Chapter 182 Who dares to go
Just the day before Jiang Qingzhi was about to leave for Xuanfu, the conflict between Lu Bing and Cui Yuan broke out.
"Lu Bing arrested a steward from Cui Yuan's mansion. The steward stole the property from the prince consort's mansion to gamble, and when he lost, he signed a pledge to pay off the debt... He actually used Cui Yuan's seal."
Sun Bu Tong looked very proud, "The steward revealed something in Jinyiwei, Cui Yuan's concubine had an affair with someone..."
Hu Zongxian shook his head and sighed, but Xu Wei said sarcastically: "Cui Yuan is already very old, is that thing still useful?"
Sun Bu Tong smiled obscenely, "Mr. Xu, you don't know that some people are gifted."
"What do you mean by gifted talent?" Xu Wei asked.
Sun Bu Tong licked his lips.
Hey!
Jiang Qingzhi kicked him.
"It may seem like the situation in Xuanfu is not a big deal, but the government wastes countless money and grain in the nine border areas every year, while allowing the foreign tribes on the grassland to come and go freely. This situation must be reversed."
Jiang Qingzhi planned to take Xu Wei with him this time, and Hu Zongxian stayed at home.
"You stay at home and keep an eye on Lu Bing." Jiang Qingzhi always felt that Lu Bing was like a poisonous snake lurking in a dark corner, staring at him coldly.
"Don't worry, sir." There is no doubt that Hu Zongxian has the ability to take charge of the situation, but his specific strategies are far from satisfactory.
However, Jiang Qingzhi only needs him to control the overall situation. As for the details, there is Xiao Zhuo next door.
On the second day, Jiang Qingzhi led his men out of the alley, and Prince Yu had already arrived outside.
"Uncle." The little girl also came and looked at her uncle eagerly.
"Want to go out?" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile, "I'll take you out of town to play next time."
"My cousin said it again and again." Zhu Shoumei lowered her head.
She and Prince Yu were both unknown, but Prince Yu had Jiang Qingzhi to take care of him, so he lived a good life.
Jiang Qingzhi patted her head and said, "If you are bullied in the palace, just bear with it and wait for me to come back."
Zhu Shoumei raised her head, her eyes brightened, and she nodded vigorously, "Okay."
Then she held out her hand.
There are traces of needlework on the little hands.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled, stretched out his hand and high-fived her as an oath.
As soon as he left the capital, Cui Yuan's counterattack came.
"Your Majesty, Cui Yuan impeached Lu Bing for accepting bribes and escaping guilt for others."
Emperor Jiajing did not read the memorial and said calmly: "I am still here!"
Yan Song lowered his head and said, "Yes."
When he returned to Zhilu later, Yan Shifan and Cui Yuan were waiting for him.
"Dad, what does His Majesty mean?" Yan Shifan helped Yan Song sit down.
Yan Song pounded his legs and said, "Your Majesty said he is still here."
It's time for guessing game.
Yan Shifan closed his one eye.
"Your Majesty is still here... This means your authority has been violated. Who violated your Majesty's authority?"
"Are you referring to us?" Cui Yuan's face suddenly changed.
"No, no, no." Yan Shifan shook his head and said confidently: "If this is the case, Dad will not be able to come back."
"Who could it be?" Yan Song had full confidence in his son's judgment.
"The only one who can infringe upon your majesty's authority is..." Yan Shifan suddenly opened his eyes and gently patted his cheek.
"father."
"explain."
"Someone from the Eastern Palace came to look for me a while ago and mentioned the matter of Censor Chen An."
There was more regret in Yan Shifan's one eye, "Only the East Palace."
"Are you saying that His Majesty is suspicious of the Crown Prince? How could the Crown Prince have the ability to make His Majesty suspicious of him?"
"But what if we are included?" Yan Shifan rubbed his eyes.
Yan Song's body trembled, "Your Majesty is dissatisfied with us getting too close to the prince?"
Yan Shifan nodded, "Your Majesty is still here, and Dad holds the power. If you get too close to the crown prince, the emperor will be in trouble. This is a warning."
Yan Song's body relaxed, and he was filled with fear.
Yan Shifan suddenly laughed, "Now that I think about it, the conflict between Cui Fu Ma and Lu Bing was also intentional by His Majesty."
Yan Song pointed outside, and his confidant went out to take a look, then came back and shook his head, indicating that there was no one there.
Yan Song lowered his voice and said, "My son, Your Majesty just took advantage of the situation to make Lu Bing and his son-in-law turn against each other. This kind of imperial tactics makes your father shudder when he thinks of it."
"If Your Majesty plays tricks, who in this world can stand up to him?" Yan Shifan shook his head, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "But you can't hide it from me, Yan Shifan!"
……
In late autumn in Xuanfu, everything was withering. Occasionally there was a little bright red on the mountain, which was said to be some kind of flower. Sun Chonglou made a special trip for it, but was helpless in the face of the sheer cliffs.
"Boy, those flowers grow on the cliffs, and you can only admire them from a distance."
Xia Yan was sitting in the carriage with a book in his hand.
The old man was probably restless and wanted to follow Jiang Qingzhi to Xuanfu this time, so he found an excuse to accompany and teach Prince Yu his lessons. Unexpectedly, Emperor Jiajing agreed readily.
"Next time I'll bring a rope." Sun Chonglou got angry and sat down on the shaft of the carriage.
Jiang Qingzhi rode over and asked, "Mr. Xia, are you familiar with Xuanfu?"
Xia Yan narrowed his eyes. "Xuanfu General Qian Jun is very good at dealing with people, but when I was the Prime Minister, he gave me a gift and I drove him out. By the way, he is quite strict with his subordinates..."
"He is a mean person who says one thing to your face and another behind your back."
"That's right, most officials are like this, you don't have to be surprised." The old man is used to seeing this. "Deputy General Wang Yuanfa is quite interesting. He is upright, but because he lacks a background, he is suppressed by Qian Jun. Otherwise, how could Qian Jun be the General of Xuanfu?"
"I plan to let Xu Wei go ahead..." This place is less than thirty miles away from Xuanfu, and Jiang Qingzhi needs to send someone to find out the situation.
Xia Yan closed the book and said, "How about I go!"
"You're going?"
"What are you worried about?" Xia Yan glanced at Prince Yu who was learning to ride a horse with the guards in front of him. "After all, I have been the Prime Minister for many years. Qian Jun dare not stop me from going wherever I want. If Xu Wei goes, he will definitely be unable to move."
……
Xia Yan entered the city with more than ten soldiers, Sun Bu Tong and two Jiang family guards.
"Xia Yan is here?"
"Yes. The old man himself said it was Xia Yan."
Qian Jun, the general of Xuanfu, stroked his beard and said, "This time the court sent Chang Weibo to investigate the military pay issue. Judging from his words and deeds in Datong Prefecture, he probably has bad intentions."
Deputy General Wang Yuanfa sat at the bottom and said in a deep voice: "30,000 strings of cash is not a small amount of money. Are you trying to smooth things over?"
Qian Jun's confidant, Lieutenant General Jiang Ce, said calmly, "The general's idea is that since this happened in Xuanfu, it's better for it to rot in Xuanfu. As for who is responsible, that's their responsibility. It's not that we don't care, but we don't give outsiders the opportunity to interfere."
All the generals nodded in agreement.
Qian Jun said: "Xia Yan is the former Prime Minister. He is here to scout ahead. This is a test from Jiang Qingzhi."
Someone asked: "General, how should we deal with this?"
Qian Jun said, "Xia Yan is very concerned about his reputation. I treated him with great respect in the past. Now that he has fallen into such a state, how could he allow me to see his miserable state? He will definitely not come to see me, so just ignore it."
A sergeant came in and said, "General, there is someone outside who claims to be Xia Yan and wants to see you."
Qian Jun's eyelids twitched. "Please come in."
Xia Yan walked outside the lobby and took a look inside.
Sun Bu Tong stopped and said, "Mr. Xia, if you have any problem, just come and ask for help. My uncle said that if Mr. Xia is humiliated, it means that my uncle is humiliated!"
That kid... Xia Yan smiled, then her eyes turned cold and she walked in.
"Xia Yan, greetings to all the generals."
Xia Yan bowed.
Everyone bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Xia."
This former Prime Minister, now entered the so-called White Tiger Hall as Jiang Qingzhi's representative, and seemed to have become the master.
"I was ordered by Lord Changwei to take the lead in the matter of the 30,000 strings of military pay for Xuanfu. If you have anything to say, whether publicly or privately, just tell me."
Xia Yan looked around at the crowd. Many of them had difficulty meeting him in the past. "Altan was defeated in Datong. I heard that there are more Altan's cavalry in Xuanfu. They want revenge. Chang Weibo asked me to pass on the message."
He looked at Qian Jun who was sitting upright, "Anyone who is afraid of the enemy like a tiger should be impeached!"
……
The next day, Xia Yan wandered around the city.
"Mr. Xia, someone is following us."
Sun Bu Tong said.
Xia Yan put his hands behind his back and said, "Don't worry about it."
He wandered around the city, ate his three meals a day out, and always enjoyed chatting with the people.
"Xia Yan is asking about the soldiers' conditions, from their attire to their weapons..."
The person who followed Xia Yan reported back to Qian Jun.
"Old dog!"
Qian Jun sneered.
Jiang Ce said: "I will keep an eye on him. By the way, Altan's cavalry has been quite numerous recently."
Qian Jun glanced at him and gripped the hilt of the knife.
Jiang Ce's eyes flashed with sternness, "I'm leaving now."
……
On the third day, Xia Yan received news that Altan's cavalry were approaching Longmenwei, and General Qian Jun was preparing to lead his troops to reinforce.
"The general asked Lord Xia, do you dare to go and see the foreign cavalry?"
The man asked provocatively.
Xia Yan glanced at him and walked out the door.
"set off!"
……
Dragon Gate Guard.
The defending commander, Qianhu Chang Lin, stood on the city wall and looked at the hundreds of enemy cavalry outside.
The enemy was shouting and cursing, and Chang Lin was furious, but he did not dare to attack.
"Qian Hu, reinforcements are coming."
Chang Lin didn't expect that Qian Jun came to help in person, so he hurried out to greet him.
"Hundreds of enemy cavalry have been patrolling outside." Chang Lin accompanied Qian Jun to the top of the city wall, and Xia Yan followed behind. When they reached the top of the city wall, they saw hundreds of enemy soldiers shouting and cursing.
"Just yelling and cursing?" Qian Jun asked.
"Yes."
Qian Jun's big flag was erected on the top of the city wall. When the enemy general saw it, he laughed and said, "Qian Jun is here."
"Captain, we have spotted Ming scouts."
A team of Ming army scouts were rushing towards the small town.
"Intercept them!"
The enemy general shouted.
The two sides were like two lines, forming a figure eight facing the city gate.
The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the Ming army on the city wall could not help but clench their fists and shout.
"Quick!"
The Ming army of more than 30 riders was about to be intercepted by the enemy, when the general leader suddenly turned his horse's head and shouted, "Fang Cong, bring back the news!"
"General Flag!" Fang Cong turned around and saw the general flag rushing towards the enemy with more than a dozen soldiers.
"Let's go!" Fang Cong gritted his teeth and rode his horse into a gallop.
The city gate opened a crack and more than ten riders rushed in.
But behind him, the general flag and his subordinates were surrounded by enemy troops.
"The enemy only has a few hundred cavalrymen on standby outside." Fang Cong handed over this valuable information and then knelt down.
"What? You still want a reward?" someone beside Qian Jun asked coldly.
Fang Cong kowtowed and said, "I am willing to give up my achievements and only ask the general to save the general flag!"
Qian Jun was indifferent.
"Get out!" Jiang Ce yelled.
Seeing the trapped Ming army soldiers shouting and fighting, Xia Yan couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you rescue them?"
Jiang Ce looked at him, "The enemy said that there are only a few hundred cavalry outside, but who knows if there are ambushes elsewhere?"
"We only need a thousand or so cavalry to provide support." Xia Yan was angry.
Jiang Ce was too disdainful to explain to him and said calmly: "No one would attack if faced with such a situation."
Xia Yan was so angry that his hair and beard stood up, but when he looked around, he saw that most of the generals were indifferent or turned their heads away.
"Look!"
At this time, someone pointed to the right and shouted, "What is that?"
Everyone looked around.
A black line slowly appeared on the horizon.
Then, the sound of horse hooves shaking the earth was heard.
"Who is it?" Jiang Ce asked.
A large flag suddenly stood up in the middle of the black line.
It was rustling in the north wind.
The lookout turned around suddenly and cheered in surprise.
"It's the flag with the character Jiang!"
……
It’s the last three days of the month, brothers, hurry up and sell your monthly tickets.
(End of this chapter)
