"In September of the second year of Jiande, Hou Ye led his troops out of the East China Sea, which lasted more than two months, and cleared the sea bandits led by Wang Yi. At this point, the East China Sea is safe, there are no strong enemies on the sea, and there is no need to worry about intrusion in the five coastal cities in the east. King Guhong personally sent a letter to reward the Hou Ye, and wrote to the court Hou Ye for his merits. When the king of northern Xinjiang heard this, he came here in person and said that the Hou Ye was brave and strategic. At that time, Hou Ye and I thought that after the enemy on the sea was cleared, Linhai City would no longer have external worries, and the people would live and work in peace and contentment, and we could finally show our talents and benefit Linhai. ”

Liang Feng did not directly answer Qingcheng's question, but told him a story about the past, Qingcheng couldn't help but sigh secretly when he heard it, and said: "Of the five coastal cities in the east, Linhai City is the richest, thanks to the dedication of the Hou Ye, which Qingcheng really admires. ”

Liang Feng nodded, smiled helplessly after a moment of silence, and then said: "Originally, we thought that we would win the battle and eliminate the thieves at sea, which should be a great credit to Sheji, so even though the process was difficult, Hou Ye and I were full of hearts, and we finally got what we wanted." ”

"Half a month later, the imperial court's decree came, and the emperor said that the marquis 'fought bravely, killed the enemy and established his authority, and swept away the evil spirits on the sea, and he was really a model for the generals in the east, and I was very happy'. and said that he would add an official to the marquis to show his grace. Master Hou is indifferent to fame and fortune, and he only thinks about benefiting the township, and he doesn't care about these things. ”

"I thought that the emperor had the intention to appease Hou Ye, after all, Hou Ye had vigorously defended Duan Shuai's matter, and repeatedly wrote to the court, Duan Shuai was loyal and brave, and it should not be so. Later, although the matter was shelved by the emperor, this time the marquis made a great contribution, and the emperor may take this opportunity to ease the relationship with the military generals in the court. It's a pity that it turns out that we thought of this emperor simply. ”

Liang Feng mentioned Duan Feiyan's matter, Qingcheng was slightly moved, and he didn't seem to think that Zhenhai Hou had done such a thing, and even went to the court many times to seek justice for Duan Feiyan.

"The Duan family has been wronged, few people dare to disobey the emperor's authority, even Your Majesty has been deceived by villains, thinking that my Duan family has a rebellion, but I don't want the Hou Ye to be so righteous, and he does not hesitate to anger His Majesty, and also asks for justice."

Thinking of this, Qingcheng came back to his senses, and when he heard Liang Feng say that it was a pity, his brows couldn't help frowning slightly, and he asked tentatively, "Is there anything wrong?" ”

Liang Feng turned around in silence, walked in front of Qingcheng, looked into his eyes, and said: "After another month, the emperor ordered the Hou Ye to enter Beijing, set up a banquet to entertain the heroes of the Eastern Territory, and there was also King Guhong as a companion, which is really a great honor, and it can be said that it has given the Hou Ye enough face." During the banquet, the emperor asked about the affairs of Linhai City, and the Hou Ye reported truthfully, and claimed that the strong enemies at sea were destroyed, and Linhai City was peaceful. The emperor was overjoyed when he heard this, and said that Linhai City could have today, thanks to the great efforts of the Hou Ye, and it should be rewarded. Then, he showed his 'grace' to the Hou Ye, and the emperor said that he was going to order someone to build a garden near the West Lake, plus 100 acres of fertile land and 10,000 taels of gold, and reward the Hou Ye for rest. ”

"What? Hugh? ”

Hearing Liang Feng mention Emperor Hui's "benevolence", Qingcheng was slightly surprised. It is not surprising that Daqi has always had a tradition of meritorious heroes to show the emperor's grace. However, it is often the twilight loyal ministers who have made outstanding achievements, and the emperor is afraid that the court will not be considerate, so that he will have nothing to support in his old age, or even die well, so he will issue a decree to reward a secluded garden suitable for the elderly, plus gold and silver, fertile land, etc., to show the court's gift to such meritorious heroes.

But what surprised Qingcheng was that the Marquis of Zhenhai was in the prime of life, so how could he say that he was gracious? Moreover, he has been in charge of Linhai City for many years without any mistakes, and with the elimination of bandits in the East China Sea, his reputation has been greatly enhanced, so he should continue to garrison the eastern border to deter foreign enemies. And now that it is undecided today, Yunlong, Huchen and other strong enemies are around, if there is wartime, or it is still necessary to transfer troops, why would there be a second-class martial artist with outstanding military achievements who is not used, and he will be raised early?

"This ...... I have indeed never heard of the fact that there is a general retirement in the prime of life, not to mention that the will of heaven is unpredictable, Your Majesty may have other plans and it is not yet known, but in my opinion, Hou Ye should not be grateful, right? ”

Although Qingcheng guessed some possibilities, he did not say that he should not dare to speculate on the Sacred Heart, lest he incur the disaster of death. But Liang Feng heard his doubts, and couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Qingcheng, I haven't finished talking yet." The emperor not only 'rewarded' the fertile land, gold and silver, and the mansion, but also told the Hou Ye that he could rest in peace, and he would send a team from the Imperial Dragon Guard to follow the Hou Ye to the West Lake, and take on the Hou Ye's future escort work. Oh yes, even the subordinates in the house, the emperor will order people to be strictly selected, and they must ensure that the daily life of the marquis is 'comfortable and pleasant'. ”

The Royal Dragon Guard, the head of the five guards of the forbidden army, the strongest army of Daqi, the guard team of the Imperial City of Dianjing, and the direct guard of Emperor Hui, has always been only responsible for the protection of Emperor Hui, and is personally led by Wang Xian, the first master of the imperial city, and the commander of the forbidden army.

This army can be described as the forbidden army in the forbidden army, the most noble army in Daqi, and it is famous all over the world. And at this moment, Liang Feng said that Emperor Hui actually selected a team in the Dragon Guard to give to the Marquis of Zhenhai to serve as his personal guard, if the previous reward Qingcheng was just surprised, then Liang Feng's later sentence really shocked him.

"Your Majesty...... There is such a reward, it is really a face-saving experience. The Dragon Guard is gifted with imperial power, and in case of emergency, it can be dealt with cheaply, and such guards have never heard of His Majesty rewarding any courtier. ”

Listening to Qingcheng's words, Liang Feng glanced at his expression, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, and said with a sneer: "Yes, 'Dragon Guardian, Dragon Guard, if you encounter something undecided, you can deal with it cheaply'." Therefore, Hou Ye is resting in West Lake, and few people should dare to trouble him. But in the same way, the Dragon Guard can 'act cheaply' and dispose of Hou Ye at any time on trumped-up charges, right? ”

What Liang Feng said was exactly what Qingcheng was worried about, and it was also the trouble that he didn't dare to say directly.

Throughout the ages, the more powerful people have created more wrongful convictions, precisely because when power and justice collide, justice is extremely fragile. And when their power reaches the point where they can "act cheaply", who can guarantee that their selfish desires will not overshadow their conscience?

What Liang Feng said made Qingcheng break out in a cold sweat, and it is not difficult to imagine that Emperor Hui's decree is like a double-edged sword, which not only gives Zhenhai Hou the greatest protection, but also gives him the most dangerous environment......

Thinking of this, Qingcheng frowned. After pondering for a while, he looked at Liang Feng and asked tentatively: "Then what about later, Hou Ye was still stationed in Linhai City, and did not go to Enyang, did it ......happen?"

Qingcheng's voice gradually lowered, and then he stopped talking, just because a glimmer of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind, which was quickly captured by him, and then suddenly realized: "That's why you collaborated with the enemy Haichuan and raised troops with bandits for the Hou Ye, so that Your Majesty had to suspend the matter of support?" ”

"That's right."

Liang Feng knew that Qingcheng was thoughtful, as long as he thought about it a little, he would be able to figure out the reason, and replied without thinking at the moment: "The emperor's reward is nominally because of the merit of the Hou Ye, but in fact, there is no war in the East China Sea, and the Hou Ye is Duan Shuai's subordinate, and he is worried that if he is not loyal to the imperial court in the future, he will become a disaster, so he came up with this poisonous plan, but in fact, he is under house arrest in the way of favor!" What's more, he (Emperor Hui) simply wanted to get rid of Hou Ye by this means! Because he has always been a suspicious and untrustworthy king! ”

That's right, Emperor Hui's series of actions, the reason behind it seems to be the only one. The Marquis of Zhenhai was born in the Qingcheng Army, and he once wrote to the court for Duan Feiyan to be demoted to request a thorough investigation of the Duan family's unjust case, plus he led 30,000 troops to garrison one side, the emperor was far away, and the control was inconvenient, but he had merit, and Emperor Hui was unwilling to dispose of a loyal and good general at will like deposing Duan Feiyan, so he had a favor to say.

Another advantage of this method is that it can knock the mountain and shock the tiger. Because the technique is very obvious and easy to identify, it is not difficult for a discerning person to guess. Therefore, the generals who also led the troops, but were all dissatisfied with Emperor Hui, if anyone dared to mention Duan Feiyan, they could refer to the fate of Zhenhai Hou.

This is the fact that Qingcheng is most unwilling to accept, because if this matter is really the arbitrary decision of Emperor Hui's Sacred Heart, then Zhenhai Hou is implicated in Duan Feiyan's matter. At the same time, it will be extremely difficult for him to redress the grievances of the Duan family in the future.

"The emperor is mediocre and cruel to Zhongliang, I really can't bear to see the Hou Ye end up like this, so I went astray in a helpless situation, collaborated with the enemy Haichuan, created bandits, and raised soldiers with bandits. In this way, the war was sudden, and it was inconvenient for the emperor to change generals for a while, and the Hou Ye could not leave. And if Linhai City is defeated in successive battles, although Hou Ye has had it, but the sin will not lead to death, but the merit will be offset, and the Hou Ye will not have to receive the grace of 'bright reward and secret punishment'. ”

Speaking of this, Liang Feng was slightly excited, looked at the high place with his hands in fists, and said: "Hou Ye has been following Duan Shuai's teachings over the years, loving the people like a son, and caring for the people, with him, Linhai City will only get better and better, why should such a loyal minister die unexplained?" What's more, Hou Ye is as kind to me as a mountain, and Liang Feng's death is difficult to repay. Although he couldn't receive it on his behalf, Liang Feng would never watch Hou Ye do something and do nothing! ”

Speaking of this, Liang Feng suddenly turned his head to look at Qingcheng, with a resolute expression, and said excitedly: "Qingcheng, didn't you ask me why I collaborated with the enemy?" I'll tell you, it's just for Master Hou! In order for Hou Ye not to be mutilated, I would rather bear the infamy! I'd rather be spurned by all eternity! I'd rather collaborate with the enemy and betray the country! I'd rather be the one I despise the most! I'd rather have no regard for human life! I'd rather cut it with a thousand cuts! I'd even rather Hou Ye kill me with his own hands after knowing the truth, rather than see that Hou Ye will be worse than Duan Shuai one day! That's why I'm collaborating with the enemy! ”

In the end, Liang Feng almost laughed miserably, and from his laughter, it was not difficult to hear a trace of regret and hatred. At this point, Liang Feng told Qingcheng and Pan that all this he did was because of such reasons, but it made Qingcheng feel a little caught off guard and felt a little sorry for him.

"My father once said that the most pitiful, miserable, and regrettable people in this world are not those born bastards, let alone the kind of demons that are difficult to get out of eternity, but people who originally adhered to the right path, but went astray because of righteousness. Because this kind of person often lives like the last thing they want to face. Brother Liang is the same. Not to mention other people's opinions, perhaps the days when he collaborated with the enemy were the most difficult moments in his life. Because he can't even pass his own level, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered to do the most despicable thing for himself......"