Chapter 608: Dangers Lurk Around
The young emperor frowned and said with some disapproval, "Killing the envoy would completely break off relations with the Great Zhou."
"Your Majesty, I have just received a letter from the State of Chu. The Chu army of 100,000 has been assembled, and my Great Qi army of 200,000, totaling 300,000. With just one order, we can attack the Great Zhou directly." Xie Xiu said.
The young emperor still looked hesitant. "Can an army of 300,000 men conquer the Great Zhou? It's like fighting a fierce tiger. If you miss, you'll be counterattacked."
"Your Majesty, at a time like this, you shouldn't be timid. Originally, the world belonged to Qi. Later, the emperor became incompetent and chaos ensued, dividing the kingdom into three parts. Great Qi could only survive in one corner. However, since the rise of the Yong Emperor, he has diligently governed the country, and by the time of Your Majesty, seven generations have passed. Now that Qi is strong, it's time to reclaim our homeland and unify the world."
Xie Xiu paused and continued, "The Zhou soldiers are warlike and have long harbored ambitions to unify the world. If Qi does nothing, it will be forced to watch Zhou grow stronger. Right now, the Zhou Emperor is weak, and the Third and Sixth Princes are fighting. This presents the perfect opportunity to raise an army. Once Qi and Chu unite to destroy Zhou and Chu becomes weak, we can look for another opportunity to destroy Chu..."
The young emperor whispered, "Why not wait until the Zhou Emperor dies? Then there will be civil unrest in Zhou, making it easier to attack."
Xie Xiu's expression turned cold. He had already answered this question. Because the Chu Emperor advocated war, the situation in Chu was unstable, and a new emperor might not agree to an alliance. Where in the world can there be such an absolute advantage in time and place? Now was the best opportunity.
The emperor asked this because he actually didn't want to attack the Zhou Kingdom.
He was clearly convinced by me before, what made him change his mind?
Could it be what the envoy from the Great Zhou said?
Xie Xiu looked at the young emperor: "Your Majesty, why are you hesitating?"
The little emperor pursed his lips, staring at Xie Xiu with his distinct black and white eyes before he said, “The second Xiongnu prince Haoden was assassinated, and the eighth prince attacked the royal court, leaving him no time to take care of other things. The alliance with the Xiongnu failed.”
Xie Xiu seemed to be thinking about something. It turned out that it was because of this matter.
At first, he had persuaded the emperor to form an alliance with Chu and the Xiongnu. Now that the alliance with the Xiongnu had failed, the emperor hesitated.
"Your Majesty, Chu's 100,000-strong army has set out." Xie Xiu reminded.
It was Da Qi who proposed the alliance. If Da Qi goes back on its word, it will completely lose its credibility.
"I know, I'm just asking." said the little emperor.
After Xie Xiu left, the childishness on the little emperor's face disappeared, and he looked a little mature.
He always felt a little uneasy, thinking that this move was too risky. If it failed, Da Qi might not be able to bear it.
Xie Xiu left the palace and returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Along the way, he thought a lot.
The emperor was wavering. Firstly, the alliance with the Xiongnu failed, and secondly, the envoys from the Great Zhou...
Only after killing the two envoys from the Great Zhou could the emperor make up his mind completely.
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Xie Xiu's eyes.
…
The next day.
Posthouse.
Prime Minister Qi held a banquet and invited Wei Qing and Gu Huaijin.
There is no good banquet, it is the Hongmen Banquet.
However, they still had to attend the banquet. After all, this was a rare opportunity.
Before setting off, Wei Qing hid the dagger in his shoes, hung the crossbow at his waist, and held a sword in his hand.
Gu Huaijin went over everything he was going to say in his mind, intending to convince Xie Xiu.
Soon, the carriage carrying the two of them stopped outside the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The two men got off the carriage. The guards at the door were very strict. They first took away Wei Qing's sword, then took out the crossbow from his waist and put it away.
Both of them noticed that the atmosphere was different.
The two were led in.
Gu Huaijin came closer: "Brother-in-law, if you encounter danger later..."
Wei Qing glanced at him, his eyes revealing calmness and reliability: "Don't worry, I will protect you."
"No, don't worry too much about me. Let as many people as possible escape." Gu Huaijin's expression was very serious.
Wei Qing pursed his lips and said nothing, silently observing his surroundings and taking note of the path he had just walked.
The two were led into a yard where there was food and wine but no one was there.
"Please take your seats, the Prime Minister will be here soon."
Wei Qing and Gu Huaijin nodded and sat down in a nearby seat.
After waiting for a while, Prime Minister Qi arrived.
Wei Qing's gaze fell on Xie Xiu.
This was their second meeting. The young prime minister had a cold expression and an extraordinary temperament. If you only looked at his appearance, you would never guess that he was a warmongerer with great ambitions.
Xie Xiu sat down and drank with them first.
To outsiders, Gu Huaijin was an envoy, while Wei Qing was more like an attendant and guard. So, Xie Xiu stared at Gu Huaijin, forcing him to drink. Wei Qing, however, held the wine in his mouth and didn't drink it.
After drinking two glasses of wine, Gu Huaijin began to talk about what was on his mind, trying to persuade Xie Xiu not to form an alliance with Qi.
He was halfway through his words when someone suddenly came to report something to Xie Xiu. After listening, Xie Xiu hurried away.
Xie Xiu left, leaving behind two of the prime minister's staff to accompany him.
The two aides were eloquent and invited Gu Huaijin and Wei Qing to drink and eat.
Wei Qing's facial features were very sharp, and when he looked cold, he looked violent. With just one glance, the two aides were a little afraid of him, so they went to pester Gu Huaijin.
Gu Huaijin couldn't refuse, so he could only drink a few glasses with him, then pretended to be drunk and poured the wine on Wei Qing.
The two men looked at Wei Qing and didn't dare to get too close.
"The dishes I just ate were all eaten by them, so they shouldn't be poisonous. I just don't know if there's anything in the wine..." Gu Huaijin leaned his head close to Wei Qing's ear and whispered, "If I'm poisoned to death, I won't be able to see Ah Zhi anymore. That girl will cry to death."
"I tried it with a silver needle and it's not highly toxic," Wei Qing said.
Gu Huaijin was slightly surprised. When did he test the poison? He hadn't even noticed. His brother-in-law was really quick.
The atmosphere around him was a little off, and Wei Qing smelled murderous intent.
Gu Huaijin was drowsy and his eyes were blurry.
It seems that although there is no deadly poison in the wine, there is a knockout drug.
Wei Qing pinched Gu Huaijin's back fiercely and said in a low voice, "Let's go!"
Gu Huaijin's mind became clearer and he stood up suddenly.
"I...I need to relieve myself!" Gu Huaijin said drunkenly, "Help me go!"
Wei Qing said nothing, stretched out one hand, almost half-carried the person, and walked towards the toilet.
Several servants dressed in black blocked the two men's way, with murderous looks on their faces.
It looks like we have to take action.
Wei Qing's body was tense, the muscles on his arms were visible, and he looked at those people warily.
A fierce battle is about to break out.
Just then, a smiling voice sounded.
"I just went to the posthouse to look for you, but I didn't see you. I heard you were at the Prime Minister's Mansion, and sure enough, you're here."
The person who came was Princess Anyang. She waved away the servants, walked in front of Gu Huaijin, then reached out and hooked his chin.
"A beautiful woman looks even better when she's drunk."
Xie Xiu followed behind her and looked at this scene with an extremely ugly expression.
A flash of doubt flashed across Wei Qing's eyes.
Yesterday, Princess Anyang thought he and Gu Huaijin were gay and left disappointed. Why did she act so intimate with him today, as if what happened yesterday had never happened?
But no matter what, her arrival saved their lives.
Xie Xiu stared closely at Princess Anyang's hand that was lifting Gu Huaijin's chin, his brows slightly furrowed, displeasure glittering in his eyes. He couldn't help but say, "Princess, please respect yourself."
Princess Anyang chuckled and glanced at Xie Xiu coldly: "Prime Minister, it's not like I'm attracted to you. Aren't you meddling too much?"
Xie Xiu pursed his lips and said nothing.
"The night is short, drinking is a waste of time, come with me." Princess Anyang said ambiguously.
Gu Huaijin completely lost consciousness and hung on Wei Qing's body.
Wei Qing nodded.
Princess Anyang smiled even more: "You are so good, let's go."
Wei Qing half-carried Gu Huaijin and followed Princess Anyang obediently.
Those servants in black all looked at the Prime Minister's expression.
Xie Xiu shook his head, and the black-clad servant stepped aside.
When Princess Anyang took the two away...
"Prime Minister, are we just going to let them go like this? It's okay that the princess behaves absurdly on a daily basis, but why did she fall for the envoys from the Great Zhou..." said the aide with a frown.
He noticed that the Prime Minister's hands were clenched into fists and there was suspicion in his eyes. He quickly closed his mouth and dared not speak anymore.
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