Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 279 New Shangshutai, New Temple
Scorching sun.

From time to time, the sharp chirping of cicadas could be heard from both sides of the road, rising and falling continuously.

The ragged deceased was walking on the path, very slowly.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and the dead people hid everywhere and scattered.

The knight came galloping on his horse, carrying the bamboo tube on his back, not sparing the horse's power at all. The horse used up all its strength, with hooves flying, and almost flew over the path. The knight did not care about the dead people hiding around him, and did not even look at them. He just disappeared from the dead people's sight.

The deceased breathed a sigh of relief.

A knight like this who is delivering a letter in a hurry would not have the time to cause trouble to passers-by.

The knight ran wildly against the wind, sweating profusely. However, the sweat quickly disappeared as he ran, making him feel even more uncomfortable.

I don't know how long I ran, the woods on both sides gradually became sparse, and an inn in the distance came into view. A knight was already waiting by the side with a horse. The knight hurriedly wiped his face with a wet cloth, and several minor officials came forward to greet him.

The man jumped off his horse skillfully and quickly handed the bamboo tube he was carrying to the other party. The clerk made sure that the thing was intact and then handed it to the second knight. The knight quickly mounted his horse and galloped away.

The knight who arrived was supported by two people and walked into the inner room. After taking a few steps, he squatted on the ground and vomited continuously.

Even the horse was staggering at this moment, as if it couldn't hold on any longer.

The clerk sighed and looked at his colleague beside him, "Why is everything so urgent lately?"

"If there is a war, it will be like this. Just wait and see. When the war really starts, that will be the most fatal thing!"

The clerk looked in the direction where the knight was going away, and said nothing.

The knights relayed the troops in this way, suffering losses along the way. Ten days later, the knights, who had been replaced several times, appeared outside Yecheng.

He brought with him an extremely important document, which was a letter from Hu Changxing to his brother Hu Changren.

Hu Mansion.

The mansion is lush and green, with many pavilions hidden among the green. Exquisite paths connect the huge courtyards, and several rockery leans against the outside of the garden. The level of luxury is comparable to that of Lou Rui's mansion.

Outside the pavilions in the garden, one can see many Hu musicians holding musical instruments and playing with all their might.

All kinds of dancers danced gracefully, making everyone unable to take their eyes off them.

Hu Changren, Zou Xiaoyu, Lu Renhui, Lu Yuanliang, Gao Yuanhai, Zhao Yanshen, Qi Lianmeng, Lou Dingyuan, Yuan Wenyao, Li Diluo and many other dignitaries of the current dynasty were gathered in this pavilion at this moment. They were dressed luxuriously, with all kinds of delicacies piled in front of them, and servants were still constantly bringing them various delicacies.

There are warriors protecting on three sides.

Hu Changren was wearing a loose robe with a five-clawed tiger embroidered on it. His hair and beard were carefully trimmed, and they were thick and neat.

He sat in the middle seat, holding his belt with both hands, and laughed heartily in a pretentious manner.

Zou, Lu and Lu stood on his left and right, one poured wine for him, one told him interesting stories, and one prepared delicious food for him.

These three people are ministers of Santai, and now they surround Hu Changren, obeying his orders without caring about their own identities. They are fawning and flattering, and don't care about their own reputation at all. Through this shameless flattery, the three of them have become Hu Changren's trusted advisers and exercise great power for him.

The ministers sitting around might have looked down on the behavior of these three people, but they didn't care too much.

Hu Changren looked at the people around him with a smile.

He himself did not expect that things would go so smoothly.

After getting rid of Gao Rui, he began to further control the government affairs. The original three-way balance of power completely collapsed. Hu Changren successfully became a powerful official with the support of many inappropriate ministers.

He took a sip of wine, looked at the ministers around him, and said, "What happiness in the world can compare to what we have now?"

All the ministers stood up and drank with him.

Everybody is very happy now.

Without guys like Gao Rui bothering them all day, they can finally return to the happy times of the past.

Gao Yuanhai, wearing a monk's robe, chanted a Buddhist name, and said with a compassionate face: "There is one thing I beg the King of Longdong to agree to."

Hu Changren looked at him and said, "Minister Gao, please continue."

"Although the Prince of Zhaojun has made some mistakes, please be merciful, King of Longdong, and forgive his family and let his descendants inherit the title of king."

Gao Yuanhai's voice was exceptionally gentle, like that of a high-level monk.

After hearing Gao Yuanhai's words, several ministers nodded and felt sorry for Gao Rui's mistake.

Hu Changren waved his hand and said, "For his past contributions, let's do as you say."

Zou Xiaoyu said quickly: "Your Majesty is truly a man of great benevolence and righteousness! No one in the world is as kind as Your Majesty!"

Hu Changren laughed again and asked people to invite the dancers to the crowd so that everyone could have fun.

The pavilion was filled with cheerful laughter.

It was at this time that the annoying scout arrived at the mansion, to deliver important documents to Hu Changren.

Upon learning that it was sent by Hu Changxing, the servant did not dare to delay and hurried to the pavilion to find Hu Changren.

"Master, there is an urgent document sent by the third master."

Hu Changren was enjoying himself at the moment, so he didn't care about this. "Let him wait first!"

The servant dared not persuade him any further and had to retreat.

Hu Changren continued with his banquet, which did not end until it was almost dark.

At night, the guards lit the lights and gathered around Hu Changren. Servants supported him and took him to the inner room, where he sat on the bed. Hu Changren was still drunk and kept shouting for more wine. Several crying women were pushed in by the guards and the door was closed.

The next day, when Hu Changren woke up, the sun had already risen high. He was still a little confused and had a headache.

After eating some hot soup, the servant brought up the matter of the letter again.

"Bring it here!"

Hu Changren was full of pride and had almost no concerns about border affairs. He picked up the document and glanced at it casually. At this moment, he suddenly became sober.

The heat from last night disappeared without a trace, and my whole body was cold.

He suddenly loosened his hand and the document fell to the ground. He picked up the letter in a panic and looked through it again.

Seeing the master's frightened look, the servant hurriedly asked, "Master, what happened?"

Hu Changxing mentioned Zu Ting's request in the letter, and also said that the ministers from all over the border were preparing to write a joint letter requesting the establishment of a mobile office, so that he could be prepared.

Xingtai.

This made Hu Changren wake up immediately.

What does Liu Taozi want to do? ? Set up another temple?

If Liu Taozi were allowed to set up a temporary office at the border, he would be able to appoint court officials himself in the future, which would be a bit scary.

Hu Changren was sweating profusely and said quickly, "Go and call Zou, Lu, and Lu to me!"

The servant ran out immediately.

Hu Changren put down the document and breathed heavily.

His eyes were full of resentment.

Just when he was most proud and happiest, a letter from Liu Taozi came to him, bringing him back to reality from his dream.

This letter completely shattered his beautiful dream and made him suddenly realize that he was not yet in real power.

Because there are still people in the country who can threaten us.

He was a little afraid of Liu Taozi.

Hu Changren waited in the house for an unknown period of time before the three men hurried over.

Hu Changren was furious. "In the past, when there was nothing important, you were hanging around outside the mansion all day. Now that something big has happened, why are you so late?"

Several people were a little confused. After they heard the news, they rode their horses as fast as they could and arrived at the fastest speed.

However, they did not defend themselves, but hurriedly pleaded guilty.

Hu Changren then took out the letter and showed it to the three of them. "Liu Taozi is not a loyal minister! He really has evil intentions. Now he is trying to set up another government. How can I pacify this traitor?!"

Hearing Hu Changren's words, several people immediately panicked.

Zou Xiaoyu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, we are facing an external enemy now. We cannot rush to deal with General Wei. Please put the country first and forgive his rude behavior for the time being!!"

"I am now in charge of state affairs, how can I tolerate him?"

When Hu Changren heard what Zou Xiaoyu said, his back straightened up a lot, like a real powerful official who commands the world. His face was full of anger, and with every move he made, he was ready to take Liu Taozi's life.

However, this made life difficult for the three lackeys in front of him.

Lu Renhui glanced at Zou Xiaoyu who had just spoken, and wanted to curse at him.

It's already this time, why don't we stop flattering? ?

Without talking about other things among them, it is still clear who is more powerful. The current General Wei is stationed at the frontier, with elite soldiers and generals under his command, and many warriors to help. This is no Gao Rui or Gao Xun!

Several people had not communicated in advance and did not dare to speak at this moment.

Seeing the few people falling silent, Hu Changren became even angrier. He rubbed his forehead and said, "I'm going to take a rest for a while. If you don't come up with a way to pacify Liu the bandit today, no one is allowed to leave!"

After saying this, he let the servant help him slowly leave the study, cursing.

The three of them saw each other off respectfully.

As soon as Hu Changren left, Lu Renhui scolded him, "What nonsense did you just say? And you let Liu Taozi go? Who let who go?"

"The troops in Yecheng right now are not even enough to defend Qingdu. So, do you still want to lead the army to attack General Wei for Lord Hu?"

Hearing Lu Renhui's words, Lu Yuanliang also nodded hurriedly and complained: "Is General Wei easy to provoke? If General Wei knew what you said today, we would definitely die in his hands!"

Zou Xiaoyu stroked his beard, glanced outside, and said helplessly: "You all know what kind of person Mr. Hu is... I just said that we should not take action against Emperor Wenxiang's sons easily, but he didn't see me for five days. He can only listen to good words and hates others looking down on him the most."

"If I say that we must not offend General Wei and must bow to him, he will surely be furious, and we may all have to go home empty-handed!"

The other two were silent for a moment.

It seems that this is really the case.

Lu Renhui added, "How can we not bow our heads? General Wei is a tough and powerful man. Isn't it because Lord Hu issued an edict to make him king that so many people are willing to submit to him? They think Lord Hu has the support of General Wei, so they come to submit. If they knew that he was at odds with General Wei, Lord Hu would be a traitor!"

Zou Xiaoyu frowned again, "But if we want to give in, it means giving the power of the frontier governor. This is a serious matter. The rear guard general will set up officials at the frontier, facing Yecheng. If we manage it like this for two or three years, the northern land will only know him but not Yecheng. When the time comes, the strong troops from Hebei will rush into Yecheng. What should we do?"

Lu Renhui shook her head, "I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Prince Pingcheng is definitely not someone with ulterior motives. His request for the post of governor was the idea of ​​the frontier officials, not Prince Pingcheng himself."

"Yes, the King of Pingcheng has always been upright. Why would he send a large army to invade Yecheng? I think Mr. Zou is a little too worried..."

The two of them spoke one after another to persuade.

Zou Xiaoyu looked at them and immediately sneered, "Haha, well said."

"Don't think I don't know."

"Mr. Lu, your uncle recommended King Pingcheng to you. Your family is his sponsor, right?"

"Mr. Lu, your cousin seemed to have gone to Wuchuan after being dismissed?"

The two were speechless and just smiled awkwardly. Lu Renhui hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "What are you talking about, Zou Jun? Don't say such nonsense!"

He looked around again and said seriously, "Mr. Zou, what does the establishment of the office have to do with us? Is this something we can decide?"

"As ministers, we can only offer some suggestions. Doesn't it still depend on Lord Hu to decide what to do specifically?"

"Besides, Mr. Zou, the world is full of unpredictable events. We must be prepared for everything."

The three of them lowered their heads and began to chat.

Soon, the three of them appeared in front of Hu Changren again.

They looked very excited, with smiles on their faces. Zou Xiaoyu quickly said, "Your Majesty! We discussed this matter and found that it is actually a great thing for you, Your Majesty!"

"Ah? Good things? Where do good things come from?"

Hu Changren was a little confused, and Zou Xiaoyu quickly said: "Liu Taozi wants to set up a branch office, which actually exposes his ambition."

"In the past, many people in the government and the localities supported him. Now that his true colors have been revealed, people will no longer be close to him. This is the first point."

"Secondly, we can use this incident to make something of it!"

"Oh? How can I use it?"

"Liu Taozi wants to be in charge of the Xingtai legitimately. He thinks that no one dares to go to the border to take this position. Then we will give him an Xingtai. Among the three current officials, there are many traitors who oppose you. Why don't we pick them out and throw them to the border to let them fight Liu Taozi?"

Hu Changren felt a little dizzy at this moment.

He first stopped the other party and started thinking again according to the other party's ideas.

"You mean, should we really set up a Xingtai? Send all the disobedient people there to serve as officials?"

"But if these people come to Liu Taozi's territory, can they still compete with Liu Taozi?"

"It may not be possible to fight them, but it can make things difficult for Liu Taozi. If Liu Taozi attacks them, it will be a public display of his rebellious attitude. At that time, all the royal families in the world will be at your service, and you can defeat him in one fell swoop!"

"Besides, we are facing a powerful enemy. If we reject Liu Taozi directly, he will inevitably do something despicable. So we just agree to him and let him help us and send our enemies away. After Gao Rui's death, the only one who can compete with you is King Pengcheng, right?"

"If we send the King of Pengcheng to be the acting minister..."

Hu Changren's eyes widened. How the hell can you play like this? ?

He shook his head hastily, curbing this crazy idea. Although he was not a good person, he could still see the situation clearly. He immediately said, "Send Gao Yu to the border. I'm afraid he will collude with Liu Taozi!"

"will not."

"Absolutely not."

Zou Xiaoyu shook his head and said seriously, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Anyone could conspire with Liu Taozi, except Gao Yin."

"Gao Yu is a loyal minister who does everything for the country, while Liu Taozi is ambitious. The two may agree on small matters, but if they want to do big things, one of them must die!"

Hu Changren lowered his head and began to think. Now, it was his turn to record the affairs of the Shangshu.

Although he was the Minister of the Chancellery, many people in Taichung disobeyed him and even slandered and mocked him.

Although they had never said it to each other's face, Hu Changren had heard many things from others, and sometimes he could feel the other party's contempt.

This made Hu Changren particularly angry.

If we could throw all these bastards to the border at once and let them fight each other with Liu Taozi... it doesn't seem like a possible solution.

Hu Changren had made up his mind at this moment. He asked coldly, "I'm afraid Gao Yu won't obey. How can we get him to go back to the frontier?"

The three of them looked at each other, and Zou Xiaoyu quickly lowered his head, "Your Majesty, we really haven't thought of this. It's really not easy to deal with..."

Hu Changren glared at them, but a smile slowly appeared on his face. "You are all just talking nonsense. Let me do the real work!"

"Well, I won't embarrass you. Go back and rest. Wait for me in the province tomorrow. I have to go to the palace now."

The three of them hurriedly thanked him and then left the mansion together.

As soon as he came out, Lu Renhui laughed, "It has to be Mr. Zou who made Mr. Hu so happy."

"Don't say too much. It's best not to leak out what we discussed today. Don't tell anyone, lest you get into trouble."

Zou Xiaoyu said calmly: "The reputation of King Pengcheng is extremely high, Gao Rui cannot compare with him. At the beginning, even the emperor did not dare to take action openly. If we are involved in his affairs, then we really can't stay in Yecheng. We must cut off our relationship in time."

"Mr. Hu should be confident, right? King Pengcheng is a gentleman, unlike Gao Rui. How difficult can it be to deal with him?"

"You have to be careful though, and never get involved in the murder of Gao Yu..."

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)