After passing the gate, the housekeeper walked across the small bridge over flowing water. Looking at the ice formed by the lake water under the bridge, the housekeeper couldn't help but quicken his pace.

After walking through the courtyard, the housekeeper came to the outside of the study, bent down to the master in the study and said: "Master, I have already given the order. I have not received guests recently, and all the invitations have been returned."

Yang Zhao was sitting behind the desk, with the blanket covering his thin body. He looked at his daughter sitting on the desk, playing, and smiled knowingly. His young wife stood aside, not daring to look up at his master, but Yu

The light always falls on his daughter, and he is deeply afraid that something will happen to her.

Yang Zhao, on the other hand, was not worried about his daughter's safety. Instead, he generously let his daughter play on the desk. Even those important memorials involving the imperial court were still played by his daughter.

"Xiaoqing, take your daughter down."

Yang Zhao pulled off the blanket on his body, hugged his daughter on the desk, kissed her gently, and handed her to his wife, "Take her down and let her play more. You can keep her in the room with you all day long so that you can have some fun."

No matter how promising they are, the children of my Yang family just want to spread their wings and fly high."

Xiaoqing hugged her daughter and retreated.

Yang Zhao's daughter didn't say a word to him.

This is also normal. Yang Zhao's daughter has been placed with his family in Tingzhou since she was born and has never been taken over to Chang'an. This may be the reason why his daughter and Yang Zhao are separated.

The housekeeper stood quietly in front of the study, seeing off his wife and young lady, but did not leave. As someone who has served the master for many years, he knew that he must have something to explain when he sent away his wife and young lady.

"Come in."

After hearing the master's instructions, the housekeeper walked quickly into the study. Yang Zhao sat back on the chair, with no one around him.

"Master, I've given you all the instructions you gave me."

Yang Zhao sat there and hummed softly, "How many people have sent greeting cards?"

The housekeeper thought for a while, silently counting the invitations given to him by the concierge.

"Master, there are nine families in total. The Prince's Mansion is one family, the houses of King Zhao and King Dai, the two princes are one family. Most of the rest are officials from the Huailai family who want to meet the master. It seems that they should be

I came here for the errands my master recently ran."

Yang Zhao snorted coldly, "They are quite well informed."

The housekeeper stopped talking. There were some things that my grandfather said that made him scold, but he couldn't hear.

Yang Zhao sat there, thinking for a long time. In the room, the sound of burning wood continued to sound, accompanying the master like a butler, without any words.

"Change that concierge and let him disappear. I don't want to see him again in this world."

After Yang Zhao finished speaking, his face was expressionless, as if he was talking about an ordinary thing. If he didn't want to see him again in this world, he would just let him go see the King of Hell.

The housekeeper said, "Okay, sir. Those people waiting outside the house?"

Yang Zhao glanced at the housekeeper and asked with a smile: "What do you want to say?"

The housekeeper hurriedly knelt down on the ground. Although his expression could not be seen, his tone was trembling, "Master, I just asked them how to deal with it. I have no other intention."

Yang Zhao was not angry, but very calm. He waved his hand gently, and the originally closed door opened slightly. Suddenly, a chill blew in from the outside with the cold wind, and fell on the housekeeper. The housekeeper shook subconsciously.

Got it

one time.

Of course Yang Zhao is not afraid of this. For him, he is no longer afraid of this coldness.

"Keep your head up."

The housekeeper obeyed the master's instructions and hurriedly raised his head, but he didn't know what the master wanted to do.

Yang Zhao slowly spoke and asked, "How do you feel?"

The housekeeper was a little puzzled. Yang Zhao pointed to the open door. The housekeeper understood and said urgently, "Master, I just feel cold, and there is a cool air coming out of my back."

Yang Zhao nodded, obviously the butler's answer was in line with Yang Zhao's inner answer.

Yang Zhao pulled off the blanket on his body and walked to the housekeeper. The housekeeper lowered his head again and did not dare to look directly at the master. Yang Zhao said softly: "Do you know why I asked you to kill the concierge?"

"Because he took other people's money."

Yang Zhao waved his hand and continued: "Am I, Yang Zhao, such a stingy person? People often say that the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door is. Although I, Yang Zhao, are not Zhang Juzheng, I am also a doctor at Yushitai, and I am the patriarch of the Yang family in Huailai.

There are many, many people who want to see me."

"I can accept and understand that a small concierge receives a little money. After all, the people below are also human beings. I, Yang Zhao, am not one of those hypocrites who aspires to be an upright official. You can accept money as you like, but there is one thing you must pay attention to.

, you have to distinguish between times and things. Some things can be paid for, while others cannot. This is the foundation of being a slave."

The butler's body continued to tremble, sweat began to form on his forehead, and he did not dare to say another word.

"You are good at this, so you can live a long, long time. Of course, I will not treat you badly."

Yang Zhao walked to the stove near the window and gently put a piece of firewood into it.

"After a while, go to the accounting room and pay out one hundred taels of silver, of which fifty taels will be given to the servants in the mansion. You can keep the rest for yourself."

The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied: "Thank you, sir."

Yang Zhao stretched out his hands and put them on the stove, turning them over so that he could keep warm. Suddenly, Yang Zhao asked: "You followed me when you came from the arms."

"Yes, sir."

Yang Zhao glanced at the housekeeper who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Get up."

The housekeeper stood up slowly. Since he had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, it was difficult to get up at the beginning. The housekeeper had to hold on to the wall of the study and stood up slowly.

Yang Zhao looked at the housekeeper and asked something confusing.

"Do you know why you are the butler and I am the master?"

The housekeeper was beating his legs. When he heard the master asking, he hurriedly said: "Master, master, I never dare to..."

Yang Zhao waved his hand and asked again: "Tell me about it, sir, I won't keep it in mind."

"Master, I don't dare, I don't dare."

Yang Zhao sighed softly, "Sir, have I ever done anything to eliminate dissidents?"

Without waiting for the butler to say anything else, Yang Zhao asked and answered himself, "Of course I have done it. Otherwise, how could I, Yang Zhao, be alive today? Moreover, those who oppose me include many good and honest officials."

Yang Zhao laughed as he spoke, "They were all good people, but it's a pity that they all died in my hands."

The butler just pretended to be dead. He really hoped that the master would stop talking.

If he goes, if he keeps talking, he will commit suicide before the master takes action.

"Does Your Majesty know these people? Of course he knows that those people who were pinned down by His Majesty on the desk in the royal study room and there are so many articles to impeach me are here, but I am still standing here, standing in Chang'an City. As for those people, they have just become

Only a few taels of loess, except me and those relatives, who will remember them. They are not worth mentioning."

"Having said so much, why did Your Majesty keep me?"

Yang Zhao smiled and said, "Because I, Yang Zhao, am sensible and know when to eliminate dissidents and when to promote my subordinates. This is the reason why I, Yang Zhao, am a minister, and the reason why Your Majesty can tolerate me.

"

"There are rumors outside that I, Yang Zhao, am today because of the help of my sister and the imperial concubine. I don't deny this, but those people really treat His Majesty as a fool. I, Yang Zhao, don't understand these principles. I will live until

Now, I'm afraid the grass on the grave is almost ten feet tall."

The housekeeper was shocked and fell to his knees again.

Yang Zhao struck out with a palm, and the stove beside him smashed through the window, flew out of the window, and landed in the yard. There were sparks, but they were extinguished instantly. It turned out that it started to snow outside at some point.

Yang Zhao gently stretched out his hand and reached out of the window. A piece of snowflake came into his hand, which was cold and refreshing.

"This time when Xiaoqing came to Chang'an City, the old people in the family began to want to exclude dissidents. They were really naive. They also gave you money, hoping that you would persuade me, but you saw the point and sent the money back. This is also

The reason why you can stay here today."

The housekeeper didn't expect that the master would know about such hidden things, so he repeatedly accused him, "Sir, this slave is guilty."

Yang Zhao ignored the butler who was kneeling there, and smiled as he looked out the window at the stove that he had knocked out with his palm. Now there was only a faint flame left there. He believed that it would soon be covered by heavy snow and extinguished.

"So, I am Yang Zhao. Lu Zhong wants to rule me out of this incident. Please tell me to go ahead and have the Jingzhao Mansion, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Dali Temple all dispatched to thoroughly investigate every official, but don't alarm the people."

"Old slave, I'll go make arrangements right away."

Chang'an City, Imperial City.

The emperor ordered him to go down this morning without seeing anyone. He just stayed outside the palace of his mother, waiting quietly for the queen mother to wake up. At noon, the queen mother who was frightened last night woke up, and the emperor hurried over and comforted her.

After a while and having lunch with the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother returned to Cining Palace.

After noon, it snowed again in Chang'an City. It came very suddenly. Children playing on the street stared at the heavy snow, returned home, and never came out again.

There are also some old farmers who have been busy for a year, sitting at the door of their homes, looking at the sudden heavy snowfall, with smiles on their lips. The auspicious snow heralds a good year, and the crops will grow well in the coming year.

As for those businessmen who have returned home to celebrate the New Year and are still busy after today, they are melancholy again. The last heavy snow finally melted, and another heavy snow has come, making it increasingly difficult to do business.

Life is like this, some people are happy and some are sad, but life has to go on and life has to go on. When facing difficulties in life, it is okay to be sad and shed tears.

What happens next?

We have to find a way out of the predicament.
Chapter completed!