Chapter 163
border.
The sun is high in the sky and the sun is shining brightly.
Qu Dubian was in the weapons camp, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, one foot on a wooden block, measuring the size of the parts in his hand with a ruler.
When Xia Fuyang came over, he was just raising his hand to wipe the sawdust off his face.
"Xiao Qi."
Qu Dubian knew who was coming by just listening to the footsteps. He hummed, still busy with his work, "If you want to talk, tell me."
Xia Fuyang handed him a tool and said, "My father sent me a message saying that the people in the capital are very dissatisfied with your refusal to allow Xu Hou to return to the capital. Some of the words were too malicious."
"Grandpa is seriously injured and can't move. The letter from Doctor Yang clearly states that." Qu Dubian's forehead was dripping with sweat on the wooden board, but he was still concentrating. "I can't risk Grandpa's life just because of their speculation."
Xia Fuyang: "It doesn't matter what they think, what matters is what your majesty thinks."
"The memorial has been submitted. What I said in it is true that Grandpa is seriously injured. Whether he believes it or not, I will not let Grandpa go back."
To put it bluntly, even in my grandfather's current condition, he may not be able to survive the bumps on the road.
Even if Lao Deng issued an imperial decree to force my grandfather to leave, he would not agree to disobey the order.
However, things have not developed to this point. At most, Lao Deng has some concerns in his heart, but he is not shameless or cowardly to that extent.
Qu Dubian threw the wooden board in his hand to the ground and was about to get some nails, but he was dazzled by the sun, his vision blurred for a moment and he missed a step.
Before he could do a cool cartwheel and stand firmly, Xia Fuyang grabbed him.
Qu Dubian shook his head and focused his eyes for two or three seconds before he could see Xia Fuyang's face clearly. The expression on his face was a bit serious.
"You have dark circles under your eyes. What time do you sleep these days?"
"You are young, but you don't need to be jealous," Qu Dubian slowly brushed his hand away, "Don't be envious."
In fact, his body was so healthy that his sense of smell remained strong for such a long time, wandering on the border between failure and still having some feeling, and was not completely damaged, so the simulator could not record it temporarily and he could not adjust the pain value.
While he was lamenting about his good physical condition, he also had a headache and couldn't sleep at night.
Xia Fuyang: "...Don't interrupt," he whispered, "Watching you grow up, you are prone to illness. Everyone who is close to you knows it. Are you feeling unwell?"
This guy's eyes were out of focus just now, and he clearly looked a little dizzy.
Qu Dubian touched his head and said, "Maybe he has a heat stroke and can't adapt to the weather in northern Xinjiang."
This explanation is more reasonable.
When Xia Fuyang first arrived, he was a little uncomfortable. Not only was there a big temperature difference between day and night, but it was also very sunny.
"Then don't work, we'll talk about it in the evening."
He pulled Qu Dubian to a shady place to rest, and asked someone to bring a bowl of mung bean soup over. He watched Qu Dubian drink it up mouthful by mouthful.
Xia Fuyang was still a little worried, "Let's ask the military doctor to come and take a look."
"Don't do that," Qu Duanbian refused. "Heatstroke is no big deal. This is a war preparation period. Let the military doctor come. If my subordinates see me, they will think something is wrong with me."
He stretched out his wrist and raised his chin, "Try it out."
People with true qi can basically take a person's pulse. Although they cannot diagnose illnesses, they can judge whether a person is weak inside by feeling the strength of the pulse.
Xia Fuyang pinched his wrist and said after a moment, "It's really nothing, it's not a waste."
It’s not his fault that he reacted so strongly; he simply got used to it when he was a kid.
He was relieved. "The people from the Supervision Department who are in prison are getting more and more violent. Prince Ming has come to see you twice, saying that it is not good to keep them for too long. He can't drag it on any longer. There is really no evidence, so let a few of them go first."
Since the matter has not been investigated thoroughly and there is no evidence, there is no way to tell the emperor about the suspicion of traitor and we can only drag it out and play Tai Chi.
Prince Ming probably can't hold on any longer.
Qu Watanabe: "Oh, then give them a bigger cell."
Liu Liu arrested two informants from Northern Xinjiang, but they were stubborn. One committed suicide and the other refused to confess. However, when he heard the word "Supervision Office", his eyes dodged.
I don't know how many days it will take, but in fact, it will be enough to just make a breakthrough. Once the breakthrough is made, he will have a reason to interrogate the Supervisory Office, and the process will be much faster.
“…”
Xia Fuyang patted his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.
But he was still vaguely worried.
Xiaoqi is a prince, so perhaps he is less cautious than a subject in dealing with His Majesty, but under the imperial power, what difference does it make whether he is a prince or a subject?
The reaction of Emperor Chongzhao was exactly as Qu Dubian had expected. He did not make any more mandatory demands, nor did he issue any clear decrees. He only gave a concerned instruction for Marquis Xu to have a good rest.
But the minister in the court who originally proposed this suggestion jumped even higher.
Some people even directly raised the issue of the Border Army Inspection Office.
"As soon as the Seventh Prince entered the border and won a victory, he imprisoned the Border Army Inspectorate, who had done nothing wrong, and has not released them to this day."
"The Border Military Supervision Office has been at the border for more than ten years, and this situation has never happened before. They have made no contributions, but they have worked hard. Isn't the Seventh Prince's move an attempt to cover Your Majesty's eyes and deceive His Majesty's ears?"
It's just a matter of saying bluntly that the Seventh Prince would do something at the border without telling Your Majesty.
The affairs of the Supervisory Office were not a secret, but Emperor Chongzhao had suppressed the matter before, so no one had mentioned it in the court.
Master Fang said, "What nonsense!"
His eyes were filled with cold anger, and he swung his sleeves and said, "According to what you said, the Seventh Prince is the only one in power on the border? Don't forget, there is also the son of Marquis Changping over there. Where do you think Marquis Changping will be placed with your heart-breaking words!"
"Master Fang, we only talked about the matter of the Supervisory Office, but did not mention anything else."
Fang Taifu: "We are all officials in the same court. We all know what is meant by your words. So stop smearing white flour on your face."
He took a step forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Ming is still at the border. You can find out the situation of the Supervisory Office by asking."
He knew in his heart that the Seventh Prince was mentioned by court officials every day, and his situation was discussed in various ways in the court, all after Xu Tingfeng led his troops into battle.
A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
This time, his disciple showed off his talents and attracted the attention of countless members of the Second Prince and the Sixth Prince's faction.
The last time they suppressed the bandits it wasn't very obvious, but this time they can't hide it at all. Amid the party strife, at the slightest sign of trouble, everyone will surely rise up and attack.
Because they all knew that if the Seventh Prince returned safely this time, the situation in the court would change.
With his military merits, who knows, the Seventh Prince might become the first prince to be crowned king.
Therefore, he could only think of every possible way to frame the Seventh Prince with some crime before he came back, to suppress his limelight, or to make His Majesty feel uneasy.
However, what they didn't know was that Emperor Chongzhao had already asked Prince Ming about the Supervisory Office, but Prince Ming's reply was full of Tai Chi and he kept dragging it out.
Now that it was brought up by the court officials, Emperor Chongzhao also passed the order to Qu Dubian.
If he has nothing wrong, don't lock him up in the Supervisory Office. Let them out. If someone in the Supervisory Office makes him angry, he can punish them as he pleases, but they should not be locked up.
This was the first time that Emperor Chongzhao was so careful with his wording in his letter.
The words were gentle and non-accusatory.
Even when dealing with his son, Emperor Chongzhao's behavior could be considered lenient.
However, the Seventh Prince refused again.
Emperor Chongzhao's order fell on deaf ears. Not only did the Supervisory Office not release him, they also dragged out several people who had caused trouble in the prison and beat them up.
Now, the court was in complete chaos, and the censors submitted impeachment memorials one after another.
The atmosphere in the Purple Palace became increasingly depressing.
-
The Second Prince’s Mansion.
"Seventh brother has won a few battles, and his personality has become arrogant," the second prince came back from the court, "his actions, to put it mildly, have angered the officials in the court, and to put it more seriously, have slapped our father in the face."
Ice jars have been prepared in the house, and a cool breeze is blowing.
The second prince shook off the heat from his body and said, "If I were him, I would release a batch first."
Mr. Deng said, "Your Majesty must be unhappy about the Seventh Prince's actions. It's a good thing for His Highness to say this."
"But sir, have you ever seen the emperor be so lenient to anyone?"
Among the several princes, their father has always favored the seventh prince since he was young. Even when he disobeyed orders twice on the battlefield, his father never issued an order to force him to do anything.
Disobeying orders and disobeying orders are two completely different concepts.
The second prince recalled that many years ago, his father had a high fever and was in a coma. He and his sons went to visit him, but his father doubted their intentions and thought that their filial piety was all fake.
But as soon as the seventh brother left, the emperor's attitude immediately changed.
Even though the seventh brother treated the sick father coldly and lost his temper, the father still had happiness in his eyes.
However, their careful service could not earn them even a smile from their father.
Those who have been raised by them since childhood are different from them after all.
Mr. Deng sighed, "Indeed, if the eldest prince was at the border, His Majesty would have ordered him to do his bidding long ago."
The Second Prince: "Father is very suspicious. Even if he didn't have any suspicions at first, he would have become suspicious after he refused twice."
"With the impeachment of the Censor and the addition of our people and the Sixth Prince's people, His Majesty should express his opinion and issue another order when the court is held tomorrow. If the Seventh Prince refuses again... His Majesty will definitely be furious." Mr. Deng asserted.
After all, it's not a good idea to save face.
The second prince didn't say anything, but stood up and fiddled with the flower arrangements on the table.
Except for his poor health, my seventh brother has always been the enviable one.
Even after his biological mother passed away, Concubine Xuan still gave him maternal care, and he even had the love of his father, which was rare in the royal family.
I have been free and carefree since childhood.
It makes people envy and jealous.
However, the seventh brother did not seem to react. He was no longer a child. He was a prince and a subject.
A minister should be obedient, not disobey twice.
The second prince adjusted the position of the flowers in the vase and was in a good mood.
Tomorrow's court session should be even more exciting.
-
the next day.
When Emperor Chongzhao went to court, he looked very unhappy as he listened to the discussions below.
However, he did not send a reprimand order to the border as they expected, but instead severely reprimanded the court officials who impeached the seventh prince.
They even dragged out the one who jumped the most fiercely and gave him twenty lashes of the cane as a warning to others.
Emperor Chongzhao: "I have made my own decision on the matter of the Supervisory Office. You are not allowed to mention it again!"
He suppressed the voices of impeachment in the court by force, and walked away in the astonished eyes of the crowd.
When the minister was dragged away, the second prince was still able to maintain superficial calm.
After Emperor Chongzhao left, the court officials dared to start discussing the matter. The low voices of discussion reached the ears of the Second Prince: "What does your majesty mean..."
"It's hard to say that he has no intention of reshuffling the court structure. After all, apart from these two acts of disobedience, the Seventh Prince is truly outstanding..."
"Your Majesty seems to support the Seventh Prince. He is a rising star."
The second prince slowly raised his head and looked at the back of Emperor Chongzhao as he left. The corners of his mouth slowly straightened and a gloomy look surged in his eyes.
Seventh brother.
-
Purple Palace.
After Emperor Chongzhao came back from court, he sat by the window for a long time.
Then he walked to the desk, on which was placed a memorial that had arrived yesterday.
It's that little bastard.
There was only one sentence on the memorial:
"Father, trust me, I won't make things difficult for you."
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