Chapter 416: Snow Flying in the Sky Send 1 Person
Chapter 416: Snow Flies All Over the Sky to Send Someone Away (5k)
What a shameless Duke...
Flakes of snow fell on everyone. After Zhao Duan uttered these words calmly, the whole house suddenly became quiet.
There was silence.
The beard on Cao Mao's face stretched out in response, like a hedgehog. He was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't believe it. Then, the anger in his eyes almost burst out, and he squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth:
"What did you say?"
Zhao Duan pretended to be confused and smiled:
"I praised the Duke of Anguo for his excellent sword. Didn't the Duke hear it clearly?"
Cao Mao's chest heaved, his fists hanging in his sleeves creaked, and he closed his eyes.
After a moment, he opened his eyes again, and his expression had become calm.
He suspected that Zhao Duan was deliberately provoking him, especially at this sensitive juncture.
If this was Jubei City, anyone who dared to speak to him like this would definitely not survive the next quarter of an hour. Unfortunately, this was not the city.
So, he chose to endure it.
"Good, very good," Cao Mao said slowly. He raised his right hand, pointed at the large number of officials in the courtyard, drew a semicircle, and said indifferently: "What does this mean?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
“Don’t misunderstand, Duke. We have received news that someone has interfered with the judiciary in the past few days and has issued orders to many government offices in the city.
The Imperial Court is responsible for monitoring all officials. After I learned about this, I followed the clues and found that the clues led to the Duke of Anguo's mansion. I came here today just to ask questions, but I didn't expect that the people below misunderstood and caused such a commotion."
Interference with the judiciary…Cao Mao’s face trembled, and he thought to himself, you could just print the word “nonsense” on your face.
It sounds as if you are not the one who greets the various government offices and issues private orders.
"This matter has nothing to do with me. Zhao Jisi should look for another place." Cao Mao said calmly.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said seriously:
"That's not how the case is handled. Wouldn't the Duke invite me to sit in the hall?"
Cao Mao was silent for a moment, turned around and walked towards the back hall, with Cao Kedi following closely behind him.
"Sir..." Qian Kerou gave Zhao Duan a questioning look, but he saw Zhao Duan shook his head slightly. He looked around at his men and said:
"Stay here and proceed according to plan."
After saying this, he followed the father and son. The rest of the people in the Duke's Mansion were being stared at by the Jinyi guards and did not dare to move.
……
Back hall.
Cao Mao walked into the room and sat in the main seat with an expressionless face. Cao Kedi stood beside him but did not sit down.
The father and son stared at Zhao Duan who came in alone, and the latter did not close the door after entering.
There was heavy snow outside, so he left the double doors open, dragged out a chair as if he was a familiar guest, placed it in the middle of the back hall, and then sat down leisurely with his legs crossed.
With a smile on his face, he said, "When the Duke entertains guests, doesn't he serve tea?"
Nonsense, the maids are all under the control of your people, do you still want me to pour tea for you?
Cao Mao's temples throbbed, and he said in a cold voice:
"If you have anything to ask, say it quickly and get out."
Zhao Duan smiled but was not annoyed. He reached out and touched the "shirt pocket" and then he remembered that he was wearing ancient costume. He felt very regretful and thought that it would be more in line with the scene if he took out a pen and paper to take notes.
Shaking his head, he suddenly stared at the temples of Duke Anguo and said:
"How old is the Duke this year?"
Cao Mao stared at him: "What does this have to do with you?"
Zhao Duan said innocently:
"Don't be so angry. I have admired Duke Anguo for a long time. I have heard people mention that the Duke is trusted by the late emperor and has been in charge of Jubei City for many years. According to the laws of the Dayu Dynasty, military generals have a term of service, but the Duke did not follow it."
The more Cao Mao listened, the more he felt something was wrong. He interrupted rudely:
"what do you want to say in the end?"
The old Duke with deep nasolabial folds had a cold look in his eyes:
"If you are here to ask about a case, then ask. If you are here to pass on a message for someone, then pass it on. I have been in the army for many years. I don't understand nor want to understand the tricks of you Beijing officials. I am too lazy to beat around the bush. Either you speak directly, or... defeat the enemy and prepare to send you away!"
Still impatient... Zhao Duan smiled helplessly and sighed softly:
"I wanted to be polite to the Duke... But, I came here today to give you a word of advice. When the Duke goes to court today, he should have seen that there are many new faces in the court.
As the saying goes, times change, and circumstances change. Your Majesty sympathizes with the Duke's age and intends to ask the Duke to stay in the capital to enjoy his old age. As for the military power in the north, it is time to give it to the young people and let go. Don't you think so?"
Take back the military power!
At this moment, even though he was mentally prepared, Duke Anguo, who was sitting in the armchair, was still shocked.
Finally...it’s here!
Of course Cao Mao knew that after the empress's throne was consolidated, she would gradually take back the military power and entrust the troops to the generals newly promoted by the empress.
But this day came much sooner than he expected.
Even though he had already confirmed in the Golden Palace that the empress was going to attack him, the fact that she came directly to his door and asked him to hand over his military power was still so simple and rough that he was stunned for a moment.
How dare she? Where does she get the confidence?
How come the capital city has become so unfamiliar in just one year?
Cao Mao was a little confused.
Zhao Duan leaned back in his chair, folded his hands, and looked sincere: "I didn't want to say it so directly, but since the Duke wants to get straight to the point, I have no choice but to do as you wish."
Cao Mao's voice was slightly hoarse, and his expression was unusually calm:
"What if I don't want to?"
Zhao Duan stared at him without saying a word. After a moment, he shook his head slightly, as if facing a stubborn prisoner:
"The Duke has spent his entire life in the military, so he must be a smart man, and a smart man knows when to advance and when to retreat.
Now the case of Lang Shiba is about to be retried, but how and to what extent the trial is conducted is not in my hands, nor in the hands of His Majesty, but in your hands, Duke. "
He didn't explain his words clearly, but how could Duke Cao not understand?
If he cooperated and handed over his military power, the empress was willing to give him a relatively decent ending.
But if he is unwilling, this old case that has caused a huge uproar will make him, the Duke, completely infamous forever.
As long as one is willing to dig deeper, this case is enough to implicate the entire Cao family in many crimes. By then, many crimes will be revealed to the world, and the entire Anguo Mansion will be ruined by this major case.
Cao Mao suddenly understood. He finally understood the whole purpose of the empress's drama in the Golden Palace.
It is not only to win over the hearts of the troops, but also to use him as a bargaining chip to control him. There are two possible sentencing results: a light sentence or a heavy sentence. It all depends on what he chooses.
However, Cao Mao shook his head. He suddenly looked down at Zhao Duan with a slight sneer:
"Do you know what makes a nobleman a noble? How has my title of Duke of Anguo been passed down from generation to generation until now?
No, you are a new nobleman. Your Majesty has only just ascended the throne and doesn't seem to understand me very well. You want to depose me? The previous emperor didn't do it, so you think you can do it?"
Zhao Duan's eyes were filled with pity:
"Duke Cao is not going to tell me that the nobles in the capital will help you, right?"
Cao Mao said nothing.
Zhao Duan sighed and said with a headache:
"Yes, of course you would think so. Not to mention the nobles, even the local nobles know the principle of forming alliances and forming alliances with each other to protect themselves. But Duke Cao, you don't really think that this relationship is so unbreakable, do you?"
Cao Mao said nothing.
Just at this moment, outside the open door, in front of the courtyard where snow was falling, there was a commotion.
Zhao Duan did not stand up, but turned back in his chair and said with a smile:
"People are coming."
who?
Cao Mao and his son raised their heads, their sight passed Zhao and the drifting goose-feather snow, and saw an old man walking slowly towards them, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, with hair as white as snow, and wrapped in expensive and gorgeous clothes, although he was thin.
There was a woman supporting him.
The vast majority of people in the capital do not know this person.
However, no one would ignore the purple gold imperial belt around the old man's waist, which was inlaid with eighteen jades.
Cao Mao stood up in astonishment and cried out, "Duke Chen?!"
Another Duke!
He was a duke of a very special status, he did not control the military power, and even there were not many people in his family who held real power. He was very low-key in the capital, and was almost a dying noble.
Precisely because he was too low-key, even though Zhao Duan had been making a fuss in the capital for a year, it was still the first time he met this special Duke.
When Duke Chen was at the height of his fame, when the late emperor was still a child, Zhao Duan did not know much about this man's past, but he knew that he enjoyed a very high prestige among the nobles.
Although everyone knows that once this old duke, who already has not much time left, dies, the Chen Duke's Mansion will completely fall from the ranks of nobles.
But at the same time, as long as he is still alive, even if he is an old emperor who has not passed away, he must be respected.
He is also the soul figure that maintains the entire noble group.
"Why are you here?" Cao Mao had a bad feeling.
He was very old, with one foot already halfway into the coffin, but still hanging on to his breath. Duke Chen, who had long since ignored worldly matters, walked to the door.
On his wrinkled and spotted face, his cloudy eyes stared at Cao Mao, and he said the first sentence in a very light tone:
"Master Tang found me a few days ago."
Cao Mao's heart trembled, and he opened his mouth: "He slandered me again?"
Duke Chen shook his head slowly, looked at Duke Cao, who was old but much younger than himself, with complicated eyes, and said the second sentence:
"He told me that Zhao Shixiong never returned to Beijing."
Cao Mao was stunned. Then, Duke Chen started to cough violently, causing the woman next to him to gently stroke his bony back. No one spoke, only the sound of falling snow and the old man's cough echoed in the hall.
Finally, Duke Chen stopped coughing and uttered the third sentence:
"It's time to let go, so let go."
Cao Mao's heart sank to the bottom.
He didn't know what happened exactly during that time, but he already understood that he had been abandoned by the noble group.
Duke Chen, leaning on his dragon-headed cane, turned around and glanced at Zhao Duan, who had been standing respectfully beside him. He looked at him carefully for a moment, as if observing his appearance.
Seeing that he was indeed a good match for the empress, he nodded slightly with satisfaction, without saying anything. Then, trembling, with the help of the woman, he walked out of the back hall again and left the Duke's Mansion.
Only after watching him disappear did Zhao Duan turn around again, brush off his robes, and sit back in his chair. Looking at Cao Mao who also sat back in the main seat, he smiled and said:
"Now, has the Duke agreed?"
Cao Mao said nothing for a long time before he calmly said:
"You two have indeed been colluding with each other for a long time. No wonder you wanted to visit the prison in the Ministry of Justice to get the oral testimony of the Northern Blood Knife. No wonder Tang backed you up, thinking that he had already joined forces with His Majesty and wanted to sell me out in exchange for his own stable position."
No... you have a good imagination... Zhao Duan laughed in silence.
How do you say it? You guessed all the steps wrong, but the results were all right?
Cao Mao shook his head, as if he had made a decision, his eyes were cold:
"Even if the nobles in the city don't want to help me, what if I still don't agree?"
The ferocity of a northern wolf king finally emerged on his face. He clenched the brown, bulging armrests of the armchair with both hands, almost leaving ten fingerprints on the wood!
He leaned forward, staring at Zhao Duan, his mouth slowly curled up:
"You can depose me if you want, but who are you going to let take over my position? Believe it or not, as long as I don't give my approval, no one in the entire Dayu Dynasty can safely take over the northern border army!"
Finally, he personally stated what he relied on most.
It is also his greatest source of confidence, the territory he has painstakingly managed for many years!
Who can answer?
No one can answer!
What does it mean to have the military power to command oneself? This is called having the military power to command oneself!
This is also the point that Cao Mao cannot understand the most - could it be that the empress was blinded by success and really thought that the local military power could be transferred with just an imperial edict?
If there had been no turmoil in the State of Yu, there might have been a great chance that the prince would have succeeded to the throne smoothly.
But Xu Zhenguan was not the crown prince, and the current Yu State could not withstand too much turmoil.
How dare she?
Cao Mao is laughing.
Zhao Duan was also laughing.
The pity in his eyes was undisguised, like sharp arrows about to pierce Duke Cao's heart.
Zhao Duan shook his head and smiled. He sighed again, but not for himself, but for the stubborn old man in front of him:
"Duke Cao, it seems that you really despise His Majesty from the bottom of your heart. Otherwise, why would you ask such a stupid question?"
He sneered, "Or do you think that after His Majesty has built up public opinion, arranged a case sufficient to try you, and removed the noble helpers you placed your hopes on, you would miss the most crucial move?"
Zhao Duan slowly stopped smiling and finally lost his last bit of patience. As he calmly uttered a few words, the smile on Cao Mao's face suddenly froze.
"Brother Cao, the Duke is asking you, after he takes off his armor, who will inherit the military power?"
The words fell.
In the room, Cao Kedi, who had been acting as a quiet background all the time, finally took a slow step from his adoptive father's side to Zhao Duan's side.
Then... he slowly turned around and looked calmly at Duke Cao in the hall.
The deputy general of Jubei City, who was used to wearing dark armor and had very thick and straight eyebrows like knives, smiled and said, "Foster father, what do you think of me?"
boom!
At this moment, although it was the dead of winter, Cao Mao seemed to hear a thunderclap in his mind.
He seemed to be struck by thunder. His face turned pale and his eyes widened like copper bells.
He stared at his adopted son in Jubei City, whose military prestige was second only to his own and stronger than his own son, in disbelief, and said:
"You... betrayed... me?!"
Cao Kedi shook his head seriously and corrected:
"Foster father... No, Duke Cao, you are wrong. I have never betrayed you."
After a pause, Cao Kedi explained seriously in the latter's blank gaze:
"Because I have never been your man from the beginning to the end. In other words, since I entered Jubei City as a low-level military officer ten years ago, my mission has been to gain your trust at all costs, so as to gradually control the defense of Jubei City's border troops and prepare for today."
spy!
Not a traitor, but a spy!
Hearing this answer, Cao Mao was not angry at all, but was filled with great confusion:
"Ten years ago... How could it be possible... She was still a princess at that time..."
"Prince," Cao Kedi answered calmly:
“Ten years ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arranged for me to enter Jubei City. At that time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had already seen that you had been entrenched in the north for too long and would become a hidden danger, so he placed a group of shadow guards, including me, in the north.
However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not expect the current changes in the past. After the Xuanmen coup, His Majesty took over the Palace Shadow Guards and was able to re-establish contact with us."
Cao Kedi paused and said with some emotion:
"The Crown Prince had not originally thought that I could become a deputy general. In your opinion, you, the Duke, would definitely hand over the military power to your sons. As an outsider, I would not be able to hold a high position even if I were adopted as your son.
But what can I do? The son you had the highest hopes for died at the hands of Lang Shiba because he could not control his selfish desires. After that, even if you tried to support your other two sons, they were useless. You could only let me take over part of the military power...
But you were worried about me, so even when you went to Kyoto, you took me with you instead of your two biological sons.
You told me that you wanted to train me, but in reality, how could I not see that you were worried that if I left, I would stay in the north and take away your power?"
Cao Kedi shook his head and sighed:
"But what difference does it make? I might as well make it clear to you that whether you give up your military power or not, His Majesty will not allow you to leave the capital.
I will return to Jubei City to take over the military power. Your two young masters have also been surrounded by shadow guards. If nothing unexpected happens, they have been controlled. As for the life and death of the two young masters, it depends on your choice. "
He finished speaking in one breath.
Cao Kedi, who was a shadow guard but unexpectedly became a deputy general, seemed to have vented all the words he had been holding back. He turned his head with ease, glanced at Zhao Duan, and smiled, cupping his hands:
"I have offended the Ministry of Justice a few days ago. Lord Zhao, please forgive me."
Zhao Duan laughed:
"Cao... No, you should change back to your own last name from now on, General Na Luo, congratulations in advance."
Luo Kedi clasped his hands together and smiled.
After years of hard work as a shadow guard, he finally made it to the top. How could he not be happy?
The two of them smiled and greeted each other, completely forgetting about Duke Cao who was sitting there in a daze, as if his soul had been withdrawn.
Zhao Duan turned around, glanced at Cao Mao, took out a blank letter from his sleeve, walked over, bent down, and gently placed it in front of him.
He then thrust a pen into the hand of Cao Mao, who seemed to have aged ten years and had a broken spine, and said:
"Duke Cao, we are waiting for you outside the door."
……
Zhao Duan and Luo Kedi walked out of the room and closed the door.
The two stood under the eaves, looking at the increasingly heavy snow outside and waiting silently.
"Lord Zhao, do you think he will resign voluntarily?" Luo Ke Di suddenly asked.
Zhao Duan looked at him with a smile: "Shouldn't you know better than me?"
Luo Kedi shook his head and said, "In the past ten years, I have not been able to see through Cao Mao."
Zhao Duan smiled and patted his shoulder, saying:
"People are not that complicated. People like this are just cowards."
Luo Kedi was stunned.
About a quarter of an hour later, Luo Ke Di pushed the door open and walked out with a strange expression, holding a memorial requesting to be discharged from the army and return to the countryside.
"What did I say? Such a selfish person would not want to risk his life."
Zhao Duan put the memorial into his sleeve, shook his bright red cape, and said with a smile:
"General Lauro will handle the aftermath. I will go to the palace to report to His Majesty."
"please."
Zhao Duan walked lightly and told everyone in Lihua Hall to go back first. He walked out of the Duke's Mansion, jumped on his horse, and headed straight for the palace.
At this time, at noon, just as the Imperial Astronomical Observatory had said, the snow was getting heavier.
There were almost no people on the streets and the entire capital was covered in white snow.
Zhao Duan entered the imperial city.
He dismounted and, wearing a red cloak, walked alone along the deserted but snow-covered Meridian Gate Square towards the empress's bedroom.
Snow is flying all over the sky, the palace walls are crimson, and I am alone.
Snow is flying all over the sky, sending one person away.
……
Correct typos first and then correct them
(End of this chapter)