first minister

The rise of Xia Jingyun, the Marquis of Jianning, was so rapid and legendary, as bright as a shooting star, and it seems to be as long-lasting as the rising sun, that his experiences are now dug up by good people to repeatedly nag, speculate, and Even learning.

In these experiences, the names that accompany them are naturally indispensable.

For example, Jin Jiancheng who led his troops to follow Concubine De to Sishui Prefecture, Bai Yunbian and Su Yuanshang whom he met by chance in Yunmeng Prefecture, Mr. Qin and Mr. Qian who fought with him in the capital, and everyone in the Cao Gang who met in Longshou Prefecture. , Chen Fugui, who was guarding him all the way, etc.

One of the things that cannot be avoided is Xu Dapeng's name.

This person, who met Xia Jingyun at a young age and came from Sishui together, eventually became Xia Jingyun's most loyal supporter and was himself a member of the Hanlin Academy. In the eyes of many people in Beijing, he was a person who should not be messed with easily.

However, in the eyes of this group of Imperial College students who use students to discuss politics and the court ignores them, who are ready to fight for the bosses or families behind them, Xu Dapeng is nothing!

Not only were they not afraid of him, they even regretted why they only brought out one Xu Dapeng. It would have been great if someone of Xing Shigu, Su Yuanshang or even Li Tianfeng's level had come, and things could have escalated in an instant.

"Who do I think it is? It turns out to be Xu Hanlin who stayed in the Hanlin Academy because of the love of the Marquis of Huai'an!"

"Hey! Xu Hanlin, I don't know if you feel it's a pity now. The Marquis of Huai'an has courage, but he encountered such a great opportunity. Now he not only worships Yu Shi Zhongcheng, but also becomes a Marquis based on military merit. But what about you? Since I thought I was getting an advantage, but in the end I was still a little Hanlin!"

"What's the pity? The Marquis of Huai'an is so talented. Even if our Xu Hanlin goes to Longshou Prefecture, he might still be a small county magistrate! Haha!"

As the saying goes, you don't slap someone in the face when you hit someone, and you don't expose someone's shortcomings when you scold someone. When these Imperial College students spoke like this, they were obviously breaking their feelings and offending Xu Dapeng to death.

In the past, Xu Dapeng would have been ashamed or even angry about this, but now, after experiencing the ups and downs of life, witnessing the ups and downs of the general trend, and establishing good friendships with Zeng Jimin, Li Zhiyi and others, and often communicating and discussing together, he My mentality has become much calmer.

Hearing this, he just chuckled, "It turns out that the so-called outstanding students of the Imperial College are actually a group of scoundrels who don't understand the righteousness of their family and country. They only care about fame and power, judge their status by official position, and judge success or failure by power. They are just mean people. , Fortunately, I did not come to the Imperial College to study, otherwise I would be like you, and I would be ashamed of the sage books I have read."

"You" the expressions of those students changed slightly, and they were so shocked that they didn't know what to say.

Xu Dapeng's words were stupid and simple. Who doesn't pursue fame, wealth, power and status, but in a place like the Imperial College where clean streams gather, you really can't say this openly. If you say it, you will be despised and looked down upon.

"What kind of nonsense is Xu Hanlin talking about? Aren't we just discussing state affairs? Why don't we understand the justice of our family and country? Or in Xu Hanlin's heart, as long as he says something against Marquis Jianning, it doesn't count?"

These people were not idiots. Someone immediately spoke and brought the topic back.

And his companion also stepped up his game at the right time, snorting coldly: "Yes, maybe in the eyes of our Xu Hanlin, the country and the court are equal to Marquis Jianning. Anyone who doesn't say good things about Marquis Jianning is not worthy of discussing state affairs."

Xu Dapeng still had a sarcastic look on his face when he heard this, "Okay, since you stick your faces out, I'm sorry for your cooperation if I don't slap you twice. You keep saying that Marquis Jianning is guilty of a heinous crime. I just want to ask, what did he do?" What went wrong? Why is it such a heinous crime?"

"Does this need to be said? When Yuyan Prefecture was under the control of Beiliang, Marquis Jianning only had to reach an agreement with the Beiliang people to exchange Phoenix City and Lieyang Pass for Yuyan Prefecture. Then Yuyan Prefecture could be taken back without any bloodshed. But now. , the peace negotiation failed, Dongfang Ping got rid of the control of the Beiliang people and grew stronger day by day. Now it has invaded our territory and slaughtered our people, becoming a serious threat and there is no possibility of easy recovery. Isn't the consequence of this kind Marquis Jianning Is it because of the delay for more than half a month because of greed for merit?"

This statement was also their excuse to criticize Xia Jingyun. They had said it countless times and now they spoke it without thinking.

These words also attracted many Imperial Academy students to nod in agreement. After all, before going there, everyone felt that the return of Swift State was a certainty, but now that it has been turned into this, he must be in charge of this matter. Marquis Jianning did not get things done.

"Bah!" Xu Dapeng sighed mercilessly when he heard this, "A closed-door scholar, he really doesn't understand anything about military affairs!"

After saying that, he stretched out his hand and pressed it again, "Don't get excited, I'm just scolding myself in the past."

There was a sarcastic smile on his lips, "In the past, I only knew how to study, but I thought that the world's affairs were just like this. Wanhuhou couldn't just do it with open hands. But now, I know, the world's major affairs, that is There are people who have some tricks of the trade. You said that Marquis Jianning ruined a big thing and ruined the court's plan. Then you didn't think about it. You all knew that the people of Beiliang were going to sell Dongfang Ping and put Yuyanzhou in the Imperial College. Return it to us, is he Dongfang Ping a fool? Just sit back and wait for death?"

"Dongfang Ping has been in charge of the Eastern Front Army for many years. How can he be an ordinary person? He was able to kill the generals sent by Beiliang and recruit the Harrier Eagle Cavalry from Beiliang in such a short period of time. Do you still think that he did not have any prior experience? The arrangement? I really thought that we had negotiated with Beiliang at Lieyang Pass, Dongfang Ping would lose his head, and Yuyanzhou would come back. What kind of stupid dream are you having?"

"Furthermore, do you really think that Beiliang, which has been at odds with me for so many years, is so obedient? We asked them to change it, and they agreed, and then they did it honestly? Don't say that Beiliang is an enemy country and is a tiger and a wolf. The fierce beast, even the girl you spend money to find in a brothel cannot do whatever you say! If it were really that easy, why would there be any negotiation? Just let you losers go there and stamp it! Do you have that ability?"

"What's more, since you dare to jump out and talk about national affairs, you don't know that the emperor of Beiliang has been replaced, right? How did Marquis Jianning know about such things? How can he predict such things? "

"I admire Marquis Jianning, but I won't blindly defend all his actions. For example, I don't agree with his double marriage, because I don't."

Xu Dapeng's words made many people laugh subconsciously, and then they heard his voice deepen, "But now, Marquis Jianning has only been married for a few days, and he braved the snow and went north to work hard to build the country, but he has to be slandered by you guys, The key is that you haven’t got the point of your scolding, so I feel wronged for him and embarrassed for you!”

"Before coming here, I thought about why you are like this. The only explanation is that either you are really stupid, or you are just holding back your bad intentions and want to slander or embarrass Marquis Jianning for some ulterior purpose in order to fulfill his wish. There are some ulterior motives behind you!"

A barrage of speeches made all the Imperial College students, who had been impassioned before, confused.

Many people who were originally silent also nodded slightly, "Yes, that's the truth. It is indeed unjustifiable to blame Marquis Jianning for this matter."

"Isn't that right? The situation in Yuyan Prefecture is so complicated. Since Dongfang Ping has raised troops to rebel, how can he kill them at the slightest provocation?"

"Who would have imagined that Emperor Liang was killed? I think Marquis Jianning is already very worried. We should be more understanding and tolerant towards him."

"Marquis Jianning married two beautiful wives who were as beautiful as flowers. He didn't even have time to be gentle before he went on a long journey for the country. We are still here to slander him like this, but it is a bit unjustifiable."

Seeing that the limelight was about to be turned back by Xu Dapeng with just a few words, whether it was because of the instructions of some big shots behind the scenes or because they had to do this for the benefit of the family, naturally the students could not sit still and wait for death.

"Haha! Xu Hanlin is worthy of being a high-ranking person in the Hanlin Academy. His eloquence is really impressive!"

A student snorted coldly: "Since you want to talk about the way the imperial court operates and the way things develop, then let me ask you, is it true that the situation in Yuyan Prefecture has worsened? Many counties in Langya Prefecture were robbed, and countless Is it true that the people were killed and injured? Does anyone need to be responsible for these things? If someone needs to be responsible for this, in addition to being the central minister responsible for peace negotiations with Beiliang and taking back the Marquis of Jianning in Yuyan Prefecture, in addition to being ordered to be the governor Who else can be among the military leaders of Langya Prefecture, the Marquis Xing'an?"

He looked around, "Is this the consistent approach of the imperial court? Is it a principle that we all agree on? For Marquis Jianning and Marquis Xing'an, merit is their ability, and mistakes are the rest? Of course we agree with Jianning You have the heart to work hard for the country, but how many officials of the country do not serve the country wholeheartedly? But if they make mistakes or have problems, do they have to take the blame and resign, or apologize? Is it possible that these four words cannot be used to serve the country wholeheartedly? Can this be used as an excuse for all incompetence?”

His words were so impassioned that they even attracted several cheers from ignorant students and onlookers.

It has to be said that this person does have some abilities. These few words hit home, because the current situation is indeed not good, and the facts are obvious. As the directly responsible persons, Xia Jingyun and Logically speaking, there is indeed a responsibility.

Even if Xu Dapeng and others wanted to defend Xia Jingyun and Xia Yunfei, they could not get around this objective fact.

Therefore, Xu Dapeng, who was very eloquent, also frowned slightly. Fortunately, he soon found the loophole in the other party's words and retorted: "What you said is nothing more than the rebellion of the Yuyan Prefecture separatist regime. Now it has become stronger and is intruding on our territory. People, but now that the situation is undecided, how do you know that Marquis Jianning has no follow-up plan and Marquis Xing'an has no strategy to stop it?"

"Hmph!" Seeing Xu Dapeng's pale retort with no offensive power, the other party immediately became more energetic, "What's the next step? Does Marquis Jianning really have a way to make the situation deteriorate to this point? Does Marquis Xing'an really have a way to make Yuyan The state rebel army is so raging? We all recognize the wisdom of Marquis Jianning and the courage of Marquis Xing'an, but on this matter, they just didn't do enough, they were incompetent! They should take responsibility for this!"

At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps going up the stairs, and a middle-aged man walked up to Xu Dapeng in front of everyone and said a few words in his ear.

Xu Dapeng's expression changed slightly, then returned to normal, and nodded slightly, "Okay, I understand."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the aggressive opponent on the other side and said, "What did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly. Say it again?"

The student was inexplicably panicked when he saw this, but he forced himself to calm down and said, "We all agree with the wisdom of Marquis Jianning and the courage of Marquis Xing'an, but on this matter, they just didn't do enough or were incompetent! They should be held accountable. responsibility!"

Xu Dapeng smiled softly, "Since you recognize the wisdom of Marquis Jianning and the courage of Marquis Xing'an, why do you believe that they are incompetent? Why don't you believe that they can handle things well?"

"Because the facts are right in front of us! Because the blood of the people in several counties in Langya Prefecture has not yet dried up!"

"The words are full of malicious speculation and ill-intentioned incitement, and they ignore the truth. If you say that there is nothing shameful in your heart, who will believe it!"

"Xu Dapeng! We are just discussing the matter! Don't you dare throw dirty water on us here!"

"Discuss the matter?" Xu Dapeng's voice trembled, "Okay! I'll give you a matter-of-fact discussion!"

He scanned the crowd, "Just now, news came from Langya Prefecture. Xing'an Hou led his troops north to contain the main force of the rebels in Fanyang County. They fought two bloody battles. Then King Jing made a surprise attack and defeated the main force of the rebels. They won two battles. Dongfang Ping only escaped with his own life, but he will be captured soon, and the recovery of the entire Yuyan Prefecture is in sight!"

In a state of astonishment, he looked coldly at the students who were mainly causing trouble, "Now, please tell me, who is incompetent and who should be responsible?"

Xu Dapeng took a step forward and shouted in a deep voice, "Our important ministers and brave generals are working hard and planning hard, and the soldiers on the front line are fighting bloody battles and serving the country bravely. People like you, start pouring dirty water on the heroes at the slightest trouble. It seems that I can't wait for a moment, and I can't wait to demote them and dust them off. Are you doing it for me in the summer, or do you just don't want Marquis Jianning and the others to do well! What are your intentions! Tell me!"

Bang!

The young student who had been so aggressive before fell down on his chair, his pale face full of fear.

What followed was the turbulent rebuttal of the silent majority after they finally found an opportunity to fight back.

"Indeed, I felt a little strange before. It is clear that the imperial court was only temporarily frustrated, and it was not even a setback. Yet you mobilized a large number of people to accuse Marquis Jianning of being wrong. Do you really have other ideas?"

"It is said that if a tree is as beautiful as the forest wind, it will be destroyed by the wind. Marquis Jianning is already a towering tree. Is it your turn to destroy it with a few saplings like you?"

"I still believe in Marquis Jianning! Marquis Jianning is mighty! Prince Jing is mighty! Marquis Xing'an is mighty! Whoever dares to speak out against them in front of me in the future will be my fault!"

"What are the intentions of you people in slandering Marquis Jianning and Marquis Xing'an in such a hurry and clumsily?"

Listening to this fierce retort, Xu Dapeng smiled slightly, turned around and walked out of the restaurant with a few companions.

Leaving with them were two inconspicuous idlers.

The two idle men left the restaurant and came to a carriage parked at the entrance of an alley not far away, handing over a list.

A nice voice came from the carriage, "Do those people remember clearly?"     "Remember clearly."

"Isn't there any omission?"

"No."

"Thank you for your hard work. Go ahead and get busy."

"Yes."

The carriage moved slowly forward to the Black Ice Platform, and then the list was handed over to a principal.

"Check out the connections behind these people and don't alert others."

"Yes!"

Xu Dapeng left the restaurant and did not go back directly. Instead, he said goodbye to everyone and entered Jingzhao Mansion.

Not long after, I saw Jingzhao Yin Su Yuanshang in a room.

This capable minister who now manages the government affairs and public security of the entire Gyeonggi region in an orderly manner and has won praise from all parties, now looked at Xu Dapeng with a smile, "Boyi's trip, I think everything must have gone smoothly."

"This matter is not only an assignment from my lord, but also the responsibility of my friends. I must not let it down." Xu Dapeng bowed his hands and said with humility, and then said with a smile: "Now that Lord Bai is not here, even though the subordinates are not talented, they still have to shoulder this responsibility."

Su Yuanshang has been following Xia Jingyun for a year, and his temperament has become younger and kinder. He laughed and said, "I think you are also suitable for development in Yushitai!"

Xu Dapeng chuckled, "I can serve the country and show what I have learned, no matter where I am."

Yan Songwen did not go to the Yamen today. He sat in his house and played chess with his staff.

"Proprietor, everything has been arranged at the Imperial College."

Yan Songwen responded lightly.

The staff member who wanted to take credit was a little surprised and a little nervous, and couldn't help but ask: "Does the proprietor think this can't be done?"

Yan Songwen played with a jade chess piece and hummed, "It's amazing how successful it can be."

The staff was confused. Why did you ask me to work so hard and secretly to do all this?

Yan Songwen glanced at him, as if he could see through his mind, "Just because it can't succeed doesn't mean it's useless. As long as it can create a trend and damage their prestige, that's good. After all, since the new emperor ascended the throne, he and his Those people around are too popular. If you let the wind out at the right time, let people know that there are still opponents in the court, and those secretly people will join in on their own."

He dropped the chess piece casually, "As long as the momentum rises, some people will blindly follow him. Even if they are suppressed by the Queen Mother and Her Majesty, they will continue to stand against him in their hearts, because they will want to prove that they were right. These are also things that will benefit us and can be used in the future.”

The staff avoided the table and stood up, looking impressed.

Yan Songwen waved his hand and said earnestly: "When doing things, you have to take a long-term view. Don't think about becoming a big fat man in one bite. Take your time, the days are still long!"

"The proprietor still sees clearly. Even if they see through this move, they won't be able to prevent it. We will definitely win!"

"It's not like we can be so arbitrary." Yan Songwen said softly: "If they turn around and take back Swift State, the things we have done will be self-defeating and become a joke."

He looked at the staff's frozen expressions and smiled lightly, "But do you think it's possible?"

Only then did a smile appear on the staff's face, "That's naturally impossible. If they had that ability, they wouldn't be in this situation."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, "Master! The central center is sending a message."

Yan Songwen frowned slightly. He was on vacation today and wouldn't bother him with anything else, but what big thing could happen now?

"Come in."

The concierge came in a hurry, "Sir, the central government has just sent someone to receive the message from Fei Ge from Langya Prefecture. His Highness Prince Jing and the Marquis of Xing'an have joined forces to defeat the main force of the Yuyan rebels. Dongfang Ping only escaped with a few people temporarily. The overall situation in Yuyan Prefecture is over." Certainly!"

The expression on Yan Songwen's face suddenly froze, and the trace of calmness completely disappeared.

The concierge waited anxiously for a response, but the room fell into a dead silence.

In this awkward and penetrating silence, snap! There was a crisp sound.

The staff member slapped him in the face, "Proprietor, this is not a dream, this is a great event!"

Yan Songwen also suddenly recovered from the shock and smiled against his will, "Okay, okay! It's really great!"
-

In Duke Lu's Mansion, two old men walked slowly and sat down at a waterside pavilion. The servants around them were like clouds and clouds. After arranging everything, they retreated, leaving a private space to these two noble men. And a wise old man.

"It's good to have money! Today is really an eye-opener."

Mr. Su looked at the spring water in front of him and the green willows and pink flowers on the other side with emotion on his face.

But given his status, such words were obviously somewhat sarcastic.

Patriarch Qin was neither happy nor angry, "If you like, come here often. I'll make sure you open your eyes every day."

Mr. Su turned his head and snorted, "You invited me here just to quarrel?"

"What? Just because you're so angry, you won't allow me to talk back?"

Mr. Su was silent for a moment after hearing this. Now that their granddaughter is married to the same person, the two juniors get along very well. Even for the sake of their happiness for the rest of their lives, the two old men have no reason to confront each other.

"What do you want to say?"

Patriarch Qin slowly said: "What do you think about this? I have heard a lot of rumors, and there are big companies in every state involved, including your Yunmeng State."

"What about my Yunmengzhou?" Mr. Su almost wanted to fight back again, but he endured it and said calmly: "It's not a big problem. The Queen Mother summoned the two of them to the palace to appease her. In addition, Gao Yang and the Queen Mother Your Majesty’s feelings, such a trivial matter, what does it mean?”

Patriarch Qin snorted, "You don't have to come if you don't tell the truth."

Mr. Su's first reaction was to get up and leave, but then he calmed down. From the perspective of Mr. Qin, with his wisdom, it is impossible not to know the purpose of today's invitation. Since he is here, there is really no need to carry it. .

"The current situation is nothing more than fueling the flames by some people in the DPRK and China who want to fight for power. Some aristocratic families who feel that their interests have been violated are being bewitched and charge into battle. The core of the matter is the power struggle between the DPRK and China and local reforms, but the key to breaking the situation is It still comes down to the situation in Swift State. The current situation is not that bad, so the problem is really not big."

After listening to Mr. Su's words of truth, Mr. Qin slowly spoke, "On the Beiliang side, if we start from Yelvshi's point of view, it will not be difficult for Yuyan Prefecture to contain the attack from both sides with the imperial court."

"Who knows, now that the peace agreement has been concluded, Gao Yang has still not returned. He probably has other plans. We should always believe him."

"It's natural to believe. The reason why I invited you here today is to sum up. Can we two old guys do anything for him? We are all a family. We can't watch the junior working there alone. .”

Mr. Su thought for a while, and just as he was about to speak, a voice sounded respectfully from outside the waterside pavilion behind him, "Sir, there is an urgent report from Yuyan Prefecture."

Patriarch Qin raised his eyebrows and said, "Bring it here!"

When he took it and took a look, his expression changed slightly and he silently handed it to Mr. Su.

After reading it, Mr. Su put down the letter and sighed after a long time: "After all, I still underestimated these young people!"

The wrinkles on the face of the old Patriarch Qin were also full of emotion, and he smiled bitterly, "You are really old!"

On the Black Ice Terrace, Mr. Zhao looked at the information in his hands and looked at Rouge beside him, "This husband of yours is really amazing!"

Rouge's pretty face blushed slightly, and she smiled proudly and shyly.

"However, the final problem now is Dongfang Ping. If he is caught, the overall situation of Yuyan State can be decided. If he is not caught, and the tiger returns to the mountain, there will probably be a lot of chaos in the future."

He looked worriedly to the northeast of Zhongjing City.

Following his gaze, to the northeast of the cities and rivers, there was a dense forest and mountains.

There is residual snow, dense forests, steep mountain walls, rugged mountain roads, and people running and chasing them.

The people in front are running away desperately, and the people behind are chasing relentlessly.

What you are escaping is your life, but your unwilling dream;

What we pursue is merit and a peaceful future. (End of chapter)