Although Ximen Zhanying was impulsive, she was not stupid after all. Qi Feng suddenly leaked out, and she felt that something was fishy. She glanced at Qi Ning and saw Qi Ning sitting by the bonfire, with his hands open and facing down, warming his hands. He looked calm and relaxed, but he felt that there was something inside.
Yan Lingxian sat far away, not close to the bonfire, so naturally he didn't know what was being said here.
Ximen Zhanying was a little unhappy when he saw that Qi Ning and the others didn't say much. They seemed to treat him as an outsider. He got up and walked directly to the river. Qi Ning took a look, smiled faintly, and said softly: "Women are troublesome. Live It’s annoying, even if you die, it’s annoying.”
Naturally, what he said was not talking about Ximen Zhanying's life or death, but that Ximen Zhanying was in a bad mood no matter whether he was alive or dead.
Qi Feng's wound was put on medicine, and it has improved a lot now. Although he can't move around at will, let alone use force, the pain has disappeared a lot. He chuckled and said: "Master Hou, in fact, Miss Ximen is a very good person. She is originally I have always been jealous, but now I am worried about the life and death of others, and I have a kind heart."
"How do you know she's jealous?" Qi Ning glanced at Qi Feng.
Qi Feng chuckled and said: "Even a blind person can see that although this Ximen girl likes to quarrel with Mr. Hou, I think she has already fallen in love with Mr. Hou."
Zhou Shun also nodded and said: "Master Hou, what Qi Feng said is right, I can see it too. How many women in the world don't like Master Marquis because of his beautiful trees facing the wind?"
Qi Ning laughed, and then lowered his voice and said: "We can't leave by water. Fortunately, we are about to leave Xichuan. Let's return to Beijing by land."
"Master Marquis, do you think that group of people will come again?" Li Tang frowned and said, "They are coming for the black robe this time. The black robe has already sunk to the bottom of the water as planned by the Marquis. What else can they do?" What's the trick?"
Zhou Shun sneered and said: "Those water ghosts must continue to look for the black robe underwater. If they only see the robe then, will they become suspicious?"
"With such a wide river surface and the water flowing eastward, it is impossible to find a robe." Qi Feng said: "Even if we find it, I don't think they can figure out what's behind it." He lowered his voice and said with a smile: "Who can Thinking that the black robe is filled with salt, if the salt falls into the water, it will quickly dissolve, leaving only the robe. Even if they find it, they will just think that the person in the black robe has escaped."
Qi Ning coughed, and Qi Feng stopped talking.
The moonlight was dim, but Qi Ning felt a little annoyed at this moment, regretting that he could not catch Hua Xiangrong.
Qin Ning knew in his heart that when he rescued Xiang Baiying from Xinping Town that day, Elder Baihu and others would definitely target him to find Xiang Baiying's whereabouts.
He deliberately set up a trick to lure the enemy and wrapped it in a black robe with salt bags, making those people mistakenly think that it was Xiang Baiying in the black robe, so as to attract the opponent's attention. After setting off from Chengdu, Qi Ning I had already guessed that the opponent was likely to attack on the road, so I made some preparations.
But he didn't expect that the other party would appear as a water ghost.
When water ghosts appear tonight, Qining is ready to capture a living person and extract some useful information. However, he also knows that although there are many water ghosts tonight, most of them may not know the truth behind them. , we must capture the leader of this gang of water ghosts, and maybe we can get some information out of him.
The appearance of Hua Xiangrong greatly cheered up Qi Ning. However, Hua Xiangrong was too cunning and she escaped, losing an opportunity to press for the truth. Qi Ning was naturally upset.
He deliberately let go of the black robe underwater to make the other party mistakenly think that Xiang Baiying was sinking into the water. The salt bag in the black robe would melt away after being in the water for a short time, leaving only one robe. Not to mention that it is extremely difficult to find a robe underwater. Even if they do find it, it will only make them mistakenly believe that Xiang Baiying is alive and dead but not dead.
Although Qi Feng and other confidants knew that the black robe was wrapped in a bag of salt, they still didn’t know what Qi Ning was going to do, let alone that Qi Ning was Gu Bu’s maze, which was to ensure that Xiang Baiying safety.
At dawn the next day, everyone set out immediately, abandoning the waterway and traveling by land. Qining rewarded each of the boatmen with some money and asked them to go back and pay their dues. Unfortunately, the ship sank in the river, and the horses also sank in the river. In desperation, he could only find a place and hire a carriage.
The next journey was smooth. The car was bumpy for more than one day. On this day, we finally rushed back to the capital of Jianye. When we entered the capital, the sun had not yet set. It took a long time for Qining to go out on this trip. City Gate, he thought of Gu Qinghan in his heart, but he also knew that the little emperor was looking forward to it day and night in the palace. He immediately ordered Qi Feng and others to go back to Jinyihou Mansion first, and Yan Lingxian and Ximen Zhanying also went back to Shenhou Mansion. After the meeting, he went directly to the imperial city.
Walking outside the palace, the guard guard saw Qin Ning, who was in the dust. He couldn't recognize him for a moment, and shouted: "Who is he?"
Qin Ning didn't waste any time. He took the gold medal bestowed by the emperor and said, "I am Jin Yi Hou Qin Ning. I am on an errand. Now I am returning to the capital and entering the palace to report my orders to the emperor."
When the guard saw the gold medal, he said with a smile on his face: "Master Hou, it turns out that you, the old man, have returned to Beijing. The Emperor has an order. No matter when the Marquis enters the palace, he will not stop him. It's just that he doesn't wear official robes. The villain has a stupid eye and has offended many times. Please forgive me, Lord Marquis."
Seeing that the guard was interested, Qi Ning smiled and said, "Your Majesty sent me to do something important. I was in a hurry to reply. I didn't have time to change my clothes."
The guard hurriedly smiled and said: "Yes, Lord Marquis is very high-spirited. Naturally, this errand can be easily accomplished. The emperor will surely reward you." Without any nonsense, he let Qining enter the palace.
After Qi Ning entered the palace, he went directly to the imperial study and asked people to pass the news. When the little emperor learned that it was Qi Ning who had returned, he was overjoyed and ordered: "Let him in quickly."
Qi Ning quickly walked into the imperial study room and saw Longtai standing at the door. Seeing Qi Ning dusty, Longtai laughed and came forward and punched Qi Ning in the chest. Qi Ning knew that he was just happy and did not dodge. , was punched in the chest by the little emperor, who heard the little emperor laugh and scold: "Damn it, you were so carefree and happy outside, but you made me wait for a long time. If you don't come back, I will punish you." Qining was offended. Entering the study, he closed the door and then turned around and asked, "Did you just return to Beijing?"
Qi Ning said with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, you really think that I am carefree and happy outside. On this trip to Xichuan, I almost lost my life there. If I hadn't been clever and saved the day, I'm afraid you wouldn't have been able to see me. Me." Pointing to his throat: "I was worried that the emperor had been waiting for a long time, so I kept running all the way. After entering the capital, I didn't even go back to the Marquis Mansion, so I went into the palace to report to the emperor. Now my throat is on fire and I am very thirsty."
Longtai laughed, went over to open the door of the imperial study, and ordered: "Come here, bring me the bird's nest and white fungus porridge." He was so happy that he went over to take the pastry box on the imperial study table and put it on the table beside Qining. He went up and said with a smile: "This is my reward for you, try a few."
Qi Ning was not polite, twisting the cake and eating it. Seeing him choking, Longtai smiled and said: "Xichuan is really so shabby. If you go there, it seems like you haven't eaten in several years."
"Your Majesty, it's not that Xichuan is shabby, it's that I don't have time to eat there." Qi Ning choked and said, "Yes, has the Emperor received Wei Shutong's memorial?"
Longtai found a booklet on the imperial desk and took it out, saying: "It was just delivered yesterday. Wei Shutong was full of praise for you Jinyihou. It seems that without you Jinyihou this time, the world will be in chaos." He took it again. Another folding book was also handed over, "This is the folding book that was handed over ten days ago. You should also take a look."
Qi Ning didn't care about Wei Shutong's memorial and what was written in it. Wei Shutong had communicated with him before, and he could know it without reading it. However, Long Tai suddenly handed over such a memorial. It was obviously very meaningful, so he opened it and scanned it. After a few glances, he frowned, looked at Longtai, and said, "Your Majesty, who is this Zhao Bangyao?"
"Zhao Bangyao is the Yushi Zhongcheng of the Yushitai." Longtai said: "There are dozens of excerpts like this, but this Yushi Zhongcheng has the highest official position and the sharpest words, so he stays here. .”
Qi Ning knew that the Yushitai was the highest supervisory department in the empire, consisting of three departments: Tai, Dian, and Cha. The Yushi Dafu was the highest official of the Yushitai, and the Yushi Zhongcheng only ranked below the Yushi Dafu in the Yushitai. Next, the Yushitai would picket officials and impeach those who broke the law. Sometimes, the Yushitai would even participate in cases specially ordered by the emperor.
The Yushitai and the Shenhou Mansion are somewhat similar in some respects. They both bear the responsibility of supervision, but the Shenhou Mansion oversees the Jianghu, while the Yushitai supervises the government offices.
Qi Ning said: "Zhao Zhongcheng said that I condoned banditry and aided the tyranny. Hehe, he also said that I was reckless and reckless regardless of the safety of the empire. Your Majesty, it seems that many people in the court already have opinions on me."
Longtai sat down on the chair and said with a smile: "When the late emperor was in power, he always attached great importance to Yushitai, and those who spoke were not guilty, so those people were always very courageous, even if it was something that was based on rumors, they would not If he will let it go, he will be impeached in the memorial." Pointing to the memorial, he said: "This Zhao Bangyao was outspoken and dared to admonish, and was not afraid of offending others. Therefore, the late emperor regarded him very highly and promoted him many times. When the officials saw that the late emperor valued this person, they gave him three points, so he has always been very courageous. Some people call him Zhao Tiedan in private."
"Tiedan?" Qi Ning said with a smile: "Mo Zheng, the governor of Kyoto, has a nickname called Mo Tiedan. There is a Zhao Zhongcheng named Zhao Tiedan in the Imperial Palace. Your Majesty, it seems that there are quite a few direct ministers in this court. .”
"The state has direct ministers, and the country is rejuvenated and safe." Longtai said: "If there is no minister who dares to speak out, the country will be doomed." He leaned on the chair, placed his hands across his lower abdomen, and said: "Zhao Bangyao almost every time in those days Every court meeting had to present a memorial, and the late emperor had always dealt with his memorials at the court. After this person became the Yushi Zhongcheng, the memorials gradually decreased. Although there were fewer memorials, every time they were memorialized, they could always be resolved. Let one or two people lose their official positions."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Your Majesty, does Zhao Tiedan have any grudges against the Qi family of Jin Yihou? Why is he trying to attack me this time?"
Longtai said: "As far as I know, this person has not been on good terms with anyone in the court. They say he is a lonely minister. Think about it, this person is often dismissed and demoted. It’s all trivial, is there anyone willing to get close to him?”
Qi Ning took the memorial and said: "What Zhao Zhongcheng is impeaching is the matter of Qianwu Ridge. He is also very well-informed. He knows everything about what happened on Qianwu Ridge." He smiled faintly and said: " Your Majesty, if this man is a public servant, I don’t mind, but if he has other intentions behind his back, this Zhao Tiedan, I will make him Zhao Podan!”