Aspirations

Chapter 113
Hou Pingpan felt angry, it was a great birthday party, but firstly he was disturbed by King Jing, King Qing, King Jian and others, and then there were some changes due to the unexpected visit of the emperor, which made him even more puzzled The most important thing is that the emperor came to Xingwang's birthday banquet in person, neither entered the mansion, nor let the officials who had already arrived come out to greet him, the emperor's move had a deep meaning, as if to warn all the officials, if the emperor did not enter the mansion, they would not be greeted by all the officials , It is to save affection for the officials, so that the officials can know who is the emperor of Daxia today, and who is the supreme authority.

What made Hou Pingpan even more angry was that Lao Er Chai went crazy after drinking, and inadvertently revealed the secret that he and Xingwang wanted to get rid of Li Dingshan. Nonsense, but after all, the impact is not good.Thinking again, no, is it true that Mr. Chai is deliberately pretending to be crazy?He clearly intended to use drunkenness to make trouble, and avoided the important ones, and did not want to respond to his question about electing Li Dingshan as Yushi Zhongcheng.

When Hou Pingpan was about to think about it, King Xing came to him and said in a low voice: "Old Chai went crazy after drinking, don't worry about it. Take care of King Haojing, King Qing and King Jian, lest they take the opportunity to win over all the officials. "

Yes, this matter is the most important thing. Hou Pingpan woke up in an instant, turned around and saw King Jing, King Qing and King Jian sitting at the Ministry of Industry Minister Zhang Yinong, Military Minister Fu Xianfeng, Criminal Minister Shen Fuming and Household Minister Li. During Shi De, a few people exchanged cups and glasses, chatting and laughing happily.Only then did he realize that he had almost missed a major event, he hurriedly nodded to King Xing, and walked towards King Jing's table.

Xingwang looked towards the direction where Chai Shiye disappeared, and winked at Yan Hao who was in the crowd, Yan Hao understood and left quietly.

After going out, Yan Hao got into a carriage and followed behind Chai Shiye who was staggering on the horse.Chai Shiye only brought two or three entourages with him. He was on the horse, and when he swayed with the horse, he no longer sang sad songs, but chanted poems aloud: "After 18 years of official career, my heart has been like a mallard in the water for a long time. How can I go to spring? On the road, look at the picture of the game between immortals. Both in the game and outside the game, it is still the heart of victory and defeat in the world. It is like a stubborn fairy who is unconscious, and the spring breeze butterfly sleeps deep in the country. May I ask, old Xiangshan, which new star will Liusu add?"

Although Yan Hao didn't read much, he also heard that Chai Shiye's poem had a hint of seclusion, so he couldn't help but sneer, thinking to himself that he wanted to get out of his body at this time, how could it be so easy!As for today's matter, King Jing, King Qing, and King Jian, the three kings seem to have formed an alliance. King Xing needs the help of Hou Pingpan and King Yun, and needs the support of all ministers.Mr. Chai don't want to stay out of the matter now, the matter has reached the moment when the sword is about to be revealed, and no one can be alone.

After following for a while, seeing that there was nothing unusual about Chai Shiye and that he was indeed heading towards Chai's mansion, Yan Hao felt relieved and turned back to report.

"Going away?" Chai Shiye, who was swaying on the horse, immediately regained consciousness when Yan Hao left, looked back quietly, and smiled secretly, "The old man's ability to pretend to be drunk is getting better and better, not only did he deceive him Hou Pingpan also lied to Xingwang and Yanhao. Sheng Jie, go to the palace quickly and hand over the memorial that I recommended Li Dingshan as Yushi Zhongcheng. Remember, it must be handed over to Chang Guan by hand, not to anyone else."

"Yes." The young man named Sheng Jie was Chai Shiye's most trusted subordinate. He was skilled in martial arts, especially light kung fu. He took the order and disappeared on the misty Anding River Bridge in a blink of an eye.

After Sheng Jie left, Chai Shiye reined in his horse and walked for a while, when suddenly it began to rain lightly.There is not much rain in autumn in the north, but it is one autumn rain and one cold.Passers-by and pedestrians hid from the rain one after another, but Chai Shiye neither hid from the rain nor rushed on the horse. Instead, he recited a poem: "A long time is not a thousand days, and when the spring is deep, the flowers will be red. You must bear with it, and you must bear it halfway." Dementia half deaf."

In the rain, besides Chai Shiye and Yima, there were two attendants. Other than that, the pedestrians hid under the eaves to avoid the rain.The sound of horseshoes of Dede sounded like the bells of time on the bluestone road. Amidst the sound of horseshoes, Chai Shiye's voice of reciting poems gradually faded away. Together with his back, he gradually became confused in the misty and rainy streets of Shangjing. middle.

After Yan Hao returned to Xingwang's mansion, he reported Chai Shiye's whereabouts to Xingwang. Xingwang nodded, and drank a few glasses of wine with everyone before getting up and going back to the study.

King Yun and Hou Pingpan followed.

Xingwang opened the window, and the rain outside was like strands of silk. Although it was not like the slanting wind and drizzle in the south of the Yangtze River, it was also a rare silk rain in the north.The rain hit his face, which was slightly cool, bringing a hint of winter breath.

"It's getting cold, and it will be winter in a month or so." Xing Wang turned around and glanced at King Yun and Hou Pingpan, "The emperor's condition fluctuates from good to bad, which makes people worry. I don't know if the emperor can survive it." This winter, the officials are almost losing their patience, there must be an ending."

At this time, King Yun was no longer as innocent as he was before, he frowned slightly, with a worried expression on his face: "Third Brother, Eldest Brother and Fourth Brother joined forces, and they are going to push Li Dingshan to the front of the stage, obviously they are going to show their swords. "

"The sword has already been revealed, haha." Xingwang smiled, and picked up a short sword on the bookshelf, and drew the sword in his hand, "I never thought that the elder brother was so scheming that he had put someone in my hand early." Beside me, Xie Bi'an, a dead man whom I trusted Youjia, even Xie Jianhua turned out to be my elder brother's dead man, I feel a little scared when I think about it, if Xie Jianhua does something wrong to me, I'm afraid my body will be decapitated."

Hou Pingpan had an angry look on his face: "Today's matter, not only is there the concern of King Jing and King Qing joining hands, but also the emperor's sudden visit, the emperor's heart is as deep as the sea, the emperor's move has a deep meaning, the emperor's illness, I am afraid There is another secret."

"Aren't the emperor's people all from us?" King Yun thought for a while, and put his hands behind his back, "In addition to Jin Jia and Ye Muping, yes, there is also Chang Guan, the imperial physician Zhu Baishui, Hou Guifei and many other servants, Don't they all take orders from Third Brother and Hou Xianggong?"

"Emperor Zhu has repeatedly affirmed that the emperor's illness is indeed an incurable disease, and he also persuaded the emperor not to take the medicine prescribed by Jinjia, and stopped using the medicine bed medicine chair--when it comes to medicine bed medicine chair, Xia Xiang really It's time to kill, I have to be troublesome - I also persuaded the emperor to take Ye Muping's golden pills more, and the emperor did it one by one, why does the emperor seem to be in good spirits today?" Xing Wang pondered for a long time, and suddenly slashed on the corner of the table with his sword , the corner of Tie Limu's table was forcibly cut off by the dagger in his hand, "It can be seen that the emperor's condition is indeed hidden, I am afraid that Zhu Taiyi and Hou Guifei were deceived by the emperor, the emperor joined forces with Jin Jia and Ye Muping to act Show us a good show."

"Third brother means..." King Yun made a gesture of raising the knife, "Cut the mess quickly, can't drag it on any longer? But besides Changguan, Jinjia and Ye Muping, there are palaces beside the emperor." Ye Shisheng, the commander of the former capital, is loyal to the emperor. If Ye Shisheng does not surrender, it will be difficult to achieve great things."

"Isn't Ye Shisheng taking orders from His Royal Highness Xingwang?" Hou Pingpan recalled the incident in the Gongyuan last time.

Xing Wang shook his head, showing a wry smile: "I did Ye Shisheng a favor a few years ago, and he remembered it in his heart. He repaid the favor last time in the Tribute Court. Ye Shisheng is only loyal to the emperor. It is impossible to pull him over."

"Cui Changzai, who is inspected in front of the palace, has always been in close contact with the third brother. If he cooperates, great things will be accomplished." King Yun had a thoughtful expression, with a lot of thinking that was not commensurate with his age, "Little brother Although he is also the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council, he is at odds with Zheng Chuanfu of Zhi Yuan. Zheng Chuanfu thinks that he is a member of the Zheng family in Xingyang, and his eyes are so high that he doesn't even look down on the younger brother, the Fifth Prince."

Hou Pingpan nodded and said: "The 20 forbidden troops in the capital are inspected in front of the palace, and Cui Changzai alone is in danger of the world. However, although Cui Changzai has a good relationship with His Royal Highness Xingwang, both of his subordinates are in command of the imperial palace. Both Ye Shisheng and the commander of the horse infantry in front of the temple are loyal to the emperor, and it is difficult for Cui Changzai to restrain the two of them. It is much better to have one person obey Cui Changzai."

"Don't forget, the eldest brother is also in charge of the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War has the power to deploy troops, but not the power to deploy them. The Privy Council has the power to dispatch troops, but it has no power to use them. Cui Changzai is in charge of 20 forbidden troops, but he still has to be checked and balanced by Ye Shisheng and Ming Wangqi. "Xing Wang sighed and shook his head, "The emperor's heart is as deep as the sea, and he looks like he is seriously ill, but in fact he is defending everywhere.

Several people were talking about the big event of rebellion, but it was like talking about ordinary things.

"His Royal Highness Xingwang, in my opinion, there are three ways to do it." Hou Pingpan smiled confidently, "The first way is naturally to let the emperor follow the way of heaven and return to heaven with peace of mind. Since the emperor is the son of the emperor of heaven, it is also the destiny of heaven to return to heaven. As for how to bring the emperor back to heaven, it would be fine if Imperial Physician Zhu could succeed, but if Imperial Physician Zhu could not be of much use, then the second method had to be used—letting Yanhao out! Taishan Fengchan, the emperor has not been to Taishan since he came to the throne. The road to Fengchan is long and rugged, and it is reasonable to have a mistake on the road."

Without waiting for Ping Pan to finish speaking, Xing Wang repeatedly waved his hands and said: "The emperor has the golden armor on the left and Ye Muping on the right. I am afraid that it will be difficult for the imperial physician Zhu to do so. As for the Fengchan matter, it is not feasible. The emperor thinks that he cannot compare with Taizong Taizong's martial arts and martial arts. , dare not stand shoulder to shoulder with Taizu Taizong to go to Fengchan."

"It's okay if you don't enshrine Zen. You can write a letter to let the emperor go to Zhending Great Buddha Temple to worship Buddha." Hou Pingpan failed to make a plan, and made another plan. The emperor worshiped Taoism, but he did not reject Buddhism. Moreover, seeing that the twelfth lunar month of this winter marks the 150th anniversary of Emperor Taizong's birth, he would go to the Great Buddha Temple where Taizong wrote the name of the temple himself to pray for Taizong and pray for the people. Falling into the water, or suffering from the wind and cold, or being frightened, or being assassinated, all kinds of changes are unpredictable. At that time, the fault can be blamed on Xia Xiang, the county magistrate of Zhending, so that we can kill two birds with one stone, wouldn't it be great?"

"Xia Xiang..." As soon as Xing Wang heard Xia Xiang's name, Xia Xiang's slightly slanted smile appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help snorting coldly, "It's a good way, but it's just to let Xia Xiang fall from the horse like this." , Isn’t it too cheap for him? There are definitely many big pits waiting for him to jump into.”

"Let's ignore Xia Xiang for now. Xia Xiang is just a seventh-rank county magistrate. It has nothing to do with the overall situation. It's not even a pawn... Let's talk about the third method." King Yun was eager to know what other tricks Hou Pingpan had.

"The first method is to sneak into the night with the wind, moisten things quietly, which is the best strategy. The second method is to strike a thunderbolt on the ground, which is the middle strategy." Hou Pingpan's face was serious, and he held his beard. , is the worst policy."

Xingwang guessed Hou Pingpan's thoughts: "Rise up the army?"

"Your Highness is wise." Hou Pingpan nodded slightly, and continued, "The 20 imperial troops in the capital are loyal to the emperor. Don't forget, Your Highness, there are still 60 local imperial troops in Daxia, distributed in Zhending Prefecture, Rehe County and Taiyuan Prefecture. Three places. Moreover, half of the 20 imperial troops in the capital are in the capital, while the other half are guarding the border outside the capital."

"That's right, Mr. Hou's words awakened the dreamer." King Yun clapped his hands and applauded, "If you can mobilize 20 forbidden troops from Zhending and Rehe each, a total of 40 forbidden troops, and surround Shangjing, then you can Divide the 20 Imperial Guards in the capital into two, and the head and the tail cannot look at each other, even if Ye Shisheng and Ming Wang have extraordinary abilities, they will be powerless."

"Ye Shisheng is stationed in the capital, and Ming Wangqi is stationed outside the city. They echo and control each other from a distance. As Mr. Hou said, 40 imperial troops were dispatched from the local area to Beijing, 20 to contain Ming Wangqi, and 20 to besiege the city. It is indeed possible to fight. Determine the universe." Xing Wang rested his chin in one hand and looked out of the window, "It's okay to say that the Zhending Mansion's garrison guards are under the jurisdiction of Cui Xiang, and the commander of the Zhending Mansion's guards, Wu Yidong, only obeys Cui Xiang's order. It’s just that Li Zhengyu, the commander of the Imperial Army stationed in Rehe County, is very loyal, and he was single-handedly promoted by Ye Shisheng. Who is the magistrate of Rehe County?”

"Zhang Hou, Jinshi in the same year as Xia Xiang." Hou Pingpan smiled complacently, "Your Highness, you don't need to worry too much. When you appointed Zhang Hou as the magistrate of Rehe County, you buried a pawn for today's major events. Rehe County is located in a fortress. Although it is a small county, the imperial army stationed here has the same organizational system as Zhending Prefecture and Taiyuan Prefecture. The county magistrate, Rehe County is small and poor, but it is a big military county, and the second is because of the discord between Zhang Hou and Xia Xiang."

"Can Zhang Hou be used by this king?" Xing Wang admired Hou Pingpan the most because of his knowledge of people and his long-term brilliance. Among the Jinshi this year, he only noticed Xia Xiang, Shen Bao and Teng Zhengyuan Several people did not pay much attention to Zhang Hou.Unexpectedly, Hou Pingpan actually planned ahead of time, and arranged Zhang Hou to take up the post in Rehe County because of the garrison of the Imperial Army in Rehe County.

"When Zhang Hou was in the imperial examination, he went to Qing Wang's mansion to surrender, but was rejected by Qing Wang. Zhang Hou was arrogant and competitive. He complained that Xia Xiang was ranked higher than him in Jinshi. Xia Xiang served as the magistrate of Zhending, He was even more dissatisfied, thinking that he should be above Xia Xiang." Hou Pingpan has been in the officialdom for many years, and has seen many people in the officialdom who are keen on fame and fortune. So as long as His Highness shows Zhang Hou a little favor, Zhang Hou will definitely be grateful and follow him to the death."

"Zhang Hou has jurisdiction over the forbidden army stationed in Rehe County. If he follows this king, it will indeed be a great help." Xing Wang pondered for a while, and smiled slightly, "Okay, Zhang Hou's matter will be handled by Hou Xianggong. gone."

"Your Highness, I intend to send Xiong Shiwang, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, to visit Rehe County. In the name of inspection, he will give Zhang Houer an order." Hou Pingpan had already made up his mind, "I will personally edit a book and hand it over to Xiong Shiwang. Zhang Hou."

"It's so good." Xing Wang was in a good mood, and walked a few steps back and forth in the room, "Fifth brother, according to your intention, there are three strategies, which one should you choose?"

"The last one is too dangerous, so you can press it and not mention it." Although King Yun is young, he is not an innocent child. He knows that the crime of rebellion is no small matter. Don’t do it as a last resort, but don’t take it lightly. What should be done must be done first. In case the best and middle strategies are revealed, when it is time to raise troops, you must also raise troops. In my opinion, the best strategy is the first, and then the failure It is the wrong time and the preparation is not enough, after all, even if we raise troops now."

Xing Wang nodded: "This suits me. Yan Hao..."

"Here." Yan Hao stood guard outside the door and came in response, "Your Highness!"

"Go and hand over this jade bottle to Imperial Physician Zhu and give him three days." Xing Wang took out a jade bottle the size of a thumb. The jade bottle is crystal clear, first-class in quality and extremely exquisite. The news of the emperor's death, let him end it on his own."

"Yes." Yan Hao took the jade bottle, turned around and left, and suddenly stopped at the door, "Your Highness, in the opinion of a villain, no matter whether Imperial Physician Zhu can accomplish this matter, it is best to go down with a knife..."

Yan Hao turned his right hand into a knife, and slashed in the air.

Xingwang nodded, Imperial Physician Zhu knew too many things, and the dead are the safest, so he remembered something, and said: "Dong Qiniang and Dong Si are nothing to worry about, you don't have to provoke them, Xie Jianhua..."

"The villain understands." Yan Hao caught a glimpse of the murderous intent in Xingwang's eyes, he knew that Xingwang hated traitors the most, and Xingwang couldn't get rid of the hatred in his heart.

"Xie Jianhua is nothing to worry about. Your Highness does not need to worry too much about such a trivial matter. It is Xia Xiang who deserves your Highness's attention." Hou Pingpan took out a letter, "Xie Huagai's letter, Xia Xiang really After Dingxian took office, he has made constant moves, and there are many surprising moves, which is very disturbing."

Xingwang didn't accept the letter in Pingpan's hand, and frowned slightly: "It's just a small seventh-rank magistrate, how much splash can it make? Cui Xiang, as the magistrate of Zhending, can't suppress a magistrate?"

(End of this chapter)