In the Palace of Nourishing Hearts, Emperor Chongzhen stood in front of a huge map of the Ming Dynasty, staring at a large area in the northwest, pondering, frowning, and worried.

The celebrant smiled at Wang Chengen and tiptoed in and saluted the emperor: "Your Majesty, the queen has arrived outside the Heart Cultivation Palace." ”

Emperor Chongzhen had a strict order, without his permission, the concubines of the harem were not allowed to enter the palace of nourishing the heart unless they were edicted. Of course, Chongzhen's will did not include Empress Zhou. However, every time Queen Zhou found the Heart Nourishing Palace, she waited outside the hall first, and only after the eunuch reported to her, did she enter the temple to face the saint.

Emperor Chongzhen raised his head in surprise when he heard this, and muttered, "Empress? What did she come to do? Thinking that Empress Zhou probably had something important, she nodded to Wang Chengen: "Xuan." ”

After a while, Empress Zhou walked in in and saluted the emperor first.

"The concubine knocks on the emperor."

Chongzhen said gently: "The queen doesn't have to be polite. ”

Empress Zhou got up and looked at Chongzhen, with distress in her eyes: "Your Majesty, national affairs are important, and the emperor's dragon body is equally important." In the past two days, the emperor has been much haggard. ”

Chongzhen felt warm in his heart when he heard this, and waved his hand and said, "Let the queen worry, I will pay attention." Then he said to Wang Chengen on the side: "Chengen, move the **** pier for the queen." ”

Unexpectedly, Queen Zhou beckoned to stop Wang Chengen, and she chuckled and said, "Father-in-law doesn't have to be busy. I'm here because I have good news to tell the emperor. ”

Despite what Queen Zhou said, Wang Chengen still moved to Jindun and put it next to Queen Zhou.

Empress Zhou didn't mean to sit down, took out the letter from her cuffs, and presented it to Emperor Chongzhen, facing Emperor Chongzhen's puzzled gaze, Empress Zhou chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, the concubines saw that the emperor was working hard all day for the affairs of Shaanxi, so they went to Ciqing Palace to chat with Xu Liang's main wife, Feng Suqin. Well, Mrs. Feng was reasonable, and immediately wrote to Lord Xu to admonish her husband. This is the reply letter of Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi. In the letter, Lord Xu said that he had received the holy decree and that a major military operation was about to take place in Shaanxi in the near future. ”

"Oh?" Emperor Chongzhen took it in surprise, read it carefully at the letter, and then breathed a sigh of relief, and sighed lightly: "Isn't this very good...... Xu Liang has such an attitude, and I am much more relieved. ”

Queen Zhou also laughed: "Isn't it, the concubine heard that the emperor only gave Shaanxi ten days, and she is also worried a lot these days." Now Lord Xu has finally taken action. ”

Saying that, Empress Zhou followed Emperor Chongzhen and sighed lightly.

"Huh......" The emperor suddenly screamed softly, looking at the letter in his hand suspiciously, "Why is this letter broken?" ”

Empress Zhou's face was embarrassed, and she explained in a wry whisper: "Your Majesty, this is a reply letter written by Lord Xu, the governor of Shaanxi, to Mrs. Xu's mansion, and it is inevitable that this husband and wife will say some warm love words...... Alas, Lord Xu is too affectionate to his wife, and some of his words are too sensational, so it is really not appropriate to present them to the emperor......"

The emperor was also a person from the past, and he immediately understood what Empress Zhou meant, and couldn't help laughing.

The emperor bypassed the map, walked in front of Empress Zhou, took Empress Zhou's hand, looked at her affectionately, and said movingly: "The Empress has worked hard." ”

Empress Zhou's hand was held by the emperor, although the eunuchs and palace maids next to her were not outsiders, but their faces were also slightly red, and they twitched their hands without twitching, so they had to give up. He lowered his head and said softly: "Your Majesty, the concubine is your woman, sharing worries for her husband is the duty of the concubine, why do you have to work hard......

When the emperor heard this, he was very moved, and gently hugged Empress Zhou into his arms.

Seeing this, Wang Chengen, the priest on the side, waved his hand gently, and let the palace maids and eunuchs waiting in the Heart Cultivation Hall all retreat.

The emperor was in a good mood, pulled Empress Zhou to sit on the dragon chair, hugged each other and said what he had said.

A quarter of an hour later, although Wang Chengen knew that it was not the right time, he had to come in quietly, coughed lightly, and lowered his head to report: "Your Majesty, Niangniang, the cabinet Wen Ge Lao is asking to see him outside the palace. ”

Chongzhen couldn't help but regretfully let go of Queen Zhou, motioned for Queen Zhou to leave, and said, "Xuan." ”

Cabinet Minister Wen Tiren came in, and after the monarch and ministers greeted him, Wen Tiren shouted in a hurry: "Your Majesty, this is the tenth day!" In two hours it will be dark! Shaanxi Governor Xu Liang has not moved yet! Your Majesty, it's time to summon Elder Sun Ge into Beijing to ask about countermeasures. ”

Chongzhen looked at Wen Tiren, and when he saw this person's eyebrows, his heart vibrated slightly: I heard that Wen Tiren is not very popular in the court, but he is willing to think about me and share his worries for me, and he is worthy of being a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty.

Chongzhen smiled slightly and said, "Come on, give Elder Wen Ge a seat." ”

"Huh?" Wen Ge was stunned for a moment, looked at the brocade dun placed behind his buttocks, and then looked up at the emperor, seeing that the emperor's face was relaxed, and there was no anxious and worried look at all, his mind changed sharply, and he immediately put away the topic, sat down gently, and then asked the emperor with a smile: "The old minister looks at the emperor today, is there any happy event?" ”

Chongzhen laughed, pointed at Wen Ge and scolded with a smile: "You can see this Aiqing?" Ha, Wen Aiqing, there is no need for Sun Ge to be alarmed for the time being. ”

"Huh?"

Looking at Wen Ge Lao's stunned face, Chongzhen chuckled and said, "I have already received news that Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, will have a big military operation in the near future. Haha, it seems that this Xu Liang still has to obey my will. ”

Wen Ge Lao was stunned for a while, then changed his face and patted his ass: "The emperor is magnificent, and he is powerful in all directions, presumably Xu Liang is also subdued by the emperor's majesty, and he doesn't dare to make a mistake!" ”

Although he knew that Wen Tiren said a lot of nonsense, Chongzhen was very happy, waved his hand and said: "Aiqing, don't boast, this is all the queen's credit." ”

Wen Ge Lao couldn't help but be shocked in his heart, how could the affairs of the court still involve Queen Zhou? With curiosity, Wen Tiren asked cautiously, "That...... Your Majesty, when does Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, plan to send troops to Shanxi? ”

The emperor thought for a moment, hesitated and said, "It should be soon, right?" ”

"Should it?" Elder Wen Ge was stunned again, what do you mean?

The emperor thought about it for a while, and couldn't help but feel hot, since he saw Xu Liang's reply, he was happy, but he didn't want to figure out the time and place of Xu Liang's troops. Wait, it seems that Xu Liang didn't say that he was going to send troops to Shanxi, right? Did the big military action he mentioned in the letter mean that he pointed out Bingshanshan?

Only then did the emperor feel that he had done this too roughly, and he easily believed it without figuring out any accurate information. The key is that this letter has been taken away by Empress Zhou, and it is impossible to verify it temporarily.

Facing Wen Tiren's puzzled gaze, Chongzhen is a person who wants to save face, of course, he can't say that he doesn't know. immediately straightened his face and shouted in a deep voice: "Aiqing doesn't need to know these things." In short, I got the news, and Xu Liang will act. ”

Seeing that the emperor said this, Wen Tiren couldn't help but wonder if the source of the emperor's news was very reliable, but the emperor had already spoken, and it would be purely uncomfortable to dwell on this issue, so Wen Tiren changed his words and complimented him, and then left in a curtled manner.

Originally, he asked the emperor to summon Sun Ge Lao to return to Beijing, but now the emperor said that there is no need to summon Sun Chengzong back to Beijing for the time being, so Wen Tiren has no reason to stay in the Heart Cultivation Palace. Moreover, it seems that the emperor did not mean to leave Wen Ge Lao, and after Wen Ge Lao retired, Chongzhen turned his feet and went to the harem.

There are some things that you still need to ask clearly.

However, Emperor Chongzhen must be disappointed, because even if Empress Zhou once again asked for Xu Liang's reply from Feng Suqin's hand, and studied it with Emperor Chongzhen for a long time, she once again determined one thing: Xu Liang was a big fool.

In such an important reply, Xu Liang did not even mention the time, place, and scale of the troops in the letter, and even said vaguely whether or not to send troops to Shanxi. Big military operations? What if it's another crusade against Turpan?

After the emperor and Empress Zhou read the reply letter over and over again, their faces were a little unbearable.

However, what Emperor Chongzhen said, it was too late to change his words. Because after Wen Ge Lao returned to the cabinet, he told the emperor's meaning to several adults in the cabinet, and then almost all the six scholars knew. When the emperor saw this scene, he thought to himself, he's going to be so confused.

However, secretly, Emperor Chongzhen called the two leaders of Jinyiwei and Dongchang, Jinyiwei commanded Luo Yanghe and Cao Huachun, the new governor of Dongchang, into the Yangxin Palace, and gave a serious order, strictly ordering a factory and a guard to pay strict attention to the wind and grass in Shaanxi, and report it immediately if there is a situation.

A day later, there was no movement in Shaanxi.

Two days later, there was no movement in Shaanxi.

Three days later, five days later......

The ministers of the court and the central government became more and more suspicious that the emperor was deceived by Xu Liang. The emperor's face became more and more ugly. Cabinet Minister Wen Tiren once again jumped out and asked whether to summon Sun Chengzong, the cabinet minister and governor of Jiliao, to return to Beijing.

Another ten days have passed, and there is still no movement in Shaanxi. No matter how thick-skinned Chongzhen is, he can't hold it. Wen Tiren was immediately instructed to summon Sun Chengzong, a cabinet minister and governor of Jiliao, to Beijing to discuss state affairs.

The emperor lost face, and as the Empress Zhou who delivered the news, she naturally had to be scolded. Empress Zhou was wronged, although she did not punish Feng Suqin, the eldest lady of the Xu Mansion who was still in Ciqing Palace, but when they met again, her attitude was inevitably much colder. This made Feng Suqin cry and laugh.

Five days later, the car of Sun Chengzong, the cabinet minister and governor of Jiliao, drove into the city of Beijing, and at the same time, the commander of Jinyiwei made Luo Yangxing run all the way into the palace, and when he arrived at the gate of the Yangxin Palace, he stopped Emperor Chongzhen, who was about to go out to greet Sun Chengzong.

"What? Xu Liang sent troops?! When Emperor Chongzhen heard the news, he almost fell off the dragon chariot in shock, stared at Luo Yangxing in shock, and shouted in a trembling voice: "What is the specific situation, Luo Aiqing, you tell me clearly!" ”

Luo Yangxing couldn't wipe his sweat, and arched his hand: "Back to the emperor, five days ago, Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, suddenly issued an order, ordering Hanzhong to guerrilla He Huchen, Qingyang guerrilla He Renlong, and Patrol Division Admiral Tietou each led 10,000 soldiers and horses to go to Hancheng, where Shaanxi and Shanxi meet!" Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, personally led the artillery battalion, the governor yamen and the senior officials of the three divisions of Shaanxi to Hancheng together! ”

Emperor Chongzhen still didn't believe it, stared at Luo Yangxing, and said in a deep voice: "Luo Aiqing, is the news accurate?" Lying about the military is a felony! ”

It's no wonder that Emperor Chongzhen is not cautious, he is really afraid of being fooled by Xu Liang.

Luo Yangxing listened to it and said in a deep voice: "This matter was seen by the Jinyi Wei secret agent lurking in Shaanxi, and there will be no falsehood. ”

Chongzhen groaned, still a little unconvinced.

After a while, I saw another person running over from far and near in a hurry, stopping in front of Long Yuan, and running out of breath: "Emperor, Emperor, Dongchang urgent report: Shaanxi is there, there is movement!" ”

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Cao Huachun, the superintendent of Dongchang who was tired like a dog, and said, "Cao Huachun, what's the situation, tell me quickly!" ”

Cao Huachun, the governor of Dongchang Factory, exhaled heavily, and struggled for a while before he arched his hand and said: "Emperor Qiqi, Shaanxi Governor Xu Liang ordered He Huchen, He Renlong, and Tietou to lead 10,000 troops each on the fifth day and gather in Hancheng!" ”

The news is not much different from what Jinyiwei reported, and Emperor Chongzhen finally believed it this time.

The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, with an indescribable complex feeling in his heart: when he was looking forward to Xu Liang's troops day and night, Xu Liang was pretending to be stupid. Now that he couldn't wait, he summoned Sun Chengzong back, but Xu Liang suddenly gathered his troops and prepared to send troops!

Why can't Xu Liang keep up with the beat of the court!!

Seeing that the emperor had not spoken for a long time, Wang Chengen, the priest next to Long Yuan, asked carefully: "Your Majesty, Elder Sun Ge has already arrived in the cabinet, do you still want to set up the cabinet?" ”

One sentence called Chongzhen back to reality, Chongzhen opened his eyes and looked at the emperor's honor guard of full payment, originally Chongzhen was angry and was fooled by Xu Liang, and summoned Sun Chengzong back to ask about countermeasures. In order to show that the emperor attaches great importance and courtesy to Sun Chengzong, he deliberately put out the emperor's honor guard of full payment, prepared to put down his identity, and personally went to the cabinet to meet Sun Ge Lao. After all, there is a request for others!

Now that Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, has actually sent troops, do you want to meet Sun Chengzong like this?

Emperor Chongzhen hesitated for a long time before waving his hand and said in a deep voice: "Go to the cabinet." ”

Far away in Shaanxi, on the official road leading from Haoyang to Hancheng, a contingent of five or six thousand people was marching towards Hancheng unhurriedly.

In the front of this contingent were 2,000 officers and men of the Patrol Division, in the middle was a carriage with cavalry guards on both sides of the carriage, and then in the rear were more than 2,000 officers and men of the Liang Army's artillery battalion, and 20 flying eagle cannons were mixed in the middle of the officers and men of the artillery battalion.

Dozens of Tsing Yi guards guarded Xu Liang's iconic black carriage. Shaanxi political Wang Qinian poked his head out of the car window, looked at the surrounding situation, looked at it for a while, then shrank back, turned his head to Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi who closed his eyes in the car, and said: "My lord, it has already passed Haoyang, and if you go further, it will be Hancheng." ”

Xu Liang didn't open his eyes, hummed lightly, and asked quietly: "He Huchen, where are He Renlong's soldiers and horses?" ”

Wang Qinian said with a smile: "According to the report of Tsing Yi Wei, the three-way army has arrived in Hancheng, and now we are waiting for you." ”

Xu Liang didn't care, and his voice was lazy: "It seems that we are still the slowest...... Don't worry, let them wait. (To be continued.) )