Chapter 179: Snatch the Imperial Order

When humans think, God laughs, and when women think, men laugh.

This statement does not demean women, but rather shows that the different ways of thinking caused by gender differences between men and women.

In the final analysis, the word "lustful" is enough to summarize the qualities of all men in the world, but who has the ability to summarize the qualities of all women in the world in two words?

It's hard, every woman is unique and completely different.

Some women make men worry-free, while others make men feel distressed.

Now, the woman who made Xiao Fan worry-free was abducted by another woman, which is really a pain.

Xiao Fan sat in the inner hall in a daze. He was confused and had not yet come back to his senses from the shocked news.

Chen Ying'er... Why did she kidnap Jiangdu? She and Jiang have a grudge, or did she want to take revenge on herself?

Of course, the most outrageous guess is that since Chen Ying'er's love change with her, her personality has changed extreme and she has turned into a woman. She also fell in love with Jiangdu, so she became a rival to Xiao Fan. This time she finally found an opportunity to coax Jiangdu and cheat and abduct Jiangdu, wanting to stay with Jiangdu. As the saying goes, when will the mandarin orange hug each other? The duck is watching the fun...

If this is true, it would be a pity. Xiao Fan doesn't object to Lily. It doesn't matter if he likes my wife. You can marry me. From then on, the three of us were sleeping together and were messed up in bed. We can play whatever we like, and we don't have to worry about gender at all...

——This is purely a fantasy, and Xiao Fan himself finds it ridiculous.

Men can never clearly understand women's thinking, and Xiao Fan has no idea Chen Ying'er's motivation for doing this.

However, Xiao Fan knew very clearly the consequences of Chen Ying'er doing this.

Two charming women went to Peiping Prefecture, which was the territory of King Yan, a place of tigers and wolves! King Yan had a deep hatred with him. If their relationship with him was found out by King Yan, what would the King Yan do?

There seems to be no need to guess this question at all, - how Xiao Fan treats Zhu Di's three sons, how Zhu Di treats these two women.

What exactly does Chen Ying'er, a brainless stupid woman, want to do?

Xiao Fan's expression gradually became gloomy, his eyes were filled with a hint of fear.

What does men use for? They are used to clean up the mess for their wives!

"I'm going to Peiping!" Xiao Fan's eyes were quiet and his tone was firm.

Cao Yi was stunned for a moment and said in surprise: "Are you crazy? Do you know how big a bond you have formed with the King of Yan? Do you still have life when you go to Peking?"

"I think His Highness, King Yan, is a generous person and will definitely not care about me. Besides, I am still his son-in-law..." Xiao Fan smiled innocently, like Jesus who was full of love for human beings.

Cao Yi was speechless for a long time, and when he looked at him, he looked like he saw a madman.

Xiao Fan's smile lasted for a while, then slowly twisted and deformed, and finally twisted into a bitter face, saying depressedly: "Then what can I do? Peking is so dangerous, can I feel at ease to let my wife go? What should I do if something happens? You know, the character of the King of Yan is very problematic. If he takes Jiangdu as a hostage, all my deployments against Peking over the past year will be in chaos."

Cao Yi said anxiously: "Before they have not walked far, let's order the Jinyiwei to chase them!"

Xiao Fan shook his head and said, "I have to chase you, but I probably can't catch up. Now the grain ship has been gone for half an afternoon. They will get off the boat when they arrive on the north bank of the Yangtze River, and then disguise themselves as people to travel around. The letter Jiangdu left to me said that she wants to travel through the mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty, and might even hide in a place with beautiful mountains and rivers without people before leaving. Simply put, my wife and Chen Ying'er want to be hikers! No matter how powerful the Jinyiwei is, it is impossible for me to search every beautiful mountains and rivers... So, I have to go to Peking and wait for them there so that they can ensure their safety."

Cao Yi was stunned for a while and said angrily: "The wife should stay at home and serve the husband and children. If she has nothing to do, why are she running outside? Which bastard teaches her brother and sister?"

Xiao Fan pointed to his nose with a bitter face and said quietly: "The bastard you are talking about is me..."

Cao Yi was stunned: "…………”

You will be guilty of your own sins and cannot survive.

Xiao Fan really wants to slap himself twice now.

My wife was led by herself! I was taught by her that she was just a little bit like "It's better to travel thousands of miles than reading thousands of books". Now, she's really traveling thousands of miles...

"But do you know that you were going to Peking to die? When King Yan was in the capital, you offended him too harshly. If you arrived at his fiefdom, how could he let you go?" Cao Yi stomped his feet in an anxious manner.

Xiao Fan pondered for a while and said slowly: "No, if I go to Peking to reward the border troops in the name of the imperial envoy of the court, even if the King of Yan hates me, he will not dare to kill the imperial envoy openly. He cannot afford this risk. - Information from the north said that the King of Yan is not well prepared for food and grass, and the newly recruited soldiers are not trained enough. If he kills me, he will make up his mind to rebel. But at this time he does not dare to raise an army. If he is too hasty, he will be defeated. In other words, it is safe for me to go to Peking now."

Cao Yi said coldly: "He dare not kill you publicly. Wouldn't he send assassins to kill you secretly? Don't forget that he did this when he was in the capital."

Xiao Fan smiled and said, "I am the imperial envoy, the emperor envoy. If something happens to me in the territory of Peking Prefecture, no matter how I calculate this account, it will be calculated on the head of the King of Yan. If the King of Yan is not a fool, he will definitely not dare to do this..."

After pondering for a while, Xiao Fan continued, "...but I am not brave enough, and I still have to make complete preparations for everything. Now there are more than ten thousand households led by Wuding Marquis Guo Ying at the junction of Shandong and Beiping. At that time, I will ask him to drive the army north for dozens of miles to make plans."

After thinking for a long time, it was a foregone conclusion that Xiao Fan went to Peking.

After the two discussed for a while, Cao Yi suddenly looked up at Xiao Fan and said slowly: "We have said so much, have you thought of something?"

"What's up?"

"The emperor issued an order yesterday to order that old guy Huang Zicheng to patrol the north. This mission is his. The order has been issued. It will be useless if we say it! Without an imperial edict, what name should we go?"

Xiao Fan smiled relaxedly and said, "That's not simple. Just take this mission from Huang Zicheng, and I'll talk to the emperor."

Cao Yi hesitated: "This...is probably not that easy, right? What if Huang Zicheng doesn't agree?"

"Beat him! He can't get out of bed, so this is naturally mine." Xiao Fan said without hesitation.

"Good idea!"

In the afternoon, Cao Yi returned to the yamen of the Fushi Office first and ordered the dispatch of Jinyiwei Tiqi to search the north along the road to find the traces of Princess Jiangdu and his group.

Xiao Fan did not dare to waste time, so he immediately rushed to the palace in his official uniform.

In Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunwen solemnly handed a roll of yellow silk covered with jade seal to Huang Zicheng.

Huang Zicheng took it with both hands and bowed to Zhu Yunwen.

Looking at Huang Zicheng's gray hair and old face, Zhu Yunwen couldn't help feeling a little sad. The displeasure that Huang Zicheng had previously disrespected Huang Zicheng's imperial predecessor was suppressed at this time. After all, this old man was the imperial teacher who taught him for many years and was also the minister who was the emperor's grandfather left him to him. Just forget about disrespect.

Zhu Yunwen said kindly: "Sir, I have worked hard and bumpy all the way to Beiping. I really can't bear it. Take care of me, sir."

Huang Zicheng respectfully kowtowed to Zhu Yunwen, and said, "The old minister does not dare to slack off on his slightest part of his entrusted work. He will definitely complete it without fail to repay His Majesty's great kindness."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said with a gratitude: "Sir is my teacher, so I can trust you. I will remember my instructions here. Don't annoy the vassal kings, nor do you arouse the vassal kings, and do not arouse the vassal kings as they patrol the emperor and reward the border troops. This is a move to paralyze the vassal kings, slow down their morale and make preparations for the reduction of the vassal kings. I hope to temporarily regain my vigilance against the vassal kings and make friends with the vassal kings in various places with sincerity."

Huang Zicheng's white eyebrows frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty has a destiny. The old minister dares not refuse to obey, but before leaving, there were a few words like a thorn in his throat, and he would not be happy if he didn't vomit."

Zhu Yunwen complained secretly in his heart. Every time Mr. Huang said "not vomiting, he would not be happy", it means that his next words must be bad. But now he is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and no matter how bad the ministers say, he must listen. If you want to be a wise ruler, you must have the ambition to listen to unpleasant words and a mind to be good at accepting advice.

So Zhu Yunwen cheered up and said with a forced smile: "Sir, just say something."

Huang Zicheng was like a stubborn old cow who was like a stubborn person. Although he was respectful, his tone was cold: "The old minister thought that the emperor was going to visit the northern part of the country and reward the border troops. He thought... it was unnecessary!"

Zhu Yunwen sighed, it turns out that's true...

With a forced smile on his face, Zhu Yunwen said with joy: "Why did you say this sir?"

Huang Zicheng said with a stern face: "There are many vassal kings in the north, but the soldiers under his command are only the three kings of Jin, Yan and Ning. The rest have only a few thousand guards, which are not worth worrying about. Among the three powerful vassals, King Jin and Prince Yiwen were born by a mother, and died in Taiyuan in March this year. His eldest son inherited the throne for less than half a year. When his wings were not yet full, he would not dare to have any disagreements towards the court. King Ning was the youngest, and he was brave and strong, but he was not good at planning. He did not have the ability to have disagreements towards the court. Only King Yan of Beiping was brave and scheming, and had strong soldiers and generals. After all, King Yan was the trouble of my Ming court..."

"The King of Yan is a hero of the world. The small land of Beiping Prefecture is not enough to accommodate his ambitions. This year, it is not approved by the court, so it is convenient for Peking to recruit soldiers and train soldiers. It can be seen that he is coveting the great treasure artifact. The court seems calm now, but in fact it is in crisis. At this time, soldiers should be fast. All the weak vassal kings outside the Beiping Prefecture were cut off, and then concentrate the superior forces of the imperial court to press the territory, force the King of Yan to hand over the fiefdom and remove military power. This is the most suitable way to reduce the vassal state.

But Your Majesty, you not only did not pursue the crime of recruiting troops without authorization, but chose to send an imperial envoy to appease the King of Yan and reward the border troops at this time. This is not an obvious way to tell other vassal kings that the King of Yan was right to do this. The court was afraid of him and not only did not dare to punish him, but also encouraged and rewarded him. In this way, the vassal kings in the world would inevitably emulate him. In less than a year, all weak vassals would become strong vassals. At that time, the monarchs and ministers would be strong, and it would be even more difficult for the court to reduce the vassals."

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and smiled, "Sir, I am wrong. Now appease the King of Yan does not mean encouraging him to expand his troops, but rather hoarding food and grass for the court and mobilizing the army to gain time. When the court is well prepared, the king's army can take down the King of Yan in one fell swoop. Just imagine, even the strongest King of Yan is defeated. If you are another vassal king, will you dare to rebel? Even if the vassal kings start to expand their troops now, they will not be able to make any name for themselves. This year is very critical and very important for me. This is also my intention to go back to Peking to do my best to form the King of Yan... Haha, this is the method I came up with with Xiao Aiqing. I think this method is very feasible."

When Huang Zicheng heard that it was Xiao Fan's idea, his old face became more and more angry. He stomped his feet and said angrily: "Xiao Fan, this prince, is a sinner of the country and the king, which is really my Ming Dynasty for the ages! Your Majesty believes his words, the consequences will be unimaginable. Your Majesty, think twice!"

Zhu Yunwen said patiently: "Sir, the country of the Ming Dynasty belongs to me. Any decision I make will be implemented only after thinking about it..."

Huang Zicheng's temper came up and interrupted Zhu Yunwen rudely, raised his eyes and looked at him coldly, and said slowly: "Your Majesty said that, but why did the old minister think that Your Majesty dealing with such important state affairs is like a child's play? You discussed a few words with Xiao Fan and then set the major issue of decreasing the vassals related to the country. Why didn't Your Majesty ask the old minister's opinions at that time? If you become a king of a country because of your slander, what would the old minister have to see the late emperor under the sanctions of the treacherous minister? Your Majesty, you are trapping all the civil and military officials in the court for being unfaithful and unrighteous!"

When Zhu Yunwen heard the words "The King of the Destroyed Country", he suddenly became angry and became more angry at Huang Zicheng. He became more and more disgusted with Huang Zicheng's words. He was about to get angry on the spot, but when he saw Huang Zicheng's stubborn look, Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Mr. Huang, I am the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You should do what I have decided. If I feel it is necessary to discuss with the ministers, I will naturally call you and send the imperial envoy to tour the north on behalf of the emperor. I have decided on this matter, sir. It's getting late. Let's prepare for you and set off."

Zhu Yunwen's cold tone made Huang Zicheng look up in shock. He was not used to Zhu Yunwen's attitude towards him, and felt too unfamiliar. Looking at Zhu Yunwen's cold expression, Huang Zicheng sadly discovered that an insurmountable gap seemed to have been drawn between him and the emperor, and could never be bridged.

Huang Zicheng opened his mouth, wanting to show his loyalty to him, but he finally swallowed it when he said that.

——Can the insurmountable gap be compensated in just a few words? Everything is in vain.

"Old minister... obey the order." Huang Zicheng bowed his head and kowtowed, slowly retreating from Wenhua Palace with a sad expression.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Huang Zicheng's desolate back, and he was kind-hearted and felt a little unbearable. He opened his mouth and was about to call him, but he said a few words of gentle words. He remembered the various domineering and domineering behaviors that Huang Zicheng showed in front of him since he ascended the throne. Zhu Yunwen closed his mouth again, hardened his heart and watched Huang Zicheng go further and further away.

Huang Zicheng left the Meridian Gate in a daze, walked across the Jinshui Bridge, and stood under the tall and majestic stone sign of Chengtian Gate.

Looking back and slowly staring at the majestic palace, Huang Zicheng sighed sadly, and felt a lot of helplessness and sadness in his heart, as well as many doubts.

He couldn't figure out that the emperor was a kind and kind emperor, and Huang Zicheng was also a loyal minister with a clear conscience. The relationship between the benevolent emperor and the loyal minister should be like a fish in water. Why is the distance between him and Zhu Yunwen getting farther and stranger? Is it because the emperor has changed, or is he too eager to succeed?

No matter what the reason, now he is no longer favored by the emperor. Huang Zicheng has a premonition that today is probably the last time he has walked out of the palace in his life. From now on... Maybe there will be no more of his own position among the ministers in the Golden Palace Station.

Feng Tang is old and his ambitions are hard to fulfill, so what can he do!

With a long sigh, Huang Zicheng lowered his head and walked towards the official sedan chair in the square outside Chengtian Gate with a disappointed face.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew by, and with a bang, Huang Zicheng felt that he was staggering back several steps by a powerful force, and then his legs became weak and he fell to the ground.

Before he could cry out in pain, he heard a familiar voice shouting, "Oh! It hurts so much! Who doesn't have eyes when walking? Is your father Li Gang?"

Huang Zicheng moaned and lay on the ground and looked up, but saw a traitor not far away that he wanted to bite a few times, grinning his teeth and rubbing his chest and crying out loudly. Cao Yi, a Qianhu, the Jinyiwei, and several personal military captains, were supporting him.

"Xiao Fan! You... you traitor! If you hit me, the evil man will complain first. It's extremely shameless!" Huang Zicheng said furiously.

Xiao Fan rubbed his chest and saw that the person he hit was Huang Zicheng, and he was surprised.

"Mr. Huang, I'm looking for you."

Huang Zicheng was full of vigilance when he heard this: "What are you asking me for?"

Xiao Fan smiled anxiously and said, "When will Mr. Huang set off for Peiping?"

When Huang Zicheng heard this, he immediately became angry.
To be continued...