Chapter 35 fourth quarter

Chen Qun took Zhao Yan to the official office in Xicao, where a spacious room had been cleaned up, a brazier was lit, and a few candles were lit.A few servants stood at the door, yawning profusely, but when Chen Qun glared at them, they all stood up straight nervously. After entering the room, Chen Qun asked Zhao Yan to stand opposite him, and then knelt down on the wooden platform by himself.This platform is a lot higher than the ground, and there are wooden tables and kneeling rugs on it. People kneeling on it are about the same height as standing people.This is to reflect the high and low, so as to teach the person being questioned to feel awe.Sikongfu Xicao is in charge of the personnel affairs of the shogunate, so he is extremely cautious in this regard.

"Yanwei, the next conversation between you and me will be transcribed one by one and put on record." Chen Qun solemnly pointed to the corner of the wall. Convenient and quick recording of conversations.Zhao Yan nodded, indicating that he understood. "You entered the palace privately, why?" Chen Qun asked. Zhao Yan had already told Chen Qun about Concubine Dong just now, and he asked again at this time, apparently hoping that Zhao Yan could find another reason to save everyone from embarrassment.Zhao Yan's thoughts changed, and he blurted out: "I heard that the Forbidden Palace is on fire, there is something strange, I want to investigate the scene."

It was absurd that he should have to give real reasons in order to conceal false motives. Chen Qun was quite satisfied with this reason: "The Forbidden Palace caught fire, and the guards and Xu Duwei were responsible for it. You are a negotiator, why bother to do it for you?" "If the court is in trouble, all ministers are responsible." Zhao Yanyu replied with a pun. Chen Qun didn't intend to get too entangled in this issue, he continued to ask: "Who knows about your going to the imperial city?" "I'm leaving temporarily, and I haven't discussed it with others."

"That is to say...your movements have been under the surveillance of others?" Chen Qun's fat face became more serious, and his body leaned forward involuntarily.After the fire in the Forbidden Palace, there was the Dong Cheng Rebellion, and the shogunate has always been suspicious of the connection between these two events.As soon as Zhao Yan wanted to investigate the fire, someone followed him. It is hard to imagine that it was not Dong Chengyu who did not show up. This is a very serious problem.If there is Dong Chengyu left in the party, maybe he has mixed into the Sikong shogunate, then Xi Cao, who is in charge of selecting talents, cannot escape the blame.Chen Qun had always regarded Guo Jia as an opponent, but he didn't want Xi Caoyu to lose to Xu Duwei in this regard.

"Yanwei, think about it carefully, have you ever told anyone about this?" Chen Qun asked unwillingly.Zhao Yan shook his head.Chen Qun was very dissatisfied with this answer, so he asked again: "Then, has anyone contacted you recently, acting suspiciously?" Zhao Yan pursed his lips and lowered his head to think.His current situation is a bit complicated. On the one hand, he has to cover up his truest purpose, so he has to give up one excuse after another that is difficult to distinguish between true and false; Who is the person behind the scenes, and whether someone really noticed his intentions.Under various considerations, Zhao Yan had to choose his words carefully. It took a lot of thinking about what should be revealed and what should not be said.

Regardless of the Cao family, Luoyang faction or any other faction, they all have companions they can trust and protect; Zhao Yan can only rely on himself, he is the loneliest person in Xudu. "There is only one thing I have done recently..." Zhao Yan raised his head slowly, "Master Shaofu wanted to invite great Confucians to Xudu for a meeting. Famous Confucianism." "Who have you come into contact with?" Chen Qun asked.Kong Rong has been yelling about this matter for a long time, and everyone in the government and the public knows it, and it is not a secret.

"Tai Shi ordered Wang Li, Zong Zheng Liu Ai, Wei Wei Zhou Zhong, Qu Liang Chang Yang Jun, and Doctor Zhong San to lie down." Chen Qun pondered these names carefully.The first three are all veterans of the Luoyang family, and Yang Jun is the person Cao Gong wants to conscript into the shogunate. They all represent the interests of their respective villages. Surprised. Fu Wan is not an ordinary person, he is the father of the current empress Fushou, who was originally a general of Fuguo.Since the emperor returned to the government of Xudu, in order to avoid the sharpness of Cao Cao and Dong Cheng, he took the initiative to return the seal and ribbon, and demoted himself to Zhongsan doctor. He seldom interacted with others and was a low-key and careful person.Even during Dong Chengzhi's rebellion, Fu Wan didn't show up.

"Why did he get involved?" Chen Qun frowned. Zhao Yan smiled.Most of the people under Cao Gong's command are like this, they are quite familiar with the way of strategy and strategy, but they are not very interested in business.He explained to his friend: "Fu Wan's ancestor was Fu Sheng, the founder of the present "Shangshu", so the Fu family has always been respected by the Confucian scholars. This time, the Shaofu invited him to the horse, also to strengthen the momentum .” Chen Qun said "Oh", indicating that he knew.Kong Rong intends to use the prestige of the big families in various places to build momentum and boost the prestige of the Jinwen School.As a common surname in Yingchuan, Chen Qun knew the power of these gentry lurking everywhere, and they should not be underestimated.

Zhao Yan did not continue to say, in fact, Kong Rong summoned Fu Wan, Zheng Xuan and other famous figures of the modern school of literature this time, making it clear that he wanted to embarrass the ancient school of literature, Xun Yu——Chen Qun and Xun Yu were both the wings of the Cao family, and both belonged to the Ying family. Chuan was born, some things are better not to say. But when it comes to Zheng Xuan, Zhao Yan thinks of Xun Chen, his great disciple who devoted himself to the Yuan family; when thinking of Xun Chen, he immediately thinks of Yang Jun's strange reaction when he heard the name.Zhao Yan himself didn't think about the joint, so he told Chen Qun about it.After hearing this, Chen Qun fell into deep thought.Yang Jun was conscripted by the Sikong Mansion, and he had been inspected by Xi Caoqi in advance. If he had any problems, Chen Qun's position would become very embarrassing.

Suddenly, a small official ran into the house, scrambling and scrambling. He didn't even bother to knock on the door, his face was full of horror. Chen Qun's face was serious, and his fat fingers tapped impatiently on the desk: "I'm talking, what's the matter?" I have been robbed!" "How is it possible? Isn't Dong Cheng imprisoned in Xu Duwei's prison?" Chen Qun was shocked. The little official replied: "It is said that Xu Duwei transferred Dong Cheng to Ye County overnight, but as soon as he left the city, he encountered an assassin from the Yuan family."

With a "crash", the case table was overturned to the ground.Chen Qunteng stood up, furious: "Guo Fengxiao, you are so courageous!" ※※※ According to Xu Duwei, there are too many old Luoyang ministers in Xudu, and Dong Cheng's detention here will surely change over time.So Man Chong reported to Ming Guo Jijiu and Xun Lingjun, and sent people to transport Dong Cheng out of the city overnight, and escorted him to Ye County to isolate him, and wait for Duke Cao to return to Xu before making a judgment. Not long after the prison car left Xudu, it encountered a large group of cavalry wearing Cao Jun's armor on the road.These cavalrymen claimed that General Cao Ren had specially sent them as guards. The guards in the prison car did not expect him, so they relaxed their vigilance. As a result, these "Cao soldiers" broke out in the middle of the way and broke through the prison cage to rescue Dong Cheng.According to those who survived at the scene, these cavalrymen had a Hebei accent, and they probably belonged to Yuan Shao. At this time, Yuan and Cao were confronting each other in Guandu, and Yuan Shao actually sent a cavalry to kill the prisoners under the city of Xudu. This is really a staggeringly bold move. After Chen Qun heard the news in Xicao, he immediately suspended the interrogation, told Zhao Yan to go back to rest first, and then hurried to Shangshutai.Sure enough, as he expected, Xun Yu and Man Chong were discussing in the room, the lights were brightly lit, and there were small officials and military academy coming in and out, it seemed that they had been prepared for this "accident". Only Guo Jia was not there. Xun Yu didn't have the slightest intention to hide his secrets, he left the left and right screens to only Man Chong, and then told Chen Qun in detail about Dong Cheng's attack.As soon as Chen Qun heard it, he could tell that the taste was not right. He was also a disciple of Teacher Yin, and he couldn't be more familiar with the techniques of these students. "Hebei is far away from here. How did this cavalry break through Cao Jun's blockade and bully Xudu without any warning? How could they calculate so accurately, and rob prisoners just the night Dong Cheng left Xudu? "Chen Qun asked loudly, pinching the report from the front and shaking it vigorously in his hand.Shangshutai's room was not big, and when his bloated figure entered, it immediately seemed crowded. Facing Chen Qun's question, Man Chong evaded the truth and replied falsely: "I have already informed General Cao Ren and sent troops to pursue it. The leader is Captain Sun Li, and there will be an answer before dawn." Chen Qun Putting the report heavily on the case, staring at Man Chong's squinted eyes, he suddenly sneered and said, "Don't think I don't know your plan. Guo Fengxiao didn't want Cao Gong to bear the infamy of killing Dong, so he deliberately let Yuan Shao's people take Is this hot potato stolen?" Dong Cheng is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, known all over the world.If the Cao family kills him, it will be used by those who want to publicize it, and it will inevitably be passive politically, so it is better to throw it to Yuan Shao.At this time, it is the critical moment of the decisive battle with Hebei. Every bit of advance and retreat may change the balance of power between the two sides, so we have to be cautious. "Changwen, it's fine." Xun Yu who was at the side said lightly.This kind of thinking can only be felt, and it does not need to be declared. Chen Qun refused to show weakness, he lowered his voice a bit, but his tone was still stern: "Wen Ruo, have you ever thought that after Dong Cheng is welcomed into the camp by Yuan Shao, Yuan and Dong will join forces and call on the world to crusade against the lord?" , Hebei's strong troops are oppressing the outside, and Luoyang's old officials are making a fuss inside, how should Duke Cao deal with it?" This is a rather poignant question.What Chen Qun dislikes about Guo Jia the most is his style of making dangerous moves.These poor children from poor families, in order to win fame, are willing to take big risks and bet everything on it. If they win, they will win big, and if they lose, they will be wiped out, just like a gambler.Chen Qun came from a noble family, and he always sneered at this kind of desperate speculation. If Guo Jia lost the bet, the Cao family would be sent to be buried with him, which Chen Qun could not tolerate; To Chen Qun's disappointment, Xun Yu kept silent about this, showing that he also agreed with Guo Jia's approach.Chen Qun didn't quite understand why Xun Yu, as the mainstay of the Yingchuan School and a prudent person, would support such a sinister plan.Only then did he realize that this senior gentleman seemed to be difficult to see through. Chen Qun knew that he had no chance in this matter, so he suppressed the shock and unwillingness in his heart, and let out a long breath: "Well, this is Xu Duwei's authority, and it's up to you to make troubles. But there is one thing But I want to ask clearly." Man Chong tilted his head to show that he was all ears.He has always had this attitude towards people other than Guo Jia, even when facing Xun Yu.Chen Qun glanced at him: "Guo Jia borrowed Yuan Shao's knife to rob Dong Cheng, so it must be carefully planned in advance. I want to know who secretly communicated with Yuan Shi, and who was in contact?" As Chen Qun is in charge of personnel supervision in the Sikong Mansion, this kind of negotiating and collusion with the enemy camp - even for tricks - he must keep abreast of the situation at all times, so as not to be caught by the enemy instead of the enemy. Man Chong said: "Jing'an Cao is in charge here, who is going to ask Guo Jijiu?" Chen Qun knew what he was telling the truth. Xu Duwei was only in charge of the surrounding areas of Xudu, and it was Jing'an Cao who was in contact with the enemy at Guandu. "So what about there? Who is responsible for contacting you? How did you persuade him to cooperate?" "Dong Cheng has a high-level contact person in Hebei. We pretended to be Dong Chengyu's party, and we took the initiative to suggest robbing the prisoner, so that the contact person was convinced and sent a surprise soldier to support him—but, the name of that person, sir. Do you want to listen?" Man Chong asked provocatively.Chen Qun raised his eyebrows contemptuously, expressing that he was fearless, and asked him to continue. "That person is called Xun Chen, Xun Youruo." Chen Qun turned his gaze to Xun Yu in an instant, the latter stroked his beard, and a hint of helplessness appeared on his gentle face. The old fox Dong Cheng threw out the name of this person in Xu Duwei's prison, and he really had no good intentions.Chen Qun realized that he was too reckless after all.