Chapter 108 Hostage

Li Yueyao laughed when she heard this: "Okay, I'll be your hostage. Concubine Xian, go and bring the Seventh Prince here."

The virtuous concubine shook her head and said, "No, aunt, I will be her hostage."

Li Yueyao smiled and said, "I'll stay. You go quickly."

Rongpin also spoke at this time: "Xianfei, you go and bring the Seventh Prince here, and the Grand Princess of Jinyang stays."

Xian Fei had no choice but to stand up and said to Rongpin:

"I'll go get some people right away. Don't hurt my aunt in the slightest. If she gets hurt, I'll make sure to get my revenge a thousand times over from the Seventh Prince."

Seeing this, Li Yueyao slowly walked towards Concubine Rong.

Rongpin leaned forward and grabbed Li Yueyao's arm, pulled her over, and put a dagger on Li Yueyao's neck.

Li Yueyao looked at Concubine Xian and said, "Let's go."

Upon seeing this, Concubine Xian gritted her teeth and ran away.

As soon as Concubine Xian came out of the Imperial Garden, she saw Fu Shou and Qian Lou coming together.

Fu Shou was very surprised to see Concubine Xian in such a miserable state.

"The Grand Princess of Jinyang is being held hostage by Concubine Rong and Prime Minister Gao. Send someone to inform His Majesty, quickly."

After hearing this, Fu Shou turned around and left.

When Qian Lou heard that Li Yueyao had been kidnapped, he rushed into the imperial garden without waiting for Concubine Xian's orders.

The virtuous concubine went straight to Rongpin's Qionghua Palace.

The emperor sent Master Tianyi to the Tingfo Pavilion behind the imperial palace to pray for the Great Jin.

After returning, he just sat down and was about to discuss state affairs with Feng Shenyu. Before he could say a few words, he heard Fu Shou come to report that Li Yueyao had been kidnapped.

The two stood up and walked out.

Feng Shenyu no longer had the mind to think about anything else:

"Your Majesty, I will go and take a look first."

"Okay, Fu Shou, you take the Right Prime Minister with you first."

Feng Shenyu was extremely anxious and ran all the way towards the imperial garden.

Near the Thousand Carp Pond, Li Yueyao was always paying attention to the surrounding situation, and naturally saw Qian Lou from afar.

He quietly made a gesture towards Qian Lou. Qian Lou received the message, bent down and hid in the bushes beside him, and slowly approached the three people.

In order to attract their attention, Li Yueyao started chatting with them:

"Prime Minister Gao, did you know Rongpin's identity from the beginning, or were you kept in the dark?"

Gao Hongchen had a gloomy face and said nothing.

Li Yueyao smiled and said, "I guess you just learned about Rongpin's skills."

After hearing this, Rongpin exerted force with her hands. Li Yueyao suddenly felt a burning pain on her neck, and the skin on her neck was broken.

"Stop stirring up trouble between us. If you keep talking, I'll kill you."

Li Yueyao would not be frightened by her, but continued:

"Prime Minister Gao, once what happened today happens, it will be a crime of treason and collaborating with the enemy.

Think about your family and your two children.

You probably don't know yet, but your daughter Gao Tonghuan was chosen as the Crown Prince's consort today.

If you can turn from evil to good right now, I can guarantee that your wife and children will be spared."

Gao Hongchen still didn't speak.

Rongpin was a little anxious, and she used more force on her hands. Li Yueyao felt blood flowing down her neck and said:

"Okay, I won't talk about him anymore."

But he kept saying, "Princess Rong, can I tell you that?"

"I want to know whether you are from Dajin or not?"

Rongpin snorted coldly and said, "Does it matter whether you are from Dajin or not?

Is being a Dajin person a good status?"

"Then why do you work for Nanli?" Li Yueyao continued to ask.

"I have my reasons."

"Did you seek refuge with Nanli before entering the palace, or after entering the palace?"

Rongpin listened and was silent for a while, then suddenly said:

“I was born in the Lu family, and from childhood to adulthood, I had no control over anything.

I didn’t want to learn these killing skills when I was little, but they forced me to learn them.

I want to spend my life with Honglang, but they don't agree.

I didn't want to enter the palace, but my parents and family forced me to do so.

This is the only thing I chose to do.”

"What thing? Working for Nanli, betraying your country, betraying your comrades?" Li Yueyao asked.

"This may seem like betrayal to you, but to me it's just my salvation in a desperate situation."

Li Yueyao was very puzzled, and then asked: "Isn't Gao Xiang your salvation from desperate situations?"

After hearing this, Rongpin looked at Gao Hongchen sadly and said with a smile:

"I can't keep dragging him down. He's already done enough for me."

Li Yueyao smacked her lips, "You two really have a bond stronger than gold."

"Since you care so much about Prime Minister Gao, why did you drag him into such a situation?" Li Yueyao asked again.

"I have no choice. You forced me to do this."

“We forced you?

I don't think so. If it weren't for your ambition, Acrophobia wouldn't have taken such a path of no return."

After Li Yueyao finished speaking, she glanced at Gao Hongchen.

Gao Hongchen was looking at the vast Thousand Carp Pond in front of him. The breeze blew, and the corners of his clothes moved slightly. His face was solemn, and he looked like a superior.

After a long while, he said disdainfully:

"The landscape is picturesque, heroes emerge in droves, and until the end, who can be sure they will be the winner?"

Li Yueyao nodded after hearing this and said, "Prime Minister Gao, if you say so, I can understand.

One woman is not enough to make you embark on this path. It makes sense if you have the ambition to rule the world from the beginning.

But I'm still very curious, when did you come up with this idea?

Did Concubine Rong give birth to the seventh prince?

Or did you become the left prime minister?"

Gao Hongchen sneered: "Neither, it was Li Chenghong's stupidity and ignorance that made me see the possibility.

He favored the Imperial Concubine, neglected state affairs, and allowed Princess Zhaoqing to act recklessly in the court...

He doesn't deserve to sit in that seat.

Only those with virtue and ability are worthy to sit on it."

Li Yueyao asked, "Are you the virtuous and capable person?

Having an affair with concubines in the harem?

Misappropriating national treasury for personal use?

Forming a clique for personal gain in the court?

Is this what you call virtue and ability?"

Gao Hongchen sneered after hearing this: "Anyone who achieves great things does not pay attention to trivial matters."

Li Yueyao laughed after hearing this, and then sighed, "Gao Hongchen, you're nothing special.

Your words may sound high-sounding, but in reality, they are simply driven by your ambition to sit on the throne and become the greatest person in the world."

Gao Hongchen stopped pretending at this time: "So what?

Grand Princess, don’t you have this idea?

Emperor Taizong and the late emperor loved you very much. If you were not a woman, you would probably be the one sitting on the throne now.

Are you willing to accept this?

Have you ever thought about taking the top position yourself?"

Li Yueyao shook her head and said, "Summer insects cannot talk about ice.

In my opinion, being an emperor is the most inhuman job in the world.

He gets up earlier than the chickens and sleeps later than the dogs. He is easily assassinated and worries every day whether the people around him are planning to usurp the throne.

What's the point of living like this?"

Gao Hongchen didn't expect Li Yueyao to say such a thing, and snorted coldly:

"Women's knowledge."

Li Yueyao shrugged and said uncertainly:

“My father and my brother, after hearing what I said, said that I was very wise.

Master Tianyi said that I have wisdom, so why do you think it is just a woman's view?

In my opinion, your ambition for kingship is actually a selfish desire and a burden.

You have lived your life in vain."

The two of them didn't see eye to eye, and Gao Hongchen didn't want to pay any attention to Li Yueyao.

But Li Yueyao was very interested in chatting with the two of them.

"Prime Minister Gao, even if you two successfully leave the palace today, have you ever considered what will happen to your family?"

Gao Hongchen snorted coldly and was about to speak when he saw Concubine Xian and the Emperor walking towards him together.

The virtuous concubine was still holding the seventh prince in her hand.

"I have brought the Seventh Prince Rongpin here. Please release your aunt." Xianfei shouted.

After hearing this, Concubine Rong turned around with Li Yueyao, facing away from the Thousand Carp Pond, and looked at the emperor and his concubine who were approaching.

Although the emperor was a little out of breath, he was not angry. Instead, he looked at Gao Hongchen expressionlessly.

"Gao Hongchen, are we, the king and the minister, destined to end up like this?"