Seeing that the emperor suddenly changed his words and investigated the fact that he colluded with the courtiers to frame Lu Jin, Shi Heng's back suddenly broke out in a layer of cold sweat, and he didn't care that the Son of Heaven had just reminded him not to kneel at will, so he knelt down again with a plop, kowtowed: "The minister knows the crime, the minister knows the crime, but it's ......."

No matter which dynasty or generation, whoever becomes the emperor, the most taboo is the collusion between the courtiers under his subordinates, because this will pose a great threat to the imperial power. This so-called internal and external collusion is not only between the eunuchs and the courtiers in the palace, but also between the courtiers and the border generals, especially the latter, which is more serious.

So even if Shi Heng had the confidence and felt that he had made great contributions, he was also flustered and panicked when he was asked by the Son of Heaven in person. In fact, this time, he completely ignored the opinions of the people of the world and brazenly brought 2,000 border troops to Beijing, precisely because of his weak heart, and he was worried that once the imperial court forcibly pursued the matter, he would end up miserable.

When the emperor saw him like this, the suspicion in his heart became more and more intense. However, after all, Shi Heng had made great contributions to the court and for himself, and he was a border general who had always been trusted by himself, so he couldn't let people take him down immediately without asking for an understanding, so he said with a straight face: "But what? Is there any justification for you to do this? ”

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty...... It's really wronged. In fact, although the minister had some festivals with the governor of Nalu, even if he gave the minister a few dares, the minister would not dare to do such a thing. Shi Heng hurriedly pleaded.

"According to your words, is it true that the officials of the DPRK and China have wronged you? They don't have any grudges against you, how can they plant such a serious charge on your head! Zhu Qiyu snorted.

Hearing that the Son of Heaven did not immediately condemn himself, Shi Heng's nervousness relaxed slightly, but he didn't dare to stop, and hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, in fact, the lords of the court and the central government have not made mistakes, it is indeed the personal guards of the ministers who came to the capital to talk secretly with Xu Youzhen and several other officials. But...... But the man was not sent by a minister, but ......"

"And what?" The emperor saw that he was a little hesitant, so he immediately asked.

Shi Heng gritted his teeth, and then continued: "It's a close confidant named Li Ze next to the minister who did this without telling the minister. Because he knew that the minister and Lu Zhen had never been on good terms, and he heard that he was now the leader of the Jinyi Guard, he was afraid that he would be unfavorable to the minister, so he planned to strike first. Later, he heard that in fact, many adults in the court also had prejudices against Lu Dudu, so he seized this opportunity and sent people to discuss with them.

"The minister is guilty, and the minister was completely kept in the dark at that time, and he didn't know anything about it. waited until the matter in the capital was revealed, then Li Ze told the truth to the minister, and the minister thought that he was also kind, so he did not punish him. The minister shielded his subordinates, messed with the law of the country, and hoped that His Majesty would punish the crimes of the ministers. Even if he took the life of the minister, the minister did not dare to complain. After speaking, he slammed his head a few more times, and then the whole person knelt on the ground, posing as if he was letting the Son of Heaven fall.

Zhu Qiyu stared at him for a long time, and several thoughts came to his mind like a marquee. Not only thought of his performance in killing the enemy bravely when Beijing was in danger, but also the credit of his hard work in the north to defend the border over the years, and also thought of the various illegal things that Shi Heng had done in the past few years by accusing Shi Heng of relying on his own merits, and finally thought of this incident, which made him feel embarrassed.

The long silence made Shi Heng's heart even more panicked. If the emperor suddenly killed himself regardless of the order, even if he did not kill him, and put him in prison, then everything would be over. But now, he has long lost the ability to resist when he enters the capital alone, and can only be used by others. At this moment, his hatred for Lu Jin reached its peak, because it was because of him that he ended up like this, he really hated that he couldn't kill Lu Jin, eat his flesh, and drink his blood.

This silence seemed to be as long as a century, so long that Shi Heng felt that his heart was about to jump out of his throat, and the emperor finally spoke: "Shi Heng, even if what you say is true, it is indeed the generals under the command who made their own decisions and went to communicate with the officials of the DPRK and China in your name, and you will not escape the charge of not knowing people and conniving at your subordinates." Moreover, you went to Beijing this time, and you were so bold that you dared to bring troops here, which made the people of the government and the wilderness panic, even if I want to forgive you, I am afraid that the people of the world will not accept it......"

Hearing the emperor say this slowly, Shi Heng's face buried below was distorted, he knew that it would be difficult for him to retreat this time, fear and anger made his body tremble even more violently.

And when the emperor saw his reaction, he thought it was caused by regret and horror, and his heart couldn't help but soften, and his tone softened a little: "...... Therefore, I will first demote your title and change from a marquis to an earl. In addition, for the time being, you can't go back to the north, so let's rest in Beijing for a while. ”

"Your Majesty......" When he heard that the emperor was actually trying to seize his military power, Shi Heng was really panicked. He knows very well what will happen to him as a military general once he has no military power, and the best thing is to become a real idle person, and he will be completely forgotten in the political arena from then on; If it is serious, it will become the target of public criticism after losing this battle, and at that time, those who have formed a grudge against him before will fall into the well, and it is very likely that they will be forced to die.

Shi Heng knows too well how arrogant he has been relying on the emperor's trust and holding military power in his hands over the years. Even if you don't mention Lu Jin, a sworn enemy, there are a lot of grudges in the court alone, and none of these officials are fuel-efficient lamps. I just couldn't do anything about him before, but as soon as he lost his position, these people would pounce on him like wolves that smelled blood, and ate him to the point that there were no bones left.

Thinking about this layer, Shi Heng was really panicked, his body trembled, he half-raised his head, and looked at the Son of Heaven with a begging face, hoping that the other party could take back his life and not really completely take away his military power.

The emperor looked at his pitiful appearance, and his heart couldn't help but soften, and he sighed and said: "Shi Qing, if I treat you harshly, it is really the court's own law, I can't mess with the rules because of you alone, otherwise how can I serve the public?" Although you are somewhat excusable about this incident, it has happened after all, and it is more known to the government and the opposition, so I can't defend you desperately, right?

"But don't worry, I will still use you in the future, and leaving you in the capital is not really for you to stay at home and retire here. And you have indeed suffered a lot for the imperial court in Northern Xinjiang over the years, and looking at your current appearance, I don't want to go anywhere. Therefore, it is better to recuperate in the capital for a period of time, and when you have enough spirits, it is not too late to go back to guard the border for me. ”

The emperor's words were quite sincere, but it was still difficult to make Shi Heng feel relieved. He really didn't want to lose his military power, that was the foundation of his life. So he continued to look at the Son of Heaven with a pleading gaze, only wanting to redeem something a little.

The emperor hesitated for a while, and then said: "In this way, didn't you just say that you were a little dissatisfied with the weakness of my Jingying military horses?" Then come up with your means and practice for me. If in the past two years, you can train the 100,000 military horses in the Beijing camp, it can be regarded as a merit. When the time comes, I will use this as an excuse to put you back on the side, what do you think? ”

For such an arrangement, to be honest, Shi Heng is still very dissatisfied in his heart. How can the military horses of this Beijing camp be compared with the border army? What's more, he has been outside for the past few years, and he has long been unfamiliar with the Beijing camp, and it is not easy to win the hearts of the army.

But he could also see that this was the biggest concession the emperor could make. If I speak out against it again, I am afraid that I will annoy the Son of Heaven, and then even this little authority will be lost. So even if he was reluctant, Shi Heng could only accept it, kowtowed, and said: "Minister's order, thank you for Your Majesty's love, and the minister should do his best to train the people of Jingying to repay His Majesty's great kindness." ”

Only then did the emperor's face show a hint of joy: "Okay, if you can say that, I will rest assured." I hope that after this incident, you can rein in and change it, and don't make the same mistake again. As he spoke, he yawned a little tiredly: "You can step aside, go home and rest for a few days, and in two days, I will send it to your house with my own will." ”

"Yes, the minister retired." Shi Heng got up from the ground with some difficulty—this time he wasn't pretending, after kneeling for so long, his legs were already numb—and he staggered out of the hall, he could feel that his back had already been soaked with sweat, and today's battle was much more dangerous than any previous confrontation with the Mongolian people, one was not good, maybe everything that had been exchanged for years of birth and death would come to naught, and even his own life would have to be explained here.

At this moment, his heart was really full of resentment, why couldn't the emperor think about it from his own point of view? The status he has earned today through his hard work is completely deprived because of this matter, because of the rhetoric of those corrupt Confucians in the court, and he is really unwilling.

However, as a courtier, he could only bear it, because this was the Ming Dynasty, not the late Han and Tang dynasties when the previous generals could suppress the imperial power. Of course, it is impossible for him to reflect on himself, and it is impossible to be happy, if the Son of Heaven at this time is replaced by Taizu Taizong, or even the master of Xiongchai like Xuanzong, he dares to have any misdeeds, I am afraid that he will be in a different place long ago, and even the whole family will have to lose their lives.

What Shi Heng didn't know was that behind him, there was a pair of eyes staring at him faintly, and after he left, the Son of Heaven, who was sitting upright just now, had already covered his mouth and let out a low cough, until the whole person was stiff, so that it was not painful......