On the morning of September 16, in the main hall of the palace, Long Zixing sat next to Prime Minister Xia Yang and witnessed the courtiers in blue, green, and purple official robes standing below and whispering. This was the first time he had participated in the court meeting, and it was proposed by Xia Lao to his father. Long Jun has not been in the court for a long time, and Xia Lao has always presided over the court meeting, so the throne has been empty. Xia Lao sat on the right side of the throne, and at this moment, he picked up the gentian on the table and patted it, and the hall was instantly silent.

Minister Xia Yang is called "Xia Lao", and Long Zixing and his sisters are called "Xia Ye". It was a thin old man over seventy years old, wearing a purple gauze hat on his head, wearing a purple and gold robe, and a purple and gold talisman that marked the status of the cabinet hanging from his waist, and sitting on a teak high-backed mink chair with his back bent, and even when he stood, he appeared to be much shorter than his actual height. The wrinkles like knives were burned on his face, his chin was gray but neat, and his eyes were as deep as rivers and seas in a pair of triangular eyes that were often squinted. He has gone through three dragon monarchs, and he was already the prime minister of state when Long Zixing's grandfather Long Shaode was in power, and he was a respected veteran of the Xianglong Kingdom, Long Xingtian respected him very much, and often said that it was difficult to find a successor to Xia Lao, so Xia Lao had to delay his retirement time again and again. Now that Long Jun is unable to govern the court, as the chief of the cabinet, Xia Lao can only reluctantly preside over the court meeting, and he is so busy that he is out of breath and even more old.

"The theft of the Soul Tower of the Nine Turns Town is a rare major case in recent years. The Criminal Court took urgent action last night and asked Lord Dian to explain the case. Xia Lao said very hard, and a layer of oil sweat appeared on his forehead. The hall was open, and it was necessary to exert force to let the courtiers hear his voice.

The courtiers stood on both sides of the hall, and near the throne were all cabinet members in purple and gold robes, a total of five people, followed by the secondary officials in dark green robes, and the junior officials in the sky blue robes were the largest in number, ranking last. A purple-robed cabinet on the left pressed his right palm on his left chest, bowed slightly to Xia Lao, and began to state the case.

"In today's dream, the night guards of the Dragon Hall found that the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower was stolen, and before the end of yesterday, the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower was still there, so it can be seen that this treasure was lost at the end of the day. At the end of the day, the gates of the city were closed, and the idle people could not leave the city. The hunters of the Torture Pavilion went out with all their strength to cooperate with the Military Pavilion, and now they have blocked every gate of the royal capital, and as long as the thief is still in the city, he will definitely be unable to fly. Ladies and gentlemen, you have to take a closer look, if anyone can get this thing back up, it will be a great achievement!"

The cabinet that spoke was Zheng Kuan, the pawn of the Criminal Cabinet. Fifty-five-year-old Zheng Kuan was the only one in the cabinet who bowed down, with only a sparse ring of hair stuck to the back of his head and a purple gauze hat that was well disguised. His beard was not scarce, it spread across his chin like a fan, and he spoke in a loud and imposing voice, with the style of a torture cabinet director. A pair of small eyes often hide a kind smile, but he is proficient in hundreds of painful punishments. Long Zixing had heard of Wang Du's saying: No matter how stubborn the stone touched Zheng Kuan, it would turn into a puddle of muddy water, and in the torture pavilion, there was no mouth that could not be pried open and secrets that could not be dug up. Therefore, this canon always made him feel a little scary.

The stolen treasure, the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower, is the treasure of the Town Hall of the Dragon Palace, a nine-story pagoda made of pure diamond. As the crown prince, Long Zixing is no stranger to it. The treasure is made so exquisitely that it is difficult for ordinary craftsmen to process the diamond to this extent, and the boxers believe that this treasure is made by the divine power of the god of the earth, the spirit dragon, and is used to look after the remains of the dragon lords, and guide their souls to ascend to the upper realm through the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower.

The dragon hall is the burial place of the dragon kings of the past dynasties, located in the temple area on the west side of the royal capital, naturally it is heavily guarded, and there has never been a theft. Originally, the theft case could be handled by the Criminal Cabinet, and there was no need to specifically raise it in the court meeting, but the theft of treasures was related to His Majesty the Dragon King and the previous kings, which made the case extremely sensitive, so this unprecedented theft case immediately shook the government and the opposition. Long Zixing actually bumped into this kind of thing for the first time in the court, and thought to himself, it's really timely.

After Dian Zheng Kuan finished speaking, a pair of slightly narrowed eyes swept into the ranks of dark green robes, and the ministers also followed, a tall and thin official with a long beard took a step, walked out of the queue, faced Xia Lao, knelt down on both knees, bowed to the ground, and said: "As the head of the military guard regiment of the royal capital, the subordinate has failed to patrol effectively, resulting in the theft of treasures, and he has committed a serious crime, please give the minister of the country!"

As soon as he saw this person, Long Zixing almost blurted out and called out his name. This is Xi Yuan, his biological mother and the younger brother of the late queen. Uncle Xi Yuan is witty by nature, and he can make him and his sisters the most happy on weekdays, and he has a very good relationship with him.

Some of the courtiers began to talk to each other again, whispering in whispers. The Nine Turns Town Soul Tower was stolen, and the Wangdu Martial Guard Regiment, who was in charge of the royal capital patrol and security, was the most negligent, and Xi Yuan was to blame, but his identity was sensitive, and now the prince's nephew was sitting on the edge of the throne......

Some people were waiting to see a good show and see how Xia Ye would deal with it, and Long Zixing couldn't help but feel a little annoyed in his heart.

Xia Lao glanced at the audience and slapped the gentian again, "Xi Yuan, the head of the Wangdu Wuwei Regiment, pleaded guilty, I will report to Your Majesty, listen to the king's will, and then punish." ”

A purple-robed official in the ranks on the right said, "Today is the day to report to Your Majesty, Lord Xi Yuan has been diligent for many years, and Your Majesty may be extra gracious. When the courtiers heard this, they all turned their eyes to him. Long Jun's fairness and strictness are well known to the whole country, and he actually said such things in front of the court, although the words were inappropriate, but no one dared to say that he was wrong.

This man was very burly, with a thick black beard, and a lock of long hair on each side of his temples under a purple gauze hat, which hung down to his shoulders. The sword cross badge pinned to the right shoulder of the purple gold robe symbolizes his status. His expression was quite majestic, and there was a hint of arrogance in his black and shiny leopard eyes, which was none other than Long Chengtian, the general of the Military Pavilion, the second brother of His Majesty Long Jun, and the second uncle of Long Zixing.

Among his father's four younger brothers, this second uncle is the only prince to enter the cabinet. The second uncle has repeatedly built conquests, and since taking office, he has been invincible in all battles, and his prestige has spread in all directions, and he has long had a high reputation. How much weight the second uncle's words said in the court, it is not difficult for Long Zixing to imagine. However, what the second uncle said next was even more surprising.

"The military pavilion received news last night that there was a rebellion of the swamp people in Nishizawa Province, and the number of rebels exceeded 50,000, and it was still increasing. Looking at it this way, Nishizawa was only afraid of a defeat. ”

Xia Lao was worried, "It's almost time to reach the green swamp, why did you see the news at this time?"

"Then I have to ask Bian Li. As the governor of the province, the swamp people have made trouble three times during his tenure, and this time he has done so badly, and he is not in charge of it? I heard that the curfew has now been imposed in the Zedi, and look how helpless and panicked he is. The second uncle was obviously very dissatisfied with Bian Li, but to Long Zixing's surprise, it was the second uncle who mentioned Bian Li's wording in the court. "The theft of the Soul Tower of the Nine Turns Town is not just a simple theft, what was stolen is the treasure of our sect, and it is the reputation of our sect that has been damaged. In recent years, there are not a few boxers who have wavered in their faith, and some have even become infidels. This is all the result of Bian Li's poor jurisdiction, and he should pay the price for it. ”

"Zedi has always been uneasy, the green-skinned lizardmen don't respect our gods, and like to confuse the public, this time I have to let them taste the power of our country. Xia Lao said, "The general can send Yan Chonghu, the general of Zhennan, to pacify the trouble." ”

The great general Long Chengtian said proudly, "Bian Li must solve it by himself first." The implication of this is that the military cabinet will not take direct military action for the time being. The father has not been in the court for a long time, and the second uncle has become more and more arrogant.

Another cabinet member standing beside Long Chengtian reminded: "General, the fourth princess will marry Bian Li's eldest son soon, and this is a marriage that His Majesty personally promised to agree." "This is Lige Dazai Zhuoxuan, who speaks slowly and logically, is gentle and elegant, and looks like a scholar, don't look at his silver hair, long beard, he is only fifty-four years old this year.

Long Chengtian raised his eyebrows and said sharply: "Your Majesty gave him a marriage, which is a kindness to the swamp people. But Bian Li is a provincial governor in the end, if he can't solve the internal troubles, what use does His Majesty want him?"

Dazai Zhuoxuan couldn't help but nod his head when he heard this: "It's not unreasonable for the general to say this. ”

"The swamp people are in rebellion, and it is not appropriate to alarm Your Majesty. In case Bian Li is not able to settle the disputes in the territory, what is the general going to do?" Xia Lao's gray eyebrows were knotted, and wrinkles crawled all over his forehead.

Long Chengtian snorted coldly: "If Bian Li is so useless, the military pavilion will naturally send troops to Xize." ”

Xia Lao's brows stretched slightly, revealing a satisfied expression. "The general has such preparations, so naturally there is no need to worry about it. ”

There were no major events in the next meeting, but proposals such as broken sewers, disrepairs in the stables, and disputes between the docklands and chambers of commerce. Although Long Zixing is the crown prince, his father did not let him act as an agent for the government, and he only had the share of an observer in the court, no matter how big or small the matter was, he couldn't make a decision, anyway, Xia Ye dealt with it, he had already made up his mind and kept silent.

By the time the court meeting was over, it was already more than half of the day, Long Zixing and Xia Lao came out of the main hall of the council and got into the long-awaited eight-person golden-topped sedan chair, while Xia Lao got on the purple-topped sedan chair, and the eunuchs carried them to the inner palace.

Every two to five days, the cabinet has to report to Long Jun on major events in the DPRK and China. There is probably nothing important in the recent period, so Xia Lao has not reported for four days, and there is a big incident in the court today, and it just happens to be the day of the report.

The council hall of the outer palace is nearly three arrows away from the inner palace, and the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair are very fast, and it doesn't take much time for the sedan chair to arrive in front of the sleeping hall of the dragon king.

After waiting for approval, Long Zixing and Xia Lao went up to the corridor in front of the dormitory one after the other. This corridor twists and turns, about two arrows long, for a person of Xia Lao's age, it is more difficult to walk, but bathing in the fragrance of lotus flowers in the clear lotus pond at the foot can still make people feel more pleasant, and the boredom in the heart and the tiredness on the body seem to be a little lighter.

Today is Yan Ji guarding outside the dormitory. "Can my father sleep peacefully?"

The stone lion saluted, "The ministers have seen His Royal Highness and Xia Lao." His Majesty had not yet fallen asleep. So they entered. I saw the golden tent hanging down on the dragon bed, and Long Jun was leaning against the head of the bed, his eyes closed, and he didn't know if he was asleep.

"Father. Long Zixing called softly.

Long Xingtian opened his eyes, his face couldn't hide his tiredness, he had a bad appetite, he didn't eat much, he was sleepy day and night, and he still looked like he was not in good spirits. "Zixing, have you left the court?"

"Hmm. The court meeting has just ended. ”

"Good, good. Long Xingtian smiled reluctantly. "Old Xia, how is Zixing doing?"

"Your Majesty, the old minister. Xia Lao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed down. Long Jun remembered that he was old, and authorized him not to kneel. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has first ascended to the court, and he is as calm and calm as a veteran minister for many years, which is really gratifying. ”

Long Jun expressed his satisfaction: "That's because you and Gu Sheng have a good guide." Xia Lao, you haven't been here for a few days? I thought you had forgotten. ”

"Back to Your Majesty, it's been four days, and the court has been stable in the past few days, but today I have something to tell Your Majesty. ”

"Sit down. Long Xingtian's body moved, and Long Zixing immediately stepped forward, put a golden silk pillow behind his father, and then stood on the side of the bed. Xia Lao sat on the gold-inlaid cork wooden chair beside the bed, cleared his throat, and began his report: "Your Majesty, the court has reported that in the middle of the night yesterday, the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower of the Dragon Hall was stolen. ”

Long Zixing knew that his father hated long speeches the most when he heard the report, and he couldn't say the gist concisely, and he was regarded as incompetent. Xia Ye naturally knows this, so if he can use one less word, he will not use one more word.

After Xia Lao finished speaking, he hung his head, and Long Zixing saw that the old minister was probing his father's reaction. Generally speaking, my father is a quiet and calm person who does not get angry easily, but perhaps because of a long illness and irritability, or because of drugs, my father will occasionally be in an abnormal mood and lose his temper for no reason. But now the father has no expression.

There was no reaction but it made Xia Ye nervous more than having a reaction, Xia Ye watched his father grow up, and he knew his father better than himself, he must be very reluctant to say this to his face.

There was a silence in the room, beads of sweat soaked on Xia Lao's forehead, the weather was hot in September, and when he said these words in front of His Majesty Long Jun, the old minister was even hotter.

Long Zixing didn't dare to make a sound, looking at a bead of sweat the size of a bean on Xia Lao's forehead across his silver-white eyebrows, until it flowed into the goatee on his chin, his father finally spoke. "Why should this matter be reported to me, so that the cabinet can't handle it on its own?"

Xia Lao took out his handkerchief and wiped his sweat: "The opinion of the cabinet lords is that I hope that Your Majesty will decide it personally. ”

"The prince is guilty of the same crime as the people, let alone Xi Yuan? This kind of thing has to be reported, Zheng Kuan is standing in the court to make up the number?"

"Lord Dianzheng said that Xi Yuan was responsible for it, but he didn't dare to make a decision on his own. ”

"Hmph! It's all some timid rice buckets! After a long time of peaceful and leisurely life, where has the courage and courage gone?" Long Xingtian slapped his palm on the edge of the bed, and Long Zixing's heart was shocked. "Father's ......"

"Your Majesty is angry, your subordinates are ineffective, and you can be punished, but Your Majesty's dragon body matters!"

Long Xingtian frowned deeply, and sighed: "Xi Yuan is dismissed and will never be used again." ”

Long Zixing was shocked when he heard this, and couldn't help shouting, "Father!"

Long Xingtian looked at him sternly, "What do you want to say?"

Long Zixing saw that Xia Ye couldn't stop blinking at him, and the words came to his mouth and swallowed again. He only heard Xia Ye say: "The old minister understands, handle it immediately." ”

"Let's go down if it's all right. In the future, don't come to me to ask me about such a matter, the court will not solve it, and the Dragon Court will solve it. ”

Xia Lao got up and walked to the door, and Long Jun said again: "Zixing, you also go down." ”

Long Zixing nodded, followed Xia Lao out of the dormitory, and then closed the door of the hall. He was looked at by Yan Ji with an unhappy face, and Shi Shishi said with concern: "Your Highness, Your Majesty is sometimes irritable, don't go to your heart, be more considerate." ”

"I understand. Long Zixing crossed Yan Ji and stepped onto the corridor. The lotus flowers in the clear lotus pond are blooming gracefully, pink like rouge, white as beautiful jade, pieces of emerald green lotus leaves float on the surface of the pool, and are lazy by the warm summer sun. Long Zixing suddenly turned around, "Has my father come out to enjoy the flowers in the past few days?"

Yan Ji replied: "Yes, His Majesty will come out to enjoy the flowers in the morning." He also said that today was the first court meeting of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he was very happy. ”

My father hopes that I will become a talent and take responsibility as soon as possible. When Long Zixing thought about this, he couldn't help but feel gloomy in his heart. Sooner or later, he was going to go to court, but his father was only forty-three years old, and he was in the prime of life, when he was in the prime of life, so he was unfortunate and entangled by this strange disease.

Xia Lao didn't go far, stopped a few steps in front of him, and when he heard him talking to Yan Ji, he turned around, "Your Highness, there is a dragon god watching everything, don't think too much." Your Majesty is happy today, even if this theft case happened, he was unhappy for a while, but he was relieved to see that you were finally coming to court. ”

Xia Lao took two steps back, "Your uncle is unlucky, he, the commander of the Armed Guard Regiment, has been the commander for many years, and he has never made any mistakes, and suddenly he has such an unfortunate thing." Alas, bad luck, bad luck!"

Yan Ji stopped talking, his eyes staring at Chizhong. Long Zixing shook his head, wanting to get rid of the troubles in his head, "Uncle will never be hired, not demoted, he will ...... from now on"

Old Xia's tone suddenly became stern, "Your Highness, this is acting in accordance with the legal code. It must be known that His Majesty has given grace, and this matter will be severely sentenced, and no one will have anything to say. He stroked Long Zixing's shoulder: "Your Majesty is thinking of the queen's old feelings, or the net is open, Your Highness, you must not be angry with Your Majesty." ”

Long Zixing whispered: "Master Xia, I understand, this is my uncle's dereliction of duty, and if such a precious thing as the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower was lost under his nose, it is indeed impossible to escape." Even if the queen mother is alive, the father will not go unpunished. ”

"Your Highness is well aware of the matter, and the old man is deeply gratified if he does not avoid his relatives. Lord Xi, His Royal Highness and the old man prayed to the dragon god together, hoping that the thief would be brought to justice as soon as possible. ”

"I hope so. Lord Zheng said that the thief should still be in the royal capital, where must he be hiding at this moment, where can he go with this treasure. Long Zixing muttered to himself, "Ordinary people, who dares to go to the Dragon Hall and steal the Nine Turns Town Soul Tower, isn't they afraid of divine punishment?"

"I am afraid that this is the work of infidels. Think of me boxers, who dares to have such courage, there will be no one, there will be no one. Long Zixing deliberately slowed down his pace so that Xia Lao could keep up.

What Xia Ye said was very reasonable, and he chewed on the three words "infidels" repeatedly. Yes, how can any boxer go against the dragon monarch and steal this treasure, the dragon monarch of the past generations has been the spokesperson of the god of the earth in the mortal world, and he leads the Xianglong kingdom for him, and angering the heroic spirit of the dragon monarch is no different from offending the dragon god. But if you want to say bold, he saw it today. The people who are majestic in the court, except for the father, but there are others.

He suddenly thought that his uncle was in charge of the military guard regiment of the royal capital, and there were 5,000 military guards under his command, except for the soldiers of the military pavilion, these 5,000 people were the largest army in the royal capital. But now that they have been dismissed, these 5,000 people will have to change their commanders, and who will such a force fall on at that time?

Long Zixing faintly had a strange thought in his heart, this theft was indeed not just a theft, it happened unbelievably, directly leading to the dismissal of his uncle and the change of ownership of the Wangdu Military Guard Regiment, I am afraid that it is a little strange.