When the emperor is angry, blood flows everywhere.
If the emperor bleeds, naturally someone will bleed too.
The streets of Chang'an City were occupied by soldiers who appeared out of nowhere. Every street was covered with iron armor, and there was a chill in the air.
This atmosphere awakened the same memory for the people of Chang'an City. Five years ago, on such a cold night, the same thing happened in this city.
Countless soldiers filled the streets, standing like stone statues. They stared at the end of Zhuque Street, waiting for the birth of the next king of the Tang Empire.
The current emperor is the winner back then.
But why this time? Today, the Holy Emperor is at his peak, with millions of soldiers, and no one dares to attack him. Who is so bold and dares to challenge the imperial power?
The people were curious, but not afraid.
Common people, whoever becomes the emperor, they are all common people. No emperor will care about the common people, let alone changing the emperor, even if it changes the dynasty, so what? The world is vast, today's surname is Ying, and tomorrow's surname is Ying.
Liu, whose surname is Li the day after tomorrow, what difference does it make to a common person?
The common people are like spectators under the stage. They watch the people on the stage, singing, chanting, beating, and gesticulating. The stage is made of iron and the actors are running water. No one really cares whether they are spectators or spectators.
But there are some people who cannot stay out of the matter. Because these people are not ordinary people, who becomes the emperor is very important to them, very important!
…
Cheng Yaojin had eaten and drank enough and was about to sleep, but his right eyelid kept twitching, making him unable to sleep. He sat up, and the bright moonlight shone into the room, making it bright. His two axes were hung on the
On the shelf on the wall, under the moonlight, except for the ax blade, the rest of the parts seemed to be covered with a layer of dust.
Cheng Yaojin put on his clothes, took the ax off the shelf, and wiped it gently. If his memory was correct, the ax had not drank blood for five years. The last person who died under the ax was
A lieutenant under Li Yuanji, on that bloody night, in order to rescue Li Shimin who was trapped in a tight siege, he split the man into two pieces.
"Old man, I know what you mean, but... I am already old, and I don't know if I will have the chance to fight with you again in this life."
Cheng Yaojin murmured to himself, but before he finished speaking, a burst of chaotic footsteps suddenly came. Cheng Yaojin raised his eyebrows and came to the courtyard with an ax in his hand, shouting: "What happened? Where is the person? Come here!"
"
The butler hurried in and shouted: "My lord, your majesty has an order!"
When the order came at night, Cheng Yaojin knew it would be no small matter, so he immediately said: "Please come quickly!"
When Wei Fu came to the courtyard, he had no time to salute and said: "This is to the Duke of Su, Your Majesty was assassinated and wounded in the valley outside the city. Please send an order to the Duke to lead troops to protect him!"
Cheng Yaojin frowned and said, "Who are you and what is your token?"
"The Imperial Guards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, here is the token." Wei Fu took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, which was Li Shimin's personal belongings. Cheng Yaojin took it from his hand, examined it carefully, and asked: "Where is your Majesty?"
, can the assassin be put to death?"
"His Majesty was recuperating in Xiaoyao Valley in the south of the city. The thieves took advantage of the situation. Fortunately, Zhuluhou fought to the death to protect him, so he was able to escape. There are ten thieves in total. Four are dead and six are injured. They are now being interrogated."
"Zhuluhou? Li Mu?" Cheng Yaojin frowned and thought for a moment, then snorted and said: "This guy is so thick-skinned. He was obviously looking for him. His Majesty was accidentally injured, but he still fought to the death to protect him!"
, now that the matter has come to this, why is it that my old Cheng family is missing?!"
When the housekeeper, porter, and others heard this, they raised their hands and tore off their outer robes, revealing the leather armor underneath. They held their necks and shouted, "The general is here!"
"Beat the drums, order the troops, and go out of the city to escort them!"
"Follow the order!"
The two of them ran out as if they had been given blood. Cheng Yaojin looked at Wei Fu and said, "Are you just here to deliver orders to me? Does your Majesty have any other orders?"
"My lord Huiguo, I have another message for General Hou."
"Hou Junji..." Cheng Yaojin raised a playful smile at the corner of his mouth and said: "Go, I will send a team of personal guards to protect you, don't miss anything."
"Thank you, Lord Guo!" Wei Fu bowed and left. Cheng Yaojin weighed the ax in his hand and looked up at the moon hanging in the sky. He didn't know if he was dazzled, but the cold moonlight unexpectedly reflected a red streak.
side.
…
Wei Fu took Cheng Yaojin's bodyguards out and hurried to Zhuque Street. He pretended that he suddenly remembered something important and handed over the order to Cheng Yaojin's bodyguards, while he got away and performed Qinggong.
, walked through the house and jumped over the ridge, and arrived at Wang Ou's mansion.
Tonight, for some reason, Panda, who usually went to bed early, couldn't be coaxed to sleep. Wang Ou was troubled by this, and at this moment, Wei Fu came. Wang Ou didn't want Pang Da to see Wei Fu, so he asked through the door:
"What happened again?"
"Report to the Saint, the emperor has been assassinated!"
Wang Ou's heart suddenly tightened. He knew that Li Shimin had gone to the valley. When Li Shimin and Queen Changsun left the city in the afternoon, an informant came to report to her. The emperor was assassinated in the valley, doesn't it mean that Li Mu is also in danger?
Wang Ou asked anxiously: "How about Zhuluhou?"
"The Marquis is fine, but the Emperor's wrist is injured."
Wang Ou breathed a sigh of relief.
Across the door, Wei Fu didn't know what Wang Ou's reaction was, so he had to repeat everything he saw.
Wang Ou stroked Panda's fur again and again while listening to Wei Fu's narration. The cold color in her eyes gradually became thicker, and her whole body exuded a cold aura. What was even more creepy was that her pupils actually changed shape.
Three points are not like human eyes, but seven points are like snake eyes. When Panda saw this scene, he was so frightened that he buried his head under the quilt and never dared to show his head again.
"Are you saying that the assassination of the emperor was a lie, but the assassination of my husband is the real thing?"
Wei Fu swallowed his saliva and replied cautiously: "Subordinate, guess, guess."
The room was silent for a long time. Suddenly, Wei Fu heard a very small sound. He subconsciously looked for the source of the sound, and suddenly found a small black snake about two inches long swimming from the beam. It was so black, as if
The night-like color is perfectly hidden inside. If you don't stare carefully, you won't be able to find it.
Weifu recognized the origin of this snake and instinctively tensed up all over. Although this little snake was only two inches long and with his skill, he could crush it to death with his feet, but he did not dare to move at all.
The little snake got in along his trousers.
"Take it with you and ask about the origin of the assassin. No matter who you are, whoever dares to assassinate my husband will not be forgiven."
"A price must be paid!"
…
Heaven and earth.
The elevator squeaked upwards, and Li Yourong brought a cup of tea.
"Boom!"
"come in."
Li Yourong opened the door, brought tea and entered the room. He saw Li Yuan standing by the window. The window was open and the wind blew into the room, making the temperature in the room very low.
Li Yourong put the tea aside, took the bear's coat and put it on Li Yuan, and stood beside him without saying anything.
The voice of the captain scolding the soldiers came from outside the window, which seemed very noisy. But Li Yuan did not look surprised at all, as if he had been accustomed to all this. A quarter of an hour ago, Hou Junji arrived, bringing news and also
soldiers.
There were more than a thousand soldiers around the heaven and earth. They were standing all around and inside. When they left the fifth floor where Li Yuan slept, they were all filled with soldiers.
When there are many people, it is inevitable to be noisy, so some captains scold them, but their behavior makes them even more noisy and annoying.
Li Yuan pointed out the window and said: "When your father died five years ago, it was almost like this. It was a little rainy. I remember it rained that day."
Li Yourong didn't say anything. She was not Li Jiancheng's daughter, she just borrowed this identity. She didn't know what expression she should make in this situation, whether to be gloating or full of sorrow.
She didn't know what to do, so she could only make herself expressionless.
Li Yuan turned around and looked at Li Yourong. Seeing that she had no expression, he sighed and said, "I am really an old fool. I fall in love with every scene and say things that I shouldn't say. Yourong, Grandpa Huang is telling you this,
I don’t want you to hate your second uncle. Their brother’s affairs have nothing to do with you. Your father didn’t raise you, so you can’t bear the blame for him. I just want to tell you that five years ago, things were pretty much the same as they are now.”
Li Yourong saw worry on Li Yuan's face. She couldn't help but wonder, was this old man worried about his son? Was he thinking of Li Jiancheng, or was he worried about Li Shimin?
After hesitating for a while, Li Yourong said, "Second uncle, will everything be okay?"
"He has gone through hundreds of battles in his life." Li Yuan actually smiled and said instead of answering the question: "Son, you have read a lot of books during this time. Have you ever seen in the books, a generation of heroes?
Did a great hero of a generation choke to death on a steamed bun?"
Li Yourong shook his head and thought to himself, even if he choked to death on a steamed bun, how could such a thing be recorded in the history books?
"Even if a hero comes to an end, he will not die at Xiao Xiao's hands. What's more, this time, it's not for him."
Li Yourong was puzzled and blurted out: "It's not because of my second uncle. Could it be because of Li Mu?"
"Isn't that right?" Li Yuan closed the window, sat down, took a sip of tea, and said: "This kid Li Mu is too eager. He actually wants to touch the foundation of those powerful families. He is so anxious that he will jump over the wall."
After all, he is the hero who ended the troubled times. Li Yuan’s understanding of the powerful family is better than that of Li Shimin: "However, this kid Li Mu is not easy to mess with. Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. How could he have suffered such a big loss?"
If you don’t take revenge, just watch, there will be a bloody storm in these few days.”
"Grandpa Huang, do you think he can succeed?"
"Success or failure depends on God's will, the current situation, luck, and more importantly, man-made efforts. I have met countless people in my life, and Li Mu is the most special one. If he doesn't succeed, no one can succeed."
Li Yuan put down the tea cup and said, "You should rest as well. Don't worry about the soldiers, they won't do anything."
"Um."
Li Yourong responded and went downstairs with a tea cup, but she was thinking about her last question. Li Yuan seemed to have answered, but he didn't seem to answer. She really wanted to know whether Li Mu could succeed.
…
After Hou Junji received the order, he turned his mansion into a temporary prison. He took his family generals and soldiers and led the guards on the left and right. He first blocked all the city gates in the southeast, northwest, and then imposed martial law on all the neighborhoods. Then, he began
Conducted door-to-door arrests.
The three provinces and six departments were not under centralized control by Hou Jun, so he had a way. He notified the news, and then sent troops to "protect" all the way to the valley. Wang Wei Zheng was also among them. As for those with lower official ranks than him, they were from a powerful family.
Officials with aristocratic family backgrounds would be embarrassed and could only be invited to the mansion for tea temporarily.
It’s not that there is no resistance, but when the butcher’s knife is raised, the smart people still choose to give up the resistance. Hou Junji is famous for being stubborn and courageous in fighting. To put it simply, my boss asked me to do it.
Whatever, I will do whatever I want. His boss is Li Shimin, and if Li Shimin asks him to arrest people, he will faithfully do it well. If anyone dares to resist, he will chop off a few heads to collect military merit.
Wang and Wei Zheng were in the carriage, under the protection of a group of soldiers, riding towards the valley at night. Wang's face was full of despair at this time. After receiving the news, he felt that he could not survive. Not only did he survive
If it doesn't work, the Wang family in Taiyuan will also be in disaster.
The leader's surname was actually Wang. This was what he had to say out of the mouth of the captain who led the team with great courage. Now he only hoped that the captain was making up nonsense. If it was true,
That would be a real disaster.
Not only did a fast horse pass by, but Wang lowered the curtain and said to Wei Zheng, "This is Li Mu's conspiracy!"
Wei Zheng sneered and said: "Now that things have happened, are words like this still useful? You say yes? I say yes? Now His Majesty is wounded, the assassin has been captured, and there are six alive! Will Your Majesty believe you or not?
Li Mu? Now we can only pray to God and worship Buddha. There must be no children from each family among the six living people. If there is even one, it will be a disaster!"
The king said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty will not fail to consider it. If he takes action against the clan, the world will be in chaos!"
"His Majesty is the founding emperor of the country. He fought in all directions, and more than tens of millions of people died at his hands. Have you forgotten five years ago? If you provoke him, he can't do anything! Will he care about the chaos? Maybe, if there is chaos,
That’s what he wants!”
"No, it's impossible!" The king looked like a drowning man, desperately trying to grab a straw, and tugged on Wei Zheng's sleeve, saying: "It is impossible for your majesty not to care. If he takes action, all the major clans in Shandong will rebel. How could he?"
Kill everyone?"
"Killing them all is not scary, but the scary thing is..." Wei Zheng looked at Wang and said word by word: "I don't know who I will kill!"
Wang's face turned pale and he said, "What do you mean? What do you mean!"
Wei Zheng said coldly: "Let me ask you, what is the crime of assassinating the emperor?"
"The crime cannot be forgiven and the nine tribes will be punished!"
"Your Majesty is merciful and only punishes the culprits. How will each family choose?"
"This..." Wang was just confused, not stupid. After Wei Zhengshao gave some advice, he figured it out. Li Shimin would not easily go to war with the clan, but the clan would be even less willing to go to war with the imperial power. If the fish is dead and the net is broken, he will have to fight tooth and nail.
, but what if the net is open to one side?
As a son of a wealthy family, Wang Tai understands what is going on in a powerful family. The powerful family is not a monolithic entity. On the contrary, the powerful family is a piece of loose sand. If Li Shimin is open to the public, the powerful family will definitely choose to abandon some people and give Li Shimin an explanation.