Non-dye Emperor Jingchen

Chapter 21

?The journey from Yongzhou to the capital is not short, but it has been two years since Tiancheng.

The weather was fine that day, Zhao Xihuai was relaxing in the imperial garden, but Zhuo Jing came to report: "Xun Ge, Master Xun, please see me."

Zhao Xihuai looked towards the pavilion ahead and said, "I will wait for the teacher in the pavilion."

After a while, Xun Gechou arrived: "The emperor seems to be in a good mood today."

Zhao Xihuai lowered his head and took a sip of tea: "The plan for a year lies in the spring. Logically speaking, the teacher is currently organizing the spring test with Mr. Yang, so it shouldn't be easy."

Xun Gechou smiled and said: "Although I am an old man, I can still handle this matter. It's just... Yang Shilang recently..."

Zhao Xihuai said: "What the teacher wants to say, just say it bluntly, there is no need to cover it up."

"I heard from Yang Shu that Xuancheng prefect, Hanyang Jiedu envoy and others were all recommended by Yang Shilang."

Zhao Xihuai didn't have the slightest intention to hide it: "That's right, it was recommended by him and me in private."

Xun Gechou frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is inappropriate."

Zhao Xihuai waved his hand: "I have my own discretion in this matter, so there is no need for the teacher to worry."

After sending the worried Xun Gechou away, he went back to the pavilion to think carefully.Most of the people Yang Ziya and he recommended had some connections with him in the past, and Zhao Xihuai knew the specific abilities in his heart.

He couldn't help feeling a little sad, Ziya, please don't push me to that day.

It wasn't long after this incident, but Yang Ziya did a lot of civil engineering and renovated the Yang Mansion from top to bottom.Zhao Xihuai also hesitated about this matter for a while, and after calling him into the palace for questioning, he found out that it was the property that the Gongsun family handed over every year as agreed.

Seeing that Zhao Xihuai didn't look angry, Yang Ziya returned home in peace.

His wife, Ji Mingwan, who married into the house was sensible, and took a chance to say to Yang Ziya: "My husband spent too much money to renovate the house this time."

Yang Ziya's attitude towards her was not very good: "You don't have to worry about these things too much." He looked at her clothes a few more times, "The satin of your dress is too plain, go to the housekeeper tomorrow Let him make some more clothes for you with the satin that the emperor rewarded you."

Although Yang Ziya is married, the emperor loves him no less.If this continues, there is no guarantee that it will be the second Ning Zhou.Seeing this, several ministers made up their minds to add people to the harem.

On this point, Zhao Lingcang's thoughts are surprisingly consistent with theirs.

"Your Majesty, what Master Zhao said is true. There is no one in the harem now. The Emperor is already twenty-four this year, and there is still nothing to do under his knees. It is really worrying."

Zhao Xihuai sat lazily on the throne, and said: "There is no rush for matters in the harem. Besides, the most important thing now is the spring test next month. Master Yang, how is it going?"

Yang Cheng came forward and made a statement, Zhao Xihuai listened and nodded, seeming very satisfied.

After discussing a few more things, he withdrew.After lunch, Zhao Xihuai slept for a while, and then got up again to put on his pocketbook.

Today's booklet seems a little unusual.Yongzhou has taken it back, but Yan State is still constantly harassing the border, which is very annoying.

In the papers handed over by several ministers, the words are very radical. It has not been settled for a few days, and they are clamoring to send troops to the country of Yan. The flag of the Emperor Heroic Spirit.

Left and right are just what Zhao Lingcang meant, and Zhao Xihuai couldn't find any reason to refute.It's just what kind of situation is this now, the papers he approved must be sent to King Wu for review before being distributed.

As Chu Jingchen said, as long as the Yan Kingdom survives, Zhao Lingcang will never let go.send troops?With the pitiful money in the national treasury, if the tax is increased, it may cause a civil uprising.

Thinking of this, he thought of Yang Ziya who gave him a headache, why not take this opportunity to let Yang Ziya stay away from the capital, so that there will be less trouble.

Out of the corner of Zhao Xihuai's eye, he saw someone bringing the evening porridge, he thought it was Zhuo Jing, but he saw that person stood still for a long time, so he looked up, it was Yang Ziya.

"When did you enter the palace?"

Yang Ziya took the porridge and walked towards Zhao Xihuai: "I was about to enter the palace to see if the emperor is well, but my face was full of sadness."

Zhao Xihuai seemed fine on the surface, but he was restless in his heart.Without the imperial edict, Yang Ziya would enter the palace unscrupulously, and with those things in mind, did he spoil him a bit too much?

And Yang Ziya seemed to be unaware of all this, and said with a smile: "The emperor is worried about the king of Wu."

"You also know about the relationship between King Wu and my father?"

"The princess once mentioned something to me. If this continues, I don't know who is the emperor."

Zhao Xihuai said: "Since King Wu wants to send troops, let him do so."

Yang Ziya frowned and said, "But now the national treasury is short..."

Zhao Xihuai's eyes turned to a notebook placed in front of him. The memorial was written by Feng Nange, and it was a detailed investigation of the expenditure of the Yang family.

You also know that the national treasury is in short supply, Zhao Xihuai sneered in his heart, and said gently on the surface: "How about, Ziya, how about you lead troops to conquer Yan Kingdom?"

"This......."

Zhao Xihuai sighed: "If you have any concerns, how about I send Zhai Shu's son Zhai Huaiyan to go with you? After all... most of the ministers in the court are under the control of King Wu, I want to find my confidant, It's really, really hard."

Yang Ziya was also guilty in his heart, but Zhao Xihuai's pleading tone made his ears soften even more: "I will definitely fulfill my mission."

Zhao Xihuai nodded: "You understand the current state of the treasury. The purpose of sending troops is to silence the king of Wu, so I don't want to say more about it. If Yan has any requirements, please send a letter to me."

Zhao Xihuai gave him some instructions in detail, and seeing that he had no intention of leaving, he had no choice but to say: "It's not easy for you to enter the palace, so stay in the palace today."

Yang Ziya's delighted eyes made him turn his head away unconsciously, and sighed inaudibly.

On the day of the expedition, it was early spring in April, but Zhao Xihuai's attire was no different from winter, Yang Ziya saw it and felt pain in his heart.

Zhao Xihuai personally sent them outside the city gate, and drank farewell wine with the two of them respectively.

Yang Ziya's eyes were reluctant to part, and the words came to his mouth but he couldn't speak them.

How could Zhao Xihuai not know his full of affection, and gave him a slight nod.

Only then did Yang Ziya turn around and leave. Zhao Xihuai looked at his background and was filled with emotion for a moment.After standing there for an unknown amount of time, Zhuo Jing reminded him: "Your Majesty, it's time to return to the palace."

After returning to the palace, Zhao Xihuai felt a little hungry, he called Zhuo Jing's name a few times but no one answered, but a guard walked in.

Seeing the guard's face, he couldn't help being stunned: "Yu Jie?"

"What is the emperor's order?"

Zhao Xihuai was both surprised and delighted: "Did Nan Ge arrange you here?"

Yu Jie said: "It is Commander Feng."

Zhao Xihuai said: "With you... I finally have someone who can talk by my side."

"emperor......?"

"Forget it, don't go to the imperial dining room, just talk to me."

The relationship between Yu Jie and Chen Muxiang is decent, and he often heard him mention Zhao Xihuai's matter, and said: "The emperor is worried about Yang Ziya's matter."

"Yeah, he was the one who persuaded me to sit in this position, but now it's him who bothers me. Forming a party for selfishness, living a luxurious life, accepting bribes, there are always a few books like this every day. Could it be that I have been... ..wrong person?"

Yu Jie said: "Your Majesty, maybe you are not mistaken, but you have never seen it clearly. Besides... If I guessed correctly, something will happen to General Yang when he goes to Yan Kingdom."

"Accident? What do you know?"

Yu Jie said: "Even the emperor has complaints about General Yang, let alone King Wu?"

Zhao Xihuai didn't know what he was thinking, and said slowly: "Forget it, it's good to teach him some lessons."

"Your Majesty... I still have something to ask, I would like to... meet Jichen."

Zhao Xihuai looked up at him, sighed and said: "Prince Shunqing is buried in the royal cemetery, I will ask Zhuo Jing to make an announcement, and you will be able to come and go at any time in the future."

Yu Jie thanked him and left.Zhao Xihuai looked at the lingering smoke in the incense burner, and slowly closed his eyes.

It has been more than three months since the army set out to attack the country of Yan.During this period, Zhao Xihuai carefully read every military report sent from the front.Generally speaking, he is quite satisfied. According to his intention, on the surface, it is enough to have a back and forth with Yan Guo. If the other party has any requirements, they can all be raised in private.

It was July, and Zhao Xihuai was a little annoyed by the singing of cicadas outside, so he ordered Zhuo Jing to have the cicadas caught.

But the boredom in his heart did not decrease by half.

"emperor!"

It was Feng Nange who trotted in all the way, and Zhao Xihuai frowned: "What's going on in such a hurry?"

"There is an urgent military situation on the front line. Our army's food and grass have been cut off...Suddenly the enemy sneak attack, more than half of the casualties...and lost Pingsha...and Youning."

Although he was mentally prepared, Zhao Xihuai still couldn't take it anymore, he reluctantly asked, "Where are Yang Ziya and... Zhai Huaiyan?"

"The two generals have retreated to Yanmen Pass...at the moment they are waiting for the emperor's order."

"You said the food and grass were cut off? Why is that?"

Feng Nange secretly glanced at the emperor's face, and replied: "I don't know very well, but the news of the defeat will reach the ears of all the ministers tomorrow, I'm afraid..."

"I'm afraid? What else are you afraid of?" Zhao Xihuai was furious, "Pingsha is fine, Youning is an important town, and it doesn't know how much tax it pays every year. It's easy for them to lose it if they lose it?"

Feng Nange didn't dare to answer, so he could only stand aside and suffer the emperor's anger.

"They don't need to stay at Yanmen Pass anymore, let Old General Xiao guard it. Let them all go back to Beijing, and none of the people involved can escape."

Feng Nange hesitated for a while, but decided to speak: "Then General Yang... also?"

Zhao Xihuai looked at him coldly: "I don't want to repeat it again. I will give you a week to find out about this matter."

Feng Nange's heart shuddered: "I obey."

Zhao Xihuai seemed to be very angry these few days, and all the officials were cautious, for fear of getting into trouble.

Even so, the impeachment of Yang Ziya has never been less, and in addition to the hot weather, Zhao Xihuai is even more exhausted.

"Your Majesty, please take a break."

Seeing that it was Yu Jie, Zhao Xihuai sighed and said, "Before the expedition, you told me about King Wu. I wanted to teach him some lessons, but King Wu didn't intend to let him go."

Yu Jie said: "If the emperor wants to save General Yang's life, it's better to prepare as soon as possible."

Zhao Xihuai nodded: "It's just... I still can't figure it out, why did King Wu want to get rid of Yang Ziya?"

Yu Jie shook his head: "I don't know, but there must be one person who knows about it."

Zhao Xihuai frowned: "You mean Chu Jingchen?"

"It's not easy for me to see you." Zhao Xihuai's tone was full of sarcasm.

Chu Jingchen said respectfully, "Why did the emperor ask me?"

Zhao Xihuai sized him up for a while, then said, "How many things are you hiding from me? Why does King Wu insist on getting rid of Yang Ziya?"

Chu Jingchen said: "It seems that the emperor has not found out about those things."

"whats the matter?"

Chu Jingchen sighed: "Yang Ziya's double-faced sword is really not worthy of His Majesty. Your Majesty, the person who informed the secret guards of Xiao's rebellion was precisely Yang Ziya."

Zhao Xihuai was stunned, the fine porcelain cup offered by the Western Regions slipped from his hand and shattered into pieces.

Chu Jingchen said in a deep voice: "He quietly murdered the whole family of Xiao's mansion, just to let you, the emperor, have no way out. If you become the emperor, as your bedside person, he can get anything you can imagine I know. It’s more than that, Gongsun Tan contracted a serious illness, why does the emperor think he suddenly contracted a serious illness?”

Chu Jingchen sneered: "Such a villain, not to mention the King of Wu, even I can't tolerate him staying by the emperor's side anymore."

Zhao Xihuai had already calmed down: "So, that's why you forced me to kill him."

Chu Jingchen nodded: "That's right, we had thousands of ways to kill him, but we chose to let the emperor execute him himself."

"Jing Chen," Zhao Xihuai suddenly used a more intimate address, "How many years have you been my bodyguard?"

"13 years." Chu Jingchen answered immediately.

"Yeah, it's been 13 years before I realized that everything you did was for the sake of my father's words, not for me."

Chu Jingchen was silent for a moment: "It would be best for the emperor to understand."

"Nan Ge, send your Vegetarians back home."

Feng Nange had been waiting outside the door. Hearing this, he first sent Chu Jingchen out of the palace, and then came back to check the emperor's tone: "Your Majesty, according to the route, General Yang and others will arrive in the capital in three days."

Zhao Xihuai looked at him: "Then how is your investigation going?"

Feng Nange said: "Everything has been investigated, and tomorrow I will draw up a copy for the emperor to read."

Zhao Xihuai waved his hand wearily: "You don't need to make any more notes, just tell me directly."

Feng Nange said: "Before General Yang set out for the expedition, Gongsun Yanjun once came to him and said that there was a flood in Qingzhou, and he borrowed some military rations and the people's disaster relief, and they will return them in a few days. General Yang may have softened his heart, so he agreed to this According to the date agreed by Gongsun Yanjun, the grain and grass should be fine."

"It's just...he didn't return it on time, and..."

Zhao Xihuai glanced at him: "Say it quickly."

"And they also sold grain at a high price to the common people."

Zhao Xihuai looked extremely exhausted: "Okay, what a Yang Ziya, what a Gongsun Yanjun."

"You draw up a copy and send it directly to Dali Temple for conviction. When Yang Ziya returns to the capital, he can be directly imprisoned. If Zhai Huaiyan has never participated in this matter, there is no need to torture him. As for the Gongsun family, I don't need to worry too much." Word."

"Your Majesty..." Feng Nange gritted his teeth and decided to speak out: "If Dali Temple is to convict... I'm afraid..."

"It doesn't matter, since he has done so, there is nothing I can do."

On the third day of September, on a fine day, Yang Ziya, the criminal minister, was executed in Dongshi for the crime of selling military rations privately and deceiving his superiors.

The great eunuch Zhuo Jing handed over a pot of hot tea: "Your Majesty, the news just came from Dongshi that the prisoner has been executed."

Zhao Xihuai replied briefly, then suddenly said: "The palace has been much quieter recently. I occasionally want to go to the harem, but there is only the concubine. Do you think it's time for me to become a queen?"

Zhuo Jing was overjoyed: "It's really good that the emperor has such an idea, this servant will go and inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

One month later, the emperor suddenly proposed to put Bai Chen, the daughter of Bai Mu, one of his servants, as the empress. All the officials agreed that she was a virtuous and virtuous woman, and she was really a good candidate for empress.

In the spring of Tiancheng's third year, everything was waiting to be done. With Zhao Xihuai's efforts, everything seemed to be developing for the better.

Years later, the King of Wu, Zhao Lingcang, had asked himself to return to his feudal land of Qingzhou. For some reason, the State of Yan no longer harassed the border, but Chu Jingchen disappeared, and the position of the head of Wuwangzhai fell on Qin Yuqing's head.

No one knew where he had gone, and since his wish was fulfilled, it might be a joy to wander around.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Xihuai spent the night in the palace, but the heavy palace door was suddenly pushed open.

Someone broke in, is it an assassin?Zhao Xihuai held a delicate dagger secretly, and got up to check.

By the moonlight, Zhao Xihuai managed to see clearly that the man in distress was Yu Jie, and couldn't help frowning: "I remember you asked for leave for some reason a few days ago, why is that?"

When he got closer, he realized that there seemed to be another person behind Yu Jie.

Yu Jie said: "Your Majesty... Please see who this person is..."

It was a face that Zhao Xihuai would never admit wrong again in this life, Yang Ziya's face.

Zhao Xihuai asked coldly: "Did he take the medicine on time?"

Yu Jie said: "Reporting to the emperor, I have personally inspected him for a few days to ensure that he looks like a child of a certain age, so I sent him here."

Zhao Xihuai stepped forward and carefully looked at Yang Ziya's sleeping face, a little reluctant: "That's good, let's arrange for Chen Muxiang to change his face tomorrow."

Yu Jie finally couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty...you...don't regret it?"

Zhao Xihuai laughed out loud: "When he murdered the Xiao family, how did he ever regret it? Let him stay, you can go down."

Yu Jie had no choice but to get up and leave, feeling full of emotion in his heart.

In April, after several twists and turns, Yu Jie finally returned to his familiar position, but those colleagues were already so strange.

On this day, the emperor called him into the palace.

As soon as he walked to the imperial garden, he saw Zhao Xihuai sitting in the pavilion, beside him was Yang Ziya who was squatting on a chair and eating cakes with his hands without restraint.

Yang Ziya stuffed the pastry into his mouth and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, look at the peach blossoms are so beautiful."

At this moment, there was a gust of wind blowing, and the petals fell like rain, one of which landed on Yang Ziya's shoulder.Zhao Xihuai smiled softly, and gently brushed off the flowers on his shoulders.

Yu Jie was in a trance for a moment, as if Zhao Jichen was also standing under the peach tree waiting for him.He collected himself, smiled and walked over.