Four hundred and ninetieth chapters blowing breeze
(Thanks to tiger309, Beishan Laoer for the tip, please collect it)
Putting down the newspaper from the Oversight Council and Xie Huanran's autographed letter, Liu Ling let out a long breath. He leaned on his chair and looked at the letter in front of him, feeling lost for a while. The third day after boarding the ship from Bozhou and taking the water route.
, Liu Ling received the news of the death of the young emperor Liu Li and the queen mother Su Jianli. At this moment, Liu Ling looked very tired, exhausted both physically and mentally.
"Your Majesty... I promise that Xie Huanran did not do this at the instruction of my subordinates."
Although Zhao Da didn't see any angry look on the prince's face, he didn't know why the fear in his heart spread uncontrollably and occupied his whole body and mind. At this moment, he felt a sense of powerlessness all over his body. He was afraid
, he was afraid that if the prince burst out with thunderous wrath, he would be crushed into a ball of powder. In today's Central Plains, when the prince is angry, it is absolutely terrifying that he will die thousands of miles away.
This is an irresistible majesty, and even a person like Zhao Da cannot stand in front of Liu Ling.
Liu Ling didn't seem to hear Zhao Da's words, and looked at the letter in front of him with a somewhat empty look, but he didn't see anything in his eyes. Zhao Da knew that at this moment, the prince's heart must be very confused, or blank. In short,
The decision Xie Huanran made was beyond the prince's expectation and also beyond Zhao Da's expectation. Although he had imagined that Xie Huanran would desperately kill the young emperor Liu Li and the Queen Mother Su Jianli, Zhao Da himself
Everyone knows that it is just an unrealistic fantasy. Xie Huanran is a smart man, so he must be able to guess why the prince gave him full authority to handle this matter.
But in the end, Xie Huanran did not follow Liu Ling's arrangement.
Xie Huanran's handwritten letter did not say why he did this, no explanation, no justification, only four words.
The subordinates are aware of their guilt.
He knew the crime and confessed, so he did not explain, defend, or do anything.
The fleet sent from Huazhou, a total of more than twenty ships, picked up Liu Ling and his party and then turned back. There were no giant ships built for long sea voyages. There were six eight-foot-long forty-two-paddle warships, but
It carried 200 soldiers. There were more than a dozen four-carriage boats, which could carry about 80 soldiers. Liu Ling was riding a 12-foot-3-foot-long sea swan warship, which could carry 260 soldiers and was equipped with ballistae.
Waiting for the heavy-duty Wuxi, if it is not compared with the giants in Huazhou Shipyard, this Dahaihu can already be regarded as a giant ship in the world, like a moving fortress.
There was wind but no big waves, and the sea swan moved very smoothly. The sailors on the deck of the ship performed their duties, and the guards of the Supervisory Council wearing black lotus-style robes stood guard at the hatch of the ship. Although there was no danger on the waterway, the soldiers
They still stood at their positions conscientiously. There were eight ballistae on each side of the Great Ocean Bird, one at the front and one at the front, and two continuous-fire ballistae. It could be said that it was almost like a fortress on the water.
The light in the cabin is very dark, even during the day, lights must be turned on.
In the swaying firelight, Liu Ling's face looked like the sun that suddenly appeared in the sky and was blocked by floating clouds. It looked uncertain. The shadows swayed, and everyone in the cabin was silent, struggling to resist a huge wave.
Psychological pressure. This kind of pressure comes from the unique King of Han in the world. It is a kind of divine power. The power of God is unpredictable. No one knows whether the prince will suddenly show his thunderous anger at the next moment.
Chen Xiaoshu and Dongfang Buluan couldn't stand the oppression and knelt down on one knee. For a while, the cabin fell into a very heavy silence. I don't know how long it took, Liu Ling exhaled a long breath again, and then slowly
He waved his hand slowly to stop Zhao Da's explanation and signaled him to leave. Zhao Da opened his mouth, but saw Minhui standing behind Liu Ling nodding to him. Zhao Da then took Chen Xiaoshu and Dongfang with him as if he had been granted amnesty.
Bu Luan exited the cabin.
After leaving the cabin, the three of them couldn't help but take a deep breath. The atmosphere in the cabin was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.
The three of them were like monsters that had just been resurrected from the ground, breathing in the moist air on the river greedily. The cold air entered the body from the nose, and the depression dissipated a little. Whether it was Zhao Da or
Chen Xiaoshu and Dongfang Bucha, they all felt the terrifying silence of the prince for the first time. Those frowning brows were as frightening as two sharp horizontal knives unsheathed. Although the three of them were standing in the Supervisory Yuan
People in very high positions, although they are all strong in their respective fields, cannot adapt to the pressure of silence.
"Your Majesty... nothing will happen, right?"
Chen Xiaoshu was the first to break the calm and asked.
Dongfang Buran looked at the frightened waterbirds on the river and was speechless. Zhao Da sighed and walked to the side of the boat to support him. His heart was still hard to calm down. The fear was so strong that he could no longer breathe. To be honest, Zhao Da
He considered himself a person who was not afraid of death, but in front of the prince, he found that his fear had gone beyond the concept of death.
Chen Xiaoshu didn't get an answer from them, so he could only sigh, then took off the wine gourd from his waist and took a sip. The spicy wine syrup entered his stomach like a fire burning. Chen Xiaoshu yelled, "Ah!"
He jumped from the sea swan and plunged into the water, making a huge splash. His sudden leap into the river shocked the soldiers and sailors on the deck. Everyone was busy looking for ropes to throw him down and pull him up.
.
Zhao Da waved his hand to stop the soldiers' movements: "Don't worry, he just wants to go down and calm down."
The soldiers looked at each other and said to themselves that these big men looked strange. However, the Han army was very disciplined and no one was watching. After everyone knew that nothing was wrong, they dispersed, but they were still ready to rescue people. They had been there all year round
People who work with water know that it is very dangerous to jump into the water without making any preparations in such cold weather.
Fortunately, Chen Xiaoshu was not an ordinary person. He plunged into the water suddenly, and when he emerged again, he had already dived dozens of meters away. After several dives like this, the sea swan did not fall far behind him. It seemed that it was
After calming down enough, Chen Xiaoshu jumped out of the water and climbed up from the side of the ship. Water trickled down from his body, and soon a large area was wet on the deck of the ship. Chen Xiaoshu picked it up and put it on
The wine gourd on the side drank all the wine in the gourd in one go, and shuddered involuntarily.
"After taking a shower, then take off your clothes and go to bed!"
Chen Xiaoshu shook off the water on his body, then returned to the cabin without looking back and took off all his clothes. His teeth chattered with the cold and he wrapped himself tightly in the quilt. Although the cold on his body was severe, it suppressed the cold in his heart.
Feeling better, Chen Xiaoshu recalled the prince's expression before. Was it a kind of pain? Why can this kind of pain infect everyone?
"Your Majesty?"
Minhui called out tentatively, and then stood behind Liu Ling, gently squeezing Liu Ling's shoulders. Liu Ling sat up straight, reached out and held Minhui's hand and said, "I'm fine."
Minhui thought for a while and said: "The matter in Jinzhou has become a foregone conclusion. Your Majesty, don't worry about it anymore. Hui'er doesn't understand national affairs, and Hui'er doesn't know what other people think of His Majesty. But in Hui'er's heart, she always
They are all important to the prince. Whether it is the Queen Mother, Your Majesty, or Hui'er, to be honest, they... have no place in Hui'er's heart. I think Mr. Zhao and Mr. Xie also feel the same way as Hui'er.
Right?"
"Perhaps from one aspect, what Mr. Xie did was a bit too much. Even if the prince sent people to capture Mr. Xie and kill him, it was appropriate. However, what Hui'er wanted to say was, why did Mr. Xie do so?
He knew what he would lose? But he still did it. The prince should also understand what Mr. Xie means, right?"
Liu Ling forced a smile and said, "Hui'er, you are getting bolder and bolder now."
Minhui felt relieved when she saw Liu Ling smiling. She thought about it and said, "Hui'er dared to ask Mr. Xie for a favor..."
Liu Ling waved his hand to interrupt Minhui's words. He rubbed his temples and said slowly: "Xie Huanran, I will not kill him. The Queen Mother and Her Majesty have passed away, so what can I do if I kill Xie Huanran? Liu Li...
He is only eleven years old after the new year, right? I remember telling Zhao Da a while ago that if he can live in peace and contentment, I will ensure that he will be a safe emperor for the rest of his life and give him a great empire. Unfortunately, he refused after all.
Live in peace."
Liu Ling paused and said: "The Queen Mother has been retreating in the past few years. Although I did not force her to do anything, and I never thought about grabbing that chair, she was still worried. First she dismissed the Qilin Guard, and then
By disbanding the Black Qilin Army, she was expressing an attitude to me. Although she may not really trust me in her heart, she had to act like she trusted me. She must have lived a very hard life these years.
?Can a humble room, an ancient Buddha with a blue lantern, really be able to calm her heart?"
He sighed and said: "I don't know whether she was instigated by others when she finally chose to kill me and all my relatives, or whether she had always thought so in her heart. But I really can't bear to hate her.
In my heart, in my opinion, she is not a queen mother who cares about the world, she is just a mother who wants to protect her young children. Whether it was her original choice or her final choice, she actually did nothing wrong."
Liu Ling frowned in pain: "If it were me, I might do that. So...from the beginning to the end, I never thought about killing their mother and son. The manor in Yuanzhou originally belonged to me.
I plan to take you to live in seclusion after the world is settled. Since I helped my second brother sit on that chair, I never thought about grabbing the chair and sitting on it myself. Maybe I have been very strong in the hearts of their mother and son these years.
, but when have I ever forced them to do anything?”
Liu Ling talked, one by one, to Minhui, the listener.
Minhui shed tears and said: "Your Majesty, the adults in the court, and we all know the prince's difficulties over the years and understand his intentions. Now that it has come to this point, who can the Queen Mother and Your Majesty blame? The prince or the prince.
Don't be so sad, Hui'er... I feel sorry for you."
Liu Ling patted Minhui's hand and tried her best to show a smile: "Don't worry, I just feel uncomfortable."
"Call Zhao Da in. I have something to tell him."
Liu Ling said softly.
Minhui hummed and went out to call Zhao Da who was guarding outside. In fact, Zhao Da and Dongfang Buluan were guarding the hatch of the ship. Although Liu Ling's words to Minhui were not loud, they still heard them clearly.
They were all deeply moved by the prince's broad-mindedness. Zhao Da sighed in his heart. After all, the prince was not the kind of hero who would not recognize his relatives.
After Zhao Da entered the cabin, Liu Ling thought for a while and said: "Let Hou Shen and Xie Huanran take the lead in drafting posthumous names and discussing funeral arrangements. As for how to tell the civil and military officials of the court, I think you already have a plan in mind. The ship will be ready soon."
After docking, you lead the people on fast horses to rush back to Jinzhou. I will also rush back to Jinzhou after landing in Huazhou. Xie Huanran... reassure him that he will stay at the military aircraft office for the time being. Please ask the old prime minister
Go back to the military base and summon Duke Yan back, and the five of you will discuss the matter of the funeral."
He paused and added: "The coffin will be sent back to Taiyuan personally when I return and put into the imperial mausoleum."
Zhao Da nodded: "I obey my orders."
Liu Ling waved his hand and said, "I'm very confused. You guys can come up with a plan for the specific matter and send it to me right away."
After saying that, Liu Ling stepped out of the cabin and stood on the side of the ship, facing the wind and looking into the distance. There was a sense of desolation in his back.
Everyone stood behind Liu Ling, not daring to disturb him.
After a long time, Liu Ling took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and felt the wind blowing from his cheek.
The corners of the mouth are slightly upturned, outlining an arc. (To be continued)
