Chapter 85: Agreement reached; "Shall we get married?"
The atmosphere in the large study was extremely low, and everyone inside and outside held their breath in anticipation. Feng Kun said coldly, "Then call him in."
All emotions were suppressed, and there was a chilling danger that was about to happen.
It was a gloomy winter day with no wind. For the first time this winter, all sixteen red-lacquered partition doors in the main hall of the Duke of Qi's Mansion were opened. The cold drove away the warmth brought by the large cauldron and the wall of fire. However, Feng Kun did not wear a fox fur coat. Instead, he wore a thin red Qilin robe with gold-painted Sichuan brocade. The red was as red as fire, but he did not show any fear of the cold. For the first time, the most powerful eunuch on the scene revealed his true face.
Feng Kun actually doesn't need fox fur or a big fur cloak.
In the past, this behavior was only intended to moderately reduce the aggressiveness and vigilance caused by strength.
Xie Ci's horse was parked outside the main gate of the Duke of Qi's Mansion. He had put on his heavy black armor again and knee-high black boots. He led a group of guards in fine armor and galloped across the spacious bluestone street in front of the Duke of Qi's Mansion. He reined in his horse and stopped outside the red-painted and red-nailed gate. He no longer concealed his whereabouts and behavior.
Xie Ci turned over and, led by Xiao Huozhe, stepped into this huge and majestic mansion step by step with the sound of heavy and steady military boots landing on the ground.
Almost as soon as I stepped over the threshold, I could sense the tense atmosphere beneath the calm surface: green bricks, red foundation, flying eaves, black tiles, and the white snow. The eunuchs, maids, and guards were standing in their proper positions as usual, but my skin could automatically smell the silent danger, and my hairs stood on end.
Xie Yun, Xie Ping, Zhang Qing, Zheng Ying and others were all people who had been in and out of the battlefield and witnessed countless bloody battles. As soon as they stepped into the Duke of Qi's Mansion, their muscles subconsciously tensed up, and their radars were turned on and the alert soared to the peak. Without making a sound, they automatically took up a defensive posture of mutual support and followed Xie Ci closely.
Xie Ci's brows were solemn, but his expression did not change at all. He was on high alert, but not like Xie Ping and the others.
He raised his head, walked through the gate and turned through the inner ceremonial door, and then he saw the main hall.
The sixteen gold-painted and vermilion-lacquered partition doors were wide open, and across the huge front yard, he could already see the vermilion figure sitting high in the center.
This time, Xie Ci did not leave Xie Yun and others outside the ceremonial gate, but led them directly in. At this point, there was no point in doing all these empty things.
After passing through the front hall and walking up the steps, Xie Yun and the others were finally stopped. Xie Ci did not stop and went straight into the main hall until he reached the place where Feng Kun usually stood, ten steps away from the big cauldron.
To Feng Kun's lower left stood Yin Luo, whose face was slightly pale but his spirit had recovered. To his right stood a young man who was equally tall and thin but slightly shorter. Xie Ci had never seen him before, but he could tell at a glance that he was a master like Yin Luo.
In the huge main hall, all the eunuchs and servants had been dismissed. Xie Ci heard the sound of bows and crossbows being strung on both sides and the sound of several rows of shallow breathing.
As long as Feng Kun gives the order, no matter how powerful Xie Ci is, it will be difficult for him to escape unscathed.
The two golden strings of the golden winged hat dangled from his ears. His phoenix eyes were sharp to the extreme. Feng Kun sneered, "Xie Ci, you are so bold! You actually dare to come here?"
He is very perceptive. Does Xie Ci come with any bargaining chips to rely on?
He curled his lips and smiled coldly, his smile not reaching his eyes. He wanted to see what Xie Ci could rely on?!
Feng Kun raised his thin, red lips and spat out ten words like a snake spitting out its message, "Say it, if not, you will leave your life behind."
After Xie Ci came in, he stood still and greeted as usual, but he just clasped his fists without bending his back.
He raised his eyelids and met Feng Kun's gaze, and it was like a hurricane out of nowhere, ready to explode.
Xie Ci's voice was deep and deep, neither too high nor too low. He said, "In Sigan Mountain, a friend passed away. Xie Ci is tired of the power struggles in Zhongdu and wants to withdraw. I ask for Prime Minister Feng's support."
Feng Kun curled the corner of his lips.
Xie Ci finally came to the most crucial point. Of course, he came here with bargaining chips, and the bargaining chips were quite powerful.
He said calmly, "Prime Minister Feng, please send your attendants away."
Feng Kun sneered: "Just say it."
There was nothing that the confidants present couldn't bear to hear.
Xie Ci also knew this and was just saying it as a matter of routine. His gaze suddenly fixed, and he said without hesitation, "If I'm not mistaken, Prime Minister Feng's plan to force the emperor to abdicate is already complete, and the date for action is imminent!"
The words of thanks were earth-shattering!
But then there was another sentence: "Pang Huai is dead, and more than half of the guards in the Southern and Northern Yamen have been replaced. I believe that Prime Minister Feng has already arranged all the personnel he wanted!"
"A sudden and violent attack, using speed to defeat slowness, and then retreating to advance, disrupting vision and making the person in Yuquan Palace relax."
"Everything is quiet, it's time to deliver a fatal blow!!"
"Prime Minister Feng has been planning for over a decade, and now it's time for the final, thunderous blow!"
The thank you speeches followed one after another, each sentence was earth-shattering, sonorous and powerful, and instantly set off a huge wave.
Feng Kun originally placed his hands on the armrests of the armchair, leaning back slightly on the backrest covered with purple-red upholstery. From the first sentence of Xie Ci, he suddenly opened his eyelids, sat up straight with a bang, his momentum was like a huge wave of horror, and his eyes like sharp arrows suddenly shot towards Xie Ci.
Feng Kun's expression suddenly changed. His expression finally changed drastically, becoming extremely fierce as he stared at Xie Ci.
Including Yin Luo, who was attacking him on both sides, they were caught off guard. Like Feng Kun, they suddenly raised their eyes and looked at Xie Ci, their expressions changed drastically!
Inside the main hall, the atmosphere finally changed.
This is a secret unknown to everyone. Feng Kun did so much, and his ultimate goal, hidden in the dark, was to get the old emperor's close guards who always kept a tight grip on him, including the Southern Court, the Northern Court, and the Jinwu Guard. They were the guards who protected the imperial palace and the capital.
What he prepared for the old emperor was a bloody massacre from beginning to end!
He wanted to be baptized in blood, in the most horrifying way possible, making the old emperor watch helplessly as someone climbed onto the throne and killed him with a sword. His flesh and blood would be torn off piece by piece, and he would watch as he lost his life, his blood splattered everywhere, and he would lose everything he was holding on to that was vital to his life in fear and rage!
Powerless, dying in a furious rage.
Only in this way can he comfort his father who died by being cut into pieces!
His mother and elder sister died after hitting their heads against the doorpost.
She was confined to the palace and castrated at a young age, and suffered so much that she wanted to commit suicide many times. However, she used her remaining breath to endure all kinds of humiliation that ordinary people could hardly imagine, and finally survived, got through it, and climbed to who she is today!
Xie Ci was absolutely right. The Eastern Palace was just the beginning of everything. When Xie Ci and others went to Sigan Mountain, Zhongdu did not calm down. The six major cases prepared by Feng Kun set off huge waves one after another, which almost crippled Lin Guozhang and made the old emperor extremely anxious.
Feng Kun had only uncovered four of the six major cases, but the royalists were already horrified beyond words. The old emperor was forced to retreat step by step, and the entire Zhongdu and even important places were shaken. Countless officials and generals in the core areas were affected and dismissed.
However, the old emperor was no pushover either. Earlier in the month, he finally found a loophole in the copper mine case, used it as a loophole, launched a series of counterattacks, and finally regained stability. Feng Kun's fierce momentum was finally curbed, and he had to retreat slightly and take a defensive stance.
This is the current situation. Compared to before, it is now the calm between the storms, and the old emperor is about to come back again.
But Xie Ci knew that all this was an illusion.
Even the loopholes in this copper mine case may have been deliberately released by Feng Kun. The purpose was very simple, which was to make the old emperor breathe a sigh of relief, rekindle hope, and restore peace to the entire Zhongdu.
Because Feng Kun's deployment has been completed.
After these six major cases were thrown out, the huge wave of chaos swept across the city, and officials and generals were dismissed one after another. Not all of the old emperor's subordinates were clean people. In fact, it can be said that there are very few clean people in the entire Zhongdu now, and there may be only a small group under Master Wen.
When Feng Kun revealed all this, it was almost natural for the capital to be in turmoil.
Hidden beneath this chaos, Feng Kun's real purpose is the Southern Court, the Northern Court and the Jinwu Guard.
The influence of the court was important but not fatal. The emperor had not been truly shocked until now because his personal safety was not in jeopardy. Although Gao Minggong, the commander of the Beijing camp, had remained silent for a long time, he only obeyed the imperial edict at critical moments. He was able to control the complex situation in the Beijing camp.
The Capital Camp was far away in Yunxiang, separated by high city walls, and the Southern Court, Northern Court, and Jinwu Guard were crucial. When Crown Prince Li Min usurped the throne, he mobilized the Southern Court, Northern Court, and Jinwu Guard, leaving Yu Miaofeng of the Capital Camp unable to move.
Everything can be decided in one night.
The emperor replaced all his own people, but Feng Kun had been scheming for many years. Among those who were replaced as reserve candidates, how many were his own people and how many were Feng Kun's people? Only the latter knew it.
Xie Ci was very perceptive and accurately saw through the surface to the essence.
As long as he understood one thing, he would understand the entire deployment chain in an instant.
This is the real bargaining chip of Xie Ci.
He said, "Prime Minister Feng can kill Mr. Xie today, but the Emperor will soon learn of Prime Minister Feng's true plans."
Feng Kun smiled. He was also a man of exceptionally strong mental qualities. After a moment of shock and awe, he quickly calmed down. The anger disappeared from his feminine, fair, and slightly dangerous face. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Xie Ci: "What do you want?"
Xie Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He walked to the armchair on the right side closest to Feng Kun and sat down. You could hear a pin drop in the hall. His back was as straight as a javelin, his hands resting on his knees, his military posture always upright.
The young black-armored major general had a stern expression, but his face was no longer as fierce as before. Xie Ci said calmly, "Prime Minister Feng has misunderstood. I came here today to discuss leaving the capital with him."
"I, Xie, do not intend to be an enemy of Prime Minister Feng. In the future, I can support Prime Minister Feng in the capital and garrison the border to maintain domestic stability."
Xie Ci said, "Chen Luo of Qinguan has fought hard. I will take away two battalions of their Beijing camp. Prime Minister Feng will not have an excuse to slaughter the Beijing officials under my command. He can simply transfer them back to the north in the future."
Xie Ci let out a breath and said seriously, "Prime Minister Feng no longer needs me, and I don't want to get involved in party disputes anymore. I want to return to Shuofang. Please grant me your blessing!"
The first move was just a prelude to an equal dialogue. After achieving his goal, Xie Ci's harsh expression disappeared, and at the end, he even bowed.
As long as he stayed in Zhongdu, he would always be at the center of the power struggle. He would take Qin Guan, Chen Luo, and the two battalions they had fought to save, and he would also protect the officials who were already clearly under his command. Feng Kun did not want to keep them, so he could transfer them north in the future.
As for those in secret, he still has some people who are not exposed. These are the initial preparations for both situations. In the future, he will know the situation and changes in Zhongdu well.
Feng Kun has deployed his troops to this point. Unless there are any accidents, he should win.
But the dynasty was already in such a state of deep illness, and the capital was in constant turmoil, but the Jiedushi and Governor-General's Offices at the border and in various places did not stop their operations and took deeper and deeper roots.
With so many people everywhere, the father and son of Lin Guozhang wanted to seize power and deal with the legacy of the collapse of the military system. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Feng Kun is powerful, but it is basically impossible for him to take back the military power from so many deeply rooted people.
This is the source of their survival and even the capital for their future ambitions.
When Feng Kun becomes regent in the future, the best way is to use both tactics to pull and push, manipulate the balance, maintain stability and guarantee the central power.
Xie Ci was willing to shock the North for him.
He stood firm in the north, resisted foreign enemies in the north, maintained stability in the north, and benefited the country.
It would also allow the long-suffering Wei Dynasty to regain its last bit of hope.
At least the people can live in peace for another 20 to 30 years.
He will recuperate. If war eventually breaks out, he hopes it will be a civil war. Before that, he must be prepared to completely keep the Northern Rong out.
Xie Ci said, "I have some people in the palace, I can give them all to Prime Minister Feng as a helping hand."
In fact, there are very few. After all, Xie Jiawei did not develop any secret lines in the imperial city before. It was only after Xie Jiawei found Xie Ci, especially after Xie Ci returned to Zhongdu, that he began to try to arrange them. There are very few people, and they are all peripheral personnel.
Compared with Feng Kun's staff in the inner and outer palaces, it is definitely a drop in the bucket. After all, Feng Kun was born as a eunuch and was the seal holder of the Silijian.
But this action represents his sincerity.
Today, Xie Ci's aura is not much inferior to Feng Kun. He spoke very calmly, and the harsh look he had just had was completely gone.
Feng Kun was stunned.
He raised his eyebrows. He had been listening quietly while Xie Ci was speaking. The future that Xie Ci described was reasonable and took all aspects into consideration. It included both his own standpoint and Feng Kun's objective consideration.
Feng Kun naturally knew what the Wei Dynasty was like today. After careful consideration, he felt that what Xie Ci said was the best choice for the future!
And because of the old emperor's previous constraints, he really lacked a frontier general like Xie Ci.
This will be crucial in the future.
Feng Kun was a very qualified politician, and his anger gradually faded away. Following this line of thought, he lowered his eyes and thought about the future that Xie Ci had mentioned.
Xie Ci had obviously thought about it seriously more than once, even taking many details into consideration.
Feng Kun remained silent. He raised an eyebrow and stared at Xie Ci for a moment. His expression remained dangerous, but with a touch of scrutiny. He looked Xie Ci up and down, unable to tell whether he was happy or angry, or agreed or not. He asked, "Xie Ci, what are you doing this for?"
Xie Ci also hated the old emperor to the extreme, but he retreated quickly and returned to Shuofang.
He said that in the future he would maintain the border stability for him and find ways to defeat the Northern Rong so that they would not be able to invade the border again for decades.
Feng Kun was not afraid that Xie Ci would go back on his word, as he still had 300,000 regular troops in Beijing. He was well versed in how to win over the enemy and balance their attack and defense, and consolidate the position of the central court.
He didn't care about the flood behind him, but as long as he was there, he was sure that he would be above everyone else.
On the contrary, it is Beirong who is the most uncertain factor. However, judging from Xie Ci's performance in the Northwest War, he said that he would give it his all, which does have a credible basis.
But the northern border is long, not just Shuofang. If Xie Ci wants to accomplish this task, he needs the cooperation of the court.
In this case, what he said really has a basis for realization.
But why did Xie Ci suddenly do this?
Feng Kun raised his eyebrows coldly, and scrutinized Xie Ci inch by inch with a scrutinizing gaze!
Xie Ci stood up. He was extremely tall and slender, wearing black armor, standing tall and handsome, just like his father and brother. A strong wind blew the gray clouds, and a ray of bright light poured down and landed outside the hall door, making the hall a little brighter.
Xie Ci turned his back to the skylight, facing the long, burning candles. His face and figure were perfectly clear. He spoke calmly, "For the sake of a little peace for the country, and for the sake of a little more stability for the poor people."
Twenty or thirty years is half a lifetime for many poor people.
As for their descendants, if it weren't for this period of stability, many of them wouldn't even have the chance to be born.
At this moment, he clearly remembered Pang Huai's last words: "A mantis trying to stop a chariot, trying its best to move forward."
"I have a friend," he said with a faint smile. There was no need to hide it, it was useless. "It's Pang Huai. His mother was born in poverty, and he spent his entire life doing his utmost to ensure a safer life for the common people, even to the last drop of his blood. I'm deeply moved by his words and would like to emulate him."
The hall was quiet for a moment.
Yin Luo and the other young man raised their eyelids and stared at Xie Ci again. For the first time, Yin Luo showed surprise.
They probably didn't expect that in this materialistic and power-hungry imperial court, they would hear such absurd words for the first time in history.
Feng Kun couldn't help but burst into laughter. He stood up suddenly, staggering back and forth, laughing loudly, "I didn't expect it! I really didn't expect it!"
Xie family?
Yes, Xie Ci is a member of the Xie family.
Hearing this, he felt only amusement and irony for a moment. Pang Huai? The old emperor actually had such a person under his command. Although he died, it was normal for him to die.
And this thank-you speech, in the end he still can't get out of this circle. Should we say that he is worthy of being Xie Xinzhong's son?
There were only a few of them in the Guo Dynasty. Feng Kun watched them coldly and never took action against them. However, they died one by one for one reason or another, but there was always another one after another, and they would appear when you least expected it.
I don’t know if this world is worthy of this?
He found it ridiculous. Xie Ci's unwavering determination at this moment was so absurd that it made him laugh!
Feng Kun thought about Xie Ci's intention and purpose. He remained calm on the surface, but countless means of capturing the other party flashed through his mind. His thoughts and ideas were as fierce as knives and tigers. He made thousands of preparations, but he never thought that this would be the answer.
For a moment, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
However, although Xie Ci was ridiculous, Northern Xinjiang needed such people, and he would also need such people in the future.
Feng Kun was different from Lin Guozhang and his son. He did not have so much luck and was lucky. He knew very well that a thousand-mile dike could be destroyed by ant blood. The ant blood was everywhere, and the border army with holes everywhere could never stop the Beirong.
However, when Feng Kun was in a high position of power in the past, he had a fire in his heart that he wanted to explode as soon as possible.
I wish this extremely hateful and disgusting dynasty would be overthrown by foreign invaders, so that the arrogant emperor on the jade steps could taste the pain of being a slave of a conquered nation with his ancestral temples destroyed.
It was an extremely violent emotion that had been suppressed for more than ten years and had only grown deeper and deeper.
However, if he were to take charge of the country in the future, that would be another matter.
Feng Kun stopped laughing and suddenly lowered his eyes. The first step had three steps. He stood up and stood on the second step, his eyes almost level with Xie Ci's. The two looked at each other fiercely. Feng Kun was displeased and extremely wary of Xie Ci's suspicion, but Xie Ci persuaded him.
Up and down, they finally reached an agreement silently.
Feng Kun said coldly, "Go back and prepare. You will receive a transfer order within five days."
He tilted his head, waved his hand and whispered something, and Yin Luo quickly returned to the study to get a small cowhide seal and presented it to him.
Feng Kun threw the cowhide seal into his arms and said, "Get out!"
…
Xie Ci led his men out quickly. He was tense when he came and relaxed when he left.
The light suddenly appeared and fell on his face and body.
His long boots landed on the ground one step after another, still steady and heavy. He jumped on the horse and galloped across the long street as he did when he came.
On that day, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the capital. Xie Ci returned to the General's Mansion and immediately sent someone to notify Gu Wan. He quickly passed through the tunnel and went to pick up Gu Wan and his party in person.
We left the bustling and tense Zhongdu with a small entourage and rushed from the end of the long road in the wilderness and snowfields towards the post station dozens of miles away from Xiaozhuang.
Gu Guan was waiting for him there.
From a distance, several galloping horses appeared. The one leading the way was the tall, agile figure in dark black and the slender, beautiful figure in rose red, as beautiful as a meteor. When both sides saw each other, they were overjoyed and immediately whipped their horses to speed up and gallop towards each other.
Finally, they met under the sycamore tree on the snowy hill of Bingxi. The process of waiting and negotiation was so tense and thrilling. When they met again after a brief separation of half a day, the two hugged each other tightly.
Gu Wan jumped directly onto Xie Ci's horse and said, "Is it done?"
Although she had received advance warning, she still couldn't help but ask with a smile.
Xie Ci let out a long breath and smiled cheerfully. He nodded, "Yeah, it's done."
He was still holding the large brown paper envelope given by Feng Kun. When he opened it after leaving the Duke of Qi's Mansion, he broke out in a cold sweat.
It contained the entire process of investigating the whereabouts of Mrs. Xun, Xie Mingming and other members of the Xie family.
They had actually found Longzhou, the city they had passed through. It was not far from Lingzhou and the small town in the valley.
Xie Ci was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.
This negotiation can be said to be quite timely.
But generally speaking, all these are in the past. How to take away the two battalions of the Beijing Camp is left to Feng Kun to handle.
In five days at most, they will leave Zhongdu and return to Shuofang.
They will leave all these things behind, and he can finally bring his mother and Mingming to his side openly.
"I wonder how my mother and sister-in-law are doing? And Mingming, his father passed away early, and I wasn't able to be by his side to teach him."
Xie Ci murmured something with emotion. Thinking about this, he finally showed some excitement and joy.
Gu Wan said, "He's only fifteen. Now is the perfect time to bring him to my side."
The two smiled at each other.
There are long roads, old trees, and endless snowy fields. The sky finally clears up, and a line of white falls on this long post road. In the distance is a thatched post pavilion.
Gu Guan was dressed in a fiery red dress. She had not changed out of the spare clothes she had brought with her to the palace. The rare bright red was as dazzling as a ball of fire in this suburban area where white and yellow were mixed together. The red dress made her smile look particularly red, and her beautiful and fair facial features were poetic and picturesque, with a fiery beauty.
The color of the clothes suddenly reminded Xie Ci of something he had been thinking about for a long time.
This time I go back, I will pick up my mother and sister-in-law Mingming.
They had discussed before and asked their mother to hold a grand wedding for them.
Gu Wan wanted to take the cowhide seal, but Xie Ci let it go and gave it to her. He whispered, "Wan Wan, when we get back to Shuofang, can we get married?"
Have a real wedding where they both love each other.
From then on, they became a real couple.
He said a little nervously and expectantly.
Gu Guan's hand that was pulling out the paper paused for a moment, and she looked up at him. There was a line of blue behind the snow, and long, withered yellow grass. He looked at her with bated breath.
Gu Guan tilted her head and thought for a while. When he started to feel nervous, she laughed and hit him on the head with the big envelope.
"Getting married?"
She stroked the horse's long mane and pretended to think seriously for a while, "Okay, okay, that's it!"
Oh, it will happen sooner or later, she thought, it’s almost time, it would be a bit hypocritical to keep procrastinating, hey, then just make it happen!
She smiled, not a big smile, and glanced at him. She was dazzlingly beautiful in the early sunshine.
Xie Ci was ecstatic for a moment, and when he was at a loss, he hugged her tightly!
"Very good!"
The wild joy made his mouth grin from ear to ear. He laughed so hard that he almost jumped down and spun around Gu Wan in circles, talking incoherently. Gu Wan couldn't help laughing.
She put the envelope in her arms, and her laughter was carried far away by the wind.
Xie Yun, Xie Ping and others who were not far away let go of their tension, looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
The author has something to say:
I feel so good and my heart is so happy. Hahahaha. I'm going home soon. Guess if he can get married soon?
Haha, a huge kiss to you all! See you tomorrow, babies~ (/≧▽≦)/
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