Within the curtain leading to the inner room, Guo Chong coughed violently. Although his health was getting better, a cough was unavoidable after getting up every day. The first thing after getting up was to drink decoction. In the early morning, the Queen
I had personally delivered the decoction, and now I was suffocating in the earthen pot. When Guo Chong got up, the decoction happened to be warm, and he drank it dry, and his cough stopped. This was the first time Guo Chong had gotten up in the past two months.
Standardized procedures.
"Where is Lin Jue? Why did you come to see me?" Guo Chong's voice sounded. It was obvious that he got up earlier, felt a little uncomfortable, and seemed a little angry.
"I have something important to report to the emperor." Lin Jue said loudly.
After a pause, Guo Chong's voice said: "Come in and talk, I don't want to get up yet. I'm very tired."
Lin Jue hurriedly lifted several curtains and entered the inner room before the dragon bed. Guo Chong was leaning on the bedside, holding a medicine bowl and drinking slowly, coughing a few times from time to time. Lin Jue stepped forward and saluted: "Chen Lin
I want to see the emperor."
Guo Chong glanced at Lin Jue, frowned and said, "What's wrong with you?"
Lin Jue said: "I have just returned from Xishan. Last night, I, the princess and my family were attacked by unidentified thieves in Xishan, and almost died. The reason why I am in such a mess is because I went through a fight and stayed up all night. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"What? You... were attacked by thieves? How is the princess? Are you injured? What happened?" Guo Chong sat up and handed over the remaining half bowl of medicinal soup without drinking it.
Qian Delu stared at Lin Jue and asked.
Lin Jue spoke in a deep voice and told the whole story in detail.
The more Guo Chong listened, the more serious his expression became. By the time Lin Jue finished telling what had happened, his face was as gloomy as the bottom of a pot, and his anger could no longer be contained.
"How brave. Who dares to be so bold and do such an act in broad daylight? It's simply lawless." Guo Chong said angrily.
Lin Jue said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I have something I want to express to the Emperor alone. Now that things have happened, I have to say something. Some people already want my life, and I have no choice."
Guo Chong glared at Lin Jue and said, "What? Do you know who it is?"
Lin Jue said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please withdraw everyone. I can only say these words to Your Majesty alone."
Qian Delu laughed dryly and said, "Master Lin, can't you even trust me?"
Lin Jue shook his head and said: "It's not that I can't believe it, but just in case. Not only Eunuch Qian, but also the guards and maids inside and outside the palace must avoid it. This is to avoid suspicion, and it is also for your own good."
Qian Delu was a little embarrassed, but he heard Guo Chong say in a deep voice: "Qian Delu, please ask everyone to leave the palace. The maids including the guards. I want to talk to Lin Jue alone."
Qian Delu had no choice but to bow and say: "I obey your order!"
Qian Delu had unhappiness written all over his face and called everyone in the palace out. The huge palace suddenly became quiet. The morning breeze blew in from the open window, and the layers of curtains in the palace danced with the wind.
, there is a popping sound. It makes the empty and quiet bedroom even more lonely.
"Lin Jue, you can tell me now. Who planned and directed this attack against you? There is no need to deny it." Guo Chong said in a deep voice.
Lin Jue suddenly knelt down and bowed, and then, under Guo Chong's astonished gaze, he took off the hat on his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I would like to resign from the post of Third Chief Envoy, and ask your Majesty to surrender."
It’s my fault.”
Guo Chong asked in surprise: "What happened? What crime have you committed?"
Lin Jue said slowly: "I have committed crimes before and concealed these crimes from the emperor. Now it is time for me to confess."
Guo Chong said angrily: "What's going on? Tell me quickly."
Lin Jue sighed and said something. From the time when Lu Wu's identity was suspected, to when Concubine Rong was followed to Hangzhou, until Lu Wu and Lin Hu were kidnapped and imprisoned by King Huai for a month. Finally, he
Lu Tianci had to be kidnapped in exchange for Lu Wu's freedom. Both parties held each other's handle, so neither dared to disclose the matter. Lin Jue dragged out all the events without missing a word.
Guo Chong's eyes were as big as bells. He never expected that there would be such entanglement and strife between his son and his ministers. This was much more serious than he imagined.
"You... you actually... actually got to this point in private? It's simply ridiculous, extremely ridiculous." Guo Chong was so angry that he couldn't speak.
"I am guilty. I kidnapped Lu Tianci and violated the laws of the Zhou Dynasty. I also committed the crime of harboring King Huai. This is my crime. Therefore, I am not worthy of the emperor's trust. I should resign from my official position and accept the punishment... Today I am
I told this matter because I don’t want to bear the torment of my conscience. Besides, this matter is no longer my personal matter, so I can no longer remain silent. The emperor asked me if I knew who instigated what happened today.
I have no real evidence, and I don’t know who did it. But I said that if I were killed today, whoever would benefit the most would be under serious suspicion. It is not a pity for me to die, but if the emperor is deceived by these people,
, that is what I have done. After I thought about this matter carefully, I was extremely frightened. Not long ago, I figured out the whole thing, so I must come and confess this matter to the emperor."
Lin Jue knelt on the ground and said in a calm voice.
Guo Chong shouted angrily: "You mean, when Guo Xu kidnapped Lu Wu, he already knew that she was my daughter, his biological sister?"
Lin Jue said in a deep voice: "Exactly, otherwise he would have no reason to kidnap Lu Wu, let alone be so bold as to follow Concubine Rong's whereabouts. Concubine Rong indeed misses Hangzhou, which Lu Wu has left her heart for. If His Highness Prince Huai does this
If you don’t know, what’s the purpose?”
Guo Chong frowned and groaned, gritting his teeth and said: "I understand. He wants to force Lu Wu to reveal the relationship between her and Concubine Rong. As evidence, he can attack Concubine Rong immediately. In order to save Lu Wu, you kidnapped Lu Tianci for exchange.
?”
Lin Jue nodded and said: "I deserve to die, but I can't allow Lu Wu to be harmed. Lu Wu may be silenced by him at any time. I have no other way. I can only take this risky step. I expect that Prime Minister Lu knows what King Huai wants."
For this reason, I want to force Prime Minister Lu to ask King Huai to release him. This is also a helpless move, but it is against the law after all."
Guo Chong laughed angrily, bared his teeth and sneered: "If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, how would I have known that there was such a dirty deal among my ministers, that my son actually kidnapped my daughter? I'm going crazy.
Oh, am I crazy or are you crazy?"
Lin Jue said softly: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I will keep my secrets from you."
I hid this matter precisely because... I already knew that Lu Wu was the emperor's daughter. I didn't want the emperor to know about this matter. As for the reason... I had already informed the emperor last time. But now, I
I have to say this. Indeed, as the emperor said, some people are really crazy. So crazy that they have begun to use such methods to eliminate dissidents, so crazy that they are desperate."
Guo Chong squinted at Lin Jue and said, "You mean, Guo Xu did this?"
Lin Juedao: "I have no evidence, but some things don't need evidence. Just like we can hear each other's voices, but we can't prove the existence of the sound. Some things are just there, who did it, and what purpose they want to achieve. In fact,
It’s already easy to guess.”
Guo Chong frowned and remained silent. Lin Jue said slowly: "Your Majesty, I told you that as long as the crown prince's position is undecided, the court will be uneasy. It's time for the emperor to make a decision. The crown prince's position has been decided.
After the throne, there will be a lot less trouble, which is the root cause of today's chaos. The emperor has not dismissed the ministers from their posts at this moment, and the crime of demoting the ministers, in the name of the envoy of the Great Wednesday, I propose to propose a memorial to the prince, please do it
Make a choice."
Guo Chong's expression was gloomy and uncertain. He had also thought about the matter of establishing the crown prince. It would be better to establish it earlier to avoid splitting and endless fighting. However, he always felt that he should be cautious and delay, so he kept putting it off.
Guo Chong turned his head and stared at Lin Jue: "You mean, I should establish Guo Mian?"
Lin Jue said in a deep voice: "This is the Emperor's business. If I want to establish a virtuous person, I will establish a virtuous person, and if I want to establish a senior leader, I will establish a senior leader. Regardless of the virtuous person, the Emperor has made his own decision in his heart, and I do not want to influence the Emperor's thoughts."
Guo Chong was in a daze. If what Lin Jue said today is true, there is actually only one candidate for the position of prince. In terms of seniority, it must be Guo Mian. In terms of virtuous people, if what Lin Jue said is true, then Guo Xu
It cannot be called a virtuous person, but Guo Mian is more virtuous than Guo Xu. The only candidate is the King of Jin. But Guo Chong reminded himself that this kind of matter cannot be decided hastily. Once it is decided, it cannot be changed. He seems to
Should think again.
"I have made it clear what I want to say. I ask the emperor to dismiss me from my post and downgrade my crime. I am willing to bear the responsibilities I should bear. I have no complaints at all." Lin Jue kowtowed and said in a deep voice.
Guo Chong got out of bed barefoot and kept pacing in front of Lin Jue. He was thinking about the whole thing quickly in his mind. He was already very angry about Guo Xu. If Guo Xu was responsible for today's incident, then he was really
Damn it. Lu Wu is among them. Didn't he want to kill his own sister today? This bastard has really reached the point where he cannot be tolerated. However, there have been scandals in the royal family, and the incident involving Concubine Rong has disgraced himself.
Later, Guo Chong didn't even let anyone mention the death of Guo Hao, because he was afraid that it would be found out that it was really Concubine Mei who did it. Lin Jue once mentioned it, but Guo Chong angrily scolded him.
There was no mention of this matter.
Now, it has been revealed that Guo Xu attacked and killed Lin Jue, and even refused to let go of his own sister, and even kidnapped her. Once the truth of these things is found out, wouldn't it be another scandal? The Guo royal family
The prestige is already low enough, and these things cannot be exposed anymore. If word of brother and sister fighting each other spreads again, people in the world will probably shake their heads and sigh at the mention of the royal family. This matter cannot be exposed, cannot be made public, absolutely cannot.
Even if he doesn't show disgrace to Guo Xu in the future, he can't let the royal family's face and dignity be damaged again. That is the royal family's shame, and it is also his shame.
"Lin Jue! Get up. I won't punish you. Your original action was to save Lu Wu, and this matter is excusable. I forgive you. What happened today... Although you doubt some people, after all...
There is no real evidence. Let's do this. Don't make any announcement about these things. I will make the decision for you. I will secretly find out the matter for you. If someone does go too far, I will severely punish him and reprimand him. But
This matter... it is better not to make it public. After all, it is not good for me, the Guo royal family, or you. It is not easy for the people to calm down, and the court seems to be in a prosperous state. At this moment, it will cause trouble again
When these things happen, things will get messy again." Guo Chong said softly.
Lin Jue sighed. This was the result he had expected. Guo Chong was too face-loving. Although he claimed to be wise and powerful, he was actually extremely indecisive. He safeguarded the dignity of the royal family and sometimes would rather swallow his anger than act decisively.
Solve problems through means. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why under his rule, the situation in the Zhou Dynasty was deteriorating, but he failed to achieve anything.
Lin Jue was not disappointed. He had achieved his goal. Before he came, he had already thought about uncovering everything and exposing all the darkness to Guo Chong. Of course, there were risks in doing so.
It is very likely that he will also be severely punished. However, it is a fatal blow to Guo Xu. After Guo Chong knew what Guo Xu had done, how could he let Guo Xu become the crown prince again? This desperate move
Although it is possible for him to fall into the attack, Lin Jue can't care so much after yesterday's attack. Any other thoughts are superfluous. This is a life and death battle. Now that he has broken his face, he will
Just lift the table.
"Lin Jue, I know that you are unhappy. If this matter is really what Guo Xu did, I apologize to you on Guo Xu's behalf. I am responsible for the son's fault of not teaching his father. For my sake, leave it to me.
But Guo Xu is my son after all, and I don’t want this matter to cause an uproar, do you understand what I mean?” Guo Chongwu said in a deep voice to himself.
Lin Jue sighed and said: "The emperor has said so, what else can I say? I just obey the order. But I hope this will not happen again. It is not a pity for me to die, but under my great Zhou Dynasty, how can I
Will something like this happen again? It is a sign of disregard for the laws and regulations of the court."
Guo Chong said softly: "He can't do it anymore. He has no chance to do it. I won't let him do it."
After a pause, Guo Chong said to Lin Jue as if he had made up his mind: "I agree with your request and will reconsider the appointment of the crown prince soon. It's time to make a decision."
…
In the back house of Prince Huai's Mansion, Guo Xu, after washing and changing clothes, was sitting in the flower hall drinking tea and eating snacks in small bites. Although he had washed and tidied up and put on luxurious clothes, his face was
It was full of tiredness. His eye sockets were somewhat sunken and black, his face was a little pale, and his eyes were also red.
The reason for the fatigue came from staying up all night yesterday. Lin Jue's guess was correct. Yesterday's attack on Xishan Cuigu was carried out by Guo Xu, and Guo Xu himself participated in the command throughout the entire process. After the operation failed, Guo Xu fled in a panic
Returning to the city, at the fourth watch, we had already detoured through the north gate and entered the city.
This action was actually a bit hasty, or it couldn't be said to be hasty, but rather temporary.
Because Guo Xu had been preparing the assassination plan against Lin Jue for a long time. However, Lin Jue was very guarded, and the Lin family was also very guarded. Unless he mobilized a large number of people to ransack Lin's house in a big way, he wanted to kill Lin Jue.
It was simply impossible. And it was obviously impossible to do that in the capital. Guo Xu could only secretly and patiently look for opportunities.
Yesterday, when he learned that the Lin family was leaving the city for a spring outing in Xishan, Guo Xu immediately realized that this was the perfect opportunity to kill Lin Jue's entire family. After many days of waiting, Lin Jue's negligence finally came to an end.
Although there were seventy or eighty people from the Lin Family Nursing Home accompanying him to protect him, it would be too naive to think that this would be enough to protect the entire Lin family.
As early as when Guo Xu decided to kill Lin Jue, Guo Xu selected hundreds of people from the guards and guards in the palace for training. Prince Huai was a prince, and the number of guards in the palace could reach thousands.
Guo Xu used to like to recruit people. Like other princes and nobles, his mansion was filled with martial arts masters from all over the world. But this time, the selection criteria were not only martial arts skills, but also a willingness to die. Guo Xu knew
, this time the matter can only succeed but not fail. Everyone in the Lin family must be killed, leaving no one alive. And those involved in this matter must also be absolutely loyal, and must die if necessary to avoid future troubles. Once this matter is exposed, I will
He will face severe punishment from his father.
Guo Xu didn't consider the fact that Lu Wu was his sister at all. In his opinion, there are only two types of people at present, one is to help him achieve success, and the other is to help him ascend to the throne.
There is no doubt that Lu Wu is the second type. The incident involving Concubine Rong was left undisturbed. The news from the palace was that it was precisely because Concubine Rong was Lu Wu’s mother that the emperor’s father did it for Lu Wu’s sake.
He couldn't bear to be cruel. Lu Wu also begged for a long time, which made his father relent. All this made Guo Xu resentful that such a big event could be wiped out like this. The punishment that Concubine Rong received was not enough.
The supporting forces behind Guo Mian collapsed one after another. He hated Lin Jue, hated Lu Wu, hated Concubine Rong, hated the Queen Mother, hated Guo Mian, and even had resentment towards his father in his heart.
Guo Xu's psychology has undergone many subtle but drastic changes in this year, which even surprised him sometimes.
After learning the news, Guo Xu immediately summoned his men, and more than 300 people dispersed out of the city through several gates in the south and west. In order to ensure the suddenness of the action, these people did not gather, but rushed to the green valley of the West Mountain in twos and threes.
, hidden in the woods. After everyone arrived, they gathered together. Although it took a lot of time and the assembly was not completed until late afternoon, all the actions before that were orderly and no one knew about it.
The original plan was to set up an ambush in the forest in the valley, and wait for Lin Jue and others to go down the mountain and return home to carry out a surprise attack on the way to the grove to pick up the horses and vehicles. Guo Xu had even thought about it, and after killing all Lin's family, he would leave behind
The handwriting was forged to be an act of revenge by the remnants of the Qing Sect. Isn’t Lin Jue known as the first person to annihilate the Qing Sect? Then it is logical that the remnants of the Qing Sect come to seek revenge. After everything is ready, Guo
Xu sat waiting for Lin Jue and others to fall into the trap. He could not think of a reason why Lin Jue could return to the capital alive this time.
However, something unexpected happened after all. After waiting for an hour, no one in the Lin family showed any signs of coming down the mountain. Guo Xu couldn't wait any longer, mainly because he suspected that the whereabouts of his people had been leaked, so waiting was not the way to go. Lin
If Lin Jue knew about his ambush plan, he would never go down the mountain for the rest of his life. And the longer the time goes by, the more trouble he will have. Lin Jue is the third commander. If he does not show up in the Yamen tomorrow morning, others will definitely be looking for him.
If you search, you will find Xishan, and everything will be in vain.
So Guo Xu decided to take the risk and touch the mountain ridge for a sudden attack. Coincidentally, it was his actions that exposed their whereabouts. If they had endured for even half an hour, they would have seen Lin Jue and Fang Huanqiu return to the mountain ridge.
situation, they will get the result they want according to the ambush plan. However, things often change the result in the blink of an eye.
The subsequent attack was lackluster, and the Lin Family Nursing Home was obviously not a vegetarian. Guo Xu also tried his best, but in the end he had to choose to evacuate as reinforcements arrived. This failure made Guo Xu angry and nervous at the same time. Although
Back in the capital, when he was sitting here drinking tea, his body was still shaking slightly. He didn't know what consequences this matter would bring to him. Obviously, this matter was messed up.
Guo Xu ate most of the plate of snacks, drank all the tea and was about to order someone to add more tea when the guard's report came from outside the door.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lu is here."
Guo Xu was startled, and a half-eaten piece of snack fell to the ground. He stood up quickly and said, "Please!"
"There's no need to invite me, I'm already here." An old voice sounded, and Lu Zhongtian's figure appeared at the door, but he saw that his face was covered with frost, and his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, striding towards him, and he didn't even pay attention to Guo Zhongtian.
Xu stood up to greet him.
After entering the door, Lu Zhongtian went directly to the imperial chair at the top and sat down, his face extremely cold and stern.
"Guo Xu has met my grandfather." Guo Xu bowed and saluted.
Lu Zhongtian waved his hand and shouted in a deep voice: "That's all, how dare I accept His Highness Prince Huai's courtesy? Does His Highness Prince Huai still have my eyes on me?"
Guo Xu hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "What do you mean by my grandfather's words? If my grandson can't do anything to my grandfather, please forgive him."
"Bang!" Lu Zhongtian reached out and slapped the table, shocking Guo Xu.
"You haven't done anything wrong to me, you have done something wrong to yourself. Even now, you are still pretending to be confused. Guo Xu, Guo Xu, why are you so confused? How dare you lead others?
To attack Lin Jue? You are completely confused." Lu Zhongtian said angrily.
Guo Xu frowned and said, "Who talks so fast? Is it Master Huang? Humph, it must be him. He doesn't help when asked, but he can talk faster than anyone else."
Master Huang was one of the masters in Lu Zhongtian's mansion. After the deaths of Fang Dunru and Yan Zhengshen, a series of murders occurred in the city. In order to protect Guo Xu's safety, Lu Zhongtian sent a master to protect Guo Xu's mansion. This person became
It was this martial artist named Huang. It was this person who defeated Bai Bing at the last moment yesterday. Although this person protected Guo Xu, he was actually Lu Zhongtian's spy to restrain Guo Xu's behavior. Guo Xu also knew this in his heart
Very good. Apart from this person, no one dared to report this matter to Prime Minister Lu without permission.
"What? You are still unhappy, aren't you? How could you act so recklessly? You act so ill-considered, and even I don't know what to do. Do you know the consequences of acting without permission?" Lu Zhongtian shouted.
