In the city of Bianliang in the Great Zhou, the atmosphere in the city has been dull in the past few days. The large number of soldiers and horses pouring in from outside the city that night, and the sound of fighting from the direction of the east and west camps all made Ben gradually regain his vitality and the people of the capital of the Great Zhou were frightened and suspicious. Especially on the morning of the next day, all kinds of rumors spread all over the streets and alleys of the capital, and the content of the rumors made the people even more frightened and worried.

There are many rumors, but most of the versions tend to be a plot, that is, the current emperor Guo Kun took the generalissimo Lin Jue to lead the army, and when the soldiers and horses of the fallen geese army in the city were empty, he secretly summoned the soldiers and horses of the local army into the city to try to control the capital. In the end, Shen Tan led the army to defeat the Xiang army and quell the chaos.

The people of the capital are not terrified by last night's fighting, they have already experienced too many such things in the past few months. What they were really terrified about was that they had learned one thing from the events of the previous night, and that was that the present court, which had just given confidence and hope, was not at all as harmonious as it appeared on the outside. The contradiction between the emperor and Marshal Lin was obviously beyond everyone's expectations, who would have thought that the relationship between them had reached such an incompatible situation. And this will obviously cast a shadow on the future of the Great Zhou, so that the enthusiasm and hope of the people who have recovered a little will be poured cold water on their heads. The fear is, is it going back to the way things were? Is the court about to usher in an endless battle again? In what way will the matter between the emperor and Lin Jue come to the end?

The mood of the people is very contradictory, between the emperor and Lin Jue, they can't find their own position. Generally speaking, allegiance to the emperor is a matter of course. There was a contradiction between the courtiers and the emperor, and it was obvious that the courtiers should be blamed for their disloyalty. However, when it comes to this matter, these two people are obviously not so simple. The attitudes of the people in the capital were naturally divided into two factions.

One faction believes that the emperor is obviously a last resort, and it is obvious that Lord Lin should have bad intentions, and the emperor can only regain power in this way. Otherwise, the lessons of the previous car are not far away, and the second Lu Zhongtian will be reincarnated, and the emperor will eventually be unable to protect himself. Lord Lin did have great merit, but after the world was calmed, he should relinquish his military power to show his loyalty and innocence. Grasping the military and political power, where will the emperor go?

The other faction is clearly not going to agree with them. They believe that it was Lord Lin who single-handedly reversed the pattern of the world, led the Luoyan army to defeat the Jurchen army, quelled the civil strife of the Lu thieves, and preserved the Jiangshan Sheji of the Great Zhou. If there is no Lin Jue, there will be no Great Zhou. If the current emperor was not assisted by Lin Jue, how could he be today? Ordinary people still know gratitude, let alone the emperor who should be an example for the world? He took advantage of Lord Lin's expedition to move behind his back, and this kind of behavior itself was unbearable. Moreover, those so-called rumors slandering Lord Lin as having the intention of seizing the throne are obviously fabricated speculations. If Lord Lin has different intentions, he can get rid of the current emperor and stand on his own, but why should he hold on to King Liang's father and son, who have been driven out of the capital?

Those who say that Lin Jue is afraid that his name is not right, so he wants to find a puppet to provide for the person is also untenable. The Jurchen invasion, the Lu thieves stole the country, and the world has been in chaos. The Great Zhou was almost dying, and many local forces were ready to set themselves up as kings. Lin Jue didn't have to find a puppet to supply, just start an army to fight for the world. Moreover, even if you set up a puppet, it doesn't necessarily have to be Guo Kun. The eldest princess of the former emperor Guo Chong is Lin Jue's wife, and he can raise troops under the banner of the eldest princess, wouldn't it be even more troubleless.

Therefore, to put it bluntly, the emperor is ungrateful to do this, that is, crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, unloading the mill and killing the donkey, and scolding the cook when he is full. Such behaviour is extremely shameful. killed the hero, and it was a great hero who assisted himself in ascending the throne, and he stabbed a knife in the back when Lord Lin went to fight with the Jurchens, which shows how despicable and unbearable the emperor is today. This kind of person is a white-eyed wolf in folk terms, and he will be scolded and despised by everyone.

The atmosphere in the court was also very strange, the officials were doing things as usual, and the yamen were also busy. However, after the emperor entered Beijing, the early dynasty that did not fall for a day stopped. Everyone was silent about it, and every time someone asked about it, whether it was their family or close friends, they received a reprimand.

The atmosphere in the whole capital was dreary and quiet, like the calm before a storm. Everyone knew in their hearts that this matter would not pass so quietly, and when Lord Lin returned from the expedition, it was when this matter was about to break out.

It's mid-June, and the weather in the capital is already extremely hot. After the evening sun sets, the heat on the ground still does not dissipate. The yamen, who managed the streets of the capital, sent people to pull water wheels to spray water on the streets and alleys of the capital to cool down, and a heat wave of steam steamed in the air. The transpiration of water vapor absorbs the heat from the ground and disperses it in the air, which in turn makes the air even hotter and humid.

But in any case, everything becomes more pleasant after the sun goes down, and the night wind will soon blow the heat away, which is also the most pleasant time for the people of the capital in the summer. The stalls of the night market on the bustling street have begun to be put up during the day by the heat wave. The people who were forced to dare not go out also went out of their homes one after another. The night market on summer night is the most lively scenery in Bianliang City, and even more lively at night than during the day.

The shops on both sides of the Bianhe River have better business when they arrive at the night market, and they have set up pergolas in front of the shops early, set up tables and chairs, and are ready to welcome the crowds of the night market. The wharves on both sides of the Bianhe River are also very busy at night, and the scorching heat during the day is unbearable for the coolies. After experiencing the lessons of heat stroke in many people, all merchants and shipping companies have recently adjusted their unloading times to the evening and early morning. Dozens of wharves on both sides of the Bianhe River were crowded with busy unloading goods all night.

After dark, a carriage came out of the side gate of the forest house compound on the front street of Xiangguoji Temple, and under the protection of several guards on horseback, the carriage passed through the bustling and noisy flow of people, and headed east across the front street of Xiangguoji Temple. Soon after, I went on Suzaku Street and turned north, and went straight to the Daqingmen Palace Gate.

The carriage stopped near the gate of the palace, and someone at the gate of the palace came forward, under the light of the lantern, the leader was handsome and had a serious face, and it was Shen Tan, the commander of the front division of the palace.

Several guards escorting the carriage stepped forward to salute, Shen Tan nodded, stared at the carriage door, and said in a deep voice: "The villain Shen Tan is here to greet the county lord." ”

The carriage door opened, and a maid got out of the carriage and lifted the curtain for the people inside. Under the light of the lantern, a woman with a tulle mask got out of the car and saluted Shen Tan, who bowed down.

"Lord Shen is polite, you are here to greet me, I am really uneasy."

Shen Tan hurriedly said: "Where does the county lord say, the villain doesn't dare to be." ”

The woman who got out of the car was none other than Guo Caiwei, the little county lord. Shen Tan was originally the commander of the guards of the Liang Palace, which was equivalent to the retainer of the palace, so the answer between him and the little county lord still couldn't change his previous title, and he was also extremely respectful. It's not entirely because the little county lord is Lin Jue's wife.

"This time, I'm going to make you embarrassed. I know that it is very inappropriate for me to enter the palace at this moment, but after thinking about it, I still have to go to the palace. There are some things that need to be clarified with my mother and my confused brother. I know it's hard for you to do this, but I hope Lord Shen understands my distress as well. The little county lord said softly.

Shen Tan sighed and said in a low voice: "At this time, the county lord really shouldn't enter the palace. Marshal Lin has already defeated the Jurchen class master and returned to the dynasty, at this time...... It's not that I'm talking too much, the county lord shouldn't come to the palace again. Everything will be decided when Lord Lin returns to the capital. The county lord entered the palace at this time, with all due respect, it was actually not wise. There is no other meaning in the next remark, after all, in extraordinary times, the identity of the county lord is extremely sensitive. In fact, it is also for the sake of the county lord......"

The little county lord nodded slightly, and the expression on his veiled face was not clear.

"Commander Shen, if you really feel embarrassed, I won't force you. In fact, I can enter the palace openly, and it is precisely because I am worried about the rumors outside that I don't want people to talk about it, so I let people tell you. Moreover, I entered the palace not for anything else, but to explain the matter clearly to my brother and mother, and to persuade them not to be obsessed. It is precisely because my husband wants to come back that I want to enter this palace. I heard that my mother and brother have always been very arrogant, and I must persuade them. After all, it was my mother and brother, and I couldn't do nothing. I think even if my husband comes back, he will be willing to let me enter this palace, in short, after my husband comes back, if there is any accountability, I, Guo Caiwei, will bear it, and I will never drag you down Commander Shen. ”

Shen Tan was stunned, with an embarrassed look on his face. He knew that if he continued to talk about it, he was afraid that he would really be misunderstood. The little county lord's words were already a little wrong at this moment. As the original commander of the palace, he was saved by the prince's father and son, but in the end he chose to follow Lin Jue, which in itself had already made Shen Tan's heart very tormented. The little county lord's words just stopped, and if he continued, he was afraid that Shen Tan himself would not be able to stand it. sighed at the moment, and arched his hand: "That's it, just invite the county lord into the palace." Come and open the palace gate. ”