There are not many courtiers like Qin Da who leaned towards the government and the opposition and played the emperor in the palm of his hand, and this kind of courtier often died quickly, and it was rare to be able to control the government for so many years like him.

In the world of Qingtianjian, Qin Da is not alone, there is another companion, that is Xu Xiang of Chu State, that is, Mr. Shaoyue, who is respected by the world.

Emperor Chu has been in the cold palace for ten years, and he is about to disappear from the memory of the world.

For many children, they only know Xu Xiang, but not the emperor.

Xu Xiang's level of governance is still unparalleled, but his temper is getting more and more weird, and his methods are getting tougher and tougher, even if no one dares to object, there are more and more resentments.

One evening, after Xu Xiang's criticism of the music, he felt that his eyes were a little flowery, so he stood up and walked to the window, looking at the sunset that was about to set, and gave birth to a kind of enlightenment.

The previous Qin Emperor had been dead for almost twenty years, the Qin Emperor of Beihai County had been dead for ten years, and the young Zhao Emperor had been gone for five years.

Xu Xiang went to the palace.

This news shocked the entire capital, and even quickly spread to the states of Zhao and Qin.

The eunuchs and palace maids knelt not far from the main hall, looking at the scene in front of them, a little dazed, not knowing what to do.

The closed palace door is mottled and picturesque, the iron locks have rusted to death, and the eaves on the other side of the wall are full of signs of disrepair.

Looking at this palace, which had been abandoned for many years, Xu Xiang had an extremely complicated feeling in his heart, straightened his clothes, and slowly bowed down.

"Your Majesty, please see you."

A cold voice came from the palace: "I said don't bother me if you have nothing to do. ”

For many eunuchs and palace maids, this was the first time they heard the voice of His Majesty the Emperor, and their expressions were a little complicated.

Xu Xiang said: "The minister has something. ”

The cold voice said, "What's the matter? ”

Xu bowed solemnly to the palace gate and said, "The minister is already old and is going to die." ”

The cold voice was silent for a moment, then sounded again: "Come in." ”

There are very few lights in the cold palace, but today I lit a lamp, because it was rare for guests to come.

Looking at Xu Xiang's silver hair, Su Qingming realized that so many years had passed.

"I thought you could live for many years, with your means and ability, the rebellion of the Southern King is just a trivial matter, and Qin Zhao is not a threat, there will be no problems in the world."

Su Qingming said: "I didn't expect this day to come. ”

Xu Xiang said with emotion: "The minister is eighty this year, how can it be regarded as a long life, if it were not for the elixir given by His Majesty every year, I am afraid that he would have already become a white bone." ”

Su Qingming said: "I want to use you, so you don't have to thank me." ”

Xu Xiang said seriously: "Your Majesty dares to use ministers and trust ministers, which is the greatest blessing in this life." ”

Su Qingming said: "I also think it's good. ”

Xu Xiang looked at his face, as if he saw the little prince who didn't like to talk many years ago, and suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, have you succeeded?" ”

Although His Majesty has never said it explicitly, how can someone as smart as Xu Xiang not guess a little?

Su Qingming shook his head and said, "Ascension needs to break through the existing rules, and it is the most difficult thing in the complete world, and it may take me many years to go back." ”

Even in the real world, he rarely explained his practice, and only a few people such as Zhao Layue had ever heard of it.

At this time, what he said was very short, but he gave a serious explanation to Xu Xiang.

Xu Xiang patted his thigh with some regret and said, "It's a pity that the minister can't wait for that day." ”

Su Qingming said: "Maybe." ”

Xu Xiang looked at his face and said very seriously: "There are only four of the five kingdoms in the world, the Qi State is bloated and weak, Zhao Guoqiang is in He Eunuch, and the eunuch has no queen, don't care too much, the minister has been operating for many years, but the people's customs are difficult to correct, the surface of the court is actually full of holes, after the death of the minister, I am afraid that it will collapse." ”

"What do you want to say?"

"For the sake of the common people, Your Majesty, you can come out."

Su Qingming said: "Since it's a mess, why bother cleaning it up, if you can't beat it, you have to fight hard, and there will only be more deaths." ”

Xu Xiang was silent for a long time and said, "Your Majesty's words are reasonable, but the minister is still too persistent. ”

Su Qingming said: "Except for idiots, everyone will have some persistent things. ”

Xu Xiang suddenly laughed, looked at him and asked, "Your Majesty, are you a genius or an idiot?" ”

Su Qingming's eyes gave birth to a faint smile, and said, "I'm very smart, but I'm a little lazy." ”

Looking back on His Majesty's days in the palace in the past thirty years, Xu Xiang felt a lot of emotion and said: "I used to wonder how there could be such a lazy person in the world as Your Majesty, but later I realized that Your Majesty is an outsider in Hongchen, but he was born in the emperor's family, and for Your Majesty, this is really a very disadvantaged thing." ”

Su Qingming said: "It's good that the palace is used for cultivation, and you are very good, so you don't lose money." ”

Listening to His Majesty's praise, Xu Xiang's mood was agitated, he almost lost his temper, forcibly calmed down, and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really an immortal?" ”

This is the biggest doubt in his life, the answer he wants to know most before he dies.

Su Qing meditated for a while and said, "Yes." ”

Xu Xiang was shocked and speechless, and said, "This ...... Is...... The minister was able to serve His Majesty in this life, and he had no regrets. ”

Su Qingming patted him on the shoulder and said, "In short, I've worked hard for you all these years." ”

Xu Xiang could no longer control his emotions, and his old tears were crisscrossed, prostrate on the ground, and he couldn't afford it for a long time.

……

In early autumn, Xu Xiang died.

The whole country of Chu mourned, and the city was full of Su, and even the three kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, and Qi sent envoys to mourn. According to the statement from the Prime Minister's Mansion, the old lady asked to keep a low profile, but as the de facto ruler of the Chu State for more than 20 years, this request could not be fulfilled at all, and the so-called extreme grief was not enough to describe the scene at that time.

With the support of the eldest girl, the old lady took her three sons to be busy for several days, but Xu Gongzi, who was assigned to the south back then, did not appear.

Back then, Su Qingming once pointed to Liang Wangfeng and said to Zhao Layue that as long as any road comes to an end, then it can only turn back, and most things in the world are like this. Xu Xiang's funeral brought a lot of negative effects, not to mention the mausoleum, the most troublesome thing was to prohibit civil marriage for 100 days, so that the grief in the hearts of the people soon turned into complaints.

The atmosphere in the capital is gradually changing.

Early one morning, several ministers led by Chen Xuxiang and the prince entered the palace together, asking to see His Majesty, but they didn't know what to say.

According to the news from the eunuchs in the palace, His Majesty the Emperor did not see these people at all.

It was not until this time that many officials and people remembered that there was an emperor in the Chu State. When Xu Xiang was there, these things didn't matter, but now that Xu Xiang is dead, it is impossible for there to be a second official with such great influence in the court, so the emperor's position suddenly becomes important.

Xu Xiang made a lot of preparations before his death, and if everything went according to the old routine, the political legacy he left to the state of Chu should be able to play a role for many years.

It is a pity that there is never a lack of ambition in the officialdom, and the greed for power dooms the court to be unable to continue to be peaceful.

When the third autumn rain fell, the Yushitai began to move, and more than ten folds were handed to the Chinese book, and a certain county was guarded.

After Chen Xuxiang and several ministers saw those twists and turns, they were sent directly to the palace without saying a word.

His Majesty the Emperor has not used the seal for many years, and this time I think it will be no exception, but the behavior of the princes of the court is itself a statement.

That Taishou is the person in Xu Xiang's pocket, to be precise, it is the Zaifu that Xu Xiang prepared for Su Qingming ten years later.

The wind and rain together were difficult to stop, and soon the spearhead of the struggle was pointed at General Pei.

After drinking a pot of wine, this famous general of Dachu returned to Kyoto overnight and was immediately imprisoned on charges of bribery, corruption, collaborating with the enemy, and raising thieves. The latter three charges are relatively simple, and the problem lies in the article on bribery, officials who are eligible to be bribed by General Pei...... Only Xu Xiang, who has died.

The wind and rain turned into a torrential rain, and several officials who still had Xu Xiang in their hearts soon fell, and there were many rumors related to Xu Xiang in the capital.

Xu Xiang's ruling in his later years was indeed too tough, and there have been discussions in officialdom and among the people for a long time, but those discussions have been hidden in the shadows and have not surfaced until now.

In those rumors, Xu Xiang was extremely extravagant, ruthless, extremely disrespectful to His Majesty, and extremely unsympathetic to the people.

Gradually, no, it should be said that soon, Xu Xiang changed from a famous minister to a powerful minister, and then he was about to become the biggest traitor in the history of Chu State.

When the autumn was deepening, an official finally asked Xu Xiang to be punished for nine major crimes.

The Prime Minister's Mansion was surrounded by the forbidden army, and the princes of the court did not forget Xu Gongzi, who was far away in the south, and sent cavalry to escort him back.

The court did not use a flail on Xu Gongzi, did not put him in a cage, and did not even tie him, but let him ride a horse with him, but deliberately let out the rumors.

The cabbage thrown by the angry people and the ink splashed by the scholars kept flying from both sides of the long street, drenching his head and face like a storm.

Xu Gongzi sat on the horse, biting his lip, his face was pale, and he never said a word.

……

There was a cry in the Prime Minister's Mansion, the old lady went to the Imperial Prison in a carriage, and the forbidden army was in a commotion, but in the end it was not stopped.

The Prime Minister's Mansion, which had ruled the Chu State for many years, retained a lot of secret power despite being hit by a violent storm.

In the dark prison, looking at her eldest son, who had not been seen for many years, the old lady seemed to be getting older.

Xu Gongzi knelt down through the iron fence, and said with tears on his face: "Mother, my son is not filial and failed to send his father on his last journey, and now I have to worry about you." ”

The old lady sat down in a chair with the support of the eldest girl, stared into his eyes and asked, "Is the ordnance case real?" ”

Xu Gongzi nodded after being silent for a long time, and said, "That was more than ten years ago, please forgive your son for being confused." ”

"I asked people to transfer the file to read it, you just ate the silver in the ordnance case, and there are no other problems, so what is the confusion to talk about."

The old lady was a little tired and said, "Your father has been greedy for too much silver in his life. ”

Xu Gongzi walked forward on his knees, grabbed the iron fence, and asked, "What are those bastards in the court going to do?" ”

The old lady sneered and said, "What do you want to do?" Of course they want to completely stink and trample your father. ”

Xu Gongzi was silent for a moment and said, "It's simple on my side, but if you want to cure your father's sin, how can they do it?" ”

The old lady said quietly: "So they brought the emperor out." ”

Xu Gongzi was very surprised and said, "That idiot emperor? ”

The old lady said: "It is said that your father falsified the case of the prince of Nanwang back then, just to imprison His Majesty in the palace, which is a big crime of the Nine Clans. ”

Xu Gongzi's face turned even paler, and he said, "Father is really disrespectful to His Majesty, is it ...... Really? ”

The old lady said: "Your father is the most respectful person in this life, how can he do such a rebellious thing?" ”

Xu Gongzi didn't believe this sentence at all, and said with a wry smile: "No matter what, after all, it's going to be bad, I don't want to be humiliated by these thieves......"

The old lady said, "I came to see you tonight because I was worried that you would really do something foolish. ”

Xu Gongzi asked slightly: "Is there still room for things to turn back?" ”

The old lady said, "Your father said on his deathbed that there is no need to do anything, and everything will be fine. ”

Xu Gongzi didn't understand his father's last words and asked, "What does this mean?" ”

The old lady said: "I don't understand very well, but I think it should be related to the imperial seal." ”

Xu Gongzi thought about that rumor, gave birth to some hope, and said, "The imperial seal is really gone?" ”

The old lady said: "I guess the imperial seal should be returned to Your Majesty by your father, and the princes of the court and the central government now have no seals, how can they cure our Xu family's crimes?" ”

……

The rain in late autumn is very cold.

Chen Xiang took the ministers of the Ministry of Rites and other ministers, stood outside the hall and waited for half an hour, but still did not get a summons from His Majesty.

Seeing that the twilight was deepening, Chen Xuxiang glanced at everyone and left first.

Walking in the gate of the imperial city, he said in a non-existent voice: "Is it really in that palace? ”

The Ministry of Rites is the most valued protégé of Xu Yuan, and he is only over forty years old this year.

No one thought that he would be the first official to attack the Prime Minister's Office.

"The teacher stayed in the palace for half the night, and no one knew what he said to His Majesty."

Gao Caigong said calmly: "But no one has seen the imperial seal in the cabinet since the next day. ”

Chen Xiang narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty seems to regard that Fang Xi as a life-saving gold medal, what do you think?" ”

Gao Cai said expressionlessly: "Autumn is high and dry, you should be careful of the candle." ”

Chen Xiang looked at the bluestone slab outside that was wet with rain, and after being silent for a long time, he nodded imperceptibly.

How to bring down a big man like Xu Xiang who is qualified to represent history? History itself has given a clear answer many times, that is, after his death, the emperor who has been disgruntled for many years will be liquidated, and the name of the emperor will be used if it is not good.

Therefore, the charges prepared for Xu Xiang by Scholar Chen, Gao Cai Gongshangshu and others are basically disrespectful. But this kind of operation needs to be approved by His Majesty the Emperor, so they naturally have to show enough respect to His Majesty the Emperor and give up enough benefits, unless they want to rebel.

It's a pity that they don't have this kind of strength, let alone this kind of ambition, at most they hope to be able to coerce the Son of Heaven to control the Chu State. So Jing Jiu didn't see them, they didn't have any way at all, and there was no way to force their way into the palace to find the imperial seal—what was the difference between that and the crime they arranged for Xu Xiang?

Fortunately, the palace is now controlled by the imperial court very strictly, there is no such thing as the inner court, and those eunuchs and palace maids have not even seen the emperor in person a few times, so it is very easy to arrange some accidents.

Tonight is a dry autumn night, and it's a good time to set fires.

Gao Shangshu did not leave the cabinet, staring in the direction of the palace through the narrow square, waiting for the firelight to appear.

But until the morning light came, his eyes were a little painful, and the palace was still quiet, and nothing happened.

Until evening, there was no news, not even a sign of failure.

The eunuchs who set the fire didn't know where they went, the city gate division didn't find it, and the guards and forbidden soldiers didn't find it, as if they had disappeared into the sky.