"Me?" Wang Yanqing was quite surprised when he heard it. "The Southern Tour is a major event in the entire dynasty. I have no official position, and I am not a woman of command. I'm afraid it is not appropriate to follow the past."
It is indeed inappropriate. The emperor's southern tour, and national affairs cannot be ignored. The cabinet ministers, guards and generals must accompany him, and the concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs who serve the emperor are counted, and the number of people currently counted is more than ten thousand. It is not a trivial matter for more than 10,000 people to travel. A slight error can lead to a major disaster. The safety pressure of the Southern Tour is very great. Long with him, but no one brought his wife and family with him. Lu Heng brought a woman at this time, no matter what he said, it was too sharp.
But it's a matter of human effort, and this kind of thing can be solved. If Wang Yanqing stayed in the capital but was robbed by Fu Tingzhou, it would be irreversible. In contrast, Lu Heng would rather take Wang Yanqing by his side at the risk of being shot.
Lu Heng said: "It doesn't matter, other people will also bring maids. I will bring a few less people. I will add you, and it's okay."
Lu Heng said firmly, Wang Yanqing had no doubts, and immediately calmed down. She didn't want to cause trouble to Lu Heng, and she never made a fuss from beginning to end, but when she heard that she could walk with her, her expression was obviously cheered up.
Ashamed to say, she has been awake for five months, but apart from Lu Heng, she has no one to talk to in Lu Mansion. Of course she would like to go out with Lu Heng.
Having said that, Wang Yanqing became nervous and asked, "What are you going to prepare for the Southern Tour? I haven't packed anything yet."
As she spoke, she wanted to go back to stock up, but Lu Heng stopped her and said, "No hurry. We are still ordering troops now, and we will have to prepare for at least two months before we set off."
In two months, Wang Yanqing calmed down and asked, "Is the empress in the palace going to travel too?"
"Yes." Lu Heng nodded, "This is the first time the emperor has returned to his hometown since he ascended the throne, and most likely it will be the last time. The emperor is going to go back to pay homage to Xianling, and he wants to take his concubine to show King Xingxian to comfort him. The king is the spirit of the sky. Queen Zhang has been confirmed to accompany her, and the remaining candidates have not yet been determined, but most of them are Fang Debi and Yan Libi."
Wang Yanqing nodded, she thought hard for a while, and finally put these names and faces in her mind. She had a relationship with these concubines last time when she visited the doctor. Fang Deconcubine held her face, her face was long and slightly square, she looked very rigid, and she had a stern personality. Yan Libi should be softer and more beautiful, with round cheeks and a petite figure, worthy of her title.
Thinking of this, Wang Yanqing suddenly realized that Yan Libi's performance on the day of her visit seemed not quite right. She always stood close to the corner, and frequently raised her hand, squeezed a handkerchief, and stroked her clothes, looking nervous. Seeing Wang Yanqing being thoughtful, Lu Heng asked, "What's wrong?"
Wang Yanqing frowned, and after a while he slowly shook his head: "It's nothing. I should have thought too much."
As a young, immature and helpless concubine, Yan Liconcubine was very nervous when she served the Empress Dowager Jiang. Probably Wang Yanqing thought too much.
The emperor is a strong-minded person. After setting the southern tour plan, he immediately began to advance, and actively prepared in three ways. All the way, the imperial envoy took the imperial decree and built the resident palace along the southern tour with the local governor; all the way to Anlu to decorate the old residence of King Xing;
Everyone in the DPRK was busy with the Southern Tour. The Ministry of War arranged for the squires to pass the post. The Ministry of Household issued the money needed to buy food and grass, and the squires and horses. 200,000 taels of silver were transferred from Taicang in the warehouse. The Minister of Rites, Yan Wei, presented a detailed southern tour plan, including the date of departure from Beijing, ritual rituals, and inspection procedures, which day and place to go to, when to pick up the car, and how officials, elders and kings will meet along the way. All written carefully. The emperor was very satisfied with this plan, and specially praised Yan Wei in the morning.
The Southern Tour was a great place for civilian officials. They were busy fighting for power, but the atmosphere among the generals was completely opposite. The biggest problem of the emperor's southern tour is safety. For generals, this is a hot potato that cannot be thrown or received. It should be done well, but if there is the slightest mistake, then wait for the whole family to be exiled.
Jin Yiwei was originally the Secretary of Yiluan. He was in charge of the emperor's guards of honor and guards. He was the emperor's face, so their clothes were so fancy. Later, in order to control the heroes, Emperor Hongwu continued to delegate power to his own army. After that, he simply dismissed the Yiluan Division and restructured the Jinyiwei. The Jinyiwei changed from the original honor guard to an independent military service that integrates intelligence collection, inspection and arrest, and direct driving of guards. .
But Huxing honor guards are still their old business. This time the southern patrol has mobilized a total of 8,000 Jinyiwei guards, 6,000 to protect the emperor, and 2,000 to serve as the facade of the guard of honor. In the screening and deployment of Jinyiwei staff. In addition, there were 6,000 officers and troops of Hu Jia, who were dispatched by the soldiers and horses of the Five Cities and happened to be handled by Fu Tingzhou.
Probably, this is called not the enemy does not get together.
On July 16, the southern tour that had been prepared for three months finally began. The emperor led nearly 15,000 civil and military officials and guards to leave the Forbidden City and headed for Anlu. Even though the entourage was as high as 15,000, only the core and most important officials were fortunate enough to go out with the emperor. Tao Zhongwen, a Taoist priest.
Fu Tingzhou was among the founding fathers, and he was young and dazzling. Everyone didn't say it on the surface, but in private they were muttering, is Fu Tingzhou going to be reused by the emperor
When the ministers speculated about the holy will, no one noticed that the candidates for the harem escort had become Queen Zhang, Debi Fang and Duan Cao, and Yan Libi was quietly replaced. At the same time, there was a carriage that silently mixed into the team.
Fu Tingzhou rode his horse to the right of the chariot, staring at a place quietly. He looked very intently, and those who approached couldn't help but glance in that direction, but apart from the rolling traffic, he didn't see anything else. The messenger was surprised and asked, "Marquis Zhenyuan, what are you looking at?"
Fu Tingzhou regained his senses and calmly retracted his eyes: "It's nothing. What's wrong?"
"Oh." The messenger controlled his horse with one hand and pointed forward, "Marquis Wuding is looking for you."
Today is the ninth day away from Beijing. According to the plan, he should be stationed in Weihui Mansion at night. Fu Tingzhou found Marquis Wuding and asked, "Marquis Wuding, are you looking for me?"
Marquis Wu Ding responded lightly and said, "We will arrive at Wei Hui in a while. You should pay more attention to the palace and don't make any omissions."
Fu Tingzhou nodded: "I understand."
He said that he looked towards the imperial chariot in the center of the team. The chariot the emperor was riding was escorted by Jinyiwei. Outside the Jinyiwei were the officers and soldiers of the Wucheng Military and Horse Division, and Fu Tingzhou was in charge of the right road. But now, Fu Tingzhou felt that the direction of the guards outside the imperial car was not right, and asked with a frown, "Who is Jinyiwei on duty today, and why is the patrol different from usual?"
Marquis Wu Ding is over fifty years old, and his body is already prosperous. He is not as vigorous as he used to be on a horse, but his eagle-like eyes can still tell that he is a soldier. His face was wrinkled, and the corners of his mouth were carved with deep lines, which were daunting. His voice was also low, and he couldn't tell his emotions: "It's Lu Heng. Just now the emperor was interested, gave up the imperial carriage, and wanted to ride a horse. Lu Heng accompanies the emperor on a horse ride."
Fu Tingzhou didn't say anything, and raised his eyebrows slightly. No wonder he felt that Jin Yiwei was walking in the wrong direction. It turned out that the chariot was empty.
It is difficult to comment on the matter involving the emperor. Fu Tingzhou smiled lightly and said, "It's rare that the emperor is in a good mood. Commander Lu will accompany him in person, and safety should be safe."
Fu Tingzhou clearly heard Marquis Wuding snort coldly. The Marquis of Wu Ding prided himself on his high achievements and believed that the military attachés in the capital should be headed by him, but now, a young man in his early twenties frequently challenged his authority. Marquis Wu Ding raised the corner of his lips, and his face was clearly disdainful: "This is the best, if something goes wrong, how many people will follow him and lose their heads, can he bear it?"
Fu Tingzhou lowered his eyes and didn't answer. If the official position is achieved to a certain extent, no matter whether there is an old grudge or not, it will eventually become an enemy. A few years ago, Marquis Wu Ding had said good things about Lu Heng, but now, he has completely become an enemy.
Lu Heng's momentum was too strong. During this period of time, two major cases were solved one after another, and he was second to none. Civil officials, nobles, and Jinyiwei, many people have disliked him.
Sometimes, getting up and running too early may not be a good thing.
Marquis Wu Ding has been calling for wind and rain in the capital all these years, and he has long forgotten what it is like to be afraid, and he has no scruples in pointing out a junior. After Wuding Hou finished talking about Lu Heng, he glanced at Fu Tingzhou lightly, and said, "Lu Heng dares to be so mad, he just depends on him to grow up with the emperor. The emperor is young and mature, but occasionally needs to talk to his peers, Lu Heng seized the opportunity, you It's time to work harder."
Fu Tingzhou lowered his eyes, showing the color of being taught. After Marquis Wu Ding finished his scolding, he turned his face again and sighed: "I understand your scruples. This kind of thing should not be rushed. You and the emperor have no childhood relationship.
Fu Tingzhou said at the right time: "The younger generation is young and inexperienced. I also ask Marquis Wuding to teach me."
Marquis Wu Ding was very satisfied with Fu Tingzhou's advancement. With a self-confident smile on his face, he said with a beard: "The officialdom is a cold bench, and you have to be patient in order to be famous. Sometimes you have to stumble and climb for ten years, you are not as good as the old man. A word of caution. When I was your age, I was still running errands in the barracks. You became a marquis at a young age, and you entered the official circles smoothly. Your starting point is much better than that of me and your grandfather. As long as you arrange it well, There will be a bright future ahead.”
Fu Tingzhou realized what Marquis Wuding was going to say. He lowered his eyes and stared at the reddish-brown mane, clenching his hands. The horse was restrained by the reins, shook his head uncomfortably, and snorted hard. Fu Tingzhou regained his senses, tightened his fingers, and finally lowered his head and said, "How dare the younger generation compare with the Marquis of Wuding. The grandfather died, the father ignored the common affairs, and the younger generation has no elders to rely on, so I can only rely on the Marquis Wuding for guidance."
The Marquis of Wuding nodded in satisfaction and smiled: "I read it right, you are indeed a self-motivated person. But you young people are always thinking of making achievements, but you are impatient to lay the foundation. There is a saying among their literati that you are self-cultivating and governing the country. In the world of peace, we don’t pay attention to these sour things, but the general meaning is the same. We always have to start a family first and establish a firm root before we can go high enough.”
Having said that, Marquis Wuding already understood what he meant. He can support Fu Tingzhou, but Fu Tingzhou must submit his name first. Five months have passed since Fu Tingzhou's period of filial piety, and so far he has not yet proposed to the Hong family, which inevitably makes Marquis Wuding think more.
Fu Tingzhou felt a dull pain in his heart when he thought of the carriage he saw just now. He has always known her heart knot, but he can't help it. He is not only Fu Tingzhou, but also the Marquis of Zhenyuan. He wants to plan for the entire Fu family.
Officialdom is different from studying and practicing martial arts when you were a child. You can't solve it with hard work. If there is no one behind the officialdom, no matter how talented you are, you will not be able to take a single step. Those people in the cabinet now, when they were first admitted to the jinshi examination, which one was not a warm-hearted, noble and honest person, but after 20 years of ups and downs, they still did not recognize the teacher obediently.
Civil servants rely on teachers and students, military officers rely on blood. Fu Tingzhou often regrets that it would be great if Wang Yanqing was the daughter of a certain noble family, even if it was just a sideline, even if only the surname was the same, he would be willing to give up the marriage for her and fight for the officialdom. But she is not.
what a pity.
Fu Tingzhou finally smiled lightly and said, "I've been busy with the Southern Tour during this time. Liu Li is not ready, so I don't dare to come to the door rashly, for fear that Miss Hong will be abrupt. When the Southern Tour is over, the younger generation will come to the door in person."
·
The emperor ran around for a while, and finally had a good time, and returned to the chariot under the guard of everyone. Lu Heng followed behind the emperor, even if he didn't look at it, he could imagine how many people looked at him unpleasantly, and were blaming him for his fault. Lu Heng sighed secretly, but this kind of thing is unavoidable, as long as you go up, you will inevitably encounter wind, frost, rain and snow. In this world, only mediocre people are the safest.
The emperor has been nursed back by Taoist priests for many years, but his physical foundation is still weak, and he is tired after riding a horse outside. Fortunately, Wei Hui's mansion arrived, and the arranged palace was in front. Lu Heng dismounted and escorted the emperor to the palace.
Lu Heng looked solemn all the way, but he was actually quite absent-minded. He wanted to see Wang Yanqing. He was afraid that he would be noticed by others along the way. He never walked to Wang Yanqing's car during the day, and could only see her at night. Lu Heng noticed that Fu Tingzhou had been staring at her car today. It seemed that Fu Tingzhou already knew her location.
Lu Heng didn't know how many times he scolded in his heart, bastard, doesn't Fu Tingzhou have anything else to do? He just keeps staring at Wang Yanqing every day
Lu Heng knew the emperor's body well. He expected that the emperor was tired and had to rest early, so that he could go back earlier.
After entering the palace, Lu Heng couldn't wait. However, there are many red tapes for civil servants. Obviously, the emperor is tired, and the officials are also tired, but the Ministry of Rites insists that officials of Weihui House and Ru Wang Zhu Youqi meet the emperor in accordance with the etiquette.
Lu Heng and the emperor patiently waited until the process was over. After the officials of Weihui Mansion paid three homages and nine kowtows, the emperor asked Ru Wang Zhu Youyu in a meaningful way. The official only said a few words, and suddenly a loud voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, you are wronged! The women are wronged! "
Lu Heng's mind was sober in an instant, he put his hand on the handle of the knife, and immediately blocked in front of the emperor, said coldly, "Guard."
Before the people in the hall could react, Jin Yiwei had already surrounded the emperor. Everyone just woke up like a dream, and the people shouting and escorting were in a mess, and Cheng Youhai, the prefect of Wei Hui, was obviously ugly.
The people shouted grievances outside the emperor's palace, doesn't this mean that he has no way to rule? Cheng Zhifu immediately pleaded guilty to the emperor, and said with a blushing face: "This minister is guilty. I don't know where the troublesome people are disturbing the holy car, and the minister will drive them out."
However, the emperor waved his hand and said lightly, "She made a special trip to Xingdian to complain about her grievance. She should have something to complain about. First ask her why she complained."
The voice of grievances just now can't be heard, it should be restrained by guards or too much surveillance. When the emperor spoke, everyone dared not to obey, Lu Heng silently retreated behind the emperor, and the other Jinyi guards received Lu Heng's signal to change their formation, not blocking the emperor's sight, but still guarding the emperor's side. A eunuch stepped down from the throne and walked quickly outside.
After a while, the eunuch came back and reported: "Sir, there are two women outside. They claim to be a pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in Hegu Village, Qixian County. Come to plead guilty."
The emperor looked at Cheng Zhifu indifferently. Cheng Zhifu's face was completely white, and he was sweating coldly. He immediately knelt on the ground, and said, "This minister is negligent."
The emperor did not have a seizure and asked, "What's going on here?"
How could Cheng Zhifu know about a pair of unnamed mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in a certain village in a certain town under its jurisdiction. His throat was stuck, and he couldn't say anything else.
All the ministers in the Hall of Xing looked at the nose, nose, and heart, and could hear the needle drop for a moment. In the silence, a footstep sounded from far to near, Chen Yin walked in quickly, and when he saw the emperor, he hurriedly knelt down and salutes: "I am late for the escort, and the crime deserves death."
The emperor was relatively calm towards Cheng Zhifu, but when he saw Chen Yin, he couldn't control the anger on his face. The emperor scolded: "As the chief of Jinyiwei, you are responsible for the security of the palace, but you don't even know when someone approached the palace. Today is a pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. What if an assassin comes?"
On the one hand, the emperor was angry with Chen Yin for not taking care of the palace, and on the other hand, he was even more angry at Chen Yin's neglect. Jin Yiwei is the emperor's minion and arm, but when the danger occurs, Chen Yin is not even by the emperor's side.
What is the use of such an arm
Chen Yin had nothing to say, only bowed his head and listened obediently.
The emperor scolded Chen Yin angrily, and the other officials did not dare to get in trouble and pretended not to hear. Lu Heng's eyes swept over quietly, his eyes pondered for a while, and he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this minister is willing to share the worries of Commander Chen Du and find out the grievances."
When Chen Yin heard Lu Heng's words, Huo De raised his eyes, and the cold light in his eyes could not wait to tear Lu Heng apart. Lu Heng didn't even want to cover it up, so he stepped on him and climbed up. The first assistant Zhang Jinggong's expression became subtle, and the second assistant Li Shi saw Zhang Jinggong's face and came out and said, "But the southern tour itinerary has been arranged, and it's time to leave for Cizhou tomorrow. How will Commander Lu investigate the case?"
Lu Heng said calmly, "Ignore the injustice, it would be detrimental to the name of the Holy King. The minister just wants to share his worries for the king."
The emperor did not speak, Zhang Jinggong looked at Yan Wei, the Minister of Rites, and asked, "Yan Wei, if staying in Weihui will affect the plan of the subsequent southern tour?"
Yan Wei was thrown a hot potato when he was not careful. He seemed to recall, but in fact he quickly weighed the emperor's expression. The emperor cared about reputation, he didn't say that it was not allowed, he should not care about delaying for a day or two. Moreover, after traveling for nine days in a row, maybe the emperor is also tired and wants to take a rest here for a while.
Yan Wei considered the pros and cons, and finally said cautiously: "The emperor simplified the rest of the itinerary on the eighteenth day. If you stay for a while, it should be fine."
Zhang Jingong's face darkened, and he asked again, "In your opinion, how many days can it be delayed at most?"
Yan Weihan was about to come down, which made him offend people no matter what he said or did. In the stagnation, Lu Heng took the initiative to clasp his fists and said: "I remember that in Sir Yan's original plan, we should be stationed in Weihui on the twenty-eighth, and leave for Cizhou on the twenty-ninth. The minister can find out the truth before the twenty-ninth, and never delay the southern tour. journey."
The courtiers in the hall didn't talk about martial arts, they were all watching from the wall, and their faces changed when they heard this. Today was the twenty-fifth day, and it was already sunset, so Lu Heng only had three days. After three days to find out the truth in an unfamiliar place, how dare Lu Heng be so arrogant
Yan Wei seemed to have his head down, but in fact he was quietly looking at the emperor from the corner of his eyes. The emperor's face was calm, he nodded lightly, and said, "Okay. That's settled. If it's all right, you can all go down."