The carriage rolled forward slowly on the bluestone slab, and when it left Cui's mansion, the sky had already darkened. It had already been decided that Fang Jie would go to Dugu Wenxiu's house and visit Dugu Wenxiu's mother after leaving Cui's residence. But on the way, Fang Jie suddenly changed his mind, and the carriage went straight back to Changchun Garden.
Dugu Wenxiu, who had been waiting outside the mansion gate for a long time, did not get the news until the night had enveloped Chang'an City that the prince would not be coming today. Dugu Wenxiu stood at the door in a daze for a while, then turned and went back to the yard. He supported his mother who was waiting with him, and the backs of both of them were a little lonely.
"You kneel down."
After entering the door, the old lady pointed to her face and said three words with a cold face.
Dugu Wenxiu was taken aback, not knowing what was going on, but she still knelt down. Their mother and son depend on each other for life, and Dugu is a filial person. He himself is simple and doesn't pay much attention to food and clothing, but he cares about his mother very much.
"Tell me, what did you do wrong?"
the old lady asked.
Only then did Dugu understand, and shook his head: "I didn't do anything wrong, or the lord encountered some urgent matter, so I went back to deal with it."
"Don't think I'm confused, I'm not old yet."
The old lady is indeed not old, and she is not yet fifty years old.
"If it's an urgent state matter, then the lord will not return to the Changchun Garden but the Taiji Palace. From what I know about the lord, he is not a person who keeps his word. In the past few years, what I have seen and heard, It's enough to know a person. The lord is a man who loves and hates clearly, and is also just. If he says he can't come today, it must not be because of his own reasons, but because you have done something wrong, so he thinks there is no need to come. "
Dugu felt very bitter.
Unspeakable suffering.
"I really didn't do anything wrong. I was conscientious in the affairs of the court and didn't dare to slack off. Even though I didn't dare to take credit for myself, I didn't dare to belittle myself. If my lord is dissatisfied with me, maybe it's just because of my ability. Insufficient, did not do the best."
The old lady obviously did not dispel her doubts because of these few words. She was silent for a while and then slowly said: "You should know how hard our life was back then. Back then I sold all the jewelry and changed gold and silver trays You have a good future because of your connections. But all your money was cheated by others, and it was hard to survive. If it weren’t for your elder brother’s help in the house, we might end up as beggars somewhere. Later, you said The Black Banner Army is rising in the southwest, and you feel that the Black Banner Army is different from those rebels, and that it is a place where you can show your ambitions."
"So I sold the house and collected a sum of money for you to spend money on and take care of. Fortunately, you settled down in the Black Banner Army, but you are nothing more than a small official who keeps things in mind. If it weren't for the master's insight, would you Is there today's status? When the lord left Chang'an, I promised you such a great effort to keep this home for him. Although I don't go out, I also know that during the year after the lord left, the city of Chang'an It's not peaceful."
"Mother, you are worrying too much."
Dugu Wenxiu said.
The old lady shook her head: "Listen to me... During these days, more than half of the people who came in and out of our house were strangers. These people had never been seen before the lord left Chang'an, and they all came when the lord left. Said Wake up, didn't you see that you hold great power? They flattered you and flattered you, not because of your own ability, but because of the power given to you by the lord. If you squander this trust yourself, then your road in the future will only be more difficult. Go narrower."
"I still remember that the butler in the mansion was the most trusted by the master, and he entrusted everything to him. Although our Dugu family was not a wealthy family back then, there was no one in that small place. Then After the butler came to power, he made friends with many important people, and he felt more and more arrogant. Later, he embezzled the money from the mansion, bought land by himself, and set up his own business. The master will be lenient, but in the end he was kicked out of the mansion, which is the best end."
"Then he felt that he had met so many great people, even if the officials refused to take him in, those rich businessmen should give him some face. So he went to seek refuge with those rich businessmen, but he was kicked out, and no one was willing to take him in. In the end, he broke his throat by cursing and died of anger on the side of the road. Before he died, he didn't understand this truth... At the beginning, people made friends with him not because of him, but because he was the housekeeper of the Dugu family!"
"The housekeeper who was kicked out of the house, how can there be any face at all? To put it bluntly, they are looking at the Dugu family's face, not his."
The old lady sighed for a long time: "You have to remember that your current position is like the lord's housekeeper. They respect you, fear you, draw you in and curry favor with you, all because of your status. When you and Dugu's family Like that butler, when he started squandering this trust, the lord has drifted away from you. When he lost the last trace of trust in you, what will happen to you? Those who are still currying favor with you, Will it still be this hot?"
She looked at Dugu Wenxiu and said: "You are not a stupid person, so I don't need to say too much. If you know what you did wrong, go to see the lord right now, and confess everything by yourself. In my opinion Knowing about the lord, if you go by yourself, he won't make things difficult for you."
"What if my lord doesn't see me?"
Dugu Wenxiu asked.
"Isn't it even more embarrassing?"
The old lady was taken aback for a moment, and then said in a daze: "Silly boy... If the lord doesn't see you today, then there is nothing embarrassing or not. Because... he has already decided something."
…
…
Ye Manwen crossed her legs, her face seemed a bit puzzled: "What kind of play is Fang Jie singing? When I came back, I went to see you first, and then I went to see Dugu Wenxiu's mother, but I suddenly went back halfway. This is What are you doing? In the middle of the night, I was woken up by you when I fell asleep!"
He yawned, obviously dissatisfied.
Cui You gave him a cold look: "If there is no accident, Fang Jie is already suspicious of Ziheng. I don't know if he doubts me, but judging from his attitude towards Ziheng today, he is here It's just to find out the truth. I deliberately made some small mistakes in front of Fang Jie, in order to make him feel that I am not worth worrying about. But I'm not sure whether I can fool him."
He looked at the wrench in his hand, with a gloomy expression on his face: "It was my negligence when I came here. It was my performance of being too poor that caught Fang Xie's attention. If I brought three carts of gold and silver into Beijing, he would have no doubts." .So I exposed the finger on purpose, and then deliberately pretended to hide it in the cuff for fear that he would find out. Fang Jie must have seen it, and I hope it can dispel some doubts for him."
"clever."
Dugu Bingwen praised: "Just a finger pull, a small movement, can make the opponent relax his vigilance."
Cui You snorted: "Let's discuss something else... Dugu Wenxiu has already gone to Changchun Garden overnight, and I have sent someone to watch it. Now what we need to be vigilant about is not Fang Jie's suspicion of Ziheng, but Fang Jie's suspicion of Ziheng." Dugu Wenxiu! If Dugu Wenxiu can't enter the Changchun Garden tonight, our plans will all be changed."
"Isn't it too abrupt?"
Bai Lao was a little puzzled: "There is no warning, what is Fang Jie's plan?"
Cui Youdao: "He just wanted to catch him by surprise. He deliberately played Dugu Wenxiu with an attitude of showing others. If Dugu Wenxiu asks to see him outside the Changchun Garden tonight, if he doesn't see... I'm afraid it won't be a good thing for us. This man is satisfied Ruthless, maybe tomorrow morning the decree to depose Dugu Wenxiu will come out of Changchun Garden. We will be caught off guard... It will be difficult for us to find another person like Dugu Wenxiu!"
Ye Manwen shuddered, and the drowsiness immediately disappeared without a trace. He sat up straight and asked, "Do you want to start early? Now Fang Jie's brigade has not returned to Chang'an City, and the troops he brought back are only tens of thousands. He left many people behind along the way." There are not many people brought back from the local guards! Ziheng now has at least 150,000 troops, and if he blocks Chang'an City, the chances of winning are great!"
"If we do it tonight, Fang Jie will definitely not be on guard. With all the strength of our family, can't we still fight against some old monsters? Even if the cook's cultivation is terrible, even if Fang Jie's own cultivation is very strong, it's really coming soon." When the fish is dead and the net is broken, we will lose before we see it!"
"What are you in a hurry for!"
Dugu Bingwen glared at him: "It hasn't reached this point yet, if we really have to start in such a hasty manner, the price will be too high even if we win. If we put all our strength on the bright side and fight, many people will die! The reason why we can control those families now is not because we have the strength in our hands? If we lose all our strength, we will have a hard time in the future! Those people are our dogs. We have big sticks in our hands, and these dogs are obedient. If we don’t have big sticks in our hands, those dogs will come back and bite us!”
Cui You nodded: "Dugu is right... If we act rashly, it may be exactly what Fang Jie wants. He just used such a little trick to make us mess up, and he succeeded. First Look, if Dugu Wenxiu can't get into the Changchun Garden tonight, let's think of another way. Ziheng's troops can't move now. Although Fang Jie's brigade has not been brought back, Qingqi's combat power is too strong... Once it misses, We won't have a second chance."
"Fang Jie has been busy the past few days entrusting the generals. Before long, those generals will leave Chang'an with their troops and go to the local defense. At that time, there will only be Ziheng's troops in the city, so it will be easier to do it!"
Cui Youdao: "However, we can't just wait... Send someone to keep an eye on Changchun Garden. I'll let Ziheng go back to the camp. If something bad happens, we won't be too passive."
Cui Zhongzhen nodded: "I'll go back right away."
At this moment, someone came in from outside and said urgently: "There has been a change, Dugu Wenxiu is still waiting outside Changchun Garden, but Fang Jie summoned Wei Xiting!"
Everyone's expressions changed immediately!
We must know that Fang has transferred Wei Xiting back to Beijing, but there has been no formal appointment. Fang Jie didn't see Dugu Wenxiu tonight, but summoned Wei Xiting overnight... This is definitely not a good signal.
…
…
Fang Jie played with the pair of lion heads in his hand, his expression slightly dignified. There are many people in the house. Wu Yiyi, Marquis of Sanjin, sat beside him, and Xiang Qingniu sat on the other side. Ye Zhuhan and Shi Wan, who had almost recovered, were also there, and the cook sat in front of them.
Sitting opposite Fang Jie was Zhou Banchuan, the director of the Academy of Martial Arts, and Wei Xiting who had just rushed over.
"I can hold my breath."
Fang Jie suddenly said: "Up to now, I have only sent some people to watch the Changchun Garden without any action... It seems that I still underestimated these people, they are all people who can hold their temper..."
After he finished speaking, Chen Xiaoru quickly walked in from the outside.
"My lord, Cui Zhongzhen has gone to camp."
Hearing this sentence, the corner of Fang Jie's mouth twitched slightly: "Go, let Dugu come in."