Capital, Xie Mansion.
Letter from the Northwest.
The housekeeper didn't delay for a moment, took the letter and hurried to see Xie Mao, the Patriarch of the Xie family.
"Master, there is a letter from Northwest Nine."
"Lao Jiu's letter, quickly bring it in."
Lao Jiu is Xie Maoan's spy in the northwest, and he is also the deepest hidden spy.
Lao Jiu only sent a letter some time ago, but after half a month, another letter came.
Could it be that something happened in the northwest? Or did he finish what he said
Xie Mao took the letter, tore open the seal, and took out the letter.
Xie Mao quickly glanced at the contents of the letter, then took a book from the shelf, and compared it to the letter.
It turned out that the letter sent by the spy named Ah Jiu was a secret letter.
It must be deciphered to know what the letter really said.
After a little effort, Xie Mao finally read the letter.
At this time, his face was ashen, and his eyes opened angrily.
Snapped!
Xie Mao slapped the table and said angrily: "Gu Zhili is too deceitful, really too deceitful."
Gu Zhili is Master Gu.
The contents of the secret letter said that Mr. Gu sent someone to arrest Xie Maoan's spies in Jinzhou.
Seeing this, the housekeeper was worried, and couldn't help asking: "Master, has something happened in the northwest?"
Xie Mao was so angry that he walked back and forth in the study, "Gu Zhili deceived others so much that he even arrested all the people who were stationed in the Northwest by him.
Did he really think that the official would not dare to touch him? He doesn't care about the relatives of the two families, so don't blame me for being ruthless. "
The butler turned pale in shock when he heard this, "Master, all of us have been arrested, so what should we do now? Over there at Luhou Mansion..."
Xie Mao snorted coldly, "Jiu will think of a solution for Lu Hou's affairs. If it doesn't work, I can only implement the second plan. At present, Gu Zhili is the first to bear the brunt. He dares to spoil my good deeds, and I will definitely make him look good. "
Xie Mao was extremely angry in his heart, wishing to cut Mr. Gu into pieces.
The spies in the northwest, who have been in business for more than ten years, were once uprooted by Gu Zhili, so he was not angry or distressed.
What made him shudder even more was, how did Gu Zhili accurately grasp the list of spies from the Northwest? Could it be that someone couldn't stand the torture and confessed
However, no matter what the reason is, this Liangzi, Gu Xie and his family are married.
"Master, it's not good!"
The porter hurried to the study.
Xie Mao said with a straight face, "What happened? The sky hasn't fallen yet, why are you in a hurry?"
The gatekeeper took a breath, and then said: "Master Qi, Mr. Zhang, the governor of the capital, has been arrested by Zhi Jinwu."
"what?"
Xie Mao was shocked.
Master Yin Zhang of the Capital Prefecture is the cousin of the Empress Empress and an important member of the prince's faction.
And Zhi Jinwu is the emperor's dog leg, the eagle dog, and everything acts according to the emperor's will.
Once Zhijinwu is dispatched, everyone in the capital will be in danger, and the situation will change.
Over the years, among the officials who were captured by Zhi Jinwu, none of them came out intact.
Either he died directly in Zhijinwu prison, or he ransacked his home and exiled him.
In short, not a good end.
Mr. Zhang, Yin of the capital, was taken away by Zhi Jinwu, which meant that someone had slandered the emperor, and someone was plotting to frame His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Xie Mao was very clear from the beginning to the end that there was a strong anti-prince force in the capital.
Over the years, the two sides have come and gone, and the fight has been evenly matched.
Even on the side of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, in many cases, he still has the upper hand.
But since the empress was seriously ill, the situation changed suddenly.
The prince's situation became bad.
Those who support the prince, before that, several adults have been dismissed from office. Fortunately, those few adults are not important people.
However, Mr. Zhang, the prefect of the capital, is different.
Master Zhang, as the official of the parents of the capital, is in charge of the important areas of the capital, and seems to be angry everywhere, but in fact he secretly gives great convenience to the prince's team.
If this position is replaced by someone who opposes the prince's forces, it will not only be a loss for the prince's faction, but even Xie Mao will have to be restrained everywhere.
Therefore, the prince's faction must not lose the position of governor of the capital.
In any case, the official position of governor of the capital must be taken first before the anti-prince forces act.
Xie Mao made a prompt decision, "Prepare the horse, I'm going to the East Palace to meet the crown prince."
The butler takes command.
Xie Mao changed into ordinary clothes, went out and got into a carriage, heading for the East Palace.
After entering the East Palace, Xie Mao asked the servant, "Where is Your Highness at the moment?"
The servant bowed and said, "My lord, His Highness is currently discussing important matters with all the adults in Bowang Garden."
Xie Mao hurried to Bowang Garden.
Several core members of the Eastern Palace have arrived, waiting for Xie Mao.
"Xie Aiqing, sit down quickly."
Prince Liu Xian is a middle-aged man over forty years old, slightly fat, and looks very kind. Like a scholar, not like a high-ranking prince.
Both the court and the central government said that the prince was generous.
In these years, no one in the East Palace was convicted and sent to prison, let alone ransacked their homes and beheaded them.
Even if someone made a mistake, at most they would be sent away from the East Palace.
Compared with His Majesty the Emperor, who frequently murdered and beheaded, ransacked his family and exterminated his family, the Prince was indeed worthy of the reputation of generosity.
It's just that the prince is generous in his successes, and he is also generous in his defeats.
Everyone in the court knew that the biggest reason why the emperor didn't like the prince was because the prince was weak and too generous.
Xie Mao sat down on the chair, "Have you heard about Mr. Zhang being arrested by Zhi Jinwu?"
Everyone nodded in unison.
Immediately afterwards, everyone chatted and discussed.
"Let's go to see His Majesty and intercede for Master Zhang. What is wrong with Master Zhang? Why do you arrest people with the Golden Eagle Dog?"
"It is said to be corruption."
"Hmph! It's nonsense. Mr. Zhang was born in a wealthy family. There are many servants and servants in his family. There are countless farms. Why do you need to be corrupt?"
"It's clearly a trumped-up charge."
"Your Highness, please make up your mind. It's too late, Mr. Zhang may be in danger."
Everyone looked at Prince Liu Xian together.
Prince Liu Xian, with a hesitant expression, obviously couldn't make up his mind.
Even when it came to meeting His Majesty the Emperor and pleading for Lord Zhang, the prince subconsciously wanted to back down.
Although the prince is over forty years old, he is still afraid of his father.
Especially since the prince's uncle Zhen Guogong passed away, the prince became more and more afraid of His Majesty the Emperor.
The crown prince Liu Xian even imagined that if he interceded, His Majesty the Emperor would definitely stare at him with eyes that hate iron and steel. In anger, maybe he picked up a sword or a knife and threw it at him.
You can't hide, you can only bear it abruptly. He would also be scolded bloody by his Majesty the Emperor.
For a man in his forties, when he thought of having to bear such pressure, the prince felt guilty and extremely sad.
It's not easy for the prince to sit in this position.
Xie Mao remained silent.
Prince Liu Xian couldn't help looking at him, "Xie Aiqing, if you have any thoughts, just tell me."
Xie Mao glanced at everyone in the audience, and said loudly: "Master Zhang has been captured by Zhijinwu. At this moment, instead of thinking about how to rescue him, it is better to think about how to prevent the position of the governor of the capital from falling to the enemy." on hand.
All of you here, you should be aware that the position of Governor of the capital seems to be a doormat, but these years, it has indeed given us great convenience.
Losing this position, the entire East Palace will be restrained, and even His Highness will be implicated. "
"Master Xie, do you mean not to save Master Zhang?" Master Liu, the prince's guest, questioned Xie Mao.
Xie Mao snorted coldly, "Of course I want to save people. But the person who was captured by Zhi Jinwu, may I ask, who of you is sure to rescue him
And as far as I know, there are real evidences for the arrest of people by Zhijinwu.
Knowing that you can't do it is not brave, but stupid.
You asked His Highness to intercede in front of the emperor, but have you ever considered it for His Highness.
Once His Highness speaks, don't you know what the emperor will think and what the consequences will be
Knowing that doing so will make His Highness be reprimanded by the emperor, you still insist on forcing His Highness. This act is infidelity and injustice. "
"Master Xie is serious. We are also thinking of our colleagues, so it is not good to just give up Master Zhang like this."
Xie Mao sneered, "What you are doing is just to demonstrate your own justice. But who has thought about His Highness
As the saying goes, the rewards of eating the king and the matter of being loyal to the king, we are in the East Palace at this time, and what we should discuss is not how to rescue Mr. Zhang, but how to reduce losses and how to share the worries for His Highness.
Ladies and gentlemen, ask yourself, how generously His Highness treats you, but have you ever really thought about His Highness? "
His Royal Highness Liu Xian was very moved.
Xie Aiqing really planned for him sincerely. This is the true loyal minister.
On the other hand, the reaction of other people on this matter somewhat disappointed him.
Knowing that Mr. Zhang cannot be saved, but forcing him to intercede in front of the emperor, this is clearly putting him on fire. This move was not done by a loyal minister.
Seeing that His Royal Highness Liu Xian showed obvious appreciation for Xie Mao, some people became anxious.
Immediately jumped up and scolded Xie Mao angrily. "Xie Mao, don't think that you are the only loyal minister, we are all treacherous ministers.
Your colleagues are in distress, but you have no sympathy and compassion. How heartless and ungrateful you are.
Don't forget, Mr. Zhang took great care of you in the past. Are you still a human being
You are so ruthless, how can you be a loyal minister? "
Xie Mao stood up, held his head high, and spoke righteously, "If Master Zhang was here, he would definitely agree with my actions.
Mr. Zhang is a loyal minister, he must not want to see the position of governor of the capital fall into the hands of the enemy because of his own reasons.
He must hope that we can seize the time and come up with a good plan to keep this position firmly in our hands.
Ladies and gentlemen, don't you want the position of governor of the capital? "
Someone was dissatisfied and wanted to fight Xie Mao. You can't let Xie Mao stand out in front of His Royal Highness alone.
It's a pity that Prince Zhan Shixu came forward to stop the quarrel.
"That's enough, everyone, please don't say a few words."
"Master Xu please enlighten me."
His Royal Highness Liu Xian also said: "Teacher, please tell me how to deal with this matter."
Master Xu stroked his beard, "His Royal Highness, the old minister thinks what Master Xie said makes sense.
Now, Mr. Zhang's affairs are only put aside for the time being. What matters is the position of governor of the capital, which must not fall into the hands of the enemy. "
His Royal Highness Liu Xian nodded and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as you don't let him go to the emperor to intercede, you can say anything.
Prince Liu Xian said: "Father ordered Jin Wu to take down Mr. Zhang, just to change the situation in the capital. At this time, if I recommend one of my own people, Father will definitely not agree. Maybe it will anger Father, Let the emperor punish you."
Everyone nodded in unison, His Highness was right.
Everyone, you look at me, and I look at you.
The crown prince's guest, Lord Liu, frowned and said, "Your Highness can't recommend one of your own. Do you want to watch the position of the governor of the capital fall into the enemy's hands?"
Master Xu looked at Xie Mao, "Master Xie, do you have a solution?"
Xie Mao stood up, "His Royal Highness, the position of governor of the capital is destined not to fall into the hands of our own people, but it cannot fall into the hands of the enemy either. At present, there is only one way to resolve this situation."
"What way? Xie Aiqing, tell me quickly." Prince Liu Xian was a little excited.
Xie Aiqing was indeed a loyal minister, not only helped him out of the siege, but also came up with a solution for him.
Xie Mao thought that Gu Zhili, Mr. Gu, dared to ruin his good deeds, so he put Mr. Gu on the fire to roast.
The position of governor of the capital is not a favorite.
Gu Zhili, you wait for me, I will let you know the fate of offending me.
Xie Mao paused for two seconds before saying: "The solution is to hand over the position of Governor of the capital to an intermediary. In this way, His Majesty will definitely not object. Even the enemy may not object. "
"middleman?"
"Who is the middleman?"
Prince Liu Xian hurriedly asked: "Xie Aiqing, don't be a fool. Tell everyone, who is this middleman?"
Xie Mao's eyes swept over everyone's faces, and finally said solemnly: "The middleman I mentioned is Mr. Gu Zhili, the current governor of Jinzhou, who is a branch of Pingnan Hou's direct line."
Huh
Everyone stared at Xie Mao, waiting for his next words.
Xie Mao walked to the center of the hall and talked eloquently, "Gu Zhili, Sir Gu, is neither one of his own nor the enemy's. He has worked in the local area for decades, with sufficient qualifications and background. Most importantly, Sir Gu Marrying the girl of Weichen, speaking of it, our two families are relatives after all. It should not be difficult for relatives to do things conveniently."
Prince Liu Xian did not express his opinion in a hurry, but looked at Mr. Xu.
Prince Zhan asked Master Xu, "Master Xie, can you make sure that Master Gu will listen to you? Will he stand by the prince?"
Xie Mao smiled confidently, and said firmly: "I have a way to make Mr. Gu stand by our side."
Master Xu nodded secretly, "It's good if there is a way."
Prince Liu Xian asked: "So, everyone agrees with Xie Aiqing's proposal?"
All the people present exchanged glances with each other.
In the end, Prince Zhan Shixu stood up and said: "Your Highness, I think this is feasible."
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Prince Liu Xian thought for a while and said, "It is inconvenient for me to come forward to propose Mr. Gu as the governor of the capital. Dear dear friends, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Lord Xu pondered for a moment, then said: "Why don't you ask the Empress to come forward and help His Highness."
Prince Liu Xian frowned immediately, "The empress is seriously ill and can't get out of bed. At this time, how can I bother the empress."
Master Xu said with a firm expression: "It is precisely because the empress is seriously ill that your majesty will not reject the empress's proposal."
Xie Mao stood up to support Master Xu, "Your Highness, I think what Master Xu said is justified. The queen is the one who handles this matter."
Prince Liu Xian frowned, "I will think about this matter again."
Xie Mao said loudly: "Your Highness, time waits for no one. If it is too late, the position of Governor of the capital will be taken away by the enemy, and the consequences will be disastrous."
Lord Xu also said: "Your Highness, this matter must be dealt with urgently, and we must not give the other party a chance to breathe. Your Highness, please make a decision quickly."
"Your Highness, please make a quick decision."
In the hall, everyone shouted in unison. Forcing Prince Liu Xian to make a decision.
The crown prince Liu Xian couldn't get off the tiger, so he could only nod in response, "Okay, I'm going to see the queen today."
"Your Highness is wise." Everyone shouted again in unison.
Prince Liu Xian was in a hurry to see the empress, so everyone stood up and said goodbye.
Master Xu walked with Xie Mao, and asked in a low voice: "Master Xie, what kind of person is Gu Zhili?"
Xie Mao thought for a while and said, "He's a literati."
Master Xu suddenly laughed, how are the literati! Literati are well-known.
Now the reputation of the world is in the East Palace, so there is no worry that Gu Zhili will not be able to get on the boat of the prince.
Master Xu said with a smile: "Master Gu, please thank you for your concern."
"Master Xu, don't worry, this matter is on my shoulders."
Master Xu nodded, "That's very good."
Xie Mao left the East Palace and got into the carriage.
He went over the follow-up plan, and told the housekeeper: "Prepare a generous gift and deliver it to Gu's family in person. I heard that Mr. Gu took in a new concubine a few days ago, so I said I would like to congratulate him on his concubine acceptance."
"Little one obeys."
The old man Xie Mao was talking about was Mr. Gu's father and Gu Jiu's own grandfather.
This old man Gu has no other skills, but he is a veteran of flowers and loves women the most. A lot of age, and took a concubine in his teens.
In the past, Gu Jiu's grandmother, Mrs. Gu, was in charge, and Mr. Gu knew how to restrain himself.
Since Mrs. Gu passed away more than ten years ago, Mr. Gu's sexuality has become more and more ridiculous.
There is no one in the family who can control him, even Mr. Gu's elder brother Ping Nanhou can't do anything about him, he can only let him continue to be absurd.