Yang Ling hurriedly stepped into the mansion, followed by Han Youniang and the other women. Although Young-niang was pregnant, her movements were still very agile. She walked quickly. Cheng Qiyun, on the other hand, had never walked on this kind of snowy road before, so she did not dare to exert any strength on her feet. Her hair was slanted and messy, her cheeks were flushed, and she needed support from Han Youniang and Gao Wenxin.
Yang Ling turned around the wall depicting the carp leaping over the dragon gate and saw that the central hall was brightly lit. He knew that Wu Jie must have arrived, so he turned to Young-niang and said, "Young-niang, you, Miss Cheng and Wen Xin go to the rear hall to rest, I'm going to see Big Hitman Wu."
Han Youniang also knew that the matter was urgent, judging from the current season, it was likely that the Tatars had invaded the border again, and she did not know how many common people had suffered. Her willowy eyebrows slightly wrinkled, she said softly, "Xianggong, please go, official business is more important, Young-niang and the two elder sisters will wait for you in the rear hall."
Yang Ling nodded, glanced at Cheng Qiyun, then turned around and walked to the central hall. Han Youniang, Cheng Qiyun and Gao Wenxin stood there for a moment, then went around the side corridor to the rear hall.
Wu Jie was wearing a green fur coat, his hands behind his back as he paced around the hall. As soon as he saw Yang Ling come in, he immediately cupped his fists and saluted, "Lowly officer pays respect to Daren."
Yang Ling was not in a hurry to exchange pleasantries, he hurriedly pulled him into the study, and before he sat down he asked, "What happened? Did the Tatars come to the border to plunder again? "
Wu Jie nodded and solemnly said, "Yes, last year the Little Prince Boyan Khan gathered fifty thousand troops to attack the nine borders. In the end, although he returned with great rewards, he also suffered heavy losses, even his son lost his life on the battlefield. This year the Tatars came back, the Little Prince and Huo Zhai joined hands and gathered seventy thousand troops to invade Datong.
The commander-in-chief of Xuan Fu, Zhang Junbing, was defeated and retreated, while Zhang Xiong and Mu Rong died on the battlefield. By the time our informant arrived on horseback, the Tatars had already captured Zhenyi Suo, the commander Liu Jing was killed in battle, the Flower Horse Pool was also captured, Longde, Jingning, Huining and other places were invaded, Shuozhou and Mayi are in imminent danger. "
Yang Ling sucked in a breath of cold air when he heard this. He paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back for a long time. The dim light of the candle cast a dark and uncertain shadow over his face. After a long time, he slowly stood up and asked, "How many people are left in the Datong garrison?"
After a while, he slowly stood up and asked, "How many soldiers are there in the Datong garrison?" Wu Jie immediately replied, "The garrison has forty thousand and the guest army is ten thousand, each stationed in the cities. This time, the Tatars' attack is swift and fierce, and they have changed their previous method of surprise attacks. They have concentrated their forces in one place and only sent ten thousand soldiers to attack Huai An. The cavalry came and went like the wind, causing the defenders everywhere to be wary and not dare to send reinforcements.
The enemy is winning. "Yang Ling walked back to the table and took out a few rolls of maps from under the table. He picked up the map of Xuan Fu and spread it out, saying," The scouts we sent to understand the situation outside the pass have returned. Last time, I only heard you briefly mention it. Now tell me the details, and also the composition of the enemy's forces and direction of attack … "
Under the candlelight, the two chatted until late into the night. Only when the sky was about to brighten did Yang Ling stretch his tired body and lightly sighed, saying, "The sky is not bright yet, the palace gates are not open. Although the Tatars have quickly cut off a few strongholds, the news of the fire of beacons must have reached the palace by now."
Wu Jie's eyes flashed, and after a while he slowly said, "Is Daren preparing to admonish the Emperor?"
Yang Ling turned his head and asked, "Old Wu, do you have any suggestions?"
Wu Jie's eyes drooped slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Our understanding of the situation is presumably more detailed than that of the secret agents in Embroidered Uniform. Daren can explain it to the Emperor and the Ministry of War, but it is not advisable to go too deep into the matter of recommending the troops. The enemy is too strong, and if there is another defeat, it will inevitably implicate Daren."
Yang Ling fixed his gaze on him for a moment, and Wu Jie's clear and elegant face was already somewhat cramped and fearful. Yang Ling saw the white hair at the side of his temples, and remembered that Wu Jie had good intentions, so he retracted his reprimanding words. He only slowly shook his head, and then nodded, saying softly, "I know, the Inner Palace is only the Emperor's eyes and ears, and it is not advisable to interfere too much with military affairs. Ai! Who in the court can lead the troops into battle …? "
* * *
The sky was bright, but it was still a gray haze. At this time, heavy snow was flying, and the snow on the ground was thick and muddy, making it difficult to walk.
By the time Yang Ling arrived at the city gates with twenty bodyguards, he was already sweating profusely, and the horses' nostrils were like smoke. Yang Ling saw that the city gates were still tightly shut, and couldn't help but feel very curious. The bodyguards under him had already raised their hands to the top of the city walls, and shouted, "Guards on the city walls, quickly open the gates."
After shouting a few times that the people on the city walls couldn't hear, one of the bodyguards took out his bow, circled his horse around, and galloped back more than two hundred feet. With a backhand shot, a whistling arrow screeched as it shot into the city, and with a 'du' sound, it hit the guards' gate on the city wall.
After a moment, two soldiers stuck their heads out from the top of the city wall, and shouted, "Today the city is forbidden, who is knocking on the gate?"
The bodyguard shouted, "Governor Yang of the Inner Palace wants to enter the city, who is on duty on the city wall? Quickly, quickly, open the gates. "
After shouting a few times, the guards on the city wall finally heard clearly, and couldn't help but cry out in alarm, and shrank their heads back. Yang Ling waited for a moment, and the city gates rumbled open, and a deputy general wearing a helmet and armor hurriedly came down to welcome them. He walked in front of Yang Ling, and performed a military salute, saying, "Your humble subordinate, City Guard Qiao Jie 'an, greets Sir Yang."
Yang Ling pressed down on the horse's head, and coldly shouted, "Who allowed you to seal off the nine cities? What has happened? "
Qiao Jie 'an was a subordinate of Zhang Yong, the leader of the capital camp, and knew that Zhang Yong was also very respectful of this Sir Yang. Seeing his grim expression, he couldn't help but timidly say, "Reporting to Daren, yesterday, after the court was dismissed, the Director of Rites, Liu Gonggong, issued an imperial edict, listing Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and the other fifty-six people as traitors. The officials of the court gathered at the Meridian Gate that very night, braving the wind and snow to protest. Liu Gonggong was afraid that someone would take the opportunity to cause trouble and alarm the Emperor, so he ordered Zhang Gonggong to seal off the nine cities, and Gu Gonggong to transfer Dongchang's foreign troops outside the palace gates."
Yang Ling was shocked. No wonder no one came to visit yesterday, and even his own people didn't send any news from the capital. It turned out that Liu Jin had sealed off the nine cities, and other than himself, no one else could open the palace gates.
In the past two days, he had received news that Liu Jin's reform had indeed met with opposition from the officials. Even Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe, who had always kept quiet and tried their best to cooperate with him, had submitted petitions to remonstrate. They said that the reform was either impractical or too hasty, and requested the Emperor to issue an edict to postpone it.
Yang Ling felt that with Liu Jin attracting the attention of the officials, it would be of great benefit to the policy he was preparing to implement. Moreover, these past two days he had been busy breeding and developing new guns, so he didn't think too much about it. Who would have thought that things would suddenly take a turn for the worse? Why would Liu Jin suddenly start to retaliate against the officials who had already been dismissed and returned to their hometown? Was he killing the chicken to warn the monkey, or was he venting his anger on others?
Fifty-six people? Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he had already understood the gist of it. Because of the case of Liu Jian and Xie Qian, there weren't that many officials implicated in Liu Jin's case. He must have used the excuse of attacking Liu and Xie Qian to include some of the officials who opposed his reform as well. He wanted to use this to establish his power and intimidate the other officials.
Can't the Chinese Martial Assembly see through the intentions of the drunkard? Once this precedent was set, from now on, the disputes in the political circles could be extended or contracted, and the consequences could be big or small. In the future, if there were still people who opposed Liu Jin, this circle of consequences would be slightly enlarged, and they could be classified as' Traitors'. They knew very well the severity of this, so naturally they would do their best to fight back.
Yang Ling was angry and anxious. He waved his hand and said: "I know. Step aside, this official will enter the city!"
Qiao Qianhu was a yes-man, and solemnly stepped aside to one side. Yang Ling gave the horse a fierce whip, and led the bodyguards straight towards the Meridian Gate.
The snow fell silently, and there were no signs of people on the wide imperial road. Because of the heavy snow and the city being sealed, the pedestrians who had risen early had all hurried back home. No one dared to walk carelessly on the streets, afraid that they would be captured by the guards.
The palaces and pavilions of the rich and powerful, as well as the taverns and pavilions in the streets, were all covered with a layer of desolate white snow in the wind and snow. Only the occasional ringing of the bells in the temples was vigorous and melodious, letting people know that this big city was still alive.
Before Yang Ling had reached Fengtian Gate, there were Dongchang foreigners with knives and spears rushing over to intercept them. When they saw clearly that they were people from the Inner Faction, and that their leader was the Governor of the Inner Faction, Yang Ling, this group of foreigners, who had been scared out of their wits by the butcher-like massacre of the Inner Faction, hurriedly crawled to one side, and watched helplessly as they galloped past.
When the horse reached the Meridian Gate, Yang Ling pulled on the reins, and the healthy horse let out a long neigh, breaking the silence of the morning.
Snowflakes drifted down in front of his eyes. Yang Ling stared in shock at the wide square in front of the Meridian Gate, and his heart couldn't help but beat rapidly. The twenty fast horses that had been in hot pursuit also stopped in front of him, and the bodyguards held their breath as they watched.
The square was a sea of snow, but all around, there were hundreds of Dongchang foreigners walking silently with knives at their waists. Because of their arrival, they suddenly stopped, and all looked in their direction.
In the middle of the square, in front of the Meridian Gate, hundreds of 'sculptures' quietly bathed in the snow. They were human snow sculptures kneeling on the ground. Occasionally, due to their tottering bodies shaking, the snow on their bodies would fall off, revealing the red and blue official robes underneath. Only then would one be able to see that they were officials kneeling for a long time.
Yang Ling pulled on the reins of his horse, and turned half a circle on the spot. Suddenly, he jumped off the horse and ran over. The twenty bodyguards hurriedly followed behind him. As he got closer, he realized that there were already many people lying in the snow. Because of the thick layer of snow, they were all white, so he couldn't see them clearly from afar.
Yang Ling hurriedly brushed away the snow on one of the people. That person was not very old, only about seventeen or eighteen years of age. At this moment, his face was ashen, his body was stiff, and the tips of his eyebrows and hair were covered with frost.
This was not an official, looking at his attire, he should be an Imperial College student. Yang Ling hurriedly tore off the large cloak he was wearing and wrapped it around his body, and with great effort, he lifted him up. Two foreigners hurriedly rushed over and took the person from his arms.
Around him, a few officials silently turned around because of his actions. Under the thick snow, only their frozen and pale faces could be seen, and they looked at him expressionlessly.
Yang Ling brushed away the snow on another person who had fainted from the cold. This was a fifth-ranked civil official, with three strands of short beard on his chin, his eyes were tightly shut, and he was also unconscious. Yang Ling held his frozen hands and raised his eyes to look around. In the distance, surrounded by dozens of people, a foreigner with a saber on his waist walked over aggressively. From several zhang away, he shouted in a loud voice, "This official is under the orders of the Factory Supervisor to supervise here. Who dares to meddle in government affairs?"
Yang Ling was enraged, he raised his head and angrily said, "Fart government affairs! Civil and military officials are the weapons of the country, the foundation of the country. Who gave you the order to mistreat high officials of the court? "
As soon as Yang Ling's words left his mouth, the already half-conscious officials all turned their heads around, looking at him with agitation and astonishment. The man came closer and saw Yang Ling's appearance clearly. He couldn't stop himself from jumping in fright. His knees weakened, he turned over and kowtowed. In a panic he said, "Your humble servant did not know that Daren had arrived, I was disrespectful, please forgive me, Daren."
By now Yang Ling had also seen clearly that this man was the former head of the Sixth Gear in Dongchang, Zhou Qifeng. Before Gu Daeyong took over Dongchang, Fan Ting, the Second Gear, the Third Gear and a few other key figures had been secretly killed by Peng Jizu and the others on the pretext of resisting arrest. Zhou Qifeng was scared out of his wits and reported all the secrets he knew to the Inner Factory, and managed to keep his life. Afterwards, he sought refuge with Gu Daeyong and was reinstated as an official.
Seeing that the man was the Inner Factory Supervisor Yang Ling, he quickly kowtowed and saluted. The foreigners behind him, who had come to arrest them, also quickly knelt down. Yang Ling's face was ashen as he stood up and shouted, "Quickly summon people to save these officials and send them to the nearest house for treatment. Tell people to boil some hot soup … wait, before you wake them up, use the snow to wipe their bodies, don't put them on the hot kang."
Seeing that Zhou Qifeng was still somewhat hesitant, he glared at him and shouted, "Do it immediately, I will speak up for you with Gu Gonggong!"
Zhou Qifeng hastily nodded his head and bowed, "Yes, yes, yes, your humble servant will do it immediately, immediately. Someone, someone come immediately, help these officials up."
A weak, old voice said, "Mister Yang, our deaths are not to be regretted, but Liu Jin has disrupted the government, imposed cruel laws, and now he has indiscriminately accused people of crimes, accusing Great Scholar Liu and Great Scholar Xie who have retired and returned to their hometown, as well as other dissidents in the court as traitors. This is the source of this disaster, if the Emperor's Proclamation does not return, the crimes of the fifty-six colleagues cannot be pardoned, we would rather freeze to death here, to follow the purity of the snow!"
Yang Ling saw that the person's hair and beard were all white and trembling. Although his face was already pale from the cold, he could still recognize that it was Wang Yan, who had once opposed him and had now been promoted to the position of assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
After the news that Yang Ling had returned to the capital with 'serious injuries' and that Wang Qiong had been 'framed' by Dongchang Fan Ting had spread, this Old Master's impression of Yang Ling was no longer as disgusted. Today, after hearing his words and observing his actions, he had a better impression of him, which was why he had expressed his wish to kneel and admonish the officials.
The officials and Imperial College students who were kneeling all around shouted in unison, "Yes, if the Emperor's Proclamation does not return, the crimes of the loyal officials cannot be pardoned, we would rather freeze to death here, to follow the purity of the snow."
Yang Ling let out a breath, handed the unconscious official in his hands to his subordinates, and slowly walked forward. The thick snow crunched under his feet. Yang Ling walked to the place closest to the palace gate. More than half of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers were kneeling there. Of the two civil officials at the front, one was slightly older, Li Dongyang, and the other was in his forties, half-kneeling beside him, supporting him, was Yang Tinghe.
Li Dongyang was wearing several official robes. It was unknown which official had untied their own robes and forced them on him. In his hand was a roll of yellow paper, which was naturally the Emperor's Proclamation that Liu Jin had posted at the palace gate announcing the 56 traitors.
Yang Ling hurried forward and helped Li Dongyang up. In a soft voice, he said, "Grand Scholar, you … why did you take the lead in remonstrating at the palace gate? If the two Grand Scholars have any opinions, you can enter the palace and report to the Emperor. This … this is freezing your body …"
Li Dongyang staggered to his feet. When he saw clearly that it was him, he couldn't help but feel happy. Hearing the reproachful tone in his voice, Li Dongyang forced a laugh and said, "Yang daren, today His Majesty used illness as an excuse to stop the morning court session. I, as a Grand Scholar, won't be able to see His Majesty for the time being. If the Emperor's Proclamation were to be announced to the world, it would be impossible to get it back. I had no choice but to resort to this. Who would have thought … with hundreds of officials kneeling to remonstrate, Liu Jin would actually be able to keep his composure. "
Yang Ling stamped his foot. With hundreds of officials and Liu Jin in a stalemate, he could reap the benefits. If Liu Jin defeated civil and military officials, the entire imperial court would be paralyzed. What would happen then?
He snatched the Emperor's Proclamation from Li Dongyang's hand and said in a soft voice, "If the two Grand Scholars trust Xianguan, please hand this matter over to me to handle. The two Grand Scholars advise the hundreds of officials to quickly return to their homes and recuperate, so that they must not delay the national affairs. Could it be that … the two Grand Scholars still do not know that the Fire Sieve and the Little Prince are leading seventy thousand troops to besiege cities and seize territory, and that the flames of war are swirling around the border? "
Li Dongyang was shocked. "Is there such a thing?" He asked, "Every year at this time of the year the Tatars will lead their troops to attack the border, the Fire Beacon message has been received, but so far we have not received any detailed military report. Is the situation this year really that serious?"
Yang Ling said, "Even the express courier post at the border may not be as fast as my letter. Besides, you have all come here to admonish on your knees, and the outside has been sealed off by Dongchang and Beijing's camp. Even if there is a letter, I am afraid it will not be able to get in."
Yang Ling anxiously said, "That's right, the national affairs are the most important. I ask the two Grand Scholars to lead the officials back first. Right now the officials with frostbite are in urgent need of treatment, those who can return to the yamen must not let their emotions affect their decisions. Xianguan will immediately enter the Palace. Leave this' traitor clique 'case to xianguan."
Li Dongyang also knew that this was definitely not the time for the internal and external court to quarrel endlessly. The border was in a state of emergency, foreign invaders were invading, everything had to focus on the overall situation. He immediately nodded his head and said, "Very well, attack those with different political views as traitors clique. If Ming Destiny sets this precedent, from now on there will be endless internal strife and the situation will become more and more intense. I will leave this matter to Daren. Jiefu and I will advise the civil and military officials."
Yang Ling nodded his head. Raising the Imperial Proclamation in his hand, he shouted loudly, "Daren, Yang is willing to bear the responsibility of returning the Imperial Proclamation and dispelling the 'traitor clique' slander. The imperial court cannot go a day without hundreds of officials, hundreds of officials cannot go a day without government affairs.
Now the border is in danger, the Tatars' 70,000 strong army is pressing down on the border, attacking cities and seizing land. The cities have fallen and the common people are suffering. Daren, please leave the Meridian Gate for the time being and take care of your health. The country and the common people are the most important! "
Liu Daxia's body was strong. Although he was an old man in his seventies, after a night of hard work, he was still full of vigor. Hearing this, he suddenly stood up and said in surprise, "What? The border is actually in such a critical situation? The Ministry of War's official document has not been received. You … is your information reliable? "
Yang Ling nodded heavily and said, "Absolutely not false. Daren, please return to the Ministry of War quickly. I am afraid His Majesty will summon you as soon as he receives the news."
Supported by Yang Tinghe, Li Dongyang turned around. Raising his voice, he called out, "My colleagues, Mister Yang will enter the Palace immediately to see His Majesty. He has already agreed to represent us to report the wishes of the hundred officials to His Majesty. Right now the border is in a critical situation, the affairs of the country are of utmost importance. Everyone … please return to your mansions for the time being, and return to the yamen as soon as possible to complete your mission."
With Li Dongyang's words, the hundred officials were in an uproar. One by one, they stood up shakily and went to help their fainted colleagues. It was cold after the snow, but the weather was relatively warmer during the snow. In addition, this was the first heavy snow of early winter. They were hungry, tired, and cold, so some of the weak officials fainted. Fortunately, no one froze to death yet.
The Dongchang foreigners wanted to help them up, but those officials could not even stand steadily. They insisted on not letting them help them. However, since Yang Ling had given the order, the foreigners that Dongchang had set up at each intersection withdrew. The servants' carriages and horses that were blocked outside the street rushed in one after another. They received their respective officials into their sedan chairs and carriages, and then hurriedly pulled them away.
※ ※ ※
After sending off Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe's sedan chairs, Yang Ling returned to the Palace. He knocked on the corner gate and handed over the identity card. After the identity card was verified and confirmed to be Yang Ling, the Palace gate slowly opened.
Yang Ling saw that the Imperial Guards inside the Palace gate were also armed. He could not help but frown and was secretly alarmed.
He intended to leave the capital to Liu Jin to mess around. Moreover, Dongchang and the West Factory were nominally under Liu Jin's control. Liu Jin, as the head of the Department of Rites, ordered to seal the city and lock the palace. Gu Daeyong, Zhang Yong, Miao Kui and others would certainly not dare to openly disobey. He did not expect that this matter would happen so suddenly that even he was kept in the dark and could not get any news.
Although Emperor Zhengde's trust in him was still above Liu Jin's, he had an advantage, which was to accompany the Emperor every day. It seemed that in addition to the normal channels of communication in the capital, he also had to secretly arrange underground information transmission. Otherwise, sometimes it was inevitable that he would be kept in the dark. If Liu Jin had malicious intentions towards him …
As Yang Ling was thinking, he ran straight to the West Warm Pavilion of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Emperor Zhengde liked to live in this palace hall that the Hongzhi Emperor used to live in. Ever since he became cold with the harem, he was even more unwilling to live anywhere else.
Yang Ling strolled into the West Warm Pavilion. The outer hall was empty. When the two eunuchs saw him coming, they were about to bow and greet him. Yang Ling hurriedly waved his hand to stop them. Turning left was the middle hall, where Zhengde handled government affairs. Yang Ling was just about to reach out and lift the yellow dragon satin cotton curtain when he heard voices coming from inside. His fingers had just lifted a small gap when he stopped there.
He heard Miao Kui's voice saying: "Liu Gonggong, won't this matter be too big? I have already sent someone to take a look. The hundreds of officials have been kneeling outside the palace gates all night. If a few of them freeze to death, it will incite public anger and we will be attacked. "
Immediately Zhang Yong's voice said: "That's right. In my opinion, shouldn't we send someone to inform Sir Yang and invite him over to discuss this?"
At this time, Ma Yongcheng's voice heavily snorted: "Will there be enough time? Now, it was difficult to get off the back of the tiger. Yesterday, we had just requested for an imperial edict and told the Emperor that the officials in the imperial court were bullying the Emperor because of his young age. We only punished Liu Jian and the others by name and not by punishment. This was good, but now, how were we going to explain it to the Emperor? Sir Yang … now that things have come to this, will he be willing to clean up this mess for us? "
Yang Ling stuck his head to the slit in the curtain and looked inside. He saw a row of mahogany official hats and chairs. Liu Jin was wearing an official's robe and holding a purple clay pigeon beak teapot. He took a sip of tea and hatefully said, "Even if they are not afraid of death, I don't believe that those pampered and spoiled scholars can stand the cold and hunger. What are you all panicking for? We'll see at noon. Humph, at that time we'll order people to remove the foreigners and allow their servants to come in. I guarantee they'll jump off the slope and run home to pretend to be dead. "
At this time, a corner of the official's robe flashed into view again. He turned around and sat next to Liu Jin. It was the Dongchang Factory Commissioner Gu Daeyong. With a bitter smile he said, "You're right. Right now we can only take one step at a time. Right now we're competing with the outside court. Whoever retreats first will lose this battle. Don't find Sir Yang and make him laugh at us. Let's wait a little longer."
He thought for a moment and said, "Liu Gong-gong, do you think we should first remove the blockade on the Nine Cities? Although the number of people coming in and out of the city is much lower due to the cold and heavy snow, there are still quite a few people coming and going from south to north. If we lock the cities, the people will inevitably make wild guesses. Besides, this matter can't possibly be hidden from people's eyes and ears. "
Liu Jin thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, Zhang Gong-gong, I'll have to trouble you to notify the Nine Cities to open the gates. However … Gu Gong-gong, Dongchang still has to pay attention to the main roads at the Meridian Gate. Don't let all the random people come to see the excitement. That would be a big mess."
The two of them made a sound of acknowledgment. They saw Gu Daeyong stand up and walk out. Yang Ling hurriedly lifted the curtain, cleared his throat, and walked in.
Zhang Yong had just turned around when he saw Yang Ling. He couldn't help being surprised and said, "Sir Yang? How come you've come to the capital today? "
Yang Ling swept his gaze over the crowd. Seeing everyone's surprised and happy expression, his originally somewhat uneasy expression dissipated a lot. He seemed to feel that a powerful helper had arrived. Even though Liu Jin did not show any emotion, the joy in his eyes could not be concealed.
Yang Ling said, "It seems that this time they hid it from me, not because they wanted to cast me aside, but because they thought that they could manipulate the entire court's civil and military officials. They did not expect that the mess will only become more and more chaotic."
He waved the Imperial Proclamation in his hand and pretended to be flustered. "Whose idea was this? Eunuch Liu's implementation of the new policies requires the support of the hundreds of officials. Liu and Xie are just retired officials. Not long after, they will be forgotten by the people. Their influence and prestige in the court will gradually disappear. Now that you are accusing them of being traitors, it is tantamount to lifting them up and making them the leaders of the court. Isn't this creating a strong enemy for themselves? "
Gu Daeyong and the rest listened and looked at each other in dismay. At the same time, they secretly glanced at Liu Jin. Liu Jin's face turned red. He had heard that the hundreds of officials had knelt down for an entire night and felt uneasy in his heart. He felt that the idea of the military advisor he hired was a little too much. But there was no reason for him to lower his head to the hundreds of officials. Just as he was about to put up a strong front, hearing Yang Ling's words, he did not know what he had done wrong. He could not help but ask, "Eh …. Does Sir Yang feel that this idea is not good?"
He stood up and said, "I heard that during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the court was cracking down on the traitors who had allied with them. They erected a monument to the traitors, and as a result, the traitors were all wiped out in one fell swoop. From then on, no one dared to criticize the court. Why … why …?"
During the reign of Emperor Huizong? During the reign of the Song Dynasty, there were many traitors. Yang Ling did remember a lot of things that happened during that dynasty. He also knew about the monument to the traitors. He sighed and said, "Eunuch Liu, this was the idea of your Xiucai, wasn't it? It is unjust to frame the master. Eunuch Liu, think about it. What kind of people were in power during that dynasty? It was Cai Jing and Tong Guan, the six traitors who harmed the country! "
He looked around and sneered, "Wonderful, wonderful. Liu, Ma, Zhang, Gu, Miao, the five eunuchs plus me, Yang Ling. With this list of traitors, the six traitors of Ming Destiny's dynasty who harmed the country will be fresh out of the cage."
When Liu Jin and the rest heard this, they wanted to laugh but held it in. For a moment, they did not care to ask why the list of traitors would be so harmful. In their hearts, they only felt that Yang Ling's knowledge far surpassed theirs. He must have his reasons for saying this. As for the traitors who harmed the country, who would want to be one? They still felt that they were great loyal officials.
Liu Jin mumbled, "When we implemented the new policy, all the officials opposed it. This bunch of bookworms simply looked down on our internal court. As long as we proposed it or said it, they would shut their eyes and oppose it. They did not even bother to give us a reason. That disdainful look on their faces could really anger people to death.
Originally, I wanted to beat down the officials' arrogance, but I did not expect them to be so determined. They actually knelt in the snow for a whole night. Fortunately, the Emperor canceled the morning court session this morning. Otherwise, I would really be busy. But … Mr Yang took back the Imperial Proclamation. If he took it back, where would our faces be? How would we explain it to the Emperor? "
Gu Daeyong and the rest had just been promoted. This was what they were most concerned about. Hearing this, they could not help but repeatedly nodding their heads. Yang Ling said, "Even if there was no such thing, do you think the foreign officials would think highly of us? Besides … the Tatars are pressing the border with a large number of troops. Right now the border is in a state of emergency. We need the internal and external officials to work together to resist the foreign invaders. Is this reason enough?
Gentlemen, please use this reason to remonstrate with the Emperor. Ask the Emperor to take back the imperial edict. The Emperor will certainly praise you gonggong for seeing the big picture, for valuing the imperial court, for being loyal to the monarch and loving the people. "
This reason was acceptable, and it could also curry the Emperor's favor. Naturally Liu Jin and the others nodded. At the same time, they were somewhat startled. Miao Kui could not help asking, "Mr Yang, the Tatars are attacking the border again?"
Yang Ling's expression was somewhat grave. He nodded his head and said, "Mmm, this time the Tatars' Boyan Khan and Huo Xi led seventy thousand cavalry to attack our Datong Xuan Fu. Right now many cities have fallen. We must immediately report this to the Emperor. Immediately summon the high-ranking officials of the imperial court to discuss how to deploy troops to resist the enemy. Where is the Emperor? How come I only see you here? "
Ma Yongcheng laughed dryly in a low voice and said, "King Ning presented a circus troupe to the Emperor as a tribute. There are two girls in the troupe who are exceptionally pretty. They also know acrobatics and magic tricks. The Emperor is very fond of them. Yesterday he summoned them to serve him in his bed. He must be tired so he sent out an edict early in the morning. Today he did not have morning court. We did not dare to go in and disturb him …"
When the Emperor summoned imperial concubines to serve him in the back palace, the Empress had to use the Golden Seal Jingshi Room before they could enter. Moreover, there was a time limit. When the time came, the concubines had to be sent back to the palace. They could not share the same bed and pillow with the Emperor.
With Little Zhengde's temperament, how could he stand this restriction? In a fit of pique, he did not want to go to the back palace. Who would have thought that he would find his own woman. It's just that … King Ning? King Ning!
Yang Ling was startled. He broke into a run and was about to rush into the Emperor's bedroom. His body moved slightly before he came back to his senses. Right now, only he knew that King Ning would rebel. Even if he said it, no one would believe him. However, since these two women had been publicly sent by King Ning and had been recorded in the forbidden palace, they could not be used to assassinate the Emperor.
If they were only ordinary performers, then they were tools that King Ning used to please or confuse Zhengde. If they were King Ning's confidants, then they were the eyes and ears that were sent by the Emperor's side. Why was he so impatient?
He laughed self-mockingly. Looking at the surprised eunuchs, he said, "Right now, this matter should not be blown out of proportion. There is chaos on the border. If the internal court puts up a notice to punish the court officials, it will certainly cause the world to attack.
How about this, Eunuch Zhang, Eunuch Gu, quickly lift the ban on the city and withdraw the foreigners. Eunuch Ma, please ask someone to quickly urge the Emperor to rise. We will first request an edict to withdraw the treacherous party order to appease the officials. Then we will ask the Emperor to deploy troops to the north to attack the Tartars. "
Although Miao Kui was a eunuch, he had always wanted to lead troops to war and establish meritorious service. Hearing this, he rubbed his fists and said, "Very well, I will go with you to see the Emperor. The Tartars are too arrogant. We must send out a large number of troops to beat them up!"
※ ※ ※
The two young girls from the opera troupe were pretty, light and soft. They were also knowledgeable and knew how to flirt. In addition, because they had practiced acrobatics since they were young, their muscles were flexible and powerful. Compared to the ordinary young ladies of rich families, their enchanting, hot and coquettish charm and bold and flirtatious charm made Emperor Zhengde, who liked to be wild and did not want to be restrained, wild with joy.
In this night of romance, the two common women were better than the three imperial concubines in the back palace who read poetry and books since they were young and were also refined on the embroidered couch. Zhengde was so happy that he could not bear to part with them. He spent the whole night with them, wanting to die. It was not until dawn that he fell asleep. He was so sleepy that he could not get up in the morning.
When Ma Yongcheng sent eunuchs to summon Zhengde, Zhengde and the two young girls had just gotten up. Zhengde was smiling as he looked at the two beauties dressing in front of the mirror. He was holding their slender waists, stealing a breath of fragrance, grabbing their soft breasts, laughing and laughing happily.
Hearing that it was Yang Ling, Liu Jin and a few others who were waiting for him, Zhengde happily held the two young girls' hands and walked out. As soon as Yang Ling and the others saw the Emperor coming out in casual clothes, they hurriedly knelt down and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty."
As soon as the two young girls from the opera troupe saw someone kneeling down, they did not want to bear the sin of receiving unnecessary greetings and quickly moved to the left and right. Yang Ling saw two pairs of snow-white bow shoes flashed to the left and right, their footsteps were extremely light and graceful. Although he could not tell whether they knew martial art or not, he felt that a commoner's opera troupe girls unexpectedly knew how to avoid greetings; he could not help but feeling suspicious.
Zhengde giggled and said, "Get up, get up, you are not an outsider. Yang, Zhen has obtained two lovely women, come and take a look, are they not beautiful?"
Yang Ling laughed bitterly inwardly; he said in his heart, "Although these two women are of lowly birth, since they are serving the Emperor in bed, their status cannot be compared to ordinary people; how can I be bold enough to size them up and evaluate them? This Emperor is really … "
Yang Ling and the others stood up. Yang Ling swept his gaze over them and saw that the two young girls had snow-white oval face, almond-shaped eyes and peach cheeks, they looked very romantic.
Two of them, one was wearing red, the other was wearing green, they both wore button-down sleeves and leggings, with a white silk handkerchief tied around their waists. Their bow shoes were small and delicate, as lithe as a swallow; they were still dressed in short attire for performing on the stage, they looked all the more delicate and lovely.
Although they were only eighty percent good-looking, they had a hundred and twenty percent graceful bearing, their movements and gait were gentle and graceful. Although they were only wearing plain cotton clothes, their eyes were captivated by five colors, there was not an inch of them that they were not women.
Yang Ling mused, "What a charming appearance, what a special style, that King Ning is willing to spend his capital." Yang Ling smiled faintly and said, "His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, naturally his vision is first class. These two Misses can be said to be peerless beauties in the world."
Only after hearing this did the two Misses took a careful look at him. Yang Ling raised his eyes and saw that one of the two Misses had a cold and elegant expression, the other had a sweet smile.
That beauty, who had a slightly pale complexion, did not smile at all, but when she saw Yang Ling looking over, she realized that he was a distinguished and handsome gentleman. She suddenly opened her mouth and smiled at him, revealing two rows of fine white teeth that looked like scallops, her light red lips slightly curled up like water chestnuts. Her smile was charming to begin with, in addition to her slightly cold and elegant bearing, this smile gave people a particularly strong feeling. When Zhengde heard Yang Ling's praise, he happily said, "Exactly, zhen also feel that compared to the imperial concubines in the inner palace, Jieyu is much more tactful. Their names are Jieyu and Bashful Flower. Jieyu, Bashful Flower, this is zhen's beloved official, Yang Ling. "
The two girls looked at Yang Ling with slight surprise and then they gracefully bowed and said in a sweet voice, "Commoners greet Mister Yang, we have long heard of daren's illustrious name."
Zhengde curiously asked, "Have you heard of Yang Ling?"
The girl who liked to smile sweetly was wearing a tight red silk blouse, her towering breasts were alluring, but in the middle was a white jade Buddha statue that did not seem to be worth much. She played with the jade Buddha statue, nodded slightly, and smiled, "Mister Yang's search for a doctor in the Nine Cities, the Emperor's Mausoleum being wronged, and the Jiangnan resisting the Japanese pirates, there are many more legendary stories. As a commoner in Jianghu, I have heard so much that my ears have calluses."
Zhengde held her slender waist, sniffed under her hair, and said, "Jieyu, that is because I did not have the chance. In the future, if there is time, zhen will also accompany you in Jianghu, there will be more legendary stories."
The girl called Jieyu was held by the waist by the Emperor in public, and her face was a bit red. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes were rippling, adding to the charm of spring. She gently bit her lips, and her long eyelashes kept blinking. That kind of shy and timid expression made even Liu Jin and the others unable to help but take a few more glances.
Yang Ling's eyes were focused on her towering breasts, which was a smiling Maitreya Buddha statue. People who believed in Buddhism in the world, regardless of gender, rarely hung Maitreya Buddha statues, and most female believers wore Guanyin Bodhisattva statues.
Because of the lie he told to Young-niang, Yang Ling had been wearing a cross, so he found it strange to see Jieyu's Buddha statue and couldn't help but take a few more glances. In fact, he did not think of anything.
The girl called Shyflower saw it from the side, and her pretty face showed a trace of nervousness. She pretended to help her sister pull her clothes, and walked to the front of her to block Yang Ling's sight. When Zhengde was not paying attention, she glared at her fiercely. Jieyu finally came to her senses, and her pretty face couldn't help but pale. She hurriedly stuffed the Buddha statue into her bosom.
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