After seventeen years, brothers who were once enemies meet again. What will it be like?
It was this flame of gossip that prompted Zhao Hongrun to hide behind a tree in the imperial garden and stare with wide eyes at Emperor Wei and Zhao Yuanzuo, the King of Nanliang, who were sitting on both sides of the stone table not far away.
It's a step too late...
Zhao Hongrun secretly regretted in his heart.
After all, in the scene before his eyes, his father and his third uncle were already sitting across from each other at the stone table, which meant that his father had already invited Zhao Yuanzuo to sit across from him.
Zhao Hongrun regretted not coming a moment earlier, because if he had come a moment earlier, he could roughly judge his father's mood at the moment from the tone of his first words.
However, when he noticed that the atmosphere between Emperor Wei and Zhao Yuanzuo was still so cold that people couldn't help but feel chills stand on end, Zhao Hongrun secretly comforted himself: That's all, it's not too late after all.
Behind him, Zong Wei Shen Yu and Gao Kuo looked at each other with fear and horror on their faces.
Think about it, peeking in and eavesdropping on the private meeting between Emperor Wei and Prince Zhao Yuanzuo of Nanliang? This is not enough even if you have a few lives.
Shen Yu, you are the Zong Wei Chief. You should go and persuade His Highness.
Gao Kuo pointed to Shen Yu with his eyes.
Noticing the look in Gao Kuo's eyes, Shen Yu was filled with hatred: These bastards, only at this time can they remember that I am the chief of Zong Wei!
But there was no other way. As Gao Kuo said, he, Shen Yu, was the chief of the Zong Wei and had unshirkable responsibilities.
So, he tiptoed to Zhao Hongrun's side and persuaded in a low voice: "Your Highness, let's go."
"Why are we walking? It's busy right now?"
Zhao Hongrun waved his hand in an attempt to drive Shen Yu away, but suddenly his eyes lit up. It turned out that after being silent for a long time, the two men finally started talking.
"I never thought that I, Zhao Yuanzuo, would one day return to Daliang alive."
Listening to the tone of Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, he seemed to be laughing at himself.
After hearing Zhao Yuanzuo's self-deprecation, Emperor Wei calmly looked at the former Third Prince Brother. He calmly stated a fact: "It was the Second Prince who begged for your favor."
The second brother he refers to is Prince Yan, Zhao Yuanyan, who currently holds the position of Zongzheng in the clan.
"Brother Er Wang?"
There was a trace of reminiscence in Zhao Yuanzuo's eyes, and he said with a smile: "It's like something the two brothers would do... I remember when I was a kid, he always said that I, Ji Zhao, wanted to unite as one, hehehe..."
Seeing Zhao Yuanzuo mentioning the past events of his childhood, the indifference on Emperor Wei's face faded a little, and he nodded and said: "Yes...that's why the second brother Wang was favored by the clan elders and trained as my surname Zhao." The integrity of the clan."
It is undeniable that Zong Zheng, the Zongfu of the Ji and Zhao clan, is a very noble person. He is like the helmsman of the Ji and Zhao clan. He has even more say than Emperor Wei in handling matters within the clan. , equivalent to acting clan leader, with a transcendent status.
"Zong Zheng..." Zhao Yuanzuo murmured to himself, shook his head and said with a smile, "Only the Second Prince Brother can shoulder this responsibility."
"Heh." Emperor Wei smiled slightly, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea.
Getting better...this is what we are talking about.
Zhao Hongrun peeked at it from a distance. Although he was a little disappointed at how ordinary the two met again after seventeen years, he felt relieved in his heart.
At this moment, the Nanliang King Zhao Yuanzuo had slowly put away the reminiscence in his eyes, looked at Emperor Wei and asked in a complicated tone: "How should I call you now?...Your Majesty?"
Hearing this from a distance, Zhao Hongrun was shocked and stared at the two people in the distance.
Because he knows that the real drama is about to take place!
As expected, when he heard these words, the faint smile on Emperor Wei's face gradually faded away. He looked at Zhao Yuanzuo and said calmly: "You are still not convinced by me, are you?"
"..." Zhao Yuanzuo took a deep look at Emperor Wei and murmured: "Whether you are convinced or not... Your Majesty is now the king of our country, and I am a prisoner of your Majesty's rank. Everyone in the world should not judge a hero by his success or failure.
, but..."
Having said this, under the moved gazes of Emperor Wei and Zhao Hongrun and his son who were peeping beside him, he stood up, knelt down beside the stone table, lowered his head, and bowed respectfully: "Sinner.
.I beg your majesty for forgiveness.”
How could it be...
Zhao Hongrun, who was peeking from afar, opened his eyes in horror. After all, the impression given to him by the third uncle of the Southern Liang King, Zhao Yuanzuo, was that he would never bend the knee to others. From the reaction of Emperor Wei to this,
Everybody can see it.
No, even Emperor Wei was stunned. He raised his hands several times to help, but hesitated several times, but he was slightly at a loss.
It is no exaggeration to say that Zhao Hongrun has never seen his father so at a loss.
However, this rare sight was fleeting. After a while, Emperor Wei realized his gaffe, personally helped Zhao Yuanzuo up, and then comforted him: "In fact, I had already pardoned him seventeen years ago.
you……"
Zhao Yuanzuo didn't ask why he would be exiled to the border of Wei after he had pardoned me. After all, he also understood the principle of success as king and defeat as enemy: he lost, and Emperor Wei won, so no matter what Emperor Wei said to him,
Nothing is too much.
Although the Zongfu will try to preserve almost any descendant of the Ji Zhao family, this does not include treason and rebellion, and this is exactly what Zhao Yuanzuo was charged with.
Therefore, Emperor Wei did not execute him at the beginning, but exiled him in the name of foreign king, which was considered an extrajudicial mercy.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Yuanzuo joked: "I thought I was like chicken ribs, tasteless to eat, and a pity to throw away, so Your Majesty exiled me."
"..." Emperor Wei looked at Zhao Yuanzuo after hearing this. He ignored the latter's joke and said seriously: "I have already pardoned you, but you could not let go at that time... I can only pardon you once."
"..." Zhao Yuanzuo was stunned when he heard this and raised his head in surprise.
Of course he understood the hidden meaning of Emperor Wei's words. In fact, even Zhao Hongrun, who was peeking in from the side, understood it.
It turns out that the father was afraid that the third uncle would rebel again, so he exiled him...
Zhao Hongrun suddenly realized.
Emperor Wei's confession made Zhao Yuanzuo silent for a while, and then he murmured: "Indeed, it is a great grace from God to pardon a person who has committed treason and rebellion once, but if he does it again and again, I am afraid that the people will not accept it...
…”
And just when Zhao Yuanzuo thought he understood Emperor Wei's intention, Emperor Wei shook his head and interrupted him.
"No! It's not because the people are convinced or not, it's just that I..." Emperor Wei stared into Zhao Yuanzuo's eyes and said in a deep voice: "It's because I'm not sure if Yuanzu can't help me, he will raise troops to rebel again.
The Third Brother is pardoned... If the Third Brother really wants to rebel again, I will have no choice but to bear the pain and kill him!"
…
Zhao Yuanzuo's face was moved when he heard this, and he looked at Emperor Wei in surprise.
Zhao Hongrun, who was peeping from the side, had a strange expression on his face, because he felt that his father's words were a bit sensational.
"It turns out that's the reason."
Zhao Yuanzuo didn't know whether he was convinced or not. His expression was very strange, and he sighed for a while and asked: "Yuanqi...how are you doing now?"
The Yuan Ke in his mouth was the former strong supporter of Emperor Wei. The former fifth son of the emperor, King Yu Zhao Yuan Ke, was the genius who truly defeated Zhao Yuanzuo.
When mentioning Zhao Yuanji, Emperor Wei showed his true feelings. He shook his head and sighed: "As far as I know, Yuanji's physical condition is acceptable, but... everything he once valued no longer exists.
... He can no longer ride a horse, nor can he hold a gun or wield a stick. He will cough up blood after a little exertion... He has repeatedly laughed at himself, saying that he is a useless person."
The irritable Yuan Ke...
Zhao Yuanzuo was really moved this time. He simply couldn't accept that Zhao Yuandai, who was known as the violent King Yu at the time and was at the forefront of the battle, could no longer ride a horse or hold a gun.
That crossbow arrow destroyed the most heroic and adept general in modern Wei Dynasty.
"..."
Zhao Yuanzuo sighed silently. Then he asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty called me back to Daliang, does Yuan Ke know?"
Emperor Wei nodded and said seriously: "A month ago, after the second brother Wang convinced me, I sent someone to inform Yuan Ke about the matter... No matter what, I will not hide it from him."
"The relationship between His Majesty and King Yu is really..." Zhao Yuanzuo sighed slightly, and then asked: "Then... what is Yuan Ke's attitude towards this?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Wei raised his cup and took a sip of tea, and then said in a deep voice: "He hopes that Brother Three Princes and I can give up our prejudices and join hands to serve as a great Wei. In addition, he also told me that if Brother Three Princes does anything wrong, we must not do it again.
Forgive, kill without guilt!"
Is this good? To put it so bluntly?
Zhao Hongrun frowned as he listened.
However, Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, was more accepting of this sentence. He nodded and said, "This is what Yuan Yi would say."
After that, he looked up at Emperor Wei and said seriously: "I hope your majesty will tell Yuan Ke that the seventeen long years have already allowed me to dissipate the hatred. Now, I just want to give my wife and children a share of glory, and I don't want them to
If you are forced to live again because of me..."
Emperor Wei looked at Zhao Yuanzuo in surprise and said in surprise: "Brother Three Prince's temperament has really changed a lot."
Zhao Yuanzuo laughed at himself when he heard this, and said lightly: "Living in an inaccessible place, with almost no one living within a hundred miles, even the most stubborn person will have his persistence in his heart worn away."
Of course Emperor Wei knew what kind of place Nanliang was, so he was not surprised. Instead, he was a little embarrassed. He changed the subject and said, "I heard that Brother Three Princes has a daughter?"
"Hmm." Zhao Yuanzuo nodded and said, "I call you Ying'er. She is almost six years old."
"Was she born in Nanliang?"
"Yes." Zhao Yuanzuo said with a wry smile: "My wife and I have been very careful, but unfortunately we are still pregnant."
Huh? Unfortunately?
Zhao Hongrun, who was peeping from the side, was stunned when he heard this. He really didn't expect that the third uncle would say such humorous words.
No, even Emperor Wei was amused and said with a smile: "Unfortunately, you are pregnant? It must be that you were unlucky not to have a son to inherit the mantle of the three kings, right?"
However, after hearing this, Zhao Yuanzuo smiled faintly and said calmly: "No, in fact, Ying'er has a brother..."
"Huh?" Emperor Wei was stunned and asked in confusion: "Did you die young unfortunately?"
"Ah." Zhao Yuanzuo nodded and said calmly: "On the day he was born, I threw him into the lake and drowned him."
Emperor Wei was stunned when he heard this. Before he could express anything, he heard an exclamation from the garden not far away.