Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

Although more than a month has passed, Jinyang City has still not recovered from the turmoil.

Most of the damage suffered in the streets and markets of Zhucheng has been properly repaired, and there are no traces of turmoil from the appearance alone. But the external marks are easy to erase, but the internal wounds are difficult to repair.

There are blockades between the cities, and you can no longer travel between them as freely as before. There are armored soldiers stationed in the streets and alleys. Whenever they find any pedestrians who act strangely, they will directly stop them and question them. If they respond inappropriately, they will immediately detain them.

Therefore, there are very few pedestrians on the street. Even if they have to go into the market, they all walk in a hurry, not daring to look around, let alone stop, creating a tense and solemn atmosphere on the road.

The atmosphere among the people is very solemn, and it is also the same among the officials. In some places, it is even worse.

The Prime Minister's Mansion received intensive protection during the turmoil, so it did not receive much actual impact. However, the defense is still even more stringent today, with soldiers inside and outside marked like a forest, and there are no blind spots as far as the eye can see.

In front of the main hall of the Prime Minister's Residence, apart from the two rows of guards holding Shu Kuai knives lined up in front of the corridor, the most eye-catching ones are She Diqian and Gao Yue kneeling on the bluestone slab under the stairs outside the main hall.

On the day Gao Wangyi returned to the mansion, the two of them knelt down and carried thorns to plead guilty. However, due to King Gao's severe wind illness and his inability to see anything, they went straight to the inner hall for medical treatment after returning to the mansion. So far, they have not been summoned and dealt with, so the two of them He also knelt outside the Zhitang door all day long, not daring to leave for even a moment.

The weather was gloomy, and soon snowflakes started to fall, and soon a layer of ice and snow accumulated on the ground, making the two people kneeling on the ground look even more bleak.

It happened that Zhao Yanshen, a military officer of the prime minister's palace, hurriedly entered the palace. When he saw this scene, he immediately frowned and pointed at the guards beside him and said angrily: "How dare you neglect the second prince like this? Quickly raise the curtain!"

After hearing this, the two of them all raised their heads and nodded to Zhao Yanshen to thank him. Zhao Yanshen didn't say anything more, and turned around and walked back into the straight hall.

All the subordinate officials in the main hall sat at separate tables, each of them processing the documents on the case in front of them with concentration. Sitting in the original position of King Gao was a young man in his twenties, wearing a crimson brocade robe and a mink fur cloak.

The young man's eyes are deep and bright, and his facial features are picturesque. The corners of his eyes are narrow and upward, which adds a bit of frivolity to his handsome face, but it still does not detract from his handsome and wise overall temperament. He is paired with a luxurious and decent outfit. Clothes and accessories give people a sense of distance that is difficult to get close to.

"Your Majesty, I have informed the state capital of your mission."

Zhao Yanshen walked into the hall and first greeted the young people in the hall. When he saw the young people nodded slightly in response, he stood up again. Just as he was about to return to his seat and sit down, he changed his mind and bowed again. The memorial said: "Qinghe Gong and Guangping Gong are still kneeling outside the hall to plead guilty..."

After he finished speaking, he waited for a while, but there was still no response from the young man. He was still immersed in the case file, so he thought that the other party did not hear it, so he spoke again: "Mr. Qinghe..."

boom!

As soon as Zhao Yanshen opened his mouth, he saw the young man standing up with a slap on the table, throwing the hair pen in his hand at Zhao Yanshen, and said angrily: "Zhao thinks I am deaf and blind! So what if they are still outside the hall? If you can't bear it, Get out and kneel together!”

The person who can sit in the main seat and dare to be angry is certainly not an ordinary person. The young man is Gao Cheng, the eldest son and eldest son of Bohai King Gao Huan.

He was still not satisfied with Zhao Yanshen's angry rebuke. He went down to the hall and grabbed Zhao Yanshen and pulled him to his case. He pointed at the pile of papers on the case and said angrily: "You see that I am idle? How can I have time to listen to that?" The two clumsy people are complaining and defending themselves! Is the king adopting you as a member of the imperial family so that you can share your opinions and support each other? "

"I dare not, I... I only see that the people in Jinyang are still worried about themselves and fearing chaos. Those involved are not interested in the matter. It is really necessary to punish the punishment and everyone accepts it, so that the mood of the crowd can be stabilized."

Zhao Yanshen quickly kowtowed to the ground, saying that he had no intention of forming a party for selfish purposes and was just discussing the matter.

After all, punishment is not terrible. Jinyang City has been in such a state of disaster, and everyone left behind is to blame. However, because the punishment has not been handed down for a long time, it makes the people worried and guess whether it is light or serious, making people impetuous. Uneasy.

At this time, a middle-aged counselor sitting on the other side of the main seat also stood up and saluted Gao Cheng: "Zhao Shenjun has been mastering secrets for a long time and is shrewd in matters. Since he is giving this advice, he must have some advice." The reason is that the prince has been in the government for a long time and is unfamiliar with the affairs of the government, so he needs to be cautious in making decisions and take into account the opinions of the public. "

The name of the middle-aged counselor was Chen Yuankang. When Gao Cheng heard these words, the anger on his face subsided slightly. After returning to the table and sitting down, he raised his hand and ordered: "Let those two come in."

After the order was passed on, the two people outside the hall were secretly happy when they heard the sound. Although they did not expect to be given a lighter sentence, it was better than continuing to kneel in a stalemate like this. However, when they wanted to stand up, they suddenly fell to the ground due to paralysis of their limbs. They had to rely on the guards to help them before they walked tremblingly toward the door.

Seeing the two people entering the hall, Gao Chengzhi stretched out his hand to applaud them in the banquet. His eyebrows were full of sarcasm, and he sneered: "We have known each other for a long time. I have recently learned that you two are hospitable. They greet you with gifts and give them gifts. It's very good." There is a way to treat guests!”

After the two of them heard this, they looked even more ashamed. They each touched their heads to the ground and said in a trembling voice: "I am staying behind, but I have disobeyed the king's entrustment and caused the thieves to cause chaos in Kinki. It is really an unforgivable crime. I will die." It's not a pity, I beg the prince to punish you..."

"Since we know that sin is unforgivable and death is not a pity, it has been two days since the king returned. Why don't we see you two practicing what you know?"

Gao Cheng still sneered rudely.

After hearing this, the two people in the hall were even more ashamed. As the main person in charge of the city defense, Shedigan was already blaming himself. Now that he was ridiculed and shunned by the prince, he immediately grabbed the sword of a guard beside him and immediately He was about to kill himself with the knife, but the guard next to him threw him to the ground with quick eyes and quick hands.

Seeing this scene, Gao Cheng's brows and eyes became even more fierce. He walked down from the hall, raised his hand and grabbed the back of the knife that was still held by She Di Qian, and said in a cold voice: "No business for now, uncle, what are you talking about?" I am very angry! The thief is trying to kill you, but you are ashamed and angry.

I made a few jokes today, which actually makes you want to be angry. The world between heaven and earth is so vast. If you really want to die, where can you not achieve your wish? But you chose to do this while you were within my eyes and ears. Do you want to trap me in the injustice of losing a loved one? "

She Diqian was not good at words and scheming. Hearing Gao Cheng's heart-breaking words, his mood became even more ups and downs, so that he burst into tears and couldn't express his sadness.

Gao Cheng took out the knife from She Di Qian's hand with force, held the back of the knife and handed the handle to Gao Yue, then sneered: "Does Mr. Qinghe also need a knife?"

After hearing this, Gao Yue was speechless and could only bow to the ground and bury his face between his arms.

Seeing that Gao Yue did not take the knife, Gao Cheng turned around and grabbed the handle of the knife. He swung the knife and chopped down the guard who lost the knife to the ground. He said angrily: "If you carelessly miss your murder weapon, how can you avoid being harmed by others?" Counterattack? Tell his family that all the funeral expenses will be collected from the Guangping residence!"

Everyone in the hall was silent when they saw this scene. The guards came in expressionlessly and took away the body of the guard who had lost his sword and wiped the blood stains on the ground clean.

At this moment, Gao Cheng returned to the hall and sat down, placed the knife on the case, then looked down at the two of them and said: "Both of you are relatives in the household. They have devoted their lives since starting their business. I have often heard and witnessed the merits of hard work, so I often have feelings for them and look at them higher than others.

Since I have spent most of my time in the DPRK in recent years, we have not seen each other as much as in previous years, so our friendship will inevitably be neglected. But this is not the reason for you to indulge yourself and refuse to help me! There are a lot of military and political affairs in the government at the moment. Instead of doing your best to help, you two just kneel down and worship in the front court, which makes me embarrassed!

Do you think that in your eyes, I am just an unwise villain who is unkind and ungrateful, who doesn't care about his subordinates and who likes to gain authority by insulting his elders? Or am I not worthy to forgive your sins? As I have taught you in the preface, it is better to repay the work than to do the deeds. Now that we have dealt with the past, do you two dare to promise to fulfill your responsibilities? "

"This, this... Your Majesty, I thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I will repay this kindness with all my heart and brains. If I neglect my duties again, I am willing to be mutilated and die!"

Gao Yue reacted immediately and kowtowed to the ground in a hurry, choking with tears in his mouth.

Soon She Diqian also calmed down his emotions, knelt down and bowed and said: "I have lost control of myself, and I deserve to be laughed at. The prince is so kind and tolerant, and I am more than willing to sacrifice my life to repay my kindness. I dare not be ignorant and shrinking anymore, I can only bow my head and obey orders. Never give up!"

The combination of beatings not only vented his sullenness, but also corrected the attitude of the two people. Gao Cheng knew that the affairs of the Ba family were far more complicated and important than those in the court. Now his father was suffering from severe illness. If they were rashly dismissed from their stay-at-home duties, the situation would only become more chaotic.

After beating the two of them, they temporarily seized their titles and returned to their respective posts. Seeing that today's affairs were almost settled, Gao Cheng no longer stayed in Zhitang and took his confidant Chen Yuankang with him. Then he went into the inner palace to visit his father's condition.

At this time, in the inner palace, all the wives, concubines, and children of King Gao were gathered in the hall. They all looked around anxiously. When they saw Gao Cheng entering, most of them stood up to greet him, not daring to neglect the heir apparent.

Gao Cheng ignored the people attending the ceremony and went straight into the hall to worship his mother. Then he sat at a table with his mother. His eyes lingered for a moment on the Dal Zhu who was dressed as a nun nearby and Princess Weiwei who was alone in a curtain. , his eyes became deeper.

"Brother, I will go to Yedu with my cousin Duan to attend court. Before leaving, may I ask if you have any important matters to give me?"

As soon as Gao Cheng sat down, a young man who looked unattractive and even a little ugly walked forward, bowed deeply to Gao Cheng and asked in a low voice.

This person was Gao Yang, the second son of King Gao, Duke of Taiyuan. Since the prince returned to Jinyang to take charge, he was sent to Yedu with Duan Shao.

Gao Cheng looked down at his brother condescendingly, but there was no sign of intimacy between his eyebrows.

Before he could say anything, his mother, Lou, frowned and said, "If you are good at what you say and do, don't you have an official title for me to call you, Lord Zang? You already lack the majesty and demeanor of a royal. If you continue to treat others personally, you will be looked down upon even more!" Is it easy for your father and brother to accumulate prestige? It’s unfortunate that you have such a stupid person in your family. I don’t expect you to be more beautiful than your brother. As long as you don’t insult the family tradition, you will be lucky!”

As soon as these words came out, many people in the neighborhood chuckled. This was probably not the first time such a conversation had occurred. Although Gao Yang was the deputy head of the household, he still lacked dignity in front of his brothers.

"Who's laughing? Get out!"

Gao Cheng glared when he heard the ridicule, grabbed the porcelain on the table, threw it to the ground, and said angrily: "Even though this slave is unworthy, he has already gone out to take care of the housework, which is better than the idle and unproductive wastes like you here." !”

After being scolded, everyone lowered their heads and shut up, not daring to refute and offend the prince.

At this time, a beautiful middle-aged woman hurried into the hall. She was Mrs. Han, who was responsible for taking care of the sick King Gao. Mrs. Han looked around the hall, then walked to Da Erzhu and said respectfully: "The king is in good spirits at this time, and I would like to invite the nun to meet him." After Princess Rourou entered the palace, in order to show respect for her, Lou lived in the outer room, and Da Erzhu, the concubine who was deeply favored by King Gao, became a nun soon after and practiced in the Buddhist temple in the city. Although she had become a nun, Da Erzhu was not completely pure and still had some vulgarity. When she heard that King Gao wanted to see her when he woke up, she stood up proudly and walked out of the hall. Seeing that his mother looked a little uncomfortable, Gao Cheng raised his hand and patted the back of her hand to comfort her. After more than half a quarter of an hour, someone came to summon Gao Cheng to see her. After entering the inner room, Gao Cheng saw his father leaning on the side of the bed with a haggard look, his eyebrows, eyes and mouth still twisted uncontrollably, so he walked up and whispered: "My son is here, and the family business is entrusted to you. Since you are seriously ill, you should rest and rest. You really don't need to see outsiders frequently to avoid adding to your fatigue."

"Then, those two..."

Gao Huan said with some difficulty. Gao Cheng knew what he was talking about, so he told him the punishment for the two people who stayed behind.

"Thank you for your hard work. They are also careless mistakes. If you abandon them, you will lose your help..."

Gao Huan was quite satisfied with his son's treatment. He looked a little excited and said breathlessly: "I heard that the thief who came to Jinyang is named Li Tai. He is a descendant of the Longxi Li family. He used to go west with Gao Zhongmi. There are still family members stranded in Hebei. Find them, find them, kill them, kill them all!"

After hearing this, Gao Cheng frowned slightly, but he still patiently comforted him He looked after his father until he fell asleep again, then he came out. When he saw Chen Yuankang, he said in a deep voice: "The bitch from the Erzhu family, don't allow her to visit the king again! Today, she advised the king to bring up Gao Zhongmi's old rebellion. At this critical moment, she tarnished my reputation. It's really hateful!"

Gao Zhongmi's rebellion had its own profound reasons, but many onlookers in the world didn't care so much, especially since he took Gao Zhongmi's wife Li into the mansion, which gave people more things to criticize.

If it were usual, he would not care about these rumors, but now that his father was seriously ill, he needed to take charge of the overall situation, so he needed to take precautions to avoid being exploited by those with ulterior motives.

After a moment of hesitation, he continued, "But the Li family son is so brave at such a young age that he dared to invade his homeland so brazenly. I want to see what kind of family tradition and education has raised this disciple. Let's first arrest his relatives in his hometown and deal with them when the time is right!" This chapter is really difficult to write. It took me a whole day to finish it. A new volume, a new beginning, I hope everyone will continue to support it. . .