Full of drinkers, diners, and melon-eating crowds who followed all the way, there were at least hundreds and nearly a thousand people gathered here. It was noisy and crowded, and it was so dark that one could not see the side.
No one could believe the scene in front of them.
The dignified Marquis of Kaicheng Li Ke, Concubine Li's brother, was dragged by Wan Yankang's hair as if he were a dead dog. With a dagger in one hand, he walked step by step to the sign of Hua Qianshu, threatening to kill him.
At first, Li Ke kept cursing, but later it turned into a creepy and feeble begging for his life.
Wanyankang was filled with murderous intent.
The little eunuch who came from the palace to report the news turned pale with fright. He stayed away and said with a trembling voice: "Little prince, the emperor has a decree, ordering you to release the Marquis of Kaicheng immediately and go to the palace to meet the saint."
"Young prince, don't act recklessly!"
Not far away, the palace guards sent by Concubine Li were shocked when they saw this. Several horses rode up. The leading centurion dismounted and said coldly: "Wanyankang, you are so impudent, you dare to beat the emperor's relatives in the street! Come on!
People, go forward and rescue Kaicheng Hou!"
This was Concubine Li's confidant in the palace. Seeing that the concubine's brother suffered such a humiliation, they naturally did not dare to neglect him. These palace guards rushed forward and tried to snatch Li Ke from Wan Yankang's hands.
Wanyankang let out a loud roar and punched a guard with thunderous power.
After being punched, the guard was thrown several meters into the air. The other two guards drew their swords and struck Wanyan Kang head-on.
Wan Yankang's mouth twitched slightly, and he ducked to avoid the blade. He opened his bow from left to right and made two quick circles, hitting the two of them directly in the face. They were immediately knocked unconscious and their faces were covered with blood.
This all happens in an instant.
Seeing that the centurion was still about to step forward, Wanyankang was too lazy to waste time with them. He flashed the dagger in his hand and straightened Li Ke's long hair. Under the exclamations of everyone, he
Shengsheng cut off most of Li Ke's long hair with one knife, and then waved it up, causing the black hair to float away. Li Ke wailed and knelt on the ground, lost in thought.
The ancients believed that the body, hair, and skin were affected by the parents and should not be touched lightly. Having one's long hair cut off was almost equivalent to having one's head chopped off. At least this kind of humiliation in terms of face was something Li Ke would never forget.
The centurion gasped and rebuked angrily: "Wanyankang, you are so wanton and reckless, the emperor will definitely punish you severely... Come here, rescue the Marquis of Kaicheng quickly, let's go back to the palace!"
Before he finished speaking, a figure flashed, and Wan Yankang came to him. Without any nonsense, he slapped him hard in the face.
"Can you call Wan Yankang's name?"
…
Royal Palace.
Concubine Li's Mingde Hall.
Concubine Li's face was ashen, and there were obvious tears on her originally charming and round face. Anger flashed in her eyes, and she walked around anxiously in the palace.
The Jin Emperor, who was sitting on the dragon throne, sighed helplessly and said: "My beloved concubine, please be patient. I have already ordered someone to send word that Wanyan Kang has entered the palace. Marquis Kaicheng will be fine."
Concubine Li turned around angrily and said: "Your Majesty, Wanyan Kang'er is so bold and reckless that he publicly humiliated my brother and made it known throughout the city. How can I bear such humiliation? He is just an adopted son of King Zhao and has no eyesight.
According to the king's law, what crime should be committed if you wantonly humiliate the emperor's relatives?"
Emperor Jin smiled bitterly: "What Wan Yankang did was certainly a bit too much... However, dear concubine, you should also discipline your younger brother Li Ke. If he hadn't taken the initiative to provoke Wan Yan Kang, how could he have gotten into trouble?"
Concubine Li instantly burst into tears and knelt down: "Your Majesty, even if my concubine's brother makes a mistake, he will be punished according to the law of the imperial court, and I agree with it. But why does that kid arbitrarily lynching someone, especially deliberately in the street?"
The insult was deliberately directed at me... I really can't swallow this bad breath!"
"The Zhao Wang family has become increasingly domineering and arrogant in recent years, colluding with both internal and external parties to control the government, and even the Emperor does not look down upon it... Your Majesty, if we are not punished severely this time, we will definitely be in serious trouble in the future!"
Jin Di fell silent.
It is true that King Zhao Wanyanhong's behavior in the past year or so has been very different from the past.
In fact, everyone could see clearly that he came here just for the throne, because the emperor's health was getting worse day by day.
Emperor Jin knew it well.
Emperor Jin had been hesitant and undecided about who should own the throne.
His original plan was to pass the throne to King Zhao. Since King Zhao had no heirs, King Zhao would then pass it on to the eldest son Wanyan Congke in the future.
This has reached a certain tacit understanding within the royal family.
However, as Wanyan Congke grew older, the situation began to change. On the one hand, Wanyan Congke was not willing to wait for the future and believed that the throne should belong to him. On the other hand, Concubine Li also gave birth to a son. In recent years, she has been involved in Lian Xu's rule.
All he wanted was to put his own son on the throne.
Another very important point is that Wanyanhong's mentality seems to have changed. If he really ascends the throne, Wanyan Congke may not have anything to do with him.
Over the years, Wanyan Congke continued to cultivate his personal power. Of course, Emperor Jin secretly gave him some support, but Wanyanhong's power grew stronger and stronger.
Wanyanhong was already in charge of the military, and the control of the Jin Kingdom's imperial army was basically in his hands. In addition, Wanyanhong had a close relationship with the Pusan family who controlled the border army. They formed an unbreakable political alliance.
The so-called neutral state of Shangshu Ling Dahao and his family are fundamentally inclined towards Wan Yanhong. Others may not be able to decipher this subtle pattern, but Emperor Jin knows it best.
So once the relationship breaks out, Wanyan Congke is no match for Wanyanhong.
At least that's the case for now.
As for Concubine Li and Xu Zhiguo, it is impossible for them to succeed at all. Even without Wong Yanhong taking action, Dahao alone can destroy Xu Zhiguo in a flash.
The problem was that, except for the emperor, neither Wanyan Congke nor Concubine Li believed that they were not powerful enough and insisted that they were the orthodox successors. Emperor Jin was helpless about this.
There are some things he cannot say to Li Feiming, and of course Li Fei may not be able to listen to them. Even if King Zhao Wanyanhong does not exist, the Jurchen royal family will not allow the emergence of a young and ignorant puppet emperor. This is the political system of the Jin Dynasty
The biggest difference from the Zhou Kingdom is that when it is impossible to have both, it takes into account the overall interests of the ethnic group.
"Your Majesty, please make the decision for me!" Concubine Li cried and kowtowed heavily, leaving traces of blood on her delicate forehead.
Emperor Jin suddenly felt a little upset and said: "Making the decision? How do you want me to make the decision? Just kill Wanyankang directly?"
"Half of the troops in our Kingdom of Jin are in the hands of King Zhao. Killing Wan Yankang is tantamount to forcing Wan Yanhong to rebel. My dear concubine, have you thought about the consequences? Don't you understand?"
Concubine Li was stunned, then gritted her teeth and said: "Your Majesty, even so, we cannot let him go lightly!"
"Forget it, my beloved concubine, Li Ke has made mistakes in the first place. If we really need to look into it more closely, he drugged the young prince of Prince Zhao and my princess. This is considered a heinous crime and can kill the nine tribes. It would be better for my beloved concubine to do this later.
When Wan Yankang comes into the palace, I will give him a severe reprimand and we will not pursue each other's affairs. Then you two can shake hands and make peace."
Concubine Li said angrily: "Your Majesty, what is the crime of this...concubine? I have to bear such humiliation! It is better for me to die!"
Concubine Li was about to rush towards the pillars in the palace to commit suicide, but the palace ladies hurriedly stopped her. She burst into tears and made the entire Mingde Palace a commotion.
Emperor Jin hid his face and was speechless.
Essentially speaking, there is nothing wrong with Concubine Li fighting for the throne for her son. However, the Li family behind her is too presumptuous. It is not good to offend anyone. She has to offend Wan Yanhong. This is no different.
Use the mantis' arm as a chariot.
…
Wanyankang entered the palace alone.
Outside the Mingde Palace, he met Wanyan Congke, the eldest son of the emperor, who seemed to have been waiting outside the palace for a long time.
This is actually a boy who is just over a year older than him.
He has exquisite facial features, gentleness and elegance, and has a slender figure. He wears a golden crown and a long gown.
Wanyan Congke was surrounded by dozens of heavily guarded imperial guards, and he stood quietly looking at Wanyankang. Wanyankang also looked at him, guessing his identity.
Apart from the emperor, the only person who can hold a fire in the palace with fully armed guards is probably the eldest son of the emperor, who is said to be young and promising.
Although Wanyan Congke's expression remained unchanged, there was some confusion in his heart.
Xue Feng, the eight-step cicada, and Meng Chong, the mandarin duck sword, were among the best among the martial arts masters recruited by Prince Liang's palace, but such martial arts masters were vulnerable to Wan Yanhong's adopted son.
Wanyan Congke was very shocked.
To be honest, Wanyan Congke had never taken Wanyan Kang seriously in the past. Even if he later became known as a great talent who had hidden his incompetence for ten years, and several poems were praised in Beijing, Wanyan Congke would still dismiss him.
Until today.
More than a dozen of the top guards in Prince Liang's palace were wiped out by Wan Yankang, which almost meant that Wan Yankang was unrivaled in the capital in terms of personal force alone.
Although the struggle for the throne was not directly related to personal force, the presence of Wanyan Kang in Prince Zhao's palace caused Wanyan Congke to be vigilant.
Still a little bit curious.
So Wanyan came from Congke.
It was even more surprising when it came.
Wan Yankang made a big fuss outside the palace and almost became a mortal enemy with Concubine Li, but he still dared to enter the palace alone... Is this what the so-called boldness of a skilled artist is?
This was the first time he saw Wanyankang. In the past, he would have disdained to meet a stupid playboy like Wanyankang.
"Are you that Wanyankang?"
Wanyan Kangdan smiled calmly and said: "Exactly, you must be His Royal Highness Prince Liang."
"It is this king. I have admired the name of the young prince for a long time, but I didn't expect that Uncle Zhao would actually raise a son who is both civil and military!"
"Your Highness commends you."
"Go into the palace, my father and Concubine Li are waiting for you."
Wanyan Congke pointed at the entrance of the palace.
He came here to watch the fun, not to get close to Wanyan Kang.
Wanyankang chuckled and drifted in.
In the luxurious Mingde Palace, Li Ke and his sister Concubine Li, who were also brought into the palace, hugged each other and cried together. Especially when they saw Li Ke's long hair being cut off by Wan Yankang in public, it was almost a humiliation of beheading.
Seeing Concubine Li was so painful that she wished she could live.
In fact, Concubine Li felt more uncomfortable than killing Li Ke.
"Wanyankang pays homage to the emperor." Wanyankang stepped forward and saluted as he should. Naturally, he had to salute. This was in the palace of the Kingdom of Jin, and he didn't really want to rebel.
"Wanyankang, you arrogant kid, can you admit your guilt?" Jin Di said slowly.
"Back to the emperor, I don't know what crime Wan Yankang committed."
"You wantonly bully and humiliate the emperor's relatives, and despise the imperial concubine. I can push you out and kill you for this alone."
"Your Majesty, Wan Yankang has never offended the imperial concubine."
Wanyankang said calmly: "Then Li Ke persuaded Xu Ye, the son of the envoy Xu Zhiguo, to fake the name of Daxingguo and deceive me and Princess Qi into attending a banquet. He also poisoned the wine and almost almost
Let Wanyankang and Princess Qi fall into a situation of irreparable danger..."
"Then, may I ask, Your Majesty, if Li Ke really succeeds, what should I do, and what should the princess do?"
"I dare to ask the emperor again. Li Ke did this with ulterior motives. Shouldn't we investigate to the end and ask why he framed Wanyan Kanghe and the princess?"
Emperor Jin was speechless when asked the question.
Wanyankang added: "With all the witnesses and material evidence, Li Ke cannot escape the blame. Since he wants to kill me, why not if I come to seek justice from him?"
Jin Di was silent for a moment and sighed, "You are such a sharp-tongued kid, I can't argue with you. I see that both of you are at fault. Let's take a step back from each other and let it go. That's it. I'll return it later.
We are going to receive the Mongol envoy, so please retreat."
Emperor Jin seemed to know that Concubine Li was definitely unwilling to give up, so in order to avoid embarrassment, he directly pushed her away.
In fact, he originally wanted to pretend to scold Wan Yankang twice, but seeing the attitude of Concubine Li and her unsatisfactory brother Li Ke, he was so upset that he didn't even bother to do it anymore.
…
Sure enough, the Mongol envoy came, with more than a hundred people in his party.
The leader of the mission, Timur, was a general under Temujin, the Mongol Khan, and was also a strong general. Timur sat on a tall black horse with his head held high and his chest held high, without squinting. The cavalrymen behind him were also there.
Immediately, order was restored, and an invisible murderous aura filled the air. The Mongol people walked through the streets and alleys and headed straight to the imperial city. Along the way, the people in the city gave way to them.
The Mongols were originally vassals of the Jin Kingdom.
Temujin was also named the Mongwu commander of the Jin Kingdom and paid tribute to the Jin Kingdom as a vassal.
Later, in order to contain the increasingly powerful Temujin tribe, the Jin State encouraged another large tribe of the Mongolian tribe to attack Temujin and provoke civil strife among the Mongolian tribes. As a result, after this battle, Temujin rose rapidly, and soon
There is a posture of unifying all the Mongolian tribes in Mobei.
In this way, the Mongol people actually did not pay much attention to the Kingdom of Jin.
A few years ago, the Mongol people had a great war with the Jin Kingdom, the so-called bloody battle at Yehuling. Although the Mongol people did not seem to win in this battle, in fact they achieved a complete victory, which overturned the authority of the Jin Dynasty emperor.
Trampled hard on the ground.
The three armies of the Mongol people massacred and plundered north of the Yellow River. The so-called "two rivers and thousands of miles east of Shandong" killed many people. Their gold, silk, children, cattle, sheep and horses were all swept away. Houses and houses were destroyed, and cities and hills were destroyed.
It’s a ruin.”
This war became a watershed in the overthrow of the Jin Kingdom and the Mongol forces.
In other words, from then on, the Mongol people's attitude towards the Jin Kingdom was completely different.
So when Wanyankang was leaving the palace, he happened to bump into Timur and his entourage who were about to enter the palace. The arrogant attitude of more than a hundred Mongolians made him laugh secretly. Sure enough, the cyclical laws of history are unbreakable. Back then, the Jurchens aggressively attacked the Central Plains and
The Han people rushed to the south corner of the Yangtze River, and now, history is almost repeating itself, with the arrival of even more powerful Mongol people.