The next day, the sage approved Chen Xilie's resignation, dismissed him as the left minister, and named him the crown prince and teacher.

Yang Guozhong once defeated the two major political enemies of Zhang Yan and Chen Xilie, and he thought that there were many things worth summarizing. For example, he is bold and careful, can keenly grasp the holy will, and dare to take risks; For example, he also understands priorities, and can temporarily unite with Xue Bai to get rid of the biggest threat first.

With these advantages, he reached the pinnacle of power.

"The sage agreed to remove Chen Xilie and let me choose a successor. Who is Bai Yi suitable for? ”

"Me?"

Faced with Yang Guozhong's half-tentative and half-inquiring question, Xue Bai casually responded to this word.

"Hahaha." Yang Guozhong laughed and said, "It's funny, it's sooner or later for you to pay homage to the prime minister." But now he is too young and his qualifications are not enough, so he has to endure and endure. ”

Xue Bai said: "How is my father-in-law? ”

Yang Guozhong was put there by these words, and in desperation, he comforted with kind words: "It's almost hot, wait for Yan Gong to return from Longyou's meritorious service." How about I recommend him as a servant of the ministry, and then introduce him to the picture? ”

"A word?"

"I usually value credibility the most, you can rest assured." Yang Guozhong said, "Just say that at the moment, who is suitable for the prime minister?" ”

Xue Bai said: "An Lushan is going to return to worship the prime minister soon, isn't it right?" ”

"How can Zahu really worship the prime minister."

"Don't you ask in front of the saints? Exploring the hearts of saints? Xue Bai said, "Leave someone in the capital, we always have a way to deal with him." ”

Now that Li Longji knows about Zhang Yan's leak, he must reconsider the matter of letting An Lushan return to Fanyang. If Yang Guozhong can strike while the iron is hot, he may really be able to stay in An Lushan in Chang'an, and replace Pinglu and Fan Yang with Gao Xianzhi.

Yang Guozhong's eyes flashed, and he said, "Okay, I will persuade the saint." ”

The matter was thus settled.

A few days later, Yang Guozhong, who was in charge of the dynasty alone, began to readjust the appointment of officials in Chang'an and Luoyang, which can be regarded as "a prime minister and a courtier".

According to the usual practice, the imperial court elected officials to fill the Que in the Ministry of Officials, and handed it to the Zhongshu Sect for reconsideration. When Xue Bai won the champion, the starting official also passed the official examination first, took the "Shuyan Body Judgment", made up for the que, and then Yang Zhen stamped under the door of the Chinese book, and finally got the official body.

Now that Yang Guozhong is also the secretary of the ministry, in order to show his authority, he simply elected officials in private houses, and let all the officials who wanted to make up for the lack line up in front of the gate, waiting in the heavy snow. This level selects those who are willing to show loyalty to him, and those who have backbone will not suffer this humiliation.

The beautiful concubines in Yang's house went up to the attic one after another, hiding behind the bamboo curtain to watch the excitement. When they saw the officials who were so cold that their noses were red and shivering, they pointed and laughed, and they looked very lively.

In a playful atmosphere, a purple-robed official walked into the lobby with a serious face.

This person has three long beards and an elegant temperament, and he is Wei Jiansu, who has just taken over the position of Chen Xilie's servant, and is also the secretary of the military department, the Pingzhangshi of the Tongzhong book, and the bachelor of Jixian Academy.

Wei Jiansu was a very talented official, with a relatively soft temperament, so he was able to survive during Li Linfu's reign, and his name was ranked last in Li Linfu's political opponent booklet. After Yang Guozhong took power, he also needed some people who were really capable of doing things, and he was willing to take refuge in Yang Guozhong.

As soon as he came, the beautiful concubines of the Yang Mansion looked at each other, clapped their hands and smiled: "There is a host in purple clothes, it is really an election official." ”

Wei Jiansu didn't hear it, sat down in the hall, and soon began to choose officials.

The first to come up was a young official in a green robe, who was not bad in size or appearance, but his eyes were blank and he looked dumbfounded.

"Name." Wei Jiansu waited for a while, and when he saw that the other party didn't speak, he asked.

"Oh, Yang Xuan. I want an official position in a red robe. ”

"The official position of the red robe?" Wei Jiansu didn't know what to say, and muttered and repeated.

Soon, a servant of the Yang family stepped over, handed over an official document, and whispered: "This is the eldest man of the right prime minister's family, and he wants to make up for a five-grade que." ”

Yang Xuan smiled, just looked up, looked at his grandfather's concubine from a distance, and waved his hand, causing another laugh.

Wei Jiansu took the document and looked at it, and said: "There are no three generals in the ministry, performance appraisal, selection, and appointment, this is ......."

He originally thought that Yang Guozhong's election of officials in his private house was like Li Linfu and Wang Jie, who brought official business back to his own house to do it. Now it seems that this is not the only case, but it seems that the entire process of conferring officials has become a hall.

No matter how authoritarian Li Linfu was, he never abolished the rules of the various yamen.

Just as he was thinking, another servant stepped forward and said, "Left and right, call you over." ”

Wei Jiansu turned his head and glanced back, bypassed the screen, and saw a group of meat screens surrounding Yang Guozhong, so he said, "Right Phase." ”

"I am the secretary of the ministry, and since the person has come to my house, he has been appointed by the ministry. Since you are there, you have passed the statute of the province under the door. How can there be so many scheming? ”

"Whoa."

So, Wei Jiansu, the left minister, retreated to his position, approved Yang Xuan's award, and said, "Next." ”

The next one to come over was an old acquaintance, and his official position was not low, it was Yang Guozhong's henchman, Yang Guanghui, the young secretary of Taifu.

"Yang Shaoqing." Wei Jiansu was surprised: "What are you?" ”

"That's right." Yang Guanghui took a few steps forward and said with a smile: "Since Han Xiulin was appointed as the envoy of the Hedong Jiedu, the position of the deputy envoy of the Jiedu has been empty for a long time. Han Xiulin is a martial artist, and he can't be Taiyuan Yin, I wanted to recommend myself for a long time, but there has been no result. ”

Wei Jiansu frowned.

He knew the cause and effect of the incident. Taiyuan is the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty, so Taiyuan Yin's official rank is very high, and if Yang Guanghui can take this position, it will be extremely beneficial to his future.

Yang Guanghui had indeed been staring at that position for a long time, but he was blocked by Xue Bai, the strategic location of Hedong was not ordinary, and Xue Bai had been recommending Li Guangbi to go over a while ago. Yang Guozhong was afraid that An Lushan would sit big, and he was thinking about it for a while, but as a result, Li Guangbi was transferred to Shuofang.

At present, it seems that this position may still belong to Yang Guanghui......

This kind of official awarding is nothing more than placing Yang Guozhong's henchmen in various positions in the imperial court one by one, as if they were flowing smoothly.

After disposing of several documents one after another, Wei Jiansu didn't even bother to lift his head, just stamped it. After that, someone walked up in front of him.

"Name."

"Xue Bai."

Wei Jiansu raised his head, was slightly stunned, and asked, "What official does Xue Lang want to award?" ”

"Let me think about it."

Xue Bai answered, bowed his head slightly, and walked behind the screen to find Yang Guozhong. saw Yang Guozhong leaning on the arms of the two fat maids and was already asleep. In this situation, he still sleeps quite well.

"Brother?"

After a few calls in succession, a fat maid helped wake up Yang Guozhong, he yawned and woke up. Seeing that Xue Bai was coming, he nodded, his expression was no longer as enthusiastic as when he met before.

"Ah Bai, you sit. Do you want to get an official today? I'm also thinking about the right one for you. ”

Xue Bai shook his head and asked, "Since Wei Jiansu was elected as the left minister, the one in the north, how did Brother Elder consider it?" ”

Yang Guozhong avoided Xue Bai's gaze, and Lang smiled to hide his embarrassment.

Compared with the overall situation, he is of course more concerned about not letting An Lushan replace his phase. Therefore, in order to avoid the situation of An Lushan staying in Chang'an, he couldn't wait to promote Wei Jiansu as the left minister, which was completely contrary to Xue Bai's intentions.

But what he said was still very good, and said: "Ah Bai, don't worry, I have already told the sage according to your idea, and the sage also feels that it is very reasonable, and I think he will soon agree to appoint the general to Fanyang." ”

This progress was beyond Xue Bai's expectations, he came to see this smoky miasma scene today, but he actually didn't expect Yang Guozhong.

"Delegated generals? Gao Xianzhi? ”

~~

Xingqing Palace.

"Chen Xian Yu Zhongtong, please be healthy saint."

"No need to be polite, Xian Yuqing is still used to staying in Chang'an?"

Xian Yu Zhongtong bowed his head respectfully, and felt a little uneasy after listening to the sage's question. After feeling this problem, I am afraid that I want to let him out.

He hurriedly responded: "Minister, habit." ”

Li Longji was stunned, looked at the scar on Xian Yu Zhongtong's face with a scrutinizing gaze, and said to himself: "Qing is in Nanzhao, he has done a good job. ”

"Be loyal to the country, and dare not be praised by the saints."

"I remember, you are from Yuyang, Jizhou?"

"This ...... Chen's ancestral home is Yuyang, but he grew up in Sichuan and Shu since he was a child, and he is a Shu person. ”

Li Longji didn't care about Xian Yu Zhongtong's answer, he asked these questions because he was thinking about it.

He had strictly ordered Zhang Yan not to reveal his intentions, but Zhang Yan still disappointed him, so that An Lushan's loyalty no longer made him fully believe. He finally began to wonder if it was really possible for the cute fat man who was dancing to make him laugh and make him revolt?

If you want to choose a general to replace An Lushan to guard the north, it is not easy to decide.

Li Longji considered Gao Xianzhi, but finally rejected this idea. He was not willing to directly dismiss An Lushan, so as not to involve too much, and hoped to appoint a deputy envoy of Fan Yang Jiedu to familiarize himself with the situation in the north, and then slowly figure it out. Gao Xianzhi is not suitable, his temperament is too arrogant, and he is not handled properly, he is afraid of provoking chaos.

After consulting Yang Guozhong about this matter, Yang Guozhong gave a candidate, which was Xian Yu Zhongtong in front of him. After the summons, Li Longji was very satisfied, thinking that this general was humble and respectful, calm and prudent, and even the victory in the battle of Nanzhao made people feel very confident.

"There are always people in the court who say that An Lushan has bad intentions, if I order you to be the deputy envoy of Fan Yang Jiedu and go to investigate, do you have any plans?"

"I am afraid that I will live up to the holy will."

Xian Yu Zhongtong wanted to refuse at first, he was the deputy envoy of Jiedu before the Battle of Nanzhao, and finally became a high-ranking official in Chang'an, and he was ready to enjoy the blessings, how could he want to start all over again?

But the saint stood up and paced in the temple, talking about all kinds of evils in Hebei. Although he had never been there once, he knew the situation in the north well, the chaos of Han and Hu mixed settlements, the frequent wars of foreign invasions in the south, and the imminent destruction of the Khitan, the situation was naturally very complicated.

"Everyone knows that I love An Lushan, but they don't know that I have been paying attention to Fan Yang. The officials who can appoint past officials are the ones I trust the most. ”

After that, Li Longji looked directly at Xian Yu Zhongtong and said, "Qing Fang is returning from my southern expedition, and he wants to fight for my north, and he will go to my imperial garden to choose a good horse to help his feet." ”

This saint was a very charismatic person, who was rarely greatly affected by Zhongtong, and his heart was surging, and he immediately received his will.

After waiting for the wax moon, he was about to leave for Fanyang.

~~

Fan Yang.

In a newly renovated house, gongs and drums are celebrating the wedding of a couple.

The groom was thirty years old, born with a dignified appearance, tall figure, and fair skin, but unfortunately there were several missing teeth in his mouth when he opened his mouth, and it was Yang Qixuan from Chang'an.

He married the daughter of a general named An Shouzhong in Fan Yang.

This An Shouzhong is probably the brother of An Lushan, and his status is not low, and he is a chubby Sogdian. When he saw Yang Qixuan, he liked it very much, and threatened to marry his daughter to him, and when others heard about it, they all congratulated Yang Qixuan, and he agreed to marry.

Licheng, Yang Qixuan completed his second wedding, and before he could go to Qinglu to meet his new wife, he was dragged to a group of generals to drink.

"Okay, you'll be your own person from now on."

"Yes, yes."

After that, the bride's relatives raised the wine and drank it heartily.

They were all core figures under An Lushan's command, most of them Sogdians, who spoke in a whispering voice, and sometimes deliberately used Chinese when they remembered it, and Yang Qixuan could understand some words, and some could not understand them.

It is probably said that the Sogdians are all married to the same race, and it is rare to marry outsiders like this, because Yang Qixuan is too good to let An Shouzhong marry his daughter. Yang Qixuan was very useful when he heard it, and he was proud of it.

Drinking until late at night, the drunk guests fell asleep directly in Yang's house, a chaotic scene.

Yang Qixuan had a headache for the rudeness of these people, but everyone will be relatives in the future, and he can't do anything about them, so he goes to Qinglu.

The night in the north was very cold, he was a little drunk, looking at the red curtain set off by the bonfire, he couldn't help but think of Li Shiniang.

I still remember that year, when he was sixteen years old, because of the order of his parents and the words of the matchmaker, he married the daughter of the prime minister's house. When she entered the cave room, she impatiently threw away the fan in her hand without waiting for him to get ready.

She was actually very beautiful when she was young, and she amazed him. Unfortunately, she soon grabbed his ear......

Yang Qixuan thought about this, and suddenly felt a little itchy in his ears. When I touched it with my hand, I was not used to the weather in the north and had frostbite.

He sighed, and thought of the words Xue Bai said when he was in Chang'an Prison.

"You are just a waste, leaving the family and Li Shiniang, you are nothing. But if you're fed up with the days that are destined to get worse and worse, I'll give you a chance to start over...... Do things for me, make a contribution, and I will give you a chance to find your wife and children. ”

At that time, Yang Qixuan thought that Li Shiniang had snatched his children, and he had to snatch them back. Even if he pretended to agree to Xue Bai first, get out of prison, and find a way out later. So, he was arranged to leave Jingzhao Mansion Prison with Ji Wen and come to Fan Yang, becoming an eyeliner that Xue Bai planted in Fan Yang.

Givin is nothing but a useless shell, an illusion. No one could have imagined that he, who seemed mediocre and incompetent, was the one who really took on the heavy responsibility.

But after arriving in Fan Yang, Yang Qixuan's mind gradually changed, and the cowardly side of his personality gradually gained the upper hand. So he decided to learn from Ji Wen, completely surrender to An Lushan, and not give Xue Bai any details. He didn't believe it, could Xue Bai really kill all the children he left in Chang'an? With Li Shiniang's temperament, she must not follow.

When I entered the Qinglu, I saw a woman in a thick robe sitting there. The Sogdians believed that the bride wore plain clothes, but not all white, with green flowers, and a gold belt of ten thousand nails tied around her waist, decorated with various jewels, which looked very dazzling against the firelight.

Although the bride's dress is a Sogdian tradition, she holds a fan, as if to represent the meaning of marrying a Han and marrying a husband.

Yang Qixuan couldn't see the face of the fresh lady, but felt her shame. couldn't help but think of Li Jilan, maybe because Li Shiniang was too strong, he really liked that kind of shy woman.

I hope this bride is a beautiful ...... The fan faded, and Yang Qixuan's face gradually froze.

"Gross."

The wine was surging, and he felt a twitch in his stomach, almost throwing up.

Immediately after, as soon as the cold wind blew, he shivered, quickly sobered up, and the words that Xue Bai had said echoed in his mind.

"The worse it gets, the worse it gets......"

His life is like a snowball on Yan Mountain in the distance, constantly rolling down, rolling faster and faster, sooner or later he will be crushed, he really desperately hopes to stop all this.

~~

"Hahaha, my niece, did you sleep well last night?"

In the early morning of the next day, An Lushan was discussing affairs with his confidants, and when he turned his head to see An Shouzhong coming with his daughter and son-in-law, he greeted him with a laugh.

"Uncle Xie picked a handsome husband for me."

"Hehe, your husband is not only handsome, he also has a noble background." An Lushan still has low self-esteem in his bones, and he is very envious of the background of Yang Qixuan's three kings and two Ke families.

"Abel didn't come to my wedding yesterday, and he didn't bring any gifts."

"I'm too fat to walk." An Lushan said: "What gift do you want?" ”

"Gold." An said: "I will set him with a few gold teeth and a gold chain......

She didn't ask Yang Qixuan what she thought, she only regarded Yang Qixuan as an object that could be decorated by her heart, like her foal.

Sogdian wives were of high status, allowing them to divorce their husbands and have the right to remarry. In addition, An Shouzhong's status is far higher than Yang Qixuan's, and An's is naturally stronger in this marriage.

Yang Qixuan didn't want to put a few gold teeth in his mouth, but he could only purse his lips and smile bitterly.

Everywhere he looked, he saw a few maps on the table, because those who came today were the core figures in Fan Yang's forces, and they didn't put them away. Yan Zhuang and Gao Shang were writing and painting on the map, discussing something to themselves.

Yang Qixuan narrowed his eyes and noticed that there were two routes on the map. In addition to the normal route to Chang'an, there is also a route to Taiyuan.

And solemnity and nobility are being discussed around Taiyuan.

On that day, after leaving An Lushan's house, Yang Qixuan made an excuse and walked alone in Fanyang City.

These days, he walked through the streets and alleys, but did not find Fenghui Bank. However, the method that Xue Bai had told him to pass on the news was to send the information to Fenghui Bank by exchanging money.

Probably because the sphere of influence can't reach Fan Yang. Yang Qixuan was very disappointed and prepared to go home as usual.

But thinking of An's who was powerful in the house, he hesitated for a moment, looked around, chose a teahouse to sit down, and ordered the most expensive tea.

This was the first time he spent money in the market since he arrived in Fanyang, and he took out a string of copper coins from his sleeve and threw them away.

"Wait a minute, officer."

The little guy put the money into his purse and was about to serve tea, but the moment he turned around, Yang Qixuan suddenly shouted: "Slow." ”

"What do you command?"

"You're ...... Flying money? Yang Qixuan pointed to a few bills in his purse, his eyes showing surprise.

"Yes."

"Where? There are no money shops in the city. ”

"Jiedu Mansion prohibits flying money, but how many businessmen are in Fanyang City, how can they stop it? If you want to exchange money, you only need to go to Nanshi and find a Sogdian merchant at random to exchange it. ”

Yang Qi declared: "Does Anfujun care? ”

"The people who do these businesses are all relatives of An Fujun, how can they manage it......

Yang Qixuan couldn't drink tea, so he went to Nanshi in a hurry.

When he arrived at the place, he found a merchant who could exchange money, took out a piece of gold and pretended to exchange it for flying money, and kept asking where their flying money came from.

"Don't worry, the guest officer, my flying money is all guaranteed by the Anjia caravan, and it is definitely the real money from Fenghui Bank."

"Which caravan?"

"Look, that's the steward of the caravan."

Yang Qixuan turned his head to look and was surprised to find that it was a personal servant of his father-in-law, An Shouzhong, and they had met each other at the wedding, it was a Sogdian, with a mouthful of black teeth and a smell of wine.

This obviously couldn't be Fenghuixing's eyeliner, so Yang Qixuan stepped forward to say hello, saying that he wanted to exchange money, and the other party should take him to the store.

When I entered the door and went directly to the backyard, I heard a "crackling" sound from the back hall, but it was many tent gentlemen sitting in the tent, everyone was wearing the same plain clothes, almost the same movements, so that people couldn't recognize who was who.

But Yang Qixuan could already feel a pair of scrutinizing eyes staring at him......

~~

The time soon came to the wax moon.

In the harsh winter, farming is idle, the family and the country have nothing to do, only some people who are obsessed with fame are still pondering various power struggles all day long.

Xue Bai received a letter from Longyou on this day, which was handed by Ge Shuhan, saying that Li Guangbi had resigned from Shuofang because he was ill, and asked Xue Bai if he could manage to transfer Li Guangbi from Shuofang back to Chang'an.

In this way, the matter of recommending Li Guangbi as the deputy envoy of Hedong Jiedu took a turn for the better.

But on the other hand, the timing has not been right. After Yang Guozhong got rid of two political enemies, the interests of Xue Bai and Xue Bai became more and more different, and it was difficult for Xue Bai to borrow his hands to play chess.

After that, Wang Rare and Li Sheng were about to take office in Yunzhong, and Xue Bai sent them off with wine and talked about the matter.

"How can you cure the community well with these insects and beetles?!"

Li Sheng scolded indignantly, and said: "The reason why An Lushan harmed Wang Jieshuai is that the heart of Hedong is not dead, and Yang Guozhong actually wants to let a waste pass." ”

It is rare for Wang to be in Chang'an these days, seeing that Yang Guozhong's election of officials is in a miasma, and he is also unhappy, and said: "The saint actually let these insects and beetles plague. ”

"Take your time." Xue Bai said, "It's not that we haven't gained, General Wang, you go to the clouds, Xian Yuzhong leads to Fanyang, which is already a lot of clamping on An Lushan." If you are in a hurry, it is easy to push him backwards. ”

"Not bad." Wang rarely groaned: "If I am An Lushan, I will be called to Beijing." If you haven't left yet, you will first hear that Xian Yu Zhongtong is coming to stay behind, and then hear that General Li has arrived in Hedong, and you will inevitably be vigilant in your heart. ”

In such a situation of internal and external troubles, the three of them felt very difficult. At the end, Xue Bai raised his wine glass and toasted them, and said, "The two generals will go to Hedong first, and when An Lushan leaves Fanyang, I will make arrangements." ”

"Okay."

Wang Rare and Li Sheng were very simple, took the wine and drank it all, but it was not even the New Year's Festival, and when the documents of the imperial court were completed, they went to Hedong in the harsh winter wax moon.

Xue Bai sent them off and returned home, but saw Du Yan coming, chatting with Yan Yan with a stove.

"I have something to say to Xue Bai, can Sanniang avoid it for a while?" Seeing Xue Bai coming back, Du Yan immediately smiled.

"Okay." Yan Yan was not annoyed, walked to the door, and waved her fist at Xue Bai. I thought to myself, sooner or later, one day, I should let him discuss everything with him.

There were only two people left in the room, but Du Yan rarely didn't laugh with him, and her face became more solemn.

"How?"

"I didn't expect that there was really news coming back from Fanyang."

Xue Bai said: "This is a good thing, it can be seen that the eyeliner we planted can be used." ”

"But the news is bad." Du Yan said, "An Lushan is going to Taiyuan, what should you know what this means?" ”

When Xue Bai heard this, his expression froze, and his face became serious.

Of course he knew what that meant, he had done too much in the past few days, and if one was not good, it was really possible to force An Lushan to reverse......

(End of chapter)