Chapter 10: The Mole

Qian Hongzuo lowered his head and thought for a while, and said: "Queen Mother, Siliang saved me, the child once promised to let him live the richest life, I don't know how the queen mother wants to reward him?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "The four are in slavery, but fortunately, they have not been out of school, and they have not tasted the hardships of serving high-ranking officials and nobles. He saved the saint, and the mastermind who assassinated the saint must hold a grudge, and it will be difficult to guarantee that he will not harm him in the future, and the greatest reward for him is to pardon the slave and give him a free body. ”

Qian Hongzuo bowed and said, "The child thanked the queen mother on his behalf." ”

Empress Dowager Xu said again: "Another 1,000 taels of silver will be announced in the court tomorrow." ”

Qian Hongzuo was surprised and delighted, but the chief merchant was stunned and said: "The royal family has always been diligent and thrifty, and only a general who has won a big battle will have such a heavy reward." ……”

Empress Dowager Xu understood that the chief merchant thought that the reward was too generous, and said: "This time is different from the past, although it is important to win the battle, but the loyalty of the subjects to the saint is even more valuable. Four taels can stand up at a critical juncture. The mourning family hopes that all the subjects of Wu Yue Kingdom can be loyal to the saint like him. So this time, not only will I reward four taels again, but I will also publish this matter everywhere to set an example. Moreover, the saint was in front of the Buddha, and there was a danger during the bath, and at this time, there was a brave person to rescue him, just like the Bodhisattva appeared and protected the Dharma to save him. It is the luck of the saint to be blessed by the gods and the luck of Wu Yueguo. Only the true Lord will be blessed by the gods. ”

The head of Shang suddenly understood what the Empress Dowager Xu was hinting at, and even said yes, "The slave must handle this matter well." ”

Empress Dowager Xu nodded.

The head of Shang wanted to retire, but Empress Dowager Xu asked him to wait and asked Qian Hongzuo: "Mu Quanan, the steward of Xixin Hall, did not save the car on the day of the incident, what does the saint think is the reason?" ”

Qian Hongzuo replied: "The child speculates on him: either he doesn't know martial arts, or he is afraid of death." ”

Empress Dowager Xu's expression was cold, and she said: "If you don't know martial arts, you won't die; People who are afraid of death, or people who are looking for death. ”

Qian Hongzuo did not fully understand his mother's words, and suggested: "Send someone to cover his face and attack him in the place where he is being held." Let's see if he will have a martial arts trial. ”

After hearing this, Empress Dowager Xu said to the general manager of Shang with satisfaction: "Although the saint is young, he is wise. According to the method he said, verify and verify. ”

The chief merchant said yes, and the Empress Dowager Xu motioned for him to leave.

The merchant manager bowed and retreated.

Qian Hongzuo said tentatively: "It's rare to be loyal in martial arts and loyalty, and it's rare to have talents, wait for him to heal......"

Empress Dowager Xu interrupted: "He has something to do with the minions of the abolished Ma family, and he needs to be carefully considered." At present, his injuries have not healed, and it is important to meditate and recuperate. ”

Empress Dowager Xu was right, Qian Hongzuo was not good at forcing it, so she didn't continue the topic, and respectfully helped her mother into the Yangyuan Water Pavilion for dinner.

The next morning, Qian Hongzuo rushed to Shen Xingxuan, the closest to the Qinzheng Palace, and prepared to meet his mother before going to the morning court. Empress Dowager Xu arrived later than in the past, and after Qian Hongzuo visited, Empress Dowager Xu said to him: "Shengshang, in the early morning, Mu Quanan committed suicide. ”

Qian Hongzuo was stunned and said, "What are the details?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "The head of Shang sent someone to attack him with a mask yesterday, and he thought that it was the mastermind behind the scenes who sent someone to kill him. While resisting, he said that he had not confessed anything, and that he would never confess anything. Yesterday's holy plan not only proved that he knew martial arts, but also proved that he was a traitor in the palace. ”

Qian Hongzuo saw that Empress Dowager Xu's face was tired, and her hair was not as beautifully combed as usual, so he speculated and asked, "The queen mother interrogated that guy overnight, right?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "I also just learned that Mu Quanan committed suicide by hitting the wall, and I haven't had time to interrogate it yet." The incident happened suddenly, and the general manager of Shang originally planned to interrogate in detail today to find out who the mastermind behind the scenes was, but unfortunately it was a step too late. ”

Qian Hongzuo was skeptical of Empress Dowager Xu's words, and said tentatively: "This is strange. Since Mu Quanan was a traitor, why didn't he step forward to help when the assassin assassinated him, but instead hid backwards? ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "Mu Quanan originally didn't have the courage to be a traitor, but his parents, brothers and sisters lived in Hangzhou, and the mastermind behind the scenes threatened him with the lives of his family. However, he only agreed to cover the assassins to enter the Xixin Hall to ambush, and did not agree to join forces to assassinate, because the assassination of the Holy Lord was to destroy the Nine Clans, and he refused to involve his family. ”

Qian Hongzuo's face was solemn when he heard this, and he asked the Empress Dowager Xu with a complaint: "Such a detailed reason, did the Queen Mother just know?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu was stunned, knowing that she was too untrustworthy in her words, and her face was full of chagrin, but it was too late.

Qian Hongzuo didn't know why his mother wanted to hide herself, so she said sincerely: "Queen Mother, what's going on?" Who is the mastermind behind the scenes, can you tell me? ”

Empress Dowager Xu had tears in her eyes and sighed: "The struggle for rights is inevitably dirty. There are some things that you don't know but it's better. After that, he absolutely said: "This matter will be concluded with immediate effect." On the day of the incident, the chamberlain on duty in Xixin Hall with Mu Quanan, and Wu Dezhang, who accompanied you, were relegated to serve hard labor in the 'shallow army' that dredged the West Lake, and the others were lifted. ”

Wu Dezhang is the head of the chamberlain next to Qian Hongzuo, when Qian Hongzuo was assassinated, he once rushed to the rescue from outside the Xixin Hall, Qian Hongzuo asked: "Is Wu Dezhang also a traitor?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "It shouldn't be, but the suspicion has not been removed." He has a duty that he is worthless, and he must also be punished for this. ”

Qian Hongzuo was quite deferential because Wu Dezhang served his side on weekdays, and pleaded: "Queen Mother, it was indeed the child who asked him to take the guards and wait outside the Xixin Hall that day, not that he did not serve closely. ”

Empress Dowager Xu patiently explained; "Serving hard labor in the 'shallow army' is a way to eliminate suspicion." The 'shallow army' is far from the jurisdiction of the inner court, which is where people can relax their vigilance. After the matter subsides, if Wu Dezhang is a traitor, he must contact the backer to save him, or at least take care of him. In this way, it can be found out who his backers are. If only someone deceives him and no one saves him in the 'Flirting Army', the mourning family will let him return to the inner court to serve you. This period of hard labor was to be regarded as punishment for his dereliction of duty. His dereliction of duty is not to obey the Holy Lord's commands, but to fulfill his duties while obeying the commands. You just don't want to be surrounded by a lot of people when you're bathing. He should inspect the bath hall before you take a bath and make sure that it is safe before exiting the waiting. If he had done so, he would have been rewarded today, not four taels. In an eventful season, you need to be cautious and cautious. ”

With the generous reward of a thousand taels of silver and the praise of the king's edict posted everywhere, the matter of the four taels of rescue was spread for a while. It has become the most talked about legend in the wine shops and teahouses in Hangzhou. And the more bizarre it becomes, there are various versions, but there is one content that is included in all versions, that is, the Bodhisattva appeared to possess a young man and saved King Wu Yue. Wu Yueguo believes in Buddhism, takes Buddhism as the state religion, and there are many Buddhist temples in the country, and the people are pious and respectful.

In this way, the assassination of Qian Hongzuo, the king of Wuyue, in a sinister and vicious battle, not only did not damage the reputation of the king, but under careful remediation, it demonstrated the sacredness of his destiny to heaven.