Survival countdown

During the period when Changping and Zhao Baiyu were imprisoned, the courtiers saw the meaning of Emperor Yuanshou, so they didn't make trouble at the time, but they made frequent small moves in private, and the undercurrent was turbulent under the calm surface of the capital.

With Daxia's defeat and the peace talks ahead, and the palace banquet behind, the court temporarily focused its attention on this, which indeed eased the atmosphere of public opinion about the Liangjiang case.

Chen Shidao and others are still creating public opinion among the people, and the princelings understand that public opinion is a good thing, so they also want to influence public opinion, but the common people are just uneducated and illiterate. , what's more, most of the people who can make representative remarks are scholars, and they especially respect Chen Shidao and other civil servants.

Therefore, the right to discourse of public opinion is still controlled by Chen Shidao's faction. In response to Emperor Yuanshou's intention, he has recently reduced his views to public places such as restaurants and literati gatherings, lest some people rush to beat the drum with enthusiasm, which would anger Yuanshou instead. emperor.

However, the theater quietly arranged for Qingtian to go to Liangjiang to kill corrupt officials for a new play. Because it was adapted from a real event, it overwhelmed the new play of the same period and was very popular among the people inside and outside the capital.

During this period of private rivalry between the various parties, the prince was in charge of receiving Daxia's envoys and palace banquets.

Although they participated in the peace talks, they did not make decisions, and the process of the peace talks was extremely smooth, unlike in the past, where they had been arguing and scolding each other for half a month, and every penny was worth every penny. They didn't give an inch, but this time both sides were very friendly and peaceful, and all the content was discussed in less than ten days.

The crown prince was surprised and puzzled, but he also felt relieved. He was most annoyed by the process of peace talks. The two countries were arguing endlessly over trivial matters, but they couldn't back down. He was forced to ask for punishment before giving up.

Right now, both sides are satisfied with the peace treaty, which can make him feel a lot easier, so he has a good impression of this refreshing Great Summer.

It seems to be called Gaoyi Mountain?

I left a little impression, but I didn't make friends deeply, it was just a visit.

The prince quickly forgot about it, and he didn't think it was strange to see Chen Shidao appearing in the west station of Duting, where the envoys from Daxia stayed. After all, it was arranged by the Ministry of Rites to receive envoys from various countries, and there were many former disciples of Chen Shidao there.

On this day, as soon as the crown prince came out of the Duting West Station, he was stopped. The other party was an unfamiliar face who showed his waist card for entering and exiting the central palace.

The prince thought for a moment, then stopped the dissuading guards, and followed him to a secluded house, where there was a figure from the back who was dressed in common clothes, and turned around when he heard the sound.

It is indeed Changping who is being imprisoned.

The prince scanned around and found that there were about a dozen people inside and outside the house, with a very low sense of presence. They should be the three hundred dead men raised privately by Changping.

"If I remember correctly, my aunt should be imprisoned in the princess mansion at this time, waiting for the interrogation by the emperor."

Chang Ping stood with his hands behind his back, straight to the point: "Do you know when Huo Jingtang will recognize his ancestors and return to his ancestors?"

The prince's face sank: "You also know?"

Chang Ping smiled, "It's strange that Brother Huang has not concealed his true thoughts more and more recently. I'm afraid it's not just you and me. Those ministers who smelled it have already rushed to surrender to the county palace."

The prince shuddered: "You mean Zhao Zaizhi?"

Chang Ping deepened his smile: "Hasn't Your Highness noticed that Gao Tongzhi, San Si and other prime ministers and deputy prime ministers, as well as ministers such as Chen Shidao and Fan Wenming, have come out to Zhao Baiyu to intercede? Huo Jingtang left the northwest without permission, The news was kept under wraps, and as soon as it spread, some ministers excused him, saying that the victory in the battle was more meritorious than his faults, which is understandable... Your Highness is not a fledgling young man, and he still can't see that the officialdom has never been profitable. Is it right? Everyone is wise and safe, and if you don’t retreat, you are advancing! Who dares to fight for his colleagues with his relatives and family members behind him? Ask for mercy?"

The prince's heart fluctuated violently, but he could still remain vigilant.

"What do you want to say?"

"Your Highness is not suspicious yet? Don't you understand?" Changping suddenly raised his voice, "Zhao Boyong, Chen Shidao, and the group of humerus important ministers are clearly left to Huo Jingtang by His Majesty, and they have paved the way for him long ago and left usable ones. People! As for those who cannot be used, such as Prince Jing, An Huaide, His Royal Highness's wife, Sima, and King Qin, Xiao Liu, and Zheng Guogong's mansion, they are either uprooted or hit head-on, and their forces have been beaten to pieces. Do you look back and see if you still have anyone you can use?"

The prince's cheeks twitched, his pride was pierced, and hatred welled up in his heart, not only towards Changping, towards the courtiers, but also towards Huo Jingtang and Zhao Baiyu, but he didn't dare to hate the culprit too much.

"If they follow Huo Jingtang, how can they save Zhao Baiyu? How can the queen be a man? Zhao Baiyu's death is easier to make a fuss about at this time. Attacking the orphan and the sixth brother can easily eradicate the two of us. Shunman tried to suppress the Donggong Party and the Zheng Guogong Party, why did he go to such lengths to save Zhao Baiyu?"

The prince looked at Changping coldly: "Gu is not as smart as the father, but he is not an idiot who can be tricked by others with a few words! If Auntie wants to deceive Gu, it is better to be serious."

"Your Majesty must restore Huo Jingtang's identity if he wants to ascend the throne. He must not let the world know that he is a bastard who has no matchmaker, and he must not tarnish the reputation of the late emperor. He will probably fabricate a glorious enough identity. But the crown prince inherits the great The rule must be convincing to the people of the world, and there must be no falsehood. If you want not to be questioned, it is best to have all the witnesses and material evidence. At this time, a person who has the hearts of the people and prestige in the world will come out to testify... Your Highness, do you think Huo Jingtang can do it? It is logical to restore his status as the eldest prince of Dajing?"

The prince reacted fiercely and patted the table, dust was thrown up with a bang, and he stared at Changping: "Whimsical! The position of the prince, the matter of great rule, and the blood of the royal blood, how can it be trifling? Your words gather the hearts and prestige of the world's people in the world." Isn't the whole body Zhao Baiyu? Just him?"

He sneered again and again: "The bloodline of the royal family is related to whether it can inherit the great rule in the future, it is related to the great scenery of the country, the safety of the country, and the stability of the court. How can there be any reason to recognize it? All scholars and bureaucrats agree? I am sure that the hearts of scholars all over the world can understand it." Earn it? Does the prince say that he can change it? If an emperor acts willfully and recklessly, and the courtiers follow suit, and are forced by the majesty of the emperor to recognize a bastard who has no matchmaker as their emperor, this country will not want it! It is hopeless, I don't care about the orthodoxy of the blood, but if someone refuses to accept it, he can rise up at any time!"

"People's hearts? People's expectations? What is that? In peacetime, you give a bit of face to the people's will. In times of turmoil, the people are like pigs and dogs. After all, isn't it something that can be trampled on at will? Since it can be trampled on at will, it can also be trampled on. Man-made momentum, artificial distortion, arbitrary use."

Seeing the prince's conceited and contemptuous appearance, Changping laughed in a low voice, feeling very happy. She just likes the prince's innate arrogance and can become the strongest supporter of her and the princes and nobles she represents.

The index finger of his right hand tapped the ring inlaid with gold and gemstones worn on the middle finger of his left. It was a treasure given by the first emperor when he bestowed the title, and it was also the only luxurious thing in Changping's body at this time. A gift of identity.

She stared at the prince, showing an ambitious smile: "Among all the princes, I value you the most, because you are the most like the late emperor."

It is a pity that the late emperor who was headstrong in his later years was not as cruel and courageous as him.

"Huo Jingtang is just a bastard, and the Cui family is not the emperor's brother who is marrying a matchmaker. What kind of heirloom is he? Dajing talks about heirs, who else but you? Establishing the original is the orthodox way, and the throne is you Yes, His Majesty's partiality to Huo Jingtang because of personal affection is perverse - but he is the son of heaven, the emperor, the father, and he is your heaven. What does the sky want you to do, can you resist? Who does the sky want all the officials to support? , all officials can only obey orders, what does the sky want the people to do, what else can the people do except obey? You are in front of me, no matter how hard you speak, are you not letting the most noble and closest people in the world slaughter you?"

"That's all for the prince, if you say abolish it, you will abolish it."

"The law of the jungle is prey to the strong, and public opinion is indeed something that can be trampled on at will. The question is, do you have the right to trample on it? Public opinion says that Zhao Baiyu should not be killed. Do you dare to argue and refute a sentence? Do you dare to make those people ignore you and force His Majesty to give a light sentence?" Did Zhao Baiyu's ministers push out and cut off their heads one by one?!"

The prince's face was pale, with cruelty, resentment and fear in his eyes, he clenched his fists tightly, unable to deny every word of Changping.

"You can't. So you're just the crown prince, not the emperor."

The prince was startled, vaguely aware of what Changping wanted to say, he should have reprimanded the rebellious Changping, but his loose heart prevented him from speaking.

Changping really said the words that shook his heart: "Unless, the prince is not the prince, you are the emperor yourself."

The prince seemed to be possessed by a demon, and the words he scolded in his head were completely different from the words he uttered: "Father is in good health, in his prime, free from illness and disaster, and maybe he can be the emperor for another ten or twenty years."

"The Son of Heaven is also a human being. As a human being, there will be three diseases and five disasters. Maybe a cold can kill you. But—" She changed the subject, "You can abdicate without disease or disaster."

The prince backed away abruptly, his face was pale, and his eyes flickered: "Changping, you are too brave!"

Chang Ping looked at him with a smile: "A few days ago I entered the palace and had some personal conversations with the empress. Would you like the prince to guess what we said?"

The prince couldn't help asking: "What?"

Changping: "I have been away from Kyoto for 20 years. Many new palaces have been built in the palace, palace roads have been newly paved, the shifts of the guards have been changed, and many eunuchs and maids have been added... It was probably after talking about these things that I realized that the palace was abandoned. How many secret passages, which new passages have been dug through—”

"You want to rebel?"

"Wrong! It's just taking back what should belong to us. How can it be called treason?" Changping looked at the crown prince and gently persuaded him: "Your Highness is 26 this year. Even if there is no Huo Jingtang, we have to wait more than ten or twenty years. You are thirty or forty, you beat a third child, and another little six, and in the future there will be little seven, little nine, and little seventeen...you have been the prince for 20 or 30 years, but you lost the fight and were deposed, what do you do?"

"Your Highness, Your Highness, go back and ask your disciples and counselors if they have long been unable to restrain their desire to make contributions? If you plan to conquer the sky, you will succeed once you succeed, and you will achieve great achievements forever, including the people you want to love but can't love in your heart. Your."

The prince was in a trance, and when he heard 'I want to love but can't love', I was immediately alert: "How much do you know?" After thinking about it, "Did you threaten Shiro to help me persuade me to accept the three hundred dead men in your hands?"

"Why would I threaten Shiro? He crawled out of my stomach, the only bloodline, and it's too late for me to hurt him." Facing the frightened eyes of the crown prince, who seemed to be looking at a madman, Changping's smile widened: "Zhao Bai Yu and Shiro were born within an hour, Xie Shi and Zhao Lang asked me to make Li Deshou switch before they even took a look."

She presses on step by step: "Do you know why Daxia's peace talks went so smoothly? It's because Zhao Baiyu and Huo Jingtang colluded with Daxia to envoy Gao Yishan, promised wealth and power, and asked him to slander me for collaborating with the enemy and treason. I'll tell you again For one thing, Zhao Boyong knew the truth about the exchange of sons, so on the day the county prince's mansion was imprisoned, he sat in the county prince's mansion for half an hour, and then went to Chen Shidao's mansion. Not long after, Chen Shidao often went to Dutingxi Yi...what do you think he is going to do?"

The prince murmured: "Collude with Gao Yishan, slander you, and save Zhao Baiyu?"

Chang Ping: "In this way, Zhao Baiyu's prestige will be unattainable. Huo Jingtang's life experience can be made public at any time, and more importantly, Zhao Boyong grasps your personal relationship with Shiro—"

"I and Shiro are in love and end in courtesy, and there is no shady affair." The prince retorted reflexively.

"So what? As long as you are interested, you can tell flowers without rolling on the same bed. Zhao Boyong hates me now. He used to think that Shiro was the young man of their Zhao family and tried every means to target Zhao Baiyu. Now I know The truth, how should we target Shiro? His plan and formation this time is to slander me for collaborating with the enemy and treason, and then expose my matter of exchanging sons, take revenge on Shiro, and expose your affair with Shiro by the way, to participate in your moral unworthiness, To take away your crown prince position, so as to make way for Huo Jingtang! You have seen the third child who was imprisoned, do you also want to fall to the point where life is worse than death?"

"No... no, I don't want to!"

"Then..." Chang Ping suddenly grabbed the prince's hand, wrapped it up, and looked him straight in the eyes: "Be the emperor yourself."

"—"

The prince's pupils constricted, and his defenses collapsed instantly.

***

After leaving the ordinary house, the prince was in a trance. He walked through the teahouse and saw scholars dancing and discussing with emotion that the Northwest Army had defeated the Daxia Kingdom. The storyteller took pictures of Xingmu again and again, excitedly repeating Zhao Baiyu's redress for the people, and won applause.

A Huo Jingtang, a Zhao Baiyu, no one remembers the Eastern Palace Chujun who forgot to eat and sleep, even if he is deposed one day, he may still wonder, "Who is the Chujun?" ', and then greeted the new emperor with joy.

The prince at the entrance of the restaurant was thinking gloomyly, and he was about to leave when someone behind him suddenly called him, and when he looked back, it was Da Xia who came to envoy Gao Yishan.

The key is that behind him are Chen Shidao and Gao Tongzhi!

They really colluded secretly, waiting to depose him as the crown prince.

The prince raised a gentle smile to deal with Gao Yishan. The inside story was full of dark thoughts. When Chen Shidao said that they met by chance, he felt that every word was a lie. Every sentence contained a trap. Wait for him to fall in.

Everyone wants him to die, everyone expects him to die soon.

Huo Jingtang was the only heir apparent in their minds, and Huo Jingtang was the only one who trusted their father and emperor... He remembered that the Great Sage Patriarch was the one who came down immediately, and the late emperor could stand out from the battle for succession It was because he made great military achievements with the founding of the ancestors, and his father was once reprimanded by the late emperor, and was almost deposed. It was because he quit the Northwest Army too early, and his prestige in the army was lower than that of King Jing, so he was hated.

——It must be the reason.

So making the sixth younger brother a target was to send him to Dingzhou to join the army. This act deceived Zheng Guogong's mansion and the sixth younger brother. Even the sixth younger brother thought that he was the heir apparent that his father favored, but he forgot that there was another man with outstanding military exploits. Huo Jingtang.

We all expect him to fall into the abyss, right?

But until the end, who can know the winner?

The violent and dark emotions in the prince's heart became more and more intense, and the smile on his face became more sincere, showing a bit of Changping.

"What did you say?" The crown prince suddenly came back to his senses, staring at Gao Yishan and asked, "You said you wanted to meet Zhao Baiyu? Why did Mr. Gao suddenly want to see me, Minister Chao? Could it be that we knew each other before?"

Gao Yishan can speak fluent Dajing official dialect: "The two rivers case has made Mr. Zhao Qingtian famous, famous all over the world, even as far as the northwest, he has been known for his high integrity. I have admired his reputation for a long time. It is a coincidence that he served as Daxia Lai. So I have been looking for a chance to get to know Mr. Zhao. However, all the invitations I sent fell like stones and seas. Now that the treaty of peace talks between the two countries has been signed, there will be a palace banquet in a few days. As soon as the palace banquet is over, I have to set off to return home. Great summer. The mountains are high and the rivers are long. I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to meet the person I am fascinated by for the rest of my life.”

He smiled, cupped his hands and said his request: "The King of Lin'an County is the greatest contributor to this diplomatic relationship, and he is the most admired god of war by our Daxia people. Wang attended, I'm afraid our Daxia National Army and soldiers will not accept it."

Prince: "Why don't you accept it?"

"They will see it as a slight."

The crown prince was extremely angry and laughed back. The crown prince personally hosted the palace banquet. The emperor, the middle palace and courtiers attended the palace banquet together. Wouldn't it be worthy of Huo Jingtang's attendance to make Daxia more convincing?

To put it seriously, Huo Jingtang is a master of great achievements, so he has to get rid of it.

As for the father, he has been sitting on the dragon chair for a long time, and he is old, so he is inevitably a little confused.

"What does this have to do with Zhao Baiyu?"

"Isn't Zhao Baiyu the princess of Lin'an County? Husband and wife are of the same body, Zhao Baiyu should attend the palace banquet as a matter of course, and I can also take this opportunity to make friends."

Chen Shidao stepped forward from behind and declined politely: "Lord Gao doesn't know something, the two of them have been imprisoned for a long time."

Gao Yishan: "Really?" There was no look of surprise on his face, obviously he knew that Huo Jingtang and Zhao Baiyu were imprisoned, but it was not a cause for concern. He must think that if the envoy of Daxia raised any opinions, for the sake of the overall situation, the imperial court would agree to come down.

A trace of displeasure flashed across Chen Shidao's face, and he was about to speak, but the crown prince responded immediately: "With diplomatic relations between the two countries, the border is stable, the country is prosperous and the people are safe, and Daxia's peace talks are full of sincerity, and I can't be negligent in any way. But I just want to see Huo Jingtang and Zhao Baiyu, it's a trivial matter, why not? I will go back to the palace and ask my father for orders."

"Your Highness," Gao Tongzhi came behind the crown prince and whispered, "The King of Lin'an and Zhao Baiyu are both guilty, and they were imprisoned by His Majesty himself. Isn't it against His Majesty's bad luck for you to enter the palace at this time to persuade him? Daxia is defeated. He took the initiative to ask for peace, and he was not qualified to make a request, so the humble minister refused."

"Hiss... On the premise that Gu has already let go, are you going to reject Da Xia's request?"

Gao Tong shuddered, and saw that the prince who was smiling on the surface was not in the right mood, and quickly cupped his hands and said, "I dare not disobey His Highness, and all my advice is for His Highness's sake."

The prince looked at him indifferently for a while, then lowered his head and straightened his cuffs: "Tongzhi Gao, if you want to imitate Yan Jinjian's Wei Xuancheng as a famous official through the ages, there is no problem, the premise is that you remember that Gu is also the heir apparent you should respect. No waste, Mr. Gao should be cautious before saying anything or doing anything."

Looking at Gao Tongzhi who became more and more respectful, the prince smiled meaninglessly: "Okay, I don't want to punish you. The envoy from Daxia was right. The king of Lin'an County is the minister who made great contributions to the diplomatic relations between the two countries." , Not to mention not attending the palace banquet, and imprisoning the mansion together with his wife, it is unreasonable. It is just to attend a banquet and go alone to ask for an order, and the father can't ask for it... I mean, the father is happy to see it come true. "

After saying that, he chatted with Gao Yishan for a while before leaving the restaurant in big strides. As soon as he walked out of their line of sight, the prince immediately lost his smile and whispered expressionlessly: "Tell aunt, the day of the palace banquet can be changed to another day." when."

An ordinary middle-aged man beside him replied "deling" and then disappeared into the crowd in the crowd.

***

In the restaurant, Gao Tongzhi and Chen Shidao looked at Gao Yishan indifferently.

Gao Yishan smiled and said: "Although I don't understand why you always appear around this envoy recently, and you often act enthusiastically, but if you guess correctly, you should use this envoy to achieve a certain purpose. I think about it Go, only Mr. Zhao, who is on the cusp of the storm at this time, can make several prime ministers of Dajing scramble to make friends with me. It's not too much to get acquainted with Master Zhao, who is so famous all over the world, right?"

With a bright smile, regardless of the ugly faces of the two of them, without waiting for their response, he yelled at Xiao Er to bring two jugs of wine, and left with a gourd shaking his head.

Gao Tongzhi was thoughtful: "I'm not a fool either."

Chen Shidao: "At any rate, he is the Prime Minister of Daxia. If he loses the battle, it doesn't mean he has no brains."

Gao Tongzhi sighed: "I don't know if the Xiaojun Wang's method will work, or if Zhao Zai will misunderstand during his administration, but it is also a good start to use the palace banquet to relieve the confinement."

Chen Shidao agreed, feeling that the prince's attitude was a little weird, and never thought that it would be stimulated by Changping.

The two chatted for a few words, and then went back to their respective yamen to do business.

***

After the prince returned to the palace, he had a secret conversation with the queen for half an hour before returning to the East Palace.It just so happened that Lu Wancai entered the hall from the outside with a large bouquet of brightly colored branch flowers, and found that the prince was looking at her fixedly.

"Why did the prince release the value so early today?"

"Many things have been done, just wait for the palace banquet to begin three days later." The prince reached out and took Lu Wan into his arms, stroked her cheek and asked, "Is Wan'er willing to do anything for Gu?"

Buried in the prince's arms, Lu Wan said firmly, "Of course." Then she asked, "What's the matter? I feel that His Highness seems unhappy. Is it because of difficulties in the court, or because the duties in my hands are too heavy?"

Prince: "I have indeed encountered some difficult problems, but no one can help..."

Lu Wan eagerly asked: "What is it? Your Highness, but it's okay, I... If I can help His Highness, I will die without regret."

"Wan'er, don't say dead words casually, ghosts and gods have spirits, and I'm afraid they will take them seriously." The prince was tender and affectionate, and was indeed touched, with a bit of sincerity in his tone. "The main reason is that the guards guarding the palace gates during the palace banquet and the patrolling guards in the palace have some conflicts in their shifts, and they are doing their own thing. Some listen to the sixth younger brother, and some listen to the king of Lin'an County... but they are against the lonely sun, and they have no soldiers in their hands. No pawn, after all, I have lost a bit of confidence to speak, and I dare not trouble my father with this matter. If I let my father know that I can't even solve this trivial matter, it will inevitably be another reprimand."

Lu Wan gently comforted the prince: "It's very simple, I will tell my father to mobilize the forbidden army for you to use."

Lu Zhiyuan has the right to mobilize troops from all over the world, but it is really a trivial matter to mobilize the imperial guards at the moment.

The prince sighed: "Wan'er, Gu Zhen doesn't know how to thank you."

His hand slipped onto Lu Wan's belt, Lu Wan suddenly turned her face away and coughed heart-piercingly, no matter how happy the prince was, the cough killed him.

Lu Wan coughed until blood came out of her lips, and said apologetically, "It's all Wan'er's disappointment..." Looking over with red eyes, she was comforted by the prince softly, and called the imperial physician and maid to take care of her, and personally took care of her. She sent back to the bedroom.

As soon as the prince left, Lu Wan lost all expression on her face. She wiped off the blood from her lips indifferently, and called her personal servant girl who grew up together, and ordered her to go back to Lu's mansion to deliver a message.

"...My Lu family has been loyal to the emperor and patriotic for generations, but he wants to use me to trap my father in a situation of disloyalty, filial piety, and injustice. Even if a husband and wife are all used, don't they have any sincerity at all?" Isn't Lu Wan dissatisfied? Sad, but she had to pull herself together, and ordered in a low voice: "I will find an excuse to let Bihe go back to the Lu Mansion with you. I don't know who she is from the palace. Take it down."

Personal maid: "Understood."

***

As soon as Bihe and Lu Wan's personal servants left the palace, they searched for an opportunity to separate on the way, and sent the news of the East Palace, and then returned to the Lu Mansion.

After hearing the news, although Lu Zhiyuan ordered Bihe to be taken down, he still fell into a long silence, with his back bent and his head lowered as if he was 30 years old, and he muttered to himself: "Look, the loyal prince of the old man, the old man has chosen a thousand times!" Wan Xuan's son-in-law Cheng Long Kuai is actually such a heartless person!"

"If Chujun Dajing looks like this, it would be better for the old man to kill him with his own hands."

After a while, Lu Zhiyuan closed his eyes in pain, having made a decision in his heart.

***

The crown prince asked for an amnesty for Huo Jingtang and Zhao Baiyu to attend the palace banquet. Emperor Yuanshou only hesitated for a moment before agreeing, and boasted for the first time that the East Palace did a good job in receiving the envoy from Daxia.

The prince's face was filled with fear and sincerity, and his heart became colder and colder. There was nothing but sarcasm and ridicule.

On the palace road, the fifth prince was waiting for the prince, he stuffed a gold purse and said, "Shiro dragged me to bring it here."

The prince's eyebrows softened instantly, and when he opened the purse and saw the poems about lovesickness inside, his heart became even hotter.

The fifth prince said from the side: "I don't understand why the second emperor wants to lift the ban on Huo Jingtang and Zhao Baiyu, isn't it for him to steal the limelight?"

He still doesn't know about Huo Jingtang's life experience, and he doesn't know what Donggong is planning.

The fifth prince saw that he was absent-minded, and went back to his household tactfully.

The prince hid the purse in his arms, went to see Lu Zhiyuan, and successfully obtained from him the right to deploy troops from the Imperial Guard in Kyoto, and made arrangements with Changping in the middle palace and outside the palace, and hid the three hundred dead soldiers in the palace In several newly repaired tunnels that few people know about, Changping took the lead and Empress Zhonggong arranged.

***

It wasn't until the day before the palace banquet that the decree of lifting the ban was spread to the Prince's Mansion of Lin'an County. Uncle Hai, Wei Bo, Yan Bing and others found it inconceivable, and became ecstatic.

Yan Bing: "Does it mean that His Majesty will not pursue Wu Lang's crime of beheading three hundred officials without the right?"

Zhao Baiyu was still very calm: "Just don't pursue it for the time being. When Daxia comes to make a move and the palace banquet is over, the Liangjiang case will still break out."

The harder the pressure and the longer the delay, it will only usher in a bigger storm. Right now everyone seems to push the people's sentiments to control the game, but the fact is that the direction and outcome are all in Emperor Yuanshou's thoughts.

No matter how popular the public opinion is, it is impossible to really resist the supreme imperial power under the rule of the feudal dynasty. Everyone is trying to delay the time and find another way out that can not only protect Zhao Baiyu, but also allow Emperor Yuanshou to step down comfortably.

Huo Jingtang held Zhao Baiyu's much thinner shoulders, lowered his head and said firmly: "After the palace banquet, I will surely find a way to survive for Xiao Lang."

Hearing this, Zhao Baiyu showed an extremely gentle smile, with unconcealable fatigue in his eyes, his hands folded in his wide sleeves, as graceful as green bamboos, he nodded in response: "Yes."

***

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the palace banquet. Shen Shichu opened the two palace gates, and all the officials and wives who were invited entered the palace one by one.

The palace minister's residence is close to the palace, so we leave later.

In summer, the days are long and the nights are short, until the end of Shenshi, the sun is still a little dazzling.

At this time, the Zhao family, Xie family and Zhao Boyong entered the palace together to attend the banquet, while Zhao Changfeng and Zhao Sanlang, who were also in the forbidden army, took up duties to protect the security inside and outside the palace.

Just as Mrs. Xie stepped into the carriage, Zhao Yuzheng suddenly rushed out to stop them, and there were servants chasing them out of breath behind them.

"Father, mother, can't you cancel this palace banquet?" Zhao Yuzheng showed a weak and pitiful expression, "I, I have actually been ill for several days. I was afraid that my father and mother would worry, so I didn't allow anyone to tell you, but I really miss the candied fruit my father bought, telling me stories on my bedside to lull me to sleep, and I miss my mother's soft voice..."

He forced a smile, and asked with a bit of pleading: "Can father and mother cancel another palace banquet for me?"

Zhao Zaizhi and Mrs. Xie once rejected two palace banquets to take care of him who was seriously ill, but Emperor Yuanshou and the Queen Mother not only did not blame him, but also lamented that their parents loved their son as high as a mountain and as deep as a sea, and sent an imperial doctor to the government for diagnosis, so that the capital was full. We all know how much the Zhao couple dote on Zhao Silang, and even the emperor and queen mother love their house and black.

After Xie finished listening, he entered the carriage without looking back.

Zhao Zaizhi looked back at Zhao Silang coldly, and left a sentence: "Send Silang back to the house." Then he got into the carriage.

It's completely different from the usual look of asking about health and asking for warmth and running around in a hurry. Seeing this, the servants in the mansion exploded in their hearts. Is this a conflict?

It's true that the sun came out from the west, and when the master and wife also neglected Shiro, they opened their eyes.

Seeing that Mrs. Xie and Zhao Boyong got into the carriage and left without hesitation, Zhao Yuzheng raised his chin suddenly, his eyes were red, and he frowned to keep the tears from rolling down. He just thought it was too ridiculous and couldn't help laughing sarcastically twice, and finally With a blank face, he muttered to himself indifferently: "Is blood relationship so important?"

How could he be inferior to Zhao Baiyu?

Wouldn't it be more ruthless without him to put on airs, without him with blood on his hands?

"You don't want mine first, don't blame me."

Zhao Yuzheng turned around and went back to the house, tears still rolling down his eyes.

***

At four o'clock in the unitary hour, all officials and courtiers entered the Zichen Hall together to find a place to sit.Dajing pays attention to simple aesthetics in other aspects, but the banquet is extremely luxurious, in which flowers are indispensable decorations, not only appearing on long tables, dishes and vases, but also on the sideburns of officials and wives.

If they were ugly, the hairpins on the sideburns would be ridiculous, but before the official examination, appearance and appearance were one of the assessments, and there were not many ugly ones who could achieve the position of Beijing official.

With a correct appearance and a calm and generous demeanor, the hairpins on the sideburns add a bit of elegance to a scholar-bureaucrat.

Even Zhao Baiyu had a delicate pomegranate flower on his temples. He sat upright, but his fair and handsome appearance was set off with a three-point ups and downs and a seven-point dusty demeanor, but there was a demon king sitting crookedly beside him. , still has a sassy and uninhibited temperament, and there is also a cluster of crabapple flowers on her head, but it is not neatly placed on the sideburns, but it is inserted into the hair crown ostentatiously, which is extremely attractive to others.

A wide variety of exquisite snacks, appetizing soups, melons and fruits were first served in the hall, and soon there was a mingling of toasts and chips.

The positions assigned to Zhao Baiyu and Huo Jingtang were quite close to the throne of the empress. As soon as they raised their heads, they could see Zhao Boyong and Mrs. Xie on the opposite side. They were staring at Zhao Baiyu with fiery eyes. You have to deal with the wives of all officials, and you can't find a gap at all.

Zhao Baiyu only looked away and then looked away, wondering if he offended Zhao Yuzheng somewhere, or blamed him because of Changping, but after thinking about it, he was imprisoned after returning to Beijing, and he also had a feud with Changping. As we all know, I really couldn't think of anything that aroused the disgust of the Zhao couple, so I put it aside.

He only looked around the hall, paying attention to the empress, the crown prince and the patrolling guards. Of course, Huo Jingtang's subtle movements and expressions, which seemed to be relaxed but were always in a state of preparation for battle, were not ignored.

Looking down, Zhao Baiyu took a sip of the fruit wine, and the corners of his lips raised slightly. Everything went as he planned, but he didn't feel any joy.

***

At the same time, two tunnels directly leading to the interior of the palace were opened at different locations at the same time. The empty and abandoned palace was filled with a hundred dead soldiers in an instant. The patrols of the forbidden army were perfectly staggered, gradually approaching the Zichen Palace in the center of the banquet.

When the palace guards were changing shifts, someone suddenly came to the gate of the palace with Lu Zhiyuan's troop badge.

The person who came was dressed in black iron armor, his facial features were hidden in the helmet, he showed the waist plate belonging to the Privy Council in his hand, and ordered the Eastern Palace: "The sky is dry and the things are dry. There is water in a dyeing workshop on Quyuan Street in the city. The fire is raging and burning. One street, and there is a tendency to extend outward, the military patrol shop is not manned enough, and the firefighting is not enough, the mission ordered me to send troops from Sanya to support."

The person guarding the palace gate tonight was Zhao Sanlang, who was under the command of Long Fengjun under the command of the Sima Army, who was guarding the palace. He heard this and asked, "I'm leaving, who will guard the palace gate?"

"You have your own arrangements, and you just obey orders."

The Dianqian Division is in charge of public security, and sometimes dispatches manpower to guard the palace gate, so this arrangement is not surprising.

Without further ado, Zhao Sanlang took orders to put out the fire.

The gate of the palace was replaced with soldiers transferred from Lu Zhiyuan. This man repeated his old tricks and transferred the Dianqian who was patrolling in the palace.

Zhao Changfeng, who was sent to the gate of the palace, only guarded for less than half an hour when he saw that Zhao Sanlang was in a panic, galloping on horseback at night for no reason, and rushed into the imperial passage, his expression changed drastically, he stepped forward, and suddenly drew his saber, Cutting off the horse's foot, the neighing sound shook the sky in an instant, Zhao Sanlang was almost stopped in front of the imperial road.

Zhao Sanlang rolled on the ground, ignoring the pain in his body, he shouted loudly: "There is a problem with the deployment of troops!"

Zhao Changfeng, who was always suspicious in his heart, reacted immediately, pulled Zhao Sanlang and rushed towards the palace hall: "Sanlang, go to the Sanya newspaper and the commander of the capital immediately, and send troops over here immediately! The rest of you, follow me in and arrest the rebels!"

***

The imperial guards outside the Zichen Hall were emptied, except for the bright lights in the hall, changing cups, dancing red and emerald greens, and feasting, the surroundings were all silent and dark, as if a giant beast was crawling in the dark, watching the blood flow with cold eyes. Flow into a river.

When the banquet in the palace was in full swing, the palace was full of music. Emperor Yuanshou raised the seventh cup of wine at the head, followed by the ministers, and then all the officials responded.

After Huo Jingtang's popularization of science, Zhao Baiyu knew that this is the palace banquet etiquette, called the nine-cup system, from the beginning of the emperor to the end of the hundred officials, there will be banquets, songs and dances.

When the eighth cup of wine is raised