Chang'an City.

University Scholars' House.

In any case, Mu Zhaotong is still the most special person in the court, a cabinet scholar, dispatching six ministries and nine secretaries, governing the people's livelihood in the world, so many years of ups and downs, except for his only son Mu Xiaofeng rested at home for a period of time after his death, he has been an official in the court for decades, which can be regarded as a model of conscientiousness, and it is even more admirable after being a cabinet scholar, and it is common not to go home for more than ten days.

It's just that today, after hearing some rumors, Mu Zhaotong returned home before it was dark, looking a little more tired than before, only when he was too tired and staggering, people were shocked to realize that this university scholar who had held power for thirty years was really old.

The subordinates waiting at the door hurriedly came over to help him into the courtyard, Mu Zhaotong looked at the people passing by on the street, waved his hand not to support himself, straightened his waist, and strode up the steps.

After returning to the study, Mu Zhaotong sat alone by the window in a daze, and went home early from the cabinet today, because he found that he might not even know the people around him, the closest people around him.

The lady was carried into the door by the maid, with a smile on her face: "Why did the master come back so early today, it has been almost half a month since the last time I came back." ”

Mu Zhaotong smiled reluctantly: "Thinking about my family, the affairs in the court are not something that can be done, come back to see you." ”

The lady smiled more comfortably, and motioned for the maid to go out, and she made a pot of tea for Mu Zhaotong: "The master hasn't said it for a long, long time, come back and look at my words." ”

Mu Zhaotong had a little guilt on his face, for so many years he has been calling for wind and rain in the court, in fact, it is all the credit of his wife, he himself once said that he is barely second-rate in terms of ability, and many decisions are actually references that Mrs. helped him do, until a few years ago, he discussed things with his wife and became less, and he has been a scholar for so many years, and the routine things are in order, and nothing special happens, so the time for two people to meet and talk is getting less and less.

"You sit."

Mu Zhaotong pointed to the chair beside him.

Madame sat down slowly, and naturally saw that Mu Zhaotong's face was a little wrong.

"What's wrong?"

She asked.

"Madame...... Do you know why, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, although I am still a member of the Cabinet, I have been consulted less and less often? ”

"What is this saying, sir, I'm just helping my lord think about it more, everything is up to the lord."

"It's me who calls the shots, but I've always known I'm inferior to you."

Mu Zhaotong waved his hand to stop Mrs. from interrupting him, he could see the eagerness on Mrs. 's face, he smiled: "I don't mean anything else, we are husband and wife, we have been together for so many years, I still don't know you?" Just as you know me...... Over the years, big things have been undecided, and you are helping me, and I often think that if you were a man and a cabinet scholar, you would be much better than me. ”

"So, it's inevitable that I'll feel a little uncomfortable, and I feel inferior to you, so I start to avoid you, and the older I get, the better I look, and I end up feeling a little like a resentful woman."

He looked at his wife: "I know that my wife is worried about me, no matter how big or small, she helps me think about it." ”

Madame's face turned slightly pale: "Master, I was wrong." ”

"Listen to me."

Mu Zhaotong said: "If you are wrong, I will be even more wrong, the last time I came home, I was angry when I told you to see Shen Leng so proud, Shen Leng had an accident not long ago, it was arranged by Mrs., right?" ”

Madame was silent for a moment and nodded, "Yes." ”

Mu Zhaotong snorted: "When did Madam start cultivating the dead?" ”

"Twenty years ago."

Mu Zhaotong's face changed suddenly: "Twenty years ago? ”

He thought about it, it was the time when his ambition to support the young lord so that he could tilt the power of the government and the opposition swelled, but Pei Tingshan rushed all the way from the eastern frontier with nine thousand sword soldiers, and sat outside the city gate with a knife, all his ambitions were blocked by that person and a knife, and they were also cut down.

"The lord always thinks that those who are soldiers are martial artists, only brute bravery, even now, the lord is afraid that he will not accept Pei Tingshan, not obey the Yuan Shu of the Tai, but I think, even if the military is a martial artist, but the most important time, the knife is much more useful than the mouth, and it was at that time that I began to look for candidates, I was worried that something would happen to the master, I thought that His Majesty would attack the master, and the most unfortunate thing was to ensure the safety of the master......"

Mu Zhaotong stretched out his hand to hold his wife's hand: "That's why I said, I'm really inferior to you." ”

He looked into his wife's eyes: "How many people are available now?" When Feng'er was killed, why didn't you use it? ”

"Don't dare to use it."

Madame lowered her head: "Although I am as sad as the lord when Feng'er was killed, but those dead soldiers are what I have prepared to protect the lord's life over the years, even if I was sad at the time, I also understand that those are not for the sake of Feng'er, as long as the lord is still a cabinet scholar, I will never use these people." ”

"Then why ...... this time"

"We're old."

Mrs. raised her head: "The last time the lord came back, I suddenly saw that the lord's hair was already half white, and he couldn't walk steadily and needed someone to help him...... Now that we are all old, what are we afraid of? ”

She was silent for a moment and then said: "I wanted to talk to the master last time, but I wasn't ready and didn't know how to speak...... I'm afraid that the prince won't be able to wait for the throne, Your Majesty is not old after all, even if he waits, will the prince still use it at that time? I always think that if the master walks far and stands high, the wind will be able to walk more easily in the future, but the wind is no longer there, and the master will fight again, and fight to the end, what's the point. ”

Mu Zhaotong hung his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Don't fight, I'm just waking up now, and the years are unforgiving."

"That's what I'm going to say to my lord."

Mrs. said: "There is no need for the lord to fight for anything, the one in the harem is a weak person, even if she can really stand up in the future, the lord is already too old to stand up to the waist, the last time the lord came back, he said that Zhuang Yong should be the first product, Shen Leng also reached the fourth grade, if my family style is still alive, the worst will be the third grade, at that time I thought, I actually didn't do anything to help the lord do a good job." ”

"Sir...... Abdicate. ”

She looked at Mu Zhaotong's eyes: "I will do my best to kill Shen Leng to avenge Feng'er, and then our husband and wife will go back to their hometown, Your Majesty will definitely allow it." ”

Mu Zhaotong was silent and didn't say a word.

After a long time, Mu Zhaotong let out a long breath: "Okay." ”

Madame's face softened a lot: "In the past twenty years, I have cultivated dead soldiers in the way of cultivating soldiers, just because the master's plan to seek heaven was broken by Pei Tingshan's unreasonable and unreasonable sword, the murder weapon of the soldier, without the murder weapon, the master will be helpless when facing the murder weapon, when Feng'er died, I really wanted to use these people to cut Shen Leng with a thousand knives, but once it was used, the master was a capital crime." ”

The ministers raised private soldiers and punished the nine clans.

This is different from finding a killer with a secret way, those can be thrown away, the crime of private soldiers, the crime is unforgivable.

"That's to protect the master's life, can't harm the master's life, since the master also promised to withdraw from the court, we don't have to worry about anything, after killing Shen Leng, we'll leave, no...... Leave before. ”

Mu Zhaotong snorted: "Then you go and arrange it, let's go back to our hometown to plant flowers and grass." ”

"Okay."

Madame got up: "I have been hiding the knife for twenty years, and I ...... used it late."

"Just now I asked Madame how many people are available, and Madame hasn't replied to me yet."

"Not much, only six hundred."

"Where are the people?"

"Four hundred in the city, two hundred outside the city."

Madame said: "I just think that if there is an accident in the court, Your Majesty will not directly treat the master, but will definitely order the dismissal of the master's official first, and let the master go back to his hometown to recuperate...... If the lord is dismissed and leaves Chang'an, the first person to kill the lord on the way must be the people from the Tingwei Mansion, these six hundred dead soldiers are prepared for that time, and I didn't expect that Your Majesty has not said this sentence for 20 years. ”

Mu Zhaotong's face changed: "Your Majesty...... It's actually really good to treat courtiers. ”

It's just that there's no point in thinking about it now.

Madame got up to arrange, Mu Zhaotong sat alone in the study and looked at the sky that had gradually darkened outside, he thought that Shen Leng was almost in southern Xinjiang now, and he would arrange it at this moment, it would take a few months to kill Shen Leng before the exact news came back, and he still had a few months to arrange everything in the cabinet, and if His Majesty did not move him for twenty years, he would finally fulfill his duty as a minister again.

He plans to sort out the affairs of the cabinet, recommend another person to go up, and leave Chang'an after getting His Majesty's approval, which should be enough for three or five months.

Mu Zhaotong left home early the next morning to go to the court, and on the way he was still thinking about how to mention this matter to His Majesty, and then suddenly thought, why did he serve the old age? People's state of mind is really changing day by day, and the older they get, the faster they become.

After returning to the cabinet, he sat down, looking at the people in this room and thinking about who was the most suitable to take his place, but the chamberlain came to pass the decree that His Majesty invited him to the Dongnuan Pavilion to discuss matters, Mu Zhaotong hurriedly got up and walked to the Dongnuan Pavilion.

The emperor sat there in a daze, and he didn't know what he was thinking, Mu Zhaotong leaned over and shouted after he came in, and the emperor looked sideways at him.

"Elder Ge, have you ever thought about accompanying me to Eastern Xinjiang?"

Mu Zhaotong's face changed suddenly: "At such an age, I'm afraid I can't stand it." ”

The emperor snorted: "I also thought that the crown prince would stay in Chang'an, and it would always be impossible to have no one to assist him, after all, he was still too young, and if the elder pavilion stayed by his side, he would not make a mistake if the elder pavilion reminded him of everything...... But I suddenly remembered that a few years ago, I invited Ge Lao and your wife to come to the palace for dinner, and asked your wife if she wanted to go anywhere, Madame said that she had never seen the sea in her life, and wanted to see it, and I didn't know why I thought of this, so I would satisfy her, and after Ge Lao went back, I could say to Madame that I would arrange for people from the Tai Hospital to accompany me all the way, and then prepare a very large and comfortable carriage, which should not be too bumpy and tiring, as for the prince staying in Chang'an, although the old dean's ability is not as good as that of Ge Lao, it is enough to assist the government and government. ”

Mu Zhaotong raised his head violently: "Your Majesty." ”

The emperor waved his hand: "Ge Lao, you are not young, if you don't fulfill your unfulfilled wishes, I'm afraid that there will be fewer opportunities in the future, I have been very selfish all these years, I just want to let Ge Lao help me more, ignoring that Ge Lao will snub his family...... That's it, I've already arranged for someone from the Ministry of Rites to prepare. ”

Mu Zhaotong's face turned pale: "Minister...... Thank you, Your Majesty. ”