Also retreating was King Li Jun, and as soon as the people left, Emperor Mingwen looked at Chu Yunning: "Where is Princess Yu'an?"

"Imprisoned in the Chu family. ”

"And who was that?"

"Just a betrayer, don't mention it. "Chu Yunning didn't pursue the identity of the fake princess just now, but Gong Cheng was relatively weak-minded, so this matter was brushed aside.

Emperor Mingwen looked at her: "If the four countries join forces to attack the southern end, are you afraid?"

His tone was very soft, not serious at all, as if he was talking about a very light matter, Chu Yunning hesitated for a moment: "I have seen such an example in a book, there are a total of seven countries on the map, and later they were unified by a person named the First Emperor, and the six countries became one country, if the plan is used well, it may not be hopeless." ”

Yunlan Guo and his relatives had impure motives, and this war was inevitable.

Emperor Mingwen was surprised: "Where have you seen such a strange book. ”

"It's just idle to have nothing to do, is the emperor afraid?" Chu Yunning asked rhetorically, he is now a normal person, and he should not have any scruples.

Emperor Mingwen hesitated for a moment.

At this time, there was a report from outside the door, it was King Xiao who came.

Remember https://m in a second.

I haven't seen King Xiao for a long time, Chu Yunning almost forgot the existence of such an ex-husband, since King Xiao and Princess Weiwu got married, their behavior and style have changed greatly, and the thin horses in the house have also been sent away by Princess Weiwu, and Yingying Yanyan has all disappeared, controlling King Xiao's temper step by step.

At the beginning, King Xiao's mansion was full of trouble, and King Xiao was very unconvinced, but he couldn't do anything about the mighty princess.

The guards in the courtyard are all the dowries of the mighty princess, and if the princess is unhappy, she will not even allow King Xiao to come out.

After a chance drunkenness, the two got married, and unconsciously developed their feelings for each other by leaps and bounds.

King Xiao's reputation has gradually improved, and the Queen Mother is full of praise for Princess Weiwu and has given a lot of rewards.

After a while, King Xiao walked in, and his face was a little more solemn: "Brother Huang, the younger brother knows that the imperial court is the time to employ people, and the younger brother is willing to share the burden for the imperial brother." ”

Emperor Mingwen was very satisfied with King Xiao's performance for a while, so his attitude towards him also improved a lot, and he raised his hand in the air: "Get up, look at the people and feel a lot more energetic, how is the princess lately?"

Hearing this, King Xiao showed an unnatural flush on his face, scratched his head and said, "Brother Huang, she is a month pregnant. ”

"Really?" Emperor Mingwen was overjoyed.

"I just found out this morning, and Weiwu said that the court is the time to employ people, and the younger brother is the prince, and the king should share the worries and solve the problems for the emperor, so let the younger brother enter the palace and see if there is anything that can help. Xiao Wang said.

Chu Yunning's eyes were about to pop out, the former King Xiao was not like a hairy young man who was just beginning to fall in love, and he was a middle second prince with low emotional intelligence.

The ability of this mighty princess really opened her eyes, and it seems that this step is the right one.

"Don't worry, if there is anything, I will be the first to inform you, but Weiwu is already pregnant with the heir of the royal family, and at this time, you need someone to accompany you, so you should accompany you well. ”

Emperor Mingwen waved his hand and gave some precious supplements, as well as gold and silver jewelry, to Princess Weiwu very generously.

"Another day, the younger brother brought Wei Wu over to greet the royal brother. ”

"No need, she's so heavy that she should stay in the house to recuperate, you and my brother, I won't be picky. Emperor Mingwen said.

"Brother Chen, thank you for your compassion. After speaking, King Xiao turned his head and looked at Chu Yunning and said: "Weiwu asked this king to bring a message to Chu Shang Palace, thank you Chu Shang Palace for the tonics, and I will personally thank you for waiting for the time." ”

"The prince is polite, congratulations to the prince. ”

After all, he is Beibei's biological father, King Xiao can live on the right track, she is also happy for King Xiao, King Xiao's attitude has also been much more restrained, and he has become polite, and said to Emperor Mingwen: "The younger brother has not entered the palace to visit the queen mother for several days, and the younger brother has gone to the Cihe Palace first." ”

"Go ahead, remember to say hello to me. ”

"Yes. ”

......

Celebration feast

Emperor Mingwen sat on the top seat, overlooking the ministers, and there were delicious food and wine in front of the table, but the people present did not have the heart to eat.

After a while, someone asked about the frequent small actions of King Huai and the Four Kingdoms in private, and Emperor Mingwen threw his eyes to the palace prime minister: "What does Xiangye think?"

The prime minister of the palace immediately got up: "Forgive the old minister for being incompetent, I don't know what to do for a while, and the old minister also wants to hear what you mean." ”

At this moment, Tobe Shangshu stood up: "Your Majesty, the gold mine has just been mined, if the four countries start a war immediately, even if there is a gold mine, it will not be enough to support the treasury, and there is also the purchase of grain and grass, the current situation is not good for us." ”

The military department Shangshu nodded approvingly: "The soldiers and horses are not enough to have the experience to resist the enemy, and the grain and grass are also the top priority, half a year ago, the southwest and northeast encountered floods and droughts, and the harvest was limited, our only way is to do everything possible to delay, wait for the gold mining, the crops, and the newly recruited soldiers and horses to train to resist the invasion." ”

"Your Majesty, what the two Shangshu said is very true. Prime Minister Gong nodded, his face was embarrassed: "Since ancient times, food and grass have been the top priority in wars, and the soldiers can't eat enough, so where do they have the heart to fight." ”

"Your Majesty, can we send the princess to make peace and ease the tense atmosphere?" someone proposed.

Emperor Mingwen currently has only one princess under his knees, but the princess is only a few months old, and she must not be able to go to harmony, so she can only choose a daughter of the right age from the family of the prince and minister to marry the princess and marry other countries.

When the words fell, several families with suitable daughters lowered their heads one after another, for fear of being noticed, and fools knew that going to kiss at this time was tantamount to death.

"What does Xiangye think of this method?" Emperor Mingwen kicked the ball to the Prime Minister of the Palace, waiting for him to offend people.

Prime Minister Gong hesitated for a moment: "This move can only be a decision." ”

Many people breathed a sigh of relief, secretly feeling fortunate that their daughter had escaped, but Emperor Mingwen said: "It's not a bad idea to make a decision, just be prepared, and the task of selecting the princess will be handed over to Xiangye." ”

This is definitely an offending thing, the palace prime minister's brows are twisted to kill a fly, and he sighed in his heart: "Your Majesty, the old minister is blind, and he may not be able to choose a suitable princess, so I implore the emperor to choose someone else to take on important responsibilities." ”

Emperor Mingwen once again scolded the old fox in his heart, he really refused to eat at all.

"Ahem!" King Li was suddenly choked by the wine, and at this time, everyone's eyes focused on King Li Jun, and the palace prime minister immediately said: "Didn't the emperor canonize the two county kings today, how about promoting the princess, the old minister heard that the two county lords are famous in the capital, and they will definitely be qualified for the position of princess." ”

King Li Jun panicked, got up and walked around the table, and knelt on the main hall: "Your Majesty, no, the two children are not sensible, they have not seen much of the world, and it is difficult for them to take on this responsibility." ”

"The king of the county is modest, if there is a woman under his knees, as long as the court can use it, even if it is a sword mountain and a sea of fire, the prime minister can only endure the pain and cut his love. ”

Prime Minister Gong said that the righteousness is awe-inspiring, and it is difficult not to praise it.

Emperor Mingwen immediately raised his glass: "Xiangye is loyal, it is my blessing to have a loyal minister like Xiangye at the southern end, and I respect Xiangye with a glass of wine." ”

After saying that, he drank the glass of wine and drank it all.

All the officials of the court raised their wine glasses and stood up, raised their wine glasses to the palace prime minister and drank them all, and the palace prime minister modestly raised the wine glass; ”

With the palace prime minister taking the lead in making comparisons, King Li Jun knelt on the main hall and looked very embarrassed, so he could only change his words and say: "The last general will thank the emperor for the little girl's attention, if there is a place at the south end that needs a little girl, the little girl is not to be resigned." ”

So, Emperor Mingwen decreed that the two of them were promoted to princesses.

"Thank you, Emperor!" Li Jun Wang Tie said thank you with a blushing face, and looked at the palace prime minister meaningfully when he stood up, aren't the two of them allies, why are there still infighting.

Prime Minister Gong didn't want to see King Li Jun at a glance now, as soon as he saw him, he remembered the gold mine, and now he decided that no one would believe it, it is not difficult to rule out whether King Li Jun is the emperor's person, maybe King Li Jun is just acting.

I have thought of countless possibilities, and now the palace prime minister would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let go of one, and the candidate for the princess has been decided, and the hundred officials present look like they have escaped, and they breathe a sigh of relief.

"There is a lower policy, but what about the middle and upper strategies?" Emperor Mingwen asked in a deep voice.

Hubu Shangshu said: "Wechen thinks that the middle strategy is to find allies with good exchanges, resist the invasion together, and then wait for the opportunity to fight, and it is not only us who are recuperating, but other countries also need to prepare soldiers, horses, and grain and grass." ”

"That is, instead of being scared all the time, it's better to give it a go, it's a big deal and a life. "The generals advocate war, saying that their blood is boiling, and they are eager to start a war immediately.

"This war is so easy to fight, not to mention the cost of food and grass, but also the innocent people will suffer. ”

The civil officials advocated peace, and soon quarreled with the generals, and suddenly the two factions fought over the main hall.

"A bunch of cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death!"

"A bunch of reckless and reckless men!"

Emperor Mingwen didn't stop, poured a glass of wine slowly, and ate with a pair of chopsticks in good spirits.

After waiting for about half an hour, a group of people were tired of arguing, panting, sweating on their heads, and their voices gradually weakened.

Emperor Mingwen put down his chopsticks unhurriedly, and searched for hundreds of officials: "If you don't worry about food and grass, can you fight this battle?"

Hubu Shangshu immediately stood up, "If the food and grass are not worried, Weichen thinks that this battle can be fought, and it must be fought as soon as possible, and the other party cannot be given a chance to breathe, maybe now the four countries are still waiting, once united, we will be in a passive position." ”

"Weichen also thinks that Shangshu's words are reasonable, we should think now, some countries can fight, some countries can make peace, as long as the four countries do not practice and the cooperation collapses, we will have a chance. ”

This sentence reached Emperor Mingwen's heart, and Emperor Mingwen gave the official who spoke an appreciative look: "Aiqing is reasonable!"

"Yunlan Kingdom, Zhuxi Kingdom, Zhao Kingdom, Lian Kingdom, which one do you think can be fought and which one can be harmonious?" Emperor Mingwen asked in public.

The officials present stopped talking for a while, and said everything, and the palace prime minister's concern was not this, but asked: "The emperor just said that there is no need to worry about grain and grass, and the old minister is very curious, is there enough grain and grass?"

The word grain and grass was like a big stone pressing on the heart of the prime minister, and for some reason his eyelids were beating fast, and he had an ominous premonition.

At this time, General Chu said in a deep voice: "Xiangye, don't worry, I found several huge granaries on the way back, with grain and grass and cotton clothes needed by the soldiers, which are enough to supply the rations of the 100,000 army for half a year. ”

Prime Minister Gong's heart sank, his face was a little unnatural, and he asked unrelentingly: "Where did General Chu find out, why have you never heard of it?"

General Chu looked at Prime Minister Gong's face and smiled: "Xiangye doesn't need to inquire where the granary is, he just needs to remember that it is not a problem to supply the three armies." ”

Hearing him say this, Prime Minister Gong's uneasiness became stronger and stronger, and he said with a smile: "The prime minister is just worried that General Chu will be blinded by the blindfold, so to speak, General Chu has personally checked that those grains and grasses are true, and the prime minister wants to know who is so bold and dares to hoard such a large amount of grain and grass." ”

This topic led to General Chu, forcing him to tell how the grain and grass were discovered.

"Speaking of which, this person also has a bit of a relationship with Xiangye, Jiang Zhihe, the commander of Jiangzhou, he forcibly requisitioned grain, and the people around him complained bitterly, and it happened that someone sued me, and only after tracing did he find the granary. ”

As soon as Jiang Zhihe said the three words, Prime Minister Gong's brain exploded, and his face turned pale,

I couldn't suppress the fishy smell that was surging up in my body, I squirted out with a pop, and my body shook and fell to the seat, and I didn't come to my senses for a long time.

"Xiangye?" Emperor Mingwen shouted.

For a long time, Prime Minister Gong raised his eyes to meet the eyes of Emperor Mingwen, calmly as if he was looking at the eyes of a dead man.

He suddenly understood that today's celebration banquet was his own death, and Emperor Mingwen had no reason and evidence to give him death, if his death was unclear, Emperor Mingwen would not be able to explain to the civil and military officials.

Therefore, Emperor Ming Wen took out his weakness again and again to stimulate him, and made him angry to death in front of the civil and military officials.

In this way, you can get rid of yourself justifiably.

Good calculation!

Prime Minister Gong really underestimated Emperor Mingwen's skills, and he praised and depreciated them secretly, and he planned to divide them, all of which were good means.

"Looking at Xiangye's expression, could it be that he knows Jiang Zhihe?" asked Emperor Mingwen.

All the hope of a person is gone, and the spiritual pillar has also collapsed, and he will lose his fighting spirit in an instant, and he doesn't even want to live.

Prime Minister Gong's final retreat is gone, all his handles are in the hands of Emperor Mingwen, if he doesn't die today, he won't live for a few days, Emperor Mingwen is destined to force him to death.

"Your Majesty, Jiang Zhihe was indeed recommended by the old minister, and the old minister saw that this person had a bit of talent, so he used him as the commander of Jiangzhou, but he never thought that he was so bold. The prime minister of the palace tightly covered his heart, suppressed the surging fishy smell, and said: "Dare to collude with the enemy country and hoard grain and grass without permission, the emperor, this person must be connected with the nine clans to deter everyone, and no longer dare to have the heart of rebellion." ”

Gong Cheng took his last breath and said: "Your Majesty, there are many people who have sinned in the old ministers over the years, and there may be many people who look at the old ministers unpleasantly, but the old ministers have no intention of rebellion, no matter who framed them, I implore the emperor to spare the palace family for the sake of the old minister's conscientious work for many years." ”

At this moment, Gong Cheng confessed, he was no longer strong, for the sake of the children and grandchildren of the Gong family, he could die, but the Gong family could not bear the crime of rebellion.

The palace prime minister stood up slowly, and knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily to Emperor Mingwen: "Your Majesty, half a month ago, the old minister felt unwell, I am afraid it has reached the end of the crossbow, and I implore the emperor to remove the old minister from the post of prime minister and appoint a virtuous person." ”

He admits defeat, not because he is willing, but for the sake of the descendants of the Gong family.

The biggest mistake in this life is not eradicating Chu Yunning, otherwise, he would not be so embarrassed, and he would be unwilling to die.

Emperor Mingwen looked at the prime minister of the palace seriously, and saw that his whole person was decadent, and his eyes were gray: "If Xiangye wants to rest, I can agree, why bother like this, hurry up, my foundation is unstable and I still need Xiangye's assistance." ”

The implication of this is that when the prime minister of the palace is dying, he should explain his forces in public, be loyal to the emperor, and have other thoughts that he shouldn't have.

The palace prime minister gritted his teeth tightly and said: "Your Majesty, the old minister is confused, I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on, you must recognize the reality, don't have thoughts that you shouldn't have, the emperor is a bright monarch, if you are honest, the emperor will definitely not treat you badly, if you move other crooked thoughts, think about your family, there will be no good end." ”

Emperor Mingwen was satisfied when he heard this.

Immediately after that, the palace prime minister fell to the ground with a bang, his eyes staring at Emperor Mingwen, but Emperor Mingwen poured the wine unhurriedly and asked people to ask for a doctor.