In the first year of Zhaoxi, on October 25th, the lights were dimly lit in the Zichen Palace of Ye State, and all the ministers gathered together. Before the court meeting began, the ministers had heard that the fleet commander who had been missing for several years after the battle of Tianwu Strait was actually
They returned to the temple. Now, before the king of the country arrived, they were in small groups with their heads lowered and talking in low voices.
In the square outside the palace, a hurried figure appeared in the distance. It was Zhuo Xiukuo who rushed into the city under the stars and the moon. He stepped into the palace with fear and fear, and with a "plop", he knelt down in front of Qi Shouyu who had just sat down in the palace.
Kowtow a few times:
"The guilty minister is incompetent and can only come back with a low life and ask the Lord to punish him!"
However, Qi Shouyu didn't care about these hypocritical cries. He just looked at the other person up and down with squinting eyes and asked coldly:
"You sent a sealed letter to the palace overnight, saying that you had something to report about the traitor Qi Ziyin?"
Zhuo Xiukuo also understood that the play should not be overacted, so he immediately put away his tears and handed over his hands and said:
"Your Majesty Shengming. Three years ago, I followed the commander Xie Xun to the sea to surrender the bandits. Unexpectedly, when we arrived at the Tianwu Strait, we encountered thick fog and got separated from the flagship. The criminal did not dare to act rashly and led the remaining fleet to wait at sea for several days, but
I never saw the flagship return, so I wrote an urgent report back to the DPRK——"
"Tell me the important things!"
Hearing the other party talk about old things again, Ye Guogong seemed a little impatient - after all, the black ships led by Yu Li attacked Ye Guo's fleet under his instruction. Although no one dared to do it again after that.
Asked what happened at that time, but in his heart, he hoped that no one would talk about the ins and outs and details of that year. After all, recruiting Zhuo Xiukuo into the palace was not without risks for Qi Shouyu, and he would never
This person will be allowed to spill the beans in front of the officials.
Zhuo Xiukuo is not a dull person. The purpose of his trip is very clear, and he knows even more clearly that he must not offend the other party, so he follows the words of the king and goes straight to the topic:
"...It wasn't until the fleet was attacked and commander Xie Xun died that the guilty officials realized that Qi Ziyin had already been in secret with the pirates, so he was able to set up an ambush at sea and ambush us!"
As soon as these words came out, the officials in the palace immediately let out one after another exclamations, and some even cursed loudly. As the only witness to the naval battle that year, Zhuo Xiukuo's words had undoubted and absolute weight. One stone stirred up thousands of waves, and it seemed that
Now that all the charges are placed on Qi Ziyin, for many of them, it is a great opportunity to flatter the new master.
Seeing that the other party understood, Qi Shouyu also sat up slightly, pretending to be extremely surprised on his face:
"I am still wondering why the elite of the Ye Kingdom never returned. It turns out there is something hidden! But why did you come back today to reveal the truth? Did you know that Qi Zi hid in the Tianwu Strait and then sneaked back?
In Mulu City, he assassinated the late king with his own hands!"
"My lord, I deserve to die for my crime! Qi Ziyin had already had the intention of rebellion, and even planted many pirate gangs on the ship early. After they seized the ship that day, they imprisoned the guilty minister. During these years, I have been
I wanted to return home, but it wasn't until the front was able to break free from the prison, so I rushed back immediately!"
Seeing that the king deliberately doubted him, Zhuo Xiukuo immediately bowed down and burst into tears, looking like a brave and loyal man.
Finally, with the tacit harmony between the two, all the dirty water was successfully poured on Qi Ziyin, which saved Qi Shouyu a lot of trouble in justifying himself. And Zhuo Xiukuo's remarks also helped Qi Shouyu.
The succession to the throne has been given an undoubted layer of legal protection. Now, a faint smile finally appeared on the face of the short and fat monarch, and he continued to ask loudly:
"Then I ask you, where is that rebellious Qi Ziyin now?"
"The guilty minister came to the palace to ask for an audience this time just to report this matter to the king! Qi Ziyin has been in exile overseas for many years, but he has never dared to act rashly. Now that he heard that Chengye was at war and the country was empty, he led a group of rebellious killing generals back
, intending to usurp the throne. Now their fleet is less than a hundred miles outside Mulu City!"
These words once again caused quite a commotion among the ministers. You must know that in order to protect their young sons, the former kings Qi and Yin specially dispatched the elites of the Baisha Camp to go to sea. Although the navy division still has ships in the port, it can be
If we were to fight, our chances of winning would be less than 30%.
"Is this true? Where are the defenders of Baisha Camp? Why didn't they report in time?"
Qi Shouyu had never expected that his nephew, who liked to wear white clothes and had an eccentric personality, would be so confident in leading his army into the border area. He couldn't help but panic for a moment and heated up the copper hand stove in his palm that was used to warm his hands.
He threw it out. He immediately stood up and shouted loudly to the ministers who were also trembling with fear:
"Although Zhuo Xiukuo lost his fleet, he brought back the key enemy information in time today. The merits and demerits are equal to each other, so we will not be held accountable for the time being. The most urgent task now is to prevent the rebels from attacking and seizing the city. I will let you be the vanguard and follow the others to lead the expedition. If you can succeed.
Defeat the enemy and you will be rewarded heavily!"
Qi Shouyu had already made a plan in his mind - with Zhuo Xiukuo as the vanguard, he would go to sea to meet the enemy. If he could repel Qi Ziyin's fleet, he would be able to successfully eliminate a serious problem for himself. And if Zhuo Xiukuo was defeated, he would also be able to deplete the enemy's army.
At the same time, he will completely silence this key figure who knows too many secrets.
Zhuo Xiukuo also knew that the other party seemed to be entrusting him with an important task, but in fact he was throwing a hot iron to him. For a moment, he couldn't accept it, nor could he accept it. He knelt in the hall and didn't know what to do. However, before he could think about it, he
It was a good way to deal with it, but suddenly I heard an old and sonorous scolding burst out from among the ministers behind me:
"Old minister, I sincerely ask the king to think twice and not to rush to send troops!"
Everyone's eyes were immediately attracted by the voice and no longer focused on Zhuo Xiukuo. Only an old figure was seen walking slowly forward from the crowd, and no one dared to step forward to stop that man.
His hair and beard are all white, he is already over eighty years old, and he is actually Gou Qinghong, the Grand Tutor of the Three Dynasties of Ye Kingdom.
"Master, why are you here today? Why don't you go home and rest."
Facing the teacher who had taught him, Qi Shouyu couldn't help but soften his tone. However, the veteran opposite him didn't appreciate it. Instead, he bowed to him politely:
"Now that the war has begun to end, the country is in turmoil. I still have some strength left, so I should work hard. Otherwise, I will be ashamed of the late king!"
The corners of Duke Ye's eyes couldn't help but twitch slightly. He knew that the old man in front of him had a stubborn temper, but he couldn't bear to contradict his mentor in front of the civil and military officials of the court, so he had to patiently continue to persuade:
"Master, why do you have to defend that rebel? I understand that my nephew Yin was once your student. But now he is collaborating with the enemy and causing rebellion! If we don't send troops to exterminate him, why should we ask him for peace?
?”
Unexpectedly, Gou Qinghong was not that easy to fool. Instead, he scolded the short and fat king in the palace, still as if he was teaching his students in the Zhumo Pavilion:
"Isn't the king of the country even more stupid than an old man like me?! Since the founding of our country, the blood relatives have never faced each other with swords, let alone used a single soldier. Now Commander Zhuo has been away from the country for several years and has not returned.
How can we conclude that the young master is in cahoots with bandits and intends to commit rebellion just based on the one-sided words of a fugitive general?"
Qi Shouyu continued to argue: "Master, Qi Ziyin is no longer the young master of our Ye Kingdom! In your opinion, can his crime of plotting to murder the late king be forgiven?"
"The death of the old monarch in the palace is actually quite strange in Lao Chan's view. The young master has followed Lao Chan since he was a child to study the sages' classics and the principles of governing the country. There is absolutely no way that Lao Chan can misunderstand his character. That child is definitely not
He is the one who commits the great injustice of the world and kills his father and king because of his own selfish interests! The immediate plan is to send envoys out of the city first and thoroughly ask the whole story of what is right and wrong!"
"Master, when you taught me how to read, there was nothing wrong with paying attention to loyalty, filial piety, etiquette and justice. But today's world has changed!"
"How come the world has changed? Now that the country has become a country, all the Wei and Liang troops have withdrawn, and the people who have been displaced in all directions can finally return to their homes. It is still the same country, and it is still the same country. I am afraid that the only thing that has changed is the people's hearts!
"
Faced with the old man's admonishment, the pudgy king finally couldn't bear it anymore and yelled loudly:
"Bold, my teacher is not implying that I am the beast who wants to kill my own nephew because of his own selfish interests. I respect your advanced age and show courtesy to you, but I also advise you not to forget it.
Your identity! If you dare to roar at the court in this tone again, I will order you to be kicked out!"
"He Guang, although I am not as young as you, I have seen many changes in the world than you! What Ye country needs now is to recuperate and recuperate, not to raise an army! If the descendants of the Qi family have to fight each other to the death,
, that will only be a great misfortune for Ye country and a great misfortune for the world!"
No matter whether Qi Shouyu was quibbling or scolding, even if he was furious at this moment, Gou Fu Qinghong was still just like a teacher debating with his students in Zhumoxuan, never giving in and arguing with reason.
However, the pudgy king still lost his last patience: "Stop talking anymore! I have long been tired of hearing your rhetoric about governing the country with benevolence! In today's world, if you don't fight for the sword or for the flesh, don't say it is.
I am just a nephew. Even if my biological parents stand in my way, I will not hesitate to get rid of them! We must not delay the dispatch of troops. If anyone dares to talk too much, he will be executed immediately!"
Even though he understood that what Taifu Gou said was reasonable, no one among the civil and military officials standing in the palace dared to stand up and support him. Not only that, some people in the crowd even loudly agreed with Qi Shouyu's decision:
"The Lord of the Kingdom is a wise man! I second your opinion on the matter of sending troops!"
"I second the proposal!"
"I also second the proposal!"
After all, people are driven by interests. Now they have to choose between Qi Shouyu, who holds great power, and Qi Ziyin, who has long had no reputation in the same court. Anyone who has experienced the ups and downs of officialdom will never take the risk of choosing the latter.
.
"You bunch of sycophants who don't know right from wrong! Sooner or later, the country of Ye will be destroyed in your hands!"
Seeing the scene in front of him, Gou Qinghong was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened, he pointed at the ministers and cursed loudly. Then he staggered forward a few steps again, pointed at Duke Ye on the throne and said loudly:
"Heguang, listen to what you just said. Is it what a man should say as a king? All the books of sages that I taught you before were all fed into the dog's belly! Someone came here back then.
When I told you that it was you who killed the king, I still refused to believe it. Now it seems that it is not groundless! I am really heartbroken, so heartbroken!"
There was a buzzing sound in the hall again, and some elderly ministers even raised their sleeves to cover their faces and wept.
Although Qi Shouyu also realized his gaffe, he still waved his sleeves heavily, and the Mo Ling guards standing on the palace hall surrounded the old man:
"I think you are an old fool. You are talking nonsense and nonsense! Come on, capture him for me and put him in prison first. After capturing Qi Ziyin and Yigan Treason, we will deal with him together!"
Gou Qinghong understood that the other party was determined to take action against him and the young master. He waved the long crutch in his hand vigorously to block Mo Ling's guards from getting closer. His dim old eyes were full of uncontrollable anger.
Grief and anger:
"I have tried my best to assist the three generations of the Qi family, but today I am unable to do anything to protect the safety of my young master!"
Before he finished speaking, two Mo Ling guards had already grabbed the old man's arms, one on the left and one on the right, and wanted to escort him out of the palace. Unexpectedly, the old man's eyes suddenly lit up and he shouted: "My late king! Old minister - this is it."
Coming to see you!"
Before Qi Shouyu could react, this iron-clad veteran of three dynasties actually bit his tongue and committed suicide in front of everyone in the Zichen Palace! The last breath he held in his chest was immediately sprayed out with a mouth full of blood, and a bright red flower bloomed in the palace.
The flowers also splashed all over the body of Duke Ye, who was very close at hand!
"Drag this blind old thing outside the city and hang it on the city gate until it dies for three months!"
Qi Shouyu wiped a handful of blood on his face angrily, and his appearance became more and more ferocious. Mo Lingwei received the order and dragged the old man's skinny and shriveled body out of the hall quickly. No one among the officials dared to say another word.
They just looked at each other calmly and retreated.
"You two-faced people, how can you not see me sitting on the throne of the king? This throne belongs to me, it belongs to me!"
The short and fat king raised his head and laughed crazily, but he could not hide the endless disappointment in his eyes. "Even so, it doesn't matter. After I personally defeat the lingering ghost in white, I will turn around and kill you who are unconvinced."
Remove all the worthless bones, leave no one behind!"
After a long time, Qi Shouyu stood up from the blood-stained hall and walked towards the dormitory hall with a sense of loss. Only then did he notice that a confidant from the Quicksand Camp had been waiting for him outside the hall for a long time.
.
"Have you made all arrangements for what you were ordered to do?"
Duke Ye Guo suddenly regained his former sternness and asked coldly.
"The Lord of the Kingdom, the Lord of Luqiu has received a reply. The Wei-Liang Army will do its best to prevent Yin Qujian from continuing to retreat eastward. The people sent by Liusha Camp will catch up in the next few days!"
"good!"
Hearing the other party's answer, a smile appeared on Qi Shouyu's face full of anger again - in the days after Cheng Guo withdrew his troops, he thought about it, but he felt more and more that he couldn't just let the tiger go back to the mountain. A few days ago, it turned out that something had changed
Tonglu Qiu Borong has secretly formed an alliance, and is now planning to send assassins to kill Yin Qujian on his way back home!
The starting point is not the first release, and all copies are free.
Thank you for liking my work. For more exciting works, please follow the author's VX official account with the same name to support it.