After repeating the same two sentences over and over again, the old man was obviously confused. After a while, the old man raised his head and said cautiously: "If His Highness is on the line with the Fourth Army, this old slave will still believe it, but so quickly Just forming an alliance with Li Wufeng, this old slave can't believe it no matter what. Besides, His Highness the Third Highness's power is mainly concentrated in the south. Even if you want to find allies, you should first consider the Lin family or the Lang family in the south."
"Could it be that the third child had some contact with Li Wufeng, and Zhou Baozhong's men discovered it, and suspected that they were colluding?" After thinking for a while, Situ Tai finally asked.
"This possibility is possible. Li Wufeng has never relaxed his contact with powerful people in the imperial capital. This must be as clear as the people in the General Intelligence Agency. But today, Zhou Baozhong revealed to Your Highness on this occasion that it should be very It clearly means that the two parties have had substantive contact. It cannot just refer to some general contacts and visits, which is a bit confusing." The old man shook his head gently, not agreeing with his master's statement. view.
Situ Tai rubbed his chin vigorously and asked in confusion: "Then the information provided to me by this guy Zhou Baozhong is false?"
With a sneer, the old man also stroked the beard under his chin and said: "It doesn't matter that Mr. Zhou provided us with false information. What I'm worried about is that his behavior was ordered by His Majesty. That would be really tricky." Here, his voice was much lower and his expression became a little nervous.
"Ah?! Mr. Leng, do you think my father noticed what we did?" Situ Tai's face suddenly changed and his body stiffened. He was obviously very worried about what he said.
"Your Highness, don't be too nervous. I think the situation has not reached that point yet." The old man described Leng Jun, with a worried look in his eyes. "Even if His Majesty was aware of it, the situation at that time was already tense and unstable. Even if there is suspicion, there is nothing your Majesty can do without evidence."
"But if this happens, my father will be more suspicious of me?" Situ Tai said a little frustrated and restlessly.
"Huh, Your Highness, do you really think that His Majesty will pass the throne to you at the last moment? I think you should give up on this. If His Majesty had intended it, I'm afraid he wouldn't have taken those actions in the first place. ." The old man analyzed calmly.
Situ Tai was silent and did not answer the old man's question. He just tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, probably thinking about something.
"Fortunately, this high position cannot be decided by His Majesty alone, unless His Majesty abdicates while he can still control the situation. If the decision is made at the last moment, it will depend on each person's strength and ability. .So to preserve your own strength, even if you need to take some risks, it is worth it, otherwise who will work for you?" At this point, the coldness in the old man's words was already revealed.
Although Situ Tai didn't speak, he knew in his heart that what the old man said was right. He had reached this point, where there was no way out, he could only keep going, and he had to kill anything that dared to stop him without hesitation. Kick them all away, otherwise you will be the one who will be shattered to pieces. Maybe this is the risk you have to take and the price you have to pay as a member of the royal family.
The girl wearing a black fox cloak walked into the warm spring-like inner room. The sensible Han Yan saw that his master was in a bad mood at a glance, and did not dare to say more. He quickly stepped forward and took off the cloak behind the girl, waiting for her to sit down. Next to the charcoal basin with a roaring fire.
The girl's face was as dark as water. She had read several newspapers in her hands countless times, but the anxiety and anger in her heart had not diminished at all. A pair of beautiful phoenix eyes fixedly stared at the occasional dancing flames in the charcoal basin, but his mind was still entangled in the troubles caused by the news in the newspaper.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and it wasn't until the pretty maid Han Yan next to her handed a cup of hot tea to her eyes that the girl woke up from her thoughts at a loss.
"Miss, don't worry too much about national affairs. Since there are some things that you can't change, no matter how much you think about it, it will be useless. It will only make you sad." The pretty Han Yan saw that her master took the tea cup without any hard work, and she couldn't bear it. He kept advising.
"Eh? Damn girl, when was it your turn to enlighten me?" The girl was stunned, and then asked: "Who taught you to say these words?" Her face became colder and colder.
"No one taught me, I just felt it." The pretty maid replied quickly, but she was not afraid. She knew that her master had always been cold-hearted and kind, especially to herself. He had never been so kind to her in so many years. Treat yourself as a servant, but like two sisters.
"Huh, you're expressing your feelings?" The girl was amused, and her face thawed, as if the flowers were blooming in winter, which was particularly eye-catching.
"Han Yan, please stop saying this to me. Who taught you to say this?" In fact, the girl also guessed who it was. Who else in the entire mansion could teach you these words besides her.
Han Yan saw that he couldn't hide it from the girl, so he said coquettishly: "Sister Sophia thinks that you have worked too hard for a day, but the ministers in the court may not listen to your suggestions. For the sake of your body, don't hold yourself back." It’s too tight.”
The girl shook her head and said nothing more, but subconsciously picked up the newspaper in her hand, and several eye-catching headlines appeared on the paper.
"The victory of the Battle of Qinghe announced that the end of the Taiping Rebellion was coming!" "Recasting Glory—Interview with Marquis Youssef, Commander of the Imperial City Guard Corps" "Collections from the Battlefield of Niutou Town—Two or Three Things about XXX, Commander of the Fourth Division of the Imperial City Guard Corps" "Sword Determines the Central Plains" one article after another The ostentatious article, tens of thousands of words long, simply boasted the victory of this battle into an unprecedented victory, and the number of casualties in the City Guards Corps was also infinitely reduced, almost to the point of being negligible. , how could this not make the girl angry from the bottom of her heart.
What kind of report is this written by a group of idiot literary reporters? They blindly belittle the combat effectiveness of the Taiping Rebellion Army and infinitely exaggerate the strength of the Imperial Army. Yet this guy Yusuf actually made a lot of nonsense in the newspaper and dared to say that in three The Taiping rebels can be wiped out in one fell swoop within a month. I really don’t know whether this idiot was completely dazzled by the momentary victory or he was born an arrogant idiot. Even if he needs to boost morale and inspire people, he can’t be so baseless. What a big talk!
Thinking of this, the girl couldn't help but feel discouraged. No matter how much she tried to offer advice, her father still found it hard to listen. Do the people and the army of the empire have to use these lies to inspire them? If it really comes to this, then the fate of the empire may really be in jeopardy.
Seeing that her master was still staring blankly at the charcoal fire, Han Yan, who was standing behind her, frowned and quietly slipped out.
"Sister, are you worrying about national affairs again?" The clear and elegant voice had a slightly strange accent, which sounded particularly comfortable.
As a special fragrance came from behind, the girl who was looking at the brazier in a daze moved her body slightly, but still did not look back. She just replied lightly: "Sister, can you worry about it? As a member of the Situ family, sister It doesn’t matter if you think about these things. If the skin is gone, how can the hair be attached? This is an old saying among us Tanghe people. Once there is a problem in the empire, I am afraid that we, the so-called royal people, will be the first to fall into the abyss. By then, maybe the fate of the untouchables living on the streets will be better than ours."
When she said this, the girl's words were already desolate. She was obviously very pessimistic about the current situation of the empire, especially when she saw that the imperial government and the public were blindly optimistic after the victory of Qinghe. A feeling of pride and underestimation of the enemy spread throughout the government and the public. Not realizing that this was just an ordinary battle in an endless war. She couldn't imagine why someone as smart and wise as her father, the experienced and profound He Zhiqiu, couldn't see this? If you saw it, why did you allow this view to spread among the government and the public
"Sister, don't worry too much. There are many smart and capable people in the imperial court. Sister, I am thinking that maybe they have already considered what you have thought of. Maybe they have other considerations, but they just didn't show them." Her hair smelled of flowers, and the girl behind her was naturally Sophia. She was also invited by Han Yan to help Situ Yushuang resolve his worries.
Situ Yushuang's words also aroused the deep sadness in her heart. After all, her country was ruined and her family was destroyed. She was living in a foreign land. For more than two years, she saw that the rule of the Machikhan people in her homeland became more and more stable. It turned out that the only The Tanghe Empire was a foreign power but a weak one, and the situation was going from bad to worse. Not to mention helping to realize the dream of restoring the country, even with the full help of Situ Yushuang, he negotiated with the Macchi Khanate through the diplomatic department on the issue of the freedom of his mother and younger brother. There is no progress, and the imperial diplomatic department is helpless, and there is no way to deal with the other party.
Now her good sister is facing the same danger. Once the empire collapses, she doesn't know where she will go in the future. Maybe having a pretty face is not a good thing in this troubled world. People who look at her beauty are too There are many, but which of the men does not come with a playful attitude? In this world, a subjugated princess who has lost her own country and is somewhat beautiful has become the prey of those who have a certain amount of power in their hands. If it were not for the protection of Situ Yushuang as a princess and the fact that she would have very few If you stay out of the public eye and try to avoid contact with the outside world, you may have become the plaything of some noble nobleman.
"Sister, I'm sorry, sister didn't pay attention." Situ Yushuang heard something strange in the girl's voice behind her. She turned around and saw the girl's face change slightly, and then she realized it.