"PS: I will make up for the missed chapter after the year. It was too tight before the year, so I'm sorry. Anyway, the book still has a few months to go, so don't worry."
The following text
"Finally I meet you, Xiao Luan, the Crown Prince of Nan Yanhou..."
After a long silence, Zhao Run, who was sitting in the main seat, burst out a sentence from his mouth expressionlessly. His tone sounded calm, but he always felt like he was gnashing his teeth.
It has to be said that Zhao Run is extremely powerful today. Even Wei Jiao, Lu Mu, Mu Qing and other close associates of Zhao Run who came after hearing the news also felt the power of this young king and did not dare to interrupt rashly.
However, Xiao Luan chuckled nonchalantly, as if he didn't care about his situation at all.
"Why are you laughing?" Zhao Run asked with a slight frown.
I saw Xiao Luan looking at Zhao Run with a sideways look, and said with a smile: "Shuzi..."
To be fair, Xiao Luan was already prepared to die when he was captured by Zhao Run's men.
Because Zhao Run would never pardon him. Since he was going to die anyway, why should he grovel? Of course, even if he could grovel in exchange for his life, Xiao Luan would never do that.
"presumptuous!"
Wei Jiao, Lu Mu, Mu Qing and others who were standing by looked at him angrily. Among them, Mu Qing was even more displeased and said to the two black crows behind Xiao Luan: "What did you two do? Tell him to kneel before His Majesty!
"
After hearing this, Zhang Qigong, who followed him into the house, immediately realized his dereliction of duty and ordered in a deep voice: "Didn't you two hear what General Mu said?"
Seeing this, the two black crows held Xiao Luan's shoulders with one hand, intending to force him down and make him kneel to the ground. However, no matter how hard they tried, Xiao Luan refused to kneel and remained expressionless.
, staring at Zhao Run calmly without awe, with waves of sneers appearing on his face.
Seeing this scene, Mu Qing was furious. He immediately stepped forward, took off the sword from his waist, and hit Xiao Luan's knee with the end of the scabbard, causing Xiao Luan to stagger and was hit by the two young men.
The crowd of crows pushed them to the ground.
Mu Qing was even more resentful towards Xiao Luan. After all, twelve years ago, when Zhao Run was involved in the "Luo Wenzhong and his son" incident, Mu Qing had ordered the imperial guards to search the Dali Temple. At that time, Xiao Luan
With the identity of "Duancheng Shengui", he secretly
Even though no one came to criticize Mu Qing while hiding in Dali Temple, Mu Qing was quite annoyed with himself and why he didn't see through Xiao Luan's wolfish ambition at that time, otherwise, the subsequent events could have been avoided.
Because of the resentment in his heart, when Mu Qing saw that Xiao Luan was still so arrogant in front of Zhao Run, he couldn't help but feel angry.
"Pa"
His knees finally touched the ground with a snap, and a hint of shame and anger flashed across Xiao Luan's face.
However, Wei Jiao, Lu Mu, Mu Qing and others present were sneering proudly, with a look of joy on their faces like "You, Xiao Luan, are you here too?"
After calming down, Xiao Luan still said to Zhao Run with a sarcastic face: "Are you satisfied?"
"No." Zhao Run shook his head and said calmly: "Only using your head to pay tribute to Uncle Sixth can relieve the hatred in my heart..."
"..."
A trace of unnaturalness flashed across Xiao Luan's originally arrogant face.
Because Zhao Run mentioned "Sixth Uncle", that is, King Yi Zhao Yuanli.
Among the Ji Zhao family, the one Xiao Luan hated the most was the late king Zhao Si, and the one who felt the most guilty was none other than Yi Wang Zhao Li.
He and Zhao Li had become close friends when they were fifteen or sixteen years old. The biggest reason why Xiao switched sides and joined Zhao Si was because Zhao Li, the king of Yi, acted as a lobbyist and persuaded Xiao Luan.
Later, the Xiao family was in trouble, and Xiao Luan was able to escape with the help of King Yi Zhao Li.
The two of them have really been friends for decades.
"...If you want to kill, just kill, no need to make any noise."
Xiao Luan closed his eyes and said calmly.
Zhao Hongrun stared at Xiao Luan for a long time, then nodded and said: "You are right, I have no interest in all the grudges and grudges. I will kill you in front of Uncle Liu's spiritual place, and use your head to commemorate Uncle Liu's spirit in heaven.
, this matter...is now complete."
As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed, and he frowned slightly and looked outside the room.
Because he suddenly saw Zhao Ying and Zhao Que walking towards this side in a hurry.
"Concubine Ying, Concubine Que."
Everyone in the room hurriedly saluted Zhao Ying and Zhao Que, which made Xiao Luan turn his head to take a look curiously. When he saw Zhao Ying's familiar lady's attire, he burst into laughter:
It turned out to be these two girls.
In full view of everyone, sisters Zhao Ying and Zhao Que walked closely to Xiao Luan. The small golden folding fan in Zhao Ying's hand was trembling slightly, which was enough to prove how excited she was at this moment;
Her younger sister Zhao Que, who was behind her, had also changed from her usual well-behaved image in front of Zhao Run. Her face was covered with frost, and the hatred in her beautiful eyes seemed to be ready to come out, which made people feel numb.
"brush"
Zhao Ying pulled out the sword from Mu Qing's waist.
Seeing this, Zhao Run immediately stopped and said: "Wait!"
"..."
After being stopped by Zhao Run, Zhao Ying glanced at the former coldly, her eyes seeming to say: If you stop me from taking revenge, then our relationship will only end here.
At this time, Zhao Que could not help but look at Zhao Run with a resentful look, as if he did not understand why Zhao Run prevented the two sisters from taking revenge.
Zhao Hongrun took a deep look at the sisters Zhao Ying and Zhao Que. He certainly understood how dedicated the sisters were to killing Xiao Luan. Although he did not want these two women to personally kill the enemy and be bloody.
He was splattered all over his body, so he did not send anyone to tell the sisters that Xiao Luan had been captured.
After thinking about it for a moment, Zhao Run said seriously: "We won't do anything until the sixth uncle's spiritual throne."
After hearing this, Zhao Ying, who had a cold face just now, suddenly showed a satisfied smile, and even her eyes looking at Zhao Run were full of tenderness.
There is no need to say more about Zhao Que.
"I'll just let you live a little longer."
Zhao Ying sneered and said something to Xiao Luan, then put the sharp sword in her hand back into the scabbard on Mu Qing's waist.
"Hey."
Xiao Luan chuckled, not feeling any fear of imminent death.
At this time, Zhao Run had slowly stood up and ordered: "Take him to the temple."
"yes!"
Everyone in the room clasped their fists and cupped their hands.
Half an hour later, Wei Jiao, Lu Mu, Mu Qing and others ordered two thousand imperial guards to leave the city. This massive action surprised the people in Daliang City. After asking them, they found out that it was His Majesty the New King who was preparing
Go to the temple of the late king to offer sacrifices. But what should we pay homage to in such a year?
Only a small group of well-informed court officials understood the reason and remained silent about it.
About two hours later, Zhao Run and others arrived at the hill where the royal tombs are located on the east side of Daliang City, and came to the temple enshrining the tombs of Zhao Yuansi, Zhao Yuanji, and Zhao Yuanli.
When Zhao Hongrun and others approached the hill, Li Zheng, the former president of the three guards guarding the royal mausoleum, led Tong Xian, the former chief eunuch of the chamberlain, and a group of guards guarding the mausoleum. After hearing the news, they came to greet Zhao.
The arrival of the new king, Run.
"Your Majesty, Li Zheng, pays homage to your Majesty."
"Old slave Tong Xian, pay homage to Your Majesty."
"You two are equal."
After greeting each other, Tong Xian and Li Zheng asked curiously: "Is your Majesty here to offer sacrifices today?"
When they asked this question, they were also very puzzled. After all, it was such a bad year, and they really couldn't figure out the reason why the new king came to pay homage to his father and uncle.
At this time, Li Zheng noticed Xiao Luan who was being escorted by the black crows, and his eyes gradually changed. He also recognized Xiao Luan.
"Xiao Luan." Li Zheng called with a gloomy expression.
"Yo."
Since the wrists of his hands were tightly tied with ropes, Xiao Luan raised his hands slightly and said with a smile: "It's too inconvenient right now, so I won't say hello to you, my old friend."
"..." Li Zheng narrowed his eyes. Due to the presence of Zhao Run, the new king, he didn't say much. He just snorted twice to show his disdain and indignation towards Xiao Luan.
After a few words of greeting, Zhao Hongrun led the people up the mountain and arrived at the spiritual temple.
Tong Xian and Li Zheng also joined the new king's team at this time, preparing to watch Xiao Luan's execution.
It has to be said that even though the hero is on his deathbed, Xiao Luan really lives up to his status as the heir apparent of the Marquis of Nanyan. Even though he knows that he will definitely die today, there is no trace of fear on his face.
Under the supervision of two black crows, he walked into the temple and looked at the furnishings in the temple with great interest, as well as the spiritual tablets of Zhao Si, Zhao Li and Zhao Ke enshrined on the shrine.
It seems that Xiao Luan still feels a little guilty about his old friend Zhao Yuanli of King Yi, so when his eyes fell on the spiritual tablet of "Zhao's Yiwangli", his expression turned slightly
I was in a daze for a moment, feeling a bit lonely and reminiscing.
But when his eyes fell on Zhao Si's spiritual tablet, the look on his face was immediately replaced by disdain, and he spat with disgust and disdain. Mu Qing, who saw this scene, deliberately used a
The scabbard hit his injured right arm, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead.
"brush."
The rope in Xiao Luan's hand was cut by the knife.
"Kneel down!" Wei Jiao shouted in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Xiao Luan glanced at Wei Jiao with disdain, the corners of his mouth raised slightly, and a somewhat sarcastic smile appeared on his arrogant face.
Seeing this, Mu Qing repeated his old trick and used the scabbard to hit Xiao Luan's knee again, and the two black crows also used force at the same time. However, this time, Xiao Luan seemed to be on guard, allowing Mu Qing to use it again and again.
The scabbard was whipped, and despite the two black crows pressing his shoulders hard, he still stood with his spine straight.
"I will not kneel to you!" he said.
This sentence angered everyone present. Immediately, Mu Qing pointed at a group of guards nearby and shouted: "Tell him to kneel down!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the soldiers of the imperial guards swarming forward. Some kicked Xiao Luan's knees hard, while others took Xiao Luan's hands and pushed him to the ground hard.
But even so, Xiao Luan still held on, preferring to lie on the ground rather than bend his knees.
When Wei Jiao, Lu Mu, and Mu Qing saw this scene, they looked at each other and thought to themselves: This must not be possible. How can a criminal be allowed to lie on the ground and be tortured?
As a result, more than a dozen imperial guards tried their best again, each and every one of them using all their strength to force Xiao Luan's knees to bend and touch the ground.
Seeing Xiao Luan being held down by more than a dozen strong imperial guards, his face was flushed and even slightly purple, whether due to humiliation or excessive force.
Seeing this scene, even though Zhao Hongrun hated Xiao Luan deeply, he was still slightly impressed by Xiao Luan's backbone.
He suddenly thought of a sentence: Poor people must have their hateful aspects; conversely, hateful people may not be without their pitiful aspects.
Take Xiao Luan, for example. He was supposed to be a pillar of the Wei State, stationed in Nanyan, and guarding the border for the country. However, because of the hatred of his clan, this talented general embarked on the path of overthrowing the Wei State.
Crossroads.
From an objective point of view, it is understandable that Xiao Luan's rebellion was caused by Zhao Hongrun's father, the late king Zhao Si.
Thinking of this, Zhao Run took a long breath and said calmly: "Let him go."
"His Majesty?"
Mu Qing and the imperial guards glanced at Zhao Run in surprise, and then released Xiao Luan as ordered.
At this time, Xiao Luan also looked at Zhao Run with incredible eyes, and looked at the latter.
After looking at each other for several seconds, Xiao Luan sat cross-legged. After a slight hesitation, he said seriously: "I have sinned so much, and now that I am about to die, I don't want to defend myself, let alone cry for mercy. But I want to say
, I, Xiao Luan, was not the first
Even the rebellious ministers and traitors, you and I both know exactly what happened during the "Nan Yan Disaster"... If (the royal family) does not reflect on it, even if Xiao Luan is killed today, there will still be Li Luan and Zhang Luan in the future.
It comes out and can’t be eliminated.”
When saying these words, Xiao Luan's mood was also very complicated.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that today, even if he had not been captured by Zhao Run's men, it would be difficult for him to shake the Wei State again.
The reason why he was able to do it back then was because many people in the Wei Kingdom were dissatisfied with Zhao Si's behavior. After all, Zhao Si's murder of his father and brother to seize the throne was not leaked at all. However, the clan government at that time considered that
It's a done deal, I just covered up the matter for Zhao Si and appeased the nobles in the country.
What's more, after the generation of "King Zhao Kang of Wei", the strength of the Wei state dropped sharply. In addition, the Shunshui Army and the Yushui Army, two armies that the Wei people had placed great hope on, perished together in internal fighting. This
This made Xiao Luan think that he had a chance to overthrow Wei because this country was not that powerful.
But now, the Wei State is already a veritable overlord of the Central Plains, and Zhao Run, who has ascended the throne as the king, is also a very talented hero. This makes Xiao Luan almost unable to see the hope of overthrowing the Wei State.
Perhaps under this situation, Xiao Luan regained his identity as a Wei man and used his own way to persuade Zhao Run before he died.
"..."
After hearing Xiao Luan's words, Zhao Run was stunned for a long time.
Although it is said that people can speak kindly when they are about to die, he never thought that a villain like Xiao Luan would actually warn him before he died.
At this time, Xiao Luan had straightened his clothes, sat upright, and calmly turned to Zhao Ying and the Zhao Que sisters and said, "Girl, what are you waiting for?"
After hearing this, Mu Qing raised his head and glanced at Zhao Run. Seeing that the latter nodded after hesitating for a moment, he took out the sword from his waist and held it in front of Zhao Ying with both hands.
Handing the delicate folding fan to her sister Zhao Que, Zhao Ying took the sharp sword and slowly walked towards Xiao Luan. With great hatred, she stabbed Xiao Luan in the back.
"puff"
The sharp sword pierced Xiao Luan's body without hesitation.
At this moment, Xiao Luan suddenly raised his head and spat out a mouthful of dirty blood towards Zhao Si's spiritual tablet.
This unexpected move made everyone present stunned. They were unable to react in time and looked at the spiritual tablet of the late king Zhao Si in confusion, which was stained with a little blood.
"Hahahaha, hahahaha"
Seeing that he succeeded, Xiao Luan couldn't help but laugh.
"you"
Zhao Run was furious when he saw this and glared at Xiao Luan.
However, at this time, Xiao Luan was also looking at Zhao Run, and said softly in an indescribable tone: "You are different from him, you will be a wise king... Thank you for your kindness, my king of Wei,
So that Xiao can live up to the name of the Xiao family of Nanyan before he dies."
After saying that, his eyes gradually became dull, and then his head drooped weakly and there was no more movement.
"..."
"..."
There was total silence in the entire temple.
Everyone's eyes were subconsciously looking at Zhao Hongrun, but they saw that the young monarch's face was filled with uncertainty.
Unlike Zhao Ying, who was still smiling with revenge even though she was covered in blood, Zhao Run was in a very complicated mood at this moment.
Perhaps it was because the process of executing Xiao Luan was completely different from what he had imagined, or perhaps Xiao Luan's calm demeanor in going to death made Zhao Run have some respect for him.
Yes, even though he witnessed Xiao Luan's death with his own eyes, Zhao Hongrun did not feel the joy of having his great revenge avenged. Instead, he felt an inexplicable emptiness and a deep regret, probably because he felt sorry for such a strong-willed man like Xiao Luan.
The general who was originally the pillar of his Wei State ended up like this.
But even so, Zhao Run still did not stop Mu Qing from cutting off Xiao Luan's head and placing it in front of the spiritual tablet of King Yi Zhao Ren as a sacrifice.
Because Zhao Hongrun had sworn such a vow at the mourning hall of King Yi Zhao Yuanli.
But why do I feel so empty and even have an inexplicable regret?
Zhao Run looked at Zhao Ying silently, and the Zhao Que sisters used Xiao Luan's head to comfort the soul of Zhao Yuanli, the sixth uncle Yi Wang.
Using Xiao Luan's head to comfort his sixth uncle's spirit in heaven was something Zhao Hongrun had fantasized about more than once. But when he actually accomplished it, Zhao Run felt a little boring for some reason, as if his unforgettable hatred for Xiao Luan was all in Xiao.
The moment Luan breathed his last, it disappeared into thin air.
As dusk approached, everyone packed up the temple, cleaned up the blood stains on the ground, and prepared to return to Daliang.
At this time, Mu Qing asked Zhao Run for instructions: "Your Majesty, what should I do with the body of Thief Xiao?"
Zhao Hongrun pondered for a moment and said: "The Xiao thief has been executed, and the previous grudges have been wiped out...sew his head back and bury him alive. Well, let's bury him in Nanyan, and erect a monument...the Crown Prince of Nanyan Marquis."
"……yes."
Mu Qing clasped his fists and accepted the order. He also felt that Zhao Hongrun seemed to be in a low mood after his revenge.
On the night she returned to Daliang, perhaps because of the revenge, Zhao Ying took her sister in a rare event and took the initiative to go to Wushan Yunyu with Zhao Run and have a hearty sex.
But even so, Zhao Run still had insomnia late that night.
He had no intention of sleeping, so he did not disturb the sisters Zhao Ying and Zhao Que. He only took the senior eunuch Gao He and two junior eunuchs out of the Manna Palace and sat at the stone table outside the Manna Palace.
"Your Majesty, it's cold at night, why don't you go back to the palace?"
The eunuch Gao He persuaded from the side.
Zhao Hongrun shook his head. Xiao Luan's death today made him feel inexplicably sad. At this moment, only the refreshing cool breeze could soothe his complicated mood.
Should Xiao Luan die?
Of course damn!
Even Xiao Luan himself admitted that he had done countless evil deeds over the years. In order to overthrow the Wei State, he had killed countless loyal people. It is simply unforgivable that such an evil thief would not be killed!
But as Xiao Luan said, he was not a traitor from the beginning. In fact, when Zhao Run's father, Zhao Si, seized the throne and ascended the throne, Xiao Luan also played an important role.
Objectively speaking, Zhao Hongrun and his father Zhao Si are also half responsible for Xiao Luan's incident, and the other half of the responsibility lies with Xiao Luan himself, who was blinded by hatred.
But having said that, it is meaningless to worry about these now, because the parties involved in this grudge and grudge, whether it is Zhao Hongrun's father Zhao Si, his sixth uncle Zhao Ren, or Xiao Luan, have all passed away.
Suddenly, Zhao Run asked: "Gao He, what do you think Xiao Luan is doing in Weiguo?... Even a while ago, after he was defeated by Wei general Xia Yu in Fan County of Weiguo, he never asked Xiao Luan.
Qi and Lu were fleeing. If he had fled to Qi and Lu, he might not have been able to escape."
"Huh?" Gao He was stunned, and then guessed: "Probably because of his age... As far as I know, Xiao Thief is nearly fifty years old, maybe even over fifty. He is in our great Wei Dynasty.
It took twenty years to make Xiao Ni and Fu Weijun become a serious problem for the Wei Dynasty, but he has not come back for another twenty years..."
"That makes sense."
Zhao Runshen nodded in agreement, and then recalled Xiao Luan's expression when he was executed today. There was no unwillingness on Xiao Luan's face at that time.
Why?
"...Maybe it was the death of his father that made Xiao Luan lose the motivation to take revenge."
Zhao Run secretly guessed.
He felt that this guess was very possible. Otherwise, how could we explain that Xiao Luan, who once stirred up troubles in Wei State, stayed in Dunqiu of Wei State to train his troops after the death of the late king Zhao Si?
Maybe, after the death of the late king Zhao Si, Xiao Luan himself didn't know what he was going to do. He just lived blindly and repeatedly reminded himself of his determination to "overthrow the Wei Kingdom".
Of course, these are just Zhao Run's own speculations. No one knows what the facts are.
That night, Zhao Hongrun sat outside the palace for a long time and thought wildly for a long time.
The next day, the imperial court prepared to inform the world and announced to the people that "Xiao Luan, the most evil person in the country, was to be executed" and once again granted amnesty to the world. Zhao Hongrun's brother Zhao Hongxin, who was imprisoned in Xiaohuang County, also received a three-year sentence reduction.
of amnesty.
If the death of King Xi of Qi means the end of the era of Qi's hegemony in the Central Plains, and if the death of King Zhao Si of Wei means the end of the old era and the arrival of a new era, then Xiao Luan's execution has a profound impact on Wei.
It also had a huge impact, which meant that the Wei State finally ended the old era of civil strife and completely got rid of the shadow of the remnants of the Xiao family and Fu Weijun.
But in detail, the Wei State has not actually changed much. After all, Xiao Ni and Fu Weijun in the Wei State have been eradicated long ago, and they are almost in a position to instigate rebellion. It is impossible to cause any more disturbances.
After a few days, the melancholy that Xiao Luan's death brought to Zhao Run, and the emptiness that arose after the great revenge was avenged, were gradually filled.
However, at this time, Zhao Run received news from Wei State: Wei Yu was dead.
After hearing the news, Zhao Run, who was drinking tea at the time, spat out the tea in his mouth with a pop and looked at Gao Kuo, who came to report the matter, dumbfounded: "Who? Who is dead?"
"Wei Yu, Wei Gong Ziyu." Gao Kuo said in a deep voice with a serious face.
"..."
Zhao Hongrun opened his mouth and was in disbelief.
His cousin Wei Yu, who seemed thin but had great ambitions in his heart, died?