The King of Liang, the feudal lords outside the town, and the generals inside

When Mu Fengyi and others were preparing to attack Jizhou and rob the imperial court of the military rations transported to the northwest, the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court to persuade him also arrived in Sichuan and Shu, and Bai Yu personally received him.

Bai Yu didn't know this person, but Mu Fengyi who was beside him did.

The man respectfully knelt down and saluted like a rite, "Your Majesty, Prince Shao Fu, and the imperial envoy of the Holy Majesty, Shen Fang pays homage to His Royal Highness King Liang."

He was very polite, so Bai Yu naturally couldn't neglect him, stepped forward to help him up, and said with a smile: "My lord has worked hard all the way, please sit down."

Bai Yu returned to the main seat and sat down, Mu Fengyi whispered in his ear: "Your Highness, he is the prime minister's eldest son."

Bai Yu was stunned, took a quick look at Mu Fengyi, and then smiled as usual, "My lord is here to persuade me to stop the army? If that's the case, my lord doesn't need to waste my words. I'll rest here for a few days before heading back home. Beijing."

Shen Fang said: "Your Highness is wrong. I came here according to the order, not to persuade His Highness to stop fighting, but to analyze the war and its pros and cons truthfully to His Highness."

Bai Yu nodded and asked him back, "My lord thinks, what are my chances of winning, and what are the chances of the court?"

Shen Fang said: "His Royal Highness is superior to the geographical advantage, and the emperor is superior to the harmony of people. The so-called geographical advantage is not as good as human harmony. The aspirations of the people of the world do not seem to be on His Highness. The Emperor is a wise emperor. Under his kingship, the people live and work in peace and contentment. Raising troops to usurp the throne will definitely be despised by the people of the world."

This statement was impassioned, and Bai Yu raised his eyebrows in response to his insignificant accusation, "Didn't your lord read my call for graduation? I'm not trying to usurp the throne, I'm doing it for the Qing emperor's side."

Shen Fang shook his head and said, "This is just an excuse for His Highness."

"This is nothing more than my lord's subjective assumption." Bai Yu continued, "Just like I can conclude casually, the people and marriages your lord just said are just like flowers in a mirror, not real things."

Hearing what he said, Shen Fang became humble, "Oh? I'm stupid, please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Bai Yu smiled and said, "What is harmony among people? The aspiration of the people? Yes, the aspiration of the people is like water, which can carry a boat or overturn it. But don't make a mistake, my lord. The aspiration of the people is what the common people depend on for survival." Homeland is for a rich and stable life, and for a country that gives them a sense of belonging, but it is definitely not an emperor who sits high in the temple. Let alone ordinary people, even those local officials, I am afraid that it is impossible in this life Know what the emperor looks like. A person who has never met, why do you ask others to be loyal to him for no reason? My lord knows that my place is a dragon's lake and a tiger's den, and you dare to come here because you have been taught this way since you were a child. To be loyal to the emperor, you have to do your best to die. What's more important is that you have met the emperor. You civil and military ministers can communicate with the emperor directly and practically, accept the official salary from him, and then get your inner satisfaction by being loyal to him. But what you said about people's hearts, those people, they really don't have such high pursuits, they just want to live a good life, as for who the emperor is, it doesn't make any difference to them. This is the meaning of the sky is high and the emperor is far away, my lord Of course you don't understand."

Shen Fang seemed to want to say something, but he opened his mouth and didn't make a sound for a long time.

Bai Yu continued: "Why have all the emperors been afraid of the masters of the generals? It's because the soldiers under them have never seen the emperor, but the generals eat and live with them every day, and live together on the battlefield. Is this kind of friendship comparable to that of the emperor? It is the same for the common people. Of course, they love their own country, but they will not love the ruler. Any ruler who can give them what they want Guess if they will be happy? What’s more, my victory will not destroy their country and family. My surname is also Mu, and I am also the son of the first emperor. They are still the people of Dazhou—— You just want to give me the throne, don’t you?”

Shen Fang finally remembered something, and said: "Why does Your Highness think that he will do better than the emperor, and that the people will live a more prosperous and stable life under your governance?"

"Because I used to be a commoner." Bai Yu stared at him firmly, "Since you were born, have you ever suffered? Does your lord know what it means to be naked and hungry? The sufferings of the people are definitely not caused by you court officials One day I was ordered to inspect, and the delicacies of the mountains and the sea hugged the ground and 'felt' for a few days to understand. But I understand, I know what they want."

Shen Fang remained silent for a long time.

After settling down in the imperial envoy's quarters, Bai Yu stood alone by the window again in a daze.His mind wandered back to many years ago.

In the evening he called Mu Fengyi over to accompany him for dinner, Bai Yu asked him: "During the day you said that the imperial envoy was the prime minister's eldest son, do you know about the other sons of the prime minister?"

Mu Fengyi said: "As far as I know, the prime minister has five sons, the eldest son is an idle official, the second son has passed away, the third and fourth sons have no official positions, and the fifth son seems to have gone to the temple to study since he was a child. Wu. Why does Your Highness ask this?"

Bai Yu pondered for a while, frowned and shook his head, "For some reason, when I saw Shen Fang today, I always had a...familiar feeling, as if I had seen him somewhere before. But logically speaking, there should be no Yes. I don't know him."

Mu Fengyi said: "Could it be because Shen Fang looks a bit like his father? Your Highness is very familiar with Shen Xiang, so I think Shen Fang seems to have known each other before."

Bai Yu said: "Shen Fang and the prime minister don't look very much alike, at least they won't make people think of the prime minister at a glance. No, it's not the prime minister that I think of, it's..."

"who is it?"

Bai Yu was silent for a long time, the rice in the bowl was completely cold, and he didn't move his chopsticks.Mu Fengyi didn't make a sound to urge him, but just waited quietly.

Suddenly, Bai Yu stood up suddenly, rushed to the inner hall, dragged out a box from the closet, turned it upside down, poured out all the things inside, and rummaged frantically in the mess.

There were some books and papers in the box, Bai Yu had always been a person who cherished books, but now his actions were so rough that some books were torn to pieces.Mu Fengyi walked over and tidied up the things he turned over one by one.

After a while, Bai Yu stopped, and put the book upside down on the ground, the knuckles of the fingers holding the pages turned white. Mu Fengyi looked over carefully and found that Bai Yu was trembling slightly.

"Your Highness?" He stretched out his hand to hold Bai Yu's arm and asked worriedly.

Bai Yu gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, desperately suppressing her heartbeat that was so violent that it hurt a little.

"You go out first, let me stay by myself for a while." Bai Yu said.

Mu Fengyi nodded, got up and left.

Shen Fang didn't stay for too long, he bid farewell to Bai Yu early the next morning and set off for Beijing.Bai Yu sent him to the gate of the city, and the moment Shen Fang was about to turn around and get into the carriage, he suddenly said: "I heard that the second brother of the lord has passed away?"

Shen Fang paused, turned to look at Bai Yu, and nodded in a daze.

"May I take the liberty to ask, when did it happen?" Bai Yu continued to ask.

Shen Fang frowned puzzled, but still replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, my second younger brother passed away four years ago."

"Four years ago." Bai Yu murmured and repeated, and then said softly, "My lord, take care all the way."

Bai Yu stood quietly until she watched Shen Fang's Xingyuan go away and gradually disappeared from sight.Behind him there is a winding bluestone road reflecting the sunlight, which stops abruptly in front of the moat, and then the sunlight shines into the moat again, and the river water shimmers like a ribbon wrapping the city gate.Such gentle protection makes people dizzy after watching for a long time.

After being satisfied, Yuchi Yuanhe got off Ye Zhiyan's body and pulled the rope away, Ye Zhiyan's wrist was already bleeding.

Yuchi Yuanhe glanced at it, then threw a bottle of Baiyao and gauze to Ye Zhiyan.

"Compared to King Liang, the only advantage you have is that you can toss around at will." Yuchi Yuanhe put on his shirt belt loosely, and said with a sneer, "If he was injured a little bit, how many people lined up to feel sorry for you, you will be different."

Ye Zhiyan has long been used to his cynicism, which is an indispensable routine every time, it seems that the satisfaction brought by Yuchi Yuanhe by saying these harsh words is far higher than that obtained from him.

"My life is cheap, I can't compare with King Liang." He said lightly.

Yuchi Yuanhe looked him up and down, then smiled and said, "Fate is cheap? Not necessarily. Aren't you Liang Wang's cousin?"

Ye Zhiyan's right hand, which was spraying medicine on his wrist, shook suddenly, and half a bottle of medicine powder was returned to the bed.

He raised his head abruptly, looking at Yuchi Yuanhe in panic and shock.

His reaction made Yuchi Yuanhe show a satisfied smile, "Oh, it seems that the news I got is correct. Your mother is the sister of his concubine, and also the Wusun family. Right?"

Ye Zhiyan's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and it was the first time he showed such a gaffe in front of people.

Yuchi Yuanhe seemed to have discovered some amazing new species, he took two steps forward, stretched out his hand to lift Ye Zhiyan's chin, and carefully studied his panic and helplessness.

"No wonder you two have such one-in-a-million looks. It turns out that you are in the same line. Your family's genes are so good, do you have any other brothers and sisters?"

Ye Zhiyan and his falcon-like black eyes looked at each other for a moment, his heart beating wildly.He avoided Yuchi Yuanhe's hand pinching his chin, lifted the quilt and wanted to get out of bed and leave.

Yuchi Yuanhe slightly raised his voice, "You saw those letters when you came here just now, didn't you?"

Ye Zhiyan's movements froze.

Yuchi Yuanhe smiled, and continued: "That's right, I intercepted all the letters Yan Xun wrote to King Liang. Do you want to tell King Liang? Then I have to persuade you, it's best not to."

Ye Zhiyan turned around and looked at him.

"Don't forget, we are rebelling now. If Liang Wang and I fall out at this time..." Yuchi Yuanhe paused, but did not continue.

Needless to say, Ye Zhiyan naturally understood.

Yuchi Yuanhe walked over and grabbed Ye Zhiyan's wrist.

A piercing pain.Ye Zhiyan began to struggle for the first time, trying to break free from Yuchi Yuanhe's control for the first time.

Yuchi Yuanhe's already frayed wrist was gripped so hard by Yuchi Yuanhe that more blood leaked from the wound. Yuchi Yuanhe turned a blind eye to the bright red, but exerted more force, which made Ye Zhiyan so painful that he dared not resist any more.

He leaned close to Ye Zhiyan's ear, his voice was very soft, almost only a breath.He said: "If you dare to reveal a word, I will tell King Liang that it was your mother who was supposed to be paid tribute to the first emperor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Zhiyan sat down on the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.