Xiao Yi is here!
The corners of Pingyanghou's mouth curled slightly, but the next moment, the smile on his lips froze. Behind Xiao Yi, there was another person. That person was wearing a thick cloak inlaid with ermine hair, with a handsome face. , a pair of seemingly gentle eyes are like a pool of deep water, bottomless.
Pingyanghou couldn't help but gasped.
An Yihou Guan Yubai!
But why is he here? !
Could it be that Xiao Yi called Guan Yubai
Why
Thinking of a certain possibility, Hou Pingyang's pupils shrank slightly, and his eyes were uncertain.
If Xiao Yi had been sending someone to watch him secretly, then he might not be able to hide the fact that he met Li Yunqi just now. Did Xiao Yi already guess what Li Yunqi said to him just now...
In other words, Xiao Yi and Guan Yubai knew why they came here
The more Pingyang Hou thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he suspected that today would not be as smooth as he thought.
Under Pingyanghou's complex eyes, Xiao Yi and Guan Yubai walked side by side towards the hall and crossed the high threshold.
"Happy New Year, Lord Hou." Xiao Yi said with a smile, casually cupped his hands at Pingyang Hou, and sat down on the upper chair.
Guan Yubai sat down opposite Pingyanghou, and nodded slightly as a compliment.
So far, it doesn't make sense to think too much, maybe they are playing tricks and bluffing? ! Pingyanghou said to himself in his heart.
For the current plan, it is necessary to cut through the mess with a sharp knife, so he will cheat them!
"Master," Marquis Pingyang glanced tentatively between Xiao Yi and Guan Yubai, and asked straightforwardly, "You and I don't speak dark words, is the third son-in-law in your hands?!"
After Pingyanghou suspected that Guan Yubai's coming to southern Xinjiang might be his and Xiao Yi's plan, he boldly made more speculations, whether the two people had already made a plan last year or even earlier. A big game, a game that includes the emperor... Maybe even Kui Lang's coming to southern Xinjiang is part of this game.
If his guess is correct, then Kui Lang who was kidnapped by Xiao Yi's people may be in danger...
Ping Yanghou's gaze finally stopped on Xiao Yi, staring at him without blinking, trying to put pressure on him, but Xiao Yi still smiled, and even smiled brighter.
"So what?" Xiao Yi said calmly.
Xiao Yi actually admitted it? ! Marquis Pingyang's eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked at Guan Yubai again. He was holding the blue and white porcelain teacup in both hands, sipping tea leisurely. Obviously, he was not surprised by what Xiao Yi said.
Sure enough, these two people have indeed colluded together for a long time! And they didn't intend to keep it a secret? !
Why
Could it be that they think it doesn't matter if they let themselves know
Marquis Pingyang could hardly think calmly, since he came to Bixiao Hall, the development of the situation was completely beyond his expectation.
The words have been exported, and it is hard to take back.
There is no turning back, so don't panic...
Pingyang Hou pretended to be calm, squinting his eyes slightly, his eyes were like sharp swords out of their sheaths, showing their sharpness.
He said threateningly: "My lord, Marquis An Yi, have you ever thought about what will happen to you... and the Zhennan Palace if the emperor finds out?"
Xiao Yi raised his eyebrows, leaned lazily on the back of the chair, looked at Pingyang Hou and asked without answering, "What will happen?"
Marquis Pingyang choked, he wanted to say that his house would be ransacked and his family would be wiped out, but how could Xiao Yi not know about this!
Xiao Yi sneered disdainfully, and asked himself and answered directly: "Master Hou thinks the emperor will steal my Zhennan Palace? Since Lord Hou is a military lord, he must know the strength of Dayu's army. Who can be a general?"
The "general" Xiao Yi mentioned is naturally a general who is capable of attacking the Zhennan Palace.
Pingyanghou thought for a while, his barely calm face almost froze.
Yes, Dayu has long been out of use!
Of course Dayu has generals, but these generals can suppress bandits and deal with some small-scale wars, but there are no generals who can handle battles between tens of thousands of troops... It is precisely because of this that Dayu was unable to If you don't ask Xiye for peace, you have to choose the princess to make peace...
Marquis Pingyang looked at Xiao Yi for a while, and then at Guan Yubai for a while. The two most valiant generals of Dayu were in this hall at the moment. War, invincible.
What's more, in addition to the leading generals, the combat effectiveness of the army is also an important factor that an emperor needs to consider.
On the one hand, the successive years of battles in the past few years have brought a lot of trauma to Southern Xinjiang, but on the other hand, the flames of war have also trained the Southern Xinjiang Army into an invincible elite division.
Xiao Yi looked at Pingyang Hou's erratic eyes, the corners of his mouth turned up even higher, but his tone suddenly became sharp: "Does the emperor know that it is not a big hindrance to this son, what the Marquis wants to say, you can send it to the king's capital." Zhezi!"
Pingyanghou's lips were tightly pressed into a straight line, his face sank like water. He originally thought that he had caught Xiao Yi and Guan Yubai's handle, but now he finally realized that as Xiao Yi said, it didn't matter to Xiao Yi, to Zhennan Palace, or to Nanjiang whether he said it or not. .
What's more, he is now deeply trapped in southern Xinjiang, can his book be sent out? Can he and the third princess get out of southern Xinjiang alive
But Marquis Pingyang couldn't pierce this layer of window paper, so he could only ask forcefully: "Xiao Yi, I only ask you one last question, do you have the heart of disobedience?"
On the surface, Pingyang Hou's words were asking Xiao Yi whether he would rebel with Guan Yubai, but in fact, he was also testing how Xiao Yi would deal with him.
Xiao Yi crossed his arms leisurely, sighed, but looked at Guan Yubai, and said with a smile: "Xiao Bai, why does everyone think we are going to rebel?"
Xiao Yi neither admitted nor denied it, which made Pingyang Hou feel even more uneasy.
Guan Yubai put down the teacup unhurriedly, looked at Xiao Yi and smiled, without saying anything.
What they want is not the Northern Expedition to force the palace, but the unification of the Southern Region, which not only includes the three regions of Southern Border, Baiyue, and Nanliang, but also integrates the nearby small countries and clans to make the Southern Region stronger and more complete . Only in this way, in the future, the Zhennan Palace and the Southern Region will be able to advance, attack, retreat and defend. In the future, Xiao Yi's children will not be like Xiao Yi back then, going to the capital to be a hostage just because of the emperor's words.
However, the Southern Region has been in constant war for several years, and there are many small countries around it, so in order to integrate the Southern Region, they need to buy more time...
However, even so, it does not mean that they need to bow to anyone.
They are already strong enough, and because of this, they are feared by others.
"Master Hou," Guan Yu Bai looked at Marquis Pingyang with a gentle gaze, and asked with a smile, "I don't know what Master Hou thinks about the chosen master?"
Guan Yubai did not specify who the Lord Pingyang Hou chose, but the matter has developed so far, and Pingyang Hou no longer dares to underestimate Xiao Yi and Guan Yubai. The person is Han Lingguan, the king of Shunjun.
Pingyang Hou lowered his eyes halfway, hiding the complicated emotions in them.
He originally thought that Han Ling, the king of Shunjun, was wise and powerful, and he would be able to ascend the throne smoothly with his help. Then he would have the merit of being a dragon. He didn't expect that a fraud case would bring the king of Shunjun into it. The situation was originally good It has come to this point.
But there was no turning back.
If the king of Shunjun can ascend the throne, then he will be able to surpass ten thousand people from now on; if not, once Gongjun Wang Han Lingfu succeeds in seizing the heir, with his vengeful nature, he will definitely not let him go to Pingyanghoufu...
Marquis Pingyang didn't think that the fifth prince, Han Lingfan, could ascend the throne at all. With his weak body and soft temperament, he didn't look like an emperor at all.
The more Pingyang Hou thought about it, the more irritable he became, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He didn't even remember what he said later, and when he left Bixiaotang.
Along the way, Marquis Pingyang was in a daze. When he arrived at the post station, he was locked in the room alone for a long time... until there was a sudden sound of messy footsteps in the corridor outside, accompanied by the familiar voice of the servant: "Master Hou, it's not good..."
A young servant in Tsing Yi walked in quickly, his face was pale and he was out of breath.
"Master Hou, it's not good!" The servant hastily clasped his fists to salute Pingyang Hou, "Just now our people and the palace guards found the third son-in-law in the grove outside the North City Gate..."
Kui Lang found it? ! Pingyang Hou frowned, seeing the boy's appearance, he knew that it might not be good news.
really-
The boy continued: "The third son-in-law...he's dead!"
In an instant, the room fell into a deathly silence, and Pingyang Hou's heart sank to the bottom...
Pingyanghou suddenly realized that Xiao Yi was serious.
Kui Lang is dead, and people cannot be resurrected after death, which means that Xiao Yi and the Zhennan Palace have already cut their own way, and they don't care about arousing the emperor's suspicion and fear at all!
Pingyanghou felt as if he was in a fog where he couldn't see his fingers, and he didn't know which direction to go.
He staggered and fell into the armchair behind him.
Soon, there was another sound of messy footsteps coming from outside, and the next moment, the third princess in a plum red gown hurriedly ran in, followed by a maid, the third princess's small face Against the backdrop of brightly colored dresses, she looked even paler, with panic on her face.
"Master Hou, the son-in-law...he..." A mist appeared in the eyes of the third princess, and her eyes were red.
Marquis Pingyang managed to regain his composure, and said: "Your Highness, the Third Princess, I already know about it." He turned his head and asked the boy, "Corpse... where is the third son-in-law now?"
The servant hurriedly replied: "Go back to Lord Marquis, the guards of the palace found the body and sent it to the post station. It is now in the backyard below."
The Marquis of Pingyang and the third princess went down in a hurry. The small courtyard behind the inn was crowded to the brim. Five or six palace guards were standing beside a cart with a person lying on it. In other words, a corpse, covered with a piece of gray linen, under which the outline of the corpse is faintly exposed.
The third princess, who had never seen a corpse before, stopped at the entrance of the yard, unwilling to go any further.
Marquis Pingyang did not force the third princess, walked to the cart alone, gritted his teeth, and untied the sackcloth resolutely.
A ferocious face under the sackcloth came into view impressively. His face was dead white, his eyes were almost protruding, gray and lifeless, and there was a bloody wound on his neck. The incised blood vessel, the wound was flat, apparently killed by a single blow.
This is Kui Lang!
It is impossible for Pingyanghou to admit his mistake. The moment he saw Kui Lang's body, the last hope in Pingyanghou's heart was completely shattered.
He looked at the third princess and nodded slowly to her: "Your Highness, it's the third son-in-law."
It was only a few words, but Pingyang Hou said it with great difficulty, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
It's over! After Kui Lang died, she became an abandoned son, would the emperor take her back to the capital? ! The third princess's body trembled, and she almost fell down. The maid next to her hurriedly supported her.
The third princess was already panicked, unable to think at all, she just murmured, "Who did it? Who did it?"
There was such a silence in the yard that it seemed as if you could even hear the sound of a needle being dropped.
Marquis Pingyang knew who did it, but he couldn't get it out of his mouth. He moved his mouth and said, "Your Highness, according to this Marquis, it's probably caused by civil strife in Baiyue. The false king doesn't want the third son-in-law Back to Baiyue..."
"Master Hou, what should we do?" The three princesses were easily persuaded by Marquis Pingyang. After all, once Kui Lang returned to Baiyue, the most worried person should be Nuhar, the fake king of Baiyue.
Pingyanghou said with complicated eyes: "Now, only this Marquis asks the emperor again..."
The third princess was so panicked that her mind went blank, she didn't notice that there was anything wrong with Marquis Pingyang, she just responded repeatedly, and then staggered away with the help of the maid.
Looking at the weak back of the three princesses, Pingyanghou's expression became more and more resolute and gloomy, and he said to himself in his heart that no one will be destroyed for himself.
Now the probability of King Shunjun's success in seizing the heir is probably only two to three times. He can't take such a big risk to tie the whole family of Pingyang Hou Mansion to King Shunjun alone.
He must protect himself, he must leave a retreat for the Pingyang Hou Mansion, a retreat that can protect the Pingyang Marquis Mansion no matter who ascends the throne...
So, that night, a secret report was hastily sent out from the station...
In the middle of the night, a ghostly black figure floated into the Zhennan Prince's Mansion and headed towards Qingyunwu in the northeast.
In Qingyunwu, a white eagle perched on a branch suddenly opened its sharp eagle eyes, its wings trembled slightly, eager to try, but the next moment it was stopped by a flat male voice: "Han Yu."
"Little Four, your little Feather has grown up again!" The man in black jumped down from the fence lightly, and said with a smile, "Is it possible to give birth to a baby eagle soon?"
Xiao Si stared at each other fiercely, one or two are still going on, their family Han Yu is still a child, okay!
Si Lin was just teasing Xiao Si, after he dusted off his robe, he strode forward, put his right hand on the window sill, and flew into the room, just in time to meet Guan Yubai behind the desk .
Guan Yubai put down the scroll in his hand, slightly hooked the corner of his mouth, and said, "Have you got it?"
"That's right! If I go out, can I miss it?" Si Lin sat down opposite Guan Yubai, took out an envelope sealed with wax paint from his arms, and handed it to Guan Yubai.
Guan Yubai took the envelope, picked up a Langhao pen from the pen holder, stained the tip of the pen with some transparent liquid, and spread it evenly on one side of the envelope, then carefully opened the envelope, took out a piece of tissue paper, and quickly After browsing carefully, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Soon, the letter was restored to its original state, and Guan Yubai handed it to Si Lin.
"I have to trouble you to go again and put this letter back." Guan Yubai said.
"Yubai," Si Lin sighed faintly, and complained, "Can't you give me some more difficult tasks? Don't you think that such a trivial matter is too troublesome for me to do, and I'm too talented to be useful?"
After Si Lin complained a lot, he ate a supper before leaving satisfied.
The ghostly figure floated out of the palace again like a ghost. From the beginning to the end, the patrolling guards in the palace knew nothing about it.
The next day, King Zhennan also learned the news that Kui Lang's body had been found, and he was startled, suspicious, and panicked. After walking around the study room a few times, he hurriedly called Xiao Yi, and asked him a crackling question. Fan asked if Kui Lang's death had anything to do with him, and how he planned to deal with Pingyanghou and the third princess, but Xiao Yi remained indifferent from the beginning to the end, as if he didn't care at all.
The King of Zhennan was trembling with anger, and he cursed angrily, "Nizi, if you have the ability, you can take care of Marquis An Yi, and don't bring disaster to the palace! I'm asking this king to clean up the mess for you!"
"Father, that's why you came to me to talk about this?" Xiao Yi shrugged nonchalantly, "Don't worry, for my precious daughter, the palace will be fine!"
What he said was meaningful, but Zhennan Wang only felt that he had been stabbed in the heart by this rebellious son again, and his face turned green and white.
"You rebel..."
Once again, King Zhennan's furious reprimands echoed in the palace, and it was another day of bustle and bustle.
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the early court reopened, which also meant that the emperor's imperial brush and seal were finally seen again. The emperor immediately issued an imperial decree, asking Pingyang Hou to do everything cheaply in southern Xinjiang.
But after the imperial decree was issued, the emperor was still worried, and was always worried about how he would respond if the Zhennan Palace wanted to rebel...
The more the emperor thought about it, the more he felt that the situation in the court was not optimistic. Ever since the emperor got Pingyang Hou's book a few years ago, he often couldn't sleep at night, and was awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, probably due to depression in his heart. On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor suddenly fell ill.
The three county kings all visited the emperor in the palace several times, and together with the five princes, they took turns serving the sick by the emperor's dragon couch, serving medicine and pouring water, and serving them with all their might.
It's just that the emperor was ill, but there was no one to supervise the court, no one to deal with political affairs, and more and more memorials piled up.
Hearing from the imperial hospital that the emperor's body needs to rest, several ministers of the cabinet came to the Hall of Eternal Life together after some discussion, and Cheng Dongyang, the first assistant, asked the emperor who would supervise the court.
The more the emperor thought about it, the more he felt that the situation in the court was not optimistic.
Ever since the emperor got Pingyang Hou's book, he often couldn't sleep at night, and was awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, probably due to depression in his heart. On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor suddenly fell ill.
The three kings of Chengjun, Shunjun and Gongjun visited the emperor in the palace several times, and took turns serving the emperor's dragon bed with the five princes, serving medicine and water, and serving them with all their heart.
However, the emperor suddenly fell ill, but there was no one to supervise the court, no one to handle the political affairs, more and more memorials were handed to the palace, and no one dared to make decisions without the emperor's imperial approval.
On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, Imperial Physician Wu and several other imperial physicians were stopped by several cabinet ministers as soon as they came out of the Hall of Eternal Life. After some inquiring, several ministers learned that although the emperor had recovered from a stroke a few years ago, his foundation was weaker than ordinary people.
The problem is that there are many political affairs in the world, but there is no way to wait for a month.
After several ministers discussed in the room, they came to the Hall of Eternal Life together to ask to see the emperor.
Eunuch Liu did not dare to be negligent, and informed the emperor. Soon, several ministers saw the emperor on the sick bed in the bedroom.
In just two days, the emperor seemed to have lost a lot of weight, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his complexion was sallow. Seeing the emperor's appearance, the ministers secretly exchanged glances, knowing that the imperial physicians were right.
Therefore, Cheng Dongyang, the first assistant, bowed his head and bowed respectfully, asking for instructions: "The emperor's dragon body is sick, and the ministers are also worried. However, a country cannot be without a king for a day, and there are many court affairs. I don't know who the emperor thinks will be in charge of the court. Why?"
After being ill for more than two days, the emperor had been thinking about this issue for a long time, and immediately said: "Just..."
The emperor originally wanted to say that the fifth prince would supervise the court, but he only said two words, and swallowed the rest hesitantly.
Xiao Wu is an upright person and has no doubts in his trustworthy ministers. If there is a report from southern Xinjiang recently, with Xiao Wu's temperament, I am afraid that he will lean towards the Zhennan Prince's Mansion.
For Dayu!
There was a flash of hesitation and struggle in the emperor's eyes, and after a while, he finally said resolutely: "The king of Gongjun will supervise the court."