Dou Changke lay on the ground and looked up at the young emperor on the throne. I had just been punished with fifty lashes, and at this moment my back was hot, as if the skin on my body had been peeled off.

Suddenly, it was like going back to the old days when I was punished with a stick in the army.

In the past six months or so, he has been dormant in Mocheng, and he has never been afraid of wind, frost, rain and snow, open guns and hidden arrows. I was afraid of the frustration of powerlessness.

This body, sweated, bloody, and broken, seems to have finally realized its value until today.

Before beating the drum, the Marquis of Dingyuan once warned him that the drummer needed to sit on fifty flogs before he could face the holy complaint, and he also asked him if he could bear it.

But why can't you bear it?

This mere fifty lashes is nothing compared to the tragic ambush they encountered in the Ink Soul Valley by the boss?

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, supported the ground with his elbows, and slowly knelt down and sat up, his posture revealing the stubbornness and tenacity in his bones.

- The Boss certainly doesn't want him to lie on the ground in embarrassment.

There were countless complex and indistinguishable eyes around him, but he didn't realize it, word by word, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, everyone in Tianjing knows that last winter, Du Huaisheng, the eldest son of the Du family, led 50,000 soldiers and horses to reinforce the northwest. Later, bad news came, saying that the 50,000 soldiers and horses under his command were all wiped out, and the eldest son of the Du family also ended up never being able to stand up. Ke Weichen once asked the veterans and people stationed in Mocheng, and they all said that during Marshal Xie's defense of the city, they did not see any reinforcements. ”

It was like a calm sea suddenly bursting into a violent wind and waves, constantly impacting the nerves of everyone present, and after a period of dizziness, everyone only felt a bone-chilling coldness.

Except for Yuan Minzhou, the faces of the others in the hall were all pale.

Since the founding of the Liang Dynasty, no one has ever dared to make an idea on this. If what Dou Changke said is true, then the Du family has eaten the bear's heart and leopard gall!

- Even if it is the Nine Clans, it is not an exaggeration.

In an instant, the courtiers in the palace were far away from Du Hongxin, for fear of suffering an unwarranted disaster.

And Zhao Pei's chest was rising and falling violently, his hands were tightly gripping the handle of the throne, and his sharp eyes were staring at Dou Changke, as if he could stare out of the hole.

After a moment, he suppressed his voice and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know what you're talking about?" ”

"Wechen knows." Dou Changke met his sharp gaze without fear, and said righteously, "It is precisely because Weichen knows that this matter is ridiculous that he has to beat the drum and report it to the emperor." Otherwise, what face does Weichen have to face the 50,000 soldiers who are missing? What kind of face did he have to face Marshal Xie who was waiting for reinforcements but died tragically on the battlefield? ”

Zhao Peiteng stood up and hit the fold on the throne and fell to the ground. Father-in-law Lu bent down and ran over to pick it up, but he kicked him to the side, and he was so frightened that he didn't dare to come out.

When everyone in the hall saw this, their heads lowered a little.

This young emperor, since he ascended the throne and governed, he has been exposed to all the officials with a gentle and calm attitude, how could he have been so thunderous and angry as at this moment?

This Du family really stepped on the emperor's bottom line without knowing whether to live or die!

Zhao Pei, who was stepped on the bottom line, grabbed the book casually, smashed it on Du Hongxin's head, and said angrily: "Look at the good son you taught!" Go, call Du Huaisheng for me! I want to ask him, with the 50,000 soldiers and horses of the imperial court, what is he going to do if he does not go to the front line to kill the enemy? ”

"The emperor has been wronged!" Du Hongxin knelt straight on the ground, glanced at Dou Changke, and quibbled, "What is the trouble of this desire!" This person claimed to be the commander of Marshal Xie, why didn't he guard the border city, but appeared in Tianjing? The minister is not afraid of being wronged, but he is afraid that this person will deceive the emperor with a vicious mind, and then shake the foundation of the court! Please also ask the emperor to take a look! ”

After speaking, his head slammed heavily on the gold brick, and the dark light in his eyes kept flashing.

From the moment he heard Dou Changke's first words, he broke out in a cold sweat. Along the way, he had been fully mentally prepared, and he could still remain calm in the face of the emperor's questioning at this moment.

But he didn't want to, Dou Changke sneered when he heard this, "Lord Du, the end will be the Dou family, this is a fact that no one can erase." If you have doubts in your heart, you can find the father of the last general to confront you face to face. And if the last general does not appear in Tianjing, how can he stand in front of the emperor and personally expose your wolf heart and dog lungs to deceive the king? ”

Du Hongxin still wanted to quibble, but when he saw that Father-in-law Lu had already run out, he also gritted his teeth and bowed his head silently.

Not long after, Dou Shiqian's bowing sound came from outside the hall.

Zhao Pei glanced at Du Hongxin, who had a stiff back, and announced Dou Shiqian's entry into the hall.

But seeing the burly Dou Shiqian striding in, after saluting, his eyes quickly swept over the people in the hall, but when he saw the kneeling Dou Changke, his body shook violently.

In the next moment, everyone only felt that there was a flash of light and shadow in front of them, and Dou Shiqian rushed to Dou Changke's face, turned his body, and cried with joy: "Son? You're alive? Great, you're still alive! ”

He put his hands tremblingly on Dou Changke's shoulders, looked at it carefully, and when he saw the back that was oozing with a trace of blood, there was a tingle in his eyes, and he cried on the spot.

This son has been working against him since he was a child, and even ran away from home. Later, when he heard that he had joined the army under Marshal Xie, he thought he would be able to save some snacks. Unexpectedly, the bad news that Marshal Xie died on the battlefield came this winter, and his son has been lost since then.

At that moment, he only felt that the heavens and the earth were falling and life was boring.

For more than half a year, he has locked himself up in the mansion, nothing more than refusing to accept the fact that the white-haired person sent the black-haired person. He couldn't believe that the person who said he would come back to accompany him for the New Year died in that battle.

Now, seeing Dou Changke in front of him, with trembling hands touching his face and shoulders, Dou Shiqian burst into tears for a while, "Good boy, I have been out for so many years, and I don't know how to bring the letter back." For the sake of the father, this body is stronger than before......"

Dou Changke was still a little apprehensive in his heart, afraid that he would be beaten again when he saw his father. But at this moment, looking at Dou Shiqian's reddened eyes, his heart was also mixed, and he unconsciously lowered his head.

This bowing is both shame and repentance.

After returning to Tianjing, his mind was full of thinking about how to find out the truth for the boss, but he couldn't go home to take a look.

He slowly turned around, kowtowed to Dou Shiqian, and said ashamedly: "Father, the child is guilty!" When this is over, the child will make amends to you. ”

When everyone saw this, when they looked at Du Hongxin again, their eyes were full of pity and sympathy.

Originally, Dou Shiqian entered the palace to confirm Dou Changke's identity. Now that the father and son recognize each other, Du Hongxin still wants to take the opportunity to slander, but it is just wishful thinking.

The corners of Yuan Minzhou's lips hooked, outlining a cold arc, and said lightly: "Ben Hou remembers that in the battle report of the eldest prince of the Du family, it was mentioned that Marshal Xie was ineffective in fighting and gave the lives of 50,000 soldiers in vain. Now it seems that the war report cannot be trusted. ”

Ignoring Du Hongxin's angry eyes, he turned to look at Zhao Pei who was above him, and said righteously: "Your Majesty, it has been a long time, and there are many people involved in this matter, do you need to summon the people who were related to the reinforcements into the palace one by one, and then ask them clearly?" ”

"Just according to what the Marquis of Dingyuan said." Zhao Pei said without hesitation.

Immediately afterwards, the important officials of the court in the main hall immediately made a list, and after presenting it to the emperor, they ordered someone to summon everyone to the palace according to the list.

After a while, the hall was full of people standing in a row of worried people.

And Du Huaisheng is also among them.

At this moment, he was sitting in a wheelchair, looking at Du Hongxin with trepidation.

This happened too suddenly, and no one had informed him in advance, and at this moment, seeing Du Hongxin giving him frequent glances, his heart was already up and down, and he almost made a mistake even when he met and saluted.

Seeing this, Zhao Pei asked in a deep voice: "Du Huaisheng, I ask you, last winter, where are the 50,000 soldiers and horses who reinforced the northwest now?" ”

Du Huaisheng's face changed greatly, he almost slipped out of the wheelchair, carefully searched for the relevant memories of the past, and said with sincere fear: "The emperor is a good man." At that time, these 50,000 soldiers and horses had already been sent to Marshal Xie's army! ”

"Nonsense!" Zhao Pei suddenly ran down from the jade steps, kicked him in the chest, kicked him to the ground, and said angrily, "I ask you again, where did these 50,000 soldiers and horses go?" ”

Du Huaisheng was kicked by him so that his heart hurt, and he collapsed on his back on the ground, his face was as white as paper.

Du Hongxin hurriedly ran over, helped him up, knelt down to the emperor, and made a final struggle, "Your Majesty, you can't just rely on one-sided words to determine that the dog is guilty of bullying the king!" As we all know, 50,000 soldiers and horses is not a small number, and you can't hide it if you want to. What's more, you just give the dog 110,000 guts, and the dog doesn't dare to do it! ”

As he spoke, he kowtowed vigorously.

Dou Changke looked at him coldly and said mockingly: "Your Majesty, Weichen also brought a few people from Mocheng. They can testify that during Marshal Xie's death in Mocheng, he did not see any reinforcements from the imperial court. ”

"Xuan." Zhao Pei stood with his hands in his hands, his backlit face dimmed.

Soon, I saw four or five people in coarse linen clothes walking in, first trembling and knocking on the current saint, and then honestly answering Zhao Pei's question, but the answer was the same as what Dou Changke said.

In the dead silence, Yuan Minzhou spoke, "Since Commander Dou has brought back these people, Lord Du doesn't need to have any doubts. Presumably, there are thousands of people in Mocheng, three or five people can cheat, and tens of millions of people will never be untrue. Or does Lord Du want the emperor to go to Mocheng in person to listen to the voices of the people? ”

Du Hongxin closed his eyes in despair.

At this moment, a little eunuch ran in and knelt on the ground and reported: "Your Majesty, Mrs. Du asks to see you." ”

Everyone was awe-inspiring when they heard this, and Sun Mingyuan and Yuan Minzhou exchanged glances, and they both saw a trace of solemnity in each other's eyes.

The Du family's forces are intertwined, and the relationship between in-laws is spread across most of the court. As the head of the Du family, Du Taifu assisted the first emperor in his early years, worked hard and made great achievements, and was awarded the post of Taifu. After Zhao Pei ascended the throne, he followed the rules and worked diligently, so that people could not find the slightest mistake in him.

And Yuan Minzhou chose to poke out this matter at this time, which was to see the opportunity for Du Taifu to go to Putuo Temple with the Empress Dowager Du to worship the Buddha, in order to achieve a quick solution and not give Du Taifu any possibility of turning the tables.

Who would have thought that he would still be caught up by Mrs. Du.

Yuan Minzhou's expression was slightly gloomy, and he looked at Zhao Pei, but found that his face was still sinking like water, looking at the palace door with deep eyes, and he didn't know what he was thinking for a while.

The hall fell into a dead silence.

After a while, Zhao Peicai pulled the corners of his mouth and sneered: "Today is really lively!" Let him in! ”

Du Taifu is the ruler of the Du family's big house, and he is also the most respected person in the Du family. Unlike Du Hongxin, Du Taifu is cautious and has been up and down for a long time, so he looks much older than Du Hongxin.

He walked in quickly, didn't look at the kneeling people, and saluted respectfully, "The minister sees the emperor." Long live our emperor. ”

"Too Fu is not polite." Zhao Pei looked at him and said curiously, "Didn't the Taifu accompany the Queen Mother to Putuo Temple to worship the Buddha?" Why did you suddenly return to Tianjing? ”

Only then did Mrs. Du look at Du Hongxin's father and son, who were hugging each other, and said, "Your Majesty, the minister heard that someone had falsely accused the Du family, so he rushed back non-stop. The minister thought that there were a lot of strange things in this matter, and it was necessary to think about it from the beginning. Don't listen to the slander of one side and fall into the trap of the villain! ”

Zhao Pei's eyes sank, but he said, "Why did Taifu say this? ”

Du Taifu's gaze quickly swept over Sun Mingyuan and Yuan Minzhou, and then said, "As far as the minister knows, when Commander Dou returned to Tianjing, he lived in the Hou Mansion for a few days, and his testimony will inevitably be biased. What's more, there are plenty of human witnesses in this temple, but there is no physical evidence. Isn't it the idea of having a mouth with red lips and white teeth, and saying whatever you want? ”

When Dou Changke heard this, he took out letters from his arms, held them high with both hands, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, when Weichen was packing up Marshal Xie's relics, he found these letters, which recorded the big and small matters during the defense of the city. The emperor knew the truth at a glance. ”

Hearing that it was Xie Fenghua's handwritten letter, Zhao Pei's expression suddenly became a little dazed, and after the trance, he took it and looked at it one by one.

Mrs. Du suddenly frowned, "This letter can also be imitated......

"No!" Zhao Pei squinted, there seemed to be a sharp light in his long narrow eyes, and directly interrupted him, "I recognize it!" That's Xie Fenghua's handwriting! ”

Mrs. Du suddenly stopped.

And Dou Changke's eyes showed a hint of surprise, raised his head, and inadvertently met Yuan Minzhou's suspicious gaze, and turned his face away a little unnaturally.

In fact, those letters were not the relics of the boss, but the boss's sister who wrote them by hand in a hurry. After she had finished writing, she asked herself to find a way to make the letters a little older so that they would fit the characteristics of a "relic". And he has traveled in the rivers and lakes, knows some side ways, and it is not a problem to get a few letters.

Yes, there is this "physical evidence"!

The man said to him, "Don't take out these letters until you have to."

And being forced to that role by Mrs. Du just now, it should be considered a last resort, right?

He lowered his head and meditated, unaware that these expressions had already been seen by Yuan Minzhou. But he saw Yuan Minzhou come out and said, "Your Majesty, the minister still has a personal certificate here, which can prove that the 50,000 soldiers and horses did not reach the northwest battlefield." ”

"Who is it?" Zhao Pei asked.

"This person's name is Wan Peng."

……

After Wan Peng was kidnapped by Changying, he has been locked up in the secret prison of the Hou Mansion, calling the heavens and the earth not spiritual. I finally came out, and I was blindfolded by a cloth towel all the way, and I didn't know where I was.

And after the other party left him here, he could finally tear off the cloth towel that covered his eyes, and when he saw the surrounding scene, his heart suddenly fell to the bottom.

But I saw that this place was dark and gloomy, empty and empty, and the wind passing through the hall was strong and urgent, blowing the prayer flags to dance everywhere, as if I was in the underworld.

Wan Peng hugged his arms and stood up boldly, but he heard a strange movement in front of him, thought about it, and tiptoed over.

The oncoming wind also became stronger, and the prayer flags were thrown in the face, and there was a hot pain.

Wan Peng was blown away by the wind and tilted his head slightly, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure moving towards him, and his burly body suddenly froze in place. His gaze slowly moved to the man's face, and the next moment he screamed!

"Thank you...... Marshal Xie...... You are Marshal Xie, you are a ghost......" His legs and feet weakened, he squatted down with his head in place, and his voice changed tone due to extreme tension, "Marshal Xie...... Marshal Xie, don't come to the last general......"

The figure suddenly stopped, and shouted in a deep voice: "Wan Peng! The commander treats you well, why do you do such an ungrateful thing, betraying the deployment of the marshal to the enemy? ”

"No...... No...... There is no ......" Wan Peng waved his hands in fear, hugged his head and cried, "Marshal, the last general will be forced to ......"

"Who forced you?" There was a hatred in his voice.

"It's the leader of the Western Empire!" He didn't seem to dare to hide, he kowtowed his head with a bang, and spoke quickly, as if he was afraid that he would not be able to say it if it was too late, "Marshal, the last general didn't mean to harm you!" The general thought that even if the deployment of the march was leaked to the enemy, you would definitely be able to turn the corner with those 50,000 reinforcements. But the last general didn't expect that the reinforcements didn't arrive on the battlefield, it was the eldest son of the Du family, and it was the eldest son of the Du family who delayed the military plane and killed you...... Even this time the last general to return to Beijing is the main ...... of the Du family"

There seemed to be a flash of silver light in the darkness, Wan Peng's body stiffened, and his voice stopped abruptly.

The four sides suddenly lit up, Xie Fenghua leaned in, stretched out his hand to probe his nose, and looked solemn, "It's dead." ”

She circled around Wan Peng's body, but found a silver needle pierced under her ribs, thinking that it was a flash of silver light just now.

In order to force Wan Peng to comply, it was pitch black everywhere, but it was a loophole for people to take advantage of and kill people. But no one expected that the other party would dare to do it under the emperor's nose.

Zhao Pei walked out of the darkness, his eyes swept over Xie Fenghua, he paused for a moment, and then looked at Wan Peng, who fell to the ground and died, his face was extremely gloomy. He turned around, glanced at the courtiers behind him who were bowing their heads and lowered their eyes, and shouted angrily, "Taifu Du, you are so bold!" ”

Du Taifu knelt on the ground and said righteously: "Your Majesty, it was so dark just now, it is inevitable that someone will frame you." You just give the minister 110,000 guts, and the minister doesn't dare to do this! Please also ask the emperor to take a look! ”

"Really?" Zhao Pei sneered, "This is obviously killing people." Since you say that you can't do it, it's Du Hongxin and Du Huaisheng! ”

Du Taifu was stunned fiercely, and when he realized the meaning of his words, he suddenly closed his eyes.

It's almost impossible to get out of it today.

The emperor's attitude could not be more obvious - that is, to severely punish the Du family. But the Du family is powerful, he can't take the entire Du family under the knife, and he will inevitably bite the people in the second room to death.

For today's plan, I can only abandon the car to protect the handsome!

Second brother, Huaisheng, I'm sorry! He thought so to himself.

Zhao Pei glanced at his resigned look, and said without anger: "Du Huaisheng and Du Hongxin deceived the monarch, delayed the military plane, and beheaded the public in front of the noon gate tomorrow." He was exiled for thousands of miles and could not enter the government for the rest of his life. ”

Woe to your children and grandchildren!

This is to cut off the root of Du Hongxin's line!

Mrs. Du screamed, "Your Majesty, don't ...... it"

"Du-too-fu!" Zhao Pei slammed the teacup in his hand to his feet, and the fragments splashed and cut Du Huaisheng's face, startling him to wake up and open his mouth to ask for mercy, but when he found that the Son of Heaven was furious, he suddenly stopped talking.

Zhao Pei's face seemed to be soaked in thousands of years of frost, and his voice was cold and said without any emotion: "Mrs. Du! You have to think clearly, the 50,000 soldiers and horses were personally sent by me to reinforce Xie Fenghua. With Xie Fenghua's ability, if there are 50,000 soldiers and horses, it will definitely not reach the point of defending Mocheng! My Great Liang Dynasty will not lose such an excellent general! At this point, 10,000 deaths are not enough! ”

Mrs. Du's body trembled, looked at him in disbelief, and after a long while, he lowered his head in resignation.

And Du Huaisheng and Du Hongxin were dragged down.

Zhao Pei issued a series of decrees and severely punished the officials who were related to reinforcements at the beginning. At this time, no one dared to remind him that the disposal officials should pay attention to evidence. And those who have the courage to remind, such as Yuan Minzhou, will not be bored.

Zhao Pei waved his hand and was about to leave, but was stopped by Du Taifu, "Your Majesty, it is said that the people of Xie Mansion will be convicted today, have you forgotten?" Xie Zhengyun built an auxiliary canal privately, his heart can be punished, and he should be beheaded to show the public! ”

Du Hongxin's one was uprooted, Xie Fu wanted to get through the trick, how could it be so easy?

On Huangquan Road, the more people there are, the better!

Zhao Pei glanced at Xie Zhengyun, who had no sense of existence, and his face was gloomy as if it was full of storm.

Seeing this, Xie Fenghua sneered in his heart, thinking that Mrs. Du, the old horseman, was really in a hurry to jump off the wall.

Now that Zhao Pei is in a state of anger, it is estimated that no one in this hall dares to touch his head. It's good that he insisted on opening up confidential matters such as auxiliary canals in public, and I am afraid that he also had the intention of coercion and intimidation.

But, coercion and intimidation of the emperor?

Courage is commendable, but stupidity is extreme.

Zhao Pei has long had the intention of eradicating the Du family, but he has never been able to find a chance. Seeing the opportunity to severely punish the Du family today, I think it is also in his plan. But Mrs. Du didn't know about the advance and retreat, and then it was up to him to see if he could retreat.

And what she is more curious about is that didn't Mrs. Du follow Empress Dowager Du to Putuo Temple to worship Buddha? How can you be so familiar with the things in Tianjing?

Isn't it, what did this force force him to expose?

She raised her eyes and glanced at Yuan Minzhou, but saw that he also shook his head, and she could only watch the play with her hands in her hands for a while.

But at this moment, Dou Changke suddenly asked, "Auxiliary canal?" Who said that Xie Zhengyun built the auxiliary canal? ”