Murong Jie ignored the gleam and resentment in his eyes and said calmly: "I came to the palace today to ask for a favor."
"Please?" The emperor smiled faintly, "Your Majesty, you are too polite. In this Great Zhou, you can take whatever you like. My life is in the hands of you two."
"I request the emperor to grant me the Southern Kingdom. After the emperor recovers from his illness, I will take Zi'an to the Southern Kingdom." Murong Jie said slowly.
The emperor was shocked and looked at him in disbelief.
His appetite is so small? Impossible, the Great Zhou is within his reach, how could he only want a small Southern Kingdom
He looked at Murong Jie for a long time, then asked, "What tricks are you trying to play? You might as well tell me directly. I don't want to guess with you."
Murong Jie stepped back, turned around, sat on the stool in the hall, and looked at him from a distance.
Murong Jie didn't say anything, but his eyes were filled with changing emotions.
"Speak." The emperor seemed a little impatient.
Murong Jie spoke, his voice somewhat desolate, "I hate this place, I hate the emperor, I hate the intrigues, I hate the endless suspicions and calculations. I went to the battlefield when I was fifteen or sixteen, and experienced hundreds of battles, big and small. I once thought that the best ending of my life would be to return home wrapped in the hide of the Great Zhou. Dying on the battlefield is the fate of a soldier, the best fate."
The emperor was slightly moved, but it only lasted for a moment, and his expression quickly returned to his usual cold expression.
Murong Jie turned the jade ring in his hand and continued, "Since I was a child, my ancestors told me that when my brother becomes the emperor, you should work together to protect the country of Da Zhou, the country that our ancestors fought for with their blood, so that the people of the world can live and work in peace and not suffer from war. Da Zhou has experienced so many wars, all of which were fought out of helplessness. We are resisting, not invading. Therefore, I am willing to use my flesh and blood to protect the country of Da Zhou and the people of Da Zhou..."
The emperor interrupted him, "Yes, you did so before, and because of this, I trusted you and asked you to be the regent and assist the prince. But, perhaps I was wrong. I forgot that once a person has tasted the desire for power, he will be unable to stop."
Murong Jie looked at him, "Really? That's just your idea. I haven't changed. What has changed is your opinion of me. We talked about this before. I told you that if I coveted the throne, I could have taken your place when you were seriously ill for the first time. You didn't believe me and thought I wanted to wait until you died of illness before plundering everything. You thought that by then I would have controlled the situation and everything would be at your fingertips. I didn't expect that you would recover later. You thought so before, what about now?"
His eyes suddenly became fierce, and in his narrow and long phoenix eyes there was a murderous aura like a thousand troops and horses, "Even if I kill you in Xiwei Palace, no one can do anything to me."
The emperor was frightened, and the muscles on his face twitched a few times. He said fiercely but weakly, "You dare?"
Murong Jie sneered, "It's not that I don't dare, but I won't do it. You are on guard against me, the Xiao family, and all those who have made contributions to the Great Zhou. But, who has been coveting the throne since you ascended the throne?"
The emperor's thoughts were a little confused and he could hardly keep up with his pace.
"Those who covet the throne include the Eighth Prince, Imperial Tutor Liang, and the Seventh Prince. The Eighth Prince? Who did the Eighth Prince rely on to rise to power? Imperial Tutor Liang? Why is Imperial Tutor Liang so powerful? As for the Seventh Prince, who is behind him to become so ambitious? He's just a child."
The emperor asked angrily, "What do you want to say?"
"I say you are confused and incompetent. You can't tell who your real enemy is. You blindly harm loyal people and are self-righteous and wise. If you hadn't promoted the crown prince and Empress Liang, how could Grand Tutor Liang be so arrogant? And Old Eight, you clearly know that he has wolfish ambitions, but your attitude towards him is inconsistent. You often promote him to deal with me and other ministers who are loyal to you. And Concubine Yi, you have long felt that she is suspicious, but you think that Concubine Yi is your concubine, so you will definitely be on your side. However, as long as you investigate, you will know that Concubine Yi is a Xianbei, and the child she gave birth to is not yours. As the emperor of the Great Zhou, you raised someone else's child for seven or eight years. You have brought shame to your ancestors."
"Shut up, you're talking nonsense!" The emperor became excited and his eyes were terrifying.
How is it possible? How dare Concubine Yi, such a bitch, do such a treasonous thing
Murong Jie continued, "Anyone who says a few good words to you should be regarded as a trustworthy and loyal person. Over the years, how many of those ministers who have been doing nothing were promoted by you? Isn't it because they can say a few words about the emperor's wisdom? How many practical things have they done? And there is also Concubine Xi. The one who left without even saying hello, Hu Huanling, was crowned as the empress dowager. Why? Isn't it because Concubine Xi's family has always been against me? Do you think that the enemy of my enemy is my friend? As for Hu Huanling, after becoming the queen, I don't know how much of her private money has flowed into the emperor's pocket, a dignified emperor!"
Murong Jie said this while shaking his head sadly.
The emperor's face flushed, his breathing became rapid, he raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the edge of the bed, angrily saying: "Murong Jie, you might as well give me a quick death, don't insult me here, I am still the emperor, I would rather die than be bullied by you."
Murong Jie said calmly, "A few idle words made the emperor anxious and angry? What about the things the emperor did to me and Zi'an?"
The emperor glared at him, but Murong Jie did not dodge and confronted him.
The two brothers no longer had any feelings for each other, and Murong Jie did not feel happy at all during this conversation. However, the emperor would probably remember his harsh words for the rest of his life.
"I have drafted some future policy measures, all of which are listed in the memorial. I will have someone send it to the emperor for his review. If the emperor still wants to be a good emperor, please ignore your hatred for me and take a good look at it. This is the result of my discussion with the adults over the past few months."
After saying this, he still observed etiquette and bowed to him before leaving.
Eunuch Lu, who was listening outside, was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
Seeing Murong Jie coming out, he quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Send the prince away!"
This kneeling down is a sign of gratitude.
He knew that Murong Jie's words about killing the emperor were not just empty talk, he could definitely do so.
But he didn't. Even though he knew that he would be forced into a corner or even have no way out, he didn't intend to kill at this time.
Hu Huanling was still outside the hall and probably heard what they said. When she saw Murong Jie's cold eyes sweeping over her, she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
Murong Jie strode away.
He thought that there was probably no need for him and the emperor to continue the conversation.
This time when he entered the palace, he said everything that should and should not be said.
He had kept these words in his heart for many days, and he thought about saying them when he was almost fully recovered and could take charge of the government. However, Eunuch Lu had been out looking for people recently, and he didn't want the work he had done during this period to go to waste. Therefore, he said these words in advance. If he still cared about the country and the people of the Great Zhou, he would be able to listen to these words.
on the contrary…
His eyes were cold as he walked out of Xiwei Palace. Looking at the sunlight in the sky which was suddenly dimming, murderous intent suddenly arose in his heart.
(End of this chapter)