Jun You Ji Fou

The grass grows and the warbler flies, and the full moon is in a blink of an eye.

After Su Shiyu left Beijing for his hunting tour, the Chu party unexpectedly did not take any action.The affairs of the various ministries are as before, and the court is safe and sound.While the officials breathed a sigh of relief, they all secretly breathed a sigh of relief because they felt strange, which can be described as quite difficult.They worked hard to maintain this state for nearly a month. When the Huainan incident happened and the news that Dr. Yu Shi was about to return, they suddenly realized that Chu Mingyun had really kept his law and order for so long. There is nothing to blame—it's just that Mr. Taiwei has always seemed a little irritable in his appearance these days.

Chu Mingyun propped his forehead with one hand, and put the letter on the table casually. Hearing the footsteps approaching, he said without raising his eyes, "Is there any news from Su Shiyu?"

"...Brother." The footsteps stopped suddenly, and Qin Zhao's voice was slightly subtle.

Chu Mingyun raised his eyes and looked, "Huh?"

Qin Zhao looked at him strangely, hesitated for a moment before saying, "...you have asked me seven times in the past two days."

"Is there?" Chu Mingyun frowned slightly, and then said without changing his face: "I have asked seven times, why is there no new news?"

"Su Shiyu is already on his way back. If there is no accident, of course there will be no news."

Chu Mingyun nodded expressionlessly, and Qin Zhao stepped forward to put down the document, "Zhou Yi wrote it after he took office, saying that the situation in the western region is under control."

"Ah."

Qin Zhao suddenly paused, took a deep breath, and then looked at the auspicious animal incense burner at the corner of the table, with a faint smoke curling like silk.He was surprised and said: "Brother, have you changed the spice?"

"Well, An Shenxiang," Chu Mingyun glanced at, "How is it?"

"good."

"Oh—?" Su Bai's fingertips tapped on the gold-painted beast's head one after another, and there was a soft sound, Chu Mingyun said, "Why do I think this is missing something, it's too cold and tasteless."

"Anshenxiang is originally the smell." Qin Zhao said.

"But nothing I smelled like this before." Chu Mingyun stared at the incense burner, subconsciously replied.

"Where did you smell it before?"

There was a name rolling between his teeth, and Chu Mingyun paused when he wanted to speak. Chu Mingyun was startled, and suddenly came back to his senses, withdrew his hand, and said a few perfunctory words.

After simply reporting the matter, Qin Zhao left.

The spring rain is pattering outside the house, and the sycamore trees are green.The entanglement of fragrant mist and warm smoke in the room quietly entangles the unknown thoughts.

Chu Mingyun leaned back in his chair idly, picked up the letter from the side after a while, and casually read it word by word.

This is the last report. The shadow guard who followed wrote that Su Shiyu had left Huainan and everything went well.

all the best.

Everything in the past month, including the Huainan King's case, has been so smooth, unexpectedly smooth.

When Su Shiyu first arrived, the king of Huainan refused to greet him at the border, the city gates were closed tightly, and his attitude was so tough. Later, he even deployed heavy soldiers in the city, forming a confrontation with the soldiers from the south brought by Su Shiyu. The situation was like a string. Stretched by both sides, pressing day by day, there is a sense of imminent triggering.

But it turned sharply overnight.

Tens of thousands of elite soldiers unloaded their armors, the gates of the vermilion city opened, and under the wet moonlight, a man came out barefoot, holding a letter in his hand, and came to offer his surrender.

The man claimed to be the counselor of King Huainan, and he was persecuted by him before to help the king and commit rebellion, and his heart was in great pain. Now seeing that King Huainan is not only rebellious, but also harming the people of the country, he resolutely conspired with others to assassinate King Huainan, and then He came to Kaesong non-stop to meet the doctor Yushi.

Kneeling under the majestic city, he confessed all his crimes: using poppies to restrain Tan Jing, setting up the Bliss Tower in Chang'an, sending Su Xing to assassinate officials, coercing Ji Heng to ambush Mu Lahe, and helping Huainan King stir up the situation.

He said that it was a sinister plan and he did it himself, knowing that he could not escape the death penalty, and killing people should pay for their lives, so he only asked Su Shiyu to be lenient and let the unsuspecting loyal soldiers and the innocent people in the city go.

His words were sonorous and forceful, and he kowtowed for a long time after he finished speaking.

There were soldiers behind him with red eyes, which also caused a few sighs from the patrolling entourage.

And Su Shiyu looked at King Huainan's head calmly, the blood-stained face was still full of rage and unwillingness, which was hideous and terrifying in the dim light and shadow.

After a long time, Su Shiyu said calmly, "Why did I ever say that I want King Huainan's head?"

The counselor raised his head and opened his mouth to list the ten crimes of King Huainan. They are unforgivable, but they are disloyalty and inhumanity, and his conscience is lost. Everyone should be punished and deserve death.

Su Shiyu looked at him silently for a moment, smiled lightly, and said nothing else.

Huainan was temporarily taken over by the southern border guards. After collecting the evidence, Su Shiyu was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he ordered people to visit the whole territory, found hundreds of acres of poppy fields, and then personally supervised them and burned them to the ground. , all destroyed.

On the last day, the counselor suddenly came to ask for an interview, paid homage to Su Shiyu, repeated his request for the pardon of the innocent, and then jumped into the burning sea of ​​poppies nearby. Ash.

In Huainan City, people sighed in admiration, saying that the counselor was really not a villain, but a kind and righteous person.

Chu Mingyun scoffed at the words.

In the chaotic scene at that time, the shadow guard paid special attention to Su Shiyu's reaction. Doctor Yu Shi, who was surrounded by the snatched followers, was only slightly taken aback, frowned, and then lowered his eyes and chuckled lightly, not knowing why.

Others don't know what Su Shiyu meant, but Chu Mingyun understands:

He died before contacting King Huainan, cutting off the opportunity for careful interrogation.There is no way to distinguish the truth from the falsehood of the counselor's words, so he pleaded guilty and committed suicide before returning to Beijing.

It's another dead-end drama.

The case seemed to be going well, even with a bit of righteousness and touching embellishment, but in fact they got nothing but a human head and a handful of ashes.Su Shiyu didn't encounter a dangerous situation, so he invited you into the urn as he expected.In the case of King Huainan, the conflict between solid evidence and suspicious motives deepened, but it was completely impossible to start.

If it wasn't for their overthinking, then it could only be that the matter is not as simple and clear as it was revealed to the world.

Suspicious rebirth, thinking but not understanding.

Chu Mingyun stared at the snow-white letter paper in a daze, his eyes fell on the name of the person unconsciously, the ink marks outlined the thin strokes, and there was warmth in the horizontal twists and turns.

It is conceivable that the moist and soft southern wind passes through his fingers, and there is a slight smile between the sleeves flying, and the fire-colored poppies burn into butterfly wings in front of him and fly away with the wind, and the mountain fire stretches for tens of miles. Absolutely, burning forever.

It is boundless elegance.

——Master Su, please remember to come back earlier, lest I become ill from lovesickness.

It was clearly a coincidence, a joke that blurted out.

Outside the window, the spring rain is getting heavier, knocking on the sycamore leaves and falling under the eaves.

Chu Mingyun suddenly poured a cup of cold tea and extinguished the incense burner, threw the letter on the table, raised his hand and pressed the center of his eyebrows.

Lovesickness, what a joke.

... who would really miss him.

A few days later, Chang'an did not wait for the doctor Yushi, but an unprecedented guest.

The Xiongnu sent an envoy to visit, and the envoy was still the Ninth Prince Yuwen Falcon.

Since the beginning of the dynasty, Daxia and the Xiongnu have been at constant war. I don’t know how many loyal souls were lost in the desert dust. The Wuding River is full of the bones of Daxia.Women, children, old and young, all gritted their teeth when they mentioned the Huns.

Even in the past few years, because of Chu Mingyun, the Xiongnu had some taboos and did not act rashly. The two sides of the border are still strictly guarded and have never communicated with each other.

Now the Xiongnu suddenly sent the prince here, the court was shocked, and he quickly greeted him according to the etiquette, at least he did not lose his demeanor.

Ninth Prince Yuwen Falcon's Chinese was surprisingly accurate and fluent. A simple gift was given in the Golden Palace, and he stated his intentions straight to the point:

Ask Daxia to cede five cities in the northwest to the Xiongnu.

The Xiongnu's attitude was quite arrogant, and it was clear that they took advantage of the opportunity of Daxia and Loulan's hostility, half threatening and half negotiating to reap some benefits.

And this Xiongnu prince is very versed in rhetoric, and he can be said to be eloquent when he speaks from reason to emotion.

There was an eerie silence in the hall, and the courtiers looked at each other in blank dismay.

After a while, Li Yanzhen said: "Then according to what the Ninth Prince said, after the five cities are ceded, the Xiongnu can guarantee that they will not invade again?"

"Of course." Yuwen Falcon said with a smile, "Actually, we don't have any hatred for Daxia, and we went south many times just to find a way to survive. You also know that we have been nomadic with water and grass for generations, and the sand disaster has cut off our food, but There are so many people in the tribe who can't starve to death. So many people died in the battle in the south, and they only robbed a little food. It's really not worthwhile, but there is no other way." He paused and said: " Hearing that Emperor Daxia is generous and that Father Khan doesn’t want to fight any more, he hastened to send me here to make peace with you.”

Before Li Yanzhen could answer, Chu Mingyun said coldly: "Since we are talking about peace, the status is naturally equal, why should the Xiongnu want us to cede the land?"

"Didn't I just say that we have to fight because we have to live. Daxia's land is vast and rich, and if you share a little bit, it won't hurt you much. For us, people will not be starved to death. There is no harm in fighting." Yuwen Falcon added, "Besides, we have also heard that before Loulan only died of a woman, His Majesty the Emperor was willing to compensate ten cities, and we can prevent tens of thousands of deaths. It’s not too much to ask for five cities, right?”

At the same time, the words are implying that Loulan has indeed had contact with the Xiongnu.

Chu Mingyun's face was ugly, Li Yanzhen quickly raised his hand to stop him, and said to Yuwen Sun: "The prince's words are reasonable, but this matter is not trivial, and I can't give you an answer right now. You have been rushing all the way, why don't you rest for a while and wait for the discussion result."

Yuwen Falcon smiled, readily agreed, retreated from the court hall, and led by Gong'e to the residence.

Here Li Yanzhen summoned several important ministers and moved them to the Xuanshi Hall for a secret talk.After taking her seat, Li Yanzhen looked around with a complicated expression, and Fang said, "...What do you think?"

"Is it necessary to consider this matter?" Chu Mingyun sneered.

Li Yanzhen turned her eyes away to avoid the sharpness, "Where are the other lovers?"

After a little hesitation, Wei Song, Minister of the Household Department, whose temples were already more than half frosty white, came out and bowed deeply: "From the perspective of the old minister...it can be considered."

Chu Mingyun looked sideways.

"Aiqing might as well explain it in detail." Li Yanzhen said.

Wei Song thought about it slowly and said: "The accounts of the Huns are really good. Moreover, there have been many catastrophes in the Northwest, and countless silver grains have been allocated for relief every year, and the treasury is really not very rich. The trouble of disaster management is reduced, and the land is so barren that it can’t support many Huns, and what’s left is a hot potato, so if we don’t keep it... we won’t lose too much.”

"Master Wei thinks it's troublesome, so he can throw away the people of several cities?" Chu Mingyun said coldly.

"How can this be said to be thrown away?" Wei Song sighed, "With the national power of the Great Xia and the guards at the border, the Huns dare not do anything to the people. Besides, in recent years, several places on the border, like In Liangzhou, the merchants and the Xiongnu also had a lot of contacts in private, and getting along with each other was more harmonious than expected."

Suddenly there was a sharp look in the deep eyes, Chu Mingyun said: "I fought to the death on the battlefield and sacrificed countless soldiers to regain the place. Is it just for you to send it out for nothing?"

The other courtiers whispered from time to time, and some people couldn't help sighing when they saw this: "Master Chu is not easy, but after all, today is different. It is always good for the two countries to make peace and communicate with each other. From the overall situation, it is also for No one will be sacrificed anymore..."

"How do you know they will keep their promises?" Chu Mingyun glanced at him, but the other party backed away, bowing his head in silence.

Wei Song shook his head and said, "But if you don't give it a try, how will you know if it's true or not? It's rare to have a chance to break the ice with the Xiongnu, what if you can't show any trust."

"Master Wei has a long-term vision, I really don't understand." Chu Mingyun laughed without emotion.

Wei Song glanced at Chu Mingyun and sighed helplessly.

Li Yanzhen also murmured: "Since the Xiongnu have already come, and they sent the prince, you can see that there is sincerity, so if you refuse like this, I'm afraid it will completely cut off the way for you to come."

Hearing the words, Chu Mingyun raised his eyes slowly, looked straight at the Ninth Five-Year Supreme who was sitting upright in the hall, and smiled coolly, "Your Majesty is so affectionate, I never expected to be so ruthless to the world."

"Chu Aiqing, what does this mean?"

Chu Mingyun turned his eyes away, "Your Majesty naturally understands."

Li Yanzhen didn't look very good-looking, but she didn't get angry, she just looked at the others, and said hesitantly: "From this point of view, it's still..."

"Your Majesty," Lu Shi came out to salute, "I think what Chu Taiwei said is reasonable, but the Xiongnu cannot be trusted!"

"This..." Li Yanzhen looked at him.

"Your Majesty will never agree," Chu Mingyun smiled slightly, and said slowly, "Your Majesty, be careful."

Li Yanzhen stopped talking.

Wei Song saluted deeply, and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, the overall situation is the most important thing!"

Li Yanzhen was in a difficult situation, seeing Chu Mingyun straighten his back and stare at him without giving in, his heart trembled, and he couldn't help looking at the empty seat on the right.

Chu Mingyun followed him to look over, his complexion turned pale, and he didn't speak for a moment.

Li Yanzhen waved his hand and said: "Forget it, this is not something that can be decided in a short while. Su Aiqing is already on the way back to Beijing, and it won't be too late to discuss it when he comes back."

There were many civil servants in Su Dang, so naturally they had no objection, and they looked at Chu Mingyun in unanimous agreement after answering.

Then Chu Mingyun withdrew his gaze and said casually, "That's fine."

In the palace corridor, Wei Song's pace gradually slowed down, and then stopped. He looked at the blue sky and green tiles from afar, frowning.

A voice suddenly sounded beside him, "Lord Wei is still worried about the Huns?"

Wei Song turned his head and found that it was Yue Yuxuan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry.After Tan Jing was executed, he was elected as the minister of the Ministry of Industry.Wei Song nodded slowly, paused, and said, "Although Mr. Chu is a warrior after all, and has short-sightedness and does not understand the overall situation, what he said...has some truth in the end."

"How to say?"

"The people in those five cities are the people of Great Xia after all, and they were abandoned to the Xiongnu like this. Maybe they are indeed..."

"Master Wei was worried about this," Yue Yuxuan smiled, "Master Chu is just making excuses for selfishness, you don't have to pay too much attention to his words."

Wei Song looked at him in surprise. This person has been acting in a low-key manner since he was reappointed. He wandered between the Chu Party and the Soviet Party without knowing the boundaries. "Why do you say that?"

Yue Yuxuan opened his mouth but paused again, looked around, moved closer and lowered his voice, "Master Chu is from Liangzhou, and now he must be unwilling to cede his homeland to the Xiongnu, why would he care about the overall situation."

"I see," Wei Song nodded, "I said why he suddenly cared about the suffering of the people, it seems...he still thinks highly of him."

Yue Yuxuan laughed and said, "As my lord said, those generals are only acting bravely for a while and have no long-term vision. What's more, we have made good friends with the Huns, so Taiwei Chu can still have his current status? Just listen to what he said. "

Wei Song pondered, Yue Yuxuan took a step back, and saluted: "Master Wei is painstaking, most of us understand, no matter what Master Su thinks afterwards, I will definitely support you."

Wei Song was moved in his heart, patted him on the shoulder, and walked out together with him without further words.