(Thanks to: book friend 56872834 for the generous reward.)
At the first watch, in front of the gate of the Old Prince's Mansion in Northwest Lake, more than a dozen people on fast horses arrived. The guards in front of the gate came forward to ask, and when they saw the people on the horses, they quickly bowed and saluted.
Lin Jue jumped off the horse, handed the reins and whip to the guards around him, and looked up at the gate of the old palace in front of him. The gatehouse of the old palace was dilapidated, with half of the walls on both sides collapsed, and there were overgrown grass and trees above, making it look extremely decadent.
When they returned from the capital, the Forbidden Army attacked the old palace and burned people. The traces left behind are still there to this day. Looking at the situation in front of him, Lin Jue couldn't help but think of the bloody and exhausting fighting scene that night. All that.
I can still remember it as if it were yesterday.
"Hurry and report to the emperor that Marshal Lin is requesting an audience." Sun Dayong said to the guard in front of the door.
A head guard said hurriedly: "Marshal Lin, please come in. The emperor is in the back house. I am humble enough to go and report."
The head guard turned around and ran away. Lin Jue lifted his cloak, strode up the steps and walked in. After passing the screen wall, there was a huge courtyard. Under the dense trees, even though lanterns were lit, it still looked dark and gloomy. Except for
Outside of the trees, the courtyard is empty and overgrown with weeds. In the past, there were many flower beds, rockeries, corridors, and many other furnishings in the courtyard. But now these are gone. It must have been that the palace had been abandoned for many years and was invaded by thieves or other officials.
After many sweeps, everything in the yard was cleared.
Lin Jue smacked his mouth and thought: The back house must have been swept away. Guo Kun insisted on living here, and he was afraid that he would be in an even worse mood.
Without stopping along the way, Lin Jue went straight to the back house with familiarity. In front of the third entrance door, the head guard at the door accompanied by seven or eight guards came to greet him with lanterns.
"Huang Jiang, a humble official, has met Marshal Lin and General Sun." A young guard leader saluted Lin Jue respectfully.
Huang Jiang is the commander of the guards around Guo Kun. There are now more than 500 guards around Guo Kun. Some of them are guards from the previous palace, and some are selected from the Luoyan Army. Huang Jiang is the commander-in-chief of this guard.
.Nominally controlled by Shen Tan's horse army, but in fact this 500-person bodyguard army existed independently of the Luoyan Army and was not subject to dispatch. However, when seeing Lin Jue, Huang Jiang was still respectful.
"General Huang is polite, is the emperor asleep?" Lin Jue returned the courtesy and asked in a deep voice.
"The emperor hasn't gone to bed yet. I heard that Marshal Lin was coming. The emperor asked his subordinates to come to greet him. The emperor is waiting for Marshal Lin at the waterside pavilion in Houyuan Lake." Huang Jiang said hurriedly.
Lin Jue nodded and followed Huang Jiang and others through the Sanjin back house and went straight to the back garden. The back garden of the old palace faced the Northwest Lake. A trestle was built from the back garden to the middle of the lake and a water pavilion was built. At that time, Liang Wang Guo Bing
So I fished in the waterside pavilion all day long. It was a good thing.
Huang Jiang accompanied Lin Jue to the trestle before he stopped, cupped his hands and said, "Please, Marshal Lin. The emperor is alone in the waterside pavilion, and I can't go there. I am waiting here with General Sun."
Lin Jue nodded and looked towards the water pavilion at the end of the trestle. He saw the stars in the sky reflected on the dark lake, and the stars were dotted with silver light. A string of lanterns hung in the water pavilion in the distance, and a figure sat quietly.
Beside the stone table in the waterside pavilion, he remained motionless.
Lin Jue stepped onto the plank of the trestle without hesitation and strode towards the waterside pavilion. After walking for dozens of steps, the wind from the lake blew up, making Lin Jue feel cold all over his body. The cloak behind him made a sound. But Lin Jue's footsteps
Don't stop and walk forward.
The sound of footsteps tapping on the planks of the trestle startled the man sitting in the waterside pavilion. The man turned his head and stood up to look in the direction of the trestle. The wind lantern illuminated him.
His face, with long thick eyebrows and frowning brows, is none other than Guo Kun, the new emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, Lin Jue...see your Majesty." Lin Jue walked a few steps to bow at the entrance of the waterside pavilion.
A faint smile appeared on Guo Kun's face, and he said in a deep voice: "You are here, no need to be polite, come and sit down. Tea has been made for you."
Lin Jue stood up and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"There are no outsiders here, there is no need for the emperor to be older than the emperor. You are my brother-in-law, you can just call me brother," Guo Kun said.
Lin Jue nodded and said: "Okay, then I have overstepped my bounds."
Guo Kun waved his hand and motioned for Lin Jue to sit down. There was tea and several plates of snacks on the stone table. It looked like Guo Kun was drinking tea alone.
"It's windy here. Even though it's late spring, the wind on the lake is still a bit cold. Why should my brother stay here alone? You still need to pay attention to your health. Although my brother is very strong, you still need to be careful." Lin
Jue smiled.
"Thank you for your concern, brother-in-law. I'm not afraid of the cold. I just want it to be quiet here. Moreover, this is the only place in the palace that has not changed. The rest of the place has changed a lot. Even the flowers and plants in the yard and the fish in the fish pond have not been left behind.
Come on. Hey, these people are really clean in their plundering." Guo Kun said with a wry smile.
Lin Jue nodded and said: "Yes, I noticed it too. My house is also in a mess. It's a mess inside. Weier will come to Beijing in a few days, and she will definitely be angry when she sees her. I've been
You have to arrange for someone to clean it up."
Guo Kun said with a smile: "Yes, girls are most particular about these things. I heard that Lu Tianci occupied your house. If she knew, she might not even want the house. By the way, is the girl coming to the capital?"
"
Lin Jue nodded and said: "Yesterday I sent a letter to the mountains by flying pigeons, and asked Qin Chuncao to escort his family members, and of course his brother's family members. We have already entered the capital, and of course we must all come to the capital for reunion. Is it possible that we can still stay here?
Isn't it possible to stay in the mountains? Although the Luoyan Valley in Funiu Mountain is good, it has completed its mission. It is okay to visit occasionally in the future, but it cannot be permanent. We are now the masters of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and we are not a rebel in a corner of the mountains.
The troops are ready."
Guo Kun nodded and said: "It is true that you have made very thoughtful arrangements. I am also thinking of ordering someone to pick up your sister-in-law and children to be reunited in the capital. We have been away fighting for several months, and I miss them very much."
Lin Jue said: "Just wait for a few days. They will arrive in seven or eight days at most. Then they can be reunited."
Guo Kun nodded slightly and said nothing. Lin Jue didn't know what to say for a moment. The atmosphere suddenly became silent. The breeze on the lake became stronger and the wind lanterns swayed. The two people sat opposite each other in the water pavilion, as if they were the most familiar friends.
Gathering for tea, it felt like two strangers who didn't know each other. There was something called embarrassment slowly flowing in the air, filling the entire space of the waterside pavilion.
Above the water, ripples rippled, and a white fish jumped up. The splashing and noise broke the awkward silence.
Guo Kun breathed a sigh of relief and said softly: "Do you still remember? My father often fished in this waterside pavilion. He has not fished here for several years. The fish in this northwest lake are very brave.
They got up and jumped out of the water."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "Yes, when my father-in-law was fishing in the waterside pavilion, I even gave him a poem. The maple leaves in front of the window have just begun to fall, and the dace fish under the pavilion are getting fat in autumn. And I have to take care of the coir raincoat and throw it from the king. The song comes into the mist. This is the poem I gave to my father-in-law, and he likes it very much."
Guo Kun sneered: "Does my father like it? How do you know he likes it? Do you think my father really likes to sit here and fish?"
Lin Jue said in a deep voice: "Of course I know
My father-in-law doesn't like fishing. He sits here fishing because he can see the place he wants to see from here."
As Lin Jue spoke, he raised his eyes and looked towards the east side of the lake. It was so dark there that it seemed like nothing could be seen. But both Guo Kun and Lin Jue knew that the direction was in the direction of the palace. The palace was adjacent to the Northwest Lake. Built on the east side, from the location of this waterside pavilion, you can see rows of large palaces, and sometimes you can even hear the sounds coming from the palace. At the beginning, Liang Wang Guo Bing was sitting in this waterside pavilion, looking at this I spent many boring and boring days in the palace that was so close but so far away.
Guo Kun also looked in the direction of the palace, his eyes full of eagerness.
"Lin Jue, you are very smart and very capable. Neither my father nor my son can hide their thoughts from you. Yes, my father and I both want to rule the world one day. Because we already have this qualification. Why? The ones sitting on the throne are not my father and son? Isn’t this unfair?”
Lin Jue said with a smile: "Now, brother, isn't it true that he got his wish? That place is already yours. Nothing in this world is fair. You have to fight for what you want. Congratulations, brother, for getting what you want. "
Guo Kun chuckled and said, "Really? Does that place really belong to me? I don't think so. Lin Jue, do you know what my father said to me before he died?"
Lin Jue turned around and saw Guo Kun looking at him with twinkling eyes. His eyes were extremely sharp. It was the sharpest look Lin Jue had seen since he met Guo Kun. Even Lin Jue felt a little unable to resist.
"How do I know? I wasn't allowed to serve on the bed before." Lin Jue said in a deep voice.
Guo Kun breathed a sigh of relief and said in a deep voice: "That's because you can't listen to these words. If you do, I'm afraid... I'm afraid you'll be very angry and do something. You want to know what my father said? ? If you want to know, I will tell you."
Lin Jue frowned and said: "If you want to make me angry, why do you need to tell me? Do you want me to be angry?"
Guo Kun shook his head and said: "Of course I don't want to make you angry, I just think I shouldn't hide it from you. My father's words are just his words, and I have different opinions. There should be no hiding anything between you and me. I owe everything to you for what I am today. I understand this clearly in my heart. So, there is actually no need for me to hide it from you. In fact, I have planned to tell you several times, but I have never been able to muster the courage. Now, I think it’s time to tell you.”
Lin Jue stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Brother, there are some things that are better left unsaid. It is best to keep it tacitly understood. If you say it, everything will change. Brother, I know that the situation has changed, and some things have begun to change. You and I both understand this. I don’t want to defend anything, I just want to tell you one thing: I am not Lu Zhongtian, nor Mr. Fang and Mr. Yan. I go my own way, and my ultimate goal is to let everyone Zhou Jiangshan will last forever, let the people live and work in peace and contentment, and make this world a truly peaceful and prosperous age. I think your goal is the same as mine. If your goal is the same as mine, then we are fellow travelers, and you don’t have to be too different. Too much worry. If your goals are different from mine, then please reflect on yourself. If you just want to be the emperor, then you will definitely not be a good emperor. However, the tragedy of the Great Zhou Dynasty will happen again, and the Great Zhou Dynasty will never Tranquility. That is the result I don’t want to see. Your Majesty, I came to see you today to ask you to move into the palace tomorrow. Civil strife has begun, and everything is waiting to be done. As the emperor, you should lead your ministers to do your best. What I should do is not hide here and pretend to be sick. I hope you can understand what I am saying. I feel that I will not let others down unless they let me down. Everything is still too late."
