Chapter 1 A Hasty Ritual

The sacrificial ceremony was hasty and could only be simplified,

But fortunately, there were enough people, and those who came were all very important;

Some cried, some were saddened, and everyone did their best to "reveal their true feelings" in a short period of time.

To put it bluntly,

Yingdu was once the capital of a country and a large city. Its influence and coverage were very large, and the population was also large. Once the base number increased, the people at the top would definitely not be fools. At least, their acting skills were absolutely up to par.

Even,

Lord Zheng even saw some officials who were obviously from Yan descend with tear stains on their faces.

You,

What are you crying about?

When they passed by the Marquis of Pingxi, they realized that they seemed to have been itching to compete with their Jin colleagues earlier and had forgotten their position.

But no matter what,

The sacrificial ceremony was still completed.

The Marquis of Pingxi's team left the Stone Mountain and headed for Yingdu, which was the real destination of his trip.

Taking a stroll around Stone Mountain was originally intended as a warning. The target of the warning was naturally the Chen Prince's Mansion, or more precisely, all the forces behind the scenes who wanted to push the Chen Prince's Mansion to the forefront in the future.

The establishment of a marquis's mansion was originally intended to suppress powerful enemies, which was the foundation of the meritorious marquises of Great Yan.

The Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion suppressed the desert, the former Jingnan Marquis's Mansion deterred Qian, and now himself, the wild men in the north, the Chu Kingdom in the south, and in the west, Yingdu, that is, the Jin people.

Zheng Fan knew what the Blind Man and Gou Moli were thinking, but the two of them were often too radical in their actions.

In Zheng Fan's own opinion,

As long as the Yan Emperor did not die, he had to play the role of the Marquis of Pingxi of Great Yan well. Before Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he was also a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. No matter how anxious he was, there was no need to rush.

As the team entered the suburbs of Yingdu, teams of cavalry galloped towards them.

The four major camps in Yingdu were stationed with two Yan armies and two Jin armies, with the Jin armies outnumbering the Yan armies, but the rank of the main general was not as high as that of the Yan army.

This was also the fundamental reason why Gong Wang wanted to hug the thigh of the Marquis of Pingxi's Mansion. Otherwise, there would inevitably be a ceiling above his head, and it would even be easy for him to fall into the end of being suspected and divided by the Yan people.

"The main general of the East Gate Camp..."

"The main general of the West Gate Camp..."

"South Gate..."

"North Gate..."

"Greetings, Marquis of Pingxi, may you have good fortune!"

Back then, Zheng Fan, who was still the Count of Pingye, could only rely on falsely conveying the military orders of the Prince of Jingnan to mobilize the troops here to enter the city. Now, there was actually no need for that.

Unless the imperial court had released news in advance, or made some arrangements, or himself and the imperial court had revealed an incompatible attitude;

Otherwise,

Normally,

Like now,

He could mobilize the camps outside the city to listen to his orders and enter the city without borrowing the Jingnan King's order.

The basic military system of the Yan Kingdom was very chaotic;

But in fact, the top-level military system of the Yan Kingdom was even more chaotic.

Due to the prestige of the two marquises in the army, the two main Yan field cavalry, the Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army, could be deployed and used interchangeably, not to mention the local garrison, county soldiers, etc., which could be mobilized and used at any time. The Yan Emperor and the imperial court were very accommodating to this.

As the saying goes, the predecessors plant trees for future generations to enjoy the shade. Marquis Zheng, as a meritorious marquis, can naturally enjoy this privilege.

Well, there is a country that divides all this very well, and it is all orderly from top to bottom, that is, Great Qian.

Marquis Zheng lifted the curtain of the carriage,

Looking at the generals kneeling on the ground in front of him,

Said:

"Everyone has worked hard."

"It is our duty, we dare not say it is hard!"

"It is our duty, we dare not say it is hard!"

"During my time in Yingdu, I hope that all of you and your subordinates will be in high spirits."

"This humble general obeys!"

"This humble general obeys!"

Marquis Zheng put down the curtain, and the team entered Yingdu.

After entering Yingdu City, the team from Chen Prince's Mansion, which had been placed under house arrest by Marquis Zheng, returned directly to the Prince's Mansion.

Tonight, many people are destined to gnash their teeth in their quilts, scolding the Yan people for being arrogant and domineering, and many people will be filled with tears for the current treatment of their former master; and many people will sigh with sorrow over the past of their homeland.

But,

It's completely useless.

Marquis Zheng did not go to see the Fifth Prince first. His team went directly to the Prefecture.

Zheng Fan and Mao Mingcai had conflicts in the past, but later, as the misunderstandings deepened, Mao Mingcai suddenly became very good to Zheng Fan.

However, regardless of the relationship between the two sides, Mao Mingcai was indeed a capable official, and this official was a great official.

In theory, Mao Mingcai was the real frontier official. Zheng Fan was only a special product under special national conditions. In peaceful times, he was destined to be a vassal town attacked by the central government.

The personal soldiers entered the deployment in advance. After all, a major assassination case had just occurred in Yingdu not long ago. At this time, security issues must not be taken lightly.

Greeting Zheng Fan were Mao Mingcai's wife and daughter.

It was common sense for the mistress of the inner house to come out to receive guests when the male master was unable to receive them, and Marquis Zheng's status was here, so etiquette must not be sloppy.

Marquis Zheng sat down in the living room, and Mao Mingcai's daughter, Mao Qingqing, personally served Zheng Fan tea.

Zheng Fan noticed the other party's hairstyle. She was obviously a married woman, and her age didn't seem like she was unmarried. Logically speaking, she shouldn't be here.

Of course, this situation was easy to guess. She should have been betrothed to someone, but her husband's family had problems, so she returned to her parents' home.

The folk customs of Yan were rough, and there were not as many rules as in Qian and Chu. They were much more tolerant of widows.

After his wife and daughter went down,

Gou Moli leaned forward and whispered to Marquis Zheng:

"Lord Marquis, Mao Qingqing was once married into a noble family, and divorced her husband before the Yan Emperor trampled on the noble family."

Zheng Fan nodded.

Mao Mingcai was a trusted minister of the Yan Emperor and had served as Minister of War, so he should have predicted the Yan Emperor's plan early, so he asked his daughter to choose to divorce her husband's family.

However, although this saved his daughter, it would be difficult for her to remarry in the future. The folk customs of Yan were rough, but this kind of behavior of flying away before disaster struck was really difficult to find a suitable successor.

It was a pity for such a plump body,

Plus that perfect touch of melancholy between her eyebrows.

At this time,

Mao Mingcai's wife, Xu, came out again and bowed to Marquis Zheng:

"Lord Marquis, please come this way."

Mao Mingcai could receive guests, proving that he had not reached the point of being critically ill.

The first letter that Sun Youdao gave him and the official letter that Chen Prince's Mansion had given him earlier only said that the Fifth Prince was dying, so it could be seen that Mao Mingcai's safety had been confirmed before that.

Entering the bedroom, the smell of medicine inside was very strong.

Mao Mingcai leaned against the pillow, watching Zheng Fan walk in.

"Lord Marquis is here, I, old man, am relieved."

"Don't say that. I just arrived, and you're about to leave;

Isn't that just splashing dirty water on me for nothing?"

"Hehe." Mao Mingcai smiled.

Marquis Zheng sat down on the chair next to him.

"Has Lord Marquis gone to the Fifth Prince's place?"

Zheng Fan shook his head.

Mao Mingcai was very touched.

He had a very good impression of Zheng Fan because of the continuous misunderstandings, and at this moment, he was naturally even more pleased.

He didn't actually expect that Marquis Zheng didn't care much about the life and death of the Fifth Prince.

The species of prince,

After you personally abolish one,

It's really hard for you to value them again.

"How is your health?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Actually, I didn't drink much wine, because I wasn't feeling well at that time, so I just touched my lips to show my respect. I'm ashamed to say that I was so excited by that night that my old illness relapsed, and that's why I'm bedridden."

Zheng Fan saw the official documents piled up in the bedroom. Obviously, Mao Mingcai did not forget to work while he was bedridden.

"Lord Marquis, please don't think that I'm using illness to excuse myself..."

"It's precisely because you're using illness to excuse yourself that you're drawing fire to yourself. I understand."

Mao Mingcai nodded. It was a sin in itself that he could not come forward to preside over the overall situation at this time.

This was Yingdu, the old territory of the Jin people and the new territory of the Yan people. How could you be allowed to slack off here?

"I have already submitted a memorial to the imperial court. I estimate that the new prefect will be coming soon."

"It won't be that fast."

First, the journey was long, and second, the prefect of Yingdu was of great importance and could not be replaced by just anyone.

The Yan territory was fine, but in the Jin territory, the position of prefect had to be carefully considered, otherwise the territory that had been so hard to conquer would be at risk of collapsing.

"Actually, after the campaign against Chu, the imperial court intended to transfer me back to the capital. I also wanted to return to the capital to see His Majesty."

Hearing this, Zheng Fan's eyes sank slightly.

Was this,

Really going to change people?

Zheng Fan could not look down on Chen Prince's Mansion, one was because he had a good relationship with Mao Mingcai;

Although the people around Zheng Fan could clearly feel his "heart of the Marquis of Pingxi",

But outside, in the outside world, in this specific environment of the Yan Kingdom,

And with Li Liangting and Tian Wujing as examples,

In fact, his reputation, Zheng Fan's reputation, has always been very good, and he is really not the kind of seed that is going to rebel.

After all, everyone's attention was on the King of Zhenbei and the King of Jingnan, as well as the matter of seizing the throne. His rebellion as the Marquis of Pingxi had not yet reached the small blackboard of the agenda.

Therefore, Mao Mingcai would not have any doubts about changing his view of Zheng Fan.

Another nail in Yingdu was Sun Youdao. Grand Tutor Sun was also a person on his ship.

If the prefect position here was changed, wouldn't he have to rebuild the relationship?

Building relationships is quite troublesome.

"The imperial court also asked for my opinion. After that, the imperial court also had a statement..."

"Oh?"

Had the candidate been determined?

"Xu Wenzu, the commander-in-chief and prefect of Nanwang City, will be promoted to Yingdu to take over my position as the prefect of Yingdu. Speaking of which, Lord Marquis, you should know Xu Wenzu?"

Fatty Xu!

"Hehehe..."

Zheng Fan laughed,

At this moment,

He didn't care about any gains or losses of interest, nor did he think about what impact Xu Wenzu's arrival would have on his Marquis's Mansion;

He just wanted to laugh after the figure of Fatty Xu appeared in his mind.

Seeing this, Mao Mingcai also laughed.

In his opinion, perhaps Marquis Pingxi's actions would sometimes seem impetuous and inhumane, but he was really selfless and dedicated to the country.

This was such a simple and honest temperament.

"Lord Marquis, I think that after Xu Wenzu becomes the prefect of Yingdu, he will only do better than I do."

"Yes, I think so too."

"..." Mao Mingcai.

Mao Mingcai coughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Zheng Fan stood up and helped pat him on the back.

In fact, if someone with ulterior motives were to investigate Zheng Fan's resume, they would definitely be able to find out the relationship between Zheng Fan and Xu Wenzu;

When Zheng Fan was a captain in Tiger Head City, Xu Wenzu was the Pacification Envoy of Beifeng County, and the yamen was in Tiger Head City;

When Zheng Fan was a garrison officer in Cui Willow Fort, Xu Wenzu was the commander-in-chief in Nanwang City;

It's just that later Zheng Fan followed the King of Jingnan into Jin, while Xu Wenzu still stayed in Yinlang County.

Zheng Fan had been rising steadily in the past few years, but Xu Wenzu had also been rising step by step.

Four years ago, when the three-nation war began,

Xu Wenzu gathered more than a dozen local commanders-in-chief with complex backgrounds in Nanwang City and forcibly blocked the probes of the three-border troops of the Qian Kingdom to the north;

Not long ago,

The First Prince beheaded Zhong Wenmian and was granted the title of marquis. Xu Wenzu was actually rewarded for his meritorious service in assisting him.

Furthermore, although Fatty Xu had been a commander-in-chief, he was actually from a civil official background. Now that he was taking over Mao Mingcai's position as the prefect of Yingdu, he was a real frontier official. When he returned to the court in the future, he would definitely be a minister of a department or another big boss would make way for him to sit.

Most importantly,

Xu Wenzu's ability and methods were all first-class, no doubt about it.

"I hope that after Xu Wenzu takes over my position, he can work with you, Lord Marquis, to completely stabilize this half of Jin. Once this half is stabilized, the entire Three Jins will not be in chaos."

Because the other half was sandwiched between Jin Dong and the Yan Kingdom, and they couldn't take care of both ends, no matter how much they made trouble, they would eventually be suppressed.

"Well, I haven't seen him for a few years."

"I think that Lord Marquis and Xu Wenzu have a very good relationship."

Zheng Fan nodded.

"So, the imperial court is not treating Lord Marquis badly. Logically speaking, Yingdu should choose someone who is at odds with you, Lord Marquis, to be the prefect in order to play a role in mutual restraint."

This was considered a heartfelt word, because this word was very taboo.

Zheng Fan shook his head and said nonchalantly: "Although the land of Yan and Jin is vast, it is actually relatively barren compared to Qian and Chu. The reason why our Great Yan can be so powerful is that under the wise leadership of His Majesty, we, this group of people, will not abandon public affairs for private interests, and will not restrain each other;

We haven't reached the time when the horses are released to Nanshan yet, so where do we have the energy to engage in internal friction?"

"Lord Marquis has a clear heart, I admire you."

"You should rest well. During this period, I will help you hold up this scene. When Xu Wenzu comes, I will come to see you off again, anyway, I have to say hello to him."

Even if Xu Wenzu came, he would need a period of time to hand over with Mao Mingcai.

For the sake of reason and emotion, Marquis Zheng would come again.

Of course, if Fatty Xu showed the enthusiasm of pressing two horses to death when he was captured in the desert back then, these two trips might be combined into one.

Anyway, there would be post stations along the way to send messages. He could check later and then calculate whether Xu Wenzu had set off yet.

"Then I will have to trouble Lord Marquis. Please make a decision on all matters in the city."

"Where did all the matters come from? It's nothing more than calming people's hearts. I looked at the files of the patrol department on the way here, and I estimate that I won't be able to find anything."

Because the person who sent the wine, the person from the winery, and the person who approved the wine, were all dead. The group of assassins who assassinated the Fifth Prince also committed suicide by taking poison after stabbing that knife.

This was the most primitive but often the most effective way to clean up the aftermath.

Zheng Fan didn't think that he was very good at investigating cases, so he gave up the idea of investigating cases a long time ago.

"If the situation is stabilized, those villains' plans will not be able to succeed." Mao Mingcai sighed, "Now, I really understand that the establishment of Great Yan still relies on people like you, Lord Marquis."

"You're welcome, we support each other and help each other. You should lie down properly, I'm going to see the Fifth Prince."

"Okay, go ahead."

………

After Zheng Fan left the Prefect's Mansion, he went directly to the residence where the Fifth Prince lived.

When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the residence,

The guards immediately rushed in, clearing the area for their Lord Marquis as they had done at the Prefect's Mansion earlier.

However, there was an immediate confrontation inside. Even after the guards showed their waist tags, the people inside still refused to retreat.

Because the people protecting the safety of the Fifth Prince at this time were from the Secret Intelligence Division.

However, when Zheng Fan walked out of the carriage and entered the gate of the residence, the leader of the Secret Intelligence Division immediately knelt down and ordered his subordinates to sheathe their swords and retreat.

Not sheathing their swords until they saw the true master could be considered a sense of responsibility.

Zheng Fan walked into the back house with Chen the Great Hero and the Sword Saint behind him.

The leader looked at the personal soldiers of the Marquis of Pingxi's Mansion, especially the clothes they were wearing and the sabers they were carrying. After the personal soldiers also followed the Lord Marquis into the back house, he couldn't help but smack his lips and joked to one of his confidants in a low voice:

"Damn it, why do the personal soldiers around the Lord Marquis look more like they're from the Secret Intelligence Division than we do?"

Unfortunately, Zheng Fan didn't hear this comment, otherwise he would be very happy,

And praise the leader: You have good eyesight.

The maid opened the door and let Zheng Fan enter the bedroom.

The Fifth Prince was lying unconscious on the bed, his face pale and motionless.

"Everyone get out."

Zheng Fan ordered.

The eunuchs and maids serving inside looked at each other, and finally did not dare to disobey the order of the Marquis of Pingxi, and all retreated.

The Fifth Prince's attendant wanted to say something, but under the gaze of the Marquis of Pingxi, he closed his mouth and walked out of the room.

The room was cleared;

Outside the room, the Sword Saint and Chen the Great Hero were guarding;

Zheng Fan walked to the bedside,

Reached out,

Took out a Xue San brand poisoned dagger from his sleeve,

Well,

No one dared to search Zheng Fan's body before seeing the prince.

Holding the dagger,

Zheng Fan sighed:

"It's a pity, the Gundam hasn't been built yet, and the person is about to die."

At this time,

The "unconscious" Fifth Prince lying on the bed,

Opened his eyes.

"You woke up too early."

The Fifth Prince smiled: "I don't want to be in a panic when the dagger falls, and roll off the bed to dodge, it hurts."

"Then I'm not interested?"

"Do you have to go through a process?"

"Yes, look, I've prepared this dagger."

"Okay."

The Fifth Prince closed his eyes again and cooperated with the performance.

Zheng Fan stroked the edge of the dagger,

San had specially told him when he gave him the dagger, don't lick the dagger with his tongue to play cool.

Zheng Fan held the dagger,

And said gloomily:

"I didn't die, what a pity, but anyone who dares to block Sixth Highness's path must die!"

After saying that,

The dagger stabbed down.

"Thump!"

The Fifth Prince rolled off the bed and fell solidly,

Opened his eyes,

Staring at Zheng Fan,

With three points of astonishment, three points of annoyance, three points of bewilderment, and the last point of suspicion,

Asked:

"How did you know I was faking it!"

Zheng Fan snapped his fingers,

And nodded in satisfaction,

And said:

"Perfect."