Brocade without a knife

He Zhen had guessed in advance who he might meet on this trip. The most likely possibility was King Ning or a visitor from Yanjing, but he never expected that the unexpected visitor would be a foreigner.

Furthermore, Yi Hezhen's first impression should be from the state of Jin.

The leader of the comers was a middle-aged man with a white face and no beard. He had ordinary eyebrows, the ordinary ones that could not be recognized in a blink of an eye when thrown on the street.

But He Zhen had been in the East Factory and the harem since he was a child, and he recognized at a glance that this person should be an eunuch.

The state of Jin borders Dayan and Beiman respectively, and the customs and humanities are sandwiched between the two. They not only learned the etiquette and culture of Dayan, but also acquired the roughness and boldness of Beiman.Jin State also has intelligence agencies similar to Dongchang and Jinyiwei, which Jin people call "Caisi Department".At first glance, the name looks very elegant, but in fact the name comes from a very cruel punishment.

The arrested criminals are stripped of their clothes, wrapped in layers of colored silk, poured with grease, and grilled on the fire.

Comparing the punishments of Dongchang and Jinyiwei, He Zhen thinks that this kind of punishment is too rough and unrealistic, and it is not suitable for torture and interrogation.

But from the name, at least it can be seen that the nature of "Caisi Department" and Dongchang is generally the same, both are controlled by eunuchs, and they are the minions of the emperor's lackeys who harm the officials and the people.

Oh, what a crime.

But at this moment, the Caisi Department of the State of Jin appeared in front of Hezhen in a grand manner, and sincerely invited Hezhen to have a talk.

Before He Zhen said anything, Zhao Jingzhong was already on the verge of a formidable enemy. If He Zhen hadn't pressed his hand in time, he might have whistled for someone.

Seeing that He Zhen stopped Zhao Jingzhong, the eunuch breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands and bowed deeply to He Zhen: "We have no intention of conflicting with you, Governor, please rest assured. This is King Ning's site, so as not to disturb you King Ning, please ask the governor to take a step to speak."

He Zhen had the same idea as him, not to mention that this is King Ning's lair, but if these Jin people really wanted to attack him, there was Lu Zhengming behind him.He was very curious, what are these spies from the state of Jin risking their lives to come here?

He smiled, his face gradually regaining its brilliance after recovering from a serious illness made the other party slightly dazed, He Zhen said: "Then please."

The people from the Caisi Department quickly led Hezhen into an inconspicuous jade workshop. The mountains around Youyun are rich in jade mines. This kind of jade shops are everywhere in Youyun and Youyun states, and they never attract attention.

A group of people passed through the jade shop and arrived at the backyard. An old man with white hair and beard was drinking tea in the backyard. He heard footsteps and looked up.

When the old man saw He Zhen for the first time, he was taken aback for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down carefully, put down the teacup and sighed: "Like, it really looks like."

He Zhen was also startled when he heard the words, smiled calmly, and sat down opposite him calmly: "Who do you think I look like?"

Such a straight-forward question without politeness made the old man smile. He took another deep look at He Zhen and said to himself: "This old slave has served in the Jin Palace all his life. He has seen countless beauties, but only one I will never forget this old slave. Over there is Your Majesty, your biological mother, who is also the deceased imperial concubine. Your eyebrows are eighty percent similar to hers, but softer. The imperial concubine's heart is higher than the sky all her life, and she is unwilling to let others Finally, but judging from your face, you are a kind-hearted person who does not fight with the world. This is very different from the imperial concubine."

He Zhen was stunned for a moment when he heard the word "the imperial concubine", and then he couldn't help but said: "Old man, you are wrong, I don't know who the imperial concubine you are talking about is, but if you say that I am indifferent to the world That really flatters me. If I had nothing to do with the world, I would not appear in Youzhou City now, nor would I be invited to sit opposite you."

The old man's narrowed eyelids moved, and he nodded with enlightenment, but immediately shook his head: "Your dispute is not a dispute at all in this world, otherwise you should be in Yanjing instead of Youzhou at this time." .”

He Zhen interjected: "How could I be in Yanjing? I am a bereaved dog now, and thanks to your country's blessing, Dayan sent me a capable regent." He sighed distressedly: "Soon, it will probably be the new king."

The old man's face was a little stagnant after being teased by him, but he was not annoyed, and smiled with a good temper: "It's a long story, and the governor must have known about two or three things. But the specifics, it's better for the governor to listen to the old slave." Tell me about that year?"

He Zhen took a look at the sky, then nodded and said, "Please tell me, I'm all ears."

Who the old man is, He Zhen already has some guesses, but the gentle and amiable attitude of the other party is beyond his expectation.He is also an intelligence chief, but his godfather is the admiral of the East Factory who is gloomy and not a good person at first glance; and if the old man on the other side doesn't know his identity, he seems to be just an old slave in an ordinary palace, with a little evil spirit on his body also no.

He Zhen compared himself as the admiral of the East Factory, and thought, it seems that our family is the kindest.

After all, Lu Zhengming and him have been double-faced until now, and he has not killed Lu Zhengming, which is enough to prove it.

The old man poured himself another cup of tea, took a sip, and then said, "The last emperor of the Yan Kingdom, that is, your father, was captured into our Jin Kingdom. Although he is a prisoner, he is the king of a country after all. Well, the late emperor of our country never treated him badly. It’s just that the two countries have been hostile for a long time, and the subordinates inevitably acted against each other. In the beginning, your father had a very hard life.” The old man sighed, “But later the late emperor found out about it, He became furious, dealt with the relevant officials, and brought your father into the palace to be entertained. The matter started from this time..."

He Zhen listened quietly to his story about the past. As for whether what the old man said was true, he could only be dubious.The other party knew that he was from Dongchang, and if they wanted to check, they would find out whether it was true or not.It's just that when I heard the second half, I felt weird, but I couldn't figure out where the blame was, so I could only listen to this tone secretly, the emperor before Jin was very generous.

The old man failed to observe his expression, sighed again, with a little hesitation on his face, but still said: "Your father entered the Jin Palace just when your mother and her sister were in favor, your father is gentle and elegant, and the noble concubines and sisters are national beauty. Tianxiang, each with its own style..."

Speaking of this, the old man paused for a moment.

He Zhen: "..."

He originally thought that having a noble concubine "mother" was already a huge "surprise", but he never expected that there would be another "aunt" suddenly.He was in a complicated mood for a while and couldn't express it.

His Great Yan Emperor's flair was really beyond his expectations, it was nothing more than a mess in the harem, and he caused disasters to two people at once.This is not the same as the rumors when he learned of Xiao Xun's life experience at the beginning. The late emperor did have a relationship in the state of Jin, but the concubine was not an accompanying concubine, nor a private woman of the state of Jin, but the concubine of the emperor of Jin.

He Zhen wondered, how did the first emperor escape from the state of Jin and return to the court alive?Did it happen after he went back?The timeline doesn't match up either. If what the other party said is true, how did that proud imperial concubine concubine give birth to him?

He couldn't figure it out, because the person sitting opposite him was the official of the Caisi Department, and with the Caisi Department present, how could such a shocking scandal that confused the blood of the royal family be concealed?

The old man seemed to see his doubts, smiled slightly and said: "You guessed right, I found out about the affair between the noble concubines and your father not long after I became the first emperor." He waved his hand and said indifferently, "But I Jin After all, the country is the Jin country. The ancestors and the northern barbarians are actually of the same lineage, and the customs are mostly the same. It is just a woman, and it is common for the father to die. My emperor admired your father very much. Take your father's life, but you were born not long after..."

He said leisurely: "I, the late emperor, can tolerate your father having an affair with his concubine, but it has touched his bottom line when it comes to the offspring. The late emperor was furious, and directly sent me to take the lives of you and the noble concubine. "

He Zhen raised his eyebrows: "But now I'm still alive, could it be that you, old merciful, let me go?"

The old man smiled wryly: "You think highly of this old slave. At that time, this old slave was just an official of the Caisi Department. In fact, it was the imperial concubine who was imprisoned and entrusted her father and brother to operate layer by layer, and finally replaced it with another child." I will send you out of the state of Jin. Not long after you left the state of Jin, the imperial concubine was given a white silk."

When He Zhen heard about this past, he had no joy or anger on his face. Although he was a person in that past, he didn't have much emotion, whether it was the state of Jin or the imperial concubine.

Since he can remember, he has been wandering in the country of Yan, and was later picked up by his godfather.Whether it is suffering or happiness, it has nothing to do with the country across the river.

The old man failed to see the emotion he wanted from his face, but he was extremely disappointed as he expected.

But Ting Hezhen asked, "What about Xiao Xun? What role did he play in it?"

"Him?" A trace of disdain flashed in the old man's eyes, and he said, "This son is the younger sister of the imperial concubine, the daughter of Mrs. Guo Guo. I know that he came here under the banner of your father's posthumous son, and now he is doing exactly what he said. I wish to become the regent of the Yan State. In fact, it is the evil son of the wife of the Guo State who had an affair with an outsider. This lady has always been gentle and obedient, and she hid the truth from the late emperor, including everyone in the Caisi Department at that time. After the noble concubine was given to death But he escaped from the palace in the name of becoming a monk.”

This is almost the same as the news that He Zhen sent spies to find out from the state of Jin. Xiao Xun's identity must be questionable, but he is not sure whether Xiao Xun knows his real father.

Looking at it now, his "aunt" is not a fuel-efficient lamp.

In fact, what puzzled him the most was the late emperor of Jin. His attitude in this incident had always been inexplicable. He hated Emperor Yan and his concubine's children deeply, but he was extremely magnanimous towards their personal relationship.

Can this really be summed up simply by the word custom?

Seeing that the old man stopped talking, He Zhen finally took the initiative to speak: "So what is your country sending you to look for me all the time?"

The old man looked him straight in the eyes: "The superintendent is really quick to speak, and the old slave no longer paves the way. I have been caught in a war between the three kings since the first emperor left, and the civil strife has never stopped. General Hesu is the elder brother of the imperial concubine. He learned that The governor was in trouble in the country of Yan, so he entrusted an old slave to invite the governor to return to Jin. With the talents of the governor, and the power of General Hesu, he will be able to help us in the Jin Dynasty. After Mingjun ascends the throne, the governor will be better than before. The power is more powerful." He paused and said, "Yan Guo prospers civilized but not martial arts. Once King Ning dies and the northern border is broken, sooner or later he will fall under the iron hooves of the northern barbarians. Xiao Xun's whimsy, if he seeks skin from a tiger, he will be backlashed. When the situation in my court is settled, I can take advantage of the war between the two countries and enter, and then the Governor can capture that Li Zi to avenge the old enmity."