From eunuch to emperor

In the pavilion, a briquette stove was burning a pot of boiling water. Eunuch Zhong Gui picked up a small pot, picked out some tea leaves with a bamboo clip, and put them into a purple teapot.

Boiling water was poured into the purple sand pot, and a scent of tea permeated the air.

Zhong Gui carefully poured the tea into the porcelain cup, and brought it to Li Chengdao and the Taoist priest.

"Master, please."

Li Chengdao picked up a cup of tea and drank it himself, and the Taoist also picked up a cup of tea to taste it.

"Slightly astringent in the mouth, sweet in the throat, refreshing and refreshing, no wonder literati flock to it."

The Taoist sighed in admiration.

This Taoist priest has a lot of background, he is Xuanjizi, the head of Cangxuan Mountain.

Cangxuan Mountain is the Daoist sect that Nanliang relied on. The former master was Cangsongzi, who calculated the prophecy that shook the world and brought destruction to the Long family army: The dragon prospers in the wild, and the world is unified.

After calculating this sentence, Cang Songzi's body weakened rapidly, and finally passed away.

The successor head is Cangsongzi's eldest disciple Xuanjizi.

When Cang Songzi was alive, he was inseparable from the Nanliang court, but Xuanjizi actively joined the world and advised Li Chengdao.

"Long Cheng'en, an eunuch, came out in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. In just one year, he served as the minister of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Households. It is said that this person was behind the last battle of Linjiang City."

"Long Chengen...Long Chengen...Long Chen!"

Li Chengdao muttered to himself, and suddenly felt that this Long Chengen was Long Chen.

"Daoist, do you think Long Chengen is Long Chen?"

Xuanjizi poured another cup of tea by himself, shook his head and said, "Absolutely not, Pindao sent someone to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to inquire long ago. This Long Chengen has a relationship with Long Ye. He dug up the bones of the Long family and buried them, and paid homage to him. Pass."

"But he will definitely not be Long Chen."

Xuanjizi spoke very firmly.

"Why is the Taoist so sure?"

Li Chengdao sent Zhong Gui to spy on Long Chen. He had always guessed that Long Chengen was Long Chen, but he was not sure.

"It's very simple. I heard that Long Chengen lives in Qiuxing Palace, right next to the fourth princess Emperor Luoxi. Long Chengen went in and out of the palace, and even often bathed with several princesses, and even served Di Shitian."

"The empress doesn't need a man, everyone in the world knows, if Long Chengen is Long Chen, wouldn't it be a disaster for the palace?"

"What's more, the empress has a big enmity with the Long family, if Long Chen arrives in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, he will be crushed to pieces."

Xuanjizi drank his tea, his tone was flat, and he looked detached.

Li Chengdao frowned and said: "Long Chen passed away, he is an eunuch, it is normal to mix into the harem."

Xuanjizi laughed and said: "There is no better official than the king, Long Chen is as hot as fire, would he be willing to be castrated and become a eunuch?"

"Or, if Long Chen was forced to become a eunuch, he would work for Dong Zhou?"

Li Chengdao nodded and said: "That's right, that fellow Long Chen has the strongest temper, he once contradicted me in court, if he is eunuched, he will definitely fight the empress to the death."

"That's weird, there is a connection with the Long family, and there is such a talented person, why can't I think of who it is at all?"

Xuan Jizi shook his head and said: "I also checked, but I can only find out that Long Chengen once served in the Long Family Army, that's all."

"Even, I suspect that this is also a fake, Long Chengen's identity is a mystery."

Both of them denied Long Chen's identity in the end, the reason was very simple, Long Chen would not accept becoming a eunuch, if Long Chen was not a eunuch, then the empress would not put him in the harem.

"Your Majesty, Long Cheng'en is doing business with Tianxiahui and Longbang, and their attitudes are now biased towards the Eastern Zhou Dynasty."

Xuanjizi said slowly.

The Tianxiahui and the Dragon Gang have great influence and can control the situation in the world. Everyone is fighting for it.

"This Long Cheng'en is troublesome. Last time he wanted to catch him alive, it seems that it would be best for him to die."

Li Chengdao poured another cup of tea and tasted it slowly.

"Shangguanwei's recruits are almost done training."

Xuanjizi put down his teacup and said.

Li Chengdao nodded and said: "Let him go by himself, let him take back the lost city from his hands."

Zhong Gui got the decree, and immediately went to the Shangguan's house to deliver the decree.

Not long after Zhong Gui left, an eunuch came in and bowed his head and said: "My lord, there is a Taoist who claims to be from Lihuo Island, holding the token of the late emperor, and begging to see him at the gate of the palace."

Li Chengdao frowned, he had never heard of any Taoist priests from Lihuo Island who still had the token of the late emperor in their hands.

Xuanjizi's expression changed slightly, he got up and made a salute: "The poor Taoist will retire."

...

Daming Palace.

The empress sits on a phoenix chair, and all civil and military officials stand under the hall.

"Since Long Cheng'en took over the Ministry of Accounts, although it hasn't been long, the state treasury's shortfall has been made up by 400 million taels. It's done very well."

Holding the account book of the Ministry of Accounts in her hand, the empress spoke slowly.

The ministers below are all well-informed, and they heard that Long Chen does business with Tianxiahui and Longbang, and the household department makes a lot of money.

Although they complained about Long Chen's status as a eunuch, but this time Long Chen did it really beautifully.

Originally, the world would threaten Eastern Zhou, saying that business would not be good this year, with the intention of weakening Eastern Zhou.

But later Tianxiahui took the initiative to find Long Chen to cooperate, and the imperial court seized the initiative. This was the first time that the Eastern Zhou Dynasty took the initiative in cooperation. Before, they always begged Tianxiahui for help.

It is remarkable that the Ministry of Household Affairs has filled such a large deficit of 400 million taels so quickly without increasing the taxation of the people by a penny.

"I don't dare to take credit for the things that are within my duties."

Long Chen came out to worship.

The Empress smiled and said: "Don't be modest, the Ministry of Finance has never had such a big income, it's all thanks to you."

Long Chen smiled, other ministers had different complexions, some felt that Long Chen had done a really good job, and more ministers were jealous.

At this time, Bai Qiulian, Minister of the Ministry of War, came out and said, "My lord, this minister wants to impeach Long Cheng'en."

The smile on the empress's face disappeared, and she asked coldly: "Impeach Long Cheng'en? Why?"

Bai Qiulian said: "This minister impeaches Long Chengen as an enemy."

Capitalizing on the enemy is collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. This is a felony, and the ministers in the court are agitated.

"Assisting the enemy? What did Long Chengen do?"

"I heard that it has something to do with the Long family army. It seems that it is really a spy."

"What? Has a connection with the Long Family Army? How is it possible?"

"Stop arguing and listen to what Bai Shangshu has to say."

The empress looked cold, and asked: "Assist in the enemy? How to invest in the enemy?"

Bai Qiulian said: "The tea invented by Long Cheng'en was sold to the barbarians, as well as the briquettes. I heard that the tea cured the barbarians' hemorrhage, and the briquettes allowed them to keep warm. This is a resource for the enemy."

After listening to the empress and the ministers, they all felt a little baffled. Is this an enemy?

Long Chen said with a smile: "What Bai Shangshu said is really interesting, things are sold all over the world, what does it have to do with me?"

"Taking a step back, even if I invented the thing, the tea leaves are indeed good for relieving boredom, and it is indeed good for the barbarians to drink them, but let me ask you, can they live without tea?"

"The problem of using briquettes, I don't give them briquettes, they can burn cow dung, and they can't freeze to death."

"Your reason for impeachment is really far-fetched."

Bai Qiulian said angrily: "Sophistry, the barbarians have benefited."

Di Luoxi frowned, and stood up to defend: "Bai Shangshu, even if you don't give it to them, they won't die."

"Things are not given for nothing, and what is exchanged is only money. What kind of credit is not credit to the enemy! You are worried that the seat in the household department will be taken by Long Chengen!"

After Di Luoxi finished speaking, the ministers in the court bowed their heads and smiled.

Everyone knows that Bai Qiulian wants to marry her daughter to Jing Heng, but Jing Heng also wants to marry Emperor Luoxi.

Long Chen took the position of Minister of the Household Department, and Jing Heng lost his position, so Bai Qiulian was in a hurry.

"The daughter-in-law has not yet married, and the mother-in-law is getting anxious."

A minister laughed in a low voice.

"Fourth Lord, I didn't mean that!"

Bai Qiulian was ashamed and angry, feeling ashamed.

The empress said coldly: "Okay, let's not talk about this, the recruits of Nanliang Shangguanwei have completed their training, and they are stationed in Caishi City. They want to take back Linjiang City."

"Our battle with Nanliang is just around the corner. Tell me, what do you think?"