The matter was done, but Mu Yan was not in a hurry to leave, thinking that the porter had said that Duanmu Fei should be back soon, he decided to be cheeky for a while.

Mu Yan smiled and said without words: "Sister, I heard that the second uncle and second aunt of the Li family are going to leave for Minzhou the day after tomorrow, right?" ”

"Early the day after tomorrow." Duanmujun nodded and replied, and the next sentence made it clear, "Zhen Zhen is not at home now." ”

Mu Yan didn't care about Duanmujun's coldness, and continued to talk to her cheekily:

"Then I will send the second uncle and second aunt with you early the day after tomorrow."

"I have also prepared some festival gifts for my grandfather in Minzhou, and I will let my people escort these gifts with them on the road when the time comes."

"Sister, I recently got a few pots of chrysanthemums, they are in good condition, there are 'Purple Dragon Lying Snow', 'Cinnabar Red Frost', 'Jade Ling Tube', 'Yaotai Jade Phoenix', I asked my florist to raise it for a few days to see, if it's no problem, after two days, I will let someone send you and Zhen Zhen products."

“……”

Even if Duanmu Jun doesn't speak, Mu Yan can pick up the topic by himself, from the Li family to the chrysanthemum to Duanmu Fei's ceremony.

After hearing this, Duanmujun's expression softened slightly, and he felt that Mu Yan also had a heart.

Obviously, it was an excuse for him to send someone to escort the Boxing ceremony, and it was true to escort Li Chuanting and his wife back to Minzhou all the way, after all, the Li family was a military general, and they had many scruples, and Li Chuanting and his wife did not bring many people from Minzhou to the capital at all.

Mu Yan sat for nearly half an hour, not only waiting for Duanmufei to come back, but also Duanmuxian and Duanmuheng, so in the end, he still didn't find a chance to talk to Duanmufei in private, so he could only pass a "good eye", and was finally driven away by Duanmuxian disgusted.

Now that Duanmujun has been recognized, Mu Yan has no longer embarrassed the Ministry of Rites, and the specific ritual of the sacrifice of the Jiutai Temple in early September has finally been decided.

The Ministry of Rites originally thought that this matter would have to be tossed for several days, but when they got the news, they cried with joy.

Fan Peizhong, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, was pleasantly surprised, and felt strange, so he went to inquire, only to know that Mu Yan had gone to Duanmu's house yesterday to settle it, and guessed in his heart that it must have been persuaded by the fourth girl of Duanmu, and she felt that she really had the demeanor of a mother.

The Ministry of Rites was even busier, continuing to prepare for the sacrifice of the Taimiao, and at the same time, the protests in the court never stopped, and some people couldn't persuade Mu Yan, so they simply rushed directly to the door of the Wenhua Hall to stop Duanmuxian, and persuaded Duanmuxian with a bitter heart.

"Lord Duanmu, the regent is young, and it is inevitable that he will be angry, you are both the first assistant and the elder, and you should also take care of it."

"At the beginning of September, the sacrifice of the Nine Tai Temple is not only a royal sacrifice, but also involves the court, and it is related to the royal prestige.

The officials who were over the age of ten made a euphemistic suggestion, hoping that Duanmu Xian would take the initiative to tell Mu Yan that this matter was not in harmony with the ancestral system.

He was accompanied by two other officials, nodding their heads frequently in the rear, feeling that what he said was very true.

Duanmu Xian's face turned blue all of a sudden, and he held back the fire in his stomach.

These people are here again, and they are twisting and turning like this, although they don't mention the name of the little granddaughter in half a word, they can say that they are Mu Yan's "elders", and what they say about "humility and courtesy" and "exemplary" Yunyun, all of them are pointing at the little granddaughter Duanmu Fei.

What's wrong with my little granddaughter, I want them to be verbose with outsiders, but I haven't disliked Mu Yan's stinky boy yet!

Duanmu Xian first dusted off his robe, and then said slowly: "I have heard that the Cao family is a family of poetry and etiquette, humble and courteous, not arrogant or impatient......"

Master Cao raised his chin slightly smugly, showing a hint of pride on his face. Their Cao family is different from the Duanmu family, and it is a scholarly family that has produced five generations of Jinshi.

Duanmu Xian continued: "I heard that Lord Cao has been happy in his family recently, and he just hugged his great-eldest grandson, and four generations are in the same house, which is a great blessing! ”

"......" Lord Cao seemed to have been slapped by someone, and his face froze for a moment.

His second grandson just had his eldest son last month, but his second grandson has not yet married a wife. Before marrying a wife, he had the eldest son, this kind of thing is not good, not only bad for the reputation of the Cao family, but also against the etiquette law. Duanmu Xian was obviously mocking himself for not even being able to control his own family, and he was embarrassed to keep saying what ancestral etiquette was.

Duanmu Xian didn't care what the other party thought at all, and when others came to slap him in the face, of course he wouldn't be polite to the other party.

"During the full moon banquet, don't forget to send a post to this official." After Duanmu Xian dropped a sentence, he walked away, leaving only a back like an idle cloud and a wild crane.

Master Cao's face, who remained in place, turned blue and purple, purple and red, and the anger in his heart continued to rise.

The two officials who came with him didn't know what to say, so they cleared their throats in embarrassment, and one of them said: "Lord Cao, it's not too early, it's better to ......"

He wanted to give Lord Cao a step down, but Lord Cao, who was on fire, didn't hear it, strode forward, and said, "I'm going to see the emperor!" ”

The other two officials were dumbfounded, they dared to persuade Duanmuxian, but asking to see the emperor was another matter, wasn't this what Xianming and Cen Yin were doing against each other?!

The two officials looked at each other, but no one caught up, but they felt that Master Cao was really crazy.

Lord Cao was angry, and he didn't care whether the two of them followed or not, so he rushed from the gate of the Wenhua Hall to the outside of the Heart Cultivation Palace.

Outside the Heart Cultivation Palace, as on weekdays, there are seven or eight brocade guards guarding it.

Lord Cao didn't dare to break in, so he knelt down outside the Heart Cultivation Hall with a plop, looking heroic and fearless.

The Dasheng Dynasty, emphasizing literature over military force, has always been broad in its rhetoric, and has also given them the power to kneel and admonish, of course, whether the monarch accepts it or not is another matter.

A few brocade guards saw that he didn't break through, so they ignored him.

Lord Cao knelt on the ground with his head held high, and shouted in the direction of the Heart Cultivation Hall with his voice raised:

"Your Majesty, the regent disregards the ancestral system and insists on going his own way, this is the appearance of a chaotic country!"

"Your Majesty, you let the regent supervise the dynasty, it's really a non-human trust!"

"Now the people in the court are disheartened, hundreds of officials are sick one after another, and there is a backlog of government affairs, and it is really unimaginable to continue like this for a long time! Dasheng is in danger! ”

“……”

Lord Cao shouted louder and louder, shouting to the heavens and the earth, and I really wished that the people in the entire palace could hear his cry.

His hoarse cries also reached the ears of the emperor in the palace at the same time.

The emperor lying on the dragon couch opened his eyes suddenly, and his blood-colored eyes became even more cloudy, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and he was skinny and skinny.

Since "that day", the Emperor has clearly felt that his life has become more difficult.

The third prince failed to save the car, which also meant that his last hope of getting out of the predicament was completely shattered.

The Emperor only felt as if he was in a cold quagmire, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank......

Now, the chamberlains and imperial physicians of the Heart Cultivation Hall have all blatantly begun to ignore him, and only Wen Yongju is left to serve by his side.

"Boom la la ......"

Wen Yongju, who was on the side, was leaning over to wash the towel in the copper basin, and then wringed it dry, and the sound of the water made the sound outside unclear.

The emperor frowned, listened intently to the intermittent sound outside, and could vaguely hear words such as "Taimiao", "sacrifice", and "Duanmu".

Wen Yongju wrung the towel dry and carefully wiped the emperor's face.

The emperor raised his hand and wanted to signal Wen Yongju to stop first, but his limbs did not obey the call, and his right hand was only raised by less than a foot.

The emperor said with difficulty: "Eternal gathering, how can you ...... What's wrong? ”

As soon as he spoke, his mouth was crooked, and saliva trickled down from the corners of his mouth.

Wen Yongju's eyes flashed, and he wiped the saliva from the corners of his lips for the emperor, and listened attentively.

Lord Cao was still roaring outside the Heart Cultivation Palace, separated by a few walls, and Wen Yongju couldn't hear it very clearly, but he probably didn't know what was going on, and he could understand what Lord Cao was talking about just by listening to a few key words.

Wen Yongju immediately replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, this lord outside should be talking about the sacrifice of the Jiutai Temple in early September." ”

Taimiao sacrifice! The Emperor's cloudy eyes widened. How did he not know?! The temple sacrifice is to be sacrificed by the emperor himself, and only when the emperor is seriously ill, can the prince preside over it.

That is to say......

The blue veins on the Emperor's forehead jumped, and anger seemed to break through his skin.

Wen Yongju was still talking: "On that day, the ...... Mu Yan wanted the four girls of Duanmu to also participate, but the court felt that the two of them had not yet married, and Yu Li was incompatible. ”

Wen Yongju was trapped in the Heart Cultivation Hall like the emperor, and he couldn't leave a single step, but he was better than the emperor, and he could still walk around. From time to time, he asked some small chamberlains in the Nourishing Heart Hall to inquire about the movements of the government and the opposition, even if those little chamberlains were impatient to pay attention to him, but when they chatted in private, it was inevitable that Wen Yongju would overhear something.

When the emperor heard this, he turned his anger into laughter, but the facial features on his face were uncontrollable, his eyes were slanted and his mouth was crooked, and his face looked hideously distorted.

This Mu Yan is really a yellow-haired boy who hasn't even grown yet!

In order to please Cen Yin, he went so subserviently to please a little girl, treating the rules of his ancestors as nothing, shameless, and simply losing Mu's face!

Amusing! It's ridiculous!

The emperor gloated and smiled, waiting to see the good show.

Mu Yan acted recklessly and recklessly, this is good, the courtiers are not satisfied, and there is a lot of trouble now!

The emperor knows these civil servants in the court best, and they all boast of being high, and they attach great importance to the so-called rules and etiquette and integrity.

Mu Yan committed the rebellion of these ministers this time, I am afraid that the scene will not be easy to clean up, and at the moment when he cries outside the Heart Cultivation Palace, it is only this person outside, but the big ministers in the court are afraid that they are all ready to move......

"Yongju, you still ...... Know what? The Emperor asked again with difficulty.

When the emperor asked, Wen Yongju remembered another thing and said, "Your Majesty, there have been many courtiers who have been sick at home recently and have not gone to the palace. ”

Really! When the emperor heard this, he was even happier and felt a lot happier.

The Emperor laughed, his laughter coming from deep in his throat, his chest rising and falling.

"Just Mu Yan...... I don't know how thick the sky is...... 's virtue, and he still wants to be in charge of the government, it's a joke! ”

"Cen Yin is also a ...... The blind picked and chosen, picked and chosen...... A thorn in the head! ”

"Let's make trouble! Let's make trouble! I'm just waiting...... Watch them dog-eat-dog! ”

The emperor happily vented the depression in his heart, and the whole person suddenly became a little more energetic.

Wen Yongju didn't have an interface, and silently continued to wipe the emperor with a towel, wiped his face, and then wiped his chin and neck......

The emperor continued to curse inarticulately: "Cen Yin must ...... Will regret it! Mu Yan, this stinky boy...... Sooner or later, the public will be angry, this court is not ......"

The emperor scolded and scolded, suddenly silenced, and the eyebrows became sharp, as if thoughtful, as if he was sneering, and there was a slight hint of brilliance in his dark eyes.

Wen Yongju thought that the emperor was unwell, put down the scarf, and bowed down to look at the emperor on the couch nervously.

He is now tied to the emperor, and if the emperor has a case, then he has no value in existence...... What will Cen Yin do with him?! His life or death is insignificant to Cen Yin, that is, the other party's words.

As soon as Wen Yongju's eyes met the emperor's, he listened to the emperor's cold command: "Someone! ”

The pronunciation of the word emperor is quite clear.

"Your Majesty......" Wen Yongju leaned over to the emperor again.

The emperor impatiently shouted again: "Someone! ”

Wen Yongju finally realized that the emperor was not looking for him, and said tentatively: "Your Majesty, the slave is going to call Gonggong Yuan?" ”

The emperor didn't deny it, Wen Yongju knew that his understanding was right, and hurriedly went out of the palace. After asking the little chamberlain outside, he went to the west side hall to ask to see Yuan Zhi.

"Father-in-law Yuan, the emperor called his father-in-law over." Wen Yongju said politely, with a smile on his face. The situation is stronger than people, and now that he has fallen to this point, everyone can step on it, and he can only be respectful to Yuan Zhi.

Yuan Zhi leisurely drank several sips of tea, then got up slowly and followed Wen Yongju to the emperor's bedroom.

The emperor watched with burning eyes as Yuan Zhi approached him.

"See the Emperor." Yuan Zhi casually arched his hand at the emperor on the dragon couch, with a contemptuous attitude.

The emperor didn't bother to bother with this eunuch who stepped on the high and low, and asked directly: "Is it the ninth day of the ninth month of September...... To pay tribute to the false ...... Emperor Chongming? ”

The last three words, the emperor said with gritted teeth.

"Back to the emperor, that's exactly the case." While Yuan Zhi responded, he lightly glanced at Wen Yongju next to him. It goes without saying from whom the emperor heard about this.

While they were talking, the shouts of Lord Cao were still coming from time to time:

"Your Majesty, the ministers are centrifuged, the court is in danger, and the ministers really can't bear it!"

"Your Majesty, if you hear ......?"

As soon as the wind blew and the branches swayed, the sound outside was muffled.

Yuan Zhi didn't even raise his eyebrows, just looked at the emperor and asked, "What's the matter with the emperor?" ”

A haze flashed through the emperor's eyes, and he shook his hand before he said slowly: "I have been here these days...... Thinking about it day and night, I feel ashamed of the royal brother. ”

"Nineteen years have passed, and I should be in front of the spirit of the emperor...... Go and have a sacrifice. ”

Since he went to sacrifice, it meant that the emperor had to kneel down in front of Emperor Chongming's tablet.

Wen Yongju, who was standing aside with his eyes down, was startled, glanced at the emperor quickly, and said in his heart: The emperor is really able to bend and stretch. Although the emperor didn't say it directly, his meaning was obviously to mean that he was going to apologize in front of Emperor Chongming's tablet.

Yuan Zhi stared silently at the emperor on the couch.

There was silence in the dormitory.

The emperor was a little uneasy, and his heart was raised little by little, if Yuan Zhi, the dog minion, refused to speak for him, then he had no other way.

Yuan Zhi casually shook off the dust in his hand, and replied in a flat voice: "The slave will go to the master of Cen to supervise it." ”

"......" The emperor's eyes flashed, and the hand under the thin quilt was held tighter.

Yuan Zhi's words made the emperor understand that the relationship between Mu Yan and Cen Yin has not yet reached the point of intimacy, otherwise, at this time, Yuan Zhi should go to Mu Yan.

Also, these two are ambitious, and their alliance is only temporary, and there will inevitably be a wound in the future!

The emperor suppressed the joy in his heart, and his face still looked sincere.

"The emperor has nothing to do, so the slave will retire first." Yuan Zhi arched his hand again, and without even bending his waist, he retreated.

The emperor tried to raise his neck, did not look at Yuan Zhi, but looked in the direction where the cry came from outside the window, although he could not see anything, but the emperor's eyes were a little brighter......

Wen Yongju looked at the emperor quietly, and he didn't quite understand why the emperor did this, the hatred of killing his father and mother was not shared, and Mu Yan would never forgive him because the emperor went to sacrifice.

Could it be that the emperor finally gave up?

Wrong. With the emperor's character, it should be impossible to give up so easily.

Wen Yongju looked in the direction of the door curtain again, the door curtain shook slightly in mid-air, and Yuan Zhi had already gone out.

Yuan Zhi, who left the dormitory, went directly out of the Heart Cultivation Palace.

The sky outside had somehow become overcast, and thick clouds blocked the sun.

Master Cao was still kneeling at the bottom of the stone steps, his voice was hoarse, his eyes were red, and he occasionally wiped the corners of his eyes with his cuffs, but in fact, there was no water in his eye sockets at all.

Of course, Lord Cao recognized Yuan Zhi as the great eunuch beside the emperor, and when he saw him coming out of the Heart Cultivation Palace, he "cried" even louder.

He beat his chest and cried again, looking worried about the country, the people, and the king.

Yuan Zhi had never seen any battles, and Lord Cao didn't pay attention to these tricks at all, he didn't even look at Lord Cao, he walked past Lord Cao with an expressionless face, and he didn't even pause, as if the other party didn't exist at all.

After Yuan Zhi left the Heart Cultivation Palace, he went to the celebrant to ask to see Cen Yin.

Yuan Zhi told the emperor about the emperor's proposal to participate in the Taimiao sacrifice and Lord Cao going to kneel outside the Yangxin Hall and cry and shout, "...... Lord Cao is still kneeling outside the Heart Cultivation Palace. ”

"Overseer, look at ......" Yuan Zhi looked at Cen Yin's face cautiously.

Cen Yin was sitting by the window, holding a small bloodstone seal as red as blood in one hand, and a carving knife in the other, carefully carving on the seal button.

There were several windows open on one side of the room, but it was still a little dark, and the little scorpion came over and lit an octagonal palace lamp with a fire inch.

Orange light sprinkled on the bloodstone seal, gilding it with a glossy halo.

The carving knife in Cen Yin's hand paused, and gently turned the bloodstone seal in his hand.

Cen Yin said lightly: "If he wants to go, go ahead." ”

Cen Yin didn't name him, but Yuan Zhi naturally understood that Cen Yin was talking about the emperor, so he was startled at first, and then calmed down.

"Yes, Overseer." At the same time, Yuan Zhiying glanced at Cen Yin again.

The outline of the button has been formed, it is a lazy unicorn, slightly open mouth, as if roaring, as if yawning, next to the unicorn is also leaning on something that looks like a flower is not a flower.

The Overseer seems to have been obsessed with carving lately, should he try to find something like a stone or a nuclear carving? Yuan Zhi pondered in his heart, hesitated for a moment, and wanted to ask Lord Cao what to do, but finally swallowed.

Since the overseer didn't mention Lord Cao, it means that this person is insignificant, and he wants to kneel so much, so he will continue to kneel.

Although he finished his business, Yuan Zhi was not in a hurry to leave, and said with a smile: "Overseer, not long ago, I saw that there were Western mirrors among those Western objects that paid tribute, which were much clearer than our Dasheng bronze mirrors. Not only that, but when you put the mirror next to the candle lantern, the light will be brighter. ”

Cen Yin picked up the carving knife again, and when he heard this, he glanced at Yuan Zhi again, and praised: "You are clever." ”

Yuan Zhi was proud, and thanked Cen Yin for his praise with a smile.

The little scorpion immediately went to fetch two Western mirrors and put them by the lantern, and the room was indeed brighter, but at the same time, the sky outside was darker, and the clouds in the sky were stacked on top of each other, as if night had fallen in advance.

There was a damp smell in the air, damp and stuffy.

Yuan Zhi looked at the sky outside through the open window, and even if he didn't understand the sky, he could see that a rainstorm was coming.

Yuan Zhi hooked his lips mockingly, pulling out a cold arc.

If he wants to kneel, just kneel, self-righteous thing!

"Boom!"

Soon there was a muffled thunder in the sky, like a galloping horse.

The thick clouds shrouded the sky, getting thicker and thicker, and even the sky seemed to be pressed low......

"Boom, boom."

The muffled thunder rang louder and louder, deafeningly echoing in the ears.

Lord Cao was still kneeling at the door of the Heart Cultivation Palace, and naturally he heard the thunder and frowned slightly, but he still knelt and did not move.

He looked up at the sky for a while, looked at the Heart Cultivation Hall in front of him for a while, and looked at the direction Yuan Zhi left before, and clenched his fists.

He had been on his knees for almost half an hour, and his knees were stiff and painful.

It's worth it! Master Cao said to himself in his heart that if he hadn't come here to kneel, Yuan Zhi would have no problem with him, and he wouldn't have run to find someone to call the shots.

Looking at the direction Yuan Zhifang had just left, he must have gone to find Cen Yin.

With Cen Yin's temperament, he will definitely react, Cen Yin has always treated people with a stick and a sweet date, he will not watch Mu Yan sit big, this time is a great opportunity.

And, kill two birds with one stone!

Lord Cao had already made a calculation in his heart.

This Mu Yan is afraid that because of the overthrow of Emperor Chongming back then, he is afraid that he is still a little resentful and angry with his ministers, and he always speaks and acts with a sense of provocation, which is too out of line and too freewheeling.

If you don't take this opportunity to suppress Mu Yan, it is conceivable that Mu Yan will only be more arrogant and ridiculous in the future, and I am afraid that he will not take these subordinates in his eyes.

If you can figure it out, Cen Yin will definitely be able to think of it.

This is an opportunity for Cen Yin to be handed by himself, so that Cen Yin can justifiably suppress Mu Yan, and Cen Yin will definitely remember his credit.

Taking a step back, Mu Yan also had to accept advice for his reputation.

"Boom!"

Thunder exploded one after another, and at the same time, a bright white lightning bolt struck from the sky, splitting the heavy clouds and illuminating the surroundings.

Then, the sky became darker, like ink, and the thick clouds seemed to fall.

Lord Cao knelt firmly on the spot, and his waist was as straight as a pine and cypress.

He is only one chance away from soaring to the sky, and since then he has been on the rise and gone down in history.

The thunder above was not stopped, the lightning was endless, and the white light emitted by the lightning illuminated Lord Cao's face a little strangely, and his eyes flashed with an unusually bright brilliance.

After a while, Yuan Zhi entered Lord Cao's field of vision again, just like when he left before, he didn't even look at Lord Cao, and went straight back to the Heart Cultivation Palace.

Seeing Yuan Zhi walking along the stone steps in the direction of the Heart Cultivation Palace, Lord Cao finally couldn't help but stop him: "Gonggong Yuan! He stared at Yuan Zhi with burning eyes, and there was a hint of hope in his eyes, hoping that Yuan Zhi could reveal a little Cen Yin's meaning.

Yuan Zhi walked up the last stone step, then stopped, then turned around, looked down at Lord Cao who was kneeling on the ground, and sighed faintly.

"Yo, Lord Cao is still kneeling!" Yuan Zhi said in a yin and yang tone, as if he had just seen Lord Cao at this moment, "Lord slowly kneels." Seeing that it was about to rain, our family went in first. ”

Yuan Zhi was smiling from beginning to end, and he couldn't see joy or anger between his descriptions, and as soon as he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Lord Cao to answer, so he went straight into the Heart Cultivation Palace.

"......" Lord Cao's face froze suddenly, and a crack instantly appeared in his originally determined heart.

Could it be that he miscalculated?

(End of chapter)