Of course, Sheng Weiqiao was no stranger to Ruru. After all, her direct grandfather, Mrs. Sheng, had left the family business and his new wife to join the army just to kill them: this was Damu's most troublesome border problem.
In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, His Majesty Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong vigorously exterminated them. However, the founding cavalry drove thousands of miles north and let their remnants sneak into the desert and escape!
When he returned to recuperate and regain his strength, the throne of China had been passed to Emperor Zhaozong, the grandson of Mu Taizong and the grandfather of the current emperor.
It's not that Mu Zhaozong didn't want to complete the unfinished work of his ancestors and improve his evaluation in the history of the world by several levels - the tragedy is that his energy was not exhausted, and there were too many disasters in China during Zhaozong's reign!
First there was an earthquake that had not been seen in a century, then there was a flood that had not been seen in a century, then there was a drought that had not happened in fifty years, and finally a few months before Zhaozong died, there was a disaster that had not happened in thirty years. Locust plague!
Speaking of Damu's pirates who are now occupying islands overseas, most of them came to the sea because of the disasters during the Zhaozong period. The ancestors of the Gongsun family were one of them - when General Zhou was still alive, he led troops to raid the coastal areas. Even so, the island has still not been able to cut off the root cause, which shows how much the non-capital trading industry grew during the disaster.
Poor Zhaozong has never stopped issuing edicts of sin since he ascended the throne!
At the end of the day, he was about to die, and he had to tremble again. Fortunately, this emperor was very good at governing the country. With his superb political skills and the ability to provide for the people and the country, he managed to survive many natural disasters. The Dam Dynasty was supported, otherwise the foundation of their old Rong family would probably be on the verge of death due to the drought that will not come out for fifty years...
However, even if this was the case, Mu Zhaozong was unable to take the initiative to send troops to Ruru, so he could only station troops on the border and focus on defense.
After Zhaozong came the emperor's biological father, His Majesty Emperor Xiaozong - just like his posthumous title, his Majesty was a very filial emperor. And then, as an emperor, he had no other achievements except filial piety.
During his reign, His Majesty Emperor Xiaozong was most concerned about neither killing Ruru nor governing the world, but establishing Prince Guangling, the daughter of his favorite concubine Rou, as the crown prince. After these two goals failed, Emperor Xiaozong did not last long before he went to see the ancestors of the Rong family.
... Speaking of which, this is one of the reasons why Huan Guanlan and the others were determined to ensure that the emperor would succeed to the throne: Emperor Zhaozong was restricted by natural disasters and failed to succeed the two ancestors Gaozu and Taizong and kill Ruru; Emperor Xiaozong was restricted by the pattern, and also He failed to complete this achievement; today, as the eldest son of Emperor Xiaozong, he was only seventeen years old when he ascended the throne!
If another prince is appointed, he will be even younger. In this way, after the new king comes to power, he will not even be able to take charge immediately, but how long and long will it take before he can mention the Northern Expedition
It's a pity that God's calculations are not as good as those of man. When today's emperor came to power, he was full of ambitions and lofty ideals. He vowed to follow the legacy of his ancestors, lead an army to conquer the country, and permanently stabilize the northern border. For this reason, he specially sent Zhou, who was in the south to clean up pirates. The general was sent to northern Xinjiang to serve as a frontline for the emperor's personal expedition.
Although everyone in the court at that time did not approve of the young emperor's personal expedition, firstly, they were worried about the safety of the emperor; secondly, they were afraid that the emperor would not know the military and would mess up the command, so that those who really knew the military and were good at fighting, such as General Zhou, would not be able to use it.
But Emperor Xuanjing had such ambitions, and all the ministers were very pleased.
As a result, just a few days after Huan Guanlan and the others were relieved, the eldest princess Wuyang recommended the Shu sisters to the emperor to relieve his boredom. The much-anticipated new emperor quickly degenerated into a coward...
It might be a good thing to think that Huan Guanlan's whereabouts were unknown ten years ago and he was probably killed long ago. Otherwise, seeing that nearly thirty-three years have passed since the 32nd year of Xuanjing, the emperor is still indulged in the gentle hometown of the Shu sisters and would not miss it. The emperor cultivated and supported him with kindness, did not care about the country, ignored the government, and did not even have any heirs - Sheng Weiqiao felt that if he were Huan Guanlan, he would probably be pissed to death...
Uh, that's enough, let's continue talking about Ruru.
This clan makes a living by nomadic life. To put it simply, they graze when they should graze, and rob when they don't need to graze.
Although the people who were most frequently robbed and ravaged by them were the other small nomadic tribes in the north, the one who was the richest, most well-off, and the most envious and jealous of them was definitely Da Mu.
Because they grew up in the wilderness, they could be said to have grown up on horses for generations. It is said that "Hu'er can ride a horse at the age of ten." Not only can men, women and children go to the battlefield, but the tribes retreat and move very quickly - General Zhou was ordered by the emperor to , when they were on the northern front, in order to prevent their plundering, they spent nearly ten years to set up three front and rear defense lines, and spent countless manpower and material resources to lay down layers of border defenses in northern Xinjiang to contain Rufeng. Ru's cavalry.
Originally, there was no need to worry about Ruru's sudden attack on the border, so General Zhou planned to report to the imperial court, personally lead an army to expedition to the royal court of Ruru, and hold the emperor accountable to the emperor.
Then…
Then there was no more. The court felt that General Zhou had personally controlled Northern Xinjiang for nearly ten years. The army in Northern Xinjiang knew about the general, but not necessarily the court, not necessarily the emperor, let alone King Gaomi and the Meng family. If he was given another large army and deep penetration The huge baggage in the grassland and desert, when he returns from victory, has the momentum to complete the great unfinished work of six generations of emperors since His Majesty Emperor Gaozu, who else in this court, no, in this world, can suppress him
Will the world still have the surname Rong at that time
So they decisively joined forces to kill General Zhou...
The imperial court was not stupid enough to even take down General Zhou's defense line in northern Xinjiang. After General Zhou's death, his direct descendants were wary of the imperial court. The struggle between the King of Gaomi and the Meng family also entered the army, causing a lot of trouble in northern Xinjiang. Because of the turmoil for a while, Ruru took the opportunity to attack. The reason why it failed to cause a big fuss was ultimately due to the existence of the three layers of defense.
As the direct granddaughter of General Zhou, who was not always close to him, but was often summoned for guidance, Sheng Weiqiao had listened to his grandfather hugging her and telling her about this past event since she could remember. It could be said that she was very familiar with him.
However, because she grew up in the south of the Great Mu Dynasty and was thousands of miles away from Ruru in northern Xinjiang, neither she nor the people around her thought that she would have any connection with Ruru.
Hearing Sheng Suihe talk about Ruru, he couldn't help but be shocked: "They actually reached out to Bishui County?!"
"It's just speculation." Sheng Suihe said gently, "Because dear girl, you see, the Imperial Envoy has been searching in Bishui County for so long and there is no clue. This is incredible! After all, there are many capable people in the country who can be appointed as Imperial Envoy , the person responsible for such a big case must not be an ordinary person! In this case, so many days have passed and nothing has been found... It is really thought-provoking!"
Seeing Sheng Weiqiao nodding in agreement, the smile on his face became wider, but his tone became softer, "Since there are no clues from Bishui County, then we should do the opposite and infer from the results of the Bishui County case - whether Rong Qingzui or Meng Boheng and their status are destined to make it impossible for this matter to be revealed even if the results cannot be found in a short period of time!"
"On the contrary, once the results of this matter cannot be found in a short period of time, the conflict between King Gaomi and the Meng family will only become more intense!"
"Because if their anger cannot be vented on the real culprit, they will have no choice but to direct it at the other party!"
"If this is the case, how can the court not be in chaos?"
"So, who can benefit the most?"
"There is chaos in the Mu Chaotang, and Ruru can benefit from it!" Sheng Weiqiao nodded subconsciously, but frowned, "But brother, why are you so sure that King Gaomi and the Meng family are both victims in this matter? What if this happened? In fact, they did it to each other?"
She glanced outside, supported the small table between the two of them with her elbows, leaned forward slightly, and whispered, "Actually, I think the Meng family is the most suspicious! Because you think, the young lady from the Gaomi Palace The prince was said to have been seriously injured, but he was carried back to Chang'an in full public view. Everyone knew that he had seen it. When we went to the Zhao Mansion to apologize, in the glazed flower house, across the camellia tree, we heard him talking to Zhao Er The lady is talking!"
"But it is true that the missing Mr. Meng Ba has not been seen until now. As for whether he was really kidnapped, or the Meng family arranged for him to temporarily go to some other house in order to cover up the fact that they murdered the young prince of Gaomi Palace. If you stay in a place like this, you will be free and happy—who knows?”
Sheng Suihe liked her initiative to approach him very much, and asked with a smile: "Last time when I went to Zhao Mansion, you saw Rong Qing drunk? Why is he in Zhao Mansion?"
"I'm surprised too!" Sheng Weiqiao hasn't told him about this matter yet, not because he deliberately hid it from him, but because they were still living in Ningwei Hou Mansion at that time, so talking in private was naturally not as convenient as it is now, and Sheng Weiqiao thought that This matter has nothing to do with me, so there is no need to waste your breath on it.
When she met Sheng Suihe and asked about it, she gave a brief summary of what happened and said, "I didn't know he was so seriously injured. Why didn't he live in the Gaomi Prince's palace instead of raising him in his family? How could the Gaomi Prince and his wife be willing to do so?"
"It's just a matter of a wealthy family." Sheng Suihe listened, the smile on his face remained unchanged, but in the depths of his pupils, like still water, inexplicable emotions surged, "Although he is the legitimate son of the Gaomi King and his wife, , but he is not the eldest son after all. Hasn’t the elder brother above him already made him the crown prince? Maybe the brothers have conflicts and cannot rest peacefully in the palace to recuperate? "
Sheng Weiqiao was startled and said: "Isn't that true? I heard that the Gaomi Prince's palace only consists of two brothers. If there is still intrigue, the Gaomi Prince and his wife will not care about it? And didn't Xu Shishu say last time that the Gaomi Prince's son had done something for his brother's injury? He had a big fight with Meng Boheng's cousin Chong Xinbo in the court? It shows that Prince Gaomi still cares about his younger brother very much!"
"How can we be sure of what is happening on the scene?" Sheng Suihe said in amusement, "There is no father or son in the Tian family - do you think today, in order to please the two Empresses Shu, we would order pregnant concubines to have abortions not just once or twice, but that's right. Like brother, like brother, how can the Gaomi Palace be so clean..."
Before he finished speaking, a soft little hand covered his lips impatiently. Sheng Weiqiao looked at him with hatred: "Brother, why do you dare to say anything like I did in front of the Queen Mother?! This Is this what you, a scholar, can say? Are you desperate for your life?!"
Seeing Sheng Suihe looking straight at her with a strange and strange expression, she felt a little inexplicably panicked. She hurriedly took back her hand, coughed dryly, and said seriously, "Even if everyone in the world understands this kind of thing, it is not true after all. You can say it casually! Especially here in Chang'an, under the Emperor's feet, it is wrong for us to talk about the Tian family so loudly. If word gets out, even if you are not involved by me this time, you will have to study hard for more than ten years. It’s all in vain!”
"Just for the temporary pleasure, is it worth it?"
"Well, my dear girl reminded her very much. I've written it down. I won't do it again." Sheng Suihe stared at her for a long time with burning eyes. Sheng Weiqiao was almost angry with embarrassment before she turned away and smiled, "But my dear girl Don't worry too much, Nannan. Even if there is a lot of wind and snow outside right now, and someone wants to approach quietly, they can't hide it from my eyes and ears! No one knows what I said just now, except you and me. It's impossible for my good girl to betray you. We are brothers, right?"
Sheng Weiqiao said: "Of course - let's not talk about this anymore, let's continue talking about business! Brother, tell me, is it possible that the Meng family did what happened this time?"
"Good girl, we are not imperial envoys sent by the imperial court to Bishui County. The purpose is to find out the truth." Sheng Suihe smiled and reached out to touch her head, but this time Sheng Weiqiao tilted his head to avoid it. , he stopped with a bit of disappointment and said, "Your goal is just to pass the Queen Mother's test next time you meet with her and let her expose your previous offense - are you going to express doubts in front of Queen Mother Meng?" Are all the things in Bishui County done by the Meng family?"
"... Of course I know it's impossible to say that in front of the Queen Mother!" Sheng Weiqiao rolled her eyes at him angrily, "Aren't I just curious about who the real culprit in this matter is, so why don't I speculate with you in private?!"
Sheng Suihe was about to speak when he suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at the door. Sheng Weiqiao also followed his gaze inexplicably. After a moment, he heard footsteps coming from outside, followed by a knock on the door and the voice of the little maid Jinli. Came the message: "Eldest Young Master, Third Young Lady, there are guests at the door. Steward Sheng Xiang invites the Eldest Young Master to go to the main hall to greet the distinguished guests!"