In the court today, some bureaucrats headed by Zhang Wen, Situ Cuilie, Yang Biao, and Lu Zhi, Shangshu, jointly wrote to the Son of Heaven, asking the Son of Heaven to be crowned as the prince as soon as possible. Zhang Wen and Cui Lie and other important ministers said a lot of reasons, and they begged the Son of Heaven to start from the safety of the society and appoint the crown prince as soon as possible, so as not to cause trouble in the palace. According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, the ministers said the truth, and above the court, no minister dared to jump out and openly contradict him, including Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and other lieutenant officials.

The Son of Heaven was very unhappy when he heard this, especially when he heard Lu Zhi say that if he didn't establish the crown prince early, he might cause trouble in the palace, he almost couldn't help but scold, but he couldn't help it. Although he has never publicly expressed such thoughts, the sensitive courtiers have smelled the danger, and they finally can't help jumping out to stop themselves for the safety of the society.

The Son of Heaven regretted that he had beaten Xiao Shihou that day. It's all his own flesh and blood, if you want to say that you don't like it, it's also relatively speaking, he hates the queen, so when he saw Xiao Shihou, he couldn't get angry, he wanted to scold people, wanted to beat people, and as a result, he slapped Xiao Shihou. Xiao Shihou loved to cry, and when the queen heard the voice, she cried endlessly, and in her anger, she blurted out a sentence that Shihou was not worthy of being the master. Unexpectedly, his unintentional words could be regarded as intentional, which caused a lot of trouble, which made the Son of Heaven annoyed.

He remained silent, his eyes glancing at the general He Jin from time to time. He Jin closed his eyes slightly, his expression was calm, as if he was asleep, and he couldn't see anything abnormal. The Son of Heaven suddenly felt a trace of fear in his heart, and he suddenly remembered Li Hong, who was far away in Xiliang.

Since the anti-corruption incident, the general's control over the northern army has been significantly strengthened, and the captains of the fifth battalion have been replaced by him one after another, and the executive Jinwu Zhenju, who commanded the northern army, has also been coaxed and persuaded by him to go to Hongnong to be the Taishou. Although the Son of Heaven was vigilant, he had no choice, he could not deprive the general of his military power. If you suddenly attack the general without absolute certainty, in fact, you will take the initiative to provoke a palace battle and provoke a big battle for the imperial unification...... He didn't dare to think about it, there were too many such king-killing things in history, and there were already several emperors of the Han Dynasty who died unexplained.

The old lieutenants in the inner palace are all of the same heart as the queen, and they all have a share in killing Wang Meiren, without the help of these old lieutenants, how can she, a woman, easily kill her beloved concubine? Although Zhang Rang and Xia Yun knelt in front of him a few days ago and wept bitterly, promising to help him help the little prince inherit the unification, he could see their hypocrisy and cunning, and he didn't believe them at all. Zhang Rang and the queen are in-laws, will he help himself? Even if he is willing to help, can he trust such a two-faced person? These old lieutenants grew up with him, spoiled him and protected him when he was at his weakest, so he always regarded them as his own family in his heart, and never had the intention of killing them. He eagerly looked forward to them aging, looking forward to them dying, and looking forward to Jian (reading jian) Shuo and other small yellow doors to occupy and replace these old lieutenants as soon as possible, but the days had to pass day by day, things had to be done one by one, and there was no hurry.

He believed that one day he could be an emperor who could do whatever he wanted, and after he could do what he wanted, the first thing he had to do was to make Xiao Donghou the crown prince, and the second thing was to expand the Wanjin Hall and move all the money in the treasury to his Wanjin Hall.

The Son of Heaven and all the other ministers who wanted to persuade him finished speaking, and finally said something that made them almost angry.

"Twelve years from now."

Twelve years later, it was the year of the coronation of the Great Prince.

The court suddenly fell silent.

The Son of Heaven was very satisfied with this effect, and then he said that after the first lunar month, he would go back to his hometown in Hejian with his mother, the Empress Dowager Dong, to pay respects to his ancestors.

As soon as the Son of Heaven finished speaking, there was an uproar in the court, and the ministers who came out of the class scrambled to be the first.

Dasi Nong Wang Han struggled to grab the first place, and he shouted loudly at the top of his voice: "Your Majesty, there is no money in the treasury." If Your Majesty must go back to his hometown in Hejian Kingdom, please use the money of Shaofu. His Majesty's return to his hometown to worship his ancestors is purely a private matter of His Majesty, and the state treasury is not allowed. ”

There are two secretaries in the outer court institutions of the Han Dynasty, both of whom are in charge of the financial economy, namely Dasi Nong and Shaofu. According to the current words, the big government is in charge of the government economy, and the young government is in charge of the royal economy. Dasi Nong is in charge of the country's taxes and money, and is the central government finance of the Han Dynasty. The Shaofu is in charge of the royal family's finances and the emperor's clothing, food, housing and transportation, as well as the taxes of the mountains, seas and ponds, and the income of the Shaofu is used for the private use of the royal family. The royal family could not use the money of the Great Si Nong. At that time, the national land income was a large amount, and it was managed by Dasi Nong. Taxes from industry and commerce, such as salt by the sea and mines in the mountains, are generally very small and are managed by the Shaofu. The laws of the Han Dynasty clearly stipulate that the government and the royal family are absolutely separate in the use of money.

When the Son of Heaven heard this, the fire was great. He stood up suddenly, glared at a pair of small eyes, pointed at Wang Han and scolded angrily: "Da Sinong is too stingy, and the money in this treasury is not your family, why don't you let me use it?" Do you want to do whatever you want? I haven't been home for 18 years, do I have to pay for it when I go home? ”

"As Your Majesty said, it is your Majesty who pays for it himself." Taiwei Zhang Wen said, "It is Your Majesty's private matter to go home to worship your ancestors......"

"Shaofu has no money, everyone knows this. His Majesty goes home to worship his ancestors, and it takes more than a month to go back and forth, and the expenses are very huge, can he do it without more than a billion dollars? Is there a billion money in Shaofu? Lord Zhang, Lord Wang, when you say that, you are determined not to let His Majesty go home. Shaofu Fan Ling didn't wait for Zhang Wen to finish speaking, and said loudly.

Fan Ling is in his fifties, of medium build, slightly chubby, gray hair, and small but bright eyes. He is a famous scholar in Nanyang, and when he was young, he wanted to worship under the famous party member and the great Confucian Li Ying as a disciple, but Li Ying thought that his character was not good and he was unwilling to take him in. Fan Ling was later attached to Cao Jie, and Zhao Zhong was commensurate with brothers, and was repeatedly promoted in the court.

Cui Lie said: "Your Majesty, the war in Xiliang has just subsided, the treasury is empty, and the cost of Your Majesty's trip home is huge, and the treasury is simply unable to pay for it. Your Majesty, according to the ministers, just wait a few more years for the matter of going home to worship your ancestors? ”

"Is Lord Situ speaking in human terms?" Zhang Rang hadn't appeared in the court for a long time, but his first words as soon as he appeared shocked people, and he dared to insult the three important ministers. Zhang Rang's words were shocked, and dozens of pairs of angry eyes in the court stared at the skinny Zhang Rang at the same time, eager to tear him apart.

"Your Majesty wants to fulfill your filial piety and accompany the Empress Dowager Xiaoren to go home to worship her ancestors, but Lord Cui actually said something to stop it, is this something done by people who read books and know etiquette? I read Master Cui's books all under my feet, right? Zhang Rang held his head high, looking disdainful.

Cui Lie was furious, opened his mouth and scolded: "Emasculating a villain, you dare to speak out about etiquette and righteousness? Dare to talk about national affairs? ”

Cui Lie's words immediately annoyed Zhao Zhong, Duan Qi, Guo Sheng and other regular servants, and everyone attacked him. Zhang Wen, Yang Qin, Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Tao Qian and other ministers were even more excited, and everyone immediately quarreled in the court.

The general He Jin, Sikong Xu Xiang and others came forward to mediate, but the more they adjusted, the more angry everyone became, and they even wrapped He Jin and Xu Xiang into the quarrel, and the shouts resounded inside and outside the hall.

The Son of Heaven shouted twice, and when he saw that no one was paying attention to him, he was so angry that he brushed his sleeves away.

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The general He Jin hurriedly returned to his house and urgently summoned Wu Kuang and He Feng.

Wu Kuang is an old guest of He Jin's family, loyal to He Jin, superb in martial arts, and now the military Sima of the Northern Army's Yue Cavalry Division.

He Feng is He Jin's clan, he has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, because his family is poor, a few years ago he rushed to Kyoto from Nanyang alone to find He Jin to find an errand to eat, He Jin saw that he was good at martial arts, so he let him be the commander of the guards in the house. He Feng has good martial arts, many friends, morality, and self-pride that he is a general's clan, so he is rampant in Luoyang, often leading people to make trouble and fight, coming and going like the wind, and a group of young people in Luoyang who are almost the same age as him all call him "Storm Guest".

Wu Kuang is in his forties, tall and athletic, calm and cautious. He walked into He Jin's study, and sat down to the side after giving a salute.

"Zhongfu, do you remember what my father said to you on his deathbed?" He Jin looked at Wu Kuang and asked with a smile.

Wu Kuang's expression froze, and he hurriedly knelt down and replied: "The old master treats me like a mountain and saves the lives of my whole family. What does the general command, even if you say that I, Wu Kuang, will go to the soup and fight the fire, I will not hesitate. ”

"Zhongfu, it's serious, it's serious." He Jin waved his hand to signal him to stand up, and said with a smile, "You take a humble word, go to Xingyang immediately." ”

Wu Kuang's expression changed slightly, and he said nervously: "Are you going to see Mr. Xi Da?" ”

He Jin nodded with a smile and said, "You go and tell Mr. Xi that the opportunity has come, which can not only avenge his past revenge, but also repay my kindness for helping back then." ”

Wu Kuang lowered his head and thought for a moment, and said, "General, what about time?" ”

"Qingming in March next year."

He Feng swept in like a raging wind, "General, I'm here." ”

He Feng is about twenty-three or four-four years old, tall and burly, with a tiger neck and swallow jaw, and a pair of eyes that are tiger and mighty. Like He Feng, the neck is thick, the neck is round, the neck ridge is strong (the so-called tiger neck), and the lower jaw is full and plump in the shape of a slope (that is, the so-called swallow jaw), which is generally said to be a tiger neck swallow jaw, which is not expensive or rich. He Jin took a fancy to him, so he liked him very much, no matter how much trouble he caused outside, He Jin laughed at it.

He Jin saw a large bruise on He Feng's cheeks, and scolded unhappily: "What did you do yesterday?" Who did you fight again? ”

"Hehe......" He Feng smiled embarrassedly and said, "Yesterday, Lord Tiaohou Dong was looking at the high-rise building for a treat, and Lord Yuan and the head of the little family were accompanied, and they happened to meet Xu Haozi, the son of Lord Sikong Xu. General, do you know what kind of goods Xu Haozi is, he actually relied on his father's power to marry the first beauty in Luoyang, how can there be such a reason in the world, general, do you say? ”

"So you beat him." He Jin sank his face, frowned and asked, "For this reason?" ”

"It's not what I'm going to fight." He Feng shook his hand again and again in horror, "General, that Lord Yuan and the little family master also asked the media to talk about it, but they were all rejected, so Lord Yuan was angry, and when he saw Xu Haozi, he jumped up and scolded Huai, and was beaten by Xu Haozi." Later......"

"Then you got into a fight." He Jin said angrily, "They are all in their thirties, what kind of system do they become?" You get out of Luoyang for me immediately. ”

"Ah......" He Feng's eyes widened, and he said with a sad face, "General, I beg you, don't drive me away, my mother knows, she will beat me with a broom, I beg you......"

He Jin looked at his pitiful appearance and couldn't help laughing.

Wu Kuang smiled and said, "Humble words, are you willing to follow me to Xingyang?" ”

"Yes." He Feng was overjoyed and said, "Are you going to find Bo Er?" I was beaten by him last time, and I must win it back this time. ”

He Jin scolded with a smile: "Crazy boy, don't just care about beating people, you must protect Lord Wu, you know?" ”

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Li Hong personally went to the Hanyang Mansion and transferred Li Wei to the army to serve as the assistant army Sima.

Li Hong said to Li Wei: "You persuade me to wave my army into Beijing, and in the name of the beautiful name, it is to punish the eunuch Qingjun, and to put it bluntly, it is a rebellion, which is no different from Yan Zhong saying that Huangfu Song." The traitorous eunuchs abuse power and mislead the country, the harm to the country is great, it is obvious to all, you are worried about the Han society, I can understand the extreme, but there are many ways to kill them, and your method is too bad. Our tens of thousands of troops entered Luoyang, and the blood flowed along the way, whether it succeeded or not, it was a disaster for the country, the people, and our subordinates. If you look at the battlefield of Yicheng and the fallen soldiers lying on the battlefield, don't you feel the preciousness of life? Are they really destined for a dead end? ”

"Your words are only heard by three people, and the word is my brother who kills me, and will not betray me, what about you? I can't kill you, so you'll have to stay and be my brother. No way, I can't let you go, if you betray me, as long as there is a little rumor outside, I will be a dead end, I can't be as lucky as Huangfu Song, and I can still find a chance to retire calmly. ”

"As for the matter of you sending Fu to settle down, I think it's okay for the time being. You can't disappear from my sight for a long time, that's a dangerous thing. I see that you are very knowledgeable, so you can teach Fu Gan first, and it will not be much worse than Mr. Wang Jian, the Great Confucian. In the future, things in Xiliang will be stable, and when I lead my troops to Jizhou, we will send Fu Gan to Anding together. ”

Li Wei smiled bitterly and said, "It's more dangerous for you to leave me, as long as I have the opportunity, I will persuade you to raise troops." ”

Li Hong laughed and said: "As long as it is for the sake of the Han, I am willing to do anything, except for rebellion." ”

A few days later, Li Hong received an edict from the Son of Heaven. Li Hong was very happy. The Son of Heaven praised him in the edict, but did not mention that he killed corrupt officials in Huaili.

Zuo Yan and Li Wei both warned Li Hong that it was not a good thing that the Son of Heaven did not issue a reward decree first, but wrote a congratulatory edict. Now that the Xiliang counterinsurgency is basically coming to an end, a lawless and lawless general like Li Hong has lost his role, and the possibility of a rabbit dying and a dog cooking cannot be ruled out.

"Zhong Yuan, do you want me to die early?" Li Hong smiled, "I see that Your Majesty still trusts me very much, otherwise, what would he do with an eight-hundred-mile fast ride to send the edict?" ”

A few days later, the Son of Heaven's Divine Decree arrived at the Yicheng camp.

Li Hong killed corrupt officials because he violated the order without authorization, and his merits and demerits were commensurate, and he was still the general of the Qiang Zhonglang, and temporarily supervised the military administration of Xiliang until the new Xiliang Thorn Shi and Hanyang and other county governors arrived.

Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, and Koji Yi were promoted to lieutenants. Xian Yuyin, Yan Rou, Jade, Yan Liang, Heng Shi, Zheng Xin, Tian Chongqian was promoted to the rank of captain, and Lou Lu was also given the post of captain because he was the son of the lord of Kamiya Karasuma. The rest of the generals were promoted by one rank, and the soldiers were rewarded.

At the same time, the holy decree ordered Li Hong to immediately lead his army to destroy the remnants of the rebels.

Li Hong considered that the army had just experienced a major war, the army urgently needed to rest, and the climate in Xiliang was getting colder and colder, and it was likely to snow at any time, and if the army fought from a long distance, it would be difficult to supply grain and grass, so he wrote to the Son of Heaven and asked to temporarily abandon the attack on the rebels, hoping that the Son of Heaven would delay the attack until next spring.

The holy decree soon arrived in Yicheng, and the Son of Heaven ordered Li Hong to go to Beijing immediately to report on his work.

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