that the emperor has made up his mind, and the reason why he asked them is nothing more than a formality.

After seeing the situation clearly, the two people paid homage to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty is wise, if the spirit of the British Lord knows, he must be grateful for His Majesty's great grace."

Seeing that the two of them had no objection, Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly, and said to Qiu Ju who was beside him, "Master Qiu, write down the reward I just received, and the Ministry of Rites will send officials to assist the British government in organizing the British Duke's funeral. "

Qiu Ju respectfully said: "This old slave has written it down."

Zhang Lun's face was full of joy and sadness. He was happy that everything was as his grandfather said. His death pushed the momentum of their British line to the peak, but he was sad that he would never hear it again. The teaching of my grandfather, I saw the voice and smile of my grandfather.

However, Zhang Lun reacted and bowed to Zhu Houzhao: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao nodded kindly at Zhang Lun and said, "I will send you and the old man back to the mansion until dawn."

Speaking of which, Zhu Houzhao cast his eyes on Li Huan, pondered for a while and said: "Li Qing, Fei Hong, Changxing Marquis Feng Hai's treason case, I will also leave it to you Jin Yiwei to handle."

Li Huan immediately said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will definitely handle this case well."

Li Dongyang looked at Li Huan, who had a murderous look on his face, and sighed in his heart. This time, the big case might be a river of blood to be killed, and he didn't know how many people would be implicated by then.

Just as he was about to say something to Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Houzhao waved his hands at the two of them and said, "Two elders, please go and appease the courtiers for me. If there is anything, we can discuss it at the court tomorrow."

After saying this, Zhu Houzhao turned around and walked into the room, ignoring the meaning of the two of them.

"His Majesty……"

Li Dongyang let out a low cry, watching the door close, his face was full of despair.

Qiu Ju, Gao Feng, and Gu Dayong looked at Li Dongyang with sarcasm.

At this moment, Li Huan stepped forward to Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two said: "You two old elders, get up quickly, the courtiers in Beijing still need two to comfort you, don't let your Majesty's expectations live up to you."

After hearing Li Huan's words, Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe got up slowly, cupped their hands at Li Huan, and left slowly.

At this moment, Qiu Ju looked at the backs of the two leaving, walked up to Li Huan and said, "Brother Li, you shouldn't pay attention to them. If they hadn't taken the lead, the officials wouldn't have shouted to deal with you back then." , but as long as they restrain the officials, it is impossible for such a major event of rebellion to happen."

Li Huan smiled and said, "Old Brother Qiu is right."

Qiu Ju smiled and said: "Okay, you must have your own ideas in how you act, and our family is just nagging."

As he said that, Qiu Ju said to Li Huan: "It's time for our family to serve His Majesty to rest. Brother Li, do you want to say goodbye to Your Majesty?"

Li Huan said with a smile: "I won't disturb His Majesty's rest, and Brother Laoqiu will apologize to His Majesty for me."

Bringing the dozen or so Jinyiwei and Yue Buqun who survived, Li Huan rushed all the way back to the Jinyiwei yamen.

On this road, from time to time, soldiers from the Tengxiang Four Guards Battalion can be seen searching for the remnants of the rebels in the city. After all, thousands of rebels are in the dark, and it is impossible to kill them all. Some escaped.

But as the sky brightened, even if it was impossible for all these rebels to be found and killed, they certainly had no place to hide.

Li Huan could already predict that after dawn, there would be a big storm.I just don't know what kind of thunder and anger the emperor will erupt.

It is really that when the Son of Heaven faced Yang Tinghe and Li Dongyang, his reaction was too flat, which is not normal in itself.

If Zhu Houzhao really yelled at Li Dongyang, maybe the matter passed like this, but the emperor just didn't get angry, and he didn't show a trace of anger, he was calm and terrible.

Li Huan didn't know if Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the others had noticed the monstrous anger hidden in the emperor's heart, but he felt it.

Jinyiwei Yamen

Previously, Li Huan set off in a hurry to rescue him, except for a very few officials who were really powerless to stay behind in the huge Jinyiwei yamen, everyone else went with Li Huan.

Even Shi Wenyi, the former commander of Jin Yiwei, went to battle with Li Huan to escort him, and he was one of the dozen or so people who survived.

When Li Huan returned to the Jinyiwei yamen, several figures greeted him, it was Du Guang, Meng Hui, Chen Ke, Zhao Yi and others.

A few people were sent by Li Huan to arrest the criminals who were suspected of treason, but now they obviously returned from their errands.

Seeing Li Huan's safe return, several people breathed a sigh of relief.

You must know that when they came back not long ago, they originally wanted to report the results of the case to Li Huan, but they never thought that Jinyiwei's yamen seemed to be hollowed out by someone, leaving only three or two big and small cats.

After asking, they found out that Feng Hai led the troops into the city, and Li Huan led people to rescue him. They were thinking whether to rush to find Li Huan, and Li Huan just came back here.

"grown ups!"

As he said that, Chen Ke looked behind Li Huan, and found that there were only a dozen people accompanying Li Huan back, so his face changed slightly.

"Other brothers?"

Li Huan sighed softly: "The other brothers died in battle."

Although it is said that they have already expected it in their hearts, but they are really sure, and the hearts of several people are still agitated.

Walking into the yamen, Li Huan, who had been tossing around for half the night, couldn't help but feel a little tired even though he was full of energy, but when his eyes fell on several people, he still asked: "How is the matter going? The criminals are all under control." Living?"

Chen Ke said with a serious face: "My lord, the Imperial Hospital has been brought under control, and all of Chen Jiu's family has been captured and thrown into imperial prison."

Zhao Yi said: "Liu Zhong and Liang Chu's family have also been guarded."

Du Guang said: "Changning Bohe's mansion has also been captured at this moment, and they have already been imprisoned."

Meng Hui said: "The manpower of the subordinates is really limited, so we can only send people to guard the mansions of Geng Li, Peng Guang, Xue Yi, and Song Jing."

A part of Jinyiwei's staff in the capital went to Fuzhou with Li Huan. Because Li Huan came back in a hurry, hundreds of Jinyiwei's elite were still on their way back to Beijing.

Not long ago, Li Huan mobilized hundreds of Jinyiwei elites to follow him into the imperial city. The manpower was heavy casualties, and almost wiped out the Jinyiwei.

Otherwise, when he rescued him earlier, Jin Yiwei would not have to go up and down, and almost even dragged the helpless officials to make up for it.

Hearing Meng Hui's words, Li Huan couldn't help but think of the big case that Jin Yiwei was about to face next, and he couldn't help but tense in his heart: "How many people can we spare now?"

Chen Ke, Zhao Yi and the others heard that you look at me and I look at you, then they summed up and said with a wry smile: "My lord, I'm afraid there are less than 200 people."

"what!"

Chen Yao looked at Chen Ke in astonishment, obviously he couldn't believe that the dignified Jin Yiwei had only so few manpower at his disposal.

Li Huan took a deep breath, glanced over several people, and finally said to Chen Ke: "Chen Ke, I have promoted you to be the commander of Jinyiwei, and immediately send me a manpower. Within three days, I must transfer a thousand Jinyiwei Listen to it."

Li Huan stared at Chen Ke and said, "Is it possible?"

Chen Ke was overjoyed when he heard the words, apparently he didn't expect Li Huan to be directly promoted to his official position. From Jinyiwei's thousand households to Jinyiwei's commanding affairs, he crossed the Jinyiwei Town Fushi, and it can be said that he was promoted suddenly.

Forcing himself to suppress the joy in his heart, Chen Ke immediately said to Li Huan with a serious face: "My lord, don't worry, my subordinates can assure you that within three days, you will be able to select a thousand elites for your lord."

Patting Chen Ke on the shoulder, Li Huan smiled and said, "Since that's the case, I will wait for your good news."

Then his eyes swept over Zhao Yi, Chen Yao and others, and a bright light flashed in his eyes and said: "After finishing this major case, I will ask His Majesty for your credit. possible."

Hearing what Li Huan said, all the people bowed down to Li Huan together and said: "This subordinate will swear allegiance to Your Excellency to the death."

Shi Wenyi, who was on the side, couldn't help sighing in his heart when he saw Li Huan win people's hearts.

Before Li Huan went to rescue him, almost [-] to [-]% of the high-level officials in Jinyiwei went along with them, regardless of whether they wanted to or not at the time. Unfortunately, these people were obviously unlucky and all died in the chaos among.

Although it is said that mourning and pensions after death must be indispensable given Li Huan's temperament, but they lost their lives one by one.

And the death of these people suddenly made vacancies in the Jinyiwei yamen, large and small, in the upper and lower levels, so that Li Huan could easily place his confidantes in each vacancy.

I am afraid that none of the commanders of Jinyiwei in the past dynasties can completely control the Jinyiwei Yamen like Li Huan.

With Li Huan's appointment, the emperor probably wouldn't object. By then, Li Huan's control over Jin Yiwei would reach an unprecedented level.

Looking at Li Huan, Shi Wenyi seemed to be able to see that above the Great Ming Dynasty Hall, an existence with power over the world was slowly rising, and in the next few decades, it would be this young man in front of him.

It's a pity that he was already frightened by the chaos, otherwise, he would have hugged the thigh of the boy in front of him tightly, and he might not be able to ascend to heaven alone.

Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two left the Tengxiang Four Guards camp, the sky has gradually brightened, and the white belly of the sky indicates that a new day is about to begin.

But the hearts of Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two were filled with endless haze.

With their political sense of ups and downs in decades of officialdom, how could they not detect the change of the emperor's attitude towards them.

Obviously, since the Son of Heaven came to the throne, in the past few years, the civil servants have repeatedly suppressed the imperial power, which has already angered the Son of Heaven. Especially this time, someone actually took the initiative to murder the Son of Heaven. If the Son of Heaven is really dead, that's all. .

However, the emperor is safe, so what kind of thunder and wrath will be waiting for them, even if they know that the emperor is honest, but at this moment Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and the two are also full of infinite worries.

Tomorrow in the court, I don't know what kind of storm will be waiting for them, waiting for all civil and military officials.

After looking at each other, Li Dongyang sighed and said: "I don't know why, but this old man is a little envious of Zhang Mao. After causing such a big disaster, he just died like this and kept the British government for decades. Old man Why haven't I noticed on weekdays that he, Zhang Mao, still has such determination."

Yang Tinghe stroked his beard, and said with brilliance in his eyes: "Mr. Xiya, don't underestimate the wisdom of a person who has gone through several dynasties and has been honored and favored forever. For the sake of the British government, why would Zhang Mao not dare to do anything?" , can’t do it.”

Obviously Zhang Mao's calculations cannot be hidden from people like Li Dongyang, Yang Ting and them, but so what if they see through, Zhang Mao is betting his life, what else can they say.

Looking at the white belly in the sky, Yang Tinghe said quietly: "Go back, the general trend is Your Majesty now, I can only hope that His Majesty's cleansing knife will be lighter, otherwise, I really don't know what kind of disaster it will cause."

The melodious bells echoed in the Forbidden City, and the turmoil in the capital was completely calmed down at the moment the sun rose.

The corpses on the long street have also been cleaned up by the soldiers of the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp, but although the corpses were taken away, the traces of the fighting are clearly visible, and even the dried blood on the ground is still extremely glaring.

The civil and military officials who had been worried all night received the news from the yamen that the emperor would hold a court meeting before the Qianqing Palace, and all the Chinese and military officials in Beijing must be present.

Therefore, as soon as the sky dawned, from the mansions of each family, an official dressed in official uniform walked out of the house either nervously, fearfully, or calmly, got on a sedan chair and headed towards the Forbidden City.

The long street leading to the Forbidden City is the long street through which the rebels attacked the imperial city yesterday. Although the riots did not break out on this long street, the long street can still be seen wherever the rebels pass. There are traces of being ravaged by rebels on both sides.

However, when approaching the Forbidden City, it was the main battlefield where Zhang Mao led the soldiers of the Four Warriors to encircle and suppress the rebels last night.

It was here that Zhang Mao led people to block the rebels who were trying to escape, and the two sides launched a tragic fight here, and it was here that Zhang Mao was seriously injured.

It is conceivable that stumps and broken arms can be seen everywhere.

At this moment, some soldiers of the Tengxiang Four Guards Battalion are cleaning up the dead and wounded soldiers here, and it is certain that the wounded of the rebels were directly chopped up.

Carts were parked there one after another, and soldiers in twos and threes were carrying stiff corpses and throwing them on the carts like garbage.

Whenever a carriage is full, it will be pushed away by a few soldiers, blood will flow, and blood will be sprinkled all over the ground.

When the official sedan chairs or carriages arrived here, it was obviously impassable.

On the road ahead, there are still swords, guns, halberds, and corpses everywhere.

Therefore, all the officials who came to participate in the Great Court Meeting had to get down from the sedan chairs and carriages, walk on foot, and cross this section of road to Qianqing Palace.

It was only tea time, and hundreds of officials had already gathered here. These officials were obviously stunned by the scene in front of them.

The corpses were covered with glaring bright red blood, and the smell of blood rushed to their faces. Some officials couldn't bear the stimulation, and they just lay aside and vomited wildly.

Many people's faces were pale, and they didn't dare to take a step forward. They were obviously stunned by the sight of the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood.

Even some martial arts and military generals couldn't help but look ugly when they saw the scene in front of them at this moment.

At this moment, a carriage came whistling, and all the officials could not help dodging when they saw it, because it was the carriage of the British government.

On the carriage, a figure came out, dressed in a solemn court dress.

Everyone thought that the visitor was the British Duke Zhang Mao, but they couldn't help being stunned when they saw Zhang Lun walking down from the carriage in a national uniform.

Many people showed stunned and unbelievable expressions on their faces. They had not heard the news of the death of the British Duke Zhang Mao, and the imperial court did not appoint Zhang Lun to inherit the British dukedom. Why did it come from Zhang Lun? Lord, where is British Duke Zhang Mao?
This is the Dachaohui, if you don't have that identity, appearing in the Dachaohui, that is a serious crime.

Zhang Lun walked down from the carriage with a blank face. The emperor had allowed him to inherit the title of Duke of England last night, so since last night, he has been a new generation of Duke of England.

The emperor summoned all the officials, and he, the new British Duke, had to be present in person to represent the honorable family as the emperor's platform. Even the funeral of the old Duke Zhang Mao had to be put aside for the time being.

Many nobles who had already known the news of Zhang Mao's death saw Zhang Lun coming at this moment, and they all walked towards Zhang Lun, obviously Zhang Lun was the main one.

Even Cheng Guogong Zhu Fu and Dingguo Gong Xu Guangzuo were half a step behind Zhang Lun, and the rest, such as Taininghou and Wu Dinghou, stood behind Zhang Lun to show their attitude.

Zhang Lun nodded at the group of nobles, and strode forward first, as if he hadn't seen the corpses and blood under his feet.

All the officials were taken aback by the noble attitudes, and at this time, someone shouted: "Master Chief Assistant, Mr. Yang Ge is here!"

Hearing this shout, all the civil and military officers who were originally anxious looked at the sedan chairs of the first assistant Li Dongyang and the elder Yang Tinghe as if they had found the backbone.

The two small sedan chairs looked plain and unpretentious, but sitting in them were the two elders with the most distinguished status in the Ming Dynasty today, and they were also the backbone of all civil and military officials.

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(End of this chapter)