Following the palace guards who escorted Pei Hongce into Chongguang Gate, Chen Yingliang was led to a tall and magnificent palace, along the way, although Chen Yingliang was dressed in cloth, his expression and demeanor were not flustered, and he was as calm as walking in the market, but also made the imperial city guards who were watching Chen Yingliang secretly admire.

Chen Yingliang really has nothing to fear, the real credit for rescuing Pei Hongce is here, Pei Hongce is wiped out and he doesn't do Chen Yingliang's, no matter how humble his background is, and his identity is grassroots, what is the need for Chen Yingliang to be afraid?

The guards directly escorted Pei Hongce into the main hall, Chen Yingliang was not polite, and followed up in the main hall, the guards guarding the palace door wanted to stop it, but a majestic voice came from the hall, "Let him come in, let the old man see what this young hero looks like earlier?" ”

The guards got out of the way according to the order, Chen Yingliang calmly walked into the main hall, raised his eyes, but saw that in addition to the guards on both sides, there were only three people in the wide hall, an eight or nine-year-old boy sitting in the middle of the hall, it must be Yang Tong, the second grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Tong, Yang Tong stood on the left side of a tall white-haired old man, with a long beard hanging down his chest, and a majestic expression, and on the right side sat a weak middle-aged man, with a sick face, Chen Yingliang coughed a few times when he entered the hall, and it was obvious that his health was not very good.

Pei Hongce had already knelt down, kowtowed tremblingly, and said: "Sinner Pei Hongce, knock on His Royal Highness King Yue, knock on Lord Fan who stayed behind, and knock on General Huangfu." The guilty minister lost his teacher and humiliated the country, and the crime deserved to die, so he asked His Royal Highness the King of Yue and Fan to stay behind for forgiveness, and asked for forgiveness from General Huangfu. ”

"Grass people Chen Yingliang, knock on His Royal Highness the King of Yue, knock on the two adults." Chen Yingliang also learned Pei Hongce's salute, and said loudly: "The grass people don't know the official secrets of the two adults, and the rudeness is all over the sea. ”

"Chen Gongzi, please get up." Nine-year-old Yang Tong opened his mouth and said in an adult tone quite skillfully: "The prince has a meritorious service in saving the courtiers, but he can get up and answer." ”

"His Royal Highness King Xie Yue." Chen Yingliang saluted again, and then stood up.

"You are Chen Yingliang and Chen Gongzi?" The white-haired old man opened his mouth and said: "The old man is Fan Zigai left behind in the Eastern Capital, the old man asks you, in addition to rescuing Pei Hongce today, have you ever gone to Anxi Gate to ask for service in the army?" ”

"Lord Yufan, the grass people once went to a city gate in the eastern capital to ask for surrender, but the grass people first arrived in the eastern capital and didn't know the name of that city gate." Chen Yingliang answered truthfully.

"It's really you." Fan Zigai's majestic face showed a smile, and said: "If you leave half a pillar of incense late, the old man will be able to see you earlier, and the old man will ask you again, you are only a seventeen-year-old boy, why did you think of joining the army?" ”

"Lord Yufan, the grass people have two purposes for joining the army, one is to serve the country and be loyal to the emperor, and the other is that the grass people are in the middle of the road, and their lives are unsustainable, so they want to join the army to eat food and seek a future." Chen Yingliang continued to answer truthfully, and introduced his origin, explaining that he was the only grandson of Chen Wandi, the former Zhou Xuchang County Gongchen, and that he was the last person left in the family road, born in Daxing, and also came to the Eastern Capital from Daxing to join the army.

"Chen Wandi's name has been heard by the old man, it seems that you are also a general." Fan Zigai nodded, and asked curiously: "But it's not right, if you want to join the army and eat food, why don't you join the army in Daxing nearby, but you want to go to this eastern capital to join the army?" ”

"My lord, the grass people actually wanted to go to Liaodong to join the army, but on the way I heard that the traitor Yang Xuangan rebelled and rebelled, and led the rebels to attack the eastern capital, so he temporarily decided to come to the eastern capital to join the army." Chen Yingliang smiled bitterly, gave a general introduction to the process of coming to the Eastern Capital to join the army, and also said that he had a letter of recommendation from Fang Xuanling, and recommended himself to Fang Yanqian, the supervisor of Fuyu Dao.

"What?" Fan Zigai's reaction was a little violent, and he asked in a lost voice: "Fang Yanqian's son, recommend you to Fang Yanqian, and let Fang Yanqian find you a position to serve the country?" ”

Chen Yingliang nodded and admitted, and took the initiative to take out Fang Xuanling's letter of recommendation, a guard had already come up and forwarded the letter of recommendation to Fan Zigai, Fan Zigai took the unsealed letter, opened it and looked at it carefully, and laughed out loud, "Fang Xiaozhong, Fang Xiaozhong, I didn't expect you to have today, the person recommended to you by your precious son would actually vote for me on his own!" Today, the old man has avenged with one arrow! ”

"Lord Fan, do you know Lord Fang?" Chen Yingliang noticed that there was something wrong with Fan Zigai's words, and quietly began to get nervous.

"Of course I do!" Fan Zigai's expression was a little angry, and he sneered and said: "Not only do I know, but I also have a little hatred!" ”

Chen Yingliang was taken aback, and the sick and weak middle-aged man sitting opposite Fan Zigai was also a flurry, and hurriedly asked, "Fan Liushou, when did you have a grudge against Fang Xiaozhong?" How come I've never heard of it? ”

"In the past few years, the court officials have been assessed, the surname Fang has always occupied the first position, and the old man has always been ranked second, do you say that the old man and him have no enmity?" Fan Zigai replied viciously: "He just took advantage of the family's lack of money, and the old man suffered a loss in some fields and industries at home, so those assessment officials always ranked him first and let the old man rank second!" Otherwise, if you talk about honesty and integrity, the old man is worse than him? ”

The sick and weak middle-aged man smiled, coughed and laughed quite happily, and Chen Yingliang quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and also saw at a glance where Fan Zigai's weakness was - a good name! Especially good to clear the name!

Sure enough, after Fan Zigai pretended to be fierce, he quickly smiled again, and smiled at Chen Yingliang: "Yes, this son of Fang Xiaozhong is still a little discerning, just because you dare to go to Liaodong alone to join the army and dare to rescue Pei Hongce under the pursuit of the traitors, you deserve his comment in the letter of recommendation!" Since you are willing to come to the Eastern Capital to join the army, then Cheng, this letter of recommendation from Fang Xiaozhong's son is also useful in front of the old man, stay, and the old man will see what position he will arrange for you in a while. ”

Chen Yingliang was overjoyed, and hurriedly saluted Fan Zigai to thank him, and the sick middle-aged man smiled and said: "Fan stays behind, this kid is very courageous, I like it, since he is here to join the army, then don't rob me and rob people, and arrange him into my right guard." ”

"We'll talk about that later." Fan Zigai waved his hand, then turned to Pei Hongce, staring at Pei Hongce with a majestic expression, until Pei Hongce was trembling and sweating like pulp by his sharp gaze, Fan Zigai said coldly: "I didn't expect you to come back." ”

"Fan stays behind, the lower officials have done their best!" Pei Hongce was sweating profusely and shouted injustice, "Xiaguan and the rebels have fought five battles, five battles!" It was Da Xi who took the lead in escaping for his life with kindness, and it was the soldiers under the command of Xia Guan who were not angry, one escaped faster than the other, and Xia Guan was defeated in a row! ”

"Shut up!" Fan Zigai shouted angrily: "You still have the face to say that ** has been defeated, Da Xi is kind and also obeys your command, 13,000 right guard troops, 13,000 well-equipped right guard troops, in less than a day, you will be thrown clean!" If you are so incompetent, what is the use of the court raising you? This official stays in the Eastern Capital at the behest of the Son of Heaven and restricts the hundred officials in the Eastern Capital, so what's the use of keeping you?! ”

"His Royal Highness the King of Yue spare his life! Fan stayed behind and spared his life! Spare your life! Pei Hongce kowtowed desperately, and shouted with a crying voice: "Xiaguan has tried his best, tried his best, it is the thief who is fierce, it is the thief who is fierce, the lower official really can't resist it!" ”

"You can't resist it, and the official will change people to resist it." Fan Zigai snorted coldly, suddenly raised his voice, and shouted: "Come on, push Pei Hongce out of the imperial city and behead him in public!" The first level preached the nine gates of the eastern capital, with the correct military law! ”

"No!" The guards in the palace agreed, came up and picked up Pei Hongce and walked out, Pei Hongce, who was distraught, struggled desperately, and directly cried out loud, crying frantically: "Fan stays behind and spares his life!" His Royal Highness the King of Yue spares his life! General Huangfu spares his life! The lower official is guilty, but the lower official deserves to die! I beg you to be merciful and spare the lives of your officials! ”

Yang Tong, the nine-year-old king of Yue, was silent, and the sick middle-aged man coughed and did not speak, turning a blind eye to Pei Hongce's crying and begging for mercy. Fan Zigai shouted again; "Sin doesn't deserve death? It's a shame that you still have the face to say this! A few soldiers also fled back from the Upper East Gate, saying that the army under your command was crushed at a moment's notice, and they didn't even stop a single charge of the thieves! So incompetent and useless, so degrading and humiliating the country, you don't deserve to die, who deserves to die?! Push it out, slash! ”

Pei Hongce continued to cry and beg for mercy, struggling and refusing to get up, but unfortunately Fan Zigai's prestige in the eastern capital was too high, and the guards in the palace did not dare to disobey his orders at all, so they simply lifted Pei Hongce up and carried him out, Pei Hongce cried even louder, but no one paid attention to it at all.

"Wait!" When Pei Hongce was about to be carried out of the main hall, the sound of Shi Po suddenly sounded, and everyone looked at the sound in surprise, but saw that the person who opened his mouth to stop was actually a seventeen-year-old Xiao Zhengtai in cloth clothes who had just received the promised position of Fan Zigai - Chen Yingliang!

"Lord Fan, wait, the grass people have something to say!" Chen Yingliang took two steps forward, knelt down on Fan Zigai's knees, and said loudly: "Lord Fan, the grass people believe that Lord Pei not only has no fault, but also has merit to the court, at least it is also a merit and demerit, and the crime does not deserve death!" Please also ask Lord Fan to keep people under the knife! ”

"What?!" Everyone was taken aback, and Pei Hongce himself was so shocked that he even forgot to cry, saying that he didn't expect that the distant nephew he had just recognized, and the distant nephew who had turned around for an unknown number of turns, would dare to say such a thing in this environment!

"Chen Yingliang, are you crazy?" The sick middle-aged man was so shocked that he even forgot to cough, and shouted: "Don't forget what your identity is, what kind of place is this, do you have the right to speak?!" ”

"What the adults said is extremely true, the grass people are indeed low-status, and they should not interfere in the government!" Chen Yingliang also let go, and said loudly with a stern expression: "But the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of the husband!" Now the traitor Yang Xuan feels that he has raised troops to rebel, the soldiers have come to the eastern capital, and the eastern capital of the Great Sui is in the autumn of critical survival. As the people of the Great Sui, the grass people are in their place, if they don't speak out and advise, then they are sorry for His Majesty the Son of Heaven, and sorry for their compatriots in Lishu! ”

The sick and weak middle-aged man's mouth opened into a circle, Pei Hongce's eyes were about to burst out of their sockets, and the expressions of Yang Tong, the king of Yue, and the other guards in the palace were no better than theirs, because since Emperor Yang of Sui asked Fan Zigai to stay in the eastern capital, no one dared to say anything to Fan Zigai like this! It's just like pointing at Fan Zigai's nose and scolding!

The most fierce reaction was of course Fan Zigai himself, after listening to Chen Yingliang's nonsense, the snow-white silver hair on Fan Zigai's head simply stood up, and the snow-white beard was constantly trembling, pointing at Chen Yingliang and roaring: "Bold rats!" How dare you insult the old man like this! How did the old man take credit for his mistakes? And what kind of rewards and punishments are unknown?! If you say a ugly thing today, don't blame the old man for treating you with a felony of humiliating the courtiers! ”

Pei Hongce, an important minister in the eastern capital, Fan Zigai killed when he said he would, Yang Tong, the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui, and the sick and weak middle-aged man who was likely to be the boss of the right martial guard, Fu Wuyi, didn't even dare to let out a fart, but Chen Yingliang still dared to talk to Fan Zigai like this-Captain Chen is certainly not crazy!