At dusk on December 22, the 25th year of Wucheng in the summer calendar, the clouds were dense, and Chang'an was shrouded in heavy snow.

It's another year after year, Chang'an City doesn't feel anything abnormal, the streets and alleys are filled with rich and familiar festive peace, every household is sprinkled with sweeping the court, busy with the purchase of New Year's goods, lively and lively preparation for the New Year.

>> two businessmen-looking people who looked like dusty people saw that a red lantern was also hung high in front of the Flying Tiger Marquis Imperial Mansion.

I wonder if the old father and his pregnant wife are looking forward to returning home for reunion?

>> after Xu Wenhan entered the cabinet to pay respects to the prime minister, it was naturally impossible to live in Chang'an Qin Mansion again, so he bought a quiet mansion in the south of the city.

Xu Wenhan has not yet started a family, although he is in a high position, he is just like when he lived in seclusion in Xinyang, the mansion is elegant and frugal, and there are only a dozen servants and maids to take care of his life.

Even Yang Zhi usually thinks that he is too simple and cold here, and rarely comes to the door.

>> Yang Zhi rode alone to Shandong on September 16, and has been away from Beijing for more than three months.

He led Chang San to look at each other from a distance at the door of the house for a moment, then turned his horse's head and headed towards the south of the city.

Some things are more important than the New Year, and since he is already in Chang'an, he is not in a hurry to go home at this time.

The wording of Xu Wenhan's secret letter was strong and urgent, indicating that there were many people who did not want him to suddenly appear in Chang'an at this moment.

Whether it should appear, when it should appear, and in what way, he must first ask what has happened before deciding, otherwise he will not feel at ease for a moment.

>> Chang San first arrived in Chang'an and did not look amazing, Yang Zhi was unkempt and unkempt, and his head was retracted into the big coat and most of his face was covered with a collar.

When the two came to the door of Xu's mansion, Yang Chang San reported: We are on the orders of the second son of the Qin family, and I have something important to ask to see Xu Xiangye.

>> the servant of the Xu Mansion was stunned for a moment, and even saved the effort of reporting, and took the two of them directly into the quiet study in the backyard.

>> as soon as Yang Zhi entered the door and took off his big hat, Xu Wenhan stepped forward and gave him a silent hug.

Yang Zhi smiled: "Big brother, I haven't seen you for a few months." You've lost a lot of weight, and you look worried! Oh, this is a servant I received in Shandong, and a strange man named Chang San. Brother Chang hurried with me all the way, and he was really tired. I can finally rest for the night here tonight with my eldest brother. ”

>> Xu Wenhan replied: "Otherwise, how could I ask my second brother to carry a letter to let you return to Chang'an in a hurry?" I estimated that it would take you two or three days to arrive, and you will see the third brother like this, but you have not returned to the house until you go here? In other words, only Brother Yu knows that you have returned to Chang'an? It is very good, and you and my brother will think about it. ”

>> Yang Zhi and Xu Wenhan brothers met and spoke, Chang San had no taboos, obviously treating him as a confidant.

Chang San heard Yang say that his righteous brother was an important minister in charge of the money and grain of the Great Xia Dynasty, and hurriedly saluted and paid homage.

>> Xu Wenhan is familiar with Yang Zhi's temperament.

He has no interest in ordinary cats and dogs, and he is naturally not an ordinary person who can be accepted as a servant, so he called the housekeeper and ordered him to take him to a good life to settle down.

After Chang San retreated, Yang Zhicai sat down with a tired face and asked: "After I entered the city, I was extra careful when I walked through the streets and alleys, and Chang'an was still as calm as usual!" What is the urgency of my eldest brother urgently calling me back to Beijing? ”

>> Xu Wenhan sighed: "I also know that your trip to Shandong has been complicated and difficult. If there is no urgent matter, how can he discuss with the king again and again and forcibly pull you back? The calm and calm of Chang'an is just the appearance, and I am afraid that a big change is imminent, and the reason is difficult to explain. ”

>> Yang Zhi asked, "But is it because of the unknown trace of the saint?" ”

>> "Yes and no. ”

Xu Wenhan said worriedly: "But I saw some clues from this incident at the beginning. Due to the emperor's full planning and proper timing, the battle to destroy the Tang Dynasty can be said to be very smooth. The emperor originally said that the class teacher returned to Beijing for the New Year, but in fact there was no accident. It can be done exactly. After the emperor took the crown prince to drive the expedition, the news collusion with Chang'an has been unimpeded, and there must be a report every two or three days, which has not been interrupted so far. ”

>>"But since the holy car left Jinling on November 25, although it is as usual. Every two or three days, there will be a will or royal approval to rush back to Chang'an with 800 li. But I never saw the emperor's royal pen approve it in person, and it was all written by the prince. The return arrangements in the emperor's previous will. It was the general of the cavalry who led 5,000 troops to open the way, and the emperor personally led 10,000 forbidden troops in the center. The crown prince led 5,000 troops. That shows that the emperor's original plan has been disrupted after leaving Jinling, but there is not a word mentioned in the prince's ghostwriting! ”

>> "Wang Xiang Lao Cheng was serious, and asked the prince, the fourth brother and General Geng about the emperor's itinerary at the same time on the third day of December, and the prince's reply was that the emperor occasionally felt cold on the road and needed to rest in bed, so he passed down the edict and planned to change the original arrangement of returning to Chang'an through Luzhou via Nanyang, and planned to go to Zhongzhou to temporarily recuperate. The fourth brother was ordered to guard Jinling, and General Geng had personally led the army to the Wuyue border, and the replies of the two on the emperor's itinerary were basically the same as those of the prince, which could barely be said. The emperor has 20,000 horses to guard, and there is no possibility of hiding his whereabouts. I secretly instructed the second brother to use the power of the Qin clan to find out the news of the emperor, and it is said that the holy car passed through Luzhou before turning to the northwest. ”

>> Yang Zhi groaned: "You mean, if what the prince said is true, the emperor just fell ill after passing through Luzhou?" ”

>> Xu Wenhan shook his head and said, "If everything the prince said is true, then that's fine." But the question is, why did the emperor not get sick early or late, and why did he get sick just past Luzhou? Why did you suddenly become so sick that you didn't even have the strength to lift a pen? Even if that's the case, why do you have to take a detour to Zhongzhou if you stop where along the way to recuperate? Judging from the current situation, Luzhou is really the best place for the emperor to fall ill! ”

>> Yang Zhi said in horror: "When I received your secret letter, the first thought that popped into my mind was that King Ning was making trouble, and it seemed that I had wronged him. It's not King Ning, it's the crown prince! He chose to change his route in Luzhou, which can kill three birds with one stone! First, the fourth brother and Geng Jin could not find a reason to send troops to escort them, and they were out of reach for a while. Second, in case of accidents on the way, Suizhou to Nanyang is not far away, if King Ning brazenly sends troops in the name of saving the driver, he can arrive within two days. The third is to deliberately prolong the journey in order to delay time! ”

>> Xu Wenhan nodded slowly and said, "Before the emperor drove the expedition, the crown prince had already realized that the prince's position was in jeopardy. The prince has been in charge of civil affairs for a long time, and he has no foundation in the army, and leading troops to fight is not his forte. And to take the many generals loyal to the emperor for their own use, not only will it attract the emperor's suspicion, but it will also be effective overnight. In this battle to destroy the Tang Dynasty, the prince's performance was mediocre and unaccomplished, and he was not even a nominal puppet, which made the emperor disappointed again. If he followed the emperor back to Chang'an like this, he was worried that once he was deposed, he would never turn over, so he did not hesitate to take risks and tried to kill the king and kill his father to succeed to the throne in advance! ”

>> "Not only do you and I underestimate the prince, but I'm afraid the most difficult person to believe in this matter is the emperor." At this time, even if the emperor has not been martyred, at least he has lost his personal freedom and is under house arrest for the crown prince. What you just said is only one of the reasons why I urgently summoned you back to Beijing, and the second is that there is an undercurrent in Chang'an City, and some people are moving. The wishful thinking of the crown prince and his team is to strictly seal the news first, and on the way back to Chang'an, they will not leave any escort and rescue for the forces. During this period, the interior of Chang'an City was also properly arranged. After passing the Tong Pass, it will be announced that the emperor has died of illness, and the crown prince will naturally be able to ascend the throne as the emperor. ”

>> Yang Zhi frowned and asked, "Is there a camera moving in Chang'an City?" …… Could it be that Zhou Ting, the general of the forbidden army, is the prince's person? ”

>> Xu Wenhan said coldly: "The emperor has a gloomy temperament and has always acted carefully, and anyone who has a close relationship with the princes will never be entrusted with such an important task. Compared with Geng Jin, Wei Su and other famous generals of Great Xia, Zhou Ting is relatively mediocre in intelligence and very low-key, which makes him a little obscure, but his qualifications are older than them, and he was the emperor's personal soldier as early as when the emperor had not yet established the emperor as the crown prince. Otherwise, do you think the emperor will rest assured that Wei Su will be transferred to the position of Privy Councillor? ”

>> "You and the emperor have been away from Beijing for more than three months, and in the past two months, Zhao Tianyang, the general of the Inner Court Guard, has invited the Empress Yizhi and the Privy Council Captain Wei Sujun to order in the name of purging the Great Inner Palace and waiting for the emperor to return to the court. Wang Xiang and I are both civil ministers, and this move is not against the rules, so I have nothing to say. In other words, the defense of the Great Inner Palace is completely in the hands of the prince's people, so what is it if it is not to prepare for the prince's accession to the throne? This is number one. ”

>> "Second, the emperor strictly ordered before the march that all soldiers and horses in Gyeonggi were not allowed to transfer a single soldier or a pawn during the imperial expedition, and the forbidden army was jointly controlled by the prince Yue Wang, the prince of the prison state, Wei Su, the chief lieutenant of the Privy Council, Wang Yunong, the first auxiliary prime minister, and Zhou Ting, the general of the forbidden army. The troop transfer talisman was divided into two, half of which was temporarily mastered by King Yue, and half was held by Zhou Ting. When the incident was suddenly urgent, the edict on the transfer of troops had to be signed by the four people, and then the king of Yue and Zhou Ting had to go through the talisman before they were mobilized. The emperor thought carefully, and the forbidden army did not mobilize a single soldier, but during this period, he was nominated by the two deputy generals of the forbidden army, Geng Chao and Zhang Tianxing, and reported to the general of the forbidden army, Zhou Ting, to play, and promoted eleven captains. ”

>> Yang Zhi asked strangely: "Geng Chao is King Ning's person, and that Zhang Tianxing is said to be transferred from King Ning's army to Beijing as the deputy general of the forbidden army when the emperor personally conquered the high-ranking generals in the army. In the promotion and transfer of middle- and lower-level officers such as lieutenants and lieutenants, there are generally tens of thousands of generals under their command to make the decision, and the so-called nomination is just a formality. What's so greasy about this? ”

>> Xu Wenhan said with a gloomy face: "Zhang Tianxing came from Weisu in his early years, and later he was transferred to the Ning Wang Army as a general. Geng Jin's father and son are King Ning's people, how could the emperor not know? The transfer of Zhang Tianxing to the deputy general of the forbidden army originally meant that he and Geng Chao would contain each other. And unfortunately, the eleven captains who were promoted this time were all commanders of the army, although they only led 2,000 men and horses, but they firmly grasped the four gates of Chang'an! Who is who, and how can it be clear? Isn't it still greasy? ”

>> "However, one of the bigger cats is that Zhou Ting, the general of the forbidden army, suddenly fell seriously ill more than a month ago, and I suspect that someone poisoned it!" ”

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