The food and wine arrived quickly, and the originally empty pear wood table was quickly filled with delicacies, and the wine that was brought was naturally the best wine.
Wei Shutong stood up and personally poured wine for Qi Ning and Li Hongxin. After sitting down, Li Hongxin looked at the wine cup and sighed: "I haven't drank for several months and I have forgotten the taste."
"Some things are easy to forget, but some things can never be forgotten." Qining said: "When the prince passed away, the prince felt sad in his heart. He worshiped the Buddha and licked the calf all day long, which was touching."
Li Hongxin's face changed slightly and he frowned: "What do you mean by this?"
"Your Majesty, please don't get me wrong." Qi Ning said sternly: "In fact, Mr. Wei has been tracking down the real culprit who assassinated the Crown Prince. We all know that if the murderer is not caught, the thorn in the Prince's heart will never be pulled out."
Wei Shutong immediately said: "That's right, Your Majesty, Xiaguan has been investigating, but there are too few clues left, so we still haven't figured out who dared to attack the prince. But don't worry, Your Majesty, as long as Xiaguan is here As long as I am in the position of governor, I will never give up on tracking down the murderer."
Li Hongxin sneered and said: "That's Lord Lao Wei. If my son knew that Lord Wei had worked so hard to find the murderer, he would naturally be grateful."
"Your Majesty, I heard that after the death of the prince, the prince stayed behind closed doors. This... this must not hurt his body." Wei Shutong said.
Li Hongxin stood up suddenly and sneered: "You two invited me here today, are you talking about these nonsense?"
Li Hongxin was born as a warrior and had a rather fiery temperament, and after all, Wang Jue was still with him, so there was no need to care about the identities of Qi Ning and Qin Ning.
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Since Your Majesty doesn't want to mention this, let's not talk about it. In fact, I invited Your Majesty to come over today. Of course, I want to have a few drinks with Your Majesty. In addition, there is a small matter that I also want to talk to Your Majesty about."
"My lordship has hosted a banquet to invite me over to discuss matters. Naturally, it will not be a trivial matter." Li Hongxin sat down slowly and said, "If you have anything to do, just say it. I will listen."
Qi Ning smiled slightly, took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Li Hongxin. Both Li Hongxin and Wei Shutong looked suspicious.
Li Hongxin took the letter, glanced at Qining, and finally took out the letterhead from it, glanced at it twice, his face suddenly changed, and he said in shock: "Sire, this...!"
"This is the Dandu bone of the Miao King given to me." Qining said: "I wonder if the prince knows that there was a civil strife in Cangxi Miao Village a few months ago, and the old Miao King was killed, and the murderer was the old Miao King. Langchatulu, the second son of Langchatulu, naturally couldn’t survive after the truth about Langchatulu’s murder of the old Miao King was revealed. After his death, Dandu Gu, the eldest son of the old Miao King, was elected as the Miao King.”
Wei Shutong nodded and said: "Dandu Gu inherited the position of King of Miao, and sent someone to report to the official. The official reported to the court, and the Ministry of Personnel also approved the document, confirming that Dandu Gu was the new king of Miao. "
Li Hongxin still seemed quite calm at this time and asked: "Is this the letter Dandu Gu gave to the Lord?"
"Dandugu has always been suspicious. With Langchadulu's courage, how dare he attack the old Miao King like this? Where did he get the confidence to usurp the throne of the Miao King?" Qining sighed: "So Dandulu Du Gu searched for Langcha Dulu’s belongings and finally found this letter in a very secret place.”
Li Hongxin suddenly laughed and said: "So your lordship thinks that the backer behind Langchatulu is this king, who instigated him to kill the old Miao king and then usurp the throne?"
Wei Shutong didn't know what was written in the letter, but by observing the words and Li Hongxin's reaction after reading the letter, he knew that the content of the letter was of great importance. When Li Hongxin finished speaking, he instantly understood and guessed what was going on in the letter. The letter turned out to be evidence of Li Hongxin's collusion with Langchatulu.
Naturally, he was shocked. There was no news beforehand, but he didn't expect Qining to suddenly come up with such a letter. At this time, he finally understood that there is no good banquet. Qining invited Li Hongxin to come to the banquet, but he was actually preparing for it. Raise troops to investigate.
Li Hongxin came to the banquet today, and Qi Ning brought out the evidence of his crime. Wei Shutong felt that Li Hongxin would never get out of the governor's house tonight. Since Qi Ning showed all the evidence of his crime, it was already a dagger. See.
Qi Ning stood up, walked to Li Hongxin, and took the letter from Li Hongxin's hand. The corners of Li Hongxin's eyes twitched slightly, but he saw Qin Ning holding the letter and walking to the candle, and actually put the letter on above the flames.
Wei Shutong was shocked and shouted: "Sir...!" He thought that Li Hongxin had always been a thorn in the side of the court, and now he finally got the evidence of Li Hongxin's rebellion from the Miao family, which was the one who killed Li Hongxin. It was a perfect opportunity, but Qining actually burned this extremely important evidence of crime in front of Li Hongxin. This was simply unbelievable.
Li Hongxin also looked stunned, looking at the burned letter with some disbelief.
Qin Ning watched the flames devour the letter, then shook his hands, threw away the last embers, walked slowly back to the table, and said with a smile: "If even such a letter can be used as evidence of the prince's rebellion, And for us to believe it is just plain stupid.”
Li Hongxin spread his eyebrows and sighed: "Sir, to tell you the truth, when I was governing Xichuan, I was afraid that the Miao family's 72nd Dong might have different intentions, so I placed many restrictions on them and ordered them to pay heavy taxes. The purpose is to weaken their strength. These Miao people are resentful towards this king, so it is not difficult for them to forge such a letter."
"What the prince said is true." Qi Ning said with a smile: "As far as I know, the prince has been in a peaceful state of mind these years, reciting Buddhist scriptures, and living in peace with the world. How has he ever had the intention to rebel? These Miao people want to use my hand. To deal with the prince, you really underestimate me."
"Your Majesty is extremely wise, and I admire you." Li Hongxin picked up the wine cup: "With this glass of wine, I congratulate you on your promotion to Lord Protector!"
Qining also picked up the wine glass, and both of them drank it in one gulp.
"Sir, these Miao people seem to be simple, but they are full of tricks. Your Majesty will have to be more careful when dealing with them in the future." Li Hongxin said solemnly: "The Shenhou Mansion led eight gangs and sixteen factions to attack Black Lotus. The Black Lotus Sect was created by the Miao people. They will definitely be resentful of the imperial court. If they slander me this time and intend to rebel, I don’t know what tricks they will play next time."
Qi Ning nodded and said: "What the prince said is very true. Of course, we need to take more precautions against them. Yes, prince, you know the situation in Xichuan very well. The last time Langchatulu murdered the old Miao King, do you think he was behind it?" Does anyone support it?”
"I really don't dare to say whether there is someone behind my back." Li Hongxin said: "But for the Miao people, the position of the Miao King is very powerful, and the Miao Family's Seventy-Two Cave has the Miao King in mind. In awe, becoming the king of Miao actually became the emperor of the Miao family. Langchatulu and Dandugu were both heirs of the old Miao king. Langchadulu saw that the position of the Miao king was about to be passed to Dandugu. It is not impossible for someone to be dissatisfied and take risks to usurp the throne. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Langchatulu is secretly connected with others. However, it is difficult for outsiders to get involved in the affairs of the Miao family. Even if Langchatulu is involved with outsiders, If there is any collusion, I’m afraid it won’t be of much help to him.”
Qi Ning thought thoughtfully, and finally smiled and said: "Let them deal with their own affairs. But Dandu Gu actually wants to use me to deal with the prince, and his heart is to be punished."
"Sir, we are currently conducting the Northern Expedition of Chu. In order to ensure that we have no worries, we must not cause chaos in Xichuan." Li Hongxin said sternly: "Dandu Gu is now the master of the seventy-two caves of the Miao family. If we touch him at this time, he will be harmed." Causing unnecessary turmoil, he slandered me that it doesn't matter, state affairs are the most important thing, so I won't argue with him. When the Northern Expedition is successful and the world is settled, it won't be too late to settle accounts with him."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Your Majesty has matured into a country, and the younger generation admires him. Come on, let me toast you!"
The two drank another drink with each other. After taking down the glasses, Wei Shutong immediately poured wine for them. Qining then said with a smile: "The prince governed Xichuan back then, and he managed Xichuan in an orderly manner. I can't tell you the truth. To this day, the people in the house are all here." Some people say that my grandfather fought all his life and was invincible, but the only real enemy he faced was the prince."
Li Hongxin said "Oh" and sighed: "It's all in the past. The old Marquis has great martial arts. Even now when I think about it, I am still in awe."
"Your Majesty's literary and military skills are actually a rare pillar of our great Chu." Qining said: "Before coming to Xichuan this time, the emperor talked to me about the Northern Expedition, and he mentioned the prince, the emperor's It means that if the prince gives advice, then the Northern Expedition will definitely be a success."
Li Hongxin was stunned for a moment, with a suspicious look in his eyes, obviously wondering what kind of medicine Qining was selling in his gourd.
"I also deeply agree with the emperor's words." Qi Ning said with a smile: "So the emperor asked me to come to Xichuan and personally invite the prince to Beijing to sit in the center and make suggestions for the Northern Expedition."
Li Hongxin changed his expression slightly and said, "Your Majesty... allows me to come to Beijing?"
"Exactly." Qi Ning said: "The centipede insect is dead but not stiff. Although the Northern Han Dynasty is in civil strife, it still has strength and is not an easy opponent to deal with. My father passed away and the old Marquis of Tantai also passed away. The Manchu Dynasty military generals can be called There are only a few famous generals of the generation, and the prince is one of the only famous generals left in our great Chu. Now is the time when our great Chu is dedicating all the strength of the country to the Northern Expedition. If we do not use the prince at this time, we will undoubtedly abandon our martial arts, so The emperor has just issued a secret order for the prince to enter the capital secretly. I have already made arrangements and will send people to escort the prince to the capital in the next few days. I wonder what the prince wants?"
Li Hongxin frowned and said: "I am old and have lost my courage as before. Moreover, I am devoted to the Buddha and do not want to kill more people. This...!"
"The prince does not need to be on the front line, he only needs to help formulate strategies in the capital." Qining said: "The emperor has high hopes for the prince, and is only waiting for the prince to come to the capital." Then he said to Wei Shu, "Master Wei, you Select three hundred elite soldiers from the guards of the Governor's Mansion to escort the prince to the capital when the time comes. This is a mission assigned by the emperor, and we can't make any mistakes." After saying that, he smiled at Li Hongxin and calmed down.