When he walked out of the back door of the palace, Zhu Gaoxi was shocked when he saw the sloppy old man who was no different from a beggar.
Others did not recognize this person, but Zhu Gaoxi recognized him at a glance. The person standing in front of him was Wang Rong, the Marquis of Dingxi.
However, whether it was the information he received from the capital or the information returned from Gongchang Mansion, Dingxihou had been implicated in the Nine Tribes, and he himself was beheaded on the spot by the purple-clothed captain.
This, how come this is standing in front of me alive again?
But now, where is the time to ask questions? I looked around to make sure there was no one else around, and hurriedly opened the way to the back door: "Come in, come in first and then talk."
When the guards saw Zhu Gaoxu's nervous look, they all looked respectfully at Dingxihou.
He put away the knife in his hand, watched Ding Xihou enter the back door, and hurriedly closed the courtyard door.
Zhu Gaoxi personally brought Dingxi Hou into the room, washed his face and changed his clothes.
After everyone was sent out, the two sat down opposite each other.
"Master Marquis, how did you escape?" Zhu Gaoxi asked in a low voice as he pushed the hot tea on the table.
There was a hint of sadness in Ding Xihou's eyes and he was silent for a long time.
"Madam sacrificed herself, used white flour as poison, deceived Dongchang's eyes, and gave it to me to take. She also tried every means to persuade the purple-clothed captain to let Dongchang throw our 'bodies' into the wild, and I was able to escape.
life."
"Where's Madam?"
"She used Dongchang's knife to cut her neck and committed suicide."
Zhu Gaoxi stretched out his right hand and patted Ding Xihou on the shoulder: "Master Hou, my condolences."
"Now, I have been convicted of treason. I ran to Le'an Prefecture desperately just to deliver a huge piece of news to the prince."
"Don't worry, Lord Marquis. Now that you have arrived at the palace, the palace will do everything possible to ensure your safety. Although you cannot be allowed to walk around openly and openly, your life can definitely be protected. Whether there is news or not, it doesn't matter."
Zhu Gaoxu pretended to be nonchalant.
But Ding Xihou knew that the punishment for treason was to implicate the nine clans.
And once the imperial court discovers that he is hiding himself, even the current prince, who is the King of Han, may be in danger of his life.
If Zhu Gaoxu can take him in, it's not certain what he will do next.
Although he had some contact with Zhu Gaoxu before, it was not as much as he was willing to do to protect himself at the cost of a thorough investigation of the palace.
The biggest reason why he came all the way to Le'an Prefecture was that Zhu Gaoxi had his right hand chopped off by the purple-robed captain. He would never let go of this hatred.
Looking at the entire court, the one who wanted to put the purple-clad captain to death and had the strength to put him to death was none other than the King of Han Dynasty, Zhu Gaoxi.
Before he turns himself over to the court to claim credit, he must give out information he thinks is worthwhile.
"Your Majesty, I have worked hard to come to the palace just to deliver news. This news is huge news for both the prince and the court."
Dingxi Hou said slowly.
"Oh?" Zhu Gaoxi smiled slightly, "Since the Marquis said it so seriously, then I will listen."
"The captain in purple clothes is the son of Lan Yu, Duke of Liang Kingdom."
"What? Lord Marquis, you can't say this casually." Zhu Gaoxi stood up immediately.
Even if you seek asylum, this kind of joke is still not allowed.
The case of Liang Guogong was one of the four serious cases of the Ming Dynasty.
Not to mention that the number of people implicated was as high as 15,000. This case made future generations evaluate Taizu and also dimmed the halo of a wise king.
"My wife and I tried every possible means to stage a painful plot, just to prevent this secret from being tightly covered by Dongchang. Lan Yu's youngest son not only survived, but also became the only purple-clad captain in the Ming Dynasty. Even Lan Yu's subordinates
, General Zhang Jingtian, the original commander of the Left Army, is also alive, and they are together."
Zhu Gaoxu half-opened his mouth: "So, the purple-clothed captain killed the nine tribes of the Marquis in advance to avenge his private revenge?"
Dingxihou nodded: "They killed my Dingxihou family this time. Who will they attack later? Maybe it's the people related to the Lan Yu case back then, or maybe their target is the royal family."
"Master Marquis, do you have any evidence that the purple-clothed captain is Lan Yu's youngest son?" After a moment of silence, Zhu Gaoxi asked.
In the past, I was arrogant and did whatever I wanted. How much harm did I suffer?
Although he was a prince and still maintained the title of King of Han, he was expelled from the capital by his father and had his right hand chopped off by the purple-robed captain. This was not what a prince should experience.
In my current situation, protecting yourself wisely is the best way to go.
Although this news can kill the purple-clothed captain with one blow, the prerequisite is that the father believes it.
If he rashly submitted this news to his father without providing any evidence, his father would probably think it was fabricated and slander the purple-clothed captain.
The already bad impression I had in front of my father would become even worse.
There is a possibility that he will never be able to enter the capital again in his life.
If Dongchang gets this news, how will the purple-clothed captain deal with him?
Are you going to suppress yourself further by linking yourself to Ding Xihou's crime of rebellion?
There is no evidence, so I can only keep this news in my heart first.
"No." Ding Xihou shook his head, "Everyone in the Hou Mansion who knew about his life experience was killed by him."
"This is very difficult to handle. Without evidence, even if this news reaches my father, it has no credibility. At most, it will only make my father a little suspicious," Zhu Gaoxu said.
"With the emperor's suspicious character, this suspicion will expand infinitely in his heart, and the purple-clothed captain will eventually be completely pulled down by the emperor using other reasons."
Seemingly seeing a glimmer of hope, Ding Xihou said hurriedly.
"The Purple-clothed Captain is now an invincible sword in the hands of my father. Even if my father is suspicious and there is no conclusive evidence, he will only be dealt with when he is completely useless. And if I send this news, before my father
What fell there is an impression made out of nothing to slander Dongchang. If Dongchang follows the clues and finds out the palace, the Marquis may not be able to hide in the palace."
Zhu Gaoxu shook his head.
"In Dongchang, there are many people who know the true identity of Colonel Ziyi. If the prince can get a Colonel in Dongchang, he can put him to death."
Ding Xihou continued.
Zhu Gaoxu laughed: "Master Hou, you are so blinded by hatred. The purple-clothed captain is the youngest son of Liang Guogong. It is such an important matter. He can let others know it casually. Even in the East Factory, his identity is known.
The person must have had a deep relationship with him. Not to mention that we won’t get this kind of person, even if we secretly use our hands and feet to get it by force, they won’t say anything about it.”
Ding Xihou smiled awkwardly, realizing that it was indeed due to hatred and lack of consideration.
"Your Majesty is right. This matter is of great importance. Once it is revealed, we have not yet figured out how to bear the turmoil it will cause. However, as long as Your Majesty can regain the Emperor's trust, this matter will be much easier to handle.
.”
"How difficult it is to gain my father's forgiveness and regain his trust. If I had known how to restrain myself before, I wouldn't have been able to reach this point now. The impression in my father's heart has long been ingrained. If I want to change it, it cannot happen overnight.
." Zhu Gaoxu said.
At present, the only shortcut is to hand over Dingxi Hou to the imperial court.
One is to hold Dongchang accountable for his poor handling of the case, which allowed Dingxihou, who had committed the crime of rebellion, to escape alive. The other is to use this great achievement to regain the respect of his father.
However, this approach requires sacrificing Ding Xihou. Will he cooperate?
The wily Dingxihou saw through Zhu Gaoxu's thoughts at a glance.
"Your Majesty, now that the matter has come to light, I have fulfilled my wish to reveal the true identity of Colonel Ziyi. Hiding weapons secretly is also a fact. I will not be able to escape death wherever I go. What's more, all my family members have been betrayed by Colonel Ziyi.
Kill me, I have no intention of living in this world anymore, it is better for the prince to hand me over to the court. I can make a great contribution and gain the respect of the emperor. With my escape, Dongchang's crime of dereliction of duty will be confirmed."
Ding Xihou stood up and said with determination.
"Master Hou, how can I bear to do this?" Zhu Gaoxu said pretending to be reluctant.
"The matter has come to this, we have no choice. As long as the prince can find a way to kill the purple-clothed captain, my death will be worth it."
Standing up, Zhu Gaoxi walked back and forth in the room a few steps, seeming to have spent a lot of effort before making a decision.
"Don't worry, Lord Marquis. Even if you die, I want you to die in a proper place and let the captain in purple be buried with you."
Dingxi Hou smiled bitterly and nodded: "Thank you, Your Majesty."