Chapter 192 Snowy Old Year
When Huo Lang left the Council Hall, a faint ray of light appeared in the sky, but dusk was falling and the entire imperial city was still shrouded in endless darkness. Although the wind and snow had just stopped, one could inexplicably smell a storm was about to come.
Wumei had been waiting outside the palace. His sullen and experienced eyes fell on Huo Lang's clothes, which were obviously different from when he came. His eyes flickered for a moment, and he took the initiative to step forward and salute: "Prince Regent, please stay--"
Huo Lang was about to leave with his personal soldiers, but upon hearing this, he paused, turned his head to look at the old eunuch, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "What instructions do you have for me, General Manager?"
Wu Mei lowered his waist a little: "I dare not, but when I came here, I saw the prince wearing armor, but now... maybe it was accidentally left in the palace? I will send someone to get it for you."
With Huo Lang's personality, he naturally disdained to explain anything to a eunuch. If he annoyed him, he might even chop him with a sword. His eyes were dark and his emotions could not be heard. He asked back: "My armor was soaked with snow and damp, so I changed it. What? Do I need to report it to you?"
Wu Mei knew he had hit a wall, and quickly took two steps back respectfully: "I dare not."
The Wei family suffered a heavy blow, and the situation has become a life-and-death struggle. The news of the night blockade of the palace gate has long spread throughout Kyoto, causing shock in the court and the public. Everyone is secretly watching the situation. After all, the current emperor is weak. If this matter is not handled well, the Wei family, with their heavy troops, may carry out a bloodbath in the imperial city.
Zhao Kang vomited blood and fainted last night. He finally woke up in the early morning. He stared at the top of the tent with a longevity pattern embroidered on it, coughed violently twice, and shouted, "Wu... cough cough cough... Wumei..."
"Your Majesty, you finally woke up!"
Wu Mei opened the curtain and quickly helped Zhao Kang up. He put his hand on his wrist and saw that his pulse was stable. His heart finally settled down a little: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that your fainting this time was caused by emotional fluctuations. Now is the time to recuperate. Don't be too happy or sad anymore."
Zhao Kang grabbed his hand tightly, took two breaths and asked with difficulty: "Where is the Wei family? Is he still blocking the palace gate?"
Wu Mei briefly recounted what happened last night, his tone unable to conceal his worry: "Huo Lang led his troops to rescue the King, and shot an arrow through the thigh of King Jingyang. He was taken back to the palace for treatment last night. The Wei family has now surrounded the palace, so this matter will definitely not end well. Your Majesty needs to prepare for the grand court meeting the day after tomorrow."
Zhao Kang was somewhat suspicious: "Is Huo Lang so kind? I sent him twelve orders late at night to urge him to rescue the car, but he ignored them all. Why did he agree in the end?!"
A calm and peaceful voice came from behind the curtain, and along with the soothing incense burning in the hall, it sounded somewhat mysterious:
"The regent is just putting on airs. If the Wei family really plots rebellion, Huo Lang will not be willing to be under the Wei family. If you hit me and I hit you, it will only ruin the current balance. He will definitely not do such a stupid thing."
Wumei lifted half of the pearl curtain and saw a tall figure standing outside. It was Lu Yan. He had changed out of his dragon robe and wore a long gown with black bamboo patterns. He looked elegant and handsome, which formed a sharp contrast with Zhao Kang, who was sickly lying on the bed.
Every time Zhao Kang saw Lu Yan, he felt like a rotting corpse, getting worse day by day. He suppressed the inexplicable jealousy in his heart and said hatefully: "The Wei and Huo families have controlled the government for many years. Sooner or later, I will get rid of them. You don't have to go to the grand court meeting the day after tomorrow. I want to see what they want to do!"
Lu Yan was roasting himself by the fire and didn't respond. Zhao Kang would bark at him like this dozens of times every day and he got used to it after a while.
Although Zhao Kang inherited a rotten stall when he ascended the throne, the Wei family has always been loyal. If it weren't for this incident, they would never have blocked the palace gate at night. Although Huo Lang was unwilling to be inferior to others, his father was a loyal minister of the previous emperor who swore never to rebel, so he had to serve as the second in command.
If these two families had any dissenting thoughts, Zhao Kang would have been forced to "abdicate" long ago. However, he failed to see this point. His heart was filled with the frustration of being forced to be a puppet, which shows how cold-hearted the emperor was.
What about me? Have I been infected to some extent?
Lu Yan couldn't help but feel somewhat dazed...
On the eve of the grand court meeting, the confidants of Huo Lang's faction gathered at the palace at night to discuss tomorrow's affairs. After all, the Regent Prince had been ill for a long time and had not attended court. They always wanted to get the ball so that they would know which side to take.
Huo Lang casually dropped a bombshell: "Tomorrow the king will go to court with you, you can just act according to the situation."
There were at least a dozen important officials of the imperial court sitting in Zhifeng Pavilion. When they heard these words, some were surprised, some were relieved, and some were puzzled. Their expressions varied for a moment.
The Minister of Public Administration Zeng Hanhai hesitated and said, "If the prince wants to return to court, there is no need to rush. I heard that the people in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion have found evidence that the Prince of Jingyang embezzled grain and money. The Prince of Jingyang has always had a close relationship with the current emperor. I am afraid that there will be a bloody storm in the court tomorrow. If you are not careful, you will be implicated."
Huo Lang leaned against the pillow, tapping his knees with his fingertips. His eyes were dark, and he said with interest, "It is because there will be a bloody storm tomorrow that I have to go and see the excitement. I led the troops to rescue the emperor last night, and this matter has already involved you. Do you think you can avoid it by not attending court?"
Zeng Hanhai hesitated: "But..."
A gentleman with a gentle appearance sat to Huo Lang's right. He stood up, shook his sleeves, bowed to Zeng Hanhai and said, "May I ask, Lord Zeng, what is the worst possible outcome in the court tomorrow?"
Zeng Hanhai thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty refused to execute King Jingyang, and the Wei family was angry and rebelled."
The man asked again: "Your Majesty, can you fight against the Wei family?"
Zeng Hanhai shook his head: "Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he also reacted, with a slightly shocked expression: "If the Wei family really rebels, they are in the Council Hall and can seize control of the palace in an instant. If the prince wants to take action at that time, he will probably lose the upper hand! Hanhai is confused and can't see as clearly as the young marquis!"
This man was Huo Lang's biological brother, Bowang Hou Huo Bi. Although they were not born of the same mother, they had a close relationship. Huo Lang was born out of wedlock and was not favored at home, so he joined the army at the age of fifteen. Huo Bi was born out of wedlock and was quite proficient in the six arts and poetry. After his father died, he inherited the title and was known as a smart man in the capital.
Huo Bi smiled and bowed: "Master Zeng is just very concerned, how can you say he is confused?"
After their conversation, no one opposed Huo Lang's restoration to the throne anymore. They discussed some countermeasures and left late at night. The gravel and snow road was trampled into a mess, but because of the snow falling from the sky, it soon became white and clean again.
For a moment, there were only two brothers left in Zhifeng Pavilion.
Huo Lang picked up the teacup but did not drink from it. Instead, he closed his eyes and sniffed the tea. He asked meaningfully, "Do you think the Wei family will really dare to rebel tomorrow?"
There was no one else in the room, and Huo Bi's attitude was obviously relaxed. He stood up and walked to the round table to sit down, and slowly poured himself a cup of tea: "Even a desperate dog will jump over the wall, and a hero at the end of his rope will become a hero. It all depends on what the emperor decides tomorrow. In fact, it doesn't matter whether my brother goes to court or not, so why wade into this mess."
According to Huo Bi, it would be best not to go to court tomorrow, and let Wei be labeled as a rebel, and kill all the royal family of Zhao. Then Huo Lang only needs to go to war under the name of eliminating rebels. He will have the country and will not have to bear the stigma. It is really a good thing to have the best of both worlds.
Huo Lang heard the deep meaning in his words, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his fingertips: "Have you forgotten the oath your father made that he would never rebel? As a son of a man, how dare I disobey him?"
Huo Bi paused and looked at him straight in the face: "Brother, are you concerned about our father's oath, or is it for the man on the throne?"
Because of this sentence, the room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
“…”
Huo Lang said nothing, but his hand holding the teacup tightened unconsciously. He always had a cold body and liked to drink tea with boiling water. Now the scalding temperature was transmitted through the wall of the cup to his palm, and from his palm to his heart, making him feel uneasy.
Huo Lang raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in a joking tone, "Is it that obvious?"
Huo Bi: "Brother's excuse is too lame."
Huo Lang was born an illegitimate child. His biological mother was just a prostitute on the banks of the Huai River. At the age of ten, he drifted to Kyoto and competed with stray dogs for food on the streets. Finally, he was found by Marquis Huo and taken home. Although he had the title of young master, he was not favored and was even abandoned by many. At the age of fifteen, he was thrown into the army to kill the enemy.
Huo Lang was quite indifferent to his nominal father and did not even attend his funeral. If he was told that he had remained inactive for so many years just because of a vow made by the other party, Huo Bi would never believe it.
Facing his brother's disapproving gaze, Huo Lang laughed softly. He placed the teacup on the table and said after a moment, "Are all you educated people so wicked? You are annoying for no reason."
Lu Yan was the same. He looked gentle and kind, but in fact he had a cold temper. He would play people around with just a smile and brows lowered. Sometimes Huo Lang really hated him.
"I am close to my brother, so I noticed it. But if my brother doesn't restrain himself, sooner or later outsiders will notice it too."
The word "feelings" is always misleading. Huo Bi did not approve of the two of them, but it was not convenient for him to intervene. He put out the fire on the stove for making tea, and his eyes turned inadvertently. Suddenly, he found a food box next to him. He thought it was some snacks, but when he opened the lid, he saw a bowl of dark, cold soup. "What is this?"
Huo Lang smiled and said, "The little emperor sent me this medicine."
He had left it on the table ever since it was delivered that night, because it was a gift, the servants did not dare to throw it away casually, so it had been kept here ever since.
Huo Bi sighed: "A bowl of medicine can make you like this? Tomorrow in the court, will you help him get rid of the Wei family?"
Huo Lang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Get rid of them? Why should we get rid of them? When the birds are gone, the good bows are put away; when the rabbits die, the running dogs are cooked. If the Wei family is destroyed, the emperor will have one less major worry. Not only will I not get rid of the Wei family, I will also keep them alive."
Huo Bi was puzzled: "Don't you like him?"
Huo Lang said nothing, but stood up and walked to the table, picked up the bowl of cold medicine and slowly poured it into the potted plants, then asked a question that Huo Bi couldn't understand: "Do you know why I don't drink this bowl of medicine?"
Lu Yan has his imperial aspirations, and Huo Lang has his wolfish ambitions. They like each other, but they are also suspicious of each other and use each other. When danger comes, they unite to face the outside world, but when the danger is over, they become each other's biggest enemies.
It's true that Huo Lang likes the emperor, but liking him doesn't mean giving him everything. Instead, he needs to hold more power chips. Because of the threat from Wei, he has to rely on the power of the Regent Palace. Once Wei falls, Huo will be the next.
Who says that only emperors need to pay attention to the art of balance? The same is true for ministers.
It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Outside the window there was only the sound of the chilly wind. Occasionally, branches could not bear the weight and the accumulated snow fell, leaving tiny snow pits on the ground. The lights in the house gradually went out, and the charcoal fire was warm. However, Huo Lang was breathing heavily, his brows were furrowed, and he slept very uneasily.
He has always hated winter.
As a child, he wandered the streets and could not find food in the winter, so he was frozen and shivering all over. As a teenager, he joined the army. During the battles, he slept in the snow and climbed on ice, and had to drag his wounded body to swing the sword and kill the enemies. Later, he was awarded an official position, but because of his humble background, he was excluded and framed by his superiors, which angered the emperor and he was punished by the previous emperor to kneel in front of the Nine Dragon Steps.
Huo Lang never truly experienced winter in his life.
The dream was nightmarish and bizarre. Sometimes it was a bloody battlefield, sometimes it was the whispering of a pipa by the Huai River, and finally it turned into a sky full of wind and snow. In the towering imperial city, he was punished to kneel on the cold Nine Dragon Steps. A handsome and noble man passed by the palace gate, seemed to have sensed something, and looked back at him.
Just a glance, but it seemed like a lifetime and a hundred years of reincarnation.
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