Nianmur was almost sober now. He had suffocated a young lady who had come to the palace. This was a crime that cost him his life. No one could save him.
There is only one option left at this point, escape.
But the world is so big, where is your home?
The north is Mongolia, which is absolutely not a place to go. Going there will lead to nothing good, and being in someone else's territory, you'll be worse than a dog.
If they went to Xixia, that tiny country, Wanyan Sheng would definitely force Li Ganshun to hand him over.
The only option was to go south and seek refuge with the Song people. The Song people would probably treat him well. Thinking of this, Nianmur held Luzhu and looked around to see that there was no one around, so he quietly put her body down.
"Who is it?" After all, this was the residence of the Minister of Rites, and Nianmur was eventually discovered by two servants.
The two servants were shocked when they saw Nalan Luzhu's body on the ground, and then they understood what had happened.
Nhamu was startled and turned to run away. The servant recognized him.
One of the servants pointed at him: "You..."
Nianmur didn't care about anything else and ran out the door.
Another servant ran over and stretched out his hand to stop him: "How dare you kill the concubine?"
In order to go all out, Nianmur drew his sword and chopped the man down. The other servant was so scared that he turned around and ran away.
Nianmur didn't bother to chase him, but rushed out of the door, grabbed the fast horse outside, jumped on it, and disappeared in a flash of smoke.
…
"Zheng Xian, Wu Ge, and Pan Bufeng. The three of you will draw up a list of the soldiers who died in the battle of Maoer Mountain and give it to me." Zhao Huan summoned the three of them separately in Wende Hall.
"Yes, sir!" the three answered in unison.
"You three are all my trusted confidants," Zhao Huan shamelessly said, "I really don't know what reward to give."
Zheng Xian said: "Your Majesty's grace is a reward."
Zhao Huan nodded in satisfaction. "I can't reward you much right now, but I'll give you your rewards later. Of course, there will still be gold, silver, and other common items, which the Ministry of Revenue will distribute to you later."
The three of them were overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
"The families of those who died in battle will receive a thousand strings of cash in pensions, and their descendants will enjoy titles and salaries from the imperial court for generations. I will not let these martyrs feel disheartened."
Zheng Xian and the other two knelt in gratitude: "On behalf of the fallen soldiers, we thank the Lord for His great grace!"
Zhao Huan waved his hand: "Everyone go down."
"I will take my leave!"
Later, these three men learned that Zhao Huan's reward was far beyond their wildest dreams. The ancients valued reputation above all else, and Zhao Huan offered them far more than just a place in history. Even if Zhao Huan had offered them a hundred deaths, these men wouldn't have blinked.
"Cao Dongsheng, tell Li Gang, He Li, and Meng Gurao to come see me."
"As you wish."
After a while, Li Gang and others came to see the emperor.
"Come on, accompany me to a place." Zhao Huan called the three people.
Li Gang and the others looked at each other in confusion. He Li asked, "Where are you going, Your Majesty?"
"You'll know when you get there." Zhao Huan didn't say it directly.
"Your Majesty, I will go and inform the Palace Guard Office right away." Cao Dongsheng bowed.
"Stop!" Zhao Huan called out to him, "Why are you calling the Palace Guards? I'm leaving the palace incognito this time, so I asked the Wardrobe to prepare some commoner clothes for me."
Cao Dongsheng left Wende Hall and went to look for the Shangyiguan. Li Gang and the others were even more confused. Since the emperor didn't say anything, they didn't dare to ask.
"There are no outsiders here. Didn't you three say anything to me?" Zhao Huan asked.
The emperor was becoming increasingly mysterious, his words even becoming profound. Li Gang couldn't help but ask, "What does Your Majesty want me to say?"
"You five were once regent ministers," Zhao Huan pointed at the three people: "Now Bai Shizhong has been demoted and sent back home to farm. It's his own fault. As for Chen Guoting..." Zhao Huan didn't say anything else.
Meng Gu Rao suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Chen is at a loss. Your Majesty should clear his name."
Li Gang and He Li exchanged a glance, then knelt down. "Your Majesty, we implore you to redress the injustice done to Lord Chen."
Zhao Huan laughed heartily. "Well, you're not afraid of my punishment, yet you're still willing to redress Chen Juelu's grievances. This shows that Chen Juelu is indeed somewhat wronged. However," Zhao Huan changed the subject. "I want to know, when I sentenced Chen Guoting to death, did you curse me in your hearts?"
The three of them exchanged glances, none daring to respond. In the past, Li Gang would have been the first to object, and He Li would have publicly criticized Zhao Huan long ago.
But now the emperor is becoming more and more majestic and more and more frightening, and Li Gang and others dare not say a word.
Zhao Huan was somewhat disappointed. "If Chen Juelu were here, he would definitely dare to jump out and accuse me. Chen Juelu has a temper and won't bow to power. Haha, I actually miss him a little bit."
"Your Majesty, we dare not scold you. But Your Majesty is wrong about Lord Chen's matter." He Li knelt down and said.
"I know, I know Chen Guoting is innocent. But if I hadn't done this, how could the Tiger Yasi be established so quickly, and how could the tax collection be so smooth?"
Li Gang and others remained silent.
A short while later, the official in charge of clothing arrived, and a palace maid arrived to assist him. As Zhao Huan put on his outer garments, he said, "I'm going to take you to see an old friend. I promise that after you meet him, you won't have any complaints against me anymore."
…
Jiuxian Mountain in the southwest of Beijing is a really great place with beautiful scenery and pleasant views.
Zhao Huan and others came to the foot of Jiuxian Mountain. There was a small stream flowing down from the mountain. The water was clear and you could see the bottom. There were several families living next to the stream. Outside the wooden door of one of the families, a few chickens were catching food.
"Mr. Long, what are we doing here?" Li Gang asked while wiping his sweat.
The mountain road was rugged and the five people were sweating after walking there.
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