Late at night, Li Ke was in the king's tent.
Qin Mubai and Li Ke sat opposite each other and played a game of chess. Li Ke looked exactly like Li Shimin when he raised his hands and raised his feet. There was obviously something in his heart that was turbulent, but there was no trace of joy or anger on his expression. He is calm and composed, his face is as deep as water, and even his eyes are as clear as water and filled with wisdom, as if he is simply engaged in a game of chess.
Qin Mubai often thinks that Li Ke is not young, only in his early twenties. How could he be so mature and stable? Perhaps, it is also closely related to the environment in which he grew up.
I remember hearing a saying that it only takes one night for a girl to become a woman and she will definitely succeed; but it takes thousands of times for a boy to become a man.
Li Ke was a concubine who grew up in the palace and experienced various turmoils and struggles since he was a child. Therefore, he is only in his early twenties and has mature qualities that his peers do not possess. If Qin Mubai hadn't had the heart of a thirty-year-old, it would probably be difficult to connect with him.
"It's very late, Mu Bai, are you sleepy?" Li Ke lightly raised his finger and asked.
Qin Mubai looked at the chessboard and saw that he had lost. At the end of the chess game, my chess skills have never been as good as Li Ke's. Moreover, Li Ke has always been very focused when playing chess, never showing off or cheating. This is no different from when he does other serious things.
"If Your Highness is sleepy, I will leave first." Qin Mubai said.
"No. Talk to me, just don't play chess anymore." Li Ke stood up, stretched his limbs, and said, "I never expected that the trip to Jiangzhou would be so eventful. We still underestimated it. Father, every move he makes has profound intentions. Mu Bai, we are in great danger at this moment, do you know?"
"I know." Qin Mubai said, "If Chen Yan really kills Zhang Tianci... then we will ruin the overall situation laid out by the emperor. A disaster is imminent."
"Yes! Maybe my father will think that we killed Zhang Tianci in order to shirk responsibility and avoid trouble, or that the prince is killing people to protect himself. That is because our inability to do things has ruined his plan. In short, no matter what, as long as the prince is killing people to save himself. If Zhang Tianci dies now, we will be in trouble." Li Ke said, "This traitor's life is more precious than anyone else's."
Qin Mubai was silent for a moment and said: "Your Highness, there is actually something I have been hiding from you. Originally I didn't want to tell you, but now in order to reduce your pressure, I'll tell you now!"
"What's the matter?" Li Ke asked slightly surprised.
Qin Mubai smiled to himself and told Li Ke about He Qian Chengji. Now that the matter has come to this, there is nothing to hide. After all, Li Ke is the one who bears the most pressure. Telling him this kind of thing can reduce his pressure, which is good for his own camp.
After listening to this, Li Ke was stunned for a long time, and suddenly he clapped his hands and praised: "Wonderful! The prince made a stupid move, but it just happened to be your wonderful move! Mu Bai, you did this thing so beautifully, it's like What a stroke of luck! It would be really difficult for me to deal with this He Qian Chengji!"
"He must die. After he dies, the prince should wake up. The emperor is planning the plan now, and his intention may be to target him. If he does not want to sit back and die, he should take the initiative to clarify to the emperor that he has nothing to do with the case, or as soon as possible "Kick Sheng Nanhou away from him," Qin Mubai said, "This way, the pressure on His Highness will be much less. The emperor investigated the Jiangzhou case against the prince, but used His Highness and me as guns. It makes us feel a lot of pressure. Now that the prince has taken the initiative to stand between the emperor and His Highness, it will be much easier for us. "
"Yes, that's it!" Li Ke took a long breath, clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "You are absolutely right, now I suddenly feel much more relaxed! In this way, it doesn't matter whether Zhang Tianci is dead or alive So important!”
"Not necessarily." Qin Mubai said, "I always feel that there is something wrong with this Chen Yan. It is not as simple as ordinary revenge for her husband. Since she is trying so hard to kill Zhang Tianci, I am afraid she has ulterior motives. Has Your Highness ever thought about what would happen if Zhang Tianci If Tianci dies at this time, who will benefit the most? "
"This..." Li Ke frowned slightly, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "You mean, besides the prince, there is another big fish behind Zhang Tianci?"
"It's hard to say." Qin Mubai said, "Your Highness, please think about it. Although the prince has a very strong backing, he is far away from the capital after all, and he usually doesn't have much time to deal with the little Sheng Nanhou. Although Zhang Tianci is His wet nurse's brother is also known as uncle, but this relationship is not guaranteed by blood or interests. One foot apart for one day between the two means they are thousands of miles apart. I suspect that in addition to the apparent relationship with the prince, Zhang Tianci also has backstage support for him!"
"What you said makes sense to me." Li Ke nodded, "How could a mere marquis with neither soldiers nor real power be so rampant in Jiangzhou? Even people like Cheng Songnian and Ma Kun , it was only after taking refuge with him that he became a big official. I have to suspect that this person does have some tricks."
"So I have more reason to suspect that Chen Yan wants to kill people and silence them. The purpose is to cover the big fish behind Sheng Nanhou." Qin Mubai frowned slightly and said, "Maybe, what the emperor really wants to deal with... Where is that person?"
"Oh?!" Li Ke exclaimed, suddenly speechless and lost in thought!
Qin Mubai's heart brightened: Judging from Li Ke's expression, he was probably thinking of some "important" person, and he already had a clue in his mind. Those worthy of Li Shimin's roundabout approach are definitely not ordinary people. They are either royal family members or important ministers of the country.
Although it is said that if the king wants his ministers to die, they must die, but in actual practice, the emperor also needs a reasonable excuse to cover up everyone's mouth. And seeing how secretive Li Shimin's behavior was, if he was really targeting a certain minister, then he probably just wanted to take this opportunity to teach him a lesson, and had no real intention to kill him.
"Mu Bai, it seems that the Jiangzhou incident will get bigger and bigger..." Li Ke took a long breath and slowly exhaled, shook his head, and said, "If I had known this, I might as well just stay at home and do nothing."
"Your Highness, it seems that you have come up with some clues." Qin Mubai said, "Is there really another backstage behind Sheng Nanhou?"
"It's just a guess, it's impossible to be sure." Li Ke said softly, "If that person is really him... then, I really don't want to investigate this case anymore."
"Why?" Qin Mubai asked in surprise. The person who can make Li Ke have such thoughts must be extraordinary.
"Because... if it is really him, I would rather go to my father and be scolded and punished than shake him out." Li Ke said.
Qin Mubai was speechless for a long time. He never knew who Li Ke respected, who he had the best relationship with, or who was more important to him than himself.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for being rude... Can I know who this person you guessed is?" Qin Mubai asked.
Li Ke raised his head and looked at the dim yellow roof of the king's tent illuminated by the oil lamp, and said leisurely: "The Governor of Bingzhou, the Secretary of the Ministry of Etiquette, the Prince of Jiangxia County—my imperial uncle, Li Daozong!"
"What?! How is that possible!" Qin Mubai was really shocked!
Li Daozong, Li Shimin's cousin, was one of the founders of the Tang Dynasty among the Li royal family. His outstanding military achievements were admired by people all over the world. Even Li Shimin was very close to, trusted and protected his cousin. A few years ago, in order to cut expenses and gather political power in his own hands, Li Shimin reduced the number of royal families in the clan, but instead gave Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, more food.
In the first year of Wude, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, 19-year-old Li Daozong became the Duke of Lueyang County and started his career. In the second year of Wude, twenty-year-old Li Daozong followed Li Shimin to resist Liu Wuzhou. It was from that battle that Li Daozong began to display his unparalleled military genius and became famous in one battle. He assisted Li Shimin, defeated Song Jingang and Liu Wuyong, regained Hedong and stabilized Guanzhong, and personally persuaded Liu Wuzhou's general Wei Chi Jingde to surrender.
After that, Li Daozong and Li Shimin worked together to eliminate the separatist forces such as Chi Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. He comes from the Guanlong military aristocratic group. He has been proficient in bow and horse since he was a child, and is extremely brave and fearless of death. He often leads the army and fights with Li Shimin in bloodshed. In addition to being close by blood, the relationship between the two is more condensed by the blood on the battlefield. Deep feelings.
In the fifth year of Wude, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty granted Li Daozong the post of military commander of Lingzhou Road, and he finally began to guard half of the northern half of the Tang Dynasty on his own. At this time, Liang Shidu separatist Xiazhou colluded with the Turks, and asked his brother Liang Luoren to lead tens of thousands of Turkic soldiers to surround Lingzhou where Li Daozong was located. Li Daozong remained calm and composed. He first defended the city and then took advantage of the opportunity to attack, killing the Turkic soldiers and defeating them. The Tang army expanded its results and quickly drove the Turkic soldiers out of their hometown of Wuyuan and opened up thousands of miles of territory to the north!
In that year, young Li Daozong was named the King of Rencheng and became a world-famous young hero!
From then on, Li Daozong guarded the northern border area of Lingzhou all year round and showed great success in the war with the Turks. A few years ago, he and Li Jing quelled the Northern Turks and captured Jieli Khan alive. He also showed great success in the war against Tuyuhun in the West. He used the tactics of light cavalry raids to march more than 2,000 miles in the uninhabited and bitter cold land. Hai catches up with Tuyuhun Fuyun Khan and defeats them all...
Everyone in the Tang Dynasty knows about Li Daozong's illustrious military exploits. Just this year, Li Daozong was granted the title of King of Jiangxia County due to his meritorious service. He was awarded the title of Governor of Jinzhou, the Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and was granted the title of Shiyi. Among the royal family members of the Li family, the prince who is most supported and loved by the people is Li Daozong!
Among all the heroes who founded the Tang Dynasty, Li Daozong's reputation and status are unmatched! If Changsun Wuji loves Li Shimin's trust and respect the most because of his nepotism and his special role in the Xuanwu Gate Incident; then Jiangxia King Li Daozong won the absolute trust of Li Shimin and the love of the Tang Dynasty subjects solely by his own strength. and support!
…
If the big backstage behind Sheng Nanhou is Li Daozong, the governor of Jinzhou... then it's no wonder that Li Ke is so hesitant!
"I understand His Highness's mood." Qin Mubai's mood also became a little serious, "If it is really the King of Jiangxia, then I am not willing to investigate the case further. Then, I hope that Chen Yan can... It’s better to kill that bastard Zhang Tianci, once and for all.”
"Zhang Tianci, still can't die..." Li Ke said with a sad face and frowned, "Jinzhou is very close to here. King Jiangxia was appointed governor of Jinzhou, which actually controlled all the troops and horses in Taiyuan, the northern capital. With his Fame, qualifications and real power are indeed the same in this area. If Zhang Tianci suddenly dies at this time, it will be impossible to continue the investigation without any evidence, but this will only make the father more suspicious, which is not the best solution. "
"Your Highness is right." Qin Mubai nodded. Li Ke's words were cryptic, but what he actually meant was that Li Daozong was born in the royal family and had the merit of serving the dragon. In addition, he had outstanding military exploits and great achievements, and he had high popularity among officials and the people. Li Shimin As a king, it is certain that he is afraid of him. If the misunderstanding and suspicion between the two of them is deepened, it will definitely lay the foundation for a huge political disaster.
"My imperial uncle is good at everything else. Except for one shortcoming that makes people laugh and cry, everything else is perfect." Li Ke suddenly said.
"What is it?"
"Greedy for money." Li Ke shook his head and said, "His greed for money is different from others. Others are greedy for money just for enjoyment, whether they buy land or houses, marry wives and concubines, or keep antiques, treasures, swords and horses. But he does neither. He just likes money. In fact, his life has always been very simple, and he can even be said to be a bit stingy, but he saves all the money he has as much as possible and does not spend it. "
"That's really a weird quirk!" Qin Mubai couldn't help but laugh, "Logically speaking, with his reputation and status, he has received a lot of rewards and fiefdoms, and with the high official and generous salary, he will definitely not be short of money. He This is a bit like collecting calligraphy, painting and porcelain, which has become a hobby.”
"That's right. He just has such a quirk." Li Ke said, "A famous general and founding father of a generation had such a strange hobby. It's really ridiculous to talk about it. It's because of this that I suddenly thought of him. First of all, The King of Jiangxia was indisputable in the Jin and area, and Jinzhou was so close to Jiangzhou. Thirdly, he loved money, and Zhang Tianci and others were also greedy for money. Fourthly, Zhang Tianci had a relationship with the prince, which was very convenient for making friends with the royal family. Relatives of the country... Mu Bai, if Zhang Tianci's backstage is really the King of Jiangxia, then how about we just give up? We will use thunderous means to capture Zhang Tianci and punish him as a corrupt king. He will be killed first and later punished. It is far better to kill Zhang Tianci with my own hands when the opportunity arises than to die suddenly and inexplicably."
Qin Mubai was silent for a moment and nodded: "Since His Highness is so determined, I have nothing more to say. But these are just our guesses now. How about waiting to see Chen Yan implement it before making a decision?"
"That's fine!"
After a long time, the Baiqi pawn who had been sent out to do something came back.
"Your Highness, General, Chen Yan has been brought!"
"Where is the person? Is he dead or alive?" Li Ke and Qin Mubai stood up together and asked at the same time.
"Alive! She is in the abandoned house in the woods three miles outside the military camp! This woman is fierce and domineering and refuses to come with us. Out of helplessness, we use force to capture her," the soldier replied.
"Okay, great!" Qin Mubai turned to Li Ke and said, "Your Highness, please don't be impatient. Watch me go and examine this Chen Yan, and everything will be clear to you!"
Li Ke also looked a little anxious, as if he wanted to go too. After thinking for a while, he pressed down, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll leave it to you!"