Chapter 346 Sir, it’s bad, our people have been arrested

Chapter 346 Sir, it’s bad, our people have been arrested

Chapter 346 Sir, it’s bad, our people have been arrested
"boom!"

In the southern suburbs of the capital, a puff of green smoke spurted out of the barrel of the "Test No. 1" artillery, and the thunderous explosion echoed in the mountains and forests. Zhao Duan stood in the crowd, looking up at the yellow smoke floating in the blue sky.

Then, the deafening shouts of thousands of soldiers rang out from all directions.

Zhao Duan scratched his ears with his fingers, turned his head and smiled at Chen Huoshen, the head of the Firearms Bureau of the Shenjiying, and said:
"It's progressing well."

Chen Huoshen, an old acquaintance, stroked his beard complacently and said with a smile: "You are still the best teacher."

Zhao Duan smacked his lips and found fault:

"Next time you can add more pigment to the gunpowder, so that it will be bright and beautiful when it is set off in the air, like daytime fireworks."

All around, the military generals, led by Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Camp, looked at each other, wondering where there could be such loud fireworks.
At this moment, everyone was wearing bright armor, completing the final step of the Frost Descent Day military exercise. Looking around, the troops and horses of the three large camps of the Beijing Camp filled the fields, with flags fluttering and a strong momentum.

On the highest hill were the military officials of the Privy Council headed by Xue Shence.

As the "Frost Descent" came to an end, middle and low-level generals commanded the soldiers from each camp to return to the camp in an orderly manner.

At the local level, since there are only a small number of "professional soldiers", those farmers who usually farm, and who conduct military exercises every spring and autumn, will go home to prepare for the harvest after the exercises.

However, the imperial guards in the capital are all elite troops that train throughout the year, so this autumn custom has become an occasion for a large-scale military exercise.

The next time will be in early spring next year.

"Don't rush back, Mr. Zhao. The Privy Councilor will host a banquet for all the generals at noon. You must come." Shi Meng, who was sturdy and careful, said with a smile, and added, "This is tradition."

Well, it is a tradition for the generals to have a meal together after the annual Frost Descent military exercise. Other miscellaneous invitations can be turned down, but Zhao Duan does not refuse invitations of this standard.

So after the drill, the generals from each camp gathered towards Xue Shence. Each general had a war horse. They did not rush back to the city, but slowly fell behind the returning army.

Xue Shence saw Zhao Duan coming over, and suddenly smiled and said, "General Zhao, long time no see, would you like to chat alone?"

Eh... why are you being so friendly to me... Zhao Duan was surprised. He had an average relationship with this "God of War". He smiled and nodded: "I couldn't ask for more."

So Xue Shence rode his horse away from the team and rushed forward for a while, and Zhao Duan also hurriedly urged his horse to catch up.

In this way, the two riders left dozens of other generals behind. Seeing this, the generals looked at each other with envy in their eyes:
How could a mere clerk of the fourth rank travel alone with the Privy Councilor on this occasion?
This was extremely rare in the past, but if the "fourth-rank" official was Zhao Duan, nothing would be surprising.

……

In late autumn, the mountains and forests in the suburbs are all yellow and green, and the mountain breeze blowing on your face is invigorating.

"Da da da……"

Zhao Duan and Xue Shence distanced themselves from the generals behind them, slowed down their horses, and rode side by side.

"What advice do you have, Lord Xue?" Zhao Duan gripped the reins, turned his head to look at the military god of Dayu, and went straight to the point.

Xue Shence did not wear the scarlet robe with a lion embroidered on the chest today. Instead, he wore a full set of Kirin armor. A black and gold spear was hung on the side of his warhorse.

His face was still fair, and the short beard under his chin was obviously carefully trimmed. He was also startled when he heard his question, and seemed to smile: "Envoy Zhao speaks very directly."

He did not use the term "轥事" but used the term "使君".

This clearly shows that the following conversation is not from the perspective of a "superior" and a "subordinate", but a conversation between officials from different government offices and the same dynasty.

"Although Zhao is not very active in the military, he considers himself a military general and thinks it is better to speak directly." Zhao Duan said with a smile.

The implicit meaning of this statement is:

Although I am favored, I still consider myself a military officer and am under your jurisdiction.

Xue Shence was immediately satisfied, and his serious face became more wrinkled:
"I am indeed beating around the bush. That's fine. Your Excellency, have you been paying attention to the movements of Mr. Zhengyang and the Qingzhou Dao in the past few days?"

Zhao Duan smiled bitterly and said:

"Of course I have heard of it, but I am not afraid of being laughed at by Lord Xue. I have been an official for a short time. In the past six months, I have barely recognized most of the officials in the capital. As for people outside the capital, I know little about them.

For example, Mr. Zhengyang, I only knew him when I went to Taicang Prefecture to do business last time. It is said that when the Xiuwenguan was being prepared, Your Majesty thought of inviting him to come out, but it didn't work out. I didn't expect that he would come again a few months later and make such a big fuss. "

Xue Shen Ce, who was riding on his horse, suddenly said, "It is said that it was Prince Mu of Yunfu who invited us to come down the mountain."

Prince Mu... is one of the "Eight Princes" who has taken root in Yunfu Dao and is adjacent to the foreign tribes in the southwest. Among the eight princes, his strength ranks among the top three.

The corresponding information flashed through Zhao Duan's mind, and he could not hide his surprise: "Is this true?"

Xue Shence smiled and said:
"Although I am in the capital, I am in charge of a few soldiers after all. During the military affairs transmission, I can also learn some news from other places. In particular, Zhao Shixiong leads the Southwestern Frontier Army stationed in Yunfu to guard the border. He usually deals with the Liao people and local bandits the most, so there are more official exchanges."

Zhao Shixiong... Zhao Duan was not unfamiliar with the name of this relative. He had heard it several times and knew that he was a general who guarded a place.

The retired soldier from the Chengdong Charity Hall once served under Zhao Shixiong.

Xue Shence suddenly blurted out, "It is said that Zhao Shixiong and Prince Mu are also very close."

Zhao Duan's expression changed slightly.

This is heartbreaking.

It is too easy for a general guarding the border to be associated with the restless royal family to touch sensitive nerves.

"Master Xue didn't tell His Majesty?" Zhao Duan asked. Xue Shence sighed, "These are all rumors whose truth or falsehood is unknown, so how can I tell His Majesty about them?"

Haha, it's inconvenient for you to say it with your identity, right? The Privy Council had already had a spy who colluded with Prince Jing, and you, as the Privy Councilor, can't escape the blame. If you say bad things about Zhao Shixiong now, you will inevitably be accused of "stirring up trouble between the monarch and his ministers"...

Zhao Duan sneered and finally understood Xue Shence's purpose in wanting to talk to him alone.

He undoubtedly wanted to pass this information to the empress through his own mouth. This way, there would be a layer of separation in between, and Xue Shence would not be blamed for "concealing the truth" and could also avoid "sowing discord" in person.

But... this matter is really a bit tricky.

Mr. Zhengyang led his students to Beijing with great force. Although they have not done anything out of line so far, anyone with a discerning eye realizes that this is not a good thing.

Now that we know that it was Prince Mu who invited us to come down the mountain, this targeting is even stronger. Thinking more deeply, Zhengyang rejected the invitation of the court at the beginning, but now he accepted the invitation of Prince Mu...

Haha, the implication of taking sides is too obvious.

"Is that so?" Zhao Duan said "oh" and nothing else.

Xue Shence didn't say much about this issue. They were all smart people. He had already delivered the message, and he believed that Zhao Duan would pass the information on.

In the late autumn forest, two horses walked side by side. It was quiet for a while, with only the sound of horse hooves and birds flying in the distance.

"Mr. Xue, can you give some advice to the two people from Qingzhou?" Zhao Duan remembered that the other party had just mentioned this and might have something to say.

Xue Shence smiled and said, "Didn't you investigate?"

Zhao Duan was not embarrassed and said frankly:
"The son of King Heng of Qingzhou, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xu Zudi... Hey, what a nice name. Did he say he was visiting the capital this time to have fun and visit relatives?
As for the woman called Xiao Dong'er, who is actually the current head of the Xiao family who is in charge of a large family in Qingzhou and has many caravans under her command, she is also said to be a remarkable woman. It seems that she came to the capital this time for the opening of the Huting Market."

Compared to Mr. Zhengyang, who seems to be so powerful on the surface.

These two people who came from Qingzhou attracted Zhao Duan's attention even more.

Of course, he would not be stupid enough to believe that the Prince of Hengwang was really here to relax and have fun. After thinking about it, one of his purposes must be the same as Xu Junling's, which was to spy on the capital city.

However, Prince Huai'an only sent his daughter to investigate, but Prince Heng was bold enough and directly sent his son over.

As for the female head of the "Donghu Xiao Family", a big family in Qingzhou, she is even more legendary. It is said that she was unknown at first and was just the wife of the new head of the Xiao family.

Later, the head of the family died unexpectedly, leaving behind only a two-year-old child. Seeing that the main line of the Xiao family was difficult to maintain and power was falling into someone else's hands, this widowed woman suddenly defeated the second and third wives who wanted to seize power with her clever tactics...

At the same time, it was also revealed that before her husband's death, she had already managed the tribe's caravan business for her husband and held real power...

Later, as a woman, she took on the position of the helmsman of the family, becoming an extremely rare "female head of the family" and also gained the reputation of being the richest "widow" in the Dayu Dynasty.

However, after the two men entered Beijing, there was no movement for the time being, and Zhao Duan was still unsure of their full intentions.

"The Xiao family of Donghu is also a century-old family with a lot of history," Xue Shence sighed before saying:
"However, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. In the Great Yu Dynasty, except for the Huai River, which is quite special, in other places, the greater the power of the royal family, the smaller the local nobles will naturally be. Madam Xiao is a woman, but she can keep the family from falling. She is indeed not a simple person."

Zhao Duan looked at him in surprise. These words contained a lot of information.

It seemed like he said nothing, but it also seemed like he said a lot.

Zhao Duan thought for a moment, took out two still-warm sweet potatoes from his arms, handed one to Xue Shence, and said with a smile:

"My sister cooked this this morning. Would you like to taste it?"

Show goodwill first, then obtain information.

Xue Shence was stunned for a moment, and looked at Zhao, who was smiling brightly, with a strange expression. He reached out his hand, grabbed a sweet potato, and peeled the skin together with Zhao Duan, revealing the warm, golden "sweet potato flesh" inside that was emitting a faint heat. He took a bite and tasted the sweetness.

Eating sweet potatoes in the air-conditioned suburbs in late autumn has a unique flavor.

The two of them ate the sweet potatoes in silence. Xue Shence swallowed his food and continued, "As for Xu Zudi, do you know who he was visiting?"

"Isn't it Your Majesty?" Zhao Duan asked, blowing hot air.

Xue Shence said calmly, "Prince Heng and the Grand Princess are born from the same mother, so Xu Zudi was closest to the Grand Princess when he was young."

Huh? This guy and that bitch Yunyang are cousins?
Zhao Duan was stunned. This was something he didn't know.

Xue Shence pinched the sweet potato, looked at him with a half-smile, and said:
"After Xu Zudi came to the capital, he has been patient and has hardly moved. But last night, he went to the Prince Consort's Mansion and met Princess Yunyang's son Li Lang. Lord Zhao, you have to be careful recently."

Zhao Du'an personally sent Princess Yunyang to Jizhao Temple for house arrest, and also beat Li Lang in Lihua Hall and threw him into the imperial prison.

This hatred was originally suppressed by Xu Zhenguan, but now, when Xu Zudi entered the capital, he learned that his aunt and cousin had been dealt with by Zhao Duan. How could he bear it?

Zhao Duan stuffed the last bite of sweet potato into his mouth and remained silent.

Just then.

Suddenly, a horseman came running from the distance ahead, his horse's hooves hitting the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

The man on horseback was wearing brocade clothes. He was Hou Renmeng, one of the "Four Pear Blossoms" in Pear Blossom Hall.

Lao Hou rode his horse closer, suddenly pulled the reins, turned over and dismounted, and galloped closer, his face anxious:

"Sir, it's bad, our people have been arrested!"

(End of this chapter)