Qu Xiaocang did not avoid Xiao Shaozong's eyes and said word by word: "I want the Shenhou Mansion to dominate the martial arts world!"
Xiao Shaozong said "Oh" and said with a faint smile: "Unify the martial arts world?"
"Since the first day when Shenhou Mansion was founded, the atmosphere of Jianghu people has been flowing in its blood." Qu Xiaocang said: "The Jianghu forces in Chu State only obey the orders of Shenhou Mansion, but the young minister At that time, I thought about one day leading the Shenhou Mansion to control the martial arts world, not only the rivers and lakes sects of Chu State, but also the Northern Han Dynasty, the Eastern Qi Dynasty, and even Mobei in southern Xinjiang, so that all the sects in the world would truly bow to the imperial court. .”
Xiao Shaozong leaned back, sat upright, and said with interest, "I didn't understand what you said."
Qu Xiaocang did not hesitate and said directly: "If it were not for the prince, I would never be able to inherit the position of Shenhou. I can only obey Xuanyuan Po's orders. The Shenhou Mansion has always acted in accordance with the rules of the world. Once Xuanyuan Po succeeds, Lord Shen, no matter what kind of ambition I have, I can no longer help myself to do it."
Xiao Shaozong said: "So you received the order to assassinate Qining, and when you faced Xuanyuan Po, you didn't hesitate to kill him? From this point of view, you didn't just follow the order to kill Xuanyuan Po."
"I don't deny it." Qu Xiaocang said: "I do have the intention to succeed the Divine Marquis."
"To be honest." Xiao Shaozong laughed and said, "Qu Shenhou, your words make me look at you more highly. No one wants to be inferior to others. Now that you have succeeded Shenhou, you have fulfilled your wish."
Qu Xiaocang said: "I hope that after the Great Chu pacifies the Northern Han Dynasty, I can command the Shenhou Mansion to subdue the major sects in the north, so that all the sects in the world will submit to the Shenhou Mansion and submit to the prince!"
Xiao Shaozong stared into Qu Xiaocang's eyes and did not speak immediately, but those sharp eyes seemed to see through Qu Xiaocang completely. After a long time, he said: "You want to become the leader of the martial arts alliance!"
Qu Xiaocang was startled. Xiao Shaozong's expression remained unchanged and he stared at Qu Xiaocang. Qu Xiaocang moved his lips slightly and did not make a sound immediately, but in the end he still said: "Your Majesty is wise, but I... but I hope to become the leader of the martial arts alliance one day. .”
"Whether a person can achieve great things depends on whether he has great ambitions." Xiao Shaozong was sitting on the chair, but at this moment he didn't care about his identity. He put his legs away and squatted on the chair, looking down at Qu Xiaocang: "It doesn't matter. Ambition, well, that is, ambition, then naturally you will not be able to accomplish anything great."
Qu Xiaocang lowered his head at this moment and said nothing.
"I admire you because I know you are a person with great ambitions." Xiao Shaozong said with a smile: "Those rough and tumble men in the world have never seen the imperial court in their eyes since ancient times. Although it is difficult for those rough and brave men to accomplish anything big, they are still capable of making trouble. Some troubles have arisen. After the world is unified, the rivers and lakes sects that stand in the Northern Han Dynasty really need someone to deal with them, and of course you are the most suitable person for this person." After a pause, he said: "If I were still alive at that time, I What do you think of giving you the position of leader of the martial arts alliance?"
"I thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Qu Xiaocang kowtowed and said, "I shall be loyal to Your Majesty, even to the death!"
Xiao Shaozong just smiled, watching Qu Xiaocang stand up and bend back, and suddenly shouted: "Wait a minute!"
Qu Xiaocang stopped immediately. Xiao Shaozong glanced at the bloody head in the box and sighed: "You'd better take this thing back and deal with it properly. If you leave it here, I will feel... uncomfortable!"
Qu Xiaocang stepped forward and bent down, covered the box, wrapped it in black cloth again, held it in his arms, and then slowly retreated.
When Qu Xiaocang walked away, Guihe finally said: "Master, why don't you kill him?"
"Why do you want to kill him?" Xiao Shaozong was still squatting on the chair, looking at the direction Qu Xiaocang left with a half-smile. "After killing him, the Shenhou Mansion will be leaderless and in chaos. It will not be of any benefit to me, and the person who just took office will The Lord Shen died mysteriously within a few days, wouldn’t it arouse suspicion?”
"But this person already knows the truth." Guihe frowned and said, "If he...!"
"If he really wanted to expose it, he wouldn't have come to the palace." Xiao Shaozong said with a smile: "Qu Xiaocang guessed that there was something fishy in this. That was what I expected. It would be abnormal if he didn't. "Glancing at Guihe, he said calmly: "Do you really think that the people in Shenhou Mansion are vegetarians?" He got down from the chair and said: "If he didn't make any statement today, but it proves that this person has other plans, then what? You really have to be careful. The Shenhou Mansion is now in his hands, and it happens to be used by me. It is a very sharp knife. As long as it is used well, it can do a lot of things."
Guihe said cautiously: "Master, does Qu Xiaocang know that if he continues to pretend to be stupid, the master will doubt him even more, so he took the initiative to tell the truth today because he was worried that the prince would be more suspicious of him."
Xiao Shaozong smiled and said: "Your idea is not unreasonable." He glanced behind the bead curtain, and the man sitting on the chair behind the bead curtain hurriedly stood up. Xiao Shaozong waved his hand, and the man immediately retreated. Only then did Xiao Shaozong say : "He was able to kill Xuanyuan Po without hesitation, which shows that this person is indeed a ruthless person. It is natural for such a person to have ambitions. The martial arts leader... has a big appetite, but it may not be his. To be honest, the Shenhou Mansion has been dealing with martial arts sects, and you don’t understand the thoughts of such a person. Being able to make all the martial arts sects kneel in front of him really has an unparalleled attraction for such people."
"But this person can be considered obedient if he can kill Xue Lingfeng according to the master's wishes." Guihe said: "The master is right. This person has ambitions, and he needs to rely on the master to achieve his ambitions. He can indeed make great achievements in the future. Make use of it.”
"There is always some use in holding a hunting dog." Xiao Shaozong said with a smile: "A hunting dog barking a few times can scare away many people. If one day the hunting dog really bites too many people to death and makes people and gods angry, just one meal Just beat the hunting dog to death with a stick, it's clean and tidy."
A strange smile appeared on Guihe's lips.
"Don't worry about what trouble he will cause." Xiao Shaozong said calmly: "A hunting dog has bitten someone to death. If it is worried about being beaten to death by someone else's stick, it will definitely guard its master, because it knows very well that if something happens to the master, If a hunting dog turns into a wild dog, it will not end well.”
Guihe understood what Xiao Shaozong meant.
Qu Xiaocang killed Xuanyuan Po and Xue Lingfeng successively, which has become an important lever for Xiao Shaozong to control him. If the truth is revealed, not only the Shenhou Mansion will regard Qu Xiaocang as the number one traitor, but also the Three Thousand Tiger God Camp The officers and soldiers will also kill Qu Xiaocang and then quickly.
After Qu Xiaocang was ordered to do these two things, it was like leaving his life in the hands of Xiao Shaozong. Under the current situation, Qu Xiaocang had no choice but to lead the Shenhou Mansion and become a hunting dog under Xiao Shaozong.
"Master, Xue Lingfeng is dead, and the Ministry of War must report it." Guihe said: "Lu Xiao doesn't seem to be very obedient. I think he may represent the Ministry of War to recommend a new leader of the Tiger God Camp to the court. selection."
Xiao Shaozong nodded and said: "The Ministry of War will have a report, and the Shenhou Mansion will also submit a report. This report will naturally reveal that Xue Lingfeng's death is related to Jiutian Tower. Of course, the case involving Jiutian Tower is It will be handled by the Shenhou Mansion, and in the end this case will be settled by the Shenhou Mansion."
"If the case is concluded that Jiutianlou assassinated Xue Lingfeng, the relationship between Hushenying and Shenhou Mansion will probably become dire." Guihe whispered: "Jiutianlou was lurking in the capital, but Shenhou Mansion was not aware of it. As a result, Jiutianlou assassinated Xue Lingfeng, and Xue Lingfeng had a very high prestige in the Tiger God Camp. When the time comes, the people in the Tiger God Camp will naturally resent the Shenhou Mansion."
"This is not a bad thing." Xiao Shaozong said: "I was just wondering whether the person recommended by Lu Xiao would be as I expected."
Guihe said softly: "If the person recommended by Lu Xiao happens to be the person in the hands of the master, it will save a lot of things. Our people sit in the position of commander of the Tiger God Camp, but it is recommended by the Ministry of War...!" There was a look of admiration in his eyes, and he said: "Master is far-sighted, and I really admire you for your five-body surrender."
"No plan in the world is perfect." Xiao Shaozong sighed: "Not everyone in the court is a drunkard. There are many shrewd and cunning people like Qu Xiaocang in the court."
"Master is saying... someone in the court is suspicious?"
"Of course there is, but no one dares to say it, and none of them can say it." Xiao Shaozong said calmly: "I don't care about them. I just want to know where the Protector is now. ? He may have sneaked into the capital, right under my nose."
"Master, do you think he will definitely come back?"
"Definitely!" Xiao Shaozong said lightly, and walked slowly to the window of Nuan Pavilion with his hands behind his back. At this time, the morning light had arrived, the rising sun was rising, and the morning light shone on Xiao Shaozong's pale and bloodless face. He looked at the clouds on the horizon and said after a long time : "He is my real enemy and the only opponent who is qualified to be called my enemy!"
Xiao Shaozong has extraordinary judgment ability. When he had a premonition that Qi Ning might have sneaked into the capital right under his nose, Qi Ning did not disappoint him.
In the night, Qining climbed over a high wall and landed gently on the grass. This was a simple but very elegant garden. There were lights on in a house not far away. Qining touched it like a ghost. At the edge of the room, he pressed against the wall and reached the window. The window was open. He peeked inside. This was a study room. Qining made sure that no one was around. Then he turned over and entered very lightly. In the study room, he closed the window with his backhand.
In front of the desk, an old man in casual clothes was reading by the light. Although he was old, there was such a movement that naturally made him turn around immediately. Before he could see the face of the visitor clearly, the other party had already held his hand and said: "Old Minister, it's me!"