Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 501 Zhao Shangshu’s Three Questions
  Ouchi Palace,

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation,

The two cabinet ministers were quarreling with each other, and their tit-for-tat words also made other people understand that this was the rural-party struggle between the civil servants in the north and the south, and then used this as a guide to fight to the end. Unfortunately, it ended in the south of Beijing. It messes up the land and causes disaster.

Everyone is still speculating that this kind of fight is probably more serious than what is said. There is also the Taiping Sect making trouble in various places in the south of Beijing. Since it can come to the fore, it is probably not as easy to deal with as the White Lotus Sect. The court can only gather heavy troops when the opponent is still in its infancy. , quickly go south, annihilate them in the bud, and avoid learning from the past. Therefore, Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing camp, and Kang Guichen, the commander of the imperial army, suddenly thought that the most important thing now is how to send troops to suppress the rebels. It's not disaster relief, let alone accountability. The two of them are like this, and they can't tell the difference even in the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.

Just as the two pavilion elders were quarreling, they came out of the queue at the same time, as if they had agreed upon it, and bowed with fists in their hands,

"Your Majesty, Prince Teng (Kang Guichen) has something to report."

Emperor Wu, who was sitting on the high platform, became increasingly depressed, with a gloomy expression on his face. He looked at the two quarreling people with deep eyes. He didn't know what they were thinking. When he heard Wang Ziteng and Marquis Baoning start playing at the same time, he returned his gaze. Looking over, I saw the two of them looking anxious, as if they had something to say, so I asked,

"You two have something to say, and you both say it at the same time. Wang Ziteng, you say it first."

"Yes, Your Majesty,"

Wang Ziteng responded immediately, and then secretly glanced at Marquis Baoning with his peripheral vision. Seeing that the latter didn't pay attention, he replied first,

"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Wang Ziteng has something to say. Since civil unrest has arisen in the south of Beijing, and it has now become a prairie fire, it must be unstoppable. Although it is not in the south, I don't know the specific situation of Linyue Mansion City, but the city has been destroyed. The siege is definitely in danger. It is unknown how many officers and soldiers there are to defend the city, how powerful they are, and how long they can defend it.

Therefore, I feel that the imperial court should immediately reorganize the army and gather the army to go south. The first priority is to suppress the civil unrest, and finally clear out the rebels and restore peace to the world. Also, I heard that there are monsters from the Taiping Sect inside, although I have never seen those people. , but I also heard about the robbery of money in the capital. The people of the cult are not afraid of death. If they are given time to develop and grow, the consequences may be unpredictable. After all, there are lessons learned from the past. "

The Marquis Baoning beside him also echoed his words and agreed,

"Your Majesty, what Wang Jiedu said is what I want to say. The chaos in the south of Beijing has become unstoppable. Although the rebels are numerous, they are still a mass of scattered sand. But now, they feel to me that they are quite strategic. So Not only did they capture many cities quickly, but they also had the purpose of besieging the city.

I vaguely feel that there may be more than just one Taiping Sect. The White Lotus Sect was so huge at the time of the Supreme Emperor. All the chaos in the Central Plains were members of the White Lotus Sect. Even in Zhongzhou, they also had their minions. Although more than ten years have passed, the White Lotus Sect has There is also no news, but no one can guarantee that the White Lotus Sect will die in one battle in the Central Plains. It is impossible to guarantee that they will not be watching from the dark, and there may even be other secret hands. Therefore, I feel that the army should be mobilized south immediately to not give the rebellious people a chance to breathe. Opportunities are not given to those who are afraid that the world will not be in chaos. Finally, officials from all over the south of Beijing will be rewarded based on their merits and offset their guilt before they are convicted. Please make your decision. "

The words of the two men were sonorous and powerful, deafening, which shocked the spirits of everyone in the hall. Even Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong was perked up after hearing this. What they both said were the words of an old minister seeking the country. He never thought that they understood it. Without the Holy Will, everything else is a trivial matter. How to quell the chaos is a big deal, let alone let it spread. All the bandit leaders must be executed without leaving any one behind.

"Okay, you two are interested. Let's wait a moment. As for Lu Aiqing and Gu Aiqing, we have to put aside the debate between you two. I can make my own conclusion about what is right and wrong. As for Jingnan, The review of officials will have to wait until the rebellious people are suppressed. Of course, it will also depend on their remedial measures. In the end, rewards and punishments will be given, and they will also be given an opportunity to make meritorious deeds. However, I will never let go of the culprits."

Emperor Wu also realized at this time that the most important thing now is not to convict people, nor to provide disaster relief, but to suppress them. When the people are in chaos, the court cannot help but hesitate. Of course, those officials who cause trouble to the people of the world, and those corrupt officials, I They must be chopped alive.

As for how to send troops, we still need to think about it. The Beijing camp and the imperial army cannot be moved lightly, so we can only think of other ways. There are still many government troops around the capital. In addition, Hexi County, Hedong County, and Daliang City Jiedu Over there, there are all the old troops of the Supreme Emperor. Although the number of each department is not large, when they are gathered together, there are a lot of them. Even the subordinates of Zeng Jingying have been split up a lot.

If they reunite again, I don’t know if they can return their fighting strength to the government. After all, they have been reduced to the government army. After so many years, I don’t know what they have become. Emperor Wu has no confidence in his heart and is afraid that he will not be able to suppress the civil unrest. But this time The opportunity was rare, and I had an excuse. After much thought, I still had to test it out and see what the cabinet ministers wanted.

Looking at Zhao Jingwu, Minister of War, who was still silent, he asked,

"In this case, it is indeed necessary to send a large army to suppress it. Let me ask Zhao Jingwu again. Your Minister of War has not said a word yet, but you have unspeakable secrets and still have other ideas. Does Zhao Aiqing have any opinions on the matter in the south of Beijing?"

Zhao Jingwu looked respectful, and seemed a little cautious today, which was very strange. He carefully walked out of the column, knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and then said,

"Back to Your Majesty, it's not that I didn't interrupt, it's that I had nothing to say. Just now, I was still thinking about how Lin Yue Mansion City was besieged. What ability did the rebels have to make the guard Qin Yunjiang send a letter asking for help? This is One question,
  Second question, regarding Gu Ping of Linshan County, according to General Dai, General Gu Ping of Jingnan should have gone south with [-] troops at this time. The fastest way is to take the official road directly to Chenzhou City, and then Passing through the entrance of Luoye Valley, he headed straight for Fucheng, but why did he go around the city? Chenzhou City was a compromise between Linshan County and Linyue Mansion, and was the escape route for the [-]-strong army. Why did Gu Ping go there? He ordered the entire army to turn west and then south, but what did he find?
  Finally, there is a third question, which is the easternmost city, Weizhou City and Linzhou City, which the letter has always ignored. The two cities mentioned in the letter have lost contact. Is it true that they cannot be contacted, or have they been occupied? To the north are Huaizhou and Qinzhou, a vast plain. "

Zhao Jingwu's three questions also made Emperor Wu and the courtiers stunned for a moment. None of them thought about it. Even Wang Ziteng and Kang Guichen didn't think about it carefully. They both looked at each other in embarrassment.

How could it be possible to know so much based on just two secret letters, but the three questions asked by the Minister of War are also extremely crucial. Is it impossible or unnecessary for Gu Ping to take a detour to the south? What is going on in the east? I always feel like there is a fog hanging over it. Why? Can't see clearly either.

Wang Ziteng was also trying to recall what happened back then to see if there were any clues. After all, Marquis Baoning had never been there. He watched everyone explain in silence and said carefully,

"Your Majesty, could it be that Gu Ping noticed some ambush or something wrong and didn't dare to waste time so he didn't go there? As for the two cities in the east, at worst, they were captured by the rebels. I want to come to Huaizhou and Qinzhou He also noticed that he must be vigilant. As for General Qin's request for help in the city, this is inevitable. The city is surrounded and there are too many people in chaos. General Qin is not sure to hold it. It is conceivable that based on the fighting power of the army, he must ask for help. , after all, there is still the imperial smelting prison there, if it is lost, the loss will be too great."

After he finished speaking, Marquis Baoning felt that it made sense, but the others remained silent.

Emperor Wu frowned. Marquis Baoning's words were not unreasonable. He really didn't notice the matter just now. He was thinking about handing over the documents and ignored the military developments in the south of Beijing. Since Gu Ping led his army to encircle the city, However, even soldiers were not sent to test the attack. There was something strange in Chenzhou City, there might be an ambush, there was a reason to have to turn around, or there was a large number of people in chaos, so the city could not be captured for a while, or maybe Gu Ping turned a blind eye and had more important news in hand, but there was too little news to make a judgment. It was really not his fault to arrange the troops. It would be great if Marquis Luo Yun was here. By the way, what happened to this boy? It’s not yet in the future, but in which woman’s arms will I enjoy happiness?

Zhang Jinyu, the Marquis of Luoyun, who was just thinking about this, was sweating profusely on the bed in the west wing of Grandma Rongguo's attic. As her sister-in-law Li Wan let out a high-pitched cry, she fell silent, leaving only darkness. Among them, Suyun couldn't hear the sound in the house and left early. Biyue also silently brought the hot water and put it outside the door, and then disappeared.

It took a long time before a sound came from inside the house.
  "Master Marquis, it's night, you'd better go back early, I'm going to die."

The hoarse voice sounded like pleading and crying. Zhang Jinyu took a breath and looked at the person in her arms, feeling a little apologetic.

"That's fine. I was negligent just now. The palace judge doesn't need to think too much. Just have a good rest."

Seeing that Keren'er was being tortured so much, Zhang Jinyu didn't want to stay any longer. He got up, put on his clothes, covered Li Wan with a quilt, and left quietly. When he got outside the house, he saw hot water on the ground. Knowing that the two maids were not sleeping yet, she couldn't help but blush. She heard that the corner was not good, so she didn't look around anymore. She washed her hands, wiped the sweat on her face, and walked out.

in the courtyard,

Since Ningbian was waiting with his own soldiers, Zhang Jinyu said hello, and then left Rongguo Mansion without stopping, all quietly and out of sight.

It's just that in the Duke's Mansion, there is really no place where people can't find you. When you leave, you go directly out of the side door of the Duke's Mansion. When there are many people, you can't avoid the sight of the concierge.

The steward of Rongguo Mansion's concierge was even more confused. Why did the Marquis leave so late? He should have stayed overnight. He always left in the middle of the night. Could it be...
  The steward hurriedly shook his head. He couldn't think about this. There were so many mistresses in the house. If word got out, he would be doomed. He pretended not to see it and opened the door. Then he left immediately and waited for the Marquis to come out of the house. After getting on his horse and leaving, he tiptoed out, continued to close the side door, and then went back to rest after closing the door latch. Even the servants didn't shout, and this matter was about to sink in his stomach.

Just when I was about to fall asleep, I heard the boy's sleepy words from the back room.
  "Hey, why are you here? What are you going to do?"

The steward was startled and thought it was someone from outside, so he whispered back,

"It's night and I need to urinate urgently. I need to go out for a while."

But after he finished speaking, there was no reply. The manager was worried and went out to take a look. No one was around. He went back to the room with some doubts. When he saw the boy still lying down inside muttering, he realized that it was a false alarm and cursed secretly. ,

"You bitch, I'm scared to death."

Ningrong Street,

Zhang Jinyu hurriedly rode away, but what he didn't know was that not long after leaving, in the courtyard, Wang Xifeng, wearing a big coat, walked out from the shadow of a courtyard wall, and stood at the courtyard wall with Ping'er. It was clear that after Marquis Luo Yun left, Ping'er couldn't help but ask,

"Grandma, it's so late. Mr. Hou just left, but he went to, well, Grandma's courtyard again?"

Ping'er asked just now. He was afraid that others would hear him in the dead of night, so he coughed and whispered again,

Wang Xifeng's eyes were full of complex expressions, and they seemed to be sad.
  "What do you think? I didn't leave until I was satisfied after eating and drinking in her room. Otherwise, who would be able to drive her away? Believe it or not, if I go to her room now, no one will be able to get off the bed."

Ping'er naturally knew that the tone of grandma's words was wrong, and he also knew that she was talking about the eldest grandma. Only these people knew about this matter, but it was unknown whether grandma herself was there or not.

"But grandma, although I can hide it now, in the long run, if the Marquis is too greedy for this, he will definitely be discovered."

"Hmph, no one dared to talk about it at that time. Everyone in the house knew in their hearts that there was no need to talk about the secret things. If they really knew about it, it would be too late to cover it up. What else could be done? As long as the sister-in-law pays attention, don't worry. She kept the seed in her belly, but she refused to admit it. What can anyone do? Besides, with this level of relationship, there is always love. If the family really breaks up, the sister-in-law will also have hope, so you have to talk about it. The last door is rotten in the belly, but I am still counting on the Hou Mansion, you can understand the power of this."

"Yes, grandma, Ping'er knows."

Ping'er hurriedly responded. Grandma was right. The family really needs the help of the Hou Mansion, especially the Hou Mansion's caravan. It has just set off. I don't know how much harvest the caravan will get from outside the customs. If there really is one, Anyway, all that money has been wasted, not to mention those brothers from the side of the Jia family, who are all counting on it. This is where grandma's prestige lies, including herself. At least because of this, no one in the whole family is polite to see her. Angry.

Wang Xifeng also knew that those words she said were angry, but if something happened with her sister-in-law, even if there was a real seed, I'm afraid the old lady would definitely keep her if she knew about it. People in the house would not say anything else. The wealth of the Duke's Mansion can last for a long time. When thinking about the children, Wang Xifeng's eyes are a little anxious. She and Jia Lian have been together for so long, and there is no movement in their stomachs. Although no one has said this, as time goes by, I am afraid that her position will also be lost. Unstable, thinking about the troublesome place, people become a little restless, stamp their feet, turn around and leave.

"Grandma, where are you going?"

"go back."

"Yes, grandma."

The figures of the master and servant disappeared.

Zhang Jinyu outside the house felt sore all over after getting on the horse, and her legs were a little weak. She was so degraded that she couldn't bear it after a long time. When she had time, she went to see Zixiang secretly and got some tonic.

While I was thinking wildly, people from the Imperial City Division hurried over in front of me. When they were far away, the leading Baihu shouted,
  "In front of you is Marquis Luo Yun."

heard the shout,

Zhang Jinyu raised her head and looked over curiously. It was so late. Why were you yelling?
  "It's me, what's the matter?"

"Oh, Lord Marquis, I have finally found your old man,"

The Imperial City Si Baihu looked happy and spoke with excitement. He hurried over and knelt down on one knee.

"I would like to report to the Marquis that we have found you. A message has been sent from the palace, asking you to go to the Yangxin Hall of the Imperial Palace. Your Majesty summoned the cabinet ministers, the Jiedu Envoy of the Beijing Camp, the Commander-in-Chief of the Forbidden Army, and you, the Marquis, to find the Marquis. It’s been a long time.”

Hearing the words of the hundreds of households in the imperial city, I was already a little worried and my heart froze. Every time I asked myself why I didn't talk in the middle of the night, it was after having fun. Don't they even rest? Even the thousand-mile horse is not used like this. Well, looking at the hundreds of households kneeling on the ground, Zhang Jinyu had no choice but to let them get up first.

"I understand. Go now. You can get up and work hard. Take these and make some midnight snacks for the brothers."

After saying that, he took out a piece of silver and threw it over. Baihu took it in his hand, his face was full of joy and he thanked him profusely. The soldiers behind him stared at the silver in Baihu's hand.

"Ningbian, follow me, go to Miyagi City, drive!"

"Yes, Lord Marquis, follow and drive."

There was a burst of dust flying, and the figure of Marquis Luo Yun had long disappeared from the wide street.

(End of this chapter)