The Japanese pirates in the southeast have not been eradicated, and wars have broken out in the northwest. When the court seemed to never stop, the ministers started arguing again.
Usually, the civilians lead the peace and the generals lead the battle, but this time it was the other way around. A group of generals headed by Guo Xun advocated opening the horse market with Mongolia, and the court exchanged grain and cloth for Mongolian war horses. Both sides benefited and avoided war.
Although Guo Xun has not been on the front line for many years, he was born in a noble family and knows the Mongolians very well. Mongolia is different from Japanese pirates. The north side of the Great Wall is grassland. Daming can neither dig up the grassland nor drive out the nomads. The Mongols can’t be beaten. After this tribe is driven away, a new tribe will come. As long as Mobei With the existence of grasslands, northern Xinjiang will never be peaceful.
And Mongolians are not born to love wars. Nomads are different from farming peoples. Every household in the Ming Dynasty will store grain if they have the conditions, but nomads have no surplus grain. Once they encounter snow disasters, droughts, and plagues, they have no food to eat, so they need to eat immediately. Can't survive this winter.
So they could only go south to fight. If they won, they would snatch food for the winter. If they couldn't win, they would starve to death when they returned. The Mongolian cavalry was extraordinarily brave.
People who are driven by death are invincible, and the lives of frontier officers and soldiers are not in vain. There is no need to fight a group of desperadoes. What the Mongols want is food, just exchange it for them, and they can also get a batch of high-quality war horses.
Guo Xun is out of the conscience of a coach who has led soldiers. He really feels that opening up the horse market and communicating with each other is good for Mongolia and Daming. He wrote a long letter to the emperor, stating the benefits of opening the horse market, and handed it to the palace early.
Many generals of the Northwest Army agreed with Guo Xun's point of view, and even Fu Tingzhou sent a book back and agreed to open the horse market.
He also pointed out in the book that Mongolia's eight requests for tribute were rejected, but many of the daily necessities of the Mongolian people had to be exchanged from within the customs. When the official channels are closed, they can only communicate with private individuals, which is easy to nurture disasters, and a little carelessness will develop into the second Japanese pirate rebellion. Instead of letting them collude in private, the imperial court should take over and control the initiative in their own hands.
Fu Tingzhou wrote in the book how to manage the horse market, how to adjust the military defense during the horse market, and ensure security without affecting the mutual market. It can be seen that Fu Tingzhou has matured a lot after he went to the front line. These are very practical suggestions. After reading it, the emperor attached great importance to this document, and kept calling his ministers into the palace to discuss it.
The emperor is also inclined to open the border market, and it can be solved by other means. Who wants to fight? The war of Japanese pirates emptied the national treasury. Forty-one guards in central Zhejiang, four hundred and thirty-nine warships, and all military registrations were exhausted. The country has not eased this sigh of relief now, and the emperor is not willing to renew the war.
In the end, with the strong support of the Marquis of Wuding, Guo Xun, and the emperor's tacit approval, the matter of reopening Gongshi at the border was settled in this way.
From September 25th to 28th in the 18th year of Jiajing period, in Xianbao Kaima City, Datong Town, the Altan tribe picked good horses to trade in the horse market in exchange for necessities such as corn beans and fine satin. The Altan tribe attaches great importance to this transaction, and the Datong general also visited the market in person. Within three days, everyone was very polite. No Mongols disturbed the transaction from beginning to end, and the horse market ended successfully.
Zhenxianbao's first test of the water was very successful, and the Altan tribe got food and cloth. As expected, they did not go south again that winter, and the two sides were at peace with each other. Other tribes heard about the horse market and also asked for a deal. Guo Xun, Fu Tingzhou and others made a guarantee that under the promotion of everyone, in the winter of the 18th year, the horse fair was held for the second time in Huamachi.
This transaction took longer. Several Mongolian tribes were present. Langtaiji strictly restrained the tribes. The wells of Mongolia and Han did not violate the river water. The local people lived peacefully and were not affected by the horse market.
In the second half of the 18th year of Jiajing, the border wars were greatly reduced because of the existence of Ma Shi. The two successful transactions have boosted morale, and Fu Tingzhou once again submitted a proposal. He proposed to increase the number of open horse markets to four times a year, and to expand it to Xuanfu and Yanning towns, so that local military and civilians can trade with nomadic tribes outside the customs. . As long as the trade volume is limited each time, the Mongolian tribes will not be strengthened, and their population and livelihood can be controlled by means of food. In the long run, the Mongolian tribes will no longer pose a threat to the Ming border.
The emperor adopted Fu Tingzhou's suggestion, and in the second year, tried to expand the scope of the horse market. However, the next mutual market is often in chaos.
In March, Mongolia's request to exchange cows and sheep for corn beans was rejected by the local garrison.
The Mongols believed that this was a transaction. Both parties used the equivalent of what they needed. The poor did not have horses to exchange, but the cattle and sheep they brought were also of high quality. However, in the eyes of the imperial court, the horse market is a tribute. If you pay tribute to the war horse, you will pay tribute to the war horse. How can there be bargaining
The two sides couldn't talk through the city wall, and there was a bloody feud before, and the situation collapsed suddenly. The shepherd drove the cattle and sheep for thousands of miles to the Han city wall. After eating all the dry food on the way, he waited to exchange food with the Han people and bring them back to support the family. However, now the Ming court has let them go back empty-handed. Of course, the shepherds refused to do it. They simply took the opportunity to attack the city and broke into the border to grab food.
The shepherds who came to trade entered the border as thieves, and immediately sounded the alarm for the horse market. The court received several articles of impeachment, accusing the frontier military generals of condoning and raising adultery and collaborating with internal and external enemies. Guo Xun is a person who resolutely promotes the horse market. Now that there is an accident in the horse market, he has also been questioned a lot.
Guo Xun insisted that this was an accident. Most of the Mongolians obeyed the rules and were friendly to trade. The whole horse market plan could not be rejected because of a few mouse feces.
When the Chinese military attache quarreled again, Liaodong also had an accident. The Altan tribe lives by water and grass and migrated to Liaodong this spring. They asked to continue to open the market in Liaodong, but last year they were dealing with Datong Prefecture.
The Altan tribe was provoked, and felt that the Han people had gone back on their word and deliberately made things difficult. They took the opportunity to enter the border three times and looted food and livestock.
After some people started, there were also Mongolians in Xuanfu and Datong's horse markets. They deliberately used sick and bad horses as shoddy ones. Some people even sold horses during the day and sneaked people into towns at night to take back their horses and swept the city. Food and money went away.
In fact, most Mongolians are very orderly, but they can't stand someone who is slick and treacherous and wants to get something for nothing. Peaceful exchanges are hard to come by, but destruction is all too easy. The wind between North Korea and China about Ma Shi immediately turned sharply downward. Previously, some censors and military generals quarreled, but now, all the civil servants folded their bullets to impeach Ma Shi.
Among them, the one who scolded the most fiercely was the first assistant Xia Wenjin. Xia Wenjin and Guo Xun had been at odds for a long time. Now that they have this opportunity, Xia Wenjin joins Guo Xun crazily, and even said that Guo Xun should cooperate with the enemy and treason, and opened the horse market to help the Mongols.
Originally, it was just to discuss the horse market. After Xia Wenjin mentioned collaborating with the enemy and treason, the nature of the whole thing changed suddenly. Who is willing to be labeled as collaborating with the enemy and treason, other officials are afraid that they will be considered as Guo Xun's comrades, and they will impeach Guo Xun more severely. , and even the "Brave of Heroes" and "Water Margin" compiled by the Marquis of Wuding before have been taken out to write articles.
In the end, everyone was arguing in the direction of right and wrong, and the horse market changed from a commercial issue to a moral issue.
Once a matter rises to a moral level, it will completely change its taste. In the end, even the emperor can't stop it, so he can only put Guo Xun in prison to quell public anger.
This is a common way for civil officials to clear political enemies. Instead of focusing on the facts, they will deduct moral hats and crush you with loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and filial piety. It's not enough to just take down Guo Xun, Xia Wenjin continued to expand the situation, involving Guo Xun's party members one by one, saying that they funded the enemy and betrayed the country.
Fu Tingzhou was Guo Xun's nephew and son-in-law, and he once wrote an essay to support Ma Shi, but he was soon pulled into the water.
The emperor did not expect that the matter would be so turbulent. When there is trouble in the horse market, there must be one person responsible. Anyway, the person who made the mistake will not be the emperor, it can only be Guo Xun.
The emperor needed a scapegoat to quell the trouble. Guo Xun jumped the highest some time ago, which naturally became the target of public criticism. The emperor pretended to be angry and imprisoned Guo Xun.
People close to Guo Xun were also convicted one after another. Fu Tingzhou was relieved of his military power, dismissed from the post of commander in Gansu, and imprisoned for the crime of collaborating with the enemy. Marquis of Yongping, Marquis of Yongping and Marquis Wuding had a very close relationship and were suspected of collaborating with the enemy, so they were also taken away for investigation.
For a time, the Marquis of Wuding and the family were in a state of turmoil, and everyone was in danger.
Hong Wanqing only felt that the sky fell overnight, her uncle was taken away on the charge of collaborating with the enemy and treason, her husband was dismissed from his position, and her father and brother were suspected of collaborating with the enemy. All the people she knew were either too busy to take care of themselves or avoided her, and the faces of those who flattered her in the past have changed drastically.
Hong Wanqing swept away the dust from the noble lady of the Hou Mansion in an instant. She kept going out to run and beg for mercy. Usually, wherever she went, she would always call in front of her and embrace the moon, but now, she has to wait at the door of others. , standing under the sun for hours.
However, even if she trampled her self-esteem into the mud, no one was willing to help. In the end, it was a lady who had been friends with her who couldn't see it, and quietly sent a servant to remind her that it was not that they were cruel, but that they really couldn't help.
Now whoever speaks for Marquis Wuding is a traitor. They all have husbands and sons. No matter how good their friendship with Hong Wanqing is, they can't drag a family of people to death unless Marquis Wuding is proven not to be collaborating with the enemy.
At this time, there is only that one who has the ability to clear the name of Marquis Wuding.
The servant closed the door when he said this, leaving Hong Wanqing to think about the rest. Hong Wanqing walked down the steps in a hurry, and suddenly fell down with her head up.
The maids hurriedly shouted "Mrs. Hou" and hurriedly helped her up.
Hong Wanqing caught a cold, and when she returned, she developed a high fever. When she woke up, she saw the maids wiping tears around her bed, all of them looking like the end was coming. Hong Wanqing's throat was sore, and he asked, "What time is it?"
"Not yet."
Hong Wanqing silently calculated in his heart that Lu Heng was extremely busy with official business, and often went home after dark. At this hour, he should not have left the office yet. She went to the gate of the Lu Mansion to guard, and there was still time to wait for Lu Heng!
Hong Wanqing struggled to sit up, she got angry when she saw the crying face of the maids, and scolded: "Why are you crying, my uncle's family is the founding father of the country, and he followed Emperor Hongwu to conquer the world. Marquis Pin. Xia Wenjin is only a civil official who has been prosperous for more than ten years. How can he shake the Guo Hong family? The Marquis of Wuding and the Mongols fought for two hundred years. How many people of the Guo family died in the northwest, what did my uncle do with the enemy? Xia Wenjin is a civil official who doesn't go to the battlefield, doesn't care about farming, and he wants to frame the Guo family for a hundred years at the slightest touch. Help me get up, I want to go out and vindicate my uncle."
"Mrs. Hou..." The maids hurriedly supported Hong Wanqing and persuaded, "Madam, no matter how good your relationship is with your uncle, you are now in the Fu family. You have to take care of your health."
"Confused." Hong Wanqing scolded, "Uncle is the backbone of everyone. If uncle is convicted of collaborating with the enemy, everyone in the Houye and Yongping Houfu will be killed. The family members of the criminals will sell the church. , If I fall into that kind of place, and even my life is lost, why should I take care of my body? Get out of the way."
"But you're still sick..."
"Is it more important to recover from illness, or to save one's life?" Hong Wanqing said in a hurry, starting a series of rapid coughs. She leaned over, coughing violently, almost tearing her heart to pieces. The maids looked distressed. They knelt by the bed, wiping tears while feeding Hong Wanqing: "When have you suffered such a crime? Why can't life be as smooth and stable as before?"
Yeah, why did the world suddenly change
Hong Wanqing managed to stop her cough and leaned against the bedpost, gasping for breath. Her face was flushed and she had no strength, but she couldn't tolerate her weakness at all. Hong Wanqing gritted her teeth and said weakly and firmly: "Come on, change me."
Hong Wanqing had never cared about court affairs before. Naturally, her father and elder brother had to worry about family affairs. All she needed to do was pick clothes and buy jewelry. Now the building is about to collapse, the men of Guo and Hong are all detained, Fu Tingzhou is not in the capital, the Marquis of Wuding, Marquis of Yongping and Marquis of Zhenyuan collapsed together, Hong Wanqing was thrown from the golden wire cage into the wind and rain in an instant .
It was only at this time that she realized that she was no different from those civilian women whose lives were like duckweed.
Fu Tingzhou couldn't get in touch. Fu Chang was the only man in the Fu family's direct line. At this time, Fu Chang should have come forward to run. But Fu Chang has been accustomed to being the shopkeeper over the years, and neither his father nor his son counted on him. How could Hong Wanqing and these female relatives rely on Fu Chang
It is better to count on her own than to count on her father-in-law. Hong Wanqing changed her clothes. This time, her purpose was very clear. As soon as she got in the car, she said to the driver, "Go to Lu Mansion."
In the car, Hong Wanqing coughed again. The maid patted Hong Wanqing on the back and wiped away her tears distressedly: "Mrs. Hou, you are so seriously ill and you have to go out, the slave maid looks distressed."
The maid was sobbing, but Hong Wanqing lowered her eyes and murmured inaudibly, "Silly maid, it is because of illness that she has to go out."
Hong Wanqing rushed to the Lu Mansion, she ignored the noble girl's air, and took the initiative to ask the concierge: "Is Governor Lu in the mansion?"
The concierge glanced at Hong Wanqing defensively, and said away: "The whereabouts of the governor are confidential, and it is inconvenient to tell outsiders."
Hong Wanqing was a stalk, and other mansions still pretended to be more or less face, and they didn't know where to go, and went out to visit friends.
Hong Wanqing had never experienced this kind of neglect before, she felt humiliated, but now it is not what she used to be.
Hong Wanqing pinched her palms hard, squeezed out a smile and said, "I have something to ask the Governor, can you please report it?"
The concierge was indifferent, Hong Wanqing asked the maid to give silver taels, but the concierge and the guards ignored it. Guarding the gate of the Lu Mansion, how could she be short of her money
Hong Wanqing had no choice but to wait at the door. She waited silently in her heart, hoping that Lu Heng didn't go home early today, so let her fight!
Today, Lu Heng is indeed working overtime in Nanzhen Fusi. He has no leave all year round, and many people have been imprisoned recently, which is the peak of Nanzhen Fusi's business. When Lu Heng finally finished his work and was about to return to the mansion, the Lu mansion guard walked behind Lu Heng and quietly reported, "The Governor, Mrs. Zhenyuan Hou is at the door to see you."
Lu Heng raised his eyebrows and asked, "When did you come?"
"Not in time."
"Does Madam know?"
"The concierge stopped her from the door and didn't dare to disturb the lady."
Lu Heng's face looked better now. Fortunately, Qingqing was not disturbed, otherwise, they would just wait.
Lu Heng was the person in charge of the entire capital's intelligence. It was too naive to want to block Lu Heng on the road. The guard asked, "The Governor, do you want to take a detour to the side door?"
"Why do I have to go through the side door when I go back to my own home?" Lu Heng sneered and said coldly, "Get ready, enter through the main door."
"Yes."
Hong Wanqing waited until the sun went down and the cool breeze picked up, but no one came out to pay attention to her. The maid supported Hong Wanqing and looked at the sky anxiously: "Mrs. Hou, it's going to rain, let's go back."
"No." Hong Wanqing categorically vetoed, "I've waited so long, if I go back now, all my previous achievements will be lost."
"But you still have a fever..."
Before the maid's words were finished, the rhythmic sound of hooves came from the street. The maid and Hong Wanqing turned back together. Hong Wanqing saw the person coming and said in surprise, "Dudu Lu..."
Lu Heng pulled his horse and stopped at the door, without even looking at Hong Wanqing, handed the reins to the attendant and walked into the mansion. Hong Wanqing was ready to talk, but when she saw that Lu Heng completely regarded her as nothing, she couldn't help worrying, not caring about the woman's restraint and chasing after her: "Commander Lu, my concubine is the wife of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, the Hong family, I implore the commander-in-chief help!"
Lu Heng lifted his clothes and walked up the steps, and said with a smile, "It turned out to be Mrs. Fu. There are many people in the world who want to ask me for help. Who are you?"
Hong Wanqing groaned in her heart. Before she came, she thought that Lu Heng might not be good at speaking, but every time she saw Lu Heng, he always moved forward and back with a small smile. Hong Wanqing thought that maybe he was not bad as rumored. How to get along.
Wang Yanqing has been by Fu Tingzhou's side for so long, and his body may not be innocent. Lu Heng is still willing to marry Wang Yanqing as his wife, and he has been married for many years without taking a concubine. Such a person should be very soft-hearted towards women.
But when Lu Heng came up, he didn't show any face at all. When Hong Wanqing was told "Who are you" in person, he couldn't hang on his face. She bit her lip hard, resisting the woman's shyness, and continued to chase after her: "I heard that Governor Lu had investigated the injustice for the victims within three days, and even a civilian governor who had never met before was willing to lend a helping hand, which shows that the governor is a just man and speaks with justice. Concubine. The identity of the body is not worth mentioning, but the concubine's family has been wronged, and I hope the governor will do justice for the concubine."
Lu Heng laughed. He walked up the highest steps, put down the hem of his clothes, and looked back at Hong Wanqing with a very strange look: "I have been an official for so many years, and this is the first time I have heard people say that I am fair. This kind of look is far worse than that of the Marquis of Zhenyuan and Marquis Yongping."
After Lu Heng finished speaking, he was about to enter the door. Hong Wanqing did not expect that he would not eat hard and soft, so he hurriedly said: "If Governor Lu is willing to help, the concubine is willing to hand over all the family wealth to thank Governor Gao Yi."
"Do you think I'm short of your money?" Lu Heng snorted lightly, his words full of disdain, "Besides, have you become the master?"
Hong Wanqing was speechless. Lu Heng had grown steadily over the years. He held great power and was not polite to collect money. People in the capital didn't even know how much money he had. It is not surprising that Lu Heng did not look down on the savings of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion and Yongping Marquis Mansion.
Moreover, Hong Wanqing really couldn't be the master of the Fu family and the Hong family.
All the tricks Hong Wanqing prepared failed, she gritted her teeth, and suddenly knelt with her skirt up. Everyone was startled by her actions, and the maid rushed up to hold Hong Wanqing's arm: "Mrs. Hou, what are you doing?"
Lu Heng was also surprised by her actions for a moment, and finally turned around and took a look at Hong Wanqing. Hong Wanqing knelt on her knees, straightened her waist and said, "Marquis Wuding and Marquis Zhenyuan are both wronged. They are military generals who serve the country and should not be insulted by trumped-up charges. The concubine knows that the governor has no obligation to help us, But the concubine has no choice but to seek help from the governor. If the governor doubts the sincerity of the concubine, and the concubine wishes to kneel here, please be kind to the governor!"
Lu Heng looked down at her and smiled. He had been laughing all the time. This smile was very slight, but it suddenly made Hong Wanqing feel a sense of danger.
Lu Heng said, "Mrs. Fu wants to threaten me with her illness? Then you must have recognized the wrong person. Try your best to see if I will frown if you kneel to death here."
After finishing speaking, Lu Heng lifted his clothes and walked towards the door, his voice cold and ruthless: "Lu Mou hates some people who don't know what's good or bad. You have to kneel on the street and don't dirty the door of my Lu residence."
The gate of Lu Mansion closed in front of Hong Wanqing, and the guard at the gate stepped forward, stretched out his hand and said, "Mrs. Fu, please."
It's obvious what they mean, go by yourself or be dragged out by them.
Hong Wanqing lowers her self-esteem again, this face is still needed. She bit her lip hard and got up, walked to the steps of Lu Mansion, and knelt down again.
As long as she can save her family and her husband's family, what is the humiliation for her
The sun was still bright during the day, but suddenly the wind picked up in the evening. Muffled thunder rumbled in the sky, and after a while, heavy rain poured down.
The rain in the capital is not as good as that in the south of the Yangtze River. They didn't bring umbrellas when they went out, and the maid vainly helped Hong Wanqing cover the rain with her hands, and said, "Mrs. Hou, will the rain stop for a while, you still have a fever, why don't we go back first! "
Fever is not a minor illness, how many people are burnt away in one burn. Hong Wanqing was still kneeling in the rain with a sickness, it was a life-threatening situation.
Hong Wanqing wanted to leave for a long time. She was pampered. The heaviest thing she had ever held was a needle. How could she stand kneeling in the rain? But she was betting that Lu Heng couldn't really watch her die at his doorstep. As long as Lu Heng is loose, she will have a chance.
Hong Wanqing gritted her teeth and refused to leave. After the rain, the sky quickly darkened, and the surrounding area became an endless black hole. There was a heavy rain in the sky and the cold wind was blowing. Except for the sound of the rain, there was no other sound. Even the guards guarding the door went inside to hide from the rain.
It seems that there is only Hong Wanqing left in the world. Soon, Hong Wanqing couldn't even hear the voice of the maid, she fell to the ground with a thud, her whole body twitching. The maid was frightened, and quickly knelt down to Hong Wanqing's side to help: "Mrs. Hou, what's the matter with you?"
Hong Wanqing's face turned pale and her whole body was trembling, but the door of Lu Mansion was still tightly closed. Hong Wanqing realized desperately that what Lu Heng said was true.
Even if she knelt to death at the entrance of Lu Mansion, Lu Heng would not frown.
The rumors about him in Beijing are not wrong. He is indeed ruthless, unscrupulous, and can do anything for the sake of profit. How can such a person expect that he will pity Xiangxiyu
So many ministers were raided in his hands, and I heard that there were many weak, charming or bright officials who begged him for gold, but none of them could make him soft-hearted. Those girls can't recommend themselves with their bodies. What does Hong Wanqing rely on to impress Lu Heng
He is a murder weapon with no morals and no bottom line, who can watch the wife of his former colleague die at his door. But why would such a person be obedient to Wang Yanqing
Hong Wanqing was soaked in the rain for so long that she felt that she was hallucinating. She actually saw the door of Lu Mansion open, and a woman in a white cloak and an orange palace lantern appeared inside. Many maids followed her, carefully holding umbrellas for her.
The night rain was like boundless sky water, overwhelming the sky, as if only the place under her feet was not submerged in darkness. The orange light swayed in the wind, making her face bright and dark, mysterious and distant, as if a goddess was in the world.
"Mrs. Zhenyuan Hou." Before Hong Wanqing fell into a coma, she vaguely heard a cold and soft voice saying, "We can't do what you asked for. It's late at night, and Mrs. Hou may risk her life if she stays on guard. Please go to the doctor as soon as possible. "
In the room, Lu Heng was teasing Lu Xuan under the lamp, when he heard footsteps outside, he asked his nanny to carry Lu Xuan away, got up and walked to the door: "It's said that she has bad intentions, don't worry about her life or death, why did you go out anyway? Did it rain?"
Wang Yanqing took off his cloak, dried his fingers with a veil, and said, "I'm fine. She's still ill, so I can't really let her fall at our door."
"It's on the street." Lu Heng corrected, "I asked her to kneel outside."
Wang Yanqing was speechless after hearing this. I don't know what Hong Wanqing was thinking, but he wanted to use his illness to hold Lu Heng hostage. Is he a softhearted person
Going to prison is easier than begging Lu Heng to be soft-hearted.
Wang Yanqing changed into a half-wet jacket and put on a lotus-colored cardigan. She sat next to Lu Heng and asked, "Where's Xian'er?"
"I'm about to fall asleep, I asked the nurse to carry him back."
Wang Yanqing nodded and asked, "Do you really not want to take care of Marquis Wuding?"
"This is the grievance between him and Xia Wenjin. What's the matter with me?" Lu Heng closed his eyes and leaned on Wang Yanqing's shoulder, and said indifferently, "Don't worry about them. The emperor has something in his heart."
There was a big mess in the horse market, the emperor needed to go down a step, and Guo Xun could only bear the blame. But the emperor knew very well what was going on. He just shut Guo Xun for a while, and did not plan to do anything to Guo Xun. When the limelight passed, he would let them out.
However, during Guo Xun's detention, it was inevitable that the Wudinghou group would bleed some blood.
Lu Heng knew the emperor's intentions, Yan Wei knew it, and he knew about Xia Wenjin himself. But these female relatives outside did not know that they really thought that Marquis Wuding was going to be punished for the crime of collaborating with the enemy. Wang Yanqing felt extremely sad when she thought of Hong Wanqing who had passed out on her knees.
Hong Wanqing used to be a noble daughter of the Hou family. When she first met Hong Wanqing, Hong Wanqing was confident and assertive, her eyes were full of aggression, as if there was nothing in the world that she couldn't grab. But now, Hong Wanqing did not hesitate to take advantage of her illness to kneel outside her former rival's house, just to get Lu Heng to speak clearly.
The candles burned quietly, and the room was dim and quiet. Lu Heng closed his eyes, as if falling asleep, and suddenly asked, "What are you sighing for?"
Wang Yanqing was taken aback and said, "It's nothing, I lament the impermanence of life."
"You don't hate her?"
"It was Fu Tingzhou's idea to stop his wife and marry another. Even without her, I would have left the Marquis of Zhenyuan. What does she have to do with me?"
Although Lu Heng was very satisfied that she personally said that she would leave the Zhenyuan Hou Mansion, to be honest, Lu Heng was still very upset when she heard the words "stop his wife and marry another."
If Fu Tingzhou didn't take the initiative to push her away, with Qingqing's desperate temper, Lu Heng would not have anything to do later. You can't think about this kind of thing, just thinking about Lu Heng makes it uncomfortable. Lu Heng felt that the best way to get revenge on his former rival was to make her pregnant with his second child.
Lu Heng did what he said, opened his eyes immediately, put his arms around her waist and said, "Qingqing, do you think Lu Xun is too lonely alone?"
"what?"
"Let's give him a sister." After Lu Heng finished speaking, he paused, reluctantly, "If it's still a son, it's fine."
The next day, the news spread throughout the capital. Mrs. Zhenyuan Hou went to the Lu Mansion to plead, but Lu Heng didn't even let anyone enter the door. After returning, Mrs. Zhenyuan Hou developed a high fever and fell unconscious.
Everyone sighed that Lu Heng was really a heartless bastard, but they refused to say more good things to explain for Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion and Wuding Marquis Mansion.
In the palace, the emperor also heard about this. When Lu Heng came to the emperor as usual, the emperor asked, "I heard that Fu Tingzhou's wife came to see you last night?"
Lu Heng nodded: "That's right. When she came, her lips were chapped, her face was flushed, and she looked like she had a fever. I thought she would give up if she acted, so I ignored her. Later, my wife couldn't bear it, last night. She was sent back to Zhenyuan Hou's mansion, and she also hired Lang Zhong for her."
When Lu Heng said this, the emperor understood. Hong Wanqing had a fever first, and then went to ask Lu Heng. The fainting was purely calculated, and the consequences were self-inflicted.
It's okay to scold Lu Heng for not understanding Lianxiang Xiyu, but it's not okay to let him take the blame.
In the eyes of the emperor, the careful tricks of the female family members were like a joke. The emperor said: "After all, they are the family members of the hero. The heart of a military general. After a few days, you can find a reason to bring Guo Xun to the prison."
Jinyiwei has its own special prison, the imperial prison, and has independent arraignment rights without passing through the Sixth Department and Dali Temple. Entering the imperial prison of Jinyiwei means that life and death are decided by the emperor, and the six divisions can no longer intervene.
Lu Heng agreed. There are many prisoners of this kind, and they even set up a special area to store these "criminals" who can't be released or killed. Some people even stayed inside for two or three years, waiting for the emperor to calm down before letting go.
After the emperor ordered, Lu Heng did not delay, and went to interrogate Guo Xun the next day. Jin Yiwei has the right to investigate the relatives of the royal family and does not need to show any evidence. Lu Heng proposed to interrogate Wuding Hou Guoxun, but the prisoners could not think of any reason to stop him.
The jailer led Lu Heng to the cell. He unlocked the door and said, "Captain Lu, Marquis Wu Ding is inside, please do it yourself."
Lu Heng looked inside, Guo Xun was sitting with his back to the prison door, as if looking at the light from the skylight. Lu Heng didn't have time to wait for Guo Xun to set the score, so he pushed open the wooden door and said, "Marquis Wu Ding, I'm sorry to disturb you. There are some things that need your cooperation. Come with me to the prison."
After Lu Heng finished speaking, Guo Xun remained motionless. Lu Heng was a frequent visitor to the Palace of Kings of Hell. He immediately realized that something was wrong, reached out his hand to stop his people, and said, "Don't move. Call the people from Tingyu to come over and ask the Marquis of Wuding."
Guo Xun is dead.
The emperor sat behind the imperial case with a sullen face, and slowly swept over the crowd of His Royal Highnesses.
The six scholars in the cabinet, Lu Heng, the commander of Jinyiwei, the Minister of Punishment, and the Minister of Dali Temple, are all here. The emperor looked at them and asked blankly, "What happened to Guo Xun's death?"
The emperor imprisoned Guo Xun and beat him, but the emperor never thought of letting Guo Xun die. Guo Xun is of great significance to the Northwest Army. The emperor is crazy, so he will joke about his northwest frontier.
Lu Heng was the first witness at the crime scene, and it was he who passed the news of Guo Xun's death to the emperor. Lu Heng glanced at the Minister of Punishment and Xia Wenjin with a half-smile, and stepped forward: "Reporting to Your Majesty, when the body of Marquis Wuding was found, this minister happened to be at the scene. The minister was originally ordered to ask Marquis Wuding to go to the imperial prison for investigation, but after he went to the court, he was not I found Marquis Wuding sitting with his back to the corridor, motionless. The minister felt that something was wrong, so he immediately asked people from the Ministry of Punishment to invite Marquis Wuding. Jinyiwei's people never stepped into the prison of Marquis Wuding and assassinated Marquis Wuding... Maybe you have to ask the Minister of Punishment. "
The emperor endured his anger and looked at the Minister of Punishment: "The Marquis of Wuding has an accident at the place of the Punishment, what's your explanation?"
The back of the Minister of Punishment was already sweating. He didn't expect Lu Heng to be so shrewd. He didn't even step into the cell. The excuse he had prepared before was really impossible. But in front of the Holy Spirit, he didn't dare not to answer for a long time, that's even more of a guilty conscience.
The minister of the Ministry of Punishment stammered: "I...I don't know. Maybe the Marquis of Wuding cooperated with the enemy and betrayed the country.
Lu Heng snorted unabashedly from the side. The emperor obviously thought it was extremely absurd, and pointed at Lu Heng with a cold face: "Lu Heng."
Lu Heng lowered his eyes and cupped his hands: "This minister is here."
"It is limited to you within ten days to find out the cause of Marquis Wuding's death."
"The minister obeys the order."
After coming out of the imperial palace, the ministers walked in the Xiyuan with long grass and beautiful lakes and mountains, silent all the way. When leaving the Xiyuan Palace gate, Lu Heng took a wrong step and fell to Xia Wenjin's side, and said in his ear: "Xia Shoufu, when it comes to learning, I am far behind you. But when it comes to murder, you are far worse than me. "
Xia Wenjin looked sideways slightly, and Lu Heng looked at him with a smile. There was a deep gloom in Peach Blossom's eyes: "You shouldn't come to provoke me."