The recruitment of Situ Lang and Situ Jun was naturally expected by Cheng Dayou, but where did this Situ Biao come from? Cheng Dayou couldn't figure out what qualifications this Situ Biao had to send him a signal of recruitment. Could it be that just because he was a prince, he would think too highly of himself. Of course, Cheng Dayou didn't believe that the other party was just on a whim. Anyone who dared to talk to him must have someone to rely on. It wasn't until the opponent revealed Qiankun Dao's trump card that Cheng Dayou realized that not only himself, but also everyone inside and outside had underestimated the sixth prince who had been keeping a low profile.
If there is the support of Qiankun Dao, then the hidden power of Situ Biao will increase exponentially. Cheng Dayou, who has been in charge of Jiujiang for almost two years, has never relaxed his intelligence collection. As early as when he was running around in the Taiping Sect, he vaguely heard that the power of Qiankun Dao in the southern part of the empire even exceeded that of the Taiping Sect. The Taiping Sect is also very concerned about the Qiankun Dao when it develops in the south. However, no one knows who exactly this Qiankun Dao is composed of, and what interests it represents. They only know that they use the Five Lakes as their base. They also have a very deep foundation in Jiangnan. The only thing that can be determined is that they are inextricably linked with some elite families among the common people. This is what Cheng Dayou combined with his understanding of the Taiping Sect and his experience in Jiujiang for more than a year. conclusions drawn from the intelligence information obtained.
Should I take a gamble? But is it too rash to make a decision based on just a few pieces of information revealed by the other party? Even if he has the backing of Qiankun Dao, but without any military power, it is still worthless. But he doesn't know what is hidden behind the other side's confident appearance that everything is under control
He walked to the window sill and looked south. The streets were busy with traffic, and the river was full of boats. Cheng Dayou didn't even know that his idol and his group were strolling happily not far away, walking around the interested people. Appreciating the grand scenery of Jiujiang under his rule, if the two could meet by chance, discuss heroes over a cup of wine, and talk about the world with a toast, this might be a rare story, but history is not accidental, it is just a rare story. It can be subordinate to the inevitable accumulation of thousands of accidents.
After taking a look at Jiujiang, Wu Feng did not stay much longer. Although Cheng Dayou was a worthy partner, the timing and the environment did not allow him to meet the master of Jiujiang, especially when the other party was cold. After treating the envoy he sent to inquire about the situation properly, it was even more difficult to figure out what the other party was thinking in this chaotic and unclear situation, and he could only wait for the time to come in the future to make sense. That night, Wu Feng and his party took a boat and went north to Jinzhong, where they changed to a carriage. Although the Wealth Leveling Movement in Jinzhong is in full swing, fortunately it has not affected business travel. Wu Feng even felt that the inspection here was just a formality. Did the local officials intentionally indulge these frightened mine owners and landowners? Did they flee so that they could take over their property and fields? Wu Feng was very skeptical.
On December 10, 697 in the mainland Gregorian calendar, after fifteen days of long journey, Wu Feng and his party finally arrived at the imperial capital and met up with Qin Shuangying and his party who had arrived the day before. Wu Feng and his party were delayed a lot along the way, and the fleet went straight to Yueyang, where they encountered an unprecedented crazy attack. Fortunately, Wu Feng's guards were well prepared, and the opponent's target was also Wu Feng alone, and Situ was attacked. However, Yutang and others did not care at all. The Wufeng boat was burned down. A total of more than 30 people including the guards and the master guards sent by various factions were killed, and as many as 100 people were killed by the troops sent by Hanzhong Prefecture. This sacrifice also caused a sensation in the imperial court. Fortunately, Situ Yutang remained calm in the face of danger and decisively suppressed public opinion demanding a thorough investigation. He continued eastward to Taihu Lake in Huzhou, Jiangnan, and traced up to Lu under the escort of the Taihu Navy. Only when they traveled back to the imperial capital via Shanjiang River in Yang territory did they not reveal the fact that Wu Feng, who was pretending to be ill, was not actually on the ship.
It was only then that Wu Feng quietly sneaked into the big tent and really began to show up to receive the people from all walks of life who had come to inquire about the situation.
Looking at Situ Yutang who was slightly thinner, Wu Feng felt a strange feeling in his heart. If he really married the beautiful woman in front of him as his first wife, it might be a good choice. Not only could he win the favor of the Situ family, but The certain support of the authentic conservative forces eased her relationship with them, and it was also a complementary combination for the people of the entire empire. What was even more rare was that she also had the same decisiveness and decision-making power as Lin Yuexin.
"Yutang, I've worked hard on you all the way." Staring at the other person's slightly spiky Yutang, Wu Feng took the other person's hand and said solemnly.
His face was a little feverish. Although there was no one else in the room, Situ Yutang still seemed unable to adapt to Wu Feng's direct way of expressing his feelings. He quietly withdrew his hand from the other party's hand. Situ Yutang swept up his scattered hair and calmed down. Looking back at each other emotionally, he said with a smile: "You and I should be husband and wife, how can we say such things to each other? Is your journey going smoothly?"
"Well, it went smoothly. From Jiujiang to Jinzhong, although they are all areas controlled by the Taiping Rebellion, they actually do not have strict control in this area. I also saw their Taiping people's management style, and I was very disappointed. Ah." Wu Feng generously took the other person's hand and walked to the chair to sit down. Then he sat back on the main seat and smiled calmly: "These lowly guys are quite capable of deceiving people, but when it comes to the means and measures to govern the place, they are quite capable. It’s not worth mentioning, I think Heshuo will be in chaos soon!”
"Oh?" Situ Yutang raised his beautiful eyebrows and said in surprise: "Didn't it mean that the Taiping Sect's rule in Heshuo was very stable and the ignorant people rushed to support it?"
"Haha, it depends on how you put it. The success of a place cannot be achieved by the support of some foolish men and women. Heshuo has always been rich. If we talk about the prosperity of the people in the empire, it is only inferior to the Jiangnan, East China Sea and Five Lakes. Taiping teaches people The so-called wealth equalization movement was carried out in Heshuo. Not only were the big merchants robbed, but even the ordinary middle-class people who had accumulated it for generations were complaining. These people thought they could satisfy some people's fantasies. The practice of robbing the rich and giving to the poor has completely lost its rules, and is getting more and more intense. Those unscrupulous people who are usually lazy and lazy have taken the opportunity to join the ranks and add fuel to the flames. And those so-called officials of the Taiping Church are fanning the flames and building momentum, taking the opportunity to profit from it themselves. Is this kind of lawless banditry that enriches one's own pockets the way to govern a country? Ridiculous!" Wu Feng also shook his head and sighed at what he saw and heard.
Looking directly at the other party, Situ Yutang smiled calmly, his jade-white cheeks revealed an indescribable look, and his cold and clear eyes like moonlight fell on Wu Feng's face, "Even so, Wu Feng Why not take the opportunity to regain Heshuo?"
Wu Feng didn't expect that his unintentional words would lead to such a difficult topic to answer. He wanted to avoid it, but when he saw the other party's clear and watery eyes fixed on his face, he was silent for a while, unable to find the right answer. words to respond.
"Is it possible that Wu Feng also has an unspeakable secret? The Taiping bandits are just a bunch of stupid people who use cult teachings to confuse the people and take advantage of the policy mistakes in certain parts of the empire to threaten them. As time goes by, the people are gradually recognizing their true colors. Like a candle in the wind, it can be extinguished by waving your hand, so why is Wu Feng unwilling to do something that conforms to the people's will and contribute to the empire?" Although the girl's words were gentle, she meant every word, quite a bit. The meaning of persuasion.
"Well, Yutang doesn't know something. Although the Heshuo Taiping Rebellion Party did this unnatural thing, they won the full support of the ignorant people at the lower level for a while. It will take time to see the consequences of these measures. Day. I think that since the Empire's Third and Fourth Legions have been formed, and the Eighth and Ninth Legions are also actively preparing for establishment, perhaps the Empire Central Committee has long planned to eliminate military training. If I am not interested in being good at weapons, Fu Ni If you don't say what the Empire Central Committee wants, it might ruin the Empire's opportunity to train its troops." After preparing his words for a long time, Wu Feng finally squeezed out a few insincere words to cover up his explanation.
Situ Yutang smiled brightly as if he had seen through Wu Feng's inner thoughts. He stopped arguing on this topic and asked Wu Feng to rest for a while. You must know that many forces in the Imperial City had come to pay their respects, and they were all ignored. Situ Yutang declined on the grounds that Wu Feng was suffering from minor illness and was not suitable to receive guests for the time being. However, such excuses could not last long, and it was natural for Wu Feng to see guests.
Before receiving the notice from the Empire's Provisional Military and Political Decision-making Committee, Wu Feng and his guards, like other officials from other counties, had to stay outside the imperial capital and wait for orders. Although the city gate was not closed, Ordinary people can enter and exit the imperial capital city, but officials from other provinces like Wu Feng, who have official titles, have to abide by the decree and wait for the passing of the general order.
While Wu Feng was waiting for the arrival of the traffic order with peace of mind, the ministers who were discussing matters in the Jixian Hall in the city were also having a headache about Wu Feng's arrival.
Many ministers did not welcome Wu Feng's arrival. However, after His Majesty the Emperor passed away, it was common etiquette to order officials from all over the country to attend the state funeral of His Majesty the Emperor. Wu Feng was not only the Military and Political Envoy of the Northwest and the Governor of the Northern Luzon Special Administrative Region, but also She also has the identity of being the unmarried consort of the seventeenth princess of the empire. These two special identities cannot help but order the other party to enter the capital. However, when this order was issued, many people thought that Wu Feng did not dare to go in person. Beijing, if Wu Feng did not come, many people had already thought about what words they would use to condemn and admonish Li Wufeng. But what they got at this time was that Li Wufeng came despite the risk of assassination and was already waiting outside the city. This made many In addition to being disappointed, people also have various concerns and worries.
"Everyone, the Northwest Military and Political Governor Li Wufeng and Her Royal Highness the Seventeenth Princess have arrived outside the city. They are now waiting for the committee to issue the pass. I hope you can give your opinions as soon as possible so that I can make arrangements." The commander of the Imperial Guards Corps in military uniform Ma Yuanwang seemed a little tired. For a while, everyone felt that the legion commander who was currently in charge of life and death in the imperial capital had been in a low mood. Perhaps it was the death of His Majesty the Emperor that made him a little disappointed, but as the commander of the Imperial Guards legion, It seems like I should be more cheerful.
"Master Ma, you have just seen that everyone has different opinions on this matter. We also want to hear your opinion." The speaker was Ning Yuanwang. At this time, he no longer had the low profile that he had deliberately suppressed in the past. , her gray hair was combed to look particularly shiny, it was already the late autumn season, and her thin face was rosy. It was obvious that some people were in high spirits during happy events.
The military and political decision-making committee had huge differences over Li Wufeng's opinion on entering the city. Ning Yuanwang and Jilin both opposed allowing Li Wufeng to enter the city. According to their opinions, Li Wufeng should not be allowed to enter the city until the day His Majesty the Emperor was buried. After attending the funeral, Li Wufeng was allowed to enter the city. Li Wufeng was sent out of the city back to the northwest as a gift. Li Wufeng tried not to intervene in the issue of the throne. The reason was that Li Wufeng and Situ Yutang were unmarried. Situ Yutang was from the royal family and was easily affected by blood relations and family affection. He could not be impartial. Recommend suitable candidates for the emperor. But this was opposed by the Minister of Finance Tian Yi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sariden. Both of them believed that Li Wufeng was a powerful enemy of the empire in the west, and he conquered the nomadic people who had been troubled in the western frontier of the empire in one fell swoop. Li Wufeng was also the emperor's consort. This is obviously unreasonable. As for the selection of the emperor, the Military and Political Decision-making Committee has not yet come up with a practical selection plan. It seems unreasonable to deprive Li Wufeng of his right to know and make suggestions based on this.
The Minister of Internal Affairs Lu Wenfu, who plays an important role in the decision-making committee, has not made his position clear, but Ma Yuanwang can't wait because he must let Li Wufeng enter the city, and he has to comply. It's just that he is not a member of the decision-making committee. Although he controls the power to open these four doors, he must obtain the consent of the decision-making committee in terms of procedures.
"My lords, Mr. Ma is just a soldier. Soldiers only need to obey orders as their bounden duty. Since it has been decided that the decision-making committee will handle all matters, Mr. Ma thinks it is better for the decision-making committee to decide this matter. But Mr. Ma is thinking, This Li Wufeng was originally His Majesty's son-in-law. Now he has come from the northwest to pay homage to His Majesty. It would be unjustifiable if he was not allowed to enter the city. I think the adults seem a little worried about him, but this is the imperial capital, not the northwest. He can do whatever he wants. With such great ability, he only brought three to four hundred people with him to Beijing this time, and it was to protect his own life. Everyone knows that he was indeed attacked in Hanzhong and Yueyang, and suffered a lot of damage. Could it be that? How much trouble can these two or three hundred people cause in our imperial capital?" Ma Yuanxiang looked down on the literati in front of him from the bottom of his heart. Normally, they all spoke with arrogance, but once something happened they would He was panic-stricken, and even small matters such as whether to allow Li Wufeng to enter the city needed to be discussed and studied. He really didn't understand that Li Wufeng entering the city alone would change the current situation of the empire
What Ma Yuan went to say with a gun and a stick made Ning Yuanwang and Ji Lin feel hot on their faces. Of course they could hear the sarcasm in the other's words, but what the other said was reasonable. Li Wufeng added Compared with the existing military strength in the imperial capital, the one or two hundred guards are nothing more than a drop in the bucket. Can he really make a difference? Ning Yuanwang coughed dryly and was about to explain, but was interrupted by the Minister of the Interior who had been silent: "Master Ma is right. Li Wufeng is already under the city. If he is not allowed to enter the city, it will inevitably arouse unnecessary suspicion. In the imperial capital, Not Northwest, if he really has any disobedience, then he is seeking his own death! As for the issue of the selection of the throne, I think if he has the right to make suggestions, then don’t representatives Lin Guoxiong and Lang Yongquan also have this power? I don’t think this case can be opened!”
Seeing that Lu Wenfu had expressed his position, Ning Yuanwang showed a trace of resentment on his face, but he also knew that since it had become a foregone conclusion, there was no need to offend others too much, so he agreed: "In that case, Master Ma will issue the pass. Yes, but please ask Mr. Lu to send someone to remind Li Wufeng that it is a period of national mourning, and Mr. Li Wufeng please pay attention to his behavior, otherwise it will not look good on his face if a supervisor impeaches him at the court meeting."
Wu Feng stood in front of his mansion and silently watched everything in front of him. Last year, today, in this door, the faces of people and peach blossoms reflected each other's red. The face of the face is unknown, the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze, things have changed, but the mansion still exists, the giver Go. A touch of sadness quietly crept into Wu Feng's heart. Although Wu Feng also knew clearly that His Majesty the Emperor was not a qualified emperor, after all, he had been favored by him and climbed from a small captain of the imperial army to his current role. Prosperity, wealth, power, beauty, money and mansions, all of these are inseparable from the other party's rewards no matter what the purpose is. But now, he is already lying in the Temple of Heaven. The so-called success or failure of the king's hegemony is probably about to turn into nothing. Such a portrayal.
Gently pushing open the wooden door of the study room, there are still old books on the desk. The servants are obviously very diligent. The study room is still clean, and all the furnishings are unchanged from when I left. The only thing that has changed is probably Be yourself. In the main living room, the calligraphy and painting "Tranquility is far away, indifferent and clear ambition" is still hanging in the middle of the wall, and the large carved chair has a dark color, as if it has ushered in the second political coup of the owner.
Returning to the study and sitting down, Wu Feng casually picked up a book and flipped through it. The bookmark seemed to indicate that he was reading papers here in his spare time more than two years ago. He picked up the book and put it to his mouth, and took a deep breath. He sounded like he was recalling his romantic affair in the imperial capital over the past two years and a few months. Scenes of walking around the stage and singing wildly at the Qin Tower passed by Wu Feng's eyes again. What a relaxing and relaxing time it was. Ah, I haven't had such a free and easy time since I returned to the northwest, and I won't have it again in the future.
Wu Feng, who was sitting in the study in silence and lost in thought, stayed there for an hour. Several locust trees outside the window were shivering in the cold wind, and the rolled up dead branches and leaves in the inner courtyard made a rustling sound. Everything was like a dream, Wu Feng He leaned his head back on the back of Taishi's chair and closed his eyes to rest. All kinds of past events came to his mind. There seemed to be a feeling of going back in time in the study. At this moment, he even felt that everything in the world had become still, and he There was also a feeling of mental and physical exhaustion. For a moment, he couldn't even remember what the real purpose of coming to the imperial capital was. Time passed like this. It wasn't until the guards quietly opened the door to take a look that there was something wrong, then Wu Feng was dismissed from the past. woke up from the memories.
Su Jie and Qin Shuangying noticed Wu Feng's bad expression at the first moment, and both asked Wu Feng with concern, but they both pushed the blame aside. Wu Feng didn't want his bad mood to affect others, especially in this kind of situation. Under such circumstances, Su Jie, who came to the imperial capital for the first time, was obviously not mentally prepared for the prosperity of the imperial capital. She had already been intoxicated by seeing such magnificent architectural walls and the vast sea of pavilions and pavilions in the imperial capital. Although she had heard about the prosperity of the Imperial Capital for a long time, she was still shocked when she saw the grand scene of the largest city in the Eastern Continent for the first time. If she hadn't been busy with her own duties, I'm afraid she would have asked Qin Shuangying to take her out for a nice sightseeing as soon as possible.
"Li Wufeng has entered the city?" The obese man put his feet comfortably in the wooden basin and let the steam from the hot water smoke his entire calf red. He puffed heavily, mixed with a variety of precious medicinal materials. The medicinal liquid soaks the feet very comfortably. Although it is a little bit hot, it is precisely at this temperature that the best effect can be achieved.
"Yeah, I heard that a few old guys on the Military and Political Decision-making Committee argued for a long time before they finally agreed. Hey, these guys were frightened by Li Wufeng's force. Even Li Wufeng went to Kyoto alone and was afraid of them. I really don't know what this gang is. What do you think? There are hundreds of thousands of Central Imperial Guards gathered in the imperial capital. Are you still afraid of Li Wufeng who is alone?" The middle-aged man sitting aside and enjoying the same treatment is not much slimmer than the obese man. The pipe was held in his mouth, and thick smoke erupted from his nose to form overlapping smoke rings. His words seemed a little slurred.
"It's no wonder for them. His Majesty finally trapped Li Wufeng in the imperial capital the year before last. However, due to the turmoil in the northwest, Li Wufeng had to be released. Now that His Majesty has gone, they all thought that Li Wufeng did not dare to come to Beijing. Hehe, not only did he come, but he also The big guy came here with only a few hundred guards. What's going on? Are you a little brave?" The obese man seemed to know Li Wufeng very well. He narrowed his swollen eyes and snorted softly: "Don't underestimate this. Guy, anyone who underestimates him will eventually fall into the palm of his hand."
"Well, when he comes, I don't know whether some are happy and some are sad. Your Highnesses are very busy." The middle-aged man blew out another smoke ring, rolled his eyelids, and then said: "But it's hard to say. , Li Wufeng heard that he was attacked continuously in Hanzhong and Yueyang, especially in Yueyang, where even a boat was burned down. It seems that he didn’t expect him to go to Beijing and gain a lot of people. He was able to mobilize such a large force to attack in our Wuhu area. After all the calculations, there are only a few of them, but I’ve spent a lot of time and effort but there’s no news, it’s really weird!”