The shouting and killing outside the Xizhi Gate stopped, and the cold autumn rain was still beating on the tiles, and the smell of blood and gunpowder occasionally came with the wind. The capital with a population of one million is silent at the moment, and even the most prosperous Bada Hutong at night is now black-lit, after all, the 100,000-strong army of Tartars is sharpening their knives outside the city, and the day is not safe, even if there is no curfew, who is in the mood to have fun?

Ming Shifang, the mansion of Zhang Xuan, a bachelor in Hanlin, Wuding Marquis Guo Xun looked defeated, almost knelt down in front of Zhang Xuan, and pleaded: "Brother Bingyong, Ben Hou really didn't know that Zhang Yin was actually Li Fuda, the head of the Maitreya Sect, and blamed Ben Hou for being a wealth obsessed with him back then, and gave him the position of Taiyuan Wei Commander." If this matter is found out by the emperor, Ben Hou is afraid that he will end up with a family raid and a head, and Brother Bingyong must save Ben Hou. ”

Zhang Xuan picked up the teacup and took a sip, looking calm on the surface, but in his heart he wanted to kick Guo Xun, a pig teammate, out of the house, but the pig teammate is also a teammate, and the interests of the two are tied together.

In addition, Guo Xun also knows a lot of selfish things, if he doesn't save himself when he sees death, Guo Xun's resentment will all burst out, and he won't be able to end well. For example, Guo Xun knows very well about his own rejection of dissidents and the placement of cronies in the court, and you must know that the ministers forming parties for personal gain are intolerable to any emperor!

"How much money did Marquis Guo take from Zhang Yin?" Zhang Xuan asked quietly.

Guo Xun dared to hide it at this time, and confessed: "Fifty thousand taels, and some precious antique calligraphy and paintings, if you add the annual filial piety, I am afraid that there are 100,000 taels, but Benhou also spent 20,000 taels of silver to make a dot relationship." ”

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but be secretly surprised, no wonder Guo Xunken gave Zhang Yin a position as a commander, and it turned out that he had accepted such a huge amount of money, I have to say that these nobles are really wealthy.

"Paper can't contain the fire, so the Hou Ye should take advantage of the morning table to ask the emperor for guilt." Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment and then persuaded.

Guo Xun's face changed, and his gaze at Zhang Xuan also carried a hint of resentment, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Bingyong, is this a death that can't be saved?" ”

Zhang Xuan said solemnly: "This move is to save you, Master Hou!" ”

Guo Xun sneered: "If Ben Hou confesses to the emperor, he will definitely die, or even end up being beheaded, this is what Lord Zhang said about saving Ben Hou?" ”

Zhang Xuan hurriedly explained: "Hou Ye, don't be impatient, how Zhang Yin became the commander of the Taiyuan Guard, you know best, this kind of thing can't stand up to investigation at all, and today the emperor has ordered the military department to investigate strictly, rather than waiting for the military department to find out, it is better for you to confess to the emperor first, maybe you can reduce a little responsibility." ”

"Even if Ben Hou confesses, isn't it a capital crime? It's better to live a few more days. Guo Xun had a gloomy face.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said: "If there is a scapegoat, plus a group of nobles, and we will protect you, it may not be a capital crime!" ”

Guo Xun couldn't help but feel a little hopeful, and blurted out: "Is this true? ”

Zhang Xuan said confidently: "At least seventy percent sure, now that the enemy is current, the emperor still has to rely on you, the martial arts family, to lead the troops to defend the city, a few days ago, the Hou Ye refused to lead the troops out of the city to meet the enemy, which angered the emperor, and in the end, the emperor did not spare the Hou Ye?" ”

Guo Xun couldn't help but groan, his heart was still a little unsure, seventy percent of the certainty was still too risky for him, this was a gamble on the lives of the whole family.

Zhang Xuan glanced at Guo Xun, stroked his short beard and said: "If the Queen Mother is willing to intercede for the Hou Ye, she is 100% sure that she will not die, but the title is estimated to be unkept." ”

Guo Xun's face was cloudy, he weighed for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, then Benhou will ask the emperor for his guilt tomorrow, Brother Bingyong can remember to protect me with all his might!" ”

Now that his life is at stake, Guo Xun can't care about the title!

Zhang Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, nodded and said, "Don't worry, Hou Ye, I will definitely do my best to protect Hou Ye, but have you thought about Hou Ye's scapegoat?" ”

A hint of coldness flashed in Guo Xun's eyes and said: "It was Taiyuan who was the commander of Yigang who was the commander of Ben Hou, but this guy had already died of illness a few years ago, and it just so happened that all the brains were pushed to this dead ghost's head." ”

Zhang Xuan heard this: "Then it's all right, Hou Ye had better say hello to Lu Bing, if you can say that the Queen Mother will come forward to intercede for you, it would be the best." ”

After half a burnt incense, Guo Xun left Zhang's mansion and hurried to the Fusi Yamen in Beizhen in the rain.

Lu Bing is the envoy of the north town, and usually lives in the north of the town, if it was this time in the past, Lu Bing would have enjoyed the service of the maid in the back office, but tonight he still stayed in the lobby, and walked back and forth with a gloomy face, looking restless.

It's no wonder, because until now, Jin Yiwei hasn't found Han Dajie, this is like a sharp sword hanging over his head, how can Lu Bing feel at ease?

Just as Lu Bing was walking back and forth restlessly in the flickering candlelight, one of his subordinates walked into the lobby quickly, and Lu Bing hurriedly asked, "But you caught Han Dajie?" ”

The subordinate shook his head and replied cautiously, "It's the Marquis of Wuding who is visiting." ”

When Lu Bing heard that Guo Xun was coming, his face immediately turned black and he scolded: "This bastard still has a face, let him go!" ”

The subordinate secretly smashed his tongue, Guo Xun is the Hou Ye anyway, and the adult is too faceless, so he wanted to turn around and go out to send Guo Xun away.

"Wait...... Bring him in! Lu Bing stopped the subordinate and said helplessly with a dark face.

Although Lu Bing is also very unhappy with Guo Xun, a pig teammate, he is obviously the same as Zhang Xuan. If Zhang Xuan and Guo Xun are sitting in the same boat, then Lu Bing and Guo Xun are like grasshoppers tied to a rope, the boat capsizes, Zhang Xuan may not be drowned, but Lu Bing and Guo Xun will definitely be strung together and drowned, after all, Lu Bing is directly stained with Li Fuda, and Zhang Xuan is not.

Because of this, even though Lu Bing wanted to turn Guo Xun away, he had to see him.

…………

Early in the morning of September 11, Xizhimen still rumbled with cannons, shouting and killing shook the sky, since the ninth day of the ninth month of September, the Tartars have been attacking the city for the third day in a row, although they failed to break through the city, but also caused a lot of casualties to the defenders, and the government has begun to requisition the people in the city to help defend the city.

Xizhimen is adjacent to the inner city, so the sound of cannons and shouts of killing can also be heard very clearly in the palace. At this time, in the living room of Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Jiang was entertaining three women, accompanied by Princess Yongfu and Princess Yongchun.

These three women are not small, one of them is Lu Bing's mother Fan, that is, the nurse of Jiajing Emperor Zhu Hou, the second is the cousin of Empress Dowager Jiang Shi, and the third is Chang Shi, the mother of the British Gong Zhang Lun.

Needless to say, Fan's nurse is quite familiar with Empress Dowager Jiang, and it is as easy as going to the palace as if she were shopping in the market; Chiang was the cousin of Empress Dowager Chiang, who later married the uncle of the British Duke Zhang Lun, and was also a frequent figure in and out of the palace; The last Chang is also remarkable, she is the biological mother of the British Duke Zhang Lun, and she is also a descendant of Chang Yuchun, the founder of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the Xungui group is intertwined with each other, the relationship is intertwined, and the interests are all one.

Fan's is about thirty years old, fair-skinned, and born with a round and jade body, the key is that the granary is abundant, and it is no wonder that she was selected as Zhu Hou's nurse, at this time, I saw her patting her chest and saying: "Queen Mother, the movement in Xizhimen these days is really big, the slaves and maids can't sleep for a few nights, and I'm really afraid that those Tartars will come in." ”

Fan's words were not listened to, and Empress Dowager Jiang was a little displeased when she heard this, and her face was not good-looking.

Empress Dowager Jiang's cousin Zhang Jiang said with a smile: "Mrs. Lu, relax your mind, the walls of the capital are high and deep, and they are impregnable, and it is impossible for those Tartars who kill a thousand knives to attack them. ”

Empress Dowager Jiang's expression was slightly relieved when she heard this.

Princess Yongchun said with a smile: "I heard that Xu Jin won the battle in Tongzhou, not only defeated the five thousand soldiers and horses of the Tartars, but also beheaded one of the opponent's generals. The imperial brother didn't know how happy he was to learn the news, and immediately ordered Xu Jin to be appointed as the governor of Zhili, and also to worship the general of Pingyu. Xu Jin, this guy has never lost a war, he will definitely be able to beat the Tartar to the ground, sister, are you right? ”

Princess Yongfu wore a pale pink palace dress today, sat next to Empress Dowager Jiang in a regular manner, gentle and dignified, smiled and nodded: "Xu Jin is indeed very good at using soldiers. ”

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang smiled and said, "You two have confidence in Xu Jin. ”

Jiang Shi said jokingly: "Speaking of this Xu Ziqian, he is really a top-notch person with Yunwen and Yunwu, he does a good job in poetry and articles, and he can lead troops to fight, and he is also handsome, but it is a pity that he married early, otherwise he would be quite a match for the four sons of our family." ”

Lu Bing's mother Fan rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "When Mrs. Zhang said this, she woke up and came alone, the second brother in her hometown has a daughter, fifteen years old, although she is a concubine, she is born with a beautiful appearance, smart and well-behaved, and knows books and etiquette, although she does not dare to compare with the Fei sisters, but she is also not a bad person." ”

Hearing this, the Jiang family giggled and said: "Could it be that Mrs. Lu wants to draw the red thread and marry your niece into the Xu Mansion and be sisters with the Fei family sisters, well, the foundation of the concubine is a little worse, but it is not humiliating to be a concubine to Xu Jin!" ”

Empress Dowager Jiang was stunned for a moment when she heard this, but soon showed a thoughtful expression. Empress Dowager Jiang herself is a member of the nobles, so the phenomenon of marriages between families has long been commonplace, and marrying concubines to others as concubines is also a common means of marriage.

Why did Fan suddenly try to marry his niece to Xu Jin as a concubine?

After a little thought, Empress Dowager Jiang understood that it seemed that the Fan family wanted to resolve the contradiction between her son Lu Bing and Xu Jin through marriage!

Princess Yongfu showed off her wisdom, what the Empress Dowager Jiang could understand, she naturally understood, a pair of eyebrows couldn't help frowning slightly, and she felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.