Prince Wei's Mansion.
In recent days, Li Tai has felt more uncomfortable than ever before. It wasn't until several assassins sent to Puzhou came back to report that they had successfully killed Wei Daiji that he felt a little relieved.
But looking back, I realized that a sensitive person like Li Junxian, instead of staying in the palace to protect the sick emperor during this critical period, actually went to Bingzhou. It can be seen that Bingzhou is of great importance. In addition, he arrested Wei Daiqi - does that mean that Wei Daiqi really has unfavorable evidence about King Wei in his hands
Although Wei Daiqi is dead now, what should we do if the evidence is still there
Thinking of this, Li Tai suddenly felt a chill in his heart: It's broken! Fell into a trap! !
"I regret that I shouldn't have attacked Wei Baijia and alerted the snake!" Li Tai was shocked in his heart. "With Li Junxian in Bingzhou, it looks like the work of his father secretly. Could it be that they deliberately used Wei Baijia? To lure me into action? ... It’s bad! It’s bad for being so hasty and careless!”
Just when Li Tai was worried and worried secretly, Chief Shi Du Zhenglun hurriedly ran over and ran into Li Tai's room without knocking on the door. His eyes were as wide as copper bells and he grabbed Li Tai's hands tightly and said tremblingly: " Your Highness! —It’s over, it’s all over!”
Li Tai was panicking, and when he suddenly saw Du Zhenglun's expression, he was almost frightened out of his wits, "What, what's wrong?!"
"Wei Wei is not dead! King Wu is not dead either!" Du Zhenglun was out of breath, and said with a pale face full of horror, "Just now, just now! King Jin drove back to the capital and entered the palace. Wei was riding on the horse, fully clothed and walking next to Li Junxian. Not only was he not dead, he didn't even look like a prisoner! - King Wu was also there! King Jin ordered his followers to celebrate Wu. Wang escaped from danger and returned to Beijing! Now everyone in Chang'an knows!"
"Ah!!" Li Tai yelled and collapsed on the ground. A pair of eyes suddenly lost their focus, like a dead fish.
"Your Highness, your Highness, are you okay?" Du Zhenglun panicked and trembled all over.
"Zhao Chong... betray me!" Li Tai stared straight at Du Zhenglun with a pair of empty eyes, and kept repeating - "Zhao Chong betrayed me, Zhao Chong betrayed me!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Now that the matter has come to this, what should we do?" Du Zhenglun was so scared that Li Tai stared at him and said in fear.
"Zhao Chong betrayed me... We all fell into the trap!" Li Tai muttered several times, suddenly shook his whole body, and then laughed crazily, "Brilliant plan, brilliant plan! What a series of clever tricks, hahaha!"
Du Zhenglun was stunned: "Why did your Highness say this?"
"You still don't understand what happened now?" Li Tai finished laughing and suddenly screamed hysterically a few times. Then he looked at the roof blankly and murmured, "After all... he still has all this under his control! I'll wait, They are all chess pieces at his mercy! Ugly chess pieces, self-righteous chess pieces, and stupid chess pieces!”
"What His Highness said is..." Du Zhenglun suddenly felt a boundless fear and did not dare to say any more.
"That's right, that's right..." Li Tai nodded with a dull expression, "It's him, it's him... From the beginning to the end, everything was under his control. Fortunately, I thought everything was perfect and I had a chance to win. Unexpectedly, I It was such a complete defeat from the beginning... It was a real defeat this time! It was a complete defeat, a death-defying defeat!
"Your Highness, is it so serious?" Du Zhenglun was frightened, but still a little unwilling to give up. He said carefully, "Although King Wu is not dead now and Wei Daiji has returned to Beijing, His Highness has not done anything unusual. No fatal evidence was left?"
"Du Zhenglun, I always thought you were extremely smart, but I didn't expect you to be as stupid as Wei Ting!" Li Tai struggled to get up from the ground with a pale bitter smile, "Think about it, who told us that , King Wu has been assassinated?”
"Zhao Chong?!" Du Zhenglun still didn't come to his senses and replied blankly.
"But now King Wu has returned to the capital in a grand manner. What does this mean?"
"It means Zhao Chong lied, he didn't kill King Wu, he lied to us - but what does this have to do with His Highness?"
"Ignorance!" Li Tai smiled bitterly, "Then have you ever thought about why Zhao Chong didn't kill King Wu? Instead, he lied to us that King Wu was dead?"
"This..." Du Zhenglun was stunned for a moment, and suddenly said in shock, "Yes, he is so reckless, why did he do this?! Did he have a personal relationship with the King of Wu in Xiangyang?"
"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" Li Tai sighed repeatedly, with an expression of despair on his face, and muttered, "Zhao Chong did not kill King Wu but came to report the death of King Wu. His only purpose is to paralyze us and make us We thought we were sure of victory. Once people are paralyzed, they can easily get carried away and make mistakes. No, I was frightened by Li Junxian and went to kill someone in a hurry - this was Zhao Chong's purpose!"
"Zhao Chong is so reckless, why did he do this?" Du Zhenglun was still puzzled.
"You still don't understand?" Li Tai laughed so hard that he almost cried, shaking his head and saying, "How can Zhao Chong's actions look like a reckless act? He is clearly a scheming person. Even the city government is so deep that it makes people sad. A politician in a state of outrageousness! - Jianghu Caoman suddenly became a politician. Why? "
"Ah!" Du Zhenglun suddenly realized the truth and screamed in fright, "Your Highness is saying... Zhao Chong is your Majesty's person at all?"
"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Li Tai suddenly laughed hysterically and danced.
This laughter sounded so terrifying and terrifying to Du Zhenglun that he couldn't help but take a few steps back and had the urge to run away through the door.
"Father, my good father! It turns out that you have never truly trusted me. You have been testing me and scheming against me!" Li Tai suddenly fell to the ground weakly, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Ignorance. Stupid, I was so stupid! I thought everything was in order and I was just waiting for victory! Unexpectedly, I fell into his trap from the beginning and never escaped! It’s over, everything should be over!”
"Your Highness, the situation has not reached such a desperate stage, right?" Du Zhenglun suppressed his panic and said, "Even if the King of Wu is not dead, he is still a commoner, so how can he be qualified to compete with you for the East Palace? The King of Jin is cowardly and incompetent, and he has no power in the court. Without any foundation, even Situ, who was once willing to help him, has given up on him - after all, you still have a chance of winning!"
"No, not even a little bit. This time, I lost completely and completely!" Li Tai lay weakly on the ground and muttered to himself, "Since Zhao Chong is from the father, then he will I must tell my father all the truth about the assassination of King Wu. Do you know what my father hates the most? Brothers fighting against each other! And things like the Xiangyang Dragon Qi... It’s all over!"
"Could it be that we lost at the hands of Zhao Chong, a ruthless fool?" Du Zhenglun shouted unwillingly.
"No, I didn't lose to Zhao Chong, I lost to..." Li Tai raised his head, his face was pale and bloodless, his pupils were full of despair, and he murmured, "My father!"
Du Zhenglun was stunned and speechless. He only felt that his whole body was cold and his heart was as gray as death. He said tremblingly: "Then... what should I do now? How about His Highness confess his crime as soon as possible? After all, His Highness is also His Majesty's biological flesh and blood. Even if there is a mistake, Your Majesty will be lenient."
"Is there still any meaning?" Li Tai grinned and said with a desperate smile, "After this defeat, the best ending for me is to be expelled from the imperial city like my elder brother, exiled to a remote and cold place, and will not be able to return for the rest of my life. Jing... Instead of living like that and begging for mercy, it would be better to just die!"
"Your Highness, no!" Du Zhenglun panicked and hurriedly grabbed King Wei, "The matter has not reached an irreversible point yet! After all, Li Ke has not yet entered the East Palace, and His Majesty has not yet mobilized troops to come to question the crime! Perhaps it is still Are there any variables? - Yes, there is Situ and uncle Changsun! You can go to him! His Majesty always obeys his advice, and as long as he comes forward to guarantee it, at least His Highness will be safe!"
"It's useless." Li Tai shook his head feebly, "You don't understand my father, and you don't understand my uncle. They can turn a blind eye to any trivial matter. Once it touches on major matters and the bottom line, my uncle will not care. Standing with my father without any hesitation, you become cruel and ruthless! ... Have you forgotten the Xuanwu Sect?"
When he heard the words "Xuanwumen", Du Zhenglun's expression suddenly turned to stone, and he thought in his heart: Yes! The emperor and Changsun Wuji will never be merciful when it comes to matters of principle! ... It seems that this time, King Wei, who seriously violated His Majesty's bottom line, will indeed have no chance to make a comeback! The best outcome for him may be to be the same as the former prince Li Chengqian...
"Let's go!" Li Tai suddenly said coldly, got up from the ground, sat upright, straightened his messy hair and robes, and said, "While everything has not settled yet, go and submit your duties." King Wu can save his life!"
"Why did Your Highness say this?" Du Zhenglun asked in surprise, "If a loyal minister does not serve the two masters, how can he betray his master and surrender to the enemy in the face of disaster?"
Li Tai grinned and sneered ashen as death, "Listen to my advice and let's go! King Wu will be blessed if he survives the catastrophe. It won't be long before he will be established as the crown prince. But he is in the court. The Shang party has few members and no deep foundation. At this time, it is time to recruit people to win people's hearts. As long as you take the initiative to plead guilty and surrender, he will definitely accept you generously without forgetting your past grudges, including those ministers and officials who have surrendered to me before. Say, let them all disperse and go! Let’s join King Wu as soon as possible! - I will be defeated if I fail, I don’t want to drag you to death together!”
"His Royal Highness King Wei!..." Du Zhenglun suddenly cried and knelt down, "Du won't leave! I won't leave! If I die, I will die with His Highness!"
"Why bother?" Li Tai said lightly, "The prosperity of the Du family is all on you. Do you want to ruin the entire family just for a moment's whim?... Don't worry, the situation has been decided, I, the king. I am already heartbroken. If I can save one more person at this last moment, I can repay you for following me, and it can also reduce the turmoil and the loss of talents for the Tang Dynasty... When a person is about to die, his words are too. Good! Listen to my advice and go!"
"King Wei!..." Du Zhenglun cried bitterly and kowtowed, banging his head.
"Let's go, my teacher... Mr. Du!" Li Tai slowly raised his hands and bowed to Du Zhenglun, "I was defeated by my father. I was so convinced that I reported my defeat. I have no other thoughts!... Next year this time At this time, if you can burn two pieces of yellow paper on my grave, I will feel so relieved!"
Du Zhenglun, whose face was full of tears, slowly raised his head and looked at King Wei who was bowing with his eyes wide open, feeling despair in his heart!
So, he stood up, took a few steps back, bowed to the ground, and said, "Weak minister Du Zhenglun, bid farewell to my king!"
Get up, take three steps back, and bow down!
"Sir, take care!..." Li Tai prostrated himself on the ground and closed his eyes.
At this time, in Penglai Hall.
King Li Ke of Wu and King Li Zhi of Jin, as well as Li Junxian and Wei Daizi, prostrated themselves before the bedside of Emperor Li Shimin. Next to them, there were Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Yaoshi and Chu Suiliang.
"Seeing that His Majesty is recovering well and that His Highness King Wu and His Highness King Jin have returned safely, I can feel relieved again." Li Jing stroked his beard and smiled, "This is really a blessing to the Tang Dynasty and a blessing to the world!"
Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others all laughed and nodded in agreement.
Although Li Shimin regained consciousness, he was still relatively weak. With a smile on his face, he said: "Sanlang, Zhinu, and all of you, please get up! I am very relieved to see that you all have returned safely. "
"Thank you, Father!" Li Ke and Li Zhi both stood up and stood aside.
Li Ke looked at Li Shimin worriedly, as if he had something to say, but he didn't dare to speak.
"Sanlang has something to say?" Li Shimin asked.
Li Ke suddenly turned around and knelt in front of the couch, "My son, I would like to ask my father for something!"
Everyone was slightly surprised and looked at King Wu.
"What's the matter with such a big fanfare?" Li Shimin asked calmly.
"My son..." Li Ke seemed to hesitate.
Changsun Wuji understood and waved his hand, and he and Li Jing and others all retreated. Only Li Shimin and Li Ke were left in the room.
"Say it!" Li Shimin said.
"I know that my father must already know the details of the Jingzhou case. Therefore, I am willing to ask..."
"What are you asking for?"
"My son is willing to ask my father to forgive the mistakes my fourth brother made in a moment of confusion!" Li Ke said, "Now my son is safe and has not suffered any harm! Moreover, my fourth brother also ordered someone to protect me. , Don't hurt my life! It can be seen that the fourth brother also has good intentions, and he has no intention of fratricide! ... Please forgive the fourth brother and don't punish him!"
After saying that, Li Kebai fell down and put his head on the ground, "I beg your father to grant me your permission!"
Li Shimin narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Ke, who was kneeling on the ground, and was speechless for a long time.
"Have I ever said that I want to punish Qingque?" Li Shimin said suddenly, "Everyone can make mistakes. If you know your mistakes and you can correct them, there is no greater good than withering away. I also saw that there was still a trace of kindness in his heart, so I The secret sect Li Chunfeng took care of Zhongnan Mountain. Ke'er, forget about this! ... You just need to remember that no matter what happened in the past or what will happen in the future, Qingque and Zhinu are your brothers. , they all have the same blood! Even a thousand years or ten thousand years can’t change this fact! So, never put a sword on your brother’s neck. If you do this, I won’t! I will let you go. No one in the world will let you go. Qing Shi Dan Shu and your conscience will never let you go either!"
Li Ke's heart beat wildly involuntarily, and he knelt on the ground and replied in panic, "My son, please remember your father's teachings! You will never forget them until you die!"
"Go back and have a rest, and see your mother and concubine to report that you are safe." Li Shimin seemed to be tired, he sighed and said, "Go out and ask the palace servants to call Qingque to see me."
"Yes, I will retire..."
Li Ke exited the palace and just walked outside the palace gate when he saw Changsun Wuji, Li Jing and others standing in front of the open fence of Longwei Road, looking up into the distance. Li Ke looked in that direction and was shocked!
There was a place not far from the palace, with thick smoke billowing and fire rising into the sky!
Li Ke ran over in a hurry and asked in surprise: "What's going on?"
Changsun Wuji's face was livid, his eyebrows were furrowed, and a few words burst out from between his teeth, "Prince Wei's Mansion... is on fire!"