The Red Mansions

Chapter 1585: King Wei’s wrath, with wind and rain, as powerful as thunder!

Chapter 1585: King Wei’s wrath, with wind and rain, as powerful as thunder!

Guanzhong Land

At this moment, one can hear the sound of horse hooves on the muddy official road, and in the east of the sky, the morning sun can be seen, as bright as brocade clouds.

Another night passed.

Jia Heng's eyes were bloodshot at this moment. He led his soldiers and marched quickly towards a rugged official road. The sound of horse hooves rang out on the official road and could be heard from far away.

At this moment, the grass and trees on both sides of the official road swayed in the morning breeze. The chirping of crickets could be heard from time to time on both sides, which seemed particularly clear in the quiet summer morning, adding a bit of tranquility.

"Your Highness, in front, in front." At this moment, Qu Lang, who had been silent all the way, stretched out his hand to hold a horse rein, and the chestnut horse under his crotch neighed, and he said in surprise beside Jia Heng.

At this moment, Jia Heng felt a little tired. Looking into the distance, he saw three riders galloping on the official road.

On the other side, Gao Zhongping, Kuang Shouzheng and Wu Xiancheng were riding on a chestnut horse, and all three of them had happy looks on their faces.

And there was clearly a hint of worry on that resolute and calm face.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind, from near to far away, and in the quiet morning, it was very far away.

Gao Zhongping's expression changed suddenly, and he couldn't help but have a bad premonition in his heart, and then he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.

"Dong Weng." Kuang Shouzheng also heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. His face suddenly changed and he said worriedly.

At this moment, a clear voice came from the young man in the python robe behind him, saying loudly: "Master Gao, how did you escape so quickly just now?"

When Gao Zhongping looked back at this moment, his heart sank to the bottom of the valley. Worry appeared on his resolute face. He looked coldly at the young man in the python robe, feeling resentment in his heart.

At this moment, accompanied by the sound of "clattering" horse hooves, the young man in the python robe was seen holding the horse's reins, with a calm face, coming slowly.

Wu Xiancheng's voice trembled and his eyes were full of fear as he looked at the young man in the python robe as if he had seen a ghost.

"Dong Weng..."

Under the sharp eyebrows of the young man in the python robe, his tiger eyes were almost as bright as an eagle's, and he shouted again, "Why did Elder Gao run away so quickly?"

Gao Zhongping frowned, looked calmly at the young man in the python robe, and asked, "Prince Wei, there has been a severe drought in Guanzhong recently. I have left the capital to inspect the farming of the people in Sangzhi. Why did you say you were going to escape?"

At this time, you must never say anything about escape.

Jia Heng's face was as cold as frost, his eyes were deep, and he said in a deep voice: "Lord Gao, according to the report from the Jinyi Palace, the brothers Gao Bo and Gao Yong colluded with Chen Yuan, Chen Ran, Chen Wei and others to cause chaos in Bashu. Lord Gao also helped Chen Ran and Chen Wei escape from Shenjing. Today, they fled back to Bashu and joined forces with the rebels to rebel against the court!"

Gao Zhongping's face was as cold as frost, and his eyes were filled with coldness. He shouted in a deep voice, "Prince Wei, this is nonsense!"

At this time, he refused to admit that he had resigned from his post, otherwise he would be accused of something.

Jia Heng shouted, "Lord Gao, now that I have caught you in the act, are you still going to make excuses?"

"The Jinyiwei is the emperor's personal army, but they fabricated charges for you, Prince Wei, and framed loyal officials. Did Prince Wei think that you could slander our cabinet simply by relying on forged spy reports?" Gao Zhongping said with a righteous look in his eyes.

Jia Heng looked at Gao Zhongping, a cold look on his face, and said, "Gao is a famous minister in the world, but he dared not admit it? He colluded with the remnants of the former King of Zhao, and the rebellious King of Wei and King of Liang, intending to lead the invaders to disrupt our Han country. Gao did such a thing, is he worthy of the spirit of Emperor Xianzong in heaven?

Gao Zhongping sneered upon hearing this and scolded, "I am the minister of the Emperor Xianzong's regent, the highest position among ministers. How could I do such a thing? How dare you mention the Emperor Xianzong all the time? You are a minister who has disrupted the government and defiled the palace, a thief of state?"

"Nonsense!" Jia Heng's eyes were sharp, and he said in a deep voice: "Come here, arrest these two people!"

When Kuang Shouzheng and Wu Xiancheng saw this scene, they were shocked.

But then they saw the Jinyi Guards running over in a black mass, surrounding Gao Zhongping, Kuang Shouzheng and Wu Xiancheng, and suddenly dragging them off their horses.

At this moment, Jia Heng raised his sword-like eyebrows, looked at Gao Zhongping with a sharp gaze, and said loudly: "Gao, if I were not here, the Han Dynasty would be in turmoil, with internal and external troubles. I don't know how many people in the world would call themselves kings and how many would call themselves lonely! How could you be in the government, persecuting loyal people and talking nonsense about gratitude and righteousness!"

The bones are piled up like a mountain and the surnames are forgotten; ghosts are chanting under the green maple forest.

If it weren't for him, the Nine Provinces would have fallen under the iron hoofs of foreign races long ago, and there would be no Han Dynasty.

When Gao Zhongping heard this, his eyes darkened and he was shocked.

This is what Cao Cao said.

I'm afraid this is also Jia Ziyu's confession!

Gao Zhongping said coldly: "Even if you have made some minor contributions, the emperor has already given you high positions and noble titles. From a commoner, you have risen to the position of a noble. How great is the favor? Yet you are not satisfied, you have seized all the power and deceived the emperor!"

Gao Zhongping said in a deep voice: "Emperor Xianzong married his daughter and niece to you, showing his great love for you. You actually did such a beastly thing. You are really conscienceless and outrageous!"

Jia Heng nodded and said, "These unfounded rumors about the palace were made up by evil people like Chen Yuan, right?"

Gao Zhongping heard this, his eyes were as sharp as a sword, and he said loudly: "Do you dare to swear in front of Emperor Xianzong's mausoleum that you have never done anything to let Emperor Xianzong down?"

Jia Heng said: "I can go to the tomb of Emperor Xianzong and swear an oath, but you, Gao Zhongping, know that the late emperor was ambushed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and died early because of Chen Yuan's plot!"

"And you, Gao Zhongping, a minister in the palace of Emperor Xianzong, actually colluded with Chen Yuan, the murderer who killed the previous emperor? You were moved by his baseless and malicious speculations! You caused chaos in Bashu. How can you be worthy of the great cause of the restoration that Emperor Xianzong worked so hard for half his life?"

Well, when it comes to talking nonsense, Jia Heng has never been defeated by anyone.

Gao Zhongping said in a deep voice: "That's just making up a story!"

Gao Zhongping suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and asked, "Isn't the current young master the wicked son of you and that Zhen family?"

Jia Heng's eyes sparkled under his sword-like brows, and he said, "This is a slanderous statement made by Chen Yuan. How dare you, Gao Zhongping, believe the words of a traitor who has no king or father!"

Gao Zhongping was speechless for a moment.

Because from the beginning to the end, based on the clue of the so-called twins, it was speculated that it was Chen Yuan who corrupted the palace with Jia Heng. This person's reputation is indeed very questionable.

"Zhen and the descendants of Emperor Xianzong, as well as Li, the widow of Jia Zhu in Rongguo Mansion, all gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Is it just a coincidence?" Gao Zhongping said coldly.

Jia Heng said coldly: "If you don't believe it, you can go ask Emperor Xianzong."

As he spoke, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he turned to look at the Jinyi Palace guards beside him.

Gao Zhongping was shocked when he saw this, and he shouted, "Prince Wei, are you going to kill the minister who is the regent of Emperor Xianzong?"

As he spoke, he drew out a sword from his waist and shouted, "King Wei, do you dare to fight me?"

Jia Heng ignored him and said, "Come here, capture this beast!"

As he was speaking, several Jinyifu guards rushed forward and surrounded Gao Zhongping who was riding on his horse.

At this moment, Gao Zhongping was dancing with the sword in his hand like the wind, flashing and his moves were quite clean and neat.

After all, the Governor of Sichuan, who was once a military general, was trying to survive in a desperate situation at this moment. The light was so bright and clear as water that it was almost impenetrable to wind and rain.

"Ding ding dang dang..."

Along with the sound of weapons clashing, sparks flew everywhere as swords collided.

Not long after, the horse under Gao Zhongping's crotch was chopped down by a Jinyifu guard. Then, accompanied by the sound of the horse neighing, Gao Zhongping was thrown off the horse and fell into the dust.

Then, several Jinyifu guards held Gao Zhongping's shoulders tightly, preventing him from struggling at all.

Jia Heng raised his sword-like eyebrows, his bright eyes piercing with spirit, and shouted in a deep voice, "Qu Lang, send Elder Gao off on his way!"

Although Qu Lang made some mistakes in the past, this time he was given another chance.

For a system as large as Jinyifu, it is inevitable that there will be times when it is not able to operate smoothly.

Qu Lang didn't say much at this moment. He clasped his fists in response to the order, then quickly walked towards a place not far away.

Kuang Shouzheng and Wu Xiancheng were both pale and terrified.

This is a situation where Dong Weng is to be killed.

There is great terror between life and death!

Gao Zhongping's thin eyebrows were covered with coldness in his startled eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Prince Wei, the law of nature will always prevail. You have lost all conscience today, so the wrath of heaven will surely be your revenge!"

"I'll be waiting for you on the road to the underworld!" Gao Zhongping said angrily.

At this moment, Qu Lang came closer and took out the goose-feather knife. There was a "puff" sound, accompanied by a flash of blood, and a big head flew into the sky.

A famous minister of his generation fell from grace!

Wu Xiancheng and Kuang Shouzheng were already pale, with cold hands and feet, and their elegant or wise faces were filled with worry.

Jia Heng's sword-like brows disappeared, and he shouted in a deep voice, "Keep these two people, escort them to the capital, and hand them over to the three judicial departments for conviction. You will all state to the court that Gao Zhongping colluded with Chen Yuan, the remnant of the Zhao king, and acted as a guarantor for the Wei king and the Liang king. He also colluded with the Khoshut and Dzungar bandits. The evidence is numerous and all shall be made known to the world."

These two people were witnesses who accused Gao Zhongping of harboring rebellious intentions and committing rebellion.

Wu Xiancheng and Kuang Shouzheng looked at each other, and both saw a look of surviving a disaster on each other's faces.

And the lord whom he had served for many years was just beheaded in front of him all of a sudden. The impact was undoubtedly very strong.

Jia Heng raised his eyebrows, his eyes warm, staring at Gao Zhongping's body, and said, "Bring his head back to Shenjing City."

After returning, there is still a war of words to fight. I am afraid that the Shenjing City is already in chaos at this moment.

He had previously exiled a cabinet minister, and now he had beheaded a deputy cabinet minister. I'm afraid that the civil officials in the court and the country would regard him as the same as Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao.

Just as Jia Heng guessed, the capital city of Shenjing is now in a state of panic.

Earlier, the Jinyifu guards surrounded the residence of Gao Zhongping, the second assistant of the Han cabinet, and soon after, the news spread in the capital.

Prince Wei personally led the cavalry of the Beijing Camp to hunt down Gao Zhongping, which shocked everyone in the court and the country!

Daming Palace, Wenhua Hall

At this moment, the weather was gloomy above the boundless blue sky, and it seemed that a rainstorm was brewing. After a few days of waiting, the heat rose and the temperature became unbearable.

The court affairs had been much busier in the past few days, whether it was the imperial examinations, the summer grain collection, or the official road repairs mentioned by Jia Heng, all of which kept the officials of the six ministries and the various government offices in the capital busy.

If we add to this the fact that the residence of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Han Cabinet was surrounded by the Jinyi Guards, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the situation is extremely complicated.

Wenhua Hall, inside the hall——

The Grand Councilor Shi Jie, Cabinet Ministers Lin Ruhai, Qi Kun, and Zhao Yi were all in the hall. In addition, there were officials from the six ministries, who sat down on lacquered wooden chairs to discuss state affairs.

As the Han Dynasty entered an era of young rulers and empresses ruling behind the scenes, the role of the cabinet became increasingly prominent and, to some extent, replaced the functions of court meetings.

Li Zan, the chief minister of the cabinet and the Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, had an anxious look on his face. He and other ministers stared at Princess Chen Xiao of Le'an who was sitting on a pearwood chair.

Li Zan had a pair of cold eyes with a faint light flickering under his thin eyebrows. He asked, "Princess Le'an, where is Prince Wei now? It's been two or three days, so he should be back by now."

The imperial guards from the Jinyifu surrounded Gao's residence, and Jia Heng even went out of the capital in person to hunt down Gao Zhongping. This incident made all the civil and military officials in the court panic.

What is this going to do?

Are they going to arrest another cabinet minister? This time it's the cabinet's deputy minister.

Facing the gazes of many people, Chen Xiao said in a clear voice: "Lord Li, Prince Wei has gone to track down Lord Gao. He should still be in Guanzhong now."

Li Zan was silent for a moment, then said, "How could Lord Gao escape from the capital? There are many things that Jinyifu said that are not clear enough."

Until this moment, Li Zan still couldn't believe it. How could a deputy minister of the Han cabinet abandon his post and run away? Did he want to escape from the capital and rebel against the court?

These past two days, Li Zan still couldn't believe that Gao Zhongping could do such a thing.

Chen Xiao's jade-like face was covered with frost. He said, "Lord Li, Lord Gao colluded with Chen Yuan and let go of the two traitors Chen Ran and Chen Wei. They planned to contact the Khoshut and Junggar in Bashu to fight against our Han army. This matter can be seen in the military report delivered by the secret agent of the Jinyi Mansion in Chengdu. The brothers Chen Ran and Chen Wei, along with Chen Yuan, went in and out of Gao's house to discuss important matters."

As he spoke, he instructed the Jinyifu captain standing beside him to hand over a book.

Li Zan took the book and began to read it. It contained the details of Gao Zhongping's collusion with Chen Yuan, as well as the fact that his two sons left Shenjing City, and then the two brothers Chen Ran and Chen Wei returned.

Li Zan handed the book in his hand to the cabinet minister Qi Kun who was standing beside him. His energetic face seemed to show a trace of worry. He said, "Gao, why is it so?"

Previously, he had suspected that the man might be making some moves, but he didn't expect it to be here!

If they tolerate each other for the sake of the country and work hard, when the young ruler grows up, he will naturally become at odds with King Wei, and at that time the Han court can still restore order.

Why bother fighting for a momentary gain and causing unrest in the country and chaos in the nine provinces?

Gao Zhongping, you are so confused!

The Han ministers in the hall were also passing the book around, most of them with expressions of shock on their faces.

Why did Lord Gao collude with a traitor like Chen Yuan?

Chen Xiao looked at the changes in the faces of the ministers in the hall, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Gao Zhongping's son originally mingled with Chen Yuan, the remnant of King Zhao. Now he is bewitched by Chen Yuan and doubts his loyalty to King Wei. But he should never associate with Chen Yuan, a villain who has repeatedly harmed the royal family and two emperors, and do such a foolish thing."

All the ministers present were shocked.

Chen Xiao said in a deep voice: "Now Chen Ran, Chen Wei, Chen Yuan and the Gao family are fighting against the imperial court in Shu, colluding with Dzungar and Khoshut, and clearly trying to overthrow our Han country!"

The Han officials present had different expressions on their faces.

At this moment, a white-faced, beardless eunuch quickly entered the hall and said in a shrill voice, "The Queen Mother has arrived."

In the hall, most of the Han officials had an expression of confusion on their faces.

The Queen Mother is here too...

In fact, since the young lord ascended the throne, Zhen Qing has been going in and out of Wenhua Palace, acting like a political strong woman who is fully involved in government affairs.

"Your humble servant greets the Empress Dowager. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years." All the ministers in the hall bowed to the graceful and gorgeous beauty.

As Zhen Qing spoke, her graceful and elegant face, her pink lips slightly parted, and she said in a charming voice, "Gentlemen, please stand up."

All the ministers in the hall stood up without saying anything else.

Zhen Qing didn't say anything else. She moved with extremely light steps and sat down on an exquisitely shaped pearwood chair.

"Lord Li, why did Gao Zhongping want to escape from Shenjing City? Also, the Jinyi Palace reported earlier that Gao Zhongping helped to escort away the two traitors Chen Ran and Chen Wei. Do you know what exactly happened?" Zhen Qing asked.

That bastard, what did he promise her in the first place? She reminded him again and again to nail Gao Zhongping to death. How could he let Gao Zhongping escape from Shenjing City?

Once they escape to the capital, Sichuan and even other prefectures and counties across the country will be in turmoil and smoke of war will rise everywhere. This is no joke.

Li Zan paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. This matter is still under investigation. It may be that Lord Gao has left the capital for some business. Who knows?"

Out of caution, Li Zan did not believe Chen Xiao's one-sided words.

Zhen Qing frowned and whispered, "The cabinet ministers left the capital without asking for my permission? Without reporting to the cabinet? What's the purpose of being so sneaky?"

Li Zan was speechless for a moment.

Chen Xiao said: "Empress Dowager, Chen Ran and Chen Wei were kidnapped by Chen Yuan. They went to Sichuan with the two sons of the Gao family and colluded to start a rebellion..."

Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows when she heard this, and asked, "How could this happen?"

The ministers in the palace did not respond for a while.

Lin Ruhai watched from a distance and sighed secretly in his heart.

Since the death of Emperor Xianzong, such a thing has happened.

At this moment, a young eunuch walked into the palace and reported: "Your Majesty, Lord, the Prince of Wei is back."

When Zhen Qing heard this, a look of joy appeared on her graceful and beautiful face, and she whispered, "Where is that person now?"

All the ministers in the Wenhua Palace looked at the young man in the python robe under the eaves.

After a while, the young man in the python robe, surrounded by a group of Jinyi guards wearing flying fish robes and embroidered spring swords on their waists, walked into the hall with his head held high.

At this moment, the sky was gloomy, with dense clouds but no rain, and the light in the hall was a little dim.

"Boom..." The thunder continued to surge and dark clouds gathered.

Zhen Qing stood up, her phoenix eyes fixed on him, and said, "Prince Wei is here."

I saw the young man in the python robe walking quickly towards me. His resolute and calm face flickered in the thunder and lightning, and his eyes were cold under his brows.

Li Zan said nothing more. He looked at the young man in the python robe and said, "Prince Wei, where is Elder Gao?"

Jia Heng frowned and glanced at Qu Lang who was accompanying him. He said, "Show it to Lord Li."

Qu Lang, who was accompanying him, held up a wooden box. The captain of the Jinyifu nearby opened the lid, and a head with gray hair appeared in front of everyone.

"Click..."

Along with the sound of lightning and thunder, a blazing white light flashed, and the light in the hall was instantly brightened, and the facial features were clearly visible.

It was Gao Zhongping, the Second Assistant Minister of the Han Cabinet!

"This..." The ivory tablet in Li Zan's hand suddenly fell to the ground with a "click". His face was pale and his eyes were full of fear and suspicion.

Other civil officials in the hall, such as the Grand Councilor Shi Jie and others, had a look of shock in their eyes.

The head of Lord Gao?

There was a moment of absolute silence in the hall; one could hear a pin drop.

"Boom... crackle..."

Along with the deafening sound of thunder, one could hear the crackling sound of raindrops outside, which then fell on the white stone steps in front of the hall.

The torrential rain that fell from the sky seemed to wash away all the dirt on the streets and dispel the depression and stuffiness of the past few days.

Jia Heng's sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were piercing, and he said loudly: "Gao Zhongping colluded with Chen Yuan, the remnant of King Zhao, and let Chen Ran and Chen Wei, the two rebel vassals, go. He has been killed, and the head of the criminal is here!"

After hearing this, Li Zan didn't react for a long time, but a dull look appeared on Zhang Gangyi's face.

It was a kind of expressionless dullness, with the eyes sometimes fixed and sometimes scattered.

It was so shocking that the second prime minister of the Han Dynasty, a cabinet minister, and an old minister of Emperor Xianzong's palace was beheaded.

Even though Lu Jiang had previously instigated the scholars to besiege Anshun Gate, he was only exiled to Yunnan.

This is a cabinet minister or the second in command of the cabinet.

The other ministers in the hall stood with their hands clasped, their faces equally pale and their hearts filled with fear.

Zhao Yi, the cabinet minister and minister of industry, looked at the young man in the black and red python robe, and at the flashing lightning behind him, and suddenly a sentence came to his mind:

"The wrath of King Wei is like a storm, as powerful as thunder!"

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