This may be the last time Nangong Qiu will be angry because he can't go home because he is busy with business. Since then, he has found that Qiu'er has really changed, and this time it has changed so much that he is even a little scared. He asked the Son of Heaven for leave, intending to comfort her at home, but he didn't expect that only one day later, Qiu'er insisted that he get up early in the dark and go to the court as usual, and come back after doing all the things that should be done. She got up at the same time as him, cooked him a delicious breakfast while he was practicing, sent him to the alley, watched him get on the horse and leave, and then waited for him at home until late at night. When he entered the house, the food was placed on the table, steaming hot and fragrant, and it was more delicious than the imperial food in the palace; And he had just finished eating, Qiu'er had already prepared hot water and served him to wash and change his clothes.

Shen Ruoyu was terrified, but his ban no longer worked. Three days in a row; 10 days; After a month, and until later, it has always been the case. His Qiu'er has really changed, the little girl who used to be coquettish and naughty at every turn is gone, whether he likes it or not, he can't find it anymore. She no longer makes a fuss, no longer complains, no longer lets him see tears, no longer sleeps, no longer even kicks the quilt. She smiled at him, all the time, never pouting again. Even the voice and tone of her speech have changed, and she can no longer be heard happily chattering about an inexplicable little discovery, and she cannot be seen laughing unbridledly, laughing until she rolls on the bed. Gentle and frugal, she is now a standard good wife, just like Fang Xiaoru's wife Zheng, just like Tie Xuan's wife Yang, not the slightest inferior to them, and I can't find any difference.

The change is too drastic, though not sudden. Shen Ruoyu was extremely surprised, and with the surprise he was extremely remorseful, his Qiu'er became like this, all of which he caused single-handedly. However, he soon found out that he hadn't actually changed anything, and he couldn't change anything anymore, and the fact was that his Qiu'er had grown up, and it was time to change. After all, she had been married to him for a whole year, and she was already an eighteen-year-old girl.

Once the days calm down, they will be like meteors flying in the blink of an eye. The New Year of Jianwen's second year didn't have time to be a little more lively, so he left in a hurry. From the time Zhu Yunwen entered the wax moon, he began to discuss with Fang Xiaoru about the spring examination in the second year; In the eyes of the Son of Heaven in all dynasties, it is a national event, not to mention the Son of Jianwen. He was immersed in the joy of excerpting sentences from the Four Books and Five Classics out of context all day long, and even seemed to have forgotten that the war had not subsided, and that there was still the Four Emperors in Beiping, thousands of miles away, who was eyeing him. Until the first war report of the new year flew in, he woke up from the dream of world harmony woven by the ancients.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the capital is lit up everywhere to celebrate the Lantern Festival. Shen Ruoyu was in the palace, and her heart flew back to her home, thinking about what kind of lantern riddle she should give Qiu'er at night. The guard at the door suddenly ran in in a hurry, followed by a soldier covered in dust and panting, and the Shu Ge of the soldiers of the Southern Army looked like they had just returned from the northern battlefield.

The soldier rushed in, fell to his knees, and took out the battle report in his bosom:

"Your Majesty, the Yan army captured Guangchang and Ulzhou."

Zhu Yunwen was taken aback, and the imperial pen in his hand fell to the case.

“…… What the? ……”

He took the battle report, read it in a panic, and immediately handed it to Shen Ruoyu and Fang Xiaoru beside him, and said to Shan Shou:

"Hurry up and invite Lord Qi, Lord Huang and Duke Wei to come over."

Shen Ruoyu had finished browsing, put down the battle report, and asked the soldier:

"You fled from Ulju?"

The soldier said: "No, the subordinate is Taiyuan Left Guard." Guangchang and Ulzhou fell, and no one told us; Seeing that the Yan army was about to move to Taiyuan, we only knew about it, so we hurriedly went to the capital to report. ”

"The date of the battle report is Geng Wu, and today is already Geng Chen. If you don't come to the capital directly, where will you go on the road? ”

The soldier was startled and hurriedly explained, "Lord Shen is wise; His subordinates went to Bauhinia Pass first to ask for help, and General Fang Zhao said that he could only send troops if he got the general's order. The subordinates went to Zhending and Cangzhou again, and asked for help from General Anluhou Wu, General Xu Kai and General Ping'an, and the three generals said that I should go and ask the general; The subordinates then went to Texas again, handed over the battle report to the general, and asked the general to send troops to rescue him. The general asked me to report to the Son of Heaven again. Come and go, and the road will be delayed. ”

Xu Huizu, Qi Tai, and Huang Zicheng hurriedly walked into the main hall. The Son of Heaven asked the three of them to read the battle report, and asked:

"A few adults, the Yan army has captured Daning, occupied the northeast, and now it is advancing to the west and is about to attack Taiyuan. What are we going to do? ”

Huang Zicheng said: "Immediately order the general and let him quickly send troops to rescue." ”

Qi Tai shook his head and said, "No; Far water can't save a near fire. The general should be allowed to pass the order, and let the nearest Fang Zhao immediately send troops to support; At the same time, General Wu Jie was ordered to lead the army to set off from Zhending and rush to Taiyuan. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "It's too unusual, the soldiers are coming to the city, and several armies are still pushing around, pulling each other's skins, and when the Yan army's attack is repulsed, they must be punished." ”

Zhu Yunwen asked worriedly, "What about Xu Aiqing's opinion?" ”

Xu Huizu didn't speak, as if he was wandering; At this moment, the Son of Heaven asked, he was slightly startled, woke up, and had to answer:

"Minister...... The minister also felt that Fang Zhao should be ordered to support ...... immediately."

Zhu Yunwen said: "Then according to what Lord Qi said-"

"Wait," Xu Huizu said suddenly. Zhu Yunwen subconsciously stopped. Wei Guogong walked up to the soldier who reported the news and asked:

"Where is Yan Jun now?"

The soldier replied, "Camp in Ulju." ”

"Didn't you say attacking Taiyuan?"

"At the moment...... Not yet...... After they entered the city of Ulzhou, they spread the word everywhere that they were about to attack Taiyuan, and sent countless scouts to come and go. However, the Yan army has not yet left Ulzhou City. ”

Xu Huizu pondered for a moment and said to the Son of Heaven: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Lord Qi's plan can be slightly modified. Fang Zhao should be ordered to rush from Bauhinia Pass to Ulzhou immediately, and strive to surround Ulzhou City before the Yan army leaves. At the same time, he ordered Wu Jie to lead the army to set off from Zhending and gallop to Datong in the starry night. ”

"Datong?" Everyone was taken aback.

Xu Huizu said calmly: "Be prepared. The reinforcements to Datong must not only be fast, but also quiet, and appear in Datong unnoticed, so that the Yan army cannot be noticed. ”

The Emperor looked at him hesitantly. "That'...... What to do in Taiyuan? ”

Xu Huizu said: "The Yan army is making a big momentum to attack Taiyuan everywhere, this is not like trying to fight Taiyuan. Because of this, Wu Jie's reinforcements must disappear as much as possible, so as not to be discovered by the Yan army and change their plans. As long as the reinforcements from Bauhinia Pass and Zhending are fast enough, we can ensure that Taiyuan and Datong are safe and sound. ”

Zhu Yunwen said: "Okay, then give an order according to Xu Aiqing's intentions, and deliver the token as soon as possible." ”

After that, there was no more news. The Yan army has been stationed in the city of Ulzhou, and there is no movement. Emperor Ying's palace has been waiting for a report from the battlefield ahead, how Fang Zhao and Wu Jie's army is progressing; However, a few days later, the military report of the Southern Army was sent to the Beijing Division, but there was no mention of the situation in Shanxi and the deployment of the defenders. Shen Ruoyu was practicing outside the city; After Zhu Yunwen finished reading the report, he was quite surprised, but he couldn't find him around, so he handed the piece to Fang Xiaoru and asked Mr. Fang what this meant.

Fang Xiaoru looked at the recital, his brows were furrowed, and he was also deeply confused. The Son of Heaven then passed the chapter to Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng, who were also beside him, and after reading it, they looked at each other, hesitated for a while, and said to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, the minister is stupid, I really don't know where this matter came from, whether it is true or not. In his humble opinion, he still asked Lord Shen to come over, and he would clarify to His Majesty in person. Only he himself knows what the truth is. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Weichen also thinks so. ”

Zhu Yunwen nodded, and ordered Shanshou to go out of the city immediately and call Shen Ruoyu back.

Shen Ruoyu walked into the main hall and saw that the Son of Heaven and the three close ministers were looking at him anxiously in front of him, and his heart immediately sank after mentioning it all morning.

Zhu Yunwen saw him come in and said:

"If you don't have to kneel. I called you here because I wanted to ask you something. Just sent back a message from the battlefield ahead, which ...... Well, it says something about you, I really don't know who is so boring, I'm worried that the Yanshu people will repeat their old tricks, make rumors about you, and want to use my hand to persecute you. So, I called you here to hear your own clarification. ”

Huang Zicheng handed him the troublesome note. Shen Ruoliao took the piece and felt a little fluttering numbness in his hands. He didn't have to look at it, he didn't have to open it, he knew what it was talking about. When he got up early this morning, he felt that the pedestrians who got up early, the hawkers who sold breakfast, and even the royal guards under him, looked at him with a strange look. Dong Yuan pulled him aside and asked him something quietly; Rumors, like last night's cold wind, blew across the entire capital overnight.

Rumors? Probably not.

He had been waiting for this day; He had been waiting since the time he was engaged, and he knew he couldn't escape.

He still subconsciously unfolded the letter in his hand and looked at the handwriting on it.

Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, hurriedly walked into the hall with a solemn expression at this time.

"Your Majesty—why, the three adults are here; If you are also there, it just so happens that the minister has one thing, and he wants to ask Shen Dudu to explain to His Majesty in front of the three adults. ”

Jianwen Tianzi was stunned when he heard this. The three Wenchen looked at each other for a moment, and Qi Tai said in surprise:

"Why, the information ahead has just been sent to His Majesty, and Grandpa already knows about it?"

Xu Huizu saw the report in Shen Ruoyu's hand, and saw his expression more clearly.

"Is this the message?" Wei Guogong said, took the chapter from Shen Ruoliao's hand, quickly browsed it himself, and handed it back to Shan Shou.

"It seems that I don't need to repeat it," he said, "I'm afraid this information will come more slowly than the rumors." Now, the streets and alleys of the capital are talking about this matter, and there are different opinions in the barracks. There is no doubt that King Yan has sent people to infiltrate the capital to spread rumors and create public opinion. What is the truth of this matter, it is not only about the reputation of Shen Dudu, but also about His Majesty's prestige in the hearts of his subjects, and the confidence and momentum of the imperial court in front of the Yan army are not trivial. Therefore, the minister deliberately put on a disguise and went to the Qingbei Inn to investigate, and talked to the shopkeepers there, but the result made me feel that the situation was serious. ”

"What did Grandpa find?" The Son of Heaven and the three Wenchen asked in unison.

Xu Huizu glanced at Shen Ruoyu; From the beginning to the present, the parties have never said a word.

Wei Guogong cautiously asked, "Ruoxiao, do I mean it's good or not?" ”

Shen Ruoyu raised his head and glanced at the Son of Heaven.

"It can't be hidden," he said at last, "and an explanation should have been given." Again, that's a good point. ”

Wei Guogong looked at him worriedly: "What do you mean, this matter really has something to do with you?" ”

"Grandpa, what is it?" Fang Xiaoru couldn't help but ask.

Xu Huizu glanced at Shen Ruoyu solemnly and recounted to the others:

"Your Majesty, according to the shopkeeper, a young woman did die in a room on the second floor of the inn on one night in the first month of September. The woman had stayed at the inn the night before, and there was a man in his early thirties with her, both of whom had northern accents, and the man called the woman a mistress. The man went out early the next morning, and the woman stayed in the room all day, and did not show her face until midnight; At that time, many guests in the inn, including the shopkeeper, were awakened by the cry of a woman coming from the room. But the sound lasted only a short time, and then there was no more movement. The shopkeeper felt strange, so he knocked on the door, but no one answered for a long time. He slammed open the door and went in, and found the girl dead on the bed, apparently by cutting her wrists, but he couldn't find the murder weapon, and there was no one else in the house, only the body lying on the bed, bleeding all over the ground. He was so frightened that many of the curious guests saw this scene and didn't know what to do. At this moment, suddenly the northern guest returned, and when he saw the terrible situation in the house, he was at first astonished, and pounced on the dead woman, and called out to her desperately, and then drew his sword and asked who had killed her. Everyone was overwhelmed and too scared to speak. The man stopped talking, picked up the woman's body, and jumped out of the window. Outside the window was a two-story corridor, and the little two ran to the window to see, the man had jumped to the ground, and immediately ran away. After the onlookers came to their senses, they talked about it, complained that the inn was too murderous, and said that they would move out tomorrow, and then they all went back to their rooms. Seeing that there was no one around, in the middle of the night, he stood in the room where a person had just died, his eyes were full of blood, and he was so frightened that he ran out of the house. The next day, they locked the doors and windows of that room from the outside, thinking that there were ghosts inside. I said I wanted to go in and have a look, but the guy turned white with fright, didn't agree, and said that he couldn't stand working in this shop anymore and was about to find another livelihood. ”

Emperor Jianwen was terrified when he heard this, his voice trembled slightly, and he asked:

"So, there was indeed a woman who died there, but she died inexplicably, what does this have to do with Ruo Shao?"

Xu Huizu said: "This is the problem. There's more to it than what the minister just said. The shopkeeper also told Chen something. On the second night, that is, on the night of the second day of the ninth month, the doors of the store were closed, and he was sweeping on the first floor, when suddenly a person broke in, grabbed him and asked who was the second child. When he saw it, it was the northerner. When the man recognized him, he said to him, 'You must be very strange what happened last night, and now I will tell you that the dead girl was murdered, and she came all the way from the depths of the Yanshan Mountains in the north to the capital to find her husband, but her husband was a reincarnated Chen Shimei, who coveted glory and wealth, and married a prince of the county, and forgot his wife cleanly, even worse than Chen Shimei. Killed his wife with his own hands. Do you know who this cold-blooded and brutal husband who exterminated humanity was? He is the emperor's favorite imperial guard today, the smash hit Shen Ruoxiao. What is his real face, and all of you are still in the dark by him. ’”

"This ...... That's impossible! Zhu Yunwen and Fang Xiaoru couldn't help but blurt out at the same time.

"And then?" Qi Tai asked, "Did that little second ever mention this to others?" ”

"He said he didn't. He said that because of his death, all the customers ran away the next morning, and it was late at that time, the store was closed, and he was the only one, and no one else heard these words. The northerner walked away and was never seen again. That Xiao Er himself is not a person who talks a lot, after thinking about it, he feels that this matter is strange, he has never known Ruo Xiao, but he has some friends who beg for a living on the street and have dealt with Lord Shen, and often talk to him, he has the impression that Lord Shen is a very good person, simple and chivalrous, he can hardly believe that what that person said is true, so he wonders if it is a trap made by King Yan, and wants to ruin Lord Shen's reputation in front of the Son of Heaven and dismount him. Therefore, he never mentioned it to anyone. The reason why I told Weichen was because later, Chen felt that he always had something to hide from me, so I showed him my identity, told him the seriousness of this matter, asked him what else he hadn't said completely, and asked him to stop hiding the truth from me. He thought about it for a long time, dragged me to his own bedroom, locked the door, and told me everything. He was very strange, because yesterday he suddenly found out that this matter had spread, and rumors were all over the street, and today it has intensified. I haven't said a word, from the first day of September to the present, more than four months have passed, and there has been no movement in the middle, why suddenly rumors are flying all over the sky. The minister told him that this was the king of Yan who was plotting to divide him. That's all I can do, and it's up to you what to do with the rest. Can you tell Your Majesty what your relationship is to this matter? ”

"I didn't kill anyone." Shen Ruo said sneeringly.

Several important ministers glanced at each other, a little confused.

"You mean, you do know this woman? You- did you go to the Love North Inn at that time? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Yes." When I was still at home, she was my sister. That other man is my brother. He came to my house that night, and we hadn't seen each other for years. He said that he and Qing'er were staying at the Love North Inn, and asked me to go over to meet them. I did go. ”

Fang Xiaoru cautiously asked, "That-how did your clan sister die, why did she die?" ”

Shen Ruoyu met everyone's eyes; He was a little surprised, but at this moment, he was no longer panicked, no longer frightened; He could have been so calm.

"She and I are childhood sweethearts. But then something happened to the cottage where we were, and my uncle poisoned my father and the patriarch, who was Qing'er's father. I thought the court knew? ”

Xu Huizu said: "The details that the imperial court knows are all reported by King Yan to Emperor Gao. The court only knew that your uncle had committed adultery, poisoned your father, and forced you to escape from the mountain. As for the matter of your sister, the court knows nothing, and it doesn't know whether King Yan knows about it or not. And then? What really happened in the Love North Inn? ”

Shen Ruoyu lowered his head and said, "I escaped from the mountain, and since then I have been separated from Qing'er, and I have not been heard from again." Later, when I married my current wife, and when I came to the capital, she and my brother somehow found out about my whereabouts, so we came to find her, but it was impossible for me to marry her again. I told her this that day, maybe I couldn't speak – I didn't think that as soon as I left, she wouldn't want to kill herself. ”

"Now that you're gone, how do you know she's committed suicide?" Xu Huizu asked.

"Because I'm going back again. I left the autumn wind in her room, and when I went back to get it, I saw that she was dead. You just said that when Xiao Er rushed in, he didn't find the murder weapon, because I took him away; Because what she used to commit suicide was Autumn Wind. ”

Fang Xiaoru asked, "Is she your wife?" ”

"It's not. I haven't had time to marry her yet. ”

"You didn't marry her, so what did you do with her...... A few...... More intimate behavior? It was Huang Zicheng who asked the question, because the topic was already a little embarrassing, and his face was flushed.

"Never. I haven't married her yet, so how can I touch her? ”

He was so calm; He had no other way, he had to lie. The truth of this matter is too terrible for him to bear.

"I believe so;" Fang Xiaoru said, "What's more, just now the grandfather recounted that Xiao Er repeated what your clan brother said, and he said, 'That dead girl', since she is a girl, but she says that she is your wife, which is obviously illogical." ”

"Then why did she kill herself?" Huang Zicheng asked.

Shen Ruoyu said: "This ...... I can't say it either, maybe she waited too long and I let her down. Probably...... She was left alone and homeless for me, but I rejected her. I don't know exactly what it is. ”

"Your former lover committed suicide because of you, are you still so calm? Don't you feel heartache and remorse? Qi Tai asked.

After a long time, Shen Ruoyu replied softly:

"Do you mean that I should now weep and beat my chest in front of you? It's been four months since this happened, and I haven't been able to get out of the pang for a moment. I've endured enough alone, I don't want to hurt Qiu'er, and I don't want to affect His Majesty's mood. I also chose to dodge, change places, go to the battlefield, what else can I do? ”

Zhu Yunwen said in surprise: "I see? I wonder why you came in drunk that morning, urging me to send you to the front at once. It turned out that it was because of something like this. But - why did you choose the battlefield? You can take a month-long vacation and go to a place with beautiful mountains and rivers to relax, why do you want to hide in the most dangerous place? You-"

The Son of Heaven paused, realizing a thought; He was frightened by the thought.

"Ruoxiao, you-you were ...... It won't be ...... Do you want to die? ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled, looked at Zhu Yunwen, and smiled shallowly, a bit like a dead man's smile, which made the Son of Heaven creepy.

"If I do die, that's fine."

Zhu Yunwen anxiously persuaded: "You shouldn't have this kind of thought. People can't be resurrected from death, and it's not your fault. Marriage is predestined, and people can't help it. You can feel sad and remorseful enough to comfort the deceased, and she won't blame you. ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled bitterly: "If she doesn't blame me, she won't do this." She just wants to make me feel guilty for the rest of my life. ”

"But why did your brother say that you killed her?" Huang Zicheng was still a little skeptical.

"This is very understandable," Fang Xiaoru said, "There is no doubt that his clan brother has joined the Yan army and become a member of the Yan King, so this matter has been used by the Yan King as a weapon to attack Ruo Xiao and even the imperial court." ”

"What are we going to do now?" Huang Zicheng asked, "The capital is already full of rumors, and if such an unclear thing happens to the closest person around Your Majesty, it will affect the credibility of the imperial court and mess up the people's hearts." ”

Zhu Yunwen said dissatisfiedly: "Those are all rumors made by villains, and Ruoyu is not innocent at all." ”

"But it's too difficult to prove this," Xu Huizu said, "After all, it is a fact that a woman from the north died in the middle of the night at the Qingbei Inn, and the guests in the store saw it at that time, not just a shopkeeper." Now those guests may be all over the country, and they didn't know that Ruo Xiao had anything to do with this matter before, but now that they know, they will add fuel and vinegar to talk nonsense. Rumors can't be controlled. What's more, the truth itself is not very clear about right and wrong. ”

"Don't think about it anymore," Shen Ruoyu said lightly, "It's very easy to do, directly dismiss me from my post and hand it over to the Three Law Divisions for review, according to the provisions of the "Daming Law", do what you need to do, and give the people justice." ”

Zhu Yunwen didn't do it: "How can I hand you over to the Three Law Divisions?" No way. A few adults helped me think about it, is there any other way? ”

Several important ministers looked at each other, silent. Then, Qi Tai spoke:

"Long live I don't want to wronged Lord Shen, but if this matter cannot be held accountable according to the law, the decree of the imperial court will lose its majesty, and the Son of Heaven will lose its trust in the people."

Zhu Yunwen said: "However, if you didn't kill that woman, even if the Three Law Divisions file a case, you can't convict him of anything." ”

"In that case, why should Your Majesty worry about handing him over to the Three Law Divisions?" Xu Huizu said, "The minister thinks that Ruo Yu's own advice is the best, as long as he is indeed innocent, only a legal and fair trial procedure can truly convince the people that he is innocent." ”

Fang Xiaoru also hesitated a little: "Having said that, but in this way, the ins and outs of the whole matter must be completely made public, embarrassing and secondly, if few must be saddled with the infamy of being unlucky, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no good people to pull out the old things of Shen Rufeng back then, question the Son of Heaven for disobeying Taizu's orders, and accuse the court of appointing evil young people." ”

Shen Ruoyu said in a low voice: "Let's ask Your Majesty to give a decree." ”

"What do you want me to do," Zhu Yunwen said sadly, "I can't just depose you and condemn you for no reason." ”

"That's easy, I'll go to the criminal department myself." After Shen Ruoyu finished speaking, he turned around and walked out. Fang Xiaoru hurriedly grabbed him.

"Don't worry. Your Majesty, the minister has a solution. He could ask Ruo Xiao to write a letter asking for his resignation from all positions, and His Majesty promised him to wait until the truth was found out before reinstating him. During this period, if he can just live at home, the three law divisions will still try the case, and there is no conviction anyway, so there is no need to put him in prison. ”

Qi Tai shook his head and said, "The minister thinks it's inappropriate; If Lord Shen took the initiative to resign, it would be as if he had a clear conscience and had done something wrong. His Majesty could issue an edict to remove him from office and allow him to take a leave of absence at home to recuperate, pending the final outcome of the case. ”

Zhu Yunwen looked at the two hesitantly, and it was difficult to decide, so he asked Wei Guogong for help:

"What about Master Taifu?"

Xu Huizu pondered for a moment and said, "The minister agrees with Mr. Fang's suggestion. Even if there is no murder, but as a close minister next to the Son of Heaven, he does not know how to consider the consequences, causing these unclear rights and wrongs, causing trouble to the Son of Heaven, and what kind of negative impact it will have on the image of His Majesty and the entire court, he should be responsible anyway. Ruoxiao, do you understand what I mean? You may not have sinned, but you must have made a mistake. Therefore, you should take the initiative to resign and ask the Son of Heaven to allow you to go home and think about it behind closed doors. ”

The other three ministers nodded in unison and said in unison: "What Grandpa said is very true, and this is exactly what I meant." ”

Shen Ruoyu replied softly: "I understand; Even if the emperor doesn't dismiss me, this matter is so big, and I don't have the face to leave the house myself. I wrote my resignation right away. ”