Han Caidao: "There are more rumors! There are all kinds of things to say, and there are actually those who say that our Ming army was defeated, and His Majesty the Emperor was captured by them! Hehe, this must be a rumor! Our Emperor is invincible in his bravery, let alone capturing him alive! ”

"Is the Western Liao side occupied by the Crusaders?"

Han Cai smiled: "Definitely not!" Does this need to be asked? ”

Yang Peng saw that he didn't know the specific situation, so he didn't ask anymore.

Yang Peng returned to the tent and walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. I saw that Yan Ji was sleeping soundly, and she couldn't help but feel gentle in her heart and smile.

At about the same time, the cabinet in Bianliang was busy. The news of Yang Peng's disappearance was originally blocked by the cabinet, but somehow spread all over the world, and now not only the domestic public is in an uproar, but even Mongolia and Liao, which were originally beaten by the Ming Dynasty, are also ready to move. The Cabinet has issued an order to mobilize all the military armies, and has also fully mobilized the people's army in the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Datong, Taiyuan, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, and Sichuan, and declared that the entire empire has entered a state of total alert in accordance with the power given to the cabinet by law, and all the people in all walks of life must obey the dispatch of the government. The arsenals of various localities were wide open, and the army and government armies were assembled, and the people's armies were mobilized.

Empress Yang Tong, accompanied by the maid, suddenly came to the cabinet. When the cabinet ministers heard the news, they were very surprised and immediately rushed out to greet them.

The cabinet ministers welcomed Yang Tong into the hall, and Yang Tong walked straight to the top and sat down. His eyes glanced at the cabinet ministers, and frowned: "Now it is rumored outside that our army has been defeated in Xiliao, and His Majesty has also disappeared, what is going on?" ”

Han Bing said: "Since the queen mother asked, I don't dare to hide it." Yes, our army did lose in Xiliao, big brother, he is indeed missing! ”

Yang Tong said angrily: "Why do you want to hide such a big thing from the palace? Could it be that there is a plan? ”

Han Bing frowned, and said: "The disappearance of the eldest brother is a big deal, if it is leaked out, it will definitely cause turmoil in the world, so we decided to block the news, not just the queen mother!" ”

Yang Tong sneered: "It's a pity that you didn't succeed, this matter has spread all over the world!" ”

Han Bing heard the meaning of Yang Tong's words as if he was going to plot against him, and couldn't help frowning, even if he was about to have a seizure, but thinking that she was the queen after all, the eldest sister among the sisters, he forced to suppress his anger. Yang Tong held back his anger, but Ye Yu Guanyin couldn't help it, and said angrily: "Why is the queen so aggressive? ”

The maid shouted angrily: "Bold! How dare you speak to the queen like that! ”

Ya Yin Guanyin glanced at her contemptuously and shouted-for-tat: "You are bold! The eldest brother treats us politely, what kind of thing do you dare to drink to us! "You ......" The maid was so angry that she couldn't refute it.

Yang Tong said coldly: "Okay, Your Majesty is gone, you are all going to rebel!" Ye Yu Guanyin said: "You don't have to say such things, no one here dares to rebel!" Whoever dares to rebel, I, Ya Yu Guanyin, will not be the first to spare her! These words seemed to be said to Yang Tong, and Yang Tong couldn't help but change his complexion.

The cabinet ministers saw that the smell of gunpowder between several ladies was getting stronger and stronger, and hurriedly went up to play a round.

Yang Tong raised his voice and said: "Your Majesty has suddenly disappeared, we must take emergency measures immediately, and we must not let the situation of the country that Your Majesty has worked so hard to build!" ”

Zhang Xiang hurriedly said: "What the queen said is extremely true, our cabinet has been taking measures during this time, which can be mainly boiled down to bright spots, one is to quell the rumors, spread them everywhere in the name of the cabinet and Your Majesty, and tell all the subjects and people that the disappearance of Your Majesty is just a rumor deliberately spread by people with ulterior motives, Your Majesty is safe and sound, and is leading a large army to fight with the Crusaders in Western Liao, and now the victory or defeat has not yet been decided." The purpose of spreading this rumor is to disrupt us from within, so that our army cannot win. Second, it is necessary to mobilize all forces, and all localities should be prepared to deal with contingencies at all times, especially in the border areas, which must always be prepared to deal with the enemy's surprise attacks. In this way, there should be no problem in the short term. ”

Yang Tong nodded, looking thoughtful. The maid suddenly said, "Your Majesty is only missing now, but we must be prepared for the worst. ”

Everyone was stunned, and Zhang Xiang asked puzzledly: "I don't know what Niangniang means by this?" ”

Yang Tong's maid glanced at everyone and said, "As the saying goes, the country cannot be left without an owner for a day, we should establish an heir as soon as possible, so as not to be caught off guard and cause chaos in the whole country." ”

Ya Yu Guanyin immediately sneered: "The fox's tail is finally revealed!" The maid was annoyed and angry, and shouted, "Don't talk nonsense! ”

Ya Yu Guanyin said angrily: "I didn't talk nonsense! The purpose of your coming today is simply not to drink, to accuse us of concealing the matter of the eldest brother, but it is just a reason, the real purpose is actually to seize the throne! ”

Yang Tong's face changed, and he shouted: "Shut up!" How can you spew blood! ”

Ya Yu Guanyin sneered: "What kind of blood is spewing people, isn't this obvious!" What you said is actually nonsense, only the last sentence is what you really think in your heart! You just want your eldest brother to die so you can take the throne! Speaking of this, I couldn't help the grief and indignation in my heart, and tears appeared in the eyes of this heroine.

Yang Tong couldn't help but panic in his heart, and didn't dare to face Ye Yu Guanyin's eyes anymore, and lowered his head. The maid asked angrily, "What should you be guilty of offending the queen mother so much!" ......" Ya Yu Guanyin looked at the maid with anger and murderous intent, and the maid couldn't help but feel a shock in her heart, and there was something to say later, but she couldn't say it.

Ye Yu Guanyin retracted his gaze and said loudly: "The national law is clear, the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, the queen mother and the maid should go back to the palace!" National affairs are handled by our cabinet, so you don't have to worry about it! "Ye Yu Guanyin's words are equivalent to an eviction order. Yang Tong was a little at a loss, and the maid said angrily: "You said that the queen mother has bad intentions, it is clear that you have bad intentions!" You want to take advantage of this opportunity to move the cabinet to seize the throne and help your own children seize the throne! Then he said to the cabinet ministers: "My lords, Your Majesty treats you with great grace, and at this critical moment, you should not be fooled!" That Ya Yu Guanyin is an alien Hulu, if her children inherit Datong, wouldn't our Ming Dynasty and great rivers and mountains be subverted by aliens! ”

Ya Yu Guanyin was furious and shouted: "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will kill you!" Holding the hilt of the knife, as fierce as a female leopard, the maid saw this scene, her heart was horrified, and she couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Fu Jianyue came out and said: "There is no need to argue with a few mothers, our cabinet has already decided, although Your Majesty is missing, Your Majesty will definitely be auspicious, so this matter of establishing a prince will not be considered for the time being." It is imperative to stabilize the situation in the Empire and at the same time defeat the invading Crusaders from the west to find His Majesty's whereabouts. Several mothers are His Majesty's favorite people, and if His Majesty learns that several mothers are arguing like this, he will definitely be very sad. Please also ask a few mothers to be able to calm down! When the daughters heard this, they said no more.

Yang Tong stood up and said coldly: "It seems that I came to the wrong place today." Immediately walked outside, the maid and a kind of palace maid followed out, and the cabinet ministers sent Yang Tong and his party out of the gate.

On the way back, Yang Tong and the maid were angry. The maid said angrily: "Niangniang, that Fanbang woman doesn't even take you seriously!" Yang Tong snorted coldly. Zhao Jinxi said worriedly: "I'm afraid that the women of that state want to support their children to ascend to the throne, and my sister can't be unguarded!" ”

Yang Tong couldn't help but get worried, and asked, "Sister, what do you say we should do now?" ”

The maid thought for a while and said, "Since the cabinet ministers left behind are unreliable, we have to rely on those cabinet ministers who are sitting outside." Niangniang can write to General Duan Zhixian, tell him about the situation here, and ask him to contact His Majesty's brothers to support his sister's children, as long as they have their support, most of this throne will be in the hands of his sister! Yang Tong nodded and said, "That's it." Then he urged the rider to return to the palace quickly.

The Cabinet Ministers sent off the two uninvited guests and continued with the previously interrupted issue. Tang Shidian said: "We have agreed just now, so please ask Guanyin Niangniang to rush to Dading Mansion as soon as possible to prevent a possible counterattack by the Khitans!" ”

Ye Yu Guanyin said angrily: "Lord Tang, do you think the same as that Yang Niangniang, for fear that I, the child of a Fanbang woman, will inherit the throne, so I am so anxious to leave Bianliang and go to Dading Mansion?" ”

Tang Shidian was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Where did you really start with Niangniang's words!" How dare Weichen have such a mind? Although Niangniang is a Khitan, she is loyal to His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty, this heart can be seen by the sun and the moon, and the world can see it, not any gossip can shake it! The reason why the ministers want Niangniang to sit in the north is also because of Niangniang's talent! Niangniang is a woman among women, heroes are unparalleled, only Niangniang is in the north, can the north be foolproof! Several cabinet ministers chimed in.

Ya Yin Guanyin smiled: "I like to hear this! Then he glanced at Tang Shidian and several other cabinet ministers, and said, "Whether what you say is true or not, I also admit it!" Several people hurriedly swore and cursed, saying that what they said was absolutely heartfelt.

Ya Yu Guanyin sighed and said to Han Bing: "Han Bing, nothing else matters, only the eldest brother is the most important!" You've got to find Big Brother! If my eldest brother had three longs and two shorts, I wouldn't be alive! In the end, Ya Yu Guanyin couldn't help but shed tears, and the several imperial concubines present couldn't help but show sadness and tears.

Yan Ji recuperated in the camp of the Han merchants for several days, and because of the treatment with good medicine and good medicine, her body had improved greatly, she was no longer sleepy, and her complexion was much better, which made Yang Peng, who had been worried, finally put his mind at ease.

This morning, Han Cai came over to Yang Peng and said, "Little brother, we have discussed that we will leave for Byzantium tomorrow, and you should also get ready." ”

Yang Peng nodded and asked; "Uncle, won't there be a problem with the border army of the Shinra?"

Han Cai smiled: "Originally, I was a little worried, but yesterday the commander of the Shinra border army accepted our gifts, as the saying goes, it is good to take people's money and eliminate disasters with people, since he has accepted our benefits, he must not be embarrassed by us." Yang Peng smiled; That's good. Han Cai couldn't help but glance at Yan Ji, who was half-lying on the bed, and said, "I still have something to do, so I'm leaving!" "I'll send uncle!" Yang Peng stood up and sent Han Cai out of the tent.

Han Cai smiled: "Okay, you don't need to send it, you better go back to accompany your lady." Yang Peng smiled, hugged his fists and said, "Uncle go slowly." Han Cai nodded, suddenly remembered something, and advised: "Little brother, there is something you need to take to heart." That little lady of yours is better wrapped in an Islamic robe, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble! Yang Peng understood what Han Cai meant, but in fact, he didn't need Han Cai to remind him that he would do it, and hugged his fists and said, "Thank you Uncle for reminding him." Han Cai smiled and patted Yang Peng's shoulder and left.

Yang Peng returned to the tent, and Yan Ji asked curiously, "What did you say to Uncle Han?" ”

Yang Peng walked up to Yan Ji and sat down, held her slender hand and said with a smile: "Uncle said: Little brother, your wife is so beautiful, I am afraid that it will cause unnecessary trouble along the way, it is better to wrap it in Islamic robes!" Yan Ji saw that her lover was talking like Uncle Han's expression, and it was still vivid, and she couldn't help laughing, and said angrily: "You will talk nonsense!" ”

Yang Peng smiled and said, "Don't talk nonsense, in short, you should indeed wrap yourself in Islamic robes." Yan Ji nodded thoughtfully, and then sighed leisurely.

Yang Peng asked softly, "Homesick?" ”

Yan Ji shook her head, her beautiful eyes looked at her lover, revealing an infinitely gentle expression, and said, "Where the husband is, where is home!" Then he frowned and said to himself: "It's all the concubines who have affected the husband!" If it weren't for the concubine's body, the husband must have joined the army at this time! Yang Peng smiled and said softly: "Don't think nonsense, this doesn't hinder anything, it's just that I'll go back later!" Yan Jiqiang smiled and nodded.

Early the next morning, Yang Peng and Yan Ji followed the Han merchant team out of the tent city and headed towards the border pass. Yan Ji was wrapped in the kind of robe of an Islamic woman, and her whole body was wrapped tightly from the wind, revealing only a pair of eyes. Not to mention, after such a dress-up, the moving appearance of 100 points was hidden for 99 points. What do you say is one point left? It's those eyes. No matter how much you hide it, you can't hide that pair of eyes.

A group of hundreds of people meandered forward, and the people of the tent city didn't care about the departure of the Han merchants, because it was really common for caravans from various countries to come and go here.

Yang Peng looked at the team in front and behind, and saw that there were more than 100 large and small vehicles, full of various items from the East, of which silk and porcelain accounted for more than half. Yan Ji, who was riding on the rouge horse, pointed to the dart masters who were carrying the flag at the front of the team and said to Yang Peng; "Husband, that's the dart master of the Yanjing Dart Bureau."

Yang Peng glanced at the dart flag carried by a dart master in his hand and nodded.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the border. The border soldiers of the Shinra stopped Yang Peng and his party, and even a translator stepped forward to negotiate. Immediately, a man who looked like an officer came out of the tent next to him. The interpreter seemed to know him and greeted him with a loud voice. The officer smiled, greeted him, and then muttered something to his soldiers. The soldiers immediately moved out of the way. The interpreter turned his head and greeted everyone, and the procession restarted and slowly crossed the border, and in a few moments came to the Byzantine side. Yang Peng and Yan Ji had been tense just now, but they finally relaxed at this moment, and couldn't help but smile at each other. And the others also showed a relaxed look.

The procession reached the Byzantine side, and the Byzantine frontier army allowed them to pass without hindrance.

"Master, why are they so polite to our merchants when the Shinra is at war with us?" Yan Ji asked in a low voice.

Yang Peng said with a smile: "Although we are at war with the Shinra, aren't we also the merchants who have embarrassed them?" This reason is actually very simple, taking a businessman is a matter of killing chickens and eggs, and in the long run, it is very unfavorable to the country and the people! Yan Ji didn't understand very much, but she didn't ask any more, for this kind of thing, she felt that she shouldn't waste her brains.

The group stayed day and night, selling goods along the way. The local customs are gradually changing. When Byzantium first entered Byzantium, the Islamic atmosphere was very strong, but the more you go to the West, the imprint of Islamic culture becomes less and less, and a Western cultural characteristic that is different from other Western countries is getting stronger and stronger. Compared to other Western cultures, the culture here feels a little thicker. It is no wonder, after all, that the Byzantine Empire is the true mantle of the Roman Empire, and its cultural heritage is naturally not comparable to that of other Western countries. Walking on the wide road, seeing the people in wide robes and big sleeves shuttling back and forth, I felt completely different from when I walked in the Islamic area before.

Yang Peng whispered to Yan Ji: "This Byzantine empress is not simple! ”

Yan Ji said with a smile: "My husband said that she is not simple, then she must be outstanding." ”

Yang Peng smiled and continued: "We have come all the way to the west, and we have not seen any traces of the conflict between Islamic culture and Byzantine culture, and the two get along very harmoniously. This was a very wise move for the Byzantine empress not to move forward because of her own likes and dislikes to promote Byzantine culture to replace Islamic culture. ”

Yan Ji asked puzzledly, "Why didn't she do this?" Wouldn't it be better to have Byzantine culture replace Islamic culture? ”

Yang Peng smiled and shook his head, "It's not that simple. Cultural integration is never something that can be achieved in a short period of time, and if this process is forcibly promoted, the result can only be a violent cultural conflict and destabilize the country! Therefore, the most sensible approach is to be inclusive, to allow the coexistence of multiple cultural practices in the country, and to respect and follow cultural practices. In this way, even if the conflict cannot be completely eliminated, the conflict will certainly be limited to a small scope and will never shake the country's foundation. ”

Yan Ji couldn't help but nodded, and then said worriedly: "Is it a good thing or a bad thing for the country to let many different customs coexist?" ”

Yang Peng smiled: "Of course it's a good thing. It's like a forest, what would it look like if there was only one kind of tree? Nature requires a variety of trees and weeds to be pleasing to the eye! Yan Ji smiled: "The metaphor of the husband is really easy to understand!" Although the concubine body is not very clear, she probably knows that it is indeed necessary to let various cultures coexist! ”

Yang Peng smiled slightly. Turning his head to look at the sky in the distance, he couldn't help but sigh. Yan Ji's heart moved, and she asked, "Is your husband homesick?" ”

Yang Peng laughed and said: "What do you say homesick, as if I am a cowardly little man!" Yan Ji smiled: "If the husband is a cowardly little man, how can there be a real man in this world!" Yang Peng smiled: "This fart is very comfortable for me!" Yan Ji pursed her lips and smiled.

Yang Peng showed a look of contemplation and said, "I'm thinking about the war in Xiliao, and I don't know what happened?" Yan Ji couldn't help but show a worried look, and said: "Constantinople has our Huaxu's stronghold, and when you get to Constantinople, you will contact them immediately." Yang Peng nodded.

Yang Peng turned his head to look to the west and saw that the sun was about to set. Immediately hit a horse and came to Han Cai's side and said, "Uncle, we can't get to Constantinople today, let's find a place to rest for the night." Han Cai said angrily: "It's all those drunkards who delayed the trip at noon, and they could have arrived at the destination!" Then he looked up and searched in all directions, and saw a small stream in the distance on the left, beside which was green grass and dense woods, and it was a good place to camp, and he pointed to it and shouted, "Go and camp there, and set out again tomorrow morning." Then the procession turned away from the avenue and turned toward the brook. After a while, a bonfire was lit by the creek, smoke curled up, and people could finally rest after a day of walking.

After dinner, everyone except the dart master who was on guard patrol fell asleep.

Roar! A huge tiger roar suddenly streaked across the night sky, and people woke up one after another. At this moment, another terrible tiger roar came, as if it was not very far away. Everyone couldn't help but change their faces, and someone shouted: "It's not good, there are tigers here, let's run away!" So saying, a number of men ran toward the carriage. Han Cai shouted: "Don't panic! Are so many of us still afraid that it won't make it! When everyone heard this, they felt that it made sense, and they couldn't help but stop, and their hearts were not as panicked as they were just now.

Then another tiger roar came, which seemed to be closer, and at the same time there were the screams of men and the exclamations of women.

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.