Promotion Letter for the Chief Executive

The emperor was the first to suspect Zhao Can.

Without him, it is really that he performed so well in this war, it was as if he knew what would happen in advance, so he rushed to help, and finally got the biggest credit. Disaster.

But because of this, the emperor couldn't make up his mind.

Based on what he deduced from this strategy, the people behind the scenes are ruthless and better at tricks than such a frontal confrontation with the enemy.If he had Zhao Can's astonishing and brilliant military ability, maybe he wouldn't need to use this kind of trick that was of no benefit to Da Chu.

After all, he will take over the country by himself in the future.

Zhao Can can earn military merits by himself, even if Zhao Rong and Zhao Xuan are married, they are not as stable as him.The Emperor faintly received the news that most of the Hebei Army had returned their hearts to Zhao Can.

He can't use such means.

In other words, compared to this kind of secret method, Zhao Can can do it more beautifully, such as gathering military power, and then leading the army to force the palace.When the time comes, he will return to the world, even if he wants to resist, what support can he have?

Although I don't want to admit it, it's true.Zhao Can was indeed feared by the emperor, but this matter should have nothing to do with him.

Maybe he was lucky, maybe he found out about this person's arrangement in advance, so he started to calculate, went to Hebei by himself, and then transferred from Hebei to Northwest, and finally got most of the achievements of this conquest.

But no matter what, to the emperor, Zhao Can had already been closely watched by him, at least during the period after returning to Beijing, he was fairly honest.The people and things involved in the rape case would have been impossible without someone behind the scenes.

However, the emperor did think for a moment that maybe he could put this matter on Zhao Can's head.

After all, on the bright side, Zhao Can is really suspicious.The emperor didn't even need to produce evidence, as long as he expressed this suspicion, then Zhao Can, who had just gained a firm foothold in the court, would immediately lose all his foundation and fall down again.

But the thought was only for a moment, and then it disappeared.

The emperor is old.

Long live the emperor, but a good wish.In fact, the emperor is also an ordinary person. What's more, as an emperor, most of them will hardly live a long life.This has always been the case.So after the age of forty, although the ministers would still flatter him in his prime, the emperor knew very well what his health was like.

He is no longer the ambitious emperor he once was.

So in recent years, he has begun to think about his own affairs.As an emperor, he certainly hopes that he can sit on the throne forever, but since it is impossible, he must cultivate heirs, pass on this great country, and hope that Huang Chu will last forever.

Counting the sons of today, the emperor is actually not satisfied with any of them. ——It's no wonder, if he is satisfied, he has already established a reserve, and it is also very important for the emperor to cultivate an excellent heir.

Zhao Rong is his eldest son, and the emperor naturally likes it.And it was born by the most beloved Concubine Zheng.But it was because he was so fond of him that the emperor knew Zhao Rong very well.He is good in everything, but he listens too much to his mother and concubine.The Zheng family has become more and more powerful over the years, and the emperor is worried that if the throne is passed on to Zhao Rong, he will be ruled by a foreign family.

Not to mention Zhao Xuan.The reason why the emperor sat back and watched Xu Pingzhi die early was because the Xu family was powerful. If there was a queen in the palace, it would be difficult to suppress.So Xu Pingzhi died, and he supported the Zheng family to fight against the Xu family, which made the situation even.Even so, Xu You is still the prime minister now.

The emperor may have a bit of paternal love and guilt towards Zhao Xuan, but he is very concerned about helping Zhao Xuan to the top.

Perhaps because of this consideration, after these two children, the emperor did not let a woman of noble birth give birth to his own child.Even Concubine Shu was awarded the title after Zhao Kun was born, and that was to check and balance Zheng Guifei, who was the dominant family in the palace.

Needless to say, Zhao Kun has already lost his qualifications for the throne.The younger brothers below him are all from poor mothers, so they don't have to worry about their relatives in the future.

Among them, the emperor loves the three princes born by Zhang Bin the most.

There are many reasons for this.Concubine Zhang came from a low family background, and she was very obedient to him, and the three princes she gave birth to had no mother's family to be afraid of. This was the biggest reason.But even so, the emperor refused to let them appear in front of people more.

Zhao Can was the product of a one-night affair, and the emperor didn't even care about it.Next, the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince, who are now approaching marriageable age, the Emperor can't take care of him because he has many sons, so naturally he doesn't have much affection.

There is no need to talk about other smaller ones.

So after counting and counting, there are so many sons, but the emperor can't choose an heir.That's why I kept procrastinating until today.Because he felt that none of his sons were particularly outstanding, so that he had no worries.

It was only this time when Zhao Can was born out of nowhere that the emperor discovered that this son who was almost exiled by him had such a talent.

On the one hand, the emperor felt that the bone was stuck in his throat, but on the other hand he had to admit that if Zhao Can ascended the throne, he would probably do better than himself as a father.

So although he was apprehensive, he didn't express his opinion, he just planned to continue watching Zhao Can's performance.

Under such circumstances, even if the emperor had any thoughts, he would not easily abolish his son, but kept it for further investigation.

What's more, compared to the Zhao Can who was right in front of his eyes and could be noticed by everyone, naturally he was still hiding behind the scenes, and the one whose scheming and methods made him frightened was even more fearful to the emperor, and he needed to find him out quickly.The emperor couldn't sit still at the thought of such a person hiding beside him.

After eliminating the suspicion of Zhao Can, the only ones left are Zhao Xuan and Zhao Qi.

It was only two or three years ago that the emperor almost cut off Zhao Xuan's arms. It is possible that he did the opposite.But in the past two or three years, he was able to develop so much power, but the emperor was a little unwilling to believe it.

Zhao Qi and Zhao Guan are brothers, so logically they would not do such a thing.But... the emperor himself is suspicious of his own son here, so what about his own brother?For that position, is there anything that cannot be given up?

And... precisely because he is a blood brother, Zhao Qi knows better and calculates more carefully.Moreover, if even one's own brother can plot, then it is not surprising to come up with such a poisonous plot and implement it one by one.

As for the small ones below, they are all fledgling now. If it is said that such a thing can be done, the emperor will not believe it.

In the end, it was Zhao Qi who was more suspicious.The emperor rubbed his forehead, and suddenly remembered that the resources that Zhao Qi had now were handed over to him by himself.Among all the sons, only their three brothers have such an honor.All because the emperor felt that he could pamper them without any scruples.

Now it seems that he was wrong.

Even the most beloved son, the emperor can be cruel without hesitation when it comes to the throne.

However, all of this is just his speculation, the emperor still needs to confirm who is the person hiding behind the scenes.Might as well just come once to invite you into the urn.

……

After Dong Ninghui was caught, he was locked in the prison of Dali Temple.But there was no immediate trial.

——At this point in the trial of the case, all the ministers who have been in the officialdom for many years have already touched a little bit.So if the emperor didn't speak, they wouldn't continue to ask.After all, although it is said that there is no small matter in the Tian family, there is nothing to do between father and son, and outsiders naturally cannot intervene at will.

Otherwise, if they find out the result of the trial, but the emperor does not intend to pursue it, but wants to fool it, then these officials who have found out the truth will not be human inside and out.

In view of this, after Dong Ninghui was locked up, there was no interrogation, no torture, and naturally no other news.

It stands to reason that Dong Ninghui should be relieved by such a result.But in fact, after doing those things, he didn't think the emperor would tolerate him.Maybe the emperor will not pursue the people behind him, but Dong Ninghui, I am afraid he will never be lightly forgiven, but will be pushed out to be a substitute for the dead.

For such a big case, if you fill in a Minister of the Ministry of War, maybe it can indeed be closed.

Dong Ninghui felt guilty, so the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.Otherwise, why didn't the emperor let people continue to interrogate him?Is it because he is afraid that he will say something that should not be said?Anyway, there is now ironclad evidence out there, even if he himself does not plead guilty, it doesn't matter.

Thinking of this, Dong Ninghui was naturally panicked every day, for fear that the emperor would close the case immediately, and even gave him a glass of poisoned wine to conceal the secret.

Naturally, Dong Ninghui would not be reconciled.The more people who are willing to fight to do bad things, the more they don't want to die.Because what he did was for wealth and glory, for making further progress, not for making himself unlucky.

He even began to think about whether he would be able to get the emperor's forgiveness if he took the initiative to confess to the person behind him.But thinking about the crimes he committed, he died down again.

Of course, it is also possible that no one came to interrogate him at all.

I don't know what happened to the place where he was held. No one committed the crime except himself.Moreover, the jailers guarding here would never show up at all except for delivering meals. Even if Dong Ninghui wanted to talk to someone, he couldn't find him, so he could only immerse himself in his various fantasies every day.

Dong Ninghui believed that his character was not bad. If the emperor had been interrogated as soon as he was caught, maybe he would be able to withstand the pressure and believe that the people behind him would rescue him.

But now, staying in this quiet environment every day, it seems that the whole person is suspended in the air, not falling, not going up or down; there is still a big knife hanging above the head, and I don't know when it will fall down ...After being imprisoned for less than half a month, Dong Ninghui couldn't stand it anymore.

He began to yell frequently when the prison guards came to deliver meals, either saying that he wanted to meet the emperor, or that he wanted to see the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the Minister of Dali Temple, in short, "I have something important to say."

Dong Ninghui is also very smart, knowing that he just shouted out the specific content, not to mention whether anyone believes it, even if there is, then his own value will be lost.So he must first meet someone who can make the decision.

Of course, in practice, this is of little use, because even if there are people behind him, the crimes he committed will not disappear. Collaborating with the enemy and treason is the crime of punishing the nine clans.The most he can do is pray to the emperor not to implicate his relatives.

But for Dong Ninghui, the most important thing is that he is almost driven crazy by this neglected situation.So he desperately hoped that someone would come and talk to him.

The jailers guarding Dong Ninghui didn't take him seriously at all. ——Because Dong Ninghui was imprisoned in a very ordinary prison, as long as no one specifically confessed, in fact, the jailer had no idea who was imprisoned here.After seeing Dong Ninghui come in, not to mention interrogation, even the family members didn't come to see him once, so naturally they despised him very much.

So Dong Ninghui's words were regarded as crazy by him, "Okay, don't howl! Whether it's the emperor or the adults, there are so many things to do every day, how can I have the time to listen to you?"

Dong Ninghui did not expect that the jailer who had been ignoring him would suddenly open his mouth—in fact, the jailer just thought there was no need to communicate with the prisoner before—he was overjoyed and said quickly, "I have something important to report, you'd better report it quickly, otherwise it will be delayed." You can't afford it if something big happens!"

The jailer was in a bad mood, so if he had known about it, he would have let him howl. Why should he bother with such a lunatic?So he turned around and left quickly.

After the shift was changed that day, the jailer took this as a joke and said to the other guards, "Do you really think I'm a big shot? Oh, bah, I'm really important, and it's not my turn to guard it." As for what to report, just It's even more impossible.He didn't want to lose his job.

However, the speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention.When one of the humble jailers heard this, a light flashed in his eyes, and he turned his head to spread the news.

Dong Ninghui was arrested, and the people behind him naturally had to worry about whether he had exposed himself.Especially during this period of time, the Department of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple were calm, and even the Secretary of the Imperial City did not make any moves, which made people even more suspicious.

So he contacted the jailer in a roundabout way to find out Dong Ninghui's reaction in prison.

But I didn't expect that such a news would come out as soon as I inquired!

Dong Ninghui didn't say anything yet, but he didn't know how long he could last.And since the news has spread, sooner or later the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple will know, and by then, everything will be out of their hands.

So on the second night, a man in a cloak and shrouded in shadow made some connections and went to the prison of Dali Temple to visit.

He was visiting a middle-aged man who had been sentenced for manslaughter.That person was held not far from Dong Ninghui's prison.In the end, I don't know if the jailer remembered the wrong way, brought him to Dong Ninghui's side, and then left.

Dong Ninghui has fallen asleep at the moment.

The man in the black cloak pushed open the prison door and stepped in.

The environment here is really a bit bad.The prison is dark and humid, and it is the favorite place for all kinds of underground animals.It has not been cleaned for many years, and there is a strange smell formed by a mixture of various smells in the nose, which is unbearable.

The floor of the cell was covered with messy grain and grass, and small bugs appeared from time to time.Dong Ninghui was leaning on the grain and grass, his outer robe was stripped off, leaving only his middle coat. After living in prison for so long, the white middle coat has been stained with various colors.The hair on the temples is scattered, the beard is unshaven, and the straw is still stained on it, making him look very embarrassed.

The black cloak frowned, a little disgusted.But in the end, he walked over patiently and knelt down in front of Dong Ninghui.Then he took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and put it under Dong Ninghui's nose, shaking it.

This is Anshenxiang, which can make Dong Ninghui sleep more deeply.

He didn't come to chat with Dong Ninghui or discuss conditions.He came here today with only one purpose, that is to kill Dong Ninghui.

But you can't just die casually.Because he wanted to disguise the scene as Dong Ninghui and committed suicide in despair.That way no one else is involved.So poisoning or other methods are not so suitable, so he came here in person.

After confirming that Dong Ninghui had fallen asleep and would never wake up, the man slowly lifted the hem of Dong Ninghui's clothes and tore off the cloth strips on it with all his strength.

He tore out two strips of cloth, joined them together, then got up, tied the strips to the cell door, and made a cover.

In the last step, the black cloak helped Dong Ninghui up, then dragged him to the cell door, and leaned there.Then he went out by himself and closed the cell door.Finally, he stretched his hands in and pulled Dong Ninghui over to put it in the cover he had just made.

No matter how deeply Dong Ninghui slept, and was about to suffocate to death when his neck was strangled, he must have woken up.However, no matter how hard he struggled, it was of no avail.Soon he kicked his legs and died.

Before dying, he seemed to see the black cloak standing not far away, and suddenly opened his eyes wide.

The black cloak took a step forward, making sure that the person was dead, and then walked away.From the beginning to the end, he was quiet and didn't say a word.

However, just as the black cloak turned out of the prison, he saw a few huge torches lighting up in front of him, illuminating the entire prison brightly.And under the torch, stood a person who he had never expected to appear here!

The black cloak made a decisive decision and was about to turn around and run away.Even though he knew that he was in a prison and it was hard to fly, he still had to escape.Because he absolutely can't let people see what he looks like.As long as he temporarily escapes from the siege, he can destroy this face and kill himself!

However, the idea was very good, but when the black cloak turned around, he realized that four or five people had already stood behind him at some point, guarding each main road, blocking all his escape routes.

All this was premeditated!

Blackcloak finally understood this.Someone set up a game just to make himself appear here.

But even so, he had to come.So now that he found out that someone had set him up, he calmed down after a moment of grief and anger, and began to think about what to do next.

But the others didn't wait for him to react, and someone rushed towards the black cloak immediately.

Although the black cloak has great strength and well practiced kung fu, he is very brave, but under such circumstances, he couldn't hold on for too long, so he was caught and brought to the emperor, and then he took off his cloak .

The emperor looked at the other party in silence, before speaking after a while, "I am very disappointed, Chang Heng."

The man in the black cloak looked up.He has a very resolute face, but his face is fair, and he doesn't have a beard at all, which inevitably looks a bit out of harmony.But because he has a sturdy temperament, it is difficult for people to notice this.

In short, just looking at him, it is hard to imagine that he is actually a eunuch.

In fact, Chang Heng was not an eunuch from the beginning.He actually used to be a general.He was only convicted more than ten years ago on the charge of intending to defile the palace.Therefore, he was castrated and became a eunuch.

So at this moment, Chang Heng looked at the emperor with a sneer on his face, "Your Majesty spared me my dog's life back then, so I should have thought about today!"

For Chang Heng, what happened 15 years ago was a lifetime of humiliation.At that time, he was still a general of the imperial court, and he had a great reputation, because he was from the same town as a certain concubine, and the other party planned to use this to build a relationship and make himself her reliance in the court.

From the beginning to the end, he only received one letter from that concubine, and the two had never even met each other!As a result, after the matter was discovered by the emperor, he could not help but say that he was trying to mess up the palace and sentenced him to palace punishment.

Chang Heng naturally couldn't bear such humiliation.

The emperor frowned, not intending to bring up the events of the past, but said coldly, "Tell me, who is your master?"

Even though he had already made a decision in his heart, the emperor still wanted a clear answer, as if this would give him enough reason to deal with his own son.

However, Chang Heng just laughed loudly, "You are dreaming! I just want you to never think of it, and then the father and son will be suspicious, and the brothers will fight against the wall. I will watch you in the underworld!"

After knowing about the existence of Zhang Bin and the three princes, Chang Heng made a plan.He purposely got close to Concubine Zhang and the three princes, gained their trust, taught them many tricks secretly, and aroused their yearning and ambition for the throne.

Then they provoked it, making the three brothers suspicious of each other, taking precautions against each other, and using each other as their own shield.Anyway, in the eyes of outsiders, the three of them are one.

And now, it's time for him to reap the fruits!

Chang Heng smiled crazily, with joy in his eyes, even if he couldn't see that day, he could still imagine it!Father is not father, son is not son, a mess, this is the imperial palace, this is the heavenly family, pitiful and ridiculous!

"Stop him!" The emperor shouted in surprise.