Crown Sword

Liu Luochen wanted to go up the ranks, but was stopped by the patrolling guards leader, he heard the news of Tuoba Gui's hunting in the morning, so he should be fine now, so he was a little suspicious: "I want to see the king. "

"Your Majesty retreats from others today, and won't see each other. It's better for Mr. Liu to leave quickly." The commander told the truth.

Hearing this, he tilted his head, glanced at the people behind him from the corner of his eye, recalled the rumors in Shengle City in the past few days, and asked calmly: "Is there another noble person in the palace today?"

"Yes, Princess Dingxiang is here."

"It was Her Royal Highness, the servants will leave quickly." After speaking, he didn't make it difficult for the person on duty, and he really asked his own people to go out of the palace.

After leaving the patrol team, Liu Luochen stood still, obviously a little anxious: "The young master has really come back, is he planning to come to Shengle to get a piece of the pie? Mr. Ding, what do you think about this matter?"

The Dugu tribe is very powerful, Liu Luochen is the master of the south, his father is the master of the north, and his sister is the noble Liu family. In this glorious and prosperous city, it can be said that he has great power. After hearing about Liu Zhi, he can calm down Dealing with people and sending people to come to the door to make amends in person is not a mediocrity in terms of tolerance and strategy alone, so he doesn't fear Gongyangyue himself. To him, he is just a young boy who has never experienced ups and downs. It is the emperor sitting high on the dragon chair.

Previously when Emperor Yan Murong Chui broke through Pingcheng, there was some turmoil in several departments. Relying on the power of each family, the little emperor had to admit his cowardice with a smile. Now that the crisis has been resolved, who can guarantee that there will be no settlement in the fall.No matter how powerful they are, their surname is never Tuoba. In the past, Princess Dingxiang was just a girl, so it was impossible for her to directly interfere with the government. But now she has a successor. I'm afraid that his Dugu department will be suppressed by force.

"Your subordinates are here, so don't worry. Instead of worrying about the princess, you should think about the Yan Kingdom. Murong Chui's death is a good time to attack. The king may go to war soon." Ding Baichuan persuaded with a salute. "As for that kid..." He stroked the exquisite gold silk hollow ball that looked like a sachet hanging around his waist with his hand, and smiled slyly, "It's just in time!"

----

When Liu Luochen and Ding Baichuan left Yunzhong Palace side by side, Gong Yangyue dismissed the maids who planted flowers and slowly returned to the Nuan Pavilion.Tuobaxiang had already re-arranged the chess pieces, and was playing with himself, holding a piece and didn't know where to go next. When he saw him coming, he immediately straightened his body, showed a proper smile, and waved: "Yue'er, what do you say?" Where should it fall?"

There was no abnormality on her face, as if nothing had happened just now, and their mother and son had always been polite and happy.

"Here..." Gong Yangyue sighed, bowed slightly, and lightly touched the disk with his index finger.At this moment, another court lady came to send a message, saying that there is an urgent matter in the princess's mansion, so that the two of them don't have to discuss here, but they can leave first. As for the person to meet, the king has his own arrangements.

Although Gong Yangyue was a little worried, she asked herself that what she had promised had been accomplished, and that was all she could do, so she was inconvenient to resist the decree and wait, so she left with her. It is not allowed that Master Dugu will come to make trouble again.

Halfway through the journey, the horse and horse hit the frame of Xingtai Shangshu's mansion, Yancai came to plead guilty, Tuobaxiang made peace, and brought him back to the mansion.

After the sunset and the stars rose, Qiao Min left the huge Yunzhong Palace. Tuobagui sent a carriage to take him back to Shengle City. He got off at the corner of the city gate. into the night.

At night, the cold wind hit, and he was startled into a cold sweat.

Qiao Min remembered that the first look Tuobagui looked at him when he put down the carving bow and swiped it with a sharp sword after retreating from others——

"It took so much pains to meet Gu, but how can you be sure that Guding will help you, a person who even deceives his friends? You are not from Goguryeo, the kingdom established by the Fuyu people who went south to the four counties of Liaodong, is not Only Goguryeo!"

A black shadow jumped out of the corner, bumped into him head-on, staggered, and then sat down on the ground, carrying two big live fish in his hands, jumping around on the bluestone path.

Qiao Min lost his mind, as if he didn't realize it, he raised his foot and was about to step on it.

"A strong man shows mercy!"

This cry woke him up from the nightmare. Qiao Min retracted his feet and looked down at the fallen man. His expression changed a little, and there was some surprise in his confusion: "En, benefactor?" Picking up the thread, seeing the gold silk exquisite ball falling at the foot, he also picked it up, dusted off the dust, and then returned it with both hands.

"It's you, little brother Qiao." Ding Baichuan tied the adornment back around his waist, and stared at him: "Why are you enjoying yourself here... Oh, you went to Jinyang to find that person?"

"found it."

"Can you see King Wei?"

"seen."

This is a great thing, but the person in front of him looks depressed. Ding Baichuan looked left and right, very puzzled: "Did something go wrong? Let's go, the humble house is not far from the front alley, I'll go to the second place." Two small wines, talk while drinking."

Qiao Min waved his head, apparently not interested in eating or drinking, but seeing that his benefactor was enthusiastic, he couldn't refuse directly, so he followed him silently until they entered a small courtyard one after the other.

The yard is not big, and the three rooms can be seen at a glance, but he couldn't bear the openness. Ding Baichuan fried fish and put it on the table: "Sit, don't stand stupidly, sit down."

Qiao Min lowered his head with his sword in his hand, and bowed respectfully to the man again: "This time, thank you for saving my life."

"Small things, nothing to worry about."

"No, for me, it's the most important event," Qiao Min said solemnly, and bowed again after finishing his clothes, "The king of Wei is not mediocre, but he has sharp eyes, and he has already seen my identity. It was you who rescued me in Hejian, and you were the one who directed me to go to Jinyang to find Gongyangyue, to hide my identity and avoid Goguryeo's eyeliner, and now I have nowhere to go, so please help me—”

Ding Baichuan suppressed his smile, filled the wine slowly, and then sighed: "I said earlier, Brother Qiao, you are not only an eloquent and eloquent person, it is not easy to lobby the emperor."

"Where did I go wrong?"

"How do you lobby him?" Ding Baichuan asked.

Qiao Min then recounted what he said during the daytime meeting. After Ding Baichuan heard this, he frowned and pointed out: "Your mistake is that you shouldn't save others' hearts with your own body. Since Tuobagui is the leader of a country Lord, I will not compare my heart to you, even if you speak sincerely and cry down the Great Wall, he will not frown, there is only one way to please him."

"What way?"

"The world is bustling with profit, do you understand?" Seeing that he was hesitant, not a brain capable of plotting and calculating, Ding Baichuan was more blunt, "Take profit in exchange. Now is a great time , Yan Guo mourned, the new emperor was just established, Tuobagui wants to dominate the north, he will definitely take advantage of the situation, think about it, what is he most lacking right now?"

"Money, silver, grain and grass."

"good."

"But where do I go to get so many... that legend of the Fuyu clan." Qiao Min whispered to himself, suddenly choked, and kept swallowing in panic. He raised his head and looked at Ding Baichuan for answers. , but the man in front of him just poured himself a drink and didn't say anything.

Qiao Min lowered his head and stared at the ripples in the wine, reached out to fetch it, and downed it in one gulp.

Strong alcohol entered his throat and choked his trachea, he covered his mouth and coughed, Ding Baichuan pacified him, filled the small cup again, and said lightly: "Don't drink in a hurry, take your time!"

"Emperor!"

"Okay, let me ask you, do you regret it?" Ding Baichuan put down the wine cup heavily, staring at him like lightning, as if he wanted to penetrate into people's hearts, "Do you regret betraying the Seven Swords Guards?" ?”

Qiao Min's face twisted, the hand holding the sword trembled, and quickly clamped the scabbard fiercely, and said in a deep voice: "No, I don't regret it, I don't want, I don't want to be anyone's shadow! As long as my brother is still alive, I will Existence in this world will be easily erased." He swept the Kuaizai sword that only the head of the guard could wear to the ground, clenched his fists with both hands, and the finger bones were pale, "Okay, I will exchange this. However, the king of Wei has finished speaking, he will not see me again!"

"No, he will see you again."

Ding Baichuan showed a meaningful smile, brushed away the bowls and chopsticks and got off the table, went back to the room to grind the book, then stuffed the note into Qiao Min's hand, and said, "As long as you spread the news, saying that the son-in-law back then is Wei is not called Yang Qi, and he is not a descendant of the Taishan Yang clan, but a Gongyang with the compound surname, and he is a disciple of Nanjiangu... Believe me, you still have a second chance to meet the little emperor."

"no!"

Qiao Min pushed the note away, and his face immediately turned pale—how could he, how could he make a big fuss about the ram!

"Brother Qiao, it was my omission. I thought that you and Gongyangyue only had a deal, and never thought of showing true friendship." Ding Baichuan calculated that he would have such a reaction, so he didn't force him, but squatted down. He picked up the note and put it on the case where he could see it, and then persuaded, "However, as far as I know, your friend was wronged by the world's martial arts, and he came to represent the country. Didn't he want to abolish his father? Injustice, if it’s inconvenient for you, I can help you, and I can just take this opportunity to find out more clues, right? In this way, it’s not considered betraying your friend..."

Qiao Min thought that when he was in Mianzhu, it was also because "the ghost sword is the soul of Gongyang Chi who was wronged and turned into a grievance", which led to the insider Ding Gui, and his heart was immediately shaken.

Maybe, just maybe, it's a good way to go the wrong way.

"But……"

"If you can't trust me..."

"Ben Gong, how can I not trust you." Qiao Min interrupted him suddenly, regardless of the grace of saving life, even this frank confession can also show character.It must be that he has a brain capable of calculating all kinds of tricks. After thinking about it carefully, the more he thinks about it, the more reasonable he becomes. If someone wants to play tricks, why bother to tell himself that it is not better to spread it quietly.

Ding Baichuan straightened his face, a little displeased: "Brothers still need to settle accounts clearly, it's good to be clear, if there is a big trouble, I will take care of it, if there is any problem, you can ask them to come to me, I will be there Stay in this courtyard." Then, he slowed down his tone and added fire, "You might as well think about it, there are still people waiting for you to go back to save."

Thousands of miles away, there is still someone waiting for him, and that is the only one who allows him to live out his own life.

Qiao Min drank the spirits again and made up his mind.

----

Rumors spread quietly in the streets and alleys, at first they didn't point directly at Gongyang Qi, but only said that God is sorry, Princess Dingxiang found her son and boasted about him.Then someone spread the promise made by the little emperor when he ascended the throne back then, which whetted everyone's appetites, and they hoped that after the award, they would be able to meet the newly promoted talents in Shengle City.

When the public opinion fermented to a climax, the rumors about Gongyangqi were dug deeper, and it was out of control.

When the news reached Tuoba Xiang's ears, she was furious on the spot. She changed her clothes and went straight to the palace. Hold on, Iron Blood remains calm.Seeing the king standing beside her, Tuobaxiang felt a little more grateful in her heart.

Gong Yangyue heard about the whole incident, but felt that it was not quite right. It was clearly a way to buy people's hearts. No one knew what the emperor was thinking.

That day after he and Tuoba Xiang left Yunzhong Palace, they went straight to the Princess Mansion, but there was no such thing as an urgent matter. It was obviously intentional. At first, he thought it was for Qiao Min, but after Qiao Min returned, he didn't It's not wrong, except that there is always sadness on the face, as if something has gone wrong.

So this time, what is it for?

Gong Yangyue couldn't figure it out, and went in and out of the mansion for days, trying to find out the behind-the-scenes, but was stumbled by a decree of July.Tuoba Gui intends to assume the throne of the emperor, so he changes his name and holds a banquet in the central palace, inviting the Princess Palace to attend. It seems that he intends to confer a title on Gongyangyue after the banquet.

To withdraw now would be an injustice to Tuobaxiang.

When Gongyang Qi married Tuoba Xiang back then, his background may not have been hidden from everyone, at least Emperor Zhaocheng knew it well, as for others, they were mostly deceived by excuses. There are few people, even after the restoration of the country, speaking ill of the son-in-law will have no real effect, and it is meaningless and unreasonable to bring down the princess.

But it's different now. After Gongyangyue came back, if Tuobagui had to be rewarded according to the promise of the year, then even if he was a member of Daiguo, the rumors that came in from his left ear and his right ear would become sharp and be taken seriously again. Even if the nobles did not exert pressure, the King of Wei himself would take the initiative to test it out. He would leave right now without asking himself, just like offending Murong Lin in the Yan Kingdom, how would Tuoba Xiang, who took over the mess, deal with himself?

Even if it was a Hongmen banquet, he still had to go there.

Only Tuobaxiang and Gongyangyue were invited to the palace banquet. Although Chao Chen felt that something was wrong, he was powerless to stop him. Fortunately, at this time, Qiao Min stood up and petitioned, saying that he wanted to go with him. Gongyangyue knew He didn't make a deal with him last time, and wanted to try again, so he said to Tuobaxiang, who felt that there was a support, and immediately agreed to enter the palace as a servant.