As soon as the sky lightened up, Zhao Kuo had already stood up.
After briefly washing up, he sat in the mansion to dine. Because Zhao Kuo had no retainers and did not like others to serve him, Zhao Gao hired a woman to be responsible for Wuchenghou's daily meals. Zhao Kuo sat in front of the table.
Sitting on his knees has become a difficult task for him. His legs are so painful that he cannot sit as straight as before. Even if he is not sitting on his knees, sitting cross-legged or sitting in a squatting position, it is not easy.
Zhao Kuo was eating his meal peacefully when the two young men started arguing in front of him.
"If you ask me, Shaojun should kill him. He is a barbarian and he came to Xianyang with ulterior motives. If we don't eradicate the roots and he returns to the Huns in the future, what's the point? He could have besieged Liu Bang and led the Huns with him.
Rise, now that he has learned so much from Shaojun, it’s not bad. When he leads the Xiongnu to unify the northern grasslands, there will definitely be a bloody battle with the Central Plains! A hero like him will not be willing to be inferior to others! "
"Kill him secretly while he is still young!"
"You bastard! What happened to the barbarians? Am I not a barbarian? Do I have ulterior motives for staying with Shaojun? He has been living by Shaojun's side, and Shaojun raised him personally. Will he still be the same as before? Shaojun
If you can change an emperor, can't you change a hero?" Big-mouthed Di looked at Xing in front of him and shouted angrily. Xing shook his head and said: "This is different, we must not keep him."
"Oh, you said it's useless. Our young master Bo Yuntian has unparalleled benevolence and righteousness. You said he would kill the young Mao Dun? I am the first to not believe it! The young master will never kill someone because of his future mistakes! What's more!
, Mao Dun will never bear to treat Shaojun like his own eldest father."
"I don't want to talk to you anymore. Young Master has his own opinions." Fortunately, he turned away.
"If you don't want to, then you don't want to. Do you think I am willing to talk to you? You are a remnant of thieves and bandits, but you are quite arrogant! Well, let me tell you a secret. You must not tell anyone else. In fact, when I escaped from Linhu,
I also worked as a thief for a while.”
Di was talking reluctantly next to Di. Di's face was full of anxiety. If he couldn't beat Di, he really wanted to put his fist in his mouth to shut him up!
Zhao Kuo looked at the two diners in front of him and couldn't help but laugh.
"Wu Chenghou, what's wrong with you?" The woman who was clearing the dishes for Zhao Kuo asked in confusion when she saw Zhao Kuo staring ahead and giggling. Zhao Kuo raised his head, glanced at the woman, and was confused again.
Looking ahead, the huge courtyard was empty. There was no big mouth or remnant of thieves. Fortunately, Zhao Kuo's smile gradually solidified. He shook his head and said, "I just thought of my old friend."
Zhao Kuo walked out of the door slowly on crutches. As soon as he walked out of the door, he saw an impatient Ge. Ge was fixing his carriage. When he saw Zhao Kuo coming out, he raised his head and snorted: "
During the time of your meal, Lao Mafujun has already finished a war with the Qin State! You are not in a hurry to eat, why don't you go back and continue eating, and finish all the food you have eaten in the past few days?
Shall we go out again tomorrow?"
Zhao Kuo looked at Ge in front of him with a smile. Zhao Gao looked at him blankly. He paid homage to Marquis Wu Cheng. Why didn't he return the greeting?
"Wuchenghou?"
Zhao Kuo looked at Zhao Gao who had already prepared the carriage in front of him, his face slightly dim. He didn't say anything, he just got on Zhao Gao's carriage, and the two of them rushed towards the western suburbs of Xianyang, sitting in the carriage
On the way, Zhao Kuo looked on both sides. He saw an outstanding-looking old man standing at the intersection. His carriage seemed to have broken down and he was looking for help. However, before Zhao Kuo could ask Zhao Gao to stop, the old man disappeared.
Lost traces.
He saw an old man not far away who was lowering his head to plead guilty to another. When he looked carefully, the two of them turned back at the same time and smiled. They were both acquaintances. Zhao Kuo did not let Zhao Gao stop anymore.
He just stretched out his hand and waved. The elegant one smiled at him, while the burly one snorted and ignored him. The carriage continued to move forward.
He saw a coachman driving a carriage, and an old man who was seriously ill was lying on the carriage. The old man seemed to notice his eyes and smiled and stretched out his hand to him.
More and more people came into view, and the strong smell of alcohol came from around him. Zhao Kuo turned his head and realized that at some point, a drunkard from Wei State had sat next to him. He did not speak, but just lowered his head.
He kept drinking wine. Zhao Kuo wanted to ask him for a bowl, but he couldn't ask him. When everyone disappeared, Zhao Kuo found that he had arrived at his destination. When he got off the car, the ministers in the distance
They were all frightened.
"Wuchenghou!" Everyone paid their respects one after another, including Gan Luo. Today was the day when Gan Luo was preparing to go on a mission to the Yuezhi. After the spy network was formed outside the Great Wall, Gan Luo finally decided to go to the Yuezhi to complete the mission.
It was his mission. The emperor attached great importance to this mission and sent an envoy of 1,500 people. Although Gan Luo repeatedly requested that he did not need such a large support, the emperor was still very stubborn.
.
They are not like envoys responsible for diplomacy, but like the emperor's imperial envoys, preparing to go on inspection tours. Gan Luo was also a little helpless about this. He prepared a lot of gifts and was fully prepared to meet King Yuezhi.
.In fact, Gan Luo was already ready to stir up chaos in the grassland. This trip to the outside of the Great Wall was an opportunity to prove the position of the Strategist family. Since Zhao Kuo, the status of the Strategist family has plummeted, and there has never been a wise man.
Gan Luo believes that now is the best opportunity for the Zongheng School to rise.
Gan Luo did not expect that Marquis Wu Cheng would come to see them off in person. Zhao Kuo's arrival made the members of the envoy very surprised and very happy at the same time. Gan Luo was the first to speak: "Don't worry Marquis Wu Cheng, this
Once, we will definitely complete our mission. If we insult the mission, we are willing to die outside the Great Wall and never return to our hometown for the rest of our lives!" Zhao Kuo was stunned and shook his head hurriedly. He said seriously: "No, this is not me.
Come to say goodbye."
"The second and third sons are leaving their hometown this time and going to Yueshi. I know that the road ahead is very dangerous. Most of the kings beyond the wall are tyrants who like to kill. I hope that the second and third sons can take care of themselves and regard themselves as their own. The second and third sons also have their families and cannot commit crimes with their own lives.
If the risk fails, then think carefully, be patient, and not be impulsive." At this moment, Zhao Kuo transformed into an elder and began to give instructions.
Zhao Kuo was a little worried. The people in front of him were all young. If they were impulsive, they would lose their lives. The people on the mission listened to Zhao Kuo's nagging and looked at the worry in his eyes. At that moment, they couldn't help but feel worried.
Tears appeared in the eyes of the young people. In their hearts, Zhao Kuo's figure gradually merged with the figures of their elders. Looking at this scene, Zhao Gao, who was standing behind him, was a little shocked.
Zhao Gao has always wanted to be someone like Zhao Kuo, someone who can be respected by everyone. Before, he never understood why everyone respected Wu Chenghou as if they were their own relatives.
But now, he has some understanding that Zhao Kuo can treat everyone sincerely, and he treats everyone with the greatest kindness. Therefore, those people also repaid their kindness to Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo ordered a lot of things. Looking at Gan Luo who was a little moved in front of him, Zhao Kuo stretched out his hand tremblingly and fumbled out a stone from his arms. The stone didn't look big, but it had a different kind of beauty.
Zhao Kuo laughed and said to Gan Luo: "When I was in Mafu, I had a neighbor called Ping Gong. He was good at praying for blessings and driving away ghosts and gods. He blessed this stone and gave it to me."
"It has stayed with me for decades and has protected me, allowing me to save my life on the battlefield. Now I don't need to fight anymore. If you leave Qin without weapons, it will be more dangerous than when I was on the battlefield."
I will lend you the stone. I wish the two and three sons a safe journey. When you come back, you will return this stone to me." Zhao Kuo said the origin of the stone and finally put it in the hands of Gan Luo, who looked confused.
.
Gan Luo looked at the stone in his hand. He was really speechless. He bowed heavily to Zhao Kuo. Then, everyone left. Zhao Kuo stood there and watched these people leave Xianyang.
Zhao Kuo could only wish them well and hope that they would all come back safely. Zhao Kuo looked at the envoys in the distance. He seemed to see many acquaintances in the crowd, many of the soldiers who had gone on expeditions with him. He could not remember their names.
, but vaguely remember their faces.
"Wuchenghou?" Zhao Gao interrupted again. Zhao Kuo then got on the carriage. Zhao Gao took him home. Walking on the road, Zhao Kuo suddenly asked: "Is there someone on the city wall just now?"
Sing on the stage?”
"Why does Xianyang have a city wall?"
"Yes, why does Xianyang have a city wall?"
When Zhao Kuo returned home, his two grandsons had not finished school yet. He was basking in the sun in the courtyard when he heard fierce footsteps outside the door. When Zhao Kuo opened his eyes, Zhao Gao leaned over
Standing aside, not daring to raise his head, the emperor did not know when he was standing in front of Zhao Kuo, waiting for him to wake up. Seeing Zhao Kuo open his eyes, the emperor hurriedly leaned over to bow to him, and Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
, and asked the emperor to help him stand up.
The emperor had also reached the prime of life. He was fat and strong, and was stronger and more powerful than Zhao Kuo. Even if Zhao Kuo wanted to, he could not defeat him. The emperor supported Zhao Kuo and walked towards the inner room. As he walked, he said: "Yes."
I don’t know why you are so interested in a county magistrate. That person is no longer a county magistrate. This time during the attack on the southwest, he served as the magistrate of Jiujiang County because of his meritorious service in escorting civilians. I followed your instructions and met with him."
"How should I put it? This man still has some abilities, but he is far inferior to Teng. If all the prefects in the world can be like Teng, I don't have to worry about anything." Ying Zheng said, slowly letting his old father sit down.
After getting on the bed, Zhao Kuo sat down and said: "Give him a little more time, he may not be able to surpass Teng. The Teng family is knowledgeable and Liu Ji is not from a high background. It is not easy to reach where he is now.
"
Ying Zheng nodded. Of course, the person he went to meet earlier was Liu Ji, a young county magistrate. And Teng, the pride of the emperor, was Teng, the governor of Nanjun. He was the former Korean traitor and the most respected governor in the world.
Among them, he was regarded as the top one, with first-class political skills, and was deeply loved by the emperor. The emperor was thinking about whether to take him to Xianyang for a while and let him be a nine ministers.
"Kang has basically pacified the southwest. Maybe next year, he can come back." Ying Zheng talked about Zhao Kang, and then talked about some core secrets in the temple. Today's emperor has also reached the peak of his abilities.
Over time, he handled dozens of memorials every day with ease, and the ministers he arranged were all extraordinary. The Great Qin Empire was taking shape in his hands, and it reached its most powerful peak.
However, the emperor's ambition made him unwilling to restrain himself. He still had many things he wanted to do, including building more water conservancy projects and conquering more areas. However, he was not as blind as he was when he was young and would not care about anything in order to achieve his goals.
The actual situation is that he is quite mature now. Many problems can be solved by Ying Zheng himself without Zhao Kuo asking. However, Ying Zheng is used to nagging his father about these complicated things.
Outsiders didn't know it. In fact, the emperor would come to see Zhao Kuo every few days, and the two would talk about the current affairs of the government. In other words, the emperor just came to report the results of his work to Zhao Kuo, just like a son reporting to his elders.
Just like his father showed the certificate of merit for three good students, every time the emperor accomplished something, he would come to Zhao Kuo happily. Today's emperor is more supreme than the previous kings.
This made it impossible for the emperor to have friendship or even love. He had to guard against many people. In that luxurious palace, he was always alone. Only in Zhao Kuo could he be happy, angry, sad, and happy like a normal person.
, showing all his emotions and his truest self. Zhao Kuo knew that he could no longer help Ying Zheng. Ying Zheng's ability to handle government affairs had long surpassed that of a half-hearted politician like him.
For more time, he was still a listener, quietly listening to the emperor's story. This always reminded Zhao Kuo of his mother. Back then, her mother also didn't understand war at all, but she just liked to sit and listen.
He told it himself, and Zhao Kuo would also excitedly talk about the things he had done. How similar were the two people? It was also at this time that Zhao Kuo could truly understand his mother's original actions and even her thoughts.
The emperor couldn't stay here for too long. After saying some things he wanted to show off, he returned to the palace. Zhao Kuo was left alone, sitting in the inner room, picked up paper and pen, and started writing again. The sky was dark.
It gradually became dark, and the courtyard was quiet. The moonlight came in from the window, illuminating the rickety and thin figure. There was wax burning beside Zhao Kuo. The wax had burned out, leaving only the last few firelights, which were burning continuously.
It is swaying and may go out at any time.
Zhao Kuo wrote a lot, but felt that his whole body was getting heavier and heavier.
"Are you tired? Can you take a rest?" A pair of white hands grabbed Zhao Kuo's shoulders and squeezed them gently. Zhao Kuo looked straight ahead and listened to the familiar figure beside his ears.
He was also trembling. Yi was wearing plain clothes and stood beside Zhao Kuo, gently squeezing his shoulders. Yi's hands suddenly hugged Zhao Kuo, and Zhao Kuo felt the warmth from behind.
Zhao Kuo slowly stretched out his hand, wanting to hold those flawless white jade hands. He wanted to hold them tightly and never let go.
However, at that moment, Zhao Kuo missed the opportunity and Yi disappeared.
Zhao Kuo searched around blankly, but found nothing. It seemed that he was the only one left alive in the world.
Under the night, everything was quiet, until that moment, the sobs coming from Wu Chenghou's inner room broke the tranquility.
