Jiuxi

Chapter 420 418 [The Flood Rising]

Guo Congyi understood why Wang Yan wanted to kill Hou Yu.

But he didn't understand why Wang Yan had to do this.

If Hou Yu died unexpectedly, most people would easily think that it was the emperor's arrangement. After all, the emperor reluctantly spared Hou Yu's life because of the pleas of the left prime minister and many courtiers at the court meeting. There was no guarantee that he would not settle the score later.

In this way, it may be proved that the emperor's name of benevolence is just a disguise, and that ruthlessness is his true nature.

The Jiangnan clan, which has been pushed to the edge of the cliff, is bound to be in danger, and sticking together is the only option.

Once this loose but huge force comes together closely, no one can tell what kind of terrifying power will erupt.

Wang Yan's move clearly added fuel to the fire.

Guo Congyi looked solemn and solemn, and asked in a low voice: "What exactly do you want to do?"

Wang Yan did not answer, but raised his hand to stroke the white porcelain tea cup, with a cold and stern light in his eyes.

After a long time, he said with difficulty: "According to my understanding of His Majesty, it is impossible for him to be unprepared. Letting Lu Chen go to Chengzhou at this time is more like a bait."

He could only pick up the tea cup, but the originally fresh and fragrant tea now had a strong bitterness.

Guo Congyi frowned and his tone became deeper and deeper: "Brother Ziran, there are some things that once you take a step, there is no turning back."

Guo Congyi's eyes were gloomy and his face was uncertain.

"Tell me, who can accept such a result?!"

He had a thousand twists and turns in his mind and hesitated: "If we can succeed, what will happen next? The border army is already strong, and it is very likely to cause the split of Daqi."

Wang Yan said succinctly: "Until today, I have not received a letter from Fei Ge from Jiangbei, which shows that everything is business as usual for the Jingzhou Army and the Huaizhou Army."

"Do you think we still have a way out?"

Wang Yan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and sneered: "Whether it is Xiao Wangzhi or Li Tianrun, including that Lu Chen, they all feel that the Jiangnan family is holding back the Northern Expedition, as if they will not kill us all in one day. Da Qi can only settle down for a while, but I would like to ask, how many things have we done since His Majesty took the throne fourteen years ago to undermine the overall situation? "

"It's not that we have any evil intentions, it's His Majesty in the palace who forced us to take that path!"

"He said that Xue Nanting was a rare talent. He pushed him step by step into Zhongshu despite the objections of Prime Minister Zuo and other ministers. In the end, Prime Minister Zuo had no choice but to agree for the sake of the overall situation. Now Xue Nanting and the group of censors are trying every means to capture me. The purpose of waiting is self-evident. "

"He said that he did not want to become a deaf and blind man in the palace, so he wanted to maintain the system of the Weaving Department, and even asked softly from the court, which made all the ministers helpless. In the end, they had to hold their noses and admit the existence of such privileged yamen. . Now the warp weaver has turned into a sharp claw and can kill me at any time!"

"Every time we have done something one after another over the years, when was it not that we gave in? When was it that we were not willing to compromise? What did we get in exchange for it in the end?"

Wang Yan's voice was not loud, but this series of venting was like a sharp arrow shooting into Guo Congyi's heart, making him almost unable to breathe.

"The border troops want money, food, people, and official titles. How many times have I stood up to stop them?"

In the last sentence, Wang Yan said it categorically and at the same time made his purpose clear.

"He said that Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun were the kings of the country, and he promoted them to positions and titles again and again, and then continued to expand the strength of the border army. We all understand the importance of the border army, and even if we were reluctant, we did not do anything in the supply of the border army. Hands and feet. But the border troops raised with Jiangnan taxes have become the confidence for His Majesty in the palace to kill us all!"

"His Majesty broke the promise he made back then and wanted to take back his power. When have we ever strongly resisted?"

A fierce look of anger appeared on Wang Yan's face, and he said in a hateful voice: "Back then, His Majesty went south with only his family and no troops or territory. Who supported him to ascend the throne as emperor? At that time, he made it clear that he was willing to cooperate with Jiangnan. The noble family shares the world, but now only fourteen years have passed, and he wants to destroy the promise he made back then with his own hands. Is this what Ming Jun did? "

Guo Congyi had no doubts about this. If there was really a large-scale mobilization of the border troops, it would be impossible to hide it from everyone. He and Wang Yan would definitely know about it in advance.

Time passed quietly.

At this moment, a figure walked slowly into the inner study without any obstruction, and said calmly: "Why should you worry, Privy Council? Your Majesty has already laid the groundwork for us."

Guo Congyi looked up and saw Ning Yuanfu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, walking to the opposite side and sitting down with a smile on his face.

He looked at the two powerful officials across from him and realized clearly that the two people had already reached a tacit consensus, so he asked: "What does Ning Shangshu mean by this?"

Ning Yuanfu said calmly: "Privy Council's thinking is too complicated. In fact, the general and I have never thought of conspiracy to cause chaos. Later historians will say that in the autumn of the 14th year of Jianwu of this dynasty, the eldest prince Li Zongchao was not destined to be crown prince. The emperor had a grudge and colluded with the generals of the imperial army to murder the emperor. Privy Council Guo, the general and others were shocked by the bad news, and immediately raised troops to kill the rebels. However, his majesty unfortunately died in the palace, and the eldest prince committed suicide in defeat. In the end, the civil and military officials of the court supported the queen. The third prince ascended the throne and became emperor."

Guo Congyi was slightly startled. Looking at Ning Yuanfu's calm expression, he couldn't help but secretly sigh that these scholars were the thicker ones, and he was really beyond his reach.

He could never be as relaxed as Ning Yuanfu, and said slowly: "But Lu Chen..."

Wang Yan interrupted him and said: "Your Majesty, if your Majesty wants to use Lu Chen's departure as bait, then Lu Chen must go to Chengzhou honestly, otherwise who will fall into this trap? Taking a step back, Lu Chen really has The power of the sky and the earth can be hidden from all our spies. He only has two thousand cavalry in his hands. Is it possible that tens of thousands of soldiers from the Beijing army can't stop just two thousand cavalry? "

Guo Congyi forced a smile. As a privy envoy, he had studied the details of border wars very deeply. Of course, he understood that the Rui Shi battalion in Lu Chen's hands was an elite tiger battalion that could defeat Jing Jun's cavalry head-on. Two thousand men did not seem to be many, but who knew How much role can it play in Lu Chen's hands?

Ning Yuanfu said sincerely: "Your Majesty, Privy Council, His Majesty is not exhaustive. He will also make wrong judgments. Maybe our retreat in the past six months has given His Majesty the illusion that we have long lost the courage to resist. Only He will kneel down and beg for mercy and let others slaughter him. Even if this is just a trap by His Majesty, he must reveal his flaws in order to induce us to make mistakes, otherwise who will fall for it? "

Wang Yan took over the conversation and said solemnly: "A trap does not mean there is no opportunity, but if we do nothing, the final result will be to wait for death. Thinking about Hou Yu's fate, you should understand His Majesty's determination. No How can he hold the power inside and outside the government in the palm of his hand by cutting off our heads?”

Guo Congyi said sternly: "Don't be anxious, you two. We are in the same spirit, so we should naturally advance and retreat together. It's just that the matter is serious, and I think it is necessary to take the attitude of the old prime minister into consideration."

"Old Prime Minister?"

Ning Yuanfu sighed softly and said with disappointment: "Is it possible that the Privy Council has not understood that the old prime minister has decided to side with His Majesty? Otherwise, how could he take the initiative to reveal the third prince and Li Yunyi, the two masterminds behind the scenes? Not to mention In the past few years, the old prime minister has made concessions to your majesty again and again, just to preserve the power and status of the Jinlin Li family. He does not care about the interests of our family. If the old prime minister had not taken the initiative to give in several times, what would your majesty have done. Will it have the current advantage?”

Guo Congyi frowned and said, "You want to exclude the Li family?"

"What the left prime minister has done in recent years is no longer worthy of our trust."

Wang Yan's attitude was more direct and he said coldly: "If you let him know about this, I can guarantee that he will go to the palace to report it immediately."

"That's not the case." Ning Yuanfu, as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, must have a heartfelt respect and fear for Li Daoyan, and then explained: "We can't determine what the old prime minister is thinking. It's best not to let him He was involved. In fact, Li Shizhi originally thought of some methods to fight against His Majesty. Although they were not very radical, they were not necessarily ineffective. Unfortunately, the old prime minister noticed the clues and lightly removed Li Shizhi's power and asked him to stay in the house to rest. Based on this situation, I think we can directly bypass the Li family. "

Guo Congyi was still hesitant.

You must know that what they are discussing now is not a dinner treat, but an actual act of rebellion. This is a serious crime that involves the entire family and the nine implicated clans.

When Wang Yan saw this, he said: "Brother Guo, whether it's OK or not, you have to give us a clear answer."

Guo Congyi sighed and laughed at himself: "You two have nothing to hide from me, do I still have room to refuse?"

Wang Yan and Ning Yuanfu looked at each other and chuckled in unison.

Guo Congyi also laughed helplessly.

Although the three of them were laughing, Guo Congyi knew very well that if he showed a slight tendency to side with the emperor today, he might have become a traitor to the prominent family in Jiangnan before the emperor's methods could be used.

After all, he is not as famous as Li Daoyan, and he was slapped dozens of times by Lu Chen in front of the Privy Council gate some time ago.

After the laughter stopped, Guo Congyi looked at Wang Yan and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Wang Yan said confidently: "The money, food and lifeblood of the frontier army are in the hands of the central government. As long as we move quickly enough and grasp the overall situation before they react, the deal will be done. As Ning Shangshu said, this is the father and son of the Tian family. We are just waiting for Prince Qin to save us from the grievances between us, and the last one to take the throne is the prince of the Tian family, so the border troops have no right to interfere. "

Guo Congyi nodded slightly and said: "This sentence is correct. If you want to move, you can use the power of thunder to fight the lion against the rabbit."

Wang Yan continued: "Your Majesty relies on Liu Shouguang in the city, but he overestimated Liu Shouguang's ability. How could Liu Shouguang completely conquer the three armies of Beiya in just a few months? I am confident enough to trap this army." people."

Guo Congyi reminded: "There are three Beijing camps outside the city."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Aren't you ready to take action, Your Excellency?"

Facing the two men's piercing eyes, Guo Congyi was silent for a moment and then said: "I will handle it properly."

Wang Yan praised: "Hidden secrets are worthy of being a Privy Councilor. In fact, after careful calculation, what we really need to deal with is the eight thousand forbidden troops guarding the palace."

Guo Congyi nodded, a cold murderous aura quietly emerging in his heart.

The two discussed in an orderly manner. Ning Yuanfu sat beside him leisurely and listened, with a calm smile on his lips. The emperor's face suddenly flashed in his mind.

I wonder if His Majesty will regret his ruthlessness when that day comes?

(End of this chapter)