"Huh~"

The cold wind was biting and freezing to the core. Even if you were sitting in a four-wheeled carriage with the charcoal stove radiating heat, you could not isolate yourself from the coldness between heaven and earth.

"The weather is getting colder, but even if it doesn't snow, I don't know what next year's harvest will be like." Feeling the bone-chilling chill through the curtains, Fang Congzhe couldn't help but shiver, and then leaned towards the charcoal stove.

Damn it.

Compared with the cold weather, what is even colder for him is the current obscure and difficult situation of the court, especially the attitude of the young emperor who has recently ascended the throne is unpredictable and unpredictable.

Since the enthronement ceremony, he has never been to the early court again. He has been living deep in the palace, banning eunuchs and releasing palace maids. He abolished the twenty-four yamen one by one, leaving only some necessary yamen to maintain the operation of the palace.

Regarding these, Fang Congzhe was happy to see the results, and the removal of eunuchs was beneficial to civil servants after all. However, the subsequent development of the situation was beyond his expectation.

After the Hongwan coup, it was the proper intention to arrest the relevant personnel and investigate and punish them. However, the emperor deliberately used this to create a big case, which led to the Jinyi guards torturing them, collecting gossip, causing trouble everywhere, arresting scholars, officials, and nobles.

The military commanders and the hereditary people in the capital were all in vain.

Even as the situation has intensified recently, various witness testimonies have been gathered together, which vaguely point to Prince Fu of Kaifeng. As the first assistant and the only remaining cabinet minister, Fang Congzhe can still get the information of Jin Yiwei. While watching with a cold eye, he has a clear understanding of this.

The emperor was taking this opportunity to eliminate certain people. Unfortunately, this wind did not blow to the Donglin Party. In his heart, Fang Congzhe sighed secretly.

The high-level tycoons of the Donglin Party were involved in the Red Pill Coup and were wiped out. Only Zou Yuanbiao, who was far away in Nanjing, kept delivering memorials to his official post. However, the centipede did not die. Although the tycoon died, the people scattered outside were still alive.

And people with low official status are safe and sound.

Except for some of them who have changed their doors, the rest have a faint tendency to gather together to keep warm, and the leader of them is Sun Chengzong, the emperor's master. However, the name of Donglin can no longer be used, so as not to offend the emperor.

Fang Congzhe felt a little regretful, but he also knew that this was the result of Zhu Youxiao's deliberate retention. Governmental affairs must be balanced by all parties, and one party cannot be allowed to dominate, otherwise it will be difficult to control.

The wheels were rolling, and they moved forward hard in the cold wind, and soon arrived at the Meridian Gate. Fang Congzhe got off the car, passed the Meridian Gate and entered the palace. Under the guidance of the soldiers of the Yulin Army, he came to the Qianqing Gate, where he temporarily took shelter from the cold wind.

Waiting for the emperor's summons.

Now that the eunuchs are out of sight, all affairs in the palace are entrusted to the newly established Yulin Army. I don't know whether it is a disaster or a blessing. Fang Congzhe looked at the unfamiliar scene in front of him, and his heart was a little uninterested.

He entered the palace alone today in order to persuade the emperor to stop and not to let the trend of the Hongwan coup get bigger, otherwise it would affect him sooner or later.

"Hey!" Listening to the whistling wind, Fang Congzhe let out a long sigh. The political situation in the government was strange. No matter what, he had to leave after this time. If it was too late, he wouldn't be able to leave.

There was no peace in the place when they were involved in the capital, ransacking homes and arresting people. The place where the people involved behind the giant Donglin were, was also filled with the sounds of ghosts crying and wolves howling.

Luo Sigong, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, obeyed the king's order and went to the sea to capture documents and traitors. Tiqi from the capital went out in all directions and went down to the local areas, cooperating with the Jinyi Guards' thousands of households in various places, ransacking homes and arresting people.

A rolling turmoil spread from the capital to the local areas, and the world was shaken. Various rumors about the mutiny that night spread out and were sung everywhere, and some strange words spread throughout the world.

"Hey, have you heard? There was a secret about the mutiny that night." In a private room of a restaurant in Tongzhou, a scholar in an old blue shirt pretended to be mysterious and said to his companions.

"What's the secret?" Several companions asked in a joking manner. The scholar in green shirt was a student. He was eloquent, had a wide circle of friends, and was always well-informed.

"I'm telling you, don't go out and talk nonsense." The scholar looked around and saw that there were no Tiqi from the Jin Yiwei, so he felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

The others didn't say anything about his caution. The Li family had just been ransacked a few days ago, and the royal guards had not left yet, so it was not too much to be cautious. Logically speaking, at this pass, it would be better to hear less about the secrets of the palace.

But they couldn't suppress their curiosity and wanted to hear it.

"Let me tell you, on the night of August 25th, it was not at all what the yamen said, that Xi Li selected a servant to collude with the Donglin rebels, murder the late emperor, and want to depose the prince. It was that the prince couldn't wait to become the emperor and wanted to kill the red prince.

The pill of pills was wronged, and the late emperor was killed in an attempt to ascend the throne. However, the Xili Xuanshi and the people from Donglin saw through his conspiracy and raised an army to annihilate it. Who would have thought that the prince had been prepared in advance and bought several coins in the palace in advance?

Thousands of soldiers and horses came out unexpectedly. The people of Donglin did not expect it, and in the end they failed and were labeled as traitors."

The scholar in blue shirt spoke in a low tone, his words were simple and unpretentious, and his words were clear and detailed in every detail, making people hear the mutiny that night vividly, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes and then recounted it.

"oh!"

"ah!"

"ah!"

Upon hearing such detailed palace insider information that seemed to be true, several scholars could not help but reveal their emotions, which was eye-catching.

The green-shirted scholar enjoyed the attitude of his companions. After squinting his eyes and accepting the gaze of everyone for a while, he continued to reveal the news, "Don't just be surprised, there is something even more sensational."

At this point, he suddenly paused, pretending to be careful, and took the wine glass to his nose and sniffed, "The wine today is not strong enough." Putting down the wine glass, he raised his chopsticks and fiddled with the appetizers twice more, "

This dish is also cold!”

"Shopkeeper, bring over the palace wine you bought from the capital, and get some signature dishes." The scholar in green shirt's manipulation suddenly made one of them impatient. As soon as the other person finished speaking, he started to yell anxiously.

Invite the restaurant manager to serve wine and food.

"Brother Zhou, I know that you have always been on good terms with the Li family. Now that the Li family is in jail because of Mr. Daofu, I am afraid that a lot of news has been leaked from you. Come on, let's drink from the palace today.

Fine wine, tell the secret history of the palace, you will never come home until you are drunk." After the wine was served, one person stood up, filled the cup for Mr. Zhou in green shirt, and then raised his glass.

"Okay, I won't go home until I'm drunk." Several people raised their glasses one after another, drank it all in one gulp, and sat down, staring at the scholar in green shirt. The scholar didn't care anymore, and the voice from below said slowly.

"I heard that Mr. Daofu personally entered the palace that night and wanted to assist Xi Li in killing the prince who killed his father. However, the prince had already prepared for rebellion, bought troops and horses, and defeated Mr. Daofu. However, Mr. Daofu was a better player.

Then, before retreating from the palace after defeat, he brought out the late emperor's personal suicide note and decree, on which was clearly written the edict to abolish the crown prince."

"ah!"

Everyone shouted in unison, and the voice was louder than before. The waiter who was waiting on the other side was confused. He didn't know what happened to these scholars and young masters. They were drunk and crazy.

"Hush!" Scholar Zhou Xing stopped him, and then shouted loudly, "Come on, let's drink. How can we live up to such a good wine? I won't go home until I'm drunk tonight."

"Yes, you won't go home until you're drunk." Others agreed, toasting together, and finally got very drunk.

After they dispersed, the rumors of the prince's patricide and treason gradually spread and were secretly spread everywhere. Such scenes were not only happening in Tongzhou, but also in all the states in the south of the Yangtze River that sympathized with Donglin.

There were such rumors all over the county, either by hearsay or by showing off, and the story that the prince killed his father and conspired to rebel gradually spread and was heard and recorded by people at that time.
Chapter completed!