In the Pavilion of Winds from All Directions, Zhu Zhen watched the heavy rain fall on the pond, causing countless ripples.
"Actually, Zhu Liangzu is also deceiving me. Unfortunately, he is not brave enough. He only dares to talk about those Guangdong rich people and does not dare to mention himself." He touched his chin where the stubble was starting to appear and said with a bitter smile:
"If he puts on a desperate posture and dares to rebel with the local tycoons in Guangdong, I will really be worried that they will arrest me and ask for pardon from the court."
"But he never dared to say that, so I knew he didn't have the courage to rebel at all, so I could safely bluff him."
"It's different. Your Highness can just bluff him as much as you want, and it doesn't matter how harsh you say it. But if he dares to speak out and rebel, he may be able to make His Highness back down for a while, but it will cause endless troubles." Daotong understood Zhu Liangzu's mentality better.
.
"In his eyes, His Highness and the Emperor are one. Saying such words to His Highness is tantamount to declaring rebellion to the Emperor. Isn't that seeking death? Even a life-saving ticket cannot save him."
"It makes sense." Zhu Zhen nodded and said with a smile: "It seems that this is not a fair duel."
"In the final analysis, he is not completely desperate yet." Daotong said a little depressed: "His iron bond can save him two deaths and his son one death. There is still hope for him."
"Can the death-free iron coupon really save you from death?" Zhu Zhen shook his head and said lightly: "Why was Liao Yongzhong useless in the first place?"
"..." The corner of Daotong's mouth twitched, thinking that he must ask your father.
~~
When Zhu Liangzu returned to the General's Mansion, He Di had been waiting for him for a long time.
Seeing the Marquis coming back like a drowned rat, He Di quickly stood up to greet him and asked in a low voice: "What, the talks have broken down?"
Zhu Liangzu waved his hand, sat down on the main seat, took the handkerchief offered by his soldiers, and silently wiped the rain off his face, head and neck.
"Go back and tell them and ask them to hand him over tomorrow." After a long time, Zhu Liangzu spoke slowly.
"Ah?" He Di looked at Yongjiahou in surprise. Although he covered his face with a handkerchief, he could still tell that he was scared.
"Ah what, didn't you hear what I said clearly?" Zhu Liangzu said in a dull voice.
"I heard you clearly, but Lord Marquis, how can you agree to the King of Chu?" He Di said with a look of disbelief: "We have agreed to advance and retreat together! As long as we become a rope, what can he do to us?
?”
"Getting together with you guys? That's playing into Lao Liu's hands!" Zhu Liangzu ripped off his handkerchief and said with a ferocious face:
"He will go all out to replace me, put his men in command, and order a hundred thousand southern troops to turn around and quell the rebellion. Can he withstand it based on your information?!"
"Can he replace Mr. Hou?" He Di couldn't believe it.
"I don't believe what others say, but who is he? He is the King of Chu!" Zhu Liangzu patted the table and said: "The emperor and the prince obeyed his words and regarded him as their confidant! If he risked his life and forced the emperor to choose a second choice
One, what do you think the emperor would choose?"
"Can't we just transfer him away?" He Di asked puzzledly: "Can I still let my son hold me hostage?"
"What if my whole family is supported by this son?" Zhu Liangzu asked quietly.
"Uh..." He Di was speechless.
"Actually, I'm not sure whether he's bluffing me or whether he's really trying to kill me." Zhu Liangzu said solemnly: "But I don't dare to bet, because I know this kind of second-generation ancestor very well. If you really fight him to the end, he will
I will definitely fight with you at all costs."
He Di couldn't help but nodded. Not only did Zhu Liangzu have a second-generation ancestor in his family, but he also had a second-generation ancestor in his family. It's really like Yongjia Hou said, you must not compete with them, otherwise they will do anything.
"Let's do it like this," Zhu Liangzu said with a long sigh: "Today is not without gain. At least I know that as long as I hand them over, King Chu will not overturn the table."
"It's difficult..." He Di felt like he had eaten a fly. If each family was willing to hand over people, why would they have to make trouble like this? "Every family has its own scriptures that are difficult to recite... If those big patriarchs hand over all their people,
Coming out will cause strong dissatisfaction among the clan."
"It must be done even if it is difficult!" Zhu Liangzu had already made up his mind, and his fellow Taoist friend Bu Die Ping said: "When the order for the army to set out is issued, the initiative will return to my hands. By then I will have many ways to ask the King of Chu to release him.
!”
"Can each family pay a portion at their own discretion?" He Di asked in a flexible manner.
"Just give it all, and part of it is useless? Isn't it you who is the one who is the emotional one?!" Zhu Liangzu said angrily: "I have long said that you bunch of Guangdong rich people have too shallow eyes and only focus on your own family.
He divides his land into three acres and regards his own affairs as bigger than the sky."
As he spoke, he raised his voice, pointed to the north and said: "Don't look around to see what the whole world is like now. Your Majesty expelled the Tartars, restored China, worked hard to govern, cultivated culture and military preparations, and our Ming Dynasty's national strength is as strong as that of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Is there any place for a country within a country?!"
"If you do something stupid again, don't blame me for being ruthless and ordering to destroy you!" Zhu Liangzu knew that if he didn't tell the truth, these stubborn Guangdong rich people would still be lucky.
"Master Hou, we are just grasshoppers on a rope..." Seeing that he was about to draw a clear line, He Di became anxious.
"I know." Zhu Liangzu said in a muffled voice: "But the iron guarantee will inevitably lead to rebellion. If you insist on confronting the imperial court, I can only choose the lesser of two evils."
"..." Seeing that Zhu Liangzu was completely cowed, what else could He Di say. If he spoke too harshly, it would only completely tear him apart.
He could only sigh, shake his head, and leave.
When he left the general's mansion and got into the car, He Di couldn't help but spat and whispered: "A straight line is not enough for a plan."
~~
He Di broke the defense mainly because he was worried. He didn't know how to talk to those Guangdong rich people. Asking them to hand over their children, how could he say such things?
The carriage drove slowly on the street for a long time. He Di finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He knocked on the carriage and said, "Go to my eldest brother's house."
The driver then turned around and drove towards Hefu outside Xiguan.
He Zhen, dressed in a Confucian robe, was playing the piano leisurely in a study room filled with smoke. The sound of the piano and the sound of rain mingled together, and the whole world seemed to be quiet.
Until He Di's heavy footsteps broke the silence, He Zhen frowned, held down the strings and sighed to his younger brother who walked in: "If I had known today, why bother?"
"Brother already knows?" He Di asked in astonishment.
"I don't know, it's just that it's written on your face." He Zhen shook his head and asked, "Is things different from what you expected?"
"Yes." He Di nodded dejectedly and told his eldest brother exactly what happened in the past few days. Finally, he sighed: "I didn't expect that Chen Boyun and the others, as well as Marquis Yongjia, would all become so timid.
The eggs have shrunk."
"It's not that they have become timid, it's that the world has changed." He Zhen pointed at his second brother with a frustrated face and said: "You are the only one who is still stubborn and won't look back until you hit the wall..."
