That night, Jian Huaizhen went to the Qianqing Palace to visit Zhu Qizhen.

When Zhu Qizhen heard that Jian Huaizhen was coming, he was overjoyed, and hurriedly walked outside the palace to welcome Jian Huaizhen in, and said with a smile: "The eldest princess, why did you come to visit me in the Qianqing Palace again?" I was supposed to visit you, and you will be praised by future generations for your miraculous deeds in the Battle of Warat. ”

Jian Huaizhen had something in her heart, she reluctantly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to talk about this." This time in the front line of the war, the palace did not expect to be able to win, everything is the wisdom of Jiang Taifu and Fang Daxia, and it has nothing to do with the palace. ”

"Why should the eldest princess be so modest, Fang Daxia and Jiang Taifu are also willing to go to the front line to fight only after seeing the face of the eldest princess. Otherwise, with who they are now, why would they take such a risk? What's more, the disciples of the Confession Gate and the Candle Shadow have also contributed a lot to this war, has the eldest princess ever thought about how to reward them? ”

Jian Huaizhen shook his head, quickly stood up and walked to the emperor's side, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, there is no need to talk about this matter now. Now there is an even bigger matter, and this palace wants to tell you. ”

Zhu Qizhen opened his eyes slightly, looked at Jian Huaizhen, and saw that she was so solemn, so he also said solemnly: "I don't know if the eldest princess has anything to say, please just say it." ”

Jian Huaizhen took out the contract signed by Cao Jixiang and the Warat people from his sleeve, sent it to Zhu Qizhen, and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look at this first." ”

Zhu Qizhen took the contract, was furious after reading it, and patted the case: "Cao Jixiang, what a Cao Jixiang." This Cao Jixiang was originally just a eunuch, but I just felt that he had contributed to the 'change of seizing the door', so I rewarded him greatly. He usually bends the law and forms a party for personal gain in the court, but I only turn a blind eye and feel that he is not guilty of great evil like Shi Heng. I didn't expect him to dare to do such a treason act of collaborating with the enemy now, it seems that I can't punish him now. ”

Jian Huaizhen heard Zhu Qizhen say this, and she said, "Your Majesty, what you said is very right. Cao Jixiang's autocratic power in the court is no less than that of Xu Youzhen at the beginning, not to mention that he actually collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country, if it wasn't for the fact that this matter happened to be discovered, I don't know how long he would have concealed it. ”

While the two were talking, Jian Huaizhen's gaze slowly slid over Zhu Qizhen, and as if she remembered something, she said to Zhu Qizhen: "Your Majesty, do you remember the matter of grain and grass?" ”

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were slightly confused, as if he was thinking about something, he thought for a long time, and then said to Jian Huaizhen: "Well, I remembered what the eldest princess said about the grain and grass, originally I wanted to send Peng Shi to escort the grain and grass, who knew that Peng Shi happened to be sick at the time, so I wanted Li Xian to escort it." At this time, it was Cao Jixiang who told me that he could let his nephew Cao Tie escort the grain and grass, who knew that the grain and grass would be robbed halfway. ”

Jian Huaizhen became slightly angry, she remembered the tragedy on the battlefield, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, it is precisely because Cao Tie's grain and grass did not arrive in time that the soldiers lacked clothes and food on the battlefield, and their morale was low. If it hadn't been for Taifu Jiang who had come up with a way in time for us to defeat the Warat army early, I am afraid that if Warat had fought a protracted war with us, we would have undoubtedly lost at that time. ”

When Zhu Qizhen heard Jian Huaizhen say this, he felt empathy, and immediately said, "Princess, what do you say this Cao Tie should do?" He was not good at transporting grain and grass and should be punished. ”

Jian Huaizhen smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you think things are still a little simple. Cao Tie's grain and grass escorting 100,000 soldiers was robbed in my Ming Dynasty, isn't this a big absurdity? No matter how powerful the Warat army is, they don't dare to come to the territory of our Ming Dynasty to blatantly rob grain and grass. ”

Jian Huaizhen's words exploded in Zhu Qizhen's heart like a thunderbolt, and in an instant he finally understood what Jian Huaizhen was talking about, and he said hatefully: "Imperial Princess, I know what you mean by this, you mean that this grain and grass was not robbed by the Warat people at all, but by Cao Tie and Cao Jixiang secretly did something, right?" ”

Jian Huaizhen let out a solemn "um" and said, "Yes, that's exactly what the emperor thinks." Since Cao Jixiang is in collusion with Warat, he will definitely try his best to sabotage our actions on the battlefield. The emperor sent us plenty of food and grass, and our army had no worries about food and clothing, and the chances of winning the battle were a few points higher. If our army is short of food and clothing, and fights a protracted war against Warat, it will surely be defeated. ”

When the emperor thought of this, he must have understood what had happened.

Zhu Qizhen is also the lord of Shengming, when he heard Jian Huaizhen say this, he immediately figured out the whole thing, he clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, and said indignantly: "Cao Jixiang, I am not thin on you, I didn't expect you to do such a thing with your nephew." Princess, what do you say about this? I immediately sent a holy decree to put Cao Jixiang in prison. ”

Jian Huaizhen walked around the Qianqing Palace with a long pace, she walked for a long time before she raised her head, and slowly said to Zhu Qizhen: "Your Majesty, Cao Jixiang's matter is very important. Cao Jixiang formed a party in the court for personal gain, and the palace heard that he had nine tiger generals and eighteen children, and he was an important minister in the court. If Cao Jixiang is to be imprisoned, I am afraid that Sheng Guang will be implicated in this matter.

"Could it be that I just watched him collaborate with the enemy and commit such a rebellious thing?" Zhu Qizhen was obviously angry by Cao Jixiang's incident, and his voice was very angry.

Jian Huaizhen then remembered the grain and grass that Cao Tie had lost halfway, she thought that Cao Tie must have been instructed by Cao Jixiang, as long as Cao Tie was willing to come out to testify and testify against Cao Jixiang, Cao Jixiang would have nothing to hide at that time, but Cao Tie's safety was in danger......

When Jian Huaizhen thought of this, her face immediately changed, and she said to Jian Huaizhen: "Your Majesty, this palace has also miscalculated. The palace should have expected that Cao Jixiang would definitely be plotting to deal with Cao Tie, but now I am afraid that Cao Tie is no longer alive. ”

When Zhu Qizhen heard Jian Huaizhen say this, he only felt that there were layers of coolness on his body. The coolness seemed to come out of his bones, making him feel cold, and he said indignantly: "Since this is the case, there is no way to deal with Cao Jixiang?" ”

Jian Huaizhen thought for a while and said to Zhu Qizhen: "Your Majesty, don't act rashly. This palace believes that as long as Cao Jixiang has done bad things, he will definitely have a magnificent skynet and negligence. Tomorrow, the palace will send Jinyi guards to investigate the evidence of Cao Jixiang's crimes, but in the past few days of collecting criminal evidence, please don't act rashly. ”

Zhu Qizhen forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, and said to Jian Huaizhen: "Princess, don't worry, I have taken the princess's instructions to heart. ”

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen already trusted Jian Huaizhen very much in his heart. Jian Huaizhen is not only on the battlefield, but also very helpful in the court.

Jian Huaizhen listened to Zhu Qizhen's willingness to listen to his own persuasion, and only then did he feel comforted in his heart.

After Jian Huaizhen returned to Wan'an Palace, he immediately summoned several capable Jinyi guards and ordered them to find evidence of Cao Jixiang's crimes. Although there has been an ancient saying in the Ming Dynasty since ancient times that it is forbidden to interfere in politics in the harem, Jian Huaizhen has a golden and jade staff given by the emperor, and beats the traitorous ministers from the top to the faint and the bottom, so her orders are naturally obeyed by the Jinyi Guard. What's more, Jian Huaizhen called Jinyiwei over to give instructions in an upright manner, obviously with Zhu Qizhen's tacit approval.

The conversation between Jian Huaizhen and Zhu Qizhen fell into the ears of a person, and to that person's ears, this conversation was like a shock, and he was speechless for a long time, and that person was Sun Xiangyong.

There were two things that made Sun Xiangyong suspicious, one was that he didn't expect Cao Jixiang to betray the country and do such a thing. Since ancient times, rebellion has been a major crime, no matter in which emperor's period, rebellion can be linked to the nine clans.

One thing that made Sun Xiangyong feel even more surprised was that he was not as bold as Cao Jixiang, and even if he withheld the military rations, he dared to send someone to assassinate the emperor. He had obviously told Cao Jixiang that he must not do anything to hurt the emperor, and Cao Jixiang also agreed to him, but now he has reversed himself, which makes him feel very angry.

Despite this, Cao Jixiang was always his eldest brother, and when he entered the palace to become a eunuch, it was also to save him from his illness. Anyway, the brothers are connected by blood, and after he heard the conversation between Zhu Qizhen and Jian Huaizhen, he decided to take a day off from the emperor, and quietly went to Cao Jixiang's mansion to meet Cao Jixiang on the grounds of play, and told him about it.

Although Sun Xiang often met Cao Jixiang in the palace on weekdays, he knew that Jian Huaizhen must have been all over the palace by now, and as the emperor's pure eunuch, if he had any contact with Cao Jixiang, he would definitely not be able to escape Jian Huaizhen's eyes. When the time comes, not only Cao Jixiang, but also himself.

Sun Xiang took leave of absence from Zhu Qizhen on the second day, saying that he wanted to go out of the palace for a while.

Zhu Qizhen has always trusted and relied on Sun Xiangyong, and he also felt that Sun Xiangyong served by his side every day, working hard, and when he heard him take leave, he said with a smile: "Father-in-law Sun, since you want to go out, go out of the palace." ”

Sun Xiang thanked the emperor on the one hand, and remembered the conversation between Jian Huaizhen and him yesterday, so he said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the old slave heard the eldest princess yesterday that someone wants to be unfavorable to the emperor, please take care of yourself no matter what, don't make any mistakes." ”

Zhu Qizhen laughed and said, "Don't worry, the martial arts of the eldest princess are no longer comparable to few people in the world." Today, the eldest princess will come to the Qianqing Palace to accompany me to review the chapters, and I believe that no one will dare to disadvantage me. ”

Sun Xiangyong heard the emperor say this, and his heart was relaxed, and he went out of the palace to see Cao Jixiang.

After Sun Xiangyong left the palace, he first went to the most prosperous Jinding Street and Funei Street for a walk. The reason why he did this was just to hide it from others.

After shopping on Jinding Street and Funei Street, Sun Xiangyong quietly came to Cao Jixiang's mansion while no one was paying attention.

Cao Jixiang was horrified when he saw that Jian Huaizhen had returned to the court, and he was afraid that the matter of his collusion with Wara would leak out, so he sent someone out to inquire. Afterward. After inquiring, I heard that the king of Warat had also given the contract signed by Cao Jixiang and Warat to Jian Huaizhen.

Cao Jixiang knew that in this way, Jian Huaizhen would definitely give this contract to the emperor, and the emperor would definitely punish him at that time, and his fate might not even be as good as Shi Heng and Xu Youzhen.

After Cao Jixiang thought about it, evil was born to the side of his guts, and he came up with a poisonous plan, that is, to assassinate the emperor. He knew that Jian Huaizhen was strong in martial arts, and it was impossible to assassinate Jian Huaizhen, and the only thing he could do was to assassinate the emperor. As long as something happens to the emperor, Jian Huaizhen will be busy dealing with the emperor's future affairs, where will he have time to take care of himself. When the new emperor ascends the throne and the matter is diluted, he Cao Jixiang can still enjoy all the glory and wealth, and Cao Gonggong will not become a prisoner of others.

After he made up his mind, he bribed a little eunuch in the palace who knew how to punch and kick.

The little eunuch's name was Xiao Niuzi, and he refused to listen to Cao Jixiang's orders, so Cao Jixiang sent someone to lock up all his family members outside the palace and threaten him with his family's lives. Xiao Niu has eighty-year-old parents and a seven- or eight-year-old niece, and he is worried that his relatives will be hurt by Cao Jixiang, so he has to agree to Cao Jixiang's request.

The emperor led the courtiers out of the palace to greet Jian Huaizhen, and the little cow was also mixed in. Because he was a little eunuch, no one noticed his presence. When Zhu Qizhen and Jian Huaizhen met, he recognized the opportunity and prepared to step forward to assassinate Zhu Qizhen. If Zhu Qizhen hadn't met Jian Huaizhen, I'm afraid that Xiao Niuzi's assassination would have been successful. It's a pity that he made a mistake in underestimating Jian Huaizhen's strength, he felt that Jian Huaizhen was just a woman, although he was able to win on the battlefield, most of it was just luck and the help of his soldiers. Unexpectedly, Jian Huaizhen was strong in martial arts, and there were few people in the world who could not be her opponents. Therefore, the little cow was easily planted in Jian Huaizhen's hands, and after being caught, he who was already holding poison in his mouth immediately bit the poison, and the poison attacked his heart and died.

After Xiao Niu Zi was about to assassinate the emperor, he had already made a determination to die. If he doesn't die, then it's his relatives who will die. The little cow is a man of love and righteousness, and he has no choice but to do so.

The news of Xiao Niuzi's death soon reached Cao Jixiang's ears, and Cao Jixiang was terrified when he learned that the people he sent out not only failed to assassinate the emperor, but were also captured by Jian Huaizhen. When he was trying to find a way to find a few more eunuchs in the palace to assassinate the emperor, Sun Xiangyong came to the door.

Cao Jixiang heard that Sun Xiang used it, so he hurriedly welcomed him in and welcomed him into the secret room, and the two talked secretly in the secret room.

Sun Xiangyong first questioned Cao Jixiang and said, "Big brother, you once promised me that I would not hurt the emperor no matter what, but why did you send a eunuch to assassinate the emperor?" ”

Cao Jixiang saw that Sun Xiangyong not only didn't care about his own safety, but asked why he wanted to murder the emperor, and he couldn't help but feel a little angry in his heart.

Despite this, he forcibly held back the anger in his heart and said: "Second brother, I think you are mistaken, how could I assassinate the emperor, I am loyal to the emperor, I am worried that the emperor is too late?" What's more, what is the emperor going to do, what good will it do me, I am now powerful and powerful in the court, and it is most beneficial for me for the emperor to live. ”

Sun Xiangyong didn't believe Cao Jixiang's confession after hearing this, he sighed and said, "Big brother, you can stop it now." The eldest princess had already told the emperor all about you yesterday, and I don't know why you had betrayed the country and signed that kind of contract with Wara. But now it's a foregone conclusion......"

Before Sun Xiang finished speaking, he was interrupted by Cao Jixiang, and he said a little angrily: "Yes, you are right. I signed a contract with Warat, and I betrayed the country, so what? I am your eldest brother, are you closer to me or to the emperor? ”

Sun Xiangyong was robbed by Cao Jixiang like this, and he didn't know what to say for a while, and he said after a long time: "Big brother, I didn't mean that." You entered the palace to save my life, and I am naturally grateful to you in my heart, not to mention that we are brothers, and blood is thicker than water. So when I heard what the eldest princess said to the emperor, I immediately ran out to inform you that the matter was very serious. For now, you'd better run for your life. ”

"What? You want me to escape, and you let me escape. Cao Jixiang looked at Sun Xiang with an incredible look in his eyes, he looked up to the sky and laughed wildly, laughed for a long time and said, "Second brother, do you think I can escape?" Where is the emperor's territory, and the soldiers who lead the land are not the king's ministers, where can I flee to? What's more, I have enjoyed the glory and wealth in the palace for so long, and I have long been accustomed to being under one person and above ten thousand. You let me escape, even if I can escape, how can I get used to living outside? ”

Seeing that Cao Jixiang was so stubborn, Sun Xiangyong sighed and said, "Big brother, if you don't find a way to escape quickly, there will be no way to escape in the future." You first find a place to settle down temporarily, and when things settle down, I will slowly say good things about you in front of the emperor, and I believe that one day the emperor will recruit you back to the palace for reuse. ”

"No, you're lying to me. Second brother, you're lying to me. Cao Jixiang pointed at Sun Xiangyong as he spoke, with an unbelievable look in his eyes.

"Second brother, what you said is not true. Collaborating with the enemy and treason is a great crime, how can the emperor reuse it for me because of a few words of advice from you? What's more, now, the emperor must have hated me in his heart, and I can escape to where I can escape? But I have made up my mind, the emperor will not dare to do anything with me. ”

Sun Xiangyong saw that Cao Jixiang was obsessed, so he asked, "Big brother, why do you think the emperor doesn't dare to deal with you?" ”

Cao Jixiang became very calm, and he said: "Although the emperor now has a contract in his hand that I collaborated with the enemy and treason, I can tell the emperor that this contract was forged by the eldest princess to frame me. Everyone knows that the eldest princess has a very good relationship with Yu Qian, and it is understandable that she hates me for killing Yu Qian, and it is reasonable to forge a contract to slander me. Besides, this contract is only physical evidence, and there is no human evidence to prove that I have done treason with the enemy, right? Now I have nine tiger generals and eighteen children under my command, they are all important ministers in the court, the emperor just wants to punish me, and I have to be afraid of them without evidence? ”