Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Change

The snow gradually melted, and the ice slowly disappeared.The ice and snow melted into the water of the Spring River. The spring water flows eastward and passes through the border fortress of Guanshan Mountain. It seems that overnight the spring breeze greens the banks of the Yellow River. The greenery is like everything blooming, flowing along the river and filling the capital. After a winter of dormancy, the big city of Bianjing is even more brilliant, and there is no sign of war in the northwest.Standing outside the palace gate, Di Qing frowned slightly when he saw the fresh green branches on the trees not far away, and the early orioles fighting for warmth.

After waiting for another time to burn the incense, a person in the palace walked out quickly, came to Di Qing, and said in a low voice: "General Di, Your Majesty is not feeling well and doesn't want to see anyone." Manager, I've met Di Qing a few times. Yan Shiliang was the adopted son of Yan Wenying. Yan Wenying followed Zhao Zhen all the time, and it can be said that he has worked hard and made great achievements.After the death of the Empress Dowager and Luo Chongxun, Yan Wenying became the number one person in the palace.Yan Wenying had always been at odds with Empress Guo. Later Zhao Zhen abolished Empress Guo, Fan Zhongyan and others objected, but Yan Wenying firmly stood by Zhao Zhen and supported the abolition of Empress Guo.

Queen Guo was eventually expelled from the palace and became a nun. However, when she heard that Empress Guo was sick, she wrote a love letter to Zhao Zhen.After Zhao Zhen read the letter, recalling the past, he felt a little apologetic to Empress Guo. He heard that Zhao Zhen intended to recruit Empress Guo into the palace again, but Empress Guo put forward a condition, "If you want to receive the imperial edict again, you must be registered in a class of all officials." Zhao Zhen During the consideration period, the medicine was given to Empress Guo. The medicine was sent by Yan Wenying.

Queen Guo died suddenly on the third day after taking the medicine.Everyone suspected that Yan Wenying was at odds with Queen Guo, thinking that Yan Wenying was afraid that Queen Guo would return to the palace to deal with him, so he poisoned Queen Guo to death! Some people doubted it, but only one person dared to doubt it, and that was Fan Zhongyan! Fan Zhongyan returned to Beijing after being demoted at that time. Seeing that the officials were silent, he wrote a letter bluntly saying that Yan Wen should be responsible for the death of Empress Guo.Fan Zhongyan's words were fierce and impassioned, which shocked the court, and even Lu Yijian couldn't suppress it.In the end, Zhao Zhen finally demoted Yan Wenying to Lingnan because of Queen Guo's incident, and Yan Wenying died on the road before arriving in Lingnan.

The past is like fog, coming and going in and out of clouds... Di Qingyuan was in the border area, heard some scattered things about the past, and knew that after Zhao Zhen expelled Yan Wenying, he didn't blame Yan Shiliang, and even promoted Yan Shiliang to be the number one person in the palace. Hearing Yan Shiliang say that Zhao Zhen was unwell, Di Qing frowned, and thought to himself, "It's been half a month since I returned to the capital, half a month ago, the Holy Majesty excused his discomfort, and it hasn't improved yet? I have already asked, and the Holy Majesty's morning court is as usual, unlike Looks sick. So...he doesn’t want to see me for the time being? Maybe he has made up his mind to talk with Xia Guo, because he doesn’t want me to speak up, so as not to embarrass each other?”

Once again, Di Qing was ordered to return to the capital all the way, just to see Zhao Zhen and talk about the alliance with the Tubo people again. He didn't want to think that even though he had a high official position, meeting the emperor was not as easy as before.Seeing that Yan Shiliang was also a little bit embarrassed, it was inconvenient to tell the truth, so he just said: "Then please ask Mr. Yan to greet Di Qing on behalf of Di Qing, thank you for your trouble." Yan Shiliang smiled and said, "Okay, sure, sure." Di Qing had no choice but to turn back to Guo's house. After he returned to the capital, he still lived in Guo's house.Things are different, Guo Kui has grown a lot taller and stronger, and when he saw Di Qing came back, he burst into tears.Di Qing felt uncomfortable, so he comforted Guo Kui nicely.Guo Kui no longer studied literature, but practiced martial arts instead. Almost every day he heard chickens dance and practiced against Di Qing.

After Guo Zunzhan's death, Zhao Zhen was heartbroken and bestowed generous gifts on Guo's family. As a result, Guo Kui was promoted to the third class.But Di Qing knew that Guo Kui was aiming at the frontier, fighting against Xixia to avenge his elder brother.Di Qing felt Guo Zun's kindness and took good care of Guo Kui, thinking that nothing happened anyway, so he discussed with Guo Kui carefully.Since Zhao Zhen didn't want to see him at this moment, Di Qing wanted to turn around and see Guo Kui. Di Qing was walking on the road, just passing a long street, when he suddenly heard the sound of a gong in front of him, soldiers cleared the way, and a small sedan chair with a golden roof came along.

Seeing this, the passers-by knew that most of the sedan chairs were relatives of the emperor, so they stepped aside one after another.Di Qing also dodged to the side of the road, waiting for the sedan chair to pass.At this time, there was a sound of swallows in the sky, and Di Qing looked up, and saw a new swallow hovering around with mud in his mouth, looking lonely, and thought in his heart, "In a few days, I will go to Uncle Yang to see it." After he returned to the capital, he never went to Yang's mansion again. Hearing that Yang Nian'en's business was doing well recently, he stopped going to bother him.It is said that seeing things and thinking about people, he Di Qing has been in the army for many years, and he has never forgotten his clothes for a day.When I think of Yang Mansion, I think of the crab shell wind chime, the charming eyes, the book full of laughter and tears, like the smoke of the past...

Di Qing looked at the swallow, his eyes moistened slightly, and just as he was feeling lost, the sedan chair had arrived beside him and stopped slowly.Di Qing was a little surprised, and heard someone on the sedan chair say: "General Di, how have you been after a few years?" The voice of the person in the sedan chair was soft, and Di Qing heard it vaguely, but he couldn't remember who it was. After a long silence, the person in the sedan chair laughed and said, "General Di, my concubine is Chang Ning." Suddenly, Di Qing finally remembered who was in the sedan chair, and hurriedly saluted: "Minister Di Qing, see the eldest princess." When he returned to the capital, Zhao Zhen wanted to keep Di Qing by his side, and wanted to betroth his younger sister, Princess Changning, to Di Qing. Was flatly rejected by Di Qing.Although Di Qing apologized later, he had forgotten about it, and Chang Ning still remembered him and greeted him.

Princess Changning seemed to sigh faintly, and said: "Long time no see, General Di still looks the same as before." Seeing that Di Qing was silent, Princess Changning asked: "The concubine just passed by, seeing General Di frowning, seems to be I wonder if I can talk to my concubine?" Di Qing smiled wryly and said: "I was ordered to return to Beijing. I had something urgent to see the Holy Majesty. I didn't want to hear Yan Shiliang say that the Holy Majesty was unwell... so I was worried." Is Zhao Zhen really sick? Chang Ning in the sedan chair was silent for a while, and then said: "So that's how it is. That concubine is a little helpless. But General Di, don't worry too much. I want you to fight in the northwest and serve the country with all your heart. This heart can be seen every day. Many people don't know what to do." I forgot about you. My concubine has something to do, so I'll take a step first." After saying that, the sedan chair lifted up and left slowly.Di Qing shook his head, and before he could move, he suddenly felt that someone was watching him.

Di Qing looked sideways and saw two people standing by the side of the road, one was a blind man holding two pieces of pear blossoms, the other was a girl holding a curved neck pipa and braiding two long braids. It was the girl who was looking at Di Qing. When Di Qing saw the girl, he felt a little familiar. When he saw the blind man again, he remembered that the blind man's surname was Jiang, and the girl's name was Lu'er. He had seen this grandson in Anyuan Village. Seeing that Lu'er wanted to speak but didn't dare, Di Qing strode over and said, "Master Jiang, Miss Lu'er, why are you in the capital?" Luer was both surprised and happy, not wanting Di Qing to remember them, shyly said: "General Di, it's really you, I don't think you've come to the capital too? Ever since the great victory in Anyuan, we haven't heard about you. It’s from Anyuan Storyteller to the capital, are you... are you better from your injuries?" Di Qing smiled, "It's been half a year earlier, how can it be bad? You are used to living in the capital, do you need help?" Seeing that Luer was looking at him timidly just now, he thought that there was something embarrassing about this grandpa and grandson. The blind man had heard Di Qing's voice a long time ago, but he kept silent and didn't dare to make a sound. Hearing the words, he hurriedly said: "I'm used to it, I don't need to bother General Di anymore. It's all this girl who said you were nearby from a long distance away. The old man and I I still don't believe it. I didn't expect to meet the general. The old man is really lucky. By the way, we still have something to do. A few days ago, a young master gave us a hundred taels of silver to tell us stories in this restaurant for ten days... The story of General Di." Di Qing was a little embarrassed, and said, "That's... not bad. Mr. Jiang, I won't disturb your storytelling." After saying that, he turned around to leave, and Luer called out, "General Di, why don't you go up and listen to our storytelling? " Di Qing's face was impressive, and he said: "You guys make a living from storytelling, so I have no problem with it. But no matter how thick-skinned I am, I'm too embarrassed to listen." The blind man chuckled, pulled his granddaughter and said, "Then...General Di, let's go to storytelling. Please go get busy." Di Qing took his leave immediately and strode away. Lu'er pursed her lips, stomped her feet, and said angrily to the blind man, "Grandpa, how could you do this? It was so hard for us to see General Di again. You seem to be kicking him out." The blind man tapped the pear tree in his hand, making a crisp sound, but the man said vicissitudes: "Luer, you should be sensible when you grow up. General Di has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he must have a lot of things. He can remember us." , come here and say a few words to us, take the initiative to help us, it is already a blessing in our previous life. He has more worries than anyone else, even if we can't help him, we can't always pester him and cause trouble for others. He It’s the general, he is a unparalleled hero in the world, we are storytellers, we are not from the same world as him, you should understand.” Lu'er blushed, bit her lip, and said angrily after a while: "I understand, I understand better than anyone else. I never thought about marrying him, don't think about it, I just want to take a good look at him, how much Remember a few words he said, and then let you know. If you really understand the truth, then don't always ask me about General Di's appearance." After saying that, he flicked his braids and went to the restaurant. The blind man smiled wryly and remained silent. He heard footsteps and ran back. Lu'er ran back again. With a "puchi" smile, he grabbed the blind man's sleeve and said, "Go upstairs. The young man hasn't come yet." The blind man shook his head, and went to a restaurant with his granddaughter.When Lu'er went upstairs, she asked, "Grandpa, that young master pays a hundred taels of silver every time he makes a move. Every time he comes to listen to the book, there are always several people guarding him. Who do you think he is?" The blind man frowned and said, "Whoever he is, he likes to hear about General Di so much, so of course he is a good person. It doesn't matter how many guards he has, as long as we have a clear conscience about what we say." While talking, the two of them went up to the second floor of the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant greeted him earlier and said, "Old man Jiang, you came early today. Sit here..." The restaurant was already full of diners, and when they saw the blind man coming, they all greeted him, "Old man Jiang is here, what are you going to say today?" It turned out that a young master was quite generous these few days, and he gave old man Jiang a hundred taels of silver, and talked about Di Qing for ten days.The diners in the restaurant were given free storytelling, so of course they rushed to occupy their seats. The restaurant's business was booming for a while, and the boss was naturally very polite to the grandpa and grandson. Old man Jiang sat down, Luer tuned the strings, and someone urged: "Old man Jiang, tell me quickly... Are you going to say Anyuan's victory today?" The blind man smiled and said: "Today we are talking about the great victory of Anyuan, but the Lord has not arrived yet, please wait a moment, all the judges." Everyone knew that the blind man was waiting for the one who paid, and muttered: "This man is always on time. , I don’t know why you came late today?” As soon as the voice fell, there were footsteps on the stairs again, and everyone said: "Come, come." Lu'er raised her eyes and saw two people going upstairs side by side, looking around with burning eyes, and then invited the young master behind to come up.The young master lowered his head and hurried away, and sat down in the private room. An attendant accompanied him, filled the wine for the young master, and the bead curtain was drawn down.Then the squire shrieked, "Okay, we can begin." Every time the young master came, he would rest in the private room, listen to old man Jiang's storytelling through the curtain, and act a little strangely.Everyone didn't think it was strange, they all said: "Okay, let's start." The blind man smiled, knocked down the pear flower board, cleared his throat, and sang hoarsely first: "The mourning geese sing about the bitterness, the sun sets thousands of miles away and the city stands alone. The generals are shocked by the wind and dust, and the sages walk in the frost and dew for ten years." Luer followed the pipa, clattering and humming, the music was full of desolation and sorrow.After the music stopped, Lu'er said: "Grandpa, today you are talking about Anyuan's great victory, why did you say these four sentences first?" The blind man said: "Everything has a cause before it has an effect, and if there is an effect, there must be a cause. This storytelling is the same. At the beginning, we always need to point out the reasons. In the four sentences of the old man, I talked about the situation in the northwest border, and I also talked about two people." Luer pretended to be contemplative, and suddenly clapped her hands and said: "That's right, after the two battles of Sanchuankou and Haoshuichuan in the northwest, all the fortresses in the northwest were in danger. The isolated city of Yangmulong stood there for a long time. Like the lone wild goose who has lost his family. Grandpa, the first two lines of your poem refer to this situation, right?" The diners in the restaurant felt ashamed or gritted their teeth when they heard the words, and the blind man sighed: "Yes, this is exactly what I was talking about. Just when everyone in Song Dynasty was in danger, two people stepped forward to block the Xia army's tigers and wolves." Soldiers, save the people in the northwest from fire and water." Luer smiled and clapped her hands again, "I see. The general you mentioned is definitely General Di Qingdi. I met General Di at the border, just now... I saw him downstairs." Said After all, the face is happy and proud. Everyone was in an uproar and rushed towards the railing of the attic, almost cracking the railing. They all shouted: "Where is it, where is it? Miss, show us." Although many people in the capital had heard of Di Qing's deeds, But not many people had seen Di Qing. When they heard that Di Qing was downstairs, they couldn't help but want to see the true face of Mount Lu. Luer said with a bitter face: "Let's go early, he is a busy man." She was a little sad, and didn't notice that the young man in the curtain said to the attendant beside him: "How is Di Qing these days?" The attendant said respectfully: "Di Qing invited to see His Majesty again today, but according to His Majesty's wishes, I blocked him back." The young man just said "Oh", and heard someone from outside the curtain say: "What's so good about Di Qing? It's nothing more than a nose and two eyes." The man with broad shoulders and thick back, dressed in a long gown, sat there quite majestic.Listening to Luer's dissatisfaction, she said: "General Di does have one nose and two eyes, but he is much more handsome than Your Excellency." Everyone burst into laughter when they heard the words, the man suddenly stood up when he heard Luer's sarcasm, and shouted: "What did you say?" Lu'er was a little afraid, but no matter what, she couldn't tolerate others underestimating Di Qing, so she raised her head and said, "I'm telling the truth, I've seen General Di twice, and I saw that he has scars on his forehead, tattoos on his cheeks, and white sideburns. It seems vicissitudes, but I know he is the most heroic and handsome man in the world. Anyone who asks me will say so!" The young master in the curtain heard this, and murmured: "From what she said, I have indeed met Di Qing. I don't want Di Qing's temples to be white, and he and I haven't seen each other for several years." The attendant said: "Yes, Di Qing has experienced a lot of vicissitudes. Maybe it's because of the wind and sand, it makes people age faster." "It's not good to put it down, why does Di Qing always miss the border?" The young man muttered to himself, hearing the appearance of a fight outside the curtain, frowned and said: "Let old man Jiang go on." Hearing this, the attendant screamed: " Don't argue, if you don't listen to the book, please go downstairs." Everyone said one after another: "Yes, listen to the book and listen to the book, if you don't want to listen, just go down." Seeing that everyone was dissatisfied with him, the long-clothed man snorted coldly, and said to himself: "I really want to hear what Di Qing is capable of." Although his voice was dissatisfied, he didn't want to make trouble after all.The blind man smoothed things over and said, "Lu'er, tell me, who is the last sentence of my poem about?" Lu'er stopped arguing, and thought for a while before she said, "The 'sage who walked on Shuanglu for ten years' is referring to Mr. Fan? But what does this have to do with Lu Shuang?" The blind man's face was full of brilliance, and he said: "Yes, I am talking about Fan Gong. Fan Gong has been in the northwest for the past few years, and he and General Di have complemented each other. They are the mainstay of the Northwest of the Song Dynasty. He has a good literary talent and can play the qin very well, but he has only played one song in his life, which is called "Shuangshuang". Fan Gong has been ups and downs for many years, and he walks on thin frost all day long, without changing his integrity. I admire the old man very much." Everyone also showed approval, even the man in the long coat didn't say anything this time. The young master inside the curtain said: "How is Fan Zhongyan doing recently?" The attendant said: "He, Fu Bi, Han Qi, Xia Song and others have all been transferred back to the capital from the frontier, and are currently waiting for the order of the Holy Majesty. In fact, if the Holy Majesty wants to know about Fan Zhongyan and Di Qing, he can go to them or the officials Ask, why listen to people's stories here?" The young master smiled slightly and said: "What other people say is biased. Only what people say can tell the people's preferences. I am determined to change, and of course I have to listen to the opinions of many parties, so that I can make a decision." That son is none other than Zhao Zhen, the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty! Zhao Zhen had long since lost the youthful and helpless look he had back then, and his expression was infinitely majestic. The attendant was Yan Shiliang, the number one eunuch in the palace, and he heard the words and said: "The sage is wise." Before he could say anything else, Zhao Zhen said: "Listen to the book." Yan Shiliang immediately put his hands by his side and said no more. The kung fu of the blind man outside the curtain has long talked about the Anyuan War.When it came to the fact that Di Qing had beheaded two generals in a row and was severely wounded by the Xia people's tricks, everyone was extremely worried. Luer said: "Grandpa, General Di is seriously injured, so what should we do?" The blind man said: "General Di was seriously injured, and was snatched back to the camp by the owner of the village. Xia Jun was overjoyed when he saw this, and the number one master of the Yasha Department who had been hiding in the summer camp, Kong Kong Yasha Wei Mingxu, came to fight quickly, just want to take advantage of it , scolding and fighting in front of the camp. General Di woke up as soon as he returned to the camp. When he heard that the enemy was coming to challenge him, he mounted his horse again and shouted, 'Di Qing can die, but he must fight!'” The last words spoken by the blind man were mixed with the sound of pear blossom trees hitting, sonorous and powerful.Everyone's blood was surging, and they all said: "General Di is indeed a real hero." After hearing this, Zhao Zhen recalled the past and sighed, "This Di Qing has really changed a lot." The blind man outside the curtain said again: "General Di was seriously injured at the time, and others were worried about General Di's life and death. But General Di heard that the enemy was coming, so he rose up and fought again. After leaving the stronghold for only one round, he beheaded Wei Mingxu and gave orders. The Song army counterattacked. At that moment, the Song army in Anyuanzhai felt his whole body was full of courage, and immediately chased General Di out. The momentum, like a flood, broke down the troops of Lingzhou Taiwei Dou Weiji, and Di The general took the lead and beheaded Dou Weiji. Hearing the news, the soldiers in the fort along the way followed and fought, and in a blink of an eye tens of thousands of soldiers and horses gathered and fought all the way to Sanchuankou, recovering the lost territory of the Song Dynasty!" The saliva of the blind man's words flew everywhere, and everyone was elated and elated when they heard it.Only the man in the long gown sneered and said, "Who would believe that Di Qing could chase hundreds of miles after being seriously injured?" The blind man was stunned, then stood up immediately and said: "The old man was in Anyuan at the beginning. Hearing about this, how could it be false?" I don't know the truth, but for the sake of Di Qing's bravery, of course Di Qing was seriously injured to fight back, which is very satisfying, but the blind don't think there is anything wrong.Just now when Lu'er was arguing with the man in the long gown, the blind man still blamed his granddaughter for being troublesome, now hearing that man question the authenticity of what he said, he couldn't help but blushed, and the veins on his forehead burst out. The man in the long gown sneered, "Even if you were in Anyuan at the time, couldn't you tell lies to deceive people. Anyway, I don't believe that Di Qing is so powerful. If I really saw him, I would like to compete with him." Everyone glared at him angrily, but seeing that man was barbaric, they dared not say more.Suddenly a person said: "With your ability, you still have to compete with Brother Di? I can't do three tricks under Brother Di. Cao Ying, come, come, come, if you can do three tricks under my hands, I will call you Ancestor! If you can't take it, get out of here as soon as possible, don't always find someone soft to pinch, and make people laugh!" Everyone was very angry, and they couldn't help being excited when they saw someone stand out.The man had been listening to the book quietly in the corner just now, and no one else was paying attention. At this moment when he stood up, everyone noticed that he had a stubble beard and bright eyes. Out of arrogance. The man in the long shirt was called Cao Ying, and he was startled when someone called his name, and when he turned to see that man, his expression changed slightly.Everyone thought that Cao Ying was going to fight, but he just stomped his feet and went downstairs in despair. Zhao Zhen saw the man through the curtain, a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, with a touch of emotion in his expression, he murmured: "Guo Kui does not insult his brother's reputation." Of course Zhao Zhen recognized the person who stood up, and it turned out that the person was Guo Zun's younger brother Guo Kui! Years are like an arrow, the laughing and joking boy back then, after time and the pain of parting, has matured far earlier than ordinary boys. Over the years, Guo Kui has practiced martial arts diligently and worked extremely hard, and he has already made a name for himself in the Forbidden Army camp.Cao Ying was also a member of the Forbidden Army. Seeing that it was Guo Kui, he knew that he was invincible, and also knew that this man was valued by the emperor and could not be offended, so he could only leave. When everyone saw Guo Kui driving Cao Ying away, they were overjoyed and admired. Lu'er pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Every time someone insults General Di, someone will stand up to defend it. It seems that justice is at ease. My son, your surname is Gao, I wonder if you can tell us?" Luer thought in her heart, this person calls Di Qing Brother Di, it seems that he is very close to Di Qing.After knowing his name, we must promote it for him. Guo Kui hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said: "I'm an unknown person, I just saw the road is rough. I have something to do, so I'm leaving." He said he just left, and went downstairs in a flash, without knowing where he was going.He actually knew Luer's intentions, but he thought to himself that although I respect Brother Di, I am Guo Zun's younger brother, and I will break through the sky with my own fists, so as not to insult the prestige of Brother Di. Big brother's name? Everyone sighed for a while, discussed for a while, and dispersed in twos and threes. Zhao Zhen asked Yan Wenying to give old man Jiang another hundred taels of silver, and asked him to talk here for another ten days, but he didn't have to tell Zhao Zhen. Although the old man Jiang found it strange, there was no reason to refuse this kind of condition, and he and Luer happily left.Zhao Zhen drank for a while, some palace people hurried upstairs and whispered something to Yan Shiliang.After hearing this, Yan Shiliang said to Zhao Zhen: "Your Majesty, please see Xia Song when you enter the palace." Zhao Zhen nodded, got up and went downstairs, and walked towards the palace under the protection of several guards.After only a few streets, a person suddenly appeared not far ahead and blocked the road. All the guards stood in front of Zhao Zhen with their hands on the hilt of their swords. However, Zhao Zhen saw that the man was Guo Kui, so he dismissed the guards and asked, "Guo Kui, what are you doing?" Because of Guo Zun, he respected Guo Kui very much. Guo Kui knelt down on one knee, cupped his fists and said, "My lord, I have a request." Zhao Zhen said kindly, "What's the matter with you, get up and talk." Guo Kui stood up slowly, puzzled and said: "I don't understand why the Holy Majesty has never seen Di Qing, but he just asked a storyteller to tell a book to understand Di Qing's affairs?" Yan Shiliang scolded: "The Holy Majesty does things, why do you need to tell me!" Zhao Zhen waved his hand, stopped Yan Shiliang, and said calmly, "You knew that I was the one who asked the old man Jiang to tell the story, so you waited for me at the restaurant? Di Qing asked you to come?" Guo Kui shook his head and said, "Di Qing didn't know I was coming. This matter is up to me. Your Majesty, Di Qing is loyal to the country, and returning to the capital is only for state affairs. I don't know why the Majesty keeps avoiding him?" Zhao Zhen avoided answering, and said: "I still have something to do, you can go back." After saying that, he walked away. Guo Kui bumped his nose, and seeing Zhao Zhen's face sinking like water, he didn't dare to persuade him any more, and stepped aside embarrassingly.Seeing Zhao Zhen leave, Guo Kui had nothing to do. After returning to Guo's mansion, he saw Di Qing sitting in the courtyard, watching the swallows flying in the sky, came over to say hello, "Second brother Di... haven't you seen the Holy One today?" He acted by nature, and did not tell Di Qing that he had met Zhao Zhen. Di Qing shook his head, looked away, got up and patted Guo Kui on the shoulder and said, "Are you still fighting today?" Guo Kui didn't wait for an answer, but Zhao Steward of the Eighth Prince's Mansion actually walked into the courtyard and said, "General Di, the Eighth Prince has an invitation." Di Qing was slightly taken aback. After returning to the capital, he seldom contacted others and never went to see the Eighth Prince.He feels guilty because he has not kept his promise. Guo Kui laughed, and said, "Brother Di, go see the Eighth Prince. I'm a little tired today, and I want to rest for a day." He thought to himself, "If the Eighth Prince invites you to see the Holy One, there is some hope. Hmph... If A few days later, the Holy Majesty still hasn't seen Brother Di, so I will definitely ask the Holy Majesty again to talk about this matter." When Di Qing arrived at the Prince's Mansion, he saw that the Eighth Prince was still drinking tea by the screen in front of the hall, his clothes clean. Over the years, everything has changed, it seems that only the Eighth Prince and his screen have not changed.But Di Qing's sharp eyes saw that the Eighth Prince's face looked older and the wrinkles on his face were deeper. Seeing Di Qing coming, the Eighth Prince just waved his hand, signaling Di Qing to sit down.A smile finally appeared on his originally numb face, and his feelings for Di Qing didn't seem to have changed. Sitting down, Di Qing said with some shame: "Uncle... I have never been able to enter Shambhala... and I have never been able to save Yushang." The Eighth Prince was a little surprised and said: "Incapable to enter Shambhala, so...do you know where Shambhala is?" Di Qing nodded and said: "From all indications, Shambhala is near Dunhuang, Shazhou. And it is probably under the desert!" The Eighth Prince breathed a sigh of relief, "So you know it too, so I dare to be so sure." Di Qing was startled, and asked, "Uncle, how did you find out about this news?" The Eighth Prince looked a little tired, and said slowly: "In the past few years, I have been sending people to Shazhou to inquire about the descendants of the Cao surname, and only then have I come to this conclusion. Listen to what you said, it seems that Shambhala It is indeed in Shazhou. But even if you know the location of Shambhala right now, you can’t do things conveniently, because Yuan Hao is heavily guarding it. My nephew, why are you so anxious to find the Holy Spirit when you return to Beijing this time?” Di Qing briefly talked about the alliance with Tubo and the joint attack on the Xia Kingdom, and then said: "Uncle, if this is true, on the one hand, it can curb the Xia Kingdom's arrogance, and it will also make it easier for us to find Shambhala. It kills two birds with one stone. But the Holy Majesty has been refusing to see me with excuses, Uncle, can you take me to see the Holy Majesty?" The Eighth Prince frowned, tapped his fingers on the table, and seeing Di Qing's look of anticipation, he said after a while, "You and I both have a common wish, which is to save Yu Chang, and it stands to reason that I have a duty to do so." Di Qing's heart sank. Feeling that there was something in the words of the Eighth Prince, the Eighth Prince sighed and said: "Now that Xia Guo is seeking peace, the Northwest finally has the time to breathe. The Holy One recalled Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, and Xia Song from the Northwest in one breath, and called you back. Jingcheng, you probably think that the Holy Majesty is avoiding you because he is determined to negotiate peace with Xia Guo, and you don’t want you to mention the alliance with Tubo?" Di Qing asked in surprise, "Isn't that so?" The Eighth Prince shook his head and said: "Things are not as simple as you imagined, my nephew, you probably don't know that when you were fighting in the northwest, Fan Zhongyan, Pang Ji, Han Qi and others have written letters back to Beijing many times, pointing out that the big The disadvantage of the Song Dynasty is that it is impossible to rejuvenate the country if it is not changed, and it is impossible to strengthen the army if it is not changed. Now Guo Miaoshan, Wang Ze and others have rebelled, causing rebellions from refugees all over the country, and because it is not good for Xia's war. Internal and external troubles, but also determined to change." Di Qing was puzzled and said: "Then this is a good thing, what does it have to do with the Holy Majesty not seeing me?" The Eighth Prince sighed and said: "It may be a good thing, but such a change has already shaken the position of Prime Minister Lu. You also know that Lu Yijian has monopolized the power for many years, and it is rumored that the Holy One will change and want to remove Lu Yijian's status. How can Lu Yijian sit and wait for death?" How about it? Some time ago, when you went to Tubo, Lu Yijian specially suggested that the emperor appoint Zheng Jian as the appeasement envoy of the Shaanxi Fourth Route Economic Strategy, and go to Shaanxi." "Who is this Zheng Jian?" "Zheng Jian was born as a Jinshi during the Tiansheng period, and he has some relatives with Fan Gong. He is also considered a loyal minister, and he is upright. In the past, he had many conflicts with Lu Yijian on official matters." The Eighth Prince said. Di Qing was a little confused, and asked again, "If Zheng Jian is really like this, isn't it a good thing?" Seeing the frowning look of the Eighth Prince, he couldn't understand. The Eighth Prince sighed softly and said, "Nephew, it is good for you to lead the army, but you don't understand the dangers in the court. Do you really think that Lu Yijian is kind? Zheng Jian is upright, but he is too rigid and serious. Lu Yijian had a bad relationship, and this time he was recommended by Lu Yijian to go to Shaanxi. He would do things conscientiously and would not give him a handle. Because Zheng Jian knew that if the private affairs were small, Fan Gong might be involved. But if Zheng Jian is serious, Northwest Something went wrong. I know that Duke Fan and his good friend Teng Zijing have always done great things regardless of small details, in order to resist the Xia army, so there is a problem with the use of the minister's money." Di Qing knew about Minister Qian. The minister's money can be regarded as the unique official payment of the Song court, and it can also be regarded as a small local treasury, which is responsible for local flexible expenses.The Northwest is actively preparing for war and recruiting troops. If they wait for the imperial court to allocate them, they will definitely not be able to supply them in time. Therefore, Fan Zhongyan, Teng Zijing, Zhong Shiheng and others all cleverly used the minister's money to guarantee Di Qing's use of troops. This matter has a clear conscience, but after all, it violates the rules of the Song Dynasty. If it is really investigated, it will be difficult to trace the whereabouts of a lot of money, and it will inevitably be suspected of corruption. Thinking of this, Di Qing frowned and said: "The foreign enemies have not gone yet, and the people of Xia are still eyeing them. Now that the consensus has not been reached, is Lu Xiang going to attack his own people? I think Lu Xiang is a good person. Fan Gong also said that this person handles affairs. Dare, can't you tell the benefits of the reform?" The Eighth Prince said with a smile: "Of course Lu Yijian also knows the benefits of the reform, but he is already the number one person in the two prefectures. The reform is not good for him! This person is very greedy for human rights. He only cares about his own status, and he doesn't care about the life and death of the Northwest." ?” Di Qing is not stupid at all, he already guessed what the Eighth Prince said, and tentatively said: "Eighth Prince, you want to say that the Holy Majesty is going to change, and Fan Gong and others must be reused, and Lu Xiang is protecting his official position, so he wants to borrow Zheng Jian to check the money of the Northwest Minister. Are you going to attack Fan Gong for one thing?" But he thought in his heart, "What does this have to do with the Holy Majesty not seeing me?" The Eighth Prince's face was solemn, and he said after a long while: "If it's just this matter, it's okay. But now there are rumors in the court that Fan Gong and you are supporting yourself in the northwest, training ten soldiers secretly, and have the idea of ​​rebelling and becoming king yourself! " Di Qing suddenly stood up, and said with a livid face, "What's the matter? Why should I rebel? I'm going to see the Holy Majesty." Di Qing was inexplicably shocked, never thought that there would be such rumors, and he didn't care about himself. But I'm afraid it will hurt Fan Zhongyan. The Eighth Prince hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Nephew, don't get excited, listen to me, this kind of rumors can be big or small, and it's not difficult for you to resolve them. But if you are impulsive, you are afraid of bad things." Di Qing calmed down, sat down slowly, and asked, "According to Uncle, how should I deal with this matter?" "Those who want to be clear are self-clearing. I believe that my nephew is loyal to the country. In fact, the Holy Majesty also has a good impression of you. It can even be said that you are the most trusted person of the Holy Majesty. If you stay with the Holy Majesty, with your current official rank, In time, it will rise much faster than going to the northwest to fight. The Holy Majesty recruited you back to Beijing and no longer let you lead the army. The rumors of self-proclaimed king will die out. If you stay with the Holy Majesty, even if there are problems in the northwest, as long as there is Your Majesty speaks, who else can do anything to you?" Di Qing pondered for a long time before saying: "I understand, the Holy Majesty has not seen me all this time, one is because he doesn't want me to mention the Tubo alliance, and he doesn't want me to go to the northwest again, right?" The Eighth Prince smiled and said with relief: "You finally understand." Di Qing smiled shyly, got up and said, "Thank you uncle for reminding me, I still have something to do, so I'll go back first." He said goodbye and left with a lot of preoccupations, and didn't notice that the Eighth Prince looked at him with strange eyes. Di Qing was agitated, and after returning to the Guo Mansion, he stayed behind closed doors for a few days, and never went to see His Majesty again. Seeing Guo Kui, he couldn't help worrying, but there was nothing he could do.After a few more days, it seemed that there was still no surprise in Beijing, but Guo Kui couldn't hold back. On this day, he was about to go out of the mansion to meet the Holy Majesty, when he suddenly met Yan Shiliang in front of the door. When Yan Shiliang saw Guo Kui, he said straight to the point, "Is Di Qing at the residence?" Guo Kui was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked: "Lord Yan, does the Holy One want to see Brother Di?" Yan Shiliang shook his head and said, "It's not that the Holy Majesty wants to see Di Qing, but Empress Cao wants to see General Di, so she sent me here to invite Di Qing into the palace." Guo Kui was stunned.