Chapter 177: The Elegant and Romantic Scholars, Chapter 23
Everyone was looking forward to the duel between the two greatest swordsmen of the time. Before the appointed date, four or five hundred martial arts masters had already arrived in the capital.
Many people took this opportunity to open a gambling game, betting on everything from gold and silver treasures to power and territory, and attracted more people to pay close attention to every detail of the duel.
Everything seemed to be going on as planned.
But Xiao Hao had a hunch that Lu Xiaofeng might have known something in advance.
Sikong Zhaixing also came to see him later, and every time Xiao Hao asked about Lu Xiaofeng and his strange gambling, this monkey would talk nonsense.
Xiao Hao knew that Lu Xiaofeng's friend Li Yanbei had a wide network of contacts in Beijing, and that Guisun Daye and Ouyang Qing were experts in the underworld. Wang An was a gambler and whoremonger. If these people accidentally discovered some clues, it was possible that Lu Xiaofeng would learn some of Wang An's secrets.
Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing probably didn't know that Xiao Hao knew about Wang An and Nan Wangfu's dealings from the beginning, so he did this to remind him to beware of Wang An.
Unfortunately, their little tricks could not play any substantial role.
Fortunately, they met a little emperor. If they were a strict emperor, they would probably lose their lives.
Wang An was like a family member to the young emperor. If they wanted to get rid of Wang An and the Nanwang Mansion behind him, they had to expose their true colors in front of the young emperor.
Xiao Hao routinely told the young emperor that the two greatest swordsmen of the time had agreed to duel on the top of the Forbidden City. The young emperor was particularly generous in this regard and even a little excited. "Okay, I won't punish them for their disrespect!" When
Xiao Hao saw his eyes, he knew that this kid must be thinking of how to sneak away to watch the two of them duel.
He cleared his throat and said to the little emperor, "Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with you being willing to have fun with the people. However, Jianghu people are not ordinary people after all. If you let them in, the palace guards and patrols, as well as your Majesty's schedule for the next few days, may need to be replanned and adjusted."
The little emperor rested his face on the table and said nonchalantly, "Let Wei Ziyun arrange this."
Xiao Hao nodded and said seriously, "Also, your Majesty cannot go to watch privately."
"Uh..." The little emperor was touched on the heart, and his face was a little embarrassed, "My dear, I won't be discovered!"
"No." Xiao Hao had a cold face and would never give in on this point.
If he was left in the deep palace, he would be found. If he was allowed to watch the game directly, with so many people watching, wouldn't it be even more troublesome if something went wrong?
The little emperor was like an eggplant hit by frost. He lay on the table with a bitter face and said, "This stage has been built at the doorstep of my house. I can only listen to the noise but not see it with my own eyes. It's too miserable..."
Xiao Hao couldn't help laughing when he saw him like this. He wanted to rub his head to comfort him as he did before, but then he thought that the little emperor was an adult now and he couldn't treat him as a child anymore. He just stretched out his hand and retracted it again. He patted his shoulder quietly instead.
The little emperor noticed Xiao Hao's action and felt that Xiao Hao had paid more attention to the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects in recent years. He knew that this was to shut up those censors, but he still felt a little embarrassed.
Seeing that he was listless, Xiao Hao smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you should go to bed early on September 15th, lest your Majesty be disturbed by your minister Shi Zhixuan teaching you to play the piano in your dream in the middle of the night."
The little emperor's mood brightened instantly. He heard the secret signal between Xiao Hao and him, and asked tentatively, "Teacher and Master will teach together?"
Xiao Hao nodded and said, "Of course." The little emperor could not do it alone, but he and Shi Zhixuan could follow.
The little emperor cheered and hugged Xiao Hao across the table, almost making Xiao Hao lose his balance: "Sleep, sleep, sleep! I will sleep well!"
A clear cough came from outside the study, and the little emperor trembled all over. His movements suddenly froze. After seeing who was coming, he shrank back and laughed dryly: "Madam Taifu... why, why do you always walk without sound..."
Shi Zhixuan smiled elegantly and asked: "Your Majesty, are the lecture notes for the next imperial lecture ready?"
The little emperor asked in confusion: "Lecture notes? Isn't there still less than half a month away from the next lecture..."
Shi Zhixuan continued: "The most important thing for an emperor is to give lectures, and the most important thing for giving lectures is the imperial lectures. How can your majesty be so lazy! Copy the Analects twenty times."
"..." The little emperor felt very aggrieved.
In the blink of an eye, it was September 15th. In order to free up more time for the little emperor, Xiao Hao worked hard in the Wenhua Hall until late at night.
He put down his pen and stretched his waist. In the past five years, he has not stopped the work of repairing those burned historical books. Thanks to the system backup, he finally finished it today. It
was almost three o'clock in the morning. I think Lu Xiaofeng and the others should have arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Wei Ziyun has Shi Zhixuan with him, and those people in the martial arts world can't cause much trouble.
This time is just right.
Xiao Hao stood up and planned to go to the South Study to pick up the little emperor.
His ears moved, and his brows suddenly wrinkled. He said to the back of the door: "Who is hiding?"
The man behind the door hesitated slightly, and pushed open the door of the library with a "creak".
When Xiao Hao saw his face clearly, he was stunned for a moment, then he became alert.
The man had the same face and figure as the little emperor, and was wearing the emperor's court robes, but Xiao Hao knew clearly that this man was not the little emperor.
His face turned cold, and he shouted, "Your Highness, weren't you ordered to come to the capital?"
The Prince of the Southern Prince looked very flustered, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He knelt in front of Xiao Hao with a thud, grabbed his hem and asked for help, "Master Xiao! You, you must help me!"
"..." Xiao Hao was a little confused.
He frowned and stared at the Prince of the Southern Prince, and was interrupted as soon as he started to speak: "You..."
"Sir Xiao! My father and the chief steward are in collusion and are forcing me to kill my brother and become the emperor in his place. This is treason! I don't want to be an emperor! I don't want to rebel! I just want to be a good little prince... Sir Xiao! Only you can help me!"
The Prince of Nan cried so hard that Xiao Hao couldn't tell whether he was sincere or lying. He said to the Prince of Nan with a blank expression: "Prince, I'm so sad. Walls have ears. You are saying this to me here, aren't you afraid that someone will hear it?"
The Prince of Nan was desperate: "To enter the capital without permission is to die. To usurp the throne is to die. Even if I follow them in the rebellion, they already know that I will not cooperate. They plan to make me abdicate and give the throne to a puppet after the rebellion is accomplished. Then I will still die! It is better to give up the dark and join the light as soon as possible!"
He said these words with a sincere heartfelt voice, and Xiao Hao was a little hesitant.
The system gave him a yellow name. If he really wanted to kill his relatives for justice, it should be a green name, right?
Xiao Hao couldn't figure out what was going on.
Prince Nan saw that his expression had relaxed, and kowtowed to him repeatedly, saying, "Sir Xiao! My brother listens to you the most. You must help me! Only if you take me with you and explain things to him face to face, will he be able to spare my life!"
This is true. If the little emperor knew that there was someone who looked exactly like him, no matter whether this person had rebellious intentions or not, this would be like a time bomb... hehe.
Xiao Hao's mind was racing. He helped the Prince of Nan up and said, "Prince, if you have something to say, please get up and say it first. It's not good to be seen by others."
But the Prince of Nan was obsessed with him and cried, "Sir Xiao, if you don't help me, no one in the world will be able to help me! If you don't promise me, I won't get up!"
Xiao Hao sighed, forcibly pulled the corner of the clothes out of his hand, walked around him and went to the door: "Then kneel down."
The Prince of Nan: "..." Sir Xiao was really stubborn.
Before Xiao Hao even stepped out of the door, he heard the Prince of Nan Wang say in despair: "Oh my God! No one is willing to save me! I don't want to hurt my brothers and sisters, but everyone wants my life, I might as well die!"
Then he ran towards the large bookcase closest to him.
Xiao Hao was quick-witted and rushed over to stop him. He pinched his eyebrows and said, "Prince, calm down."
He noticed that the cabinet that Prince of Nan Wang had just chosen was indeed the closest to the person who wanted to die, the easiest to hit and the hardest to stop. If it weren't for his extremely fast Qinggong, Prince of Nan Wang would have been hit and bloody even if he didn't die.
If he really had another plan, this prince should have hit the door, which was close to Xiao Hao and would not kill anyone.
Could it be that he really came to ask for help?
Xiao Hao sighed and softened his tone: "Prince, if you die here, I can't explain to His Majesty."
The disaster could not be avoided. No matter whether he was sincere or not, he should be taken to see the little emperor first, lest he seek death here and die. If someone really died, he would be scolded by the censors tomorrow.
Xiao Hao turned around and said, "I will go to see His Majesty, Prince, please do as you please."
The Prince of Nanwang's eyes lit up and followed him immediately.
Xiao Hao said again: "If you want to follow me, take off your clothes first."
The Prince of Nanwang protected his chest reflexively, "Xiao, Lord Xiao... I am not a cut-sleeve person!"
"..."
Xiao Hao was too lazy to talk to him, and took him off in no time.
There was no light in the South Study, and the little emperor really went to bed early as he had instructed. Xiao Hao was somewhat relieved.
He knocked on the door rhythmically several times according to the agreement with the little emperor, and heard the little emperor's joyful voice inside: "My dear! You finally..."
He pushed the door open, but saw that the smile on the little emperor's face had frozen.
Next to the little emperor stood Wang An, who was crying. He saw Xiao Hao leading a man who looked and had the same figure as him, and suddenly he felt confused and at a loss.
Wang An came to rescue him late at night and told the little emperor to leave with him as soon as possible, and said that Xiao Hao had already teamed up with people from the South Palace to murder him.
The little emperor had never doubted Wang An. Since he was still in the East Palace, Wang An had been his confidant.
But the little emperor didn't believe a word he said tonight.
But... when Xiao Hao really appeared in front of him with the Prince of Nan, the little emperor still felt like the sky had fallen.
Wang An stood in front of the little emperor and shouted, "You bold thief! If you want to harm His Majesty, you must first step on my life!"
The little emperor's mind was in a mess, and he felt that the whole world was shaking.
It's impossible... the master won't hurt him.
But... Wang An...
he didn't know who to believe.
These two were both very important people in his world, and he had never thought about which of these two people's kindness to him had ulterior motives.
If he had to choose one of these two people who would hurt him...
he saw Xiao Hao frowning and looking at him, and behind him was a handsome young man with an arrogant look, staring at him with sharp and contemptuous eyes.
In front of him was Wang An, who was protecting him.
His whole body was cold, even his fingertips were trembling.