Fu Song

Chapter 286 Wind and Rain
Snowflakes fluttered and fell on the bronze-colored back, and immediately turned into a stream of water, flowing down the cracks between the bulging muscles. The snow and sweat mixed together, forming a hazy mist that lasted for a long time.

Holding the ax in both hands, he raised it high, and with a yell, the ax fell, and the wood that was thick and thin at the mouth of the bowl was split in two, inserted again, and then the ax was lowered, and the wood was evenly divided again.

Old man Wang was sitting under the eaves, weaving a bamboo dustpan, and looking at Wang Zhu worriedly.

After Wang Zhu returned home yesterday, he started chopping firewood. Now the stacks of firewood have been stacked neatly from the ground to under the eaves. It will be enough for next winter, not to mention this winter.

Standing up, old man Wang walked to the kitchen on the side, where his wife was sitting on a small bench and plucking chicken feathers.The nine-pound yellow that has been raised for a whole year was originally prepared to be eaten during the Chinese New Year, but now it has been slaughtered by his wife.In the iron pot on the stove, a large piece of fat meat was bubbling and bubbling in the water, and the aroma permeated the kitchen.

Two underage grandchildren were staring at the pieces of meat in the pot with their hands on the edge of the stove, swallowing their saliva non-stop.

Not only these, the square table in the stove house, on top of the stove, there are also a lot of food, even the Chinese New Year, there is no such a rich food.

His wife glanced at him, her eyes were red, obviously from crying.

Old man Wang lowered his head, squatted on the ground, and helped his wife pluck out the chicken feathers.

"When the eldest brother left, he also chopped firewood in the house for a whole day in silence!" the wife sobbed and whispered.

Old man Wang didn't make a sound, but the strength in his hands was obviously heavier, and he even tore off a large piece of chicken with the skin attached.

"Can you make the second brother not go?" My wife continued to ask.

The old man Wang dropped the chicken irritably, splashing water all over his body, "It's not like you don't know the temperament of the two sons. Since they have already made an appointment, even nine cows can't bring them back. You don't need to say anything." Having said that, don’t mess with their minds, just do whatever you want, it’s my royal family’s blessing to be able to come back, and it’s my old Wang’s fate if I can’t come back!”

The wife burst into tears immediately.

A pair of children in the room were at a loss, one left and one right came to the old woman, one of them hugged her arm, and looked at the old man Wang timidly on the opposite side, they thought it was the grandfather who scolded the mother-in-law for crying Woolen cloth!
During dinner, several oil lamps were set up in the house for the first time, illuminating the room brightly. On the table of the Eight Immortals, there were almost no more dishes and bowls. Every bowl of food was oily and made people salivate. With a smile on his face, Zhu held the wine jar, filled his parents with wine, and filled the bowls of his nephew and niece with pieces of fat meat, and tore off two chicken legs and put them in their bowls.

The two little guys buried their faces in the huge sea bowl, gobbling it up.

In the past year, it is rare to have such a meal!

"Father, mother, eat more!" Wang Zhu didn't sit down, but stood beside the two old people, serving them for dinner.

Old man Wang stuck his neck, drank alcohol, and ate meat.His wife, however, was eating while crying like rain.

After finally finishing the meal, Wang Zhu went to collect and wash the dishes himself, and just let the elders sit by the firepit in the main room to warm up. When Wang Zhu packed everything up and came back, the two nephews were Already asleep.

There is nothing to do in the countryside. In order to save lamp oil, I went to bed early at night, but I ate a lot today, and I was already drowsy.

Walking into the main room, Wang Zhu didn't say much, just knelt beside the elder, knocked his head three times in a row, then stood up, picked up the knife placed in the corner of the room, turned around and was about to go out.

"Will you come back?" Old Man Wang's voice trembled.

"I don't know!" Wang Zhu paused for a moment, "If it's done, I'll take the second elder to the city to enjoy the blessings and become the old Feng Weng old lady. If it doesn't work, that's fine, the second elder is still healthy, and the Wang family also has a descendant, so there's nothing wrong with it." worried."

After leaving these words, Wang Zhu strode out the door.

The two old men rushed to the door, only to see the back of a man wearing a bamboo hat and coir raincoat, striding away with a horizontal knife in his hand.

Bianliang City, Tao Dayong's house.

"Lady, after this day, if I don't come back, someone will come to arrest you instead." Tao Dayong handed the pot of wine in his hand to his wife, "Then drink it. At that time, my husband was probably already in Huangquan Road. Waiting for you on the bridge, if you don’t see it on the Naihe bridge, remember to wait for me there.”

The woman grabbed the handle of the pot and burst into tears: "Han'er is only eleven years old!"

"As a man of the Tao family, there is no other way to go!" Tao Dayong turned his head and glanced at a childish young man who was waiting outside. Beside the young man was wearing a leather armor with a horizontal knife hanging from his waist. "Alan has been married for several years. The water splashed by the married daughter will not be implicated by us. I'm leaving!"

Turn around and stride out the door.

In the yard, two figures, one big and one small, followed closely.

"Have they determined the final time?" Xia Jie lifted the small red clay kettle nestled by the fire, refilled the teacup, picked it up, and took a small sip.

"Yes, three days later!" Cui Ang nodded.

"Have you got their specific plan?"

"I got it!" Cui Ang laughed triumphantly, and handed a stack of papers to Xia Jie: "Shou Fu, this is their rough plan of action."

After flipping through it roughly, Xia Jie sighed: "His Royal Highness King Jing is really a practical person. This plan is really excellent and comprehensive. If we don't know what he is going to do, and we can get it in advance , he really has a great possibility of success. The person who provided this information is called Zhou Zhou what?"

"Zhou He! The former staff member of the Xin'an Army who controlled Qin Kuan, and also the leader of the Xin'an Army." Cui Ang laughed and said, "This person is the core figure in his plot to rebel this time."

"Why did he betray King Jing?" Xia Jie was a little puzzled.

"He is also a scholar, and he still has loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness in his heart." Cui Ang said: "This person has studied, of course he understands things, and knows that following these people will not have a future, so naturally he has to plan for himself. This It's a second matter, this person must have done a great job, the first assistant forgives the crime, and I have already promised to find him the head of the military state when the time comes."

"It's just a military state, just give it to him when the time comes!" Xia Jie chuckled, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart. This man has a dark heart. For his own future, he first incited people like Qin Min to go to Beijing, and then planned to start all the way. Rebellion, it can be said that the beginning of the rebellion of these people was initiated by this person.And when the matter had a rough idea, this person would betray these people and use the blood of countless people to achieve his black hat.

The thickness of this person is too unbelievable.

Definitely cannot be reused.

But as the chief assistant, credit still needs to be talked about.

Well, when the time comes to send him to Qianzhou, didn't Li Fang send a letter saying that Xiao Cheng did a very good job in Qianzhou and cleaned up those Jijizhous to death?Quite a few horses in Jimizhou are about to implement land reform, and at that time, there will naturally be many vacancies. If this guy surnamed Zhou is assigned to Xiao Cheng, Xiao Cheng will definitely treat him well.

By the way, there is also this Cui Ang, who will be dispatched after this matter is over.

King Jing has completely collapsed, and King Chu is very likely to take over.This person has long served the King of Chu, and when the time comes, the tide will rise and the boat will rise. With this person's shameless virtue, he will inevitably rely on his merits to be lawless in the future. If he wants to go further and even covet his own position, he has to get him out of Bianliang.

Shaanxi Road is a good location.

Lan Sixin's appeasement envoy on the Shaanxi Road was miserable, because Xiao Ding, the general manager of the Northwest March, didn't take him seriously at all, even Cheng De, the prefect of Yan'an, was more important than Lan Sixin in front of Xiao Ding. Have a face.

For the sake of Lan Sixin's obedience to him, it is better to let him come back to serve as Yushi Zhongcheng or even go further to Dongfu. This Cui Ang, let him go to Shanxi Road to fight Xiao Ding.

It would be strange if Xiao Ding, who was from the Hebei Army, didn't embarrass Cui Ang.

But Cui Ang is not a coward like Lan Sixin, the two must fight wits and courage, and then he, the chief assistant, can profit from it and firmly control the two of them.

"Okay, you have to monitor the progress of this matter carefully and report to me at any time." Xia Jie put down the teacup in his hand: "I'm going to see the official, it's time to let the official know about this matter."

Every year in the winter, Zhao Suo generally nests in the Long Live Palace and does not move his nest. Different from other old palaces, the newly built Long Live Palace has all kinds of facilities and the scenery is even more beautiful. Beautiful, not as oppressive and dull as other palaces.

But this made the courtiers suffer more.

A courtier of Xia Jie's level naturally doesn't matter, because he is qualified to drive straight in in a warm sedan chair, while others can only run between the two mansions and the Long Live Palace against the cold wind on their two legs.

Coming out of the warm sedan chair, walking on the well-swept imperial road, looking at the scenery on both sides of the road, Xia Jie only felt relaxed and happy. The scenery in the Long Live Palace is really not comparable to other places. How much painstaking effort and money it took to transport these strange rockeries, stones, strange trees and strange trees to Bianliang!

The current Long Live Palace is truly unique in this world.

Xia Jie knew that the officials didn't like him.

No emperor would like a strong chief minister who likes to make up his own mind about everything.Zhao Suo is naturally no exception. More than ten years ago, he drove away Xia Jie. I am afraid that he himself would not have imagined that ten years later, he would have to hold his nose and invite this person back to Xuan Ma to pay respects, because now Only this person can control the situation.

Wait until everything is stable, wait until Ma Xing has gained a foothold in Hebei, and then find a way to drive this guy away.

Zhao Suo thought so.

Xia Jie also knew it well.

But he doesn't care, Xiangquan and imperial power have always been fighting endlessly. Ten years ago, he lost badly, but this time it may not be so.

Especially the fact that King Jing is preparing to rebel will inevitably push his power to an unprecedented peak. It will be even more difficult for the officials to drive him away. After all, he doesn't want anything to happen to his own world. Big question.

Walking on the road outside the palace, Xia Jie could even think of a series of reactions from the officials after they heard the news.

The facts were not what he expected.

When Zhao Suo heard the undeniable facts from Xia Jie's mouth, his entire face was distorted and deformed, and he almost jumped up from the soft couch.

He never dreamed that his second son would actually think of fighting him.

"Come here, come here, call King Jing into the palace!" He patted the clapper on the bed angrily.

Xia Jie didn't move. Although the eunuch Quan Gong's face was pale and his body was shaking, he didn't move a bit.

Both of them knew that this was because the officials were confused.

At this moment, if this imperial decree really left the Long Live Palace and went to King Jing's mansion, would King Jing raise his hand obediently and surrender?

In addition to scaring the snake, it will not work.

Sure enough, after a moment of anger, Zhao Suo's true qualities as an emperor returned.

"Can't it be stopped in advance?" He asked in a deep voice.

Xia Jie shook his head: "Officials, old ministers are incompetent, it is too late to know, three days later, it will be the day when King Jing is ready to do something, right now, King Jing can be said to be ready for everything, if we do not deal with it properly, then It’s really all right! Officials, that’s the five thousand frontier army, the frontier army after hundreds of battles, you’ve seen their fighting power before.”

Of course Zhao Suo has seen it before.

That was the first time in his life that he saw what is called flesh and blood flying across the battlefield.

In front of the frontier army under the command of Xiao Ding, he thought that the official of the country, the hero, was vulnerable to a single blow. Ten people could defeat a hundred-man force without any loss.

Now Xia Jie told him that there were more than [-] such frontier soldiers, who were preparing to launch a military response under the command of his second son, intending to overthrow his official throne.

"Where is Zhang Chao?"

"Zhang Taiwei is still on Jingji Road. It is impossible to expect him to return to Beijing quickly. We can only send a message to let him rush back to Beijing to suppress the rebellion. But officials, this requires us to withstand King Jing's attack in the first place. , If His Royal Highness King Jing is allowed." Xia Jie glanced at Zhao Suo, and then said: "If His Highness King Jing coerces you, even if the Taiwei Zhang comes back with thousands of horses, it will be useless."

"Chen Gui, Li Guang, Luo Song, Cui Ang, by the way, and Xiao Yu"

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, none of these people participated in King Jing's conspiracy." Xia Jie said: "For the sake of confidentiality, King Jing only participated in this matter under his former command. I didn’t find out the reason until now.”

"Call Chen Gui into the palace!" Zhao Suo gritted his teeth and looked at the eunuch Quan Gong beside him.

(End of this chapter)