Yecheng.
Many carriages passed by on the roads in the city.
The carriage was piled with all kinds of luxurious wood, and behind the carriage, there were many people. Some of these people were pushing it with carts, and some were carrying it with their own bodies. They were carrying all kinds of wood and stones.
Walking hard on the street.
Along the road were soldiers armed with long whips.
They screamed at the peasants.
"Hurry up! Hurry up!"
The barefoot farmer, skinny as a stick and disheveled in clothes, was carrying a piece of wood that was several times bigger than himself and was moving forward step by step.
They stopped at the corner of the street and walked out of another group of people of the same size, slowly advancing.
There are many ruins in the city, both in the west and east of the city.
Many people are building luxurious mansions and gardens for their own enjoyment. Hu Changren successfully caused a new wave in the city.
Even the emperor was no exception. The young emperor ordered to build a brand new garden for himself, using more than 30,000 civilians. At this moment, many insects inside and outside Ye City no longer pretended to abuse the people's power, and some went out to arrest them directly.
Some people use their own tenants and private slaves, and everyone is trying their best to compete.
Empress Dowager Hu loved Buddhism and promoted another wave of Buddhism.
Monks from all over the world came upon hearing the news, several new temples appeared in Yecheng, and the foundations of several pagodas appeared in Qingdu.
In order to show their goodwill and gain favor, many officials dug rocks into local areas to build Buddhist caves.
It was the beginning of spring, and there were mansions everywhere in Ye City. There were good men and women everywhere, and the situation was very good.
The Longdong Prince's Palace now welcomes its sixth expansion.
The soldiers stood outside, and a large number of civilians were busy here. The sky was gloomy, and the sunshine was covered by dark clouds. The numb slaves were doing the same thing over and over again. From time to time, one person fell down and could no longer get up.
There was a carriage on the side, and the fallen people were carried onto the carriage. When the number was sufficient, the carriage drove out until it disappeared.
Zou Xiaoyu was standing outside the door at the moment, directing the officials.
"Be careful!"
"These woods are more precious than your lives! And those Langgan, if you dare to smash one, you will have to use your head to compensate!!"
He shouted, a carriage brought red corals, and a farmer carefully took them out of the carriage.
Just when Zou Xiaoyu was busy flattering, a carriage suddenly appeared in the distance and rushed towards here. The officials and people along the road were so surprised that they all gave way and did not dare to stop it.
The carriage almost hit Zou Xiaoyu in front. Zou Xiaoyu was so frightened that he ran away and hid behind the soldiers. The carriage stopped roughly at the door.
Then, a person jumped out of the carriage.
Seeing this person, Zou Xiaoyu had a bitter look on his face and turned around to run away.
"Zou Xiaoyu!! Get here!!"
Gao Yan pointed at Zou Xiaoyu in the distance. This wise king who was known to have a good temper was trembling all over at this moment and his face was fierce.
Zou Xiaoyu did not dare to come forward, but asked from a distance: "Master Dazai, I still have important things to do."
Gao Yan was so angry that he pointed at Zou Xiaoyu and cursed: "Zou Xiaoyu, you are also an important minister of Santai. You have received the emperor's kindness in the past, why are you so mean?!"
"How dare you bully me?!"
Zou Xiaoyu shook his head hurriedly, "Dr. Dazai, it's not that I deceived you, I was just following orders! If you have offended me, please forgive me!"
A month ago, Zou Xiaoyu found Gao Yan in private and told Gao Yan very seriously: Pingyang Prefect suspected that Hu Changren was rude to the emperor, and was preparing to contact everyone around him to summon an army to Yecheng. Pingyang Prefect Feng Lingshao was Gao Yan's wife's family.
He hoped that Gao Yan could personally comfort these people.
Gao Yan ignored the cold wind and rushed to Pingyang to persuade the county governor.
Only when I went there did I realize that the other party had no such idea at all, and Zou Xiaoyu was just talking nonsense.
After Gao Yan came back, he learned that during his absence, Hu Changren had completed the awards to meritorious soldiers and started several major projects, even the emperor was no exception.
No matter how kind-hearted Gao Yan is, he would be furious to death when encountering something like this.
As soon as I came back, I rushed here to question Zou Xiaoyu.
Gao Yan looked at the luxurious mansion on the side and was about to go inside. Zou Xiaoyu had no choice but to run out and block him.
"Your Majesty, King Longdong is ill and cannot see guests."
Gao Yan said coldly: "If he doesn't meet me, I will have people set fire to the house!"
"Go tell him!"
Zou Xiaoyu then walked in.
After a while, Zou Xiaoyu came out again and reluctantly invited Gao Yan to come in. Gao Yan ignored the liar again.
The mansion was extremely luxurious, and Gao Yan thought it was too much.
He was taken to the study. Hu Changren came out to greet him wearing thick clothes and smiling. He kindly wanted to hold Gao Yan's hand, but Gao Yan withdrew his hand directly.
Hu Changren smiled helplessly, and the two walked into the house and sat facing each other.
"King Longdong, why are the meritorious soldiers not rewarded? The soldiers fought at the front and defeated powerful enemies and were not rewarded. Instead, these people in the city were rewarded. What is the reason for this??"
Hu Changren had long known that he would ask about this matter, so he replied proudly: "How come there is no reward? I have rewarded Lou Rui and Liu Taozi for their military exploits."
"Where were people like Hu Luguang, Gao Yanzong, and Dugu Yongye during that period of time?"
"Duan Shao's command was meritorious, Hu Luguang shot and killed Yong Guogong of the puppet Zhou Dynasty, Gao Yanzong gained a lot, Dugu Yongye guarded Jin Yong alone, and repelled more than 20 attacks by the Zhou people, all of which were in vain.
Did you get the reward??”
Hu Changren frowned, "Duan Shao arrived later. Hu Luguang did not shoot Wang Xiong. I heard that Wang Xiong died of illness in the camp. Gao Yanzong did not kill the generals and capture the flag. As for Dugu Yongye, he defended the city.
It was his duty, and he failed to defeat the captives but it was the people in the city who all made great contributions!"
"Has King Pingyang ever read a book?"
"When Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty granted rewards to all ministers, the one who received the most rewards was Xiao He!"
"Although Xiao He is not fighting, isn't he in charge of food dispatch and logistics? What's the problem with my reward?"
Gao Yan punched the case in front of him with a gloomy expression, "King Longdong should keep some moral integrity to himself and don't use these people to humiliate Xiao He!"
"Soldiers who perform military exploits but do not get rewards will have bad consequences!"
"King Longdong has no choice but to do this!"
"In addition, there are all these civil engineering matters in the city!"
"It's the beginning of spring! Even the creeps won't do corvee work at the beginning of spring! Is King Longdong crazy?! Does he want a great famine?"
Gao Yan changed his gentle personality in the past and scolded Hu Changren.
His words became more and more exaggerated, and he almost no longer maintained the politeness of the past.
"If the King of Longdong insists on doing this, I will definitely ask His Majesty to send generals from various places to the capital."
Gao Yan left a word and turned to leave.
Hu Changren sat where he was, his expression getting increasingly ugly.
Now is the time when he is most proud. He has just taken charge of the overall situation and defeated Yu Wenhu's 200,000 troops. Can he still be threatened by you, a prince in name only?
After Gao Yan left, Sangou quickly appeared next to Hu Changren.
Naturally, the three of them still used the same old tactics, trying to persuade Hu Changren to calm down and not get angry because of an unworthy old thief.
Only this time, their persuasion had no effect.
Hu Changren looked at them coldly and suddenly said, "I want to kill Gao Yan. Which of you can do this for me?"
The three dogs were frightened.
Lu Renhui said hurriedly: "My lord, you can't. King Pingyang has an excellent reputation, and the clan members all respect and love him. If we attack him, it will definitely cause chaos!"
Hu Changren said angrily: "I have no way to kill him with an edict, why can't I let him die of illness?"
"But is there any way to make him die of illness?"
The three of them looked at each other, their eyes full of horror.
The new prime minister began to lose control. Gao Yan had a good relationship with the clan members and acted like a big brother. If he was killed, how could he be repaid?
No matter what others say, should Gao Jun and Liu Taozi think about it?
None of the three people wanted to take the blame, their words flickered, and they refused to answer the question.
Hu Changren drove them all out.
At critical moments, you still have to find a way on your own!
Sitting in the room, Hu Changren began to think about countermeasures.
Obviously the cost of killing Gao Yan was too high, so the only option was to kill Gao Yan secretly, or poisoning was the most reliable option. Just say he died of illness, and no one else could say anything.
But how to poison him?
Hu Changren narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration occurred, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"There is a way!"
He quickly sent someone to call his brother in.
At the same time, Sangou stood outside with worried eyes.
"He doesn't really want to kill Gao Yan, does he?"
"It's hard to say. If Gao Yan is really killed, what will we do?"
Zou Xiaoyu frowned and looked at the two people in front of him, feeling very confused.
"Go and inquire more to see what is going to be done. King Pingyang must live. If he dies, the three of us will never escape."
Under Gao Yan's strong intervention, many projects in Yecheng were temporarily suspended, and even the emperor's projects were interrupted, which made the little emperor particularly dissatisfied.
Of the 18 people who were originally awarded awards, 15 have had their awards revoked.
Yecheng became quiet again.
Royal palace, inside the main hall.
The warriors stood around and guarded vigilantly.
The little emperor and Hu Changren were squatting among the warriors, and the two roosters were fighting.
There is no doubt that Hu Changren still lost this battle.
The little emperor won, which made him particularly happy.
Gao Wei hugged the cock and wanted to kiss it a few times.
He looked at Hu Changren with a smile and said, "Uncle, this iron guard of yours is not a real iron guard. It was still pecked to pieces by King Chongtian!"
Hu Changren wiped his sweat and said, "Yes, yes."
"Your Majesty, I am here to ask for a reward."
“Please give me a reward??”
Gao Wei frowned, and seeing that he had been playing with her for a long time, he slowly relaxed his brows, "Okay, what kind of reward do you want?"
"I would like tribute wine, Your Majesty. The weather is going well everywhere this year. This is because the wise ministers in the temple are wise. Your Majesty is wise. Please give the ministers tribute wine so that they can celebrate together."
Gao Wei laughed, "This is a big deal, I will give the order later!"
Hu Changren's hanging heart finally relaxed.
Gao Wei had a wide range of interests. After fighting cocks, he went to play other things and couldn't rest at all. Hu Changren stayed where he was, smiling and stroking his beard.
Hu Changmu walked to his side now, "Brother."
"Do as I say."
Hu Changmu frowned. His brother summoned him to the house a few days ago and asked him to poison the wine given to Gao Yan.
Hu Changmu was unwilling. He tried to persuade him several times, but Hu Changren couldn't listen at all and insisted on killing Gao Yan. If Hu Changmu was unwilling, someone else would have to do the job.
Hu Changmu faced his elder brother and had to obey.
Looking at his younger brother who had to lower his head, Hu Changren stroked his beard and laughed away.
Hu Changren was sitting in his house, looking at the tribute wine given by the emperor and laughing very loudly.
He didn't even drink, he just looked outside the door, waiting for the servant to come and report.
He had to hear the news of Gao Yan's death before he would drink wine to celebrate.
He waited happily, and after a long time, a servant hurriedly broke into the house.
Hu Changren stood up suddenly.
"What's wrong? What happened in the city?"
The slave was panting, with a look of panic on his face.
"Lord, it's not good."
"It's okay, you speak slowly, speak slowly"
"The King of Ande, Gao Yanzong, led his troops to Yecheng. He just broke in through the east city gate, and none of the soldiers could stop him."
"What?!"
The expectation and smile on Hu Changren's face disappeared in an instant, and he asked in shock: "What is he doing here?"
"I don't know, he is rushing to Dazaifu at the moment."
Hearing these words, Hu Changren's mind buzzed, and he hurriedly shouted: "Prepare the carriage quickly! Prepare the carriage!"
The slaves hurried out and began preparations. Hu Changren also sent someone to ask his younger brothers to lead troops to enforce martial law in the city.
He himself sat in a carriage and led the private soldiers in the mansion to rush to Gao Yan's mansion.
Sitting in the car, Hu Changren became more and more frightened as he thought about it.
When he arrived in front of Gao Yan's mansion, Gao Yanzong's soldiers were already guarding the door.
Hu Changren did not dare to get off the carriage and just looked at this place from a distance.
The door of the mansion was suddenly opened, and Gao Yanzong rushed out on horseback and rushed towards him. Hu Changren was shocked and hurriedly asked the driver to take him away. But before the driver could react, Gao Yanzong had already rushed in front of him, jumped off the horse, and directly drove him away.
Hu Changren grabbed him from the carriage.
Hu Changren looked at the ferocious-looking Gao Yanzong, his face pale, "An, King Ande."
"Why do you need to run when you see me? Dazai is at the mansion, why don't you go in with me to meet me?"
"another day."
Hu Changren was still looking for a chance, but Gao Yanzong didn't give him a chance. He dragged him towards the house and swaggered so arrogantly that no one of the many private soldiers around him dared to step forward to stop him. Gao Yanzong just looked at him with his momentum.
It's scary enough, not to mention that Jinyang soldiers are coming this time, so no one dares to offend him.
Hu Changren's face was full of horror, and he was dragged into the house by Gao Yanzong.
There are also soldiers in the house, and these soldiers are very strange.
They looked at Hu Changren with extremely fierce expressions.
Gao Yanzong said with a smile: "King Longdong, these soldiers have all killed enemies on the front line, but did not get rewards. They are a little angry. Don't blame them."
Hu Changren smiled awkwardly, but in his heart he just regretted why he came in person.
Gao Yanzong pulled Hu Changren into the back room.
Gao Yan was sitting in the room with a straight face, saying nothing.
Hu Changren walked in and began to search the house at first sight. He looked around and suddenly saw the exquisite wine bottle placed on the table not far away, and his heart trembled.
Gao Yanzong asked Hu Changren to sit aside, while he sat in front of Gao Yan.
"Uncle, I also brought people."
"He came just in time."
"What I want to say is the same old words I just said. King Pingcheng has ordered me to lead the army to guard the school outside Ye City. I have only one task, and that is to protect you. Even if you die, I have to keep my uncle safe. If anyone attacks you, I will kill you.
If I can't kill their entire clan, King Pingcheng will come and kill them himself."
"That's what he said!"
Hu Changren was trembling all over at this moment, sitting there unable to speak.
Gao Yan stared at Hu Changren coldly and said to Gao Yanzong: "No one in the city dares to do anything to me. King Longdong protects me very well. Many people are arranged outside the palace to keep an eye on me to prevent me from being kidnapped."
Murdered by others."
Gao Yanzong looked at Hu Changren with a hideous smile, "That's it."
"King Longdong, thank you for your trouble."
He patted Hu Changren's shoulder suddenly. Hu Changren shuddered and smiled quickly, "Of course, of course."
Gao Yan then looked at Gao Yanzong and said, "You came just in time. Your Majesty gave me a fine wine today, so the three of us can enjoy it together."
"No! No!"
"No drinking today!"
Hu Changren hurriedly interrupted them, "No, you can't drink alcohol from now on!!"
Gao Yan looked at him suspiciously, "Why?"
"No alcohol."
Hu Changren said with a solemn face: "Actually, I have been thinking about this for a long time. Nowadays, food output is getting less and less, and wine making is still crazy everywhere. Some people even go to great lengths to make a pot of good wine.
How many buckets of food were wasted!”
"If this continues, what will the people have to eat?"
"Besides, there are many people who like to drink wine inside and outside Ye city, and the way of drinking and sex is very popular. The officials and soldiers take the lead in drinking and ignore the government affairs, causing the temples to be ruined and everything is delayed."
"Therefore, I discussed with my staff for a long time and decided to ban alcohol."
Seeing Hu Changren talking about state affairs so solemnly, Gao Yan took a deep look at the exquisite wine bottle.
"Okay, since King Longdong thinks so, then I won't eat it."
Hu Changren breathed a sigh of relief.
Gao Yanzong then said: "We will ban alcohol from now on, but we won't delay eating wine today. Besides, we are coming in triumph, how can we not drink wine? No problem, no problem, just have a meal today. I have to pay tribute to the King of Longdong."
!”
Hu Changren trembled again, "I'm ill and I really can't drink."
After being pulled in this way many times, Hu Changren, who was physically and mentally exhausted, was finally sent out of the house by Gao Yanzong.
Seeing Hu Changren's embarrassing escape, Gao Yanzong looked at Gao Yan aside with a straight face.
"Uncle, why don't you let me kill him directly?"
"The temple cannot withstand changes or internal strife."
"Thank you for coming all the way and making King Pingcheng so worried."
Chapter completed!