When he heard that the eight leaders would be beheaded and the remaining hundreds would be exiled to Liaodong, Lao Xianyu felt a chill sweep through his body. His first reaction was to get off the car and run away, then rush into the palace to rescue Xian Yunhe, or flee to the ends of the earth. Although he was not such an impulsive person, he only had one sister and one nephew.
However, he finally held back. He hadn't made any preparations beforehand, and hadn't contacted anyone. Moreover, the palace was now guarded by Du Heng and his troops. It was like a den of dragons and tigers. Even Xian Yunhe had gathered so many people, but he had taken the palace by surprise and kidnapped the eldest prince. What's more, he was alone at the moment
Although the old man and the young man in front of him were of extraordinary status, if he could hold them hostage, there might be a glimmer of hope, but the moment the old salty fish had the idea, he dismissed this unrealistic idea. So, after struggling in silence for a long time, he got up from his seat and knelt on the ground and said, "Master Ge, I know this is a luxury, but is there really no chance for them to survive?"
"Even if I have to be exiled, as long as I can survive..."
It was the first time that Zhang Shou saw the old man, who was either smiling or passionate, show such an expression. He used to think that the old man was acting. After all, except for the time he visited the palace, he had never seen anyone show excessive concern for Xian Yunhe. But thinking of the feelings that he occasionally revealed in his words, he glanced at Ge Yong.
At this glance, he saw that although Ge Yong was silent, his eyes were looking at him. Thinking of the teacher's childish personality, he felt that he seemed to have guessed what he should do. Well, it's best to play dumb at this time...
At that moment, he whispered, "Teacher, is there really no way?"
"I thought you were smart, but you're being stupid now." Ge Yong snorted in annoyance, and then emphasized, "So what did I say just now? This is a preliminary discussion, not a decree from the court. Why are you in such a hurry? Although the margin is not big, if it's just to kill someone, anyone can do it. Why should I travel hundreds or thousands of miles to Cangzhou in a hurry?"
Seeing that the old man who was kneeling on the ground suddenly raised his head with a hopeful expression on his face, Ge Yong said earnestly: "However, others may be able to escape death penalty, but they will not be spared if they are alive. But I will not lie to you. Your nephew is the main culprit and it is almost impossible for him to survive. If he doesn't die, there will be many people who will speak up for the eldest prince."
At this point, Ge Yong couldn't help but sigh sincerely: "Princes who break the law are punished just like ordinary people. This is the favorite saying of Emperor Taizu. He did so when he was conquering the world, and he killed people who had been trusted for many years. But after he really won the world, he still failed to do so. At that time, a trusted general rode his horse through the streets and trampled civilians to death, but he still failed to kill people and pay for their crimes."
"So, now that the emperor treats the eldest prince like this, others will not say that he loves the people like his own children and is impartial. Instead, they will say that he is an unkind father and is cold and heartless... Even the emperor will be criticized, so think about it, why should Xian Yunhe be spared from death?"