The leaves of a tall maple tree on one side of the courtyard have turned red into flames. A gust of autumn wind blew by, and a few leaves fell in the wind, spinning and falling in irregular trajectories. One of them floated for a long distance.
It landed impartially next to Guo Xu's mouth. Guo Xu took a breath at this time, and then sucked the leaf into his mouth.
"Bah, bah, bah! What is that?" Guo Xu was woken up and spit out the maple leaf in his mouth. He felt a strange odor in his mouth. When he looked carefully, he saw that there was a bubble of white bird droppings on the maple leaf.
It should have been left a long time ago because it was already dry, but after being soaked with Guo Xu's saliva, the dry bird droppings became alive. Only half of the pile of bird droppings was left, and the remaining half was
Of course it was in Guo Xu's mouth.
"Ah!" Guo Xu spit out the bird droppings in his mouth loudly and cursed angrily: "Bastard, even the leaves are bullying me now, am I so unlucky? Come on, come on!"
Several chamberlains rushed out from the corridor upon hearing the sound, shouting hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the servants are here, what's the matter, Your Majesty?"
"Go, chop down the maple tree by the roots, and tell the guards to shoot all the birds in the palace and back palace from today on, leaving no one alive." Guo Xu shouted loudly.
"..." The chamberlains were as dumbfounded as a chicken. What kind of madness has the emperor got? This maple tree is a hundred years old and is the most beautiful tree in the palace. The late emperor and ministers all praised it. Hanlin Academy
His wife once held a poetry meeting specifically for it. The emperor also liked this maple tree, so he moved to this pavilion. But now he wants to cut down this tree? Also, the birds in the palace
Why did they offend the emperor? The emperor wanted to shoot them all. The emperor, who had a moody temper recently, didn't know why he was crazy.
"Why don't you go quickly? You won't listen to me? Do you want to resist the decree?" Guo Xu said angrily.
"Yes, yes, yes, the slaves will do it right now." The servants agreed quickly and got up to prepare.
Soon after, the sound of chopping wood sounded, and the two chamberlains held axes and began to chop down the tree. The old maple tree trembled under the sharp axe, and the red maple leaves fell. Finally, with a bang, the man who had lived in the palace for hundreds of years
The maple tree was chopped down by Lan Yao and fell onto the wall, crushing large glazed tiles.
Guo Xu stood in the corridor and watched all this. He gritted his teeth and said with relief: "Old man, I will dig you up to the roots and tell you to bully me."
Guo Xu turned around and was about to go into the house to drink tea. At this moment, there was the sound of footsteps and two people walked up the corridor. When Guo Xu saw them, he stopped in a hurry.
"What is this for?" Lu Zhongtian walked closer quickly, frowned and pointed at the fallen maple tree on the west wall and asked loudly. His tone did not sound like he was talking to the emperor, but like he was asking an official under his command. He even
He didn't even call the emperor, nor did he salute Guo Xu.
"It looked like an eyesore, so I asked someone to chop it off." Guo Xu said calmly.
Lu Zhongtian frowned and looked at Guo Xu for a long time, then said in a deep voice: "The emperor should be more at ease and don't want to ruin things in the palace. This maple tree was..."
Guo Xu interrupted: "Do I need my grandfather's permission to cut down a tree? Do I no longer have the power to dispose of a tree?"
Before Lu Zhongtian could speak, the man behind him jumped up: "What are these words? How do you talk to elders?
My father works hard for your Guo family every day, and his hair turns gray from exhaustion. Me too, I used to be so carefree, but now I have to go to the Yamen to worry about your Guo family's affairs every day. You live comfortably in the palace every day, which is not the case.
Are you going to say these weird things to my dad? Hehehe, you really can lose your temper."
The speaker was Lu Zhongtian's precious son Lu Tianci. He had been serving as the Third Secretary for two years, but he still looked so mean-spirited. Even the purple robe and crown couldn't change his wretched temperament. But compared with before, he actually had a lot more on his body.
He had a more arrogant air, and his body became fatter. He was like a big rat that fell into a granary, full of food and full of stomach. Of course, he still looked wretched and sinister.
"Tianci, you bastard, why are you talking to the emperor? You still can't shut up." Lu Zhongtian scolded Lu Tianci in a deep voice, and at the same time bowed and saluted: "I have met the emperor."
Lu Tianci also raised his eyes and gave a perfunctory salute: "I have met the emperor."
Guo Xu didn't want to cause a stalemate, so he waved his hand and said, "Grandpa and uncle are not polite. My uncle is right. It's my words that are wrong. I am also willful. It's just that the maple tree has been cut down, but there is no way to save it."
"
Lu Zhongtian smiled and said: "It's just a tree. I thought it was the servants who made their own decisions, so I was a little angry. Since it blocked the emperor's eyes, I might as well chop it down."
The small conflict was alleviated by the deliberate cover-up by both parties, and the atmosphere of discord quickly returned to normal. Neither party wanted to break out, so both parties restrained themselves.
"Why are my grandfather and uncle here? What's the matter?" Guo Xu asked.
"Your Majesty, this veteran is here to discuss matters in the north with your Majesty." Lu Zhongtian replied in a deep voice.
"What's going on in the north? I... don't want to care about those things. Didn't I say that it's okay for my grandfather to make the decision on the affairs of the DPRK and China? I just listen to my grandfather and uncle. I'm not interested in those things. I didn't sleep well last night and was planning to
I need to go back to the palace to catch up on my sleep, otherwise my head will hurt." Guo Xu said calmly.
"Your Majesty, military and national affairs must be discussed with the Emperor. The Emperor cannot ignore anything. The old minister is old and may die one day. The Emperor will have to face all this by himself. Therefore, the Emperor still needs to deal with it.
These things." Lu Zhongtian said.
"I...hehe, I know how much I weigh. I am no longer the self-righteous person I used to be. My decisions since I came to the throne have all been wrong. I know that I don't have the ability to deal with these things. So, my grandfather should do it for me.
No matter what it is, my grandfather will issue an official document in the name of the Political Affairs Hall or the Privy Council. I don’t want to cause trouble. I know that my grandfather works a lot every day, but those who can work harder, so I will ask my grandfather and uncle to work more. Of course.
, and you should also take care of your health. I feel that my grandfather’s body is very strong and he can live to be a hundred years old, no... maybe two hundred years old is unknown. In short, my grandfather’s good health is my blessing and my great blessing.
Such a blessing. That's it, I'm really sleepy, I'm leaving." Guo Xu reached out to cover his mouth, yawned greatly, waved his hand, and turned around and walked away.
Lu Zhongtian and his son stood there in a daze. Guo Xu's tone was gentle and his words were extremely humble and courteous. He seemed to have unreserved trust in Lu Zhongtian and his son. However, to Lu Zhongtian's ears, there was something wrong in every sentence, and there was a thorn in every sentence.
People who have ghosts in their hearts will naturally understand deeply
Realizing the connotation of the other party's words, Lu Zhongtian certainly had something in his heart.
"Dad, it seems that he really doesn't want to take care of things anymore. In this case, we can make our own decisions from now on, and there is no need to report to him. Anyway, the court officials are listening to dad now, so why waste time with this waste.
Lu Tianci said in a low voice.
Lu Zhongtian sneered and scolded: "What do you know? It's not that he doesn't want to take care of it, but he knows that he can no longer make the decision. He is trying to be patient and keep a low profile. He knows the current situation, and he wants us, father and son, to take over for him
Taking the blame? Didn't you listen to what he said? He wants me to handle affairs in the name of the Political Council and the Privy Council, which means he doesn't want to issue orders. But... the public complaints are all directed at our father and son, and it has nothing to do with him.
.Hehe, you are playing tricks with me, I’m afraid I’m still a little stunned.”
Lu Tianci said in surprise: "So that's what he thinks. It's really hateful."
Lu Zhongtian sneered and said: "He wants to shirk responsibility, but he is wishful thinking. God has given us that we can take the next step, but we must force him to issue an order. We cannot make official decisions in the name of the two governments and three departments, although we can
Do this, but you can't be fooled by him. Dazhou is still Dazhou with his surname Guo, and the current situation is not easy to handle. We can't let him shrink and become a bastard, and we can't let the people target us. He
Mr. Guo is blocking our arrows from the front, and we, father and son, are benefiting from the back, do you understand?"
Lu Tianci nodded and said, "Dad, thank you very much. My child understands."
Lu Zhongtian put his hands behind his hands and said in a deep voice: "It is a pity that our previous plan failed, and Han Desui, the king of the South Branch of the Liao Kingdom, died. Otherwise, we can rest easy. He and I have a private agreement. Even if the Liao people attack us
Dazhou... My father and son will also take advantage of the opportunity to get benefits. It's a pity... I'm afraid that the Jurchen Wanyan Agu is not easy to get along with. I feel that this guy has evil intentions. I don't know what will happen in the future. This is really frustrating.
People are worried. I want to send someone to contact Wanyan Aguda, but I am hesitant."
Lu Tianci said: "Is dad worried that Wanyan Agu will fight?"
Lu Zhongtian nodded slightly and said: "It's very possible. The Jurchens and Yelvchun's troops are preparing to expand their armies. Although a tripartite peace agreement has been signed, who knows what they have in mind? The situation is confusing and elusive. Now, we
We can only use a lot of material and resources to please them. I hope they will not be so ambitious. But we must also be prepared. This is why I want to contact Wanyan Aguda. I don’t want my father and son to
In the end, it all ended in vain. This matter must be kept completely confidential, and you'd better keep your mouth shut. I don't want you to spoil my big event."
Lu Tianci whispered: "Dad, why don't you just abolish him? With our strength, even if dad becomes the emperor, no one will dare to object."
"Shut up!" Lu Zhongtian roared: "What do you know? We must not act rashly at this moment. Do you think we can do anything now? Although the Guo family is now in a low public sentiment, it is not at the time that Wanfu pointed out.
Besides, there are Guo Kun and Lin Jue from Funiu Mountain. But if they make even half a step wrong, they will push the people's hearts to their side, which is the worst result. Even if...even if they make a difference,
Do you understand that Guo Kun must be eliminated first?"
Lu Tianci nodded hurriedly and said: "Yes, yes, everything is just subject to daddy's arrangements."
