Chapter 434: Your Majesty is generous, I have a plan (big chapter)
How do you know that I am a "god walking in the world"... The "holy monk" from the Western Regions also told me this. Is this a way of praising someone's special product in this world... Zhao Duan was not angry when he saw Zhenbao, My heart suddenly relaxed, and I complained in my heart to relieve the embarrassment.
The study became quiet for a moment.
The monarch and his ministers, who were clearly at war with each other just now, suddenly became weird when the outsiders were no longer watching and only each other was left.
"Ahem," it was Zhao Duan who broke the silence first. He explained:
"I beg your Majesty to allow me to tell you why I went to Fengcheng and faked my death to deceive the emperor."
That's right, I'm here to call for punishment... Xu Zhenguan was reminded, and his expression became a little unbearable.
Qiang maintained his emperor persona, and simply sat down on Zhao Duan's chair, staring at him with clear eyes on his face, with an attitude of "I'll see what you can do with your quibbles."
Zhao Duan smiled coquettishly, thought for a moment, then pulled a chair over from the corner of the room and tentatively sat across from the desk.
When doing this action, he kept looking at Zhenbao's expression, and saw that he just raised his eyebrows, acquiescing to his action that exceeded the rules. Zhao Duan slowly raised the corners of his mouth, and began to formulate words in his heart.
"Your Majesty, this matter will start when the ministers and his party arrive at Binhai Road..."
Zhao Duan's narration is very careful and slow, starting from the time when he was surrounded by people led by the prefect Luan in Fengcheng and his identity was exposed.
Strive not to miss any detail.
In the memorial sent by Luan Cheng in advance, although the general description was given, it was very brief. With the narration of Zhao Duan, an eyewitness, the story became full of details and came to life.
Xu Zhenguan listened to the story quietly. Similar reports from monarchs and ministers had happened many times, but every time, the guy in front of her could bring her freshness and surprise.
When she heard that Luan Cheng had been misled and led officials to arrest Zhao Duan, the empress shook her head and lamented that although Magistrate Luan was a capable minister, he was still much less resourceful than Zhuang Xiaocheng.
When she learned that Zhao Duan had ordered soldiers and horses to destroy the Zixiao Taoist Temple, but was resisted by Lu Zhengchun and arrested him, her eyes were filled with anger, and she coldly scolded the "thieves" for failing to live up to the kindness of the late emperor.
After hearing that Zhao Duan used "beheading" as a trap, he launched a virtual and real game confrontation with Zhuang Xiaocheng, and finally used the spy he had planted earlier to win Zhuang Xiaocheng's trust and gain the position of the general altar.
Xu Zhenguanrao already knew the result, but his eyes lit up and he almost sighed in admiration.
This kind of battle of wits, the chess game between the players in the air, is indeed exciting, especially when you consider that Yun Xi, who played a key role, was retained by Zhao Duan long ago last year.
Suddenly, there was a sense of a plan that could cover thousands of miles...
"Could it be that you already had a plan in mind when you were almost killed by Zhuang Xiaocheng last year? Otherwise, why would you value that female traitor so highly?" Xu Zhenguan asked curiously.
Zhao Duan's head was ringing with alarm bells ringing, without any hesitation, he looked upright:
"Your Majesty is aware of this! At that time, I really considered that the thief Yun Xi was a disciple of Zhuang Xiaocheng who was with me and might be able to instigate rebellion, so I detained her in solitary confinement."
joke!
It would be troublesome if Zhenbao misunderstood that he had other thoughts about Yun Xi.
The empress looked at the upright Mr. Zhao with suspicious eyes and pretended to believe you:
"In this way, this Yun Xi has indeed made great achievements. I have clearly defined rewards and punishments. Although she was once a traitor to the party, she has changed her mind and captured the thieves with her own hands. I can pardon her crime."
Zhao Duan was stunned and felt warm in his heart.
The empress could have told Yun Xi about the decision to pardon Yun Xi after she left, to show the magnanimity of the emperor's kindness.
Now I tell him privately, just to give him this "love".
It can be seen that the empress does not mean to be jealous, but she also knows that a dignified king of a country, a female emperor who will leave a glorious chapter in the history books, how can he take a female prisoner to his heart?
If you don't have any self-confidence, how can you be a king?
"Your Majesty is merciful, and the thief will be grateful." Zhao Duan said sincerely, and then without any haste, he detonated Zhuang Xiaocheng's formation and collapsed the mountain.
At the critical moment, he once again asked Pei Niannu for rescue, and told the story of how he faked his death in order to hide his whereabouts.
After listening to this last verse, even though the Empress had just had a vague guess in her mind, there was still a surprise in her heart, like a stone falling into the sea of her heart, causing ripples in circles.
Xu Zhenguan leaned forward subconsciously, his eyes bright: "Zhuang Xiaocheng...really captured alive by you?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "It's absolutely true."
Even though she was an emperor, she still couldn't restrain her expression of joy. If it weren't for the indecency, she would even have the urge to laugh.
Caught alive!
The traitorous bandit leader caused a huge headache for the entire court. The remnant whom she regarded as a thorn in his side and a thorn in her flesh was actually captured by him.
And just as agreed with Li Yanfu in public at that time, it only took three months.
Most of that time is wasted on the way back and forth.
If others said this, she would have to be suspicious, but if it was Zhao Duan who had created countless miracles, he would be pleasantly surprised and suddenly have a "this should be the case" mentality.
It should be so... When did I have such confidence in him that he almost looked at a "god"?
It was not achieved overnight, but the impression created in her heart by too many past victories, as if any problem, something that others could not do, would be solved effortlessly as long as the person in front of her took action.
Looking back and thinking about the process carefully, I have to admire that winning is no accident, it is almost inevitable.
"Where is this thief?" Xu Zhenguan paused for a moment, collected his thoughts, and temporarily suppressed the emotions between men and women.
"He is at home, will you bring him here now?"
"Okay."
Zhao Duan stood up and went out. After a while, the door was pushed open again. He held the ring on a large box with one hand and stepped into the study.
Under the strange look in the empress's eyes, she opened the large rivet-encrusted box, revealing Taifu Zhuang who was curled up inside, tied up all over, and with the "Sleeping Talisman" on his forehead.
Zhao Duan took Zhuang Xiaocheng out of the box, threw it on the ground, casually tore off the yellow paper charm on his forehead, and sneered:
"We've arrived. Wake up, Zhuang Xiaocheng, open your eyes and see who is in front of you?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng's eyelashes trembled and he slowly opened his eyelids, showing a dazed expression.
The haggard old Confucian first took stock of his surroundings, tried to sit up, and then saw clearly the empress in white sitting behind the desk, majestically overlooking him.
"Your Highness..."
Zhuang Xiaocheng's pupils narrowed, his heart was shaken, and there was a moment of panic on his old face.
However, Xu Shi had already done too many rehearsals on his way back to Beijing. After a brief panic, he quickly calmed down and smiled bitterly:
"It's been a long time since I saw you. Your Third Highness, who was just as good as the other princes, has finally become very different."
Xu Zhenguan looked away from the door and glanced at Zhao Duan first before turning his eyes to the old minister who was kneeling on the carpet, who was much older than he remembered.
In other words, teacher is more appropriate.
The responsibility of "Tai Tuo" is to teach all the princes. Zhuang Xiaocheng and Dong Xuan were both the mentors of the three princes. However, Zhuang Xiaocheng at that time preferred the prince openly, but secretly interacted with the second prince, Xu Jianwen. getting closer day by day.
Regarding the former third emperor's daughter, although I also lamented that she was not bad in talent and learning, she never paid too much attention to her because of her female body.
Especially as Xu Zhenguan grew older, the late emperor repeatedly tried to marry her off, but Xu Zhenguan refused. In accordance with the ancestral precepts and rules that any royal family member who is successful in spiritual practice may not marry, she remained single, resulting in After the bad relationship with the late emperor, Zhuang Xiaocheng became increasingly alienated from her.
But he never imagined that he would turn into the enemy he is today.
"The master is much older." Xu Zhenguan did not get angry, but sighed with complicated eyes.
Zhuang Xiaocheng laughed at himself:
"Working hard in the world is not as leisurely as teaching in the palace in the past."
Xu Zhenguan sarcastically said:
"What Tai Tu is busy with is how to oppose me all day long, how to fabricate history, pour dirty water on me, cover up Xu Jianwen's evil deeds of rebellion, and deceive people's hearts? Doing such an unkind thing is indeed a lot of hard work. ”
Zhuang Xiaocheng was silent.
The room fell into silence for a moment, and just when Zhao Duan couldn't help but want to speak, Zhuang Xiaocheng finally sighed and said: "The winner is the king or the loser. If your Majesty feels that you have to scold me a few times, you are just feeling wronged. I will suffer the consequences." .”
Zhao Duan laughed angrily and sneered:
"A few curses... Why, do you think that a few curses are worth the crime of Kuang Fushe harming the country of Yu? Or do you still think you are right?
Oh, I am a martial artist, I don’t read much, and I am not a student of your Confucian school, but I know that the Confucian saints never taught you how to seek the throne and usurp the throne. Not to mention the desire for profit, seeking higher power, disguised as some kind of high-spirited 'righteousness'! ”
Zhuang Xiaocheng closed his eyes and said calmly:
"Man is a swordsman and I am a fish. The blood of the old minister was cut off three years ago. He is nothing more than a lonely ghost in the world. Your Majesty will kill or behead you, please do as you please."
A complete "winner or loser, let them be dealt with" attitude.
Seeing him like this, Xu Zhenguan suddenly became bored and waved his hand.
There was nothing thrilling about the meeting three years later, only a clear stance and a determination to fight to the death.
Zhao Duan slapped the yellow paper charm on it again, and Zhuang Xiaocheng re-entered the "sealed" state and threw it into the box for him.
After doing all this, he looked at Zhenbao, who was looking at the bookshelf in silence, and tentatively said:
"Your Majesty, do you want this thief to be thrown into prison and tortured?"
Xu Zhenguan was silent for a long time before he suppressed the complicated emotions surging in his heart and sighed softly: "You already have an idea, right?"
Zhao Duan said "en" and said:
"I thought that given Zhuang Xiaocheng's tough mind, it would be difficult to find out anything through torture. We could only wait until he is dead and try to use magic to spy on him. However, with the cunning of this old dog, I am afraid that he is already prepared...< br>
Therefore, I believe that the greatest role of this thief lies in his identity as the leader, not anything else.
It would be best to build momentum in the capital and execute this person in public in accordance with the law to deter the world... However, more importantly, use his death as an opportunity to try to reverse the thief's long-term slander and fabricated story about the Xuanmen coup. rumors. ”
There are two story versions of the Xuanmen Coup.
The first is the official version, which is relatively close to the truth, that is, the story of Xu Jianwen's rebellion and the three emperors' daughters fighting the rebellion.
Although some of the details are whitewashed, they are generally true.
The second is the wild history spread by Kuangfu Society, that is, Xu Zhenguan was the one who rebelled, and the second prince Jian Wen was the one who stopped him from being killed... The main story is a random fabrication.
However, thanks to Kuang Fushe's efforts to discredit it, the latter version spread more widely. This is also an important reason why the legitimacy of the empress's regime has been questioned outside the capital.
"How do you want to clarify the truth?" the empress asked curiously.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"There is no use in clarifying. Your Majesty should know that rumors are more powerful than tigers. Throughout the ages, all rumors have been widely spread, but no one cares to refute the rumors. How can we explain it?
I believe that the most critical point is that rumors are more in line with people's expectations. Only rumors that people are willing to believe can spread.
On the other hand, if the people are unwilling to believe rumors, even if they are spread again, they will have little effect.
The success of Kuang Fushe's smear campaign is simply that many people in the public can't bear to see His Majesty proclaiming himself emperor as a woman, and they don't want to believe that Your Majesty is the one who saved King Qin. Therefore, refuting the rumors and clarifying him is probably of little use. ”
Xu Zhenguan was thoughtful: "What do you want?"
"Fight poison with poison," Zhao Duan said with a smile:
"In fact, the common people also don't like the corrupt scholars in the court. The people are disgusted with these officials.
Therefore, we only need to give enough information about the dirty and scandalous things he has done involving his private life when beheading the thief.
For example, let Yun Xi accuse Zhuang Xiaocheng of plotting against her, a female apprentice... She would definitely be willing.
Well, it's better to wait for those rebels escorted by Magistrate Luan to come to Beijing, instigate them to rebel, and let these people come forward to expose and accuse. Doesn't Zhuang Xiaocheng want to leave a name in history and get a reputation? Then let his reputation be disgraced and completely reduced to eternal shame!
In this way, the scandal of his private affairs will be widely spread. As long as the Kuangfu Society represented by Zhuang Xiaocheng becomes dirtier, more ugly, and even less credible, his rhetoric to smear His Majesty will be self-defeating. ”
The empress was stunned when she heard this, and her eyes turned strange when she looked at him:
"I suddenly believe the rumors that you are cunning and cunning."
This method is somewhat vicious. What literati care most about is reputation, and Zhao Duan simply wanted to discredit Zhuang Xiaocheng.
Especially the matter of smearing his private life... The ministers in the court may not have thought of it, but no one would make such a suggestion publicly, as it would make them look too shady.
But Zhao Duan dares to mention it. Anyway, his reputation has long been ruined...
"Then do what you want. You were the one who caught the man. He almost killed you, so I can rest assured that you will deal with him." Xu Zhenguan felt that he could not interfere in such a dirty matter, so he decisively threw the blame away. .
Zhao Duan said:
"I have another idea. I hope that your majesty will help me conceal the news that I am still alive in the past few days, and do not expose the existence of Zhuang Xiaocheng. Everything will wait until the team of Magistrate Luan arrives in Beijing. During this period, your majesty can try to suppress it." Li Dang'.
Xu Zhenguan was stunned for a moment: "Suppressing Party Li?"
Zhao Duan smiled brightly:
"After I returned home, I talked with my aunt and learned that a few days ago, Li Yanfu asked about my current situation in public. He also jumped out on New Year's Eve. This account should be settled. If I guessed correctly, because of the news of my death ', Li's party must be celebrating each other during this period.
At this time, if His Majesty seeks trouble to suppress the Li Party on the grounds of venting his anger, Li Yanfu will most likely not resist, and the entire Li Party will not resist either...
No one wants to offend His Majesty who is so angry that he loses his mind... Besides, they also feel that it is acceptable to lose some profits in exchange for the life of the minister. ”
Xu Zhenguan opened her mouth and had a deeper understanding of this guy's "retribution" and "hidden damage". She said quietly:
"You weren't already planning to fake your own death, were you?"
"How could it be? I thought of it not long ago." Zhao Duan said confidently.
Xu Zhenguan’s eyes were suspicious, let’s believe him:
"...Okay, I'll give it a try as you said."
Zhao Duan nodded with satisfaction: "I have one more thing..."
"..." Xu Zhenguan's eyes really changed this time. Two consecutive "poisonous tricks" made her a little nervous. She was really afraid that this guy would come up with some unethical methods.
Zhao Duan said seriously: "I feel something is wrong. Your Majesty, what do you think of Zhuang Xiaocheng's intelligence?"
“Nature is good.”
"That's right, I kept thinking on my way back to Beijing. Since Zhuang Xiaocheng had made plans to die with me in advance, with his intelligence, he would definitely make arrangements in advance to help the operation of the society after his death. ”
Zhao Duan said in a serious tone:
“In the battle at Fengcheng, the rebel party suffered heavy losses, but after all, there are still many remnants entrenched.
Zhuang Xiaocheng is afraid that he has already found a 'successor' and will continue to run the association after his death. Moreover, he would rather kill his ministers at the cost of his own life, which also means that he believes that the successor will be enough to make up for the consequences of his death. losses. ”
Xu Zhenguan was stunned and fell into thinking.
After his reminder, the empress also realized this blind spot.
Zhao Duan asked: "Your Majesty, who among the Kuangfu Society does your Majesty think is likely to take over?"
Xu Zhenguan thought for a moment, shook his head and said:
"In Kuangfu Society, there is almost no one who is famous enough and capable enough to take charge.
Neither Qi Yuchun nor Ren Kun are qualified. As for Jian Wen's widow, Princess Wen is weak-tempered, and the young prince left by my second brother is too young and only exists as a banner. ”
Zhao Duan said: "So, no one can take over?"
"No, you are right, Zhuang Xiaocheng cannot leave a mess, he must have chosen his successor." The empress stood up, walked in the study, thought for a moment and said:
"But I really can't think of a candidate, unless the entire Kuangfu Society loses its independence and surrenders to one of the eight princes. But this is not like Zhuang Xiaocheng's character... But besides that, who else can there be? Unless Xu Jianwen Resurrection, otherwise Kuangfu Society will inevitably fall apart..."
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind, and he looked at Zhenbao in surprise:
"Jian Wen's resurrection...does your Majesty think this is possible?"
Xu Zhenguan was also stunned for a moment. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I was just making an analogy."
However, Zhao Duan caught the inspiration in his mind, frowned, shook his head and said:
"No! It's not a metaphor... I'm thinking that if Zhuang Xiaocheng has completely surrendered to a certain prince, it is most likely to be Prince Jing or Prince Mu... It doesn't matter.
The point is, if he really surrenders, then Kuang Fu Society should not be the only one to assassinate me. Zhuang Xiaocheng will definitely use the society as a bargaining chip to exchange for the support of a powerful person from a certain prince.
That way, with the prince's help, he doesn't have to die with me..."
"So, there is a high probability that he did not sell himself. Is it possible that Jian Wen is really alive? Or that he was not dead in the first place?"
Zhao Duan made this somewhat shocking guess. Although it was outrageous, after all possibilities were eliminated, from a logical derivation point of view, this was indeed the most "reasonable" conclusion.
The empress was also startled and said:
"I witnessed Jian Wen's death in the rebellion with my own eyes, and my body was carefully examined..."
Suddenly, she thought of something and closed her mouth suddenly.
Zhao Duan stared at her with burning eyes and said:
"Bewitch the Taoist! That Imperial Preceptor! I remember that the Imperial Preceptor also died in the coup and left his body behind, but it turns out that he was not really dead! But he was still alive!
What was in the palace that day was just his 'replacement'! And Taoist Bewitching was Jian Wen's disciple and participated in the coup! ”
Xu Zhenguan opened his mouth:
"Are you saying that the bewitching demons also used secret methods to help Jian Wen escape his inevitable fate? It was not Jian Wen's 'all' who entered the palace that day to initiate the coup?
No... your guess is baseless. The ability to resurrect the dead by bewitching demons is due to the gods they major in, which is extremely rare..."
Zhao Duan interrupted her:
"Yes, just because it is rare, can Your Majesty guarantee that he cannot help others create a 'clone'? Did Jian Wen also think about leaving a way out for himself on the day of the coup?
What's more, doesn't Your Majesty think that Zhuang Xiaocheng gathered the remnants too smoothly? What gave him the confidence to lead a group of Jianghu people to fight against the imperial court?
Just because you are unwilling? If you are really unwilling, why are you willing to die with me? Isn't this contradictory? ”
Xu Zhenguan was stunned by him and suddenly became speechless!
I couldn't help but feel a little confused in my mind.
It was not that she had never doubted whether Jian Wen was really dead, but Jian Wen's body in the palace had been checked repeatedly and it was not a disguise.
Moreover, Jian Wen has never shown his face in three years.
But...
If it was really the Master Bewitching, then this "three years of disappearance" can also be explained... The Taoist Bewitching has also disappeared for nearly three years.
Because the creation of a clone requires tearing half of the soul.
After the clone dies, the remaining half of his life will fall into long-term weakness. Even the bewitching demon has been hiding for two years to recuperate.
Doesn't it make sense that Jian Wen hides himself to recuperate and exposes Zhuang Xiaocheng to the public?
"I...I...need to go back and review the original files carefully to look for clues."
The empress was silent for a moment, her eyes sharp:
"If Jian Wen really made this arrangement, there would be no trace left behind."
The coup that year involved too many people.
After the coup, the empress ascended the throne and killed many people involved in usurping the throne, leaving behind countless confessions, files, and information.
It would be a big project to dig out the details and investigate again, but no matter how absurd she thought it was, she had to do it.
"I am just making a bold guess without any basis, and it is indeed unbelievable."
Zhao Duan saw her appearance and comforted her.
Xu Zhen glanced at him, aware of his thoughts, and suddenly smiled lightly, and the room seemed to light up:
"I don't need you to worry. Not to mention that Jian Wen is dead. Even if he takes ten thousand steps back, what will happen if he is still alive? Does a sinner like him dare to stand up? How many chips does he have in his hand?
When he had many soldiers and generals, I could quell the chaos by myself. Now he only has a group of remnants, so what should he fear? ”
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, confirmed that Zhenbao really thought so, and laughed at himself: "I am the one who made the fuss."
The two of them have so many enemies, and all the difficulties have been solved. What does it matter if there are more Jian Wen who are just trying to survive?
Look at each other and smile.
The tense atmosphere in the study room disappeared.
After talking about the serious things, the two looked at each other speechlessly, and the atmosphere became a bit ambiguous.
After not seeing each other for more than two months, Zhao Duan was inevitably a little reluctant to leave, and Xu Zhenguan did not take the initiative to let him out.
Zhao Duan wanted to take the initiative to flirt and say sweet words, but Zhao Duan looked at the old dog lying in the box and felt awkward.
"Come here." Suddenly, Xu Zhenguan said softly.
"Ah?" Zhao Duan was confused and a little dazed.
Xu Zhen couldn't help but smile when she saw the silly and cute look of the little Imperial Guard who was full of vicious tricks just now.
She was very generous and called him over. She threw away the "portraits" on the table, spread out the white paper again, rubbed the ink herself, and said in a pretending seriousness:
"Your painting skills are too bad. I am in a good mood today, so I will teach you how to paint myself. Do you want to learn from me?"
traditional Chinese painting?
You have to learn it, you have to learn Chinese painting!
Zhao Duan seemed to be possessed by Mr. Hou, and he got close to him by accident, a little at a loss: "How to do it."
Xu Zhen took one look at the other person's tall figure and guessed that she couldn't imitate the posture of the school teacher teaching young children to learn painting, so she simply reversed it and said:
"You stand behind me, hold the pen later, and I will take you to draw once."
"Oh..."
Zhao Duan walked behind the empress and saw her sitting down lightly, and began to adjust the ink skillfully, and skillfully selected the brush from the pen holder. After absorbing the ink, Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting in the armchair, raised his white wrist, One sleeve slipped off.
The jade hand carved from white jade holds a slender brush in a standard posture, hanging on the rice paper, and says:
"Hold the pen."
"Oh...oh..."
Zhao Duan adjusted his posture somewhat awkwardly, stood behind the empress, bowed slightly, and lowered his body. This posture seemed to be hugging her.
The tip of his nose could smell the familiar scent of vanilla coming from her body, and Zhao Duan's side face slowly came close to the empress' goose neck.
He noticed that as he came closer, a thin layer of down stood up on Zhenbao's white neck, swaying gently with his breathing.
The neck began to turn red visibly, but he did not avoid it, more like acquiescence.
Zhao Duan became more and more courageous, and his posture became a little more intimate. He only wished that there was an armchair between the two of them... He put his right hand around the empress's shoulder and held it towards the brush, his eyes sneaking down the skirt of his clothes. look.
Immediately, he was disappointed to find that the placket was so tight that there was no gap at all, and he could only glimpse a jade-green droplet of jade on the necklace vaguely hidden in the placket.
The right hand holding the pen suddenly touched a soft and cold patch.
"..."
"..."
"Where are you holding it? Hold the pen! Not a handshake!"
"Oh...oh..."
He hurriedly let go of the big hand covering his small hand and held the upper end of the pen holder.
The empress sighed helplessly, and simply opened Zhao Duan's hand, helped him adjust the posture of holding the pen, and then...
The slender little hands wrapped around the big hand holding the pen.
On the rice paper, the first drop of ink dripped.
——
Seven thousand word chapter
(End of chapter)