Fenghou

"What should I do?"

Of course Lu Qingshan knew his own position. His entry into the imperial court was the result of Chen Qing and Zhang Jun's negotiations on the status of Bashu. He should represent Chen Qing's interests in the imperial court, but the Lu family did not want to betray the imperial court, so they could only do their best Help Chen Qing.

And these two people should not represent the interests of the court.

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan made up his mind, immediately wrote a note, and handed it to Lu Xiaowu: "You go to the palace now, and immediately hand this note to the palace, and hand it over to her. It cannot be transferred by anyone.”

Lu Xiaowu nodded, "Young man, go now!"

As soon as Lu Xiaowu jumped up, he walked away through the back window. At this time, Zhao Ding's laughter came from the courtyard next door. The laughter was very hearty, but the voice was a little too loud, "Thank you two envoys for the local products. But the imperial court doesn’t care about prospecting in Sichuan, you still apply to the Xuanfu envoy.”

"I'm going to apply for a humble job, I'm bothering my husband, I'm leaving!"

After the two left, Lu Qingshan walked out with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile: "Brother, do you still have guests in Jingzhao?"

"Ah! I'm sorry to disturb my brother's nap."

"It's okay, I just woke up."

Zhao Ding said with a smile: "These two sent over two baskets of oranges, knowing that I don't accept gifts, they are their local products."

Lu Qingshan smiled slightly: "Are there any oranges in this season? I'm afraid they were from last year! Beware of the gold and jade, but the rotten ones!"

"It shouldn't be that serious. One of them is Governor Wu of Hezhou, and the other is Governor He of Changzhou. The two prefectures want to work together to excavate the former official copper mine. As you know, the mining is under the jurisdiction of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Xuanfu Commissioner, but They were afraid that the court would be unhappy, so they came to me to explain it."

"I'm not interested in mining, but I'm a bit greedy for your two baskets of oranges."

Zhao Ding laughed loudly, "I'll get you a basket to satisfy your hunger!"

Chapter 825 Selection

In the palace, Lu Xiu hurried to the atrium reception hall with more than a dozen maid guards.

Housekeeper Wen told him just now that there was a man named Lu Xiaowu who was in urgent need to see him, and she said he was from the Lu family.

Of course Lu Xiu knew that Lu Xiaowu, the general of the Lu family, was naughty when he was a child, and accidentally fell from a tree, but he caught it, and ended up with a broken arm.

Lu Xiu walked into the lobby, and saw Lu Xiaowu pacing back and forth like ants on a hot pot, without taking a sip of the tea next to her.

Lu Xiu pursed her lips and said with a smile, "Brother Wu is in such a hurry?"

Lu Xiaowu hurried forward and knelt down on one knee to salute. "Xiaowu sees the princess!"

"Forget it, I won't delay you, if there is something urgent, you can tell me!"

Lu Xiaowu took out a note and presented it, which was a text message from the second grandfather to the princess.

Lu Xiu took the text message and asked, "Is there anything else that needs to be conveyed?"

Lu Xiaowu shook his head, "No more!"

Lu Qingshan didn't let him report to the princess, he didn't dare to say a word.

Lu Xiu turned her head and said with a smile: "Dongmei, go and get 50 taels of silver and give it to the fifth master!"

Lu Xiaowu was startled, and quickly waved his hands, "The villain dare not!"

Lu Xiu's face sank, "This is my kindness to your two children, do you still think my surname is Lu?"

"Thank you, princess, for the reward!"

"Go! I know you are very anxious, so I won't delay you."

"Farewell, villain!"

Lu Xiaowu bowed deeply and left.

Lu Xiu sat down, looked at the note, her eyes were a little suspicious, she thought for a while, and ordered: "Go and invite the second lady!"

Several little maidservants ran away, and after a while, Zhao Qiaoyun hurried over.

"Sister, what do you want me to do?"

"Look at this!"

Lu Xiu handed her the note, and would discuss with Zhao Qiaoyun any major issues that she could not make up her mind about.

Zhao Qiaoyun looked at the note and was also secretly surprised that someone in Bashu was gathering troops, obviously wanting to take back Bashu.

She pondered for a moment and said: "This matter can't make a big splash, it will leak out, I suggest keeping it a secret from the Internal Affairs Hall for the time being."

"Then we don't care?"

"Of course not. I think this matter can be handed over to the inner guards. This is their duty."

One sentence reminded Lu Xiu, and she immediately sent someone to find Wang Hao.

……

Half an hour later, Wang Hao rushed over. He thought there was an assassin in the palace, which frightened him badly.

"Princess, the palace is safe!"

Seeing that he was sweating profusely from running, Lu Xiu knew that he had misunderstood.

Lu Xiu smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry about Wang Tongzhi, the mansion is very safe. I came here because I have other important matters."

Wang Hao's heart fell to the ground, and he quickly clasped his fists and said, "Princess, please give me instructions!"

Lu Xiu handed him the note, "This is from my second grandfather's confidantes, please take a look first."

Of course Wang Hao knew that Wang Hao's second grandfather was Xianggong Lu Qingshan, so he didn't dare to be careless, so he quickly read the contents of the note carefully.

The content inside really surprised him, and he asked again: "Does Lu Xianggong have any other messages?"

"No more, just this note."

Wang Hao looked at the maids on both sides, hesitant to speak, Lu Xiu asked all the maids to retreat, and the female guards also moved a little further away, they were personal guards and could not leave.

"Although Wang Tongzhi said, they are fine."

"The humble job means, don't startle the snake for the time being. The humble job will arrange people to monitor and send people south to look for clues. You have to be sure before you can do anything."

Lu Xiu and Zhao Qiaoyuan looked at each other, Lu Xiu nodded, "We also mean the same thing, what's the matter with the control, even discuss with Zheng Dutong, he is the most trusted person of the county king."

Only now did Wang Hao know that Zheng Ping was the most trusted person of the county king, and if he said it from the mouth of the princess, there would be nothing wrong.

"Humble job understands, the matter is of great importance, and humble job will arrange for capable men to go south today."

"Only the inner guards know about this matter, and we won't say anything about it at the Internal Affairs Hall. Remember to keep it secret!"

"Princess, don't worry, I will leave first, Second Madam, I will leave!"

Wang Hao bowed deeply, turned and left.

After Zheng Ping left, Lu Xiu looked worried and said, "I feel a little uneasy. Let's move to the island tomorrow."

Zhao Qiaoyun nodded, "I feel the same way, let's pack our things when we go back!"

……

The battle in Zhangye was over. The Xizhou Army was defeated. The defeated troops were intercepted by Liu Qiong's [-] cavalry.

In this battle, the Song army killed more than [-] enemies and captured more than [-] people. Only a few thousand people fled to the north. The main general Bi Gui'an and other generals were all captured, and even Cao Yuan was also captured. Chen Qing did not Give him a chance to justify, behead him directly, and record that he died in the chaos.

The Yellow-headed Uyghur is gone, he can express his regrets morally, but he will never revive it morally. He will kill any hope of the Yellow-headed Uyghur to restore the country, so Cao Yuan's two sons can only be wiped out. .

At this moment, Bi Gui'an was pushed in, Bi Gui'an thought he was about to die, he was really desperate, he bowed his head and remained silent.

Chen Qing smiled and waved his hands, "Untie his rope, and give him a stool to sit on."

The soldier untied his rope and gave him a stool to sit on. Bi Guian gently moved his numb wrists, which felt like a dream.

"You...don't kill me?"

Chen Qing glanced at him and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Bi Guian nodded, "I know, you are the lord of Sichuan and Shanxi, the king of Lingwu County. It is rumored that you kill people like hemp, and you are called a demon."

"This is a nickname from a long time ago. When I was young, I hated the Jurchens and Xixia people, so I killed them all and did not take prisoners of war."

"I've also heard about it. The Sogdians told us, what does the county king want to do with us?"

"I plan to have a talk with your brother Wang. If the talk goes well, I will release you all. But if the talk is not good, then I can only invite you and your army to go to the mine. After ten years of mining, you will be released."

When Bi Guian heard that the mine had been in operation for ten years, his face turned pale.

He whispered: "If you have any request from the county king, you can tell me first. I am the heir to the Uighur throne, and I can make the decision if there is anything."

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "Didn't your elder brother pass the throne to his son?"

Bi Guian shook his head, "Uyghur's rule is that brother succeeds brother, not my nephew."

"But if you die, won't the throne belong to your nephew?"

Chen Qing's words were a bit harsh, and of course Bi Gui'an understood what Chen Qing meant. He remembered Cao Changchun wanting to pass the throne to his son, and his face became a little ugly.

He said for a while: "This kind of thing is not as simple as the county king thought."

Chen Qing said lightly: "Actually, things don't have to be so complicated. If you all go to mine, then Yelu Dashi will definitely bring troops to Gaochang to visit your brother. I'm not wrong!"

Bi Gui'an nodded silently. He really didn't expect that Chen Qing would see so clearly that he would know about Yelu Dashi's restoration of the country. In fact, they wanted to find a way out for the Uighurs in Xizhou to seek Hexi. If Yelu Dashi led an army into Gaochang, they would have a place to go retreat.

Bi Guian felt a bitterness in his heart, "The king of the county is right!"

"Okay then! You and I are both smart people, so I won't play tricks with you. First, I want to recover the Hexi Corridor, and you withdraw from the Xingxing Gorge. Second, all the wealth of the yellow-headed Uighurs must be handed over to me. Subjects, you can take some away; second, our two families can sign a reconciliation trade agreement to restore the Silk Road. If your brother is willing to send his son to study in Jingzhao, then I can promise you that if the Western Liao Army attacks Gaochang , as long as you ask Hexi for help, I will definitely send troops to help."

Bi Gui'an was silent for a while and said, "I can decide to agree to your first request."

Chen Qing shook his head, "Your main force is gone, and my [-] troops will sweep the Hexi Corridor soon, so I don't need your promise. I want your brother to promise to give up the Hexi Corridor in writing by the Uighur King. You understand what I mean ?"

Bi Guian sighed, "I understand!"

Chen Qing said again: "Go back to Gaochang early tomorrow morning and tell your brother what I mean. I hope to sit down and talk with him in detail."

Bi Guian couldn't believe his ears, "The king of the county wants to let me go back? You are not afraid..."

Chen Qing sneered, "Second Prince, you have to understand that I actually have two choices now. The first choice is that I will wait for you in Jingzhao to discuss with you; the second choice is that I will lead an army of [-] to Gaochang to meet with you." Talk, so, do it for yourself!"

Chapter 826 Assassination

Bi Gui'an left with a dozen of his subordinates worried.

Chen Qing immediately divided his troops into three groups, and ordered Yang Zaixing, Liu Cui, and Gao Ding to lead [-] troops each to capture Suzhou, Guazhou, and Shazhou, and flatten the Hexi Corridor in one fell swoop.

The main force of the Xizhou Army is in Zhangye, and they have all been wiped out. The remaining sporadic troops can no longer resist the Song Army's iron cavalry.

Yang Zaixing was assigned the job of mopping up Hexi, while Chen Qing returned to Jingzhao City with an army of [-].

……

Chengdu Fu Narcissus Bridge, which is very close to the government office, is the only way for the government office to enter the prosperous area of ​​the city.

In the afternoon, a Baixi Troupe was performing under the Narcissus Bridge. The Baixi Troupe was an acrobatic and magic troupe in the Song Dynasty. It was very popular among the low-level people in the Song Dynasty. After a short time, it surrounded the inner three floors and the outer three floors, and the people continued to applaud .

At this time, an official sedan chair, escorted by more than a dozen horsemen, came slowly from the opposite side of the Narcissus Bridge.

Sitting in the official sedan chair was Li Yi, the prefect of Chengdu. Li Yi was Lu Wei's father-in-law. He had been an official in Chengdu for five years. He wanted to transfer Li Yi away, but was stopped by Chen Qing.

But in fact, Li Yi will also consider the interests of the court, and has been carefully maintaining the Sichuan agreement signed by Chen Qing and the court, which not only guarantees Chen Qing's tax benefits, but also maintains the dignity of the court, so that Sichuan has been in a balance for several years state.

Li Yinian is about 50 years old. He is very thin and capable. He plans to go to Jingzhao in the next two days to discuss the salt tax issue with Chen Qing. Sichuan is rich in well salt, and the price of salt is four Ten Wen, but private salt is only [-] Wen per catty, or even lower, which has led to the flood of private salt in the Bashu area in the past two years, and repeated prohibitions have continued.

Li Yi thought that if the price of salt was reduced to [-] Wen per catty, which would benefit the people, and at the same time crack down on illegal salt, the salt dealers would lose more than they gained, and there would be less and less illegal salt.

This morning, Li Yi received news that the salt lord Wang Jian who was publicly executed two days ago turned out to be the nephew of Guozhou scholar Cao Wang Dongyuan. This made Li Yi suddenly realize that the problem of private salt might not be that simple.

The official sedan chair passed by the crowd of Baixi. There were too many people and it was very crowded. The attendants kept urging the people to make way.

At this time, a man passed by the sedan chair. He suddenly pulled out a military crossbow, pointed it at Li Yi in the sedan chair, and shot out an arrow. The arrow hit Li Yi's chest. Li Yi screamed and fell into the sedan chair. .

"There are assassins!"

The crowd suddenly became chaotic, stumbled in fright, and fled in all directions, Bai Xi and the assassin also disappeared among the crowd.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

The attendant shouted in grief and indignation, but there was a strong poison on the tip of the arrow, the poison entered the atrium and he was unable to turn back, Li Yi had already stopped breathing.

A quarter of an hour later, Zheng Ping led thousands of soldiers to the scene of the crime and surrounded the area around the Shuixian Bridge.

Zheng Ping's face was really ugly, Li Yi was the prince's son in Sichuan, he had no way to explain his death to the prince!

"The clues have been found, who did it?" Zheng Ping roared angrily.