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Early the next morning, under the escort of the [-] feather guards led by Ximen Leizang, King Mingyue took dozens of subordinates to the imperial mausoleum in the western suburbs of Kyoto to worship the late emperor. Ximen Leizang followed Xue Poye's order and stayed close Around King Mingyue, according to Master Xue's instructions, Ximen Leizang should do "even if King Mingyue poops, he will hear fart sounds".

Two hundred feather forest guards are already extremely powerful. Even if Mingyue Wang and others have the ability to reach the sky, they will not be able to run away. On the road along the road, there will be garrison soldiers guarding every mile. They are called "guards", which are actually surveillance. The garrison soldiers will also report every three miles on King Mingyue's itinerary, and the garrison will guard Huang Da well. Be prepared, if there is a change, immediately support the past.

It can be said that King Mingyue is already in the eyes and ears of the imperial court, and any clues can be discovered.

When Mingyue King's team left the capital city, under the instruction of Xue Poye, Shangshu Moyi of the Ministry of Punishment had already interrogated Sima Jinglun from the dungeon.

Mo Yi is quite talented. Mo Yi has been under tremendous pressure because of the theft of the household department bank. to throw away.

But later, Xue Poye figured out a way to solicit donations from merchants, which solved the urgent need. Coupled with the rebellion of the royal family, the loss of money in the household department faded away, and Emperor Deqing didn't have time to take care of it. When Emperor Deqing passed away, The new emperor ascended the throne, and the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty had changed a lot. Moi felt that at the end of the good times, he, the secretary of the Ministry of punishment, would definitely step down, but he didn't expect that the little emperor and Lord Xuehou not only did not replace him, but also severely punished him. Rewarding him and ordering him to continue to investigate the major case of bankruptcies in the household department, and to dedicate himself to his duties, Moi was extremely grateful, and he was still loyal to the little emperor and Xue Poye from the bottom of his heart.

This time, with the permission of the little emperor, Qing Lianzhao was not required to participate in the early court, but Qing Lianzhao was arraigned early in the morning for rebellion. The meaning in the letter is well known.

Thus, an extremely weird trial began in the lobby of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.

The judge Mo Yi and the interrogated Sima Jinglun had an unexpected tacit understanding. From the topic of Qinglian photos at the beginning, they gradually led to other topics skillfully. After the torture, some appalling confessions were made.

……

……

Qianlin Temple.

In the early court hours, all civil and military officials lined up on both sides of the hall, but the Dragon Seat was empty, but the little emperor was late for court this morning, and the ministers were whispering, Xue Poye and Lan Wuqing standing in the front row were both calm and relaxed .

"Lord Xue, why hasn't this Holy Majesty come to court yet?" Bingbu Shang stood beside Xue Poye.

The minister of the Ministry of War of Great Chu does not have much real power. He is mainly responsible for recruiting soldiers, training officers and soldiers, and assigning rewards and punishments to officials in various states. There are very few soldiers that can be mobilized.

There is General Tianwei in the Beizhen Army, and the Kyoto Defense Army, Habayashi Guards and even the Jingtong Army are now controlled by Xue Poye. The right to mobilize requires the documents of the Privy Council, so from a certain point of view, the official name of the Minister of the Ministry of War is nice, but the power is really not great.

Because of this, Xi Muquan, who understands current affairs, established a good relationship with Xue Poye immediately after the new emperor ascended the throne.

Xue Poye glanced at Xi Muquan, smiled wryly, looked sad, sighed, shook his head, and said in a voice that could be heard by many officials: "Your Majesty... bitterness...!"

As soon as these words came out, many officials heard them clearly, and they were shocked in their hearts: "Master Xue is Lord Xue, dare to say such words. Your Majesty...bitter, is this a taboo word?" They all wondered, the little emperor's throne fell from the sky, and now there are two loyal and confidant ministers, and the power of the court is gradually increasing. It should be a time of prosperity.

The Minister of the Ministry of Officials leaned closer and said, "Master Xue, what do you say? Your Majesty...the dragon is not feeling well?"

Xue Poye sighed: "Physical Majesty didn't take it to heart when I felt unwell, but... hey, I heard that Majesty didn't sleep last night, and sighed sadly all night. I think it's because he was... very depressed... I Waiting for a courtier who can't relieve His Majesty's worries, I really feel ashamed of the hat on my head!"

He Ruhui hurriedly asked: "But I don't know why the Holy One is so worried?"

Xue Poye pondered for a moment, and said in a low voice: "The King of Mingyue came to Beijing. The Holy Majesty was overjoyed at first. He thought that he would be able to assist the King of Ming Dynasty, and that the great Chu would live forever... It's just... well, it's just that the Holy Majesty heard that King Mingyue has no intention of staying in Beijing." , I was very anxious in my heart, so I stayed up all night...!"

All the officials had different expressions upon hearing this.

Minister of the Ministry of War: "Your Majesty is worried. We, the ministers, have committed serious crimes. The lower officials think that we, the three divisions and six divisions, should join the petition and implore King Mingyue to stay in Beijing to assist the government. King Mingyue will stay loyal to the country and will definitely stay and serve the court!"

Official official: "Yes, it should be so."

Hubu Shangshu Wang Dezhao is a member of Xue Poye, and said repeatedly: "What Master Xi said is very true, King Mingyue is outstanding, he is a rare and worthy king in my Great Chu, with him assisting the country, Great Chu will be prosperous forever. "

When the three ministers said a word, everyone nodded frequently.

Shang of the Ministry of Rites: "Although what your lords said is very true, in the land of Yongzhou, Mingyue King has been in town for more than ten years, Qingping Changzhi, not only the people have enough food and clothing, but also the Hu people's conspiracy to enter Dachu from the Yangguan line has long been contained. If the Mingyue King is transferred back, where will Yongzhou go? Who can guard Yongzhou?"

Zhou Quan, the supervisor of the patrol department, immediately said: "Master Kong, what you said is out of proportion? It is true that King Mingyue is talented, but besides King Mingyue, is there any other incompetent minister in my Great Chu? A corner of Yongzhou can be governed well. , I look at the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, is there a lot of people around?"

Kong Bufan did not back down, and sneered, "Master Zhou, is he talking about himself?"

Zhou Quan chuckled and said, "I don't have any talent, but if you really want to be favored by the Holy One, go to Yongzhou and ask yourself that you can do something."

While arguing, the voice of the deacon and eunuch sounded: "The emperor has arrived, and all the ministers have an early court!"

All the officials stood still, and the little emperor sat on the dragon throne under the guidance of the eunuch. Seeing that the little emperor looked a little tired, Lord Xue Hou said that the Holy Majesty stayed up all night, which seemed to be true.

The little emperor glanced at the ministers, and said calmly: "I stayed up all night last night, thinking about two things... One, everyone should know, I want to invite the emperor to stay in Beijing to assist the government, but until today, I haven't got it yet." The uncle replied, so I felt a little anxious... I am newly ascended to the throne, and I am very pleased to have the help of all the ministers. It is just that the late emperor entrusted me with the great Chu Jiangshan, and I dare not take responsibility. Let the great Chu continue to prosper, so we must get more talented officials to assist. The talent of the emperor's uncle is well known in Yongzhou, so I intend to let the emperor stay."

"The Holy One is wise!" All the ministers shouted in unison.

The little emperor pondered for a moment, and said: "However, we have to wait for the emperor's uncle to reply to this matter. There is one more thing, I thought about it all night last night, but it is a great happy event."

The officials were stunned for a moment, except Xue Poye and a few other ministers who knew the inside story, the rest were a little puzzled.

The little emperor smiled and said: "My sister...Princess Minglan is old. When the late emperor was around, she also entrusted me with asking me to find a good marriage for her. I have never dared to forget it. I have been thinking about it for a while now. , but chose a good family.”

Apart from six sons, Emperor Deqing had five daughters. Princess Minglan was one of them. She was sixteen years old and was waiting for the court.

When the officials heard this, they realized that the great event was the marriage of the princess, and they all relaxed. This was a marriage bestowed by the emperor, and the princess was married, but they didn't know which family would be so honored.

"Minister of Rites, Han Nanfeng!"

The little emperor cried out with a smile.

Han Nanfeng was standing in the row of ministers, he was in doubt, when he heard the cry, he was startled, he hurried out of the class and knelt down: "The minister is here!"

The little emperor smiled and said: "Han Aiqing, I heard that you have two sons?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have two dogs, one is in the Hanlin Academy and the other is in the Beijing Command Army!" Han Nanfeng replied.

"Are you married?"

"The eldest son, Han Fei, is married, and the second son, Han Xiang...!" Han Nanfeng suddenly thought of something, his body shook, and his voice stopped for a while, but he finally said, "The second son, Han Xiang, is not yet married."

Xue Poye and Lan Wuqing looked at each other with weird smiles on their lips.

The little emperor smiled and said: "Very good, Han Aiqing. I have thought about it. Princess Minglan is the late Emperor's beloved daughter and my elder sister. I can't deal with her marriage carelessly? Fortunately, I thought of Han Aiqing, you Han family know Shu Dali, Shuxiangmen, Mr. Han is one of the most famous literary giants in my Dachu, he is upright and upright, if Princess Minglan is betrothed to your Han family, the late emperor will be very satisfied." He paused, suddenly raised his voice. Said: "I will pass on my will, and I will bestow on Han Xiang, Princess Minglan betrothed to Han Xiang, and the decree will be announced immediately, there must be no mistakes!"

Han Nanfeng was startled and anxious. According to the queen mother, this Han Xiang was going to marry the general. Now that the emperor suddenly gave him a marriage, Han Xiang became a son-in-law. Home is definitely a major hit.

First of all, once Han Xiang becomes a son-in-law, the possibility of marrying the general becomes zero. Even if the general intends to marry the Han family at first, but after Han Xiang becomes a concubine, the general will marry Han Xiang again, that is Sending his great-granddaughter Ren Xue to be Han Xiang's concubine was impossible for the always proud general.In this way, the queen mother's plan to use the in-law relationship to win over the general will be defeated in an instant.

Secondly, Han Xiang is now the Captain of the Supervisory Army of the West Camp of the Jingtong Army. Speaking of which, he still has some power in the Jingtong Army, but once he becomes a son-in-law, according to the rules of the Great Chu, he is not allowed to hold a position. Withdrawal, the only little military power will be deprived.

The emperor bestowed a marriage, which seemed to be an honor, but actually dealt a heavy blow to the Han family.

"What a poisonous method!" Han Nanfeng was secretly startled, but at this moment, what could he say?Could it be possible to dare to resign from this marriage in the court?

To put it mildly, it would be disrespecting the emperor; to put it seriously, it would be against the edict. Maybe the little emperor would seize this charge and deal a more brutal blow to the Han family.

He knelt on the ground, a little dazed, and his mind was in chaos.

"Master Han, congratulations!" Xue Poye congratulated and said, "It's really a great gift from the Holy One to bestow the marriage!"

As soon as Xue Poye finished speaking, a group of ministers below congratulated him one after another, and the atmosphere was extremely festive for a while.

There are only a few people in the court who know the inside story, and most people really think that the little emperor favored the Han family because of the queen mother, so many people's congratulations seemed very sincere, but this kind of sincere congratulations made Han Nanfeng My heart feels like I have eaten yellow lotus, and I feel miserable.

Lan Wuqing coughed twice, and said, "Master Han, don't thank you yet!"

Han Nanfeng knew that since the matter had come to this point, the queen mother might come out, and the marriage was a foregone conclusion, and could not be changed. He smiled wryly in his heart, but couldn't show it on his face, and said respectfully, "My minister...thank you!"

The little emperor laughed, and said: "Sha Aiqing, you have to build this son-in-law's mansion as soon as possible, and it should be more dignified. Then I will check it myself. If it doesn't meet the specifications, I will ask you!"

Minister of the Ministry of Industry: "I obey the order!"

In a few words, the queen mother's plan to win over the general by means of in-laws was disintegrated. This is also the clever strategy that Xue Poye came up with yesterday.

The court hall was in a festive atmosphere, and they heard the warrior outside the hall playing: "Report to Your Majesty, Shangshu Moi of the Ministry of Punishment urges you to come to the court to discuss matters!"

The little emperor looked at Xue Poye with a smile on the corner of his mouth. They knew what Moy was doing, and entering the court at this time presumably meant that the matter had already been settled.

"Xuan!"

Moy quickly entered the Qianlin Hall, prostrated himself on the ground, and after shouting long live, he reported: "Qi Zuo Sheng, my minister was ordered to interrogate Qing Lianzhao for rebelling against Sima Jinglun, but he found out a big thing. I dare not be self-confident, I came here to ask the Holy Majesty for instructions."

The little emperor frowned deliberately, and said, "What is the big thing that Mo Aiqing said?"

Mo Yi glanced at the Minister of Rites among the courtiers: "I don't dare to speak!"

"But it's okay to talk!" The little emperor was full of momentum, raised his hand and said: "Mo Aiqing, get up and talk, what's the matter, just say it's okay, I forgive you for your innocence!"

Moy thought for a while, and finally said: "Qing Lianzhao rebelled against Sima Jinglun and remained stable. The minister used torture, and finally forced a confession."

"Oh?" The little emperor asked, "What did you say?"

Mo Yi said: "Qizou Shengshang, Sima Jinglun confessed, this time they came to Beijing, someone paid a large sum of money, let them lurk in the capital, wait for the opportunity to assassinate the Holy Majesty and Master Xue!"

Xue Poye pretended to be strange: "Assassinate me?"

Mo Yi said: "Precisely, because Master Xue had devoted himself to the rebellion of the royal family and annoyed some people, so these people paid money and used Qinglian photos to assassinate the Holy Majesty and Lord Xue."

"There are many assassins in this world, why do you want to involve Qinglianzhao?"

"This humble official has also been interrogated, and Sima Jinglun confessed that if other assassins assassinate, with the ability of our criminal department, we will be able to find out the real culprit sooner or later, and it is only natural for Qing Lianzhao to act. Sent by court officials?" While speaking, Moy also boasted about his Ministry of Punishment.

"Court officials?" The little emperor's face darkened: "You mean, these Qinglianzhao's rebellion is controlled by my ministers, and they are planning to assassinate me?"

All the officials in Qianlin Hall were taken aback, with terrified expressions on their faces.

Moy replied, "That's true."

"Who is it?" The little emperor looked gloomy.

Moy took out a letter from his bosom, held it up with both hands, and said: "After repeated interrogation and torture, Sima Jinglun couldn't resist, and explained the hiding place of this letter. I sent someone to search it. A letter, this letter is a private letter written by the official in the court to Qing Lianzhao, although it is not signed, but... I can recognize who it is?"

The eunuch quickly came up, took the letter, and presented it to the little emperor. After reading it, the little emperor said with a cold face, "It's really courageous, 30 taels, hehe, my life is only worth 30 taels. Lord Xue, Your life is only worth 20 taels."

Xue Poye said solemnly: "My lord, who wrote this?"

The little emperor shook his head and said, "I can't see it." Passed it to the eunuch beside him: "Show the prime minister."

Lan Wuqing took the letter, glanced at it twice, and then looked at Kong Bufan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites. Kong Bufan was chilled by the sharp sword-like eyes of the old prime minister.

The letter was passed down from Lan Wuqing's hands, and every minister who read the letter looked at Kong Bufan with strange eyes.

Kong Bufan was terrified by such gazes. He seemed to realize something, his brows were tightly frowned, and he looked at Moy in the palace, with a look of resentment in his eyes.

The letter finally reached Kong Bufan's hands during delivery, Kong Bufan only glanced at it, his expression changed drastically, he hurried out of the queue, knelt down on the ground, and said in panic: "My lord, I... I am wronged!"

The little emperor sneered, "Kong Bufan, you wrote this letter?"

Kong Bufan hurriedly said: "I dare not, this letter is definitely not from my hand."

"Is that handwriting yours?"

"This...!" Kong Bufan knew in his heart that he had fallen into a huge trap, but until now, he had never imagined that this trap was the hands of the little emperor and the two most powerful ministers in the current dynasty. Planning, sweating on his head: "This handwriting is somewhat similar to the minister's. However, the humble minister manages the Ministry of Rites and drafts a lot of documents, and the handwriting is also known to everyone. If someone counterfeit the minister's handwriting, that is very likely Your Majesty, based on this letter, it is said that I have colluded with Qinglian to assassinate His Majesty according to my intention, and if I refuse to obey, I will be even more wronged!"

Moy immediately said: "Your Majesty, with only one letter, it is naturally impossible to determine the guilt of the important officials in the court, but... But Sima Jinglun also explained that they have also replied to Kong Shangshu several letters. Although there is no Signed, but they are all marked, and the extremely difficult to find "green" character is written on the corner of the paper. If Kong Shangshu has not been destroyed, it should still be in Kong Shangshu's study. Wei Chen has sent people to surround Kong's mansion, You can go in and search only after the holy decree."

The little emperor said coldly: "Then go quickly."

Moy immediately said: "I obey the order!" He got up and left.

Kong Bufan's face turned pale, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, I...have been wronged...!"

The little emperor closed his eyes, leaned on the dragon seat, and ignored it.

"Master Kong, although I know that you and Liu Guogong have been together... But... But I really didn't expect you to make such a bad plan...!" Xi Muquan, Minister of the Ministry of War, sighed and shook his head.

This is called adding insult to injury.

At this moment, a eunuch hurried in, whispered a few words to the deacon eunuch, and the deacon eunuch whispered a few words to the little emperor, the little emperor slapped the dragon chair and said angrily: "You are so brave. "Facing Manchu Wenwu said: "Sima Jinglun...was rescued...!"