Xu Guanfeng was severely punished by Qin Ning at the liquor store that night. After he fled in a hurry, he even fell ill because of the cold wine poured on his head. Fortunately, he was born in the army and had a strong body, so he recovered quickly. .
However, Qi Ning's appearance was engraved in his mind. Seeing Qi Ning at this time, he was really heartbroken and terrified.
No matter how stupid he is, he still knows that the officials who can appear in the imperial study are all important ministers of Southern Chu today, and Qining is standing close to the imperial desk, which has an extraordinary status.
Qi Ning sneered inwardly, but his tone was calm: "Didn't you hear what I asked you?"
Xu Guanfeng came to his senses and said hurriedly: "The villain... The villain has been ordered by the King of Shu to come... to the capital to report to the court...!"
"So, is it the King of Shu who asked you to stay close to Jinyihou?" Qining said lightly: "Could it be that the Jinyihou Mansion sent you a letter or a verbal message, asking you not to embarrass Heiyan Cave? Or did you think about it yourself? Are you violating the law privately and thinking you are right?"
"This...!" Cold sweat broke out on Xu Guanfeng's forehead.
The official who looked like Dou Lianzhong had already said: "Master Hou, you can't say that. If Heiyan Cave hadn't relied on the care given to them by your government back then, they wouldn't have dared to be arrogant in Xichuan."
"Who is this?" A faint smile appeared on Qi Ning's lips, "Your Excellency, please forgive me for my blindness. I have just inherited the title of Marquis, and many court officials do not recognize me."
The King of Huainan had already smiled and said: "This is Mr. Dou Kuidou, the Minister of Household Affairs."
It turned out to be really him. Qin Ning sneered in his heart. Thinking that Dou Kui knew all about the grievances between him and Dou Lianzhong, he smiled and said: "It turns out to be Mr. Dou. I really cannot agree with what Mr. Dou said. First, he said that Black Rock Cave is arrogant. , I wonder if Mr. Dou saw it with his own eyes or heard it from hearsay? Mr. Dou is in charge of the household department and takes care of many things every day. In addition, he has other worries to take care of. I am afraid he does not have time to go to Xichuan. Even if he does arrive in Xichuan, you, the minister of the household department, will It is impossible to condescend to go to the black cave of the Miao people, so before the facts are clear, Lord Dou still does not want to follow others' opinions and make arbitrary judgments...!" Seeing that Dou Kui seemed to be arguing, without waiting for him to speak, he continued: "Second, what do you say? It is strange that Heiyandong relied on Jinyihou to dare to be arrogant in Xichuan. When Heiyandong assisted the Chu army, he was loyal to the court, not to Jinyihou. Moreover, Jinyihou's mansion would never abandon the public affairs for personal reasons, just like if Master Dou has a distant relative who committed murder and set fire, so the local government will turn a blind eye just because he is a distant relative of Master Dou?"
Dou Kui changed his expression and said, "Master Marquis, please be careful. When did my distant relatives kill people and set fire to them?"
"It's just an analogy, Mr. Dou, do you understand the analogy?" Qi Ning said lightly.
Dou Kui snorted coldly and said, "Master Hou, it's better to say less about these unfounded metaphors."
"Yes, it's better to say less about things that are made out of nothing." Qi Ning also said calmly: "Xichuan said that they were more tolerant of Heiyan Cave because of the face of Marquis Jinyi. Hey, isn't this something made out of nothing? When did Jinyihou's Mansion protect Heiyandong? If Heiyandong abides by national laws, no one can make things difficult for them, but if they violate national laws, the local government will act in accordance with the law, and there is nothing to worry about. "
The King of Huainan Fusu smiled and said: "The Marquis is right, no one can be bigger than Wang Faqu." He turned to Longtai and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Heiyan Cave resists taxes and kills officials, which is still a rebellion. What Master Lu said about killing chickens to scare monkeys is actually true. It is not unreasonable. If we can quickly eliminate him and bring the owner of the Black Rock Cave back to the capital, we will surely kill him as a warning to hundreds of people, so that other Miao caves will not dare to cause trouble again."
Lu Xiao also cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the Black Lotus Saint Sect is causing trouble in the capital. The Shenhou Mansion can prove it. They even dared to rob people from the Shenhou Mansion. Even Jinyi Marquis was kidnapped by them. This It is already a rebellion, so we can destroy the Black Rock Cave first, so that the Miao people dare not move rashly, and let them know that our army of Da Chu is invincible, and then we can start to eradicate the Black Lotus Holy Sect."
"Marquis Zhongyi, do you mean this too?" Longtai looked at Marquis Zhongyi Sima Lan.
Marquis Zhongyi bowed and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, if everything is true, in order to maintain the majesty of the imperial court, we will naturally destroy him and bring the owner of the Black Rock Cave into the capital and behead him in public. But...!" After a pause, he turned to Xu Guanfeng, He asked in a deep voice: "What's the situation over there in the Black Rock Cave now? How does Wei Shutong deal with it?"
Xu Guanfeng said: "After this incident, Governor Wei has sent soldiers and horses to block the main roads around Black Rock Ridge, and the King of Shu has also sent Jinguan guards to guard everywhere outside Black Rock Ridge to prevent them from escaping. It's just the emperor's order. Before arriving, Governor Wei did not order the attack on Black Rock Ridge."
"The Jinguan Guards are the soldiers and horses that protect the King of Shu. Why do they want to go to Black Rock Ridge?" Qining frowned.
Dou Kui smiled lightly and said, "Don't you know, Lord Marquis, that there are six villages in Heiyan Cave, and three of them are located within the food town of the King of Shu."
"ah?"
The King of Huainan smiled and said: "When the Li family submitted to the imperial court, the late emperor was so kind and generous that he not only gave the Li family many rewards and retained their title of King of Shu, but also rewarded them with a lot of land and granted two thousand households food fiefs. This There are three villages in Heiyan Cave within the food towns of the King of Shu. However, the local government collects taxes for these two thousand households and then sends them to the King of Shu's palace. Now the people of their own food towns are rebelling, and Shu It is reasonable for the king to send troops.”
Only then did Qi Ning understand.
Sima Lan had already said: "Your Majesty, the book from King Shu has arrived, but the book from Wei Shutong has not yet been sent to the capital. This matter is of great importance. It is not just a matter of Hua Miao Cave. The late emperor has always adopted a policy towards the Miao people. It is a gentle way, so in the opinion of the old minister, we will wait until Wei Shutong's statement is sent to Beijing before we can discuss it."
Longtai naturally understood what Sima Lan meant, nodded and said: "What Marquis Zhongyi said is absolutely correct."
Lu Xiao couldn't help but said: "Old Marquis, if you don't act quickly, will Heiyan Cave have time to prepare? Heiyan Cave is quite influential among the Hua Miao people. Will they secretly contact other caves in Hua Miao?"
Sima Lan sneered and said: "If the imperial court is so afraid of the small black cave, how can it frighten the entire Xichuan? Although the Hua Miao people are barbaric and ill-mannered, they are not fools. If the black cave really resists taxes and kills officials, the imperial court will If they want to be wiped out, are the other caves of Hua Miao getting themselves involved because of the stupidity of Heiyan Cave? Besides, it is the depth of winter now, and the mountains in Xichuan must be covered with heavy snow. Heiyan Ridge is the long-term residence of the Heiyan Cave Miao people. The terrain and environment there are extremely familiar. Coupled with the heavy snow, if the officers and soldiers attack by force, they will probably suffer heavy losses. In this case, it is not too late to block their escape route first and wait until the specific situation of the matter is understood before making further calculations. .”
Lu Xiao seemed to want to say something else, but in the end no words came out.
Qi Ning thought that this Sima Lan was quite experienced in planning, but he also knew in his heart that Sima Lan's objection to the immediate attack on the Heiyan Cave Miao Village may not be truly selfless, but perhaps just to target the King of Huainan and others.
From the beginning, whether it was the Black Lotus Sect or the Black Cave Rock, King Huainan, Lu Xiao and others seemed to want to send troops quickly, but Sima Lan acted very cautiously. Although he did not directly say that they could not attack, the suggestions he made , but they are all delayed.
After Xu Guanfeng withdrew, Longtai thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Marquis Jinyi, has the epidemic in Beijing been resolved?"
When Qi Ning entered the palace, he did not expect that the black cave would be discussed, but he thought that the emperor would ask about the detoxification, so he immediately replied: "Reporting to the emperor, we set up more medicine stations in the capital yesterday. The medicine was applied every day, and most of the infected people have received the antidote. In order to be safe, I ordered the medicine application point to be withdrawn at noon today."
Longtai smiled and said: "I already know, Ximen Wuhen, you said before that the antidote will be effective immediately."
Ximen Wuhen cupped his hands and said: "Reporting to your Majesty, the antidote administered by Jin Yihou on behalf of the Emperor is indeed effective immediately. I have personally observed the condition of people infected with the epidemic after taking the antidote. They have improved greatly overnight."
Longtai smiled and said: "Marquis Jinyi, this disaster has disappeared. You have made great achievements. I am ready to reward you well. What do you want me to reward you?"
"Reporting to the Emperor, this is all the Emperor's blessing. I dare not take credit." Qining pretended to say: "Eating the emperor's salary and relieving the emperor's worries. As long as it can make the emperor no longer worry, it is the best reward for the minister."
Longtai laughed loudly, and then said: "You inherited the title of Marquis, but I haven't arranged any errands for you yet...!" After a pause, he said: "Your grandfather and your father were both our soldiers in Da Chu. Zhong Dongliang, so... I am going to let you serve in the army."
The ministers had different expressions, but Marquis Zhongyi and King Huainan remained calm.
"Where does the emperor want me to go?" Qining didn't expect Longtai to ask him to go to the army. He raised his head and said, "Do you want me to go to the Qinhuai Army?"
Qi Jing was once the commander-in-chief of the Qinhuai Army, the strongest army in Southern Chu. Qi Ning naturally subconsciously felt that the emperor wanted him to join the Qinhuai Army. He thought that this was not a small matter. Why didn't the little emperor communicate with him beforehand
Seeing this, Lu Xiao hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Jinyihou has not stayed in the army for a day. If...if we arrange to go to the Qinhuai Army, I'm afraid people will not accept it. Moreover, Yue Huanshan has followed General Qi for many years, and he has no intention of Qinhuai." The legion is the most familiar to him, and now he is the most suitable candidate to temporarily command the Qinhuai legion. At this time...!"
Longtai frowned and said: "Lu Xiao, when did I tell Qining to go to the Qinhuai Army?"
Lu Xiao was startled, extremely embarrassed, and knelt down on the ground, "I... I deserve to die. I only serve the country with my heart, so...!"
"I don't blame you." Longtai waved his hand, "Get up." When Lu Xiao got up, Longtai said: "I am planning to let Qining command the Black Scale Camp for a while. The two generations of Jinyihou are all famous generals of our great Chu. , The Qi family is a family of military merit, and I believe that Qi Ning can inherit the family tradition of the Jin Yihou Qi family and serve the country."
As soon as these words came out, everyone was surprised. Even Marquis Zhongyi was also surprised and couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, the Black Scale Battalion is no longer here, so how can Marquis Jinyi lead the Black Scale Battalion?"
Longtai said: "I know that the Black Scale Battalion fought with the Blood Orchid Army of the Northern Han Dynasty and was completely wiped out. In fact, when the late emperor was still alive, he told me about this matter. The late emperor had always planned to rebuild the Black Scale Battalion, but he was busy with court affairs. It has been delayed. I remembered what the late emperor said, and naturally I have to fulfill the late emperor's wish, so I am preparing to rebuild the Black Scale Camp. All of you dear friends are here today. I wonder what you think?"