C109

The man sitting in front of the desk sighed. He felt depressed and confused.

The bamboo curtain was opened by someone and the candle flame slightly swayed. Shen Zhu's hidden brows were tightly knitted. He flipped open the book but was not in the mood to look.

"It's so late, why aren't you resting?"

A middle-aged woman came in with a cup of calming tea. She looked at him with worry and murmured, "After you went out today, you came back with a bad complexion. You didn't even eat dinner. Why are you sitting here alone?"

Shen Zhu forced out a smile and replied, "Thank you mother for remembering. I am grateful. It is already late at night, so you should hurry back to rest."

The beautiful woman put down her tea and revealed a light sadness with her embroidered eyebrows. She helplessly shook her head and said, "Your father was trapped in prison and you are the one who is supporting this family. If you are too worried and fall down, then what hope do you have for your mother?"

"Mother, you're overthinking it. Your son had tea with a few friends outside. I'm not hungry."

"You still want to lie to me? After your father went to prison, who dared to come into contact with the Shen family? What kind of amazing friends did you meet? "

Shen Zhu's mind was preoccupied with many matters, and her lies were full of loopholes. Knowing that it was impossible to fool her, she could only close the book and pretend that she was sleepy.

"Tomorrow at the academy, there will be a new student. Your son will rest first."

She turned her head to Shen Zhu, who was fiddling with the bed, and said, "If there's nothing special, come with me back to Qufu's hometown. Your aunt over there made a good girl for you. Look …"

"Mother, father is still in prison. How can I let go of this knot in my heart and build a family?" "Let's not talk about this anymore. We can plan on doing it in the future."

Madam Shen knitted her brows slightly. She did not say anything else and left with the tray.

It was a cold winter night, and he could not sleep alone.

Shen Zhu tossed and turned, unable to sleep at all. Once she closed her eyes, she would immediately think of Su Qiao1's face.

He could still see the past, sweet and sad at the same time.

If time had reversed, he would have definitely prevented the Su Clan from sending her to the palace to teach, and he would not have gotten involved in that dispute and almost lost his life.

At dawn, after a night of falling snow, Xuancheng had become a snowy house shaped like a jade sculpture.

The peddler who usually took action in the early morning also became lazy and did not make any sound.

The street was still quiet and deserted. The school kids had taken a leave of absence and the shops were opening late. From afar, the sound of horse hooves could be heard on the empty street.

He carried the eight hundred li of soldiers who were in urgent need of official documents on his back as he galloped recklessly on the Thousand Mile Horse. He stepped into the dawn before rushing to the Imperial City.

"Quick, open the door! I have received the orders from the City of Ye to send you off! "

A hoarse scream was heard. The imperial city guard on duty looked at the insignia of the envoy before opening the gate and letting him into the palace.

The last time, when they were in a hurry for eight hundred miles, it had been when the Huns had attacked the borders and seized several cities of the Great Wei Province. It had only been a year since then, and the emergency document had once again spread to the Imperial City.

In the first half month of the new spring, news of the mutiny came from Ye, Dazhang, and Ying.

The rebels in the regions could not get the promised military pay, so they formed gangs and rose up to rebel.

Ye Xiwen's guards could not hold on and abandoned the city to run away. The rebel generals had chased them all the way to Tai An and killed them. They then hung their heads high above the city gates and released the messenger.

This was a blatant provocation. Half a year ago, there were rebels in the arid region of Qinghe County, but in the end, they were forced to surrender because they were led by a general.

This time, the person was aggressive and didn't have a shred of fear.

After a year, Emperor Wei Wu, who was engrossed with cultivation, once again ascended the throne room with his yellow robe. He slapped his palm and glared at the officials below, gritting his teeth: "Mutiny? Or was it because I couldn't get a salary, which one of my beloved officials explained to me what exactly is going on? "

When the Son of Heaven was angry, the officials were terrified. The great hall was absolutely silent, and no one dared to speak.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject believes that this matter cannot be entirely blamed on the bandits. Having joined the army for one and a half years without any money, it was impossible for them to maintain their livelihood. Furthermore, there were also those who had stayed at the border for four to five years who had left empty-handed. When soldiers complain, it becomes resentment. When it's cold and winter, resentment becomes hostility. Naturally, there will be people who take the risk. "

Liu Yu An wasn't afraid of Emperor Wei's wrath, so he methodically explained the formidable relationship between them.

"Bastard!" I have set aside silver coins for soldiers to join the army a long time ago. Where did this rebellion come from? What about silver? "What about the military pay?"

The officials didn't dare to speak out in the face of the Emperor's rage.

Whether it was the relief for the soldiers or the subsidies for the soldiers, they had all been exploited. This was a public matter, and only the Venerable One on the throne did not know what was going on.

When asking about where the money had gone to, the court officials were as small as local officials. Not many of them were innocent, and if they wanted to investigate, they would have to implicate a group of people.

"What is it? No one dares to answer me? What about Xiao Qian? "Did his subordinates say anything to me about their rebellion?"

The general of a supporting nation, Qi Yanzhong, stepped forward and cupped his fists as he explained, "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Xiao went to the western suburbs' camp."

"Get him back for me!" Explain yourself! "

Qi Nianzhong revealed a troubled expression. He bowed and didn't dare to get up. It seemed that his white beard had been twisted into a lump.

He had personally promoted Xiao Qian as a fellow disciple who was also a good friend of his. As such, how could he not understand Xiao Qian's personality? The mountains of gold and silver were piled there. As long as it was marked as a soldier, it wouldn't be taken even if it was forced on him.

"Your Majesty, there are many suspicious points about this matter. It would be better to first have someone investigate it thoroughly."

Wei Wu Emperor's sturdy body trembled. His black moustache trembled slightly, and he angrily said, "Investigate? "Now that the conspirators have attacked three cities in a row, my beloved Qi has such good intentions. She even wants us to investigate!"

Qi Nian Zhong lowered his head and said, "This humble subject is terrified, and will not side with General Xiao. I hope that Your Majesty will observe carefully."

"Your Majesty, the most important thing for you to do is to put an end to this rebellion, so as to ensure the stability of our Wei Dynasty." Liu Yuan spoke up in time to stabilize Wei Wu Emperor's fury.

"What Liu Aiqing said is right. Since cadre Xiao is causing trouble, let him go. If he can't, then don't come back!"

"Your majesty the Emperor!"

"Your majesty the Emperor!"

An early dynasty began with rebellion and ended with rebellion.

After this incident, many of the senior officials had lingering fears in their hearts.

The corrupt military's salary may not be considered a precedent, but this time, it was clear that they had stirred up a great disaster and were planning a rebellion. Some things could not be dealt with on paper, and sooner or later they would cause trouble.

In a short span of half a day, the news of the mutiny spread through the streets and alleys.

When Su Zhi heard the news, her heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously scrunched up her legs. She didn't know what to do with Xiao Qian, since one side was her brothers who risked their lives while the other side was the emperor's. The choice was too difficult.

Dan Xue, who was also with her, was anxious and could not calm down. She held Su Zhi's hand tightly and asked, "Madam, what should we do, General? Wasn't the emperor clearly making things difficult for the general? "We generals are not greedy for military salaries. It's one thing if we can't clear our suspicions, but we still need to bring troops to suppress them. Aren't we making things difficult for people during the new year?"

Xiao Qian cherished his military strength. Although he held a high position, he never put on airs. He was on good terms with the soldiers, and because of this, more and more soldiers under his name began to follow him.

Now that he was leading troops to fight against his former brothers, his prestige would definitely plummet.

Although he was a military genius, fighting against the Huns and killing the pirates, but when the blade and sword in his hand were pointed at his subordinates, he could tell what kind of mentality he had.