Besides, on the side of Zhongshu Province, the emperor only got the news on the front foot, and Shao An knew that Li Hongyi was going to abandon the city. Shao An thought about the emperor's recent attitude, and then thought about the caution of the generals, so he guessed that the emperor would definitely not agree to the retreat of the army and abandon the city.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for a eunuch to come over and ask Zhongshu Province to draft an edict ordering Li Hongyi not to evacuate Jincheng without permission.

After the chamberlain left, Liu Ruqing asked Shao An while grinding ink, "How do you know, the emperor will not agree." ”

Shao An was very appreciative of Liu Ruqing's studious and inquisitive attitude, and he explained with a smile: "The emperor is already very angry after losing the first battle. If he recklessly retreats this time, it will have too much impact on the morale of the army, and he will definitely not agree. ”

Liu Ruqing nodded with a little understanding, and asked again: "What about my lord, don't you approve of General Li's withdrawal of troops?" ”

"Let me tell you what you think." Shao An didn't answer, he asked Liu Ruqing instead, he wanted to test this child.

Liu Ruqing groaned for a while, but decided to say directly: "The lower officials feel that the troops should be withdrawn." ”

"Oh? The reason? Shao An expressed surprise, but he didn't expect Liu Ruqing to have his own opinions.

Liu Ruqing thought for a moment before saying: "If the enemy floods Jincheng, our side will lose not only a city, but also hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Rather than this, it is better to retreat to Yongjing and wait for the opportunity to move. ”

"Your ideas are very insightful, and so does this officer. Sometimes it is a clever idea to retreat into advance. Shao An first praised Liu Ruqing, and then changed his words, and said, "It's just that I don't agree with this point when I withdraw to Yongjing." ”

"Yongjing?" Liu Ruqing had never been to such a remote border, so she wondered, "Is there anything wrong there?" ”

"The terrain in Yongjing is not suitable for ambushes." Shao An unfolded the map on the table, pointed around Yongjing, and continued, "Look, there is a South Mountain here, if you want to sneak attack from behind enemy lines, you have to bypass this mountain. Unless ......"

"Unless?" Liu Ruqing looked at Shao Xiang suspiciously, not knowing why he wanted to speak and stopped.

"There is a hidden path in Nanshan called Huangquan Road. But that road is too dangerous, and few people know about it. Shao An's eyes were a little sad, and he recalled the process of his expedition with his brother and Brother Zhang. When they were young, they were so close, but after time has passed, the three of them are now parting ways, and looking back, they are strangers.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency?" Liu Ruqing called softly, waking Shao An from his contemplation. I only heard him say, "My lord, the edict ...... Still write? ”

Shao An nodded and said, "Of course I have to write." Instead of letting them retreat to Yongjing County, it is better to guard Jincheng. You hurry up and draft the edict, and then hurry up 800 miles, hurry up the horse, and send it to the border city. ”

※※※※※

At this time, the emperor was still in the Heart Cultivation Palace, and he was worried about how he could quietly hide from Shao An and order to change the general. As a result, at this moment, someone really hit the muzzle of the gun, presented an impeachment note, and came to bother the saint again.

The emperor opened it irritably, and saw that it was actually impeaching Feng Che again. It is said that the dead-eyed Zhao Fuyin handed over an excerpt for many days, but there was no news at all. He didn't think about the emperor's attitude, and continued to write and impeach unyieldingly. Zhao Fuyin was really angry with Feng Che this time, and made up his mind that Feng Che must be impeached and removed from office. As for Feng Che, he was still busy surveying and disaster relief, and he didn't care about the defense at all.

The emperor was angry and said angrily: "Does this Henan Mansion Yin have a little eye? The imperial court was busy fighting, but he grabbed Feng Zhiyuan and didn't let it go. If I hadn't thought that he was a relative of the queen's mother's family, I would have dismissed him from office a long time ago. ”

Since the crown prince was deposed and the abbot died, the Zhao family has also plummeted. Then the queen was bedridden all the year round, and the middle palace was useless. The emperor also gave an official position to a distant relative of the Zhao family for the sake of the empress's face. After he became the governor of the mansion, although he did not make any achievements, he did not make any major incidents. As a result, this time it crashed into Feng Che's hand again. Maybe Feng Che is really the nemesis of the Zhao family.

Gonggong Chen hurriedly bent down to pick up the fold, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you are considerate of the queen's mother, but it is a pity that the Zhao family is not angry, and your hard work is in vain." ”

"This matter has to be mediated, otherwise it will get bigger and bigger. Only, who to send to mediate? The emperor thought for a moment, and suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed, and he smiled, "Shao An." Yes, send him to get him out of the way. Huaien, quickly go to Zhongshu Province and call the prime minister over. ”

This is indeed a method, and Gonggong Chen has to admire the master's ingenuity. However, how to say that Shao An is a dignified prime minister, and sending him to mediate local grievances is too big and useless. If the emperor wants to get rid of him, he must at least think of a reasonable argument in order to deceive the shrewd Shao Xiang.

When Shao An was hurriedly summoned out of the Chinese book by Chen Huaien, it was already dusk, and the afterglow of the slanting sun shone on the golden eaves of the Forbidden City, shining brightly. However, beauty is beautiful, but there is a sense of "the sunset is infinitely good, but it is just near dusk".

Without saying anything all the way, Shao An silently followed behind Gonggong Chen, and after thinking for a long time, he didn't come up with the reason why the emperor passed on him. However, if it is an ordinary matter, Chen Huaien will definitely say a few words to him, unless it is related to Shao An himself, Chen Gonggong will not reveal a word to him.

When he arrived at the Heart Cultivation Palace, the emperor really left Shao An alone to speak, and retreated from others, even Gonggong Chen. Shao An thought about it carefully, and said in his heart that he didn't collaborate with the enemy this time, and he didn't make any small moves, what is the emperor going to do?

"Henan Mansion has another excerpt to impeach Feng Zhiyuan, has the prime minister seen it?" The emperor asked straight to the point.

Shao An thought about it, he really hadn't seen it. It is estimated that Sun Yi has seen it and presented it directly to the emperor.

"I haven't seen it yet." Shao An told the truth, there is a problem with the fold of the heart again?

"Feng Zhiyuan's matter can't be delayed any longer. Otherwise, I don't know what to do. The emperor said, "Henan has suffered a disaster, and I am saddened. This time Feng Zhiyuan released the flood, I knew that he had his own measure, and he would not do it unless he had to. But the Zhao family is the queen's mother's family, and although Henan Mansion Yin is incompetent, I don't want to just stop him. ”

Hearing the emperor say this, Shao An understood the saint's painstaking efforts. After abolishing the crown prince and giving the death of the prince, the queen was sad and fell seriously ill. Since then, he has lived in a simple house and does not ask about the world, and the Zhao family has gradually declined. Now the queen has no sons, and the emperor's other children are gradually growing up, and the harem has set off a trend of competing for favor. Shao An knew that the emperor himself had experienced the seizure of the throne, and if his son was also fighting for the throne, it would not be a good thing for the emperor or the court.

As for the gentry in Henan, if they gather to make trouble and encourage those big merchants in Henan to stop paying grain, especially in this period of war, it is even worse if there is a shortage of silver and grain.

"Lord Feng is not wrong, Lord Zhao just wants to drive him out of Henan." Shao An proposed, "It's better to transfer Lord Feng back to the capital." On the Henan side, Qin sent to pacify him. ”

The emperor smiled and said to Shao An: "You really still want to place him in the Criminal Department." However, the position of the secretary of the criminal department is really difficult for ordinary people. ”

It is said that the Shangshu of the Criminal Department has changed many people in the past few years, and none of them can do a good job. Fortunately, Dali Temple still has Pei Shaojun in charge, who can help the criminal department to take on some difficult and strange cases, so that the judiciary will not be chaotic in recent years. If Feng Che can return to the capital this time, it will be a blessing for the criminal department and the court.

"What the Holy One has said is very true." Shao An arched his hand.

The emperor asked again: "As for the candidates for the Qin mission, who do you think is better to send?" ”

Shao An said tentatively: "Why don't you send the people from the ministry?" ”

"Nope." The emperor flatly refused, "I heard that the ancestral home of some of the officials is in Yingzhou, and they have long been in collusion with those gentry, so they cannot be trusted. ”

Shao An had already expected this answer, he was not surprised, and continued to probe: "Pei Shaojun, the secretary of Dali Temple, is honest and strict, you can give it a try." ”

"No, he is good friends with Feng Zhiyuan, and it seems unfair to send him." The emperor was still against it.

Shao An seemed to understand what the emperor meant, and secretly said something bad in his heart, and after thinking about it, he proposed another person, "Sun Jianming, Lord Sun?" ”

The emperor shook his head and said, "He is over the age of six, and he is not suitable for long-distance travel." ”

Sure enough, Shao An lowered his head, the corners of his mouth slightly hooked up with a wry smile, and finally arched his hand: "If the saint does not give up...... Minister, self-recommended. ”

The emperor was waiting for his words, so he readily agreed, nodded and said, "Okay." ”

When Shao An left the Heart Cultivation Palace, Gonggong Chen, who was guarding the door, saw him come out, glanced up at the prime minister, and quickly lowered his head to avoid Shao An's inquiring sight. Looking at such an abnormal father-in-law Chen, Shao An guessed that there must be something greasy here. The emperor meant that he wanted to break himself up.

After returning to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Shao An went to Uncle Qin alone and told him the truth about it, Uncle Qin thought for a while and said, "When the emperor said this, he should want to get rid of the prime minister." Moreover, Gonggong Chen has been by the emperor's side for many years, and he is a delicate and transparent person. If he really wants to hide it from you, he won't let you find out. ”

"That's what you have to hide." Shao An said firmly, "It seems that it is about the military situation." ”

"Northwest Military?" Uncle Qin was puzzled, "Could it be that the Holy Lord suspects that the prime minister is collaborating with the enemy?" ”

Shao An shook his head, "That's not true." However, the Holy One has said that I will not touch the military in the future. It seems that the emperor has some new military strategy, I'm afraid it doesn't agree with my concept, so it's better to avoid me altogether. ”

Uncle Qin stroked his beard and sighed: "The emperor forced you to accept this errand, I'm afraid it will be difficult to refuse." How does the prime minister plan to respond? ”

"Since the above doesn't let me touch the military affairs, I don't bother to care, just to avoid suspicion." Shao An said casually. Now that his brother has become the commander of the three armies, and there is a "small military division" by his side, he believes that even without external help, his brother will be able to win.

Ah Rui helped the master pack his clothes overnight, and Shao An went to Zhongshu Province early in the morning to explain the matter, and then left Beijing. Liu Ruqing looked at the back of his adult in a daze, thinking about what Cheng had just explained to him. Shao An asked him to pay close attention to the military in the northwest in the past few days, and send someone to send a message to report something quickly.

"What can happen in the Northwest?" Liu Ruqing wondered, if there was anything big, it would be the abandonment of the city. But in this matter, he has already prepared the holy decree and handed it over to the people below, so there should be no problems.

Sun Yi only knew that Shao An had left early the next morning, and he called Liu Ruqing over and wondered, "Why did Shao Xiang leave Beijing?" ”

Seeing that the deputy minister was coming, Liu Ruqing stood up and said respectfully: "The emperor has sent an adult to deal with the affairs of Yingzhou." ”

"Yingzhou is so far away, you actually sent Shao Xiang?" Sun Yi said in surprise. At this moment, the war in the northwest is tight, and the emperor actually sent the prime minister out to do business? It's weird, it's weird.

However, Liu Ruqing did not go as far as Sun Yi thought, and said very honestly: "There have been contradictions in Henan Province, and the disaster situation in Henan also needs to be investigated on the spot. ”

"Yes, too." Sun Yi nodded, then changed the topic and asked, "Have you finished writing the will of the Holy Lord?" ”

"I finished writing it yesterday, and it has been presented to the Holy Emperor, and when Shao Xiang left this morning, he also signed it."

"Young people are fast." Sun Yi praised, "Has it been sent?" ”

Liu Ruqing replied: "Just sent it." ”

"Good, good, good!" Sun Yi said three "good" words, smiled inexplicably, and then left.

Liu Ruqing watched Sun Yi leave briskly, and always felt that the three "good" words were indescribably weird. Good? What does it mean to be good?