Golden Stage

It was pitch black outside, Zheng Duanwen didn't notice when he led the people in, and when he got into the house and stood under the candle, he found that the young man had a lame leg.

Xue Shengping stepped back and asked the young man to sit down and talk.

"Dare to ask Mr. Gao's name?"

"Fu Ya." The young man had a mocking look on his face, and said with the corner of his mouth curled up, "My lord must have never heard of it. But I have an older brother named Fu Shen, you must know about it."

When Zheng Duanwen was outside the door, he saw that the clothes on his body were all rare and high-quality materials. Although there was only a purse hanging on his waist, they were also very delicate and meticulous. He didn't look like a rascal, and he refused to say his name. People are brought in.But they never expected that this "smooth move" would bring back the nemesis' younger brother!

But to be honest, the southerners had been in the capital for quite some time, and they had never heard of Fu Shen having a brother.

When Jingguo was still the Marquis of Jingning, he had already separated from Yingguo's mansion and lived in another house. Over the years, he had very little contact with the original mansion, and he hardly moved around. After the war, even Yingguo's mansion As he gradually declined, his power was extremely powerful, and he never helped the Fu family once.

People who are not in the court cannot understand the discord between the north and the south, but Fu Ya, a child of a family, should have some understanding of the situation in the court.He came to look for Xue Sheng at this time, probably not "unacquainted", but "centrifugal".

"When I was in the south, I heard that Lord Xue's beloved daughter committed suicide because of the empress," Fu Ya said, "Although your lord has never revealed it, you must still regret it to this day."

Xue Sheng was suddenly poked on the scar, his expression was slightly cold, and he said in a deep voice: "Since you know that this old man hates people surnamed Fu, how dare you go to the door of my Xue family?"

"Because I hate people surnamed Fu just like you," Fu Ya laughed nervously, licking his canine teeth unconsciously with the tip of his tongue, "especially the one surnamed Fu."

There was a kind of undisguised, almost innocent malice in his demeanor, his eyes narrowed when he laughed, and his pupils looked like poisonous snakes, which made the two old men shudder.Xue Sheng's palms were sweating a little, and he forced himself to ask calmly: "So, you want me to help you deal with him?"

"No," Fu Ya shook his head, pulled out a roll of things from his sleeve, held it in his hands and shook it at the two of them, as if showing off, he said, "It's me, I'm here to help you deal with him."

He tossed the scroll in his hand to Xue Sheng, and Zheng Duanwen also leaned over to look at it. After browsing through ten lines at a glance, he gasped for a moment, sweating coldly, and couldn't speak clearly: "This, this is..."

"The letters between my uncle and the southwestern rebel Duan Guihong, and the assassination case at the birthday banquet that caused a sensation in the capital are inseparably related to him." Fu Ya crossed his legs and asked triumphantly, "How is it? think?"

There were two letters in that volume, as well as several gift lists and documents, which stated how many "special products" Southwest sent to Duke Ying's mansion every year, and Fu Tingyi forwarded these earth rituals to Qingxu Temple.

Xue Sheng's hand holding the paper trembled slightly, with veins on the back of his hand: "Mr. Ying...do you know what you are doing?"

"Who would have thought that the well-known good-for-nothing third master in the capital is not a good-for-nothing, and he is playing tricks on you right under the noses of so many people! Hahahahaha..."

He stopped laughing suddenly, as if he had suddenly fallen into some kind of chaotic madness, and said furiously: "You shitty princes and generals are all fucking beasts! Wearing a sanctimonious human skin, full of hypocrisy, who knows what's inside the heart?" What the hell is it! He deserves to be assigned to a man, cut off his descendants, and die in the eighteenth floor of hell..."

Fu Ya was full of obscenities, hearing Xue Sheng and Zheng Duanwen and other civil servants who came from a family of poets and rites showed disgust. He didn't know how a good son of a master could be brought up to be like this. He seemed to be insane. Deranged lunatic.

Zheng Duanwen coughed dryly, and said, "Young master Fu, do you know that these things in your hands will bring great disaster to Duke Ying's mansion? Fu Tingyi is your elder. If he and Fu Shen really committed a heinous crime, although you are meritorious in reporting it, But according to the rules, you have to ask for punishment, you can think about it."

Xue Sheng glanced at him, as if he didn't expect him to have such kindness.

Fu Ya was completely immersed in his own emotions, unable to listen to anything, he leaned forward and backward laughing, his voice was hoarse, as if blood was about to spurt from his throat: "Hahahahaha... It's good to die, it's all dead. Alright! Don’t keep anyone! And that bastard... the leader of Feilongwei, Yan Xiaohan, should be sentenced to death by cutting him into pieces!"

"What a Zanying family, full of loyalty! In the end, the nine clans will be implicated, and everyone will be clean!"

"Brother Yunping," Zheng Duanwen said quietly to Xue Sheng, "I think his appearance seems to be the symptom of taking 'Autumn Night White'. .”

"I know," Xue Sheng carefully rolled up those few pages, and issued the order to evict the guests without changing his expression, "It's getting late, Fang De should go back to the house first. I will find someone to arrange for young master Fu. Don't tell me what happened tonight. other people's ears."

Zheng Duanwen's heart trembled, and he bowed to Xue Sheng and said, "Then... I will trouble Brother Yunping."

The dim candlelight cast heavy shadows on Xue Sheng's deep-set eye sockets and nose. His face was like a sculpture with clear outlines. All expressions were hidden under an indifference, making him look old for no reason and inexplicably cold.

He nodded slightly to Zheng Duanwen and said, "Go."

The moment he walked out of Xue's mansion, the heavy door closed behind Zheng Duanwen's back, and he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.There was a coolness in the late night wind, which made Zheng Duanwen's hairs stand on end, his whole body was soaked, his clothes stuck to his back, but at this moment, he didn't care about the embarrassment, he hurriedly got into the carriage, and ordered the driver to drive home.

On the second day, Zheng Duanwen said he was sick at home and never came to court again.

It is said that he was getting old, and when he returned home at night, he was blown by the wind. The next day, his family found him slumped on the bed, hemiplegia, and the corners of his mouth were crooked. That is impossible, so I can only rest in bed and slowly take medicine to recuperate.

After Xue Sheng heard about this, he didn't seem to be surprised, and he didn't feel much regret. He ordered the housekeeper to send someone to deliver some medicinal materials to the Zheng family.

Within two days, the young master of Duke Ying's mansion suddenly disappeared, and his family members went to Shuntian Mansion crying to report to the officials. Unfortunately, this time is different. A war completely brought down Duke Ying's mansion, which was already on the decline. No one was willing to even report to the officials for such a trivial matter. The subordinate staff who accepted the case dealt with it impatiently, and then turned around and threw the case file aside to collect ashes.

There is still a tail left in midsummer, and autumn has not yet arrived, but there are already signs of "eventful autumn".

Xue Shengduan sat in front of the desk, listened carefully to Fu Ya's biography reported by his subordinates, and said coldly: "Father Tiger, if Fu Tingzhong knew that he gave birth to such a good son, would he be so angry that he would sit up from the coffin? ?”

A few years ago, Yan Xiaohan had punished Fu Ya twice overtly and secretly, one time he was killed, and the other time he was dragged out at a wedding banquet and beaten.This relentless beating caused Fu Ya to stop for a while, but before he could figure out how to retaliate, war broke out, the capital was captured by foreigners, and Fu Tingyi fled to the south of the Yangtze River with his whole family.

The journey was bumpy, life was the most important thing, and no one cared about taking good care of him. Fu Ya dragged his sick body to Jinling, and the winter in the south of the Yangtze River was extremely cold and damp. After all, his leg could not be completely cured, leaving behind the sequelae of lameness.

Ironically, his elder brother with crippled legs was still galloping on the battlefield, but Fu Ya, a healthy man, became crippled in the end.

Fu Ya was lame and had no heirs, so he couldn't make up his mind all the time, and even came to Jinling, a place full of flowers and bewitching dreams, and from then on he lingered in brothels and Chu houses, spending his days and nights, and spending money recklessly.And Fu Tingyi is a pure person who is about to step into the fairy gate with one foot, and he doesn't want to bother to control him, so he has been wasted until now.

He contracted "Autumn Night White" in a brothel in the south of the Yangtze River. After returning to Beijing, he still needed medicine to maintain his monthly income, so he gradually began to steal things from home to sell.

"Bailusan" is banned by the government in the capital, and can only be traded in the black market, and the price is extremely expensive.Fu Ya not only sold his own things, but also secretly sold his mother's dowry. After being discovered by Mrs. Qin, he cried and cursed, making the house restless and frightened.Ying Guogong Fu Tingyi couldn't bear the noise at home, so he packed up his bags and moved into a Taoist temple outside the city.

Fu Ya was taught a lesson by his mother, and he didn't dare to reach out to her room anymore. His hands were really tight, so he groped into Fu Tingyi's room at night, ransacked all the boxes, and finally found a few bank notes, and found a Locked locket.

He thought that there was something valuable in the box, so he took it out together, took it out to find a locksmith and opened the lock, only to find that it was a stack of letters from and to the Southwest.

No matter how stupid Fu Ya is, he also knows the pros and cons of these things. On the one hand, he was shocked by Fu Tingyi's hidden secrets, but on the other hand, he clearly realized that this might be a godsend opportunity.

The things he held were enough to collapse the entire Fu family in an instant, and they were also enough to pull Fu Shen off the altar, and he would never be able to stand up again for the rest of his life.

While overwhelming pleasure and desire for destruction surged in his body, Fu Ya was able to spare half of his mind to think calmly.He couldn't directly take this evidence to sue the officials, because Fu Shen also had the old and cunning Yan Xiaohan beside him.

He is alone and weak, so he must find someone who can compete with Yan Fu and Yan Fu, and use his hands to complete this matter.

After much deliberation and inquiring, he came to Xue Sheng's house with his "nomination certificate".

"Great hospitality is hard to turn down." Xue Sheng shook his head, and said to himself half with emotion and half mockingly, "Duke Jingguo, God's will is so, so don't blame me for giving you a ride."

The next day.

Xue Sheng went to the palace to meet the saint, and presented the letters between Ying Guogong Fu Tingyi and Southwest in private to Emperor Changzhi.

"Okay...Okay!" Emperor Changzhi said two good words in succession, the muscles on his face seemed to be unable to control the movement, and his description was extremely ferocious.He held up those letter papers and shivered for a long time, then got up suddenly, swept the pens, inkstones and tea cups all over the table with his sleeves, gritted his teeth and shouted sharply: "I'm a traitor! It's hard to deceive me!"

The eunuch outside the door heard the voice, and tremblingly pushed the door open a crack, just happened to be glimpsed by Emperor Changzhi, and returned with a suet jade brush and smashed it at the door, furiously said: "Get out!"

After a loud noise, the room was silent, Xue Sheng calmly stood in the mess, and calmly persuaded: "Your Majesty, calm down."

After standing still for a moment, Emperor Changzhi fell straight on the chair.

His face was purple, his chest heaved violently, he couldn't help panting, and he murmured: "A duke of two kingdoms... Hehe, a high-ranking official with a rich salary has raised such a group of wolf-hearted people..."

Seeing that he was getting angry, Xue Sheng stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Emperor Changzhi separated a little from his trance, and said, "Speak."

Xue Sheng lifted his robe and knelt down in the middle of the hall: "Yingguo Gong Fu Tingyi colluded with Duan Guihong, a traitor in the southwest, murdered the Supreme Emperor and endangered the country. Yasukuni Gong Fu Shen knew about it and did not report it. Instead, he covered it up and concealed it, and even made friends with Duan Guihong. It’s very shallow. The intention of these three to seek rebellion is obvious, if they are not eradicated, they will rebel in the future.”

"The matter has come to this point, I dare to ask Your Majesty to make plans for future generations, to stop when it is right, to thoroughly clean up Fu's family of rebellious parties, so as to prevent future troubles."

Emperor Changzhi finally regained his strength, and said tiredly: "Tell me, how should I make a decision?"

"Your Majesty, let me tell you: Fu Shen is in the southwest, and he is in close contact with the troops stationed in northern Xinjiang. If he is to be heard by the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Tribunal of Justice, it will definitely cause discussions and encounter many obstructions. If he is pushed into a hurry, Fu Shen If we unite with Duan Guihong to rebel on the spot, the court will have nothing to do with him." Xue Sheng said, "I think that for the present plan, we can only do it secretly, first to punish the leader of the bandit, and then to clean up the rest. In this way, we can To prevent future troubles, without triggering turmoil in northern Xinjiang."

Emperor Changzhi suddenly "thumped" in his heart.Although he was angry, he knew that if he wanted to deal with important ministers like Fu Shen, he should give him a chance to defend himself. He didn't expect Xue Sheng to kill him when he came up, so he couldn't help saying: "He...Fu Shen has made meritorious service to the country after all, How can you use this method?"

"Your Majesty has a broad mind, but rebellious officials and traitors can't understand your painstaking efforts," Xue Sheng said softly, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten how Fu Shen forced you when soldiers surrounded the capital?"

"Fu Shen has a very high prestige in the court and has many followers, otherwise he wouldn't have the courage to bully the emperor." He kowtowed to the ground, and said, "If this thief is not eradicated, the country and society are in danger. Please think twice, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Changzhi was silent.

Xue Sheng calmly waited for him to think carefully, with confidence in his mind, because he knew that the thorns that had been planted in the emperor's heart in the past would eventually take root and sprout in the face of iron-clad evidence, turning into poisonous vines and grabbing his mind and sanity.

Fu Shen was sure to die.

No matter how loyal he is usually, even if he re-launched the northern country for Emperor Changzhi, those trusts are unreliable. People may not remember all the good things about another person, but he must remember all the offenses and hurts.

As long as there is a small gap in the white jade, it is not far from the broken jade.

Sure enough, after a long silence, Emperor Changzhi opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice even a little hoarse and trembling: "Aiqing... what's the best way?"

Xue Sheng counted his own breaths, and waited until the deafening heartbeat in his ears subsided, and then he bowed again without changing his expression: "I am a dull servant, and I am willing to share the worries for Your Majesty and do the work of a dog and a horse."

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the eunuch guarding the gate could only hear the conversation coming from inside intermittently through the gap, a few words were enough to make his heart jump, and his hands hidden under his sleeves were wet with sweat.

I don't know how long it took before the door of the vermilion palace "squeaked" and was pushed open from inside.

Xue Sheng stepped out of the hall, stopped in front of the steps, and squinted his eyes against the overwhelming sunlight.The eunuch took a peek at him, inexplicably feeling that although Xue Shangshu was expressionless, there was clearly a smile overflowing from the corners of his eyes and brows.

It was a sneer with a well-thought-out plan and a sure chance of victory, hiding a knife and poison.

"Yuan Zhen."

Emperor Changzhi yelled in the hall, and the eunuch named Yuan Zhen hurriedly looked away, walked in with small steps, and said softly, "The servant is here."

"Ask someone to clean up the palace," said Emperor Changzhi, "Go and make me a cup of tea."

Yuan Zhen bowed his head and led the way.

That night, the military officials with the imperial decree set off from the capital and rushed to the southwest at full speed.

Also on the same night, Wei Xuzhou received Yuan Zhen's report and immediately sent his confidant Ye to Jinling to pass the news to Yan Xiaohan.

The imperial guards staying in Beijing had already sent the news as quickly as possible, but after all, it was one step too late when Yan Xiaohan received the letter from Beijing and set off for the southwest compared to Xue Sheng who had planned ahead.

In the fourth year of Changzhi, on the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, Fu Shen, Duke of Yasukuni, was assassinated while meeting Duan Guihong, a rebel general from the Southwest, and vomited blood and fainted on the spot.During the scuffle, Fu Shen was kidnapped by the Southwest rebels, his life and death are uncertain, and his whereabouts are unknown.