Chapter 145: The Hongmen Banquet
Such concern is unprecedented. Even the fifth prince didn't pay much attention to this year's provincial examination. Instead, the prime minister is so eager to see talents?
"Laisheng, do you feel that the Prime Minister's actions have a hidden meaning?"
Seeing the doubtful look on his face, Liu Gaoshui's eyes gleamed brightly and he said:
"Could it be that the Prime Minister intends to establish a friendly relationship with our Jiangzhou..."
Then the servant looked apprehensive, "Master, the Prime Minister is not from the Sixth Prince's lineage..."
A trace of disgust flashed across Liu Gaoshui's face:
"So what about the Sixth Prince? Even though the Fifth Prince has a good reputation among the people, what about the power he has? How many officials in the capital have surrendered to him?"
"If the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince fight in the future, the other princes will just be sacrifices for the throne. Who knows who will own Jiangzhou in the future!"
Upon hearing this, the servant carefully observed Liu Gaoshui's expression and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
"Master, what you mean is that we should first abandon the dark and join the light?"
The phrase "abandon the dark and join the light" finally made Liu Gaoshui's expression better. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes:
"The Prime Minister ostensibly wants to win over the Jiangzhou Jieyuan, but in reality, he wants to win over our Jiangzhou. The Prime Minister and the Sixth Prince are from the same family, which means this is all the Sixth Prince's intention."
Following the Sixth Prince is much more promising than following the Fifth Prince.
Thinking of the governors in the south and east who lived a fairy-like life, Liu Gaoshui couldn't help but show a trace of longing on his face.
Although the Crown Prince has the support of a group of elders in the capital, when it comes to local power and financial resources, it still has to be the lineage of the Sixth Prince.
Thinking of this, Liu Gaoshui sent many people to several restaurants in Jiangzhou to order skilled chefs to prepare dishes for the Lu Ming Banquet.
Ten days passed in a flash. During this time, the Gu family closed their doors to visitors and no one came to visit.
The Gu family is filled with joy. The young master has passed the imperial examination and may even be able to meet the emperor in the future. What a great honor!
Therefore, everyone was full of enthusiasm, and news of new products being developed came one after another from the workshops in Nanyuan.
However, Gu Feixue, who usually loves to run around, has not gone out these days.
For some reason, she always felt a little uneasy in her heart.
She thought that she had been too busy meeting guests and neglected to practice, so she felt guilty. So during this period, Gu Feixue stopped doing other things and focused on practicing.
Although the progress was slow, I gained a lot in the process, especially in internal strength, which improved a lot.
If she were to face those five men in black again, Gu Feixue believed that she could capture them alive in a very short time!
On the day of the Lu Ming Banquet, everyone in the Gu family got up early.
All five members of the Gu family wore new clothes to attend the banquet, and even Old Mrs. Gu wore a red jacket that made her look more beautiful.
Originally, he wanted to bring more servants with him, but he thought that the journey to the Governor's Mansion where the Lu Ming Banquet was held was too long, which was equivalent to crossing half of Jiangzhou, and it was already quite crowded for five people to sit in the Gu family's carriage.
He was reluctant to let anyone walk, so he finally decided to let Luo Li look after the house at home.
Except for the coachman, no servants were allowed to follow.
After getting on the carriage, Gu Feixue became more and more uneasy.
Wang saw that Gu Feixue was not in good condition, so she came out and asked:
"Xue'er, what's wrong with you?"
Gu Feixue couldn't put it into words. She thought for a moment and said:
"Dad and Mom, tell me, who invited us to the banquet this time?"
Gu Lang stroked his beard, his tone full of doubt: "Maybe it's some high-ranking official in the capital."
"But doesn't the Fifth Prince have much influence in the capital?"
Even if there was, it wouldn't have caused Liu Gaoshui to behave like this.
Gu Feixue didn't say this, but it was obvious that Gu Lang and Wang Shi knew it well.
Gu Lang used to be a first-rank official. Although he did not like factional struggles, the division of power in the court was still clear.
Most of the officials in the capital city sided with the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince. Even though the Fifth Prince had some influence, it was not so much that those people sided with the Fifth Prince as that, like the Fifth Prince, they did not like court struggles.
Therefore, neither the Fifth Prince nor the forces behind the Fifth Prince would likely host a banquet for the Gu family.
"Is it possible? I say possible. The one who invited us to this great battle wasn't from the Fifth Prince's lineage, but from some other faction?"
Wang was stunned when she heard this. She looked at Gu Feixue with some doubts:
"Xue'er, are you talking about the prince?"
Gu Feixue frowned upon hearing this and said:
"It's unlikely. If it was Yuchi Shuo, he would have definitely written in advance. Besides, if it was him, there would be no need for Governor Liu to conceal his identity."
When these words were spoken, everyone in the carriage was stunned.
"Could it be someone from the Sixth Prince's lineage?"
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm more concerned about why the Sixth Prince is interested in my brother."
Gu Lang's face showed a flicker of hesitation: "The Sixth Prince didn't interact with me much before."
"What high-ranking forces does the Sixth Prince have?"
"The highest rank is the Prime Minister, and the other ranks each have several."
Prime Minister, Gu Feixue thought about it for a while, but still had no clue.
If it was the Prime Minister who framed the Gu family, that would make sense.
But if that's the case, it means that Zong Hao, who repeatedly targeted the Gu family in Liangcheng, is the Prime Minister's man, and now Gu Tingchuan has passed the imperial examination...
"not good!"
Gu Feixue's expression changed drastically in an instant. She didn't have time to say anything more to the others. She lifted the car curtain and said loudly:
"Driver, turn back!"
"Xue'er, why are you doing this?" Wang just spoke, but saw the driver turned around and looked at the Gu family with a look of deep pride in his eyes.
"Want to go back now? It's too late!"
After saying that, he raised the whip and hit the horse hard on the back. The horse sped up instantly in pain.
Gu Feixue's pupils suddenly shrank.
She was so upset before setting off that she didn't even notice anything unusual about the driver!
"This is a Hongmen Banquet! We can't go!"
After speaking to everyone in the Gu family, Gu Feixue mobilized her internal energy and flew out of the carriage.
At the moment when the driver's face was full of surprise, Gu Feixue pulled out the soft whip tied around her waist, poured her internal energy into it and whipped it towards the driver.
"ah!"
With a scream, the coachman was immediately whipped off the carriage by Gu Feixue.
Gu Feixue didn't care about the driver's life or death, and immediately sat in the driver's seat, suddenly tightened the reins, and turned the carriage with all her strength.
Everything happened in just a moment. Gu Tingchuan was the first to react, then he got out of the carriage and drove with Gu Feixue.
The driver's abnormal behavior made the Gu family have no doubt about Gu Feixue's guess.
It seems that someone is taking advantage of the opportunity of letting the Gu family attend the Luming Banquet to harm them on the road!
Old Mrs. Wang Gu clenched her hands and looked at Gu Lang, but Gu Lang's face turned pale.
"When I first saw the tattoo on the back of the man in black, I guessed it was related to the Prime Minister, but I was afraid of hurting others, so I didn't report it to the Crown Prince. Now they still won't let the Gu family go!"
"Mom! This is all my fault!"
Gu Lang's heart was broken, and guilt as surging as the waves of the river filled his heart in an instant.
Wang and Old Lady Gu grabbed Gu Lang's arms in the violently shaking carriage. Although their words were incoherent, they did not look like they blamed Gu Lang at all.
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