Hundreds of households in Liaodong, covering the light with one hand

Chapter 260 The chasm between the north and the south, different thoughts

"Give Duke Qi a position as the chief military officer of the Beijing camp, and also let him concurrently serve as the Jinyiwei of Fusi, Beizhen. What does the emperor want to do?"

In the capital, the residence of Jiang Yueguang, the head of the Ministry of Rites.

This great talent of the Jiang family, who was separated between the Donglin Party and the Chu Party, hosted a banquet in his house for Puzhou Magistrate Sun Chuanting, who had returned to Beijing to report on his work.

The two are good friends and have not seen each other for more than a year. Naturally, they have endless conversations about family and country affairs and their ambitions.

The two of them were sitting opposite each other drinking. Jiang Yueguang looked at his friend opposite him. Sun Chuanting was thin, his cheeks were sunken, and his black eyes were even deeper. At a glance, his sharpness was gone, and he was full of wisdom.

The shochu was steaming slightly, and the fire passed through the mud-yellow stove, transmitting the heat, and you could hear the wine bugs moving loudly.

"Of course we don't know the emperor's thoughts, but with the status of the current Duke of Qi," Sun Chuanting chuckled, showing a touch of ridicule: "I will never be able to get into trouble with a few small Donglin court officials, or even kill someone."

In the past few days, there have been rumors in Beijing that the emperor has begun to suppress Qi Guogong. Although there is no substantive action or decree, sending him to Donglin's lair is an unusual political signal.

Using the Donglin Party to maintain balance in the court was a common method used by the Zhu family emperors.

"Today is the day when the Duke of Qi sets out. Alas, such a person will inevitably be teased by the imperial power!" Jiang Yueguang seemed to be sighing. He picked up the wine pot from the stove and stood up to fill it up for Sun Chuanting: "But you are here After a year in Puzhou, I can stay away from the court and the imperial power, and not be enveloped by the overwhelming fear."

"Puzhou is a good place," Sun Chuanting did not answer Jiang Yueguang's words, but simply said: "But in the Shanxi area, Qi Guogong's influence is also somewhat unusual."

"Well," Jiang Yueguang was stunned: "How do you say that?"

"The eight major merchants in Shanxi are all disciples of Qi Guogong. The leading Fan family even spent all their money to support Qi Guogong in cutting gold. Nowadays, throughout Shanxi and Shaanxi, everyone under the banner of Qi Guogong's Sihai Commercial Bank knows how to provide disaster relief, suppress bandits, raise grain, Do you want to do things like tax collection, corvee service, and many other things without using the name of Duke of Qi?"

Sun Chuanting shook his head: "It's difficult."

"In this case, it is natural for the emperor to suppress Qi Guogong," Jiang Yueguang said with some hindsight.

Sun Chuanting dipped his finger in the wine and drew a circle on the table: "Shan and Shaanxi are here."

Then he pointed north: "Go north to Horqin."

And then eastward: "East to Liaodong."

The finger pointed south: "Northeast of Gyeonggi Province, to Jiaodong."

Finally, his finger clicked on a point in the middle: "This is the capital."

Jiang Yueguang lowered his gaze and saw a huge circle, which had suddenly surrounded the capital.

"If you were sitting in the Jinluan Hall and saw this picture, wouldn't you be panicked?" Sun Chuanting smiled slightly.

Da da da! ! !
  He placed his fingers heavily on the table: "It is rumored that the lights in the Qianqing Palace are brightly lit all night long. On the one hand, it is the victory of Liaodong, and on the other hand, the emperor is uneasy!"

Huhu
  Exhaling the turbid air in his chest heavily, Jiang Yueguang's forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat: "No wonder."

"But again, why does the emperor need to give Qi Gong the errands of the Beijing Camp and the Jinyi Guards? Isn't it better to directly hand over the military power, take away the authority, and let him become a rich prince?" Jiang Yueguang asked with a frown.

"Liaodong Qin Erbao is the confidant of the Duke of Qi. There are hundreds of thousands of troops in Liaodong. Do you think they recognize the emperor who is above them and never see him, or they recognize the emperor who personally charges and leads them to victory after victory? Duke of Qi?"

Sun Chuanting also had the experience of leading troops when he was in Shanshan, so he naturally understood the thoughts of those soldiers.

"When doing things, I always pay attention to the teacher's reputation, and also pay attention to the slowness of things. Look, after returning from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the Duke of Qi will definitely live in leisure." He picked up the wine glass, raised his head and drank it all. Sun Chuanting looked confident.

"One side is dormant, and the other side is rising. Are you saying that Donglin's opportunity has come?" After hearing Sun Chuanting's words, Jiang Yueguang's eyes lit up, and his hands trembled with excitement.

"Now no one in the court can restrain the Duke of Qi. We can only look for help from the south. Who can be there?" Sun Chuanting narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the birds in the sky: "Only Zuo Yizhi, no one else, they are naturally in conflict with each other!"

"In this way, Brother Sun's opportunity has also come. The imperial court is the place where you can display your ambitions! Living in a small Puzhou city is too unfair for you!" Jiang Yueguang picked up his wine glass and saluted Sun Chuanting from a distance: "I wish you My brothers, let’s show our talents together and ascend to the throne together!”

"Please!" Sun Chuanting nodded slightly, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Sun Chuanting admired Wang Qi, but in terms of civil and military relations, Sun Chuanting and Wang Qi were naturally opposed to each other in terms of their own development. Even Yuan Chonghuan was suppressed by Wang Qi and contributed far to the victory of Liaodong. Far inferior to other military attaches.

There is no way, origin and butt determine attitude.

While the two were talking, the housekeeper from the outer courtyard came in.

"Sir, this is a document from the Inner Palace Supervisor of Ceremonies, asking you to go to Shuntian Mansion immediately. You have errands to do." The steward bowed and handed the document to Jiang Yueguang, and then slowly retreated.

"The book from the Supervisor of Ceremonies?" Looking at the bright yellow book in his hand, Jiang Yueguang was a little confused. How could he, the head of the household department, still drink from the Supervisor of Ceremonies and have anything to do with Shuntian Mansion?
  "Let's take a look first," Sun Chuanting on the side saw this, put down his wine glass, and reminded Jiang Yueguang to open the brochure and read the contents.

After being reminded by his friend, Jiang Yueguang, who was stunned there, hurriedly opened the folding book in his hand and looked down.

Not long after, in Sun Chuanting's eyes, Jiang Yueguang's brows were getting deeper and deeper.

"What's the important thing here?" Sun Chuanting called softly.

With a click, Jiang Yueguang folded the book, still on the table, and smiled bitterly: "I was talking about going to the palace just now, now it's okay, I'm going to go to the mountains of swords and seas of fire."

After taking the fold, Sun Chuanting looked at it intently.

It turned out that the Chief of Ceremonies had obeyed the emperor's order and wanted to select someone to escort the widows of the four Donglin officials back to their places of origin, and also take their bodies back with them. After all, everyone in the world pays attention to a fallen leaf returning to its roots.

Shuntian Prefecture did not have suitable manpower. Jiang Yueguang happened to be from Jiangxi and a fellow villager of four Donglin court officials. He was also well-known among Donglin literati, so it was most appropriate for him to escort them on his behalf.

"Hiss" Sun Chuanting buttoned up the discount. For some reason, a wave of haze rose in his heart.

"Bo Ya, do you think I shouldn't get involved in this matter?" Jiang Yueguang lamented: "Isn't this an obvious show of opposition to the Duke of Qi?"

What more?

Sun Chuanting looked at his friend with some worry: If he goes there, he may be trapped in a whirlpool!　　　————

Wang Qi left Beijing in the early twelfth lunar month. If he walked quickly, he would arrive in Nanjing in the middle of the twelfth lunar month. If he went slower, he would arrive at the end of the twelfth lunar month.

Hai Lanzhu was about to give birth to a son, and Wang Qi didn't want to miss the opportunity to become a father, so it was only right to leave early and come back early.

As soon as he left the capital, he led more than a hundred guards and galloped all the way, arriving at Hejian Mansion five miles away in the evening.

Shang Shuicheng, the prefect of Hejian, was worried about Wang Qi's arrival. He heard that this well-known Duke had a bad temper. After going out of the city to welcome him, he originally wanted to hold a banquet to entertain him, but after Wang Qi's arrival, With an impatient look on her face, Qi could only give up. She wanted to arrange for the most beautiful actor in the city to serve her that night, but was kicked out, so she could only give up.

"Sir, I got the news when I left the city today. The Supervisor of Ceremonies has arranged for a head of the Household Department named Jiang Yueguang to escort the widows of four Donglin court officials and carry their coffins back to their hometowns." Wang Shouxin stood solemnly in front of Wang Qi. In the distance, he was waiting for his master's orders.

"Are you sure it's the arrangement of the Supervisor of Ceremonies?" Wang Qi held in his hand a list of the six departments of Nanjing City and the remaining eunuchs, as well as a detailed introduction book.

"My lord, it's news from Shuntian Mansion. Wenling personally sent someone to deliver it," Wang Shouxin confirmed.

"Your Majesty, do you want to kill everyone?" Wang Qi put down the book in his hand, then stood up slowly: "Or do you want to force me to completely fall out with Dong Lin?"

Wang Shouxin lowered his head and said nothing, only waiting for Wang Qi's actions and instructions.

"Tell Ding Fu to take a few capable men with him and follow Jiang Yueguang all the way back to Jiangxi. Report back to me as soon as there is any news!" Wang Qi thought for a long time and turned around to give the order.

"Understood!" Wang Shouxin replied.

Ding Fu came to prominence during the Liaodong War, and was recruited from the army by Wang Shouxin himself. Regardless of his temperament, skills, or age, he was an excellent prospect.

"By the way," Wang Qi sat back on the chair: "Is there any news from the Japanese Ronin?"

The appearance of Japanese ronin in the Hetuala generation made Wang Qi a little confused. At this time, Japan should be in the heyday of the shogunate. If he could not survive on his own one-third of an acre, what would he do in the white mountains and black waters farther north?
  Liaodong is Wang Qi's basic base. No matter what, he will not allow any unexpected situations to happen.

Although he was confident that Cao Wenzhao would pacify Hetuala, he still had to find out the roots of these people.

"The news coming back from Dengzhou Prefecture should be that the outlaws, or Japanese pirates, were jointly strangled by our maritime navy and North Korean troops and fled north to the Hetuala area and briefly joined forces with Jianzhou." The intelligence network arranged by Wang Qi, or the influence from Shanxi to Jiaodong, was enough for him to obtain the information he wanted in the shortest time: "The combat effectiveness is quite strong, and the desperadoes are not disadvantageous for strangulation by the army. Their actions are quick and It’s also erratic and difficult to exterminate.”

"Let Cao Wenzhao calm down the war in Hetuala as soon as possible first, and then free up his hands to deal with these young people," Wang Qi leaned back on the chair and said slowly.

"My subordinate understands."

At this moment, thousands of miles away, in Huzhou, is the Xinwang Mansion.

King Xin Zhu Youjian, who had been closed to the public for several months, looked quite haggard, his face was pale, and his body looked even thinner.

Under the light, his deep-set eyes looked even more sinister.

Living in fear and delusion for a long time will make anyone haggard, and their psychology will gradually become distorted and abnormal. What's more, Zhu Youjian faces the two most powerful people in the world - the emperor's brother Zhu Youxiao and the Duke of Qi Wang Qi. .

"Your Highness, Wang Qi has already set off and is expected to arrive in Nanjing City in the middle of the year." Not far in front of Zhu Youxiao, a figure disappeared in the darkness, his voice was dull with a strange emphasis, and he heard the murderous aura coming towards him.

"What news has come back from Zuo Yizhi and Yang Wenru?" His Highness King Xin curled up on the chair, as if his whole body was wrapped in the chair, thin, sickly, and with a hint of gloom.

"They plan to set up an arena by the Taihu Lake and debate with Wang Qi for three days and three nights in order to convince people with their reasoning. They plan to use Taoist methods to completely defeat Wang Qi in terms of academic tradition in order to eliminate the influence of his power. Power," the man in the shadow said with a hint of mockery in his tone.

It seems that they disdain the behavior of Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou, thinking that the scholars are just whimsical.

The great Duke of Qi, if I don’t want to compare with you in Taoism? Can you still use force?

It's just nonsense and a childish mentality.

"What are you going to do?" King Xin's tone has never fluctuated. Only when he said the word "Wang Qi", his tone suddenly became homey, mixed with fear.

"Before he arrives in Nanjing City, attack and kill him." The tone of the man in the shadow finally brought a hint of excitement.

It seems that the attack and murder of Wang Qi was a highlight in his life.

"After the deed is completed, I will receive ten thousand taels of gold. From now on, I will never see you again, right?" King Xin raised his eyes and looked at the man.

"Of course," the man nodded.

"waiting for your good news."

As soon as Zhu Youjian finished speaking, the man's figure disappeared without knowing when.

With a crunch, Zhu Youjian slowly stood up from the chair, his finger joints bulging out from the exertion: "In any case, the current situation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can't put all our treasures on Zuo Guang." Dou and Yang Lian, Liu Yijing and Han Xu have died in such a humiliating and incompetent way, I can no longer passively wait for opportunities."

Slowly walking to the window, Zhu Youjian put his nose to the window lattice and sniffed the air outside the window.

Ever since he was forced by Wang Qi to stay away from the capital and live in the remote Huzhou Prefecture, nestling on the banks of the Taihu River, Zhu Youjian knew that as long as Wang Qi did not die, his fate would ultimately be in the hands of others.

A slight movement can kill you.

Wang Qi must die!
  As long as Wang Qi dies in Nanjing this time, there will definitely be an uproar in Beijing, and Donglin will rise against the trend. And my stupid brother, without Wang Qi, you will find that the government will fall apart in an instant. , all the factions and orthodoxies that had died out will revive, and this time is my opportunity.

Touching the window sill with his fingers, a proud smile appeared on Zhu Youjian's lips. He seemed to have seen the scene of himself ascending to the coveted throne.

This day will not be too long.

Definitely not for long.

One day, I will control everyone's destiny!
  Rumbling, thundering sounded in the distance. In the winter, the weather in Huzhou was still dull, damp and cold.

It seemed like Zhu Youjian's thoughts.

(End of this chapter)