Shang Rui instructed: "Chengzhi, you only need to cut off their food supply and then stay where you are. Do not act on your own. If you disobey, you will be punished by military law."
Xu Chengzhi knelt down and accepted the order: "I will obey your command."
After informing Xu Chengzhi, Shang Rui said to Hongwu, "General Hong, you must stop the thief from meeting with the King of Wu at all costs."
Hongwu received the order and said, "I will definitely fulfill my mission."
After Hongwu finished speaking, Shang Rui stood up from his chair, walked down the steps, paced a few steps, turned around and walked back: "Pass my oral order to Sima Lin." Shang Rui said, "If Zi Zhang, Cheng Zhi, and General Hong are so helpful, but he still can't help me capture the rebels and rescue Xu Jingye, then he," he paused, "bring his head to me."
The Queen Mother in the rear hall remained silent.
The ministers left in groups of two or three, and they sighed quietly, "Is the David Dynasty going to be destroyed by the Xu family?"
Tian Yuan quietly watched the receding backs of Wang Qing and his son.
Helan Xun stroked his beard and said, "Xun suddenly thought of marbles."
Tian Yuan continued Helan Xun's words and said, "The emperor is ready to launch the most powerful attack, which will bounce all the glass balls back to where they should be." As long as Xu Chengzhi is obedient, he can escape unscathed.
Helan Xun and Tian Yuan walked out of the imperial palace side by side.
Under Li Ji's careful care, Xia Yue has basically recovered and is full of energy. At night, after He Xiang fed Amo milk, she went to boil medicine for Xia Yue and forgot to leave the dog on the table.
After licking himself, A Mo wanted to get off the table, but found that the table was too high. So he stood at the edge of the table, looking down, whimpering in anxiety.
Xia Yue was reading a book on the couch. When she heard the sound, she looked up.
A Mo put one foot down, then pulled it back in fear.
She reluctantly put the book down, stood up and walked over to pick it up. She was holding a hand warmer in her hands, and her arms were warm. Ah Mo couldn't help but rub his head against it greedily.
This was the first time she held it. The black furry little head was acting coquettishly, and it suddenly touched the softest part of her heart. She couldn't help but play with it for a while longer while He Xiang was away.
Before going to bed, Xia Yue asked He Xiang to take out the bag that the old lady gave her last time, took out some silver from it, and said to He Xiang: "It's time to say goodbye tomorrow. Give this silver to Lord Li when you leave." She had wanted to spend more time to ask Li Ji to change his mind and treat Zi Jin, but now it seems hopeless.
He Xiang said, "Miss, your body is in good shape now. You should take care of yourself for another two or three days. It will be bad if you develop a chronic disease."
"Then - I'll leave the day after tomorrow. Don't stop me again."
He Xiang nodded: "Where are we going back to?"
"Let's go back to my uncle's place first. The house is empty anyway."
In the middle of the night, something moved around at her feet. Xia Yue got up in the dark to check and found that it was Ah Mo. She didn't chase it away and let it do whatever it wanted.
After a night, Ah Mo stuck to her and followed her all the time. The puppy was short and small, and followed her closely. Xia Yue almost stepped on it several times. She had no choice but to hold it in her arms.
Four
After the court was dismissed, Shang Rui went to Chengfu Palace to pay his respects as usual.
Queen Mother Xu was kneeling on a cushion in front of a Buddha statue, chanting sutras and worshipping Buddha. He had no intention of disturbing her, so he walked around the yard, and unexpectedly saw Ran Hong, the orphan of King Wei.
Ever since the King of Wei was executed, Ran Hong had been avoiding Shang Rui on purpose, and never dared to appear in front of Shang Rui again. Although he was demoted to a commoner, there was no decree to send him anywhere, so he stayed in the palace.
If someone hadn't reminded Shang Rui from time to time in the court that keeping the remnants of King Wei would bring endless troubles, he would have almost forgotten about the child. In fact, it wasn't that he forgot, but he didn't dare to think about it, for fear of remembering the child's father, his brother. Because of Queen Mother Xu, he didn't have a very close relationship with his brothers, but King Wei was heartless and could get along with everyone, so Shang Rui actually had the most interactions with him.
Wang Xiaoxiang understood Shang Rui's thoughts and had always taken care of Ran Hong. She ate and slept with Prince Ran Jun and had never suffered any grievances.
When they ran into the Queen Mother in her yard, the two children were concentrating on playing with the Queen Mother's litter of puppies. They stood up immediately when they saw Shang Rui.
Shang Rui waved his hand and called his son over, then looked at Ran Hong and motioned for him to come over as well.
Ran Jun was jumping around, but Ran Hong took a long time to move closer step by step.
Shang Rui sat down on the bench in the pavilion.
Ran Jun greeted and said, "Jun'er greets the emperor father."
Before Ran Jun finished speaking, Ran Hong knelt down quickly: "Ran Hong, the son of a guilty minister, pays respects to the emperor."
Shang Rui frowned and looked at Ran Hong twice. He had something in his mind, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say.
He glanced at his son.
Ran Jun was always calm, intelligent and considerate. He immediately helped Ran Hong up and said, "Brother Hong, don't be like this. You are my brother, and the emperor is naturally your uncle."
Ran Hong knelt down again and kowtowed hurriedly, saying, "The son of a guilty subject dare not act rashly."
Shang Rui's eyes turned cold: "Who taught you these words?"
Ran Hong didn't dare to answer. He knelt on the ground, his back hunched like a shrimp, and trembled.
Shang Rui couldn't bear to blame him after seeing this. After a while, he slowed down his tone and said, "Hong'er, get up and report to me."
After hearing Shang Rui's words, Ran Hong stood up tremblingly: "Your Majesty, it is Ran Hong who knows his own..." Before Ran Hong finished speaking, he was frightened by Shang Rui's eyes when he raised his eyes, and he dared not continue speaking.
It happened that Wang Xiaoxiang also came to Chengfu Palace to see the empress dowager. He saw this scene from afar and walked closer to persuade her: "Look, Your Majesty, you scared the child. Why don't you teach the child a lesson in front of their mother?" Then, he took the two children back to his own Jinde Palace.
Wang Xiaoxiang ordered the maid to bring some snacks for the child. Ran Jun held a mouthful of fruit and glanced at Shang Rui secretly. Ran Hong's hands were still shaking.
Wang Xiaoxiang touched Ran Hong's head, and then said to Shang Rui: "Don't make it difficult for him. He won't dare to tell you the truth anyway."
The point had been made very clear. In this huge palace, who else could make everyone keep secrets from him? That was why Wang Xiaoxiang changed the subject and led his men out of Chengfu Palace.
It’s not that Shang Rui doesn’t understand, it’s just that he has no place to vent his anger.
Ran Jun was still a child after all. Seeing his father and mother in front of him, he swallowed the food in his mouth and dared to carefully defend Ran Hong: "It was the Empress Dowager who said that if Brother Hong didn't know his sins and didn't do his duty, the Empress Dowager would...she would..."
Beside her, Ran Hong's tears were already falling, but she didn't dare to make a sound.
Ran Jun seemed to be infected as well, and suddenly burst into tears, "Father, can you please not tell the Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager told Brother Hong not to tell me, let alone anyone else. If the Empress Dowager knew, would she really want Brother Hong to die?"
Wang Xiaoxiang held the child in her arms.
Shang Rui looked at Ran Hong and reached out to hold his hand. Although Ran Hong felt a little sad, he still walked up to Shang Rui.
Shang Rui said: "Hong'er, has the palace tutor taught you what is a country and what is a family?"
Ran Hong nodded.
Shang Rui changed his tone slightly and continued, "We are descendants of the royal family. Unlike ordinary people, our family is our country and our country is our family. Ran Hong's father is also my brother. He broke the law and was punished. I am also very sad. Due to our closeness, I may be less sad than Ran Hong, so I can understand your pain. But you are not wrong. Even if your father violated the law, you are not wrong. Before your father was executed, I went to see him. He said that his only wish was that you could live well and be a useful person. Your duty in this life is to live a better life with your father's expectations, instead of feeling sorry for yourself with false guilt."
After hearing these words, Ran Jun immediately threw himself on Shang Rui's chest, hugged him tightly and burst into tears, sobbing and shouting, "Uncle Jiu, Uncle Jiu..." Those who heard the voice could not help but burst into tears.
Shang Rui spent half a day playing marbles with his two children in Jinde Palace until lunch time and time for a nap.
Shang Rui's expression gradually became grim as he watched Wang Xiaoxiang lead the two children away.
Ming Lian stood behind Shang Rui, not daring to be careless at all.
Wang Xiaoxiang came back from the side hall and was slightly startled when he saw him.
"emperor."
The chill and hostility emanating from Shang Rui almost enveloped him. In the porcelain vase on the small table were several brightly blossoming peach blossoms, but the spring air did not add a hint of warmth to his handsome face.
He returned to Qiantai Palace without saying a word, ordered people to grind the ink, and then dismissed all the palace servants including Ming Lian. He dipped the ink himself, unfolded the scroll on the table, and slowly began to write.
Half an hour later, Ming Lian heard Shang Rui calling him outside the door, and then he followed him to Chengfu Palace again.
This time, the empress dowager had just woken up from a nap. Her hair was tied in a new style and she looked very energetic.
When she looked up and saw Shang Rui's expression, she knew he had something to say, so she asked everyone to leave.
In the side hall, only mother and son were left.
The Queen Mother smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes and said, "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Shang Rui got straight to the point and said, "My son has just drafted two decrees. Mother, please take a look and decide which one to issue."
After saying this, he placed both scrolls on the desk next to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother unfolded a scroll and read it hastily. She glared at Shang Rui who was sitting opposite her with anger, then put it down heavily and picked up another scroll. Before she finished reading it, she was already furious. She threw the scroll in her hand at Shang Rui's feet and said, "You bastard! Are you trying to kill me?"
Shang Rui listened to the Queen Mother saying "bastard" and replied calmly: "Mother raised her son for so many years, but in the end she just treated her son as a thing?"
The Queen Mother was furious and asked, "You still know that I have raised you for so many years, but you want to wipe out the entire Xu family? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"
Shang Rui did not answer.
Seeing his attitude, the Queen Mother pointed at his nose and shouted, "Kneel down in front of me!"
Hearing the Queen Mother's scolding, Shang Rui stood up and did as he was told.
"Look at what you wrote," the queen mother was so angry that her hands were shaking. She picked up another scroll on the table and read angrily, "Now the country is in danger. King Xu Jingye of Wei held military power but defeated the rebels. Later, he joined forces with the rebels and planned to rebel. He deserves death. Now Xu Jingye's title of King of Wei is revoked and his hereditary rights are stripped. I am thinking that the Xu family is a relative of our David Dynasty, so I pardon their family. However, no one in the Xu family can be an official for life, and they are not allowed to enter the capital at will unless summoned by the emperor. If they violate the order, their entire family will be punished..." At the end, the queen mother couldn't read any more and slammed the imperial edict on the table. Queen Mother Xu was a hot-tempered person. She became angrier and angrier as she spoke. She picked up the remaining half bowl of barley and lotus seed porridge on the table and threw it at Shang Rui. Unexpectedly, he didn't dodge. The bowl hit his chest and broke into two pieces on the ground, and the porridge splashed half of his body.
Shang Rui knelt on the ground, silent.
"Why don't you speak to me?" The Queen Mother glared.
Shang Rui lowered his eyes and said calmly, "What can my son say? Mother, you are also aware of why Xu Jingye was captured alive by Wei Shangren."
The Queen Mother was stunned. She naturally knew about this and stammered, "You...your uncle...he just received a letter from the fifth sister, saying that Xu Yang's life could be saved. You know Xu Yang is his life, so he took the risk and brought his confidant..." The fifth sister that the Queen Mother mentioned was the Princess Huai.
Shang Rui rebuked coldly: "I don't know how mother got this information. In order to deceive you, they actually made up such a lie about the deep love between father and son."
He continued, "The letter was indeed written by the Princess of Huai, but what was written inside was Xu Jingye's plan for what he had in mind. Every sentence was to persuade him to join hands with the Prince of Huai, hoping to share the world with him."
The Queen Mother glared at him in disbelief: "How can you be sure that what I know is false and what you know is true?"
"I have sent someone to get the letter. It will be delivered to the Imperial Capital soon so that mother can personally see the handwriting of Princess Huai."
Empress Dowager Xu was somewhat speechless after hearing this, so she asked again: "How do you know it's not a counter-espionage plot by Wei Shangren?"
"Mother, do you know that Sima Lin found Xu Yang last night?"
Empress Dowager Xu was surprised: "Wasn't he captured by Wei Shangren?"
"There was a mutiny in the Southern Region. Xu Yang was trapped in Shicheng Mountain during a cavalry breakout in the Xuzhou camp. He was seriously injured in the melee and was rescued by a hunter."
When the Queen Mother heard this, she quickly chanted "Amitabha", put her hands together, walked to the Buddha statue and bowed: "The Bodhisattva has a kind heart, the Bodhisattva has a kind heart."
Shang Rui saw this, his eyes were filled with coldness: "Mother's Bodhisattva heart is only for Xu Yang and the others, but not for Ran Hong and the others?"
Empress Dowager Xu retorted, "What do you know? Without Xu, you wouldn't be where you are today. The people from the Wei family would have eaten us mother and son long ago."
As she spoke, she walked back from the shrine and said, "Even if Xu Yang is fine, it doesn't prove that your uncle has rebelled."
At this moment, Empress Dowager Xu had calmed down a lot. Although she did not believe Shang Rui's words completely, she also had doubts. She thought Shang Rui would definitely continue to persuade her with words, but unexpectedly Shang Rui nodded and replied, "That's right."
He raised his eyes and continued, "But if I want it to be true, it can be true. I will ask someone to imitate Xu Jingye's handwriting and write a reply letter to Wei Shangren. With the handwriting of Princess Huai before, the evidence is irrefutable, and the fake will become true. Wei Shangren will take advantage of the situation and will probably continue the show. If he is ignorant of the current situation and insists on cutting off his relationship with Xu Jingye, then it will be easier to deal with. I can say that he is just pretending to protect Xu Jingye. When the time comes, I will send this decree. Mother, what do you think will happen then?"
"You're crazy!" Empress Dowager Xu said in horror, "Do you know what the consequences would be if the Xu family army was forced to turn against their allies in battle?"
"If I let the entire Xu family bleed into a river, then both sides will be ruined. If they team up with Wei Shangren and take my life, that's the second. Originally, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, and I have nothing to say, but how will you, mother, end your life in peace?"
"Then why did you draft such an edict?" Empress Dowager Xu asked angrily.
"That's why I drafted another one. Please make your decision, mother." Shang Rui lowered his hands, picked up the scroll that the Queen Mother had just thrown at his feet, and presented it with both hands. "If Xu Jingye can commit suicide in the rebel prison, your son will treat him with state ceremony, bring back his body, and bury him in the royal mausoleum according to the rank of a king. The Xu family will be freed from military power and will be guaranteed to enjoy the emperor's favor forever."
The Queen Mother looked at the imperial edict in Shang Rui's hand for a long time without saying anything, nor did she reach out to take it. Shang Rui also kept that posture and did not move.
Shang Rui looked at the Queen Mother and asked, "Mother, do you know that Xu Jingye and his accomplices in the court were corrupt?"
Empress Dowager Xu waved her hand and said, "He has told me before. Some colleagues and fellow townsmen are always reluctant to part with each other. Even for such a small matter, Wang Ji and the Censorate always find trouble with him."
Shang Rui sneered, "A small matter?" He put down the imperial edict and took out a memorial from his arms, "This is the memorial I received after the three courts jointly tried the Liangmadu corruption case."
"How is the result?"
"Liang Madu confessed that Xu Jingye was the mastermind behind the scenes. Xu Jingye and his gang colluded with officials in the court, not only buying and selling official positions, but also reselling military rations. The grain money involved in the case that Liang Madu confessed and signed for was roughly 3.5 million dan." Shang Rui's eyes were cold, "3.5 million dan - mother naturally knows that since her son ascended the throne, the annual autumn grain collected nationwide is only 4 million dan."
Empress Dowager Xu was surprised and asked, "Is what you said true?"
Shang Rui replied: "Every word my son said is true. If mother does not believe me, you can go to the Dali Temple for personal trial. Everything Xu Jingye and his gang did was to destroy our Wei family's empire, and they deserve to be killed." He spoke slowly but with a tone that was as firm as a hammer and chisel on his heart.
Empress Dowager Xu twisted the silk handkerchief in her hand vigorously with her fingers, almost tearing it: "But he is my biological brother. The Xu family's century-old foundation depends on him. How can I face the ancestors of the Xu family after I die?"
Shang Rui lowered his eyes and said, "If you can only choose one between me and Xu, who would you choose? Have you ever thought about whether your spirit tablet should be offered to the Wei family or the Xu family when you return to the west? Besides, I don't want you to abandon the Xu family at this moment, I only want Xu Jingye."
Empress Dowager Xu's eyes moved slightly, but her mouth remained tightly shut.
The two men, one kneeling and the other sitting, said nothing more.