After the old turtle disappeared, everyone in the Xiao family was stunned for a long time as they stared at the thundering and stormy river. Finally, it was Du Changsheng’s reminder that brought them back to their senses.
“Master Xiao, Mr. Xiao, and fellow Taoist Wu have left. You should go back quickly!”
Both father and son were in a trance at the moment. Du Changsheng swept some rain away for them, temporarily protecting them from the heavy rain, and shouted and repeated it again.
“Go back quickly. You don’t have to worry about this sacrifice. I will let my disciples prepare it!”
“Ah oh, okay…”
Xiao Du agreed in a daze, while Xiao Ling quickly helped his father to the carriage on the other side. Both of them were soaked and stumbled into one of the carriages before they felt alive again.
“Master, are we back?”
“Come back soon!”
“Yes!”
The coachman led the carriage and horses, turned the carriage, and the carriage swayed on the return road.
In the car, the miserable father and son of the Xiao family were both very cold. Xiao Ling was better off, after all, he was younger and had martial arts skills, while Xiao Du’s lips were purple and his whole body was shaking.
“Hoo…ho uh…”
“Dad, take off your wet coat quickly, put on a fleece blanket, warm yourself by the fire, warm yourself by the fire! By the way, drink some wine!”
Under the operation of Xiao Ling’s zhenqi, his hands and feet were quite nimble and he took care of everything.
Fortunately, the carriage’s rainproof function is pretty good, and the charcoal stove on top has not been extinguished. There are also some warm blankets. The father and son took off some of their wet clothes and shivered in front of the charcoal stove wrapped in blankets. The servant driving the carriage outside could only drink strong wine to hold on.
After a few sips of wine, wrapped in a blanket and baking on the charcoal stove, Xiao Du finally felt like he had come to life. The father and son looked at each other, feeling both sad and relieved. In comparison, Xiao Du was more worried, while Xiao Du was more worried. Ling Ze was more relieved.
The two were silent for a long time. I don’t know if it was an illusion. After the carriage left the river and took the official road to Gyeonggi Prefecture, the violent storm also weakened a little
“Dad, as long as we find all the lights of the Heshan House, the grudge between our Xiao family and that old turtle will be over!”
Xiao Du nodded, then shook his head.
“But it also wants me, a member of the Xiao family, not to be an official anymore… I am afraid that my official career will be ruined. Judging from Du Guoshi’s appearance, it seems that he will not help in this matter…”
“If you don’t want to be an official, you won’t be an official. Our Xiao family is not short of money. Isn’t it good to be a rich man with peace of mind? Now that the government and the public are in turmoil, it might not be a good thing to withdraw as soon as possible. Dad, the matter has come to this, why bother to obsess? ! ”
Xiao Ling gave a few words of advice, and Xiao Du also smiled.
“That’s right, and even if you lose your life, what’s the use of being an official? I just don’t know if the emperor and others are willing to let Xiao retreat safely…”
Xiao Ling was not ignorant of political affairs, and was slightly surprised when he heard this.
“Dad, are you worried that Mr. Yin will add insult to injury?”
Xiao Du shook his head.
“I’m not worried, Prime Minister Yin…Forget it, I have to do this no matter what.”
After seeing the horror of the monster with their own eyes, the Xiao family no longer had any luck and just thought about how to escape unscathed.
On the bank of the river, the carriage filled with sacrificial items did not leave. Du Changsheng and three disciples stood in the rain and watched as the two carriages of the Xiao family disappeared into the rain curtain in the distance.
“You three prepare sacrificial supplies.”
After leaving these words, Du Changsheng quickly walked to one side and saluted Ji Yuan and Long Nu.
“Mr. Ji, Empress Jiang Shen, how do you two feel that this matter is settled like this?”
Ji Yuan stood up and looked towards Tongtian River.
“No need to ask me if it’s suitable.”
Dragon Girl also stood up, swung her long sleeves toward the sky, and the torrential rain gradually decreased, turning into a steady drizzle within a few breaths, and the shining thunder disappeared.
“No need to ask me.”
Ji Yuan turned around and took away the table, chessboard and other items, and said to Long Nu and Du Changsheng.
“Ji went back first.”
After saying that, Ji Yuan strolled and left in the direction of returning to Gyeonggi Mansion. Longnu looked at Du Changsheng and his three disciples who noticed the master’s movements but could not see anything, and clicked After nodding, he stepped into the river, rode the waves away, and sank and disappeared in the middle of the river.
“Master, who were you talking to over there just now?”
Seeing that Du Changsheng was back, Wang Xiao and the others who were carrying out the sacrificial supplies from the carriage still asked.
“It’s nothing. Empress Jiang Shen has been watching over there just now. Be quick with your movements. After the sacrifice, we can go back to sleep.”
“Yes!”
Except for Wang Xiao, who is slightly better, the other two disciples are very shallow in Taoism, but after all, they can be regarded as serious cultivation methods, and it is possible to simply avoid water, so they are not afraid of the drizzle at the moment.
……
Unsurprisingly, Xiao Du contracted the cold, and two of the servants who went with him also fell ill. Only Xiao Ling and the other two servants did not get sick due to their excellent physical fitness.
However, even though he was ill, Xiao Du wrote his resignation despite his illness the next day and sent someone to send it to the palace. He did not dare to gamble casually on this matter. You can resign immediately if you are an official.
In the imperial study, Emperor Hongwu was still a little unbelievable when he actually read Xiao Du’s resignation.
“This Xiao Du actually wants to resign!”
Yang Hao grabbed the resignation letter in his hand and looked at the old **** Li Jingchun aside.
“Is that monster really so scary?”
“Back to Your Majesty, the giant turtle is as big as a small building, and its evil eyes are full of evil. The rain is very strange, and it is probably caused by monsters. The old slave’s innate skills are not even close. Courage.”
Yang Hao narrowed his eyes and looked at the resignation letter in his hand. Every word in it was the excuse that the minister was old, weak, and weak in energy. He did not reveal a word about the grudges.
“Does Xiao do this to deceive the emperor?”
Hearing the emperor whispering like this, the old **** Li Jingchun next to him felt a little hot on his spine. Fortunately, it seemed that this question was not what the emperor wanted to ask him. He just said this to himself, and then he saw the emperor and smiled.
“Since Xiao Aiqing feels that he is unable to do what he wants, then I will allow him to resign.”
Emperor Hongwu did not, as Xiao Du himself thought, first reject his resignation, then summon him after he recovered from his illness, and then seriously discuss the matter of the imperial censor’s resignation several times, but directly approved it with the imperial pen. .
A few days later, the news that Xiao Du, the imperial censor, resigned, and that the emperor had approved the resignation, quickly spread within the bureaucracy of the capital, causing a major sensation among several factions.
It is no exaggeration to say that at this moment, the resignation of the imperial censor is no less sensational than the resignation of an ordinary prime minister. After all, Dazhen is a multi-phase system, and some prime ministers may not have the censor. The position was important, and Xiao Du’s resignation was another big stone thrown into the lake of this sensitive period, which in the following days caused the situation between the government and the opposition to continue to ferment.
First, there was a scene in the capital where day and night were reversed and stars were falling;
Then Yin Zhaoxian’s condition improved and his body was recovering;
Another imperial censor, Xiao Du, resigned from office;
Then the current emperor actually directly approved the imperial censor’s request to resign;
Officials from several factions in the court frequently moved around, including private meetings between courtiers and foreign ministers. Even Xiao Du, who had resigned from office, could not live in peace, either hidden or open, and people would visit him day and night. The Xiao family’s residence.
……
A month later, in the Yin Mansion, in the small courtyard of Ji Yuan’s guest house, Yin Zhaoxian, who had taken off his fox mask, sat opposite Ji Yuan and played chess with Ji Yuan.
“Hey, Mr. Ji’s chess skills are no longer matchable by Yin. How about giving me ten pieces in the next game?”
Ji Yuan grinned, which made him give in more and more.
“That’s not possible. Ji’s chess skills are a little better than Master Yin’s, but what’s the point of giving you ten pieces? It’s better to just count you as the winner, with a maximum of six pieces.”
“Okay, six men are six men, let’s play another round!”
Yin Zhaoxian took the initiative to clean up the chessboard, and Ji Yuan had no choice but to shake his head and accompany him. This Master Yin was full of awe-inspiring righteousness, but he was always fussy about playing chess with him. However, this was the real Master Yin, not the Yin Wenqu who was mythologized by the outside world. .
At this time, two brothers, Yin Qing and Yin Zhong, walked into the courtyard one after another.
“Dad, Mr. Ji.” “Dad, Mr. Ji.”
The two brothers greeted their elders one after another. When they got close, Yin Qing glanced at the chessboard first and saw that there were no moves on the chessboard. His father had already placed six chess pieces. He understood what was going on, but he didn’t To watch two people play chess.
“Dad, it looks like the Xiao family is preparing to leave Beijing.”
During this period, Yin Qing has been paying attention to the Xiao family. At first, he was afraid that the Xiao family would retreat in order to advance. After all, the Xiao family’s actions were too decisive. If you want to clear everything and retreat, this is not the way. Your Majesty It is easy to make people think too much if they are right at first glance, but after hearing something from Ji Yuan later, Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing believed that the Xiao family really wanted to retreat.
Originally, the Xiao family must have done some corrupt things and perverted the law over the years, and they must have reaped a lot of benefits. Or to say the least, the ministers of the DPRK really have too few clean butts. The Xiao family themselves Retreating has saved the Yin family a lot of trouble, and the Yin family is also happy to spare the other party and forget everything.
However, private public opinion in the court contained many versions. Officials from several factions were all in danger. There were even rumors that the emperor was so decisive in asking Xiao Du to resign, and that Prime Minister Yin had recovered from his illness. Among them, there were many Conspiracy, find Shuyuan www． zhaoshuyuan.com This type of conspiracy theory reached its peak after Yin Zhaoxian resumed the morning court on his first day.
Under this environment, a large number of officials still find ways to contact the Xiao family every day, putting the Xiao family in a dangerous situation.
Hearing Yin Qing’s words, Yin Zhao first glanced at Ji Yuan who was really about to make a move, thought for a moment and sighed.
“Hey, Xiao Du did it as a last resort.”
Yin Zhong thought for a moment and said.
“Dad, the Xiao family left Beijing to return to their ancestral home in Jizhou. There is certainly a reason to abide by the agreement, but if they really leave Beijing, wouldn’t it be very dangerous for them?”
Yin Qing smiled and patted Yin Zhong on the shoulder.
“You have made some progress by thinking this way, but Xiao Du thinks a little more than you do. Nowadays, there are many people who regard the Xiao family as a thorn in their side, but the Xiao family who stays in the capital and has clearly resigned, but there are constantly Court officials and even foreign ministers visited secretly… The emperor used to be a sage, but now he is shrewd. He may have allowed Xiao to retreat peacefully because of his old feelings, but shrewd people are prone to overthinking, and Xiao Du also knows this , he is no longer a censor, and there are people behind him who are adding fuel to the flames. He can only be anxious, and he can’t lose face to beg my father. Leaving the capital is a two-edged sword. Although it is risky, it is worth taking the risk. After all, the Xiao family still has accumulation. ”
After Yin Qing said such a string of words, even Ji Yuan, who didn’t know much about government affairs, could understand it clearly, and he could even imagine some intricate relationships, let alone Yin Zhong.
After explaining this, he said to Yin Zhong.
“Hu’er, you’d better follow the Xiao family secretly. If anything happens, help them at the critical moment and let them return to Jizhou safely.”
Yin Zhong thought about it briefly and understood why he wanted to help this former enemy.
“Okay, then father, Mr. Ji, and brother, I will take my leave first.”
Yin Zhong slightly cupped his hands towards the three elders in the courtyard, turned around and walked away.