Golden Stage

The midsummer was coming to an end, and the heat was gradually fading away. In order to prepare for Emperor Changzhi's trip to the south of the Yangtze River in September, Yan Xiaohan was assigned to rush to Jinling first, and arrange the palace defense and other matters.

The day before his departure, he handed over official duties to Wei Xuzhou and others, went home and sat on the porch, watching people busily coming in and out packing their luggage, idle and bored playing with the snow-white hydrangea around him.The setting sun in the sky sprinkled golden light all over the place, Master Yan sighed facing the wind, he always felt that if he went on like this, he was going to recite words such as "the slanting light pulses and the water is long".

It had been more than three months since Fu Shen's expedition to the southwest, Yan Xiaohan was not worried about his safety, but just felt panicked.The separation was long, and lovesickness was tormented. I had tasted enough in Jinling, and now I have to go back and taste it again. That is to say, he has good patience and rationality.

"Master!" The steward walked quickly from the other side of the courtyard, holding a thin letter in his hand, and handing it over with both hands, said, "Master, just now a military official came to pass a letter saying that it was just brought back from the southwest. A letter from the Duke's family."

Yan Xiaohan's hands trembled violently, and the hydrangea was pulled bald in an instant, and white flowers fell all over the ground.His ears were filled with the sound of his own heartbeat, and he said calmly, "Bring it to me."

The envelope was very thin, with a tight seal, and there was only a piece of thin paper inside. When Yan Xiaohan pulled it out, he was afraid that he would tear the paper with too much strength.

Why only one piece of paper?The four words "Is my wife safe" back then were still deeply burned in his heart, so what would he write this time?

When he opened the letter paper that was folded in two, Yan Xiaohan maintained the posture of holding the letter, and his whole body froze completely.

What is this stuff?

Not a single word, just a mass of dark ink blots like ghostly drawn symbols.Yan Xiaohan stared for a long time before relying on his poor imagination to keep up with Fu Shen's imaginative brushstrokes.

The black one is the back, the white one is the belly, the one protruding from the front is the mouth, the one protruding from the back is the claws, and the slanted strokes on the top are... wings?

That's not right, what thing has four wings?

After all, Fu Shen is a son of a noble family, even if calligraphy and painting cannot be handed down to the world, people have to see what the painting is, so what's the matter with a big group of black people who can be posted to ward off evil spirits!

Yan Xiaohan didn't realize at all that the appearance of himself gnashing his teeth while laughing and laughing might be scarier in the eyes of others than a painting. He was like a child who was attracted by a novelty, he was engrossed in searching for the answer, and he didn't think about whether the painting was Smearing casually, there is no possibility of any meaning.

Of course, Fu Shen wouldn't travel thousands of miles to amuse him, but he really tried his best to be able to paint like this.

Yan Xiaohan identified it for a long time, looking up and down, and finally realized that he had made a mistake in his judgment just now. What protruded from the front was not a beak, but two bird heads, and what protruded from the back were not claws, but tails, four Mohen is two pairs of wings, coupled with black back and white belly, the answer is finally ready to come out.

The drawing on the paper is... a pair of wild geese.

The moment he wanted to understand, his eyes suddenly softened, as if he had been hit in the heart suddenly, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, but there seemed to be water in his eyes.

The letter was sent back together with the military newspaper, and because of the risk of being stolen, Fu Shen couldn't express his feelings directly, so he used this method to send him a "Wild Goose Letter".

What "swan goose" really means is a tacit understanding that only the two of them can understand.

The wild goose is a loyal bird, a couple for life, flying together in the world.

That night, when Yan Xiaohan was disturbed by this family letter and couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, on the other side of the capital, in Xue Shangshu's residence, there were also people who couldn't sleep.

Recently, the Metropolitan Procuratorate impeached two officials from the six ministries. After reading the papers, the emperor allowed the two to temporarily resign and reflect behind closed doors. The case was handed over to Dali Temple for investigation.This was originally a normal process, and the so-called "impeachment" was nothing more than a trivial problem, and no one regarded it as a major issue.However, he never expected that Dali Temple would reveal the old truth as soon as it was shoveled down—there was actually evidence that the two were corrupt and broke the law and accepted bribes!

Once the hole is opened, it is out of control.Zhu Can, Minister of Dali Temple, was well-known in the court for his uprightness and his disdain for soft and hard things. Even if he knew that these two were members of the Jiangnan faction, he had no intention of letting them go.Not long after, the excerpts from the Dali Temple went to Datian Listening, and Emperor Changzhi was furious. The Ministry of Exit and Execution planned to execute the two men in prison after the autumn trial.

Xue Sheng lost two capable generals in one fell swoop, and the situation suddenly became more subtle. Emperor Changzhi's attitude towards him has also been a little cold recently.Tonight, a guest came to his home. It was Zheng Duanwen, the right servant of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the lecturer, both from Jiangnan, who brought him good or bad news.

"This afternoon, a messenger brought a military report from the southwest. The army has been stationed outside the city for more than a month, but the two sides have never confronted each other. Duke Yasukuni wrote in the military report that Duan Guihong sent envoys to the station many times to ask for the commander. In a few days, we will have an interview with the King of Xiping County to persuade him to surrender."

"After reading the military newspaper, the emperor's face was unreadable. His hands were trembling with anger, and he asked me, 'I have sent people to the southwest over and over again, but he refused to see him because he said he was sick. Why did Fu Shen rush to make a statement as soon as he arrived? ? Does he have any unjust grievances that I cannot deal with, and can only be declared in front of Fu Shen?'"

Xue Sheng was the first person to support Emperor Changzhi's conquest of the Southwest, so whenever there was an army situation in the Southwest, Emperor Changzhi would call him into the palace to discuss.However, now that he was covered in mud, he missed the opportunity to let Zheng Duanwen show his face in front of the emperor—it sounds like Emperor Changzhi actually trusted him quite a bit.

The matter is of great importance, Zheng Duanwen couldn't make up his mind, and asked cautiously: "Brother Yunping, tell me, is the emperor dissatisfied with the king of Xiping County, or does he have some thoughts about that one...?"

The Jiangnan Party has always regarded Yasukuni Duke Fu Shen as a confidant and enemy.Not to mention that this man holds a heavy army, the move on the golden platform almost swept the Jiangnan gentry out of the court, so that Xue Sheng and the others had to advance a few words of advice in front of Emperor Changzhi from time to time, such as high meritorious service and self-respect .Now Emperor Changzhi would be embarrassed whenever he mentioned Fu Shen, probably thanks to this group of people.

Xue Sheng frowned coldly in his heart, putting away his endless thoughts, and instead of answering in a hurry, he asked, "How did Fang De deal with it?"

"This..." Zheng Duanwen hesitated, "My brother only said that Duan Guihong is a traitor. Even if this person is recruited, he may not be rebellious in the future. Duke Jing's move is somewhat inappropriate."

Xue Sheng raised his hand and stroked his beard, and said meaningfully: "Fang De still remembers that year when Tazhe came to Jinling to negotiate peace with our court? At that time, Yan Xiaohan and Fu Shen were on the front line together, and the memorial sent back only Six words, 'I would rather die in battle than negotiate a peace'. Why are you so timid now facing a mere county king?"

"You mean..."

"It's true that Duan Guihong is an old member of Beiyan, but it's all about the friendship between his fathers, it's old-fashioned. What kind of old friendship does Fu Shen have with him? It's just an excuse." Xue Sheng said, "Don't worry about it. What, Fu Shen is unwilling to meet Duan Guihong in battle. This is a fact that no one can erase. Our court actually uses such a person to confront the enemy. If he cooperates with Duan Guihong, wouldn't it be troublesome? Big mess?"

But isn't that why you urged His Majesty to go to the southwest front?

Zheng Duanwen heard a murderous intent from his unhurried words, and couldn't help but feel a chill behind his back: "Brother Yunping, what do you mean... Fu Shen colluded with Duan Guihong to plot rebellion? This is going to kill you." Great crime! Why did he do this?"

"It's not him 'why is this', but our 'why is this'," Xue Sheng said calmly, "someone in the court is obviously targeting us, if we don't act, the next one who can't keep our love is you and me. It's important, as long as the emperor believes that he is treasonous."

"As long as he is brought down, the Beiren's alliance will naturally disintegrate. Without us taking action, they will fight among themselves. At that time, it will be our chance to let go."

The summer night was sweltering, but a drop of cold sweat slipped from Zheng Duanwen's temples.

It is true that he is on Xue Sheng's side, but he has also heard the praise of Beiyan's iron cavalry for defeating foreign enemies and defending the territory for many years.Forming a faction is one thing, but why did it suddenly come to the point of framing a hero and intending to kill Fu Shen quickly?

"As long as the emperor believes that he is treasonous", isn't this...unreasonable?

Zheng Duanwen bid farewell to Xue Sheng in a trance, led by the butler, walked through the courtyard and came to the gate.

It was late at night, but there were voices outside the door.The two walked to the door, and found a young man of modest stature standing outside under the steps, squinting at him, cursing in a dirty manner, the porter held a wooden stick in his hand, and shouted with a haughty face: " Go back quickly! If you dare to behave wildly again, be careful, I will report to the police and arrest you and put you in prison!"

Zheng Duanwen came back to his senses after being shouted, raised the majesty of the official, and said slowly: "Why are you making such a noise here late at night?"

The housekeeper of Xue's house frowned imperceptibly, and then smiled apologetically at Zheng Duanwen: "Your servant has nothing to do with you, and you will be disciplined when you turn around. My lord is sympathetic."

At this time, the young man suddenly looked at Zheng Duanwen, and asked unceremoniously: "Do you recognize Xue Sheng when you come out? My son wants to see him, so you go in and report quickly. Don't talk nonsense, if you delay the important matter, don't blame me later Didn't remind you."

Zheng Duanwen, the official Minister of Rites, was immediately annoyed when he was treated like a domestic slave and called around.However, just as he took a step forward, he was about to reprimand the young man, his eyes fell on his clothes, and he turned around when he spoke, and asked, "Who are you? What can I do with Mr. Xue?"

The young man said impatiently: "Let me go in, I will tell you when I go in."

The housekeeper couldn't stand it, and planned to call the servant to drive the boy away, but Zheng Duanwen raised his hand abruptly to stop him, and said: "Go in and inform Mr. Xue." Then he said to the young man: "Follow me."

The butler was confused, but he couldn't persuade him, so he had to go in and report to Xue Sheng. Not long after, Zheng Duanwen led the young man in, and whispered a few words in Xue Sheng's ear.

Xue Sheng looked surprised, turned to the young man after a while, and asked politely: "Your servant is rude, please don't blame me. I don't know why you came to visit late at night?"

"Tell everyone else to go down," the young man said coldly, "Leave only you and me." He pointed at Zheng Duanwen again: "He will stay too."