"What...does this mean?" Xu Mingshi was stunned for a moment.
Is that what he thought?
But since this idea was too beastly, he had better listen to it further.
"In a few days, the emperor's imperial edict appointing him to Zhongshu Province will be issued. What will happen if his mother suddenly dies of illness after he enters Zhongshu Province?"
"..."
Xu Mingshi suddenly felt a chill rising on his back.
Is it really what he thought?
If his mother dies of illness after entering Zhongshu Province, it will take three years of Ding You...
No matter how much the emperor valued him, Zhongshushe's official position was so low that it was unreasonable and impossible to make an exception and seize his favor.
"In comparison, it is more cost-effective to die now." Xu Mingyi looked at the red heart on the arrow target not far away and said: "Besides, Jia's mind seems to be a little confused, there is no guarantee that he will not tell him
Those shameless things I did in the past——"
At this moment, she suddenly thought of Zhan Yunjiao.
Previously, Zhan Yunjiao suddenly changed her confession and confessed to Xia Xi. She only thought that Zhan Yunjiao was persuaded by the Ji family...
Now that I think about it, the person who convinced her should be her brother.
But even if he is a biological brother, how can he convince a person who is about to bear a serious crime?
And in the court that day, Zhan Yunjiao's state could be described as active and cooperative, as if she was not at all afraid of the punishment of exile that she would face next.
For this reason, she had people secretly keep an eye on the subsequent exile, thinking that she might be able to use this to catch Ji Xiu.
But on the way to Zhan Yunjiao's exile, no accidents happened.
No one rescued her, and no one replaced her.
And now, she finally wants to understand who really deceived Zhan Yunjiao...
Some people strive for power and gain, trying to stand as high as possible, not only for themselves, but also to bring glory to their families and let their loved ones live a better life.
It can be accounted for that Yunzhu is different——
He seems to be born just for profit, and is so selfish that he can use everyone and everything for the sake of power and status. If anything stands in his way, even his biological mother will become a bloody victim in his pursuit of profit.
Even if he guessed it, Xu Mingshi still fell into a huge cognitive shock and could not recover for a long time.
Xu Mingyi asked Zhu Xiu: "Has anyone ever investigated the cause of Jia's death at close range?"
"There were guards around Zhan Yunzhu. At first, my subordinates could only keep watch from a distance. As more and more people came behind me, I was able to take advantage of the chaos and sneak in. Zhan Yunzhu has been kneeling beside the bed, but his subordinates still
I can’t get up close and examine it carefully.”
Zhu Xiu speculated: "But judging from the situation in that room at that time, the reason why Mr. Jia was able to die without any movement or external injuries is probably because someone was suffocating him to death with a quilt, cotton pillow or other objects."
He was able to see Jia's body because he had benefited from the attention of the neighbors who came to watch the fun in the name of mourning.
Seeing his girl frowning and thinking, after a moment, Zhu Xiu said again: "This kind of thing cannot be proven unless someone sees it with his own eyes."
Xu Mingyi straightened the corners of his mouth.
Of course she knew it too.
Different from strangling the neck, covering the mouth and nose with a soft object to suffocate the person to death will leave almost no obvious injuries on the face. Even if the matter is managed to arouse discussion, the work can prove that Jia died of suffocation.
, but she was not a healthy person who suffocated for no reason, but she had been sick for a long time. It is said that she also had lung disease, and her coughing and wheezing was not smooth...
Not to mention, Zhan Yunzhu acted cautiously and stayed in front of Jia's body for a long time, so he must have covered up all the traces.
Therefore, if you want to use this to deal with Zhan Yunzhu openly, it will obviously not work.
"We still need people to keep a close eye on us." Xu Mingyi still explained.
Even if it seems useless now, no one can tell what will happen in the future.
There are even some things that, if used in the right place and at the right time, sometimes do not require sufficient evidence to achieve the purpose...
So, let’s check first.
Zhu Xiu responded without any doubt.
At this time, the girl took an arrow from the quiver on the side, put it on the string and drew the bow——
The girl stood straight and straight, her eyes slightly narrowed on her face with a focused expression.
After a moment, the arrow left the string, rushed towards the target in the direction of the wind, and stabbed firmly into the red heart.
…
The sky is getting dark.
Even though the weather has already warmed up, the business of Xuesheng Tea House in Chengnan Alley is still bleak.
The atmosphere in Xue Sheng Teahouse, which was experiencing a bleak business, was a bit strange at this time.
Shisun brought guests here today.
This guest is no one else, but the Duke himself!
Thinking of the grievances between this fierce and brave general and his own prince, everyone in the teahouse couldn't help but feel complicated - what is the difference between this and bringing the enemy into one's own camp?
Moreover, General Xu was not a vegetarian. As soon as he stepped into their teahouse and met them, his eyes already revealed the profound meaning of "this teahouse is a bit interesting."
If the prince knew about this, wouldn't he be so angry that he would wipe off a lot of his beard?
Among everyone, Shouming can be said to be the calmest and most enthusiastic one.
He really likes the Zhenguogongfu.
And maybe we will become a family in the future.
Shouming, who was busy running before and after running, now went upstairs with the food box "thump thump thump".
The lamp was lit on the second floor, and Wu Chao and the Duke of Zhen were sitting near the window, drinking tea.
Shouming stepped forward, smiled and saluted, and placed the hot meals in the two food boxes on the table.
Xiaoqi rushed to Zhuangyuan Building to buy the food, and rode back and forth without daring to delay for a moment.
The Duke of Zhen Guo tasted it and nodded with satisfaction.
In the palace, he made an appointment with the boy from the Wu family to meet at the Zhuangyuan Building when he returned to the city, but after much thought, he still felt that it was not appropriate for the two of them to eat in public together.
There are many people in Zhuangyuan Building, so he will be recognized as soon as he enters.
If the Wu boy is also recognized, unnecessary rumors and trouble will surely arise.
I have also thought about dressing up in disguise. The boy from the Wu family is easy to talk about, but he is so majestic and has outstanding temperament. How can he hide it by changing his clothes? Isn't that deceiving himself?
So, the boy suggested taking him to this remote and deserted teahouse.
At this time, Shou Ming was holding a wine pot and was about to pour wine for the two of them, but saw his descendant reaching out his hand in time and taking the wine pot.
Wu Chao personally poured wine for the Duke of Zhen, and said in a respectful tone: "This junior respects the Duke——"
The young man's attitude was very helpful to the Duke of Zhen, and he drank the wine with a smile.
Wu Chao also drank the wine in the cup.
Seeing the young man's calm demeanor, Duke Zhen Guo asked casually: "How much does Wu Shisun drink?"
These words instantly brought Wu Chao back to that night at the hot spring villa outside Ningyang City...
That night, Zhao Zhao also asked him the same question.
He answered very calmly and confidently.
But the result was somewhat unexpected.
At that time, he did not have a clear understanding of his drinking capacity. Now that he knew it, he said truthfully: "This junior has a poor drinking capacity, please forgive me."
"Why, the family is strictly controlled and rarely drinks alcohol on weekdays?" asked the Duke of Zhenguo.
"That's not true. It's probably because the younger generation lacks talent."
The Duke of Zhen Guo said "Oh".
He thought it was the old guy Wu Jun who was in charge of everything, and he wanted to take the opportunity to make some mockery of the old guy. It was a pity.
"Based on how much this junior can drink, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the Duke to enjoy himself." Wu Chao had obviously made arrangements for this in advance: "But Mr. Accountant in the teahouse has a good drinking capacity, and his conversation is humorous, so I might be able to accompany him."
He didn't seem to hide that the teahouse was his own property, and asked the cashier to accompany him. The Duke of Zhen looked at him and said, "Why are you looking for an outsider? It seems that I am just greedy for your wine. I want to drink, but when can I not?"
Facing the willful old man, Wu Chao said with a smile: "What the Duke said is absolutely true, but the younger generation is too worried."
Naturally, Duke Zhen Guo would not be angry because of this "excessive worry". He was not someone who couldn't distinguish between good and evil, and he understood the young man's thoughtful intentions.
Seeing the young man filling up the empty wine glass again, the Duke of Zhen held it up and said: "I also want to toast you a glass, for the sake of my grandson——"
"Your Majesty, you're welcome."
Wu Chao picked up the wine glass, and the position was relatively low.
"If you need my help with anything in the future, you can just ask." Zhenguo Gong put down his wine glass and said straightforwardly: "But it is only between you and me. I don't care about anything related to your grandfather."
Wu Chao responded "Yes".
After all, there is indeed something he needs General Xu to help with in the future...
And this matter indeed has nothing to do with his grandfather.
"Take away the wine pot and change it to tea." Duke Zhenguo said to Shouming who was waiting on the side.
Wu Chao couldn't help but ask: "The Duke of the country doesn't drink wine anymore?"
The Duke of Zhen Guo said nonchalantly: "The same goes for drinking tea."
He is not the kind of bad old man who bullies younger generations.
And it is also a good thing for young people to drink less alcohol.
Fed up with the muddled and bearish behavior of the second son in the family, the old man now feels more and more pleasing to the eye when he looks at the sober and refreshing young man in front of him - this is how he looks like a human being!
As a result, the originally agreed-upon drinking party turned into an old man and a young man sitting opposite each other, eating food and chatting.
Wu Chao had a rule of not saying anything since he was a child, but when faced with the informal old man, he naturally changed his attitude, as if he had always been like this.
Paying attention to these details, Duke Zhenguo felt very comfortable.
He still remembers that the conditions in the military camp were limited, and because Wu Jun thought he talked too much, he insisted on eating at a single table by himself with a dark face.
Of course, everyone has their own habits, and that's understandable.
But when you really come into contact with the same person, it's inevitable that you won't like it anywhere.
This meal, even though both parties had the habit of silently accommodating each other, was still spent in a relaxed, happy and tacit atmosphere.
Wu Chao even felt inexplicably a bit warm.
He had never had dinner with any elder so casually.
The dishes were removed and replaced with small plates of fresh seasonal fruits and hot tea.
"During this period, the prince must be more careful." Shou Ming and others retreated. During the chat, Wu Chao reminded them.
The Duke of Zhen Guo took a sip of tea and said, "I don't dare to let down my guard any day."
But the news about him mobilizing Xu Jiajun that night must have reached the emperor's ears. Now we really need to be more careful in case the emperor suddenly goes crazy.
"It's a good thing that the Duke is always vigilant." Wu Chao said, "Especially since King Yan will go to Beijing in more than ten days -"
The Duke of Zhen Guo nodded slightly.
"It is true that we should not take things lightly at this juncture. Your grandfather is not in the capital, so you and your son must pay more attention to your sense of propriety when you meet with King Yan in the future."
Although he and Wu Jun didn't get along, at most they were looking forward to the other party becoming bald as soon as possible, and not wanting to see something big happen to the other person's family or suffer a big disaster.
And the young man in front of him is his future grandson-in-law.
After hearing the old man's kind instructions, Wu Chao responded seriously.
"Speaking of King Yan, he is your biological uncle..." Knowing that this teahouse was unusual, he didn't have to worry about the walls having ears. Duke Zhen Guo became less hesitant when he spoke: "But considering your age, you should be
Have you never met this uncle?"
"Yes, this junior was born in the first year of Qingming. He is one year older than Zhao - cough, Miss Xu."
The Duke of Zhen Guo glanced at the young man, pretending not to hear the missed word, and continued: "Speaking of which, I think you have some similarities with your uncle."
This is just a casual conversation.
But Wu Chao was slightly startled when he heard this, and suddenly he thought of the portrait hanging in the Qizhen Courtyard of his late eldest aunt in Prince Dingnan's Mansion in Ningyang.
He also has some similarities with his eldest aunt.
Looking at the old man in front of him, Wu Chao couldn't help but ask: "I wonder how this junior is similar to King Yan?"
Could it be that His Highness Prince Yan and his eldest aunt are actually a rumored couple?
"If we really say they are similar, there is no similarity in just the facial features." Zheng Guogong said: "I can't explain it clearly. I think it may be that the aura is similar——"
After thinking about it, he shook his head: "It's not that... King Yan's temperament was more showy than yours when he was young. He was either wrestling with others, competing with swords, or planning how to sneak attack on the enemy camp..."
The young man in front of him has the aristocratic aura of a descendant of a noble family that is particularly noticeable.
The first time the feeling of similarity between the two appeared in his mind was when they were hunting in the forest that day. At that time, he only regarded it as the similarity between the two young men who were both excellent horsemen and archers.
But then I accidentally thought about it and realized it was not that simple.
That's why I mentioned it to Wu Chao at this time.
But now I really want him to say it, but he can't explain it clearly.
Seeing the old man frowning and thinking hard, Wu Chao smiled and said: "When King Yan comes to the capital and meets him in person, the Duke may be able to remember it."
But Duke Zhen shook his head and said: "It's been eighteen years. It depends on how much he has changed now..."
Eighteen years.
The current emperor has been in office for eighteen years.
King Yan left Beijing to join the vassal state and stationed in the north for eighteen years.
And he is eighteen years old this year.
A lot of things really happened that year.
By the way, his eldest aunt, the former Princess Yan, also seemed to have passed away that year...
Wu Chao took a sip of tea, a look of thought appeared in his eyes.
In the backyard, Mr. Mo, whose stomach was growling with hunger, glanced towards the second floor again.
He waited all night.
And we saw that the food had been removed just now. Do we still need him to accompany us for the wine?
He originally planned to go all out and fight tonight, even if he cut off his head and stuffed it directly into his stomach, he still wanted to make the Duke of Zhen very drunk, so that he could win back the victory for their prince!
