There is some light snow in the sky, with a bone-chilling coldness. The sky is bright and there are almost no pedestrians. The snowy light reflects the faintly visible gate. Armored soldiers are patrolling in front of the house, and flags are fluttering in the wind.
Not far from Prince Lu's Mansion, several shops had their lights on. I looked at them and saw that they were selling wonton soup cakes. I chose one of the hotels.
As soon as Xie Chengdong arrived at the door, a young man wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket came up to him: "Here, do you want wontons?"
"Let's have some wine to warm ourselves up, some more dishes, and a bowl of wontons. Is there any room on the second floor?" Xie Chengdong asked.
"Sir, there is a seat on the second floor, please." The waiter led him up. There were unexpectedly a few people upstairs. Xie Chengdong was sitting by the window in the direction of Prince Lu's Mansion.
"Sir, you'll be there soon." The clerk turned around and left.
After opening the window, the wind blew in and brought some snowflakes, but Xie Chengdong didn't care. Looking from a distance, everything was normal, so he frowned: "What went wrong?"
The wine came immediately, and it was still hot. Xie Chengdong poured himself a glass and drank it. He suddenly felt a warm current, and his internal organs were warm, followed by a few side dishes.
Xie Chengdong had been busy all night, and his stomach was empty. Even though he had something on his mind, he still ate delicious food. Then, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves.
When he looked around in surprise, he saw a large group of armored soldiers marching towards them, on foot and on horseback, with a neat military appearance.
"They are the emperor's own troops!" Xie Chengdong immediately knew something was wrong with just one look. There were probably 300 people in total. They gathered in front of Prince Lu's Mansion and lined up solemnly, exuding an impressive majesty. Military discipline was strict and there was no noise.
A general jumped off his horse, looked at it without saying a word, waved his hand, and the infantry stepped forward, along the wall of Prince Lu's Mansion, taking three steps, one sentry, five steps, and one post, all standing looking intently.
"How could the emperor's own army surround the palace?" Xie Chengdong said nothing. An ominous premonition suddenly hit his heart, and he couldn't help but shudder.
Just then, I was listening to the conversation at the next table: "Don't you know, something big happened last night? The prince was attacked and several guards died?"
"With the martial law in the middle of the night, many people were unable to return home and had to stay in a nearby hotel for one night."
"Look, this soldier should be protecting Prince Lu's Mansion."
"The prince was attacked?" Xie Chengdong's expression changed. He knew something serious had happened. He took a breath of fresh air, calmed down, and threw out a penny: "There's no need to look for it."
After saying that, he turned around and left. The waiter's eyes were full of surprise. After just a few mouthfuls, he just left
But the money has been paid, and the waiter murmured: "What a rich man."
Saying this, he took a bite of the roast chicken that had just been placed on the table. He looked out the window and saw Prince Lu's Mansion surrounded outside the window, and he was immediately shocked.
"No, there are soldiers surrounding Prince Lu's Mansion." The waiter exclaimed, and those in the building who hadn't noticed yet crowded toward the window to take a look.
"Suck" made everyone gasp for air for a moment.
"Don't talk nonsense, trouble comes from your mouth." The boss scolded the waiter: "Why don't you go clean it up?"
Prince's Mansion·Hall
The prince had been washed and put on new clothes, and his face was full of joy, but his face was still a little pale. Last night, he saw the general killing the guards brazenly, and he was still frightened, but he finally did it.
On the right are Pei Ziyun and the eldest princess sitting below, holding celadon flower teacups and drinking ginseng soup. The beast stove continuously spits out hot air, making the room warm.
Today Pei Ziyun was wearing a patterned white dress with a light red belt around his waist, and he was also drinking ginseng soup.
"This tactic is very effective. I wonder how King Lu will be reprimanded by his father?" The prince muttered in a daze, as if it was a little unreal.
After the eldest princess finished drinking, she took a long breath and stood up: "Speaking of this, I think that some ministers will definitely come to express condolences to the prince today."
"When the prince is assassinated, it is impossible not to ignore it, or there will be an imperial doctor coming. Some excuses must be made up first, and then one by one will be dealt with." The eldest princess is very attentive and speaks clearly on these small things.
"Auntie is right, what do you think?" The prince looked at Pei Ziyun, and now his trust in Pei Ziyun had greatly increased.
After hearing what the prince said, Pei Ziyun was silent for a while and then said: "When something like this happens, the emperor may not have doubts. This is one of them."
"Secondly, most fathers, unless absolutely necessary, always think about preservation. A tiger's poison cannot eat its seeds. There are likes and dislikes, but there is a limit. Anyone who crosses the limit will be beaten."
"Although the prince is the victim of the attack, if he is aggressive, it will definitely arouse His Majesty's suspicion."
"Especially since the Emperor doesn't have many heirs and only has three grown-up children, it is even more difficult to get hurt. Therefore, the Prince must not add insult to injury. The Emperor will definitely ask questions. Just say that Prince Lu and I are brothers and that this assassination was framed by a villain. There is no reason to blame anyone for alienating one another."
"If the prince says this, the emperor can make up his mind to pull out King Lu's nails in the capital one by one. If the prince is aggressive, the emperor will be displeased and even save his life. This confusion will not be rectified."
"Prince, think about it for yourself. You are a father. Even if you are a heir, don't you want your brothers to be harmonious and at least leave some dignity to your other sons?"
The prince listened, chewed carefully, and sighed: "That's true."
Pei Ziyun laughed: "You are the prince, and you already possess the famous weapon. There is no need to kill King Lu. You just need to wipe it out so that King Lu can't interfere. As for other things, when you ascend the throne, the power of the world will be in your hands. Lu Why does the king have to fight with you?"
The prince nodded repeatedly, slowly turned around and sat down, stretched out his hand to take the ginseng soup and took another sip, saying, "That's the truth, that's the truth."
"His Royal Highness, Prime Minister Liang Yuanzhi is here to request an audience." The discussion in the room was finished when a eunuch's voice came from outside.
The prince just heard Pei Ziyun's discussion and was still thinking about it. It took him a while to react and said, "Okay, I'll be here right away."
She stood up and hurried away. The eldest princess couldn't help but frowned when she saw it, and turned to look at Pei Ziyun: "Should we work harder, otherwise I will always be a little uneasy?"
"No need, if this happens, anyone who doesn't like King Lu will take action!" Pei Ziyun said with emotion: "The prince is the crown prince of a country, and he was assassinated. This shakes the foundation of the country. Now he can resist impeachment. With this Several kinds of people.”
"One is King Lu's people, no need to say more."
"The second is people who are not qualified to write letters. This is also easy to distinguish."
"There are also people who are overly cautious."
"These people can be listed one by one. After observing them, the distribution of power in the entire government and opposition parties will be inclined, and it will be clear at a glance."
The eldest princess listened very carefully, but she didn't pay too much attention to these items. She hesitated for a while and said, "Oh, are what you just said true or false?"
The eldest princess is involved in these matters, so she has to be cautious.
"It's true. As long as the prince has an attitude of protecting my brother, it is enough. Founding a prosperous country, inheriting the world, and being a kind king is the king's way."
"With the prince's attitude, His Majesty the Emperor will most likely close the case quickly. If the prince adds insult to injury, it will arouse King Lu's resistance and the emperor's anger. The authenticity of the note and its origins will be investigated. At that time, there is no telling whether all this will be exposed."
"The prince is not here, so I will go deeper. King Lu will be seriously injured after this incident. When the prince ascends to the throne, it will be a matter of order to deal with King Lu. Why should we kill them all now and make the emperor hurt or even frightened?"
"The emperor is still the emperor. If you really want to depose the prince at all costs, as long as you are willing to pay the price, no one can stop him. This should be kept in mind."
"You really shouldn't move too much. After this battle, the prince's world will be safe." The eldest princess sighed and said, "If King Lu ascends the throne, it will be a blessing to the world."
Pei Ziyun glanced at the eldest princess but did not answer. According to the memory of the original owner, the emperor would die next year. After this battle, King Lu's vitality would be severely damaged. How much power can the Qi Xuan Sect still have
outer hall
Liang Yuanzhi was led by the eunuch and saw someone in the Prince's Mansion supervising dozens of servants to clear the snow. Everyone turned sideways and gave way with their hands down.
Liang Yuanzhi glanced at them and found that except for a few strange snowmen, everything else was normal, so he ignored them and walked over, followed the corridor and turned around a rockery pond and entered the hall.
Seeing Liang Yuanzhi come in, the princes all stood up to greet him. Seeing Liang Yuanzhi about to salute, he took a step forward and held it with both hands, saying: "You are the prime minister, and you have given me the imperial city to be able to enter the sedan chair. How can I be worthy of it? Please sit down."
Looking at Liang Yuanzhi's thin face, he said: "After the New Year, you look good, but your hair is a little grayer!"
"You are getting older every year, how can you not be white? The prince is in his prime. I feel at ease and like it in my heart - you weren't hurt or shocked last night, were you?" Liang Yuanzhi looked carefully. The prince's features were very similar to those of the emperor in his youth. Although his face is a little pale, a little tired, and there are a little more blue circles under his eyes, he has thick eyebrows and eyes that look like paint, so he doesn't seem to be in serious trouble.
"It's okay for me, the assassin didn't get close." The prince said with a smile: "To say it was a bit scary, it was the first time that I saw someone kill someone within ten feet of me. But I was really not hurt. I decided to go back to my house. Calm down and use some soup, it won’t hurt.”
After saying that, he asked again: "What is the purpose of the Prime Minister coming to my father's place?"
"The emperor is just worried about the prince. He didn't sleep all night. When it was dawn, he sent an old minister to come and see. If the prince was okay, would he come to the palace to pay his respects and make the emperor feel at ease?" Liang Yuanzhi said immediately.
"What Xiangguo said is that I wanted to wait until my father gets up before going in to see him. Since he's not asleep, we can't keep him waiting for a long time. Let's go now!" The prince immediately stood up and said loudly.
Liang Yuanzhi couldn't help but nodded secretly, the prince was getting better and better.
He said he was going immediately, but actually he still had to change clothes.
After changing clothes, he put on the prince's uniform, a red robe, coiled collar and narrow sleeves, gold-woven dragons on both shoulders, and coiled dragons on the chest and back, a jade belt, and black boots. After getting dressed, he went out with Liang Yuanzhi. As soon as the two of them went out, this At that time, the sun gradually rose and the snow gradually stopped, but a gust of wind blew and it was bitingly cold.
"Get in Gu's car, there's a hot pot." The prince said, and Liang Yuanzhi didn't refuse, got in together, and headed towards the palace.
(End of chapter)