In the next few days, Ye Qing stayed in Shouchun Mansion, and he had no intention of leaving.

Just like becoming an official of Shouchun Mansion, as long as He Chong, the prefect of Shouchun who was forced by him to stay, and Sima Jian, who was appeased, arrived at the government office, Ye Qing would immediately appear behind his ass on time.

Then he didn't speak, didn't pay attention, just sat in the meeting hall, whether He Chong and Sima Jian dealt with the political affairs of Huainan West Road, or did other things, Ye Qing just sat on the side with an easy-going smile, and listened silently without saying a word.

There is no need for He Chong and Sima Jian to ignore him, just let the two of them treat him like air and ignore him, but he is such a dignified northland hero, coupled with what he said to others on the first day, it is conceivable that it is difficult for all the officials of Shouchun Mansion to treat him as air, and everyone is waiting for him carefully and tremblingly.

Whether it is He Chong or Sima Jian, even if it is other officials in the government office, since Ye Qing came to Shouchun, he always feels that a thick layer of black clouds is pressed on the top of his head, and from time to time he will feel a cold feeling on the back of his neck and back, and the sweat steamed out by the heat wave on a hot day seems to have turned into a cold sweat.

He Chong and Sima Jian had a separate conversation with Ye Qing, and told Ye Qing very tactfully that their attitude towards Huainan East Road was a combination or a division, and they also hoped that it would be based on the will of the imperial court, rather than them taking the lead in talking about this matter.

In the face of the sound that can be heard as long as you are not a fool, Ye Qing, the appeasement of Huainan East Road, still has an easy-going smile on her face, and politely tells He Chong and Sima Jian: Think about it again, the two of you will discuss more, and think about the problem with a long-term perspective. Don't worry, we have time.

Sima Jian and He Chong looked at each other, and after looking at each other, they slowly walked out of Ye Qing's residence, the two of them sighed heavily in front of the sky, for three days, every time they went to Ye Qing to show their ambiguous position and attitude, they would get such easy-going words from Ye Qing.

And this sentence has been spoken to the two of them for three days, as long as they are not fools, they all understand that Ye Qing is obviously not satisfied with the answer given by the two of them, and what they obviously want is an answer with a firm position and a clear attitude.

"Do you want to ......?" He Chong looked at Sima Jian and asked in a consultative tone.

"Do you mean to inform the court?" Sima Jian's smile has also disappeared for several days, which makes He Chong sometimes in a trance, and he can't believe that the person with a sad face in front of him is the Huainan West Road who can comfort Sima Jian with a smile no matter what happens on weekdays.

"Lord Ye is so hard to press...... Isn't it clear to Master Sima? He now needs someone to pave the way for his proposal to be answered in the court, and there is really no more suitable person than us. What Lord Ye wants is for us to put it forward ourselves, and the east and west roads of Huainan will be combined into one. He Chong frowned, followed Sima Jian under the sun, and walked forward with heavy steps.

"I'm not worried about us bringing it up, I'm worried about ...... What happens after that? Sima Jian's expression was less flattering in front of Ye Qing, but at this moment there was more of a momentum of not being angry and arrogant, and he also frowned and sighed and said: "My concern is that if you and I merge the east and west roads of Huainan in the imperial court, then next, the imperial court will treat us like this?" Do you already regard us as members of Ye Qing's party? If so, what should we do? Is it hard to follow Ye Qing, or ....... ”

"So we can't let go of this mouth, we can't propose ...... at the court." He Chong bit his lip, said with a dry mouth and distraught.

When I went to Ye Qing's residence today, I didn't even get a cup of tea, and the first day I went was still full of hospitality, and the tea, snacks, and snacks filled a table for the two of them, but when I went yesterday, there was only a cup of tea left, and the snacks and snacks disappeared without a trace.

And when I went again today, the table was empty, and there was no tea, oh, no, there was a cup, which was the one he drank in his hand, and he and Sima Jian could only stare dryly.

"Can't we let go of this?" Sima Jian smiled bitterly, and said with a melancholy expression: "Yes, we can't let go of this mouth, but if we don't let go of this mouth, will Lord Ye let us go?" Can't you see the situation? He's bound to win. ”

"What about going on forever?" He Chong asked.

"Lord Ye won't bother to spend it with us." Sima Jian laughed, and then continued, "Didn't you find out? You and I went on the first day, tea, snacks are entertaining us, yesterday there was only tea left, today I didn't even get a cup of tea, maybe tomorrow, there is a knife on the table. ”

How could He Chong not know that this inconspicuous move was Ye Qing beating them, nodded speechlessly, and then as if he remembered something, he first said a word Lord Sima borrowed a step to speak.

The two of them specially picked a place on the street where there were few pedestrians and walked forward, and then He Chong glanced at Sima Jian, who was a little curious, with a solemn expression and said: "I have been thinking about it in the past two days, and with the high-minded talk of some businessmen who are resting in inns, teahouses, and restaurants, I have touched a trace of spiders

Silk traces. ”

"Oh? I don't know what's going on? Sima Jian asked suspiciously.

"It has something to do with Lord Ye's sudden visit to our Shouchun Mansion." He Chong lowered his voice, and then pulled Sima Jian to sit down in the corner of an inconspicuous teahouse, although the clothes on the two of them were not luxurious, but they were not the coarse cloth clothes of ordinary people, so after walking into this small teahouse, compared with those people who were shortly dressed, it still looked a little out of place.

At this time, the two of them didn't care so much, they just found a nearby place to discuss, and after asking for a cup of tea, they began to look around vigilantly in the corner, and He Chong said: "Some news from the businessmen in the market, plus my hard thinking and meditation in the past few days, why Lord Ye suddenly returned to Yangzhou, and the matter of suddenly integrating the east and west roads of Huainan, I have figured out some clues. ”

"Master Sima, don't worry, listen to the lower official slowly tell you." Seeing Sima Jian's somewhat anxious appearance, He Chong motioned to take a sip of tea before continuing.

"My lord, I don't know if you have heard such a rumor in recent days, it is said that Lord Ye suddenly rushed back to Yangzhou from the distant Jingzhaofu Road this time, because the imperial court wanted to transfer Lord Ye's dispatch from Huainan East Road, so Lord Ye couldn't wait to rush back to Yangzhou." He Chong said in a low voice.

Sima Jian frowned, did not nod or shake his head, did not admit or deny whether he had heard these rumors before.

Looking at the low-grade tea leaves floating in the teacup on the table, he lowered his eyes and said, "If that's the case, what do you think?" ”

are all officials who have been rolling on the court for many years, and some things don't need to be explained thoroughly, so they immediately knew why Ye Qing suddenly appeared in Shouchun Mansion on Huainan West Road: The imperial court wanted to remove Ye Qing from the post of pacification envoy on Huainan East Road, and Ye Qing naturally would not do it.

Not to mention Ye Qing, even if it is He Chong and Sima Jian, they put themselves in Ye Qing's shoes, and they will never agree to the imperial court to dismiss his Huainan East Road pacification envoy, after all, Huainan East Road can be said to be the link between the Great Song Dynasty and the northern land, and if they lose control of Huainan East Road, it is equivalent to the only way left to turn their faces with the court and support the army to stand on their own.

Ye Qing, the authority, can see very clearly and feel the thoughts of the imperial court, and bystanders like He Chong and Sima Jian are naturally even clearer.

"Double-edged sword." He Chong sighed and said: "If the imperial court didn't reach out to Lord Ye to return to Huainan East Road to appease the envoy, then all this is still a matter between the imperial court and Lord Ye, no matter how much trouble, at least it won't affect other innocents, such as the lower officials and you." But now that the imperial court took the lead in provoking Lord Ye Qingye, Lord Ye naturally wanted to fight back, so it can be seen that now Ye Qing's power in the north has been quite stable, otherwise, he should not be so decisive and immediately take action to retaliate against the imperial court. And in this way, the affairs of the court and Lord Ye will begin to involve the court and officials from all walks of life. ”

"You and I are the first to bear the brunt." Sima Jian sighed, from the first day Ye Qing arrived at Shouchun Mansion, he had already vaguely guessed, but he was unwilling to face and admit it in his heart, after all, they innocent people didn't offend anyone, so why bother forcing them to stand in line.

He Chong nodded in agreement, and then continued to analyze and said: "My lord, you just asked Xiaguan, if we agree to Lord Ye's request and take the initiative to merge the east and west roads of Huainan into one, then what should we do in the future is the other side of the double-edged sword that Xiaguan said." ”

Sima Jian looked at He Chong quietly, and said slowly: "What do you mean, Lord Ye has no intention of being self-reliant now, he wants to keep Huainan East Road, and even to merge Huainan East and West Roads into one, just to increase the chips in his hand, not to ...... Self-reliance? ”

"Not bad. But this is all the speculation of the lower officials, and if this is the case, the lower officials and the adults will not be forced into a desperate situation, no matter what, at least the officials of the Great Song Dynasty have not committed treason, right? He Chong looked at the empty teacup, shook his head and said: "In fact, what Xia Guan is more afraid of is that in the future, now the court and Lord Ye can still be at peace, even if the east and west roads of Huainan are combined into one, it is a foregone conclusion, but what about in the future?" If one day Lord Ye really fell out with the imperial court, and he could no longer maintain the illusion of peace like today, even if it was a discord between the face and the heart, what should we do at that time? Follow Lord Ye or return to the court from Huainan West Road? Will we be able to go back? Will the court still accept us then? Will you still trust us? Even now, since Lord Ye arrived at Shouchun Mansion, has the imperial court been suspicious of us? ”

"So even if we want to be a bystander, it's impossible." Sima Jian sighed again: "I knew this was the case, I shouldn't have come to Huainan West Road to serve as a messenger back then, even if I couldn't be promoted to a pacification envoy, it would be much better than now." It's okay now, I was blocked in Shouchun Mansion, and I had to make a choice, which was difficult. ”

He Chong looked at Sima Jian, who was full of helplessness, sighed in his heart, and subconsciously touched the edge of the teacup with his fingers and muttered: "The career of the lower officials and the adults, and even the fate of the family, now depends on Lord Ye." If he has the heart to stand on his own feet in the future, even if we don't do anything, I'm afraid

I'm afraid that I can't escape the infamy of being a tiger. Therefore, it depends on whether Lord Ye has the ambition to stand on his own. ”

"The current situation is that even if Lord Ye doesn't want to be self-reliant, but the imperial court is forcing him to go on the road of self-reliance, what can we do? If the imperial court doesn't touch Ye Qing's scales, wouldn't everyone still be able to be harmonious and peaceful? But now the court can't bear it...... To put it mildly, Lord Ye has recovered so many territories in the Northland, and now there are as many as seven or eight roads, right? But the imperial court was not only unhappy, but also worried, as if it was afraid that Ye Qing would continue to regain the lost territory and be ashamed of the two saints. This kind of behavior is like Yue Fei back then. If I were Ye Qing, I would be cold. In the front, I led all the soldiers to kill the enemy in blood and recover the lost territory, but in the rear, the court secretly obstructed and framed me behind my back. Sima Jian shook his head, for a while, he didn't know whose position to stand on, of course, the best thing was that Ye Qing and the court casually messed around, and it was good not to involve them, but now they had to be involved in this open and secret battle, and they were forced to start choosing sides.

"How do you think Lord Ye will force you to follow the next official?" He Chong returned to reality again, and said with a smile of some bitterness: "I won't go with you tomorrow, so there is really a knife on the table, right?" ”

"Lord Ye has been able to go from a forbidden army to such a high position in just over ten years, and in addition to luck, he naturally has strong strength as a backing. Some colleagues always think that he has taken shit luck and touched the light of the grace of Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Taishang. But over the years, who has taken advantage of the big and small battles in the court? What is the court? It is a human purgatory full of deceit, open and secret fighting, cannibalism without spitting out bones, there is no extremely deep city and forbearance that is different from ordinary people, it is difficult to walk step by step in the court, and if you are not careful, you will be crushed to pieces, or even no bones remain. For so many years, I, Sima Jian, have always believed that those who can be officials in Lin'an and in Beijing, whether they are powerful ministers or loyal and good, are all real strong people with absolute strength, and the weak eat the strong, especially above the court. It is not without all kinds of rumors about Ye Qing in the market over the years, no wonder he is ruthless and decisive, but in my opinion, this person's vision is even more different from ordinary people, and he can be so keen in the game, and he can understand the intentions of the court at once, which in turn is a sharp revenge. Sima Jian shook his head and muttered: "Lord Ye is definitely not to be underestimated, if he becomes a hero one day, I am afraid he will also be a hero who is comparable to Cao Mengde's monopoly on power." ”

"Coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes." He Chong muttered to himself, glanced at Sima Jian, and then hesitated: "So, the adults already have a plan in their hearts?" ”

"It took Cao Mengde 17 years to not only unify the north, but also divide the Xiongnu who disturbed the people of the Central Plains into five, so that they are no longer a hidden danger in the Central Plains. Now...... The situation in the north that Ye Qing is facing is not simpler than Cao Mengde, and it is even a little more severe, Jin, Xia, Liao, and the Tatars may all become tiger wolves that eat my Great Song Dynasty, Ye Qing obviously has no problem if he wants to survive in the cracks by himself. But if you want to dominate the north like Cao Mengde back then, you can't see any hope for the time being. Sima Jian asked with some regret and pity: "So what do you mean?" ”

He Chong lowered his head, when the future is uncertain, when he can't make a choice, different people will choose different ways to seek answers when they are confused, ordinary people or most people will choose to ask the Buddha to ask the Tao, or worship God and ask the sky, divination to make a choice.

Some people like to choose similar situations from the vast history to compare and judge, and then make their own choices and analysis, and finally make their own choices.

"If Ye Qing can become a heroic figure like Cao Mengde, he will be a ...... It's ....... He Chong said in the end, giving Sima Jian an attitude that could only be understood but not spoken.

"There are not a few good ministers and elite soldiers under Cao Mengde, and now ...... you think of it?" Sima Jian asked, turning the empty teacup in his hand.

"The recovery of many lost territories is enough to prove that the battle of Guanshan can prove that there is no shortage of elite soldiers and strong generals. And the lower officials think that they are no less than their predecessors, not to mention the ...... now. He Chong said with a playful smile.

"That's it, you and I will think calmly for a day, tomorrow...... Tomorrow, we hope that we will not see a knife on Lord Ye's desktop. After Sima Jian knew He Chong's attitude, he didn't continue the topic, as for his attitude, until the last moment, he would not give He Chong a clear answer.

They have been in officialdom for so long, and at this sensitive time, no one wants to be truthful, of course, if they stand in the same camp, it will be another matter.

After He Chong smiled, he followed Sima Jian to get up, and then after settling the tea money, he followed Sima Jian out of the teahouse.

He didn't blame Sima Jian for stopping this topic at the end, after all, no matter what, Sima Jian was his official and the pacification envoy of Huainan West Road, and the pressure and responsibility on his shoulders were much greater than that of him, the prefect, so it was understandable to be cautious and cautious at a critical moment.