Chapter 9 Chapter 55 Firefly in the Barren Moon in the Sky

Since the recovery of the two capitals, Suzong sent people to Shuzhong to welcome Xuanzong back to the court.However, the journey is long, and after calculations, it will always take December to reach Chang'an.There are still more than 20 days left for detailed deployment of the solution to Dugujing. Li Chu is busy with affairs, and Feng Shengyi is a trustworthy person who acts cautiously and prudently, but the Ministry of Criminal Affairs failed to solve the two cases of the assassination of Suzong and Concubine Shu. Suzong was furious. However, the imperial edict must solve the case within one month, so Feng Shengyi has a heavy load on his shoulders and cannot separate himself.Li Chu sometimes felt annoyed, seeing that there were few people available in front of him, although Yan Ming was loyal, it was a pity that he was too loyal and astute.

Fortunately, within a few days, Chen Zhou sneaked back to Chang'an from Fengxiang.After Chen Zhou was seriously injured in Jincheng County, he had been treated for half a year before he gradually recovered. However, it was still difficult for him to mount a horse and fight. Therefore, even though he begged Li Chu to secretly act as a bodyguard and accompany the army to fight against An Qingxu, he did not agree.This time when he returned to Chang'an City, his body had already grown strong and strong, and he was adding wings to Li Chu.It's just that his identity should not be known to others for the time being, he only stays in the marshal's mansion day and night, he is very delicate, it is appropriate for Li Chu to appoint him to plan to assassinate Dugu Jing at this time.

According to Chen Zhou's thinking, on the day Xuanzong returned to Beijing, Suzong would definitely lead the civil and military ministers, princes, concubines and princesses to Xianyang Wangxian Palace to greet him. Concubine Zhang Shu must go, but Dugujing's identity is unknown and he cannot accompany him.This is the best time. But Dugujing lives in Concubine Zhang Shu's dormitory, there are many guards, and there are many masters. It is not easy to lure away the guards and calmly take Dugujing's life.It is even more difficult to get out of the body after the assassination.The only way is to lead Dugu Jing to a secluded place and travel with the guards in the palace, so as to strike.

How is this going to lure her out?Dugu Jing is not usually astute, so she can't be fooled easily.What's more, since she entered the palace, she seemed to be extra cautious. From the observation of the guards under Li Chu, she must be guarded when she goes in and out. She almost never walks alone, and recently she stays in the palace all day. Suci's illness has not improved, and she is still in a coma all day long.Li Chu sent people around to search for news from Changsun E and Murong Lin, but they got various messages.Some said that they saw the master and disciple of Sun E, the master doctor of the country, traveling in the Tianshan Mountains; Overwhelmed with grief and having nowhere to rest, he went to practice Taoism... Li Chu dared not tell Shen Zhenzhu about this last rumor.

Ye Huben and Li Chu returned to Chang'an together, and Emperor Suzong naturally rewarded him greatly. Ye Hu was grateful for the emperor's kindness and said that many war horses were lost in the two wars.Su Zong was even more delighted when he thought of Huihe's state-owned foreign troubles, and he was so gracious. He specially asked Li Chu to send Ye Hu to the outside of Chang'an City to return. Li Chu, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and others made great contributions, and the honor and favor they received were unmatched for a time. It is said that Suzong once held Guo Ziyi's hand in person, and cried: "The Tang Dynasty depends on the marshal's preservation." Even Li Fuguo and others met them three times. People are flattering and flattering, and dare not be presumptuous.

After An Qingxu retreated to defend Ye County, although tens of thousands of horses were recruited in the counties of Hebei, they belonged to the mob. popular support. The Tang Dynasty now had the advantage over the rebels, and the capital was filled with joy. The palace was extensively repaired, and the lights were brilliant at night, returning to the former glory.Emperor Suzong decreed that from November 17th to 193rd, the night of the ban should be lifted, and lanterns should be lit in Kaifang City (Note 1).Driven by such a bustling atmosphere, Shen Zhenzhu was in a cheerful and cheerful mood, and even sneaked out of the palace with Li Chu many times at night, and took a tour of the night scene of Chang'an with his arms.

Shen Zhenzhu loves this kind of travel very much.Chang'an is extremely cold this year, the wind is like an ice cone and the snow is like a curtain.He and she were just dressed up as ordinary people, leaving the palace from Fanglin Gate, and bypassing Andingfang. , reflecting half of the sky brightly, a melodious piece of snow fell on her eyebrows, he raised his eyebrows and leaned over to blow it away gently for her, the suede boots stepped into the snow half a foot deep, he only held tightly Holding her hand, smiling consistently, everything is as beautiful as a dream. West Market was still performing various sideshows. At first, there were many people watching, but the snow became heavier and heavier, and gradually there were only a few of them.

The stall owner is a simple-looking middle-aged couple, presumably preparing to close the stall. The man had just performed a round of strength skills and was sweating profusely, but his face was red and purple from the cold. The gongs and knives and other props were placed on the dilapidated trek next to them.Not long after finishing packing, the man yelled and went to pull the stacked cart. His wife pushed behind the cart, presumably because the cart was so heavy that half of the wheels were sunk in the snow. , out of breath, the woman hurriedly stepped forward and took out a large towel from her arms to wipe his sweat, and whispered a few words, a childish cry came from the back of the car - "Daddy", the man turned around, originally The rough face was very kind and loving for a moment, he agreed, then gave a long and loud shout, and finally pulled the car and walked away slowly.The stacker truck was rickety, and the back compartment was vaguely made of firewood. It was extremely simple and could not be protected from wind and snow.

Seeing this scene, Shen Zhenzhu was in a daze for a while, unable to move away.Li Chu called her repeatedly, jokingly said: "What are you thinking? Why did you turn into a dumb bird?!" Shen Zhenzhu felt all kinds of feelings in her heart, she didn't know how to answer, so she just remained silent.Li Chu held her hand and said, "Why are you so sentimental now? I know what you're thinking—I'm just making you feel uneasy?" Looking up at the carriage, he said slowly, "The poor couple There are all kinds of troubles and sorrows. As your husband, I will definitely give you the best in the world..." After a pause, he looked at her and smiled softly, "I don't know if I am the best in the world?"

Shen Zhenzhu lightly raised her eyes to look at him.He is naturally the best in the world, and he is always so magnanimous when and where he stands. If one day he rules the world, how many outstanding women like Zhang Hanruo will fall for him!Smiled at him, wanted to say something, but felt in a trance for a while, and his feet were loose.Li Chu hurriedly supported her: "I always can't hold you back. In such a cold day, I still go out with you to fool around." Shen Zhenzhu regained her composure, tilted her head and smiled and said, "I prefer this way. The palace is gloomy, making people very uncomfortable."

Finally going back to the palace along the same route, Shen Zhenzhu felt that she was in a trance for no reason and felt uneasy. Li Shi was very noisy that night, and when it was Haishi, he was still rolling around on the bed and messing with the nurse, refusing to fall asleep.Li Chusu pampered his beloved son, and simply carried him into the room. The father and son were playing on the couch, Li Shi laughed "giggle" from time to time, and called "Daddy" in a childish voice. Seeing that his father and son were arguing really outrageously, Shen Zhenzhu shook her head and picked up a brocade handkerchief to embroider.The snow was falling outside the hall, the mood was restless for no reason, and in a daze, the embroidery needle was piercing the fingertips, and small blood beads rolled up. The maid yelled in surprise, and covered her with a silk scarf, but Shen Zhenzhu said "shh" Making a silent gesture, he said, "Listen, what's the sound outside the hall——" The dull and chaotic footsteps are official boots stepping into the snow, walking in a hurry but not fast.After a while, the sound of those footsteps became louder and louder, as if a noisy whirlwind gathered from all directions, and the torches outside the hall were densely packed, and people shuttled uncertainly.He Lingyi looked anxious, rushed in and shouted: "Princess, it's not good, our Shujing Palace has been surrounded." "What are you panicking about!" Li Chu straightened up from the couch, flicked his robe casually, and walked towards the outer hall with a calm expression, Shen Zhenzhu hurriedly put on his outer robe and followed closely. There was a clatter of boots in the corridor, iron armor clanged, and the heavy palace lanterns reflected the faces of the leaders. Li Chu stopped, and stood with his hands behind his back. The cold wind blew up outside, and a thin layer of ice had already condensed on the East Sea Pool.He snorted coldly through his nose: "Master Cheng is so powerful." Cheng Yuanzhen had no look of arrogance, he stepped forward and said: "Cheng is just following His Majesty's order, and His Highness Xuan will meet Wangfei Jinluan Palace." At this moment, Shen Zhenzhu calmed down, smiled, and said: "So that's the case, I mean, I want to tie up His Highness and meet me." Cheng Yuanzhen just said "dare not" again and again, and he didn't make excuses.Shen Zhenzhu knows that Cheng Yuanzhen is upright and extremely loyal to the Tang royal family, he has always only used the name of the emperor as his servant, it was the same when the last emperor was the emperor, and it is also the same after the current emperor ascends the throne, what happened today is meaningless and difficult for this person, looking back, I would like to tell the nanny After a few words, he followed Li Chu and headed towards Daming Palace without daring to bring any attendants. The Golden Luan Hall was brightly lit like a feast just before the opening. Suzong sat high on the dragon chair in the hall, and Concubine Shu sat reclined beside him.Li Chu and Shen Zhenzhu knelt down to meet their Majesty, but Suzong slapped the dragon chair and shouted angrily, "You are so bold!" He dared to raise his head, but still lifted his chin lightly, and peeked up at the hall, only to see Suzong raised his hand and took a piece of paper more than a foot wide, like a cloud, falling lightly in front of her and Li Chu's knees. Li Chu picked up the piece of paper, glanced at it, and had read the book on the paper in an instant, put the paper on the ground, kowtowed heavily, and said in a deep voice: "Father Huang Mingjian, this time This is Xue Song's own words, and my son has never done such a rebellious thing!" "No?!" Su Zonghuo stood up, almost gnashing his teeth: "This Xue Song's confession is written clearly and plainly - you actually coerced him to deliberately relax his vigilance, and ordered his subordinates to assassinate me and Concubine Shu!" He raised his beard. , the anger became more and more intense, "I didn't intend it, I just wanted to punish Xue Song's inexperienced thing, so I taught the third division to interrogate him. I never thought that such a result would come out! Li Chu, You killed your father and the king, you actually want to usurp the throne!" As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of the Longquan sword enshrined in the hall, without thinking about it, he took a few steps and pulled it out, stepped down from the hall and stabbed at Li Chu. Hearing these words, Shen Zhenzhu was so shocked that there seemed to be a cluster of flames burning in his chest, which made his internal organs choking with pain. That sword is a precious sword for killing people. Although Suzong is weak and lacks martial arts skills, he holds it in his hand and still has a fierce sword spirit.Just like the imperial throne and imperial power, anyone who holds it in their hands has a bit of murderous aura and makes people submit. Shen Zhenzhu was at a loss, and instinctively just wanted to cover herself and stand in front of Li Chu.Yi Fang got up, his body moved, his wrist was tightly gripped by Li Chu, and in just a split second, the sword had already pierced Li Chu's chest—— Shen Zhenzhu was dizzy for a while, and suddenly heard someone shouting in front of her: "Your Majesty, wait a minute!" When she regained her senses, she saw a person kneeling on the ground, firmly supporting Suzong's right hand holding the sword.And the tip of the sword was barely half an inch away from Li Chu's chest! Li Bi.Although the world is big, only Li Mi can have this support! Suzong stood still, his anger undiminished: "Li Mi, what do you mean!" However, the sword's momentum has weakened, and the tip of the sword sank slightly. Li Bifu played and said: "Your Majesty, please think twice—" At this time, Li Chu kowtowed again, and said squarely: "My son was wronged, please confront Xue Song." Li Mi was still pulling Suzong's sleeve, and said hurriedly: "This matter is very strange, Your Majesty is wise!" Seeing that Suzong's expression had loosened, he continued in a low voice: "You must know, once you pick the melon, it will be good." , Two picks make the melon thin--" This sentence has achieved great results, Suzong immediately lowered his sword, but he still said: "How can I wrong this unworthy son?" Seeing that Li Mi was still kneeling on the ground, Casually said: "Sir, please get up!" Li Mi got up and looked up to see Concubine Zhang Shu sitting in the hall. He had seen the ceremony first, and then said to Suzong: "Under the laws of the Tang Dynasty, ordinary people still have the right to confront the court, let alone the dignified royal family? Your Highness has said that you have been wronged, and please pass it on to him." Xue Song, confront him in court? It's just that the concubine Shu is also the one who suffers in this case, so I wonder what happened to the empress?" Concubine Zhang Shu rolled her eyes and said, "That's right." As she spoke, she came down from the hall, and said with a smile, "Cu'er has always been loyal, kind and filial, how could you do such a thing? Your Majesty, you are too reckless, don't I have wronged my good son and daughter-in-law!" She bluntly said that Su Zong was "reckless", but Su Zong was not annoyed, he brushed off his beard, looked sideways at Li Chu, and said with a heavy "hum" from his nose, "Since you said Yes, then pass it on to Xue Song!" Concubine Zhang Shu immediately issued an order that Li Fuguo would personally escort Xue Song to meet him.Li Chu and Shen Zhenzhu were still kneeling on the spot. Seeing that Suzong had no intention of telling them to get up, Li Mi persuaded them again. His intention was nothing more than the reason why the princess of the county was kneeling aside when a criminal saw him. What is the demeanor, Concubine Shu also helped to persuade with a decent appearance, Suzong then asked him and his wife to stand up and stand aside to listen to the order. Xue Song was imprisoned in Dali Prison, although it was not very close to Daming Palace, but it took no more than an hour and three quarters from the time the message was delivered to the arrest.Concubine Zhang Shu raised her head and prayed for several times, but she did not arrive. She couldn't help but blamed: "This Li Puguo, how can things be getting more and more procrastinated now!" Shen Zhenzhu felt worried.Although Xue Song is the best soft-boned person in the world, such slanderous words are definitely not something he can come up with and dare to do on his own, they must be instructed by others and promised to benefit him.Looking at today's situation, it is most likely the mastermind of Concubine Zhang Shu.That being the case, a confrontation is more ominous than good.But seeing Li Chu's face sinking like water and his expression cold, he felt very uncomfortable.The emperor killed Li Tan first, and suspected Li Chu later. For the throne and imperial power, there is really no father-son relationship, so why not make Li Chu feel cold?What should Xue Song do if he said something that would be very unfavorable to Li Chu after being escorted?The emperor was so suspicious that he believed that his son would usurp the throne and kill the king just based on Xue Song's confession. Thinking of the loving father in the Prince's Mansion in the past, it was really a world of difference. She thought over and over again, but there was no way out, and her palms were full of sweat. This hour seems to be extremely long, the five people in the hall have their own concerns, and they are all silent. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty,—" Li Fuguo rushed into the hall out of breath, ran too fast, was tripped by the threshold, and "thumped" into the hall first.Suzong frowned, and before he got angry, Li Fuguo had already crawled and leaned under Suzong's robe, and said with a mournful face: "Report, report back to the Holy Majesty, Xue Song was robbed in Dali Prison just now!" The whole hall was shocked! The dignified Dali Prison was robbed, and it was a big joke to spread it. Suzong's anger was no small matter, and he said, "What's going on!" "It's a woman in red, she looks only fourteen or fifteen years old, she calls herself 'Xue Hongxian', her martial arts skills are so good, the slaves didn't see clearly how she moved her hands, oh my god, the sword flashed, Dozens of wardens stopped still. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared with that kid Xue Song in his arms. It’s really evil!" Li Fuguo wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve as he said it. His actions were extremely rude, and he hurriedly dodged aside. Suzong never saw what happened, he only thought that what Li Fuguo said was exaggerated, his hands and feet trembled with anger, pointed at Li Chu's nose and scolded: "Okay, what a drudgery, knowing that I want to pass on Xue Song's confrontation, so I did it first. Strong. You are getting better and better!" Li Chu turned pale when he heard that Xue Song was robbed, and he didn't dare to defend himself, so he lowered his head to let Suzong scold him. Hearing what Li Fuguo said, Shen Zhenzhu thought, could it be that the woman who robbed the prison was Xue Hongxian? Li Fuguo probably misheard the word "red line".Immediately knelt down and said: "Father calm down, I have something to tell my father!" Su Zong said: "If you want to get rid of your husband's cunning words and step back, you don't need to say more!" Shen Zhenzhu kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty, if Zhenzhu said that she would intercede for His Highness King Guangping in the name of Mrs. Tang Yipin Zhenguo, would His Majesty agree?" It's just that today's ministers must not use the name of Mrs. Zhen Guo to intercede with His Highness. Pearl is His Highness's wife, so naturally she shares honor and disgrace with His Highness. Pearl is also his father's daughter-in-law, and his son is in vain. Seeing his father's anger, he dare not argue. There is a daughter-in-law who risked her life, begging the emperor to listen, Pearl is willing to accept any punishment!" Note 1: In the Tang Dynasty, there was a system of night bans, where the night drums and drums were stopped, and pedestrians were banned from the streets; when the dawn drums were drummed, the ban was lifted.From the first watch to the fifth watch at two o'clock or three o'clock, it is the night ban time. If you walk on the street during this period, it is called "criminal night". .Only when there are three days in the first month of each year or the emperor's special decree, can't help the night. (Refer to Mr. Yang Hongnian's "Two Capitals of the Sui and Tang Dynasties")