At the end of February, the noise of the Shendu court increased unabated, and all kinds of major events happened at the same time, making the entire court boiling soup, making people have no clue, no direction, and even no position.

Of course, this noise is also relative, no matter what kind of situation, there is always a core and an edge. If the hundred divisions of the court are said to be turbid, the secretary province is definitely the noble of the nobles, and its chief secretary and supervisor are also the three grades of the court, and all the people under them are also the choice of Qingwang in the Shilin.

But in this imperial city, in addition to turbidity, there is also a contrast of forces. The secretary of the province is clear, but he has no power, so that he has the title of a ward. For some people, it is a long-cherished wish to be able to work as a secretary of the province, but for some people, they can't stand the loneliness and hardship in the matter, especially some people who have experienced prosperity.

Among the secretaries and officials from other provinces, all the people involved sat in the straight hall, looking around left and right, and there was a little helplessness in each other's eyes. The affairs of the secretary and the province are already simple, especially in the absence of some documents and books revision plan, it is even more leisurely, and there is no need for the group to be full of people in the straight hall.

However, it is not without special circumstances, that is, when a new official takes office, whether the chief is promoted or deposed, it is necessary to correct the work attitude during this time, and try not to be late or leave early, so as not to be arrested.

Regarding these two situations, there are also two terms circulating in the government office, if it is a new official, it is called fenxi. The new official took office three times, and it was not easy to get to such a noble position, so he naturally wanted to work harder and make some achievements, in order to be able to go further.

This situation is not bad, at least Shangguan still has a strong sense of dedication, all the members follow and work together, if they really make any achievements, they are still expected to leave this hospital with the chief and go to a new post to shine.

But in the latter case, it is called a warm room. The chief was sent into the ward from the position of power to sit on the cold bench, and the mentality will inevitably be unbalanced, and in such a situation, everyone must be careful not to be angered.

All the members gathered in the hall and listened respectfully, creating an illusion that the commander was still in power, which was a little comfort and care for his subordinates, and hoped that the commander could recognize the facts as soon as possible and adjust his mentality.

The current secretary province is in a state of warm hall, but the gap between the cold and warm positions of the chief in the front hall in front of him is too big, and he is the first prime minister of the political affairs hall, but he was sent to the hospital in the blink of an eye.

This kind of gap in chance, even if it is not about oneself, feels unbearable, so since Wei Chengqing served as the secretary and supervisor, the scale of the Provincial Central Heating Department is also very large.

After all, although Wei Chengqing was sent down, he was not yet a child, and there was still great room for extension in his political life. Moreover, since he served as a Zhongshu squire, he has been vigorously promoting the matter of awarding the medal, and since last year, most of the people who have entered the court have been greatly favored by him. Momentary frustration is not enough to say anything, and it may soon be a turning point.

Therefore, the secretary of the province does not dare to underestimate this temporarily frustrated big man, every time Wei Chengqing is straight, it must be full.

"Eunuch, this is the detailed rules for the consumption of paper and pens and other materials in the Writings Bureau this month, please give instructions to the Eunuch."

It's really boring for a group of people to sit in the straight hall like this, but the affairs of the secretary province are really simple, and everyone can only find things to do in the hall, and they have to ask for instructions on everything.

Wei Chengqing was originally from a famous family, and some personnel customs in the officialdom have been immersed in it for a long time, so he naturally understands where the atmosphere of a full house of idle people comes from, so he took the documents handed over by the subordinate officials and gave a little instructions, and then sent them out of the hall, feeling more or less irritable.

Before that, he was in charge of the Zhongshu Province, and all the approvals and correspondence were related to the military state. But now it is only a little consumption of pen, ink, paper and charcoal, and it has to be batched several times a day. These things are undoubtedly reminding him that he is no longer in power, and the so-called warm hall is simply exposing his frustrated whipping corpse to the public, and it is a little bit of a drain on his patience.

But he can't reveal the irritability in his heart, which will affect his reputation and make people feel that he doesn't have enough measure. Second, it will also affect the emperor's perception of him, believing that if he is resentful, he may invite greater calamity.

In addition to hiding the true emotions in his heart, Wei Chengqing must also be cautious in his words and deeds. He sat in the hall and occasionally discussed some current affairs topic, but he only listened, never participated. This also makes the atmosphere in the hall always dull, which is a kind of torture for both him and the officials in the hall, but they can only survive each other.

Compared with the dreary palace of the secretary province, the Yushitai adjacent to the partition wall has been much more lively in recent times.

The responsibilities of the Imperial Historical Observatory are the most intense places in the speeches of the Central Hundred Divisions, and the recent period of time between the court and the internal and external situation is by no means calm, all kinds of disputes are concentrated in the Imperial Historical Observatory, in addition to playing and acupuncture current figures, even the Imperial Historians themselves are noisy, it can be said that it is the most lively government in the Imperial City today, and its liveliness even exceeds the two provinces and even the political hall.

After leaving Zhongshu Province, Wei Chengqing's vision was also greatly compressed.

The secretary of the province is idle, and the acquisition of information is lagging behind, plus Wei Chengqing knows that the emperor has listed him as a target that needs to be vigilant, even if he leaves the imperial city and lives in the fang, he does not dare to contact the current flow frequently, and even the entry and exit of family members are strictly controlled, and there are fewer channels for obtaining information about the current situation.

But even so, even if it is just a matter of listening to the various disputes and quarrels in the Yushi Observatory through the wall, Wei Chengqing can have a general idea of the development of the situation between the DPRK and China.

Like the previous Princess Taiping colluded with King Yong, and King Lu abandoned the official and fled westward without permission, the imperial history Taichung was noisy for several days, and some people said that King Yong's traces were hidden, and they must be severely punished, otherwise it may become a catastrophe.

But not to mention that Princess Taiping herself has many supporters in the court, just now that she is strong, it makes many people feel that the court is rash in asking for guilt, especially at the moment of internal and external troubles.

The Imperial History Observatory was noisy because of this, and the imperial historians also had their own opinions, but although the imperial court was vigorous and resolute in dealing with the so-called stolen money of Princess Taiping, it was procrastinating in the examination and approval of relevant crimes, and even Li Shouli, the king of Lu, who abandoned the state and fled, has not been explicitly removed from his official position as the assassin of Shaanzhou.

This is naturally extremely unreasonable, not to mention whether King Lu is guilty of complicity, just because the assassins of the states are not allowed to leave the state territory without permission, such an iron law is directly ignored.

To be honest, even Wei Chengqing, who had just left the center, couldn't understand what the emperor was going to do. If it's just money, why bother making a big deal out of it. If there is a bigger scheme, then where does the emperor have the confidence to think that the power that the imperial court has at the moment can complete the difficult task of sanctioning Xingtai?

Although there were some doubts in his heart, Wei Chengqing did not think about it deeply. The current situation in the DPRK has become a dead end, and it is difficult to have room for a turnaround without breaking down. It is true that Wei Chengqing is not in his position at the moment, but before his power is seized, he has already woven a personnel network, and there is no need to save the mansion from being alone and loyal.

After sitting in the hall for more than an hour, Wei Chengqing felt that it was enough to cope with the enthusiasm of the secretaries and provincial officials, so he said: "Today's hall discussion is over, and everyone will go to their own business. ”

When everyone heard this, they were all relieved, and they all got up to say goodbye, and they were glad that they had completed today's task without any danger. The so-called doing things separately is equivalent to leaving work early, and later after a meal of dine-in, you can go back to your own home. The secretary of the province is not bad, the affairs are still small, for some people who lack political ambitions, it is indeed an excellent place to retire.

After all the members left the hall, Wei Chengqing also got up and went out and went to the East Wing House to rest for a while. After entering the room, he asked people to open the window facing the east, and the warm sunlight poured in, gradually dispelling the cold of early spring in the house.

Wei Chengqing held a volume of ancient books in his hand and sat by the window, as if he was leisurely reading. After a while, however, his brow furrowed slightly, and he looked thoughtfully at the open window, the neighbor across the wall seemed to be too quiet today.

This happens for two reasons.

The first is that there is nothing worth discussing in the court today, so the imperial historians are also kind and do not make noise. But this is obviously impossible, just yesterday, the Yushi Taizhong servant Yushi Wang Qiuli and the new Zhongcheng Yuan Shuji quarreled, and even escalated to a personal attack.

The second is that something very important happened, so that even the imperial historians did not dare to discuss it arbitrarily in the government office, so as not to leak the secrets of the court or avoid being involved in the whirlpool of turmoil.

The atmosphere of the Imperial History Observatory that was too quiet today immediately aroused Wei Chengqing's vigilance. He listened and pondered for a few more moments, and finally couldn't help but get up and walk out of the room.

"What does the chief command? There is still half an hour left for dine-in meals......"

There were officials waiting outside the door, and seeing Wei Chengqing walking out, he hurriedly stepped forward to ask for instructions.

Wei Chengqing waved his hand after hearing this, and said quietly: "I suddenly remembered that there were some private affairs to deal with in the palace today, so I won't dine-in." Later, I will tell the members of the government department not to miss tomorrow's affairs. ”

After saying this, Wei Chengqing continued to walk towards the outside of the official office, walked to the door of the official office of the Yushitai and stayed for a short time, and found that there were many people in and out of the official office, but they were all cautious in their words and deeds, and there was no usual liveliness at all.

After perceiving this, Wei Chengqing's brows furrowed even deeper, and when he continued to walk, although his pace was not fast, the amplitude of his steps increased.

When he walked to the long street of the imperial city, he saw a team of right guards walking straight in his direction, seeing this scene, Wei Chengqing's body suddenly stiffened, his legs fell to the ground heavily, and he subconsciously made a gesture of accumulation, but soon recognized that the general who led the team was Zhou Yiyi, the general of the right guard, and the originally tense body was slightly relaxed.

Soon, this team of right guards came to Wei Chengqing, and the lieutenant general who led the team, Zhou Yiyi, said with a forked hand: "The humble post is under the order of the political affairs hall, and the first seat of the Zhusi Zhitang is summoned to enter the province to discuss things. Dare to ask where Wei Gong is going? ”

Zhou Yiyi continued to walk towards Wei Chengqing as he spoke, until the distance between the two was only a few feet, and then he said in a very low tone: "Turks, please surrender, King Yong returns to the east!" ”

Wei Chengqing's body shook when he heard this, and he didn't respond for a long time, until Zhou Yiyi reminded him again, he turned his mind, forced a smile on his face and replied: "Some chores, just waiting to go out of the city, how can you abolish the public for personal reasons." May I ask General Zhou, do you go straight to the introspection or go to the other provinces first to wait for the meeting? ”

Zhou Yiyi came over to answer carefully, but Wei Chengqing didn't pay attention to what the others said, his lips squirmed slightly, and he said quickly: "Di Mou's previous foreign envoy must be a matter of surrender." Once the Hedong army returns, the big thing may be dangerous......"

"Wei Gong rest assured, he is already doing things."

Zhou Yiyi bowed slightly, and signaled two people in the team to lead Wei Chengqing to the east court of the imperial city, while he continued to go to the Yasi to interrogate.

When Wei Chengqing came to the East Dynasty Hall, most of Zhu Zi had already gathered here, but there was no noise in the court, and they sat on the class seat one by one, so that the atmosphere in the court hall was so dull that it was almost audible.

In the past, the emperor rarely came to the court, and today is no exception, and the presiding officer is the prime minister Li Sixun. Because the personnel have not yet arrived, the matter has not been fully disclosed, but looking at the atmosphere in the court, it is no secret that what will be discussed next is no secret.

Although the power of the secretary and supervisor is not large, the rank is high, and it is located in front of Zhutai Temple, and Wei Chengqing is still the chief of the Zhongshu not long ago, so he has more preferential treatment, and he is directly ranked after the prime ministers.

When he came to his desk, there was already a report from the west that the government hall had just received. Because the governor was very important, he was no longer formalistic at this time, but directly untied his knife to cut the seal, and took out the information copied by the clerk of the government hall and read it carefully.

King Yong did not follow the order and returned to the east, which is definitely a major matter related to the safety of Dingye. Just looking at the full hall of courtiers sitting at the table, you can see the great pressure brought by King Yong's move to the imperial court.

At this time, Wei Chengqing still had one or two luck thoughts in his heart, the confrontation between the imperial court and Xingtai had been maintained for a long time, if the courtiers were trapped here, they might be able to rely on this to unify their positions and resist together.

But when he saw the reason for the slogan propagated by King Yong in the intelligence, Wei Chengqing's eyes suddenly darkened, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

When people are faced with tremendous pressure that they cannot bear on their own, there are two possible reactions. One is not to back down and fight to the death. One is to become discouraged and give up resistance.

King Yong's brazen leadership of the western army to the east, at least in terms of the current situation, is indeed a great pressure on people, enough to inspire the courtiers to hate the enemy, and do everything possible to prevent King Yong from the west of Tongguan.

However, the slogan chosen by King Yong is full of elasticity, giving people the illusion that he can force his argument and even make another remedy. This will directly cause differences in the court, let the ministers think about their own plans, make people's resistance no longer too tough, and will make the court consume the little room left for self-help in the dispute!

When all the officials and officials arrived, the meeting officially began.

The development of the situation was as Wei Chengqing had predicted, and when the prime minister Wei Juyuan proposed to immediately send an envoy to ask King Yong why he did not return without being summoned and urgently summoned Hedong Jiawu to return to the capital for defense, he was immediately condemned by his ministers.

The Western Army was so restless and chased King Yong back to ask about the matter, and was suspected of being safe in the imperial court and conniving at the Turkic thieves. It was the Turks who were prepared by the Hedong Jiawu, and if the army of Hedong was recalled to the central government to prepare for the western army at this time, this accusation would be even more confirmed.

The meritorious people abandon the wilderness, the jackal thieves are welcomed into the court, and the court is stupid for this, how can it calm the feelings of the people in the world? And how can you face the people who lie in the snow and drink ice on all sides, and suffer hardship!

At this time, the recall of the Hedong Army Brigade to the DPRK and China will only make the situation even more out of control. Moreover, the courtiers each had a doubt in their hearts, that is, did the Turks ask for surrender to the country?

This is definitely a major event related to the fundamentals of the national system, if there is, then why is there no national letter to be presented and discussed in the court? If not, why were several Hu chieftains of Monan Prefecture, including Sun Yangao, a courtier who was indeed a thief, beheaded by King Yong in Chang'an?

Or did the Turks cross the imperial court and ask for surrender directly to Xingtai? If this is really the case, then don't talk about how to do it, the imperial court itself will crusade against the Turks to the end, and there is no possibility of peace!

The key incident broke out in Xingtai rather than the imperial court, which made the imperial court extremely passive in dealing with it, and it should also be cautious about the nature of the western army's eastward march.

Therefore, in this court meeting, the ministers held their own opinions and discussed all the differences, and in the end they were not able to reach a consensus on any issue. Even the most important thing is whether to let King Yong continue to enter the court or send an envoy to stop it, but there is not a single decision.

The court was anxious because of this, and the impact of King Yong's eastward journey did not stop at the court. Not to mention other regions, the prefectures and counties of Hedong Province, which had close exchanges with Xingtai and had been newly plundered by the Turks, were the first to receive the news and reacted most violently.

There is a Lingshi post on the left bank of Fenshui in Fenzhou, and the place is important in the north and south, and the characters come and go frequently. A traveler entered the Lingshi Station in the evening, led by Di Renjie, the new ambassador of Hedong Province.

Shangguan transited, the pavilion post naturally had to be solemnly received, after the news was received, the post guards immediately packed up the post hall, and when the dusty Di Renjie and his party arrived at the pavilion, there was already hot food to serve.

Di Renjie is already nearly seventy years old, and it is naturally hard to set off immediately after being ordered. However, Hedong is where its native land is located, and it has been newly plundered by Hu Lukou, and the people's livelihood is depressed, Di Renjie is also worried and works tirelessly.

After entering the hall for a light meal, Di Renjie raised his head and instructed the attaché: "Tell the envoy that you will eat tomorrow, and after the meal, you will go on the road immediately, and you don't need to make other miscellaneous feeds." ”

"Di Gong works day and night, it's already hard, it's better to send a short hair tomorrow morning and evening to replenish your strength."

Seeing that Di Renjie's face was tired, the attaché couldn't help but persuade.

Di Renjie sighed after hearing this, and said with a smile: "National affairs and nostalgia, all kinds of urges me." The old man is fortunate to bear this weight, how dare he think of self-pity. ”

At this time, there was a post guard in the hall, after hearing this, he was so excited that he couldn't bear it, and he pointed at Di Renjie and said angrily: "The old slave is in a hurry, what an evil heart!" Could it be that the blood and flesh of the villagers are thrown away, and the vermilion purple of the bath is still not bright enough, and they still want to cheapen the lives and blood of our villagers, and exchange the shade seal for your family! ”

"Thief bold!"

The accompanying guards in the hall roared angrily, and directly entered the front to capture the post guard who broke into the hall and scolded.

Di Renjie was scolded by this, and naturally he was angry, but he was still puzzled, and he threw a finger at the post guard in the hall and asked, "What kind of demon are you doing this slave?" The old man wears Zhu Yi or purple, and there are few acts of selling the lives of villagers! ”

Although the post guard was captured, he was still angry, and stared at Di Renjie with his head held high: "The post has been told several times, and there is no need to ask the envoy to the official, but Lao Tzu is not afraid of death, he wants to scold you to your face, a false and righteous old thief!" The Turkic thieves came to the south to plunder, the countryside was sprinkled with blood, and the old thieves had no sympathy for the hometown in the court, and now they are even more in the north to welcome the thieves! Don't say that there are no strong men in the country, His Royal Highness King Yong has already marched eastward, even if Lao Tzu does not die today, he must join the king and kill all the traitors such as you! ”

"Y-What are you talking about? Take it personally! ”

When Di Renjie heard this, his face changed suddenly. Someone in the attaché hurriedly spoke: "A few barks from the country thieves, Di Gong ......"

"Shut up!"

Di Renjie slapped the case and shouted angrily, got up and hurried down the hall and said, "Let go of her and let him speak!" The old man is in the job of appeasement, and he has never been ordered to surrender......"

"The Turks, please surrender, a few cattle and horses are sent to Taiyuan, and most of the Turks in the tent of King Yu are the children of the Turks who have captured me in Hedong! The thieves of the Turkic abandoned prefectures and counties will also be given wine and food when they cross the posts. The old thief is heading north with a festival, and he dares to say that he doesn't know ......"

The post guard still stared at Di Renjie with a resentful expression, and after Di Renjie heard this, he was even more stunned on the spot, and after a while, he turned to look at the attaché in disbelief. As far as his line of sight could see, the entourage subconsciously bowed his head to dodge, only a fellow lieutenant entered the front and said with a strong smile: "Di Gong don't believe what this slave said, the emperor's order is made, the documents are clear, even if the mission changes, it should be subject to the decree of His Royal Highness King Yu after entering the state." ”

"That's right, that's right, when you see King Yu, everything is clear, take people down, don't harm him, don't harm ......"

After Di Renjie heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and after a while, he turned his head and walked towards the hall, but after walking a few steps, his tall body suddenly fell to the ground, and he was already unconscious.

"Di Gong, Di Gong ......"

Seeing this scene, the attachés rushed forward to rescue in a hurry, and after a while, Di Renjie's body trembled, his eyes looked at the beam of the room with empty eyes, and after a while, he clenched his fists sharply and cried sadly: "What is the crime...... Death is death, and this is the use of this punishment! ”

Di Renjie, who was supposed to continue to gallop north, fell seriously ill and could only stay in the pavilion post in Fenzhou, but his entourage still had the imperial order to urge, at least he should continue to convey the news of this change to Bingzhou, so that King Yu could come south as soon as possible to converge, so only a few people were left to serve here, and the rest continued to go north.

A few days later, in the night, Di Renjie, who was lying on the sickbed, was suddenly startled, and when he woke up, he saw two black shadows sneaking into the room with blades. He coughed lightly, and the two of them rushed straight to the couch, but Di Renjie suddenly laughed and whispered: "Don't be impatient, can you keep me for a short time and give me my last words?" ”

In the night, the two glanced at each other, and the blade that had been wielded paused, and after a moment of stalemate, one of them said in a hoarse tone: "If you enter here, there are no police officers outside, and it is useless to shout." Respect your life experience, if you have something to say, you can say it. ”

"The old and sick body is already waiting to die. But after all, he is in a good position, and once he is stained with blood, it will be a criminal case. I don't ask you what the two envoys ordered, but since they dare to sneak and kill the minister, you can know that they are bold. If you bear this crime, I am afraid that it will be difficult to be innocent and open up to the world. If there is a breath left, there is no need to harm the two strong men again, can the two of you allow me to make my own end, and collect the whole corpse in the future, and also save them from the grief of losing their bones? ”

Di Renjie sat up on the couch and said in a calm tone.

"This, this ......"

Hearing Di Renjie's request, both of them were stunned, and after a while, one of them pulled the other, and shook the blade in his hand and said threateningly: "The old slave will die this night, if you still want to make twists and turns, then I will paint your head as a drowning weapon!" ”

"Thank you!"

Di Renjie noticed that the two figures retreated slightly, so he spoke again: "It's a pity that the two of you have such courage to use such a subtle purpose. If you are not afraid of breaking the law, why are you afraid of donating your life? King Yong of the Tang family, a strong man, if he is under his command, it is not difficult to make meritorious contributions with this courage. Before dying, a little disgusting gift, how about the back road, the two of them themselves. ”

After saying this, Di Renjie got up and threw himself on the beam in the house, hung himself in the house, struggled several times, and his strength quickly ran out, and then he was silent.

The two people who invaded the house looked at this scene, and they were speechless for a long time, and after a while, they were awakened by the sound of drum leakage from outside, and one of them sneered: "The old slave took his own death, but he saved a lot of hands and feet." What are you stunned about, you won't really believe his nonsense? Hurry up and get a token and return to the capital ......"

"yes, who would believe his nonsense!"

The other laughed and cursed, and went in to find something in his hand, and then the two of them hunched over and sneaked out of the house, jumped over the wall and took the horses that had been prepared, and fled into the wilderness. He had not dismounted until he had traveled a long way to rest, when suddenly a man pounced on his companion, and the sharp blade in his hand had been plunged deep into his companion's chest.

"Di Gong lives me, and I will never live up to this kindness in this life!"

After slashing his companion, the man bowed deeply in the direction of the Spirit Stone Station, cut his arm and sucked blood, and said in a crying voice.