Chapter 373: Step by step (Part 2)

In the deep night, the closed door of Yonglefang quietly opened, and an army flowed out of the door silently like black mercury, heading towards Mingde Gate. The Zhuque Street was very quiet, and there was no pedestrian. The team marched very fast, and only the sound of horse hooves was heard, "Da Da!", no one spoke, and everyone looked at the surrounding situation with a vigilant look.

In the middle of the team, Zhang Huan was wearing black armor and stared at the front with a calm eyes. At noon today, Li Ping gave out all the land and only begged Zhang Huan to spare his wife and children's lives. Although he did not mention his father Li Mian, Zhang Huan keenly felt that Li Mian and Duan Xiushi were about to have a last fight. From a certain perspective, Zhang Huan still admired the two of them very much, especially Duan Xiushi. He did not have a grandson of the emperor like Li Mian. He had no worries. He did not hesitate to do something impossible just for his own beliefs, and even wanted to raid the family as the price. But no matter how admiration was, Zhang Huan would not let them go because of admiration. This is politics, and politics has no pity for the enemy.

But in his entire plan, Li Mian and Duan Xiushi were just two pieces of gravel in the torrent. They were insignificant and could not change the rushing trend. Now he is going to embark on a journey again, but this journey is an extremely special journey and will be the most brilliant part of his life.

Soon, the army arrived in front of Mingde Gate. The defenders of Mingde Gate had been notified in advance. Seeing that the army was coming, the gate of Mingde Gate slowly opened and Zhang Huan's army began to leave the city. At this time, Zhang Huan's personal bodyguard appeared behind Zhang Huan like a ghost. He whispered: "Report to the governor, there is indeed a person hidden in a big tree two hundred steps away."

"Continue to follow, don't disturb him." Zhang Huan's orders, and Fang Wuqing disappeared like a wisp of blue smoke.

After waiting for Zhang Huan's army to leave the city, Mingde Gate slowly closed again, a black shadow quietly jumped into Anyifang next to Mingde Gate and quickly disappeared into the heavy night sky on a big tree two hundred steps away.

When it was almost dawn, the gates of each fang opened with drums, and the gates of the wuben fang also opened. Many people who had already been waiting in front of the fang gate flocked out. The vendors who sold vegetables and snacks each occupied their own territory and began to shout loudly. The morning mist was full of vitality. At this time, a man in a gray robe hurried into the fang gate, passed through an alley, and came to the side door of Li Mian's mansion. He took out a sign and shook it at the guard servants, who immediately led him into the mansion.

Li Mian unexpectedly became active in the past two days. He began to appear in the court room of the Ministry of Rites and began to ask some old subordinates about their well-being. Although he was not invited to attend Zhang Huan's meeting, he did not care. He smiled and went up and down every day, and was serious and diligent in every official business, as if he had become a different person. Compared with his activeness during the day, he was very quiet at night and did not go anywhere. Duan Xiushi no longer came to him. He read books every night, tweaked his grandson, and discussed the meaning of life with his concubines. In short, it was like an old man who knew his destiny, who had no desires and was just waiting for the arrival of retirement.

Early in the morning, Li Mian got up before dawn as usual and prepared to go to court. He drank a cup of hot tea. As soon as he got up and was about to leave, a butler from the outside house rushed over and whispered a few words to him. Li Mian immediately changed his mind and walked quickly to the quiet room. In the quiet room, the man in gray robe was sitting cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes to rest. When the door rang, he immediately jumped up like a frightened frog and bowed to Li Mian who was walking in, "See the Secretary of the House!"

Li Mian closed the door of the quiet room, sat down and asked immediately, "Has that person really left Beijing?"

"He's leaving the capital!" The man in gray nodded and said, "Since yesterday, all day and night, the subordinates sent people to wait in front of the major city gates in Chang'an. Late last night, the brothers who were waiting near Mingde Gate finally found him quietly out of the city."

"The opportunity is finally here!" Li Mian couldn't help but feel excited. He paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. Since he heard the news that Chu Xingshui refused to abandon his troops, he realized that the opportunity might appear. Then Zhang Huan cleaned up the Chu family's forces and arrested Chu Wei. It was even reported that he wanted to kill Chu Wei to show his determination. The Chu family also expressed a confrontation and withheld eight million jin of tax money. All signs indicate that the situation in Huainan is in danger of being out of control. After the great victory in Hebei yesterday, Zhang

Huan immediately expressed his intention to go to Huainan in person. Li Mian guessed that this must be the Longyou Army in Hebei going south. Zhang Huan originally said to leave Beijing this morning, but he set out overnight, which shows that he was very anxious about the situation in Huainan. It will take at least a month and a half to go. Chang'an is empty, and his chance finally came. At this moment, Li Mian no longer had the intention to go to court. He said to the man in gray without thinking: "Go and invite Duan Xiushi to me immediately, and then tell him that the man has left the city."

Zhang Huanli Jing did not cause any major shock in the court. Many people were still drowsy in the alcohol last night, not realizing what Zhang Huan would bring to the Tang Dynasty this time.

"Go away! I'm standing in front of Zhuque Gate every day, is it still a human being to live on this day?" This is the complaint of a relatively lazy official.

"You know what's the matter! There are only 500,000 guan left in the Zuozang of the imperial court. The Chu family deducts taxes and does not ship them. How can the state supervise not be in a hurry? April is coming soon, and it's time to use the money. What should he do if he doesn't go!"

"Oh! It's so easy to clear the Central Plains, and something happened in Huainan. When will my Tang Dynasty have a peaceful day?"

Amid the discussion, a carriage drove out of Danfeng Gate. Inside the carriage was Cui Yu, who had just arrived at court. He heard that Zhang Huan had actually left Jing overnight, and remembered Yuan Zai's hint to him yesterday, and his heart became anxious. Last night, he went to visit Yuan Zai specifically to reveal the secret of his hint to him during the day. But no matter how he indirectly attacked him, Yuan Zai just smiled and didn't answer, which made him confused. Now Zhang Huan was leaving Jing overnight again. He seemed to have realized something, but he couldn't see it clearly. Cui Yu decided to ask his elder brother to find out the secrets.

The carriage galloped all the way and soon drove into Xuanyangfang. It stopped slowly in front of Cui's mansion. Cui Yu got off the carriage and walked quickly into the gate of Cui's mansion. Since reaching an agreement with Zhang Huan to exchange land for military force, Cui Yuan has once again become the actual leader of the Cui family. Although he no longer holds any position, the Cui family will send him news about the big and small things that happen to the court every day. At the same time, all major events in the clan must be reported to him for decision-making.

He naturally knew clearly what happened in the court these two days. The Daming Palace was closed, the Chu family's confrontation with the imperial court, the canal transportation crisis, the Hebei victory and other incidents were reported to him in time. Now, he had just received the news that Zhang Huan left Beijing overnight last night.

"The second master is here." Suddenly, the guard's report came from the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Yu rushed in and said anxiously: "Brother, do you know that Zhang Huan had left Beijing overnight last night."

Cui Yuan smiled. He seemed to know that Cui Yu would come, so he raised the express in his hand and smiled: "I just knew it."

"Why do you think there is something wrong with this?" Cui Yu asked hesitantly.

"The problem? When you were in the meeting yesterday, didn't he say that Wang Siyu's army had already gone south and he wanted to go to Huainan to solve the problem in person? Since it had already been said, what would be the problem? It's just that he changed to set off overnight, maybe he felt that the situation was a bit serious."

Cui Yuan's understatement answer made Cui Yu not satisfied. On the surface, there was indeed nothing unusual. In Huainan, Zhang Huan left Beijing overnight. Everything was natural, but Cui Yu always felt that there seemed to be something unspeakable. He suddenly remembered something and said anxiously: "Yesterday I said I would go to Huainan to let Zhang Huan be in charge of the capital. With my 20-year friendship with Chu Xingshui and his long-term official in Beijing, I think I could find a plan that both parties could accept, but Zhang Huan was determined to do so. Just when I persuaded me again, Yuan Zai gave me a hint, indicating that I should not dissuade Zhang Huan to travel south. My brother was stupid in qualifications and could not figure out the reason. I hope my brother would give me some advice."

"You should think why?" Cui Yuan still said lightly: "Since ancient times, have the superiors stayed in the capital? No matter how anxious he is or how he has the advantage of ascending the throne, he has to show a posture in the last step: his ascending the throne was forced, and he was forced by his ministers. He had to ascend the throne repeatedly and invited him to the throne. How could he have such a chance to stay in the capital?"

Cui Yu suddenly realized that although he was not as scheming as Cui Yuan, he had been an official for many years and had enough political experience. As long as he pointed out the paper, the situation would be solved. It has been nearly a month since Zhang Huan returned to Beijing, and he never settled the Empress Dowager Party. In this way, he was going to leave them as the ladder for him to reach the top.

After thinking about this, Cui Yu's heart immediately became hot. At this critical moment, how could he let go of the unsuccessful support of the unsuccessful achievements? He immediately asked impatiently: "What should we do?"

"What are you anxious about?"

Cui Yuan glanced at him, a little dissatisfied with Cui Yu's impatientness. Since Zhang Huan dared to leave Beijing at this critical moment, how could he not make any arrangements? And if he wanted to ascend the throne, how could he do without the support of his Cui family? Politics is like a stage, and it is not enough to be buried in the backstage, but it is not enough to steal other people's plays. The key is to know what role he should play in it. Thinking of this, Cui Yuan snorted softly: "Now we don't do anything, just watch coldly, and wait to clean up the mess for him."

Although I thought so, Cui Yuan was a little confused about what role the Cui family would play. Just look at this time and you can know which one would be more important to Zhang Huan's heart.

Pei You did not attend court on time today. At 3 o'clock, when the last bell rang, he slowly came out of the mansion, boarded the carriage, and left to Qinrenfang. Compared with his brother Pei Jun, Pei You's use of power seemed a little stagnant. He was not as able to accurately grasp Zhang Huan's psychology like Cui Yuan. Although Cui Yuan gave up the army, he won the greatest benefit for the Cui family.

At the end of the Battle of Hebei Province, Zhang Huan gained both fame and fortune. The Pei family not only lost their army, but also lost most of the manors. The Pei family once owned hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, but now only three farms near Ye County are left with only 10,000 hectares of land.

Not only the army and land, Pei You's control over the Pei family is not as good as Pei Jun. The most typical thing is that he cannot calm the dispute between the head of the Pei family. He is now acting as the head of the family and repeatedly declared in the clan that he would not force the head of the family. Even so, there are still many people of the same generation who do not buy his account. For example, the current Secretariat of the Secretariat Pei Jia is his biggest opponent. The situation in the Pei family is calm, but the dispute has been temporarily shelved because Pei Ying mediated in the middle. Once Pei Mingyuan returns to the country, the matter will inevitably cause trouble again.

In the carriage, Pei You sighed slightly. It was almost half a year since Pei Mingyuan was on a mission to Dashi, and it was time to return home. I wonder how he would treat his brother when he heard the news of his father's death after he returned home.

The family's civil strife made Pei You feel deeply tired. The only thing that can be hoped for now is Pei Ying, the biggest backer of the Pei family. I hope she can clear the chaos of the Pei family and give the Pei family a place in the future Tang Dynasty.

"Master, we are here!" The coachman's report interrupted his contemplation. He quickly lifted the curtain of the car. Outside the window, a grand mansion appeared in front of him. This was the Fenyang Prince's Mansion of Guo Ziyi, the chief elder of the Tang Dynasty.

The carriage stopped slowly, Pei You lowered his head and got out of the car door, picked up the collar and quickly stepped up the steps. He took out a famous sect and handed it to the doorman and said, "Please tell the Grand Marshal, Pei You are here to visit."

The concierge did not dare to neglect, so he ran to the inner government to report after a complaint. After a moment, a burst of footsteps came from the mansion. The side door opened with a creak. Guo Ziyi's son Guo Shu came out to greet him. Guo Ziyi had six sons, the eldest son had passed away the previous year. The rest of the sons were all officials in various places, and only the sixth son Guo Shu stayed by his side. Guo Shu was nearly thirty years old and had not taken office. He was responsible for the management of the Guo family's property and shops at home. However, he had a fourth-rank official who was on the rank of the lieutenant of the light chariot. According to later generations, he was also a princeling who abandoned politics and went to business.

Seeing Pei You waiting and asking, Guo Shu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed and said, "I don't know that Uncle Shi is here to welcome you. I hope you will forgive me!"

Pei You smiled and said, "Is your father in the mansion?"

"My father went out for a walk early in the morning and has not come back yet. Why don't Uncle Pei come in and wait for a while and I will send someone to find him."

"This..." Pei You hesitated a little. He was considering whether to go back to the court room first and come to find Guo Ziyi at noon. After all, Zhang Huan pointed out before leaving Beijing that he wanted him to preside over the government.

At this moment, a generous laugh came from behind Pei You, "Pei Xiangguo should be in charge of the political situation in the Daming Palace, how could he come to my husband's house?"

Pei You hurriedly turned around. It turned out that Guo Ziyi was standing behind him. He was wearing an extremely ordinary green robe, a gauze hat, and his hair and beard were gray. Although he was over 80 years old, his eyes were sharp and his spirit was still full of energy. He had to go out for an hour every morning, go to the teahouse to have tea and chat, and then return home after breakfast.

Pei You quickly bowed and smiled, "I was entrusted by the state of surveillance to formulate the Khitan strategy. I can't make up some things. I'll come and ask the Taiwei for advice."

"With the talent of Prime Minister Pei, what else can you do if you can't handle it?" Guo Ziyi smiled and waved her hand to the mansion and said, "Pei Prime Minister Pei!"

"Please, please!"

Pei You followed Guo Ziyi into his study and sat down. A concubine came in to offer them fragrant tea and pastries. Guo Ziyi picked up the tea bowl and sucked the tea, then asked slowly: "I have heard of the great victory in Hebei. The main force of 50,000 Khitans was completely wiped out by our Tang army, and even the Khitan King was captured alive. Now the Khitans are already a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. I wonder how the governor will deal with the Khitans?"

"Followed the example of dealing with the Turks, and broke up the Khitans and lived with us Han people."

Guo Ziyi gently stroked her beard and pondered for a moment, "This is great. During the Anshi Rebellion, I fought a war with the Khitans. They were the most fickle. They surrendered today and rebelled tomorrow. They were hard to return home. So they simply destroyed their clan without leaving any troubles. Since the strategy has been decided, I wonder what else does Pei Xiangguo have to do to me?"

Pei You bowed slightly and said, "It is a foregone conclusion to break up the Khitans and move south, but I can't make up for where to move them, so I came to ask the Taiwei for advice, thinking that it is best to place them where to place them?"

Guo Ziyi quickly glanced at Pei You. He was neither a local prince who controlled the Tang Dynasty, nor an old prime minister who had been in power for many years. Why should I ask myself this kind of thing? It is a way to solve the problem when I asked the Ministry of Revenue for household registration information or ask the Ministry of War for maps of various places in the Tang Dynasty. Isn’t it a joke? Pei You’s problem of being inconsistent with the household registration, which suddenly aroused Guo Ziyi’s suspicion. He immediately realized that Pei You should have another idea to look for him.

"I have been living in Chang'an, and my understanding of my Tang Dynasty is still in the scene twenty years ago. I'm afraid I can't help Pei's questions." Guo Ziyi answered lukewarmly, and he picked up the tea and tasted it slowly, waiting for Pei You to talk about it later.

Sure enough, Pei You didn't care about Guo Ziyi's love. He smiled faintly and said, "Since the Grand Marshal can't help, I won't force anyone."

As the topic changed, Pei You asked sincerely again: "The Taiwei is a veteran of the four dynasties. He has experienced decades of turmoil in the Tang Dynasty. He is particularly aware of the disaster of An Lushan. He has a far-sighted vision of the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty. Now the Tang Dynasty is on the crossroads of fate. I wonder where the Taiwei thinks that the Tang Dynasty should go?"

"Where is the way?" Guo Ziyi already understood Pei You's true purpose. He wanted to invite himself to come out and support Zhang Huan ascend the throne.

Guo Ziyi, like Duan Xiushi, is the defender of imperial power, but unlike Duan Xiushi, Guo Ziyi does not care about the purity of the emperor's bloodline. In his opinion, the most important thing is whether there can be a strong monarch. When the outbreak of An Lushan's rebellion broke out, he always believed that it was caused by the absence of a strong monarch. Li Longji's long-term raising tigers directly led to An Lushan's growth. Similarly, in recent years, whether it was Zhu Li's rebellion in Shu, Cui Qinggong's rebellion in the Central Plains, or the rebellion of warlords in other places, it was because the Tang Dynasty did not have a strong monarch, and the loose sand of the aristocratic family's government could not form the cohesion of the central court.

From this point of view, Guo Ziyi was extremely hopeful that a revival lord would appear in the Tang Dynasty. He originally hoped that Prince Li Yu would win the unanimous support of military generals in the long-term quelling the Anshi Rebellion. Guo Ziyi was also an active supporter. Unfortunately, Prince Yu died young and brought the Tang Dynasty to a fork. Now, his son made a comeback again. How could Guo Ziyi not be moved? Besides, there were Ma Lin, Bai Guangyuan, Xin Yunjing, Li Fei Yuanli and other old subordinates who fully supported Zhang Huan. He could not stay out of the matter, both public and private.

But Guo Ziyi is very cautious and will never make a statement easily before things are completely clear, so he has been thinking about Pei You's problems for a long time.

Pei You had already seen hope in Guo Ziyi's eyes. He immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Guo Ziyi and said, "What I said today, I think the Taiwei should understand that the Taiwei is the minister of the Tang Dynasty, with a high prestige. I just hope that on that day, the Taiwei can stand up and give my Tang Dynasty a little strength again."
Chapter completed!