***
It seemed incredible that a piece of news related to the emperor's health, which had not yet been fully confirmed, immediately caused undercurrents in the city of Nanjing.
But think about it, if Kim Jong-un disappears for a few days in the future, the whole world will be speculating about what changes will happen in North Korea's political situation. Moreover, those in Nanjing are in the "eye of the storm" at the moment. If there is any sudden change, everyone will be swept up in the storm. Personal honor and disgrace, the continuation of bloodline, the survival of the family, everything will be swept up in it... ...
Among them, there are inevitably some who harbor grievances or hidden ambitions. When the emperor is healthy, his power of deterrence is like a heavy mountain, tightly suppressing those ambitious people; but once this power of deterrence weakens, those ambitions that have been tightly suppressed will inevitably surge under the surface, trying to lift the heavy pressure on them and fight for power and status for themselves.
The Qin Dynasty was established too recently, and the princes were too young. The emperor could not even find a close brother or uncle, except for forcing distant relatives from Zhongzhou to serve as members of the royal family. The rule of the Qin Dynasty was entirely based on the authority of the emperor alone.
Once anything happens to the emperor, the entire Qin Dynasty will immediately fall apart, and I am afraid that no one will be able to maintain the stability of the situation.
Qin Mu was healthy, so subconsciously he felt that his deterrent power had not changed. This subconsciousness made him underestimate the seriousness of the matter.
He believed that as long as he met with a group of ministers, all the rumors would be dispelled.
He did receive them, Qin Liangyu, as well as Lu Zhenfei, Yang Tinglin, Meng Ke, Liu Meng, Ma Yongzhen and other important civil and military officials. A king should not joke. In order not to bear the bad reputation of deceiving ministers, he told the ministers that he was just too tired yesterday. He just felt a little uncomfortable, but it was nothing serious. After a night's rest, he was fine.
***
"If it was really just a slight discomfort, any imperial physician could have prescribed a tonic prescription. Why was the director of the Imperial Hospital, Wu Youxing, so panicked? Why did all the most skilled imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital gather together to discuss the condition?"
"Brother, are you saying that... the emperor is trying to cover up his mistake?"
"The Imperial Hospital recruits the best doctors in the world. If it is really just overwork that causes physical discomfort, any doctor can see it at a glance, and there is no need to discuss it together. If Qin Mu does not meet with a group of ministers, or even clearly states that he is unwell, it may not be a big deal."
"Brother, maybe the imperial physician is just too nervous. After all, the emperor is really meeting with the ministers..."
"Then why did the commander of Yebushou, Huang Lianshan, continue to investigate the cause? And why did he send his confidant to Jiangyin?"
"That's... not bad. If it's really because the imperial physician was too nervous, then Huang Lianshan's actions are inexplicable."
"Huang Lianshan controls Ye Bushou. What kind of person is he? Even he is investigating the truth about Qin Mu's body. Doesn't he know that this could bring him death? Yet he still investigates this matter despite the world's disapproval. Doesn't this prove something?"
"Brother, what should we do? Should we let Fifth Brother..."
"As for my fifth brother, he must be prepared early. You can tell this to Li Fu first. I believe he will be very interested."
"Well, I'll send someone over right away. Brother, I don't think Lu Wang Zhu Yihai can be trusted. He's nothing but a drunkard."
"Is it not good to be a good-for-nothing? All we need is a name. On the other hand, we need to give a push to the Li Mansion, otherwise he may not dare to move."
"Brother, are you saying that we should put the blame on Jiangdong and force the Li family to take action first?"
"Um."
***
Li Guo, Duke of E, had lunch at a restaurant on the street, then got on a carriage and drove around a few streets aimlessly. The rainy season in the south of the Yangtze River is a bit annoying, the sky is gloomy, the rain is confusing, and it seems that there will never be a clear day.
The umbrellas filled the streets, making the already crowded streets even more blocked and wet. Li Guo turned around and finally stopped in front of the residence of Linqing Marquis Liu Tichun.
Liu Tichun, also known as Liu Tiren and Erhu, called himself Flying Tiger in Li Zicheng's army. After Li Zicheng's death, he joined Qin Mu's army together with Hao Yaoqi, Liang Tao, Gu Junen, Song Xiance and others.
When Liu Tichun and others defected to Qin Mu, Li Guo and Gao Yigong were leading tens of thousands of troops and were stuck between Xiangyang and Jingmen, unable to advance or retreat. They were not in the 200,000-strong army led by Li Zicheng at that time. This has always been Li Guo's biggest regret.
After Li Guo entered the Linqing Marquis's mansion, he found that Shang Shanbo Liang Tao was also there. He sat down and drank some tea, chatted about some family matters, and then talked about some old things. Liu Tichun asked the servants to bring wine, and the three of them chatted and drank, and finally inevitably talked about Qin Mu's health.
Li Guo said goodbye and left after he was a little drunk. The mist and rain were still hazy, and the scenery on the street was a little blurry, making it difficult to see clearly.
Whether it was the effect of alcohol or some other reason, Li Guo felt inexplicably irritated. In name, he was the commander-in-chief of the Right Army, but because of his special status, Qin Mu was always wary of him.
People like Gao Yigong, Hao Yaoqi and others were given important positions after surrendering to Qin. Qin Mu could let them lead the troops to fight on their own; but he, the commander-in-chief of the right army, was actually just a decoration. Li Guo never had the opportunity to fight on his own.
In order to avoid suspicion, he now interfered as little as possible in the affairs of the Right Army Governor's Office. Even so, he was still impeached by imperial officials from time to time based on groundless accusations.
Things in this world are always like this: if the emperor likes someone, there will be people who flatter him; if the emperor dislikes someone, there will definitely be people who pounce on him and bite him.
In the past few years, Li Guo has been living on thin ice.
Li Guo returned to the mansion in a carriage, and a servant immediately came up to him and whispered, "Duke, Mr. Song asked me to go to the study as soon as you return to the mansion."
"I understand." Li Guo responded lightly and walked towards the study along the corridor of his home.
As soon as he arrived at the door of the study, his trusted adviser Song Wanqing came out and bowed. Li Guo asked him to stand up and go into the study together. The study was divided into two rooms, one bright and one dark. The outer room was where guests were usually received, and the inner room was the most private place for the owner. Except for Song Wanqing, no one else was allowed to enter.
As soon as Li Guo entered the outer room, he saw a monk sitting on the guest seat outside. "You..." Li Guo was shocked and surprised at once, and looked up and down at the monk in the room, "Niu... ... .....why are you here?"
"Why should the governor be surprised when an old friend visits?"
"Humph!" Li Guo snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves and said, "Go away, you are not welcome in this mansion."
"Don't worry, Governor. Just listen to me and I'll finish. It won't be too late for you to order us to leave."
"Don't bother trying to talk nonsense with me. My adoptive father valued you two so much! But you two, when you saw that the situation was not right, you immediately absconded. Humph, you actually have the nerve to come and see me today."
"Governor, I'm sorry to say that. We had no choice at the beginning. I calculated that the late emperor... Well, let's not talk about it. My father and I left because we were waiting for this day. Governor, the fate of Dashun is not over yet. I observed the sky at night and found that Nanjing must have a big change in the near future. So I hurried here to help the governor complete the unfinished cause of the late emperor..."
"What did you say? Come on, show the guest out!" Li Guo's face was as cold as ice and he drove the guest away in a cold voice.
"The governor has been preparing in secret, so why should he deceive himself? I observed the celestial phenomena, and the Purple Star is dim. The three stars of Qi Sha, Po Jun and Tan Lang are all approaching the center of the star. This is a sign that the central government is about to be in chaos. This is the governor's last chance, and it is also the best time for the revival of the Dashun Dynasty. My father and I have endured humiliation and hidden our identities, waiting for this day. As the saying goes, if you don't advance, you will retreat. According to my observations, if the governor misses this opportunity, he will soon be killed..."
"You..." Li Guo was furious, but suddenly, he shuddered and remembered the strange rumor that the emperor was ill. But he was one of the people who attended the court today. At that time, the emperor looked normal and showed no signs of being seriously ill.
At this time, Song Wanqing, whom he relied on as a confidant, whispered in his ear: "Commander-in-chief, I just received reliable information that many imperial doctors have indeed discussed the emperor's condition in secret, and the commander of the Night Army, Huang Lianshan, has sent his confidant to Jiangyin, most likely to secretly bring the prince back..."
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.(To be continued..)
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