"What are you saying, Lord Kang? Of course I trust you, Lord Kang." Lord Zhongyong bowed to Kang Hongda and showed an ambitious smile.
The Yun family is weak now. As the patriarch of the Yun family, Earl Zhongyong knows it very well. Although the Yun family seems to be prosperous, but as a distinguished earl, it is actually running out of money. If the situation is allowed to continue, the Yun family is doomed to repeat the mistakes of the Chu family and fall into the quagmire.
Whenever Lord Zhongyong thought about this, he tossed and turned. Over the years, he had been looking for a good opportunity to make their Yun family rise again.
For a few years, Earl Zhongyong placed his hopes on his illegitimate son Yunzhan. Yunzhan was the most promising one among the next generation of Yun family. He had made many military achievements in the north and was valued by Prince Gu Jue. He was appointed as a colonel. As a result, Earl Zhongyong was also regarded more highly and was often complimented for having a promising son.
Therefore, Earl Zhongyong was moved.
He felt that for the Yun family, joining forces with Prince Chen was actually a very good choice.
If Gu Jue wins the game with the emperor, then their Yun family will have the merit of following the emperor, and their rapid rise to prominence is a piece of cake; and if Gu Jue loses, they will just have to give up a bastard son.
Earl Zhongyong even prepared the family tree early on, thinking that if Gu Jue failed, he would tell everyone that Yun Zhan had been expelled from the family long ago and removed from the family tree. In this way, the entire Yun family would not be implicated.
For this reason, he endured the fact that Yun Hao had his hand crippled by Gu Jue, and he also persuaded his wife and the Yue family to give in, and did not hold a grudge against Gu Jue and Yun Zhan about the matter.
Bo Zhongyong decided to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
However, he waited and waited, and this wait lasted for nearly a year. Gu Jue had been hiding in the Prince Chen's Mansion, and he came out to see people very few times. He neither attended court nor participated in politics. It seemed that he had no interest in state affairs, nor did he show any ambition to usurp the throne. He was like a wandering wanderer.
In fact, Earl Zhongyong had tried to sound out Yunzhan's attitude several times, but Yunzhan was too tight-lipped and nothing could be learned from him. Earl Zhongyong could only try to hint at things, but Yunzhan pretended not to understand and didn't respond to his words at all. Later on, this boy never returned to the Earl's house except to visit his aunt during the holidays, and he didn't even show up during this Chinese New Year to wish him a happy new year.
Yunzhan is such an unfilial boy, he doesn't even have him as his father! There was a gloomy light in the eyes of the loyal and brave uncle, he suppressed his dislike for this rebellious son, and smiled even more deeply, complimenting Kang Hongda with a smile: "Prince Chen is too young after all, how can he be as wise as Lord Kang!"
When Kang Hongda heard the other party say "old", he felt unhappy and thought: This loyal and brave uncle can't even speak, no wonder the Yun family has fallen to such a state! He paused for a moment with the folding fan in his hand, then shook it three times faster and said lightly: "Uncle, you are too kind."
Earl Zhongyong thought he had said the right thing, and he kept praising Kang Hongda and belittling Prince Chen. Half of the time he did this to please Kang Hongda, and the other half he did to belittle Gu Jue was all from his heart.
In just one year, Lord Zhongyong's evaluation of Gu Jue changed drastically. He felt that Gu Jue really lived up to the saying: A great reputation is not worthy of one's reputation!
Once upon a time, Earl Zhongyong had full confidence in Gu Jue. After all, Gu Jue refused to hand over the military command when he returned to Beijing last year. He was arrogant and thought that Gu Jue's move must be a rebellious intention!
Therefore, he initially thought that Gu Jue was just lying in wait, waiting for the right opportunity... It was not until the emperor fell seriously ill during the New Year that Earl Zhongyong saw through Gu Jue, the paper tiger.
The emperor was clearly so ill. Even if Gu Jue initially suspected that the emperor was faking illness, more than two months had passed. Various rumors and the emperor's weak appearance in the Golden Throne Hall that day all proved that the emperor was really about to die.
For Gu Jue, now is the best time to usurp the throne.
But Gu Jue did not move. He still lived like a wealthy and independent man, allowing the prince to grow more and more powerful, and allowing the prince to stabilize the government bit by bit.
This Gu Jue has absolutely no ambition at all. Perhaps the peace and comfort in the capital over the past year has worn away Gu Jue's bloodiness. The rumored ruthless and ruthless Prince Chen is just a figurehead.
It can be imagined that Gu Jue's future will just be that of an idle member of the royal family!
By now, Earl Zhongyong has clearly realized that there is no hope by relying on Gu Jue and Yun Zhan.
So he turned to think of other ways out.
The first person he thought of was of course Crown Prince Gu Nanjin. The problem was that even if he had this intention, it was already several steps too late.
The emperor is seriously ill and is about to die. The prince is about to ascend the throne and is only one step away from becoming the emperor. If the Yun family steps forward at this time, it will not be considered a contribution of support. I'm afraid the prince won't even look at them.
After much deliberation, Zhongyongbo decided to settle for the second best option and set his sights on Kang Hongda again.
More than half a month ago, when he went to see Kang Hongda, Kang Hongda simply ignored him. He asked for an interview three times but failed to see him. On the fourth time, Kang Hongda finally saw him and asked him contemptuously: "What do you think you can give me?"
This question left Earl Zhongyong speechless and extremely embarrassed.
Fortunately, he has a useful son.
Thanks to Yunzhan's value, he was able to get in touch with Kang Hongda.
Thinking about what had happened during this period, Uncle Zhongyong couldn't help but felt his blood boiling and his heart agitated.
He had just finished a conversation and felt a little thirsty, so he picked up the teacup. The movement of his hand pulled the wound on his left upper arm, causing a dull pain.
The sword wound left by Yunzhan that day has not healed yet. His left arm is wrapped with several circles of white cloth. When he raises his arm, a slight bulge can be vaguely seen in his sleeve.
Suddenly, Kang Hongda stopped fanning himself and asked with some concern, "Master, won't there be any problems with Yunzhan?"
Earl Zhongyong quickly put down his teacup, patted his chest and assured: "Master Kang, please rest assured."
"Yun Zhan is the confidant of the King of Chen. When he went to the North to join the army, he joined the King of Chen's army."
Lord Zhongyong had deep eyes and a determined smile.
The fifth son of his family was loyal to Gu Jue, but everyone had their own selfish desires and differences in closeness and distance. Yun Zhan might not be as close to him as Gu Jue in his heart, but Yun Zhan still had his biological mother and sister in the Yun family.
Mr. Zhongyong smiled and said seriously, "Yunzhan listens to his aunt the most, there will be no problem."
If it weren't for Aunt Sun, Earl Zhongyong really wouldn't have the confidence that he could coax Yunzhan.
He has six sons, both legitimate and illegitimate. Some of the illegitimate sons are clever and sweet-spoken. Yunzhan is the most stubborn among his sons.
Uncle Zhongyong still remembered that when Yunzhan was six years old, he bumped into his stepmother. He asked Yunzhan to admit his mistake to his stepmother, but he refused to do so. He was punished to kneel in the yard. It started to rain at night, but he refused to admit his mistake even in the rain. Finally, he fainted and had a high fever...
In the past, a son like Yunzhan, who was not good at speaking but stubborn, was not in the eyes of Earl Zhongyong at all. It was not until Yunzhan was admitted to the Imperial College on his own that he began to look at him differently.
Later, when Yunzhan was sixteen years old, despite his family's opposition, he insisted on going to the north to join the army, leaving only a letter.
Bo Zhongyong didn't care about him anymore, because he didn't need any filial sons anyway.
It was only because Yunzhan sent gifts from the north to the mansion every New Year and other festivals that Earl Zhongyong was sure that his son was still alive.
Several years passed silently until four years ago, when a piece of good news came from the north. The name "Yunzhan" was on the news, which caused a huge stir in the Bo's Mansion.
The past flashed back in Zhongyongbo's mind, and he felt the sword wound on his left arm hurt even more.
That day, he took advantage of being injured by Yun Zhan and coaxed Yun Zhan back to the Yun family. He used hard tactics first and then soft tactics. Yun Zhan refused to give in at first and the two sides almost had a falling out. It was not until he proposed to split up the family and let Yun Zhan take Aunt Sun away that Yun Zhan finally gave in.
He knew this bastard best. Yunzhan had been stubborn and hard-headed since childhood and was inflexible.
With Yunzhan's personality, he will either agree or refuse, and he won't be perfunctory.
"That's good." Kang Hongda put away the folding fan, placed it casually on the coffee table beside him, and then picked up the teacup elegantly.
The drizzle has stopped and the spring breeze is cool.
The wind carrying raindrops blew in through the window, falling on Kang Hongda's hair like dewdrops. He didn't care at all and still had a faint smile on his face.
The sky after the rain at dusk was darker than usual. A sheep-horn lantern was lit in the house, but the light was dim, making his face look mysterious.
Uncle Zhongyong said that he trusted Yunzhan, but Kang Hongda couldn't be as sure as Uncle Zhongyong that Yunzhan was fine, and he still had some reservations in his heart.
Since ancient times, the imperial guards have been directly under the emperor's jurisdiction, responsible for guarding the emperor, the palace and the capital, and only obeying the emperor's orders.
Today, Yunzhan secretly brought the Black Armor Army into the capital and dared to directly fight against the Imperial Guards, which is tantamount to rebellion, and there is both witnesses and evidence.
From the current perspective, Yunzhan has dragged Prince Chen's Mansion into a trap.
After all, what the Black Armor Army did was equivalent to Gu Jue's intention. Now that Gu Jue has such a huge handle in his hand, it means that he can take action against Prince Chen's Mansion at any time with a legitimate reason.
Kang Hongda drank the tea slowly. The floating tea leaves in the tea were reflected in his eyes, and his pupils changed unpredictably.
He knew that betting on Yunzhan was risky, and the risk was not small.
He's risking everything this time.
If it were normal times, he would spend more time planning carefully and leave himself several escape routes, but the problem is that the current situation has become extremely urgent.
The emperor doesn't have much time left, and there is not much time left for him. Once the emperor dies within a short period of time, it is natural for the prince to ascend the throne even without the emperor's will.
By that time, it will be too late, and he will be like the Yun family and the Chu family, no longer having the glory of these years.
If he won, he could support an obedient and young prince to be the regent and take charge of the government.
Kang Hongda's heart was filled with excitement, and his eyes were shining.
Once a man has tasted power, it is impossible to let go and return to a normal life. What's more, he has climbed to a high position and offended many people. Many people are waiting to take advantage of him when he is down and out.
He would never let himself fall into that situation, he must seize this opportunity! He is different from Gu Jue. Gu Jue was born into a royal family and was born noble. For Gu Jue, power and wealth have been at his fingertips since he was a child. It is precisely because of this that Gu Jue is ambitious and has the means, but he cares about his reputation. He is afraid of being infamous for thousands of years, and he is hesitant to compete for the throne. That is why he accepts the prince's kindness.
As long as the prince ascends the throne, given the prince's temperament, Gu Jue will always enjoy wealth and glory in his life, and the name of Prince Chen can also be recorded in history as a meritorious general who helped the Great Qi defeat the Red Di.
And his last name is Kang.
He has to fight and grab for everything by himself.
Kang Hongda closed the lid of the teacup steadily and said, "As long as nothing goes wrong with Yunzhan, I will tell the emperor that my uncle is loyal to me."
His words were equivalent to guaranteeing the Yun family's prosperity and wealth.
Bo Zhongyong nodded repeatedly, feeling overjoyed.
After putting down the teacup, Kang Hongda picked up the folded fan on the tea table, as if he was holding a sharp sword, stood up and said with a smile: "It's time to find a time to meet His Royal Highness Prince Chen."
He wanted to see if Gu Jue dared to dispatch his own troops to fight the imperial guards in the capital. What on earth did Gu Jue rely on! ! Even the crown prince had no right to fight against the imperial guards! The loyal and brave earl naturally said goodbye tactfully.
When I left Kang Hongda's place, the sky outside became even darker. Layers of dark clouds piled up heavily in the sky, so heavy that they seemed about to fall down at any time.
The entire capital city was in a state of panic. After all, the news of troops entering and leaving the city could not be concealed from anyone. The news spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand... Most people had more or less sensed the impending storm, and everyone was in danger.
The streets of the capital were empty and the people stayed indoors.
The court officials were even more panicked. They initially thought that Kang Hongda, relying on the emperor's favor, secretly mobilized troops to avenge his personal grudge, but then the incident became more and more serious. The imperial guards surrounded the Chu family and the Prince Chen's mansion successively, and also conducted strict inspections at the city gates. There was a series of grand actions, but the prince did not show up.
As a result, court officials began to make various speculations. Some tried to enter the palace to see the emperor, and some wanted to meet the prince, but they were all stopped. The tall palace gate was impregnable, and no one was able to go in to see what was going on. They could only speculate and discuss secretly.
Could it be that Kang Hongda was just the "open gun" and the emperor was the "hidden sword", and it was actually the emperor who wanted to attack Gu Jue? !
I have to say that this possibility exists, and it is very likely.
After Prince Li and the six ministers and other important officials informed each other, they also took action and entered the palace together the next day. They were all relatives of the prince and important officials, so it was no problem for them to enter the Meridian Gate and the Taihe Gate, until they were stopped outside the Qianqing Gate.
On the other side of the Qianqing Gate, the emperor was still in the Yangxin Palace. Although he never left the house, he had already ordered the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on the movements in the capital.
Jinyiwei Commander Lu Siji reported all the changes in the capital to the emperor, without even glancing at the crown prince Gu Nanjin who was standing beside him. Lu Siji was the emperor's confidant, so he naturally knew that the crown prince was under house arrest in the Yangxin Palace.
He let out a heavy sigh in his heart: This time, things in Da Qi are really going to change!
After reporting, Lu Siji retreated quietly. He heard the prince's hoarse voice coming from behind him: "Father, we can't go on like this..."
Gu Nanjin has been locked up in the Yangxin Palace by the emperor for one day and two nights. He did not sleep well during these two nights. He looked haggard, with deep dark shadows in his eye sockets.
He was actually more exhausted and powerless than he looked, but he could only pull himself together and continued with difficulty: "You...you are forcing the Ninth Prince to rebel."
Gu Nanjin was extremely anxious and felt that the emperor was playing with fire.
Several deep wrinkles appeared between his brows, and a feeling of powerlessness swept over his body.
Gu Nanjin had not had an easy time in the two months since the emperor fell seriously ill. The fate of the Great Qi was on his shoulders, and he was new to the government, so he was careful and cautious in every step. He slept less than three hours a day, and had hardly spoken a few words to the Crown Princess and the Emperor's eldest grandson except for his daily greetings.
Although busy and tired, Gu Nanjin also felt a sense of accomplishment as he saw everything moving in a good direction.
Facts have proved that he was too naive. "Improvement" is a long process, but "destruction" often only takes "one day and one night"! Gu Nanjin felt as if he had seen with his own eyes a huge crack appearing on the vast land. The crack was expanding rapidly, and he, like a trapped beast in a cage, could only watch helplessly, unable to stop it.
This feeling of powerlessness and despair was like a sharp blade splitting his heart.
The emperor could not see Gu Nanjin's despair at all. He also frowned and said with disappointment, "Prince, you are really narrow-minded! You are too indecisive!"
"Just watch. Gu Jue is restless and ambitious. He holds on to the Northern Army Tiger Tally and even brought the Queen Mother back to Prince Chen's Palace, just to raise an army and force the emperor to abdicate one day!"
"It is clear that he finally couldn't hold back his ambitions because he saw that I was not feeling well. Otherwise, how could he dare to fight the Imperial Guards in the capital?!"
"I fell ill in Prince Chen's mansion. Gu Jue must have poisoned me..."
The emperor became more and more excited as he spoke. His speech was incoherent, his breathing was heavy and rapid, and the bloodshot in his eyes spread rapidly like a spider web, making him look as hideous and terrifying as a demon.
"..." Gu Nanjin was almost speechless.
Others didn't know that the emperor was poisoned, but Gu Nanjin knew it very well, because all the imperial doctors said so. But the emperor was obsessed and refused to believe the imperial doctors, insisting on believing Xuan Jing, the evil Taoist priest. Now he even put the false accusation on Gu Jue!
This... this is too shameless!
The emperor thought that the prince's silence was a sign of acquiescence, and he was so angry that he shrieked, "That's right, it was Gu Jue who poisoned the incense in the palace, which caused me to be so angry that I lost my temper!!"
Gu Nanjin frowned even deeper, noticing that not only were the emperor's eyes red, but his face was also becoming increasingly flushed, looking insane. The madness that emanated from his bones made his heart sink.
Gu Nanjin couldn't help but think of something several imperial physicians had told him. They said that the emperor's erysipelas was attacking his heart, and the poisonous sores in his mouth and on his back would become more and more dense, as would his internal organs. This would cause the emperor to lose his appetite, become anxious and irritable, and even develop hysteria.
Now the emperor is clearly terminally ill, so he begins to suffer from hysteria and talk nonsense.
Gu Nanjin felt that the situation was getting worse.
Normally, a normal emperor would already be prejudiced against Gu Jue, and now the emperor who is in hysteria will only make the situation worse.
"Eunuch Ni, quickly call the imperial physician!" Gu Nanjin hurriedly ordered Eunuch Ni.
Eunuch Ni also felt that the emperor was not in a good condition. Just as he was about to respond, he heard the emperor angrily scold, "You are not allowed to summon the imperial physician!"
The emperor had just spoken for a while and seemed to have used up most of his energy. He was breathing heavily with exhaustion and his chest heaving violently.
The emperor stared at Gu Nanjin with a sinister look, thinking that the prince must have other intentions in summoning those incompetent doctors at this time.
"Father, you can't make the same mistake over and over again..." Gu Nanjin had a splitting headache and didn't know how to persuade the emperor, but he knew that he couldn't let the emperor continue to be so confused.
Does the emperor really think that the imperial guards stationed in the capital can easily wipe out the 60,000 black armored troops in Beijing? If Gu Jue is really forced by the emperor to fight a desperate battle, then it is conceivable that what awaits Da Qi will be a fierce battle! A fierce battle with the capital as the battlefield! No matter who wins or loses, it is just internal consumption, and the casualties are the soldiers and civilians of Da Qi, and the loss is the resources of Da Qi.
Once this civil war begins, there will inevitably be a winner.
If Gu Jue wins, he will not be unable to tolerate himself; but if Gu Jue loses, he will surely die, and the entire Chen Wang Mansion will be implicated for treason.
Gu Nanjin took a deep breath with difficulty, his body and mind feeling like they were weighed down by a heavy rock.
In his opinion, his father was really confused, almost naive.
To put it another way, if Gu Jue died, would Da Qi be at peace? The surrounding barbarian countries and Nan Hao were all hungry wolves, eyeing Da Qi covetously. After they knew about the civil war in Da Qi and that Prince Chen had been beheaded, they would probably wait for an opportunity to strike.
After the war, how long will it take for Da Qi to recover from this heavy blow? ! Such a simple and obvious truth, but my father could not see through it. He had been completely blinded by illness, prejudice and resentment.
Gu Nanjin was tired of communicating with the emperor, and the emperor was the same. He just felt that there was no point in talking, so he waved his hand and said, "Okay, I'm tired, you can go down."
What he meant by "going down" was not to let the prince go back to the Eastern Palace, but to let the prince go back to the temporary house in the Yangxin Palace.
After Gu Nanjin bowed, he quietly left the East Warm Pavilion. Two middle-aged eunuchs followed him like a shadow. For the past day and two nights, whenever Gu Nanjin left his room, there was always someone following him.
He should have walked west, but this time he walked straight towards the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation with big strides.
He couldn't be trapped in the Yangxin Palace any longer! He was the crown prince, and he had his mission.
The two middle-aged eunuchs also sensed something was wrong and tried to catch up with Gu Nanjin from behind: "Your Highness!"
Gu Nanjin was accompanied by a personal eunuch brought from the Eastern Palace, and the eunuch quickly helped Gu Nanjin stop the two men.
Gu Nanjin walked quickly to the door of the main hall, but before he crossed the threshold, he was stopped by four Jinyiwei guarding outside the hall.
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"Your Highness, please stop." One of the Jinyiwei said politely.
Gu Nanjin suddenly raised his voice and shouted in a dignified manner: "Get out of the way! Who dares to stop me?!"
Several Jinyiwei looked at each other with embarrassment.
The Jinyiwei only obeyed the emperor and were his personal guards. But the man in front of them was the crown prince after all, and everyone knew that the emperor's health was failing...
“Pah pah pah…”
"The prince is really so majestic!"
At this moment, there was a burst of gentle applause and the emperor's familiar voice from behind. The voice was still so weak, but it revealed a sinister taste.
Gu Nanjin and several Jinyiwei all looked over when they heard the sound.
The emperor was carried out on a sedan chair by two eunuchs. He leaned tiredly on the back of a chair, his body was haggard and his cheeks were sunken, like an old man in his seventies who had been tortured by illness for decades.
The emperor stared at Gu Nanjin intently, his cold eyes seemed to be saying, you are indeed in collision with Gu Jue!
The sedan chair was placed ten feet away from Gu Nanjin.
The father and son are obviously very close to each other, but they seem to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers. The father and son, who should be the most familiar and intimate, are like enemies.
The emperor said slowly with disappointment: "I treat you as my son, with a loving father's heart, but what about you? You don't treat me as your father, so you are planning to rebel with Gu Jue!"
The emperor used an affirmative tone rather than a questioning one.
He did not give the prince a chance to speak, and ordered in a cold voice: "Come here, capture the prince for me!"
After just a few words, the air suddenly turned cold, as if winter had come again.
Two of the Jinyiwei stepped into the Yangxin Palace, and the two middle-aged eunuchs behind also approached Gu Nanjin, attacking him from the front and back.
Gu Nanjin shouted again: "Who dares to attack me?!"
Normally, the prince's character was famously gentle and praised by others. Even though he had been questioned, ignored, and confined to the East Palace by the emperor before, he had never taken it to heart and had never lost his composure. But at this moment, a fierce aura emanated from him.
He is completely different from usual person.
The two middle-aged eunuchs who were facing him were so frightened that they stopped three steps away from him.
This scene was like adding fuel to the fire, making the emperor even angrier.
"Get it!"
"The crown prince is plotting a rebellion. Capture him for me."
"In Da Qi, I am the emperor."
The emperor's voice was sharp and high-pitched, with a kind of hysterical madness.
It's gloomy again today. The sky is covered with dark clouds and there are strong winds. The wind is so cold that it is almost impossible to tell whether it is morning or dusk.
Gu Nanjin turned around again, without looking at the emperor, and walked straight out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, intending to force his way in.
He believed that he was the crown prince and these Jinyiwei did not dare to touch him.
Gu Nanjin strode over the high threshold of the Hall of Mental Cultivation with his head held high and walked straight forward.
Sure enough, several Jinyiwei only tried to stop him with their scabbards and did not dare to use their swords to hurt him. Instead, the Jinyiwei were forced to retreat step by step and staggered down the white marble steps.
When he walked out of the shadow of the eaves, Gu Nanjin discovered that there was a drizzle in the air that was too light to be seen with the naked eye. The drizzle felt cool on his face and neck.
Seeing Gu Nanjin's resolute back, the emperor was extremely angry and gnashed his teeth and said, "Whoever dares to let the prince go today will be punished by me!"
Eunuch Ni could only repeat the emperor's order truthfully, his voice so loud that it echoed throughout the open space in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.
Almost the next moment, dozens of tall and mighty Huben Guards rushed out from the direction of Yuehua Gate in front, half of them holding swords and half holding bows. They formed a human wall at the fastest speed, blocking the front like a solid wall, and also blocking Gu Nanjin's way.
Each of the Tiger Guards had a blank expression on his face, and exuded a murderous coldness from their bodies.
“Whoosh!”
No one knew which Tiger Guard shot the arrow, but the arrow hit accurately two inches in front of Gu Nanjin's right foot.
The warning is obvious.
If Gu Nanjin took one more step forward, the arrow would hit him and pierce his instep.
The young eunuch beside Gu Nanjin gasped, feeling a little scared and even more worried. Even he realized that today might not end well.
At the same time, the emperor was carried out of the main gate of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and then sat down on a throne under the eaves, wearing a red cloak.
The emperor showed a cold smile of victory on his face, and then said: "If the prince dares to trespass, he will be killed without mercy."
These few words lacked any fatherly love and were cold and merciless, as if he was facing an enemy instead of his son.
The drizzle continued, and the rain gradually decreased from being invisible to as thin as needles.
Gu Nanjin felt that the raindrops hitting his face were like needles, cold and prickly.
At this moment, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck him, and his heart became clear.
I see!
So that's it! These Tiger Guards have been waiting here for a long time. The emperor set up this trap not only to deal with Gu Jue, but also to deal with himself, the prince! Gu Nanjin looked at the emperor on the white marble steps, his father who was high above him, in despair.
Since last year, the emperor had become increasingly displeased with me, but even if he disliked me, even if he had once ordered me to be placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, he had never looked at me with such eyes, which seemed to be filled with deep hatred.
The kind of hatred that makes you want him to die.
Gu Nanjin couldn't help but hear the emperor's affectionate words to him the night before: "Prince, I am about to die. The future of Da Qi depends on you."
"You are my son. Everything I do is for your own good and for the sake of this great Qi country."
"Jin'er, just wait. I will give you a stable court. This is the last thing I, your father, want from you."
“…”
Thinking about it now, Gu Nanjin found it extremely ironic and sad.
These words were all false. Although the emperor seemed to care about him, he actually had already decided to kill him.
Gu Nanjin had also speculated whether the emperor would issue an order to depose him as the crown prince, but what he didn't know was that his father hated him so much that he wanted to kill him.
Gu Nanjin felt as if he was torn apart from the inside out.
He stood there blankly in the drizzle, which half-drenched his hair and clothes.
He suddenly asked: "Father, what did I do wrong?"
The emperor's mouth curled into a twisted smile, as if he was looking at a toy in his palm, or as if he was looking down at a loser, and said sternly: "Prince, you are disrespectful to your father, disloyal to your emperor, not fulfilling your duties, not cultivating your virtues, and you intend to collude with the prince to rebel, you have a rebellious heart!"
The emperor spoke a lot in a high-sounding manner. As he spoke, his hair and beard trembled. The flush on his cheeks spread rapidly to his neck, and the bulging blue veins seemed about to burst.
The old, crazy and out-of-control emperor in front of him made Gu Nanjin feel so unfamiliar.
There is no father and son in heaven.
Throughout history, there were many princes who killed their fathers, and even more emperors who killed their sons.
Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, but the emperor is more cruel than a tiger. He only tolerates young princes. When the princes grow up and become a threat to the emperor, they will be guarded against and rejected.
All that bullshit about being unfaithful to the king and so on is fake, it's just a fig leaf!
The emperor wanted to kill him simply because he was the crown prince. He was younger than the emperor and he would not flatter the emperor but always went against him. The emperor felt that he was dying soon and he, the crown prince, was still alive and wanted to inherit his throne, so the emperor was unwilling to accept this!
Just now, the emperor claimed that Gu Jue poisoned him. Maybe he even suspected me...
Gu Nanjin felt extremely cold, so cold that his limbs seemed as if they did not belong to him anymore.
He was deeply aware of one thing: the man in front of him who had gone mad because of erysipelas was no longer the father he remembered.
No, it would be more accurate to say that he was completely consumed by power and desire rather than being controlled by the poison.
"What if I must go out today?" he asked tiredly. His voice seemed so distant and strange at this moment, as if it came from another person's mouth.
Gu Nanjin's words were like a slap in the face of the emperor in front of so many people.
The emperor was so angry that his mouth was trembling and his face was full of hatred. He felt that the prince was really determined not to give up and would not repent even when facing death.
In anger, the emperor uttered three words: "Kill without mercy."
At the emperor's command, all the Tiger Guards moved. Those holding bows and arrows surrounded him on both sides, while those holding knives approached him step by step, pointing the tips of the knives, which were coated with a layer of moisture from the rain, at Gu Nanjin's chest.
Gu Nanjin was wearing an apricot-yellow dragon robe, and his figure was still as straight as a white birch.
Standing among the dense crowd of Tiger Guards, this bright apricot-yellow outfit looks so eye-catching and yet so lonely.
Gu Nanjin's eyes were calm and his heart was bitter: This is what the prince's loneliness is like.
"Your Highness..." The young eunuch beside him trembled in fear, but still bravely stood in front of the prince, even though he knew that he could not protect the prince by himself.
The rain gradually got heavier, and the fine raindrops hitting the branches and leaves made a rustling sound, as if the sky was crying, or like a dirge.
The entire palace was shrouded in misty drizzle.
Prince Li, royal princes, and other important officials who were waiting outside the Qianqing Gate were also a little uneasy. There were people beside them holding oil-paper umbrellas to protect them from the rain, but even so, many of them still got their clothes wet.
None of them could stand still. Some of them were walking around in circles, some were looking inside the Qianqing Gate, and some were whispering and talking to each other.
"It's been so long, and no one has summoned us. The emperor is ill, but what about the prince? The prince has always been diligent..."
"Could it be that the Emperor's illness has relapsed? I heard that there are several imperial doctors guarding the Yangxin Palace every day this month..."
"I don't think so. If the emperor is ill, can Kang Hongda remain so calm?"
When the Minister of War said this, everyone fell silent and looked at him, thinking that his analysis made sense.
If everything Kang Hongda did in the past two days was at the emperor's suggestion, then the person who is most concerned about the emperor's health should be Kang Hongda. Otherwise, if the prince ascends the throne, Kang Hongda's actions in the past two days will become a joke.
Several eyes looked towards Qianqing Gate again, but from their angle, they could not see Yuehua Gate or Yangxin Palace at all.
"Has the Emperor made up his mind to do this to Prince Chen..." Another official asked in a deep voice, but he stopped talking halfway. Everyone else knew what he had left unsaid.
As a result, all the royal family members turned their eyes to Prince Li, and each of them had a splitting headache.
Apart from other things, Gu Jue had been behaving himself in the past year since he returned to the capital. He had not done anything except not handing over the military power. Even if he held on to the military power, the people in the north were also very peaceful. Gu Jue did not seem to be plotting a rebellion. In fact, it was the emperor who pressed on and oppressed him repeatedly.
The emperor was so deceitful, but Gu Jue didn't do anything... He just took the empress dowager out of the palace and temporarily lived in the prince's mansion during the New Year. It was the emperor who poisoned the empress dowager first.
This time, Gu Jue first refused to hand over Chu Yunyi, and then ordered the Black Armor Army to enter the city and confront the Imperial Guards. It seemed that he was really forced into a corner.
Even a rabbit will bite when it gets angry, not to mention Gu Jue's intolerant personality.
When he was young, he was never a good-tempered person. He would beat up anyone who provoked him, even if the other party was an elder of the royal family! If the other party dared to report to the late emperor, Gu Jue would dare to lay out the evidence clearly, so that the whole family of that person was sent by the late emperor to guard the imperial mausoleum.
Until this moment, everyone couldn't help but sigh: If Gu Jue was the eldest prince, the late emperor wouldn't have to hesitate so much, and perhaps Da Qi would be a different scene now.
In this dull and depressing atmosphere, some people's thoughts wandered inadvertently, while more people were worried about the most difficult problem -
At that time, which side will the royal family stand on? !
Judging from the current situation, although the emperor has many faults, the prince has always been diligent in government affairs and there is nothing wrong with him. The prince can become a benevolent monarch.
Prince Shun walked back and forth again in annoyance and whispered, "Why hasn't the crown prince shown up yet?"
He said this to Prince Li and other royal relatives.
Prince Li's eyes flashed, and he thought: If their previous speculation was correct and the emperor was safe, then the reverse conclusion was that the crown prince was "ill", so the crown prince did not show up.
An idea popped up in his mind. He swallowed and said his guess: "The emperor will not put the prince under house arrest again..."
When Prince Li said this, several royal relatives were all shocked and looked at each other.
Yes, if the prince was under house arrest in the Eastern Palace like last time, it would explain why he has not shown up yet. Moreover, the emperor is also capable of doing such a thing.
Since the emperor had placed the prince under house arrest, it was natural that the prince had angered the emperor. The question was, why had the prince angered the emperor? The answer was obvious. The prince had helped the prince to speak well of the emperor, which went against the emperor's will.
“Xiao Xi…”
The raindrops were as light and thin as silk and willow twigs, forming a wet mist that seemed to penetrate into people's spleen and lungs.
(End of this chapter)
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