Chapter 62: The Drunken Concubine (Subscription Request)

The next day.

Zheng Yi was sitting alone on the dragon throne in the Qiankun Hall, reading through the memorials sent by the cabinet in the past few days.

With the cabinet around, he doesn't need to read ordinary memorials.

What we are looking at are only some important events, which have already been decided by the cabinet and are just waiting to be announced.

However, at this time, his eyes were not looking at the memorial, but were lost in thought.

I stayed overnight in the Pepper Room, with Concubine Cui Xiabing as my attendant.

Cui Xiabing is indeed a lady from a noble family, her temperament and appearance are impeccable.

But the weird thing is...

Zheng Yi has no memory of what happened last night!
He only remembered that after entering the Pepper Room, Concubine Cui undressed him personally and picked him up...

Then, it was gone!

Yes, no more.

His memory only goes as far as the time he held Concubine Cui in his arms.

I have no memory of everything that happened afterwards.

What was strange was that he slept until noon the next day, and then got dressed and left under the care of Concubine Cui and her personal maid Xiao'er.

When he left, his legs were weak!
Last night...what on earth happened?

He didn't have the slightest impression of it.

If Concubine Cui intended to harm him...

Thinking of this, Zheng Yi immediately avoided the Pepper Palace like the plague.

"Concubine Cui, Cui Xiabing, the Cui family...what on earth are they doing?"

His mind moved, and his thoughts immediately dived into his sea of ​​consciousness, looking at the Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror.

The Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror, the surface is still as calm as water.

But there was not a single word on it.

In other words, he did not sleep with Concubine Cui last night, nor did he practice dual cultivation, let alone condense the innate pure yin energy.

Last night, he just slept alone until dawn!

"There's something strange... that sandalwood scent?"

He pondered and thought a lot, but in the end he could only remember the special sandalwood scent he smelled when he entered the Pepper Room!

At that time I thought it was just ordinary sandalwood mixed with the scent of pepper from the Pepper Room, but now when I think about it, it is strange.

"Love incense? Or something like a knockout drug?"

"What is Concubine Cui going to do?"

"Don't want to sleep with me?"

"But in order to maintain the Cui family's power, you had to drug me?"

"Or... Concubine Cui has someone in her heart?"

"Or some other secret..."

Zheng Yi's eyes turned cold. If it were the previous Emperor Zhengyong, he would probably have been deceived.

But now Zheng Yi, with the Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror in his possession, can be easily seen at a glance whether he is practicing dual cultivation with a woman.

What Concubine Cui did... is truly treasonous!
Zheng Yi was about to call Liu Chengen, but soon thought of something.

"Something's wrong..."

"I have been practicing martial arts with Luan'er and Bihe until now, and my martial arts skills have reached the first-class level!"

"What kind of incense or knockout drug can actually knock out a first-grade warrior?"

"If there really is such a holy medicine, then doesn't that mean..."

Zheng Yi thought quickly and made a decision immediately.

"Shadow Guard."

In the dim corner of the hall, two eunuchs immediately appeared, bowing respectfully.

"Call two clever women over here."

"promise!"

Soon, two palace maids and shadow guards came over quickly.

"Shadow Guard, Mo Ying/Mo Huan, greets His Majesty!"

"Moying, Mohuan..."

Zheng Yi tapped the table with one hand and finally made a decision: "I will inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs and send the two of you to Concubine Cui in the Pepper Palace."

"You two are not allowed to harm Concubine Cui, but you must record everything she does every day, what she eats, what she does, who she meets, and even when she washes and goes to bed. Do you understand?"

"promise!"

The two women immediately said respectfully, and then Zheng Yi waved his hand and said, "Go down."

"promise!"

The four of them retreated one by one, and Zheng Yi let out a long sigh and fell on the dragon throne.

He was not going to go to the Pepper Palace again until he had investigated Concubine Cui's true identity and purpose.

"Pepper Room..."

Zheng Yi murmured, "I have to find a way to deceive her in a short period of time. When I first favored her, it was the perfect time for me. If I don't go tonight and she finds out..."

"Got it! Cheng'en!"

"My slave is here..."

Outside the hall, Liu Chengen trotted in and said in a flattering tone, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

"Summon Zhao Suling to the palace! Also, prepare for leaving the palace."

"No...ah, leaving the palace?"

Liu Chengen quickly responded: "Your Majesty, are you going to leave the palace?"

"Well, let's go to Jinhuangding and meet the ancestor of Taiyi Dao."

"There's no need to hide this from others."

"promise!"

Liu Chengen hurried forward to convey the order, and Zheng Yi also picked up the memorial on the table.

Since you can't stay in the Pepper Palace, then find a way to leave the palace.

A few days ago, he was preparing to go to Jinhuangding to meet with the ancestor of Taiyi Dao, which could serve as a reason to leave the palace this time.

"I don't know what surprise this Taiyi Dao ancestor will give me..."

As he was thinking casually, he looked at the memorial in his hand.

"Ok?"

There was a severe drought in the middle of Qin, leaving thousands of miles of barren land without any grass growing. The people had to trade their children for food. Liu Xiang, the prefect of Chang'an Prefecture, knew about the drought but did not report it, concealing the situation. This caused the drought to spread and more than 30,000 people starved to death...

"Severe drought, another severe drought?"

There was a severe drought in Qingzhou before, and now there is a severe drought in Qinzhong.

Oh no, I'm not going to encounter the same Little Ice Age as the late Ming Dynasty.

Zheng Yi immediately turned to the cabinet's approach to the matter.

Liu Xiang, the prefect of Chang'an Prefecture, was executed immediately.

Wang Wen, a Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel, was transferred to be the prefect of Chang'an Prefecture.

As for the disaster relief in Qinzhong, there was a three-year tax exemption, and grain was mobilized from Guanzhong, Shuzhong and other places for disaster relief.

Looking at this memorial, Zheng Yi suddenly had an idea in his mind, and immediately wrote:
"This year's first-class Jinshi in the special examination will be transferred to Chang'an Prefecture to observe government affairs in half a year. The good ones will be selected as officials."

The top three candidates in the imperial examination are talented, but it is not a good idea for them to stay in the Hanlin Academy all the time. Letting them observe politics and serve as officials in advance is also a way to train and cultivate them.

I just don’t know what these three people will achieve.

He put this memorial aside and started checking other memorials.

"Locust plague in Wuzhou, disaster relief..."

"Flood in Jiangnan, 36 dikes burst on the south bank of Nulong River...disaster relief!"

"The plague in Yunzhou..."

“Why is it all disasters?”

Zheng Yi's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that something was wrong with the world of Dayu.

At this time, he saw another memorial, which was submitted by Xu Xuanwu, the chief officer of Longxiang Army in Nanyue County.

Xu Xuanwu?
Son of Xu Mujun, brother of Xu Qingluan?
When he opened it, it turned out to be a memorial stating that the Black Yue people in Nanyue County had joined forces with the Nanzhao Kingdom and invaded Nanyue County, requesting support.

Nanzhao Kingdom?
A small country located in the south of Dayu. More than 30 years ago, Nanyue County was the border area between Dayu and Nanzhao.

Now it is occupied by Dayu, and friction has been occurring there for the past thirty years.

Unexpectedly, they joined forces with the Black Yue people.

Turning to the cabinet's solution, Zheng Yi nodded slowly.

He made friends with the Bai Yue people and used them as a vanguard to suppress the rebellion of the Black Yue people and the invasion of the Nanzhao Kingdom.

At the same time, troops from surrounding counties were mobilized to support the Longxiang Army.

Zheng Yi looked at the memorial, thought about it for a while, and then continued to write: "Based on the Longxiang Army, the Nanyue Military Region will be established in Nanyue County. Xu Xuanwu will be the general of the military region and train the army on his own."

This decision was to regard Nanyue County as a border area and to transform the Longxiang Army left in Nanyue County into a force similar to the Binzhou border army.

The difference is that changing the border troops into military regions can further strengthen the rule over the South Vietnam region.

There are also many problems with other memorials.

He changed some of them, but did not change others.

After all, those people in the cabinet have been officials for decades, and they must have more experience in managing the country than him.

What he was good at was using his past life experience to make more appropriate corrections.

Not long after, Liu Chengen returned, followed by Zhao Suling.

"Your Majesty, I have Zhao Suling, the gold medallion offering from the Hall of Offerings!"

"Invite him in."

"promise!"

Soon, the immortal Zhao Suling strode in: "Your Majesty."

"Master Zhao, I wonder how many days it will take to reach the Golden Emperor Peak?"

Zhao Suling had already learned of Zheng Yi's plan, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, the Golden Emperor Peak is located in the southern part of Jizhou. If Your Majesty travels there by sedan chair, it will take about seven days."

"Seven days. That's about half a month to go back and forth... That's about the same time."

Zheng Yi made a prompt decision and said, "Master Zhao, I will set off for the Golden Emperor Summit today. Please lead the way."

Zhao Suling was also surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, so fast?"

"It's better to do it now than to wait for a day. Let's do it now."

"promise!"

Zhao Suling retreated, and Zheng Yi said again: "Cheng'en, let's set off."

"promise……"

Liu Chengen hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Your Majesty, someone from Yonghe Palace just came to tell you that there is something important to report to Your Majesty, and I beg to see you."

"Yonghe Palace? Concubine Shu?" Zheng Yi frowned and asked, "Did she say anything?"

"No, just something important."

"Let's talk about it after I come back from the Golden Emperor Peak."

"promise!"

His Majesty was leaving the palace. Although Zheng Yi was urging him to leave, the necessary guard of honor was fully present, with thousands of people in total.

Taking advantage of this time, Zheng Yi summoned back the Blood Moon Gu hidden in the Cining Palace.

At the same time, another Blood Moon Gu that had been trained to maturity was sent to the Cining Palace.

It is the blood moon Gu that is extremely ferocious and likes to devour its own kind.

The palace maids and eunuchs sent by other concubines to ask questions were also sent back by him.

Many ministers also sent people to inquire. When they learned that Zheng Yi was preparing to go to Taiyi Dao at Jinhuangding and that a large number of Taiyi Dao disciples would follow him, they immediately retreated.

Before Zheng Yi left the palace, many fast horses and carrier pigeons had already left the capital and flew to various tribes in Jizhou.

The officials and garrisons along the way must ensure the safety of Your Majesty.

When he first left the palace, Zheng Yi still found it a little novel, but after seeing it many times, it became just like that.

Because it was a large group trip, there were many people accompanying them.

The Imperial Guards, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, as well as a large number of palace maids, eunuchs, etc., formed a team that stretched for several miles.

In addition to the people in the palace, there were more than thirty Taiyi disciples accompanying them.

All of these disciples served in the army, the Imperial Guard, or the Imperial Household. There were two first-grade warriors, and the rest were second- and third-grade warriors.

In addition to the more than a thousand imperial guards and the shadow guards who followed secretly, Zheng Yi himself is also a first-grade warrior, and there are several blood moon Gu that are enough to threaten the innate warriors.

Also traveling with them were Chen Hongxiu and Zhao Tieshan, who had recently been promoted to the Imperial Palace Guards. In addition to the Xian Prince who was at the Xiantian Realm, there were two pure Xiantian Realm warriors.

More importantly, the road to Jizhou belongs to the capital area, where the security conditions are very good, and there are basically no blind people coming to harass the team.

Moreover, with such powerful strength, Zheng Yi really couldn't understand who would come to assassinate him.

"Your Majesty, my master's real name is 'Zhao Xizheng'. He entered Taoism in the second year of Kangle, became the head of Taiyi Dao in the seventeenth year of Yongchang, and stepped down as the head in the twenty-seventh year of Jiankang. He has been in seclusion at the Golden Emperor Peak for ninety-seven years now!"

When the emperor got on the sedan chair, Zheng Yi specially called Zhao Suling to introduce him to the old Taoist priest he was about to meet.

The first sentence shocked Zheng Yi immensely.

Zheng Yi secretly estimated that this old Heavenly Master Zhao Xizheng had inherited the throne for four dynasties and lived to be nearly 160 years old!

One hundred and sixty years old, definitely a hermit.

Even if the medical and living conditions were so good in the previous life, no one could live to be 160 years old.

Not to mention this ancient feudal society.

Unless... this person really possesses the secret method of cultivation!

Zheng Yi asked directly: "Master Zhao, do you know if this old master really possesses the secret method of cultivation?"

Zhao Suling shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, I really don't know."

"My Taiyi sect does have methods to prolong life, but most of them involve drinking morning dew and cultivating the body and mind."

"I have never come across the so-called secret method of cultivation."

"But when I was young, I did hear from my fellow disciples that there were immortals dancing and cranes fluttering on the Golden Emperor Peak where our master lived."

"As for whether it is true or not, I have not yet found out."

"The Immortal..."

Zheng Yi closed his eyes and thought. No matter whether Zhao Xizheng had the secret method of cultivation or not, he would not lose anything by going to the Golden Emperor Peak.

It was worth the trip to meet a 160-year-old Xiantian realm warrior.

As for whether Zhao Xizheng would discover his true identity, Zheng Yi was not worried at all.

The reason is very simple. The previous Emperor Zhengyong had never met Zhao Xizheng.

As the team moved forward, Zheng Yi occasionally stayed on the sedan chair to rest, or to cultivate the Blood Moon Gu.

Now all ten Blood Moon Gu have been bred. Like the mother insect, they are fierce and cruel, and can rival the innate realm warriors!
When the mood comes, ride your horse as fast as you can and appreciate the beautiful mountains and rivers and the splendid scenery of ancient times.

As the days passed, Zheng Yi's large army soon entered Jizhou and approached Mount Daizong.

Mount Daizong is one of the Five Great Mountains of Dayu.

The scenery is majestic, magnificent, mysterious and beautiful, and extremely grand.

Seeing this high mountain, Zheng Yi ordered many imperial guards to guard many intersections, and personally led his men to the Taiyi Road on Mount Daizong, heading towards the Golden Emperor Peak!
at the same time.

Nanyue County.

In the Longxiang Army camp, Xu Xuanwu looked at the military order in his hand with confusion in his eyes.

There were seven or eight staff members and officers sitting in the tent. Someone asked, "Major General, what are the military orders from the court?"

"Look~"

Xu Xuanwu casually handed the military order in his hand to the staff member next to him, and the others also took turns to watch.

"Establish a military district? What is a military district?"

"Let us recruit soldiers on our own?"

"Where are the food and weapons?"

"How much combat power do the soldiers from the surrounding counties have?"

Several people discussed it, and finally a man dressed as a scholar stood up and said, "Congratulations, Major General. Congratulations, Major General."

"Oh? Where does joy come from?"

Xu Xuanwu looked at this person and quickly remembered his identity.

Li Wenyou.

He was originally an aide to the Tang prince. After the Tang prince plotted treason, except for himself, the rest of his wife, relatives and children were sentenced to death. However, this man somehow escaped to Nanyue County.

During a conflict with the Baiyue people, he was rescued by the Longxiang Army and surrendered to them.

With his cleverness and vicious strategies, he was soon appreciated by Xu Xuanwu and was added to his staff.

Li Wenyou said: "The court's move is to imitate the Binzhou border army, but the power is delegated to the military, with major generals as the main force, to form a military organization to protect the Nanyue County area."

"Moreover, this military order states that the Major General can recruit soldiers on his own. In other words, we can recruit as many soldiers as we have food and grass!"

"If this continues, the Longxiang Army's military strength will increase greatly, and the Major General will become an important official of the court, or at least a frontier official, just like the governor of the previous dynasty!"

"I think this matter is also related to Concubine Shu. His Majesty dotes on Concubine Shu, so he trusts you, General..."

Xu Xuanwu's eyes lit up, but he frowned and said, "The military order states that the court will send an imperial envoy to supervise, so..."

"Hehehe..."

Li Wenyou sneered, "So what if you are an imperial envoy? Nanyue County is very far away from the capital. Even if we gallop on horseback, it may take more than two months. The emperor is far away, and we are waiting..."

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped, looked around, and remained silent.

Xu Xuanwu immediately said: "First, please tell me that everyone present is my trusted confidant, and no one will spread it."

"I would like to ask, what is the ambition of the Major General?"

"Oh?"

Xu Xuanwu's eyes moved and he asked, "What do you mean, sir?"

"If the young general only wants to be a frontier official and guard the border for the court, then he should follow the military order and use the Longxiang Army as a base to recruit soldiers and civilians, form a military district, strangle the Black Yue people and repel the invasion of the Nanzhao Kingdom."

"After more than ten years, the young general will be as famous as General Xu Mujun, and will have made tremendous military achievements for Dayu."

"Then……"

As he said this, Li Wenyou sneered: "When the birds are gone, the good bows are hidden; when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of the surrounding soldiers all changed slightly.

Xu Xuanwu frowned and asked, "Anything else?"

Li Wenyou said: "If the young general wants to go further, become the highest official, or even compete for the throne in the Central Plains..."

"Be bold!"

Before he finished speaking, a man stood up, drew out a long knife and pointed it at Li Wenyou.

"Major General, this man is spreading rumors and misleading the people. He is trying to seduce the relationship between you and the imperial court. I will kill him right now..."

"puff!"

Before he could finish his words, an officer nearby suddenly drew his knife and stabbed him in the stomach from behind.

"Old Wang, I'm sorry! I really can't stay in this damn place of Nanyue County anymore. I want to be the king of this beautiful country!"

"Hahaha……"

“Puff…Gurgle…”

Blood gushed out, and the soldiers looked at their colleagues in disbelief. Then they glared at Xu Xuanwu and gritted their teeth and said:
"Xu Xuanwu! Your Xu family is full of loyal and brave people, how could you do such a treasonous thing!"

"Ah……"

Xu Xuanwu sneered and said, "A family full of loyal heroes?"

"A family of loyal heroes should stay in this barren land of South Vietnam for years without moving?"

"A family of loyal warriors is going to wait obediently for more than ten years before being executed by the emperor on trumped-up charges?"

"A family full of loyal heroes is going to have to watch the woman he loves enter the palace as a concubine?"

"It's better not to have such a loyal family!"

"The world is in chaos right now, this is the opportunity I've been waiting for!"

"Traitor...I will kill you!"

He staggered two steps, but eventually he was too weak to struggle and fell to the ground with a thud, breathless.

The surrounding officers and staff looked at this man with gradually cold eyes, and no one pleaded for him.

Xu Xuanwu said in a cold voice: "Everyone, this man is a spy sent by the imperial court to our Longxiang Army. He is being executed now. It is really his own fault!"

"Dayu is unjust! The court is unfair! Natural disasters and man-made disasters continue. This is the will of heaven to destroy Dayu!"

"When Yu lost his deer, the whole world chased him!"

"Gentlemen! If, given enough time, Xuanwu can pacify the world and become the ruler of the world, you can all be crowned kings and princes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several of Xu Xuanwu's confidants fell to the ground.

"I accept my order from my humble position!"

"Major General Tianmai!"

Xu Xuanwu said with satisfaction: "Mr. Li, you can continue."

"If you want to dominate the world, what do you do?"

"It's very simple."

Li Wenyou said calmly: "Raising bandits is a way to protect ourselves. We have to fight the Black Yue people and the Nanzhao Kingdom, but we can't just fight them all at once. We have to fight and raise them at the same time, and get all the benefits we can from the court!"

"Send someone to contact Concubine Duan, and let her make the emperor trust us more, and then wait for the right time!"

Li Wenyou's eyes were grim, and his tone slowly changed: "In recent years, I have been collecting information about the general situation of the country. Today, natural disasters and man-made disasters continue, and the court has extremely heavy taxes and levies."

"Even though the imperial court gained a lot of money by eliminating Yang Xuansu and began to reduce taxes, the imperial court reduced its taxes while the lower classes collected taxes, and the people were still suffering."

"If this continues, the world will be in chaos in three years at most!"

"Then, that will be the opportunity I've been waiting for!"

　I'll add another chapter. I posted it by mistake just now, so I'll just make do with it. I mixed up 61 and 62. Friends who have read it can just read it again.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)