Multiple crimes

On the second day, the city of Luoyang was extremely lively. Thousands of officials and people flocked to the entrance of the vegetable market to watch Ge Rong's execution.Er Zhurong personally led the team to escort the prison cart, and was supported by heavy soldiers along the way, responding to every call, very majestic.

The first time he fought for Wei Ting, he won a complete victory, and the reputation of Zhu Guo's great general spread throughout Luoyang City.The common people regarded him as a patron saint, and Emperor Zhuang even rewarded him for his meritorious service, and made him a great prime minister, who supervised all the military forces outside Hebei.

Immediately after the edict was issued, Emperor Zhuang himself did not appear at the execution scene.During the joyous and festive days of the whole city, Yuan Ziyou was recuperating in his bedroom in a sluggish state.

The illness is not serious, low-grade fever and cough, but it takes a lot of effort to raise it.Yuan Ziyou knew the origin of the illness in his heart, so he was not in a hurry - it was the first time he experienced that, he didn't have a good rest and was blown by cold wind all night, no one could bear it.

The servants in the dormitory didn't know the inside story, and they broke out in a cold sweat.The emperor didn't return all night, and there was no news, but the next morning, he was carried back in a sedan chair in a daze, which is not bad!

Yan Shuo took off Yuan Ziyou's clothes and checked them over and over again. He suspected that the master had been abused by Er Zhurong.

Yuan Ziyou sensed Yan Shuo's doubts, but he didn't mention anything about what happened last night, he just said inarticulately: "No quilt...he won't cover me with the quilt..."

Thanks to Er Zhurong, Yuan Ziyou didn't even have a bruise on his body, let alone hickey marks.After researching for a long time, he didn't find any clues, so Yan Shuo gave up and started serving tea and water to serve his master's recovery.

After a few days of leisurely life, Yuan Ziyou stretched out his hands to eat and opened his mouth, and he was almost tired of this kind of life.During this period, Er Zhurong came to visit once, and the time was not long, only more than ten minutes.Yuan Ziyou ignored him with drooping eyelids, acting like an emperor.Er Zhurong thought that he was still playing with him about what happened that night, so he smiled kindly.

The new prime minister is busy with official duties and has no time to speculate on other people's emotions.

The number of surrendered soldiers in Yecheng was large.Er Zhurong was worried that there would be troubles in the hearts of the people, so he divided them into custody and organized them together with the original imperial guards of the Wei Dynasty, which not only disbanded the troops but also enriched his own troops.

Among the helpless rebels who came to seek refuge, a small leader named Yu Wentai caught Er Zhurong's attention.This person is from Xianbei, he was born in Wuchuan, and he has some friendship with Er Zhurong's general He Bayue.General Ai pleaded for mercy, and Er Zhurong had to listen. Since he was a talent, he went along with the flow and brought him under the cloak of He Bayue.

As for the officers, soldiers and generals who made meritorious service in the war, Er Zhurong also rewarded them for their meritorious service, and granted them official titles and rewards respectively.

"Gao Huan made a great contribution this time. If it weren't for him, we might not have won so quickly. Jinzhou is a good place. If he wants to, he can go there and be a governor... In fact, he intends to do things for me, but I don't want to." Don't worry about leaving him in Luoyang."

Jinzhou is a good place, but it is too far away from the capital. It is obviously a kind of alienation and ill treatment for a general who has just made military exploits.Er Zhuzhao didn't understand why Er Zhurong was so wary of Gao Huan, and tentatively said: "Governor Gao is resourceful and able to lead the army well, he is a rare talent. The younger brother sees it in his eyes, and he is convinced..."

Er Zhurong waved his hand and said, "I'm not just for you. Gao Huan recruited the rest of Ge Rong's troops without telling me, and has already regarded Jizhou and Dingzhou as his strongholds. I don't care about it for the sake of his meritorious service. , but if it continues like this, sooner or later something will happen. He is too ambitious, I have to guard against him."

Er Zhuzhao was silent for a while, then frowned and said, "Brother, in my opinion, this is not a long-term solution after all. Jinzhou is far away in Hebei, and after Gao Dudu's visit, it is true that there is no way to intervene in the affairs of Luoyang City, but Jinzhou We also have no way of governing the situation, if it gets out of control, wouldn't it be counterproductive?"

"I have my own measure in this matter." Er Zhurong stopped the topic with a low laugh.For Gao Huan, he was both guarded and cherished, as if a hero knows a hero.Since the other party has no dissent, there is no need for him to rush and lose a capable general.

"By the way, there is one more thing..." Picking up the teacup and moistening his throat, Er Zhurong shifted his eyes to the ground, and said hesitantly: "I want Ying'e to enter the palace and marry Yuanzi Yau."

Er Zhuzhao suddenly raised his head when he heard the words, but after a brief shock, he regained his composure, lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Er Zhurong knew that he was sad, but he couldn't say words of comfort.After a while, he sighed softly and leaned over, pressed Er Zhuzhao's shoulder apologetically, and said softly, "Second brother, don't hate me."

"How could it be?" Er Zhuzhao murmured and turned his head, with self-blame in his tone, but his face was calm and smiling, "It was my fault that something like that happened... I just wronged Ying'e, she should have a home long ago."

"I will not let her be wronged." Er Zhurong stood up as if swearing an oath, and lowered her head to face Er Zhuzhao: "Ying'e is your sister, and also my sister. If Yuan Ziyou dares to treat you badly, I will never Be gentle. From now on, the emperor will not marry another concubine, there can only be one woman in the harem, and that is the empress!"

Er Zhurong had promised to give Yuan Ziyou a surprise before he left for the expedition, and he did not break his promise.

The fly in the ointment was that the surprise was more than pleasant, not only failed to arouse Yuan Ziyou's gratitude, but also made Yuan Ziyou so angry that he was speechless for a long time.

After being in the palace for so long, he had never heard that the emperor's marriage was arranged by his courtiers.Although Er Zhu Ying'e was a well-known beauty in Xiurongchuan, it was too hasty to make an engagement without even letting her see her, it seemed like a forced marriage!

Yuan Ziyou was dissatisfied with the marriage from the very beginning, even the bride who had never met before became resentful.After protesting for a long time and seeing that no one paid any attention, he felt more and more insulted, and threatened that anyone who dared to walk through the door would make her look good.

Er Zhurong was furious when he heard this, and sent someone to put Yuan Ziyou under house arrest, and he was not released until the day of the wedding banquet.

The pomp and ceremony of the wedding was not grand, and only Er Zhurong's retainers and a few royal relatives of the Yuan family were invited to the banquet.Red silk and candles were hung up in the main hall, and a small group of barbarian musicians played, sang and danced before the banquet—it was like a small family banquet.

Er Zhuzhao knew that his eldest brother did this to take care of his own feelings, and was very grateful, but he still couldn't stand the festive scene, and left the meeting early on the grounds of feeling unwell.

Er Zhurong saw Er Zhuzhao's leaving back from a distance, and was a little worried, and wanted to find someone to take him back home, but when he turned his head, he saw the groom lying listlessly on the upper seat.

Yuan Ziyou just had a fight with Er Zhurong because of the wedding, and he still hasn't calmed down yet.He was not interested in the barbarian singing and dancing, and he couldn't get in the way of the hot discussions of the princes and ministers, so he had to pick up snacks by himself in a sullen mood.

Seeing this, Er Zhurong frowned, thinking that Yuan Ziyou was deliberately acting as if he had nothing to do with him to fight against him.

This is wronged Yuan Ziyou.The festive atmosphere and bright wedding dresses at the banquet had already calmed down his mood a lot. Although he was still brooding over his anger, at least he no longer tried to curse the bride.Sensing the gaze cast from Er Zhurong, he put down the snack box in his hand and looked up at him.

Yuan Ziyou is actually very afraid of being alone, especially in such a crowded place.At this time, he sincerely hoped that someone would come to drink with him or talk for a while.

At this moment, a group of Hu officials came forward from the gate of the hall with wine cups to congratulate the new uncle.Er Zhurong stood up and greeted him with a smile, and quickly forgot Yuan Ziyou.

The wedding banquet was said to be held for the emperor, but the real protagonist was Er Zhurong.Since the Heyin Incident, the power of the Erzhu family can be said to be overshadowing the sky with one hand, calling the wind and rain in the court, and having everything except blood.Now that Erzhu Ying'e has entered the palace as the empress, and Er Zhurong has become the uncle of the country, the Erzhu family has become relatives of the emperor, and their status cannot be shaken in the slightest.How can this not make people cheer and congratulate with wine!

While talking and laughing, a sneer suddenly came from the crowd: "Huh... a woman who has incest with her brother still has the face to enter the palace!" ears.

Putting down his wine glass without changing his expression, he followed the sound and looked all the way, and saw the speaker behind the wall of people.

——Yuan Yu, son of Linhuai King Yuanchang.

Er Zhurong didn't know many nobles with the Yuan surname, but Yuan Yu was one of them.This person was young and had participated in the suppression of the Six Towns Rebellion, but unfortunately he had no skills, and was blasted back to the city by the rebel army as soon as the battle started.After the Heyin incident, he was afraid of being implicated, so he abandoned his family and went to Nanliang. A while ago, he asked his mother to return him on the grounds that he was old, and returned to Luoyang to ask for a free job.

That's not the reason why Er Zhurong cared about him.There are many noble children who come back to bow their heads and profess their vassals after going abroad for refuge, and this one is not bad.But Yuan Yu is different from other princes and nobles, he is a real literati.

Prince Linhuai has a son who is elegant, knowledgeable and eloquent, and he is talking about Yuan Yu.Er Zhurong himself is not good at diction, and has only dealt with warriors in his life, so he developed a different interest in literati and poets—although this interest does not contain any element of respect.

Here, the "literati" Yuan Yu was trembling under Er Zhurong's gaze.

He is a typical scholar with a temper, full of guts, dare to speak and dare not be.Just now, Caitu almost stabbed Erzhu's family in a basket, but he regretted it as soon as he said it, his pride was completely gone, and he immediately decided that he was going to die.

Er Zhurong didn't attack him immediately.Putting his chin up and squinting his eyes, he said softly and slowly: "Master Yuan seems to be not very satisfied with this wedding banquet..."

Yuan Yu swallowed and wanted to deny it, but Er Zhurong continued before opening his mouth: "The Hu people's singing and dancing are indeed too vulgar, and it's natural that they can't catch Master Yuan's eyes, why don't you come and dance yourself, Master Yuan?" Su Wenyuan is a beautiful person, good at advancing and stopping, and he must be graceful and moving when dancing."

Yuan Yu blushed instantly upon hearing this, and was too embarrassed to speak.He was originally pale and handsome, but because of the bookish air of a scholar, sometimes he seemed a bit too coy.This is not considered a shortcoming, and it can be called elegant in the eyes of women, but when Er Zhurong said it, it was plainly insulting and unspeakably harsh.

Seeing this, the surrounding ministers gathered around one after another, laughing and urging Yuan Yu to dance.

After waiting for a long time and seeing that he still couldn't get up, Er Zhurong said coldly with a dark face: "Why, Mr. Yuan refuses to show you face? Today is the emperor's big day, and I have worked so hard for this wedding banquet. Don't you It's fine if you're satisfied, why spoil everyone's interest? Master Yuan, tell me, should I be angry?"

"I..." Yuan Yu supported the edge of the table with one hand and tried to stand up, but his legs trembled and he couldn't control himself.He has always been very thin-skinned, and he has never been subjected to such difficulties, and he almost fainted under Er Zhurong's persecution.

At this moment, a figure came in from behind and stood in front of Yuan Yu.The visitor folded his hands behind his back, swayed his body from side to side, and seemed to be in a good mood: "Master Yuan can't dance, why don't I dance for him?"

Er Zhurong raised his head inexplicably, and when he saw the person clearly, his expression changed instantly: "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"