At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 84
Hearing Zhou Qi's words, Yang Qiu fell into a dilemma.

Many things are not as simple as imagined, and it can be said that a single hair will affect the whole body.

To be honest, he really wanted to take up the post of Lieutenant of Sili again, and then get rid of Cao Jie and others as soon as possible, which would not be possible without the help of Liu He and others.

If he rejects the three of them this time and betrays them, his reputation will be ruined, and he will really become a lone minister in the court in the future, and no one is willing to join forces with him.

The pause button will be pressed on Yang Qiu's return to the position of Sili Xiaowei, and this will not even be possible in the future.

This also means that it is almost impossible for Yang Qiu to eradicate Cao Jie and others in the future.

The most important thing is that even if Yang Qiu really betrays the three of them to show his loyalty, depending on the character of the current emperor, there may be some connection in his heart.

By that time, Yang Qiu may not even be able to keep his position as a guard.

If he leaves the center of power of the Han Dynasty, given the current situation where Yang Qiu has enemies all over the world, even if he can survive for a while, he will probably be plotted to death by others sooner or later.

Zhou Qi didn't know these things.

Even though he had been in the officialdom for so many years in his previous life, he was only a small local official after all, and he had no access to the highest level. In addition, the ancient and modern bureaucratic systems are very different, so it is reasonable to lack consideration for many things.

Yang Qiu pondered for a long time and then said: "Eradicating the traitors in the court is my lifelong ambition. If I miss this time, I may never have another chance."

"When a man dies, he dies. How can he betray his virtuousness and bear infamy because of fear?"

Zhou Qi heard this, but didn't know how to persuade him.

After all, he does not belong to this era and has not yet fully accepted the values ​​of this era.

Compared with later generations when etiquette collapsed and music collapsed, most people only cared about their own interests. Scholar-officials in this era often valued reputation more than life.

A person like Yang Qiu cannot accept the infamy of betraying Zhongliang under any circumstances.

Zhou Qi frowned and thought hard, trying to find other ways to crack it.

It didn't take long before he came up with another strategy, and immediately said: "Secrets are used to make things happen, and words are used to reveal failures. If Shijun really wants to risk his life, as long as he can strictly keep the secret and act secretly, it is not impossible to succeed. "

"However, yesterday's meeting between the envoy and Situ Liu He, Yongle Shaofu Chen Qiu, and Infantry Captain Liu Na must not be hidden from Cao Jie and other eunuchs. If they don't dispel their concerns, it will be difficult to accomplish."

Yang Qiu pondered for a while, then smiled and said: "This matter is easy."

"The barbarians in Bajun rebelled, and Liu Jicheng was ranked as a situ. He was very worried about this matter. Knowing that Chen Bozhen and I had led troops to put down the rebellion, he wanted to ask the two of us for advice on how to put down the rebellion."

"As for Liu Na, the infantry captain, he is well versed in military affairs, so it should be reasonable to discuss with him the matter of suppressing the rebellion."

Zhou Qi's eyes couldn't help but brighten when he heard this.

Yang Qiu can think of such an ingenious countermeasure in such a short period of time, which is definitely quite talented.

This argument is almost unassailable.

Even if the Son of Heaven knew that the four of them got together, he would not blame or suspect Yang Qiu, but would praise everyone.

After all, it is related to rebellion, and the emperor must be happy to have his ministers share his worries.

But soon, Zhou Qi thought of the most crucial point, and immediately asked: "If you make the three of you get together for this reason, you must come up with countermeasures, otherwise, how can you win His Majesty's trust?"

Yang Qiu stroked his beard, and said: "Since Emperor Shun, the Banchu Man has rebelled many times, and the terrain of Berkshire is complicated. Chaos is not easy."

But Zhou Qi said: "As far as I know, since Qin destroyed the Ba Kingdom, the Banchu Man has been attached to Qin, and so is the Han. Although the Bancun Man is a barbarian, he admires the culture of the Han Dynasty, and even sent troops many times to help the prefect resist the Qiang. people invaded."

"The reason why he rebelled was that he was cruelly exploited and oppressed by local officials. It is to marry a wife and sell a son, or cut it off by oneself. The barbarian is Chen Yuanzhou County, and the Mushou ignores it; it is far away from Que Ting, so I can’t hear it by myself.”

"Being forced to do nothing, he rebelled repeatedly."

"However, the people of Zhi were good at fighting, and the imperial court repeatedly failed to capture them. Later, Zhao Wen, the prefect of Shu County, treated them with kindness and trust, and the people of Zhi surrendered."

"If a military conquest is launched at this time, money and food will be wasted in vain, and it will be difficult to make achievements. Why not follow Zhao Wen's example and eradicate corrupt officials and treat them with kindness and righteousness, and they will surely surrender."

Zhou Qi's words were not just talking nonsense. According to the original historical trend, the imperial court was indeed at a disadvantage in conquering the banyan barbarians. In the end, it could only send Cao Qian to punish corrupt officials and make friends with kindness, so the rebellion was quelled.

Hearing this, Yang Qiu lightly stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before nodding his head.

Yang Qiu once led troops to quell rebellions, so he was naturally well versed in military affairs. He knew that the Banzhen barbarians who were entrenched in Ba County relied on their geographical advantages and bravery, and it would be extremely difficult to annihilate them. They would also spend countless money and food, and the gains would outweigh the losses.

Being kind and gentle is the best choice.

Now that he has a countermeasure, Yang Qiu plans to secretly contact Liu He and the other two people, so that everyone can talk about it in the court tomorrow morning and dispel the suspicion in the minds of Cao Jie and others.

But Zhou Qi knew about Cheng Huang's visit today, so he deliberately showed hesitation on his face.

When Yang Qiu saw this, he asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Zhou Qi pretended to be frightened and said: "This matter is related to your family affairs, and my subordinates dare not say anything."

Yang Qiu frowned slightly and said, "Just say what you say."

Zhou Qi then said cautiously: "Today, Cheng Huang, a regular attendant, came to the house. When he left, his expression was wrong and he was in a hurry. Even my wife was the same."

"Your subordinate would take the liberty to ask, did your lord inform Madam about the conspiracy with Situ and others last night?"

Zhou Qi is well aware of the principle of closeness, so even if he suspects Cheng Huang's father and daughter, he dare not say it rashly, instead he deliberately guides Yang Qiu to find out by himself.

Yang Qiu's face changed slightly when he heard the words, and he asked Zhou Qi to wait in the house first, but he hurried to the small courtyard where Cheng's lived.

"Lang Jun, you are here!"

When Mrs. Cheng saw Yang Qiu approaching, her face immediately showed a happy look, and she hurriedly took small steps to come over to greet him.

However, Yang Qiu's face was serious, his eyes were fixed on Mr. Cheng, and he shouted sternly: "My uncle is here today, have you ever told him about my meeting with Liu Situ."

Uncle, which means Laozhangren, the word father-in-law first appeared in the Ming Dynasty, so this title could not be used in the Han Dynasty.

Seeing Yang Qiu's attitude, Cheng's heart trembled immediately, remembering what his father had told him before he left, and immediately said: "Since Mr. Lang has already confessed, how dare I tell others?"

Yang Qiu sternly said: "Since that's the case, why did your uncle look so hurried when he left?"

Mrs. Cheng was slightly startled, and immediately cried: "I never thought that someone in the house would be watching me. Doesn't Mr. Lang not trust me?"

Yang Qiu ignored Cheng's crying, and forced to ask: "Tell me, did you leak any secrets?"

He knew that this matter was of great importance. Although he had great trust in his father-in-law Cheng Huang, the other party was also a eunuch after all. If the other party knew about the conspiracy of several people and it was spread, then Yang Qiu would use Bancheng's rebellion again. As a shield, it is untenable.

Cheng did not dare to tell the truth, so she cried out immediately: "I am a man, how can I not know?"

"When my father-in-law saw that I had failed to give birth to a son and a half daughter this time, he was anxious and scolded me a few times, and then he and I parted ways on bad terms. I was already feeling uncomfortable, and I originally wanted my husband to comfort me. Fan, I never expected to be questioned like this."

"With this move, where will the husband put his concubine?"

At this point, Mrs. Cheng's tears flowed down her face, her face full of grievances.

After listening to Cheng's words, Yang Qiu breathed a long sigh of relief. Seeing his favorite concubine's appearance like this, he immediately softened his heart, and comforted him: "I was wrong before, but this matter is about my husband's family and life. You must not tell others."

Cheng's heart was awe-inspiring, and he agreed with all his mouth, but he sobbed: "Someone in the mansion informed the lord, could it be that the lord sent someone to monitor the concubine?"

Yang Qiu shook his head and said: "That's not the case, it just happened that someone saw it and reported it to me. How could I, my husband, send someone to monitor you?"

However, Mrs. Cheng raised her head and said: "The husband is generous and respectful to his servants, and he must also be wary of whether others have different intentions. Otherwise, he will spy on the husband's family as a subordinate and make suggestions to stir up family affairs. His intentions are to be punished. .”

Yang Qiu frowned slightly and did not continue the topic. He comforted Mrs. Cheng for a few words and left.

He walked out of Cheng's small courtyard, remembered what the other party said just now, and immediately became suspicious, summoned the steward, and asked him about the affairs of the house.

"Have you ever noticed that some people often wander around the ladies?"

The steward pondered for a long time, and then said: "Xiang Hong, brought by Zhou Qi under the command of the master, often trims flowers and plants outside Mrs. Cheng's courtyard, just like when he was in Sili Xiaowei's mansion."

"Other than that, there is no one else."

Hearing this, Yang Qiu recalled Zhou Qi's act of helping Xiang Hong get rid of the errand, and his face instantly became extremely gloomy.

"I already know about this."

"In the future, you can arrange some heavy chores for Xiang Hong, and don't let him approach Mrs. Cheng's courtyard again."

The steward hastily agreed, but he held a grudge against Xiang Hong in his heart.

Yang Qiu returned to the house and saw that Zhou Qi was still respectfully staying where he was, and immediately said calmly, "Mrs. Cheng didn't disclose my meeting with Liu Situ and others, so you don't have to worry about it."

Zhou Qi frowned slightly when he heard this, and wanted to say something more.

But when he looked up and saw Yang Qiu's icy face, and then thought of the change of attitude of the other party when he went to question Cheng Shi, he suddenly felt awe-inspiring.

He couldn't help but smiled wryly to himself: "We can't be close if we are estranged, the ancients can't deceive us with sincerity!"

Based on his understanding of Yang Qiu, if he dared to say anything about Cheng at this time, he would definitely make the other party angry.

"That's the end of the matter, it's the only way to go."

　Let me tell you, it will be on the shelves tomorrow. I hope brothers can support the first order.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)