Early the next morning, Xue Ziqin arranged for Guo Linchong to live in the tent that Min Qiukong had vacated. There were still wounded soldiers on the front line, and Zhong Yi was so busy that it was impossible to take care of Guo Linchong all the time.
After a busy night, Jiang also slept until three poles in the sun, and hurried to Xue Ziqin's place to stand by at any time. According to others, Xue Ziqin went to visit Guo Linchong. Others don't know the entanglement about Guo Linchong's affairs, but Jiang also knows about it. If Xue Ziqin went to visit, he felt that Xue Ziqin was there to verify some things.
Thinking like this, Jiang Ye's mind was also hooked, and he was very curious about what Xue Ziqin would say to Guo Linchong.
Whether it was from the few words I heard yesterday, or because of Jiang Ye's selfishness, Jiang Ye hoped that Guo Linchong had nothing to do with these things.
But if he wanted him to listen to the foot of the wall to satisfy his curiosity, Jiang also couldn't do it. After thinking about it, he should honestly go to Zhong Yi to help.
…
Maybe it was caused by the trip in the middle of the night the night before. Seeing that it was noon, Guo Linchong was still lying on the couch to rest, and his face was not good. When Xue Ziqin went in, Guo Linchong was resting with his eyes half-closed. Hearing someone coming in, he raised his head very sensitively and asked, "Who?"
Xue Ziqin said in a deep voice, "It's me", then walked up to him and stood still, his face expressionless.
"Why did the general come here?" Guo Linchong asked, thinking about getting down. No matter how he was lying down and talking to the general, he still felt bad. But Xue Ziqin waved his hand and pulled a chair from the side, "The injury is not yet healed, don't force it, I'll see how you are."
"Thank you for your concern, General." Hearing this, Guo Linchong lay back again, but sat up a little. He is indeed a little weak now and really wants to rest.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Xue Ziqin asked pretending to be relaxed.
He kept staring at Guo Linchong's face when he said this. As he expected, Guo Linchong's brows trembled slightly, and he was obviously touched by this, but this expression was fleeting. Guo Linchong said softly, "It's okay."
"You're in such a bad mood that you don't seem to want to be okay."
"The last commander worries the general."
If you come and go like this, Xue Ziqin is very displeased by the fact that there is something in your words, and he doesn't like doing this at all. So after the two got it right, Xue Ziqin couldn't hold back the anger in his heart. He took something out of his shirt and threw it directly on Guo Linchong's chest: "Look at what this is?"
To say that Xue Ziqin suddenly came in and asked these words, Guo Linchong didn't notice it, it was impossible. This thing slammed into his chest, and although he hadn't picked it up yet, he already had an idea in his heart. I saw Guo Linchong reach out and pick up the thing - it was a letter, he opened the folded letter and read it word by word.
This letter was obtained by Wei Lin accidentally and sent to Xue Ziqin.
Although the above did not say too much, it has been proved that Guo Linchong and Cao Zhongan are both disciples of Zuo Xiangxu. Just being a disciple of Shang Xu is nothing, the problem is that Cao Zhongan used to be a spy, but now his real identity is a famous general of the Sui country, then Shang Xu, who has written correspondence with him, and Guo Linchong, a fellow apprentice and brother, are traitors.
Guo Linchong's fingers trembled slightly after reading the letter. He didn't know whether it was because of the pain or the panic caused by the truth being exposed.
Guo Linchong took a deep breath, stabilized his emotions, and said to Xue Ziqin: "General, please speak directly."
"Okay." These words fit Xue Ziqin's mind. Going around like this really doesn't fit his character. "Where were you the night the old man was assassinated?"
"In the General's Mansion."
"Where is Fuzhong?"
"At the back door."
"doing what?"
"Accept."
"Cao Zhongan pretended to be a recruit from Yanzhou to join the army, and it was you who dealt with it."
"Yes."
"The news of the Ninth Prince in the Northern Army was also released by you."
"… Yes."
"Guo Linchong, I didn't know you were so calm before." After asking such a series of questions, Xue Ziqin looked at Guo Linchong with an unpredictable expression. Guo Linchong didn't dare to look directly at him, so he turned his eyes away and continued: "The last will be... I can't help myself."
"You can't help yourself in the northern army? I can't see it accurately enough. It's better to say that you have always been in Caoying and have a heart in Han!" Xue Ziqin's voice suddenly became louder, and it was obvious that he could not restrain his anger.
As soon as these words came out, Guo Linchong, although weak, got down from the couch and knelt down in front of Xue Ziqin: "I will be guilty at the end!"
"Guilty?" Xue Ziqin asked rhetorically, "Why are you guilty?!"
"General, I am indeed a disciple of Lord Zuo Xiangshang, and I am also a disciple of Zhong An, but I have never done anything to be sorry to the general!" Guo Linchong said hurriedly.
"Zhong An? Oh, your brothers and sisters sound like they are in a good relationship." Xue Ziqin laughed instead of anger.
"Now that the eldest prince was killed in the military camp, the Xue family has no shirk responsibility, is this worthy of me?"
"I didn't do anything about the First Prince! General Mingjian!" Guo Linchong slammed his head on the ground as he spoke.
From the conversations Zhou Xiao and Jiang Ye heard last night, we could indeed tell that Guo Linchong was not a participant in the matter of the eldest prince, and then to rationalize the intricate relationship, Guo Linchong was really a negotiator, and it was even more impossible to murder the eldest prince. Although Shang Xuming had never helped anyone, as the teacher of the eldest prince, it was normal to help the eldest prince eradicate dissidents and seize the throne.
Xue Ziqin did not speak, Guo Linchong continued with his head on the icy ground: "The last general knows he is wrong, but I urge the general to see clearly, the last general will be sincere! Regarding the assassination of the general, I only got the news that I would assist the assassins to go in to check whether there is any evidence of conspiracy in the General's Mansion, but I don't know if they will kill!"
"Go on."
"Yes!" Hearing Xue Ziqin's words, Guo Linchong raised his head and looked at him gratefully.
Others may not know, but following Xue Ziqin for so long, Guo Linchong certainly understands that Xue Ziqin is giving him a chance to defend himself.
"As for the ninth prince, it was the last commander who revealed it unintentionally, and the last commander is guilty. But Zhong An entered the Northern Army. Although he was a spy, he was a help to the Xue family!"
"Oh? The Xue family almost suffered because of this. Does this count as helping the Xue family?"
"The general knows that the three generations of generals of the Xue family have achieved great success. If the general really occupies Hanzhou, and then starts from this, and nibbles Sui country step by step, it will naturally be a great achievement. The emperor will not let the Xue family continue to develop like this, since ancient times, the king has been suspicious, and when the Xue family really arrives, how can the emperor rest assured that the Xue family has heavy troops in their hands and has no intention of rebelling?"
These words made some sense. Xue Ziqin looked at him with complicated eyes.
Guo Linchong continued: "It's true that the last general's sin is unforgivable, but I have already told the teacher about the murder of the eldest prince this time, and it was definitely not the Xue family's actions, and I will cut off contact from now on, and just want to help the general wholeheartedly. !"
"You have been dormant by my side for many years, and now you say this, how can I trust you."
After saying this, Xue Ziqin felt uncomfortable in his heart.
For so many years, Min Qiu and Guo Linchong had always been his powerful soldiers, and they had sacrificed their lives to save him on the battlefield, so how could he have no feelings. This kind of brother who shared life and death suddenly told him one day that it was actually a fake, a spy... Xue Ziqin was really heartbroken and angry.
In the news I brought back last night, it was said that Guo Linchong was going to cut off communication there, and Xue Ziqin was actually secretly happy for a while.
Now that the truth came out, he didn't know how to accept it for a while.
"The last general..." Guo Linchong kowtowed again, this time with more force than the last time, making a loud noise, and said, "The last general should be punished for his sins, let the general handle it, and there will be no complaints."
Xue Ziqin was silent for a long time.
Just relying on these words, let him have no doubts about Guo Linchong again, and return to the relationship of trust, then Xue Ziqin is not worthy of being a general. As the saying goes, don't use people without suspicion, and don't use people who are suspicious. Since he has already suspected that Guo Linchong is a traitor, tell him rationally, even if this is true, he should not believe it.
But Xue Ziqin was never a cold-blooded person.
On the contrary, he loves and hates clearly.
After thinking for a long time, Xue Ziqin said, "You raise your head and speak."
Guo Linchong raised his head as he said and looked at him. Also because of the injury on his body, he was emotionally excited, and those eyes were bloodshot, but they couldn't hide the sincerity in them.
The feeling of sharing life and death for many years finally defeated Xue Ziqin's reason.
He said solemnly, "Even if I forgive you this time, I will never trust you as before."
"We will know at the end."
"For the sake of your due diligence in the past, I will let you live." Xue Ziqin said, "Take care of your injuries and get out."
"General, I..." "Needless to say, if we were just friends, I would like to believe that you did it as a last resort. I also know that you care about love and righteousness, and you are excusable." Guo Linchong wanted to say something more, He was interrupted by Xue Ziqin, "But I am a general. If I make any mistakes, it will kill 10,000 soldiers under my command, and even kill innocent people in the border gates. I can't."
When he said this, he kept looking into Guo Linchong's eyes, his eyes were deep but firm, and there were many words that he didn't need to say.
In fact, Guo Linchong understood the truth, but when he told the contact person that he would never help again in the future, he had hoped that he could continue to fight with Xue Ziqin on the battlefield and die for him.
Not killing him was already Xue Ziqin's greatest kindness.
"Guo Linchong is here..." Guo Linchong said, biting his lower lip, and kowtowed heavily for the third time, "Thank you for not killing General!"
Xue Ziqin did not answer this sentence again. He stood up and was about to leave, and when he saw the chair he had just pulled over to sit, he kicked it down angrily, making a loud noise. Then Xue Ziqin left the camp without looking back, without looking at Guo Linchong, who was still kneeling on the ground.
The weather outside was just right, Xue Ziqin was dazzled by the sudden light, he closed his eyes, reached out and rubbed his eyelids, and left.