Home Xuanhuan Novels The way of defiance KeyboardSwitching:(8/26)

Chapter 3 Candlelight Axe Shadow

8days ago Xuanhuan Novels 6
After staying at Guan Yunxuan's house for two days, Ming Chenshun and his son were finally on the way. Of course, Guan Yunxuan also decided to go to Beijing with them to meet the saint.

Guan Yunxuan usually doesn’t care much about family affairs, so he just asked his wife Cai Xueqiong to take care of her health, so he didn’t say much, but instead said a few words to the butler Pei Song.

Looking at Pei Song's slightly dull gaze, Ming Chenshun was secretly happy. He used his secret technique to make Pei Song into a puppet. Time was a bit tight and there were shortcomings in many places. But he actually concealed it from experts like Guan Yunxuan and Ming Kecheng. It seems that this craftsmanship has passed!

Guan Yunxuan valued Ming Chenshun very much, and Ming Kecheng was even happier. He originally wanted to introduce his son to his son first so that he could get to know this grandfather so that he could take care of him when he had something to do in the future.

But unexpectedly, this kid was so clear-headed and clear-minded, and he was valued by Guan Yunxuan so much. This was really a bit unexpected.

Cai Xueqiong is also very concerned about Ming Chenshun. She has never had children. It is not surprising to see such a smart and clever boy called her grandmother. Pity's love burst out.

The Guan family, together with Ming Ke, thought about this almost the same thing, but they did not realize that when Ming Chenshun and Cai Xueqiong said goodbye, they seemed to be just a feeling of attachment. In fact, in full view of everyone, Ming Chenshun actually stuck his left hand into Cai Xueqiong's clothes with his body!

Cai Xueqiong was shocked and scared, but he didn't dare to speak out. Ming Chen Shun was proud and made some fun in the dense area between Cai Xueqiong's legs.

Cai Xueqiong was originally scared, but Ming Chenshun ignored it. Cai Xueqiong became more and more afraid, but her body was completely opposite to her mood. She was only fiddled with a few times and then the hot liquid flowed across her body and mind, and she almost fell into Ming Chenshun's arms...

Don’t worry, my grandson will take good care of my second master without any worries.

Guan Yunxuan stroked his beard with serene satisfaction and said with a smile: Hahahahaha, okay, with this child taking care of you, what else do you have to worry about?I feel at home at ease, from at least ten days to half a month, and I will be back!Seeing Ming Chenshun so sensible, Ming Kecheng was also very pleased and thought that his hard work was not in vain. This child really had a wink and could speak.

But they didn't notice that there was a blush on Cai Xueqiong's face... Well, don't worry!You... also have to take good care of yourself... don't let people worry about it.At the end of the day, when people don’t worry about it, the voice was already very small. Ming Kecheng Guan Yunxuan didn’t care. Only Ming Chen Shun smiled and said: Don’t worry, be careful for your husband.He was also very ambiguous. Only Cai Xueqiong understood the meaning and almost threw herself into his arms. Finally, he controlled it without revealing it, but his eyes were full of spring. Ming Chen Shun understood...

Guan Yunxuan has a transcendent status in the empire, so even though he has retired and stayed at home, his pomp is still quite good.

Signs are opened on both sides to guide the way. Before eight people beat the gongs, eight large sedan chairs are carried to draw gold and silver, showing luxury.

Although the martial arts of the three people were not afraid of bandits or bandits, they still brought two teams of guards and escorts, and they wanted a show.

Guan Yunxuan was sitting in a sedan chair, Ming Kecheng and his son rode a horse, and the team went far, and Cai Xueqiong was reluctant to go back.

Ming Chenshun also waved his sweat towel at her nostalgia, but when he saw the sweat towel, Cai Xueqiong's face was even more red. The light pink sweat towel was her horse-riding sweat towel. The two of them were walking in the bathroom with clouds and rain. After waking up, Ming Chenshun insisted on keeping it as a token.

Unexpectedly, he took it out so openly and even called him, which means that others don’t understand. Otherwise, there will definitely be trouble...

After finally the team disappeared from afar, the Guan family was about to go back to the house. Cai Xueqiong's face turned cold and he glanced at the somewhat dull butler Pei and said: Butler Pei, I'm still worried about the master entering Beijing. There is nothing wrong with the family. You go and call the master to stand in front.

yes!After respectfully responding to the promise, Housekeeper Pei did not ask any more questions, and asked the servant to carry his horse and take a shortcut to get Guan Yunxuan to stand in front.

Seeing him leave, Cai Xueqiong turned back and returned home, a chilling sneer flashed across his face, but fortunately no one noticed it.

It takes up to two days to get from Guan’s family to Beijing. If you are anxious, you can arrive in one day.

But Guan Yunxuan was about to show off, and a team was in a mighty manner. On that day, he arrived at Nanli Post 12 miles outside the south gate of the capital.

For the first time, officials from other provinces who came to Beijing will be arranged to rest at the nearest station outside the capital for a night, which means that they will first learn the etiquette of entering the palace.

When the imperial capital was built, a post station was set up twelve miles outside the four cities in the east, west, south, north and north. To the south was Nanli Post Station located in Fenghebao!

When Guan Yunxuan arrived, the inn would have to work hard. After this noble man who was more noble than the prince, the official of the ritual arranged for Ming Kecheng and his son to learn etiquette.

The Ming family is considered a martial rank, and the etiquette is much simpler. After seeing that it is roughly correct, the official of the Si Li ignored the responsibilities.

At that time, when he left, Ming Chen Shun had to stuff a handful of hot silver coins, so he was so happy that he didn't know how he got back...

After dinner, Guan Yunxuan sent someone to invite him. Ming Kecheng did not dare to delay and hurriedly brought his son over.

I want to tell you something confidential to let you come here... Guan Yunxuan was straight to the point, without losing his true nature as a general, and said: Originally, I wanted to bring this into the coffin, but now it seems that it should be done with someone to entrust it.Originally, Ming Kecheng thought he was just talking about something in the court, but after saying this, it was a very important thing, and he said solemnly: If your uncle has a fate, his nephew will do his best, but he is afraid that he will be in short supply and will disappoint his uncle...

No, it’s not that you are going to do something, it’s that you and this child know!Guan Yunxuan said: This matter is of great importance, and it is related to whether the current emperor ascends the throne legitimately!

Uh... Ming Kecheng really frowned. Uncle, this is a matter in the court, why should I tell my nephew...

Alas, after thinking about it, I can only tell you!I have no son or half daughter. Although your aunt is from a big family, she is a female after all. If I have any accidents, you must take care of yourself!

At this moment, he told a secret of the palace!

Before the current emperor ascended the throne, he was just an ordinary prince, not a prince.

The crown prince is the emperor's elder brother, and the empress is born in a legitimate manner. She is talented and both civil and military, and is very thoughtful to the emperor.

The prince was properly handled, and the court agreed unanimously, and everyone felt that he would definitely be a wise monarch of the generation after ascending the throne in the future.

But there were unexpected situations in the world. The Hu rebelled in the Western Xinjiang, and the Turks, Rakshasa, Yunqiang, and Guiman tribes, with a total of 400,000 troops raided.

The commander of the Western Xinjiang, Lang Silong, feared war and died, led a hundred thousand troops to flee without fighting. In just half a month, the coalition forces of various units in Western Xinjiang swept over more than 800 miles of territory.

In a furious emperor, he appointed Guan Yunxuan as the commander and the crown prince as the supervisor, and led 200,000 troops to defend the enemy.

Before the army, Guan Yunxuan first killed Lang Silong who had escaped at the battle to shock the morale of the army. Then the prince beat the drums himself to help the battle, defeated the superior enemy with his weak forces, and pursued them continuously, almost recovering all the lost land!

Just when the whole country was happy and encouraged, the prince suddenly led his troops back to the capital and threatened the emperor to give way, which made the Chinese people even more stunned.

Except for the 100,000 pursuit army led by Guan Yunxuan and did not obey the prince's orders to return to Beijing, all the elite troops based on the 200,000 imperial guards who went to war were killed, and people inside and outside the imperial city were panicked.

Everyone thought that the prince kept a low profile for many years in order to reassure the emperor and then take the opportunity to seize the throne.

At that time, there were less than 20,000 city defense troops near the capital. How could they withstand the threat of the prince?

Just when the stalemate was in stalemate, the current emperor, the sixth prince of that year, stepped forward and volunteered to fight.

After pursuing the Western Xinjiang coalition for many days, Guan Yunxuan beheaded the leader of the Mohu who took the lead in the rebellion, and intimidated other troops to surrender again, and led his troops back to Beijing.

Seeing that things were about to change, the prince took the lead in attacking the capital before the arrival of the soldiers from other provinces.

However, Guan Yunxuan's reputation has made the rebels frightened, and the emperor has never had any major mistakes. He feels weak in his inconvenience. Therefore, although the rebels have a great power, they are defeated in a few days. The prince failed to escape and was arrested in the prison.

Knowing that what he committed was a serious crime, the prince committed suicide before he could be interrogated, and the position of the prince fell on the head of the sixth prince who performed well.

But the blow from this matter was too severe. Soon, the emperor fell seriously ill and died. The prince ascended the throne, which is the current emperor.

This is a well-known thing outside, but Guan Yunxuan said: The prince did not return to Beijing for no reason, but received a secret order to return to Beijing to quell the rebellion.

That's how Guan Yunxuan allowed him to take away most of his troops. Otherwise, with Guan Yunxuan's prestige, would such a thing be allowed to happen?

But although the visitor showed the emperor's golden order, he did not show the imperial edict, but it was just the emperor's oral order.

How could such a big event be just an oral order?

But because it was a big deal, Guan Yunxuan did not dare to neglect. The prince was concerned about his father's safety and even more afraid to neglect. This led to the prince's troops returning to Beijing.

But shortly after the prince returned to the capital, Guan Yunxuan received another imperial edict from the emperor, saying that the prince raised an army to rebel and told him that he had no secret edict to let him return to the capital to quell the rebellion.

The prince is the military supervisor, but he is the commander. The prince will definitely not be able to escape the rebellion of the soldiers he cheated from him.

In desperation, Guan Yunxuan immediately led his troops into Beijing to pursue the prince as soon as he pacified the Western Front and defeated the prince's troops.

But afterwards, he always felt that the matter was a bit far-fetched. Not long after, one of his subordinates, Zhang Yang, the then commander of the Imperial Guard, came to him and actually told the truth.

The secret decree received by the prince was indeed not issued by the emperor, but arranged by the sixth prince.

The reason why the person who went there was Emperor Jin Ling was stolen by the queen from the emperor!

The crown prince was born to the queen, and so was the sixth prince. But in Guan Yunxuan's memory, the queen always liked the crown prince and did not pay much attention to the sixth prince.

What Zhang Yang said later was even more amazing. He said that he had benefited from the Sixth Prince and did his job. The Sixth Prince once entered the palace while the emperor was drunk and raped the queen!

Moreover, he judged that the last twelve princes born to the queen was probably the seed of the sixth prince!

It is because of these relationships that the queen was threatened by the sixth prince or voluntarily, and only helped the sixth prince get the golden order.

When the prince was thrown into the prison, the emperor had already been angry and had no time to deal with him.

The sixth prince took the opportunity to poison the prince and killed him, which led to the incident that the emperor later passed the throne to him.

Although the emperor was sick, the imperial physicians who gave the emperor the end were all the sixth prince's people. Therefore, no one knows whether the emperor's death was due to illness or another reason!

The reason why Zhang Yang came to Guan Yunxuan was because he knew too much and was afraid that the new emperor would not be able to let him silence him, so he came to this respected old boss, which was to leave a backup plan for himself.

Shortly after that, Zhang Yang was scattered his family with great merits and was destroyed. Guan Yunxuan was the minister of the late emperor. Seeing the new king's attitude, he was even more dissatisfied with it, but before he could find the emperor, the emperor actually came to his mansion in vain.

He did not hide it, admitting that the prince was killed by himself, and the emperor's death was also related to himself. Killing Zhang Yang also had to silence him.

The prince was cowardly and defeated Rakshasa, but he strongly advocated not to pursue punishment and eliminate the Eastern Barbarians, but allowed him to restore the country. Now the empire's most border troubles have the share, but can it be influenced?Although he was indignant of the Sixth Prince's actions, Guan Yunxuan was speechless about his words, because he also opposed the prince's claim back then!

That's why the new king later made a promise: If you are willing to assist me, I will allow you to act arbitrarily during your expedition without reporting to me!Guan Yunxuan already has a strategy to calm down many border troubles, but the key is a matter of power. He needs to have complete power and make arbitrary decisions on the battlefield in order to truly win by surprise.

And he had never told anyone about this, how could Xinjun know about it?

Could it be that there is a new king around me?

Although Guan Yunxuan has a high position and powerful position, if he wants to abolish the new king, he must also consider a fate of losing his reputation.

So, after judging the situation and weighing the trade-offs, he decided to compromise with the new king!

The second master did not avenge the late emperor and the prince, but his grandson thought it was the best deal!Ming Chenshun felt more and more that his delay was worth it and said: The current emperor's seizure of the throne is a matter within the royal family. After all, the second master and the late emperor are outsiders.He has always made things right and deposed the heroes who usurped the power and seized the throne. He either ended up cautiously and anxiously, or was punished with excuses if he was inappropriate. The outcome was not good.Speaking of this, Guan Yunxuan sighed. What Ming Chen Shun said was indeed something that has happened in history and has been in every dynasty and dynasty.

Yes, the matter of destruction and establishment cannot be easily involved. It’s just that I have received the kindness of the late emperor, but I cannot avenge the late emperor. I always feel a little sad.Guan Yunxuan's expression became even more gloomy and said: Later, whenever I used troops, the emperor did not control it as promised, and he also gave him twelve gold medals...

But Erye, why did you suddenly retreat?Are you really worried that you will be too successful?Ming Chenshun suddenly said: No one can match the second master's military achievements in the universe, but although Rakshasa was defeated, it only damaged his vitality and did not move.Mohu, Turks and others were forced to submit their respects and would rebel at any time due to the power of the army.Could it be that the emperor could not see these things and wanted to attack the second master?Or is there any other inside story here... Ming Chenshun hesitated, but Ming Kecheng was afraid that Guan Yunxuan would be angry, and scolded: What are you talking about at a young age?Your second master is open-minded, so naturally he doesn't want to go through so much trouble to retire...

No, what Chen Shun said is right, there is indeed a hidden truth!Guan Yunxuan smiled, stroked his long beard with his hands, squinted his eyes, looked at Ming Chenshun with admiration, and said: You guessed it right. At the beginning, the emperor did know the importance of it and dared not touch me.But I learned a news that made me disheartened and abandoned my official position and retired.

I defeated Rakshasa, and the king of Rakshasa is begging for peace.At that time, with your grandfather's help, I had already defeated 200,000 Rakshasa soldiers. The morale of our army's 300,000 elite soldiers was in full swing, and one was rising and the other was getting worse. If we continued to fight all the way, it would not be impossible to reach the capital of Rakshasa!But after receiving my memorial, the emperor suddenly issued an order to allow Rakshasa to negotiate and asked me to go to Beijing overnight to say that there was something important.As a last resort, I can only do it according to the order.Alas, I feel so unwilling... Guan Yunxuan's face is also unwilling, but it is obvious that even though this matter has been decades, it still makes him unable to let go!

I went all the way to the palace. Although some subordinates advised me to be careful that the emperor was not good for me, I was not afraid.The commanders of the Imperial Army are all my disciples, and your grandfather also lurked into the palace first. It is really dangerous and he will definitely take action... Speaking of this, he suddenly shook his head and said: Alas, we are all over. The emperor is not ready to harm me, but... there is really something that he can't solve...

It turned out that the emperor killed his father and seized the throne. Everyone was afraid of his power and did not dare to say anything, so it was always smooth.

But recently, there was a troublesome thing that made it difficult for him to make a choice, that is, establish an heir!

Before the emperor ascended the throne, several concubines had already given birth to four sons and two daughters for him.

According to the ancestral system, when there is no major turmoil, just make the eldest son the crown prince.

But the emperor's eldest son and biological mother were born in a low-class family. She was a maid in the royal palace. After being lucky enough to be the emperor who was still the prince, she had a child.

At that time, the prince and the current queen had only given birth to one daughter and had no son.

The Empress Zhang is the daughter of the prefect of Xiliang. The Zhang family is a noble family in Xiliang. Since the founding of the empire, not only Xiliang, but also Hexi, and the prefects and official officials from all the northwest roads have almost all come from the Zhang family or their relatives.

So, now there is trouble. If the third prince born to the queen is made the crown prince, the prince will be young. If the prince really waits for the crown prince to ascend the throne, the Zhang family, as a relative of the foreign country, will it be even more powerful?

Moreover, the deposed elders and the establishment of young people also violated the ancestral system. Their reputation obtained from the throne was not right, and all officials were dissatisfied. This was why they were honest and wouldn’t they make noise?

But the Zhang family's power is there and cannot ignore it.

According to the emperor's idea, let the matter of establishing an heir first be released. After all, I am in my old age and strong, so why bother to be anxious?

But I don’t know what happened to the queen, but suddenly jumped out and shouted to him all day long to make an inheritance. The emperor secretly sent his confidant to inquire and found out the details.

It turned out that the empress already knew that the emperor and his biological mother were incest, and the twelve princes, who were named King of Liang, were born of incest by the emperor and biological mother. The reason why the emperor refused to appoint a crown prince was that he wanted to have the opportunity to pass the throne to the king of Liang, who was named his brother, but he was actually his son!

The emperor is now in a big trouble. After all, the queen knows the scandal between herself and her biological mother, and it is definitely a big storm.

Although he knew that Rakshasa was defeated, as long as Guan Yunxuan chased him, he would have great achievements and his unjust throne would become a wise ruler in the eyes of the world.

But the current situation is even more critical. If the queen’s affairs are not handled properly, it is not impossible for her to die without a burial place!

Although Guan Yunxuan had already known about the emperor and the empress dowager, it was just a legend after all. After all, the emperor said it in front of him, and he had no way to deal with it.

After thinking about it over and over again, I asked the emperor what he wanted to do.

Foreign ministers must be cautious in this situation involving secret matters in the palace and in the harem's interference in politics. This has been the case since ancient times...

But what the emperor said made me really heartbroken, or rather, heartbroken!Guan Yunxuan's expression became more and more cold and said: He wanted me to send troops to Xiliang immediately and kill the entire Zhang family. Five days after I set out, he would execute the queen!In this way, there will be no problems.After hearing Guan Yunxuan's words, Ming Kecheng and Ming Chen Shun did not speak.

Back then, the Zhang family, who had been standing in Xiliang for hundreds of years, was suddenly charged with the crime of treason, and the whole family was executed and nine clans were killed.

Even Empress Zhang, who was born in the Zhang family, was implicated and was sent to the cold palace. Soon, news of the empress's death in depression came out.

At that time, the court announced the evidence of the Zhang family's crimes very sufficient, including conspirators, blood letters of alliances, weapons cast privately, and notices for the uprising. It can be said that they have all the evidence and physical evidence.

People all think that the Zhang family has been in the Xiliang area for a long time, and the local emperor wants to become the real emperor, so he is ready to rebel.

But now I heard that this was a completely conspiracy, and Ming Kecheng naturally couldn't react for the moment.

Ming Chenshun was also in deep thought, but what he thought was completely different from Ming Kecheng...

Second Master, the Zhang family has been in Xiliang for a long time, and it is inevitable that they will be disobedient. It is not too unfair to kill this crime.But in order to cover up his ugly behavior, the emperor easily searched his family and killed him. This method was really cruel.After saying that, Ming Chenshun looked at Guan Yunxuan, who nodded and said: So, I was discouraged and resigned and retired.I don’t want to be missed by the emperor, but if the emperor really dares to touch me, I have a way to protect myself!Ming Chenshun nodded and said, "The emperor knows this too, so he has always treated the Second Master very favorably, not only showing goodwill to the Second Master, but also winning over the uneasy ministers."

Second uncle, if the emperor still wants to plot against you, what should I do?Ming Kecheng asked anxiously: After all, it is really easy for the emperor to plot against you.

Hahahahahaha, if he dares to plot against me, even if I die, I will have a way to make his ugly deeds publicly available to the world!After saying that, Guan Yunxuan looked at Ming Chenshun. The latter didn't say anything, but he smiled kindly, and laughed happily.

Ming Kecheng and his son were ordered by the emperor to enter the palace to see him, and Guan Yunxuan was guarding him. Who dared to make things difficult along the way?

After leaving Nanli Post, only three or four miles away, Guan Yunxuan ordered to put away the road team and rushed to the capital with a quick horse.

Although the empire is constantly in trouble and the emperor is harsh in power and exploiting the people, as the capital of the empire, the capital is still a prosperous scene.

The tall city walls tell the majesty of the empire, and the bustling crowds seem so rich and worry-free.

Restaurants, tea shops, gambling houses, brothels, all kinds of transactions, no matter how big or small it is.

Guan Yunxuan was content with his eyes, and Ming Kecheng was eager to try it out. Ming Chenshun was very excited on the first time he entered Beijing, but in fact, he felt full of contempt!

The city walls are tall, but the soldiers guarding above are all useless people who can only poke guns. In addition to oppressing the people, the patrol teams are sure to escape faster than anyone else if there is any slightest movement.

The city is prosperous, but under the tall attic, there are beggars hiding in the shadows begging!

Moreover, Ming Chenshun glanced casually and saw that many of these buyers and sellers were not good!

Second Master, the capital is indeed prosperous, but why do these buyers seem to be not... Ming Chen Shun wanted to speak but stopped, but Ming Kecheng actually saw the problem. Looking at Guan Yunxuan, Guan Yunxuan nodded and said disapprovingly: The empire has a prosperous country. Since the chaos in the Sumeru illusion world was destroyed, many evil demons and heretics have changed their evil and returned to justice, which is normal.Humph, they have no other thoughts!The 200,000 Imperial Guards in the capital are all elite soldiers who have experienced many battles and have carefully selected them.Moreover, all the righteous sects have disciples serving in the court. If the evil demons and heretics dare to be presumptuous, they will be crushed into powder in the blink of an eye!Although he doesn't care, the veteran's words show his heroic expression!

Ming Chen Shun was very happy. The emperor was so happy that he dared to let these things be under his nose?

Could it be that I really think that my imperial spirit can calm them down?

He had a scheming in his heart, and did not reveal it at the moment, and followed Guan Yunxuan toward the palace.

The capital of the Huanglong Empire was expanded on the basis of the capital of the Great Zhou Kingdom that it destroyed back then.

The palace was also renovated and expanded after the Great Zhou palace was expanded.

The capital city has two walls inside and outside, and there is also a wall outside the palace, which is called the Imperial City.

With the protection of the three-layer city wall, the emperor can rest assured and enjoy the peace of mind.

In the imperial city, it is the residence of the emperor and his concubines, and there is also a place where the emperor and the court officials discuss state affairs. Each step is ten steps, five steps and every whistle is everywhere, and it is guarded by the imperial guards with distinctive armor.

Looking at these imperial guards, Ming Chenshun nodded in his heart. He was indeed elite, and his eyes were full of killing aura, which was definitely not comparable to those idiots.

At this time, the morning court was scattered. After Ming Kecheng handed over the imperial edict, Guan Yunxuan handed over his gold medal. What kind of person is Guan Yunxuan?

The goalkeeper kept accusing him of crimes, asking the old general to rest in the waiting room next to him, while sending someone to hand over the gold medal.

Not long after, the emperor's decree was passed, and Ming Kecheng and his son were ordered to meet him.

Guan Yunxuan is commonplace when entering the imperial city, but Ming Kecheng and his son have their own thoughts.

Ming Kecheng was nervous. As a figure in the martial arts world, how could he not be excited even if he had a hereditary short title?

Ming Chenshun was thinking in his heart, wouldn’t it be a pity that such a big imperial city was just allowed to live in such a waste?

Mr. Guan, I am a little bitch. When you meet the saint today, you should speak softly. The emperor is upset.When he walked to a secluded place, the eunuch who led the way suddenly opened his voice without a man or a woman, but Guan Yunxuan didn't appreciate it and snorted coldly. I have always been outspoken. This was the case when the late emperor was alive. Now he is old and cannot be changed.Good intentions!

Yes, Yes, General Guan is so powerful that he is the emperor's kindness, right?It’s because our family is too talkative, so you can take care of it, hahahahaha... Guan Yunxuan turned his head impatiently and ignored him.

Ming Chenshun took out a few silver coins at the right time, quietly stuffed them into the eunuch's hand, and said: Second Master is also upset, thank you for your kind reminder.However, does the father-in-law know why the emperor is worried?My father and son are facing the saint for the first time. I hope my father-in-law will give me some advice... After getting the hot silver, the eunuch's eyes narrowed into a line. Oh, the little lord is too polite. It is our family's blessing. Why dare to reward Ah?He said that, but the silver had already been put into the clothes.

After listening to his nagging patiently, the eunuch was tactful and whispered: At the beginning of next month, the empress dowager's fiftieth birthday, and the emperor has already spoken in advance that he will pay the empress dowager a grand ceremony this year, and birthday gifts from all over the country have been delivered one after another.But yesterday, news came that it was a birthday gift from Ningzhou. As soon as he arrived in Luzhou, he was robbed by robbers.The emperor was furious and just issued an order to investigate the matter thoroughly and solve the case within a time limit. Otherwise, all officials in both states would be dismissed from office and investigated.In the afternoon, news came again that it was a tribute from Haizhou. When I walked on the sea, I actually encountered a tragic dragon and overturned the ship. The tributes disappeared.Robbers can also be investigated. What should I do if this evil dragon is done?Therefore, the emperor is now angry, you guys should be careful to deal with it...

snort!A few thieves can rob the tribute?This thief is brave and capable enough to achieve success!The evil dragon will only cause trouble when it takes off its python skin and turns into a dragon, and it will also cause trouble in the depths of the sea. The sea ships that deliver tributes are all approaching the sea route. How could they encounter it?It is clearly a local official who is making a fool of himself. A tribute is at least 200,000 taels of silver. Just find a few scapegoats to make excuses and make a big deal. It’s really a good deal!Guan Yunxuan spoke happily, but the eunuch looked embarrassed. Ming Chenshun also understood what he meant. He smiled and secretly signaled to the eunuch, and then continued to move forward.

When he came to the small study where the emperor summoned them, the eunuch informed the guards at the door and sang: The mighty uncle and son will meet with him...

Zhenguohou met with him...

Promotion!The small study is indeed not big, with bookshelf on all sides, and a book case in the middle. A man in a dragon robe was lowering his head to write, and an old eunuch beside him was drowsy with his eyes closed.

My minister Guan Yunxuan, Ming Kecheng, Ming Shun, meet His Majesty the Emperor, Long live, Long live.

No gifts.The emperor's voice was not loud, but after all, there was a royal aura inside, which was really a bit majestic.

Guan Lao'an spent his old age. If it were not for the state affairs, I would not disturb him.

The emperor is serious. I have been grateful to the emperor for three generations, so I should have been punished.After saying that, the emperor looked at Ming Kecheng, then at Ming Kecheng and his son, and said: The mighty man is indeed loyal to state affairs. I heard that your uncle had just passed away, but I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. It’s really hard.

My family background is favored by the emperor and dare not neglect it.Ming Kecheng hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, but Ming Chen Shun had no choice but to kneel down.

He had to endure it. The old eunuch behind the emperor looked old and seemed to die at any time. He was actually a master.

There are many masters in the capital, so you must not be reckless.

The emperor gave the three people a seat, but he said it directly without going around the circle.

It was a difficult thing that the court had in order to let the Weiwu Hou and his son come. Mr. Guan also came, so he could give him an idea.It turns out that since the demise of the Sumeru Illusion, the court has been relatively relaxed about the sects of the martial arts world.

In the emperor's words, as long as you do not do evil, you will not interfere.

Although evil sects occasionally emerge, they are all small characters and cannot become a climate, or they are wiped out as soon as they are together.

But now there are two gangs that are more difficult, one is the Flower Transfer Club in Jiangbei and the other is the Jinshe Gang in Jiangnan.

These two gangs are very similar. At first, they all used the banner of mutual assistance and cooperation and helping the poor, deployed talisman water, cured diseases and saved people, organized charity grain, and helped the poor.

Wherever there are famines and disasters everywhere, they will appear and the congregation will develop very quickly.

They seem to have a tacit understanding between each other, and they all take Tianhong River as the boundary and have not crossed.

If it was just like this, there would be nothing serious. But recently, I don’t know if the agreement had been made, and the people from these two gangs appeared in the capital to attract congregations respectively.

In just two months, it is estimated that each of them has developed by no less than 10,000 people!

There is such a speed of development in the capital, what about in other provinces?

If they were to make trouble, how large would it be?

Therefore, the emperor intends to suppress and issue an order, and does not allow gangs to be set up at will. Any gangs that were inherent in the past need to be reported to the local government for statistics in a timely manner, and the court will send people to investigate at any time to see if there is any illegality.

If each gang sets up a branch in Beijing, it must report in advance, otherwise it will be treated as a bandit!

Most importantly, there are no congregations of more than a thousand people near the capital.

What made the emperor laugh and cry was that before the imperial edict had been spread out of Gyeonggi Province, some ministers came to advise the emperor, saying that this was inappropriate and that there was something disturbing to the people. I hope the emperor would take it back and make his order.

The emperor was furious and he secretly sent someone to investigate and found that many ministers had become disciples of the two sects.

According to the level of the gang, the Flower Passing Association and the Jinshe Gang will pay monthly silver to the congregation on a monthly basis.

The higher the status, the higher the silver you are paid.

The status in the gang is determined based on the status and power of the congregation. The greater the official position, the higher the status, the more money you get.

What’s even more annoying is that the two gangs’ wealth path was obtained by distributing so-called miraculous blessings such as talisman water and holy fruits.

Those low-level congregations kept offering money and blessings, and then recruiting their relatives and friends to collect them from their own place and offer tribute money.

If the Two Sessions are allowed to develop, wouldn’t it be impossible to suck the people?Ming Chen Shun said something, the emperor nodded in approval and said: Therefore, I must firmly suppress them.But the ministers' opposition is too high and they cannot just act alone...

Emperor, is there any situation with these two gang leaders?I am the one who should help the emperor solve his problems!The emperor was very happy and picked up a booklet and was about to hand it over to Ming Kecheng, but Ming Chen Shun said: Emperor, I think that I only killed those leaders, I am afraid, I am afraid...

What are you afraid of?The emperor said: But it doesn't matter.

I'm afraid they can't be completely eliminated...

Ming Kecheng was startled and was about to stop him, but the emperor said: Tell me, what do you think.Ming Chenshun said: The talismans and water they distributed were worthless things and can be obtained at will.But these things are actually exchanged for so much money, and they are truly profitable.Let me ask, what will happen to others if they kill their minds?Will stop?Or will you continue to do it?The emperor nodded.

Therefore, the ministers think that if they want to attack, they must be completely attacked, especially the ministers in the court who colluded with them!At least a few more established ones must be re-established.At the same time, the leaders of gangs in various places must be severely punished and their tricks must be exposed. Only in this way can they be completely cured.

The emperor's eyes lit up, Guan Yunxuan was also very pleased, and Ming Kecheng was happy. It seemed that his son was really the right one.

The Ming family father and son left the palace, but Guan Yunxuan was left behind, saying that there was still something to discuss, so that Ming Chen Shun would come to meet the saint tomorrow morning.

The father and son first rented a house at Sanxianju, the most famous one in the capital. After lunch, Ming Kecheng wanted to visit his friends in the capital and pave the way for his son. This alone faced the saint is not an honor that everyone would have. Ming Chenshun said that he did not sleep well yesterday and was very sleepy and wanted to take a nap.

Ming Kecheng didn't force himself, so he went out alone.

After Ming Kecheng left, Ming Chenshun immediately became a different person, and confirmed that Ming Kecheng had left, took out a paper crane, silently chanted a spell to burn it.

After a while, a gust of fragrant wind blew, and a light yellow figure turned around. The Nine-tailed Fairy Lady was already occupied in the middle of the room and bowed to him happily.

The maid met the master.

How did the things I told you to do?

All are ready!The puppet had been arranged to the capital, and he had already been asked to kill three martial arts celebrities along the way, and he would be allowed to complete the final big thing by night.Ming Chenshun nodded and said: The emperor asked me to attack the Jinshe Gang of the Chuanhuahui. Do you know these two gangs?

These two gangs?Nine-tailed Fairy Girl said: Neither gang is a good thing!She told the secrets of her hatefully!

The leaders of the two gangs were both old men in the Sumi Illusion Realm, and they were once very trusted by the Xiulong Sect. However, when the eight major sects led the righteous way of the martial arts world to attack the Sumi Illusion Realm, they actually escaped at the last moment, which made the situation where the enemy was strong and we were weak even worse.

Master, just killed these traitors, so that people can know that there will be no good end to betray the Sumeru illusion!Ming Chenshun didn't say anything, thought for a while, and said: OK, it's just a good opportunity to let the court meet with those famous parties!Unfortunately, there are too few people, otherwise it will be even more convenient!

Master, the maid was ordered to repair the Immortal Palace last time, and has recruited many elderly people in the sect back then. Today, I was afraid that the master would be useful, so I brought a few. I wonder if the master would be willing to summon him?The Nine-tailed Immortal's big eyes blinked, and Mingchen Shun felt relieved, and said: Then let them come in.After saying that, he pulled the Nine-tailed Fairy Lady and hugged the soft jade full of flesh-scented fragrance in his arms.

Oh, the master is so bad... The Nine-tailed Fairy Lady acted coquettishly and suddenly four whirlwinds broke out in the middle of the room. The wind stopped and showed up. They were four men of different appearances.

Xu Feng, Langjie, Kong Yue, Luo Ming, have met the sect leader!

OK OK OK OK!Several of them are all pillars of the Sumeru illusion, and the restoration is supported by you.

The subordinates should be a good job.Ming Chenshun retained most of the memories of Xiulong Sect, and he still knew the details of these four people.

Xu Feng, the former owner of the Qinglong Hall of the Sumeru Illusion Realm, was sinister and cruel and lustful. He once entered the Baoguang Temple of the Emei Sect at night and raped eleven monks and lay disciples below Master Jinglan overnight, and raped all the disciples except Master Jinglan and killed them first and then in front of Baoguang Temple!

The Emei Sect was greatly humiliated, and Master Jinglan finally committed suicide by being embarrassed and angry. After Xu Feng became famous, he was also chased by the Emei Sect for thousands of miles, and finally escaped into the Sumeru illusion realm before he could survive.

Langjie, a thousand-year-old wolf demon, was a wild wolf. He listened to the scriptures and attained enlightenment all year round under Lingjiu Peak. He suffered from the southwest for 30 years. He ate all the soldiers and people of Yelang Kingdom, and finally angered the righteous sects and was chased by the Xiulong Sect, who went out to do business.

Kong Yue is tall and strong, and he is a human and bear to become a spirit.

Before he attained enlightenment, he attacked the single people passing by at Kongtong Mountain to feed. After he attained enlightenment, he caused even greater harm. Finally, he attacked the disciples of Kongtong Sect, which angered the Kongtong Sect. When he was hunted, he saved the Xiulong Sect and became his subordinate.

Luo Ming was originally a flower-picking thief. He had been rampant in the Jiangnan area for many years and was besieged by various righteous factions. He was desperate and fled into the Sumeru illusion.

These four people have all been saved by Xiulong Sect's life. Although their loyalty is limited, judging from their later performance when they were besieged by each of the decent sects, they at least have no idea of ​​replacing the position of Xiulong Sect.

I will go to the palace to meet the emperor in the evening. I have thought that we must first be loyal to the emperor and use the emperor's power to wipe out those righteous sects who are full of benevolence, righteousness and morality, but are also dirty and despicable!Ming Chen Shun was so arrogant that he gave instructions to the four people, but he did not delay his hands, and he still had fun with the Nine-tailed Immortal Lady!

Well...Master... The Nine-tailed Immortal Niang was broken by Mingchen Shun's Mèi technique. When he met him again, it was equivalent to meeting his nemesis. His desire became increasingly fierce and he was difficult to control himself.

Master, how can we do what we should do?Kong Yue is the strongest and has the most urgent temper. He is asking for advice, but when he looks at his eyes, Ming Chenshun knows that these four people are not really surrendering to him!Tomorrow, the emperor summons me alone, and I will also listen to his conditions. Let's do this. After the second update of the evening, you come to the queen's harem to see me!

In the Queen's Palace?The four of them looked at each other, and even the Nine-tailed Immortal Lady was a little unbelievable. There were many masters in the palace and the five of them were confident. If they sneaked in quietly, there would be no problem. But what else could Mingchen Shun do if he wanted to go to the Queen's Palace?

This is too courageous.

how?Do you dare not go, or do you not believe that I can summon you Ah there?Seeing their skeptical appearance, Ming Chenshun was happy. This was exactly what he wanted!

Empress Zhou is the daughter of Zhou De, the Prime Minister and Grand Secretary. I have long heard that she is a slim beauty. She still has to taste the taste of this beautiful queen... After saying that, Ming Chenshun and several others laughed lustfully.

After the evening court dispersed, the inner supervisor conveyed to the queen the emperor's will tonight's order to rest in the imperial study and not to summon concubines to attend the imperial guards.

Seeing that the sky was getting dark, the queen sighed and said: Alas... Ningyu, prepare hot water, I want to take a shower.

Yes... After a leader, the palace maid responded, two maids went down to prepare. The palace maid leader followed the queen to the dressing mirror, served the queen to remove her clothes and spread her hair.

Before leaving the house, Empress Zhou was a famous lady from the capital. Those who came to propose marriage, from princes and nobles to high-ranking officials and nobles, did not agree.

Until one day, the emperor heard about her beauty and directly ordered her to summon her to the palace.

On that day, he was appointed as a concubine!

The emperor's harem is usually the queen of the east and west palaces, below, four noble concubines, eight sushi concubines, sixteen concubines, and thirty-two Zhaoyi!

These are concubines with positions and living alone in palaces.

Further down, there are also ladies, Zhaorong, and concubines, who often accompany these positions. Although they are also women who are planning to give the emperor the most wife, some of them have been favored by the emperor, they are relatively low. They do not live alone. They have to rely on concubines with high positions. They have to go to greet the palace master of the palace they live in every morning and evening!

Therefore, it is indeed very rare to be named a concubine if you can enter the palace!

Three months before Empress Zhou entered the palace, the days when the emperor stayed in her place or summoned her to serve her accounted for half of the time the emperor stayed in the harem!

Three months later, Empress Zhou became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter in full term. Although she was not a prince, the emperor was still happy to promote her to Concubine Shu!

When she became pregnant again the next year and later gave birth to a son, it was natural that the emperor appointed her as a concubine.

After the emperor ascended the throne, there was only the East Palace, but no Queen of the West Palace. Just when everyone thought that the Queen of the West Palace was her, the Zhang family plotted against each other and killed the whole family. Empress Zhang was thrown into the cold palace, and Concubine Zhou became the Queen of the East Palace in one step!

He entered the palace at the age of sixteen, and it has been eighteen years since then.

During the 18 years, although a woman with outstanding beauty and talent has entered the palace and taken away her temporary favor, the emperor will still think of her over time!

A head of black hair hangs like a waterfall, and the light can be seen.

Although his beautiful face is no longer young, he is not as old as a yellow person, but he is more mature and luxurious.

And the body, which is filled with youthful atmosphere, has a bit more plump and elegant.

The skin is still whiter than snow, and the rare wrinkles are more like embellishments!

Her breasts are not big, but they are full and perky.

The snow buttocks are not abrupt, but they are also very delicate and decent with the smooth belly.

What a pity!Ning Yu, who served the queen, sighed while stroking the queen's body: How could such a good body be so deserted?

Chi... The queen covered her mouth and chuckled, saying: "I'm so stupid!"Why don't you go and prepare?

yes!Ningyu retreated with a smile, the queen walked into the bathroom, and the clouds were clouds and smoke, you all go down!I'll call you if you have something to do!

Yes... the maids all retreated.

The queen stepped into the pool step by step, and the warm pool water immediately surged up, snuggling the queen's limbs and bones was extremely comfortable!

It's so comfortable, just like back then... I just entered the palace and was walking alone in the Imperial Garden.

Those palace ladies are really hateful. Concubine Zheng’s father has a grudge against my father. She was afraid that I would be favored and bribed those people to deliberately harm me.

But right in the Imperial Garden, I was about to pick a magnolia when a strange man rushed over.

He is not old and smiles at me. I don’t want to pay attention to him. This is the palace. How could I talk to a strange man?

But he just pestered me and I couldn't run away. He actually picked me up. I was so scared that I shouted. It's so strange that no one came. This is the palace Ah!

He carried me under the flower vine and placed it on the table. I was frightened, crying and making a fuss, but he still laughed and... took off my clothes.

I was anxious and pushed her away while he was taking off his clothes and wanted to escape, but he caught up with me again and wanted to pull me back.

When I was anxious, I bit him, and he pressed me on the table. He inserted his thing into my body, which really hurts... But seeing that I felt sorry for him, he was no longer rude, and gently comforted me, telling me that he was the emperor and my husband, and he wanted me to be the queen.

I just want to marry the emperor, so, is that right to him?

Later, he became much gentler, but... Suddenly, the queen who was immersed in her first time felt something was wrong and suddenly woke up!

A pair of fair and slightly tender but very powerful hands were stroking his body.

Ah!Who are you?Come!The queen turned around and saw a young man, or a half-baby!

I saw him smiling, ignoring his call for help, just a smirk.

Needless to say, he is Ming Chen Shun!

Seeing that the queen had called no one to come for a long time, Ming Chenshun felt a little distressed and said: "My lady, don't waste your energy!"Before I came in, I had already set up a formation around the bedroom. From outside, I looked dark here, which was no different from sleeping when I turned off the lights.Even if it thunders, there is no movement outside!Queen Zhou frowned slightly, didn't say anything, thinking in her heart that he was true or false.

Your maid leader was also asleep outside, but she came over with this thing just now. Could it be for the Empress?Speaking, Ming Chenshun took out a black rod, the length of a ruler, with a leather rope tied in the middle, and at both ends there were bulges imitating the shape of a man's glans.

Seeing this thing, the queen was embarrassed. This was a tool used by Ningyu to comfort each other when she was lonely. The double-headed dragon!

That is, Mr. Kok, who can be used for two lesbians.

Seeing her shy attitude was really interesting, Ming Chenshun was not in a hurry and watched leisurely.

What do you...the hell do you want?Tell me, I will definitely meet your requirements, as long as... as long as... Ming Chen Shun said in a slight manner: Just what?

As long as you leave immediately, leave that thing... Before she finished speaking, Ming Chenshun's head was already shaking like a rattle, and he said: How could he leave if I finally came in?I stayed, what's the use of you asking for this thing?After hearing his words, Empress Zhou was stunned, but then seemed to understand what he was going to do, and said in shock: You, if you dare to be rude to me, I will ask the emperor to search your house and destroy your family!Her words were so fierce that Ming Chenshun grinned: Joke, the emperor neglected you, I will do my duty as a man for him, will he kill me?

With a wave of his hand, his clothes disappeared out of thin air, his strong body was exposed to the air, and the cock as thick as a human arm was particularly conspicuous!

The queen was so scared that she shivered and stared at the big cock, but she didn't know where she could escape.

That's right! Ming Chenshun wades into the water and walks towards the queen. The queen then wakes up, regardless of her naked body and wet body, turning around and running.

She was clumsy and climbed up the shore of the pool. Before she could stand up, her waist tightened, and Ming Chenshun's big hand had already been enough to catch her tightly.

Now, I became the queen and knelt on the shore, sticking her fat butt to Mingchenshun's big cock standing in the pool!

You, let me go!No matter how she struggled left and right, she could not break free from Ming Chenshun's magic hand. She only had her fleshy butt swaying, trembling, which even more stimulated Ming Chenshun.

open?Then you will regret it!Ming Chenshun let go of the queen's waist, but instantly grabbed the queen's ankle and slashed hard to both sides. The queen crawled completely by the pool.

Queen?Then I am lucky!Holding down the queen, Ming Chenshun's cock pressed against the middle of her vagina's lip and pushed hard.

Wow... The queen felt that she was about to be burst, and her huge cock invaded her body, squeezing every trace of air in the jade path. The feeling of fulfillment was indescribable, but why did this cock seem to have no end?Pushing to the core of your flower, still trying to squeeze in?

Ming Chen Shun was also very happy. The queen had given birth to two children, but she had never been neglected by the emperor for more than ten years. She thought it would be a broken flower and a broken willow.

But unexpectedly, as soon as I started to fight, I felt that although this jade path was not compact, it was not as loose as a broad road, and could fully wrap my cock.

Excited, he ignored whether the queen could bear him and started to rape him!

For a moment, the queen was fucked so hard that she screamed, crying at her father and mom, while Ming Chen Shun kept making strange noises. She fucked the emperor's woman by herself, wouldn't she be the emperor?

Every time the thick cock invades, the queen beats her hands and her eyes turn white, but when she pulls it out, the suffocating feeling of emptiness is even more unbearable!

Unable to satisfy his fucking, Ming Chenshun directly crawled and picked up the queen, and fucked her while walking. He came to the phoenix bed where the queen and the emperor had sex with him, and did not pull out his dick, but turned the queen over directly.

Finally face to face!

The queen's legs were folded in half toward her body, and her butt was naturally raised. Ming Chen Shun soundly inserted his big cock into the deepest part of the queen's jade path!

Bastard... damn, damn, beast, wow... The queen kept scolding Ming Chenshun, but in fact it was just intermittent, jumping one by one. She was already fucked so hard that she was out of breath. How could she scold her?

I don’t know how long it took, but the queen stopped scolding, and she still made noises from time to time, but it was already the wordless scripture of AhAh… I’ve been raped for two or three hours, and I have had an orgasm for countless times. At first, every time I ejaculated, the feeling of the soul leaving her body would make her look forward and ashamed. She was actually raped by a man other than her husband. Is she so happy?

But later on, she was already scared. Every time she was ejaculated, she felt that her soul was leaving her body and she was about to be fucked to death.

In fact, Ming Chenshun's desire had already been vented, but he found that the situation outside had fluctuated. It was probably because of those subordinates who arrived, so he deliberately showed off and did not vent it for a long time. Until he saw a strange flush on the queen's pale face again, he let go of the sperm and highlighted the desire!

Wow... The queen screamed, shook her head around, danced for a while, and then her head tilted and fainted.

After Ming Chenshun vented, he sat up and did not wipe it. He said: Let’s show up!Except for the Nine-tailed Immortal Girl, the other four were shocked. They deliberately concealed their whereabouts, but they didn't expect that Ming Chenshun actually found them in the Pure Land. It seems that this young young master is really not a fake!

My subordinates have met the sect leader!Ming Chen Shun waved his hand and was spared!At this time, the Nine-tailed Immortal Niang walked up to him consciously, squatted down, first picked up his thick cock covered with love juice and sucked and cleaned it, and then served him, putting on the clothes he had taken off with his magic.

I have already decided to attack Kongtong Sect and Qinghai Sect first!The spheres of influence of these two factions are close to or even overlap with our Shenmen, and they both have connections with the Zhang family back then, so they will be eliminated first, so that the reconstruction of the Shenmen Main Organ will be less disturbed.Ming Chenshun ordered: Kong Yue, you and Kongtong Sect are too big and are inconvenient to come forward, so you are responsible for assisting Xu Feng and arrange the arrangements in Qinghai Sect first.To deal with Kongtong Sect, Luo Ming is in charge and will first arrange people to clearly count the money bank ticket numbers under the name of Kongtong Sect and other financial resources!These great sects have a deep foundation, and only by cutting off their financial path can they be real.After saying that, Luo Ming said to Langjie: If you arrange someone to sneak into the Imperial Guard, it is best to enter the inner court guard!

The inner court guard is the emperor's personal guard, but only targets the palace gate factory and the six gates... Langjie was a little confused. Ming Chen Shun said: The responsibility of the inner court guard is to target the six gates of the palace gate factory. Can the emperor be so suspicious that he trusts other people except the inner court guard?Ming Chen Shun said something, and Langjie suddenly realized.

Now that the Divine Sect is just beginning to recover, it is the time to be in trouble, so you can worry.Except for the maid leader, you should choose the ones you like!After hearing what he said, the four of them immediately showed joy and rushed to take away the maids who had fainted.

Since ancient times, when the harem competed for favor, the concubines were afraid that they would be old and deteriorated, and were neglected by the emperor. Therefore, they would arrange some obedient maids to serve by their side so that they would hold the emperor if they were frustrated in the future.

Therefore, the maids around the queen were carefully selected by Zhou De and sent to the palace. The four of them were reincarnated by perverts. How could they not be ecstatic when they saw such a person?

Seeing that they were leaving, Ming Chenshun said to the Nine-tailed Immortal Lady: I ​​will go to see the emperor after the morning court. Please serve me and sleep for a while!When the Nine-tailed Immortal Lady was very happy to hear this, she served him happily and lie down, ignoring the queen, and snuggling in Mingchenshun's arms, and sleeping with him.

Ming Chenshun had a dream. In the dream, all his wishes came true. He had many women, especially the one he cared about the most, and her sisters also served him... However, lying beside him, the queen who had just been raped was still spasming and twitching from time to time, salivating from the corners of her mouth, soaking half of the pillow. The vagina below trembled as the body twitched, trembling and trembling, and squeezed out the white and turbid vaginal fluid. Who would have thought that this was the mother of a country?