Fenghou

……

Emperor Zhao Gouzheng was discussing with several prime ministers about tomorrow's imperial court. He received the edict of the late emperor's abdication, so he naturally had to read it out at the imperial assembly. He also wanted to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and consider changing the reign title.

At this moment, an eunuch reported at the door, "Your Majesty, Yang Yizhong has an urgent matter to see you!"

Zhao Gou was startled, and immediately said, "Acclaim him an audience!"

"Your Majesty has a decree to control Yang Yizhong to have an audience in front of the Xuan Palace!"

Not long after, general Yang Yizhong walked into the imperial study room quickly, knelt down on one knee and cupped his fists and said, "The humble Yang Yizhong sees Your Majesty!"

"Yang Dutong, what urgent matter happened?"

"Your Majesty, someone assassinated Chen Qing."

"Ah!" Zhao Gou was stunned, and several Xiangguo also looked at each other in blank dismay.

Zhao Gou asked anxiously, "How is Chen Qing?"

"Your Majesty, the assassination failed, and Chen Qing has returned to the barracks safely."

Zhao Gou breathed a sigh of relief. If the assassination was successful, Chen Qing's army outside the city would definitely rebel, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Tell me in detail, what's going on?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this morning Chen Qing paid homage to the Supreme Emperor, but shortly after entering the cemetery, hundreds of assassins pretending to be bodyguards were killed. However, Chen Qing's guards were tight, and the assassins failed. Instead, they were surrounded by soldiers rushing up, and all of them were killed."

Zhao Gou's face turned livid. Hundreds of assassins, still in his father's cemetery, pretended to be bodyguards. How dare they pretend to be guards.

"Who, who did it?"

Yang Yizhong was silent for a moment and said: "The humble official has recognized the assassins, they are all warriors raised by Uncle Wei Guo."

Yang Yizhong is in charge of Lin'an's city defense and public security, and has long hated Wei Tong, the domineering uncle of the country. At this critical moment, he quietly insulted Wei Tong.

"This bastard!"

Zhao Gou was so angry that he slapped the table hard, "He is going to kill me, Yang Dutong, catch this bastard immediately!"

Yang Yizhong hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, Uncle Wei Guo has been taken away by Chen Qing's inner guard just now."

"what?"

Everyone was stunned. Uncle Wei Guo was taken away by Chen Qing. Isn't this the end?

"Yang Dutong, why didn't you stop them?" Li Guang asked anxiously from the side.

"Reporting to Li Xianggong, Uncle Wei's mansion is close to the West Lake, and there is no city wall there. At that time, I was investigating the assassin in Yonggu Tomb. After getting the news, I immediately led my men to the uncle's mansion, but the person has long since disappeared. Based on the steward's description, the humble officer determined that it was Chen Qing's internal guards who started the arrest, and then conducted multiple investigations to confirm that Uncle Wei Guo was taken to the direction of the barracks."

Zhao Gou was also a little panicked. If his uncle was killed, he would not be able to explain to his mother. He hurriedly said to Zhu Shengfei: "Mr. Zhu hurried to the barracks. On my behalf, I ask Chen Qing to be merciful. Everything is negotiable."

"Yang Dutong also went together to explain the information to Chen Qing. I don't know anything about the assassination."

"The minister obeys the order!"

The two bowed together to receive the order, and Zhu Shengfei cursed in his heart that Wayne had caused trouble and burned himself, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the gold medal, and hurried away with Yang Yizhong.

……

In the big tent, Wei Tong was sitting on the ground with snot and tears, and weeping. Although he is usually domineering, he is more afraid of death than anyone else. He knows that this time he is in danger, and his life is in danger.

At this time, the curtain was lifted, and Zhou Kuan walked in with a gloomy face. Wayne knelt down and clapped his hands together and begged, "You are Counselor Zhou, right? Please intercede for me, please spare my life!"

Zhou Kuan snorted, "The king of the county was stabbed by the assassin you sent, and the injury is not serious. All the generals are clamoring to tear your body to pieces. You see what to do!"

Wei Tong burst into tears and snot all at once, "Spare me a dog's life, I am willing to be a cow and a horse to make amends!"

Zhou Kuan said coldly: "Now you have two choices, first, hand you over to the generals and let them do what they want; second, you take out a ransom that satisfies the county king and redeem your own life, Choose yourself!"

"I am willing to hand over the ransom, how much should I give?"

"How much do you really want, how much will you give? I'm afraid you can't afford the king's asking price!"

Wei Tong cried: "I am willing to take out all the money in the treasury. I still have shops and restaurants. I can give them to the county king for ransom!"

"There is no need for shops and restaurants, but hand over all the money in your treasury and cabinet workshop. We will leave early tomorrow morning. If you can't hand over all the money before we leave, then you have no choice but to go with us." , Will it be buried in the sea, I can't guarantee it."

"I'll give it! I'll give it! Hand it all over."

At this time, Wei Tong no longer dared to think about money. Money can be earned back, but if he loses his life, he will have nothing.

He took three pieces of jade pei and a gold medal from his waist, and handed them to Zhou Kuandao: "The gold and silver in the three warehouses of Baoji cabinet are obtained with three pieces of jade pei. You can write a letter to Butler Liu, the rest are shops and restaurants."

Zhou Kuan said again: "You still have an open land of ten mu beside the third bridge, and we want that piece of land as well."

"No problem, I'll give you the title deed. In addition, I may have some copper coins in my shop. Does that count?"

"Those don't count, including those in other places, but now, how many are there in total?"

"I don't know how many, but it must be more than 1000 million."

Zhou Kuan asked him to write a letter, and then ordered the soldiers to keep an eye on him, and he went out to report to Chen Qing.

Wei Tong sat down on the ground, limp and weak, his whole body seemed to be exhausted, he grinned, and then burst into tears. His life was hopeful, but his money was also gone.

Chapter 862

Just as Zhou Kuan walked out of the big tent, a soldier came to report in a low voice, Zhou Kuan asked, "Does the county king know?"

"The king of the county found out, he asked the counselor to receive him."

Zhou Kuan walked quickly to the guest tent, and saw Zhu Shengfei pacing back and forth restlessly, and Yang Yizhong stood beside him, very calm and silent.

Hearing footsteps, Zhu Shengfei turned his head and saw Zhou Kuan walking in. He hurried forward and said, "May I ask Duke Zhou, how is the county king?"

Zhou Kuan said indifferently: "I was stabbed in the back, and the military doctor is treating him, hoping to save my life."

Zhu Shengfei was stunned, unexpectedly injured, and the injury was so serious that he didn't know how to speak.

Yang Yizhong next to him knew it well. He asked the real guards of the cemetery, and they all saw Chen Qing showing off his power, killing more than 50 people in one round, just like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep. Without a guard, how could he be stabbed in the back?

Yang Yizhong didn't want to intervene at first, but at this time, no matter how much he hated Wei Tong, he had to stand on the side of the emperor and speak.

"There shouldn't be any major problems. The king of the county is wearing very thick armor, and there are thirty guards behind him to protect him closely. Even if he gets hit by a sword accidentally, there will be no serious problems. Please don't worry, Duke Zhou!"

"That's right! I didn't go to the scene, it seems that Yang Dutong has already been there."

"It's true that I have been there. Many guards have witnessed the scene of the county king showing his supernatural power. He killed the assassin so badly that he made me worship him."

Zhu Shengfei immediately understood that Chen Qing's problem was not serious, and he was not even injured at all. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Actually, I came here for Uncle Wei. He was so insane that he dared to assassinate the county king without authorization. It is a crime." He deserves to die, but he is the elder of the emperor after all, and the only brother of the Empress Dowager Wei, the emperor begs the prince of the county to show mercy and spare his life."

Zhou Kuan nodded, "Please wait a moment, I will tell the county king."

Zhou Kuan saluted, turned around and left, Zhu Shengfei immediately asked in a low voice: "Is Chen Qing okay?"

Yang Yizhong shook his head, "From what I know, he should be unscathed. He was the last to leave the cemetery. If he was injured, he would have been sent back to the camp for treatment."

"That makes sense, so is there any hope for Uncle Wei Guo to be saved?" Zhu Shengfei asked again.

Yang Yizhong pondered for a while and said: "From Zhou Kuan's tone just now, Wei Tong has not been killed yet. If he wanted to kill him, he should have done it long ago. He hasn't killed him yet, which means that Wei Tong is still valuable."

Zhu Shengfei snorted disdainfully, "What value can he use?"

Yang Yizhong smiled slightly, "He is rich, and this is his greatest value."

……

In the big tent, Zhou Kuan was also reporting the situation to Chen Qing, and Chen Qing smiled slightly: "Isn't it rumored that Uncle Wei Guo is very stingy? Why is he willing to give me all the treasury money?"

"The more stingy a person is, the more he cherishes his life. He knows that if he assassinates the king of the county, his life will be difficult to save. If he can save his life at this time, he will not care about wealth. This kind of person is easy to go to two extremes. I’m happy to hand over all the money.”

"It makes sense!"

Chen Qing said to Zhong Huan and Chao Qing next to him: "You two go to the cabinet workshop and his treasury. I will give you a thousand soldiers and fifty big ships, and remove all the items in his treasury. I got the title deed for a ten-acre piece of land."

"Follow the order!"

The two took the command arrow and left. Chen Qing said to Zhou Kuan again: "Just say that I will give the emperor face, and solve it according to the way of redemption. In addition, I want the emperor to guarantee me that no one can threaten the newspaper office in Lin'an. I let it go." Wei Tong's conditions."

"Humble job understands!"

Zhou Kuan left the big tent of the Chinese army and came to the guest tent again. He smiled and said to Zhu Shengfei and Yang Yizhong: "Our county king said that since the emperor asked for mercy, we must give this face no matter what. We can spare Wei Tong's life, but There is one condition."

Zhu Shengfei hurriedly said, "Please tell me!"

"Our county king asks the emperor to make a guarantee, and no one is allowed to harass the newspaper."

This request is not high, Zhu Shengfei breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly said: "The problem should not be serious, so when will Uncle Wei Guo be released?"

Zhou Kuan smiled lightly, "The king just spared his life, but that doesn't mean he won't be held accountable for the assassination."

Zhu Shengfei was stunned for a moment, "I don't understand what Duke Zhou means?"

"When we fight against the enemy, there are generally two ways to deal with important prisoners of war. One is to execute them directly, and the other is to buy them or exchange them. Of course, the captured soldiers have to go to mines to mine. That's not suitable for Uncle Wei. Don’t mention it, since his life is spared now, if he wants to be free, he must redeem himself, you don’t need to worry about this, he has enough money to redeem himself.”

Zhu Shengfei immediately understood that the other party really deserved to squeeze Wei Tong's wealth, and he had to pay the price for his stupidity.

"If that's the case, then we'll leave."

"Please tell the emperor that we will leave Lin'an tomorrow morning."

"We must tell!"

Zhu Shengfei and Yang Yizhong left the camp, Yang Yizhong said with a smile: "I have to deal with the funeral of the assassination case in the cemetery, so I won't see the emperor."

"Alright! The matter is settled, I will report to the emperor, and General Yang will go to work."

Zhu Shengfei secretly praised Yang Yizhong for being a man. If he goes back with him, he will not be able to perform well.

Zhu Shengsheng hurried back to Da Nei and came to the Emperor's Imperial Study, but unexpectedly found that the Empress Dowager Wei was also there, but she was rather sluggish and not as aggressive as usual.

"Wei Chen sees His Majesty!"

"How is it?" Zhao Gou asked anxiously.

Empress Dowager Wei also raised her head, staring nervously at Zhu Shengfei.

"Report to Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, the matter is settled."

Zhao Gou let out a long sigh of relief, meaning that Uncle Guo is still alive, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to explain to his mother.

Empress Dowager Wei also breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly said, "Tell me in detail!"

"Weichen talked with Zhou Kuan. The other party said that Chen Qing was stabbed in the back and was seriously injured. But for the sake of the emperor, Chen Qing promised to spare Uncle Guo's life, but made one request."

When Zhao Gou heard that Chen Qing was injured, his heart was twisted again. He didn't know what unreasonable request the other party took the opportunity to make. He asked, "What request?"

"Chen Qing asked His Majesty to guarantee the safety of the report and not to harass the newspaper office. This minister boldly agreed on His Majesty's behalf."

The request is not high, Zhao Gou let it go, waved his hands and said: "This request is not high, I can agree, and in the future, the newspaper office can take care of Sichuan and Shanxi to deliver news, so as to avoid poor communication between the two parties."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Empress Dowager Wei next to her said impatiently: "Then what do they say, when will Uncle Guo be released?"

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, the other party said that Uncle Rao didn't die, but Uncle Guo arranged for an assassin to assassinate Chen Qing. The consequences would be very serious, so Uncle Guo needs to pay to redeem himself."

Empress Dowager Wei was surprised, "How much do they want?"

"They will talk with Uncle Guo in detail. It seems that the negotiation has been concluded. As long as the ransom is sent to the military camp before dawn tomorrow, Uncle Guo will be released at dawn."

Empress Dowager Wei frowned, and was about to explode, but Zhao Gou interrupted her anger in time, "Mother, uncle Guo acted without authorization this time and caused great disaster to the court. He has to pay a heavy price to learn his lesson, please Mother Empress Mingjian!"

What Zhao Gou meant was that it would be nice to be able to save people, so don't make any more troubles.

Zhu Shengfei added: "Tomorrow morning, the other party will leave Lin'an. The time is very tight. In order for the uncle to be released safely, we must cooperate with the other party as much as possible."

Originally, Empress Dowager Wei wanted to make a fuss about the other party's arrest of the uncle without authorization, but was blocked by the emperor and Zhu Shengfei, and she couldn't get angry, but Zhu Shengfei belonged to her, which made her even more unable to get angry.

She had no choice but to stand up and said: "Ai's family will go back to the palace right away, and Uncle Guo will let me know when he comes back."

She walked quickly to the phoenix chariot outside, Zhao Gou bowed and said goodbye, "Respectfully send the empress back to the palace!"

……

As night fell, fifty large ships loaded with Wei Tong's wealth slowly sailed out of the Shuicheng Gate and entered the Qiantang River along the moat.

This time the harvest was extremely rich, with 120 million copper coins alone, and a large amount of wealth such as gold, silver, jewelry, jade, silk, copper, porcelain, lacquer ware, famous tea, etc. Chao Qing estimated on the spot that the total value was 300 About [-] million guan.

Chapter 863

At dusk, several painted boats slowly stopped in front of a private pier in Sanqiao. The back door to the door had already been opened ahead of time. After getting out of the boat, she turned around and helped Zhao Yingluo onto the shore again.

"Husband, is this here?"