The housekeeper stopped outside the door of the study, turned back to Tai Hao and said, "Lord of the City, please wait here, and let me go in and report to the young spirit concubine." ”

Taihao nodded slightly, agreeing. Although he was a little impatient, he remained calm and polite.

After a while, the family came out with a hint of apology on his face, and said to Tai Hao: "The young spirit horse is unwell today and cannot see guests. Thank you for your understanding and visit us another day. ”

Tai Hao frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice: "This official only has one sentence to ask the Shaoling Concubine, and it won't take much time." Please let us know and see if we can see each other. ”

Reluctantly, he turned around and entered the room again. After a while, he walked out again and said to Tai Hao: "The young spirit horse is still not a guest. Thank you for your understanding. ”

Taihao knew that it might be difficult to see Shaoling this time, but he was unwilling to give up easily, and said directly to the family: "Please go in and ask him if you know about the concubine." ”

The man hesitated, but entered the room as instructed. After a while, he walked out, with a hint of embarrassment on his face, and said to Tai Hao: "Shaoling said that he doesn't know anything about the harem. Please go back, Lord Castle! ”

Taihao sighed helplessly, and had to turn around and leave. As soon as he took two steps, a cold order sounded in his ear: "Beat the fang'er again with thirteen lashes." ”

The young man tied to a bench let out a terrible scream: "Spare your life! Spare your life! The voice echoed in the quiet of the academy, making people palpitate.

Tai Hao stepped out of the gate of the Horse Mansion, and a guard stepped forward, with a little curiosity on his face, and asked, "Taihao City Lord, why did you come out so quickly?" Have you seen a young spirit colt yet? ”

Tai Hao shook his head lightly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "No, the young spirit horse didn't see me." ”

The guard didn't seem surprised, and replied lightly, "I see. ”

Tai Hao's heart moved, and he asked curiously, "Are you sent by the imperial court to monitor the Horse Mansion?" ”

The guard nodded and explained, "Yes. Since five years ago, the emperor ordered Shaoling Pony to be placed under house arrest after he was suspected of corruption. We, the guards, would change a batch every other month, and every day we would record the idlers who entered and left the Horse Mansion, and then report it to the emperor. ”

When Tai Hao heard this, his heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked: "In this case, this official has not seen the Shaoling Horse today, can you not record my name in the record?" With that, he took out a piece of silver from his bosom, handed it to the guard, and added, "Invite the brothers to drink a glass of wine, which is a little bit of the official's heart." ”

The guard took the silver with a smile, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and said, "You don't need to remember the name of the Taihao City Lord, please rest assured." ”

Tai Hao was about to leave, when he suddenly turned to the guard and asked, "How long have you guards been here?" ”

The guard replied, "We've been in the Pony Mansion for almost a month, and we'll be able to change shifts and leave in a few days." ”

Tai Hao's heart moved, and he continued to ask, "Then do you know who the young man who was beaten in the Horse Mansion is?" ”

The guard frowned, seeming to hesitate, but finally replied, "That's the adopted son of the young spirit colt, named Fang'er." He was beaten twice in three days, and he didn't know how he offended the young spirit horse. ”

Taihao didn't ask any more questions, nodded lightly and turned to leave. An inexplicable emotion swelled up in his heart, and he felt a trace of pity and doubt for the young man named Fang'er. He began to wonder what had caused the young pony to treat his adopted son in such a way that it contained a secret that no one had ever known.

Since the young spirit colt was reluctant to see him, Taihao decided to go to the palace to seek the help of Princess Sangya and get some news from her.

The next day, Tai Hao officially took office and became the new city lord of Thousand Winds City. There was no heavy official business to deal with in the yamen, but Luo Run, who joined the army, came to report that the imperial tomb had been repaired. In the Eastern Empire, the emperor's mausoleum was usually built during the emperor's reign, not only out of respect for the emperor, but also to show the majesty of the royal family. According to Luo Run, the mausoleum of Emperor Xuancheng, named Qianling, is located in the empty mountains fifty miles north of Qianfeng City, and this feng shui treasure was also carefully selected by Mr. Yanfang during his lifetime.

However, Taihao didn't pay much attention to this. He just nodded faintly, indicating that he knew about it. Because it was not his duty to build the imperial mausoleum, it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household to report to the imperial court. And he only had to urge the priests to join the army and try their best to assist in the construction. In his view, as a local official, it is more important to care about people's livelihood than these royal affairs.

When night fell, after Taihao had enjoyed a sumptuous dinner in the mansion, Jing Ye came to report that General Nanzhu was waiting outside the mansion to ask for a meeting. After hearing this, Taihao immediately put down the tea cup in his hand and went out to greet him in person.

General Nanzhu is not only an old friend whom Taihao made many years ago, but now he is more than 10,000 people under one person in the DPRK, and the official is the general of the auxiliary country, and his status is equivalent to that of the prime minister of the head of the civilian government, which can be described as the power leaning towards the government and the opposition.

When General Nanzhu saw Taihao, a kind smile appeared on his face: "Taihao City Lord, I haven't seen you for many years, don't come to harm!" ”

Tai Hao also responded with a smile: "General Nanzhu, I haven't seen you for many years, and you are still so heroic." ”

Taihao led General Nanzhu to the front hall of the mansion, although he had doubts in his heart, he did not ask directly. After the two sat down, Tai Hao took the lead in speaking: "General Nanzhu, is there anything important about coming to visit me so late?" ”

General Nanzhu pondered for a moment and said, "I heard a few days ago that the emperor summoned you back to Beijing. As soon as I heard that you had arrived in the City of a Thousand Winds, I immediately rushed to visit my old friend. ”

Tai Hao thought in his heart: "General Nanzhu is now in a high position, and it really honors me to remember my old friend." ”

General Nanzhu shook his head and said, "You are too modest. I have always known your abilities, and you performed very well when you fought against the Japanese on the southeast coast. It's a pity that the traitors in the DPRK and China are in charge, and you will be framed and take a detour. Otherwise, with your talent and ability, your status today will definitely be more than that. ”

Taihao sighed with emotion: "Thank you General Nanzhu for your affirmation and support." ”

General Nanzhu slowly spoke: "Taihao City Lord, you must also know the reason why the emperor summoned you back to the capital at this time. What are your thoughts on the issue of succession to the throne? ”

Tai Hao frowned slightly: "Yesterday, Lord Ling Yi came to my mansion, it seems that it was also for the succession of the throne. But how can I, a local official, participate in decision-making on such a major event? Moreover, the emperor has canonized the crown prince Xuanxin, and the position of the prince has been decided. ”

Nanzhu shook his head slightly: "Prince Xuanxin is just a three-month-old baby, if he ascends the throne, won't he become the laughing stock of the world?" ”

Tai Hao groaned: "The Zampu of the Tubo Kingdom is still in infancy, isn't it also firmly in the position of Zampu?" As long as you choose a talented regent to assist you, everything is not a problem. ”

Nanzhu's tone was serious: "In the past few days, the emperor has successively summoned eight officials he trusts the most. You are one of them. Presumably the emperor also said this to you: 'Xin'er is young, and I hope Aiqing will take care of it more.' ’”

Tai Hao nodded and confirmed: "That's right, the emperor did say so." ”

Nanzhu continued: "As far as I know, Prime Minister Mao Jing has been ordered to write an edict, and as soon as the emperor dies, he will announce it to the world. And the content of this edict seems to be closely related to these eight officials. Taihao City Lord, if an emperor has eight regents, how can the court not be chaotic? ”

Tai Hao retorted: "General Nanzhu, I understand what you said. But there were eight regents who could brainstorm on the government and better govern the Eastern Empire. ”

General Nanzhu sighed: "Taihao City Lord, you have been serving in the local government, and you may not know much about the complicated relationship between central officials. A few years ago, the Eastern Empire set off a vigorous storm of punishment for corruption, and many central and local officials were ousted as a result. Now the people who are officials in the DPRK and the central government are all apprehensive about this. To put it mildly, there are now many officials who want the emperor to die as soon as possible in the Eastern Empire. ”

Tai Hao was shocked when he heard this: "General Nanzhu, you can't talk nonsense about this kind of thing. ”

General Nanzhu said slowly: "Now in the DPRK, the officials are talking a lot, and the focus is on the issue of succession to the throne. Various factions have gradually formed, and the emperor has not been in court for more than a month, which undoubtedly indicates that the country is about to usher in a new master. ”

He paused and continued: "Taihao City Lord, if you are recalled to the capital at this time, you will inevitably be reused by the emperor. You have the right to make suggestions to the emperor about who will be the next emperor. Among the many officials, you are considered to be a pivotal role. ”

After hearing this, Tai Hao responded modestly: "General Nanzhu has an overreputation. I have always only carried out the emperor's orders, and I can control who the throne is passed on. ”

General Nanzhu's tone was firm: "Taihao City Lord, you don't have to be modest. When Emperor Xuancheng was proclaimed emperor in Lingchuan City, you were with him. You also have credit for the acquisition of the throne. ”

Tai Hao asked curiously: "General Nanzhu, what factions are there in the DPRK and China now?" Who do they all want to nominate as the new emperor? ”

General Nanzhu said in a low voice: "Now the DPRK and China are divided into three factions. One faction advocated obeying the emperor's orders and supporting the crown prince Xuanxin as the emperor. As for which officials are in this faction, I am not in a position to disclose them for the time being. The other faction supported Princess Changxiang......"

Tai Hao interjected in surprise: "Princess Changxiang? Hasn't she been guarding the mausoleum of the former emperor, how can she still get involved in politics? ”

Nanzhu explained: "Princess Changxiang has always maintained close contact with officials in the DPRK and China. Now her power is gradually growing, and under the banner of imperial orthodoxy, she intends to become the first empress in the history of the Eastern Empire. ”

Tai Hao asked curiously: "What is the position of the third faction?" ”

General Nanzhu took a deep breath and said, "As for the third faction, it is those officials who are in the middle. They neither wanted the crown prince Xuanxin to inherit the throne, nor did they want to see Princess Changxiang become the empress. So, they began to look for other suitable successors in the Xuan royal family. ”

Tai Hao frowned: "Do they really think that they can find a more qualified successor to the throne than the crown prince?" ”

General Nanzhu sighed deeply and shook his head slowly: "Alas, Taihao City Lord, the situation in the DPRK and China is like a mess, and each faction has its own calculations. The centrist officials searched for a long time in the household department, and finally found a descendant of the imperial family, who was the eldest son of the late Emperor Xuangang's third prince, Xuanjie. ”

Tai Hao frowned slightly, and there was a hint of doubt in his tone: "I once heard Lord Cheng Fan tell that Emperor Xuangang has four princes. Among them, the third prince Xuanjie was named the king of Qi when he was young, but he was lustful and lewd and died at the age of twenty-eight. Although he had three sons, he did not live in the capital since he was a child, and he knew nothing about the government. How old is this Xuanxiao this year? He has been far away from the center of the imperial government, how can he be qualified for the throne? ”

Nanzhu explained: "This Xuanxiao is over forty years old, and judging from his identity, he is qualified to inherit the throne. After all, he is still the nephew of the former emperor Xuanyu. ”

A hint of deep thought flashed in Taihao's eyes, he took a sip of the teacup, and asked slowly: "General Nanzhu, which side are you on in this battle for the throne?" ”