Sent Wang Qi away, it was almost midnight, but Ma Liangbi was still not sleepy, thinking that it was time for a showdown, of course he remembered that after the two coffins were buried, words immediately came out of the palace to reward the Ma brothers in the name of filial piety. [No pop-ups. 】

In fact, he had long been suspicious of the two coffins, thinking that this matter must be related to the concubine Niangniang, but this concubine Niangniang seems to be also very "sensible", treating herself better than her adoptive father Zheng Zhen, and even "took the initiative" to trap his benefactor Wang Gonggong, until he forced this terrifying "factory father" to hang himself.

Ma Liangbi, who wanted the wind and the rain, understood that although he had serious differences with the elder ministers of the Changshi Zheng Zhen and Shuri Shoji Chen Ping in the matter of the expedition to Luzon, the title of Generalissimo of the Ryukyu Kingdom could be obtained sooner or later.

With the help of Guo Yi and Xu Ling'er, Ma Liangbi got the letter of appointment in advance, but suddenly fell into an unprecedented crisis. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of these two brocade guards, it wouldn't take long for them to monopolize the civil and military power of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and now, overnight, he was * to this role, his sister Queen Ma and nephew King Shangyong didn't know yet, of course, he didn't dare to sue easily.

After careful consideration, Ma Liangbi decided to "capture the thief and capture the king first", avoiding the edge of Guo Yi and Xu Ling'er, starting from the background of the concubine, and completely cutting off the ears, eyes and nails announced by the prince, so as to establish his own prestige and win over his real henchmen.

Although he has made up his mind and decided to kill his relatives in righteousness, sacrifice the damned son, and pull the concubine off the horse, unfortunately, his son got the news in advance and ran away, and now he can only make a last fight, but he doesn't know if the opponent will accept it?

The next day is the eighth day of the ninth month, the prime minister's house is all preparing for ancestor worship activities, because Ma Liangbi holds the title of minister of the palace guard, to the day of the Double Ninth Festival, he also has to protect the royal family to worship the ancestors, therefore, the ancestor worship ceremony of the Ma family has been changed to today.

The men of the Ma clan gathered outside the ancestral hall to enjoy the chrysanthemums, everyone was waiting for Ma Liangbi, because the eldest son of the Ma family, Ma Feng, was not at home, there was a housekeeper to preside over the scene, seeing that the sky was approaching, Ma Liangbi did not appear, the ancestor worship ceremony could not start, all of them were a little anxious, at this time, there was a family Ding came to report, Xiangguo Lord was in the palace early in the morning because of urgent military affairs.

It turned out that because the Dutch guerrillas participated in the suppression of the Lin Feng group, they adopted more terrifying means than the Spanish colonists, and in addition to targeting the Chinese and overseas Chinese, they also expanded to Annamite, Ryukyuan, Japanese, Koreans, and even Malays and Indians, and the White Terror enveloped the entire island of Luzon.

In this situation, the Ming Dynasty, Malay, Japan, Annam, Siam and other countries unanimously requested to send troops to the war to protect their own people, Governor Lavizares accepted the suggestion of Father Simon Almeida, after careful consideration, the Manila authorities only allowed the Ryukyu countries to send expeditionary forces on the grounds that the pirate Lin Feng came from the Ryukyus.

The Dutch guerrillas were outnumbered by the Linfeng group and posed a great threat to the Manila authorities, while the Linfeng group learned the lessons of the Tortoiseshell Harbor and recruited many locals into the group, which made the Manila authorities feel a deep crisis, and the situation was extremely urgent, Governor Lavizares sent an envoy to Shuri Castle to ask King Shangyong to send troops immediately to arrest the culprit Lin Feng as soon as possible.

Ma Liangbi had long used the current situation in Luzon to scare King Shangyong with the pirate Lin Feng, and wanted to send troops to Luzon as soon as possible, because Ryukyu was a subject country of the Ming Dynasty, and the royal family did not want to offend the Ming Dynasty for all important military and political affairs, so no matter how anxious Ma Liangbi was, before the imperial court approved it, King Shangyong refused on the grounds of insufficient preparation.

After Mark and Louise finished their errands in Manila, they accompanied the Western envoys back to Shuri, and immediately went to see Guo Yi and Xu Ling'er, informing them that they had successfully rescued Ma Wu and others.

Ma Liangbi was recruited into the palace by King Shang Yong early in the morning to listen to his deployment of the advance team to go on the expedition, by this time, he had already ridden the tiger and was difficult to ride, and this expedition was none other than the vanguard officer Zhang Fan.

Out of the palace and went straight to the military field, now it is time to test Zhang Fan, judging from the performance in recent days, Ma Liangbi believes that the righteous son Zhang Fan is more reliable than Wang Qi, in order to assess his loyalty, so, it was decided to interrogate the stirrups and saddle brothers first.

Just when Ma Hu was presiding over the ancestor worship ceremony, several family members called the stirrup and saddle brothers out, and they were immediately escorted into two carriages and went straight to the military field.

When the Ma brothers were carried into the military field, they were immediately tied up and escorted into Ma Liangbi's tent, and two fierce axemen stood behind them, ready to cut off their heads.

Ma An timidly asked, "Uncle Ben, I don't know what big mistake our brother has made?" ”

"You didn't make a mistake." Ma Liangbi stood in front of them and paced, sneered twice, and then said: "The two nephews of the family worked hard for the eternal king Chitose and the imperial court, and their words and deeds were cautious, strict with themselves, and loyal to the country. However, I have arrested you today to enforce family law. ”

"May I ask Uncle Ben, what family law did we violate?" Stirrup asked.

"There are many things that you hide from the old man, and you are always unwilling to tell the truth, and you turn a deaf ear to what the old man said, then you have to serve the family law." Ma Liangbi replied.

"Uncle, isn't it for the purpose of digging that grave tomorrow?" Saddle asked.

"You won't have to worry about digging graves." Ma Liangbi suddenly asked in a raised voice: "Old man, let me ask you, who is buried in the grave?" ”

The stirrup and the saddle glanced at each other, bowed their heads in unison, and said, "Please be merciful with your uncle." ”

Ma Liangbi said reservedly: "As long as you tell the truth and are loyal to our Ma family, you can still retain your official position, where to go?" But you have to think about it. ”

So, Saddle began to speak: "Then let me say that the people buried in the grave are a pirate couple, and we do not know whose names they are, but it is certain that the concubine is their daughter, and was quietly raised by the prince and the people, and when she married into the palace, our brother was entrusted by the prince to transport these two coffins from the Diaoyu Islands back to Ryukyu. ”

"Since you don't know who the couple's last name is, why are they sure they're pirates? Did the prince tell you? Ma Liangbi asked.

"No, how can such a confidential prince tell us?" Stirrup explains: "Judging from the coffin burial objects, the couple must be pirate giants. ”

Ma Liangbi stomped his foot and asked sharply, "What is the evidence?" ”

"We have opened the coffin and seen that the man's burial objects include gold helmets, gold armor, bright silver robes, and a tiger head and a bright silver spear with a tiger head, although there is no sign to prove identity, I think if it is not a pirate giant, where can there be so many valuable things? In addition to a large number of jewelry and jewelry, there is a sapphire that is quite eye-catching, and there is a poem engraved on it, remember that it is written: Jianqi is the only one on the sea, and worships the halberd door for the concubine. The stirrup replied.

When Ma Liangbi heard this, he slapped his thigh excitedly, suddenly showed surprise, and shouted loudly: "This is the pirate giant Xu Hai and Wang Cuiqiao!" ”

The stirrup and saddle hurriedly opened their mouths and asked in surprise, "Could it be them?" ”

"Judging from these burial things, there is no doubt that they must be Xu Hai and his wife!" Ma Liangbi then asked: "When the prince entrusted you to smuggle these two coffins, did Guo and Xu accompany them?" ”

The stirrup shook his head and replied cautiously, "When we dug up the coffin from the Diaoyu Islands, we were intercepted by the Taiwanese guards, and it was with the help of the two of them that we were transported back to the Ryukyus from Taiwan. ”

"In this way, do Guo, Xu, Zhang Fan and others know about the funeral?" Ma Liangbi continued to ask.

Without hesitation, the stirrup replied, "Of course!" ”

"If you come to the drive of the Eternal King Chitose, are you willing to testify?"

The Ma brothers looked at each other again and nodded earnestly.

So, Ma Liangbi hurriedly ordered someone to untie them, and after sending them away, he called Zhang Fan over.

At this time, Ma Liangbi sat on the handsome seat and asked quite kindly: "Son, do you have confidence in going to Luzon?" ”

Zhang Fan hurriedly bowed down and replied loudly: "The child will definitely capture the head of Kou Lin Feng, please rest assured that your father-in-law." ”

"Good!" Ma Liangbi nodded, and then said: "However, before going on the expedition, there is something my father wants to ask, have you participated in helping the stirrup and saddle brothers to transport the two-bedroom coffin from Taiwan?" Who is buried in the coffin? ”

Zhang Fan was suddenly shocked, and hurriedly replied: "Since the father-in-law asked about this matter, the child does not dare to hide it, please step back and tell the father-in-law in detail." ”

"Hehe, child, you don't have to worry, this is full of strong men of our Ma family, and there are no outsiders.

Zhang Fan looked at everyone present, and said cautiously: "Please listen carefully to the ...... father-in-law" and then said, completely verifying what the Ma brothers said.

"Child, do you dare to be Xu Hai and Wang Cuiqiao?" Ma Liangbi is also very cautious.

"I'm not completely sure, but I heard from Mr. Hu Zongbing in Fuzhou, when the imperial court recruited Wang Zhi and Xu Hai, two major pirate groups, Mrs. Wang Cuiqiao made great contributions to the imperial court with the secret help of the princess, and on the night she remarried Luo Wenlong, she hanged herself. Zhang Fan replied.

This explanation is quite reasonable, Ma Liangbi thought so, and said happily: "Son, if this matter is exposed, the concubine is in danger, for the safety of Guo and Xu, you should inform them quickly, leave Ryukyu immediately, and don't come back." ”

"Thank you, father-in-law, the child will go and inform them."

Finding that Zhang Fan got up to leave, Ma Liangbi hurriedly stopped him and persuaded: "Child, you are going to go on the expedition tomorrow, so let's go and inform them." ”

"Please be sure to keep your two sisters safe, thank you father-in-law!"

After being verified again, Ma Liangbi was overjoyed, thinking that this move would definitely remove all obstacles, so he took Zhang Fan out of the tent with his hand.

Seeing that it was nearly noon, Ma Liangbi hurriedly ordered someone to prepare eight sedan chairs, and he was going to visit Chen Ping, the representative of Shuri.

At this time when the mountain rain is about to come and the wind is full of buildings, Chen Ping is also not in peace, according to Guo Yi's judgment, Ma Liangbi will inevitably come to visit.

After lunch, when Chen Ping was sitting in the living room drinking tea alone, a family member came to report, Lord Xiangguo came to visit, and there were important matters to discuss, so Chen Ping did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly greeted him out of the house.

As soon as he saw Ma Liangbi get off the sedan chair, Chen Ping hurriedly stepped forward and bowed down, and said politely: "The lower officials have come to see Lord Xiangguo, and Lord Lao has come to the door in person, how can he afford his humble position?" What a sin, a sin. ”

"You're welcome, Lord Chen." Ma Liangbi said with a smile: "Since the old man became the generalissimo, he has been preparing for war for days, and the advance team will go out tomorrow, and it is not far from the day when the old man will be in charge himself. ”

"Lord Sangkoku, please!" Chen Ping led Ma Liangbi into the mansion gate, and replied with sincere fear: "The lower officials are old and mediocre, I'm afraid they can't afford to take on the big responsibility, but don't miss the state affairs." ”

While speaking, the two entered the living room, the servant made tea, gently closed the door and went out, at this time, Ma Liangbi and Chen Ping looked at each other for a moment, and the two laughed loudly at the same time......

Since he didn't know whether Governor Konishi had betrayed himself, Ma Liangbi couldn't help but ask: "I heard that the yamen arrested a few Japanese merchants yesterday, may I ask Lord Chen if there is such a thing?" ”

"Your Excellency, this is indeed the case. However, it was not the officials of the Yamen who arrested them, but someone who went to the wine shop to make trouble, Guo Qianhu and Wang Qi and others sent the gangsters into the Yamen, and the lower officials had completed the trial, but it was just a dispute arising from ordinary business, so they were all released. Chen Ping replied.

"Well, it's good that nothing happened!" Ma Liangbi said, deliberately lowered his voice, and said rather mysteriously: "Lord Chen should know that the so-called Lin Family Shochu Shop is the lair of the pirate leader Lin Feng, and now he is making trouble on Luzon Island, just when the old man is about to go on an expedition, why does this wine shop have repeated accidents?" In the old man's opinion, there are many articles in it. ”

"Please make it clear to Lord Xiangguo, and the lower officials will fully cooperate." Chen Ping replied unequivocally.

So, Ma Liangbi Zhengse said: "According to the old man's judgment, there are traitors in the court, secretly colluding with the Japanese and pirates, and when the old man is about to go to Luzon, he deliberately creates an incident, makes trouble out of nothing, reverses black and white, and tries to fish in troubled waters. ”

"What do you need to do with your humble duties, please make it clear to Lord Xiangguo, the lower officials are sincerely afraid, and they dare not slack off in the slightest."

"Tomorrow, the queen Niang Chitose and His Royal Highness King Yong will sacrifice on the outskirts, the old man can't go to escort because he has military affairs, tonight the old man enters the palace to play Ming Niangniang Chitose, please Chen Lady temporarily serve as the foreman of the imperial guard, you must not refuse. In the future, on the day of the old man's expedition, please come to take care of state affairs and act as the minister of state. ”

"Lord Xiangguo's love, humble and grateful, do your best, in order to live up to the trust of Niangniang Chitose and Yongwang Chitose, please rest assured."

Finding that Chen Ping did not refuse, Ma Liangbi took out a map and made detailed arrangements for the route and time of the royal honor guard out of the city......

Sure enough, as Guo Yi and Xu Ling'er expected, Chen Ping couldn't help but secretly marvel, he knew in his heart that Ma Liangbi was originally a relative of the royal family, and after plotting for civil and military power, he moved Wang Mang's thoughts......

(End of chapter)