Just when Duan Fei was making Su Rong happy, the distant city of Beijing was even more lively than Yingtian, and the lanterns in the sky kept flying, competing with the stars and the moon, which was a spectacle for a while.

In the heavily defended Xiyuan leopard room, Emperor Zhengde and his favorite Liu Niangniang are sitting on the star-picking tower to watch the lanterns, the two of them each have a telescope, whenever they see a beautiful lantern, they can't help but scream in surprise, and then tell each other that the two are looking for and watching together.

Liu Niangniang was brought back when Zhengde inspected Taiyuan, she was the daughter of Liu Liang of Lehu, the wife of Yang Teng, a petty official of the Jiaofang Division who was greedy for Liu Liangnu's appearance, and found an excuse to beat Yang Teng to death, and then occupied Liu Liangnu, when Zhengde was in Taiyuan, officials of all sizes, including the acting king, competed to offer beauties, but Zhengde fell in love with Liu Liangnu, who danced and sang beautifully and generously among the prostitutes, Jiang Bin saw the meaning of Zhengde at that time, so he found an opportunity to execute the petty official, so that the grateful Liu Liangnu from Zhengde, After the fall of Jiang Bin, Zhengde once put Liu Liangnu into the cold palace, but often remembered the benefits of Liu Liangnu, and finally issued another holy decree to make her the most honorable concubine in the palace except for the queen.

Liu Niangniang has tasted the warmth and coldness of the world, and after flying on the branches and becoming a phoenix, she has not changed her gentleness and kindness, she never asks about political affairs, and never invites pets, she only wholeheartedly treats the emperor every day, and only by her side can she let go of her mood, and no longer think about those court battles and palace fights, so she cherishes her very much.

Zhengde is a sharp double-edged sword, if you don't do it well, you will hurt yourself and others, but Liu Niangniang has the potential of a scabbard, and after playing with the emperor for a while, she saw the moon sinking in the west, she gently put down the binoculars in her hand, and gently advised: "Your Majesty, it's not early, isn't it time to rest?" ”

Zhengde was playing with Zheng, how could he agree to rest, Liu Niangniang persuaded again: "The emperor is determined to be a Ming Jun, how can he stay awake late at night?" Tomorrow will be early, the emperor ...... Your Majesty, the concubines are tired, and the emperor tells me stories on the couch to coax me to sleep. ”

Zhengde laughed and said: "You just like to listen to stories, even if I am rich and rich, how can I have so many stories to coax you to sleep?" Okay, okay, I'll watch another cup of tea and I'll rest with you, Zhang Rui, Zhang Rui ......"

A little eunuch walked in and bowed down from afar: "Your Majesty, Gonggong Zhang has something to do temporarily, and he ordered the servants to wait by the side." ”

Zhengde smiled: "This guy, he didn't leave when he told him to go back to rest, he didn't leave, he wanted him to do something but he disappeared, go, prepare some supper for me, I want to have supper with Concubine Liu, and I will rest in this star-picking tower tonight." ”

The little eunuch took the order and left, and Zhengde lifted the telescope again and looked into the distance......

The figure in the telescope flashed by, Zhengde sighed, hurriedly looked back, and saw a big eunuch in a python robe in the front yard of the leopard room hurriedly walking forward, it was Zhang Rui, the chief eunuch of the ceremonial supervisor and the post of the superintendent of the East Factory.

"Zhang Rui, why is he in such a hurry to leave in the dead of night? Could something big have happened? Zhengde pondered in his heart in wonder, only to see Zhang Rui walking quickly into a side room in the front yard, the light in the room was like a bean, and he couldn't see the situation inside.

Zhengde waited patiently for a while, only to see Zhang Rui and another eunuch walk out of the side room one after another, the two sides seemed to have a good conversation, Zhang Rui was holding a package in his hand, the weight seemed to be not light, the eunuch who came out behind him was tall, the two said goodbye in front of the room, when the tall eunuch turned to leave, a face happened to be looked at by Zhengde.

Seeing that face, Zhengde's heart moved, and he said secretly: "Who is this, it looks very familiar, and it shouldn't be easy for Zhang Rui to meet him in person, but why is he wearing Xiao Huangmen's clothes?" Hey? ”

Zhengde's telescope caught up with Zhang Rui, only to see him hurrying back to the Star Picking Tower, but the package in his hand was gone, but he was holding a fold.

Zhengde snorted, put down the binoculars, and waited for Zhang Rui to come to see him.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for Zhang Rui to come upstairs, and he bowed to Zhengde and said, "Slave Zhang Rui visited the emperor, I heard that the emperor is ready to rest?" ”

Zhengde sighed and said: "Well, I was a little tired of watching the lights all night, and I was about to rest with Concubine Liu on this star-picking tower, you get up, I told you not to see you just now, but something went out?" ”

Zhang Rui got up and replied: "Emperor Shengming, the servant just heard a rumor that the eunuch Wang Tang of Suzhou and Hangzhou Weaving Town sent someone to deliver an urgent report, so he went out to meet that person. ”

"Suzhou Town Guards the Eunuch Wang Tang?" Zhengde suddenly remembered who the person was just now, wasn't he the eunuch Wang Tang of Suzhou Town? He was not guarding in Suzhou, why did he sneak back to the capital, and he was wearing the costume of a little eunuch, sneaky, what did he want to do?

"Exactly." Zhang Rui didn't know that the emperor had just seen the situation of his bribery, and said above Qiqing: "Wang Tang wrote a memo for me to pass it on to the emperor, saying that there is a major grief to appeal to the emperor, and ask the emperor to grace to administer justice for him, maybe there is really something important, should the emperor take a look at his fold before resting?" ”

Zhengde snorted and said to Liu Niangniang: "Concubine Ai will go downstairs to rest first, and I will come to have supper with you in a while." ”

Liu Niangniang said worriedly: "The emperor must not be tired...... After speaking, she glanced at Zhang Rui, sighed, and retired.

As soon as Zhengde stretched out his hand, Zhang Rui hurriedly handed over the fold, Zhengde unfolded it and looked at it, suddenly smiled, and said, "It's Duan Fei again, this kid can really toss." ”

Zhang Rui has been peeking at Zhengde's expression, so as to guess the likes and dislikes in his heart, seeing the emperor smiling, Zhang Rui is secretly happy in his heart, the people who have made the emperor smile recently have not ended well, although the emperor is moody, but after the Eight Tigers and Jiang Bin and Qian Ning are gone, who in the world knows the emperor better than Zhang Rui?

Zhang Rui hurriedly continued: "Duan Fei, isn't he the guy who has caused the emperor to be uneasy in recent days?" What happened to him? Isn't he an official in Yingtian? Why did the eunuch in Suzhou send an urgent report to appeal to the emperor? ”

Zhengde glanced at him, threw the fold to Zhang Rui, and said with a smile: "See for yourself." ”

Zhang Rui pretended to look at it twice, and then said angrily: "This time is so bold, the emperor, he actually went to Suzhou without permission, broke into private houses, and openly robbed people's wives and concubines, this is worth it!" It's so lawless. ”

Zhengde snorted and said: "Duan Fei is not a fool, and he is not arrogant enough to be an official in Yingtian but went to Suzhou to find trouble with the nephew of the eunuch guarding the town, this case must be strange, Wang Tang's excerpts are full of loopholes, it is a bunch of nonsense at all, as the governor of Dongchang, can't you even see this?" ”

Zhang Rui knew that Zhengde had just seen the scene of Wang Tang bribing him from the binoculars, and he had already decided that Wang Tang had a ghost, so he was so sure, and thought that Zhengde really saw through Wang Tang's lies, and when he heard Zhengde ask, a layer of fine sweat suddenly oozed from his back, and he hurriedly bowed to the ground again, and said: "The emperor Shengming, the old slave was confused for a while, and he didn't see anything wrong with this fold, the emperor, Wang Tang has been guarding Suzhou for several years, and he has always been loyal and never caused trouble, I'm afraid that this matter is not all his fault......"

Zhengde smiled faintly and said: "It's not early, this excerpt will be handed over to the court tomorrow, it has been arguing for a few days, and it is not bad for this excerpt, if you want to understand the truth, it seems that you have to send a messenger ......"

Zhang Rui flattered: "The emperor is sage, it is indeed the safest to send a messenger, I don't know if there is a candidate in the emperor's heart?" ”

Zhengde thought for a while and said: "Yang Shencai, the son of Scholar Yang, is a high fighter, and has nothing to do with this Fei, and now he is serving in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, what do you think of this person?" ”

Zhang Rui was taken aback, Yang Shen's kid is a scourge, this kid is the most showy in the battle of Qian Ning, he gathered more than 200 Jinshi from the Hanlin Academy and shouted by the Jinshui Bridge: "The country has been raising soldiers for one hundred and fifty years, and killing thieves is today!" It alarmed the court and frightened Qian Ning to bow to the emperor and cry, but he was finally beheaded.

Although Yang Shen's father, Yang Tinghe, a scholar of the first auxiliary university, hates Duan Fei, he hates the power of eunuchs even more, if he lets his mischievous son become a messenger, it would be strange if he went to Jiangnan and didn't turn Jiangnan upside down!