Before dawn, Pei Ying got up early to prepare for her husband's court, when the sky began to become gray, Zhang Huan got up, the lights were lit, and the house began to get busy.

Dongtian just turned the fish belly white, the rumbling drum sounded in the sky over Chang'an, except for the twice-monthly day of rest, the drum beat every day, but the officials have long since taken it seriously, they have their own schedule, until the sun rises in the east, no one will go out to the court, this has become the unspoken rule of Chang'an officialdom, everyone is like this, so that the law does not blame the public.

Zhang Huan's carriage galloped on the street, hundreds of ironclad guards surrounded around, Suzaku Street was deserted, only a few sparse carriages galloped towards the direction of the imperial city, from their family guards can also be seen, these are low-grade officials, since Zhang Huan was appointed as the secretary of the military department, he ordered all military officials to enter the court at the specified time, late once with a rod of twenty, three times late, will be dismissed from office, the military officials are afraid of their authority, change their usual laziness, have entered the court on time, but also become an alternative scenery in Chang'an officialdom.

The street was empty, the carriage rushed to the Suzaku Gate at a gallop, the city gate was already wide open, Zhang Huan saw from a distance through the gap in the curtain that Li Xuhe was directing the placement of the two boxes, he couldn't help nodding secretly, although this person was a little slippery, but he was also serious about doing things, and he could use it in the future.

The carriage entered the Suzaku Gate, and then traveled about two miles along the Chengtianmen Street, turned to the right, the majestic and magnificent Shangshu Province building complex appeared in front of you, the six departments were arranged in order according to the order of officials, households, soldiers, punishments, rites, and workers, each of them had a magnificent gate, and the departments were separated by about half a mile, on the high steps. The plaque of the word "military department" is hung above the main entrance, and the momentum is majestic and solemn.

The carriages were parked on both sides of the steps, and he Zhang Huan was a late arrival, and when he entered the gate, it was not yet time to go to court, and the courtyard was full of officials, who were gathering in twos and threes to chat. Suddenly, seeing Shangshu enter the gate, everyone was stunned, and bowed one after another, Yuan Zai stepped forward and bowed to Zhang Huan and smiled: "When did Shangshu come back?" We're talking about it! ”

Zhang Huan returned the salute to everyone. He smiled at Yuan Zai again: "I arrived yesterday, and today I want to report to the Queen Mother, so I will come here to have a look." ”

"Shangshu came just in time, I was about to report on the Shuofang Festival."

Zhang Huan nodded, which could be seen from Yuan Zai's expression. I'm afraid things are not so simple, this is also in his expectation, Shannan, Hanzhong, and Shuofang belong to themselves at the same time, Pei Jun and Cui Xiaofu will agree so happily.

"Let's go! Come to my room and talk. ”

The two walked into the room, the room was cleaned very neatly, Niu Monk and the child were writing something on the desk, he looked up, and saw that it was Zhang Huan who came in, and couldn't help but stand up in surprise, Zhang Huan smiled and waved his hand. Motioning for him to keep busy. He walked into the room and asked Won Jae to sit down.

"Say it! What the hell is going on? ”

Yuan Zai sighed and said: "Shangshudi's request for Ma to be the envoy of Shuofang Festival is stuck with the Queen Mother, and she refuses to approve it. ”

"Why didn't she approve it?" Zhang Huan asked coldly.

"She refused on the grounds that the horse was old and unsuitable, but her subordinates heard that Li Mian proposed that Duan Xiushi be appointed as the envoy of Shuofang Jiedu and the governor of Lingzhou again, and she approved this plan, but now she is stuck in the ministry, and it is estimated that Pei Xiangguo will also wait for Shangshu to come back before deciding."

Zhang Huan sneered. In order to expel Li Zhengji and the Uighurs, he himself lost tens of thousands of soldiers. It was in order to give face to the court that he did not directly serve as the envoy of the festival, and recommended Ma to serve as the envoy. She Cui Xiaofu didn't appreciate it.

After a deep sigh, Zhang Huan said: "It's okay, you hurry up and handle the Xiangyang and Changsha group exercises, and I will personally deal with the matter of Shuo Fangjiedu." ”

After staying in the military department for about half an hour, a small eunuch came to report that the Queen Mother had moved to Zichen Pavilion, and asked Zhang Shangshu to report on his work, Zhang Huan came to the front of Zichen Pavilion in Daming Palace, and there was already a eunuch waiting in front of the steps

"Zhang Shangshu, the Queen Mother has been waiting for a long time."

Zhang Huan saw that he was about forty years old, and the grade of his clothes was very high, but his appearance was very unfamiliar, and he had never seen him, so he smiled and asked, "My father-in-law's surname, why have I never seen you?" The eunuch hurriedly bowed down and said with a sneer: "Don't dare, I am called Lu Taiyi, I was originally on an errand in the Luowang Mansion, I have just been transferred to the palace, and now I am the queen mother's seal, please Zhang Shangshu take care of it in the future." ”

Zhang Huan smiled, climbed the stairs and went up the hall, but when he walked to the general, he suddenly came back to his senses, palm seal? Cui Xiaofu's seal has always been in charge of Li Chuanyun, what's going on?

He stopped, turned around and asked, "What about Li Chuanyun?" Where is she now? ”

Lu Taiyi stepped forward and said respectfully: "I have also heard of the name of Waiter Li, but I have never seen her after entering the palace for more than a month. ”

"Really?" Zhang Huan was shocked for a while, if Li Chuanyun left the palace, she would at least leave a letter for herself, but now there is no news, what's going on?

"The Queen Mother Xuanzhang Huan is here!" There was an empty shout in the hall.

Zhang Huan pressed his doubts and walked into the main hall quickly, Lu Taiyi was fat, and he moved quickly in front of him like a groundhog, and led Zhang Huan to Cui Xiaofu's imperial study in a moment.

Compared with the past, there are some changes here, there are a lot more eunuchs and palace e, not to mention, even the room has increased by five or six, mainly used to increase the collection of books, two doctors of the Hongwen Pavilion are working hard in a room, they are taking turns to come to Zichen Pavilion every day to answer questions for the Queen Mother, which is equivalent to the former Hanlin Bachelor.

In the other room, there was a historian, and when he saw Zhang Huan coming, he smiled and made a note: On the fourth day of the first month of March, Zhang Huan was reported to his work by the Longyou Festival.

Zhang Huan walked into Cui Xiaofu's courtroom, and the furnishings in the room have also changed greatly, and there is a map of the mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty hanging on the wall opposite, and on the opposite side is a map of the counties and counties of the country, which is very detailed, and the furniture has also been added a lot, mainly rows of shelves, on which various folds are neatly placed, and those that have been reviewed are placed on the shelves at the door. There were eunuchs sent out at any time, and Zhang Huan noticed that only the shelf marked with Longyou was empty, and it was supposed that there should be a book to ask Ma to make a break for Shuo Fangjie.

"Zhang Aiqing only came back yesterday afternoon!" Cui Xiaofu asked with a kind smile.

Cui Xiaofu is forty-two years old this year, which is the end of the, and although she wears heavy makeup, the traces of time have inevitably been reflected on her body and face. The cheekbones on her face had become taller, her lips had thinned, her skin had begun to sag, silver strands could be faintly visible in her shiny hair, and not only that, but her body had begun to grow. She specially wore a wide apricot yellow robe to cover it up.

At this time, the woman is the most vigorous time, and Cui Xiaofu is no exception, but she is different from Wu Zetian, who is in power, she is more cautious and careful, in order not to let her reputation hinder her from gaining power. She even killed Yang Qingyi, who was so easy to look at, and when her body was not satisfied, her ** turned to power, almost pervertedly pursuing power, and she didn't want to let go of even the slightest bit.

Perhaps this is a big reason why among so many women who have gained power in history, there are very few women who can be called politicians like Lu Pheasant and Wu Zetian.

Zhang Huan stepped forward and gave a deep salute, "The minister sees the Queen Mother." ”

"Aiqing is exempt from courtesy, give me a seat!"

A palace maid stepped forward to put a cushion on Zhang Huan. Zhang Huan thanked him and sat down. Cui Xiaofu kept smiling and watched Zhang Huan sit down, and she said again: "I heard the emperor say that you saw Aiqing in Qujiangchi yesterday?" ”

"Yes! The minister happened to return to Beijing yesterday, and met the holy car on the road, and the emperor's dragon face was majestic, which really made the minister happy. ”

Cui Xiaofu smiled, and she diverted the topic. Straight to today's topic: "The mourning family heard that Zhu was destroyed by Aiqing. After many years of eccentric disease, I was finally able to sleep close to my pillow. Aiqing can tell the mourning family about the experience. ”

"Obey."

Zhang Huan concisely recounted some fragments of the battle of Shannan, and finally said: "This time Zhu Tu poisoned Shannan, the family was ruined and the dead were more than 10 million, and the original rich land was destroyed in the war. ”

Cui Xiaofu was silent for a moment and said: "The mourning family will discuss this matter with Xiangguo and then submit it to the cabinet for a vote, but Zhang Shangshu has a heart for the people, and the mourning family is very pleased." ”

When it comes to the cabinet, the two of them don't talk deeply, the power of the cabinet has fallen step by step in recent years, Cui Yuan's second time is the peak of the cabinet's power, Pei Jun is the prime minister, and the cabinet is used to empty the cabinet, and the power of the cabinet has also fallen to the peak and valley, with the expansion of the cabinet, most of the members are not in Chang'an, coupled with the notoriety of Zhu and Cui Qinggong, the cabinet has fallen to the lowest point in terms of prestige and power, and everyone understands that the cabinet established to balance the interests of the seven great families, with the decline of the seven families, It has ended its historical mission and existed in name only.

Now is the era of the three powers, the power structure of the Tang Dynasty is facing a new reshuffle, before the pattern is clear, many people are wise to protect themselves, maintain a wait-and-see attitude.

Therefore, in Zhang Huan's so-called debriefing process, whether it is Cui Xiaofu's question, or Zhang Chang's answer, as well as Zhang Huan's tax exemption proposal and Cui Xiaofu's perfunctory, there is no substantive content, such as the appointment of officials in Shannan, such as the issue of the ownership of Shuofangdi's Jiedu envoy, etc., are not involved at all, both of them know that these things are to be won by struggle, or they are exchanged interests, not a debriefing can be solved, before the other party's bottom line is clear, both sides are careful not to touch them.

Zhang Huan simply said a few words about what he had seen and heard on the road, and this formal-like debriefing was over.

"The minister was trembling, and disturbed the queen mother for a long time, and the minister took his leave."

Cui Xiaofu didn't keep him, nodded with a smile and said: "I heard that Cui Ning is pregnant, the mourning family will send someone to send some tonics, she has never been in good health, please Shangshu Haosheng take care of her." ”

"Please rest assured that the queen mother will definitely take care of her."

Zhang Huan bowed and bowed, and when he was about to leave, he suddenly asked: "Today, the minister came to report on his work, why didn't he see Li Chuanyun, she was sick?" ”

Cui Xiaofu's face changed greatly, she turned her back and didn't say a word, Zhang Huan saw it in his eyes, and he was puzzled in his heart, he hurriedly apologized and said: "The minister just asked casually, please don't take the queen mother to heart, the minister will leave!" ”

He slowly retreated out, and when he walked to the door, he only heard Cui Xiaofu say coldly: "She left the palace without permission." The mourning family doesn't know where she went? ”

After Zhang Huan left, Cui Xiaofu stood in front of the window for a long time, looking at a lush tree in a daze, her expression was a little sad, at this time, no one dared to go up to disturb her.

I don't know how long it took, and the long voice of the eunuch on duty came from afar: "King Luo is here!" ”

Cui Xiaofu suddenly woke up from her contemplation. She immediately sat back down at the back of the imperial case and ordered, "Please come in King Luo." ”

Soon, Li Yu walked in under the guidance of Lu Taiyi, and he saluted. "See the Queen Mother."

Different from Zhang Huan's debriefing just now, Cui Xiaofu gave Feng Endao, the big eunuch on the side, a look, he immediately understood, turned around and called out all the eunuchs and palace ladies who were waiting next to him, and waited for the summons from the room. However, the door was open, which was to prevent the historian from ambiguously writing it down: on a certain day, the queen mother received the prince, sent away the servants, and the two closed the door and lived alone.

"I called you here to tell you that you must restrain the children of the royal family, and you must not indulge them in messing around, and Zhang Huan caught the handle, and I can't save you at that time." Cui Xiaofu's voice was very low, and it could only be heard by Li Li, but her tone was very serious, without the slightest hint of joke.

Li Li was taken aback. Hurriedly asked, "Could it be that Zhang Huan has entered Beijing?" ”

Cui Xiaofu nodded. "That's why I specially instructed you, he suddenly asked about Li Chuanyun just now, maybe he heard some rumors, and I was worried that he would take action."

Li Li sighed and said, "Queen Mother, the minister has persuaded you many times, since you don't want to use Li Chuanyun, you simply killed her." One hundred dead. Keeping her is a curse after all, but don't forget. She is the eldest princess of Prince Yu, and Cui Yuan knows the truth. ”

Cui Xiaofu was silent, Li Chuanyun told herself her true identity back then, and revealed that she was raised by her eldest brother, and she didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but she didn't expect it to become a problem today.

After a long time, she said slowly: "I will handle this matter, and there is another important task to be handed over to you when I call you here today." ”

"Queen Mother, please command!"

"Now that Zhang Huan is dividing his troops everywhere, he can't take care of them for a while, so I thought of a plan to draw salaries from the bottom of the kettle."

Li Li didn't understand for a while, he was puzzled: "What does the Queen Mother mean."

Cui Xiaofu smiled and said: "Longyou He Lou Wuji, Hexi Wang Siyu, Shuo Fang Chenglie, Shuzhong Danmingguo, Shannan Li Pisces, Changsha Lin Jiuhan, Hanzhong Li Guozhen, these generals each lead tens of thousands of soldiers, we only need to buy one person to hit Zhang Huan hard, do you understand?" ”

Li Li suddenly realized, he sincerely admired: "The Queen Mother has a good plan to draw salary from the bottom of the kettle, and it is really wonderful, and the ministers are willing to share the worries for the Queen Mother." ”

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "But I don't know who to start with?" ”

Cui Xiaofu pondered for a moment and said: "If you fight a snake, you have to hit seven inches, I have been thinking about this matter for a long time, He Lou Wuji is the famous general of Anxi, after He Lou Yurun, he has a certain degree of loyalty to the imperial court, so you might as well start from him." ”

"But what if Zhang Huan returns to Longyou?"

Cui Xiaofu smiled, "Don't worry, April 1 is going to make up for the New Year's Day, and his Shuofang Festival envoy appointment is still stuck in my hands!" There are also Xiangyang regimental training envoys and Changsha regimental training envoys, so many major events he has not implemented, how can he go back at such a critical time? ”

The time gradually came to noon, Cui Xiaofu approved a few books, and then went back to the palace for a lunch break, and the eunuchs who served her were also able to take a break and go back to their rooms to rest.

Lu Taiyi returned to his room with some uneasiness, he closed the door tightly, and pulled down the curtains again, until he was sure that everything was safe, he hurriedly wrote a letter, took out a wax pill and sealed it, and then came to the outer room, found a little eunuch of his own henchman, handed the wax pill to him and said: "Send it to Xiangguo quickly, don't be discovered." ”

The little eunuch agreed, and he carefully put away the wax pill and went quickly.

Pei Jun's requirements for court discipline have never been very strict, including himself, now he is only working in the court in the morning, and at noon he will bring some official business back to the mansion, take a nap for a while, in the afternoon he generally stays at home to deal with official business, no longer go to the court, the hundred officials have anything to do directly in the house to find him, there are many advantages to handling official affairs at home, especially some hidden things can be arranged at any time.

Zhang Huan went to Zichen Pavilion to report on his work, and he found out after half an hour, but he was not in a hurry to know the content of the report, so naturally someone would send it.

Sure enough, when he woke up from a nap, his chief guard handed him a wax pill, saying that it was sent by the eunuch in the palace, Pei Jun was not in a hurry to see it, he washed up, slowly came to the study and sat down, only then did he crush the wax pill and take out the letter inside.

Zhang Huan's debriefing is meaningless, he has already guessed this, he is interested in some details and things, such as after Zhang Huan left, Cui Xiaofu immediately summoned Li Li, and retreated from the left and right plots, this is interesting, it seems that Cui Xiaofu will make some moves, which he is very happy to see.

Suddenly, Pei Jun saw a name appear in the secret letter, Li Chuanyun, Zhang Huan asked her twice, who was Li Chuanyun, Pei Jun was very clear, he seemed to think of something at this time, slowly leaned against the wall, his eyes flickered.

Li Chuanyun, he read it a few times, and the corners of his mouth gradually showed a smug smile.