Capital.

The night is getting cooler, the four corners of the eaves of Zhaoyang Palace are shining, and the palace top of the golden dragon is majestic and domineering.

The candles in the imperial study are as bright as day, and the emperor in the spring and autumn is condescending, looking at the people who stand with their heads bowed. Led by the third prince Yu Wenjing, the sixth prince Yu Wenjin and Prince Sheng, and later there were important ministers of the imperial court such as Shangguan Prime Minister, Cai Quan, the secretary of the military department, Luo Zhen, etc., and Dai Xin, the county guard of Suzhou who returned to Beijing not long ago.

"Your Majesty, the eldest prince of the Marquis of Weiyuan and the lord of Pingning County made an indecent rumor before, and the wind and rain in the city are unethical, and the old minister implores Your Majesty to punish the big one with the whole etiquette." Shangguan Prime Minister is a great Confucian of the dynasty, extremely important to etiquette, Chunxi Lou caused a terrible turmoil, as the first of the civil officials to ask the emperor to punish the Marquis of Weiyuan and the King of Xixi is not strict in governing the family. During this time, the imperial history impeached them one after another, but the emperor was vague and did not publicly reprimand.

"The Marquis of Weiyuan Mansion has asked the official media to hire him, and there are some mistakes, so don't let the prime minister hold on to it. The father has a lot of opportunities, and the family affairs of the two courtiers no longer need to be handled by the father. Yu Wenjing, who has been proud of the spring breeze recently, opened his mouth, still looking like a humble gentleman, and his eyebrows and eyes showed a sad color, "Not to mention that the current gossip about the prince overshadows the rest." ”

Whenever and wherever the rumors go, the quickest way to get the rumors gone is not to clarify them, but to unleash another, more alarming rumor to confuse the public.

Everyone knew that the emperor was summoned tonight for the crown prince who was far away in Suzhou.

"Can you find out who deliberately slandered the prince?" The Emperor asked.

Everyone below looked at each other and chose to be silent. Where do you need to find out? The officials who spread rumors are all people who surrender to the emperor's eldest son on weekdays, and he has always been at odds with the prince, and the causes and consequences can be imagined.

The person present to talk about his seniority and status should be Prince Sheng, the younger brother of the Son of Heaven, but unfortunately he was silent and had nothing to do with himself. Shangguan Cheng and the others, as courtiers, were inconvenient to speak directly about the fight between the princes, and they were also silent. Yu Wenjing has always been the follower of the emperor's eldest son in the past, and he is full of worry and hesitation at the moment.

Yuwen Haotian glanced coldly at this group of guys who were more shrewd than the other, they were waiting for the Son of Heaven to vote first. It depends on which side the monarch favors, which determines how they will return.

The first to be breathless was Yu Wenjin, although the royal children were precocious, it was not surprising that the young man's city government was shallow: "Father and emperor, it was the eldest emperor's brother who instructed people to release evil words to slander the prince's royal brother's 'great joy', 'greedy merit' and 'misdeeds'." Erchen speculated that the assassination of the crown prince's brother while patrolling the streets of Suzhou County a few days ago was also related to the eldest emperor's brother, otherwise how could he and his subordinates not know the prophet? ”

Before the words fell, the military power was in the hands of the government and the opposition, and Cai Quan, who was very important, suddenly retorted: "His Royal Highness Six's words need to be considered, and the ministers do not agree." Since the assassination, the eldest prince has been in the palace to practice literature and martial arts, it can be said that he has not heard anything outside the window, and he used to do things improperly, but now he has reformed. The rumors of those uncertain prophets spread strangely, and the ministers thought that they were deliberately setting up a situation to frame the prince, which was clearly like a plan to lead the water to the east! ”

Cai Quan said, and glanced at Yu Wenjin meaningfully. The "person with a heart" in his mouth seems to be intentional or unintentional, pointing to the Empress Dowager Xiao, who has recently made a comeback.

On the golden dragon chair, the emperor gradually opened his eyebrows, Cai Quan wanted to marry his daughter into the East Palace, and played many times bluntly that his daughter admired Yu Wenye for a long time. This courage in disregard of the world was praised by the Son of Heaven, and although he diverted the topic every time, he never said that it was not allowed. On the contrary, Cai Quan's mansion is adjacent to the Great Prince's Mansion, and the personal relationship between the two is not bad, so it makes sense for him to help Yu Wencheng exonerate. This person is not inferior to Wei Yuanhou, otherwise he would not dare to bet on both sides? As long as his heart doesn't go to the Xiao family, the emperor doesn't care about the details.

"Cai Aiqing has a point." Yuwen Haotian's dragon eyes flashed, "I also believe that the eldest prince has reformed himself, after all, no stupid person would set up such a stupid game!" ”

In fact, he knew in his heart that this matter was definitely done by Yu Wencheng, including the two assassinations that Yu Wenye encountered on the way to the Soviet Union. In the eyes of the people, the palms and backs of the hands of the children are full of meat, and in the eyes of the emperor, there are other considerations.

Before the crown prince ascended the throne, he needed one or two opponents to be vigilant at all times, not only to ensure that he was unremittingly in the government, but this sense of crisis also made him have no time to be distracted. In the previous dynasty, the prince killed his father and usurped the throne because he had no scruples, and Yuwen Haotian had lingering palpitations with Shi Mingjian, so he didn't like Yuwen Cheng who was not virtuous and talentless, and still kept it to use it to balance the prince.

Yu Wenjin obviously didn't expect the emperor to protect Yu Wencheng, so he couldn't help twitching the corners of his mouth, and took a few steps forward to give up: "Father, the son has something to say." ”

"Speak."

"Recently, in addition to this rumor, there are also people who chew the root of their tongues indiscriminately, saying that the emperor's grandmother Dongshan has caused trouble in the palace again, and the sons are annoyed when they hear it! It is natural for the imperial grandmother to move back to Cining Palace, why should she cause trouble in the palace? The sons and daughters implore their father to strictly investigate and punish them, and the majesty of the imperial grandmother cannot be trampled on! Yu Wenjin's expression was excited, and the anger on his face was still a little immature.

In front of the courtiers with foreign surnames, Yu Wenjin believed that his father would take care of the royal face and would not lose his duty as a son of man.

Sure enough, Yuwen Haotian was indignant in his heart, but he couldn't bear it, and the jumping candle flame cast light and shadow on his deep face. The pair of deep and calm dragon eyes emerged as never before.

Is this his son or the son of the Xiao family?

Just because Yu Wenjin's biological mother's surname is Xiao, Empress Dowager Xiao is willing to support him as the new emperor? Heh, that old witch's ambition is clearly to control the court and subvert the dynasty of the Tianxi Dynasty! Otherwise, what is the difference between her being the queen mother and the queen mother? Which emperor and grandson succeed to the throne and what does it matter?

Aside from his concubines, Yu Wenye's qualifications are also outstanding, and it is impossible for him to be applauded by anyone when he ascends the throne in the future. And Yuwen Jin is still young, and he comes from the belly of the Xiao family's daughter, so it is relatively easy to become the puppet of the Empress Dowager Xiao.

Luo Zhen saw through the coldness in the emperor's eyes, he offended Yu Wencheng in person, why was he afraid of refuting Yu Wenjin's words? According to the emperor's wishes, he said: "The Queen Mother has lived in the Buddha Hall for a long time, and everyone in the world thinks that she will spend her old age in the Buddha Hall." Moving back to Cining Palace happened suddenly, which is incredible, and some gossip outside the palace is inevitable. ”

In the past two days, some people have made a big fuss about Empress Dowager Xiao's move back to Cining Palace, which is overwhelming and menacing. bluntly said that when the queen mother was young, she was involved in politics and power, and now she intends to hold the Son of Heaven hostage and seize the power of the queen's inner palace.

Yuwen Haotian was relieved to hear this, after all, he didn't tear his face with his mother-in-law, and he had won or lost in secret fighting methods over the years. It's about the dignity of the royal family, and he doesn't care, and he doesn't care either.

Yuwen Jin's face turned pale with anger, and his words were aggressive: "Luo Shangshu's words are wrong, the emperor's grandmother is the queen mother of a dynasty, with the most respectful position and the longest generation, how can you allow the subjects to comment in vain?" Moreover, the emperor's grandmother did her best to support the sons of heaven of the two dynasties, how could she bear the notoriety of plotting against the dynasty and causing trouble! ”

Although he is young, he is not stupid, his biological mother's position is humble and unfavorable, and he is still just a concubine who is not worth mentioning. He also has several brothers above him, and if he doesn't rely on Empress Dowager Xiao, he is far away from the throne. As a prince, who doesn't have the ambition to take the heir? Who is willing to be born at the feet of his brother?

The emperor frowned again, looked at Prince Sheng with blazing eyes, and asked sincerely: "Brother Huang thinks I should issue a strict investigation, or should I turn a deaf ear?" ”

Even though Yuwen Haohai is idle at home, his prestige is undiminished, the emperor trusts him, and when he encounters tricky matters, he is still used to summoning him to come to discuss, such as today.

"Back to the emperor's words, Xiao Shilang went to Zhejiang for disaster relief, but the heavens were not beautiful, and the flood disaster became more and more serious. A few days ago, news came from Xijing that the Angolan people had disturbed the peace of our border with the DPRK. The courtiers think that gossip is not worth it, and the top priority is to keep the outside and the inside to ensure the peace of the four seas. "If you talk about the ability to perceive the holy will, Yuwen Haohai is exemplary.

If the emperor wants to quell the rumors as soon as possible and order people to punish them severely, why should he hesitate here? is nothing more than worrying that the attitude is too indifferent, and being accused of being unfilial to the queen mother will damage the reputation. His words were to tell everyone that when the national disaster was at hand, the emperor did not disregard the dignity of the Empress Dowager Xiao, but had more important things to worry about.

Yu Wenjing hurriedly echoed, and said Kan Kan: "What Uncle Wang said is extremely true. Nearly ten officials died in a row in the Suzhou County Government, the prince was assassinated on the street, and the face of the government was trampled on by gangs in the rivers and lakes. In the flood crisis in Zhejiang, the disaster relief money and grain sent by the imperial court could only manage food and clothing for a while, and Xiao Shilang mobilized local large households to donate food for disaster relief, but the result was very effective. ”

"It's about the Suzhou County officials to fill in, Bai Muguan has given me a fold." Thinking of the bold content on the fold, Yuwen Haotian had a smile instead, "I will approve it at my discretion, and you don't need to discuss this matter again." Recently, the prince sat in Suzhou, and I was very relieved. ”

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other, and they responded one after another.

With so many officials killed in Suzhou County, it stands to reason that there is an urgent need to send a subordinate to fill the vacancy, and the emperor is not anxious. This time, even Prince Sheng couldn't figure out the emperor's intentions! Just like the Suzhou county guard who "escaped" back to the capital and everyone shouted to kill, he didn't think that the emperor not only did not punish him, but also ordered him to live in the palace and wait for his fate. At this time, Dai Xin, who was standing behind everyone, was neither humble nor arrogant, and his slender figure refracted a shadow.

Seeing that the emperor was unwilling to discuss the affairs of Suzhou, Cai Quan changed the topic with a lot of eyes: "Anguo and my dynasty have been trading with each other for ten years, this is Your Majesty's benevolence, righteousness and virtue, and he does not want the people to be displaced from the border war, otherwise a small country like that ant should have been annihilated in one fell swoop and then expand the territory of our dynasty." ”

Mobei is the most unpeaceful frontier of the Tianxi Dynasty, and it has been at war with the Beiling State all the year round, and the border fortress important place second only to Mobei is Xijing. Thirty years ago, King He collaborated with the enemy and treason, and the so-called enemy country of Hetong was Anguo, which bordered Xijing. Anguo is sparsely populated, because of the perennial lack of water, the people live in poverty. Countless wars have taken place over water, both large and small. It was not until ten years ago that Yuwen Haotian accepted the documents sent by the Angolan envoys, and the two countries made a truce and made peace, and since then they have traded with each other, and agreed to stop fighting forever.

"In the past few decades, the people of Xijing have been repeatedly warned, and I am concerned about my own people, and our big country disdains to see the same knowledge as Anguo, so we signed a truce. Now that they are restless, can I bear it any longer? Saying that, Yuwen Haotian snorted coldly, and his killing intent was revealed, "In the future, you don't have to worry about any covenant, and there are Anguo people who dare to make trouble, don't worry about killing!" ”

Everyone responded in unison.

The Son of Heaven on the high seat is by no means a cowardly person, on the contrary, when he was still a prince, he led the troops to go out many times and made remarkable achievements, and he also personally fought with the soldiers and horses of Anguo back then. He never paid attention to small countries such as Anguo, which relied on the steep terrain and were easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Shangguan Prime Minister added: "The old minister heard that the lord of Anguo is old and seriously ill, and the three sons under his knees are all gearing up. The second prince supported the army and responded to his own command, and now he is ready to take me and go back to Xijing to invite credit. ”

When Yuwen Haotian heard that the Lord of An Guo was seriously ill, the killing intent slowly dissipated, and he couldn't help but reveal complicated emotions. It seems to be happy, it seems to be disappointed, and it seems to be regretful.

At the end, he waved his hand: "Dai Xin stays, and the rest of the people kneel first." ”

With the sound of the sleeves rubbing against each other, everyone retreated. When he raised his eyes again, there was only Dai Xin left in the empty Jinluan Treasure Hall.

Yuwen Haotian got up and walked down the golden steps, and shouted two words to Dai Xin, who was wearing a four-grade court dress: "Ah Xin." ”

Dai Xin was stunned at first, and then immediately calmed down and asked, "What does Your Majesty command?" ”

"I want to practice swords, how about Ah Xin accompany me to a few tricks?" The Ninety-Five Venerable, who looked down on all beings, actually asked Dai Xin in a consultative tone.

Dai Xin hurriedly responded.

Immediately afterwards, Yuwen Haotian personally took out the sword box in the shelved pavilion, and carefully took out the two long-sealed swords.

The body of the sword is cast in dark iron, revealing a faint cold light, and the hilt of the sword is a white tiger and a golden python pattern. The handle of the white tiger is engraved with the word "sky", and the handle of the golden python is engraved with the word "crane".

The golden python is a totem that can only be used by the prince, and the first emperor gave the golden python sword to King He, which shows the intention. If there was no conspiracy to frame him, the person sitting on the dragon chair now would not be him Yuwen Haotian. He may also fulfill his duties as a younger brother, just like he followed in the footsteps of King He when he was a child, and held a sword to protect his brother's country.

Looking at the sword that was close at hand and like a world away, Dai Xin's eyes were shocked, and he hurriedly lifted his clothes and knelt on the ground, and said in fear: "Your Majesty forgives your sins, but the minister doesn't dare!" This sword was given to His Majesty and ...... respectively by the first emperor The relics of King He are of far-reaching significance, and the ministers dare not take the sword when they die. ”

Yuwen Haotian looked at Dai Xin, who was also outstanding even though he was middle-aged, and smiled instead of being annoyed: "Over the years, you have been a county guard, and you have more literati atmosphere, and you have finally regained some of your military general spirit just now." ”

"The minister is only willing to follow His Majesty, regardless of the status of civil officials and military generals." Dai Xin said word by word.

Yuwen Haotian raised the corners of his mouth more and more: "I remember, you said this back then." ”

It was precisely because of Dai Xin's words back then that he was ordered to take off the armor of the imperial guards, change into the clothes of a literati, and become the head of a county from a nine-grade sesame official. It is thanks to Dai Xin's strength, otherwise he has no background, and the emperor can not help him quietly.

"These two swords were taken out and came out when the Yuan Festival was born. Well, tonight, you use this to hold my brother's sword. Accompany me to the Imperial Garden to try it out, show your true skills, there are no monarchs and ministers tonight. ”

The Son of Heaven said that the horse is difficult to chase. Dai Xin had to accept it respectfully.

Yuwen Haotian didn't bring guards, and even Gao Zhan didn't serve with him, so he only took Dai Xin to the Imperial Garden.

In the dead of night, the wind was blowing, blowing his bright yellow clothes and dancing in the night.

Suddenly, Dai Xin lowered his voice and asked, "Your Majesty is out of the sheath tonight, but you are determined to fight to the death with the person who killed King He?" ”

Yuwen Haotian didn't say a word, his right hand moved slightly, and the sword was already swung straight up.

The sword light flashed, and it was already in front of him, Dai Xin hurriedly retreated and dodged, and the long sword stabbed out from his armpit silently. Yuwen Haotian flipped his sword to block, and the two swords intersected, making a crisp sound.

In just a few moves, Dai Xin seemed to be defeated by the true dragon emperor.

Yuwen Haotian was not happy: "Ah Xin, don't hide it anymore, I think I never won against you back then!" ”

Dai Xin replied with a smile: "Your Majesty's sword is not old and your swordsmanship is improving, and the minister has been spending his free life all these years, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win against Your Majesty." ”

"I don't believe it." After that, Yuwen Haotian swung his sword again.

Since the death of King He, Dai Xin has never practiced swords again after taking off his martial arts uniform, and tonight he relied on his outstanding martial arts skills when he was young. Even if he was sure that he could win, he would not dare to take offense. The emperor's heart is unpredictable, although they know each other when they are young, and he does not dare to make a mistake until now.

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