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.

The two businessmen-looking people saw that the 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 16 September, 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 his appearance was not amazing, Yang Zhi was unkempt and unkempt, and his head was shrunk, and he covered most of his face 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 door 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 the big hat, Xu Wenhan stepped forward and gave him a silent hug. Yang Zhi smiled and said: "Big brother, I haven't seen you for a few months, your face has lost a lot of weight, and you look quite worried!" Oh, this is a servant I took in Shandong. is also a strange man, named Chang San. Brother Chang rushed with me all the way, and he was really tired, so I can finally rest for the night here tonight. ”

Xu Wenhan replied: "Otherwise, how could I ask my second brother to send you 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. Look at the third brother like this, but he has not returned home until he is 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 Brother Xu Wenhan met and talked to Chang San without any shyness, 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. Hurriedly saluted and worshipped.

Xu Wenhan is familiar with Yang Zhi's temperament, and he has no interest in ordinary cats and dogs, so he is naturally not an ordinary person to be accepted as a servant, so he called the housekeeper and ordered him to take him to live and settle down.

After Chang San retreated, Yang Zhicai sat down with a tired face and asked: "After I entered the city, I walked through the streets and alleys with extra attention, and Chang'an is still as calm as ever!" 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 is complicated and difficult, if there is no urgent matter, how can you discuss with the king again and again and pull you back?" The calm in Chang'an is just a symptom, and I am afraid that a big change is imminent. It's hard to explain why. ”

Yang Zhi asked, "But is it because the holy trace is unknown?" ”

"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 would return to Beijing for the New Year, but in fact, if there is no accident, it can be done. 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 Driver left Jinling on November 25, although as usual, every two or three days there was a decree or royal approval to return to Chang'an in an expedited manner of 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 arrangement in the emperor's previous order was that the general of Xiaocai Shen 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! ”

On the third day of the first month of December, Wang Xiang asked the prince, the fourth brother and General Geng about the emperor's itinerary at the same time, and the prince's reply was that the emperor occasionally felt cold on the road and needed to stay in bed to recuperate, so as to pass down the message. It is planned to change the original arrangement of returning to Chang'an via Luzhou via Nanyang, and plan to go to Zhongzhou for temporary recuperation on the first line of Bozhou. 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: "I received your secret letter, and the first thought that popped up in my mind was that King Ning was making trouble, and it seemed that he 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 status 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, 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 excuse for the forces to escort and rescue them. 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 is close to 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 Taiwei Sujun to order in the name of purging the Great Inner Palace to prevent the emperor from returning 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 Inner Palace is completely in the hands of the prince's people, what is it if it is not to prepare for the prince's accession to the throne? This is number one. ”

"Second, before the emperor's departure, the emperor strictly ordered that all soldiers and horses in Gyeonggi were not allowed to transfer a single soldier or a soldier without permission during the imperial expedition, and the forbidden army was controlled by King Yue, the prince of the prison state, Wei Su, the chief lieutenant of the Privy Council, Wang Yunong, the first and 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 have been transferred from King Ning's army to Beijing as the deputy general of the forbidden army when the emperor's high-ranking generals in the army changed blood before the emperor's personal conquest." In the promotion and transfer of middle- and lower-level officers such as lieutenants and lieutenants, generally, generals with tens of thousands of troops under their command can 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 Ning Wang's 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 became seriously ill more than a month ago, and I suspect that someone poisoned it!" (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) )