Guo Shao leaned on the couch, his cheeks were obviously thinner, and he looked weak, completely different from his previous upright posture. However, his pale face still had a happy expression.
I am ill and have not seen you for a long time. Guo Shaodao, please stand up and sit down to talk to me.
Luo Yanhuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." But he was still a little nervous when he sat down, and didn't dare to lean his whole body on the couch like Guo Shao did.
Guo Shao did not ask any questions, and Luo Yanhuan was also cautious about what to say, and remained silent for a moment. Luo Yanhuan saw a chessboard on the table with black and white chess pieces interlaced, and finally found a topic to talk about, "Your Majesty can play chess now?"
Guo Shao shook his head: I will not play chess with General Luo.
Luo Yanhuan was slightly startled, and then heard Guo Shao say in a gentle and casual tone, "I am not energetic now, and I will be tired soon."
Your Majesty needs to take good care of your body, Luo Yanhuan said.
Guo Shao suddenly changed the subject and said, "General Luo has been walking back and forth outside the city for several times. Doesn't he have something to say to me?"
Luo Yanhuan pondered and said, it turns out that everyone in the palace saw it.
Unexpectedly, Guo Shao shook his head and said: Someone else told me.
The left assistant minister Luo Yanhuan suddenly felt nervous.
Guo Shao did not comment. He slowly leaned forward, picked up a black piece and placed it on the board.
Luo Yanhuan didn't even look at the chessboard. He was not the Confucian general Li Chuyun, and he had no interest in gambling. At this moment, he was in no mood to pay attention to the toy.
His mind was in a mess, and he did not hear Guo Shao say anything. He subconsciously felt that it was his turn to say something. He suddenly left the couch with a painful expression on his face and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I was wrong, your Majesty!"
Guo Shaodao: I already know about it. I just heard about it from others.
When Luo Yanhuan heard this, he didn't have time to think about it for too long. He was even more confused: The emperor just knew
Guo Shao's sitting posture was not very straight, but he sat there steadily. General Luo mentioned Zuo Fuzheng just now. At that time, Zuo Fuzheng and General Luo formed an alliance and advanced and retreated together.
Luo Yanhuan hurriedly replied: No, at that time we barely met three times and did not discuss important matters.
Guo Shao murmured to himself, "I have to meet with the Left Assistant Minister as soon as possible and ask him what's going on."
Luo Yanhuan felt that his limbs were not obeying him and sweat was pouring down his back.
Guo Shao then asked: What did you talk about when you met
Luo Yanhuan frowned and said in a trembling voice: The Left Assistant Minister is good at rambling. Looking back, it seems that he didn't make anything clear. I can't remember all those messy words.
Guo Shaodao: So Zuo You is very reluctant.
Luo Yanhuan could only say: Yes.
General Luo was sure that Guo Shao seemed to be more verbose today than usual.
Luo Yanhuan naturally did not dare to show any reaction to the emperor's nagging, so he could only nod vigorously and say, "In reply to Your Majesty, yes."
Guo Shao's tone changed and he sighed: General Luo, you disappoint me very much.
His Majesty, Luo Yanhuan, almost put his face to the floor. He was very depressed and ashamed when he heard this. But he was not afraid, as he had been through many hardships. The main reason was that Luo Yanhuan understood the great contributions he had made to Guo Shao, otherwise he would not have been named Duke. Now that he had made a mistake, he knew he was wrong, and he was bound to be taught a lesson.
Guo Shao's voice said again: "Get up and take a look at the things on the table."
Luo Yanhuan got up carefully after hearing this and took a look at the table. There was a folded paper next to the chessboard. He took it up and opened it. He only needed to take a glance and didn't need to read it any more because it was his own handwritten letter. How could he not know the content of something he wrote
Unexpectedly, Guo Shao's words were very surprising. They were found in Zhou Duan's mansion.
Luo Yanhuan's eyes widened in surprise, how could this letter be in Zhou Duan's house? His face flushed, surprised and confused. The letter was indeed written by me, but it was written to Brother Li, the founding Duke Li Chuyun, telling Brother Li that the emperor was seriously ill and wanted him to come to the capital to see the emperor as soon as possible.
General Luo wrote the second half of the letter, Guo Shao asked softly.
Luo Yanhuan said: That is exactly what I meant.
Guo Shao nodded: I believe you.
Luo Yanhuan was in a panic: Brother Li gave my letter to Zhou Duan. When did Brother Li have any relationship with Zhou Duan? Your Majesty, who found the letter from Zhou Duan's mansion
Guo Shao's voice was weak, not as excited as Luo Yanhuan at all, and he said slowly: Eunuch Yang Shiliang.
Luo Yanhuan suddenly realized and became excited again: That eunuch deceived the emperor and lied to his superiors. He was the most cunning eunuch and his courage was growing.
Guo Shaodao: Yes, people are becoming more and more daring and have no idea what they should and shouldn’t do.
The veins on Luo Yanhuan's temples bulged. Your Majesty, although the letter does not mention anyone's name, it is really not written to Zhou Duan. This is a letter to Brother Li.
Guo Shao nodded again: I believe you.
Your Majesty, you are wise. Luo Yanhuan was so anxious that he almost cried.
Guo Shao didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He raised his hand softly, pointed at the letter in Luo Yanhuan's hand, and said, "But there is a problem."
What? Luo Yanhuan asked in surprise.
Guo Shao said slowly: I believe in the loyalty of the founding duke Li Chuyun, and I will protect everything the Li family has, including the generous salary, noble status, reputation and honor. I also believe that General Luo secretly wrote to the founding duke to persuade him to be loyal to the country. But
Guo Shao said this and closed his eyes slightly and took a breath.
Luo Yanhuan held his breath, did not dare to blink, and pricked up his ears, listening carefully to every word. Fortunately, Guo Shao spoke very slowly today.
But, after I believe it, how can I make everyone believe it too
Guo Shao spoke slowly and in a simple and logical way. Compared with Zuo You's rambling, Guo Shao's words were indeed easier to understand. But Luo Yanhuan felt it was difficult to answer Guo Shao's questions.
Luo Yanhuan said in shock: Everyone doesn't believe in Brother Li's loyalty
Guo Shaodao: General Luo, if it is confirmed that the Duke of Kaiguo led troops outside the capital during the turmoil, but secretly communicated with a general of the imperial guards in Beijing, what do you want the world to think and how do you want people to view Li Chuyun
Luo Yanhuan's throat moved.
After a moment's silence, Guo Shao said again: No one can tell people what to think, not even me.
Luo Yanhuan's body went limp, and he fell to his knees, his face pale. "Your Majesty, what should I do?"
Guo Shao sighed: "I and my brothers have lived and died together in the bloody storm. Li Chuyun is dead, but I don't want to tarnish his reputation. More importantly, I have to take care of everyone's relatives and loved ones. General Luo, go back and think about it carefully."
Luo Yanhuan knelt silently for a while, then kowtowed and said: "I'm leaving now."
As soon as Luo Yanhuan left, Guo Shao called someone in, and the eunuch on duty happened to be Yang Shiliang. Guo Shao asked, "Has Zuo You arrived?"
Yang Shiliang said: I have arranged for the imperial edict to be delivered, and he should be on the way now.
As soon as Zuo You arrived, he brought me here to meet him. Guo Shaodao.
I obey your command.
Guo Shao sat weakly on the couch, his eyes closed to rest. Sometimes he didn't move for a long time, as if he was asleep, but after a while he let out a long groan, as if he was in pain somewhere, a very painful and sad groan, the sound was small but very heartfelt.
After a long time, Zuo You came in and simply knelt on the floor, with his upper body pressed against the floor devoutly and his buttocks raised. He wished his majesty a long life. The regent Zuo You came to see the emperor in accordance with the emperor's order.
Guo Shao opened his eyes and waved his hand. The attendants of Yangde Hall hurried out.
Guo Shao did not let Zuo You stand up, and said angrily: Zuo You, I trust you so much that I even let you teach my son, but something happened a while ago. What have you done for the court? Do you want to learn from Feng Dao, the tumbler of the previous dynasty
Zuo You trembled all over. I deserve death. Even if your majesty kills me, I feel I deserve it.
Guo Shao said angrily: Do you think I dare not kill you
I dare not, I dare not think so.
Guo Shao couldn't help but curse when he heard this:
Zuo You raised his head carefully and said, "Your Majesty, I had no choice at that time. The Queen did not allow me to participate in anything. I could not do anything and did not dare to act rashly. Luo Yanhuan and Zhou Duan were really harming me."
Guo Shao said coldly: "Pay back the money Zhou Duan gave you and pay you a fine of one year. From now on, you will know how greedy money is."
Hearing this, Zuo You closed his eyes, exhaled secretly, and bowed, saying: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Guo Shao's face turned grim again and he said: You go to Xuzhou immediately, follow my order, meet up with Huang Binglian, and do your best to handle things over there.
When Zuo You heard this, he burst into tears of gratitude: Your Majesty's generosity will be remembered in my heart.
Guo Shao said in a deep voice: As long as the people around me have not done anything excessive, who can touch them
Zuo You kowtowed again and again to express his gratitude.
Guo Shao waved his hand and said no more. Zuo You also went out respectfully, and Yangde Hall became quiet again.
He thought: Being moody is frightening, but it is not necessarily a good thing. People also need a sense of security. If they are like a tiger, they will be in a state of panic every day, not sure if they will suddenly get into trouble. Perhaps they will behave more submissively and obediently, and dare not disobey easily. However, this will put too much pressure on everyone.
Under high pressure, it is easy for everyone to become nervous. When people are nervous, Guo Shao himself cannot relax either.
Soon, Yang Shiliang entered and whispered respectfully beside Guo Shao: Your Majesty, Yang Ye has already arrived in Beijing. When will you summon him
Guo Shao estimated the time and said: "If we invite him to the palace now, there is no need to prepare too many useless things. We should also invite several dukes from the Privy Council."
Yang Shiliang said softly: The Duke of the State has just left, so I won't invite him.
Hum. Guo Shao made a sound.