Traitor

Chapter 220
Both inside and outside the palace began to get busy, the emperor's decree had been made, and before the cabinet could react, it had already been announced to the world.Zhao Song naturally had to accept the move obediently, and it was not easy to refute the emperor's face.

Now that the emperor refuses to see anyone, no one can do anything about this wayward master.Not only that, but the emperor's decree also stated that the Ministry of War ordered the mobilization of soldiers, with Mu Baili in full charge, so that the trip to Huanglan could go smoothly.

In today's court, the emperor seldom comes to the court, which means that whoever controls the military power can speak with his fist.In this court, people's hearts are unpredictable, everyone has their own little things, and never shows their true colors to others.

Isn't it obvious what the emperor means now?On the surface it was a peace negotiation, but in fact Mu Baili was allowed to march forward with soldiers and horses. I am afraid that the name here is going to be great.But whoever dares to discuss the emperor's decision indiscriminately, if he offends the emperor, it will be a catastrophe.

The ones who are most anxious are Xiao Rong and Prime Minister Zhao Song, who originally advocated a peace negotiation to prevent the military power from falling into the hands of others and being taken advantage of by others.Unexpectedly, this Mu Baili suddenly changed from a main fighter to a peace envoy, killing Zhao Song and Xiao Rong by surprise.

The situation has been settled, and there seems to be no room for change.

Minister of the Ministry of War, Chen Yue, walked into the back door of King Qi You's mansion cautiously.Hu Qing led the way, Chen Yue followed behind Hu Qing with a pale face, and quickly entered Xiao Rong's study.

In the study, Xiao Rong stood by the window with his back to Chen Yue.

Hu Qing stepped forward to salute, "My lord, Mr. Chen is here."

Chen Yue leaned over and bowed, "My lord."

Xiao Rong sighed softly, turned around quietly, and said lightly to Chen Yue, "Sit down! Hu Qing, serve tea!"

"Yes!" Hu Qing exited the door.

As soon as the door was closed, Chen Yue couldn't wait to say, "My lord, the situation outside is very grim. The emperor's decree arrived, saying that he wanted to dispatch troops to go to Huanglan with Jiu Qiansui. The tiger charm of the Chinese army will also be handed over to Jiu Qiansui Taking charge is equivalent to handing over most of the military power to Dongchang. Your lord, this is not a good thing."

How could Xiao Rong not know the power of it, but this time Mu Baili's sudden U-turn caught people off guard.Now that everything is said and done, the only thing that can be done is to try to save the overall situation and reduce the rush of troops to a minimum.

Sometimes it is not so easy to stop the loss in time, after all, there is a wayward emperor above.

"This king knows." Xiao Rong sighed softly, "No one can do anything about the emperor's will. The only thing we can do now is to find out the emperor's true intention. This king always feels that this matter is very strange, but the emperor does not seem to be like this The person who made the arrangements, either there is an expert behind this, or this Mu Baili played some tricks to confuse the emperor."

Chen Yue sighed softly, "My lord, this is not the first time that the nine-thousand-year-old demon has deceived the Lord."

Xiao Rong closed her eyes and remained silent.

Chen Yue continued, "Whether this is the emperor's original intention or not, the imperial decree is in the hands of Jiuqian! If we resist the decree and don't obey it, the emperor will definitely be furious. Haven't you heard? Your majesty Now no one is there, even the Prime Minister has touched his nose."

"Zhao Song is gone..." Xiao Rong felt that the situation was serious.

"Yes!" Chen Yue said helplessly, "I'm worried that there is something hidden behind this incident, but don't let this evildoer control the emperor, if this is the case, then our great Ye is in danger!"

Xiao Rong sneered, "I really don't believe that Mu Baili can still lead Dongchang to rebel? Although now he has won the military power by surprise, but it may still be difficult for one person to rule alone."

Chen Yue nodded, "The lower officials also understand, it's just that it's a good thing for you, my lord, to plan for a rainy day."

"The emperor doesn't see the prime minister, and even if he thinks about it, he won't see this king." Xiao Rong's eyes darkened, "But he will always meet people, after all, his nature is there! This king wants to see, what is in the emperor's gourd?" What kind of medicine are they selling?"

Chen Yue nodded, "My lord should make preparations early."

Xiao Rong was silent, and prepared early...

"The six yamen are all discussing now. If the emperor wants Dongchang to lead the troops to negotiate a peace, he must prepare food, grass, supplies and equipment." Chen Yue continued, "Actually, most of them are not willing to start a war. A war means that the country will not be able to fight. Stability, ordinary people are displaced, and it is not easy for us officials to do well. We are burdened every year, and the national treasury is short of money every year. I am afraid it will be even worse when there is war."

Xiao Rong rubbed his brows, "Wait for now, this king has always maintained a neutral side, if he stood up at this time, he would inevitably slap himself in the face. Look at the prime minister's mansion, Zhao Song, an old fox, will definitely not let it go easily. After passing through Dongchang, there will definitely be something to do.”

Chen Yue sighed softly, "Father and son of the Zhao family are treacherous and cunning, and they will definitely not let Dongchang grow bigger. It's just that the emperor doesn't even see the prime minister. Can you see the little prime minister?"

"Don't underestimate that sick child. It's not completely unreasonable to call him the little prime minister from inside to outside. Can the emperor not know? The emperor knows." Xiao Rong said, "But the emperor turned a blind eye and closed the other. This shows that the emperor has a lot of trust in him. It doesn't matter what the method is that can move the emperor's face, it is a skill."

"What Zhao Song can't do, Zhao Wuyou may not be able to do it. This sick child has the advantages of a sick child, and it is easy for people to neglect precautions and feel pity. Zhao Wuyou is more careful than her father in handling things, and he is more vicious. You Look at that mighty Xia Donglou, who used to be equal to this king in the past, how is he now? He was beaten by Zhao Wuyou so that he couldn't turn over at all."

Chen Yue frowned, "What the lord said is very true, the Xia family was arrogant and domineering in the past, I didn't expect..."

"Arrogant and domineering, it is arrogance in front of the emperor. No one likes arrogant and domineering subordinates, and no one doesn't like humble and polite servants." Xiao Rong narrowed his dangerous eyes, "But a dog that can bark doesn't bite people, it can bite A man's dog can't bark."

"What does the lord mean, that the prime minister, after being shut out, will let his son go to see the emperor, intending to turn the tide?" Chen Yue said.

Xiao Rong snorted lightly, "Who knows? The Zhao family father and son are used to deep thoughts, and they will never sit still." Xiao Rong suddenly felt that in this game, Zhao Song is not scary, because Zhao Song has always It's all in the light.

What is really scary is Zhao Wuyou, this enemy hiding in the dark.He didn't know if Zhao Song deliberately raised Zhao Wuyou and put him in a dark corner, was it for Zhao Song's own way out?
Xiao Rong felt a headache, and whenever he thought of Zhao Wuyou, he felt a headache.

In fact, this sick man is really hard to deal with.Without making a sound, he did a major event behind everyone's back, and pulled down the Minister of the Ministry of Households without losing a single soldier.

The East Factory is intensively preparing for the trip, so Mu Baili is not free, and there is no way to see Zhao Wuyou.

But he didn't expect to kill him. The next morning, Jin Yiwei received a tip, saying that a large amount of stolen money had been found in the house of the slain Zhong Mi, and there was also a small amount of the unique mark of the Ministry of Households in the stolen money.In other words, a small amount of official money was mixed into this batch of stolen money.

There is a difference between the official bank and the bank used by ordinary people. The official bank is used for storage, that is, the tax and fiscal revenue of each province.These silver taels must be engraved with the unique imprint or pattern of the government, and private circulation is not allowed.

It is a felony to be beheaded for private or official use of official bank and private circulation and trading of official bank.Therefore, the official bank was found in Zhong Xian's house. This matter directly implicated all the officials of the Ministry of Households, and the Minister of the Ministry of Households was the first to bear the brunt.

The Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will conduct a joint trial, and this farce must be carried through to the end.

The circulation of official banks will inevitably lead to the depreciation or increase of the currency on the market, which is not conducive to the stability of the country for the imperial court.

Moreover, many people are well aware of this kind of thing. The official bank of the household department fell into the hands of Zhong Mi. It is very likely that someone has embezzled and cheated and stole the treasury money for his own use.If this kind of misappropriation of treasury money is not stopped, I am afraid that sooner or later this silverfish will erode the entire country.

The emperor was furious, and the Minister of the Household Department was imprisoned, implicating all the officials of the Household Department.

Occasionally, there were one or two revelations of "beating into tricks", saying that the Minister of the Ministry of Households and Zhong Mi smuggled official silver, embezzled silver with fire, and used it to make huge profits.Under the backyard of the Minister of the Household Department, a lot of official money was also dug up, piles of piles, which seemed to be conclusive evidence.

Zhao Wuyou sat peacefully, from dark to dawn.The wailing in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice continued, and her white jade fingertips gently brushed the warm white jade cup, looking at the excellent sunlight outside the window.

Tomorrow, he should go out.

The period of three days will make a difference.

Thinking of this, she narrowed her eyes and lowered her eyebrows to look at the fruit tea in the cup.I don't know how much I drank that night, and there is no anxiety in my heart, only reluctance.

She thought, even if he wanted to leave the capital, she couldn't blatantly send him off, even if she wanted to see him, she could only stand at a distance.Standing in my own position as Minister of Rites, I took a look from a distance.

In that case, my heart will be very painful, right?
So should I send him off?
She couldn't take a step, because she was afraid that she would be reluctant to look away at that time, and if she couldn't hold back, people would see the clues.So that day, she thought that she shouldn't go, and she couldn't go.

Su Xi stepped into the door with joy on her face, "My lord, good news."

"You took the hat of Jiaofang Division to the Ministry of Finance, right?" Zhao Wuyou spoke in a low voice, looking extremely depressed.

Su Xi pursed her lips, knowing that she was thinking of Mu Baili in her heart, so she could only sigh softly, "Yes! The emperor issued an order, and the three divisions will conduct a joint trial to investigate the corruption of the Minister of the Household Department. Zhong Mi's death will not fall on the Ministry of Rites It was not on the head of Dongchang, but now it falls on the household department and the prime minister's mansion. My son, on the side of the prime minister..."

"My father, he should be very angry!" Zhao Wuyou laughed dryly, "Accidentally, he put the thrown hat on his head. He lifted a rock and smashed his foot."

"My lord, you mean that the death of Zhong Mi may be the prime minister?" Su Xi was puzzled.

"I didn't say it was him, I just thought my father knew something, otherwise these two people would not ask questions, how could they be so bold? I'm not afraid that the emperor will take off my black gauze hat and take over my Shangshufu?" Zhao Wuyou narrowed his eyes, "Even if he is not the mastermind or an accomplice, he should be an insider."

"So this matter is likely to be related to Prince Qi You's residence?" Su Xi frowned.

Zhao Wuyou sighed softly, "The death of Zhong Xian was originally used as a pawn to deal with Dongchang. I want the emperor to shake his trust in Dongchang, and then deny the intention of the main battle. I will join my father and King Qi You together." , Standing on the road of peace negotiation. But unexpectedly, Mu Baili knew what the emperor desires most, so Mu Baili won the hearts of the people."

"Everyone only thinks about their own interests, and they don't take into account what the emperor wants, so they all lost. But Mu Baili knew what the emperor wanted, so he narrowly won."

Su Xi nodded, "It's dangerous."

"Attack him by surprise." Zhao Wuyou rubbed his forehead, feeling a pain in his head, "The Ministry of Punishment is keeping an eye on it, but it is appropriate for people to know that it is the people from our Shangshufu who are walking. Tell them to pay attention, so as not to implicate the prime minister." government."

Su Xi nodded, "I understand."

Zhao Wuyou frowned, "Remember, we are helping my father, not Dongchang, you know?"

"Yes!" Su Xi narrowed her eyes.

When Su Xi walked out, Wen Gu stood outside worryingly, walking back and forth, swaying back and forth.

"Are you dancing Yangko? You are twisting and twisting here, intending to dance in front of the young master, and Mr. Bo smiled?" Suxi said calmly, "If you want to go in, go in, if you don't go in, stay away , didn't you see that the young master was so upset that he didn't sleep all night?"

"Of course I know that she hasn't slept all night. The lights have been on all night, and this figure hasn't come down from the window." It can be seen that he also stayed outside all night. Yes, why don't you worry about yourself?"

Su Xi gave him a blank look, "It's useless to tell me that, you go in and tell the young master yourself."

Hearing this, Wen Gu was discouraged, and when he was in front of Zhao Wuyou, he was a coward.

"I know that you are for the sake of the young master, and I know that you are worried about her body, but Wen Gu, the young master has his own worries. She knows what she is doing and what she wants." Suxi sighed and stepped forward, "Young master is very strong, but her heart is warm. You have been trying so hard to diagnose and treat these days, and you can see it. Didn't you realize that your attitude towards you has changed?"

Wen Gu's face was a little sore, "I just hate that I showed up too late."

"Master said, it's never too late for anything, as long as you're alive." Suxi patted Wen Gu on the shoulder, "Young master has a headache, go and have a look! If you can, cook her a bowl of soothing soup, let her Get a good night's sleep."

Wen Gu nodded, "Don't worry, I will take good care of her."

Su Xi narrowed her eyes and left quickly.

Zhao Wuyou sat there, Xu Shizhen had a severe headache and kept rubbing the center of his brows.

When Wen Gu came in, he looked anxiously at her pale complexion, "Go to sleep, or your body won't be able to bear it anymore. You must know that the cold poison in your body will come out at any time, just like you were in that day It’s the same as in the palace, it’s impossible to guard against. Once you are weak, the cold poison will act recklessly.”

She looked up at him with a tired face, "I can't sleep."

"You will collapse like this." Wen Gu sighed softly, "Since it's a foregone conclusion, it's useless for you to worry more. You might as well relax and let yourself feel better."

"When you didn't show up, I had black fragrance and cold poison in my body, and I didn't dare to sleep all night, because I was afraid that I wouldn't wake up again if I closed my eyes." Perhaps it was because she was tired, her voice was hoarse, "Wen Gu, My mother died of heart disease, and I will not escape in the end."

When she said this, she was smiling, neither humble nor overbearing, fearless and fearless.

What else can Wen Gu say?

If you are ruthless, how can you know the pain of being passionate, and if you are passionate, you will be hurt by being passionate.

Sighing lightly, Wen Gu nodded, "Forget it, this is your own choice. As long as you have no regrets in this life, life and death are not so important. It's just that you have to think clearly. If you are not careful, you will lose everything.”

"He sacrificed his life for you to go to the wilderness, and you paved the way for him, and never left. It sounds a bit like the time when Murong and I were in the past, but it's a pity that we didn't have a good result. I only hope that the son can get what he wants. I am willing to give up this glory and wealth to be able to stay together for a hundred years." Wen Gu's nose was sour, "I will make you a bowl of soothing soup, even if you are not sleepy, you still have to close your eyes and rest."

He walked out slowly, "Everything is too much, even if it is not good."

Zhao Wuyou closed his eyes and remained silent.

There was a lot of noise about the household department, and Mu Baili didn't need to guess, it was Zhao Wuyou's big hand.This girl is very rich in the city, and he doesn't know what she wants to do, but this battle is extremely beautiful.

After receiving the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Zhao Song was busy with self-help and had no time to take care of Dongchang.Xiao Rong would definitely not step out to wade into this muddy water at this moment, so Dongchang had enough time to catch his breath, allowing Mu Baili to arrange everything before leaving the capital.

Thinking of leaving the capital, Mu Baili felt that the sun was cold. Standing in the courtyard of the Chitose Mansion, his whole body felt very cold.

Shen Yan stepped forward and saluted, "Master, I want to..."

"Don't even think about it!" Before he could speak, Mu Baili refused straight away, and when he turned to look at him, his eyes were slightly cold, "You have to remember your identity, as well as my instructions."

"Why can Lu Guoan go with you, but the humble officer has to stay in the capital?" Shen Yan clenched the cold sword in his hand, "The humble position is more familiar with Huang Lan, so you can rest assured, the humble position will definitely not miss you... "

"Do you still remember the vow you made before?" Mu Baili gave him a cold look.

Hearing these words, Shen Yan lowered his eyebrows and his body stiffened slightly.

"If this trip is unfavorable, you can drop everything and leave the capital and leave the East Factory. If you have the heart, take her with you and take her with you as your brother's entrustment." Mu Baili's eyes were cold, "Shen Yan, this In a fight, it is enough for one person to fall in, there is no need to catch up with you."

"Brother?" Shen Yan's face was cold.

Mu Baili's eyes were fierce, "If you still recognize this brother, you'd better do it. Otherwise, get out of Dongchang, get out of the capital, and go back to your northern border. If you don't believe me, you can give it a try."

He said nothing, he knew that Mu Baili would follow through on what he said.

If he insisted, Mu Baili would really throw him back to Northern Xinjiang.

Lu Guoan's timely appearance resolved the embarrassment and stalemate between the brothers in time.Stepping forward to salute, Lu Guoan bowed and said, "Master, everything that needs to be prepared is almost ready, and we can leave early tomorrow morning."

"Okay!" Mu Baili took a deep breath, "How about the punishment department?"

"Master Zhao is smart, he will have all the confessions he should have, and he will submit them to the king." Lu Guoan said, "However, Mr. Zhao's move seems very dangerous. If the prime minister finds out, there will be trouble. The prime minister is ruthless." , I won’t let Master Zhao go.”

Mu Baili sneered twice, "Zhao Song couldn't have imagined that even if he killed him, this matter was done by Zhao Wuyou. Even Xiao Rong might have miscalculated. It’s his bad luck to turn the tide like this.”

Lu Guoan hesitated, "Who is this matter?"

"Foxes always show their tails." Mu Baili looked at Shen Yan, "Keep an eye on it! The smoke in the capital city doesn't need to be less than border gates. Border gates are open swords and spears, and the capital is hard to guard against. If Shang Shufu is in trouble, help her."

Shen Yan was silent.

Mu Baili had already walked away, Lu Guoan sighed softly, and patted Shen Yan on the shoulder, "Master Qiantose carried the burden by himself, and he really didn't take your feelings into account. Maybe you feel depressed, but Shen Yan, Lord Qiantose also has His own considerations. What you can see now is the huge Dongchang, but can you imagine how humble he was back then?"

"If you haven't experienced what he has experienced, you can't blame him for not letting you intervene in today's affairs. Some things are not something you think you can take on. No one can replace those life and death honors and disgraces."

Shen Yan looked at Lu Guoan firmly, and clenched the cold sword in his hand.

"Lord Chitose doesn't want you to follow his old path. He has no choice, but you have." Lu Guoan smiled helplessly, "You don't have to worry about it, as long as you are yourself. Lord Chitose has no demands on you. I wish you a good life, peace and joy."

After finishing speaking, Lu Guoan turned and left.

"He will come back well, won't he?" Shen Yan said.

Lu Guoan looked back at him, his eyes darkened, "As long as I have breath, I will do my best."

Shen Yan looked at him, his expressionless face was always frosty and cold.He watched Lu Guoan drift away, but his heart could no longer calm down.

Going to Huanglan here is extremely dangerous.Those barbarians are all barbarians, each of them is as ferocious as a wolf or a tiger.Huanglan is barbaric and used to relying on force to solve problems.This is what Shen Yan is most worried about, if there is a conflict, war will be inevitable.

Shen Yan didn't know what Mu Baili would encounter when he went there, but he only hoped that the spirit of his parents would protect his brother's safe return.

Mu Baili sat on the roof of the Qiantose Mansion, looking at the bustling people under his feet. Sitting here, he could look down on everything and step on everything under his feet.He used to think that it was his lifelong dream to have everything, but now he realized that being alone in the world might not be the happiest person in the world.If you get the world, you may not be happy.

Xue Lan jumped up and landed lightly beside Mu Baili.She closed her eyes, and sat beside him quietly, enjoying the quietness and overlooking that belonged to him.

The wind passed by her ears, Xu Shi was too quiet, she finally turned her head to look at him, "Are you leaving? Leave the capital and go to Huanglan?"

"I know everything, what else do you ask?" He was about to leave.

"I will guard the capital and protect her for you." Xue Lan smiled wryly, "Just go and come back safely. I will take care of the things you entrusted to me one by one for you."

After the sound fell, Mu Baili flew down.

Xue Lan smiled wryly, he didn't even want to be alone with her.But it doesn't matter anymore, she has made so many mistakes, and now she can still appear alive by his side, it is already a blessing from heaven.

What is she still asking for?

It's just that, she was thinking of Mu Baili, but she forgot that in the underground palace of Dongchang, there was also someone who was thinking of her and wanted to see her all the time.

pity……

After getting off the ground, Xue Lan sighed softly, and walked slowly towards the back door.

She just came back to take a look now, and now she has to do what she should do.She believed that one day, she would be able to complete the task he entrusted and give him a satisfactory answer.

There was some chaos on the street, Jin Yiwei was arresting people, people from Wucheng soldiers and horses were constantly patrolling, and the atmosphere in the capital became a little tense.Xue Lan lifted the curtains of the car, watching the chaotic scene outside.

It seems to say that Jin Yiwei went to Xia's house.

The declining Duke's Mansion is now everyone's bully, after all, the one in the palace who had a miscarriage before doesn't have much favor now.You can't live without grace in the palace, and the same rules of survival outside the palace.

Zhong Mian had a close relationship with the Xia family before, so now that Zhong Mian was found out about the official bank transactions, there will naturally be some people who will deliberately point the finger at the decaying Duke's Mansion in order to clear up the relationship.

Xia Donglou is now a bereaved dog, everyone can bully him.

The Duke's Mansion was surrounded, and none of the house slaves was spared. All of them were taken back to the Criminal Ministry for investigation. Only Xia Donglou and the wives and concubines in the backyard were left, waiting for the final result in panic.

Zhao Song sat in the meeting room of the six yamen, and the Minister of Criminal Affairs said, "Don't worry, Mr. Xia, the Xia family and Zhong Mi were entangled earlier, and now that Zhong Mi is dead, there is no proof of death, and the Xia family is completely indisputable." On the other side of Hubu Shangshu, although there are some difficulties, it is not completely impossible to find a way out."

Taking a sip of tea, Zhao Song's eyebrows darkened slightly, "The Xia family's crime is unforgivable. They even conspired with Zhong Mi to take advantage of the relationship of several subordinate officials of the User Department, and secretly used official money to bribe the court officials and make a comeback."

Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs bowed his head, "What Xiangye said is very true, this Xia family really has ulterior motives, it really deserves to die."

Zhao Song snorted coldly, "Xia Donglou offended many people earlier, and there was still a chance to stand up, but the daughter he handed over is also a disappointment. She is domineering in the palace, and now she is taking it upon herself."

"Master Xiang, then this memorial—" the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment asked in a low voice.

"The crime of using official money is unforgivable, and it should be executed according to the law. Naturally, such a major and important case must be reported directly to the imperial court." Zhao Song stood up, his eyes were piercing, "I will not ask the truth about this matter, and you have never asked Live the truth."

The Minister of the Ministry of Punishments saluted, "I understand!"

After finishing speaking, Zhao Song stepped out, his expression still indifferent.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment breathed a sigh of relief, since the prime minister opened the mouth, the case would be much easier to handle, as long as he wrote it according to Zhao Song's intention, and then sent the paper to the emperor, the case would be considered solid evidence.

Anyway, after the defeat of the Xia family, everyone had already avoided it, and now that the Xia family has been taken over, many people are relieved.After all, there were quite a few flatterers in the Duke's mansion earlier.

Now that the tree has fallen and the monkeys are scattered, everyone's worries have been cut off.

Even if Xia Lan took off her hairpin and knelt outside Yongshou Palace at this moment, it would not help.

Misappropriating official money and burning it privately is a crime that should be punished.

(End of this chapter)