Walking in Xingqing Palace in the middle of the night is by no means a beautiful experience.

At such times, most of the lights in the palace were extinguished, and the cold wind whistling in the cold weather not only drilled into the clothes of the people in bursts, but also used that terrifying voice to intimidate people again and again. If it weren't for the eunuch who led the way, he was not carrying an ordinary lamp, but a glass lamp to shelter from the wind, I was afraid that Du Shiyi would have lost his only guidepost on this cold and windy night.

Although he was wrapped in a thick coat and the deerskin boots under his feet were still silky, he could be dragged up by someone from a half-dream and half-awake, and he walked around this palace in a daze, he had completely lost the direction of east, west, north and south, and in addition to doubts, there was also unavoidable tension in his heart. You must know the way, but any matter of the Son of Heaven summoning the edict at night will not be a trivial matter. And at this time, what does Li Longji think?

He didn't know how long he had been walking, but he finally saw that there was a dim light in front of him. When he got closer, he found that in front of him was a simple palace that looked very different from the main building of Luoyang Palace. Guarding the gate of the palace are two lantern eunuchs. In the bitter winter night, the two stood motionless, he thought they were here to greet each other, but when he followed the eunuch who led the way past them, he realized that they were mere gatekeepers, and he did not know whether the stiff posture of the road was due to the cold, or because of the fact that he had held such a duty for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that the eyes would still move, it would be no different from a sculpture.

"Du Zhongshu, Your Majesty is in it, please go in."

Seeing the call late at night, Du Shiyi was not worried about Lin Chong being deceived into breaking into the White Tiger Hall, even so, when he stepped into the main hall, because of the dim light in the room, and with the help of the glass lamp outside, he finally saw the plaque above his head - Shanzhai Courtyard. As the name suggests, this is probably the place where the Son of Heaven fasts. Although he still didn't know why he had been summoned tonight, he didn't hesitate to raise his voice when he walked to the door.

"Your Majesty, Du Shiyi, a scholar in the courtiers, came to see him."

"Come in"

From just these two concise words, Du Shiyi could hear Li Longji's anger, and when he entered the room, he was even more firm in his guess.

After more than 20 years on the throne, Li Longji, who is now nearly fifty years old, is no longer as heroic and strong and burly as he was when he was young. His temples have inevitably grown gray hair, and the horizontal lines on his forehead are clearly visible day and night, and at this moment, in addition to those horizontal lines, the obvious Sichuan character lines are particularly eye-catching, coupled with his cold tone, it is enough to ⊥ people's hearts chill.

"You're finally here" Li Longji waved his hand lightly to stop Du Shiyi from saluting, and said bluntly, "I summoned you here for only one thing. You, at three moments, will draft an edict for me to abolish the prince

As soon as these words came out, although Du Shiyi had imagined many possibilities, this possibility seemed to him to be the most subtle, so he couldn't help but be surprised. It was only at this time that he discovered that Li Longji and his monarchs were not the only ones in this room. Just next to the pillar in the corner, there was another person kneeling there in despair, even if it was just his back, but if he guessed correctly, I am afraid that it was Li Hong, the crown prince of the current prince

"Your Majesty summoned you all night to abolish the prince?" Du Shiyi had to open his mouth to confirm, seeing that Li Longji had a calm face and didn't say a word, even if he secretly complained that he was really unlucky, but since he bumped into this kind of thing tonight, he couldn't allow him to get out. Therefore, he was not intimidated by Li Longji's cold attitude, and said deeply, "The minister dares to ask Your Majesty, the crown prince has been canonized for many years, why is he deposed today?" ”

"You ask him"

These three words did not frighten Du Shiyi, he really turned around and walked towards the crown prince Li Hong, and stopped a few steps away, and asked the same way: "Your Royal Highness the Prince, something happened very well today, please explain the reason." ”

If it were in the past, no matter when, he would be able to talk to Du Shiyi so justifiably, Li Hong would not be able to ask for it. But at this moment, he only felt that the whole person was like falling into an ice cellar, and when the previous thunder fell on his head, he had almost lost the last trace of courage, and even the hatred for his father in his heart seemed to be suppressed in the most bleak and deep place in the palace like Shanzhaiyuan. He opened his mouth to explain a few words, at least to hint at Du Shiyi something, but in the end, his throat seemed to be completely blocked, and he couldn't say a word.

"Can't say it? I can't say it, I said it for him."

Li Longji suddenly walked over, glanced at Li Hong with a gaze that did not contain any warmth, and then said sharply: "His biological mother is from a humble background, but because she is an old man in the domain, she has a deep affection, and after she ascended the throne, she was registered as one of the three concubines, Concubine Li, and even canonized his second son as the crown prince over the eldest child, invited a famous teacher to teach, and hired a famous Shuyuan as the crown princess, but what about him? I don't know the way of loyalty and filial piety, but I have ill intentions, and secretly plot to hand over the minister to help such a rebellious son, how can I treat it as a prince again"

Today, Li Longji directly took out his mother's humble identity to talk about things, if Li Hong hadn't drooped his head, he was sure that the raging anger on his face would have angered his father even more. However, all he could do was clench his fists hard and tell himself over and over again to calm down, otherwise there would be no more chance. However, when he heard Li Longji directly reprimanding him for handing over the minister, he realized that this matter was related to Du Shiyi, a member of the Zhongshu House who had just been summoned, and his face turned pale.

What to do, what to do next?

Concubine Zhao Li's life experience, Du Shiyi is naturally familiar with it. Just like the queen Wei Zifu of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Concubine Zhao Li was born as a singer, and Li Longji, who was still the king of Linzi County at that time, fell in love with him at first sight at the official post in Luzhou, and immediately accepted it back, and after ascending the throne, she was registered as Concubine Li, and then her son, Li Hong, who was named Li Siqian at the time, was named as the prince. If this love can last for a few more years, if the Zhao family can also produce two characters like Wei Qinghuo going to illness, then maybe there will also be a legend like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and the Wei family, but the problem is that Concubine Zhao Li's favor only lasted for a few years, and it was completely dimmed under the strong rise of Concubine Wu Hui

And when he heard the words of the handover minister, even if the Son of Heaven was in front of him, he was still calm. Since that incident, he has been ready for this matter to be exposed, so he is so calm that even his heart can't help but be surprised. In front of the Son of Heaven, he even raised his eyebrows and asked rhetorically in an incredible tone: "Handover minister?" ”

Because Li Hong was close to the informant, Li Longji was originally full of anger in his heart, so he just saw that Li Hong was silent, and he directly counted his crimes, however, at this moment, seeing that Du Shiyi heard these words, he was not shocked and suspicious, and he couldn't help but feel a little shaken. However, the next moment, he saw Du Shiyi shouting to Li Hong bitterly: "His Royal Highness the Prince, His Majesty has always had good expectations for His Royal Highness, why is His Royal Highness so confused, you need to know the father and son, the monarch and the minister, if it weren't for His Highness's loss of ministers and filial piety, how could His Majesty be so angry today?"

Regardless of whether it is the prince Yu or not, as long as he does not admit it, as long as he does not admit it, then tonight's events will not be irreversible

Li Hong was knocked by Du Shiyi's slap in the face, and he woke up like a dream. Du Shiyi said this, which is nothing more than to show that he will insist that the previous note is just a fictitious thing, and when he was just scolded by his father, he was shocked and frightened, and he was disheartened, and he didn't answer a word at all, so there is still a chance and a chance next

Li Longji saw Li Hong suddenly kneeling on the ground, and he actually cried bitterly, he finally got impatient. His eyes suddenly turned sharp, staring at Du Shiyi and asked in a deep voice: "Du Junli, until now, do you still want to hide it for this evil son?" The minister he sent the note to, isn't it you? ”

"It's me?" Du Shiyi's eyes immediately widened, as if she was too shocked to forget her humble title, "How can Your Majesty say this?" I returned to Luoyang from Daizhou, and I only saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at the polo match a few days ago, and I didn't say a word. And even during the short few years that the minister had served in Beijing before, it was only because a straight scholar of Lizheng Academy was sick, and he followed Master He to give the only lesson to His Royal Highness the Prince, and other than that, he was only seen by the court. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to hand over the minister, it is certainly possible for everyone, but if it is me, it is not that I am afraid, but that the Crown Prince is indeed aggrieved."

Li Longji was also furious after hearing someone tell him tonight, and when Du Shiyi said this, he couldn't help but squint his eyes. However, he did not believe it, but coldly asked, "Are you saying that this matter is false?" But the people around the prince said it clearly, on the first day you first arrived in Zhongshu Province to serve as a member of Zhongshu House, he once attached a note to the ice cheese awarded to Zhongshu Province and placed it in front of you personally. ”

"It's even funnier. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been canonized as the prince for 16 years, and in these 16 years, the great Confucian scholars have taught day and night, and His Majesty has raised his face, no matter how he does things, he is also disciplined and measured. To hand over the minister, the first choice is to be the ruler of the Qing Dynasty, especially the teacher who has been a professor for many years, and it is already very strange to choose the minister, not to mention that the note is passed out at such an inexplicable moment on the first day of the minister's tenure? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't know what to say, no matter if anyone in Zhongshu Province got such a thing, his first reaction was to present it to His Majesty? Or is it that in the eyes of His Majesty, the minister is such an imprudent person? ”

Speaking of this, Du Shiyi knelt down unhurriedly, and said in a tone that was so calm that there was almost no change in his voice: "If Your Majesty wants to abolish the crown prince for other reasons, although the minister will admonish him, he will have his own responsibilities and have to be edicted. However, if because of such a ridiculous whistleblowing, the minister has to tell the truth, this hurts His Majesty's knowledge, and the minister's words are all here, please let Your Majesty know the truth. ”

Sensing that Li Longji was silent all of a sudden, although Li Hong was ashamed of the reproach in Du Shiyi's statement again and again, he still mustered up his courage and said while crying: "Grandpa questioned me before, I didn't dare to defend myself, but I really never handed over to the minister. As for the people who have frequent contacts with me, that is, the fifth and eighth brothers, as well as my brother-in-law, the rest of them have hardly been in and out of the palace where I live, because of the death of Ah Niang, I have been impatient and irritable over the years, and often blame the people around me, but I really never dared to have such a rebellious mind."

Du Shiyi insisted that there was no such thing, and Li Hong even cried that he had been wronged, and Li Longji couldn't help but be a little shaken. Whether he is a prince or a subordinate, he will be incredibly generous at times, but he will also be ruthless when he is cold. At this moment, he took a deep breath and immediately shouted in a deep voice: "Lux, bring that informant here"

I haven't seen Gao Lishi all the time, but when I heard this voice at this moment, Du Shiyi knew that the most trusted eunuch of the Son of Heaven was hiding in a place that he couldn't see. Hearing the sound of Gao Lishi's promise and the sound of his departing footsteps, his face was as calm as his mood. So much so that after staring at him for a long time, Li Longji finally said in a deep voice: "Du Qing will calm down first." ”

Although this is not to say that the Son of Heaven is relieved, after all, it is a good sign, and Du Shiyi immediately stood up calmly. As for Li Hong on the side, he still buried his face between his hands on the ground, although he was still confused in his heart, but he finally got rid of the state where his mind was so blank that he couldn't think of any countermeasures. Thinking of the euphemistic persuasion and reproach that the crown princess Xue had given him, he regretted for the first time the catastrophe caused by Meng Lang at that time.

I don't know how long it took to say that Gao Lishi's respectful voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, someone has brought it." ”

The door opened, and a man stumbled in, but it was a eunuch in his early forties. He looked around, and after seeing the people in the room clearly, he suddenly knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty ......."

But after this sound, he didn't have time to say anything, so Du Shiyi suddenly cut off: "Your Majesty, since this person is informant, can the minister ask him on the spot?" ”

He was on the spot, and the inside and outside of this room were guarded by the most courageous among the eunuchs, Li Longji did not suspect that Du Shiyi would have other tricks, and immediately nodded without thinking: "Accurate." ”

When she received the note, Du Shiyi guessed two possibilities, one is that this is indeed the idea of the crown prince Li Hong, and the other is that this is framed by others. Either way, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he would destroy it immediately. As for the evidence, there are only human witnesses and no physical evidence, not to mention that he and Li Hong have no real dealings, so it's a big deal that Li Longji directly demoted him, otherwise he can at least get through the danger As for the opportunity to argue in front of the monarch now, he will not be stunned.

Sure enough, the eunuch didn't expect to face such a situation, and when he saw Du Shiyi turn around and look at him unhurriedly, he immediately panicked. Almost instinctively, he kowtowed his head twice, and then shouted almost with a crying voice: "Your Majesty, what the slave and maid said is the truth, it was Lang Jun who supported the slave and maid, and pressed the note under the ice cream bowl that awarded the Zhongshu Province to everyone, and gave it to Du Zhongshu."

This time, Du Shiyi waited for a long time until this person finished speaking, and then said with a smile: "First of all, since it was when I just arrived in Zhongshu Province to take office, and it was in the middle of summer, it should be half a year from now, in these six months and one hundred and eighty days, why did you never say a word, and now you suddenly told Your Majesty?" Although you serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but the whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's minister, you are a courtier under His Majesty, and you should have reported to His Majesty in every detail, not to mention such an abnormal behavior, but you have been delaying until now? ”

As soon as these words came out, Li Hong only felt that his heart suddenly twitched, if it weren't for the time, place, and situation, he couldn't wait to applaud Du Shiyi. Sure enough, the next moment, he heard his father's familiar voice: "Du Qing's question reminded me that the summer matter has only been delayed until now, where is your intention?" ”

"Your Majesty, the slave is just ......"

"Secondly." This time, Du Shiyi didn't let the eunuch go on, but asked unhurriedly, "Second, my memory has always been very good, if I remember correctly, when the ice cream was awarded that day, it was a eunuch with a little pockmarks on his face who came to give me something, and he should be in his fifties, not you."

"That's ...... That's ......" The eunuch never thought that Du Shiyi would be able to remember the people he had met a few months ago, and his face became flustered for a while. But at this time, Li Longji relieved him.

"Du Qing has such a good memory?"

The Son of Heaven's doubts Du Shiyi had already prepared, and immediately turned around and said: "It is a special grace for His Majesty to give a gift, so from the time when the minister was in Zuo Shi's posthumous office, the eunuchs used by His Majesty to award rewards every New Year's Day, the ministers still remember it very clearly. ”

Without breaking his fingers, Du Shiyi treasured the characteristics of the eunuchs when they were awarded again and again - of course, his memory could not be so perverted, but since the previous note happened, he made all the preparations in order to deal with possible challenges. After the details of the awarder had been told a dozen times, when he turned to look at the eunuch again, he saw that his face was as pale as earth.

And Li Hong was already relieved, he was glad to listen to the instructions of the crown princess Xue, before that, he carefully removed the people involved in this matter one by one, and secretly said that this guy who came forward to tell the whistle should have only heard a little rumor, and was not the real person involved, and insisted that he was the practitioner when he told the whistle, but in order to win the trust of the Son of Heaven - after all, he was also afraid that the matter would be exposed, and Concubine Wu Hui would be in trouble, and his position as prince would probably be lost earlier

"Slave maid...... The slave is entrusted to someone else......"

"Enough," Li Longji finally didn't want to listen to it anymore. Of course, he often reversed the idea of abolishing the crown prince, but he didn't want to be led by the nose, and he was even more annoyed that he was somehow involved in a legitimately appointed minister. So, after snorting in annoyance, he shouted again, "Someone is coming."

When he saw that the eunuch kneeling on the ground was trembling like chaff, he immediately strode forward, and when he reached his back, he suddenly slammed into the back of his head, and when he saw him fall to the ground, he bowed respectfully and said, "What do you command?" ”

"Kill this cheap slave with a cane" After saying this in a cold tone, he saw Gao Lishi personally dragging people out of the house, he glanced at Du Shiyi in front of him, and hesitated in his heart.

"If you don't keep it secret, you will lose your minister, and if you don't keep it secret, you will lose your body, today's thing is that the villain is making trouble to sow discord, and the minister wants to keep it secret, and never say anything to others."

Since Du Shiyi determined the nature of this matter, Li Hong immediately kowtowed to the heart and said, "Grandpa, I know that I am wrong. In the future, I will never vent my anger on the head of the palace slave, I must study hard, and I will never do such a shameful thing again. ”

Since Li Hong blamed the villain for his resentment because of the crime, Li Longji knew that it would save a lot of trouble in the future. When Du Shiyi didn't come before, the anger he should have been sent was already gone, and then he said angrily: "Go back to study behind closed doors and reflect on yourself for a month, and reflect on today's negligence If it is not for the sake of the deceased concubine, otherwise I will never spare you again."

The deceased concubine? Until the moment when my mother died on the sickbed, I am afraid that I was also thinking about you, but how did you ever remember to go to see her?

Li Hong's heart was already full of hatred, but he had to respond respectfully. By the time he stood up with his knees on his feet, his legs were completely sore because he had been kneeling for too long. However, he still used the greatest willpower to support and move out step by step. It wasn't until he breathed the cold air again that he whispered in his heart.

Du Zhongshu, it was my recklessness that almost hurt you before, and this time, I will definitely pay it back in my life

And since the crown prince Li Hong is gone, Du Shiyi is naturally a little more relaxed. Sure enough, then Li Longji never mentioned that he was going to abolish the crown prince when he was angry at the beginning, but ordered another thing. One is to ask Du Shiyi to personally draw up the Shinto tablet for Princess Jinxian, as for the writer, Princess Yuzhen has already taken over the past, and the second is the matter of Shiquan that is about to begin. Although Li Longji was not ready to make all his own decisions this time like in the thirteenth year of Kaiyuan, and he didn't have the energy, he was still very concerned, and finally asked Li Linfu.

"Du Qing thinks that during the period when Li Shilang was the servant of the ministry, can it be fair?"

Fair? Which official has not been a private person, if you really want to say that it is fair, it only depends on whether the annual selection can put some truly talented people in the right positions, nothing more.

"Your Majesty, whether Li Shilang was in the office of the Guozijian at the beginning, or later in the imperial history, the servant of the criminal department, and the servant of the ministry, he was all conscientious and proficient. The previous mistake of the officials was the disadvantage of the officials, and Li Shilang was like this before he took office, and he had nothing to do with him. ”

After listening to Du Shiyi's evaluation, Li Longji nodded with a smile: "Yes, he is a person trusted by Pei Qing, and you are a person who is reused by Xiao Qing, I heard that you and he were good friends with Yu Wenrong in the past, and now that they have parted ways, it is indeed not easy for you to say a fair word for him." Okay, since I specially summoned you today, you can stay up all night for me here, and tonight I will carefully draw out the Shinto tablet of Banniang, so as not to be questioned in the Sunrise Palace After all, she is also half of your mother-in-law."