The state government office was extremely deserted.
There weren't many officials there, but I occasionally saw a few who passed by in a hurry.
Although Tian Zili was tired, he still managed to smile and greeted Mr. Zhang enthusiastically.
The two haven't seen each other for a long time, and they have changed a lot.
Old Man Zhang no longer looked submissive at this moment, his whole person was much rounder, his face was red, his belly was slightly protruding, he was kind and approachable, and the clothes he wore in the past were finally replaced by him. The outfit he was wearing now was not considered luxurious, but it was
Not ordinary either.
Tian Zili couldn't help but sigh: "Compared with when he was in Cheng'an, Mr. Zhang is really a completely different person!"
"Hahaha, why shouldn't Mr. Tian be the same?"
"Although Mr. Tian was good at talking before, there was always an aura of hostility between his eyebrows. But now, the aura of hostility has dissipated and he has become much more energetic!"
Duke Zhang praised him.
He was not talking nonsense. Although Tian Zili could talk to everyone in the past, he always had a hidden ruthlessness and always smiled as if he had malice. He was quite cunning, which made people dare not to be honest.
We are close, but Tian Zili's words and actions at the moment are all upright. He looks more like a scribe from a wealthy family, and he no longer has the evil aura like a thief.
Tian Zili smiled and said a few words, and then asked: "Is the king in the palace?"
"Yes, yes, I will take you to see him!"
Tian Zili told the others to rest first, and only took Cui Gang with him, and followed Duke Zhang towards the yamen. As he walked, Duke Zhang asked about everyone's situation.
"How is Mr. Liu? I heard that he became a general and made great achievements in the frontier fortress. My king praises him all day long. Is he okay?"
"It's okay, it's okay."
"Where's Yao Xiong?"
"He's fine too."
Seeing Tian Zili's eagerness, Mr. Zhang said, "Tian Jun, don't be too impatient. You can hurry when you are going, but you can't be impatient when doing things like this. You have to be calm, otherwise it will definitely ruin the big thing."
Tian Zili took a deep breath and said helplessly: "This matter is so important that I dare not relax."
They walked all the way to the backyard. When the soldiers in front of the backyard saw Mr. Zhang, they immediately let him go without any intention of stopping the interrogation.
Walking into the backyard, Tian Zili saw such a simple government office for the first time.
The decoration is extremely ordinary, even crude.
Zhang Gong led them into the inner room. One person stood up and walked quickly towards them.
Everyone has undergone many changes, but King Lanling has not.
He was still so handsome, holding a book in his hand, half raising his head and looking at the people in front of him.
This was the first time Cui Gang saw King Lanling.
He was stunned.
When Tian Zili and others were bowing, he realized what they were doing and followed them to bow.
Gao Changgong smiled and gave a little support, "Get up now. Why, you know you want to see me?"
Tian Zili quickly took out the letter from his arms and handed it to Gao Changgong respectfully. He whispered: "Your Majesty, my brother has something to ask of you."
Gao Changgong put down the book in his hand, sat aside, opened the letter, and read it carefully.
After a moment, anger appeared on his good-looking face, and his brows wrinkled slightly, already very unhappy.
"I have long heard people say that King Shunyang is greedy and wants to eat fish and meat. I never thought that it would be so excessive. As a meritorious service to the Qi Dynasty, he is not allowed to rectify the border troops?! Ridiculous!"
He spoke again, "Please tell me the matter in detail."
Tian Zili hurriedly told the situation of the frontier fortress, the process of rectification, and the final incident that provoked King Shunyang.
"Your Majesty, King Shunyang uses his power to bully others. When we left, he was in the garrison, bullying the soldiers. My brother is impatient, and I am afraid that something big will happen."
Gao Changgong heard this and stood up immediately.
"not good."
His face was also quite nervous, "King Shunyang's mighty general, I'm afraid he will suffer a big loss if he knows it!"
"I'll give it to my uncle right now, and you can rest here."
Tian Zili thanked him again and again, "We have to go back to resume our duties. Thank you so much, Your Majesty!!"
Gao Changgong's face was complicated, "Why bother to say thank you? I know that everything is for Da Qi. As a clan member, I should thank him. But I have not been able to help him these days. I promised to recommend and promote him before, but I have not
can succeed."
"Don't worry, I will definitely protect him this time! I'll send it to you immediately and have it delivered as soon as possible. If you don't reply, I will go to Ye myself!!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"
Tian Zili did not rest or exchange greetings with them, but hurriedly said goodbye and left.
After they left, Gao Changgong called Mr. Zhang and began to discuss how to write this letter to the prime minister.
Tian Zili and others had a meal in Jiuyuan, slept for a while, and then went out again.
This time, their destination was Dingzhou.
This place is extremely familiar to them.
After all, except Tian Zili, most of the others are from Dingzhou.
Coming here is like going home.
On the cultivated land on both sides of the road, there are busy farmers in full swing.
They just ran all the way. The gate of Zhending city was wide open, and the people at the gate were coming in and out. They were obviously much larger than Sizhou. As soon as they appeared at the gate, they were recognized by the officials here. They were frightened.
ran to report it.
Not long after, Gao Yanzong came galloping on his horse.
Seeing everyone, I couldn't help but poke my head out and look around, "Where is my brother?!"
Tian Zili and others quickly dismounted.
"Your Majesty, my brother never came here, but he sent us to find you for help!"
"ah?"
Gao Yanzong was shocked, "He asked me for help??"
But then, he felt extremely proud and couldn't help but raise his head, "It's easy to talk! It's easy to talk! Who the hell did you do to offend my brother?! Come on, come into the house with me, let's talk while we eat!"
Facing Gao Yanzong, Tian Zili changed his attitude. He lowered his head and looked extremely respectful, touting the great governance of Dingzhou under his governance.
"This is the first time I have seen such a prosperous scene along the way. Your Majesty is really well managed. There is not a single deserted land outside Dingzhou. The people are very busy. People are coming and going at the gate of the city. Merchants are
They are hawking along the street, it is really prosperous!"
"Your Majesty is indeed a wise clan member!"
Listening to Tian Zili's compliments, Gao Yanzong could hardly close his mouth from ear to ear and waved his hands, "You don't need to flatter me like this! You don't need to do this!"
"My brother often praises the king, saying that the king is smart and must be a pillar of the Qi Dynasty. When I go back this time, I will definitely inform my brother about the great governance of Dingzhou."
"Hahaha~~"
Gao Yanzong was particularly helpful. He asked: "Brother, what happened? You were sent to me?"
"The king of Shunyang returned to Luo, so that the king would know that this man was unruly and arrogant. When he saw my brother's military exploits and assisted the general in reorganizing the border troops, he led his cavalry into the garrison, insulted him, and wanted to punish him.
"Brother's Sin"
At this moment, Tian Zili looked like a malicious and hurtful villain, but unfortunately, Gao Yanzong took just this bite, and he was really furious.
"Bah! He's just a Qihu with a foreign surname of Wang and an unknown origin, but he still dares to point fingers at the border soldiers? Who is he?!"
"I will summon the army and we will set off immediately!!"
"Your Majesty, without an edict, how can you send troops out of the state privately?"
"Why can he come out but I can't?"
"Your Majesty, why don't you go to the Prime Minister to intercede for my brother and accuse King Shunyang of being dissatisfied with him? With the prestige of the King, the Prime Minister does not dare to look down upon him."
"Go to the table?! Okay, that's easy. You go have a drink with me first and talk about my brother's affairs outside the Great Wall. I'll send you to the table right now!"
"only!!"
Of course Tian Zili did not dare to refuse, so they participated in Gao Yanzong's banquet in such a muddle. Fortunately, Gao Yanzong had restrained his bad character and no longer entertained guests with dirty things. Here, Tian Zili even saw
An acquaintance, Prefect Lu, came here to report the situation. Gao Yanzong felt that there were so many people there, so he pulled him in too.
After learning what happened, Prefect Lu immediately said: "Your Majesty, you really should write to the Prime Minister to express your feelings."
"This subordinate is willing to accompany the king to the table."
Tian Zili stood up excitedly and saluted him, "Thank you, Mr. Lu!!"
Governor Lu narrowed his eyes and said with a half-smile, "You don't have to be polite, Lord Tian. Back then, Lord Liu worked very hard to rectify the bad things here. Now that we're at the frontier, we can't let go."
Tian Zili set off again, but this time he flew all the way towards Cheng'an.
The number of knights has been reduced, and the fierce forced march made them a little unbearable. The worst one was Cui Gang, who suffered from vomiting and diarrhea. He had never been in such a hurry in his life. He rode horses all day long and his horses were tired.
Just change horses directly.
Seeing that Cui Gang was really about to die, Tian Zili slowed down a little and asked the knight to take Cui Gang on his way.
When everyone arrived at Cheng'an, they could hardly lift their heads. They were constantly tortured by exhaustion from the inside out.
Especially Cui Gang, he jumped off the horse and began to vomit violently. He knelt on the ground and trembled all over.
The whole world became a little blurry to him.
He seemed to have lost some consciousness, and there was a constant roar in his ears. Tian Zili hurriedly walked to him and helped him up.
Cui Gang saw what Tian Zili said, but he couldn't hear it at all.
The world is spinning.
My eyes can no longer be opened.
Tian Zili had no choice but to look at the soldier beside him and said, "Take him with you. You guys should go to bed and rest first. I'll go to the county government office."
Zhang Heizu looked at him worriedly, "Brother, we have rested several times in these days, but you haven't rested yet."
"It's okay. I've long been used to it. These are nothing. You take him with you and go to the south of the city to rest. You know our mansion there, right? Go quickly!"
"only!!"
The group showed their place of residence, and many new officials arrived, but some still recognized them.
Different from the panic over there in Zhending, the clerks here were extremely excited and they started shouting.
Tian Zili grabbed an acquaintance and asked, "Is Magistrate Lu in the city?"
"Not here."
"Where's Lu Xian Cheng?"
"They are all gone."
"What?!"
"Ah, I got promoted, they are all in Yecheng!"
The man told the story in detail, and Tian Zili nodded.
After the other party finished speaking, Tian Zili quickly raised his head and called to Zhang Heizu and others, "No need to go in! Let's go to Yecheng and rest there again!!"
The Sanli hurriedly said: "They are not here, but we are still there. Why don't we go to the city to rest?"
"Since there are still important things to do, it's not too late to come back after finishing them."
Tian Zili finished speaking quickly, turned around and left.
After arriving at Yecheng, everyone entered the city. Tian Zili was not in a hurry to find Lu Gong and Cui Gong. He found a post house, settled Cui Gang and the knights, and then found his own way to go to bed.
Yecheng is nothing like a capital city.
The city wall is really tall, but the city gate is extremely deserted, and almost no one can be seen.
This is even more true inside the city. There is a bleak smell everywhere. There is some water on the ground and it looks dirty. The buildings on both sides are relatively old and there are still ruins in some places. It is obviously the newly established Daqi.
, this capital city gave off an aura of twilight, as if an old man was seriously ill, lying on the ground dying and unable to sleep at any time.
There are many residences of dignitaries in the distance, and these residences all look very cold and forbidding.
There is no warm and sunny place in the entire city. Coldness and desolation are intertwined, and shadows envelope the entire city.
Tian Zili searched for a long time and asked many soldiers, and finally determined Lu Qubing's current residence.
Lu Qubing lived in a tall, nice-looking house in the south of the city.
Tian Zili stepped forward and knocked on the door. Soon, someone looked out from the crack in the door and asked warily: "Who?"
"May I ask if it's Mr. Lu's mansion?"
"Which roadie are you looking for?"
"Cheng'an served as a road official for the county magistrate."
After a while, the door was pushed open, and an old man came out, "This is the place. What do you want your distinguished guest to do?"
"I am Tian Zili, a disciple of Lu Gong. Could you please go in and report to me?"
"good."
The old man closed the door again, and soon there were rapid footsteps.
After a while, someone opened the door, it was Lu Qubing.
Lu Qubing looked very excited. When he saw Tian Zili, he hurriedly stepped forward and took his hand, "Why are you here? Aren't you following Brother Taozi at the border fortress? Come on, come on, come in quickly!!"
He pulled Tian Zili into the house, looked at Tian Zili's face, and quickly ordered: "Go and prepare some tea and food!"
The two of them were sitting in the house. Lu Qubing couldn't help but ask, "Why are you in Yecheng?"
"Where's Brother Taozi?"
"Are you okay?"
"Where are Kou Liu and Yao Xiong?"
"Are they coming?"
Tian Zili's eyes widened. Before he could open his mouth, Lu Qubing's mouth could no longer be closed, "Lu Gong, Lu Gong!"
He interrupted Lu Qubing's chatter and said quickly: "I'm here to see Magistrate Lu this time. My brother has encountered a big problem and needs his help."
Tian Zili told Lu Qubing truthfully what happened.
When Lu Qubing heard this, he was equally indignant, "This is simply unheard of! I will go to the Prime Minister immediately!!"
"ah??"
Tian Zili looked at Lu Qubing in shock, "You are now."
Lu Qubing then explained: "I am now serving as the imperial envoy in the palace, and I am specifically responsible for impeaching powerful and lawless people!!"
"Censor??"
Tian Zili was shocked, "How could that happen?"
"It's like this. In the past, Taozi and I went back to his house together. On the way, we met a knight who killed people randomly. I stepped forward and reprimanded him. Unexpectedly, the knight was Gao Guiyan, King of Ping Qin. He told the big man
The prime minister recommended me, saying that I was strong and upright and had the talent of a censor. The prime minister personally received me, and after questioning, he appointed me as a censor, asking me to supervise the ministers and impeach those who misbehave."
Lu Qubing's face was quite complicated. As a pure scholar-official, he was not promoted during the Yang Min period. Instead, he was promoted by people like Ping Qin King Changshan King. This is simply incredible.
Tian Zili listened to him telling his story and started chattering again, interrupting him again, "Gong Lu, this matter is extremely important. I wonder where Mr. Lu is at the moment?"
"I'll take you to find him right now!"
"We will go to the table together, you don't have to worry!!"
Lu Qubing quickly got up, ordered his carriage and horses to be prepared, took Tian Zili and left in a hurry.
With Lu Qubing leading the way, Tian Zili's affairs became much easier, at least he no longer had to inquire about his address.
When the two appeared in front of Lu Yao, Lu Yao was so excited that he could not speak for a long time.
Mr. Qian was still following Lu Yao, and his expression didn't look any better.
When Tian Zili told many things truthfully and said that Liu Taozi was about to make a big difference, Lu Yao's expression became even more exciting.
"Okay, no need to say more, I'm going to contact many friends."
When Cui Gang woke up, he went directly to his father's mansion without waiting for Tian Zili to return.
Cui Jishu was not surprised by his son's arrival. It seemed that he had expected this.
The father and son discussed for a long time in the house, and no outsiders were allowed to approach.
He didn't leave until the next day.
Not long after Cui Gang returned to the post house, Tian Zili finally came back.
He staggered into the house. Cui Gang called him three times in succession, but he ignored him.
When he reached the bed, he fell down.
The Prime Minister's Mansion.
Candles were lit inside the house.
Only two lights were lit, but they were enough to illuminate the room.
Gao Yan sat in front of the case, his face solemn.
Wang Xi was sitting next to him. He carefully placed the memorials in front of the king, placing them one by one.
"This is the memorial of Lanling King Gao Changgong, this is the memorial of King Ande and the prefects of the three places under his command, this is Lu Yao's, this is Cui Jishu's, this is Lou Rui's, this is Yang Xiuzhi's, this is
It belongs to Yuan Yuxiu, this belongs to Yuan Xiubo, and this belongs to Zhao Yanshen."
Gao Yan half-closed his eyes and remained speechless.
Wang Xi said this for a long time. Finally, he took out a memorial from his pocket and placed it on top.
"This is my own."
Gao Yan suddenly asked: "I wonder if you also have an old relationship with Liu Taozi?"
"I don't know Liu Taozi, I have never met her."
"Kechen knows King Shunyang and knows the situation of Sheji."
"It's a good thing that these ministers can submit a letter together. It means that they have lowered their guard against the king and no longer regard the king as a distinguished leader, but as the common leader of everyone."
"When Yang Min was punished earlier, the nobles were very excited. They thought that great things had been accomplished, and they became even more arrogant and domineering."
"Isn't it just for these things that your Majesty sent Liu Taozi to the frontier?"
Gao Yan suddenly laughed.
"But what he did went a little too far."
Wang Xi lowered his head and spoke again:
"Then the Prime Minister should send someone to reprimand him and fine him his salary as a punishment."
Chapter completed!