The Great General and His Little Scholars

Inside the Zichen Hall, Liao Mingsi and Sima Jingxuan looked through the file of Jiang Tong's case.Liao Mingsi frowned and said: "There is such a clever way of stealing money?"

"Yes, I was quite surprised when the Ministry of Punishment reported it." Song Yuanxi said: "It turned out that the method of restoring paintings was used to cut off part of the disaster relief detailed book written by Master Sima, and then use other paper to modify the details. Re-copy it. True and false are intermingled with each other, and it is impossible to tell the difference with ordinary methods."

Sima Jingxuan patted Jiang Tong comfortingly and said, "If the emperor hadn't been thoughtful, you would have been condemned to death this time."

Jiang Tong hurriedly knelt down and thanked, "Thank you, Your Majesty, Long En."

"Lord Sima is innocent in the first place. If I lose a good minister because of being framed, I will also feel heartbroken." Song Yuanxi said: "However, the Ministry of Punishment's expert identification was found by Ming Si, and the case was handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for re-handling. It was his idea too."

Jiang Tong looked up at Liao Mingsi, the secret joy in his eyes could not be concealed.

Liao Mingsi said: "If it weren't for Jiang Tong, I would still do this. Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. There are some matters in the court. Even if the Emperor cares about the old feelings, the other party is already sharpening their swords and cannot back down."

Song Yuanxi's complexion changed, and he sighed softly: "After all, they are born from the same root, so why is it too urgent to meet each other?" After saying that, he waved his hand and said: "Let's not mention this, there is one more thing, that is to check the man over there. A secret report was found, and it was full of a soldier who joined the army, and he participated in the report and Li Chengwu embezzled the army's salary and delayed the opportunity to fight."

After hearing this, Liao Mingsi exchanged glances with Sima Jingxuan, and said: "The ministers are also discussing something with the emperor."

Song Yuanxi was stunned and said: "What is it? Is it about the Chaman war?"

"Exactly." Liao Mingsi said: "According to the battle reports and memorials for this period, the situation of the investigation is really not good. I originally wanted to wait until next year, but now it seems that it is imperative to send troops to check the situation. "

"But now the northern border is freezing, is it a good time to go out?"

"Chaman's Russian captives have been unable to attack for a long time. It's not because of the right time or the right place." Liao Mingsi said: "The recent battle reports have been carefully studied, and I also heard that the Imperial Academy mentioned that some generals in the Chaman army were against Li Chengwu. The dissatisfaction is growing."

When Liao Mingsi said this, he emphasized: "I believe that the first point of sending troops is to stabilize the morale of the army, and the second is to resist the enemy."

Song Yuanxi frowned slightly, and said, "You're right, it's just..."

"Are you still worried about His Royal Highness Zhao?" Liao Mingsi said: "Although General Li Chengwu is His Royal Highness's confidant, if he really lost the important town of Chaman and allowed the Russian captives to open up the passage to northern Xinjiang, His Highness Zhao may be responsible for this crime." I can't afford it either."

Song Yuanxi looked at Sima Jingxuan and Jiang Tong, and suddenly said: "Ming Si, you come into the inner room with me, I have something to tell you."

After saying that, he stood up and walked into the inner room. Both Jiang Tong and Sima Mingxuan looked at Liao Mingsi in surprise. Liao Mingsi smiled at Jiang Tong, signaling him not to worry, and followed him in.

Song Yuanxi asked the eunuch to close the door and guard outside, leaving only Song Yuanxi and Liao Mingsi in the inner room.

"Ming Si, you have been with Jiang Tong since he left the Criminal Investigation Department. You must be very clear about the content of the secret edict in his hand, right?"

Liao Mingsi hesitated for a moment, nodded and said: "Yes, I already know everything, but..."

"Tell me." Song Yuanxi said: "I know that the secret edict is very important, but I found that no one is willing to tell me what the secret edict is."

"Besides, whenever I go to ask my mother, my mother only tells me to protect those who hold the secret edict, otherwise those who covet my throne will succeed, but they always keep silent about the reason."

Liao Mingsi thought for a moment and said: "The content of the secret edict is indeed shocking, and the secret edict almost directly led to Tong Lianqi's unjust case. But...the reason why the Queen Mother did this, I can't figure it out."

Song Yuanxi frowned: "Master Tong's injustice? What do you mean..."

Outside, Jiang Tong was nervous.Sima Jingxuan comforted him and said: "Don't worry, Ming Si and the emperor have been together since childhood, the relationship is different from that of ordinary monarchs and ministers, and it is only Ming Si who can clarify the secret edict."

In the inner room, Song Yuanxi fell down on the chair in shock and did not speak for a long while.Liao Mingsi said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this is probably the reason why the Empress Dowager wants everyone to hide it from you. After all, the succession of the former emperor... I'm afraid..."

Song Yuanxi was silent for a long time, then shook his head and said: "I am sorry for the king of Chu. When the king of Chu passed away, my father buried him hastily on the charge of treason. Since I became the throne, I have wanted to move the coffin of the king of Chu back to the capital and rebuild it." Tomb. Now it seems that it is imperative. Father, how could he..."

Liao Mingsi stepped forward and comforted him: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be sad. Since ancient times, court battles have been extremely cruel, and sometimes you are forced to do nothing."

"However, in the past few days, after learning about the secret edict, I found that there are some things that I can't figure out even more."

Song Yuanxi looked up at Liao Mingsi: "What's the matter?"

"It's King Zhao." Liao Mingsi said, "It's just such a secret edict, why did King Zhao use all means to snatch it?"

Song Yuanxi seemed to have been reminded as well. He frowned and thought for a while and said, "My people came to secretly report that King Zhao may have a secret edict from his father, which is not good for me. But I don't know the content."

"That's even more strange. Since King Zhao has such a powerful secret edict in his hand, why does he always miss this one? According to common sense, once the secret edict in Jiang Tong's hand is announced, there will be no harm to the emperor or King Zhao." Good thing."

Song Yuanxi shook his head, but also didn't understand: "This... we can only continue to investigate in the future."

He said again: "What you just said is right. I was afraid of Yuan Hao, so I hesitated for you to send troops. But since the content of the secret edict is this, I have no reason to hesitate. If you want to send troops, I will follow you."

After hearing this, Liao Mingsi said: "There were many people in the palace just now, so I just took this opportunity to report to the emperor the strategy that the ministers have come up with."

After that, he explained the situation in Chaman.

Song Yuanxi showed anger on his face: "Doesn't Li Chengwu want his head anymore? How dare he do such a thing that humiliates the army. Is it a joke to treat my country like this!"

"The emperor must not be in a hurry now." Liao Mingsi said: "Before the ministers leave, the emperor has to pretend to be ignorant of everything, so that they can be caught off guard."

Song Yuanxi suppressed the fire and nodded: "Mingsi, your idea is very good. You go to investigate and bring that bastard back to me. Don't worry here, I will let the criminal investigation department settle Jiang Tong's case immediately."

Liao Mingsi smiled and said, "The emperor still understands that this request has not been made yet."

Song Yuanxi stood up, and patted Liao Mingsi on the shoulder like a brother: "I have been with you for so long, and I know what you want just by looking at you. This time, it is a great achievement to come back from the search. I will fulfill your wish." help you achieve it."