Chapter 1693: The Dim Imperial Capital

In fact, the days of these three princes are not very easy recently. There is a reason why the queen mother asked them to come and get them. If there is no problem, how can these three people be pulled out? He really thinks that there are too few people that the queen mother can win over now. They all say that the queen mother is bigger than the emperor, but that was when the emperor was still young. If the emperor had such an accident twenty years ago, he would probably be The position has long been unstable. Didn’t the emperor do this thing twenty years later? How many things can be done in twenty years? It can turn a young prince into a wily emperor. The current emperor has almost made the empire All the rights have been seized. Now if you want to jump up, there is no way. These three people also understand in their minds, but those boys who are much younger than them are more beautiful than these three old guys. These days Can you still go on? Even if you know you can't do something, you have to stand up and try it. That is to say, Peng Zhun's mentality, the Queen Mother will call them here, but few people seem to bring up this matter, not for other reasons They are all for their own sake. It is not the same concept if someone else proposes to join in and invites others to participate. In the past, the final result of the prince’s rebellion was to be banned, but that was before, and now it is not implemented. Well, the current emperor doesn't have any human touch at all. His son will be killed as soon as he says it. How can these uncles and brothers be closer than his son? Impossible thing, if this thing is really exposed in the future, it is possible to kill everyone.

"His third uncle, you haven't been walking around in the palace recently, why? I heard that you have been living in a hot spring village outside the city recently. What's the matter? That place is the place to go to in summer. It's not summer now, the weather is so cold, how can this body bear it." The queen mother asked a few people to sit down and said, there is a reason for the queen mother to say this, and they are at their age. She seldom talks nonsense. The queen mother would not talk nonsense when she was young, and now she is even more so. Prince Jin is the third child in the emperor's father's generation, so the queen mother is called this The old guy is his third uncle, this name seems a bit closer, Prince Jin hasn't heard this name for decades. After hearing it now, I seem to think of some things from that year.

"Hehe, thank you Empress Dowager for your concern. Too many things have happened in the imperial capital recently. I don't know when I'm going to the imperial mausoleum to talk to my elder brother and the others. In the imperial capital It really didn't suit me, so I went outside the city. The hot springs over there are also very healthy for the body. It's not just me, there are a few old guys over there. We don't care about things in the imperial capital. Why do you care? We are at our age. It is more comfortable to live outside, and it is not comfortable at home. I can’t chat with these young people. Now that my grandson is married, I am in the palace of the imperial capital. It makes me feel even more uncomfortable, and I still feel comfortable living outside the city." Prince Jin said with a smile, to be honest, the whole old guy is constantly understanding and paying attention to the affairs of the imperial capital. But when the queen mother asked, she had to show a look of not paying much attention, so as to raise her own value, and tell the queen mother that she actually didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the imperial capital, if you asked me to help, I would be satisfied If the price is lower, I won't sell it.

"Well, that's true. It's really quiet outside the city. I've lived in this palace for too long. In the past, many children came to see me.

Recently, it seems that they are all too busy, no one came here, and now I am a little panicked in the Compassion Palace, so I asked some of you brothers to sit with me. Uncle Wu, I heard that you have a son who is going to get married recently. Whose family is this girl from? Why didn’t you come to tell me? There aren’t many happy events in the imperial capital recently, so I might as well go over and have a wedding drink. , get some joy. "The queen mother echoed Prince Jin's words and said a few words, then spared another important prince. This Prince Lian is the most important prince. For nothing else, the prince has been the Minister of the Ministry of War for decades. Ten years ago Retired for the elderly, although this is the case, Prince Lian, like the Taiwei, can be regarded as the two pillars of the imperial army. If you want to make trouble, you can't do anything without the support of the army. Prince Lian The son who is going to get married is not the eldest son, but his youngest son, who is a few years younger than his eldest grandson. However, this son is very competitive. He is only nineteen years old, but he is already the capital of the emperor. The Beida Battalion has been unified, and there are 20,000 cavalrymen under his command. In the past, the Queen Mother looked down on 20,000 cavalrymen, but it is different now. Let alone 20,000 cavalrymen, even 20,000 cavalrymen are very hot-eyed by the Queen Mother. , There is no way, the Jingxi camp has already left, and the Empress Dowager's armed forces in the imperial capital have reached a historical low point.

"Hehe, there is such a thing. Thank you for your concern. It's just a child getting married. It's not an heir to the title. It's nothing. The family didn't plan to make a fuss, so I didn't inform my relatives and friends much. It’s just that some of his colleagues are going to have some wine. Speaking of which, my son will be a marquis at most in the future. It’s a bit too much to invite some princes and uncles. Only when the eldest son gets married can he post a message to the clan kings." Although Prince Lian's face is already old, but his eyes are still very bright. At this moment, he understands why the Queen Mother mentioned his son, isn't it? Because the son has an army in his hand, although I am not satisfied with my recent treatment, but I did not think of rebellion, the former prince died so badly, I should save my power, if it really makes trouble , I am afraid that there will be no one to visit his own grave in the future, and that will be the most unlucky time.

The empress dowager and the other two princes also heard it. This old guy is showing off here. The children's colleagues drink, that's the point. Those who drink must be from the Peking University camp. camp, but after the transfer of the people from the Western Beijing Camp and the Southern Camp, now only the people from the Northern Camp and the Eastern Camp are within 20 miles of the Imperial Capital, and they glanced at each other. Are you thinking about Peking University Camp? This is a bit too unwise, the North Camp is full of the emperor's pro-army, and these people will not betray the emperor casually, even if it is the Queen Mother's account. They may not buy it, but this matter does not involve themselves, so it is better not to speak up.

"Hehe, although the empire's knighthood system is in place, the rules are dead, but people are alive. Recently, I, the guard of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, I feel that I am not very good at commanding. I think I will call you a boy. Come and show me the door for a few days, if you do well, I will promise him a duke." The queen mother said with a smile, and Prince Lian's eyes lit up. Due to the existence of the prince, according to the system of the empire, the eldest son of the prince can have the throne, but if he is a county king, he must also be a duke. This duke is quite important for a palace that is not hereditary. Such things are no joke. Come to guard the door for the Queen Mother? Prince Lian is not a fool, but he also knows that if there is no change in his palace in a short period of time, it is impossible to change it in the future. The pros and cons of this matter. But soon Prince Lian made a decision. This matter had to be done. Originally, they all thought that the queen mother wanted them to stand out, but now it seemed that was not the case. The others follow suit.

"Thank you, the queen mother's old sister-in-law, for looking up to that kid. Don't worry, the queen mother. I will ask him to work as an errand after he gets married. He is a child of our own family. If the queen mother doesn't like her in the future, she can beat and scold him as she should. Don't give me any face." Prince Lian said with a smile. After this matter is successful, there will be more dukes in their palace, and the position of their palace will rise a lot in the future, at least they won't be at the bottom of the princes like they are now. Look at Prince Gong, it turns out that he may not be much higher than himself Yes, now he is a figure in the prince's mileage, as for the Minister of the Ministry of Households, it is time to miss that he is also the Minister of the Ministry of War.

In the imperial court, it is not enough for the prince to have no actual official position, but it is even more difficult for a commoner to have an official position without a title. The most powerful people in the empire are those who have both titles and official positions. Talent is the real power figure in the entire empire. Now the two most beautiful princes in the empire are Prince Gong and Yanping County King. At first, they thought that the Yanping County Prince’s Mansion was doomed, but who knew that it was given to Long Yun. The little earl became the king of the county, not only became the prince, but also became the prince with real power. Now a new army in the imperial capital, that is, an army equipped with chain crossbows, is commanded by him. This right is not ordinary. Originally, the queen mother also wanted to win over this political rookie, who knew that he would not appreciate it at all. Long Yun may be a little unclear, but as long as Suo Ye is there, there are still not many chances for Long Yun to go the wrong way of.

The queen mother talked to Prince Lian a few more times and then she looked a little tired. Both Prince Lian and Prince Chun couldn't understand. They invited three people over today, so why did they just talk to two of them for a while? It turned out that they thought that when the Queen Mother invited the three of them, there would be three things for them to handle. Now it seems that only Prince Lian got a duke seat, and the others got nothing, especially Guo Guo. Prince, he didn't say a word. The queen mother ordered someone to serve tea. This is the best Tieguanyin tea in Bamin tea house. Now the best tea is this Tieguanyin. The taste is better than those hundreds of gold coins. Ordinary tea is too much better. Naturally, the ones here are the high-quality ones from the tribute, and they all took a sip. No, the taste of Tieguanyin is not like this, and the queen mother didn't tell them. Just say they are sleepy and going to rest, they can do whatever they want.

"Lao Liu, what's going on? The queen mother didn't ask you to come to drink tea, did she? Why didn't she talk to you from the beginning to the end? This doesn't seem to be his style. It stands to reason that this old woman can't Do such a useless thing." Prince Jin has no scruples when he walks out of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. In fact, this guy has been like this all his life. There are too many people who want to deal with him in this life. Even if this guy has nine lives, he is not enough to die. Now even the old woman has said it, and Prince Lian is so scared that his forehead is sweating. Look at where this is, this is the imperial palace, the emaciated camel is bigger than the horse, even if the queen mother loses power again, it is not something that these princes who have no rights can call. Apart from their seniority, where is there anything the queen mother can fancy, it's better to be careful at the moment.

The three of them got into a carriage, sat and walked out of the palace. Prince Guo dared to speak at this time. He was really scared by Prince Jin's words just now. Some are just like enemies, and some have a good relationship like the three of them. They are all brothers. Although they are not the same mother, the three of them have been advancing and retreating together for decades. Those who have a bad relationship are just like Prince Gong and the original Yanping County King Longlu. The two of them can't wait to perform a martial arts.

"The Queen Mother is a very good planner. Right now, the three of us are hopeless, but he doesn't know what we are thinking, so he doesn't talk to me." Prince Guo is the youngest of the three. One of them, but Prince Guo is also the one with the best brains. The reason why she didn't talk to Prince Guo was because she was afraid that the plan in her heart would be seen by Prince Guo. In fact, if you don't speak and call the three princes, the three of them will understand what's going on, and they want to cover up all of it. is impossible.

"Sixth, don't be foolish, I don't know much about this. We have been here for so many years, so we can't say anything." Prince Jin obviously didn't understand, he just felt that the sky was going to change recently , so he went to live outside the city, why did the Queen Mother tell herself this?

"Hehe, third brother. The matter is obvious. The emperor doesn't listen to her, let alone his. In fact, the emperor doesn't want to see him at all. Look at the current situation of the Compassionate Ning Palace, and think about what it was like last year. Yes, the Compassionate Palace at that time was much more luxurious than it is now. He wanted to get rid of the emperor, but he didn’t have enough power now, so he asked us to help.” Prince Guo looked outside, and he was no longer in the palace. Yes, they made an appointment to go out of the city to Prince Chun to take a rest in the hot spring village outside the city to soak up his body, so he didn't have as many scruples when talking now.

"I also know what she thinks, but I thought she would not come to us. You must know that we didn't have a good relationship with her back then, and now we don't have much power in our hands. She came to us. We can't give her much help." Prince Lian was also a little angry when he thought of what happened back then. The queen mother even wanted to listen to the government behind the curtain. Now there is such a thing again. If you want to replace the current emperor and get a little emperor, could it be that they were the ones who stopped them back then, and they are the ones who are cooperating now?

"Hehe, don't mention the things back then. Back then we also stood on different positions. Back then we were afraid that this woman would control the government. Now the government is not in our hands. I knew that if we could fight together, we might Our descendants will still have the scenery we had back then, but if we do nothing, we may have nothing, and we may not be able to guarantee it in our later years. It is impossible to guarantee that we will meet her today To the ears of the emperor, there are many eyes and ears in the imperial city. Once the emperor notices something, we can't keep our own. The emperor doesn't care if you belong to his uncle or not. He can even kill his own son. , Others are really not in his eyes." Prince Guo thought for a while and said, his words also represented what he meant, that is to follow the Queen Mother, and now the life of the three of them is really not very good Yes, if the three of them were useless princes at the beginning, they would not have participated in such a dangerous activity. They were depressed because they used to have rights, but now they have no rights. No one would feel comfortable changing them.

"Yes, seeking wealth and wealth, we have spent most of our lives, and we have seen everything. Even if we don't succeed, we will leave with great vigor." Prince Jin answered, his temper is just like this Yes, the other two smiled and didn't say anything. Speaking of which, they can't help the queen mother very much, but as long as they don't stop them, they will give the queen mother the greatest chance.

After the three princes left, the queen mother met the seventh son of the emperor. Speaking of which, the queen mother planned everything for him. It is clear that his own status in the heart of the father is definitely not as good as that of the prince, so this kid was a little scared when he did this. If he really failed, he would lose his life. He didn't do it before. He thought about such a thing, and even said that his elder brother was a fool, but now he doesn't think that way anymore, he is really forced to do that. In the past, his father said more than once that he would be the prince, but now the prince has been abolished for a long time, and there is no sign of him being the prince. He can't sit still, can he? Does the emperor have someone else in his heart? At this time, the Empress Dowager gave this guy a great opportunity to come to him, and the meeting place was the Compassionate Ninggong, or that place. It was still the same tea.

"You seem to be very quiet recently, what have you been doing?" Every conversation of the queen mother started with this kind of chatting. It seems that the brains of these upper-class people cannot be revealed without going from the shallow to the deep.

"Back to grandma, my grandson is studying some classics and history collections recently, and my father said that my grandson's knowledge seems to be a little behind, so I wrote some bibliographies for my grandson to study hard, so I haven't come here for a few days. Grandmother is well, I hope grandma will forgive me." This kid is also a cunning, in the past, these so-called grandsons would definitely come here when they had something to do, and they would come here for a walk even when they were free, but after the emperor's order came down . These people are basically missing. They all understand very well that before coming to the Queen Mother, you can give yourself points. There is no water. How could he come running, let the emperor know, there will definitely be more reprimands, the current queen mother is no longer the previous queen mother, everyone thinks so, but absolutely no one thinks that the current emperor is not the original one the emperor.

"Hmph. Useless things, knowledge is naturally given to those scholars to learn. You are a prince, even if you have learned all the classics and history, what's the use? country, but I think there are some big principles mentioned above. It’s no problem to give it to the people of the world, but if you teach it to you princes, it’s not very suitable.” I don't have any good impressions, so I just scolded her right now. If there is a well-educated person here, I'm afraid she will stand up and argue with her for a while, but there is no one here at the moment, and there is only a seventh son of the emperor. He laughed Laughing, didn't say anything, because of this patience, the queen mother also felt that the original emperor did not choose the wrong person, but I don't know why the emperor didn't announce it?

"What the empress dowager taught is that grandson should read less books like that when he turns around." The seventh son of the emperor said obediently, this kid's upper-level route is very good. Only such a child should be enthroned to become the emperor, instead of screening back and forth among so many sons of the emperor, that would be too tiring, and it is not so simple to investigate everyone's abilities and qualifications .

"About your father, do you have anything to say to me recently?" The queen mother finally asked here, and the expression on the face of the emperor's seventh son immediately turned into a bitter gourd. Of course something happened, this person said They want me to be the prince, but there is no sign of it now, it's a lie.

The seventh son of the emperor knew that the queen mother must have something to tell him when he came here, but what he didn't expect was that the queen mother would say it so directly. Of course, he had something to say about his father. It can be said that I hate my father's love, and I am also my father's favorite prince besides the prince. Some things that should have been left to the next generation of emperors have come into my hands, as long as it is something I like, my father I will give it to myself, but that was all in the past, what do I have now? The emperor summoned him once every half a month, which had nothing to do with him at all, but the emperor's rule was to summon the princes to inquire about their homework in the middle of each month. This was for some little princes. This year is already in his twenties, he doesn't study much at this age, it can be said that he doesn't have any chance to talk to the emperor at all, and he has complaints about his father.

There is also a reason why the queen mother said this to the seventh prince. After the emperor dealt with the prince's matter, the two people who lost the most were the two people in the room. They were the two hottest people in the past Yes, but now, the seventh son of the emperor in front of him has changed from His Majesty's favorite son to a prince who no one cares about. Although it is only a few months, it can already be shown. He has a duke, but his title among princes is already very good compared to his age. In the past, when he went to some palace banquets, he didn't sleep well. He regarded him as a duke and regarded him as a prince. Yes, even some old princes had to put in effort to please the prince. Not for anything else, just because the emperor had said on many occasions that he would inherit the entire country. Here we are talking about integrating the entire country, not about a prince.

But what about the recent period? From the last prince's rebellion until now, the emperor has never said that he would inherit the entire empire. Not only that, he could see the emperor at any time in the past. But after the prince died, this privilege was withdrawn. The one who felt strange was himself. Wasn’t he eradicating the prince just to pave the way for himself? Actually, there was no face project at all, the emperor really didn't want to see him, so his status would drop drastically. Everyone in the imperial capital is very proficient in the news, they are all masters of the food, and no one cares about the thoughts of a son who is no longer liked by the emperor, so he has tasted some in the past two months. The bitterness of the world is gone, not to mention anything else, but his own life will have problems, and his money is very tight.

If the emperor hadn't said those words. Then other officials and nobles will not flatter this guy. What flattery is, it is to give people and money. Not as grand as his. But the emperor had been to his house, and the emperor didn't say anything. Who would have the guts to mention this matter to other censors? Seeing so much money in his treasury, this guy must not be able to control himself anymore. Usually his expenses are very large, the basic expenses of 500,000 gold coins per month. The prince only has a salary of one million gold coins per year, and with the income from other farms and shops, he can earn tens of millions of gold coins every year. It is definitely not enough for him to make friends with people all over the world.

A few hundred gold coins would be enough for an ordinary prince to have a meal, but it would be completely different if he entertained some important court officials. The food with hundreds of gold coins would be fine, but what about the wine? What about tea? As for the accompanying maid, it’s all about money. There are some things that the emperor’s seventh son can get tens of thousands of gold coins for a meal. Such a way of spending, now that there is no filial piety from the following, the days of each month are naturally conceivable. And I know, what the queen mother said caused this guy so many thoughts. To be honest, this guy is very depressed at the moment. Many times this guy wants to find someone to talk to. Now the queen mother is that person. , but he hasn't lost his mind yet. After all, he is the person the former emperor liked, and he won't talk nonsense. He just said that his father is different from before, and he feels something is wrong.

"Your father is not only different from before, he is no longer as kind to you as before, even to me, he is no longer as filial as before, as if he changed a person overnight. "The queen mother's words are also very accurate. The feeling of the seventh son of the emperor is very similar to his feeling, but even so, what can they do? The prince never thought of rebelling. He may still think about this question, but today is different, the prince's lessons learned are there, who has the courage to rebel.

"Grandmother said that maybe because of the big brother, the father has changed, so we should persuade him well." The seventh son of the emperor said submissively. He was not like this before, but the changes in the last two months made him He was a little scared, this guy didn't go out very much at home, firstly because of financial constraints, and secondly because he was afraid that the emperor would punish him for some things.

The queen mother looked at the grandson in front of her with some disappointment. Speaking of which, the two of them are only grandparents in name, and they have no blood relationship at all. They originally wanted to use this guy's name to do something. It seems useless now, but this guy still has some strength in his hands, the queen mother waved him out, originally the queen mother had a lot to talk to this guy, but seeing his obedient appearance, the queen mother felt This anger, you don't know how to fight for it at a young age, when is it now, do you think you can change the crown prince's position by maintaining the appearance of a good son? That's impossible, so you have to be ruthless.

The seventh son of the emperor came out of the Empress Dowager's Palace of Compassion and Ning, looked back, and sneered, the cowardice on this guy's face just now is gone. Instead, he had a shrewd look on his face. How could he not have the slightest scheming to become the emperor's favorite son? Just now, he was a little scared. He could think of something from the Queen Mother's tone, and also thought of the situation he was in. To be honest, he really wanted to join in, but he can see clearly how capable the Empress Dowager is now. The queen mother has no ability at all, if the Jingxi camp is still there. This is possible. Now, the queen mother only has the title of queen mother, and there is nothing else.

It is simply impossible for Lao Tzu to get on a broken ship. The Seventh Prince has his own plans. After the death of the prince, the capital of the capital is different from the original one, although many people seem to be keeping a low profile. . But in fact, everyone is secretly strengthening their own strength, not for anything else, even if it is for self-protection, everyone must have their own weapons in their hands. They all still remembered that those rebellious soldiers were running around.

The movements of the queen mother are still relatively small. Many people have already cultivated their own private army in the outskirts of the imperial capital. Although the imperial law stipulates that nobles can no longer own private army, but they have done a good job in matters with policies and countermeasures. Seventh son of the emperor There used to be an army of 3,000, but now it has reached 10,000, and it is even more powerful. He also formed 3,000 cavalry, which is very good among the nobles' private army in the imperial capital. He has such financial resources and is considered very good. Li Cong is very clear about how expensive the formation of this army is.

Things in the rear have nothing to do with the front line. Although Li Cong got a series of actions from the Queen Mother, in Li Cong's view, it doesn't matter how big the Queen Mother's actions are, because the Queen Mother has no army in her hands. Some clan princes do have certain military power in their hands, but the number is pitifully small, and they all gather together to look like hundreds of thousands of people. Now that guy Hualong has started military mobilization throughout the empire. With his huge army In comparison, the hundreds of thousands of troops are as insignificant as ants, and have no effect at all, so Li Cong is not too worried. Now Li Cong's greatest interest is to go out for a test tomorrow. .

The Imperial Capital Manufacturing Office has established a huge arsenal fifty miles away from Guangming City in the bureau, where a large amount of war supplies are produced every day. Now hundreds of small crossbows have been delivered, and Li Cong has already formed a team. There are only about 500 cavalry troops, and he can't wait to go out and try the skills of these people.

The 500 heavy cavalrymen who were selected were all very excited. They had already practiced for a day. They liked the weapons in their hands very much. They all knew that these savage warriors would definitely None of them have any armor, even armor is nothing, the armor they wear can be penetrated, according to calculations, as long as the batches they launch can be handled, they can withstand the attack of an army several times their own , Coupled with the sprinting power of their cavalry, they can definitely kill the enemy. Li Cong also thought about using light cavalry, but light cavalry has no protective power, which makes them very dangerous. These heavy cavalry are better.

Li Cong organized an expedition before, but the background of the last time was completely different from this time. The last time it was carried out after Li Cong's big victory, this time not only did not have the previous one Great victory, on the contrary, it feels like a failure. When going out at this time, many people have no idea. Originally, Li Cong was going to be the captain of this team, but none of these generals was willing. The captain of the team was appointed by an ordinary general. In fact, this has nothing to do with command. The battle plan has been drawn up. Their task is to open the city gate and rush to a place four or five kilometers in front of Guangming City. There are a large number of cattle soldiers. During their attack, the cattle soldiers will definitely send out a phalanx. Their task is to have a head-to-head attack with the phalanx. In the past, the heavy cavalry and the wildling soldiers attacked They all suffered relatively large losses. With the help of this small chain crossbow this time, Li Cong will see how much the casualty rate can be reduced. If it can be reduced significantly, then the expedition to the savages can also be done. When it comes to the schedule, maybe the end point last time is Li Cong's one this time.

Five hundred people are nervously checking some of their items and weapons. Many people are very excited, but there are also some who are afraid, but they don't show it on the surface. The general already said that his throat was about to burst, and the morale of the soldiers had already reached a very high level. At this time, they would be even more beasts than those beasts.

"Open the city gate, let those wild beasts see how powerful you are, and show the courage of your knights. Each of you has a hundred crossbow bolts, let them die a hundred people, theoretically you can kill 50,000 of them Let's go, warriors." Meng Tian shouted loudly on the city gate, with the help of Li Cong's loudspeaker, the knights below heard it too, and they saw that the huge city gate was only half opened , they can go out in line.

"Look...look..., look quickly, the gate of Guangming City has opened, this... this is the enemy's heavy cavalry, hurry up, go and report." When the gate opened, several savages in the distance An observation post discovered the situation here, and they quickly passed the news back.

Xiong Wang is in charge of the defense of the front line. He was going to report the news immediately when he got the news, but when he heard that the number of people was only 500, he immediately held down the messenger. It seemed that he had a chance to eat human flesh. I always eat some wild beasts, I don’t feel much, but human meat is more delicious. This guy immediately forgot the so-called military order that the Snake Queen said, and immediately ordered a bear army of 2,000 people to fight. Take down these humans. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)