Fu Xiaoguan returned home with a smile in the heavy snow, carrying 300,000 taels of silver.
At this moment, there was heavy snow in Guanyun City.
Two wind-killing lanterns were hung on the old pine tree on Guanyun Terrace, and the dim light illuminated the chess table under the tree.
Wu Dynasty's Right Prime Minister Zhuo Yixing and Left Prime Minister Nangong Yiyu were sitting in the snow and wind, not playing chess. There was not even a chess piece on the chess table.
Nangong Yiyu took a deep breath and said, "It has been over a month since I received the news about Your Highness."
Zhuo and his entourage gazed at the deep sea of clouds. After a long while, they said, "But Her Majesty's smallpox has not yet healed."
"Could it be that the Right Prime Minister believes that Her Majesty has really contracted smallpox?"
Zhuo Yixing raised his eyebrows and looked at Nangong Yiyu, "Could it be that the Left Prime Minister thinks otherwise?"
Nangong Yiyu nodded. "I'm very skeptical. Smallpox is extremely difficult to survive. I've asked the imperial physician, and he said that the disease either leads to early death or survival within a month or so. But it's been seven months since Her Majesty left for Mirror Lake Villa."
Zhuo Yixing nodded slightly, "I have asked before, but Jinghu Villa is firmly guarded by 30,000 Blood Robe Guards and 1,000 Women's Army. We can't get in."
"So I think there must be something fishy going on here. I even doubt whether Her Majesty is still alive!"
Zhuo Yixing frowned suddenly, then shook his head after a long moment, "If Her Majesty really had an accident... Empress Dowager Xi would naturally issue an imperial decree to summon Fu Xiaoguan back to the country."
Nangong Yiyu suddenly leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Even if Her Majesty hadn't been in any trouble, shouldn't she have summoned Fu Xiaoguan back to the country? But now that Empress Dowager Xi is ruling the country from behind the curtain, I've mentioned it several times, but she always denies it, saying Her Majesty hasn't yet arrived. Why is that?"
"What are you doubting?"
"The late emperor's brother, Wu Dalang, once returned. He met Zhou Tongtong and then left in a hurry. Do you remember why Dalang left Guanyun City fifteen years ago?"
"Of course I remember that Dalang was not born to the Empress Dowager, but to Concubine Ye. He was ostracized by the Empress Dowager and eventually died of illness. An old Taoist priest collected his remains. Five years later, he returned alive to Guanyun City and had many conversations with Your Majesty. Zhou Tongtong was the only witness at the time."
Nangong Yiyu was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Dalang was rescued by the previous abbot of the Taoist temple. On his return, he was ambushed three times. Fortunately, he was accompanied by Dalang's senior brother, the current abbot, and was able to see His Majesty."
"She wants to kill Dalang?"
"Who else could it be but her? Dalang's mother, Concubine Ye, died of a cold, and the late emperor's death was even more bizarre. Even the imperial physician couldn't identify the cause. Think about it, eleven years ago, when Your Majesty ascended the throne, it was just when the late emperor passed away. She initiated the bloody incident at Shili Pinghu, wiping out almost the entire Wu family lineage. She claimed it was to secure Your Majesty's throne, but now I have my doubts."
"What do you suspect?"
Nangong Yiyu narrowed his eyes and looked at the pitch-black night. After a long moment, he whispered, "I suspect the cause of the late emperor's death is known only to the royal family. There's no such thing as a wall that's impenetrable. If someone truly committed regicide, they'd inevitably leave behind traces. To completely obliterate these traces, I might as well kill them all, and the matter will naturally be clear."
"If you put it that way... doesn't that mean Zhou Tongtong is also an accomplice?"
"I don't have a clear view of Zhou Tongtong. He did participate in the bloodshed at Shili Pinghu, but he didn't seem close to Empress Dowager Xi in the past ten years. Since Your Majesty asked him to participate in the meeting with Dalang, I think Your Majesty trusts him."
Zhuo Yihang pondered for a moment, "We'll investigate these past events later. The question now is how to get Fu Xiaoguan back home."
"No, now Fu Xiaoguan can't come back."
Zhuo Yixing was stunned for a moment, then understood what Nangong Yiyu meant. "It's a pity that the imperial seal was lost. Otherwise, we could go to the eighteenth floor of the Tianji Pavilion and take a look. We might be able to find some clues."
"Today's incident is limited to you and me. You must be more cautious in the future. Just wait and see. The truth will eventually come out."
"Tomorrow morning, I will once again propose to see Her Majesty the Queen."
"After tomorrow's morning court session, I would like to go see Xiao Qiang."
Zhuo Yihang frowned, "Why do we need to see her?"
"She was once a queen. Only a queen can understand a queen."
Zhuo Yixing nodded, and Nangong Yiyu suddenly asked, "I heard that Zhuo Bieli has broken through the Saint level?"
"Well, he gave up his position as the Grand Marshal of the Army and made a breakthrough in martial arts."
"Why not let Zhuo Bieli go to Jinghu Villa to take a look?"
Zhuo Yihang raised his eyebrows, "You Beidou is guarding there."
Nangong Yiyu did not ask any more questions. Since You Beidou was still guarding Jinghu Villa, it meant that Her Majesty the Queen had not had any accidents. So what kind of disease did Her Majesty the Queen have?
They didn't know that at this moment, Zhuo Bieli was in Jinghu Villa.
Under Zhou Tongtong's arrangement, Jinghu Villa ambushed many masters, including the Saint-level You Beidou and Zhuo Bieli, and a top-notch sword fanatic Ning Fatian!
…
…
The imperial harem of the Wu Dynasty.
It was so eerie that only the big red lanterns were swaying, and it seemed that even the night watchmen dared not show up in this harem.
Empress Dowager Xi was sitting in the warm room. A masked man in black stood before her and bowed.
"Your Majesty, Gao Xian has been captured by Zhou Tongtong and is being escorted back to the capital."
Empress Dowager Xi narrowed her old eyes slightly. "This old dog is becoming increasingly useless. Send the people from the secret door to guard the Qishan Corridor and summon Baili Hong. I don't want to see a single one alive."
"Yes, sir!"
The man in black turned around and was about to leave when Empress Dowager Xi called out to him again: "Wait... That bitch Xiao Qiang is a nuisance if she's still alive. Send her to hell."
"……good!"
"Tong Yan's assassination of Fu Xiaoguan...hasn't been completed yet?"
"Replying to the Queen Mother, I haven't succeeded yet."
"Send a letter to Bai Zi via a messenger bird, asking her to take the people from the Hidden Sect to do this. I always feel that Tong Yan... If Fu Xiaoguan doesn't die soon, the officials of the Wu Dynasty will force the emperor to abdicate!"
"...I will remember this."
"Also, inform the Saint, if you want to succeed, you must have Yu Wenshu raise the flag to attack Yu by March of next year at the latest. Once Yu is in chaos, the Yi and Huang kingdoms must be pacified. The Wu Dynasty will also send troops to Qishan. Only by attacking from all four sides can we achieve a decisive victory. As for how the Yu Dynasty will be divided after this is decided... Tell the Saint, my intention is to establish the Chen Dynasty by embracing the Western Rong. As for the rest... let Yu Wenshu and the Yi and Huang kingdoms fight it out."
The man in black raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion, and couldn't help asking, "But this is all Chen Dynasty territory."
Queen Mother Xi grinned. "Let that land be stained with more blood, so that it will become more fertile in the future. You go now, I am tired."
"I'll take my leave!"
The man in black left the harem and turned around to take a look. The sinister look made his heart tremble.
The world is about to fall into chaos, and the chaos will start from the Yu Dynasty. Official Fu, do you still have the power to turn the tide?
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