Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 403: Unpredictable!

Bianjing.

The warm sun lazily shines on the bustling Suzaku Street.

The teahouse on the street was bustling with activity.

The laughter and chatter of tea drinkers and the shouts of tea doctors are intertwined.

As usual, Ruan Chuanqiao found an inconspicuous corner to sit down, sipping tea while listening carefully to catch all kinds of gossip.

At this time, a middle-aged man in a gray cloth gown at the next table slammed the table and said loudly: "Everyone, have you heard about Duke Wen Lu's trip to the northwest?"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him, and they all cast curious glances.

Seeing this, the man became even more proud, cleared his throat, and began to describe the situation vividly: "Think about Duke Wen Lu, he is a famous minister in the court of our Song Dynasty.

With that prestige and wisdom, how many people in the world can match it?
This trip to the northwest was like a divine army descending from the sky. Once they arrived at Hezhong Prefecture, they quickly took control of the situation."

"Who is Duke Wen Lu?" someone asked curiously.

Someone immediately sneered and said, "You don't even recognize Lord Wen Lu?"

The sneering man, wearing a faded felt hat, had a trace of disdain on his face: "Duke Wen Lu is Wen Yanbo!

He served four dynasties and made outstanding contributions. When King Ze of Beizhou rebelled, he led the army to suppress the rebellion in more than 60 days, and his name was known all over the world!"

After saying this, he picked up the teacup and took a sip, as if recalling the turbulent years in the past.

The man in the grey cloth gown took over the conversation, waving his hands and gesturing: "During the Northwest Rebellion, Su Yun gathered a group of rebels, burning, killing and looting. The Song army originally stationed there was frightened and abandoned their weapons and armor, and the people were in a panic.

However, as soon as Duke Wen Lu arrived in Hezhong Prefecture, he acted decisively and vigorously. He first severely punished a group of generals who retreated in the face of the enemy, killing them as a warning to the rest, so that the army would not dare to have any second thoughts.

Afterwards, despite the fatigue of the journey, he personally inspected the military camp, asked about the soldiers' well-being, and promised generous rewards to those who made military achievements, which instantly boosted the morale of the soldiers. "

An old man stroked his beard and frowned slightly: "Although Duke Wenlu is famous, Su Yun is no ordinary person. I heard that he is resourceful and has an army of 100,000 under his command. His strength should not be underestimated.

It may not be easy for Duke Wenlu to quell the rebellion."

Upon hearing this, the man in the grey cloth gown slammed the table so hard that the teacup shook. "That's wrong! Duke Wen Lu is a master at using troops. He made a clever plan and quickly integrated the armies of Qinfeng, Huanqing and other routes.

He first wrote a letter, the words of which were sincere but dignified. After receiving the letter, the generals were all moved and expressed their willingness to be deployed.

Afterwards, he sent his staff to various places, using both kindness and force to completely unite the army.

Now the Northwest Song army is strictly disciplined, patrolling and guarding without leaks, forming a siege on Su Yun. "

At this time, a young man stood up, looking puzzled: "Since Duke Wenlu is so powerful, why haven't we heard that the court has taken action against Su Yun before?"

The man in the grey cloth gown sneered: "There are some people with ulterior motives in the court, so there are constant fights and struggles, and it is difficult to unify the government.

Even if Duke Wenlu wanted to quell the rebellion, he would inevitably be constrained. However, this time, the situation must have been critical, so the Queen Mother made up her mind to send Duke Wenlu to the northwest.

In the northwest today, under the governance of Duke Wen Lu, the morale of the Song army has been greatly boosted, and the originally chaotic situation has been put into good order.

The army had strict discipline and patrols were carried out without any slackness. The entire northwest was unified by Duke Wen Lu, forming an aggressive posture against the traitor Su Yun.

In my opinion, it won’t be long before Duke Wen Lu will be able to lead a large army to attack Yan’an Prefecture and wipe out the traitor Su in one fell swoop, bringing peace to the people of the Northwest!
We, the people of the Song Dynasty, can also live a better life together again under the leadership of the Empress Dowager Gao!"

Everyone was fascinated by what he said and nodded in agreement, expressing their admiration for Wen Yanbo in words.

Ruan Chuanqiao sat in the corner, listening quietly to everyone's discussion, with a thoughtful look on his face.

He quietly got up and left the teahouse, waved his hand to somewhere, and then someone heard the news and ran away quickly.

Ruan Chuanqiao nodded slightly, then blended into the noisy crowd, strolling aimlessly on the bustling Suzaku Street.

There are many shops on the street, and the shouts from bars and restaurants and the laughter of pedestrians are intertwined.

Soon, he stopped in front of an inconspicuous cloth shop. The shop had a small frontage, with a few rolls of faded cloth hanging at the door, and the shop assistant was trying to attract customers in a disjointed manner.

Ruan Chuanqiao walked into the store familiarly, flipping through the fabrics casually, but his eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

After making sure no one was paying attention, he nodded slightly to the shopkeeper behind the counter. The shopkeeper understood and turned around and seemingly casually turned a statue of the God of Wealth on the shelf.

There was a slight sound of gears turning, and a wooden board on the back wall of the cloth shop slid open quietly, revealing a secret passage.

Ruan Chuanqiao walked quickly through the passage and came to an exquisitely decorated courtyard.

The courtyard is filled with rugged rockery and lush flowers and plants, forming a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle outside.

He walked along the winding gravel road, passed a small octagonal pavilion, and stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary screen wall.

There was a picture of pine and cranes depicting longevity on the screen wall. Ruan Chuanqiao reached out and pressed a specific position on the trunk of the pine tree in the picture. The screen wall slowly moved to the side, revealing a secret door.

Entering the dark room, the light is soft and there are cleverly designed wall lamps installed on the walls.

The walls around were densely covered with portraits of many officials in the Song Dynasty court and various related information. These portraits and information included not only the prime ministers, but also important figures in many key departments.

This is the most important stronghold of Ruanchuan Bridge in Bianliang.

In order to ensure safety, Ruan Chuanqiao set up multiple mechanisms at the entrance to the dark room.

Once an unidentified person steps in and triggers the mechanism, dense caltrops will fall from the ceiling, and the only exit of the dark room will be instantly closed.

In addition, the darkroom's ventilation system is carefully designed and connected to the shop's chimney, which not only ensures fresh air but also leaves no ventilation loopholes.

In the center of the darkroom stood a large desk piled with documents, secret letters and code books.

In order to prevent information leakage, Ruan Chuanqiao set up a secret compartment under the desk that can only be opened through a specific rotation movement.

The secret compartment contained important intelligence he had collected from various places, as well as special carrier pigeons and encrypted letters for communicating with his superiors.

Ruan Chuanqiao sat in front of a desk piled with intelligence, his eyes sharp as he sorted out the secret letters and intelligence on the case one by one.

Ruan Chuanqiao sorted out the information for a while and focused his attention on the matter of Cheng Yi's return to Beijing.

When Cheng Yi returned to Bian Jing this time, he went directly to the Imperial College to teach.

During the lectures, his remarks were sharp and hit the key points of the court. The storm he stirred up in the Imperial College had already spread to every corner of Bianliang.

People were talking about the incident in the streets and alleys, some supporting Cheng Yi's outspokenness and courage to advise, while others defending Empress Dowager Gao and the ruling ministers. The entire capital seemed to be shrouded in an invisible haze.

His fingertips gently stroked a secret letter, which detailed Empress Dowager Gao's reaction after learning of Cheng Yi's remarks.

——The Empress Dowager was furious and ordered the Censorate to investigate the matter thoroughly in an attempt to suppress the arrogance of the Luo Party.

Fan Chunren, Lu Dafang and other ruling ministers also responded quickly. On the one hand, they defended themselves in the court and accused Cheng Yi of misleading the people with his lies;

On the other hand, he secretly contacted various forces in an attempt to weaken the influence of the Luo Party.

At the same time, Emperor Zhao Xu's attitude was quite subtle.

Although he has not made any public statement yet, according to reliable intelligence, Zhao Xu privately summoned Cheng Yi's confidants and revealed his strong desire to rule the country himself.

This news, like a bombshell, made the already complicated dispute between the emperor and the empress even more complicated.

Ruan Chuanqiao's eyes lit up slightly. The intensified conflict between the emperor and the empress will inevitably have a far-reaching impact on the war situation in the northwest!
Behind every move of Wen Yanbo in the northwest may be the shadow of the court's power.

The court was eager to publicize Wen Yanbo's achievements in the northwest, which was most likely a means for Empress Dowager Gao and the ruling ministers to divert people's attention and consolidate their own rule.

Thinking of this, Ruan Chuanqiao quickly picked up his pen and wrote down his analysis and speculation in a secret letter. He knew very well that this information was crucial to the northwest and might affect the direction of a war.

After writing, he carefully folded the secret letter and put it into the encrypted bamboo tube in the secret compartment.

Ruan Chuanqiao tied the encrypted bamboo tube to the leg of the pigeon and watched it disappear into the night, but his tense nerves did not relax at all.

The chain reaction triggered by Cheng Yi's return to Beijing was an excellent opportunity for Mr. Chen to open up a new situation in the Northwest.

Ruan Chuanqiao turned around quickly and pulled out a list from the bookshelf in the dark room, which recorded in detail the secret membership information of the Su Society in Bian Jing.

His eyes were as quick as lightning as he quickly selected dozens of smart and eloquent members. He then wrote down the instructions, stamped them with the unique seal of the Su Society, and put the letters into wax balls.

Early the next morning, Ruan Chuanqiao disguised himself as an ordinary vendor, carrying wax balls, and blended into the crowd at the morning market.

He came to a hidden meeting place, handed the wax ball to the contact who had been waiting there, and whispered: "Be sure to convey the message to the relevant personnel, let them take action immediately and fully assist Cheng Yi. At the same time, pay attention to concealment and do not reveal your identity."

After that, secret members of the Su Society began to become active in the streets and alleys of Bianjing.

Some of them disguised themselves as students of the Imperial Academy, sneaked into Cheng Yi's lectures, and actively promoted Cheng Yi's ideas and cheered for him;

Some of them used their eloquent tongues to spread remarks unfavorable to the party on the streets and incite public sentiment.

For a time, the Luo Party, or the Emperor Party, was more powerful than the Hou Party, and the public opinion in Bianliang quietly changed, and the Hou Party was caught in the whirlpool of public opinion.

At the same time, Ruan Chuanqiao closely followed the developments in the court.

By placing spies in various departments, he collected a large amount of intelligence about the struggle between the Hou Party and the Luo Party.

Ruan Chuanqiao learned from the intelligence brought by his informants that the atmosphere in the palace was depressing and almost suffocating, and a palace storm was quietly brewing.

The situation between Empress Dowager Gao and Emperor Zhao Xu was tense and ready to break out.

That day, Zhao Xu broke into Cishou Palace because of Cheng Yi's matter.

He stared at Empress Dowager Gao with a sharp gaze and spoke fiercely, "Grandmother, Cheng Yi is a well-educated scholar, and everything he said is for the country and the people's livelihood.

But now the Censorate is suppressing it vigorously. It is obvious that someone is behind this and intends to deceive the emperor!"

The Empress Dowager Gao's originally kind face suddenly darkened, and she slapped the armrest heavily, angrily saying: "Cheng Yi's lies have misled the people, disturbed the court, and shaken the foundation of the country. If he is not severely punished, it will not be enough to appease the public anger!

Xu'er, as an emperor, you only listen to one side, how can you be so shameless! "

It is said that the two men insisted on their own opinions and neither of them gave in that day. The fierce quarrel echoed in the palace for a long time, making the palace servants dare not listen carefully, and they left Xu Yuan one by one with pale faces.

After that quarrel, Empress Dowager Gao took quick action.

On the grounds that Zhao Xu had not served the emperor well, she replaced all of Zhao Xu's trusted eunuchs and palace maids, and arranged for her own confidants to move into the Funing Palace to closely monitor Zhao Xu's every move.

The atmosphere in Funing Palace suddenly became depressing. Zhao Xu was like a tiger trapped in a cage. Although he was unwilling, he was unable to break free for the time being.

At the same time, Empress Dowager Gao's biological son, Zhao Xu's uncle, began to frequently go in and out of Cishou Palace in the name of paying respects to his mother. Every time he came, he would have a secret conversation with Empress Dowager Gao for a long time.

For a time, rumors spread in the palace, saying that Empress Dowager Gao was completely disappointed with Zhao Xu and planned to depose him and support her own son to ascend the throne and become emperor.

The news spread outside the palace, causing an uproar.

When the Hou Party members heard the news, some were secretly delighted, thinking that this was a great opportunity to consolidate their power;
Others were worried that this move would trigger a palace coup and lead to chaos in the country.

The members of the Luo Party were extremely anxious. They ran around trying to contact various forces to gain support for Zhao Xu.

Ruan Chuanqiao keenly realized that this was a key opportunity to turn the tide of the war in the northwest.

He immediately set about collecting more intelligence about the palace coup, and at the same time passed on a message to Su Yun, suggesting that he seize this opportunity to launch a large-scale offensive in the northwest to tie down Wen Yanbo's forces and disrupt the court's deployment.

In order to obtain more accurate intelligence, Ruan Chuanqiao ventured into the vicinity of the imperial palace and contacted the spies planted in the palace.

Late at night, under a dark moon and strong wind, Ruan Chuanqiao, dressed in black, moved through the alleys like a ghost.

In a secluded corner, he met with his spy and asked in detail about the latest situation in the palace.

The spy looked panicked and revealed everything he knew: "The Empress Dowager Gao has secretly discussed with several important officials that the matter of deposing the emperor should be nonsense.

However, it is said that Prince of Yong Zhao Hao and Prince of Cao Zhao Yu raised this issue when they were secretly spying with Empress Dowager Gao.

Empress Dowager Gao was also testing the waters, but after hearing about the reactions of Prime Minister Lu and Prime Minister Fan, she heard that Prime Minister Lu and Prime Minister Fan reacted very strongly, so they must have rejected it..."

Ruan Chuanqiao frowned, stroking his chin and lost in thought.

Although the plan to depose the emperor was temporarily blocked, the Empress Dowager Gao's probing and the involvement of Prince Yong and Prince Cao undoubtedly made the situation more complicated.

There were different opinions within the Hou Party on the issue of deposing the emperor. This was not only a crisis, but also a major opportunity for Su Yun to turn the tide of the war in the northwest.

"Be sure to keep a close eye on the actions of Empress Dowager Gao and several important ministers. Report any new information immediately."

Ruan Chuanqiao lowered his voice and gave instructions to his spy.

After the spy left, he quickly blended into the darkness and returned to the secret base.

As soon as he entered the darkroom, Ruan Chuanqiao quickly walked to the desk, spread out a piece of paper, and wrote down in detail the intelligence he had obtained from his informants, and attached his own analysis:

“Although Empress Dowager Gao has not yet finalized the plan to depose the emperor, she has already thought about it.

Disagreements arose within the party, and important officials such as Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren opposed the dethronement of the emperor.

However, Prince Yong and Prince Cao pushed hard, and conflicts between the parties were on the verge of breaking out. "

Then he carefully folded the letter, put it into an encrypted bamboo tube, called a carrier pigeon, and sent the information to the northwest.

After dealing with all these, Ruan Chuanqiao did not relax.

He knew that the situation in the palace was changing rapidly and the slightest mistake could lead to a complete loss.

In order to further disrupt the deployment of the Hou Party, he once again opened the secret membership list of the Soviet Society, selected several members who were good at disguise and reconnaissance, and issued new instructions to them.

1. Pay close attention to the residences of important officials of the Hou Party and collect evidence of their private dealings;

2. Spread false information to intensify the internal conflicts within the Hou Party and create suspicion between important officials such as Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren and the King of Yong and the King of Cao.

A few days later, a piece of news suddenly spread in the streets of Bianjing: Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren accepted bribes from the Luo Party and secretly supported the emperor to rule the country.

When the officials of the Queen Mother's party heard the news, they were immediately in a panic. Prince Yong and Prince Cao took the opportunity to report Lu and Fan in front of the Queen Mother Gao, accusing them of having evil intentions.

Empress Dowager Gao became suspicious and her trust in Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren was greatly reduced, and cracks began to appear within her party.

At the same time, Ruan Chuanqiao learned from his spies that Wen Yanbo became hesitant and slowed down his actions after hearing about the situation in Bianliang in the northwest.

Ruan Chuanqiao realized that the time was ripe, and he immediately wrote to Su Yun again: "The disputes in the court of Bianjing are getting more and more intense, and Wen Yanbo's army is in chaos. This is the perfect time to launch a large-scale offensive!"

(End of this chapter)