In the distant night sky, heavy snow fell one after another, and a thin layer soon accumulated on the branches of the roof.

In the dim alley, Shi Tingjian leaned against the wall, shivering with cold, letting his body shrink in the dark shadow of the accumulation of debris. After the crowd outside the Prime Minister's Mansion was dispersed by artillery, Shi Tingjian covered his wounds and reluctantly followed the crowd out of Suzaku Street, he fled to the state school first, but found that the school house was empty, Shi Tingjian did not dare to stay, the city was already full of forbidden troops, and there were more patrols near the city gate, he did not dare to go out of the city, he hid all the way, and fled to the alley of Taipingfang.

Not far from the alley, the warm firelight flickered, the voices were noisy, and Shi Tingjian's teeth were rattling, so he could only curl up as much as possible. He stared at the firelight, there was hatred and fear in his eyes, as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw Zhang Wei lying on his back on the ground with blood on his face, thinking of those who had fallen, he felt that he was a reluctant person, the burning pain of the wound on his upper arm, the shotgun was not dug out in time, and the wound was already a little red and swollen.

There was a faint voice at the entrance of the alley: "The commander has an order, the soldiers are not allowed to enter the houses without permission, and can only camp under the eaves." ”

"Good neighbors, the court curfew, be sure to ......"

"If traitors are infested, you can sound a gong to warn and let the forbidden army come in to search and arrest them!"

Suddenly, a huge cheer broke out among the soldiers, as if something had happened, Shi Tingjian was strange, looked towards the alley, and saw a general riding a horse through the long street, a group of generals with helmets and armor clustered around him, this general was a white robe, as if he had come back from a banquet, and he was wearing a vermilion coat. Everywhere they passed, the forbidden army erupted in huge cheers, "Zhao Shuai! "Zhao Shuai wins!" "Zhao Jieshuai wins!"

"It turned out to be him." A spark of anger burst out of Shi Tingjian's eyes, and he firmly remembered this person.

Zhao Xingde seemed to be aware of it, and when he passed by the alley, he glanced inside, only to see the accumulation of debris, and the alley was narrow and dark. He shook his head as if laughing at himself, in the dark, he was worthy of the ghosts, but for those who were dead and wounded, he probably thought the same. It is difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, but in this position, you must have a responsibility, and you can only slash it with a sword. The protector made Feng Shu ask himself, if ten years ago, he was standing on the opposite side, how should he deal with himself? No one knows whether what they are doing is necessarily right. The road is long, obstructive and long, but we can't stop because of this, just try our best to do it, even if it is wrong, although we die without regrets.

"Marquis Wuchang, this is the cotton clothes and quilts allocated by the Ministry of War to protect the soldiers from the cold."

Zhao Xingde raised his head, and a scribe was waiting by the side of the road, holding a document. On the other side of the long street, more than a dozen large cars slowly drove by. With this heavy snowfall, the climate suddenly became cold, Zhao Xingde restrained the soldiers from trespassing into the houses, and sent people to ask the military department for cotton clothes and charcoal to reward the army, but he didn't expect the military department to react so quickly. It would be good that the Ezhou government had relief to the victims so quickly. Because their homes were looted and burned, perhaps many well-off families have fallen into poverty since then.

The forbidden army was not good at handling civil affairs, and in order to prevent accidents, the Ministry of War and the Ezhou government sent as many scribes and officials as possible to assist. In such snowy weather, they also had to sleep on the streets like the forbidden army in the southeast camp. The scribe was wearing a jacket on the street, and his face was so cold that his face was white and his lips were blue. The situation of the homeless people is understandably difficult.

"Lord Liu has a heart, and Zhao has thanked the lieutenant general of the battalion." Zhao Xingde smiled and said, "You have also worked hard." ”

"The lower officials don't dare," the scribe said humbly, and said one more, "These quilts and quilts were ordered and issued by the Prime Minister himself." ”

"Oh?" Zhao Xingde was slightly stunned. Chen Dong has always admired the six ministries to perform their duties, and the prime minister asks about cattle and not people. In the past, the rations of the forbidden army, no matter how urgent, were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. This turmoil may have made Chen Dong's mentality also undergo subtle changes. "Order all departments, if you can, you can squeeze it, and there will be extra clothes, quilts, and food," Zhao Xingde said in a deep voice, "Distribute it to the victims first, and then report to the Ministry of War." He looked up at the snowflakes falling in the sky, "In this kind of weather, many people may freeze to death in one night." ”

"Yes, Jie Shuai." Ma Yuan shouted and commanded. He immediately sent a dozen flag officers to set off to inform the commanders in each direction. After Ma Yuan met Ezhou, he was assigned to the camp as a staff officer, and when Zhao Xingde ordered the general, he asked him to be the deputy general of the current army, and Ma Yuan accepted it without hesitation. The army entered the city to quell the chaos, and the commanders and commanders in the southeast camp were absent, and Zhao Xingde directly dispatched various commanders, and Ma Yuan and other deputy generals and staff officers contributed a lot.

Zhao Xingde rode his horse and continued to move forward, and everywhere he passed, the soldiers cheered loudly at him, as if he had just won a great victory.

Lin Zhen rode behind Zhao Xingde, surprised and puzzled in his heart. Wang Gui's mastery of the soldiers and horses of the battalion is also effective, and it can be seen that the commanders and commanders are all inexplicably absent from the battalion. However, it has been a long time since Zhao Xingde left, and he still maintains such a high prestige in the army, which is really terrifying. The army rushed to help the victims before the government, and won the hearts of the people in Ezhou. Lin Zhengan looked at Zhao Xingde's back, and his face changed.

The snow on Suzaku Street was very muddy, and the blood stains had not yet had time to be washed off. Eighteen lanterns hung high in the gatehouse of the Prime Minister's Mansion illuminated the area of the entrance as bright as day, however, the walls and pillars were densely covered with mottled holes of various sizes, which were shocking and particularly dazzling. From the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion to the government hall, there are guards armed with muskets along the way.

After the riots in the city subsided, the Prime Minister summoned the six Shangshu and Shilang, the Privy Council Chengzhi, the Twelve Governors, and the Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, the Shilang of the Military Department, and the Shilang of the Criminal Department to come and wait. The Prime Minister's Mansion Hall was full of officials, and after meeting each other during the Great Ceremony, many of them met for the first time. Everyone sat upright, grim-faced, and acquaintances whispered to each other, exchanging news they had received. The six Shangshu went inside one after another, but the discussion has not yet yielded a result. Everyone had been waiting in the capital hall for a long time, but now they could only wait.

In the midst of the gathering, Feng Yanlun, the envoy of the Xia Kingdom, was embarrassed and nervous. He came to see Prime Minister of the Great Song Dynasty in the morning and waited until this time, and Chen Dong seemed to have forgotten him! Feng Yanlun also probably knew the situation outside, of course he would not be stupid enough to remind Chen Dong that at this critical juncture, where could he be the first to find out the situation of the Song Dynasty than here? Therefore, the officials of the Song Dynasty cast suspicious glances, and Feng Yanlun smiled calmly and handed over perfunctorily.

In the signing room, there was a brief silence, and Prime Minister Chen Dong had not yet made a decision on how to deal with the follow-up, while Deng Su, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and Wen Xunzhi, the secretary of the Ministry of Justice, had different opinions, and the two argued on the spot. Deng Su believes that it was obviously the incident provoked by Wu Zilong and his family. The Criminal Department should immediately issue an official document on the arrest of the sea, first strictly investigate and arrest the troublemakers at the checkpoints near Ezhou, and then interrogate the mastermind behind the scenes, and the Criminal Department will punish them for their crimes.

Wen Xunzhi believes that it is difficult to convince the public to conclude that Wu Zilong is the mastermind based on speculation. This dynasty has always not used words to sinner, and without evidence, it is not in line with the Qingliu Law to arrest and interrogate Qingliushi people by sea and prison. The practice of removing the student status is as good as the party monument, and it is not in line with the Great Rites Law. This approach not only cannot stop the party strife, but also makes the rift within the council impossible to repair, and even forces the Qingliushi people who are watching in the middle to Wu Zilong's side.

"Deng Shangshu, the Criminal Department can only judge the case in accordance with the law and according to the law! It's not about understanding the intention, catching the wind and catching the shadows! Wen Xunzhi's face turned pale, and he said coldly, "The Lisheng made trouble in the Prime Minister's Mansion, and the Ministry of Rites stabbed the leak, but let the Criminal Department distort the law and suppress the clear stream." Everyone in the world is leisurely, I'm sorry, this cool official, I can't do it, if you want to interfere in the criminal department's case, please come back when you preside over the criminal department. ”

"You!" Deng Su was angry, pointing at Wen Xun and straight, "Do you want to cover up ......?"

Before the words fell, the guards outside reported that the Marquis of Wuchang and the staff of the Ministry of War met with Shi Lang, Chen Dong had been frowning, his face was slightly softened when he heard the words, and he looked up at the door, he had already explained that as soon as Zhao Xingde and Lin Zhengan arrived, they could directly bring the signing room without passing the word. With the sound of footsteps, the faces of the ministers also became solemn. In any case, when the imperial court was in turmoil, Zhao Xingde stabilized the situation as soon as he came out, and this potential power made people afraid or grateful, and they couldn't help but treat it solemnly. When he walked into the signing room and looked around, everyone felt the pressure.

"Prime Minister," Zhao Xingde handed Jun Zhi back to Chen Dong, "order in the city has been restored. ”

"Yuan Zhi," Chen Dong looked at him, took Jun Zhi, and asked, "Do you have any suggestions for dealing with the aftermath?" ”

The eyes of Deng Su, Wen Xunzhi, and other important ministers all fell on Zhao Xingde, and they all heard the passing of the army and the cheers of the soldiers outside. It can even be said that the entire city of Ezhou is now under the control of Zhao Xingde. It was natural for Chen Dong to consult him on the handling of the aftermath, but at the same time, the people present also had a strange feeling.

"Prime Minister," Zhao Xingde was silent for a moment, and replied, "Under the imperial court system, military generals are not allowed to interfere in court affairs. In this incident, it is the duty of this general to lead the troops to quell the chaos and restore order in Ezhou City. It is the duty of the prime minister to deal with the aftermath and restore order in the Great Song Dynasty. Please forgive Zhao for not being able to overstep the beak. Zhao retired. After finishing speaking, he bowed, and bowed his hand to the important ministers in the signing room, and without waiting for Chen Dong to agree, he withdrew first.

Deng Su and the others looked at his back, their faces were complicated, and they were a little disappointed, and a stone that had been hanging also fell to the ground.