The court meeting was held for three days in a row, but except for the first day, hundreds of officials disagreed on the selection of the coach, and the next two days of the court meeting were quite harmonious, and no one argued whether Li Jinglong was the best candidate to replace Geng Bingwen.

Why? Because Xu Zengshou is gone.

Anyway, whether the hundred officials believe it or not, the Zhongshan Wangfu reported that he died of a violent illness, even if no one could figure out what kind of strange illness Xu Zengshou, who was still alive and kicking around working in the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies a few days ago, would disappear that night after the dispersal of the court, and it would not affect all kinds of gossip to circulate in the upper circles.

Many people looked at His Majesty on the dragon chair with strange eyes... Because of these strange news, the most credible one is that Xu Zengshou fornicated with King Yan, and then killed His Majesty in the imperial study with anger.

I don't know who came out of this news, but it was said with a nose and eyes, as if it was there at the time, and those who listened carefully pondered it and found that although this thing was strange from beginning to end, this was actually the most plausible statement.

That's the third son of the Zhongshan Palace, the first-class military attaché, and the governor of the five armies in charge of the world's soldiers and horses... Actually died so inexplicably? Your Majesty really dares to do it? Does he know what that means?

It's no wonder that the eyes of hundreds of officials are so strange, whether it is the imperial examination road that is studied hard in the cold window, or the first military feat of cutting people, everyone is slowly climbing up as an official, and being an official in this era is the most secure and easiest to soar, although everyone shouts that they are loyal and patriotic, but who believes it, I will give you a part-time job, you will pay me a salary, and as long as I don't do anything like rebellion, corruption, and selfishness, even if this thing is drought and flood to ensure income, it is not difficult to live in peace until retirement.

Except, of course, for the Hongwu Dynasty.

But how old is Your Majesty now? Such a young son of heaven, now dare not go to the Three Law Division and directly use lynching to kill the dignified Zuo Dudu in the imperial study, will he have it in the future?

So to sum up, Zhu Yunwen probably vented his anger and lost people's hearts this time, and only he knows whether he is making money or losing money.

But Xu Zengshou died inexplicably, Xu Huizu was sick and held a funeral for him at home, and there is only one candidate left to replace Geng Bingwen, even if Cao Guogong Li Jinglong no longer wants to fight, he can only take this errand hard.

However, he was not grateful, and Huang Zicheng said otherwise.

Now that the main general has been decided, then it is natural to discuss the matter of increasing troops, and when it comes to increasing troops, everyone's eyes fall on the faces of the officials of the military department and the household department, but the reason why the court meeting has not been decided for two days is because the household department Shangshu played a scoundrel.

Surge? OK. Appropriation? No money.

It's kind of fucking horrifying... His Majesty asked for appropriations from the household department in front of hundreds of officials, and the household department Shangshu, who had always been bitter and hateful, actually sprinkled it, anyway, it was just one sentence - the filial piety tomb should be repaired, the southwest disaster should be funded, and the 300,000 troops went north to transport grain and grass, ordnance maintenance, and military salaries were not paid? The treasury is overdrawn until next year, and it is about to enter autumn, and he has to increase his troops in the north.

If the army is not paid, the big soldiers will rebel; If you don't prepare winter clothes, the climate in the north, can the southern soldiers adapt? The grain of the three mansions in Hejian is now about to be hollowed out by a Zhending, and the Datong Xuanfu is still waiting to send grain, and if it really wants to empty the family to fight a wave, then don't wait for the household department to not be able to pay the money at that time, and directly cut off the head of his household department Shangshu to see if it can be worth some silver.

From this point of view, Hubu Shangshu was not a good character back then, and there was a lot of ruffian in and out of his words, and he may have been mixed in society before the imperial examination high school - but the hundred officials really had nothing to do with him, because now the treasury is really tight.

In the final analysis, it is still the implementation of the Zhou ceremony, the fields under the Jingtian system must be redivided, the people's civil registration must be recounted, the yamen official offices from Jinling to the local government must be rearranged, and the titles and robes of various officials must be changed again... It's a big project.

However, no matter how bold the Hubu Shangshu is, he will definitely not dare to accuse His Majesty in person, anyway, according to the calculation of the Hubu officials for two days and two nights, the final conclusion is that the maximum number of troops is 30,000, and if there is more, it may not even be able to pay the military salary.

Thirty thousand? What can 30,000 do? Send it to King Yan to chop?

And so the matter was back at an impasse.

The court once again fell into endless quarrels, but this time it was the military department Shangshu Qi Tai who led the military officials to quarrel with the household department, Li Jinglong was in charge, Qi Tai was resolutely opposed, but unfortunately his opinion was not adopted, so he could only vent his excess enthusiasm to the household department - since he couldn't trust the boss, then increase the troops, more ants can always bite the elephant to death, even if Li Jinglong is really a waste of paper like Zhao Kuo, as long as there are enough troops, he can always force King Yan back to Beiping, right?

The dignified military department and the household department pointed their noses and scolded each other, and the officials of the two ministries were angry with each other... The heads of the officials are all big, and many elderly officials still quietly doze off, only thinking that the quarrel is very sleep-inducing, but most of them still think about which place to go first after the dispersal.

One is a funeral, the other is a happy wine... Being an official also requires personal contacts, doesn't it? The funeral of Zhongshan Wangfu is definitely going to go, and it seems that Huang Zicheng's second son can't help but give face, but who should he go to first? That's a tangled question.

Let's go to the funeral first, it's too bad to go to the wedding with incense, candles, paper, money, and gas; Can you go to the wedding first? That's the dignified Zhongshan Palace, and everyone is dead, so will it be a little later? It doesn't make sense.

And it's not easy to choose clothes... Or wear an official uniform.

Well... I'm afraid I still have to go to mourn first, it's always easier to grieve first and then be cheerful than to drink wine to incense, otherwise if you drink happy wine and get drunk and speak inappropriately in the mourning hall, it will be a big incident...

The quarrel is getting louder and louder, this time the trio of cutting the feudal clan has hugged the group, looking at His Majesty's expression, it seems that he is also desperate to increase troops to quell the rebellion, this first year of Jianwen, it is really eventful.

Baiguan thought silently.

……

"How's it going out there?"

"Grandpa Guo, the guests have arrived, and the incense is on the mourning hall, many officials have not changed their official uniforms, I am afraid that they will come directly to the palace if they are scattered."

The old housekeeper whispered the situation to Xu Huizu inside through the door, thinking that the Huangfu two streets away was holding a banquet to entertain guests, and the old housekeeper's face showed some hatred: "Is the Huangfu deliberate?" ”

"The day of marriage has been set a long time ago, if you really want to talk about it, it is still inappropriate for the palace, and on the day of the wedding, the guests went to Beppu to mourn first, and everyone will be dissatisfied if they change."

The old housekeeper was stunned, and he didn't understand how the old man who had served him for more than ten years could be so calm: "... Be. ”

"Let's go down."

The old housekeeper subconsciously bowed and quietly retreated, just thinking of the hearty third master, he couldn't help but wipe his tears again.

In the study, Xu Huizu leaned back in his chair and sighed tiredly, his chin full of stubble.

How can there be no regret and pain without a little regret and pain?

It's been two days... He hadn't been out of the study for the past two days, probably because he was afraid of seeing the tears of his third siblings, and the hateful eyes of his nephews and nieces... There are some things that even outsiders can't hide, let alone hide from family members? The real cause of the third brother's death, everyone in the palace knows it.

He didn't defend anything, and he couldn't justify it... Even his wife and children looked at him very strangely, the third brother had always been so attractive and dependent, but he personally sent him to his death.

Although he is the head of the Xu family, he has a strong word in the Zhongshan Palace, and there is also a feeling of betrayal and separation at this moment.

"Am I doing something wrong?"

Xu Huizu subconsciously remembered the scene in the imperial study, and remembered his knees that did not move... The Xu family has a Danshu iron coupon, is it possible that as long as His Majesty was blocked at that time, he could save the life of the third brother when His Majesty was sober? Shouldn't he tie up the third brother to the imperial study, but completely suppress this matter, even if it is to grounding the third brother to death?

He never thought of letting his third brother die... He is the eldest son of the Xu family, and since he was a child, he has followed his father to fight in the east and west, and has seen clearly the cannibalistic place of Jinling, and the filth and darkness in the court... He is not stupid, but clearly knows that in this era of supremacy of imperial power, the only way to keep the hard work left by his father and his relatives in the Zhongshan palace is to fulfill the righteousness of this monarch and minister, keep the name of the Xu family, and never allow anything to destroy this.

So did I think about this for a moment at that time, so that I didn't stop His Majesty's slow-looking sword?

He was indeed very sad, but he couldn't mention his hatred for the emperor, the monarch's father's imperial power, and he was ordered by heaven, this is the education he received since he was a child, and the Zhongshan Wangfu must not fall, let alone fall into his own hands! For the sake of this, everything is worth it!

He doesn't hate the emperor, he hates King Yan, hates his sister, hates King Yan's spies who send letters to the third brother, hates the third brother's confusion and weakness!

But he hated himself even more.

It's over... used the life of the third brother and his behavior of not being able to fight at home to tell the emperor his loyalty and innocence, so that the Zhongshan Mansion was still the first family of the Ming Dynasty... That's enough.

The painful expression on Xu Huizu's extremely handsome face slowly disappeared, he touched his stubble, and the official uniform on his body that had not been changed for two days, and let out a long sigh.

I always have to go to the mourning hall to send the third brother on his last journey.

He propped up the table, covering his face wearily, as if that way he could bury it all.

It's only been two days, but he seems to be several years older.