From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 342

Yang Ting felt wronged and didn't understand what his father was thinking.

Why was he unhappy when Zhou Yuan was dead, even though he was clearly his opponent?

Why did he wish Zhou Yuan would die when he was alive?

If a person's thoughts don't reach that level, he can't be the chief minister.

Yang Ting naturally couldn't understand Yang Guozhong, because he didn't know what camp he belonged to, and he was not as clear-headed as Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong was very clear that no matter whether you were the Zhejiang Party, the Chu Party, or the Qi Party, you were all people of the Jin Dynasty. If Jin didn't live well, no one else would live well.

So the people in the cabinet cared about both their own interests and the interests of Jin.

Even in many cases, they could sacrifice the interests of the court for their own interests.

But that was limited to small matters.

In the event of the Central Plains bandits, which was enough to shake the foundation of the country, the ministers couldn't just care about small profits, otherwise, if the dynasty changed, everyone would basically be finished. Even if they were valued by the new dynasty and the new monarch, how many people could compare to now?

The stability of the court is the foundation for their struggle for interests. If they can't even see through this, they can't enter the cabinet.

So the court officials will not object to Zhou Yuan's expedition.

Of course, they hope that Zhou Yuan will destroy the Kaidai Dynasty and then die in defeat.

In this way, the court officials can get a big advantage and get rid of a big opponent.

But in this situation, Zhang Bailong defeated Zhou Yuan without any injuries, which is what they least want to see.

The Central Plains is lost, and the Kaidai Dynasty is stable. The powerful refugees in the world will definitely follow suit. Is Dajin still Dajin?

Zhou Yuan's death cannot be played dumb, and he must go to the palace to meet the emperor.

Yang Guozhong was silent for a long time before he said in a deep voice: "Prepare the sedan!"

...

"Sir! Sir!"

Wang Ang rushed into the room and shouted without knocking on the door: "Sir Xiong, have you received the information from Zhongyuan? What's going on!"

Xiong Kuohai waved his hand and said: "Why are you in such a hurry? The information is true, but it may not be the fact. I am going to the palace to see the emperor now. I will tell you when I come back."

Wang Ang hurriedly said: "No matter how big the matter is, you should at least say whether Zhou Yuan is still alive!"

"It is very likely that he is alive."

Xiong Kuohai said, and then hurried out.

He entered the palace, handed over the sign, and waited slowly for the call.

Empress Zhaojing didn't see anyone now, but when she heard that it was Xiong Kuohai, she frowned and said, "My junior brother's people may have something important to do. Let him go to Taiji Hall and wait."

After a while, Xiong Kuohai finally saw Empress Zhaojing and kowtowed, "Your humble servant Xiong Kuohai, I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Empress Zhaojing said, "What's the matter? Just tell me."

Xiong Kuohai said, "The Jinyiwei sent intelligence from the Central Plains. I have something to add about the death of Zhongwu Bo."

Empress Zhaojing's face changed and she said anxiously, "Do you mean there is a hidden secret?"

Xiong Kuohai nodded and said, "Zhongwu Bo had been on good terms with me before, and we talked about the situation in the Central Plains a lot. He said that Zhang the thief's situation was already established, and if we want to destroy him, we must use strange methods and not follow the rules to succeed."

"He suffered a lot from the assassination method, so he knew shame and then courage to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Tracks. "

"So this time, the Holy Mother of the Wusheng Sect has been following him, eating, living and traveling together, and protecting him every step of the way. His safety should be no problem."

Empress Zhaojing was slightly startled, and immediately said in surprise: "You mean Li Yu'an!"

"That's right!"

Xiong Kuohai said: "Her identity is sensitive. After learning her specific identity, I have been watching her. It can be confirmed that she followed Zhongwu Bo. The Great Sun Dharma King of the Wusheng Sect could not assassinate Zhongwu Bo. This information is true, but the facts are false."

"I guess this must be Zhongwu Bo's tactic of luring the enemy. Because he is planning military affairs, he has set up a suspicious formation, which has led to this situation."

Empress Zhaojing heard this, took a deep breath, waved her hand and said: "I know, you can go down."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Xiong Kuohai slowly left the hall, with sweat on his face.

It was a big step forward to meet the emperor alone for the first time!

When Empress Zhaojing thought of Li Yu'an, she was truly relieved. It seemed that Junior Brother was indeed fine, and was just creating confusion.

So what exactly was he going to do?

The situation in the Central Plains was difficult, and the gap between the enemy and us was huge. Junior Brother had really suffered.

He still needed to cooperate with him in the matter of faking death.

Thinking of this, Empress Zhaojing said: "Xiaozhuang, let the Ministry of Internal Affairs send a thousand pieces of top-grade silk to the Zhongwu Earl's Mansion, and bring some medicinal materials and supplements to appease them."

"Let all the cabinet ministers come to Taiji Hall to discuss important matters."

The play had to be done well. Empress Zhaojing knew that there were many spies in the Kaidai Dynasty in Shenjing. If there was no cooperation here, Junior Brother might be suspected.

Although she was not as good as Junior Brother in fighting,But in terms of power, she is not inferior to anyone.

…

Zhou Yuan disguised himself as a businessman and walked for more than ten days, almost rushing at night, and finally arrived in Song County.

All the inns were gone, so he spent some money to stay in a merchant's house and rest for a night.

All four guards were sent out, disguised as refugees, to search for the villages occupied by Shi Yi and Wang Xiong in various villages in Song County.

It was not difficult to find out, because 4,000 people were too many, and one village could not accommodate them at all. They occupied a whole town.

All the soldiers were integrated into every household, and a bag of food was enough for them to convince everyone.

In this world, food is as valuable as life. As for strangers and safety, they are all bullshit. When you are hungry, there is no such reason.

At noon the next day, Zhou Yuan walked into a farm and met Shi Yi and Wang Xiong.

For the two of them, it was a big shock.

"Marshal Jie! How...how did you get here?"

Shi Yi was completely confused.

Zhou Yuan said: "The plan has changed. I want to come here to say hello to you and learn about the situation here."

After learning the details, Zhou Yuan frowned.

"It's not an isolated case. I'm afraid there are hundreds of people who have gotten together with the widow. Some people don't even want to leave. They asked me to stay here after the battle."

Wang Xiong's voice was heavy, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Because there are so many people involved and I need to hide at present, I dare not make a big move and didn't kill anyone."

Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "This is human nature. They have been refugees, lost their loved ones, found a way out in the Fifth Army Camp, and finally made it through. How can a man of blood and vigor resist the tenderness of a widow."

"A broken house, a virtuous woman, and a very proactive woman, is enough for them to stay."

Shi Yi whispered: "Marshal Jie, to be honest, it's really not that person's fault Some soldiers. "

"The people here are too poor. The soldiers are all strong men. The widows are willing to sell everything to keep them here so that they can have a pillar of support for their families."

"Even General Wang and I have to reject many women every day. They even knock on the door in the middle of the night, take off their clothes and get into people's arms when they meet."

"They are willing to serve men even if they are unfamiliar with them."

"For the soldiers, this is undoubtedly fatal and difficult to refuse."

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "You are right. As long as you are a person, it is difficult to refuse these."

"Call them all tomorrow. I want to confirm the number."

Shi Yi opened his mouth, but was glared back by Wang Xiong.

Wang Xiong said in a deep voice: "I obey your orders. Please rest assured, General Jie, no one will be left out."

Zhou Yuan nodded and remained silent.