Chapter 58 revealed the conspiracy to reverse the return of the court, and the bitter admonition provoked the anger of the saint, and the dragon standard was demoted to Yuyang

The next day, Emperor Xuan returned from summer vacation and summoned his ministers to hold a court meeting in the Qinzheng Palace.

Emperor Xuan sat on the dragon chair and glanced at the ministers gently, and when he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Ji Wen coming out of the ranks, and couldn't help but be stunned, and said: "Ji Aiqing, I have been ordered to supervise the army for several months, and I haven't been able to announce the edict, why are you in a hurry?" ”

Ji Wen straightened up and said, "Back to Your Majesty, the minister has something important to say when he returns to Beijing this time." ”

"But the case of Asno's rebellion?" Emperor Xuan's face was gloomy, "I have already seen Ji Qing's recitals. Hmph, I treat him well, not only is he not grateful to Dade, but he secretly communicates with the Turks and has treason, which makes me sad too much! ”

Zhang Hui took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, thanks to Lord Ji's ability to supervise the army and make decisions on the spot, a major hidden danger has been removed for the imperial court. ”

Lin Fu echoed: "Your Majesty, Ji Wen has worked this trip, and the minister thinks that he should be rewarded. ”

"Heavy reward......" Emperor Xuan smiled, "Lin Aiqing and tell me more." ”

"At present, the position of Shangshu of the Criminal Department has been vacant for a long time, and the minister thinks that Ji Wen can take over." Lynver suggested.

The crown prince heard it and hurriedly shouted: "Father, the emperor can't!" ”

"Heng'er, you ......" Emperor Xuan glared at the crown prince.

The prince plucked up his courage and said that there were many suspicious points in the case of Asno, and he thought that it would not be too late to award the reward after the case was clarified.

"The evidence in this case is conclusive, what else can be checked?" Emperor Xuan asked with a tense face.

The prince's body trembled, and said that although Asno is a Hu person, but over the years, he has made great achievements for the Tang Dynasty in the north of the Turks and the west of Tibet, how could he suddenly defect to the enemy and commit treason? He thinks that there must be something strange in this, and hopes that Emperor Xuan will see it.

"Your Highness, don't forget that he was originally a Turkic general, and it is just his consistent nature to rebel." Lin Fu sneered twice, and looked directly at the prince, "Lin still wants to ask more, His Royal Highness has a lot of personal relations with Asnuo, so he can't help but overturn the case for him!" ”

Emperor Xuan's face immediately changed after hearing this, and he said to the prince: "When Asno was captured, if it wasn't for your bitter pleading, I would have killed him a long time ago; Now that the evidence is ironclad, you still dare to intercede for him! ”

"Erchen doesn't dare." The prince was terrified, saying that he thought something was strange and needed to find out.

Emperor Xuan said angrily: "Hmph, then when I am old, you can check it again!" ”

The prince's body trembled a few times when he heard this, and he broke out in a cold sweat in fright, and he didn't dare to come out.

"It's unbelievable!" Emperor Xuan glared at him fiercely, and then announced the appointment of Ji Wen as the secretary of the criminal department and the secretary of the Dali Temple.

Ji Wen was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly thanked the Holy Grace; He slowed down and said that there was still a book to impeach Guo Yi, the county guard of Jiuyuan.

Emperor Xuan was quite confused when he heard this: "Guo Yi, what's wrong with him?" ”

Ji Wen said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, Guo Yi instigated his subordinate Nani to set fire to it and burned tens of thousands of stones of grain and grass in Xiongwu City. ”

"He, burn grain and grass......" Emperor Xuan was greatly puzzled when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, the minister doesn't dare to say a word." Ji Wen took out a recital from his sleeve and presented it, "This is a recital written by Chu Mohan, please take a look." ”

Emperor Xuan hurriedly read it after receiving the report, and said gloomily: "This is strange, the day before yesterday, I received Guo Yi's express report, saying that his subordinate Nani was bribed by Chu Mohan and set fire to defect; Today, you and Chu Mohan jointly played a concert, saying that he sent someone to burn the grain and grass...... It's so confusing! ”

"Your Majesty is not in a hurry, wait for the minister to show you something, and you will understand." Ji Wen turned around and shouted outside the hall. As soon as the shout fell, a little eunuch held a wooden box in both hands and walked quickly to the royal car.

Gao Jun took the wooden box, walked to Emperor Xuan and opened it gently, only to see a hideous head inside, and there was still some dirty blood on his face.

Emperor Xuan was so frightened that he almost fainted to the ground; He closed his eyes and was silent for a moment, trying to calm himself down, and asked, "Who is this?" ”

"Your Majesty, this is the head of the rebel general Nani." Ji Wen was not in a hurry, "Nani was assigned by Guo Yi to burn Xiongwu City, and was killed by General Chu, and his head was sealed in the box to show proof. ”

"This ......," Emperor Xuan pondered for a moment, "Asno's rebellion is reasonable, he was originally a Turkic general; But this Guo Yi, why is he? ”

"Back to Your Majesty, Guo Yi has a deep dislike with Chu Mohan, so he sent Nani to set fire to vent his personal anger." Ji Wen replied.

"Your Majesty, the minister is willing to testify;" Lin Fu's face was solemn, "Guo Yi has coveted Chu Mohanjie's position for a long time, and often attacks him with songs. ”

Emperor Xuan was furious when he heard this: "Hmph, he is also worthy of being a festival envoy, what a fool's dream!" ”

There was silence in the hall for a while.

"Your Majesty is angry," with a loud shout, the dragon mark strode to the dragon chair, "the dragon mark has a book." ”

Emperor Xuan glanced at him and said with a smile: "You are the newly appointed secretary?" ”

"Exactly." Long Biao's expression was solemn, "The minister wants to impeach Chu Mohan." In recent years, the smuggling of salt and good horses by the Hedong Gang has been very rampant, and it has been repeatedly seized when the ministers were stationed in Xiaoguan. According to those helpers, they were ordered by Chu Mohan. ”

Emperor Xuan frowned and said, "General Chu is far away at the border, how can he collude with the Hedong Gang again......"

"If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can arrest the leader of his gang and try it for trial." Long Biao said awe-inspiringly.

Lin Fu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Long Biao's move is clearly to disturb the audio-visual, to help Guo Yi, and I hope Your Majesty will make a clear decision." ”

Emperor Xuan thought for a while, and said coldly to Long Biao: "Long Aiqing has said it, today's court discussion is Guo Yi, and there is no need to say anything else." ”

Long Biao couldn't help but tremble when he heard this, "This ......"

Emperor Xuan glanced at the ministers and asked, "Is there still a book?"

Before the words fell, Ji Wen knelt down and shouted: "Your Majesty, the minister is guilty, please forgive." ”

"What is Ji Qing's crime?"

"Because of the burning of Xiongwu City, the minister saw that the situation was critical, and decided on his own without waiting for His Majesty's will, and escorted the prisoner Guo Yi back to Beijing and handed it over to His Majesty for disposal."

"This ......" Emperor Xuan sighed in his heart when he heard this, although he was annoyed, it was not good to attack in front of the ministers, so he pretended to be generous, "Ji Qing is forced by the situation, I don't blame you." ”

Ji Wen thanked Emperor Xuan, and asked, how should Guo Yi deal with the burning of grain and grass to vent his personal anger?

Emperor Xuan frowned when he heard this, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.

Lin Fu said that according to Tang Law, his crime should be beheaded.

The hall was silent for a moment, and the air seemed to freeze.

"Your Majesty, the minister has a book." Da came back to the column and said, "The minister ordered the northern envoy Yuyang, and he saw and heard a lot of abnormalities along the way, and he was deeply disturbed by His Majesty." ”

"Say, what's unusual?" Emperor Xuan glared.

Da Fu said that Chu Mohan forcibly seized the land of the local people and enslaved the people to build Xiongwu City, which is one of them; Second, the Jizhou area has been in drought for many years, and the people are hungry and wailing, but he still forcibly levies taxes, loots surplus grain and hoards it in the city, and refuses to give relief......

"Lord Da, Hugh wants to repeat the same old tune!" Lin Fu interrupted Da Fu's words, "Your Majesty has long known about the construction of Xiongwu City; As for the famine, the household department has also sent people to relieve it. ”

Ji Wen said: "Your Majesty, General Chu loves the people like a son, although there are some droughts, according to the minister's own eyes, the people in the Yuyang area live and work in peace and contentment, and there is nothing abnormal. ”

"Master Ji, you can really open your eyes and talk nonsense." Da Fu said and took out the tax notice and presented it to Emperor Xuan, "This tax notice was brought back by the minister from Yuyang, please take a look." ”

Gao Jun took it and handed it to Emperor Xuan.

Emperor Xuan was furious when he saw it: "What kind of notice, this is clearly a killing order." ”

Da Fu then presented the map of the Xiongwu City, please read it to Emperor Xuan.

Emperor Xuan took it and glanced at it hurriedly, and said, "Isn't it just a map......

"Your Majesty, this is not as simple as a city defense map; According to the investigation, there are not only many granaries, stables, forage fields, warehouses, etc., but also tens of thousands of armor and weapons in Xiongwu City, and there are countless grains, grasses, horses, cattle and sheep in the meantime, which are incalculable and incalculable...... This is enough to show that Chu Mohan has hidden evil intentions and bad intentions! Da Fu told the story.

Emperor Xuan listened and drooped his face and was silent.

Ji Wen sneered at Da Fu and said, "Joke, Xiongwu City has been burned by Nani, you dare to talk about a broken picture!" ”

Lin Fu said: "If you want to defend the city, you must first store grain and grass!" Lord Da, you have also been on the border for many years, don't you understand such a simple truth? ”

Da Fu said sarcastically: "Lord Lin, the food and salaries of the three towns are all allocated by the imperial court according to needs, and it is more than enough to defend the city, why does Chu Mohan have to double the tax, recruit soldiers and horses privately, and accumulate grain and grass?" ”

Lin Fu did not answer, and said unhurriedly to Emperor Xuan: "Your Majesty, for more than ten years, the war in the north has been continuous, and the number of displaced people has surged; General Chu incorporated the displaced people into the army, which could not only replenish military aid, but also prevent them from causing trouble. ”

"Your Majesty, what Lin Xiang said is very true." Ji Wen echoed, "Since the recruitment system of our dynasty replaced the government military system, there are many guards in various places who recruit troops on their own, and Chu Mohan is not alone. It is precisely because of its abundant wealth and taxation and the continuous supply of soldiers that it has been able to ensure the peace and tranquility of the hinterland of the Central Plains for decades. ”

"Well, what Ji Qing said is reasonable." Emperor Xuan smiled slightly.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Da Fu said again: "Also, Chu Mohan, as a feudal official of this dynasty, not only vigorously supports Zoroastrianism and recruits people in the local area, but also considers himself the head of the sect, and his intentions are unpredictable. ”

Emperor Xuan was shocked when he heard this: "Zoroastrianism, what's going on?" ”

"Your Majesty, don't worry." Ji Wen smiled, "As far as the minister knows, this religion was originally called Zoroastrianism, which has been introduced to the Central Plains since Persia for more than 100 years, and is very common in all parts of the north. This religion takes the torch as a totem, yearns for the light, advocates punishing evil and promoting good, and its followers are especially middle-class and lower-class civilians. ”

"Oh, I see." Emperor Xuan let out a long breath.

Da Fu said: "Your Majesty, this religion is blooming everywhere in Hebei, and even the soldiers in the army have joined in one after another, and they worship Chu Mohan. If it goes on like this for a long time, the soldiers and horses of the three towns will only know that there is Chu Mohan but not His Majesty. ”

Emperor Xuan took a breath of cool air when he heard this, and said, "What, even the soldiers are religious......

Ji Wen hurriedly defended: "As far as the minister knows, most of the soldiers believe in religion spontaneously; This incident is not only harmless, but on the contrary, it has rallied the hearts of the people and enhanced the combat strength of the army. ”

"Da-sama is really narrow-minded!" Lin Fu stared at Da Fu closely, "Zoroastrianism is just an ordinary folk sect, I am elegant and tolerant, and all countries come to the court, how can I not tolerate such a small sect!" ”

Emperor Xuan seemed to understand when he heard this, and breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "That's right, the people's belief in religion is their own business, as long as they abide by the law and enjoy peace, why should I embarrass them." ”

Ji Wen said to Emperor Xuan again: "It is reported that Dafu is the northern envoy this time, and he spends all day drinking and sleeping in a brothel in Goolan every day, which is really romantic. ”

Emperor Xuan was stunned and asked Da Fu if there was such a thing?

When the ministers heard this, they turned their eyes to Dafu.

"Your Majesty, this is all thanks to Chu Mohan." Da Fu's face turned slightly red, and he took out a gift slip from his arms and presented it, "Chu Mohan is to buy his subordinates, he is hospitable every day, and when he leaves, he gives ten boxes of treasures. After the ministers counted and sealed these gifts, they were transported outside the noon gate. This gift list, please also ask Your Majesty to look at it. ”

"No need," Emperor Xuan was relieved when he heard this, and waved his hand gently, "Da Qing is clear-minded, and he really lives up to his mission." ”

Da Fu also said that since Chu Mohan's reverses are obvious, he still hopes that the imperial court will take precautions as soon as possible to prepare for the unexpected.

Emperor Xuan was silent for a while.

Lin Fu said: "Your Majesty, over the years, General Chu has served the country loyally and made great achievements, how can he be suspicious with his words!" What the court is discussing today is the case of the burning of Xiongwu City, and I hope that Your Majesty will not deviate from the direction because of the villain's words. ”

After hearing this, Emperor Xuan relieved himself and asked him where he just said?

Lin Fu said: "Guo Yi set fire to the city, the crime is unforgivable!" ”

"Well, that's him." Emperor Xuan paced two steps, moved his gaze to the prince, and asked him what he thought?

The prince said that although Nani is Guo Yi's subordinate, but he is dead, how can he believe Ji Wen's words alone!

Emperor Xuan pondered for a moment, and said to himself: "This is also strange, the two parties insist on each other's words, can it be said that this fire is burned by itself......"

Long Biao said: "Your Majesty, it is the turn of summer and autumn, and there is a lot of thunder and lightning in the north, or it is not impossible to cause it from the fire!" ”

Lin Fu snorted and said, "What heavenly fire? Lord Long is so exculpatory, it really makes the old man embarrassed. ”

"Stop arguing, how long will you fight!" Emperor Xuan was quite impatient, thought for a while and turned his gaze to the dragon mark, "I ordered you to go to Yuyang as an official, how about it?" ”

Long Biao's body trembled, and he was speechless for a while.

"Anyway, Nani set fire to the city, and Guo Yi can't escape the blame as the commander; What's more, the burning of those grains and grass is also a loss for my Datang. Emperor Xuan was quite sad, his eyes were like a torch staring at Long Biao, "Long Aiqing, in order to comfort the border soldiers, I have no choice but to do this." ”

Long Biao exclaimed: "Your Majesty—"

"Tomorrow, there will be no delay!" Emperor Xuan's face was angry.

"Father, no." The crown prince knelt down with a thud and sobbed, "Lord Long is going to be more auspicious and less auspicious, and I hope that my father will take back his fate." ”

"It's unbelievable! Heng'er, from tomorrow onwards, you will be punished for thinking about it behind closed doors, and you will not be allowed to go to court within a month! Emperor Xuan said coldly.

The prince was very frightened when he heard this, and bowed his head and retreated to his original position.

Emperor Xuan paced lightly in front of the palace, turned around and asked Yang Silang, why didn't he say a word today?

Yang Silang said: "Back to Your Majesty, Chen Yuan has no knowledge of the burning of Xiongwu City in the capital, and if he makes a rash statement, he is afraid that it will be unfair. However, the minister thought that since Guo Yi had been escorted back to Beijing, he should be handed over to the three divisions for trial. After the cause of the case is clarified, it will be sent again. ”

Emperor Xuan bowed his head slightly when he heard this, and immediately ordered Ji Wen to preside over the trial, which was supervised by King Jing, and the trial must be completed within a month......

Above the court, Long Biao offended Long Yan for exposing Chu Mohan, and Emperor Xuan belittled Long Biao to Yuyang in a fit of anger to show his favor.

The next morning, Long Biao packed his luggage and took Cen Feng and his old servant Jiang Bo out of Chang'an City. The three of them were silent all the way to Baliuyi.

Cen Feng was deeply worried about the safety of Long Biao's trip, and said with tears in his eyes: "Knowing that Your Majesty protects Chu Mohan, why do you still have to make a direct admonition?" Alas, you also know how many of his whistleblowers were killed as soon as they arrived in Yuyang......"

"What are you afraid of, I'm going to the tiger's den, I'll meet him for a while." Long Biao's face was relaxed, "Don't worry, Feng'er, I have my own way to deal with it." ”

Cen Feng wiped away his tears, took his hand and told him carefully. Long Biao's expression was free, and he did not show the slightest sadness. The two stared at each other for a while, and Long Biao turned around and smiled and beckoned Jiang Bo to get on the horse.

Cen Feng parted sadly, tears in his eyes and he couldn't bear to look at each other. When she looked up again, the two had already left the horses, disappearing into the mist.