"Lost?" The other three looked at each other. When they realized what had happened, they were shocked. If the Tiger Tally of the Three Armies had been lost, how could it have fallen into Marquis Cheng'an's hands?
Back then, the Tiger Tally of the Three Armies was in the hands of Marshal Ban. Later, Marshal Ban was injured at the border. After returning to the capital, he retired and became a leisurely Duke. After Emperor Yunqing ascended the throne, there were no more wars at the border. The Tiger Tally of the Three Armies was never seen again.
They thought that His Majesty was afraid of the current generals, so he didn't give the Tiger Tally of the Three Armies to anyone else. They didn't expect that His Majesty didn't have the Tiger Tally.
"Could it be that the Tiger Tally was originally in Marshal Ban's hands?" Yao Peiji whispered. "When Marshal Ban was injured, it was very sudden. If he didn't hand over the Tiger Tally and told His Majesty that it was stolen … "
The former Emperor didn't like His Majesty and preferred Prince Hui. Perhaps His Majesty really believed Marshal Ban's story. No wonder His Majesty tolerated Prince Hui for so many years. He was probably worried that Prince Hui would suddenly rebel. After the death of the King of the Hui Kingdom and his wife, His Majesty raised their children in the palace. Firstly, he wanted to promote his benevolence. Secondly, he wanted to control them and prevent them from acting recklessly.
The things that he couldn't figure out in the past suddenly became clear after the appearance of this Tiger Tally.
The Ban Family had been loyal for generations. Why would Marshal Ban tell such a big lie?
And this Tiger Tally of the Three Armies, was it given to Marquis Cheng'an by the Princess Ban?
"I know." Zhao Weishen was a former subordinate of Marshal Ban. When he thought of the once awe-inspiring Marshal, his voice became hoarse. "The Marshal wasn't injured by the enemy. He was attacked by his own people. In the end, the former Emperor found out that a general did it out of jealousy. In order to avoid disturbing the morale of the army, the general was secretly executed. Even his family wasn't implicated. "
"Not long after, the previous emperor became seriously ill." Zhao Weishen recalled the past. Although he was calmly narrating, it was the deaths and blood of countless people. He lowered his eyelids. "Later, the previous emperor did not have time to leave behind a posthumous edict. His Majesty, as the Crown Prince, naturally ascended the throne and became the Emperor of the Great Ye Dynasty."
Zhao Weishen didn't want to talk about how many plots and machinations were involved in this. The other officials also knew in their hearts that they were all useless now. Even if they had the heart to work for the people, they were powerless.
"The Crown Prince and Prince Ning don't have the ability to govern the world. If it was Marquis Cheng 'an …" Yao Peiji admired Rong Xia's talent very much, so when she spoke, it was inevitable that she was biased. Fortunately, he was still rational. He knew that if he continued to speak like this, he would be suspected of rebelling.
"I know what you mean." Zhao Weishen smiled. "Didn't we learn to be loyal to the court and do two things for the people? It's good to let nature take its course. The heavens have eyes and are watching the people of the world. "
In his early years, he had seen all the struggles in the court. He really wasn't a particularly loyal official. Rather than saying that he was loyal to the Great Ye Dynasty, it was better to say that he was more loyal to the people under the rule of the Great Ye Dynasty.
Perhaps the heavens had eyes. When the peach blossoms were all in full bloom in March, there was a sudden earthquake in the suburbs of the capital. A strange stone was revealed. This stone was in a strange position, like a blue bird soaring into the sky. Legend said that the blue bird was the bird that accompanied the Queen Mother. Its appearance would bring news that would change the world.
The patrol quickly rushed over, but when they saw the words carved on the stone, their expressions changed.
"The Jiang family was heartless. The world was in chaos. In troubled times, there was a benevolent ruler who saved the people from fire and water …"
After a soldier who had studied for a few years read out these short words, his entire body trembled like a sieve. His upper and lower teeth chattered together, making a clattering sound. He actually felt that the stone was incomparably majestic and didn't dare to look down.
"Nonsense, this is just a scheme of the rebel army." The patrol leader pointed at the giant stone. "Why aren't you erasing the words on it?!"
"Yes!" A soldier drew his sword and stepped forward, but strangely, he had only taken a few steps when his mouth and nose suddenly became crooked and his entire body convulsed and fell to the ground. The remaining patrol soldiers didn't dare to step forward. Someone hurriedly dragged the twitching soldier back and carried him to the city to find a doctor. The doctor said that he had been frightened by an evil wind that had entered his body.
He had been frightened?
The patrol soldiers who had seen the strange stone were even more suspicious. It wasn't until the soldier woke up that someone asked him what he had seen.
"I, I saw a dragon. It was circling around the stone. Its eyes were like lanterns." Before the soldier finished speaking, he hugged his head and screamed. He had lost all reason.
A day later, when the officials of the Imperial Astronomer went to see the soldier again, he had already gone crazy. His words were incoherent. One moment he said there was a bird, the next moment he said there was a ghost. He was crazy and didn't say anything useful.
The news about this strange stone had already spread throughout the capital within a day. It was said that a few people who had seen this giant stone had gone crazy. The rumors spread more and more fiercely. Some said that the Jiang Dynasty was about to be destroyed. Some said that the current Emperor was heartless and caused chaos in the world. Some said that the destined benevolent and righteous ruler had already appeared and was waiting for the day to replace the Jiang Dynasty.
In the end, the rumors became that if the Jiang Dynasty continued to unify the world, there would be one disaster after another. The people would have no way to make a living. Only the benevolent and righteous ruler would be the Son of Heaven.
Jiang Luo was furious. He invited a few famous monks and Taoists to perform rituals beside the giant stone. However, the news had already spread. Even if he invited the so-called experts to deal with it, what use would it be?
"Abbot Yun, what do you think is on this stone?" A thin old Taoist looked at Abbot Yun with a smile that wasn't a smile.
Abbot Yun chanted, "There is a human heart on this stone."
The old Taoist laughed, "Whether it is a human heart or a miracle, I am just an outsider. I didn't want to interfere in this matter. Unfortunately, the Emperor threatened me with the lives of the juniors in the monastery. I had no choice but to obey."
Abbot Yun's seemingly benevolent eyes revealed a smile, "You are a true expert."
The old Taoist sighed mysteriously and made a gesture of invitation, "Abbot Yun, please."
This kind of trick was still used by unorthodox cultivators. Coincidentally, he and Abbot Yun had the opportunity to discuss Zen scriptures two days ago. Today, he made a choice. Although he was an outsider, he was still a human. Even if he couldn't save the common people, at least he wasn't willing to help the evildoers.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Abbot Yun and the old Taoist used some unknown method. The words on the giant stone finally disappeared. However, the two most famous monks and Taoists in the capital vomited blood and fainted. The court officials who were originally skeptical about this matter believed the words on the giant stone without a doubt after seeing the fate of the two monks.
However, they didn't dare to express their thoughts. When Jiang Luo wanted to send troops to stop and kill the rebels, no one in the court dared to volunteer to lead the troops.
They dared to go against people, but how many people were willing to go against the heavens? Even the courtiers were afraid of being punished by the heavens.
Jiang Luo was so angry that he killed a few more people. Seeing how cowardly these people were, he became angry.
After returning to the palace, Jiang Luo vented his anger on a few eunuchs. He still felt unsatisfied.
"Your Majesty, this servant thinks that Shi Jin might be useful."
"What use could he be?" Jiang Luo kicked the eunuch who spoke to the ground, "Last time, you said that Rong Xia was a good candidate. What happened?!"
"This servant is guilty." The eunuch kowtowed repeatedly and begged for forgiveness. He didn't dare to say more.
"You are guilty," Jiang Luo said hatefully, "If I had known earlier, I would have killed Rong Xia long ago and not let him lead the troops out of the city."
"Who would have thought that he didn't care about Princess Fule's family at all?" The eunuch rolled his eyes, "Perhaps Princess Fule hates him in her heart. Why don't we find a way to contact Princess Fule and have her be our spy?"
"Ban Han, that woman, only knows how to eat, drink, and play since she was young. What can she do with her pig brain?" Jiang Luo subconsciously belittled Ban Han. "What can she do to help me? Drag me down?"
The eunuch was silent for a moment, "Your Majesty, although Princess Fule's personality is straightforward, she is still a woman."
"What can a woman do?"
"When a woman hates a man, she can do anything." The eunuch respectfully kowtowed on the ground and pressed his forehead against the ground, "Why don't you try?"
"No matter how much a woman hates a man, she is still a man's accessory. What can she do?" Jiang Luo was actually amused by the eunuch's absurd words, "What does a castrated man like you know about women? Leave and kneel at the door for two hours."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch obeyed and left.
In the military tent, Rong Xia was looking at a map with several subordinates.
Zhao Zhong saw that Rong Xia's face was haggard. After the military meeting ended, he laughed and said, "My lord, please rest well."
"How can I rest well? The longer we delay, the longer the people will suffer," Rong Xia pinched his forehead, "It has been hard on you these past few years."
"To be able to serve my lord is this subordinate's honor." The only thing that Zhao Zhong didn't expect was that his younger brother's fiancée, who died young, had married his lord. Although he was the Provincial Governor of Xue Province, he had heard some rumors about Princess Fule.
Her fiancé would rather elope with a prostitute than be with her.
Beautiful appearance, bad luck to her husband. Her first fiancé died at a young age. It must be her bad luck.
His mother had a very good relationship with Aunt Yin. The relationship between the entire Zhao Family and the Ban Family was also good. The Zhao Family never believed the rumors about her being a bad luck to her husband. His younger brother didn't die because of Princess Fule's birth characters, but at the hands of Prince Ning.
That year, his mother brought his younger brother into the palace. Who knew that the Second Prince would knock his three or four year old brother into the water. His younger brother suffered from cold and shock. When he came back, he fell ill and couldn't recover. In the end, medicine was useless and he was tortured by the illness and died.
Later, His Majesty gave the Zhao family a noble title that was neither too high nor too low, and the matter was suppressed. The pain of their Zhao Family losing a son, in the eyes of the imperial family, was nothing more than a small title of nobility.
It was a pity that Princess Fule, who was two months younger than his younger brother, didn't know anything. Because of this, she carried the name of a bad luck to her husband and was talked about in the capital for so many years.
He and his lord had met up in Zhongzhou for two or three days. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to see Princess Fule. As a man, it wasn't good for him to ask about the whereabouts of his lord's wife. Therefore, he wanted to apologize to Princess Fule, but couldn't find a suitable opportunity.
Rong Xia patted Zhao Zhong's shoulder, "Zizhong, I've already had people move your family out of the city, so you don't have to worry about this."
"Many thanks, Lord!" Zhao Zhong was a little emotional as he bowed deeply to Rong Xia.
"There's no need to be so courteous with people on the same side," Rong Xia drank a mouthful of tea to refresh himself, "Is your son in the barracks with you right now?"
"Yes, my wife and my two sons are in the barracks with this subordinate."
"If your son and your son are bored, you can come to my tent to talk with Junzhu. She has a restless personality. When the time comes, please don't dislike her."
"I don't dare, I don't dare." Zhao Zhong's heart was happy. He wanted to find a chance to see Princess Fule. Now that his lord had spoken, he would let his wife go see her and chat with her for a while.
Ever since Rong Xia had met up with the other rebel soldiers, Ban Han didn't worry too much about the affairs of the army. She was a lazy person who would stand if she could sit, and not sit if she could lie down. Now that Rong Xia had the soldiers under his control, she didn't have to worry anymore.
Therefore, when she had nothing to do, she would bring her personal bodyguards to compete with others in swordsmanship and archery. Although she didn't have the prestige of the imperial court's Right General, she at least got along well with many soldiers. After mingling with these soldiers for a long time, Ban Han was addicted to being a big sister. She would ride a horse and shoot wild geese, climb trees to get fruit, and catch fish in the water. She brought these soldiers back with her and actually brought back many things for the soldiers to eat.
If it wasn't for her fair skin and beautiful appearance, the soldiers would almost call her "Brother Ban" instead of "Sister Ban".
There was nothing they could do about it. Although Ban Jin's words and actions were so heroic that they were convinced by her, as long as they saw her face, their rationality would tell them that she was a famous beauty. Calling her "brother" would be a disgrace to her face.
She was indeed worthy of being the descendant of a famous general. Her boldness and ability couldn't be compared to ten men.
On this day, Ban Han defeated a few young and energetic soldiers on the martial arts stage. When she heard her personal bodyguard say that Madame Zhao wanted to see her, she cupped her hands and said to the soldiers present: "Brothers, I'm sorry, I have something to do. Please take your time."
"Sister Ban, take care!" The soldiers uniformly returned the greeting. Even the bearded men in their twenties and thirties respectfully called Ban Han "Sister". If they weren't wearing armor, the commoners would have thought that they were a gang that came out to collect protection fees.
Madame Zhao anxiously sat on the chair, her heart feeling weak.
After coming to the barracks, she had heard many rumors about Princess Fule. It was said that this junzhu was extremely beautiful and that the lord loved her very much. He didn't even separate from her in the barracks. It was also rumored that this junzhu's martial arts were outstanding and she was highly respected by the soldiers in the army. She was a woman who only cared about the harem. If she said something wrong, would the junzhu look down on her?
Just as her thoughts were running wild, the curtain at the door was lifted. A young and beautiful gongzi wearing brocade clothing and a jade crown walked in. Madame Zhao's heart trembled. Because of this young man who was several years younger than her, her heartbeat quickened.
After she came back to her senses, she remembered that this was the lord and junzhu's tent. Who was this young man? He actually dared to come in dressed like a noble.
"Sister Zhao, please sit," Ban Han saw Madame Zhao looking at her in a daze and patted her male clothing, "I'm outside and dressed casually. I've made a fool of myself in front of Madame."
"G-greetings to Junzhu," Madame Zhao didn't expect this beautiful young man to be Junzhu Fu Le. She took a few deep breaths to calm her beating heart, "Junzhu Fu Le is too beautiful, this concubine was dazed and forgot to greet you. Please forgive me, Junzhu."
"It's fine, it's fine. Please sit," Ban Han sat at the head of the table and smiled at Madame Zhao. Madam Zhao had an oval-shaped face and fair skin. Her hair was tied up with a few wooden hairpins. Perhaps it was because everything was simple in the military camp, but her clothes were mainly casual. However, it could be seen that she was a very easy-going woman. After the guards served tea, Ban Han asked Madame Zhao to drink as he said, "I remember that you have two children. Why didn't you bring them along?"
"My children are young and don't understand. I was afraid that they would disturb you."
"It's fine. No matter how noisy the children are, I have ways to deal with them," Ban Han waved his hand, "I don't mind. Madame, please bring them along next time."
Even though Madame Zhao had an easy-going personality, she didn't know what to say at this time. However, what surprised her was that the princess actually knew that she had two children. This was really too strange.
"I have a good relationship with Miss Zhao in private, so sometimes I hear her mention you," Ban Han smiled, "My mother is also very concerned about you. When you return to Jing, you must visit my parents. She will be very happy to see you."
Madame Zhao was amused by Ban Han's relaxed tone. She nodded and said: "When the time comes, I will definitely visit your fu."
They were still rebelling. Hearing Princess Fule's tone, it seemed that they had already succeeded. No wonder the lord liked Junzhu so much. Junzhu was the one who had the most confidence in the lord.
"What visit?" Ban Han thought, "There are many men in the barracks. If you are bored, you can come to my place."
With Madame Zhao's personality, she was probably too embarrassed to go out of the barracks. Coming to her place for a walk would relieve her boredom.
Madam Zhao also understood that this was Ban Yu's good intentions, so she agreed. Before marrying into the Zhao Family, she had heard that this junzhu originally had an engagement with the Zhao Family. Unfortunately, her younger brother-in-law, who she didn't have the fate to meet, had left early. She didn't have the fate to meet this junzhu.
After bidding farewell to Princess Fule, Madame Zhao returned to her own tent. Seeing her return, Zhao Zhong said: "Madame, did Princess Fule make things difficult for you?"
Madame Zhao smiled and shook her head: "Junzhu is good and warm. She even asked me to stay for a meal. I thought that the lord would go back to eat with Junzhu, so I refused."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhong relaxed: "Fortunately, you didn't. Otherwise, the two children and I would have to eat alone."
"Nonsense," Madame Zhao, her husband, and the children sat around a simple table. Seeing the two children eating happily, Madame Zhao put two more pieces of meat in their bowls. Turning to Zhao Zhong, she said, "Princess Fule is a special woman. I saw that the people in the main tent all respect her."
"That's good." Zhao Zhong nodded and relaxed.
"Junzhu also said that if I was bored, I could go to her place."
"Good," Zhao Zhong immediately said, "I was worried that you would feel uncomfortable being cooped up in the tent all day. This is good. Princess Fule's place is a good place to go."
"Isn't that so. Princess Fule is dressed like a man. She is very handsome." Madame Zhao couldn't help but say, "If I was a young girl in my teens, the first time I saw her, I would be moved and wouldn't be able to look at other men."
Zhao Zhong was speechless.
Rong Xia led the army through Zhongzhou's territory without any obstructions. Xun Zhou was adjacent to Zhongzhou. Rong Xia's vanguard had just arrived at the city gate. Before they could attack the city, they saw Xun Zhou's city gate open. All the soldiers and officials in Xun Zhou were dressed to welcome them. They didn't show any signs of resistance.
They stayed in Xun Zhou for two days. The soldiers didn't disturb the people and didn't force them to collect food. This made the uneasy people feel touched and relieved. When the rebels left Xun Zhou, some people came to send them off with fruits, rice, and noodles.
Rong Xia didn't accept chicken, duck, fish, fruits, rice, noodles, but he accepted a water bag from a century-old man.
"I appreciate your kindness, but everyone's life is not easy. How can I bear to see everyone starve?" Rong Xia raised the water bag high above his head. "Water is the source of life. I've accepted the water bag from the old man, which means I've accepted your kind intentions. Please take care of yourselves. I'll take my leave."
Xun Zhou was moved by Rong Xia's attitude and words. He knew that the rebels had all left, but there were still people standing at the city gate who didn't want to leave.
"Good man, good man." The century-old man stood up with the help of his children and grandchildren. He looked up at the sky. "God has eyes. We finally see hope."
The people around were affected by the century-old man's emotions. They all hoped that Rong Xia could become the emperor.
After the rebels left Xun Zhou, their next destination was Jingzhou. Just like Xun Zhou, Jingzhou opened its city gate to welcome them. However, after Rong Xia and his people entered the city, they found that the local officials were incompetent and took advantage of the people. Therefore, they convicted these corrupt officials and beheaded them in front of the people.
For a while, the people rushed to spread the news that a good official had finally arrived in Jingzhou.
The people didn't care if the official was from the imperial court or the rebels. As long as he could uphold justice for them and didn't take advantage of them, then he was a good official.
What? You said that this handsome young official could become the emperor? The current emperor was muddle-headed and incompetent?
Then you must let the young official become the emperor. What's the use of keeping an incompetent emperor? Keep him for the New Year? If you raise a pig, you can kill it for meat during the New Year. What's the use of keeping an emperor who takes advantage of the people?
Ban Han followed beside Rong Xia. When he saw the people beheaded because of the corrupt officials, he smiled with satisfaction. He was moved. These people didn't know what loyalty to the emperor was, nor did they know poetry. They didn't even know the name of the current emperor. They worked hard every day to make a living, but they were so easily satisfied. As a high ranking emperor, even if he wasn't willing to work hard for the people, he should at least think about them and consider them a little.
At least … he could let them live a little more peacefully.
After the corrupt officials' properties were confiscated, Rong Xia arranged for a few people to take care of the affairs in Jingzhou. After the people accepted these people's management, he continued to lead the army in the direction of the capital.
Perhaps because Rong Xia killed the corrupt officials in Jingzhou, the officials in the other provinces and counties were fearful. They didn't dare to welcome Rong Xia into the city, so some people began to resist fiercely. Some people, before the army led by Rong Xia arrived, took their wives, children, and treasures and hurriedly ran away, leaving only the soldiers to resist.
There were also some officials who purposely spread news that Rong Xia was a murderous demon. Wherever he went, there would be rivers of blood and wails. They encouraged the local people to resist. This tactic wasn't very effective, because most of the people had already heard the news from other provinces and counties about how good this Marquis Cheng'an was, how tolerant he was to the people, and how he punished the corrupt officials along the way.
When the people found out that the officials had purposely lied to them, their anger couldn't be suppressed.
Therefore, when Rong Xia and the others arrived at Tai Zhou, which was relatively close to the capital, the city gate of Tai Zhou was opened by a group of angry people. The soldiers guarding the city gate didn't stop the people. They didn't even draw their swords and allowed the people to open the city gate.
Ban Han rode on his horse and tilted his head to Rong Xia and said: "Rong Xia, are we really rebelling?"
Why did it seem like a joke?
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