In the afternoon, outside the Bingzhou Grand Military Governor's Mansion, a young man in a black robe dismounted from his horse.
"Grand Commander!"
The attendant quickly stepped forward to salute, took the reins from the young man, and reported the news that Yuan Xiang had arrived.
Upon hearing this, Cui Jing strode into the mansion.
Yuan Xiang's pigeon letter had been delivered to Cui Jing four days ago, with the following words written on it: "Mr. Chang has escaped safely, please rest assured, Grand Commander."
After reading it, Cui Jing felt relieved, but couldn't help frowning - since you have already written a letter, why don't you say more, such as... In short, are you afraid that the pigeon can't carry it? What was not said in the letter, now I can finally ask in person.
Hearing the call from the Grand Commander, Yuan Xiang, who was exhausted from the journey and was just about to take a shower and change clothes, did not dare to delay for a moment. He quickly tied his belt, grabbed the bag beside him and hung it on his body, and hurried to meet his own Grand Commander.
According to the rules established in the army, when a superior summons someone, there must be no delay.
Arriving at the outer study, Yuan Xiang bowed and said hurriedly, "Grand Commander, rest assured. The Dali Temple has cleared Mr. Chang of all charges... But can you believe that the real murderer is actually Ming Jin, the son of the Ming family?"
Cui Jing: “I have heard vaguely about it.”
For such a major event, more than ten days is enough time to transmit the most important part to Bingzhou.
But these were not what he wanted to hear most.
"The Grand Commander knows about it." Yuan Xiang smiled shyly, and then talked about his job: "I feel ashamed to live up to the Grand Commander's instructions. I was not able to contribute much during my return to the capital."
Finally hearing what he wanted to hear, the expression on the young man's face changed silently, and he took it seriously, visibly: "Did I do anything to make things worse?"
Yuan Xiang said hurriedly: "Of course not!"
"Well, that's good." Cui Jing felt relieved. In front of her, it was normal to be unable to help, or in other words, not making things worse was helping.
"..." Yuan Xiang was silent for a moment, then he defended himself, "I will keep your instructions in mind and will never act on my own. Everything will be arranged by Madam Chang. So even though I haven't been able to help you in any significant way, it's not like I haven't done anything."
He then told him all the errands that Chang Suining had assigned to him. It seemed like a lot, but Cui Jing felt that they could be roughly summed up in two words - running errands.
Yuan Xiang: "Mrs. Chang's plans are mostly secret, so not many people are needed... Half of these tasks were assigned to my subordinates because Mrs. Chang saw that they had come all the way back and didn't want them to make a wasted trip."
Cui Jing was silent for a moment, feeling sorry for her trouble.
He couldn't help asking: "Then the other half is——?"
Yuan Xiang was somewhat pleased with himself: "The other half of the job was snatched away by my subordinates!"
He was a quick-witted man and took on all the errands that required running around. This left the two little beggars named Xiao Duan and Xiao Wu under Madam Chang with nothing to do, and they almost got angry with him.
There is nothing we can do. It’s because there are too many people and too little porridge.
But he is the guest, so he should come first! Cui Jing: "..." You can probably imagine how urgent the job is.
He looked at his subordinates and said, "Tell me the whole story."
Yuan Xiang was startled. Didn't he already say this when he was talking about the task that Madam Chang had assigned him? Seeing the demeanor of his own Grand Commander, Yuan Xiang quickly understood... Oh, the Grand Commander didn't want to hear about him as the protagonist! Yuan Xiang then focused the incident on Madam Chang, telling her how she had arranged the trap and how she had exposed Ming Jin's crimes in front of the scholars in the Confucius Temple.
After describing this vividly, Yuan Xiang's mouth was dry, but he saw the Grand Commander frowned and asked, "She's injured?"
Yuanxiang nodded.
Although... He said it so brilliantly and thrillingly, but the Grand Commander seemed to have only heard this sentence, right? Cui Jing asked seriously, "How is the injury? What did the doctor say?"
"Don't worry, Grand Commander. Madam Chang's arm is injured. The doctor said she will be fine after a period of rest!"
Cui Jing still didn't look relaxed.
Yuanxiang wished he could go back to where he was just now and cover his mouth. The matter of Madam Chang's injury could obviously be omitted, so why did he have to describe it in such detail?
So Yuan Xiang decided to say something lighthearted: "…After the incident, Qiao Jijiu even took Madam Chang to Confucius to kowtow and apologize, saying that he was worried that Confucius would blame her and turn Madam Chang into a fool!"
As he said this, he smiled first as a sign of respect.
Cui Jing raised his eyes and looked at his subordinate who was grinning foolishly.
Yuan Xiang’s smile froze.
The Grand Commander doesn't think it's funny...really? Wait, he still has a lifeline! Yuan Xiang suddenly thought of something and took off the bag on his shoulder: "Oh, Grand Commander, this is what Madam Chang asked me to bring to you!"
He quickly untied the bundle and came in front of Cui Jing holding a square object wrapped in it.
Cui Jing took it without delay, holding it in one hand and untying the silk cloth wrapped around it with the other.
However, after unwrapping layer after layer, he discovered that the object was wrapped in more than seven or eight layers.
Cui Jing had a gentle look on her face. She was so concerned about it that she didn't know what was inside.
Yuan Xiang smiled and said, "I packed these specially... just in case they get damaged along the way."
"..." Cui Jing paused.
Under the package was a brocade box. When the box was opened, a plain purse was revealed.
Yuan Xiang smiled again: "This brocade box was also found by me!"
After all, it was something given by Madam Chang, so it would have a sense of ceremony! Cui Jing was completely speechless, he threw the brocade box aside and only picked up the purse.
After opening it, a chestnut fell into his hand.
Yuan Xiang's eyes were shocked.
How could it be just a chestnut? He thought it must be a handwritten note from Madam Chang...
It’s over. The sense of ceremony was too strong and the expectations were too high. I’m afraid the Grand Commander will be disappointed!
However, after a closer look, he realized that he was worrying too much.
The Grand Commander looked at the chestnut with eyes that seemed to be more affectionate than when he looked at his own son!
Noticing his subordinates' gaze, Cui Jing held the chestnut in his hand and asked, "Did she mention her future plans?"
Is there anything he can do to help? "Grand Commander, you and Madam Chang are really in tune with each other!" Yuan Xiang asked with bright eyes, "Before you came, what do you think Madam Chang said to her subordinates?"
After he finished speaking, Yuanxiang, who was in a high position, immediately realized that he had spoken out of turn.
The Grand Commander has always hated people talking nonsense, such as "guess what" or "I don't know if I should say this" and other mysterious words... The Grand Commander will definitely not respond!
Just as Yuan Xiang was about to continue speaking, he heard the young man patiently ask, "How did you say it?"
Yuanxiang was shocked.
How can a person have two completely different faces? After a while, Yuan Xiang came back to his senses from the shock and said with a smile: "Mrs. Chang said that if you ask about her future plans, I will let my subordinates tell you that she plans to take Mr. Chang away from the capital, and will write to you after she settles down, so you don't have to worry."
Then he said, "Madam Chang also asked about your injury."
Cui Jing looked at him: "How did you answer?"
Yuan Xiang grinned and said, "Of course I have to say that you are extremely brave. This minor injury is nothing. You are already well now!"
Cui Jing nodded, very satisfied with the answer.
Although his injury has not yet fully healed, he did not want to make her worry, and secondly... he thought, no one would refuse to establish a sufficiently brave image in front of the people they care about, right? However, since she confirmed that he was injured, she must have met Master Wu Jue.
I wonder if she and Master Wu Jue have revealed their identities?
He recalled the scene when they said goodbye at the Tiannv Tower that night.
When Cui Jing came out of the study, it was already late in the evening and a full moon was hanging above the branches.
He stopped for a moment and looked up at the moon.
When he heard Yuanxiang talking about the Confucius Temple, he seemed to see before his eyes a general who returned victoriously alone, his body covered in blood but also in glory.
Yuanxiang said that many people spontaneously stopped outside the building for her, and he thought it was the right thing to do.
In this world, there are people who "should" do this.
Such a "should" person should have a big world and should not compromise with anyone - he has never been a stupid person, and because he knows things that others don't know, he can also see the attitude of the emperor from Yuanxiang's words.
Inside the Tiannu Tower, the emperor failed to get the answer he wanted.
This time, the answer could not be forced out.
Two strong temptations, two times of being stubborn and willing to hurt oneself rather than compromise, he thought, he probably knew why.
He felt sorry for her bleeding and injured, understood her unwillingness to compromise, and also admired the glory in her.
But, heartache...? These two words clearly appeared in Cui Jing's mind, making him stunned for a moment. Now that he knew who she was, the word "heartache" should be a bit presumptuous.
So, his treatment of her was considered as "overstepping one's bounds", right? The young man stood quietly looking at the moon, silently clenching the object in his hand.
After a moment, he lowered his eyes to look at the chestnut and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
Now he had three precious chestnuts.
The young man put away the chestnuts and walked down the stone steps.
"Grand Commander."
An official from the Bingzhou Grand Commandery came over, saluted Cui Jing, and said, "It's been five days, and Dai Cong still refuses to confess."
After a slight pause, he tried to ask, "Now that we have both witnesses and evidence, Grand Commander... do you want to try to torture me?"
Cui Jing did not comment, but walked forward: "I will go see him in person."
Dai Cong was the chief officer of the Bingzhou Grand Marshal's Office. Before this, Emperor Shengce learned that this man had correspondence with Xu Zhengye and was worried that he might cause rebellion, so he ordered Cui Jing to secretly rush to Bingzhou to verify the matter and control the situation in Bingzhou.
Bingzhou governs Taiyuan, which is located in a key position. The ancestor emperor of the Dasheng Dynasty started his army in Taiyuan, so there is also a saying that dragon veins originated there.
Therefore, there must not be any mistakes in Bingzhou.
Cui Jing believed that, precisely because of this, in this chaotic situation, there must be many people eyeing Bingzhou covetously.
He went to Bingzhou under the secret order and soon found evidence of Dai Cong's secret collusion with Xu Zhengye. Today is the fifth day of Dai Cong's imprisonment, but he still refuses to admit having any dealings with Xu Zhengye.
Seeing Cui Jing at this time, Dai Cong, whose hands and feet were chained, stood up immediately and said, "Grand Commander, Dai Cong has absolutely no other intentions!"
Cui Jing raised his hand and ordered all the guards to retreat.
"Grand Commander, your subordinates..."
Dai Cong wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Cui Jing: "I know, I have found out."
Dai Cong's eyes trembled: "Grand Commander..."
"Someone secretly framed you and deliberately let the saint know about it, so that I can be brought here to punish you." Cui Jing said, "This game is set up for you, and for me as well."
He had thought of this possibility halfway through.
Dai Cong: "Then why did you take the risk to come here..."
"Bingzhou Taiyuan cannot afford any mistakes. I am the Grand Commander of Bingzhou. Even if there is only a one in ten chance that this is true, I have to come." Cui Jing said, "The other party must have seen this clearly and guessed that in order to avoid alerting the enemy, I must only bring a small number of light cavalry since I received the secret order."
Therefore, it is both killing someone with a borrowed knife and inviting someone into a trap.
Dai Cong was terrified: "I was trapped here for the past few days, and I only thought that someone wanted to frame me and get rid of me...but I never thought that this was also aimed at you!"
This is killing two birds with one stone!
"There must be a traitor in the Grand Commander's Mansion. The Grand Commander must be careful and vigilant." Dai Cong looked at the young man and felt that danger was lurking everywhere. He was uneasy: "The person behind the scenes has great ambitions and has set a trap. Bingzhou must be in danger now..."
"It may not be too late to realize it halfway." The young man also looked at him and said, "It's just that the enemy is in the open and we are in the dark. The situation is not favorable. Next, I will have to trouble you, the chief, to put on a show with me."
Dai Cong nodded solemnly and waited for the young man to continue.
…
Before the Prince of Huainan was buried, more unfavorable news came back to the capital.
Since the first defeat at Duliangshan, the two armies engaged in many battles of varying sizes in various locations, and the army led by Li Yi to fight against the rebellion won few victories and suffered many defeats.
Another thing is that the battle of Yangzhou came suddenly. When the army arrived, the food and grass that were temporarily raised were only enough to last for three months. Now the food and grass were running out, and the supply food and grass escorted by the court were robbed by Xu's rebel army on the way.
The emperor was furious, but as the most urgent matter, he could only order the Ministry of Revenue to prepare food and fodder again.
The Ministry of Revenue, which was in a state of panic, claimed that it was now out of money and the treasury was empty. However, there were many places in need of silver from the Ministry of Revenue other than Yangzhou, and it was difficult to raise enough silver and grain at once.
The next day, Duke Ying, who had failed to educate his children and had attempted suicide by banging his head against a pillar in the Golden Palace not long ago, came to the Ministry of Revenue with a bandage wrapped around his head, accompanied by his servants and driving a carriage full of silver boxes. He said that he was willing to donate most of the Ming family's property to support the army that would suppress the rebellion and alleviate the urgent problem.
Since the Ming family took the lead, how could other officials and dignitaries not show any reaction?
The Ministry of Revenue says that everything will be recorded and will be returned when the national treasury is full in the future. How credible is this?
Looking at the money raised over the past few days, the Ministry of Revenue was busy thinking about how to distribute it.
Naturally, the silver and money cannot be sent directly to the military camp. They need to be exchanged for food and military supplies. It takes time to prepare all of these, and the details need to be discussed with the Ministry of War.
On this day, someone from the General of Cavalry's mansion came and said that they had sold some land and houses in the Chang Mansion and raised some silver and grain, but they proposed not to wait for the Ministry of Revenue to make preparations together and were willing to request escort to Yangzhou themselves.
Firstly, the procedures of the Ministry of Revenue were complicated and time-consuming. Secondly, the disabled veterans who had followed Chang Kuo for many years believed that since there had been previous incidents of grain and grass being robbed, it would be more appropriate to escort the grain and grass in multiple routes. They could go ahead and explore the way first.
Compared with others, Chang Kuoran was more worried before the war, so the Chang family was naturally more worried, and this was understandable.
After consultation between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, they agreed to the matter and issued the document.
Under Chang Suining's arrangement, the Chang family quickly escorted the money and grain out of Beijing.
The next day, something big happened in the court.
Good night and please vote for me~ (Yuan Xiang: I’m really in love!
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