Qi Feng gasped, Jiang Ruan was shocked by what he said, but what was even more shocking was that the tone and expression in which she said this had an indescribable ruthlessness and anger. He suddenly found that the word "poisonous woman" mentioned by Mo Cong was not enough to describe Jiang Ruan, her heart was ruthless enough, and more importantly, she was bold enough. Where would an ordinary daughter's family dare to say such rebellious words, but she just said it, and it was so natural. Success and defeat are the truth of the court battles all the time, but no one dares to say this clearly.

After being silent for a long time, he said: "Even if he really dares to do this, there are many people in the capital, and there is really something wrong with the grain and grass. The Eighth Prince is not a fool, how could he hand over such an easy matter to expose the target to someone else. ”

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: "Xuanli is the most suspicious, he naturally won't use such a clumsy method." Therefore, the use of this grain and grass, at least on the road within a few dozen miles of the city, there is no problem. Moreover, he will definitely make a scene, this scene must be very exciting, and gaining the trust of His Majesty is the ultimate goal. ”

"You ......" Qi Feng narrowed his eyes slightly: "It seems that he knows the Eighth Prince very well." Jiang Ruan's words naturally carried a kind of familiarity with Xuanli, which made Qi Feng's heart flash a strange feeling. But how can a deep lady get acquainted with Xuanli, even if she is in the palace as the county lord, such an understanding of people's personalities, and even an understanding of what the other party will do next, can only be grasped by people close to each other day and night.

Qi Feng had a conjecture in his heart, could it be that Jiang Ruan was fond of Xuanli, only when he liked a person, he would always pay attention to what he was doing, what he was thinking, and understand the other party's every move. But when Qi Feng seriously looked at Jiang Ruan's expression, he secretly shook his head in his heart. Jiang Ruan's eyes were calm and her smile was gentle, but she lacked affection, and looking at what she was doing and what she said, she didn't look like she was intentional about Xuanli, which made Qi Feng even more confused.

"Knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will not be defeated in a hundred battles." Jiang Ruan looked at Qi Feng's puzzled gaze in his eyes and smiled slightly: "Sooner or later, the Jinying Palace's Mansion will face the Eighth Prince, since they are all in a state of immortality, it is natural to prepare early, otherwise it will be bad to be treated as a fool and end up dead." She spoke softly, but Qi Feng was stunned and heard the gritting of teeth. However, the other party's face was beautiful and his eyes were gentle, as if all of them were his hallucinations.

"Even if Xuanli wants to win the heir, the great cause of the world is not so easy to get." Qi Feng smiled proudly: "In this world, he also has people who dare not mess with." Is the third sister-in-law too worried, I promise, he doesn't have the courage to attack the Jinying Palace. ”

Jiang Ruan's smile slowly became cold, although Qi Feng learned the power of the imperial court, he may be able to use the battle to achieve his own goals, but Qi Feng also has a weakness, that is, he is not good at speculating on people's hearts. Qi Feng's perspective is to anticipate Xuanli's actions as a politician and a fighting prince. The act of declaring the departure will not be a prince who rests on his laurels. Jiang Ruan looked at Xuanli as a selfish and cunning man who was good at forbearance. This man takes advantage of everything he can use, including timing. She has been by this man's side for so many years, and her understanding of him is deep in her bones, and Qi Feng is not as good as her.

"So, is Qi Gongzi willing to help me?" Jiang Ruan said lightly.

Qi Feng was stunned for a moment, and he suddenly realized that in the short words that Jiang Ruan said just now, he had actually been shaken. Jiang Ruan's words really shocked him a lot, and he had unconsciously agreed with Jiang Ruan's words. He frowned: "I am proud of the third brother and the third brother, and I am obligated to do the third brother's affairs." Third sister-in-law," he said slowly: "Don't startle the snake in this matter, you might as well let the secret guard continue to monitor Zhang Ji first, and then find someone to guard the Xia Mansion and the Jiang Mansion, let's think about it in the long run." At the very least, there is a perfect way to stop it. ”

"Why do you want to stop it?" Jiang Ruan asked lightly.

Qi Feng was stunned and looked at her puzzled: "What do you mean by this?" ”

"There is a kind of suffering in the world, which is that you can't share it with others when you succeed, and you can't talk to others when you are wronged. Since Xia Jun and Jiang Chao want to do this in the dark, I will make them dumb and eat Coptis chinensis, and they can't say anything about their suffering. Qi Gongzi is used to the power of the open, but I think that sometimes, it is more convenient to act in the dark. This time, I want them to pay! ”

Shocked by the cold color that burst out in those beautiful eyes, Qi Feng couldn't help but be stunned in place, but he felt that this charming girl who was born was ruthless, and there was a compelling bright color that bloomed in an instant. He had never met such a woman, so he couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said, "So, what does the third sister-in-law think to do?" ”

Jiang Ruan looked at him with a smile: "I know that Gongzi Qi also has an identity in the imperial court, and the Eighth Prince will definitely sing a big drama next, and this scene has to be arranged by Gongzi Qi to call a scene, so it's fun." ”

"He even told you that?" Qi Feng was stunned again, and then said with a wry smile: "That's it, you are the young lady of the Jinying Mansion after all, and it is understandable to tell you." In the future, I will ask the third sister-in-law to take care of her. This time, please advise me. ”

Jiang Ruan nodded lightly, a trace of coldness crossed his eyes.

……

In the palace.

In the imperial garden, the queen is eating tea and talking with several beauties, and the warblers and swallows in a courtyard are all graceful, but the queen on the main throne, even if she is dressed in gorgeous clothes, she can't hide the old state on her face.

The crown prince is now more and more unfavorable, although the emperor did not explicitly give the order to abolish the prince, but now the prince is not as involved in the major events of the court as the eighth prince and the fifth prince, which is enough to make the people who are still waiting to change their minds. Originally, there were some neutral people, but now they secretly defect to the eight or five factions. As for the prince's people, there are very few left, at least everyone in the court knows that the future prince of the Great Jin Dynasty, I am afraid that the title of the most reluctant will not fall on the prince. Now it depends on which of the eight princes or the five princes is more capable.

The people sitting next to the queen, one is Wang Lian'er, and the other is Jiang Dan. Wang Lian'er was dressed in a pink silk veil waist palace dress, lining her already fair skin like goat's milk. She has a beautiful appearance, but there is a gentleness and elegance that can penetrate into the bone marrow in her gestures, as well as a faint bookish atmosphere. The young lady from the Hanlin family is a veritable talented woman, and now the emperor's interpretation is delicate, and she is quite favored.

Jiang Dan is dressed in an emerald dress, when it comes to appearance, she is not as good as Wang Lian'er, and she is not as gentle and generous as Wang Lian'er, but she has a sense of freshness and liveliness, compared to people like Wang Lian'er, Jiang Dan is quite open in the palace now, and even the queen is difficult to dislike her. She acts with a kind of naivety, and she is good to the subordinates in the palace, and she will not do things that take the initiative to compete for favor. So compared to Wang Lian'er, the palace loves her up and down. Now she often follows the emperor, occasionally saying something to make the emperor laugh, and the emperor also values it very much.

Mu Xirou didn't come today, she has always been arrogant and indifferent in nature, and she has never disdained to associate with the palace concubine. Concubine Xian is even more so, since the defeat of Concubine Chen and Concubine Shu, she has been in the palace all day long. It is precisely because the battle between the Fifth Prince and the Eighth Prince is becoming more and more fierce that she has to retreat bravely and not be pampered.

The rest are some new beauties of lower grade, and there are many of these beauties who are lively and beautiful, but now there are only three of the new beauties who are favored. The queen had a faint look of tiredness on her face, and said, "The weather is getting colder and colder. ”

It is indeed getting colder and colder, at the beginning of winter, the daily limelight is a little bigger, Wang Lian'er said with a smile: "Exactly, but it is still warm in the capital, I heard that the Tianjin Kingdom has begun to fall snowflakes with big sheets." It should be top and cold. ”

The queen glanced at Wang Lian'er, and Wang Lian'er's words revealed that the emperor should be very fond of her, otherwise how could she even tell Wang Lian'er about the border pass. She turned cold and said, "It's true, it's really hard for the soldiers to be bitter cold outside." ”

"What the queen said is," Jiang Dan smiled: "The rivers and mountains of the Great Jin Dynasty must rely on these soldiers to guard, and the blessings under His Majesty will be long, and the Tianjin side will definitely be able to win a battle, and when the soldiers return to the dynasty, it will be infinite." However, whenever I think of the soldiers working so hard, and the concubines are arrogant here, I am very ashamed. The concubine was willing to donate some silver and jewelry, in exchange for some grain and grass materials, and transported them to the border together, which was also considered to be her own heart. ”

Hearing Jiang Dan's words, the queen was a little surprised, and then looked at her with admiration. As the mother of a country, no matter what the queen thinks about the court on weekdays, she always hopes that the Dajin Dynasty will continue to prosper. Naturally, I also hope that the battle of the Jin Kingdom with the same heaven can be fought beautifully. But everyone knows that this is not an easy thing, and now that there is a shortage of food and grass, Jiang Dan took the initiative to donate some materials, which is really not easy. As a beauty in the palace, Jiang Dan naturally can't donate much, but once this matter spreads, the beauties in the palace follow suit, and the important ministers of the court follow suit, which is also a lot of money. What's more, Jiang Dan could have mentioned this matter in front of the emperor, but she mentioned it in front of the queen, which showed that she had no intention of competing for favor, which also made the queen more relieved. So the queen's expression towards Jiang Dan softened even more: "It's rare that you have a heart, I will mention this matter to Your Majesty." In these words, Jiang Dan is naturally going to be promoted.

Jiang Dan laughed: "Thank you Niangniang, the concubine can't do anything, she can only do her best." ”

The beauties around them threw their expressions of jealousy or envy at Jiang Dan, Wang Lian'er's face changed slightly, and after a while, she returned to normal, and smiled casually.

After the queen mother ordered everyone to disperse, Jiang Dan returned to her courtyard, and the maid Wan'er next to her sent a letter and whispered, "Girl, a letter has been delivered." ”

Jiang Dan returned to the house, let the palace maids go down before opening the letter, when he saw the content of the letter, he was stunned at first, and then read it at a glance, and after putting down the letter, he thought for a while, and suddenly laughed slowly.

…

The baggage troops set off about three days later, because Jiang Dan offered to donate materials, and the beauties in the palace were not to be outdone to donate their jewelry. Even the ladies in the palace are so knowledgeable, as a courtier, they are naturally not exempt from vulgarity, and there are more or less silver coins up and down the court, and these silver together are also a large amount. Nowadays, the war consumes a lot of silver taels in the national treasury, and a lot of grain and grass are also consumed, which has postponed the urgent need for the scarcity of grain and grass materials. The emperor was very happy, and he was more and more favored by Jiang Dan.

Zhang Ji was busy raising grain and grass and planning routes every day, and this time the war with the Jin Kingdom of the same day should not be underestimated, and everything must be foolproof. When it was time to set off on the third day, there was news in the palace somehow, that is, Zhang Ji, the leader of the baggage troops, abused his power and withheld all the generals' salaries, which was more than half less.

This news came out inexplicably, but it shocked everyone in the court. If the matter of deducting military salaries is confirmed, ten heads will not be enough for Zhang Ji to cut off. But this matter is not trivial, the emperor immediately ordered to send someone to stop Zhang Ji, and quickly recruited Zhang Ji to return to Beijing.

At that time, Zhang Jizheng had just left the city with his baggage troops and the food and salary transported, but he did not expect to be taken down by the Praetorian Guards sent by the emperor on the way, and this matter immediately spread throughout the entire government and the opposition, and almost everyone was in danger.

In a short time, the emperor summoned his courtiers to investigate their views on the matter. Xuan Li straightened his collar, his expression was as leisurely as ever, and it could even be called like a spring breeze.

Jiang Chao stood aside and asked respectfully: "Your Highness, the matter has been all sorted out, and enough news has been released to attract people to take the bait. ”

"It's just the beginning," although Xuan Li was in a happy mood, he didn't show a smug look, no matter what time it was, he maintained a calm and forbearance.

"Your Highness is wise," Jiang Chao said, suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked at Xuan Li: "Thanks to Jiang Meiren's news this time, it seems that this cooperation is good, and it will be much more convenient to have her in the future." "The news was spread by Jiang Dan's thoughts, there are many women in the harem, it is easy to talk about rumors, plus there is a force behind each person, looking at the harem, it is actually more complicated than the previous dynasty, and it is easier to use, as long as you guide it a little, you can naturally achieve the desired effect. Jiang Dan is smart, helpless behind her back, and clean, no one will suspect her. Jiang Chao sighed: "My subordinates thought she was timid, but now it doesn't seem to be true. Her Highness is still discerning, and I expected her to cooperate with us. ”

Xuanli shook his head: "Don't underestimate women, women are very cunning, as long as they know how to use their bodies and beauty, many men can't do things, they can easily do it." Jiang Dan is not a timid person, her ambition is higher than the sky. As for her willingness to cooperate with us, she agreed so happily, on the one hand, because she understood that she had to rely on our strength in the palace, and on the other hand, Xuan Li's eyes darkened: "She has a grudge against Jiang Ruan. ”

"Hatred?" Jiang Chao was puzzled: "She has never done anything to Jiang Ruan in the house, and it was Jiang Ruan's mother who raised her at the beginning." Where did the grudge come from? ”

Xuan Li sneered, but did not answer. There are some things that Jiang Chao may not know, but he may not be able to find out. How did Zhao Mei die, Xia Yan was cautious when he entered the mansion, but he used Jiang Dan's hand. When he found out about the news, Xuanli himself was also surprised, after all, Jiang Dan was just a child at the beginning, but he could attack his mother-in-law without hesitation, but it can be seen from this that Jiang Dan was ruthless when he was very young, and it was easy to disguise.

It would be a pity if such an excellent chess piece could not be used by him. I'm afraid that Jiang Dan has no hatred, and Jiang Dan's poisoning of Zhao Mei may not be a big help if he makes good use of it in the future. It's just that we have to think carefully about where this thing should be used. Jiang Chao was brave and unscrupulous, and he didn't plan to tell Jiang Chao about this in advance.

When Jiang Chao met the emperor, the civil and military officials had been divided into two distinct factions. One faction insisted that Zhang Ji was harsh on military salaries, while the other faction firmly believed that Zhang Ji had been wronged.

Everyone knows that Zhang Ji's eldest son Zhang Ming was once close friends with Xuanli, so when Xuanli walked in, everyone's eyes were on Xuanli. Either filled with righteous indignation, or gloating, when he arrived here, he was only resisted by a gentle expression, as if nothing important in the world could shake his calmness.

Xuan Hua looked at Xuan Li coldly, and a sneer overflowed on his lips.

It happened that a courtier was bowing down and arguing: "Your Majesty, Zhang Ji has no one in his eyes, just for his own greed to ignore the life and death of tens of thousands of soldiers, and even leave the favor of the Great Jin Dynasty behind, which is really a great crime!" ”

"What Prime Minister Wang said is wrong, Lord Zhang has been in charge of the baggage army for many years, how could he make such a mistake, it must have been provoked by someone with a heart, and the minister does not believe it." Another minister said.

"Provocative? Master Zhang has been an official for so many years, and who can provoke him is nothing more than listening to some slander. Another voice said with a bit of deep meaning: "I heard that Lord Zhang's three sons are getting older now..." ”

In his words, he aimed the spearhead at Xuanli intentionally or unintentionally. This is strange, indeed, Zhang Ji is not short of fame and money now, if someone really promised him something to make him not hesitate to make such a big mistake, the promised thing must be very rich. What promises come from all over the world make people yearn for the most? Nature is the promise of the Son of Heaven. And the relationship between Zhang Ji's son and Xuanli makes people have to think about whether there is anything greasy in it.

The emperor looked at the courtiers below with heavy eyes, it was just a matter of Zhang Ji, the factions of the court were so distinct, he didn't know what to do, and now the world doesn't even regard him, the emperor, as the master, is it really to see how old he is? If something happens to him, he will not hesitate, and without waiting for him to give an order, the world will immediately change the master!

Gonggong Li noticed the emperor's face and sighed in his heart, the competition between the princes was becoming more and more fierce, and he couldn't even hide it. But who knows the mind of the Emperor of the Dao Dao, but that person...... Hey, Gonggong Li has a trace of doubt in his heart, why is this Zhang Ji's matter so abnormal today, generally speaking, before the matter is settled, these courtiers who have seen the wind and rudder should sit and watch the development of the situation, and should not be so anxious to express their position, but wait for Zhang Ji's incriminating evidence to be confirmed to be true or wronged, and then they will start to speak. It's so strange today.

Naturally, they didn't know what to do, and the reason why these courtiers expressed their attitude early was because someone had already reminded them. Everyone thinks that the information they get is accurate, and now they are arguing with reason, but they are only convinced that the side they stand on will be good.

A hint of pride flashed on Xuanhua's face, and Xuanli only felt funny when he saw it in his eyes. Xuanhua is too anxious, for so many years, Xuanhua has been safe and sound in the palace with the guidance of Concubine Xian, and even reached today's position, but his anxious temperament has not changed at all. If it was usual, this would definitely make the emperor feel suspicious. But since ancient times, emperors have been suspicious, and now the situation looks more unfavorable to Xuanli, the more the emperor will trust Xuanli. Naturally, if something really happened to Zhang Jiruo, the first person to doubt who could instruct and tempt him was naturally Xuanli. The more disadvantaged Xuanli was, the heavier the condemnation of the people, and the more hesitant the emperor would be. Because Xuanli seems too isolated, people always sympathize with the weak, and the emperor is the same, this is human nature.

But.... A trace of doubt flashed in Xuan Li's eyes, whether today's events were too smooth. Smoothly made him feel a strange feeling in his heart, as if it shouldn't be like this. When Jiang Dan released the news, it was just a fixed number of people, but some of these people who spoke today were not in the plan. It is true that these people did promote his plan, and even made it smoother, but it was too smooth, and it was really suspicious.

"Old eight, what do you think about this?" The emperor finally asked, looking at Xuanli's gaze like a compelling sword, as if as long as Xuanli said a wrong word, blood would immediately be spattered on the spot.

"Justice is at ease in the hearts of the people," Xuan Li said lightly: "I believe that my father has made a decision in my heart, and my sons believe in my father, and I also believe in my father's courtiers, just wait for the people who return to the court to present the results of the investigation." ”

He had already stated his position in these words, believing that Zhang Ji was innocent, but he used the words of the courtiers who believed in the emperor, and he was already extremely speaking. The emperor's complexion gradually softened, and Xuan Li's departure was even more reassuring.

Xuanhua saw it in his eyes, the corners of his lips raised, but he was dying, and today was Xuanli's death!

At this moment, the captain of the soldier who was outside to inquire about the military salary had already come back to pay his respects, and he strode in and knelt down and replied: "Back to Your Majesty, the ministers and others are ordered to investigate, and there is no shortage of military salaries for the baggage troops, and all of them are safe." ”

Xuanhua's smile froze, and he heard Zhang Ji's angry voice outside: "Your Majesty, the old minister is wronged——"