Gui Yuan

Chapter 53

After resting for two days, Feng Yu sent a letter in the palace, saying that Emperor Xiangfeng wanted to personally interrogate Xu Yang and Liu Ping, and asked Wei Yao to enter the palace to assist in the interrogation. The carriage entered the palace, but Wei Yao went to the Anqing Palace, while he went to the East Palace.

The back hall of Anqing Palace.

As soon as Wei Yao arrived, Emperor Xiangfeng asked Huang Jun to bring him in.Xu Yang and Liu Ping were also flamboyant people back then, but now they still don't have the same look as they did back then, each with their faces shrugged and pale.

Wei Yao sat on the left side, and Feng Yu handed him the Liu Mansion register and the documents of the Ministry of Punishment. The register was found during the copying of the Liu Mansion. Emperor Xiangfeng took a look.Wei Yao looked through the documents of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, which mentioned a vacancy of 3 taels of silver in the account of the Liu family, but there was no account, but the money was found in the dark room of Liu Ping's dormitory.If they were placed in the vault, it would be good to excuse them and say that they were not recorded in the account for a while, but these were hidden in the dark room, and the suspicion was confirmed.

Liu Ping did not refute, and confessed to all the crimes listed by the Ministry of Punishment, but when Emperor Xiangfeng asked him why, he said: "When I was an official in the imperial court, I was full of enthusiasm and wholeheartedly for the people, but I was in a high position. After a long time, the temptation of interests and the flattery of everyone gradually made me forget my original intention. Occasionally, in the dead of night, I would sigh with emotion, but the road has already gone down, and there is no reason to turn back."

Liu Ping made a big salute to Emperor Xiangfeng, and said: "I have failed His Majesty's high expectations. I dare not ask for forgiveness, but I want to die."

Emperor Xiangfeng snorted coldly: "You can figure it out, but stealing mines and selling them privately will kill you, not to mention that you know that you have the lives of two court officials. too much."

Xu Yang, on the other hand, was still the same as what he had done to Wei Yao before, he only admitted the crime of seeking profit and refusing to report when he knew it, and pushed everything else to Zhan Guiyou, but Emperor Xiangfeng was not stupid, not to mention he was angry several times because of this matter, Lei Ting How could the anger just go away? In the end, Liu Ping was sentenced to be beheaded, his family members and crowned men were exiled for three thousand miles, and the female relatives and children were made official slaves. As for Xu Yang, Emperor Xiangfeng was kind enough to let him commit suicide. Ling poison wine can still allow him to choose.

Emperor Xiangfeng said: "I'll give you one more day. If there is anything you haven't said, you still have a chance to tell me. Maybe I can forgive you a little bit. Otherwise, just wait for the time to come."

Hearing this, Wei Yao glanced at Emperor Xiangfeng calmly.

It seems that the emperor also felt that this matter was weird, and did not fully believe what the two of them said.

Xu Yang was stunned for a moment, seeing that Liu Ping had already bent down to salute, so he took a step slower to follow.

East Palace.

The crown prince hadn't seen Ning Qing for half a month, and he talked with Ning Qing in the study while Ning Huan was taking a nap.

Ning Qing remembered his sister, and asked, "How is Huanmei recently?"

A smile appeared on Zhu Yu's face: "It's okay, it's just that I've been lazy and lethargic recently. The imperial doctor said it's normal, so I'll let her go. When she wakes up, you can talk to him and have dinner together She always misses you and Ning Xiang, and said that you have become more and more restless recently, and you can't even see a person. She is very worried about your safety, and she even complained to Wei Yao to me in private."

Ning Qing naturally agreed, and said with a smile, "Mei Huan blamed Zhao Zhuo for what?"

"What else can I do? It's just saying that he has spoiled you. In the past, you didn't have a positive form in the imperial capital at most. Now you have a positive form, but you are always exposed to some dangers. Instead, she and Ning Xiang are no more at ease than before."

Ning Qing smiled: "Sister Huan cares about me, so it's understandable to say these things, but don't let Zhao Zhuo hear these words, at first I was the one who had the guts to go to southern Xinjiang, and that's what happened next, where is it? It can be said that he led me to the bad, and if it was me who led him to the bad."

"Speaking of which, I have never had a chance to ask you." Zhu Yu looked at him and said with deep meaning, "At the beginning, you and Wei Yao were forced to marry by circumstances, but later, I saw that you became more and more happy. The relationship between you two It's not as cold and hard as before, so now you..."

Ning Qing understood what he meant, and said with a smile: "Now we get along well, but I think it will be a blessing to go on like this in the future. So don't mention the past, and don't pursue the future."

Zhu Yu nodded: "Just as long as you are happy."

Then the two naturally mentioned the matter of Changzhou. When it came to Liu Ping, Zhu Yu remembered: "You have just returned to the imperial capital, and there is one thing that you must not know. The Zhuangzi outside the city has been empty these days. It was evacuated, and the people who were guarding it were nowhere to be seen. Yuan Xu also made moves, and seemed to be closing the Juke Zhai. These days, people coming and going can be seen moving things, and the business has ceased."

Ning Qing really didn't know this, which is strange: "The business of Jukezhai is so good, and it can also be used to sniff out news and deceive people. Yuan Xu suddenly closed it for no reason. Perhaps after the Changzhou incident was revealed, his master The family couldn't bear it anymore, he should know that we have found Zhuangzi and Jukezhai, so he simply shut it down, so that we can't follow up the investigation."

Zhu Yu asked suspiciously: "Isn't Liu Ping the master of Yuan Xu?"

"There must be someone else. If Liu Ping was the only one doing it, why did Yuan Xu do these things? On the surface, he was guilty, but secretly he wanted us to believe that Liu Ping was behind the scenes. If he hadn't discovered the flaw earlier , maybe it really fooled them."

"What flaw?"

Ning Qing told him about the letter stamp found in Changzhou, and Zhu Yu also felt strange when he heard it: "In this way, Liu Ping may also be a scapegoat, who is behind the scenes, do you have any clues?"

Ning Qing smiled slightly: "I don't know for sure, but there is a way to find it. It was a needle in a haystack, but after Liu Ping appeared, it really became a turning point. He is a minister, and he is willing to work for others. Then this person will be who?"

Zhu Yu understood: "There are only princes and a few ministers."

Ning Qing nodded: "There was a thief who broke into the Duke before, and that person later entered Yuan Xu's mansion. Now I think it should be just a cover. The mansion of the person behind the scenes is very likely to be nearby. Check it out and you will be able to find out." Narrowing it down to a few people, and checking them one by one at that time, although time-consuming, we can finally see results."

Ning Qing said again: "Because it hasn't been found out yet, I agreed with Zhao Zhuo to report this matter to His Majesty, and let Liu Ping bear all the crimes according to their wishes."

"Lan Yu is still careful." Zhu Yu thought of something, pondered for a moment and said, "I have an idea, maybe I can further guess the person behind the scenes, but this is a dead horse as a living horse doctor, and it may not be effective."

"What method?" Ning Qing asked curiously.

"I told you before that Du Yuan, Zhan Guiyou, and Liu Ping are all Jinshi of the same class. I always feel that this is not a coincidence. Power alone may not be enough to make them work hard. After all, profit is more important than life. It is not worth mentioning. It makes no sense that they would rather die than confess that person, so I think, maybe there is more friendship than power. What is related to them is Xiangfeng's five-year imperial examination. The kindness appreciated at times is far more important than ordinary people think."

Ning Qing suddenly realized that it made sense, and said: "The great imperial examination in the fifth year of the Wei Dynasty, in addition to the invigilators of the Ministry of Rites, the imperial court will arrange a few other ministers. This is all recorded in the book. Follow this to check, maybe you can really check it. Got some clues."

Zhu Yu nodded, and decided to send secret guards to investigate the matter later.

After Ning Huan woke up and heard that Ning Qing was coming, he hurriedly got up and changed his clothes to see him, his words and expressions were a little worried: "Brother came back from Jiazhou and then went to Changzhou, he hasn't had a good rest these days, I saw my father a few days ago, and although he didn't say it directly, he still misses you as much as I do."

Ning Qing held her hand and said with a smile: "I understand, I will return to Ning Mansion to see him in a few days."

Ning Qing's gaze moved down to her abdomen, and he smiled softly: "How is my little nephew?"

Ning Huan said with a grin: "The child is still young, although it is quite troublesome, but it is very healthy."

Ning Qing pretended to be serious and stared at her belly and said, "How about torturing your mother, you have to be quiet and grow up smoothly, so that your mother will suffer less."

"Lan Yu still cares about the unborn child?"

Ning Qing turned his head and looked outside the hall. It turned out to be Wei Yao, and said, "The interrogation ended too early."

Wei Yao bowed to the crown prince, and said to Ning Qing: "It's a foregone conclusion. The interrogation is just another question. There is nothing new, so it will be over long ago."

Ning Qing nodded.

Ning Huan looked at Wei Yao and said indifferently, "Grandpa."

Wei Yao smiled slightly: "My sister is born."

Zhu Yu ordered the palace servants to serve food at the right time, and said: "Since the father-in-law happened to be here, let's have a meal together, this is also a rare opportunity."

Wei Yao naturally agreed.

During the dinner, Ning Huan's thoughts were all on Wei Yao and Ning Qing. She found that these two people were a bit subtle. Every action can tell the clues.It's like the calmness of an old couple after years of wind and frost. Although they are not as intimate as others, they can be seen in every word and action.

In fact, Ning Huan didn't think that her brother was not good enough for Wei Yao at first. On the contrary, she thought that Wei Yao was a warrior, and although her brother was a bit out of shape, he had a lot of poetic charm. Such a person is the favorite of ladies from famous families.Such an informal person married An Guogong because of a marriage certificate. She was worried that Ning Qing's life would be uncomfortable, especially after the wedding, she followed Wei Yao to risk everywhere, and she even blamed Wei Yao.But now Ning Huan felt that she was unnecessary, she had nothing else to ask, as long as her brother was happy.

After dinner, Ning Huan sent Ning Qing and Wei Yao away, Zhu Yu hugged her and said, "Are you still worried about your brother?"

Ning Huan smiled slightly and shook his head: "He's fine, don't worry."

Sometimes when the love is deep, not only the person involved is intoxicated by it, but also the outsider can see clearly. Some things are seen, and many things are self-evident, so there is no need to say more.

-

Nanban, Xuanwu Hall.

Since the defeat in the battle of Jiazhou, there have been more and more voices of injustice between the ruling and opposition parties, and the people have even complained about this matter. Sun Yin, the king of the Southern Barbarians, was not stable at all. , The benefits were not reaped, but instead caused a commotion.What made him even more disturbed was that Mu Jing, the king of Dongyi, hadn't talked to him since the last time.

It was only then that Sun Yin became a little panicked, and because of this, he saw the situation clearly. King Beidi was using him at all. After making money, he abandoned him like a shoe. Such a person is unreliable, but Mu Jing is different. Dongyi has always been on good terms with Nanman. , he wants to sit on the throne with peace of mind, and his help is indispensable.So with a shy face, he personally edited the book and went to Dongyi, saying that he would visit in person. Unexpectedly, Mu Jing actually replied this time, and said that he would come in person in a few days.Sun Yin thought he was very happy, so he gave orders early to let people prepare well. He valued this opportunity very much, and planned to persuade Mu Jing no matter what, let him stand firmly behind him.

There was an accident that aggravated Sun Yin's suspicion and uneasiness, because when he went to court the next day, some courtiers actually mentioned Sun Xuan, who was the half-brother he had always been afraid of.How did he come to the throne? He knew in his heart that if he hadn't listened to Buna's preemptive attack, according to the situation at that time, the previous king would most likely pass the throne to Sun Xuan. There were many voices like this after he took the throne, but he Pressed down, no one dared to blatantly discuss it.

When he became the new king, he logically wanted to reward the brothers to show his brotherhood. At that time, he deliberately suppressed Sun Xuan, and gave him a mansion even worse than the younger brother, and did not let him be a king. An official and a part-time job, so far he is still an idler.Sun Xuan doesn't like extravagance and high-profile people, no matter how Sun Yin teased him, he never said no to him. In addition, when Sun Yin first came to the throne, it was not appropriate to kill him, so he was left behind. It's just that Sun Yin didn't expect that there would be someone today. Dare to mention the matter of rewarding Sun Xuan, it is obvious that he does not take him seriously.

The person who said this was a small talker, and he wasn't very good at all, but what was unexpected was that Qin Li actually got involved. Qin Li was Xie Chuxuan's favorite subordinate. Xie Chuxuan asked for leave today and didn't come. Who instructed this action, so with him as the leader, a dozen or so ministers behind him all added a few words of agreement, and they couldn't see Sun Yin's increasingly ugly face at all, and they almost didn't piss him off.

The result was obvious, Sun Yin was furious, scolded them and hurriedly retreated.A few timid ones came over and asked Qin Li when they left the palace: "Master Qin, will we anger the king by doing this?"

In contrast, Qin Li was very calm: "What are you worried about? I'm not sure Mr. Xie will let us die for nothing?"

With these words, the adults were relieved, and hurriedly surrounded Qin Li and left the palace.

Sun Yin was still not angry after going down the court, so he asked someone to call Sun Xuan and beat him up.In his opinion, if it wasn't for Sun Xuan's intention, how would those people have the guts to do this?I don't know what tricks Sun Xuan used to buy Xie Chuxuan, an important official, so it can be seen that he has misjudged him. This person is not low-handed, and it is true, otherwise, could the father and king pay so much attention to him at the beginning?

The more Sun Yin thought about it, the more angry he became, so when Sun Xuan entered the hall, the tea cup he threw over splashed him with water.Sun Xuan didn't know anything about what happened in Caichaotang, but Sun Yin hadn't been targeting him for a day or two. He had long been used to it. Just kneel down peacefully.Sun Yin was obviously puzzled, let alone kneeling, he wished he could kill the man in front of him immediately, but he was not stupid, now he asked Mu Jing, and Mu Jing finally agreed to come to Nanman, things were about to turn around, If Sun Xuan is killed at this juncture, Mu Jing will definitely not be happy, and the relationship that has been eased with great difficulty may become tense again.

He thought that even though Mu Jing was dissatisfied with him, as long as he was the Nanman king and the successor appointed by the previous king, Mu Jing would definitely stand by his side for the sake of the previous king and queen mother. The bastard who is not in the world, and he is suppressing him, where can he go?

Thinking about it this way, Sun Yin's complexion finally relaxed a bit, took a sip of water from the newly changed teacup, and sarcastically said: "It's been a while since I've been on the throne alone, I can't imagine that my fourth brother is still so active. Allow me to care about the brotherhood and not want to do anything to harm my brothers, so I just blindly test Gu's bottom line?"

Sun Xuan's knee was crushed on a piece of broken pottery, and the pain became more and more intense, but at this time he couldn't move a step, let Sun Yin take advantage of the problem, so he could only kneel upright, but his tone was very humble: "How dare you, my brother, I don’t know why Brother Wang said there was such a big fire today?”

"Hmph." Sun Yin sneered, "It's pretty good at putting on a show."

He put down the teacup and continued: "Just now, a dozen or so ministers have spoken to Gu. They thought Gu was mean to you, and asked me to reward you more generously. There are still people who want to let you enter the court."

Sun Xuan was taken aback. He had been acting cautiously and low-key for the past year. He was afraid that Sun Yin would think of him. Those ministers were not ignorant of his situation. How could they suddenly speak for him?Is this for his own good, or is it the opposite, to anger Sun Yin so that he can kill himself directly?No matter what kind it is, Sun Xuan doesn't like it. Right now, he and Sun Yin are divided into dragons and snakes, and they are different from each other.

Sun Xuan leaned down and said: "I don't know why all the ministers have such a whim. These days, my ministers are planting flowers and raising fish, living a leisurely life, but I am enjoying it. If I really let my ministers enter the court, I'm afraid it will be inappropriate. My ministers I'm used to idleness, so I'd better leave the court affairs to capable people, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it because of my lack of knowledge."

Regardless of whether he was sincere or not, at least these words fell into Sun Yin's ears comfortably, and he said: "It's good that the fourth brother understands. I just asked you to come here to ask your thoughts. Since you don't mean it, I will accept it." You continue to live that immortal life. It’s just that you have to be more careful in the future, so as not to misunderstand that you have evil intentions, isn’t this what Gu Nan does?”

Sun Xuan replied: "Brother Wang is right."

It just so happened that the chief eunuch came to report on welcoming the Dongyi king's banquet, so Sun Yin showed mercy, waved his hand, and asked Sun Xuan to step down.

When Sun Xuan got up, he still staggered slightly. Sun Yin glanced at him, saw blood stains on his light blue robe at his right knee, smiled coldly, and turned to listen to the chief eunuch.

Sun Xuan's right knee was already swollen, and it was very inconvenient to walk. At this time, no one would prepare the sedan chair for him, so he moved step by step on the long palace road, showing no emotion on his face. Just go away so slowly.

Behind him, the little eunuch who was watching secretly stared at him for a while, and turned away when he saw his figure disappearing at the corner of the palace wall.

Mu Jing came to Nanman this time, and he was treated with respect for a long time. Sun Yin respected him very much, and he was even flattered. It's just that there is no promise at all, so after a meal, Sun Yin feels even more uneasy.He wasn't sure what Mu Jing meant, so he simply asked, "I was blinded by Gu before, so I didn't know my uncle's good intentions for Gu. I offended my uncle abruptly in some places, and I hope my uncle will forgive me."

Mu Jing smiled, with a hint of sarcasm: "Farewell, I can't bear your uncle. If it weren't for your father's face, I wouldn't have come this time."

Sun Yin was deflated and didn't dare to be rampant anymore, so he could only endure it, and said: "What uncle said is that you and your father are close friends, because you are very helpful to Gu, and Gu is very grateful to you. "

Seeing that he didn't appreciate it, Sun Yin had no choice but to continue: "Nowadays, the court and the people are in turmoil. The ministers don't stand by Gu's side, but support others. Gu is really isolated and helpless. Why don't people be anxious."

After a long time, Sun Yin got a little impatient waiting, and only heard Mu Jing say: "This is the case when a new king ascends the throne. Previously, with the protection of your father, those old ministers would not be too mean to you, but when you ascended the throne As soon as you come to the throne, nothing is noticeable. How could they be polite to you? Naturally, they came according to the previous rules. What your father suffered back then was worse than this. You can just bear with it, they are doing it for your own good, and you have established your prestige by getting through this, and others will not despise you."

Sun Yin became anxious as soon as he heard it, and it's okay to endure for a few days, but it's not a day's work to make those stubborn old people shut up and surrender, he can't wait for three to five years.He felt that Mu Jing was still angry, so he begged again with kind words, and finally Mu Jing agreed to help him, and he happily sent Mu Jing back.

After Mu Jing left the palace, he was not in a hurry to return to Dongyi. He changed the carriage halfway, from a luxurious carriage to an ordinary ordinary carriage. Not to mention the narrowness, even the curtains and wood of the carriage were already stained with old stains. Putting it on the street does not attract the attention of others at all.

The carriage stopped at the small side door of a mansion. The mansion looked impressive from a distance, but upon closer inspection, many parts of the exterior walls were peeled off, and there were some cobwebs under the eaves. One could tell how old it was. It's in disrepair, and it looks unremarkable and even a little lonely among the mansions in Chongyang.

Not long after the carriage stopped, the side door was opened. Mu Jing changed into a dark purple gold cloud pattern robe and entered the mansion through the side door.The servants silently brought him to the small hall, where someone had been waiting for him for a long time.

Mu Jing entered the hall and said with a smile, "Nephew."

Sun Xuan's face froze, he knelt down and saluted, "I've seen King Dongyi."

Mu Jing helped him up, and said: "Don't be different, I have a good relationship with your father, I have met you before, and now it's just you and me, there is no need to stick to these etiquette, just call uncle."

Sun Xuan nodded slowly. When Mu Jing asked someone to deliver a letter to him earlier, he was really taken aback. He didn't expect Mu Jing to remember him, and even entrusted him with a big responsibility. .

"I can't stay here for a long time. I have explained everything I want to say in the letter beforehand. I just came here today to meet you." Mu Jing looked at his face and smiled unconsciously.

Mu Jing stayed for a while before leaving, Sun Xuan sent him outside the door, some inconvenient legs and feet caught Mu Jing's attention, and he didn't need to ask to know that it was the disgusting thing that Sun Yin did.

He said: "Good things take time, and it is difficult for capable people. You are a person who can endure, and you will surely achieve something in the future."

Sun Xuan smiled lightly: "I have endured it for so long, are you afraid of this moment, uncle don't have to worry about it."

Mu Jing smiled, patted him on the shoulder, turned and left.

The author has something to say: The plot of Changzhou is almost over. Next, I will prepare for the final exam. I don’t have time to code words. I will ask for leave for about a month. I will finish writing the follow-up plot after the leave. Thank you all.