Just when Zhu Houzhao was happily preparing to continue to take care of Meng Wanning, Wu Chounu suddenly broke in.

"Your Majesty, my lordship, there are two adults in the front yard who want to see Your Majesty, saying that they are from the capital."

Jiang Ning and Zhu Houzhao glanced at each other and asked in unison, "Have you ever reported your name?" ”

"One said that it was Gu Dayong Gu's father-in-law in the inner court, and the other said that it was Zhan Shi, called Zhang Yuan."

Wu Cannu scratched his head and recalled.

Jiang Ning frowned and said:

"Your Majesty, Gonggong Gu knows the news of your departure from Beijing, but Zhang Yuan is just a matter of Zhan, but how can he know.

Isn't it true that all the civil and military officials of the imperial court already know? ”

"Let's go, let's go see."

Zhu Houzhao instructed the maidservant to take care of Meng Wanning, and immediately went to the main hall with Jiang Ning.

Wu Chounu hurriedly followed.

"Old Slave Gu Dayong (Minister Zhang Yuan) See Your Majesty!"

"Get up."

Zhu Houzhao stroked it weakly.

I don't want Gu Dayong to use the two of them, not only did they not get up, but they also cried:

"On the way, the ministers learned that His Majesty was surrounded by Bai Mountain, and they couldn't wait to fly over to protect His Majesty.

Fortunately, Your Majesty is blessed with the blessing of the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty, and there is nothing to do! ”

Zhu Houzhao pursed his lips and said: "I have Jiang Qing's assistance, why am you afraid of the small Tartar night, get up quickly, don't be embarrassed here." ”

Gu Dayong and Zhang Yuan got up from the ground at this time.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Hou looked at the two of them and asked, "I ask you, why did you suddenly come to Datong?" ”

Zhang Yuan was about to explain, but Gu Dayong preemptively said:

"Back to Your Majesty, since half a month ago, because you have not been in court for a long time, the officials of the court have been suspicious.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager made an edict, and there were three cabinet elders who were pressed and they were safe.

It's just that all of a sudden, rumors spread in the capital, saying that you abandoned the government and government, left hundreds of officials and sneaked out of the palace, and made private visits in Datong Weifu, playing and having fun.

In the end, the whole capital was spread, and hundreds of officials in the court wrote to inquire, and the three bachelors had no choice but to reveal some rumors, and ordered the old slave and Master Zhan Shizhang to take His Majesty back to Beijing. ”

Jiang Ning frowned tightly:

"Your Majesty's whereabouts when he came to Datong were only completely announced to the world a few days ago when the alliance was met, but rumors spread so many days in advance in the capital.

It seems that there must be someone behind the scenes, and they are half-truths and half-truths, which makes people suspicious.

Your Majesty, the minister thought that the greatest possibility was only the White Lotus Sect. ”

Zhu Houzhao nodded, and said angrily: "It's the White Lotus Sect again!" It's very useful, I asked you to search the remnants of the White Lotus closely before, what big gains do you have now? ”

Gu Dayong said:

"The old slave is incompetent, and after following His Majesty's will, he ordered Dongchang to search all parts of the Ming Dynasty, especially in the north.

But only some of the gentry who believed in the White Lotus Sect were found, and there was no big gain for the time being. ”

Zhu Houzhao glanced at him unhappily and said:

"That's it, I now order you to strictly investigate the remnants of the White Lotus in Datong and the Northern Frontier Army, and you must uproot them.

If I hear about any conspiracy among the officials and generals of Datong in the future, you are the only one who asks! ”

"The old slave obeys."

"Okay, now that the alliance is over, I will return to Beijing in a few days, so you can put your heart in your stomach.

If there is anything else, just tell Jiang Qing, I have to go back to rest now. ”

After that, Zhu Houzhao also slipped back to the inner courtyard.

Zhang Yuan was just about to speak, but when he saw this scene, he was stunned.

He still has a belly of exhortation.

Suddenly, he looked at Jiang Ning and sprinkled all the fire on him:

"Jiang Ning, before that, Your Majesty left a hundred officials and left Beijing at will regardless of the country's social affairs, is it all your demagoguery? !

You are indeed a servant who has brought disaster to the country and the people! Put Your Majesty in such a dangerous situation, can you afford to take it if something happens?

I think you are the former eunuch Wang Zhen, for his own selfish interests, flattery, instigating His Majesty to inspect the northern frontier, and also saying that he is allied with Duoyan Sanwei.

Phew! You are a lucky villain who can't do anything, and you dare to get involved in such a national event!

When I can return to the capital, I will definitely ask Your Majesty to participate in you, and it is best to sentence you to be beheaded! ”

Jiang Ning was furious, and the previous wine rubbed on the ground, and directly kicked Zhang Yuan over, and shouted:

"What are you that dare to insult me here?

Zhang Yuan, as a member of the court and an important minister of the country, you can't assist Your Majesty in creating a ruling world and benefiting the people, and you can't guard one side and protect the territory and the people, you are just a cyst worm who eats all day long and has nothing to do!

What face do you have against me? Is it really good to be an official?! ”

Zhang Yuan got up from the ground in embarrassment, trembling and said:

"You dare to beat up the court officials? I will now go to your majesty to impeach you, impeach you severely. ”

Jiang Ning sneered:

"What else are you going to do but impeach?

Besides, which eye did you see me beating you?

If there is no evidence, don't blame this official for framing you for slandering your colleagues! ”

As he spoke, he looked at Gu Dayong and said, "Grandpa Gu, have you seen it?" ”

Gu Da shook his head with a smile and said:

"We didn't see anything. I only saw that Master Zhang somehow fell and gnawed on the mud, and he really didn't have the prestige of a court official at all.

Master Zhang, you should pay attention in the future. ”

Jiang Ning looked at Wu Cannu, who was not squinting, and said, "What about you?" ”

"If you go back to your lordship, your subordinates are here, and you haven't heard or seen anything."

"You, you!"

Zhang Yuan trembled and pointed at a few people, but a mouthful of old blood spurted out.

"Humph! The official had just returned from the banquet and had a terrible headache, so he didn't accompany Master Zhang much. ”

Jiang Ning threw off his sleeve robe and left directly with Wu Chounu.

Gu Da glanced at Zhang Yuan with disdain, and said in a sharp voice: "Master Jiang, wait for our family!" ”

Zhang Yuan stood in place, his face was blue and white: "Bastard, bastard, there is really no one in his eyes!" ”

Following.

Gu Dayong obeyed Zhu Houzhao's will to search the White Lotus Sect, and handled the case very wholeheartedly.

But the fly in the ointment is that he is really overdoing it.

From the relationship network with Qian An and Qian Ping's brothers, there is no need to say that those who have had business dealings.

Those who have eaten and drunk are not worth mentioning.

Even those who have spoken a few words will be arrested and tortured.

If you don't move, you will fight, and if you can't die, you will fight to death.

It was even more ferocious than Jiang Ning at that time.

In just two days, the Datong civil and military forces who were imprisoned in Datong did not know how many, and the Datong Yamen was directly suspended.

In addition, the border generals who were implicated with Zhang Sheng, the guard of the Pohu Pass, were also arrested.

A great purge was carried out directly in the army, and the entire Datong prison was overcrowded.

For a time, the people of the border army were panicked, and the morale of the army began to loosen.

The generals who were not found to be caught felt that according to such a method, sooner or later they would be connected to themselves, so they came to the door to ask to see Jiang Ning, hoping that he could intercede with Gu Dayong.

Jiang Ning knew that there must be a lot of unjust, false and wrongful cases in it, and understood that if this continued, the entire border army would be chaotic sooner or later, so he took the initiative to go to Gu Dayong to talk about it.

"Master Jiang, you don't know how hard these things are, our family greets them hard, but they just don't say it.

Our family has no choice but to arrest them all and interrogate them together.

You relax, there will be no chaos, when someone is completely recruited and the case is cleared, our family will naturally let people go.

It's a necessary means. ”

No matter how Jiang Ning persuaded him, Gu Dayong just didn't listen, obviously eager to make meritorious contributions, so that he could show his face in front of Zhu Houzhao.

As a result, the large strains are still unfolding, and even intensified.

Many officials began to attack their political enemies on weekdays, and the middle- and lower-level generals in the border army also slandered their former superiors in order to be able to take up positions.

There is a lot of noise in Datong City, and there is no joyful scene a few days ago.

Jiang Ning had no choice but to go to Zhu Houzhao.

"Your Majesty, you can't let Grandpa Gu continue any longer.

Otherwise, the morale of the border army is low, the morale of the army is unstable, and under such great pressure, there may be a mutiny! ”

Zhu Houzhao exclaimed: "Jiang Shi, it's not so serious, it's just to investigate the case." ”

Jiang Ning explains:

"But now he is too wide-ranging, and the generals who used to be prestigious in the army have been imprisoned, and those who have rushed to the position are all talented and unworthy people, how can they suppress the army.

What's more, the army guards the border day and night, day and night, and the mental pressure is very great, and if it continues like this, it will not last a few days, and there will be disaster. ”

Zhu Houzhao saw that what he said was conclusive, and he also realized the serious consequences, so he hurriedly said: "I'll let the big use convergence, and let it go without evidence." ”

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Jiang Ning breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go back to his residence.

At this time, Bai Wenqing suddenly found him:

"My lord, the commander of Taiyuan Wei Wuyang sent an invitation, saying that he was going to lead the army back to Taiyuan in a few days and invite your lord to the banquet."

Jiang Ning took the invitation and wondered, "How can this invitation be so thick?" ”

He opened it casually, only to see the invitation card open a long string full of names.

They are all middle- and high-level generals in the border army who have not yet been imprisoned, and I am afraid that there are not as many as hundreds of them.

"You're coming to me again."

Jiang Ning sighed: "Tell the person who sent the letter that this official will go to the banquet as promised." ”