The winter of the first year of Jingtai was colder than in previous years. After the imperial court learned the news of Emperor Taishang's entry into the customs, it sent a welcoming team led by Cheng Hu, the young secretary of Honglu Temple, to Datong Military Town to pick up the car.

Among the administrative institutions of the Ming Dynasty with six ministries and five temples as the core, Honglu Temple was ranked last. Like Dali Temple, Taichang Temple is the chief official of the three grades, Guanglu Temple, Taifu Temple is from the three grades, but Honglu Temple is one grade lower is the fourth grade.

As a result, Shaoqing of Honglu Temple did not even have the qualifications to wear a scarlet robe, so he could only wear a five-grade cyan official robe to pick up. Coupled with the etiquette specifications of a sedan chair and two horses, it almost puts the humiliation of Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen on the bright side.

Facing such a team sent by the imperial court, Zhu Qizhen looked at the young master of Honglu Temple who was bowing to him, and sneered.

"Cheng Hu, even if I abdicate and make way for Xian, I will still be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is this kind of specification royal etiquette?"

Listening to Zhu Qizhen's questioning, Cheng Hu, who knelt on the ground, was sweating profusely, in the past, a petty official of his level could deal with the tributes of some feudal barbarians at most, how could he intervene at the level of the emperor.

He didn't know how to answer the question, so he buried his head deep in it and said nothing.

"Your Ming country's etiquette towards the emperor is not as good as our Mongolians, I knew that His Majesty would simply lead us into the capital and regain the position of the emperor, and the tile spur will become your most loyal subordinate!"

In accordance with the strict orders of the Taishi, Zhu Qizhen was also escorted by twenty Tile Spur warriors, and he had to go forward until he entered the palace.

The one who said this was the captain of the Tile Spur Guard, when Zhu Qizhen was in the Tile Spur camp, he also assumed the duty of guard, and he did have a kind of loyalty to the Great Tomorrow from the bottom of his heart.

It's just that these words were said in front of the Datong defenders and the officials of Honglu Temple, and there was a strange feeling when I heard it.

The dignified Emperor Ming Tai wants to lead the Tartars to fight into the capital and regain the throne, is there really no mistake in the object?

What's even more bizarre is that when Zhu Qizhen heard such words, he didn't object or disagree. This may explain why, in history, after he returned from the northern hunt, he would build a temple in Beijing for the Taishi.

At this moment, the concept in Zhu Qizhen's heart may be in line with a common saying in later generations, heretics are more hateful than heretics!

Looking at the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple, who was always silent, Zhu Qizhen understood that there was no point in attacking him. Once he still fantasized that after returning to Beijing, under the support of his mother and ministers, the emperor's younger brother could understand what it meant to return to the destiny of heaven and obediently return to his own position as the unification.

Now it seems that the timid and weak King Yu has gradually adapted to the status of the emperor and has begun to make moves against himself!

"King Yu, you are really my sibling."

After Zhu Qizhen laughed at himself, he looked at Liu An, and then nodded lightly at him.

This time he returned to Beijing from the Waspur tribe, in order to trigger the struggle between the two emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Taishi not only brainwashed Zhu Qizhen first, but also wanted to regain his own throne. At the same time, he also returned a large number of ransoms for treasures delivered by the palace, as well as the best BMW selected for Ming Yingzong to use to show favor and buy courtiers.

After arriving in Datong Military Town before, Zhu Qizhen had already sent two good horses to Liu An to show his envelopment. Now it seems that his good brother is ready to make a move, and he has to speed up the progress of winning over the minister.

Otherwise, when I returned from the northern hunt of the tile spur this time, what I got was not a way home, but a dead end!

I have to say that Zhu Qizhen is too much stronger than his younger brother Zhu Qiyu in terms of political struggle, so he immediately made a response.

After receiving Zhu Qizhen's hint, Liu An turned around and ordered his subordinates to distribute the goods that arrived in Beijing in advance, and informed Empress Dowager Sun of the current situation of the Emperor Taishang as soon as possible.

Thinking that Liu An was holding the intention of sealing the marquis, he rushed back to Beijing to tell Zhu Qiyu about the situation, but he was dismissed from the official and sent to prison in the criminal department. If it weren't for the Tartar soldiers coming to the city and relying on the post-war reward to confer the official title of governor and governor, I'm afraid Liu An would still be squatting in the prison now.

Careerists and unsatisfactory careers, Liu An can be said to occupy all of them, and he is now firmly supporting the restoration of Zhu Qizhen, hoping to get the re-position and duke from the dragon!

At the same time that the team arrived at Datong Military Town, Canghuo and the others had also secretly returned to the secluded courtyard of the Beijing Division from the border pass, keeping a low profile throughout the whole process without attracting anyone's attention.

After getting the report from his subordinates, Shen Yichen also rushed over as soon as possible, and when he saw him appear at the door, Zheng Xiang lowered his head in shame and said: "The proprietor, the small thing is not good, and it has failed your expectations!" ”

"What about the casualties of the brethren?"

There is no inevitable success in this world, especially to the extent of killing the king, Shen Yichen has long been mentally prepared for failure.

It was only after the failure of the attempt to kill the monarch that Canghuo and the others lost contact for a while, and in addition to seeing many people lying on the kang in the house, with thick bandages wrapped around their bodies, Shen Yichen felt the suffering they encountered.

Shandong Wei's Cao Jun can be said to be Shen Yichen's most loyal group of subordinates, and such scenes make him sad.

"The brothers suffered heavy casualties, and we happened to encounter a large force of Watts in the course of our operation."

"The news of the attack on Yizhou Wei by the watt thorn was passed on to General Guo by you?"

At this moment, Shen Yichen suddenly realized why Zhu Jili was connected to foreign enemies, and Guo Deng could do everything like a god to ambush in advance. It seems that Canghuo and the others encountered the large army of tile thorns, so they deduced their marching movements, and made a great victory by mistake.

"The little one who makes the decision and causes trouble, and asks the proprietor to punish him!"

After that, Zheng Xiang and Canghuo and the others fell to their knees together, they were extremely clear about the movements of the Tile Thorn army, and then what kind of hidden dangers would be brought to Shen Yichen after the news of the assassination of the Emperor Taishang.

But they have also been by Shen Yichen's side for a long time, and they have realized what it means to take the world as their own responsibility. Seeing the Ming border army being attacked, and watching the people of the nine sides being looted and slaughtered, Zheng Xiang couldn't do it!

Since the mistake has been committed, Zheng Xiang is willing to bear it no matter what kind of punishment, even if it is to take his own life to bear the crime.

"Reprimand? What is wrong with you? ”

Shen Yichen never cared about Zheng Xiang and them, and would involve himself in the suspicion of killing the king.

Because if he was present at that time, he would have made the same choice, and for the sake of his power and safety, he could ignore the Ming soldiers and the people, so what is the point of being a great minister in the future?

After that, Shen Yichen took a step forward to support Zheng Xiang's arm, and said while supporting: "You have done your best in this matter, don't take it to heart in the past, and rest here for a few days with peace of mind." ”

"In addition, Mr. Bian, the brothers who were killed or injured must be taken care of and compensated in place, and they must not be chilled."

"Yes, proprietor!"

Bian He, who followed behind Shen Yichen, nodded and took over the aftermath.

After seeing Canghuo and the others who returned to Beijing, Shen Yichen left the courtyard non-stop, he had more important things to deal with at the moment, and Wu Rui was waiting outside the courtyard.

Just as Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, guessed, even if Zhu Ji's words and deeds at the court meeting almost confirmed that he was guilty of collaborating with the enemy and treason. However, the most critical physical evidence is missing, and it is difficult to convict him in legal procedures just by relying on the testimony of a few tile spies captured by Zhao Hongjie.

At the same time, after Zhu Ji calmed down in the initial anger and panic, he realized that he had not yet reached the situation of certain death, and in the face of the interrogation of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Three Law Divisions, he immediately retracted his confession and refused to admit his guilt.

Originally, in the face of Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, even if the evidence is conclusive, it is very difficult to sentence Zhu Ji to death with a glimmer of affection. This is even more of a turning point, giving a little respite, and making the outcome of the trial confusing again.

What's more, after Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, reluctantly instructed Shen Yichen a few words that day, he fell into a coma again.

did not get the opinion of Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo himself, and even Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu could not order the death sentence, and the eucalyptus fell into a stalemate for a while.

So Shen Yichen informed Wu Rui that he planned to carry out the instructions of Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, and send Zhu Ji on the road!

Compared with the gloomy and bloody prison, the prison of the Criminal Department is much more normal, especially in order to take care of high-ranking officials and ministers, some special cells have also been built, and there is no such miserable embarrassment as ordinary prisons.

Seeing Shen Yichen coming, the prison officials and guards of the Criminal Department didn't dare to stop him at all, and respectfully led him in.

It wasn't until he came to the door of Zhu Ji's cell that Shen Yichen saw that he was lying on the bed with Erlang's legs crossed, and there were unfinished drinks and dishes next to him, which showed that he was still enjoying the treatment of the prince's son.

Hearing the sound of movement at the door of the cell, Zhu Ji didn't raise his head and scolded angrily: "Didn't Lao Tzu say that it's okay not to come over and bother me, it's tired and crooked, right?" ”

Facing Zhu Ji's reprimand, the jailer looked at Shen Yichen in embarrassment, not daring to say a word. The prison of the Criminal Department is not like the Jinyi Guardian Prison, which is protected by the talisman of the Son of Heaven's pro-army and secret service agencies.

The ministers of the DPRK and China who are imprisoned here may be prisoners today, and they will sit on top of the court tomorrow. Most of the gentlemen with a deep background like Zhu Ji have the character of retribution, a ninth-rate jailer, who dares to offend?

"You stand down first."

Shen Yichen knew the difficulties of this kind of low-level jailer, and whispered a word to let him leave first.

Zhu Ji, who was lying on the bed, heard the familiar voice coming from the door, and immediately jumped up and looked over.

"Why, I haven't experienced enough of the Imperial Prison, do you still plan to experience the taste of the prison of the Criminal Department?"

In the face of Zhu Ji's ridicule, Shen Yichen slowly pushed open the cell door and walked in, and asked expressionlessly: "The tile spur is in the high-level of the Nine Sides, who else is there besides you and Li Rang?" ”

Although Shen Yichen knew very well that there was little point in asking like this, he was still willing to give it a try before he started.

"That's too much, Guo Deng, the chief soldier of Datong, and Yang Hong, the chief soldier of Xuanfu, are all my comrades."

"By the way, Li Da, who was promoted to Liaodong General, seems to have colluded with the Tatar Ministry."

Listening to Zhu Ji's nonsense, Shen Yichen was not angry, on the contrary, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and a surging smile appeared.

"Who is working with you in the palace, the eunuch Cao Jixiang, or the eunuch Guo Jing?"

Hearing these two names come out of Shen Yichen's mouth, the expression on Zhu Ji's face changed instantly, but he quickly returned to normal: "Even if it's them, what can you do?" ”

"Zhu Ji, do you really think that by uniting a few palace eunuchs and border army generals, you can subvert the Ming Dynasty?"

"Subvert the Ming Dynasty? Hahaha......"

Zhu Ji suddenly laughed wildly, and then suddenly replied viciously to Shen Yichen: "I just want the Chengguo Mansion to be destroyed, and let you bury my mother with me!" ”

"It's a pity that so far, it has only been possible to make the high-ranking grandfather Gejue, and the much-valued eldest son hopeless, but you, the servant son, are still calling for wind and rain in the court."

"But Shen Yichen, will you obediently help your grandfather and restore the lintel of his Chengguo Mansion?"

When he said this, the smile on Zhu Ji's face was even worse, in a sense, Shen Yichen had the same situation as himself, that is, they were all unhappy for their mother!

"No, it won't."

Shen Yichen spit out these two words indifferently, as if confirming Zhu Ji's conjecture.

"But the reason why I won't is that the Chengguo Mansion doesn't need me to glorify the lintel, and the eldest prince is enough!"

This sentence made the smile on Zhu Ji's face freeze, compared with Shen Yichen, an "outsider", the sibling brother who grew up with Zhu Yi knows more about this brother's talent and ability.

Sometimes Zhu Ji couldn't help but be jealous of Zhu Yi, why couldn't he eat, drink, and have fun like other Xun Qi's children, but he was always like a mountain that couldn't be crossed, blocking in front of him!

"So what are you doing here, expecting me to confide in my comrades, or is it just humiliating and watching jokes?"

"Shen Yichen, let me tell you clearly, I won't be convicted and beheaded, this game of chess has not yet reached the end!"

Zhu Ji's face was full of a confident smile at the moment, as long as he was not convicted and beheaded, he would have a way to get out, and even the people outside the city had been arranged to pick him up.

If it weren't for the Jingshi guards after the war, Yu Qian had swept the Mongolian spies and internal responses, and there might have been a scene of robbing the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

"I don't expect you to confide in your comrades, and I'm not interested in seeing any jokes, but to leave you a last decent moment for your grandfather."

For any threat from Shen Yichen, Zhu Ji would not simply talk about it, his expression changed instantly: "You want to kill me?" ”

After saying this, he saw behind Shen Yichen, Wu Rui walked into the cell at some point, still holding a white scarf in his hand.

"I am the son-in-law of Chengguo, Wu Rui, do you want to commit the following crimes?"

Zhu Ji shouted angrily at Wu Rui, no matter how loyal he is to Shen Yichen, he can't change the identity of Chengguogong's subordinates, how dare he attack his sister-in-law.

"Second son, this is Grandpa's order."

Wu Rui replied in a calm tone, he did not implement national laws, but family rules.

"Impossible, my father attaches the most importance to the family inheritance, and it is definitely you Shen Yichen who tampered with the edict!"

At this moment, Zhu Ji realized that Shen Yichen wanted to play really, and he could no longer maintain his appearance, and a frightened look appeared on his face.

"Since you know that your grandfather attaches great importance to family inheritance, you naturally understand better what it means to be both prosperous and loss-wise."

"Grandpa said to bury you next to Mrs. Lin's tomb, so go on the road with peace of mind."

After saying this, Shen Yichen turned around, and Wu Rui took the white scarf and paced forward amid Zhu Ji's cursing and shouting.

Hearing the movement from the cell, the jailers hurriedly ran over to find out, and just happened to see Wu Rui's move, and they were stunned and didn't know what to do.

"The governor of Datong Prefecture knows that Zhu Ji collaborated with the enemy and committed suicide in the prison of the Criminal Department, so you will report to the court according to this."

After saying this, Shen Yichen left without looking back.