Prince Taki sat in the East Palace, quietly listening to the sound of the piano not far away.
"I don't think I've ever really been myself in my life," said Prince Taki.
"How could it be?" Chao Luowen replied, "You have Princess Wuying, Her Royal Highness Juiciao, the people of Jiang, and us."
Prince Taki smiled wryly, without explaining much, Ju Ling said that he was very sad, and specially sent Chao Luowen to accompany him. He always disliked Juicong, but his nephew was very fond of him. From the old patriarch to Chao Luowen, they all regarded him as a proof of the future of the two clans.
"We always look at what we don't have," Chao Luowen said, "but often forget what we have."
Prince Taki said that this is a proverb of Feng Rong people. Since he was a child, his mother has repeatedly reminded him to cherish what he has. After she married Juicong, Juicong didn't love her very much, but she still entertained herself in Luoyan, opened up a small world in the garden, raised her little fox, and went to chat with Empress Dowager Jiang every day, asking questions Well, teach my son to draw, read and read.
During her lifetime, she often said to Prince Taki that mother will leave you and father will leave you, but we are like stars in the sky and galloping horses on the ground. After death, we become all things and stay by your side.
Her open-mindedness and optimism are very similar to Jiang Heng today.
Fengrong people are also very open about life and death. The three tribes outside the Great Wall are indifferent to life and death. Unlike the Yong people, they regard death as a top priority. Confucianism prohibits discussing all matters after death, and they do not believe in ghosts and gods in the world. It means that when a person dies, nothing is left.
Feng Rong people are quite critical of Confucianism. After all, to explain people's life in this way, it is natural to have to gain more benefits before death.
"Don't respect the gods, have nothing to fear, that's why you are fighting for the world." The old patriarch even taught Juicong this way when he was alive.
At that time, Ju Cong smiled and said, "You are right."
After all, people have a life, even if they kill tens of millions of people, they will only use their own life to pay for it, so what can he do with him? In this way, whoever has the stronger power will win.
What about the Feng Rong people? They believe that if they do too much evil while they are alive, they will be punished by the wrath of the gods after death, and they will suffer endlessly in purgatory. So in Sanhu, if you can solve it without killing people, try not to use it unless you have to.
Geng Yuan is the best example. At the beginning, he killed six people and created a sea of blood in the world, but how can people in the world retaliate against him? He had such a life that he died when he died, and it is said that he had no regrets before his death. From this point of view, it was Ju Cong who won. After all, the number of lives in his hands is innumerable, and the life and death of people are often determined by "righteousness", and more often it is him. Satisfy their own maddened desire for power and turn them into blood-stained paving stones.
Now, he is finally dead. Are the ordinary people who are ruined and ruined, willing? Unwilling, what can he do with him
Chao Luowen said again: "I heard the courtiers talking."
"I heard it too," Prince Taki replied, feeling overwhelmed, "check it out."
"Do you believe it?" Chao Luowen said.
He is an upright and dependable older brother, married at the age of seventeen, and has a daughter.
He is more reliable than Geng Shu, and he speaks as little as Geng Shu. Most of the time, Chao Luowen leads troops in Yong State, and rarely accompanies him. Prince Taki knew very well that the target of Chao Luowen's saddle, front and back, would not be Ju Ling or Ju Cong, it was him.
Just as Geng Shu gave everything to Jiang Heng, Zhao Luowen's sacrifice was also to the future heir of Prince Taki.
After the Battle of Jeju, a saying began to circulate in the army: Jiang Heng and Geng Shu conspired to get rid of Juicong.
"If I believe in the rumors," said Prince Taki, "I will ask my brother when I am."
Thinking is very clear, he does not believe, does not want to hear such words again.
Chao Luowen didn't say much, he shook his head, and said, "You want a small one."
"What is it?" Prince Taki said with a tired smile, "Someone killed the king, is it going to kill me again?"
Chao Luowen hesitated, but finally gave up the idea of persuading him. He said that this cousin understands better than anyone else. Just like his mother, he usually doesn't want to argue with people.
"He killed himself." Prince Taki sighed and said, "It's a human being, not a god. Humans will always die."
"Some people say that too." Chao Luowen took out his sword, glanced at it, and pushed it back into the scabbard. Anyway, no matter who, if he wanted to touch Prince Taki, he would use the sword in his hand to protect him. But don't worry.
"Go check it out." Prince Taki listened to the "Yueren Song" from a distance, and said, "I guess the person who spread the rumors is Wei Ben."
"It is not appropriate to deal with generals now." Chao Luowen reminded.
"I understand." Prince Taki nodded.
After his father's death, the army was very unstable, and now it is all relying on Ju Ling, Geng Shu and Chao Luowen to sit in the army. Dealing with the Wei family at this time will definitely attract distrust from the rest of the army.
Prince Taki knew very well that Wei Zhuo died in Anyang before and was hit by Geng Shu. Although Geng Shu didn't kill him with a ruthless hand, he hacked his warhorse to death. But Wei Zhuo was very old, so frightened, he fell off the horse again, couldn't hold it the next day, and died in depression.
He believed that Dao Weiben hated Geng Shu, but he did not believe that He Weizhuo would conflict with them, and he could temporarily attribute it to the hatred between the Wei family and Jiang Heng when he rescued Di Ren. Down.
Chao Luo Wen put away his sword, came over and touched the head of Prince Taki, indicating that he should rest early.
The documents piled up on the court case table, Prince Taki, was quite exhausted, and he still had a lot to do.
In the middle of the night, Jie Gui woke up and went out without waking Jiang Heng. He gently closed the door and sat at the door all night.
Until early in the morning, Geng Shu opened the door and came out and was waiting outside Jiang Heng's door. The two were like two guards.
Jie Gui measured Geng Shu, and Geng Shu also stayed up all night, looking up at the sky, unmoved.
"You don't want it, right?" Jie Gui said, "If you don't want it, it's mine."
Geng Shu did not answer. Jie Gui said, "This is what the Ju family owes me. I've waited for a long time. It's first come first, and I'm the one who came first."
Geng Shu still didn't answer. Jie Gui thought for a while, touched his head, and said, "I always think he likes me a little more, what do you think?"
Geng Shu got up and left silently.
Jiang Heng pushed open the door in the room and said displeasedly, "Where's the person? Come here."
Geng Shu was still very patient and asked, "Who is your name?"
"Call you." Jiang Heng said, "Help me put this away, don't look at it."
Jiang Heng handed a letter to Geng Shu, Geng Shu glanced at it, there was no sign on the letter, but it was an envelope from the Peach Blossom Palace, which was expected to be given to Jiang Heng by the Queen Mother, so he put it in his arms.
"This is for Zhouyou." Jiang Heng handed another document to Jie Gui, "I want to take a break for the past two days. I won't discuss politics. I can walk around Anyang by myself, and don't need to follow me."
"That won't work," Jie Gui said with a smile on his face, and said to Jiang Heng, "I'll follow you from a distance, just don't be offended."
Jiang Heng didn't insist, looked at the vision, and turned away.
On this day, he made an annotation on the file and handed it over to the prince Taki and his advisors to discuss and decide, so he could breathe a sigh of relief and rest for a while. Without waiting for Jie Gui to arrive, he walked out of Anyang Palace on foot. Autumn came, and the maple leaves in Anyang were beautiful, layer upon layer from the mountain to the foot of the mountain.
Not long ago, he and Geng Shu suffered a fatal accident here, and nearly died under the design of Juicong. The people of Liang got wind that Ju Cong died and the war was about to end, so they moved the capital one after another and restored the market.
Jiang Heng walked out of the palace and saw that Geng Shu kept a distance of nearly twenty paces from him and followed him not far away.
Jiang Heng glanced at him, Geng Shu crossed the maple leaves in the sky and stopped. Jiang Heng looked at him for a while, then turned around and walked away, and Geng Shu started to follow again.
Jie Gui went to see the prince Taki, and followed him, falling behind Jiang Heng, following with Geng Shu, and did not approach Jiang Heng.
"What do you think he wants most in his life?" Jie Gui suddenly asked Geng Shu.
"I don't say it." Geng Shu said this time.
Jie Gui said: "I said Juicy Lang."
"Then I won't say anything." Geng Shu said coldly, "Just his ambition."
Jie Gui smiled. Seeing Jiang Heng standing in front of the market, he quickened his pace to follow him. Jiang Heng did not drive away Jie Gui, but wandered and watched in the market. In front of the stall, people were selling ginkgo leaves and maple leaves in rings, like golden-red flowers, which were bought by Liang people to pay homage to their relatives who died in the war.
Jiang Heng wanted to buy a bunch, so he touched his body, but he didn't bring any money.
"I have," Jie Gui said at this time, "how much to buy."
"One bunch will do." Jiang Heng turned his head again and glanced at Geng Shu in the distance, who was standing quietly.
"The weather is fine in autumn," Jie Gui said. "Let's go to the mountains to eat."
In the palace, Prince Taki first inspected the court today, encouraged the ministers, and then read the military newspaper. When the ministers saw him come out of sadness, the sadness was genuine, regardless of the previous quarrel between the father and son, and even more so. people admire.
This is also expected, after all, Ju Cong has such a biological son, and it is not feasible to waste storage. When Prince Taki was grounded, Zeng Rong and the others were still fortunate that they had few births because of the lack of juice.
It is taboo for princes to kill each other in any country and in any era, because after taking the throne, there must be a purge, and many people who have spent their resources to train the country will die in vain.
Prince Taki has gradually grown up over the years. When Ju Cong fought, he and a group of staff handled domestic affairs. The transition between the state and politics was very smooth. He always remembers what Jiang Heng said, governing the country is like cooking a small fish. After getting a fish, what to do first and what to do later, step by step, in an orderly manner.
Although the military affairs are cumbersome, but with Geng Shu there, it will not be confusing.
It took six or seven days for the imperial court to regain its vitality, and even if Guan Wei retires and Lu Ji delegates power, it will not have much impact.
Prince Taki went to the study and reported to Luo Wen's office, but he didn't come in person. It was another person - Wei Ben who came to see him. As he expected, the rumors came from Wei Ben. of.
Wei Ben saluted, but did not speak.
"You owe me an explanation." Prince Taki said.
Wei Ben looked humiliated.
Prince Taki looked at him, Wei Ben was over forty years old, he was older than Chao Luowen, and his martial arts skills were not as good, let alone compared to Geng Shu. This year, the Wei family is ushering in the destined fate of the nobles, declining year by year, with no successor. The Wei family did not have the same talented civil servants as the Zeng family, nor did the Geng family have as many outstanding young talents.
When his grandfather was still alive, the Wei family was in full swing, controlling nearly half of the Yong Kingdom. After his uncle Ju Lang took the throne, he restricted the power of the four nobles. The Wei family realized the danger and chose to keep a low profile. The result is not small, and the low-key is too low, which leads to the withering of talents, and the Zeng family seizes the opportunity.
Even so, Wei Zhuo, as Juicong's companion in those years, still has an indispensable place.
If Ju Cong is in power, even if he becomes the Supreme Emperor, the Wei family will not be in danger. When three of the four noble families chose the East Palace, Wei Zhuo implemented his line and stayed by Juicong's side unswervingly.
If things go well, after Ju Cong dominates the world, the Wei family will be the hero of the emperor's founding of the country. Unexpectedly, everything was shattered overnight. The sudden death of Juicong caught the Wei family by surprise, and the head of the family, Wei Zhuo, died in Anyang.
Fortunately, Juicong remembered Wei Zhuo's loyalty, and he still paved the way for his descendants. After the Battle of Luoyan, he made Wei Ben the commander of the garrison army, and his official title was General Huwei.
The Imperial Forest Army is the emperor's absolute own. He hinted to the prince Taki countless times that the Wei family has absolute loyalty to the royal family and must treat Wei Ben's descendants well.
Thinker
Prince Taki didn't say too much, he still regarded Wei Ben and his own people, just like Chao Luowen, Geng Shu and Jiang Heng.
"I have something to do," Wei Ben said, "His Royal Highness is better not to talk about it."
Prince Taki frowned, originally in his plan, no matter what Wei Ben said, he would scold him for a few words and tell him not to say it again, so let it go.
But Wei Ben's answer made him suspicious.
"What's the matter?" Prince Taki said, "So, Gu, I have to ask you a question today, and am I wronging you?"
Wei Ben looked at Prince Taki, and Prince Taki said coldly, "What happened that day?"
Wei Ben finally replied: "I don't know either, that order to kill was issued by the late king."
Wei Ben knew a lot of things. In fact, Wei Zhuo had hinted to him long ago, and even Wei Ben had already revealed the inside story of the year. But he didn't dare to say it, or didn't dare to say it at this time, because he couldn't figure out Prince Taki's temper, let alone if he would be the next Ju Cong.
If it is Juicong, after getting the truth, he will definitely order him to design to kill Geng Shu and Jiang Heng first, and then silence him along the way.
He needs to test Prince Taki's attitude, but the other party's behavior makes him suspicious.
Prince Taki doesn't seem to agree with Juicong's behavior, and there are rumors of father and son separation in the court and the public, so it seems that Wei Ben needs to be smaller.
"So you attacked them?" Prince Taki said bluntly.
This sentence makes Wei Ben unable to answer, how can I defy Juicong's order? ! Who dares to defy? You dare to disobey, because you are his son!
"As a minister," Prince Taki said, "what is loyalty to the lord? It is to discourage him when he does something wrong! People are not perfect, so if he asks you to kill you, kill you? Have you ever asked anything? ?"
When Wei Ben heard this, he was even more fortunate that he didn't blurt out the words just now. His father's words during his lifetime were half good. Prince Taki was already poisoned. , killed his father!
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Ben lowered his head without arguing.
"Forget it." Prince Taki didn't like to blame people, and he didn't want to see his courtiers too sad, so he finally whispered, "The commander, don't say such things again."
"Yes." Wei Ben said lightly.