Since Li Hong supervises the country, the court meeting has been held only once every seven days, but this does not affect the civil and military officials in the court. When they pass by the square in front of the Xuanzheng Hall every day and go to their government offices, they can naturally see two small piles. A dark shadow stood in the cold wind.
According to the Jinwu guard who was on duty at night, the howling of the cold wind in the Seonjeongjeon Square on the first night was mixed with screams and cries. People feel the gloomy wind, as if they are in a hell full of ghosts.
But in the second half of the night, as the cold northwest wind became stronger and stronger, it gradually covered up the screams. Perhaps it was because the two of them had lost the strength to scream, so in the second half of the night, they turned into whimpering. The sound of crying made the square of Xuanzheng Hall seem like a ghost walking in the wind.
So when the officials went to their offices on the second day and glanced anxiously at the two motionless heads, no one believed that the two people could still survive after being ravaged by the cold wind all night.
But at noon, when the warm sun hung high in the sky and the cold north wind gradually died down, from time to time, in the ears of the officials, there could be faint sounds of miserable cries. Listening to their ears, It makes people feel cold in their hearts and makes their legs tremble.
Three days, exactly three days later, when all the officials were accustomed to the two black and dusty balls in the square in front of Chang Xuanzheng Hall, and it was almost hard to tell whether they were earth balls or heads, there was suddenly a rush of footsteps in the square. .
All the officials were shocked at the same time. When they wanted to open the windows and look out, they were stopped by Jin Wuwei who appeared outside at an unknown time.
All the officials from the three provinces and six ministries stayed in their own offices, and no one knew what was going on outside.
But when the sun was about to set and they were preparing to go home after dealing with government affairs for a day, they were walking in the wide square and glanced over there unconsciously. They saw that the familiar head disappeared and the original place was replaced. It became a tree as thick as two arms and was planted there.
No one knows whether Hou Sizhi and Wang Hongyi are dead or alive, and no one knows whether their bodies are buried under the two trees that suddenly appeared in the empty Xuanzhengdian Square and were used as fertilizer for the trees. .
But the more such a result without a definite answer, the more uneasy it is for officials in the DPRK and the central government, and the more it can serve as a warning to others.
People are often afraid of the unknown, but what is even more frightening is that before they get the exact answer, they will think of the outcome of the matter as more harsh and mysterious. Even after adding his own wild imagination and secret discussions between each other, the result will become more and more terrifying.
So on the second day, many courtiers asked for leave. The reason was very simple. They had nightmares at night, and they were frightened three times. They had not recovered from the excessive fright.
Naturally, all the officials who did not come to court were recorded by Huangmen Shilang without waiting for Li Hong's instructions. In Li Hong's opinion, these people were either too weak mentally or harbored evil intentions and liked to flatter them. only.
So this list soon came into Li Hong's hands. Even Li Zhi and Wu Mei in the Zichen Palace also had such a list in their hands.
Hou Sizhi and Wang Hongyi, who had been buried in the ground and frozen for three days, naturally could not withstand the cold winter. The northwest wind was like a knife, and had already taken them away in a hurry on the second night. life.
However, because of the order of His Highness the Crown Prince, no matter whether a person was dead or alive, he had to be buried for three full days. Therefore, on the third day, after the Jinwu Guards took control of the entire Xuanzheng Palace office and prohibited them from peeping, they quickly The two straight, hard bodies were loaded into the carriage and returned to their respective families.
When the family members faced the two intact corpses, they were still moved and cried bitterly. While lying on the corpses and crying, they thanked His Highness the Crown Prince for his kindness.
Thunder, rain and dew are all the kindness of the king, and it is naturally reflected vividly in this era. Even if a person dies, as long as the body is intact, in the eyes of the family, the royal family has shown special kindness to them.
But this result was deliberately concealed by Li Hong. Except for the Jinwu Guards who participated that day and the limited number of palace officials who saw the result, no one could clearly see what happened on this day and in just a quarter of an hour.
Even Li Zhi and Wu Mei, although they had been paying attention to every move in front of the Xuanzheng Palace during those two days, in their opinion, in the blink of an eye, the truth was quickly hidden by the Jinwu Guards, and then they figured it out. An ambiguous result is produced that allows people to imagine at will.
"Reporting to Your Majesty and Queen, there are many rumors nowadays that all the Jinwu Guards that day were transferred away by His Highness the Crown Prince, and even those palace people are from the East Palace of His Highness the Crown Prince." Wang Lou faced Li Zhi respectfully With Wu Mei's curiosity, she said cautiously.
Because that day, due to his small negligence, he and Hua Ji also missed the real truth.
"It seems that those so-called Jinwu Guards are not Jinwu Guards anymore. I'm afraid they are Li Hong's Central Army pretending to be Jinwu Guards. There is no need to send people to inquire about this matter. Obviously Li Hong does not want the court to let the There is a clear result above the hall," Wu Mei lazily stopped, and Li Zhi signaled to Hua Ji who went to Jinwu Guard to find out the truth.
"Could it be that after being chopped into pieces by Li Hong, they were buried under those two trees?" Li Zhi looked a little dissatisfied. Although this Daming Palace is still the Tai Chi Palace in front of it, and there are countless dead people, but if If two dead people were blatantly buried in the square in front of the Xuanzheng Hall, wouldn't it be a little too unlucky and conflict with the majesty of the royal family
Wu Mei thought about Li Hong's intentions and listened to Li Zhi's words. She rolled her eyes at him involuntarily and continued lazily: "He only has a quarter of an hour. If he wants to chop people into pieces, he has to dig them out first." , and then you have to clean the blood after chopping it up, is this quarter of an hour enough? "
"Then it's possible that he was chopped into several large pieces and buried under the tree, because according to Huaji Duofang's information, when the ministers went home that day, they could smell some blood from time to time." Li Zhi Said more seriously.
Wu Mei shook her head thoughtfully, and then slowly said: "With Li Hong's character, I'm afraid he wouldn't do this. What he's doing now is probably to cover up and deliberately leave a space for people to imagine, and then This is used to punish those with evil intentions in the court. Otherwise, how could Huangmen Shilang’s usual list be as detailed as this time?”
"Punishment? He has already punished everyone, so who else should he punish?" Li Zhi's mind has started to lack strength again recently.
"It's okay. You can think whatever you want, but I dare to bet you that there will never be any dirt under those two trees. Don't worry about this. And in the court, I'm afraid there won't be any dirt. Many people have already guessed Li Hong's intentions, but now they can only know it in their own hearts and cannot tell outsiders. Therefore, in order to keep Li Hong's secret, I will naturally not explain it to you. "Wu Mei raised her eyebrows and stood up with a hint of arrogance.
She is in her fifties, but she still looks like she was in her thirties. Her slender and fair neck still shines like white jade. Her tall figure has become a little plump over the years, but she is still exquisite and graceful, which is what she is proud of. , which is also the pride that still makes Li Zhi obsessed with it.
Nowadays, the two of them have a lot of free time, so guessing Li Hong's every decision in the court, or guessing the reasons why Li Hong handles a certain matter, has become the only choice between the emperor and the empress besides chess and mahjong. Another way to kill time.
And this is naturally the two of them, because two officials from the sixth grade can also discuss the reasons for an afternoon.
Di Renjie hurried to Chongwen Hall in the East Palace. After entering Chongwen Hall, he immediately seemed to have entered a world where the four seasons are like spring. He was still suffering from the cold wind on the road, but he suddenly slowed down. Before seeing His Royal Highness, , wanting to be the first to move his frozen and stiff hands and feet.
The first day of the new year is coming soon, and now a large number of people from foreign countries have poured in to the Chang'an City Government Square, as well as the inns, inns and other places in Chang'an City.
Ever since Zong Chuke met the ten-year-old Crown Prince by chance in Zhongnan Mountain, his official career has been on a meteoric rise, from a fifth-rank county magistrate to a third-rank official of the Jingzhao Prefecture. position, and after several years of hard work, he was promoted to Shangshu Shengyoupushe in the first two years, becoming a second-rank imperial official.
When he left the post of chief official of the Jingzhao Mansion, he naturally planned the next candidate for the chief official of the Jingzhao Mansion for His Royal Highness. Now, Ren Zhigu is also in the study of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in Chongwen Hall.
When Di Renjie entered the Prince's study room in Chongwen Hall, he immediately saw the figure of His Royal Highness Li Hong, who was immersed in reading the memorial behind the desk that was large enough to be called a bed. On the left and right sides of the "bed", naturally There were several thick stacks of memorials, and His Highness the Crown Prince's tall figure was about to be buried in them.
Walking on the thick and luxurious Persian carpet, your feet feel like you are stepping on clouds, giving you an airy and soft feeling.
Several sets of sofas for courtiers to sit on were placed not far in front of the desk. On the walls around the study, there were naturally some calligraphy and paintings by famous artists. The surroundings were also filled with some green leaves and flowers that were not common in winter.
Overall, the entire study does not appear cumbersome, but rather concise and clear, which is in line with His Royal Highness's consistent character and style.
(End of chapter)