The imperial envoy named Shi Wei quickly apologized and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? When I heard that you came to Jiangnan to be a sesame official, I couldn't believe my own ears! But then I thought about it, with the emperor's wisdom and martial arts , I just want His Highness Yi to go down there and experience the sufferings of the people, and sharpen his character along the way. He will definitely have important responsibilities in the future. After all, His Highness Yi is His Highness Yi, and he is my half-master. It is my turn to kneel down to His Highness. Please say hello!”
Saying that, Shi Wei bent his knees, then knelt down to Qiu Yizhi and kowtowed twice.
Qiu Yizhi heard Shi Wei's words very pleasantly, and kowtowed a few times, which was very helpful to him. Suddenly he thought that he was the imperial censor after all, so he quickly helped him up and said, "Why are you so polite to me?" ? Let’s sit down and talk.”
But it was said that this Shi Wei was a junior officer in Lao Youyan's army who was responsible for the "warming tent" affairs. The so-called "warm tent" is just an elegant name for camp prostitutes. It was specially designed to meet the physiological needs of military officers and soldiers, and also to prevent tens of thousands of young men from invading the place.
Therefore, although the tent-warming affairs are important, they are quite despicable in the army. Shi Wei, who is in charge of this matter, is often looked down upon by other officers, who often call him "Turtle Master", "Big Teapot" and "Waiter". Such nicknames. However, having said that, everyone cannot do without the warm tent business, and often it is through his connections that a good girl can get her turn.
Therefore, Shi Wei, who was quiet and quiet, was very popular in the army and was very good at doing things and talking. Therefore, whenever the Northern Expedition went south, he was always indispensable to work in the army. Even before the campaign against rebellion, Zheng Rong came to Beijing. By taking this person with me, I also accumulated a lot of credit.
It is said that when a person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. King Youyan succeeded in revolting and became emperor, and the old Youyan Dao soldiers were promoted. Although Zheng Rong did not want to deal with this "turtle man" who specialized in dirty affairs, he did not forget him - look at his eloquence. , He was a smart man, so he was assigned to take charge of the errand of spreading orders everywhere.
Don't think that the messenger is just an errand messenger. The person who runs the errands also depends on who is running the errands, and the person who delivers the message also depends on who is delivering the message. What Shi Wei was delivering was an imperial edict, and he was the emperor's representative. No official from the various states would dare to neglect it. Therefore, although Shi Wei's job of delivering edicts was not impressive or leaky, it was a comfortable, trouble-free, and easy job. Good and lucrative job.
Shi Wei got this benefit, but he did not live up to the emperor's kindness. Whenever he received an edict, whether it was praise or punishment, he could always do it seamlessly, thoughtfully and politely. Therefore, when he saw Qiu Yizhi coming to the main hall, he did not need anyone else. After being reminded, he gave up the main seat in the hall, asked the emperor's "His Royal Highness" to sit down, and then smiled and waited for him to speak.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Qiu Yi laughed dryly and said to Shi Wei: "General Shi is also an old acquaintance. Now that he has come to Jinling... It's a pity that General Shi also knows that I am a pauper. This landlord's friendship is still We have to count on Liu Jiedu!”
Liu Qing listened to Qiu Yi's words and seemed to want to treat him to a meal for fun. He thought that although he and Shi Wei were old colleagues, they were not very close to each other on weekdays. This meal was just a way to make friends with the imperial envoy Shangguan. good chance.
So Liu Qing had an idea in a flash and said with a smile: "His Highness Yi, this suggestion is very good. I am not afraid that the general will not listen to what I said and refute the face of Mr. Lin and General Zhao. I will sacrifice His Highness Yi and Envoy Shi here." He Mojiang is from Lao Youyan Road. If no one else invites me to this meal, how about we talk about the past in the army together? "
Qiu Yizhi grinned and said, "I didn't expect Liu Jiedu to be so poor. He couldn't even afford to pay for two more meals?"
Liu Qing's acceptance of bribes from Jinling merchants had just been exposed by Qiu Yizhi. He was so amused by Qiu Yizhi's implicitly teasing words that he couldn't say a word.
Seeing his distracted look, Qiu Yizhi felt funny in her heart, but said: "Okay, I think Liu Jiedu is stingy, but this proposal is not bad. Let the three of us have a drink together tonight. What a happy thing!" After saying that, he laughed a few times.
Then he said: "But since General Shi has the imperial edict, I think it is more important to do serious things. Why don't General Shi pass on the imperial edict first?" After that, Qiu Yizhi stood up and tidied his clothes respectfully. Then he patted the dirt off his clothes, walked to the middle of the lobby, and stood still, staring at Shi Wei.
This Shi Wei is indeed a man who knows how to do things. He stood up with a smile and said, "What's going on, Your Highness? With your status, you can talk very casually in front of the emperor. There is no need to set up an incense table to receive the imperial edict." Three kowtows and nine bows are just tricks to fool outsiders. Besides, our current emperor is not an ordinary mediocre emperor who only pays attention to formal etiquette. We are all wearing casual clothes, and I think we are not outsiders here. "His Royal Highness has invited the imperial edict, and you can read it respectfully yourself."
With that said, Shi Wei respectfully took out a yellow silk scroll from a yellow-framed box beside him, and carefully held it in front of Qiu Yi with both hands.
Qiu Yizhi did not dare to neglect, took the imperial edict with both hands and slowly walked out of the hall, bowed in the direction of Luoyang, and then started reading the imperial edict.
However, this imperial edict was indeed sent to Qian Feng, Liu Qing and other civil and military officials of Jiangnan Province. The content was just a critique of the fight against Japanese pirates in Jiangnan. Whether Zhi punished Zang or not, it did not break away from the usual bureaucratic habits, and there was nothing impressive about it. place.
So Qiu Yizhi carefully rolled up the imperial edict and handed it to Liu Qing, but he also said: "I have paid homage to the emperor's edict. I wonder if there is anything else the emperor wants to say to me?"
Shi Wei grinned and said: "Everyone says His Highness Yi is smart. No wonder the Emperor liked His Highness Yi when he was in Guangyang. Indeed, the Emperor has a letter that he asked me to send to Jinling and deliver it to His Highness." As he said that, Shi Wei He took out a completely sealed letter from his pocket, held it in both hands and handed it to Qiu Yizhi.
Qiu Yizhi took the letter and was about to open it when he heard Shi Wei say: "Your Highness, this is for you to read by the Emperor alone. Is it the rumored secret order? Open it in front of so many of us." It seems that something is wrong! We have weak eyes and weak mouths. If the rumor spreads, it will be harmful, right?" As he said this, a fierce light suddenly appeared in Shi Wei's eyes, and then he changed back to the look before. A flattering look.
Qiu Yizhi was startled by Shi Wei's fleeting sharp gaze, and immediately hid the letter in his pocket. He forced a smile on his face and said, "General Shi has more experience in passing on decrees, and so do I." It was the first time I received a secret order from the emperor, and I felt a little uneasy, so I forgot the word "confidential!"
In fact, Qiu Yizhi received a lot of secret orders, and he never hesitated to reveal them in front of Lin Shuhan and Zhao Chengxiao. By saying this, he was inadvertently making a fool of himself.
Lin Shuhan and Zhao Chengxiao, one of them was extremely smart and the other was not stupid. Although they did not agree with Qiu Yizhi's words, they also smiled, as if they were mocking Qiu Yi for not keeping things confidential.
But I heard Shi Wei say: "It's not to blame His Highness Yi. I have passed so many small edicts, and this is the first time I have to pass on the secret edict. I don't know what the rules should be here. Anyway, it is in the hands of His Highness Yi." That's all. If the emperor asks about it in the future, His Highness will have to smooth things over for me. "
Qiu Yizhi knew that Shi Wei's words were half true and half false, so he stopped talking and asked, "General Shi is someone who often sees the emperor and Prime Minister Zhongli. I wonder how these two are doing recently?" "
When Shi Wei heard Qiu Yizhi ask about these two nobles, he immediately changed his expression to a very respectful look and said: "Prime Minister Zhongli is busy with everything, whether he is doing things or approving documents, whether he is meeting people or meeting saints, I am It’s rare to see him for a while, but he can still do things like this, which shows that he is very strong, so there is no need to worry, Your Highness.”
When Qiu Yizhi heard Shi Wei's words, the scene of Zhongli Kuang's tense and thin face suddenly appeared in his mind, scaring the people he met half to death, and he couldn't help but smile.
"But your Majesty..." Shi Wei added, "I'm not afraid that His Highness Yi will blame me for speaking out. Your Majesty was born into a prince who fought in the army, and his body is extremely healthy. But every time I meet the Emperor, he always says he is tired. Very, I always think about the day when I will go on a military expedition in person, but I am afraid that my body will not be able to bear it, and I will not have this day..." As he said that, Shi Wei let out a long sigh.
Qiu Yizhi was very sad after hearing this, and suddenly remembered that when he left Beijing, Zhongli Kuang once said to himself that Emperor Zheng Rong had injured his lungs before and after the battle against rebellion, and he was afraid that his body would become weak in the future and he would never recover. He looked so wise and powerful back then.
However, Qiu Yi had thousands of words in her heart, but she only sighed: "Everyone wants to be an emperor, but who knows the pain of being an emperor?"
But as soon as he said the words, he knew he was wrong - Zheng Rong didn't have the blessing of being an emperor, but he took advantage of the name of "chasing rebellion", wasted his master's skills, and caused a lot of noise in the north. He just became the emperor - weren't his words just mocking Emperor Zheng Rong for asking for trouble
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi hurriedly said: "When General Shi returns to Beijing, he must say something to the Holy One on my behalf, asking him to pay attention to his labor saving, and I wish him a long life..."
When Shi Wei heard these words of praise to the saint, he immediately stood up. He stood up and listened to Qiu Yizhi's words with great respect. He cupped his hands and said, "I'll take note of it, little one."
Qiu Yizhi nodded, not knowing what to say next, so he had to stand silently in the eyes of everyone. The atmosphere was slightly awkward for a moment.
After a while, Qiu Yizhi remembered a topic and asked Shi Wei: "How are my brothers doing?"
Shi Wei hurriedly answered: "Okay, okay, everything is fine. I'm just busy! This... The recent plague epidemic in Shaanxi and Gansu cannot be eliminated for a long time. The emperor was worried, so he sent His Highness to Shaanxi and Gansu to deal with it in person. Regarding the plague, everyone, I'm afraid you know that other epidemics are more rampant the hotter it is, but the plague is more severe when it's colder. It's autumn now, and even though Jiangnan is still very hot, it's already snowing in some places in Shaanxi and Gansu. Let’s calm down a bit, it’s almost winter, His Highness doesn’t dare to come back beforehand, he’s still in charge in Shaanxi and Gansu!”
These few words of Shi Wei's involved the confidential affairs of the imperial court, which made everyone here prick up their ears and listen attentively.
Seeing the focused expressions on everyone's faces, Shi Wei felt proud and continued: "The north is not peaceful either. It is said that Bisimi of the Turks borrowed troops from the west, unified the various Turkic tribes, and began to harass the north. Knowing that the two generals Cui Nan and Wei Hu were in the south and that the emperor had no one available, he sent His Highness to personally lead the army to garrison in Guangyang to prevent the Turks from moving south. " (To be continued)