Qingchuan History

Chapter 792
As judged by Ruan Xueyin, of the 47 scholars recruited by Wei Ting, only three stayed in Cangwu, and the remaining 44 were all sent to various cities and counties in a relatively balanced number.

At the same time, Qi Guo’s autumn hunt was over, and near the end of October, King Ning and Shangguan Yan were ordered to go to Hezhou to improve the salt administration.

"The Xiao family lives in Hezhou. If necessary, we need help this time. Xiao Qing writes a letter to the family and goes back with a few instructions." This morning, Gu Xinglang was in no hurry to leave. Ask Diyan to call Xiao Zihuai back.

"Yes. Since you have the order of the emperor, I will write to Hezhou today."

The main hall is deep and wide, and it was repaired after the explosion. At first glance, the layout is still the same as before, but it is inexplicably empty—whether the walls have become thinner, the caisson has become higher, or the decorations have become less. Xiao Zihuai couldn't tell for a while. The fluster that the officials could not feel when they were in the same row, at this moment, strongly attacked him alone.

Gu Xinglang moved his fingers back and forth between the deep and shallow carvings on the armrest of the dragon chair, very slowly, "Without the emperor's order, Xiao Qing will not write? I thought it was appropriate for Qing to be mature. I heard the order when I was in Xiling, and I will soon write it. Inform the clansmen. Although Prince Ning’s Mansion is also in Hezhou for a long time, it is not as old as Xiao’s after all.”

He said these few words with an audible smile, but Xiao Zihuai's palms were sweaty.

"Returning to your lord, salt is a big government. I hope that the family can share the worries of King Ning and the salt and iron envoys in the local area. However, the duty instruction given to each family on the Tianchang Festival last year has lingering around until now. For the sake of duty, Ministers dare not do whatever they want, and discuss state affairs in family letters."

"Duty." Gu Xinglang repeated and nodded, even though the people in the lower ranks lowered their heads and couldn't see it at all, "In the past, Xiao Ben poured water under the gate of Yunshui City, causing rebellious troops to enter the capital, the queen mother was killed, and the Duan family's state was almost destroyed. Falling dead, I thought the Xiao family didn't listen to the word duty."

Almost a year has passed.

As the dust settled and the king of faith was executed, all those who participated in the "disobedience to the emperor's order" overtly and secretly during that period felt that something had happened, and they would live the rest of their lives after the catastrophe.

Unexpectedly, the lord will bring up the old matter again after nearly a year, under such unprepared circumstances.

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Zihuai knelt suddenly.

Gu Xinglang waved.

Xiao Zihuai was slightly stunned, and walked forward with square knees until he reached the bottom of the jade steps.

"Xiao Ben was careful enough. When he received the note, he hid it in his coat and never threw it away. I asked him to ask for it after I arrived in Yunshui, and I kept it until now."

"Your Majesty, I am definitely not a subject—"

"I know it's not you. If so, he wouldn't keep that note to entrap his uncle. Believe in the king, I asked for it to leave evidence of his treason, but later, it is no longer needed."

"Your Majesty is holy!"

"Knowing that the night of the palace change, why did the ministers leave you alone in the palace with King Yong and Shangguanyan?"【1】

"I don't know." Xiao Zihuai blurted out, then felt something was wrong, and said again: "Now I know, it's because of that note. Xiao Ben is a nephew of a courtier, so your lord has so many doubts."

Gu Xinglang stood up.

Go down the jade steps step by step.

Finally, he squatted down in front of Xiao Zihuai.

He also acted in the same way when he questioned Wen's family and hijacked the family at the Tianchang Festival night banquet.

A sense of oppression came from all directions, filling the clean and solemn hall.

"That night when I sneaked back to Jidu, I appeared in Zheng'anmen and asked you all to retreat. It was you who took the lead in agreeing."【2】

"Yes."

Xiao Zihuai actually couldn't remember.That night, the emperor suddenly returned and confronted King Xin in front of the Mingluan Hall. Everyone's attention was on the two brothers who were about to fight for life and death.

In such a situation, no one would care who took the lead in accepting the emperor's order among the officials.

But of course there is one person who, no matter how complicated the situation is and may be attacked by enemies, can still keep his eyes and ears open and take every detail into his mind.

He has always known the ability of this emperor.

"If I don't come back in the end, or if I come back with a corpse, it will be you who will take the lead in supporting King Xin."

"Chen, of course not!"

"Princess Jiayi was still in the womb of the queen at that time, and it was still a few days before she gave birth. It was unknown whether she would have an heir. But believing that the king is the eldest, and the name is justified, why not? If you don't support him, the person in Xiao Qing's heart will be Who is it again?"

Xiao Zihuai was awakened by this hurricane-like rhetorical question, and Fang realized that in order to express his loyalty at the fastest speed, he discarded the original logic of the matter when he blurted out his answer.

"Returning to the emperor, I dare not make mistakes in the ownership of the throne. If it is true, I will follow the decision of the clan, Xiangguo, and general."

Gu Xinglang laughed, stepped back and sat on the first jade steps.

"Do you know where the gunpowder in Mingluan Hall is buried?"

"I don't know."

Naturally, it can be identified through the traces after the event, but those who know are subject to the emperor's order and did not speak out.

Gu Xinglang pointed to the top of his head, "in the compartment of the algae well." Then he pointed to the side, "inside the wall." Finally, he turned around and looked up, "and under that chair, with a radius of five feet."

That night, the remains of King Xin appeared on the dragon chair.

He finally sat down.

"This kind of large-scale manipulation can only be done during construction, and it is impossible to make troubles later. The Qi Palace was the most famous master in the country at that time. At that time, someone hid the gunpowder in the palace and left a very delicate detonating mechanism."

After the explosion, the temple was destroyed, and what and where that machine was, became a mystery all at once.

"Among the masters, the famous Xiao Cai is the ancestor Xiao Qing?"

The Xiao family started out as a masonry worker. They were originally from a poor family. Several generations moved to Qingchuan to build houses for others. In the third generation, Xiao Cai, a master, became famous.The prosperity of the Xiao family began at that time.

Therefore, unlike Wen and Tan, the "Old Ministers of the Great Yan", the Xiao family is the real Qi ministers, supported by the Taizu, and after a hundred years of reproduction, they finally became a family.

Ji and Chai were also supported by the Taizu, but the lintels of these two families were not low, so among the aristocratic families, in terms of origin and foundation, the Xiao family was weak.

Xiao Zihuai has been a censor for many years, and he is calm, kind, and astute.

But in the end, he was dazed by the lord's repeated questioning, and could only answer truthfully: "Yes. Taizu Longen, Xiao Shi will never forget."

"Taizu discussed the layout with master craftsmen, kissed the drawing paper, and then one craftsman took charge of one area, leading thousands of people to rush to work day and night, and finally completed the complex and exquisite Qi Palace. It stands to reason that every craftsman has meritorious service, and only the most prosperous The Xiao family. Why?"

It was Qi Taizu who made the Xiao family prosperous.

The person who is questioning at this moment is the great-grandson of Taizu, the current Qi Jun.

So no matter how you listen to it, these words seem to be asked knowingly.

But Gu Xinglang really didn't know.

It was the bombing of the Mingluan Temple, the idea of ​​​​the family's deep thinking, and Xiao's being taken into consideration because of the Battle of Baibai, and the other party began to trace back from family to family, trying to obtain the spider silk that had been woven into a web.

Then he discovered that the masters who participated in the design and construction of the Qi Palace back then, except for the Xiao family who gradually became a family, all disappeared - at least half a year of investigation, and no descendants were found.

Apparently Xiao Zihuai also felt that the lord asked the question knowingly.The atmosphere in the hall became more and more oppressive, and he kept his voice down, not daring to make a mistake: "Because the ancestors knew better than other craftsmen the art of geomancy, after all, Taizu went to great lengths to rebuild the palace, one for the new dynasty and the other for suppressing Jizhao Pavilion. "

Gu Xinglang raised his eyebrows. "continue."

"The Jizhao Pavilion is the most important place in the Yan Palace. It hides the dragon spirit of the Yuwen clan deeply. Because the Heluo map is stored, it cannot be tampered with. Taizu is the king of the new dynasty. Although the real dragon spirit is added to him, he really cares about it. The layout of the entire imperial palace is to suppress the remaining turbidity."

In Gu Xinglang's view, Taizu's move is not so much to suppress the "turbidity" in Jizhao Pavilion, but to calm the uneasiness in his heart-after all, he rebelled, and after all, he was a minister of Yan. He killed the king and slaughtered Yu Wenquan. family.

Of course, such a secret feeling can't be shared with future generations, so I don't know it, and I don't think my father knows it, but it is passed down from generation to generation by foreigners like the Xiao family.

"What about the gunpowder? Don't tell me that Taizu asked Xiao Cai to place it," he chuckled, "to suppress the turbidity of the previous dynasty."

The heavy oppression continued to push towards the two monarchs and ministers in the center of the hall, until the outside world changed, and the clouds piled up, as if heavy rain was coming.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I really don't—"

"Xiao Zihuai."

Gu Xinglang's voice was as deep as water, and his tone was still calm. The man in his [-]s who was called by his honorable name recognized his voice very well. It was a warning and an ultimatum.

"Xiao Ben violated the military orders in Yunshui and caused great chaos in the Bai Kingdom. This is the first crime; the Xiao family got involved in the salt administration in Hezhou and traded with the Dongling Lan family of Wei State for many years. This is the second crime."

"My lord—"

"Don't rush to argue. After the Shangguan banquet came back and reported, I sent King Ning back to Hezhou for a review. Your family is not wronged."

The two princes were pardoned on the Tianchang Festival and returned to their respective cities. In September, they went to Jidu again for the grand ceremony of conferring queen. After such a toss, there really was a mission.

"Actually, one of the big clans is taking some oil and water. As long as they don't go too far like the Wen family and don't collude with the clan, I can accommodate them. After all, the great order in this world is also due to your credit."

"The courtiers are guilty, and dare not take credit for it!" Xiao Zihuai fell deeply, his voice already mournful.

"These two charges can be set off. Now you tell me," Gu Xinglang leaned forward, "there is gunpowder in the Mingluan Palace, is it the Xin Wang you told me about. The truth is worth the felony."

The heavy rain poured down, crackling loudly on the white marble steps outside the hall.

"Returning to your majesty," he paused for a while, "yes."

"How do you know?"

"It's Uncle Chen, tell me."

Xiao Zihuai's uncle is the current Patriarch of the Xiao family. He is over [-] years old and has lived in Hezhou for a long time.

"Can I tell you why?"

Xiao Zihuai shook his head on the ground. "Don't dare to deceive Your Majesty!"

"So the gunpowder was indeed placed in the Mingluan Hall by Xiao Caizang nearly a hundred years ago."

Whatever the reason, it is a capital offense.

Xiao Zihuai's forehead touched and he was speechless.

"What about the theory of the public world. Did your uncle mention it?"

Xiao Zihuai raised his head slowly, somewhat at a loss, "Your Majesty is asking—"

Gu Xinglang looked at the other person's face for a while, and then looked into the other person's eyes. "Let's go back home. Let your uncle come to Jidu. Come quietly, don't tell anyone, otherwise the charges just mentioned will be convicted in an instant. The banquet between King Ning and Shangguan will be in Hezhou."

【1】【2】725 Jiangshan beauty
(End of this chapter)