In the middle of the night, the night was as dark as ink.

In a courtyard in the northwest of the Forbidden City, a star light suddenly lit up, and several dim figures reflected on the thin window paper, jumping and swaying with the dim candlelight.

A black shadow entered from the outside of the courtyard wall, jumping like light smoke on the eaves of the lit room, followed by an "upside-down golden hook", leaning towards the window with his head and feet. I saw him dip his fingers in a little spit, and with great care, he pierced a hole in the window paper, and looked into the house close to his eyes.

There are three people in the house, one sitting and two stops. The man sitting at the head of the table of the Eight Immortals was about thirty-five or sixteen years old, wearing a brown long-haired placket and a thick velvet cloak. He is Liang Fang, the imperial horse supervisor and eunuch of this dynasty.

Among the 24 yamen of the eunuchs of this dynasty, the celebrant and the imperial horse eunuch are the two most important inner court yamen. On behalf of the emperor, the celebrant examines and approves the cabinet tickets, and the cabinet is in fact the "internal minister"; the imperial horse supervisor and the military department and the governor jointly hold the military authority, which is actually the "cardinal office" of the inner court. Although Liang Fang served as the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, but because he won the favor of Wan Guifei, the current emperor Zhu Jian loved the house and Wu, and he was still obedient to him;

The person standing beside Liang Fang, dressed in a goose hat brocade coat, with a palace forbidden gold medal hanging from his waist, is also in his early thirties. This person is Liang Fang's younger brother Liang De, and the official residence is a thousand households in the Fusi pro-army office in Weibei Town, Jinyi.

At the beginning, Jinyi Wei was the "Gong Wei Division", responsible for the emperor's honor guard and guards. In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, in order to strengthen the centralized rule, ordered the abolition of the Gongwei Division, replaced the Jinyi Guard, and specially ordered him to take charge of the prison and give him the right to patrol and arrest. In order to facilitate the operation, Jinyiwei has set up the North and South Town Fu Division. The "Nanzhen Fusi" was responsible for the legal and military discipline of the Benwei, while the "Beizhen Fusi" passed on the cases approved by the emperor and had an independent prison (edict), which could arrest, torture, and execute "prisoners" on their own without having to go through the triage of the three legal divisions of the imperial court. Liang De, who is a thousand households in the Fusi pro-army of Beizhen, although his rank and quality are not high, but because he is the leader of the "Ticai" under the "direct jurisdiction of the emperor", his power has also reached the extreme.

Opposite the Liang Fang brothers stood a man of medium stature, dressed in a navy blue sheepskin robe, with a light yellow embroidered ribbon around his waist, and a pair of sheepskin Mongolian boots that reached his knees. This man was the envoy of the Mongol-Tatar tribe Dayan Khan Batu Munk.

Not long ago, Batu Munke gathered 100,000 elites to attack Ningxia, Qingyang, Guyuan and other places on the border of the Ming Dynasty, and was severely damaged by the army led by Zhaowu general Li Biao. In desperation, he signed an alliance with the Ming court, saying that he would pay tribute and never invade. And with Almu as a special envoy, he brought a table, good horses, and jewels to Beijing to meet the emperor of the Heavenly Dynasty to show his submission.

At this time, the Mongolian envoy Almu had just entered the house, and Liang Fang, as the master, sat on the Taishi chair with his "Erlang legs" crossed and did not get up, but only symbolically owed his body, and said in a "Beijing accent" with a Lingnan accent:

"The Amur envoy came at night, and our family did not welcome us from afar, and we hope to forgive our sins. Special Envoy Amur, please be seated. After speaking, he stretched out his finger and pointed to the chair across the table, his expression quite arrogant.

"Disturb late at night, and ask Liang Gonggong Haihan. Amr clasped his right hand to his chest, bowed and bowed, then walked to the empty Taishi chair and sat down.

"The special envoy invited our family to talk at night, I don't know what is important?"

"The Great Khan of our country has long admired the prestige of his father-in-law, and this time he sent an envoy to the Celestial Empire, and he was specially ordered to make a special visit under him. This is a handwritten letter from the Great Khan of our Kingdom to Liang Gonggong. As he spoke, Almu took out a letter sealed with fire paint from his bosom and handed it to Liang Fang with both hands.

Liang Fang did not answer the letter, and asked suspiciously: "Letter to our family, how can the Great Khan of your country look down on our family so much, and what does he want to say to our family?"

Almu pushed the letter in his hand forward again, and said in an ominous voice: "Doesn't my father-in-law know everything after reading it?"

Liang Fang snorted lightly, stretched out his right hand and "clipped" the letter with two fingers, carelessly removed the fire paint, took out the letter and scanned it, then raised his head and sneered at Almu:

"The Great Khan of your country ordered the envoy to send a letter mysteriously, just to say these things that are not salty or light? This kind of thing should be said to the emperor and the ministers of the six ministries, what is the meaning of running to talk to our family in the middle of the night?"

Almu smiled faintly, got up and paced behind Liang Fang: "Father-in-law Liang may not have seen the meaning of the letter of the Great Khan of our country, you can see ......" as he spoke, he nodded a few points on the letterhead with his hand.

Liang Fang followed Almu's fingers all the way, the muscles on his cheeks shook a few times, and then he regained his composure and pondered.

Almu returned to his seat, picked up the tea bowl that was about to cool, and brushed the floating leaves on the water with the lid, but his eyes were fixed on Liang Fang.

After a long time, Liang Fang slapped the letterhead on the case and reprimanded in a low voice: "Okay, you Almu, the envoy who sued for peace still dared to ...... Ade, send off, speak to the Jinluan Hall tomorrow morning. ”

Almu seemed to have expected Liang Fang's reaction and did not panic. He gently put down the tea bowl in his hand and said unhurriedly: "Father-in-law Liang is not impatient. There is one more thing below for my father-in-law to see. After the father-in-law saw it, how did he fall and listen to the respect. After speaking, he took out an unsealed piece of origami from his arms and handed it to Liang Fang.

Liang Fang looked at Almu and ignored him, but when he saw that he looked calm, he reached out and took it.

Who knows that if you don't look at it, your face will change dramatically at a glance. He grabbed Almu's unretracted hand and asked in a deep voice, "Where did you get this?"

Almu withdrew his hand and replied, "It was written by the national teacher of our country and handed it to me, what's wrong?"

"National Teacher, is this what your 'National Teacher' wrote?" Liang Fang accentuated his tone when he said the word "National Teacher".

"Yes, I will see him writing it in his own hand. ”

Liang Fang lowered his head and pondered the origami for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Unbelievable, unbelievable." This...... That's not true, is it?"

Almu has been to the Celestial Empire several times and can be called a "China expert", but he is not proficient in the understanding of the Celestial Empire culture. He thought that Liang Fang questioned the falsity of this letter, and said with a little dissatisfaction at the moment: "Liang Gonggong means that he is defrauding, this envoy is just an errand, and now the letter has been delivered, believe it or not, listen to it." Farewell!" he raised his leg and walked out the door.

"Special Envoy Almu, please stay. Liang Fang stopped Almu, "Special envoy Almu misunderstood, our family did not doubt the authenticity of this letter, but it was too sudden, and it was just a little shocked." Special Envoy Almu, please be seated. ”

Almu realized that he would be wrong, so he sat down again, pointed to Batu Munch's letterhead on the table and asked Liang Fang, "So, Liang's father-in-law agreed?"

"This ......," Liang Fang said.

"Big brother, you ......"

"Shhhh Liang Fang's right index finger was on his lips and intercepted Liang De's words. Then he gave him a look and swayed his chin slightly towards the door.

Liang De understood, turned around and walked out the door.

Seeing this, the black shadow hanging under the eaves hurriedly climbed onto the roof and prostrated with bated breath. After Liang De entered the house, he repeated the trick and hung upside down in front of the window.

Liang De walked around the front and back of the house, and saw that there was nothing unusual, so he quickly returned to the house, closed the door, shook his head at Liang Fang, and then said in Liang Fang's ear with the words that had not been finished just now: "What are you hesitating about, big brother? Those places are like chicken ribs, and they are tasteless if they are abandoned and eaten." It is better to agree to others, which not only fulfills their wishes, but also reduces a lot of burdens for the imperial court. Moreover...... And so rich......" At this point, he stopped talking, his eyes fixed on the letterhead on the table, and the throat bag around his neck throbbed up and down a few times as he swallowed saliva.

"Though there is a lot of gold and silver, it must be spent only with a life. Liang Fang lowered her voice and said with a glare.

The brothers discussed in front of Almu, and naturally lowered their voices very low, Almu, who was in the same room, did not understand, and the black shadows outside the window were holding their breath and listening attentively, and they only saw their lips opening and closing, how could they hear a sentence clearly?

Brother Liang Fang whispered for a long time, but never showed his attitude. Almu looked a little anxious and asked, "What about Gong Liang's intentions?" ”

Liang Fang seemed to have made up his mind, pushed the letter in front of Almu, and said, "Our family is weak, I am afraid that we will disappoint the Great Khan of your country." ”

"Father-in-law Liang, please think about it again. Almu didn't want to give up and persuaded him.

"There's really nothing we can do about it. Liang Fang hesitated for a moment and said helplessly.

"That being the case, I had no choice but to return to the Great Khan and ask the national master to persuade my father-in-law. Almu slowly folded the letter and put it in the envelope, but his eyes were secretly paying attention to Liang Fang's reaction.

Liang Fang seemed to be very jealous of the Mongolian national teacher, shook his hand and said, "It's not that our family is unwilling. Our family is a royal horse eunuch, and he really can't control the court. Unless ......"

A flash of joy flashed across Almu's face, and he casually placed the half-packed letter on the table and asked, "Unless what?"

Liang Fang leaned closer to Almu and muttered in Almu's ear in a low voice.

After listening to Liang Fang's words, Almu clapped his hands lightly and said happily: "This plan is very good. There will be no problem with the Great Khan and the National Teacher, please rest assured that Gonggong Liang. However, in the next clumsy tongue, I'm afraid that the words will not be satisfied, so please ask my father-in-law to return a book. ”

Liang Fang knew that Almu wanted his own handwritten "certificate", so he waved his hand to Liang De at the moment: "Ade, take the pen and paper." ”

Liang De took the paper, ink, pen and inkstone, added a little tea to the inkstone, grinded it with ink, laid out the rice paper, licked the brush and inked it, and handed it to Liang Fang.

Liang Fang stretched out his hand to take it, pondered for a long time, and seemed to not know where to start, so he put the brush on the inkstone, got up and paced in circles around the room.

It was only after the tea that Liang Fang stopped spinning in circles, walked quickly to the table, and waved the paper. This time, there was no delay, a wave of it, and then solemnly stamped a private seal at the check-off place. Wait until the ink and ink are dry, and then give it to Almu to see. After Almu looked at it, he looked at Liang Fang with a puzzled gaze. Liang Fang pointed his finger at the letter Almu had brought, and then on his own. Almu understood, read the letter written by Liang Fang carefully, read the words in his mouth, and finally showed a satisfied smile and gave Liang Fang a thumbs up to express his satisfaction. Liang Fang put the letterhead in an envelope, sealed it with fire paint, and handed it to Almu.

Almu took the letter, put it properly in the leather jacket on his chest, and said to Liang Fang: "This is the matter, I will say goodbye." ”

Liang Fang arched his hand towards Almu and said, "Ade, you send Almu's envoy to the post house, pay attention to safety." ”

"Yes. Liang De agreed, turned around and stretched out his hand to Almu: "Almu's envoy, please." ”

"Farewell. Almu bowed to Liang Fang and walked out of the house first.

After Almu left, Liang Fang carefully read the letter of the "little prince" (the Ming people's habit of calling the Mongolian Dayan Khan Batu Munk), then rolled it into a round strip with his hands, took off the "Autumn Colors of the Mountains and Rivers" hanging behind the table, stuffed the letter into the scroll, and then hung it back in its original place. Then he took a few steps back, looked at the painting from different directions, and made sure that there were no flaws, before blowing out the candle and walking towards the bedroom.

As soon as the lights in the house went out, the black shadow outside the house used a dagger to pull open the window bolt, carefully pushed open the window, jumped into the room, groped for the "shaft" of the "Autumn Colors of the Rivers and Mountains", poured out the letter, and then turned around and went out of the house, crossed the courtyard wall, and rushed in the direction of the post house.

Besides, Liang De had stood for more than an hour on a cold winter night, his feet had already frozen, and he wished he could get into the hot kang quilt as soon as possible to warm up. After he sent Almu to the door of the inn, he said goodbye to him and turned back without waiting for Armu to enter.

This space happens to give the dark shadow lurking on the side a perfect opportunity. Just as Almu was about to raise his hand and knock on the door, a dark shadow appeared behind him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

Almu thought that Liang De was going and returned, turned around, and was about to talk, but saw a masked man in a night suit in front of him, and suddenly his soul flew away, and he involuntarily let out an "ah".

The masked man lightningly lit up Almu's dumb hole and pulled out the letter in his arms. Then let go of his steps and quickly disappear into the night.

Liang De had just walked not far away, when he suddenly heard Almu screaming, and hurriedly turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"

Almu's hands shook wildly, and his mouth kept babbling. Liang De was shocked, only to know that Almu was plotted by someone, and hurriedly brushed his acupuncture points open.

"Quick, the letter was stolen by the masked man. Almu was stunned and gasped.

"Huh?" Liang De heard that his scalp was exploding, and he hurriedly asked, "Masked man, in which direction did he go?"

"Over there. Almu pointed to the left.

Liang De looked to the left, and vaguely saw a light-colored figure running, so he chased after him, and explained as he ran: "The envoy please rest in the post house first, I will come to you for something." Before the words fell, the figure was already a few feet away.

Liang De is fast, and the masked man seems to be faster. After about two miles of pursuit, the figure in front of him became more and more blurred, and finally disappeared at the end of the alley. Liang De knew that this person's light work was not under him, so he gave up tracking and hurried back home.

As soon as he entered the door, he didn't have time to catch his breath, so he rushed directly to Liang Fang's bedroom and shouted in a low voice: "Big brother, it's not good, the letter on Almu's body was stolen by a masked man." ”

Liang Fang was about to go to bed after soaking her feet, when she heard Liang De shouting, she secretly complained in her heart: "I'm really afraid of anything." He immediately put on his overboots again, and as he got out of bed, he asked, "What's going on?" ”

Liang Dejiang said it briefly.

"Is it a coincidence or a premeditation?" Liang Fang's mind turned sharply, feeling that things might not be simple, so he beckoned to Liang Deyi: "Let's go, go to the study and have a look." ”

Liang Fang and Liang De walked quickly to the study, lit the candles, took off the shaft head of "Autumn Colors of Rivers and Mountains", and looked inside by the candlelight, and it was empty. Liang Fang immediately guessed what happened: someone overheard his conversation with Almu outside the house, stole the little prince's letter after he left the study, and then rushed ahead of Almu, ambushed outside the post house, and when Liang De returned and Almu was alone, he accidentally stole the letter from him.

Who is this person? Why does he know about my secret conversation with Almu late at night? Liang Fang's body shook and shuddered.

While I was thinking about what to do, I heard a slight sound from the roof. Liang Fang was startled again, and after dropping the sentence "Ade looks after the house", he quickly jumped out of the door, looked up and saw that there was nothing on the roof. So he slapped his palms into the void, rose from the ground, kicked the wall and climbed onto the roof, only to see a gray shadow moving in the southeast direction not far away. Liang Fang didn't have time to think about it, so he chased after him with light skills. After chasing for about half an hour, he came to a small forest in the suburbs, the gray shadow stopped his figure, turned to Liang Fang and said, "I didn't expect to live in the palace, and my senior brother's light skills are the same as in the past, and I haven't pulled them down at all." ”

Liang Fang paused, and asked in a deep voice, "Who is the honorable driver, who dares to deliberately lead our family here?"

The man smiled "haha": "Senior brother Rinnai, please." ”

It's a blessing or a curse, and it's a disaster that can't be avoided. Liang Fang gritted his teeth, his hands were on guard, and he strode towards the woods with the man. In the depths of the forest, I vaguely saw seven or eight figures lined up, standing facing him.

Just as he was hesitating, a hoarse voice came out: "Ah Fang, the old man is here." ”

When Liang Fang heard this unique voice, he hurriedly walked to him and knelt down on both knees: "Ah Fang visits the teacher......"

Before Liang Fang finished speaking, a hoarse voice rose again, "Look carefully, don't recognize the wrong person, the old man is now the national teacher of Mongolia." ”

"Yes, Ah Fang visited the national teacher. Liang Fang replied obediently and kowtowed respectfully to the man.

"Get up, get up, don't be polite. Although the night was dark in the forest, the "national teacher" still wore a human skin mask and looked dull, "Ah Fang, has the old man asked Almu to talk to you about the matter?"

"I've talked about it, but I'm alone, and I still need the help of the national teacher. Liang Fang replied cautiously.

"Hmm, how do you want the old man to help?" the "national teacher" was a little unhappy and asked coldly.

Liang Fang was afraid that the "national teacher" would be angry, so he hurriedly walked to his side and whispered in his ear for a while.

"Uh-huh. This method is not bad, the old man knows. The "national teacher" turned his anger into joy and nodded frequently.

"But ......," Liang Fang snorted, not daring to continue.

"But what?" the national teacher asked unhappily.

"Just now, those two letters were stolen by a masked man. ”

"What? Both letters were stolen by the masked man? What are you eating? Wouldn't it be a big deal if such a top-secret letter was stolen?" The "national teacher" was furious and scolded in a deep voice.

Liang Fang's knees weakened, and he knelt down in front of the "national teacher" again, and said in a trembling voice: "The national teacher is angry, things shouldn't be so bad." ”

"Isn't it bad if they've all been discovered?" the "national teacher" reprimanded.

"Both letters were written in a special way, and it was difficult to decipher unless agreed in advance. Liang Fang cautiously explained.

The "national teacher" seemed to believe it or not, and his tone softened: "The old man of Batu Munch has read it, and it is indeed not easy to crack, but how did you write that letter, can you still remember? ”

Liang Fang whispered in the ear of the "national teacher" for a while.

After hearing this, the "national teacher" thought for a long time and said: "Fortunately, if the old man doesn't know, I'm afraid he won't be able to crack it." But will the masked man hear you?"

Liang Fang looked up and thought for a while, then shook his head and said affirmatively: "That person did hear our conversation, but he definitely didn't know what we said. Because except for the little things, we talk about the important things in our ears. ”

"Even so, we still do what we do. Tell Armu that you don't have to write any more letters, lest there be any more complications. Batu Munch was there, and the old man told him personally. It's just that you have the right people for this plan?"

Liang Fang shook his head and replied, "I haven't thought of the right person yet. But on Ade's side, he should have a few cronies who might be of use to me. ”

The "national teacher" thought seriously for a while, shook his head and said, "This is not appropriate. Pulling out so many people from Ade at once will definitely arouse the suspicion of others. That way, you don't have to look for someone else. The "National Teacher" pointed to the few people standing beside him, and said to Liang Fang: "Your junior brothers are now the Golden Horde warriors of the Mongol Khanate, and the old man is the master and left them to help you act. ”

Liang Fang said: "If they can stay, they are naturally much more reliable. ”

The "National Teacher" pondered for a moment and said: "Although those two letters were written in a special way, there are many strange people in China, and it is inevitable that there will be people who will crack them. Recover the Epistle at all costs, and teach all who come into contact with it never to speak. Speaking of which, the "national teacher" is already full of voice.

"Understood. Liang Fang and the "junior brothers" replied in unison.

"So be it. After the old man leaves, you go your separate ways. As soon as the words fell, the "national teacher" had disappeared.

......

At the end of the day, the "official street drum" on the Wufeng Tower of the Forbidden City suddenly sounded, and the four gates on both sides of the noon gate suddenly opened.

"Hundred-official-in-court-"

In the shouts of the eunuchs in the hall, the long-awaited civil and military officials rushed in from the noon gate and walked to the Taihe Palace. Today's emperor Zhu Jianshen sat on the dragon chair, and the hundred officials lined up according to the sequence, kneeling down in unison:

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

"Zhong Aiqing is flat. ”

"Long live thanks!"

As soon as the emperor's voice fell, the minister of civil and military affairs stood up and stood facing north in two groups, east and west.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please start playing as soon as possible. The eunuch shouted sharply.

"Zheng Xin, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, has a book. ”

"Zheng Aiqing, please speak. ”

Zheng Xin said loudly:

"The special envoy of the Mongolian Dayan Khan Batu Mongke has completed the transfer of the tribute, and the silk and other tribute items given to the Mongols by the court yesterday have also been prepared. ”

Zhu Jian didn't think about it, and said lightly: "This matter was agreed a few days ago, so let's do it." ”

"Obey. Zheng Xin bowed to the emperor and retreated to the east of the ranks.

"Qi Qi Sheng, Han Shen, the left attendant of the Ministry of Ministers, has a book. ”

"Han Aiqing, please speak. ”

"General Zhaowu Li Biao is very old. In the first battle of Ningxia and Qingyang, although the Mongolian 100,000 elite soldiers were severely damaged, General Li also became ill from overwork, and recently sent a letter to the military department, requesting that he return to Beijing to recuperate. The Ministry of War intends to approve it, and the Holy God is invited to decide. ”

Zhu Jian thought for a while and said: "This time to coerce Mongolia to sue for peace, General Li has made great contributions, and he is old and sick, so he awarded Li Biao the rank of general and allowed him to return to Beijing for treatment. The selection of the general of the border garrison shall be jointly drawn up by the Ministry of War and the Imperial Horse Supervisor. ”

"Obey. ”

The court meeting continued, and all ministries started one by one according to their duties, and asked the emperor to make a ruling.

Every hour and hour, no one played again. The eunuch looked at the emperor, and when he saw that the emperor nodded slightly, he said loudly: "All departments have no original play, retreat - court-"

Liang Fang has been hiding behind the curtain, watching every move in the court. Seeing that the entire court meeting was calm and no one mentioned last night's incident, he was finally relieved for the time being. His eyes flickered, and he quietly withdrew from the Taihe Palace, and walked towards Jingren Palace, where Wan Guifei lived, with broken steps.

Han Shen walked out of the Taihe Hall with the hundred officials, deliberately slowing down, and when his colleague and the right attendant of the military department, Xia Yao, approached his side, he reached out and pulled his sleeve, and asked in a low voice:

"Lord Xia, is there anything important today?"

"It's not a big deal, what?"

"If there is no big deal, can you please go to our house for a cup of tea?"

Xia Yao and Han Shen have been friends for many years and are like-minded with each other. Seeing Han Shen's invitation, he readily agreed: "It's better to be respectful than to obey." ”

Han Shen saw that he agreed, so he said: "In this case, let's go back to the yamen first to inform Master Sun and let him act as the general secretary for half a day." ”

Liu Wei, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was ordered to patrol the heavens on behalf of Jiangnan and had not yet returned to Beijing.

The two went to the military department to arrange everything, and then came to the Han house together.

After serving tea, Han Shen waved his hand and stepped down, picked up the teacup and said to Xia Yao: "Brother Xia Xian, please use tea, this is the 'Shangdong Tea' from Wuzhi Peak." ”

"Brother Han, you don't want to come down to taste your 'Shangdong Tea', right? Xia Yao is quick to talk.

"Brother Xia Xian is always so straightforward. Han Shen smiled and got back to business: "Invite Brother Xian to come today, there is indeed something." Last night, at the second watch, my distant relative, who was on an errand at the post house, suddenly came home and said that Liang Fang, the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Eunuch, had sent his brother Liang De to take the envoy of the little prince of Tatar, Armu, to his home. This distant relative of mine knew that Liang Fang was misbehaving, and he didn't know what he would do, so he came to tell me about it......"

Xia Yao interjected: "It is the duty of the Ministry of Rites to receive foreign envoys, when is it the turn of the Imperial Horse Supervisor? Even if it is the turn of the Imperial Horse Supervisor to be in charge, and the Palm Seal Eunuch is in charge, where is his turn to be the Commander of the Eunuch? Okay, even if the Imperial Horse Supervisor assigns him Liang Fang to be in charge, then it will be received in the blue sky and daytime, how can we meet in the dead of night? Suspicious, absolutely suspicious." ”

Han Shen nodded and said, "The moon is dark and the night kills, and the wind is high and the sky is on fire. I thought what good things would they do to secretly pick up the foreign envoys on such a cold night? So I hurriedly changed my night clothes and decided to go to Liang Fang's house to find out. ”

Next, Han Shen told Xia Yao in detail what happened last night, and finally said, "I invited Brother Xian to come to my house to see with you what they said. ”

Xia Yaoqi said: "What did the letter say, can't Brother Han see it?"

Han Shen smiled bitterly: "Although the foolish brother is not without ink, he is really shallow and ignorant, and he can't even see the clue of what is written on it." As he spoke, he got up and took out two letters from the secret place and handed them to Xia Yao: "Brother Xian, please take a look." ”

Xia Yao stretched out his hand to take it, first opened the little prince's letterhead, opened it and looked at it, only to see that it read:

"Liang Fang, the imperial horse supervisor of the Ming Dynasty, is a grandfather

I have the wisdom of the national teacher to help in order to be able to cut through the pass again and again, and finally unify the Mongolian rivers and mountains and deserts, playing the country-founding suite, unexpectedly, the princes in front of the throne of this Khan arbitrarily touched the national guard, which caused the people to encounter the poor age, and the people regretted that there was no reward, and promised to pay tribute to a number of BMW gold and jade every summer and autumn, plus syrup, corn and rice, Wan Hu, and the truce of the army, and the benefits of both the people

Sincerely

Dayan Khan of Mongolia: Chahar Batumunk"

Xia Yao looked at it, was a little disdainful, and said mockingly: "Hmph, after all, it is a barbarian small state, the culture is shallow, and the things written are bullshit, it is really ridiculous and generous." ”

"Brother Xia Xian, can you see what's wrong with this?" asked Han Shen.

"What's wrong, except for the requisitions, what kind of unified desert, shouldn't invade the Ming Dynasty, guarantee to pay tribute every year, etc., there's nothing to see?" Xia Yao said suspiciously.

Han Shen picked up another envelope on the table with two fingers and handed it to Xia Yao: "Look at Liang Fang's reply again." ”

Xia Yao stretched out his hand to take it, took out the letter, and saw that it was written:

"His Excellency Dayan Khan Chahar Batu Munk of Mongolia

In the letter of belief, I would like to know that all the kings killed the people to remove the troubles, and came to the Southern Tang Dynasty to make peace messengers, Li Yuzun, the Song Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the peach blossoms were better than the stiff gizzards, the deceitful and hypocritical, and the order was asked

This is dedicated to recovering and eulogizing the times

The 23rd day of the winter month of the seventh year of Liang Fangchenghua, the imperial horse supervisor of the Ming Dynasty"

Xia Yao read the letter three times from beginning to end, but he was still puzzled. He put the letter back in the envelope and said to Han Shen: "These seem to be all 'good words' to persuade the little prince to reconcile with my Daming." If that's the case, he still needs to sneakily talk to Armu in the middle of the night? No, no. Oh, by the way, could he have written two letters, a real Li Kui for Almu to take back to the little prince, and a fake Li Ghost, even if someone finds out, it won't be a big deal. And Brother Han happened to get his fake back last night?"

"Absolutely not. Except that they couldn't hear what they were muttering, their every move was under the nose of the foolish brother, and there was no possibility of fraud. ”

"Then it's impossible to cipher-write in the blank space of the letterhead?"

"Of course. ”

"What the hell is this eunuch doing with Liang Fang?" Xia Yao patted his head.

"Yes, the foolish brother is puzzled, so I invite the virtuous brother to come and refer to it together. ”

Xia Yao was born in the army, a decent and straightforward person, and relied on years of military exploits to get to today's status step by step. His writing and ink kung fu is really not as strong as Han Shenqiang, and he has been thinking about it for a long time, but he can't see through the mystery, so he offered a message to Han Shen:

"With Liang Fang's character, there must be an ulterior secret when he has a private meeting with Almu in the middle of the night. Although we can't understand the articles in it, there are many well-informed and knowledgeable ministers in the DPRK. According to the younger brother's opinion, if you simply take it in front of the civil and military officials tomorrow morning, someone will definitely be able to crack the secret. ”

"No. Han Shen hurriedly shook his hand and said: "Liang Fang relied on the favor of Concubine Wan, and he won countless decrees and conferred countless officials, and there were many henchmen in the DPRK and China. ”

"Alas, if it weren't for Liu Jian and Liu Xian's brother Ding Wei at home, with his talent and learning, he would definitely be able to peek through the mysteries. Xia Yao sighed.

"Yes, although there is no shortage of well-educated people in the court, except for him, the rest of the people still can't believe it. This thing...... If Liang Fang colludes with the Tatar thieves inside and out, something big will happen...... Ahem, the consequences are unimaginable. Han Shen said worriedly.

Xia Yao is loyal and upright by nature, and he thinks that the safety of the country is at stake, and the emperor will definitely not despise it. He proposed to Han Shen: "In my opinion, it is a fact that Liang Fang secretly met with foreign envoys late at night and had ill intentions. It's better for the two of us to enter the palace to face the saint, and play the emperor to take precautions and be more vigilant. What do you think?"

Han Shen thought about it for a while, and felt that there was no better way than that, so he nodded and said, "That's very good." ”

The two of them made a good plan and immediately entered the palace together.

However, after the early dynasty, Emperor Zhu Jianshen thought that he had not met with Wan Guifei for a day yesterday, so he took two attendant eunuchs to Jingren Palace.

As soon as the palace maid in Jingren Palace saw the emperor arrive, she immediately knelt down: "Slaves and maids see the saint, long live my emperor, long live long live!"

Concubine Wan Zhen'er was gossiping with Liang Fang in the palace, and when she heard the thunderous shouts outside the palace, she hurriedly asked Liang Fang to hide. Then he moved the lotus step lightly, walked out of the palace and approached the emperor Yingying and knelt: "The concubines see the emperor." ”

Zhu Jianshen stretched out his hand to hold the concubine who was about to kneel, and then said to the palace maids: "That's it, everyone get up." ”

"Long live thanks. ”

"The concubines didn't know that the emperor had arrived, and they didn't have time to greet her, so please forgive the emperor. "Wan Guifei is seventeen years older than Zhu Jianshen, but she can get special favor, of course, it is related to her meticulous care of the young crown prince (that is, the current emperor Zhu Jianshen), her well-behaved and clever also won Zhu Jianshen's favor. No, kneeling and kneeling, worshipping and worshipping, the number of rites has arrived. Now he apologizes softly in the emperor's ear, how can he teach the emperor not to feel numb and crispy in his heart?

"I just came at will, how can I blame the concubine?" the emperor smiled briskly, and then entered the Jingren Palace hand in hand with the concubine.

Just as the two were talking and laughing, a little eunuch walked to Zhu Jianshen's side, bowed down and said, "Long live Qiyu, the left and right servants of the military department ask to see the emperor outside the imperial study." ”

"Huh?" the emperor muttered in his heart, in the early dynasty, the military department had just asked General Li Biao to return to Beijing, and soon after the court meeting was dispersed, he came to ask for a meeting. He looked at Wan Guifei with apologetic eyes, and then said:

"Rise to the study. ”

"The concubines (slaves) send the emperor off. ”

In front of the imperial study, Han Shen and Xia Yao bowed down and served, and when they saw the emperor arrive, they hurriedly knelt down and shouted long live.

"Two Aiqing, get up quickly. This is the Imperial Study, so you don't have to be polite. Come on, take a seat for Lord Han and Lord Xia. ”

After the two of them sat down, Zhu Jianshen asked: "Two Aiqing, the early dynasty has just ended, and you are in a hurry to see me, but there is an urgent side report?"

"Your Majesty, please relax, there is nothing major at the border. Han Shen replied, "It's just that something strange happened last night, and the two Weichen came to report to the emperor." ”

"Something happened last night?Why didn't Shicai play at the court meeting?" After the emperor knew that it was not an emergency military situation, he was slightly displeased.

"Your Majesty, just because things are strange, and you haven't sat down yet, it's not convenient for you to hear in front of hundreds of officials. Xia Yao replied for Han Shen.

"Oh, what's wrong, the two Aiqing can talk about it. Zhu Jianshen seemed interested.

Han Shen arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, at the third watch last night, Weichen found out that Liang Fang, the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, had a secret private meeting with the Tatar envoy Armu. ”

"Huh, what did they say?" Zhu Jianshen asked casually.

As for what they talked about, Wechen hadn't heard it clearly. Han Shen replied.

"I didn't understand what they were talking about, what do the two Aiqing want to do with me about this?" Just now I was in love with Wan Guifei, thinking that they had to rush back to the imperial study because they had something important to report, and now that they knew that they were here for this "little thing", Zhu Jianshen, who had just mentioned his interest, immediately felt interested, and Han Shen actually didn't hear what he said clearly, and he was a little annoyed, so the words he said were a little stiff.

Seeing that the emperor was a little angry, Xia Yao hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, although Lord Han didn't hear their conversation, the ministers thought that Liang Fang's appointment to meet Almu was not in line with the system, not to mention that it was a private meeting at his house in the middle of the night, and his sinister intentions were self-evident. I beg the emperor to be clear. ”

Zhu Jianshen realized that he was a little out of shape, so he softened his tone and said: "It's not so serious, right? I think Liang Fang has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and out of curiosity about foreign lands, he asked Almu out to ask questions about the customs and treasures of the Mongolian desert. The two Aiqing don't have to make a big fuss. ”

It stands to reason that as a generation of kings, the most taboo and vigilant thing is that the courtiers and foreign envoys have private meetings, so as to prevent doing things that are friendly and enemy, harming the society and subverting the imperial power. Today's incident, if there is another emperor, Liang Fang may be arrested and handed over to the Criminal Department for strict interrogation, and even misjudgment and manslaughter will not be hesitated. But Zhu Jianshen, the emperor, is an exception. In the early years, due to the change of his father's exile by Wara, the position of the crown prince was abolished and abolished, and the young Zhu Jianshen experienced too many hardships in life, and thus developed a tolerant and generous character. Treat people with generosity to the extreme, so that they do not distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and give grace indiscriminately, so that later generations say that "although there is benevolence, there is no talent to govern the world".

Xia Yao is a jealous and hateful general, with an upright personality. Hearing that the emperor downplayed a big thing that had ruined the country and ruined the society as "curiosity", his heart was on fire, so he didn't choose to speak:

"Your Majesty, please forgive Weichen for speaking bluntly. The emperor's 'harmony', it is naturally okay to paint a picture, but it is not possible to deal with major affairs in the DPRK and China. Liang Fang is greedy and treacherous, forming a party for personal gain, and no one in the court knows about it? The emperor should not protect Liang Fang because of the relationship between Wan Guifei. If Liang Fang colludes with the Tatar thieves, it may not be long before another 'civil and engineering change' will occur......"

"Lord Xia......" Han Shen hurriedly stopped.

But it was too late.

"Shut up-" Rao is Zhu Jianshen is magnanimous and magnanimous, and he is already angry at this time.

Xia Yao's words were shot three times in one shot, and the arrows pierced Zhu Jianshen's sore spot. First, Zhu Jianshen's only and most proud work in his life is a "Picture of a Harmonious Atmosphere", his life is also adhering to the principle of a group of harmony, and at this time Xia Yao has a lot of slight remarks about Zhu Jianshen's most admired principle of doing things, which is tantamount to slapping the emperor's face; Second, for Zhu Jianshen, Wan Guifei can be regarded as a wife and mother, although she is seventeen years older than Zhu Jianshen, but Zhu Jianshen has always been a favorite, today Xia Yao secretly accused Wan Guifei of favoring Liang Fang, Zhu Jianshen is even more unhappy; Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was captured by the tile thorn because of the "civil and engineering changes", which was a great shame for the royal family; Zhu Jianshen also lost the position of prince because his father was captured, and was snubbed and bullied, and he is still in pain. Today, Xia Yao revisited the unbearable past and hinted that he would repeat the mistakes of his father, which made the emperor even more angry.

It's tolerable, it's unbearable. The clay man also has a temper tantrum, not to mention the king of a country who holds the power of life and death!

But Zhu Jianshen is generous and benevolent after all. After being angry, he took a deep breath to suppress his anger, and said in a flat tone as much as possible:

"Lord Xia (I don't want to call him Aiqing at this time), you complain about my harmony, in your opinion, how do you want me to deal with Liang Fang? Say that he colluded with adulterers and convicted him of colluding with foreign countries? But where is the evidence, can you take it out? Hmph! If I am not a group of harmony, how many heads do you touch on your neck?"

Xia Yao looked at Han Shen, they had prepared to submit the two letters from the little prince and Liang Fang to the emperor, but now it seems that they can't, is that evidence? Even if it is evidence, it is also evidence that the little prince repented and Liang Fang persuaded the little prince to stop the army and repair. But hearing the emperor's last threatening words aroused his stubborn temper again:

Wei Chen risked his life to speak. Liang Fang is flattering and inviting pets, arrogant and arbitrary, forming a party for private purposes, and the government and the opposition know everything. What is more, they are disseminating orders and causing chaos to the government, and even the last lowly tricks, as many as public secretaries; slaughtering dogs and selling ropes, indiscriminately living in the Qing Dynasty; those who do not know a single thing are also given civilian posts, and those who do not take a single arrow assume the post of military attaché. If this person is not urgent, the safety of the world is unknown. ”

When Han Shen heard Xia Yao say such a thing, he knew that it was going to be bad, but he couldn't stop it, and he cried bitterly in his heart.

Sure enough, the anger that the emperor had just suppressed suddenly came up again, and asked sharply:

"I use an internal erection, why is it dangerous to the world?"

Zhu Jianshen wanted to punish Xia Yao severely, but his nature made him ruthless. After thinking about it, didn't you go to the military headquarters of Zhaowu General Li Biao to go back to Beijing to recuperate, there happened to be a vacancy at the border pass, so it was better to take this opportunity to let him go to Ningxiawei, first, to take precautions to prevent Tatars from committing crimes, and second, to let him suffer a little and have a long memory. Thinking of this, he slowed down his tone and continued:

"Xia Aiqing is loyal to the country, I am very pleased......"

When Xia Yao and Han Shen heard this, they were overjoyed, and the Emperor finally wanted to come over. Unexpectedly, he changed his words and said, "In that case, Wynne—"

"Your Majesty, Duke Huai went to Mongolia today by order. A little eunuch next to him said.

"Oh, I forgot. Zhu Jianshen glanced at Xia Yao, paced behind the desk with his hands behind his back and sat upright, raising his voice:

Xia Yao, the right attendant of the military department, listened to the order. ”

Xia Yao and Han Shen didn't dare to slack off, and both knelt down.

"In recent years, the small Mongolian states have repeatedly raised troops to invade China, plundered our grain and grass, and harassed our border people. Although he was forced to sign the alliance under the city a few days ago, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not turn the clouds and rain. In order to educate the foreign country and promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, Xia Yao, the right attendant of the Ministry of War, was ordered to lead the post of Ningxia General Army, and hang the seal of the 'Generalissimo of Zhenxi Soldiers and Horses'. Chin this. ”

"The Emperor's ......"

"Lord Xia, do you want to resist the decree?" Zhu saw Shen Long's face change, and asked in a deep voice.

"Minister...... Compliance. Xia Yao and Han Shen complained bitterly in their hearts, and the emperor Chrysostom said that it was difficult to chase the horse.

At this moment, the eunuch outside the door reported: "The concubine has arrived." ”

As soon as the voice fell, Concubine Wan had already walked into the imperial study, and said in a coquettish voice: "The concubine knocks on the emperor." ”

Zhu Jianshen's tone suddenly softened: "Concubine Ai, please get up." ”

"Chen Han Shen (Xia Yao) has seen the concubine Niangniang. ”

"Lord Han and Lord Xia are exempt. ”

The emperor was already impatient, and when he saw that Concubine Wan was coming, he took advantage of the situation to push the boat:

"Two Aiqing, this matter is so decided, go back and send someone to the military department to announce the decree, and wait for the retreat. ”

Han and Xia looked in the mirror with black faces this time - they were ugly, not only did they not bring down Liang Fang, but they sued Xia Yao to the border. Now that the emperor opened his mouth to send off the guests, he had no choice but to say "Weichen retires", and both of them went back to the yamen of the military department unhappyly.

After the two left, Concubine Wan looked at Zhu Jianshen and smiled, and said softly: "Your Majesty, the concubine boiled bird's nest soup and specially sent it to the emperor to drink." The concubines didn't hinder the emperor's handling of state affairs, right?"

Concubine Wan can get the emperor's consistent favor, and she has her own set of skills. Her original intention was to be asked by Liang Fang to touch the details of Han and Xia's eyes, but on the surface, she pretended to be fine. As the so-called desire to capture the old and indulge, if you ask each other directly, it will definitely arouse the vigilance of the emperor, and it is taboo to interfere in politics in the harem.

"Haha, no, no. ”

"Looking at the emperor's relaxed face, there must be no major incident at the border. Wan Guifei continued to ask.

"Han and Xia Aiqing saw me talking about a trivial matter, not the border military situation. Although the emperor favored the concubine, he also had some principles, and he did not casually reveal what Han and Xia talked about.

Wan Guifei didn't dare to ask again, for fear of arousing the emperor's suspicion. She must ensure that the emperor favors her.

"Ah, yes. Ai Concubine, does Liang Fang still go to Jingren Palace often?"

"Also...... Didn't go often. Wan Guifei never thought that the emperor mentioned Liang Fang, and she was not prepared for a while, so she couldn't help but be a little flustered.

"If you take me, let him do his own things with all his heart and soul, and don't get involved with irrelevant people, otherwise I won't be spared. ”

The concubine wrote it down. ”

Wan Guifei was a little frightened in her heart, the emperor's harsh wording, which had always been lenient and generous, everyone knew that it must be related to Han and Xia's visit to the emperor today.

It is not said how Wan Zhen'er replied to Liang Fang, and said that Han and Xia returned to the military department, Han Shen was sullen, and Xia Yao seemed to have nothing to do.

"Brother Xia Xian, the foolish brother has troubled you. Han Shen said guiltily.

"Where, where. To say that Brother Han is not strange, although the squire of the military department is not low-grade, it is not in line with the younger brother's wishes. The ancients, Wen Anbang, Wu Dingguo. This soldier Langwen can't make plans, and he can't gallop across the battlefield, so he really eats the emperor's food in vain and wastes his life. This time, it's okay, hang a generalissimo seal of Zhenxi, and lead the Ningxia soldiers and horses to control our country's gate, even if you die on the battlefield in Japan, it is better than living in the capital for years. I don't know if it was to make Han Shen feel relieved or if he really did what he wanted, Xia Yao said proudly.

Han Shen felt uncomfortable, and his eyes were a little damp.

Xia Yao saw it in his eyes, and his heart was not happy, so he hurriedly diverted the topic: "Brother Han, the emperor ordered me to leave Beijing on the same day, but I am afraid that it will not be ten days at most." Before the younger brother left, there was something to entrust him, and he implored Brother Han to fulfill it. ”

Han Shen wished he could do something for Xia Yao to make up for his mistakes, and when he heard that Xia Yao had something to do, he hurriedly said:

"Virtuous brother, please speak, even if you go to the soup and fire, the foolish brother will never refuse. ”

Xia Yao smiled: "It's not that serious. Brother Han knew that my inner man passed away early, leaving only the little girl Xue'er to rely on me for her life. This time he went to Ningxia, and the younger brother wanted to entrust Xue'er to Brother Han to take care of. ”

Han Shen thought for a moment and said, "If it is a common sense, your father and daughter should go together and take care of each other." However, Ningxia is located in the border area, with rain wells and smoke walls, and fierce soldiers fighting dangerously. It's okay, as long as the virtuous brother is willing, the foolish brother will have one more daughter. ”

Xia Yao was overjoyed, and even said: "Gao Pan, Gao Pan." Xue'er has been getting along with Ling Yan very well since she was a child, and she often corresponds with each other, and with Ling Yan by her side, I am relieved to be a little brother. And also...... Hmmm—"

Xia Yao wanted to speak and stopped, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Brother Xia Xian, please have something to say. Han Shen thought that he had something to do by himself, so he encouraged.

What Xia Yao is difficult to say is her daughter's lifelong event. It stands to reason that if a family has a woman asking for a hundred families, the woman will not take the initiative to propose marriage. But the battle is imminent, and he is getting older, and he doesn't know whether he will return to Ningxia, so he has to entrust his daughter's life before he goes on the expedition.

"I heard that Xue'er and the disciple Zhao Xin seem to be interesting, I wonder if Brother Han knows?"

When Han Shen heard this, he was overjoyed, and hurriedly said, "Well, I heard Qing'er mention it, but I didn't speak to Brother Xian. If Brother Xian has this intention, why don't you do this happy event before leaving Beijing?"

That's exactly what the little brother meant. ”

In Jingtai's eight-year "Seizure of the Door", two orphans among the ministers who were implicated and executed survived, one of them was named Shen Qing and the other was Zhao Xin. At that time, Han Shen served as the director of the Military Election Department of the Ministry of War, and was not affected because of his low official position, and when he saw that Shen Qing and Zhao Xin were young and unhappy, he took them home to raise them, taught them to learn literature and martial arts, and regarded them as his own. The eldest disciple Shen Qing and Han Shen's daughter Han Mei have been in love for a long time, and Han Shen has no opinion, so he held a wedding for them the year before last, and now his grandson Shen Ji has reached the age of one year. Xia Yao's daughter Xia Xue has been friends with Han Shen's daughter Han Mei since childhood, and often corresponded with each other, so she met Han Shen's second disciple Zhao Xin. Although the two are in love, Zhao Xin is ashamed of the decline of his family background and dare not think about it, and Xia Xue is ashamed to talk to her father because of her daughter's body, so both of them think that this is just a dream marriage like a moon in the water and a flower in the mirror, and they often cry relatively closely. Han Shen knew everything from his daughter Han Mei, and wanted to propose to Xia Yao for his disciple, but he was worried that Xia Yao would make a decision against his will because of the relationship between the two, so he was reluctant to speak. Xia Yao took the initiative to mention it today, of course, he was in the middle of it.

Next, Xia Yao asked his daughter to worship Han Shen as her father-in-law, and told Xia Xue the idea of recognizing Zhao Xin as her son-in-law, and Xia Xue was a hundred willing.

After taking care of his daughter's marriage, Xia Yao left the capital with 50,000 soldiers and horses allocated by the imperial court with a holy decree and looked west. Han Shen sent them ten miles away from the capital, and solemnly handed over the two letters that had not yet been resolved to Xia Yao, asking him to take them away from the capital in case of accidents. Then the two said goodbye.

As soon as Xia Yao left, Han Shen felt even more isolated and helpless, and temporarily dispelled the idea of impeaching Liang Fang. During this period, Han Shen found that there were always unknown people wandering around in front of and behind the house, and even found suspicious figures in the house several times at night, which made the Han house rumor and people panic. Han Shen knew that this matter had a lot to do with Liang Fang, if it was Ming Dou or himself, it would be nothing, but now that I am an enemy and a secret enemy, if they attack their relatives, they will not be able to prevent it. Han Shen couldn't bear to be disturbed, so he had a secret discussion with his wife Zhou, and decided to call himself sick, return to his hometown, and leave the place of right and wrong.

Zhu Jianshen had long been displeased with Han Shen's stubbornness, and Concubine Wan Guifei frequently blew the pillow wind to him at the instigation of Liang Fang, so when Han Shen said that he was sick and proposed to pay tribute, Zhu Jianshen reluctantly kept it, and rewarded him with some gold and silver cloth, and allowed him to return to his hometown to retire.

On a cold and gloomy afternoon, Han Shen ordered people to open the door of the house, and practiced swords in the courtyard with Shen Qing and Zhao Xin, and shouted loudly from time to time to attract the attention of people outside the house. secretly ordered Mrs. Zhou, daughter Han Mei (holding her grandson Shen Ji), son Han Ming, and daughter-in-law Xia Xue to pretend to be the subordinates of the family, leave the Han house separately, and go to the pre-arranged place to wait. By nightfall, Han Shen, Shen Qing, and Zhao Xin crossed the courtyard wall and quietly fled along the rows of rooftops.