On the third day, Chang'an sent an envoy to lead the army to Feng, and welcome the Beiya commander back to Beijing.
And the envoy who came here under Ming Huang's imperial decree turned out to be Yu Wenhu, the great general of Xiaoqi.
The carriages and horses going north are sparkling, the carriages are as spacious and luxurious as a room. Xie Yun raised the curtain of the car with his fingertips, and glanced back without the slightest emotion. He saw a forest of iron-clad retinues with long halberds, and a black-clothed black horse in the distance followed him not far or near.
Xie Yun lowered the car curtain.
He got up and walked to the carved pear wood table in the car and sat down. After a while, the door of the carriage was knocked, and he said, "Thank you, Commander?"
Xie Yun didn't answer, and just opened two upside-down empty teacups from the black lacquer and gold plate. Sure enough, the door was pushed open, and a man in silver armor walked in.
It's Yuwenhu.
"... His Majesty was very relieved when he learned that Commander Xie had recovered from his injuries, and specially ordered me to bring the hundred-year-old ginseng from the palace to nourish Qi, as well as several pairs of pearl ganoderma..."
Xie Yun put an empty cup by his hand, put the other one in front of Yu Wenhu, picked up the teapot and poured water into it. Yu Wenhu's face immediately changed, he was a little vigilant and flattered: "No, no, how embarrassing..."
"The Jinzhu good tea just came out in the spring, and Xiaoqiying is really rich." Xie Yun filled the empty cup and said lazily: "It's not my money, so why be embarrassed."
Yu Wenhu: "..."
"General Tangtang from the second rank Xiaoqi, came all the way to pick me up as a patient back to Beijing. There is no way to repay my deep friendship, so I will toast you with tea instead of wine." Xie Yun put down the teapot and said, "Why? "
Yu Wenhu stretched out his hand to hold down the teacup in front of him, and looked at Xie Yun, not intending to drink at all.
There was silence in the carriage, only the rumble of wheels rolling across the ground could be heard outside. Xie Yun stared at Yu Wenhu calmly, his gaze was very firm, after a long while Yu Wenhu finally coughed, and said: "Ming people don't speak dark words, Xie Yun, this time I have something to ask..."
"Old General Su Dingfang died of illness."
Xie Yun let out a soft "ah".
Xing Guogong Su Dingfang, a veteran of the two dynasties, the ambassador of Anji in Liangzhou, died at the age of seventy five.
During his lifetime, Old General Su conquered the Eastern and Western Turks, crusaded against Goguryeo, defeated the Tubo army, and pacified Baekje. In the third year of Longshuo, Tubo captured Tuyuhun, and both civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty realized the growing crisis brought about by Tubo. Therefore, the Holy One appointed Su Dingfang to station in Liangzhou to be responsible for Tubo's defense.
However, since ancient times, beauties are like famous generals, and the world is not allowed to see gray hair.
Su Dingfang died of illness while in office. His Majesty mourned greatly.
"As soon as General Su died, Liangzhou's military equipment was left a hole, and the queen and the East Palace were gearing up..."
Xie Yun said lightly: "People are not radishes, what are pits?"
Yu Wenhu realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, and his voice paused.
"... Liangzhou's military needs people to fill the position. This is a fat vacancy." Yu Wenhu coughed, and said: "The queen's business in the palace is as solid as an iron barrel, but the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty are more interested in the prince, and the stalemate between the two sides has become fierce. Moreover, Old General Su organized Liangzhou into a strong army during his lifetime, and Tubo may not invade on a large scale in two or three years, which is tantamount to a military exploit for nothing... "
"Do you want to go?" Xie Yun asked.
"The queen doesn't have the support of the army. Instead of giving it to the East Palace, it's better to choose someone who is not in trouble with her." Yu Wenhu met Xie Yun's slightly mocking eyes, and said sincerely: "You have been away from the court for a whole winter, I am afraid you don't know the Crown Prince of the East Palace. After Sheshou Mountain ascended to the altar with the saint, the momentum between the government and the public has risen sharply, and there has been a faint call for supervision of the country-things are right and people are wrong, people go cold tea, Xie Yun, it is not so easy to return from the bottom to the top, and you can't help it. There will be a need for a strong support, a mutual horn in the army."
Xie Yun pondered for a moment, but did not make a sound.
"The Holy Majesty originally didn't intend to call you back to Beijing immediately. The Empress mentioned it several times, but she was distracted by Gu Zuo and others. Half a month ago, the crown prince inspector Dai Zhide was promoted by the Holy Majesty to be the third rank of Tongxitai, and the real power is regarded as the prime minister. , the Queen's objection is invalid..."
"Dai Zhide has a grudge to avenge, so he immediately recommended several disciples from aristocratic families to fill in the Beiya, hoping to take down the position of deputy commander of the Imperial Army while you are away from Beijing." Yu Wenhu said lightly: "Originally, the Holy Majesty wanted to agree, but the decree The former suddenly hesitated, and asked the left and right: "Didn't the deputy commander of the forbidden army promise to Shan Chao? He just showed his face at the martial arts conference and saved my driver?", so he didn't agree immediately."
Xie Yun's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"At that time, the queen was not there, and I was waiting outside the imperial study room. I heard the words and reported in front of Dai Zhide: 'The single imperial guard is serving the sick in Fenggao Palace, and Commander Xie has recovered from his injuries, so he can be recalled to Beijing.' —The Holy One said after hearing this: 'Then call Xie Yun back.'"
The carriage fell into silence again, and Yu Wenhu leaned forward, leaning against the edge of the table, looking directly at Xie Yun's slightly narrowed eyes.
"That's why I came to pick you up to Beijing by order." He said: "You can ask people for confirmation after you return to Beijing, and you can also consider the matter of Liangzhou's military vacancy for a few days, but my sincerity, you Already seen it."
Yu Wenhu got up and walked out, reached the door of the car and stretched out his hand, when Xie Yun's voice finally came from behind: "—No need."
Yu Wenhu stopped in his tracks.
"I will convince the queen for you in Liangzhou, and I will do my best in other areas. And..."
Yu Wenhu turned his head back, with undisguised relief on his face: "What else?"
Xie Yun was wearing a light gray fur cloak, raised his eyes from under the hood and smiled, stretched out his hand to pick up the full cup of cold tea in front of him, raised his head and drank it in one gulp: "The tea is non-toxic," he said with a smile, gently Put the empty cup on the table.
Yu Wenhu blushed, turned and walked out.
·
Ten days later, the retinue arrived in Beijing, and the commander of the Imperial Army of the Beiya entered the palace to meet the Second Sage, and stayed in Qingning Palace for a long time.
That night, Empress Wu asked to see the Holy Majesty, and voluntarily gave up the candidate for Liangzhou's military equipment that had been previously recommended, and replaced him with General Xiaoqi.
Once the old general left, not only the old ministries of all parties needed to be appeased, the coffin needed to be returned to Beijing for burial, but also the most important issue of successors needed to be resolved urgently. The emperor originally tended to choose to attach himself to the nobles of the previous dynasty, but the empress and the crown prince both fought fiercely, so it was hard for the emperor to say this; what was more troublesome was that if he favored the empress, the court would not follow the civil and military affairs, and if he favored the east palace, the empress would not follow suit. Not to follow—the emperor was in a state of desperation during this time, and really didn't know what to do.
Therefore, when Empress Wu mentioned the name Yuwenhu, the emperor was quite moved.
Yu Wenhu's family background and background are sufficient, and he has never stood in the two factions. Although his qualifications are still relatively low due to his age, who can compare to Su Dingfang in terms of qualifications? No matter who goes, a veteran will always be appointed to sit in charge at that time.
The emperor pondered for a while, and finally nodded: "The empress's words are very appropriate."
Empress Wu breathed out silently, and upon careful observation, her slightly tense cheeks finally relaxed.
"Old General Su's funeral will be held tomorrow, and the decree will be announced the day after tomorrow." The emperor stretched out his hand to press Empress Wu's finger painted with dark red Kodan, and sighed wearily: "The queen took the initiative to back down. I am so happy... Alas, it is the queen after all!"
Empress Wu's eyes moved slightly, and she nodded with a smile.
·
On the day of Duke Xing’s funeral, half of the avenues in the capital city were covered with coffin sheds, and the cars and horses in Zhongzheng Street were all plain white, and they were all princes and nobles who came to mourn.
When the emperor of the dynasty came to the Duke of Xing's mansion to express his condolences, the Holy Spirit shed tears several times, and issued an edict to posthumously present the governor of Youzhou, and not to mention various awards and so on.
The white banner of the Duke's Mansion fluttered, and the middle door was wide open. After the emperor and empress mourned, they were kneeled and sent to a quiet room to rest. Other civil and military officials of the Manchu dynasty who came to see them off came forward to salute one after another.
In the distance, Xie Yun was dressed in plain clothes and stepped over the high threshold.
Xie Yun's stature is not particularly tall, and he is not conspicuous from a distance, but as soon as he appeared, he attracted attention from all directions. Discussions sounded from the crowd one after another, buzzing and quickly spread throughout the entire vestibule: "Isn't that Commander Xie?"
"I heard that I just returned to Beijing yesterday..."
"Helping the tyrant to abuse the emperor, and causing chaos to the court! How did this treacherous official not die in Fenggao?!"
…
Under the porch, Shan Chao, who was following behind the emperor with his sword in his hand, paused and turned his head slowly.
Xie Yun turned a blind eye to all kinds of gazes, walked through the vestibule covered with white flags, then stepped into the mourning hall, and stood in front of the coffin.
The civil and military ministers who had gathered in front of the mourning hall subconsciously dispersed and stepped back, leaving a small space abruptly beside Xie Yun.
"Ma Xin."
Ma Xin stepped forward in response, fetched three sticks of incense, and handed them over with a bow.
Xie Yun took the incense, lifted the hem of his clothes, knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed quietly.
The whispering around stopped abruptly, and the mourning hall became dead silent. Immediately afterwards, Xie Yun straightened up and knocked down again.
However, just when his forehead touched the lowest point, suddenly an old lady supported by a maid rushed out of the crowd, tremblingly stomped on her crutches, and let out a "boom!"!
"—Xie, you still have the face?! Throw him out!"
"Mother!" "Old lady!"
People from Xing Guogong's mansion stepped forward one after another, some pulling and some persuading, but the old lady Su just stood there with tears streaming down her face, and she couldn't be dragged away no matter what she did: "You were the one who slandered and flattered me in the past, and made the old man so old He was sent to the northwest frontier more than a few years ago, and now he died there! The surname is Xie! The old man has always been upright and never harmed anyone. What is he doing to you?! You are a treacherous villain who plays tricks... "
"Old madam!" Xing Guogong's eldest grandson turned pale with fright, and wished he could cover the old lady's mouth with his own hands: "The Holy Majesty is still behind! Stop talking, come, come, help the old lady go down to rest!"
There are those who are frightened, those who are afraid, those who are full of emotions, and more people are just waiting to see the good show. Xie Yun straightened up amidst all the gazes, without any fluctuation on his handsome face, he kowtowed again.
The old lady Su said angrily: "—You!"
The old lady was so angry that she whipped out her crutches and hit Xie Yun on the head!
At that time Xie Yun was bending down deeply for the third time, Mrs. Xing Guogong and Mrs. Xing were standing in front of him, and the crutch fell right on top of his head with the sound of the wind.
There were exclamations from all around, and at the same time Xie Yun was about to slam the crutch hard, he saw a black shadow strike like a sharp arrow, and came to the mourning hall almost instantly—
Boom!
Shan Chao half-knelt in front of the old lady on one knee, and took a hard blow with his arm!
Everyone in Xing Guogong's mansion changed color, and the young master of the long house blurted out: "Single guard!"
Xie Yun finished the third kowtow, and slowly got up, as if nothing had happened, bypassed the dumbfounded people in front of him, and put the incense in his hand under the coffin.
"—The old lady may have misunderstood a lot, but today the leader of my family came here purely to express condolences, and I hope there will be a lot of forgiveness in the house..."
The old lady Su was stunned on the spot, but the eldest son of the housekeeper reacted quickly, and immediately stepped forward to help Shan Chao, made apologies, and asked the servants to invite the doctor to come to see him.
Shan Chao declined the kindness with a wave of his hand, and happened to catch a glimpse of Xie Yun turning around after finishing the incense, so he hurriedly bid farewell to Duke Xing's family, apologized repeatedly, and then chased after Xie Yun with big strides.
·
The backyard of the long house of Xing Guogong's mansion has three entrances and three exits. It is spacious and deep, with flourishing flowers and trees. Because many people gathered in the vestibule and the mourning hall, only the noise could be heard coming from afar, which made the courtyard even more desolate and quiet.
Shan Chao quickly walked through the porch and shouted: "Xie Yun!"
Xie Yun's footsteps paused, but he didn't stop, and continued to walk forward.
Taking three steps alone and taking two steps together, he stretched out his hand to hold down one of his shoulders, and said in a hoarse voice with unconcealable eagerness and longing: "Master..."
Xie Yun was forced to stop, and was about to brush Shan Chao's hand away when he asked again: "What are you doing here? I... I haven't seen you for half a month, I just want to hear what you have to say."
If Empress Wu, the prince or anyone else heard this tone, they would never believe that it came from Shan Chao's mouth.
——It was simply too low-key, even a feeling of begging, and it was completely different from Shan Chao who said "I will talk about it when I come back" to the emperor on the altar of meditation.
"..." Xie Yun turned his head slightly, looked Shan Chao up and down for a moment, and said lightly, "Didn't you already see it?"
Single super language barrier.
"... His Majesty summoned you yesterday and gave me the servants of the mansion, and asked me to move there first and set up a household. The decree of the real job will be issued in two days, and I also asked my own opinion..."
Xie Yun lowered his eyelashes indifferently, and from Shan Chao's condescending angle, he could just see the slightly raised arc at the tip of his eyes.
He stopped hoarsely, his Adam's apple slid up and down violently, and swallowed his saliva.
"The mansion is very close to Xie's mansion. I walked back and forth a few times... a total of 2327 steps."
Before it rained, the smell of damp grass and trees swept across the porch with the wind, blowing the bell hanging by the door not far away, making a small and soft sound.
With a movement of the skirt at the corner, Empress Wu took back her steps in astonishment. After a moment of hesitation, she stood there holding her breath.
"If you ride a horse, you can get there with a cup of tea, and you just pass by on the way into the palace..." Shan Chaoji said in a low voice, moving his fingertips a little nervously, as if he wanted to reach out to hold Xie Yun's hand , but reluctantly held back.
The porch fell into silence again, and even the faint voices of people outside the courtyard gradually faded away and disappeared into the depths of the mansion.
After a long while, Xie Yun finally asked coldly:
"What does it matter to me?"
He turned and walked away, walked steadily down the porch, passed through the lush greenery, and disappeared into the hanging flower door.
Not far away, Empress Wu stared at Shan Chao's silhouette, her hands clasped in her sleeves trembling uncontrollably. At this moment, the doubts that were finally confirmed suddenly turned into fear and gripped her heart.
— click.
The sound of dead branches being stepped on behind him sounded, Empress Wu suddenly turned her head, her pupils constricted instantly!
"Holy..." She almost subconsciously spit out two words: "Your Majesty?"