There is a vast artificial lake in the garden, with pavilions and pavilions in the center of the lake. The layout is exquisite and elegant, full of charm and poetry.
Recently, every day at dusk, King Yan would gather some people to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, arrange wine and food, and hang up candlesticks. A group of people would talk loudly in the pavilion, imitating the legacy of the madmen of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and would often stay up all night until the guests and hosts had a good time. And scattered.
The fact that King Yan convened friends to gather at the palace was not concealed, and many of the palace officials and even the informants of the Imperial City Secretary saw it.
Zhao Zhen heard the report from the Imperial City Division and was quite pleased with King Yan's knowledge.
He had already made up his mind to establish King Yong as his crown prince, but he had not yet issued the decree.
However, Zhao Zhen has always had a headache as to how to place King Yan after King Yong succeeds to the throne.
Now King Yan's idle behavior shows that he is admitting defeat to King Yong.
In Zhao Zhen's view, this was because King Yan knew that there was no hope for the throne and was depressed, so he was ready to give up his desire to seize the throne and become a free and easy prince.
Zhao Zhen is naturally happy to see the results.
He didn't want to see King Yong and King Yan fighting to the death, so he specially summoned the two of them into the palace to persuade them with their brotherly love.
First, King Yan was asked to swear that he would not rebel for the rest of his life, and then King Yong was asked to swear that he would never treat King Yan harshly and ensure that he would be prosperous and wealthy throughout his life.
Witnessed by Zhao Zhen, King Yan and King Yong made an oath one after another, then hugged each other and cried, choked with sobs, and never mentioned the past things that were against each other again.
Seeing the harmonious appearance of the two brothers, Zhao Zhen was naturally very happy. Little did he know that after King Yan returned to the palace that day, he broke many tea bowls in succession.
The content of the oath that Zhao Zhen asked King Yong and King Yan to make actually explained his choice: he wanted to make King Yong the crown prince.
This also means that King Yan was completely forced to a dead end. King Yan would not believe that King Yong would treat him as kindly as he promised in front of Zhao Zhen. With King Yong’s hatred for him, he would wait until King Yong ascended the throne. , it’s good if you don’t break yourself to pieces.
After that day, the last glimmer of hope in King Yan's heart was completely shattered. Correspondingly, King Yan invited people to the Huxin Pavilion in the back garden to talk about the past and the present more and more frequently.
It looked like they were talking about ancient and modern times, reciting poems and composing poems in the pavilion in the middle of the lake. In fact, they deliberately spread their voices so that the secret agents could hear them.
Most of the time, King Yan and others were whispering and planning treacherous things.
It was King Yan's idea to choose the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The pavilion is surrounded by water on all sides, which can minimize the possibility of eavesdropping by others.
All the irrelevant people in the pavilion were kicked out, and those who were left behind were the confidants whose wealth and life depended on King Yan. These people had already registered their names with King Yong. If King Yan really fell, they would not What will happen?
It was approaching autumn at this time, and the cold wind at night was a bit biting, but no one in the pavilion noticed it at all. Except for a few people on the periphery who were responsible for covering, the rest of the people looked solemn, and with King Yan as the center, they discussed quietly
Taking care of big things.
A white-faced scribe lowered his voice and whispered like a gnat: "I have bribed two military commanders and six battalion commanders. When I secretly met with them last night, they promised to die for His Highness.
”
When King Yan heard the report from his staff, his eyes suddenly lit up and he was very excited about the good news.
"How many troops and horses can these generals mobilize?" King Yan tried his best to suppress his excitement and asked in a low voice.
The white-faced scribe hesitated for a moment: "If the soldiers and horses under these generals are combined with the soldiers in the palace, there will be about three thousand."
"Only three thousand?"
Prince Yan's eyes dimmed unconsciously.
A mere three thousand soldiers and horses were as vulnerable as moths to a flame against the hundreds of thousands of garrison troops stationed around Bianjing.
At this time, another thin middle-aged scribe with a sickly face said slowly: "I have also tested the Five Cities Military and Horse Division. The commander-in-chief Dou Laoxi is an old stubborn man full of loyalty, filial piety and justice.
Can't be bribed.
However, Wu Mou, the deputy commander of the capital, accepted the gold and silver treasures sent by his ministers. Wu Mou said that if he saw our people capturing the imperial city, he would incite his generals to set fires everywhere in Bianjing City and create riots.
Build momentum for us."
King Yan was still frowning deeply. This Wu Mou was obviously just a loser. He couldn't be counted on at the critical moment, so he had to rely on himself.
Seeing King Yan's sad face, the white-faced scribe who spoke first smiled softly and said: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I think that if you want to achieve great things, you must persuade a general to join him. If this person is willing to serve your Highness, great things will happen!"
”
King Yan suddenly straightened up and said urgently: "Who is this person?"
"The deputy commander of the front department of the palace, Rongxian."
The white-faced scribe shook his feather fan lightly and said with a confident smile: "Rong Xian is a mediocre and incompetent person, born in a humble background. He only got to where he is today because of the favor of his younger sister, Concubine Rong.
Beloved concubines such as Concubine Rong are like duckweeds without roots. They rely entirely on the favor of the officials, and they dominate the officials at all times and refuse to let go. Because of this, Concubine Rong is bound to not be liked by the queen.
After the official dragon controls the funeral, the new king ascends the throne. At that time, the current queen will become the queen mother, and Concubine Rong can be sent to be buried with her in one sentence. Without Concubine Rong, the tall building of the Rong family that has been raised from the ground will no longer exist.
It will collapse completely in one day."
When King Yan heard this, he frowned and interrupted: "In this case, in order to maintain his power and position, Rong Xian should flatter the new king. Why would he come to burn this king's cold stove?" The white-faced scribe smiled slightly: "I heard that the Rong family has a young girl named Rong Feiyan. Concubine Rong and brother and sister Rong Xian all regard her as the apple of their eye. If we can get rid of this girl without leaving a trace, and make the Rong family think she is King Yong.
If you do this, the Rong family and King Yong will inevitably have a grudge. At that time, another eloquent person will be sent to benefit Rong Xianxiao..."
"If it is true as Mr. said, Rongxian will definitely come to join me as the king!"
King Yan's eyes shone brightly, and he rubbed his hands excitedly: "Rongxian is the deputy commander of the palace, and he is in charge of the keys inside and outside the imperial city. If I can get his help, cooperate inside and outside, and open the palace gate, I can lead the troops."
We march straight into the emperor's palace. As long as we capture the emperor, there is no need to worry about failure!"
King Yan looked at the white-faced scribe and praised him sincerely: "Sir, this wonderful idea can bring peace to the world. It is actually the son of this king!"
The white-faced scribe couldn't hide his elation, and kept stroking a few short beards under his chin. In order to come up with this clever plan, he stayed up for three days and three nights, and now he finally saw the results.
King Yan held the white-faced scribe's hands tightly and said with earnest eyes: "I will leave all my responsibility to you for this important matter!"
After a pause in his tone, King Yan hurriedly added: "Sir, don't worry, after the matter is completed, I will definitely not forget your contribution to strategizing today, and I will make you a king and a duke, and your family will be able to protect you forever."
Prosperity and wealth."
The white-faced scribe couldn't help but feel excited when he heard this, but his face remained calm, maintaining his noble demeanor.
He immediately bowed to King Yan and said with a carefree smile: "Your Highness, please rest assured!"