Three thousand miles in exile

The turmoil in the imperial capital that night was far from over.

Zhou Chan is dead, the Zhou family is destroyed, and the Zhao family does not act. Naturally, some people will not let go of this once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity.

Xu Muyuan and Fang Yuliang led the imperial army to cleanse Zhou's party members, and the news was quickly sent back to the Emperor's Mansion.

"Teacher, I'm afraid Fang's plan is not small, Xu Da Sima's move is undoubtedly to join hands with Fang." Lu Lingyuan was worried.

"This Mrs. Fang, we didn't see him come forward when we started the incident. When Zhou Chan's defeat was certain, he would show up with troops. The strange thing is that Mrs. Xu didn't have any quarrel with Mrs. Fang, and they even joined hands."

Lu Lingyuan saw it clearly, and heaved a long sigh after speaking. "The mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole is behind, and this Fang family set up this trap quietly. It can be described as extremely insidious and cunning."

In this turmoil, the biggest winner was Fang's.

"Ghosts and monsters." Zhao Hengfu only said these four words.

How could he not know what these ministers of the aristocratic family were thinking, hegemony is a way, and kingship is also a way.

Zhao Hengfu still insisted on defending the royal power and proving the world with the kingly way.

What Lu Lingyuan wanted to say, he gave up in the end. He knew that Zhao Hengfu was magnanimous and disdained to play tricks behind his back, but it was a pity that such a good situation was handed over to the Fang family and the Xu family.

Once the Zhou family is dead, all these hidden piles under the Zhou family will have no owners.

Casinos, brothels, smoking halls, colosseums, and other shady industries, as long as they are closed, they will be holding half of the underground forces in the imperial capital.

The reason why Xu Muyuan became closer to the Fang family is because of Zhao Hengfu's upright character.

Xu also wants to go to the next level.

The Fang family has ambitions and strategies, and finally the Xu family chose the Fang family.

Now that the Zhou family is dead, it is foreseeable that the court will be reshuffled. They were allies when the Zhou family was there, but now that the Zhou family is gone, they naturally work for their own interests.

All parties stayed up all night.

Song Fenglin had high fever repeatedly, and Liu Zhan stayed with him for a moment, coaxing people to give him medicine.

It wasn't until Song Fenglin's high fever subsided in the early morning that Liu Zhan lay down next to him and fell asleep for a while.

At that time, Zhao Hengfu, Zhao Jizhang and Lu Lingyuan had already gone out to court.

Only two-thirds of the officials from the morning court came today, and everyone was exhausted and stayed up all night.

The Zhou clan was put to death, and the charges had to be determined and announced to the world. Zhao Hengfu, as the great Situ, naturally presided over the court meeting when the prime minister was vacant.

Without the obstruction of Zhou's henchmen, the early court was extremely smooth, and all the aftermath regulations were quickly set.

As for who destroyed the Zhou family, and where did those dead men with long swords come from, there was no one who didn't know what to ask, and everyone kept silent in a tacit understanding.

The minister who doesn't know the truth understands that silence is golden, and the principle of protecting one's life wisely.

As for the minister who knows the truth.

For example, Fang's and Xu's forces had already got what they wanted, and Fang Yuliang didn't want to make troubles. After all, he had no personal enmity with Liu Zhan.

As for Mrs. Zhao, she naturally wouldn't say.

Liu Zhan didn't bother to care about the imperial court and the situation in the imperial capital.

After another two days, Song Fenglin gradually improved, and he no longer panted when he spoke. Only then did Liu Zhan tell him what happened when he fell asleep.

It was not surprising to hear that Zhao Hengfu refused to be Song Fenglin, the minister in power.

"The teacher is frank. He wants to be in charge of the court, and he will only be elected by the officials to be the prime minister. He will not practice tricks to win over courtiers and party members. This is the justice in his heart."

It was Song Fenglin who knew Zhao Hengfu.

When Liu Zhan gave the eldest grandson to the Zhao family, Zhao Hengfu took it because he couldn't let the eldest grandson go home.

What he upholds is the original intention of eradicating the Zhou family and supporting the imperial power, rather than using the emperor's eldest grandson to achieve his goal of coercing the emperor to order the world.

"Teacher's way is to be a famous minister who will last forever, not a powerful minister who holds power under one person and over ten thousand people." Song Fenglin sighed.

It's just that Zhao Hengfu's road will be extremely difficult under the background of this family fighting openly and secretly and putting family interests first.

"Grandpa is a respectable person." Liu Zhan admired Zhao Hengfu from the bottom of his heart.

Being able to not be confused by fame, wealth and power is in itself very remarkable.

Three days later, the imperial court announced Zhou's criminal evidence to the outside world.

The Zhou family killed the emperor, killed the prince, murdered the emperor's heir, fought against dissidents, set up unjust prisons, embezzled huge sums of money, and killed innocent people indiscriminately, all of which shocked the world.

The literati were filled with righteous indignation, and someone made a statue of Zhou Chan kneeling in the suburbs of Beijing facing the Mausoleum, being reviled by the people passing by day and night.

Later, Emperor Xiao issued an imperial decree to rehabilitate the unjust prisons during the Hongzhi period, including the Liu family and the Song family, and returned the title of Duke Anguo to the Song family. Because Song Yijun was disabled, he could not receive the title, and Song Fenglin, the son of the Song family, inherited it.

The country cannot be without a prime minister for a day, and Zhao Hengfu was elected as the prime minister by hundreds of officials.

Zhao Hengfu was a great Confucianist in the world and a teacher of the emperors of the two dynasties. He held the positions of the Great Situ and the Great Prime Minister. Except for Zhao Hengfu, who has this prestige and qualifications in the court today.

The Zhao family is an extremely personable minister, and Zhao Hengfu follows his way to rule the court.

Ten days later, Song Fenglin's injury improved and he was able to walk around on the ground.

The emperor restored the title of Song's An Guogong, and according to the etiquette, he had to enter the palace to thank the emperor.

The sky was bright, and Song Fenglin got up early to enter the palace to face the saint in the morning.

In the wing room of Liu Ji Firm.

Liu Zhan stood behind Song Fenglin, supporting Liang Guan with his left hand, and straightening his face with his right hand. "Don't move, I'll put it on for you."

An Guogong is a super first-rank title, and he wears a purple official robe with auspicious cloud patterns and a gold lacquered beam crown. The so-called full family Zhu Zigui is talking about this purple.

The noble and unparalleled people really look good in this noble and unparalleled color. Liu Zhan pressed Song Fenglin's shoulder.

Song Fenglin turned his head, and Liu Zhan kissed him.

The lips and teeth are lingering, and the necks are intertwined, and they kiss until they are out of breath before giving up.

"I'll accompany you into the palace." Liu Zhan said.

The turmoil in the imperial capital has subsided for many days. Now that Zhao Hengfu is the prime minister and Song Fenglin has regained his title, Liu Zhan has become more courageous.

"No, what if a group of ministers want to punish you." Song Fenglin objected without thinking.

One must know that Liu Zhan's occupation of land outside the feudal town can be regarded as treason, and he is really too courageous.

Liu Zhan pressed Song Fenglin's shoulder. "I brought Xiao Lian's official seal, and I will accompany you into the palace as Xiao Lian. A military officer of the sixth rank is not qualified to face the saint. I will wait for you outside the palace."

In order to prevent the need to use his official identity, Liu Zhan deliberately brought the sixth-rank official uniform and Li Xiaolian's official seal that he wore back then, and acted as Li Xiaolian.

"Da Sima and Pei Gongli both know you, just in case they tell you." Song Fenglin was helpless, Liu Zhan's fearless personality was sometimes quite a headache.

"Da Sima, a good old man, will not expose me. As for Pei Gongli, he is more afraid of my identity being exposed than anyone else." Liu Zhan laughed wantonly.

It's all here, wouldn't it be a pity not to take a stroll around the palace?

It was a sunny day.

Zhang Xiaoman drove the carriage, accompanied by Guo Donghu, and leisurely came to the main gate of the palace.

Song Fenglin only has a title but no official status, so there is no need to arrive early in the morning. Zhao Hengfu and him have already agreed on a time to meet the saint, and he can just wait for the transmission when he arrives.

The two revealed their identities, and the palace guards let them go immediately.

Passing through the huge arch is an open square, and the Zichen Hall where the early dynasty is located is right in front of them.

"The thousand-year-old imperial palace really deserves its reputation." Liu Zhan followed Song Fenglin with his hands behind his back. He felt that the imperial palace in front of him was bigger than the Forbidden City, and the architectural shape was also different.

"There have been repairs and expansions in the past dynasties, and the shape of the Great Zhou is generally maintained." Song Fenglin explained that he was not walking fast, and he often had shortness of breath after being injured. The two walked slowly.

Soon they arrived outside the Zichen Hall, and the voices of discussions in the hall could be heard clearly with echoes.

After waiting for about two quarters of an hour, the Ministry of Rites mentioned that An Guogong would enter the palace to thank him, and the little emperor agreed.

Song Fenglin stepped into the hall calmly amidst the summons, instantly becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

Since the case of the Song family was rehabilitated and the Song family restored the title of Duke of Anguo, the son of the Song family has become a topic of conversation among the people. What will happen to a son of a former aristocratic family who has been exiled for 12 years?

Most people think that the appearance is roughly the same as that of farmers.

However, when Song Fenglin appeared in front of all the officials, he saw the young man in the costume of a crimson and purple duke in front of him;

Those who used to laugh wantonly behind their backs have now become dumb.

It is rumored that Song's son is the husband and wife of General Qi Yun, who is in charge of Qi Yunshan's lifeline, and is a unique figure in northern Xinjiang.

For a moment, all the officials felt a little suspicious. General Qi Yun was enough to cause headaches. Now that General Qi Yun's husband and wife have recovered their titles, the northern border is becoming more and more troublesome.

When Song Fenglin entered the palace, the morning court had already come to an end, and when he finished the process of thanking the emperor, he just went down to the court.

All the officials walked out in an orderly manner, and when they left the Zichen Hall, some officials they knew back then came to talk to them.

"Congratulations to An Guogong, keep the clouds open and see the moonlight."

"Congratulations to An Guogong, do you still remember to be an official?"

Some of these officials were from the same period when Song Fenglin was studying in Jixian Academy, and some were relatives of Song's Yue family.

Song Fenglin clasped his fists one by one in return.

At this moment, a tall figure approached, standing next to Song Fenglin like a door god, with an awe-inspiring aura.

"Who is this?" The officials all looked sideways.

"Li Xiaolian, the right deputy general of the Qi Yun Army, was ordered to accompany him." Liu Zhan replied without changing his expression.

drink!The officials passing by who were onlookers for a while gasped in their hearts. The appearance of this person who claimed to be the right deputy general confirmed their conjecture.

Song's son is indeed the second-in-command in Qi Yun's army, and he is indeed General Qi Yun's husband and wife!Otherwise, how could he be the escort of a lieutenant general of the first army?

Only Song Fenglin rolled his eyes in his heart, he knew it would happen.

The first to step out of the Zichen Palace were all low-ranking officials, and soon the fourth-rank and third-rank officials also went out. Liu Zhan stood out from the crowd, and Pei Gongli almost tripped over the threshold with a glance.

Also shocked was Liu Tongxin, who almost frightened the chaoban in his hand.

A few days ago, he got the news that he brought his sons to a banquet with Liu Zhan at the Imperial Master's Mansion. He thought he would meet again next time, but he unexpectedly met again so soon.

Later, Zhao Jizhang and Lu Lingyuan were also frightened by Liu Zhan.

This kid is really brave!

As for Zhao Hengfu and Xu Muyuan, they had something to see His Majesty and accompanied His Majesty to the imperial study.

"The right lieutenant general of the Qi Yun army?" Fang Yuliang stopped. The head of the Fang family was in his prime, with thick eyebrows, big ears, and a tall stature.

Liu Zhan looked straight over, Fang Yuliang looked at him, and he looked at Fang Yuliang.

Song Fenglin was afraid that he would say something surprising again, so he hurriedly introduced. "This is Fang Weiwei."

"I've seen Fang Weiwei." Liu Zhan cupped his hands, his eyes were sharp and his figure was upright. This sixth-rank official uniform couldn't conceal the aura of General Qi Yun.

Not only Fang Yuliang looked sideways at Liu Zhan, but all the officials also looked sideways.

"The deputy generals are all so heroic. I don't know how good the general of the Qi army is. No wonder he can make outstanding achievements repeatedly." Fang Yuliang had the attitude of a corporal with humility and respect.

But the real face of this person is sinister and cunning, a double-faced man who once set up a trap where the praying mantis catches the cicada and the oriole, and almost ate everyone.

Liu Zhan looked sincere. "Our general went deep into the extreme northern grassland alone, chased the swallows in the north, and recovered the lost ground in the south. He was invincible. He is a hero of the world."

In terms of thick skin, Liu Zhan said that no one would call him number one, and no one would say that he was blushing and out of breath when he praised himself.

Song Fenglin almost laughed out loud.

Not far away, Zhao Jizhang, Lu Lingyuan, Liu Tongxinpei, Gongli and others had indescribable expressions on their faces.

Even Fang Yuliang choked on this flattery.

However, what Liu Zhan said was true, and his achievements were comparable to the founding emperor of the Great Chu. If Liu Zhan was born in an orthodox family, he would be properly granted the hereditary title.

It was impossible to continue the conversation, but Fang Yu had a suspicion in his conscience, not knowing what kind of person that General Qi Yun was.

Because the deputy general of Qi Yunjun spoke frankly, no one came forward to talk to Fang Yuliang after Fang Yuliang.

At the same time, this lieutenant general also left a deep impression on all the officials. The general who saw the blood of the frontier army in the feudal town was different from the young soldiers in the capital, his eyes were captivating.

As for Liu Zhan being educated by Zhao Hengfu after he went back, that's another story.

The next day, the new shopkeeper sent by Liu Chengwei arrived in the Imperial Capital, and Liu Ji Commercial Bank reorganized and reopened.

It is inconvenient to stay in the imperial capital for a long time, and now everything that needs to be done is done in a hurry, and the arrangement for the return trip is also on the agenda.

When they came, they were bodyguards, and when they left, they also took the bodyguards out of the imperial capital as bodyguards. The new shopkeeper did not touch the ground to transport the food to northern Xinjiang, and it was expected to leave in three days.

During this period, Liu Zhan accompanied Song Fenglin back to the Song Mansion to pay homage.

The emperor rehabilitated the unjust prison, and in addition to returning the title, he also returned the Song Mansion.

Back then, the Zhou family copied the Song Mansion, and then wiped out the whole family of the Song Mansion, so this large mansion has been vacant all the time.

Although the imperial court put it up for sale many times, probably because the Song family's injustice case was too pervasive, no one from the aristocratic family dared to take over the offer, and it was finally left idle until now.

The Song Mansion in front of me was a ruined house, with weeds growing on the walls and roofs, and when the door was opened, weeds grew even more inside.

Liu Zhan was dressed in black, while Song Fenglin was dressed in plain onyx in white.

Cao Ming, Zhang Xiaoman, Zheng Fengtian, Guo Donghu and the four hurriedly moved all kinds of sacrifices and got off the car. The group walked through the vestibule to the Song Family Ancestral Hall in the backyard.

But seeing the memorial tablets falling all over the ground, the portraits of the ancestors were also damaged and unrecognizable.

Song Fenglin bent down silently to pick up a tablet, and Liu Zhan pressed his shoulder to signal him to stand. "I come."

"Mr. Song, sit down." Zhang Xiaoman moved the stool, wiped it clean and put it beside him.

Song Fenglin didn't sit down, but silently looked at the tattered portrait of his ancestors.

Over there, Liu Zhan picked up the memorial tablets on the ground one by one, and then cleaned the ancestral hall with Cao Ming and put up sacrifices.

This time Song Fenglin also brought the tablet tablets of the clan members who died in the Song Clan's injustice case. The tablets of hundreds of members of the clan occupied several altars densely.

Song Fenglin kowtowed respectfully for a long time.

Anyone could tell that Song Fenglin was in a low mood.

Beside Liu Zhan squatted burning paper money. "All the ancestors of the Song family, you should help my little sister to give birth to more children. I will adopt him as soon as I give birth to a son. If I give birth to four or five sons, I will adopt two of them to you."

Song Fenglin was annoyed and funny when he heard it.

Liu Zhan patted the stool. "Come and sit, there is still so much to burn, come and help."

They brought a cart full of sacrifices, including several piles of paper money alone.

Song Fenglin got up and sat down to burn paper money together.

After coaxing people to stop kneeling, Liu Zhan couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Ancestors, don't blame me for marrying your grandson. Our two families will get married in September. From now on, we will be a family connected by blood."

"Nonsense again!" Song Fenglin wanted to hit someone but was exhausted.

"No nonsense, I'm also your son-in-law." Liu Zhan looked smug.

Song Fenglin was not angry, but how could he be complacent. "Aren't you Li Xiaolian, the right lieutenant general of Qi Yun's army?"

Liu Zhan choked, his expression shocked, probably he didn't even think of this.

Cao Ming lowered his head and burned the paper, holding back his laughter, his shoulders trembling.

In the end, Song Fenglin couldn't help laughing either.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, the flames in the brazier sprang up, and the wind carried the fly ash swirling in the air.

The past will eventually pass, and the Song family's injustice case has become history.

"I will arrange for Liu Cheng to be responsible for the repairs, and then hire some housekeepers to take care of it." Liu Zhan took the initiative to say that although he will not come back to live, the ancestral house cannot be left empty. "Repair what should be repaired, buy what should be purchased, and we are not short of this money."

Song Fenglin nodded. "The Liu residence also needs to be repaired."

"Leave everything to Liu Cheng." Liu Zhan made a decision with a wave of his hand.

Now that the Liu family has had to be rehabilitated, Liu Xueyuan and the others have regained their identities, so Yunzhong Academy no longer has to hide it, and the subsequent enrollment does not need to be intimidating, and it can also do a big job.

As for Liu Zhan, he still decided not to reveal his identity. First, he will continue to expand his territory. It is only a matter of time before he has friction with the court, so as not to implicate Liu Tongxin and Zhao Hengfu in time.

Secondly, Liu Zhan felt that being from a poor family was good and down-to-earth, so he let those people still look down on him, so as not to attract too much attention.

The next day, the motorcade in Liu Ji Firm was all ready to go.

On the day of departure, Zhao Jizhang brought his son Zhao Fuling to see him off. Before leaving, Zhao Jizhang looked at Liu Zhan and hesitated to speak, but finally gave up.

He originally wanted to ask Liu Zhan if he and Song Fenglin were as the rumors said, but the words got to the point of his throat, and seeing how close the two were, he felt that it was unnecessary to ask.

So what if it is or is not.

After bidding farewell to Zhao Jizhang and his son, Liu Zhan helped Song Fenglin into the carriage.

There were thick mattresses in the carriage, and it happened that the temperature was not too hot in early summer, so the journey would not be too uncomfortable at this time.

The caravan set off and left the imperial capital from the south gate.

Liu Zhan didn't ride a horse, but sat in the front of the car, and Zhang Xiaoman was in charge of driving.

The upper-class carriage could only be pulled by two horses. The body of the carriage was stable and comfortable. Song Fenglin leaned on the inside, opened one door, and chatted with Liu Zhan from time to time.

No one noticed that Pei Gongli's carriage was parked beside the post road.

"My lord, do you want to stop them?" the boy asked.

Through the open window of the carriage, one could see Song Fenglin chatting with Liu Zhan with a smile on his face. Liu Zhan looked back from time to time, not knowing what he said, and Zhang Xiaoman also fell down laughing.

After that night, until he left Liu Zhan, he didn't look for him again. Pei Gongli felt that he was abandoned again, just like in Beijiang, he was useless again.

Going around, he is still a pawn to Liu Zhan.

If Liu Zhan took the initiative to speak up and treated him like Mr. Song, Pei Gongli felt that he could give up everything in the capital and just stay by his side.

But Liu Zhan never looked at him directly from the beginning to the end.

The caravan has gone far.

Pei Gongli looked sullenly at the direction Liu Zhan was leaving, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with resentment.

"Go back, Fang Weiwei is still waiting for me." Pei Gongli put down the curtain angrily.

Fortunately, he defected to the Fang family, otherwise he, an old man from the Zhou family, would not be able to integrate into the Imperial Division Party, and his official career could only end here.

The water in the capital city is too deep, and it looks calm on the surface, but there is no way for the various families inside to know how to be jealous and compete with each other.

Pei Gongli was glad that he still had a way out.

Now Zhao Hengfu's prestige is at the height of the sky, he is a well-deserved prime minister.

Zhao Hengfu is a great Confucian in the world, upright and noble, he disdains to do the work of the powerful ministers of the party and dissidents, hindered by Zhao Hengfu's prestige, those ghosts and monsters in the pool can only dormant.

However, Zhao Hengfu was nearly seventy years old, and he didn't know that he could protect Da Chu for a few more years.

After Zhao Hengfu, who can take over the imperial court?

Pei Gongli chose to bet his treasure on Fang Yuliang!

The author has something to say: the next step is to prepare for becoming the king, and the chaos in the world will not stop because of the destruction of the Zhou family