On the eighth day of the fourth month of the Ming calendar, Cui Changwuduan, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty cabinet, sat in the lobby of his mansion, sipping the new tea of Baoding Mansion in Beizhili.

A peach blossom petal suddenly flew outside the window and fell on Cui Changwu's coffee table.

Cui Changwu looked up in surprise and looked outside, but saw that outside the glass window, a peach blossom tree was already blooming in the wind.

Cui Changwu watched it for a long time, and couldn't help singing: "The peach is dying, scorching its glory." “

Taking his gaze back from the peach tree, Cui Changwu put down his teacup and shook his head.

The Son of Heaven has not been in court for almost two months. Since the mobilization of the new army in Beijing, the Son of Heaven has abandoned all routine government affairs. For example, today's son only cares about the military situation in various places, constantly issues holy decrees from the Qianqing Palace to mobilize troops and horses from various places, and faintly uses the border troops of various towns to pose a posture of encircling Tianjin.

The cabinets were piled up with concerts from all over the country, and the eunuchs of the Son of Heaven did not come to take any of them. By this month, Cui Changwu didn't bother to draft votes, so he just let those pieces backlog on the desk. The Son of Heaven did not go to court, and Cui Changwu simply gave himself a long vacation to enjoy a rare leisure time at home.

But this leisure time is becoming more and more dangerous.

I don't know when it began, the front of Cui Changwu, the first assistant of the dignified cabinet, became a situation of many people. The civil officials in the capital avoided Cui Changwu, and the military attaches were even more afraid of having the slightest relationship with Cui Changwu. The doorman in Cui Changwu's house couldn't welcome a single guest for a few days.

Choi Changwu sighed.

Cui Qi, the housekeeper of the Cui family, suddenly ran in from outside the door with a bag of sundries, his face full of panic.

"Sir! It's not good, sir! “

Cui Changwu looked at Cui Qi, who ran in in a panic, thought for a while, and did not speak.

Cui Qitong knelt on the ground with a puff and shouted loudly: "Master, I can't stay in the capital, hurry up and get out of the city!" “

Cui Changwu sighed and asked, "The Son of Heaven is finally still on the list?" “

Cui Qi was stunned and asked, "Master, how do you know?" “

Cui Changwu was silent for a while, and said slowly: "The only 50,000 soldiers in Tianjin City have been dispatched to the north to meet Baiyi, and the Son of Heaven, who has hesitated for two months, should also make up his mind. “

Cui Qi was stunned by Cui Changwu's words and looked at Cui Changwu in a panic.

"Master, this time the Son of Heaven is really going to send troops to fight against the prince, lord! The prince has been beaten as a traitor! Master, since you know that there is such a day, why are you still staying in the capital? “

"Master, if the Son of Heaven wants to crusade against King Qi, the first one will come to take the master! Master! All the gates of the capital are under martial law! If you don't want to go, maybe you will be killed by the son of heaven! “

When Cui Changwu heard this, his body trembled slightly.

Obviously, Cui Changwu is also afraid of death, and he is also afraid of being chopped off by Dongchang Fanzi.

He took a breath, calmly picked up the teacup and took a sip, and said, "Cui Qi, the fans sealed the city gate but didn't come to get us, just hoping that we would disguise ourselves and run away." We can't go. “

"Master, why can't we go?"

Cui Changwu paused and said, "Cui Qi, we are the people of the King of Qi in the court, and we were sent by the King of Qi to revitalize the Ming Dynasty. I, Cui Changwu, have been conscientious and conscientious in the past few years, and have changed the law in Daming in accordance with the ideas of public morality and the legal system, in order to benefit the people of Daming. “

"Everything we do in the court is upright and impeccable."

"Now that the Son of Heaven is gradually losing his power and popularity, he suddenly attacks to crusade against the King of Qi who is strained in troops, which is perverse! The Son of Heaven has ruined the justice and hearts of the people in the world. “

"We are not at fault, we cannot escape. We do things for the people of the world, why should we be rats that escape? Want to escape the capital in disguise? We must sit here upright and reprimand the perverse Son of Heaven. “

"Now is the critical moment for the prince's career, we must be upright, so that the people of the world can understand who is perverse and who is benefiting China!"

Cui Qi was stunned when he heard this.

"Sir... Why are you so old-fashioned? You're risking your life to make a name for yourself..."

Cui Changwu took a breath and said, "Cui Qi, it's not that I, Cui Changwu, am attached to false fame, it's really that the prince really needs righteousness at this time." I, Cui Changwu, can die, and the prince must not be regarded as a traitor and a thief by the people of the world! “

Cui Qi looked at Cui Changwu, and two tears couldn't help but flow.

"Sir..."

Cui Qi didn't finish speaking, and there was a sudden noise of soldiers and horses outside the Cui family's compound. Heavy footsteps filled my ears, the sound of armor grinding and swords clashing.

Cui Qi opened his mouth wide and said, "Fanzi... Fanzi is coming..."

After a quarter of an hour, it seemed that the Dongchang fans surrounded the entire Cui Mansion, and Wang Dehua, the eunuch of the East Factory, pinned the embroidered spring knife, knocked open Cui Changwu's door with a gloomy face, and walked into the Cui Mansion with people.

Seeing Cui Changwu sitting in the lobby with his eyes closed, Wang Dehua was stunned.

His brows were almost twisted, and Wang Dehua glared at Cui Changwu angrily and shouted: "Traitor Cui Changwu!" How dare you sit on this high hall? “

Cui Changwu opened his eyes and looked at Wang Dehua.

"Wang Dehua, why can't I sit on top of the high hall?"

Wang Dehua saw Cui Changwu's calm appearance, he was a little angry, and said with a sneer: "Cui Changwu! Li Zhimou rebelled! has been ordered by the Son of Heaven to crusade against the world. You aided the abuse, and you have also been beaten as a thief, why don't you escape? “

Cui Changwu looked at Wang Dehua coldly and said with a smile: "I have a clear conscience, how can I escape?" “

Wang Dehua now wants to see Cui Changwu flee in disguise, and even disguised as a woman to escape and be taken down on the spot. In that way, the imperial court can publicize Cui Changwu's ugliness to the world and make the world despise Li Zhi.

He really didn't expect Cui Changwu to be so tough, and he looked like Mount Tai collapsed in front of him without changing color.

Wang Dehua waved his hand, and the fans of Dongchang rushed up and pressed Cui Changwu up from the chair.

Wang Dehua sneered and said, "Cui Changwu, don't be complacent, your crime is rebellion, this is the crime of the Nine Clans." When the soldiers of the Beijing camp capture Tianjin, all your wives and children who remain in Tianjin will be beheaded. Even your sister Cui He can't escape the end of death! “

When Cui Changwu heard this, he raised his head and laughed as if he had heard a big joke.

"Capture Tianjin? Hahahaha! “

Wang Dehua was a little embarrassed by Cui Changwu's laughter, and roared angrily:

"There are 200,000 people in the Beijing camp, and there are 160,000 border troops at the same time, and our number is nearly ten times that of Tianjin's 40,000 people.

Choi Changwu suppressed his laughter and shook his head.

"Wang Dehua, you have to understand that the gap between the Son of Heaven and the King of Qi is not ten times that can be bridged."

Wang Dehua's eyes widened, and he didn't understand where Cui Changwu's confidence came from.

He shouted angrily: "Take this traitor who knows the height of the earth and the thickness of the earth down, and torture and interrogate him severely!" “..