Chapter 258 Wei Gaozong

Yang Ge returned to Luting, and Zhang Xuan was still at the inn.

The remains of the square table that was smashed to pieces by Yang Ge were still in place. The old man changed tables and drank wine and ate stir-fried dishes leisurely.

"Have you met the emperor?"

Seeing Yang Ge, Zhang Xuansu put down his chopsticks curiously and asked, "How did he die?"

"seen……"

Yang Ge nodded and sat opposite Zhang Xuansu, his tone much calmer.

After all, he had just tasted the feeling of being doubted for no reason, and it was indeed not a pleasant feeling.

"The emperor died of poisoning."

He responded: "It is a chronic poison that corrodes people's internal organs. Once it takes root in the human body, it will be mixed with the person's own vitality and become indistinguishable. It should not be an ordinary poison. Do you recognize it?"

Who is Zhang Xuansu? As soon as Yang Ge opened his mouth, he was keenly aware of the change in Yang Ge's attitude. He thought about it briefly and found the crux of the problem. He smiled and said, "What? They also suspect that this matter is related to you?"

Yang Ge nodded and laughed at himself: "It's my duty to repay you in this world."

"Hahaha……"

Zhang Xuansu slapped the table and laughed with joy. While laughing, he was still in the mood to comfort him: "Don't take it to heart. As the old saying goes, 'The most ruthless family is the emperor's family.' This matter involves the change of throne and the game between kings and ministers. You and the Zhao family are separated." If you are too close, they will suspect you. It is normal. It is abnormal not to suspect you. "

Yang Ge silently took the jug, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

"I didn't take it seriously..."

He put down his wine glass and said sadly, "I'm just a little upset."

Zhang Xuansu picked up chopsticks and ate the vegetables, and replied with a calm face: "Nine out of ten people are not going as they wish in the world. There are too many precedents of good people not being rewarded..."

Yang Ge drank three glasses in a row before slamming the glass on the dinner table: "You are knowledgeable and well-informed, and your Five Poison Sect is good at using poisons. Could you please help me check this matter... Just I owe you a favor."

"does it worth?"

Zhang Xuansu put down his chopsticks again and sighed: "You can manage the Zhao family for a while, but how can you manage the Zhao family for a lifetime? You are not an illiterate villager in the wilderness. You should know that the rise and fall of a dynasty cannot be violated by human power, so why bother knowing that it cannot be repaid? Are you stubborn?"

Yang Ge stubbornly shook his head: "Everyone has his own ambitions. I won't force you to agree with my ideas, and you can't persuade me to agree with yours."

Zhang Xuansu had no choice but to nod his head and said: "Sure, I will order people to investigate later, but you'd better not have too much hope. In my opinion, this matter is unlikely to be caused by Jianghu people."

Yang Ge wondered: "How can you see it?"

Zhang Xuansu looked at him: "Who among the high-ranking sects in the world who have the ability to do this doesn't know you, Yang Erlang? If they can't pass this test, they will kill the emperor, so what?"

Yang Ge shook his head and said slowly: "But the news I got is that the person who poisoned the emperor most likely sneaked into the palace last year when I and Tang Xiong, the Duke of Xinguo, rushed to Guangmingding... …In other words, even if this matter is not led by Jianghu people, it must be deeply involved with Jianghu.”

On the way back, he had reviewed the matter carefully.

The security work of Ziwei Palace is very complicated. In order from strong to weak, there are Royal Horse Guards, Ouchi Secret Guards, Dongchang, Xichang, Jinwu Guards, and finally an Embroidered Yi Guard is reluctantly added.

The reason why the Xiuyi Guards were reluctantly added was because most of the Xiuyi Guards at all levels were strong men with strong bodies and strong blood, and it was inconvenient for them to frequently enter and leave the forbidden areas of the palace.

And this situation actually also applies to Jinwu Guard.

Therefore, the only ones who are really responsible for the security of Ziwei Palace are the Royal Horse Guards, the Imperial Secret Guards, the Dongchang, the West Factory and other internal prisons. The Xiuyi Guards are mostly open to the outside world and not to the inside.

In fact, before Shen Fa came to power, the Xiu Yiwei had always accepted the leadership of Dongchang. Several Xiu Yiwei commanders were the godsons of the Dongchang factory director. It was not until Shen Fa came to power that the Xiu Yiwei reunited with the Dongchang factory director. Dongchang goes hand in hand.

Last year, he and Tang Xiong went south to the Guangmingding stall. Dongchang had just completed its reorganization. Because the new Dongchang director Liu Xian was too junior, a group of Dongchang elites transferred from the Ouchi Secret Guard were recruited by Wei Heng. Leading the south to Huguang to encircle and suppress the Five Poison Cults, a group of Shen Fa commanded to go north to the border. Only Liu Xian was left to lead a small number of the elites of the Third Inner Division to guard the capital, and the defensive power was already empty.

In addition, because the director of the West Factory, Heng Xin, was dead at that time, the West Factory was in chaos, and not only the elite and backbone personnel were in the south, but the hearts of the West Factory personnel who stayed in the capital were bound to be unstable.

In addition, the second-in-command of the Imperial Horse Guards, Tang Xiong, the Duke of Xin, who followed Yang Ge to Guangmingding, and Shen Fa, the Commander of the Xiuyiwei who stayed at the Yuelai Inn for a long time because he was worried about the situation between Yang Ge and the naughty monk. …

At that point in time, Ziwei Palace's defense power was indeed at its weakest.

Looking back from this perspective, when Yang Potian picked Wei Heng to attack, it was definitely not just to lure Yang Ge south.

It is very likely that killing the emperor was an important part of the two-pronged plan of the naughty old monk to attack the east and the west!

This strategy is not poisonous. If you retreat, you can kill Emperor Xiping to protect your bottom line. If you advance, you can kill Yang Ge and Emperor Xiping at the same time!

If the plan is successful, with the force and skill of the naughty monk, it is impossible to say that the dynasty will be changed in more than ten years!

Zhang Xuansu had obviously thought of this, and replied in a daze: "So, this matter really has something to do with Jianghu, but who could it be? Mingjiao? White Lotus Sect?"

"I have no idea……"

Yang Ge shook his head, raised his glass, and said softly: "That's why I ask you to take action and help me find these people... Due to emotion and reason, I want them to die!"

After saying that, he raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhang Xuansu picked up the wine glass, nodded and said: "I'll do my best!"

…

The national mourning lasted for twenty-seven days.

During these twenty-seven days, every household in the country hung white silk ribbons and wore linen clothes, and people stopped marrying, slaughtering livestock, and all entertainment activities...

Countless people from all provinces spontaneously went to nearby temples and Taoist temples to chant sutras and express their condolences, remembering the many achievements Emperor Xiping had made for the people of the world during his reign.

After the twenty-seventh day, the national mourning ended. Although the people still stopped marrying, slaughtering, and doing things, the court and local officials began to operate normally.

On the 28th day after the death of Emperor Xiping, Prince Zhao Hong ascended the throne in Ziwei Palace, naming the former Emperor Xiping as Gaozong, and was known as Wei Gaozong in history.

Generally, after a new emperor ascends the throne, he will issue decrees to reduce taxes, grant amnesty to the world, and grant favors to all civil and military officials to show mercy.

Of course, Zhao Hong was no exception. As soon as he ascended the throne, he issued a decree to reduce taxes and grant amnesty to the world... But when he arrived at Jiaen Wenwu, something went wrong!

That guy didn't follow the usual practice of giving promotions and salaries to the civil servants of the Xiping Dynasty. He only gave promotions and promotions to noble military officers at all levels. Not only did he not give any favors to the civil servants, he also took over a cabinet minister with thunderous power as soon as he got on his horse. A bachelor and a minister were imprisoned in Dongchang Tianlao.

Of these two important ministers, one is the leader of the Qi Party and the other is the leader of the Chu Party.

As soon as the news came out, rumors quickly emerged among the people, such as 'the new monarch is mean and ungrateful, not like the master', 'the new monarch values ​​military power over literature, and is showing signs of militarism'.

Even Yang Ge heard such rumors in Luting...

…

July 18th, the forty-second day after the death of Emperor Xiping.

Nangong Feiying, the new director of Xichang Factory, appeared outside the Yuelai Inn in casual clothes: "Second Master..."

Yang Ge heard the sound and came out from the kitchen wiping his hands. When he saw him, he smiled and said, "It's an eagle, long time no see!"

Nangong Feiying clasped his hands with a smile on his face: "Congratulations to the second master, congratulations to the second master!"

Yang Ge was startled and slowly frowned: "Then...what did the emperor do?"

Nangong Feiying's smile froze slightly, and Zuo Guyan said, "Second Master, when we come this far, you won't even give us a sip of tea, right?"

Yang Ge laughed and scolded: "That's nonsense. Go upstairs and find a place to sit by yourself. I still have some unfinished work in the kitchen. I'll be back in a minute!"

Nangong Feiying beamed: "Okay!"

After a while, Yang Ge walked up to the second floor carrying two bowls of tea.

When Nangong Feiying, who was sitting alone on the empty second floor, saw this, he quickly stood up and walked over to meet him, taking the tea bowl from his hands with both hands.

Yang Ge: "I forgot to congratulate you, Eagle, for taking over Lao Wei's position."

Nangong Feiying shook his head with a wry smile and said: "Second Master, you know that we want to go to the border to kill the Tatars with a big bowl of wine and a big piece of meat. We don't want to be a factory supervisor at all, but when Eunuch Wei goes there , Hey, we don’t know whether we should be happy or unhappy..."

When he said this, he stared at Yang Ge intently.

Yang Ge saw this and smiled: "What do you think I'm doing?"

Nangong Feiying: "We have thought about it in private, and apart from your face, I really can't think of any other reason!"

Yang Ge: "I have such a great reputation? Okay, stop pretending, tell me, why did your Eunuch Nangong come to the trumpet?"

The two of them sat down with tea bowls, and Nangong Feiying whispered: "To be honest, Second Master, we are here to announce the decree..."

When Yang Ge heard this, he stood up and left.

Nangong Feiying said quickly: "Don't leave in a hurry. The imperial edict is still on the way. Aren't we just here to ventilate you in advance?"

Yang Ge sat back on the chair: "What is the imperial edict?"

Nangong Feiying: "I will grant you the title of Grand Master of the First Grade, Lu Ting Gong Jiazheng... Don't worry, we are just worried that you will not accept the order, cause gossip, and look bad to the officials, so we came to find you." Ventilate."

"Don't worry, we've thought of a way for you. When we leave your place later, we'll go back to Beijing to resume our duties. Then we'll tell you that the imperial edict has been robbed by gangsters, and then we'll hand over some gangsters to take the blame. You'll be relieved, and we'll do the same. Once you get the job done, you will get a good reputation as an official."

Yang Ge was happy when he heard this and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "Not bad, not bad, you have a lively mind and a sharp eye. Your West Factory needs talents like you!"

Nangong Feiying said with a "hehehe" smile: "Isn't this all thanks to your cultivation?"

Yang Ge shook his head like a rattle: "No, no, no, I never taught you this. You are obviously self-taught..."

Nangong Feiying just smiled "hehehe".

"correct……"

Yang Ge slowly suppressed his smile, knocked on the table and asked, "Do you, the Third Division of the Inner Court, have any clues about Gaozong's poisoning?"

Nangong Feiying looked around in thought, then lowered his voice and replied: "Second Master, we are our own brothers who have waded out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Let me tell you, don't worry too much... about this matter, the big shots above Come on, don’t get involved, it’s a thankless job!”

Yang Ge raised his eyebrows: "It means...do you have a clue?"

"No no……"

Nangong Feiying shook his head without hesitation: "I don't want to investigate openly, but I don't dare to investigate. In private, whoever investigates will die, and whoever is investigated will die."

After a pause, he glanced at Yang Ge and whispered hesitantly: "I'm afraid you don't know yet, right? Four days ago, Master Shen was plotted against someone, and the more than twenty masters of embroidery guards who accompanied him were buried under a lamp. He was completely killed within a short time of tea, and he himself was pierced through his left arm with a sword. If the imperial guards had not arrived in time, he would have lost his life..."

Yang Ge slowly frowned: "That guy's golden bell and iron shirt are almost full. There aren't many people in the world who can hurt him!"

Shen Fa's martial arts is not very high in the martial arts world, but he can barely squeeze into the second echelon below the Seven Heroes and Twelve Heroes. In addition, the guy has muscles and muscles that can fight, walk and resist. The Seven Heroes and Twelve There are really not many people who can hurt him.

He pondered for a long time before speaking again: "What did the emperor say?"

Nangong Feiying responded hesitantly in a low voice: "On the surface, the late emperor was suffering from depression and died of illness. Naturally, the officials could not say anything in court. Privately, the officials wanted us to find out... But only When it comes to investigation, we don’t mention how or who to investigate.”

Yang Ge frowned and pondered for a long time before speaking again: "Okay, don't take the imperial edict back. Send it to my house later."

Nangong Feiying was overjoyed: "Are you willing to accept the order?"

Yang Ge stroked his tangled brow, sighed tiredly, and said, "When you see the emperor later, tell him something for me."

Nangong Feiying clasped his hands seriously and said, "Master Lu Ting, please speak!"

Yang Ge whispered: "Those who have thunder in their chests and faces as flat as a lake can worship the general."

Nangong Feiying was startled, then nodded heavily and said, "We will definitely report your words to the officials word for word."

Yang Ge patted him on the shoulder casually: "You should also be more careful... Well, I won't get involved in the bad things in the court, but if someone above the peerless master ends up causing trouble, you can send me a message. "

When Nangong Feiying heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then he slowly puffed up his chest and solemnly clasped his hands: "With your words, we have nothing to fear. Don't worry, Nangong Feiying Even if the eagle dies, it will never disgrace our men!”

Yang Ge laughed and scolded: "Don't fucking brag, just live a good life for me. Only when you are alive can you have face, and only when you are alive can you have a future... If you are alive, we can sit together and have a drink together again!"

Nangong Feiying also thought of the big drink last year, and his eyes shone brightly.

"There will definitely be a chance..."

He replied loudly.