[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 230 [English]

Chapter 222 Cheating (Part 1)

The horses’ hooves stirred up the mud and stopped at the city gate.

Qi Zhuyin hung a cloak on his arms, carrying the gloomy sky on his back, looking at the towering city walls of Qandu.It was still dark at this moment. When the young generals of the Eighth Battalion stationed on the city wall saw Qidong’s military flag, they immediately shouted in a long voice: “Open the door and welcome the commander-in-chief!”

Several city soldiers shouted slogans and pulled the door open, the machine made a muffled sound, and the mottled city gate slowly rose.The eight battalions of soldiers inside the city gate stood solemnly on both sides, saluting Qi Zhuyin with his sword at the door.

Qi Zhuyin raised his arms, and the Qidong cavalry behind him retreated neatly, leaving a considerable distance between them.She shook the reins, and the carriage with Hua Xiangyi stepped onto the official road of Qudu.

The soldiers on both sides stood solemnly, not squinting.

Qi Zhuyin is wearing court clothes today. Although she has not been ennobled, she is qualified to wear the court clothes of a marquis because of the Queen Mother’s kiss.The imperial robe is made of crimson as the base, and the embroidery on the embroidery is a white color that transcends rank.The beam crown worn by men was removed from his hair, and he wore five beads, which swayed in the air as the horse moved.

In front of the official road were the court officials greeting them, and beside them stood Han Cheng, the commander of the royal guards, and Fuman, the eunuch.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Qi Zhuyin was invited into the palace.

The streets were clear, no one was making any noise, and all the houses were so quiet that only the chirping of a solitary bird could be heard.Han Cheng got on his horse and stood beside Qi Zhuyin, smiling and saying: “The border county is victorious. The commander-in-chief has worked hard and achieved great results. This time he enters the capital, and there will be a reward from heaven.”

Although these words were spoken warmly, they were based on Qi Zhuyin’s pain point. She had not been awarded a title or title despite her several meritorious services. Now that Libei was rebelling, Qi Zhuyin and the Qidong garrison were rising and became the Empress Dowager’s support outside the country.She took the opportunity to remove the eunuchs who were overseeing the army and became a thorn in the southeast who could threaten Qudu into giving in. This had already made the Queen Mother dissatisfied.At this moment, the war in Biansha was happening, and the title was the chain that the Queen Mother used to check and balance Qi Zhuyin. The matter of conferring a title on Qi Zhuyin was far away.

Qi Zhuyin didn’t deal with Han Cheng, and had been unhappy several times before. Now she was pretending to be in love with Han Cheng, saying: “I’ll use my command to make good news.”

The two people circled on the horse, and when they arrived at the palace gate, Fuman, who had been following him all the way, quickly got off the horse and came to take Qi Zhuyin’s reins himself.Dongchang fell into decline after the death of Emperor Tianchen. The twenty-four yamen no longer had a great eunuch who could call the shots like Pan Rugui, and Fuman was a man with his tail between his legs.

Qi Zhuyin did not like the eunuchs, and Shuangxi, who was sent by the imperial court to supervise the army, is still in a cell in Cangjun.In order not to displease Qi Zhuyin, Fuman dressed up specially. He wore a gourd-view patch, a coral pin on his head, a hijab on the outside, and black boots on his feet. He only dared to stay simple.

Fuman bent down and took the reins to Qi Zhuyin, with a smile on his face: “This is our great horse, and I will ensure that I feed it well for you.”

Qi Zhuyin nodded, looked back at the carriage, and stood in front waiting for Hua Xiangyi.

Han Cheng threw the riding crop to the eunuch beside him, snorted at the sound, pointed at Fuman and said with a smile, “You old villain, you will be rewarded immediately when you see the commander, so shoot him hard.”

Fuman understood Han Cheng’s nature and immediately said: “Commander, this is a shameful servant!” He slumped closer and flattered Han Cheng, “Servants always rely on the commander. Look, when will you be able to fulfill your wish?”

“You are the same age as me and you call me grandpa,” Han Cheng said. “I feel ashamed even if I say it.”

Your mother!

Fu Man was full of slander, this guy was messing around with Joe all day long, and he was so embarrassed when he said it, but when he was calling someone, wasn’t he just acting like a grandson’s messenger?God is wise and did not ask he to give birth to a son. It is really a joy.

Fuman stroked his chest and said with a smile: “When the ancestors were still here, slaves were sons. According to seniority, can I not call you grandpa?”

Han Cheng despised these eunuchs who made jokes, but he was happy to treat them like dogs.The eunuchs were all ancestors in the late Yongyi years. At that time, Pan Rugui led the Dongchang and suppressed the Jinyiwei. Han Cheng was not the commander yet. Seeing Ji Lei envious of Pan Rugui as his father, now the situation has changed. Seeing Fuman bowing in front of him, he felt naturally happy.

Fuman went to the Neishu Hall and became literate. During the reign of Emperor Tianchen, he joined forces with Xiao Chiye and became the Superintendent of Ceremonies.Later, Emperor Tianchen was assassinated by Mu Ru, who immediately switched sides, followed Han Cheng’s command, and summoned Xiao Chiye into the palace with an imperial edict. Han Cheng therefore framed Xiao Chiye for regicide.For this credit, Han Cheng was willing to continue to let him take care of the important affairs of the internal dynasty. Anyway, if the situation went down, Fuman would be able to become an ancestor if he had to endure more qualifications.

Han Cheng saw that Hua Xiangyi had not come down yet, so he asked Fuman casually: “How is the prince doing lately?”

Han Cheng missed a move in the prison chess and did not kill Li Jianting, which invalidated his support for the Han family to ascend the throne. He had a grudge with Xue Xiuzhuo and specially arranged for Fuman to watch the prince’s every move in the palace.

Fuman turned sideways and replied in a low voice: “Everything is as usual.”

“Xue Yanqing has recently been checking the land tax in Dancheng, which has caused chaos in the court.” Han Cheng looked at Fuman, “The Queen Mother is worried about this all night long, and her body is sick. You can give the prince a warning and let Xue Yanqing calm down.”

Fuman was stunned for a moment, and then he bowed his head and responded.

The point of this sentence is to make Xue Xiuzhuo “calm down”. As for what method to use, Fuman has to figure it out himself.

Li Jianting was no longer young, but the Queen Mother had no intention of returning the power to the crown prince. She sat in the position of acting as the emperor and expelled Li Jianting from the court. Li Jianting’s right to listen was proposed by Jing Zongguan.Now that Xue Xiuzhuo is under pressure from the outer court again, the Queen Mother wants to teach Xue Xiuzhuo a lesson.

Fuman’s heart was beating fast, and he didn’t dare to reveal even a single bit of he. He kept bowing until Han Cheng left.

* * *

Water dripped from the eaves, moisture returned to the windows, and the old books on the table were wrinkled.Yao Wenyu took hold of her wide sleeves and opened the pages of the book to dry them.

The ice and snow melted in March, Duanzhou suddenly became warmer, and it was damp everywhere.Shen Zechuan stood at the table and looked at Yao Wenyu’s old books casually.

“Xue Yanqing has to discuss the military ration recruitment with the commander in detail,” Yao Wenyu smoothed the wrinkles with his fingertips. “Last year, only the border counties of Qidong fought. The military rations at that time were supplied by Qudu. The other four counties’ military camps were not damaged. Xue Yanqing has a ledger in his heart and will not be easily bypassed by the Queen Mother.”

“It’s easy to stump him,” Shen Zechuan didn’t raise his eyes, as if he was pondering the contents of the book, “The details of Qidong’s harvest have not been reported yet. It is not enough for the commander to kill him, and he cannot force it.”

The longer Yao Wenyu stayed with Shen Zechuan, the more he felt that it was easy to distinguish the mood and anger of the prince. For example, now, Shen Zechuan was just joking, and this kind of cheating method could not deceive Xue Xiuzhuo, who was good at auditing accounts.

Yao Wenyu was not in a hurry, but asked: “In your opinion, what should Xue Yanqing talk to the commander about?”

“Nature is his biggest card,” Shen Zechuan said without hesitation, “he holds the prince in his hand, and at certain times he stands taller than the queen mother. They all pay attention to ethics, and no matter how well the queen mother governs the country, she is only acting on behalf of the emperor, not the real emperor.”

The Queen Mother relied on Qidong, but she married Hua Xiangyi, and then suppressed Qi Zhuyin and refused to promote her. At the same time, in order to please Qi Zhuyin, she was very generous to Qi Zhuyin within the scope of her ability. Last year, Qi Zhuyin turned a blind eye to the two incidents involving Shuangxi and Lu Pingyan, and the Queen Mother still tolerated it without accountability.This is to maintain the status of both parties, to keep Qidong under his control at all times, so that Qi Zhuyin can be used by him, and Wu Jue cannot fall out with him.

But Li Jianting has no such worries. She is the legitimate crown prince of Zhou Dynasty. She has the guidance of the cabinet inside, the reputation of students outside, and the full support of the practical group headed by Xue Xiuzhuo. It is only natural that Qi Zhuyin is loyal to her. As long as she can withstand the impeachment of the public officials, sealing Qi Zhuyin is just a matter of one sentence, and this is exactly what the empress dowager in an awkward position cannot do.

Shen Zechuan closed the page and said: “As long as the commander-in-chief is not granted the title, Qidong’s military power will become unstable. Being without a title is the reason why Qi Zhuyin cannot be considered ‘orthodox’. Just imagine if she dies in battle, or is wounded and dismounts, the brothers in the family can take this opportunity to seize Qi Shiyu’s title. The commander-in-chief of the five counties sounds majestic, but if she does not have a title, sheJust a temporary guest in that position cannot inherit everything after Qi Shiyu’s death.The Queen Mother is afraid that Qidong will become the second Libei, so she does not dare to seal it, and this ‘dare not’ is the Queen Mother’s biggest weakness.”

What does Li Jianting lack most now?

It’s military power.

The family had damaged Wei Huaigu and was at a disadvantage when Hai Liangyi died and remonstrated. The Queen Mother was still able to compete on an equal footing with the cabinet and Xue Xiuzhuo in the game because she held the two remaining military powers of the Zhou Dynasty tightly with both hands.Both Kong Qiu and Xue Xiuzhuo were civil servants. They only had the power to discuss the military affairs but not to mobilize troops.

If Xue Xiuzhuo gives Qi Zhuyin the promise of becoming a marquis at this moment, then Qi Zhuyin can switch to serve the prince and give up dealing with the queen mother.Qidong’s soldiers and horses also naturally surrendered to Li Jianting, which removed one of the Queen Mother’s arms.

“It’s easy to do things if you have money,” Yao Wenyu took the book returned from Shen Zechuan and said, “If Xue Yanqing didn’t have the Xi family’s treasury, he would definitely not be able to convince the commander-in-chief with just verbal promises, but since he has paid the Qidong military salary, the commander-in-chief will have to think twice.”

The above assumptions are all based on the fact that Qidong military camp can really be self-sufficient and does not need to be forcibly recruited from the Juexi granary. However, Qidong’s military rations this year are actually in the hands of Shen Zechuan. Qi Zhuyin must take into account Zhongbo and she must weigh it carefully.If Shen Zechuan is dissatisfied with her transfer to the crown prince, then the Yan family can cut off Qidong’s military rations, Qi Zhuyin will still have to ask for food, and Xue Xiuzhuo will have to return to the original predicament.

“Xue Xiuzhuo, Hua Hewei,” Shen Zechuan gently put Yao Wenyu’s waste pen into the pen holder and smiled, “Who am I playing with.”

Shen Zechuan’s wrist bones were immersed in the sunlight, and his hand held an invisible thread that could quietly promote the situation in Qudu.

Yao Wenyu straightened the pen and said firmly: “The Lord has made arrangements.”