Chapter 1 Black clouds crush the city

The winter in Bianliang, Beijing, has always been cold, and this year, the north wind has been swept up early and the streets are full of dust. Every year in this season, the most worried official in the capital is undoubtedly the governor of Kaifeng. The fire generated by the family for warmth, coupled with the cold and dry weather, the consequence is that there is a big or small fire every three or five times.

Since Emperor Shizong, Dazhou has formulated the rule of three days and one dynasty. Every ten days are three, six and nine, which is the period of the imperial meeting. Recently, several consecutive fires have even burned several government offices in the city. Qian Anli, the current governor of Kaifeng, has received many impeachment from the imperial historians these days. On the road today, Lord Qian is sad and ready to leave office.

Evil in the previous life, attached to this life; full of evil, attached to the provincial capital. Being a magistrate in the prefecture city and a magistrate in the state city have been regarded as a feared way, and the magistrate of the world's largest city, the chief officer at the foot of the emperor, is even more difficult to do. In the past, it will be the end of two or three years as the governor of Kaifeng. Lord Qian has been in his fifth year, and it is also time to move.

Qian Anli thought about his next plan and weighed the lack of the next plan, but he was not in case that a strong man in purple came to him and arched his hand to him: "Lord Qian!"

This man is the half-brother of the emperor, Chai Zonggui, the king of Wei, who is known as the four kings in the dynasty and the opposition. Now he mentions the imperial horse camp and the capital, which is really a high position. Today, it has always been generous. Although after the chaos of the king of Chu, the court has been very nervous for a while, but five years have passed, and now the world is full of peace. The Son of Heaven has been at ease in the court for a long time in recent years.

The Zhou system, the prime minister is above the prince, and even if he is against the emperor, it is a great color. However, Qian Anli's official rank is more than worse than that of Zai Zhi. In the face of the king of Wei's goodwill, he naturally dared not neglect and came forward to salute.

The end of the year is approaching, and everything in the capital is complicated, and the six departments are very busy. In order to prepare for the upcoming Zhengdan morning celebration, the King of Wei has discussed with the Ministry of Ceremonies, the Ministry of Industry and Kaifeng for several days. At present, we have discussed relevant matters with Qian Dayin before the morning meeting begins.

Qian Anli sighed in his heart that it is no wonder that the emperor valued the four kings so much. The prince is not arrogant and impatient, willing to take responsibility, do things properly, and loyal to the emperor. He really lives up to the name of the wise king.

In the early morning, it was still step by step. After discussing the disaster relief in Fuzhou and the selection of the history of Youzhou, the emperor ordered the emperor to stay in the palace, and the other ministers left the court. Chai Zonggui, the king of Wei, mixed with a group of civil servants and generals and Shi Ran went out of the palace.

There were many ministers who greeted him along the way, and he also responded with a smile. It was not until he walked back to the warm sedan chair waiting for his servants that he changed his color and looked solemn. If a well-knowing official sees this scene, he must be very surprised.

The news from the southwest was very unfavorable, which made him very frightened. Today, his royal brother did not leave himself right, and sounded the alarm in his heart. Born in the emperor's family, he has been infected with intrigues since he was a child, which made him learn to hide himself early and hide his true face under various hypocritical masks. This habit of camouflage has penetrated into his bone marrow, even in the face of his beloved woman.

Accompanying you like a tiger, the experience of the past few years has once again reminded him of the greatest truth in the court. At the beginning, he was the first to pacate the rebellion of the king of Chu. In terms of merit, the emperor not only increased the official rank, but also the dispatch increased day by day, and praised him in the court and the opposition. And he also knew the advance and retreat, took the initiative to resign from the errand of taking charge of the palace prohibition and defense, and won the trust of the emperor.

It's just that he knows in his heart that this always generous royal brother has never really trusted their brothers. Everything is just a stopgap measure made for the stability of the court. At the beginning of the rebellion of the King of Chu, he was in charge of the military power alone. Many of the forbidden army and the imperial horse camp were old, so the emperor also praised him. In addition, Mr. Xiao came from his house, so he pushed the boat along the water and attributed all the credit and rewards of the rebellion to him.

However, with the passage of time, how can he not see the power and tactics repeatedly used by the emperor in the past two years? Since his accession to the throne, his brother has never really grasped the power of the world, just because their father Emperor Wuzong was too brave to conquer countless countries in the south and north, leaving behind many meritorious civil servants and generals, and several of their older brothers also sprouted ambitions in countless expeditions and made friends with each other. Help the close direct line.

At the beginning, his father once wanted to make the king of Chu the crown prince, but he was opposed by many literary ministers, and the king of Chu himself tried his best to refuse, so that he could succeed the throne. Chai Zonggui has not figured out the real thoughts of his second brother so far. In those years, he refused to take the throne. Is it sincere, or he feels that the time is immature and takes retreat as an expedient measure.

Whether the second brother was sincere or hypocritical, it is no longer important. The world is changing, and the original hot-blooded teenager has also been infected with a heavy twilight. I don't know why the second brother changed his original intention later, and he didn't have a chance to find out again. And the only result of the second brother's rebellion was to become his own stepping stone.

The generosity of the Son of Heaven has always been superficial. Chai Zonggui was deeply chilled when he remembered the changes in the court in recent years. If I had pushed the boat along the water and helped my second brother come to power, would today's situation change? No, never, traitors will not tolerate another traitor, and their inner fear of traitors is better than others.

How can't I see my brother's plan? It's just that although the calculation is good, it may not be loud. Needless to say, the history of those places has its own calculations, and no one is willing to give up their own acre of land. And he, the king of Wei, was born in the old dynasty and was never willing to sit back and wait for death.

The emperor's movements have been continuous in these days, but he has seen it bit by bit. Before the chaos of the second brother, the king of Chu, he was also highly valued today, and he was as respectful as a prime minister. And what happened to him, the family of the King of Chu was removed from the clan. Although it is said that the second brother's rebellion is his own fault, the emperor is like this to his brother, and there is no usual respect for his brothers. And the rabbit dead fox is sad and hurts its kind. How can he not feel anything when his living brother sees it?

As the undercurrent surged in the hall today, the emperor's calculations came one after another, and there seemed to be an invisible net covering himself. Did the second brother face the same dilemma before he made trouble? Is it worth pushing my brother to the guillove in exchange for these five years of lingering?

The voices outside gradually became noisy, and it was another lively morning. The clouds in the sky gradually piled up, but they could not hide the enthusiasm of the people all over the city. The sedan chairmen shouted in unison, which sounded as if they were not far from the Wei Palace.

Chai Zonggui raised the curtain of the sedan chair, looked to the southwest, and immediately shrank back. His right index finger kept rubbing in the palm of his left hand, and his head was buried low, and his eyes were full of melancholy light. Thinking of the situation in the capital, he seemed to see the eyes of his brother in the inner courtyard of the deep palace, which were full of elusiveness. At this moment, he must also be thinking about his brother and calculating how to make himself obedient.

However, who is willing to be captured before the last moment? Chai Zonggui raised his head slightly and said in a voice that only he could hear, "Actually, when I sent my second brother on the road, I was waiting for this day."