In the official post in Xijing, Deng Su asked anxiously: "Is Cao Laojie handsome bedridden and can't see things?" ”

"Now the official documents of Xijing Daying are temporarily sent to the mansion for reading. Cao Jieshuai couldn't come to greet Qincha, so Jieshuai specially asked the late students to confess to Deng Shilang, and asked Deng Shilang to go to the mansion to announce the decree. Wei Chengji smiled and arched his hand, "Labor driver, this is a small meaning of the Marshal's Mansion, not a tribute." "Before he joined the Cao Di shogunate, he was also a student of Taixue, four or five years older than Deng Su. Behind Wei Chengji, two servants held two large wooden plates in their hands, unraveling half of the red silk to reveal valuable incense and jade. As the saying goes, don't stretch out your hand and don't hit a smiling person, no matter age, official position or title, Cao Di is much higher than Deng Su, saying that the illness made Deng Su go to the house to announce the decree, Deng Su didn't go to the excuse, but looked arrogant.

"This,...... Cao Jieshuai is the pillar of the country," Deng Su only hesitated for a moment and asked, "If the official family knows about it, he will definitely be worried." I don't know what the condition is? When will it get better? He had two guards at his side. Li Zhongyi and Liu Huishi are directly dispersed in front of the inner hall. Before leaving Beijing, the Wuchang military festival made Zhu Bernard vaguely reveal the intention of capturing Cao Di. Let them follow Deng Su's orders after they arrive in Xijing. Now both of them have solemn faces.

"Old age and frailty, his legs and feet are not very convenient, and because the deputy marshal Min was stabbed the day before yesterday, the old marshal is worried about state affairs, and he is a little overworked," Wei Chengji said with some embarrassment, "Cao Jieshuai often said that he really wants to resign from his post and return to the field." However, the Xia Kingdom is eyeing the west, the camp in Xijing is too big, and more than 100,000 horsemen are arrogant, and there must be a veteran to suppress it. The marshal said that if he held this sick body and lived for a day, he would be loyal to the court for a day. must do his best, and the horse leather shroud will not be in vain for the great imperial grace of the previous emperors to the Cao family. ”

Wei Chengji said as he spoke, Deng Su's face gradually became a little moved, and he stood up and said: "Cao Jieshuai is really a pillar of the country, and I also ask Mr. Wei to stay for a while, and I will go to the Jieshuai's Mansion to announce the decree in my later life." Wei Chengji smiled and nodded in thanks. Deng Su returned to the backyard, and he whispered to General Li Liu Er to prepare to act at the opportune moment. Hundreds of selected strong men of Banzhi wore iron armor in their military robes, holding a full set of honor guards of honor, and traveled all the way to Cao Di's mansion. Because Deng Su came to visit as a messenger, the main gate of Cao's mansion that was never opened was opened, and the strong servants and beautiful maids held incense burners, bouquets and other things, extending from the door to the courtyard.

Deng Su walked all the way over, and secretly sighed that the wealth of Caofu was that there were hundreds of servants and maids on both sides of the bare bluestone road, but since the time of the Taizu of this dynasty, he encouraged the festival to buy more songs and dances and live for a long time, and he could not use this as a reason to impeach Cao Di. Li Zhongyi, Liu Hui walked in front of the guard of honor with a golden gourd and a golden yue, and secretly wrote down the road in the house in case of emergency. Walk from the gate of Caofu to the main hall, pass through the three moon gates, about a stick of incense, the front suddenly opens up, in front of the main hall of Caofu, thousands of soldiers wear armor, neatly arranged on both sides, the armor is distinct, the sword and gun are sunny. In the open space in the middle, dozens of generals were clustered around a tiger-skin chair, and a veteran was slowly standing up from the chair.

Seeing this formation, Deng Su suddenly stopped, frowned and asked, "Mr. Wei, what does this mean?" ”

Wei Chengji whispered: "The unworthy generals in the camp are all here, Deng Shilang is a noble person in Beijing, and with the grace of the imperial court, they came together to receive the order." He smiled secretly in his heart, but his tone was still respectful, "Although Cao Jieshuai's legs and feet are inconvenient, he still came out of the room to greet the holy decree." ”

Deng Su's heart sank slightly, he forcibly calmed down, nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Cao Di has the order." ”

The two guards stepped forward to lay out the bearskin mattress, and Cao Di slowly knelt down and said, "The old minister has the order." He hadn't looked at Deng Su directly, and his voice was not loud, but Deng Su could hear it clearly. At the same time, the soldiers of the Xijing camp on both sides were all looking at the Lord Lang of the Ministry of Rites, although these soldiers had not gone through many battles, but so many people stared at it together, Deng Su was a little cold, and he was holding the holy decree signed by Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu and the privy envoy. There is also a copy of His Majesty's decree hidden in his arms, which lists Cao Di's various crimes, and he will be taken and escorted to Beijing for questioning. In this situation, Deng Su couldn't take out this central decree no matter what. He could only slowly recite the holy decree of the small punishment and the big commandment.

Just finished reading, Deng Su was still waiting to squeeze out a smile and appease this feudal official on behalf of the imperial court. The soldiers of the Xijing camp below shouted one after another. "His grandmother's, surnamed Pan, is crazy, what's the matter with Guan Dashuai?" "How can a saint be like this, it must be a traitor in the court!" "Cao Jieshuai is brave and loyal, how can he suffer such an injustice." Although everyone's voice was not loud, thousands of people had a seizure together, and they suddenly became in the dust, plus the soldiers who came forward were all wearing armor and holding sharp blades. The guards of Banzhi who accompanied the decree couldn't help but change color on their faces, if it weren't for the fact that these people often walked around in the palace and were well-trained, they would almost face each other on the spot.

"Presumptuous-" Cao Di broke off, and many soldiers were suddenly silent. The audience was full of elegance and quietness, and only Cao Di said awe-inspiringly: "You wait for the army to eat food, the upper one serves the emperor's grace, the middle one protects the territory and the people, and the lower one strictly enforces military discipline." The imperial court is here, how can it be so noisy and make people laugh! His words were righteous and strict, which made all the generals feel ashamed, and someone replied: "The lesson of the marshal is that the last general will not dare." ”

When Deng Suzheng was stunned, Cao Di turned his head and apologized: "They are all rude soldiers, which makes Deng Shilang smile, and I also ask Deng Shilang to be a rude man who is honest and serve the country. The old man is full of honor and disgrace, and there is nothing left. He had countless sighs of embarrassment in his words.

Deng Su was dumbfounded for a while, and he didn't know how to answer, so he could only smile and nod and said, "Cao Jieshuai is serious, serious." "One is the border town marshal with heavy troops, and the other is a Qingliu celebrity who has won the favor of the saints, although the two sides have heard the name for a long time, but it is difficult to have many speculative words, after the words on the scene were explained, Deng Su took his leave. Cao Di looked at his back, and a hint of fierceness flashed in his eyes.

After Wei Chengji sent Deng Su out of the mansion on behalf of Cao Di, he said with a worried face: "Jie Shuai, why don't you tell Xia Guo about the assassins?" ”

"What's the good of talking?" Cao Di had already changed out of his purple robe, put on his wide kudzu shirt, and said indifferently, "One is that there is no evidence, and the other is that the court knows what can it do?" Now the Liao State is sharpening its knives in the north, in case those scholars get dizzy and start a war with the Xia State again, our dynasty will be attacked on both sides. Since there has been no action in the west for so many days after the stabbing of the planter Min, I am afraid that someone deliberately provoked the fight between our dynasty and the Xia Kingdom. Now, this matter is calm. Delay for a while, and then report those speculations and assassins' nonsense to the court. Seeing that Wei Chengji's face was embarrassed, he remembered something and asked, "What?" ”

Deng Shilang returned all the generous gifts of the marshal. I didn't look at it carefully, I just said that I didn't dare to bear it. Wei Chengji hesitated, "In this way, it will be difficult to clean up." Cao Di asked him to give Deng Su a gift, although it didn't seem to be much, the incense medicine and jade were all the best from the Western Regions, and the actual value was more than 100,000 yuan. If Deng Su accepted the heavy gift and did not take Cao Di on this trip, the impeachment of the imperial history in Beijing would make him never live in front of the saint.

"Deng Shouyi, it's not surprising that the impeachment is just a matter of hindrance."

Seeing Cao Di unfold a piece of white paper, Wei Chengji leaned over and took out the inkstone, poured spring water again, and hesitated while grinding loose smoke and ink: "This Deng Su is embarrassed by the old handsome, is it just that?" "Cao Di has always been merciless in cleaning up his opponents, which is also the reason why the seed master Min died, and the whole dynasty suspected that it was Cao Di's order.

"A scholar, there is not one more person who is embarrassed by the old man in the Manchu Dynasty," Cao Di wrote a line of "three times to worry about the world," straightened up and looked at it, and said with emotion, "It is not easy for an official who is not greedy for money to come out of the court." He leaned down again and continued to write "The two dynasties opened the hearts of the old ministers". Wei Chengji held his breath and didn't speak again.

Deng Su returned to the mansion like a lost soul, and somehow, he felt that his heart was full of sour and incomprehensible taste. Like when he was ashamed in front of His Majesty, he only needed a hundred soldiers to accompany him, and he could escort Cao Di to His Majesty, who would have thought that today's announcement would be like an embarrassing clown, and he was played with by Cao Di in the palm of his hand.

Both squad officers were loyal. Li Zhongyi restrained the Banzhi guards, not allowed to go out of the camp to cause trouble, and took strict precautions, Liu Hui followed Deng Su to prevent him from having trouble. Deng Su's heart was unsettled, remembering that he could not make a deal when he returned to Beijing, he was depressed and distressed, and deeply regretted that he acted frivolously, and he dealt with the causes and consequences of this matter, the reactions of the important ministers of the DPRK and the central government, and his various things in the past. For a while, I couldn't help but sweat coldly, and I felt cold all over my body.

A bright moon has reached the middle of the sky, and the night wind is gusting, and Liu will feel very cool. On duty in the palace, the rules are very strict, and they, the guards, are also used to being silent. Deng Su woke up from his contemplation, and only then did he realize that Liu Hui had been following him all along, and only then did he hear the slight sound of armor behind him.

"Snubbing General Liu." The waiter of the Ministry of Rites bowed his hand apologetically. Liu Hui is a little unaccustomed, although Deng Su was also amiable in the past, but in his bones he felt noble, and now it seems to be a little different from before, but Liu Hui can't say it for a while. He had no choice but to laugh and say, "Deng Shilang has killed the last general." ”

"General Liu is outside," Deng Su smiled, patted Liu Hui's shoulder, and sighed gloomily, "What is there to kill, it is useless to be a scholar." "At this moment, one of the original beliefs seems to collapse with a bang, while something else is slowly sprouting.