Faced with such a question, Feng Qingyang did not give an answer, but only smiled lightly.

"It's your turn. ”

He pointed to the chessboard and said.

Dongfang Shuo looked down at the chessboard, and after being silent for a moment, he also took out a sunspot and landed on the chessboard.

So, the two played more than a dozen hands back and forth.

And when a certain son settled, Feng Qingyang suddenly asked, "Do you know what price I paid to catch the assassin who assassinated His Majesty back then?"

Dongfang Shuo glanced up at him, but shook his head.

So, Feng Qingyang put his hands on both sides of the placket, and with a little force, he opened the placket and exposed his chest.

At this time, Dongfang Shuo saw several rather terrible scars on his chest. These were not caused by sharp weapons, as their shapes did not show the slightest logic, but rather as if they had been corrupted by venom.

Looking at the old wound, Dongfang Shuo's eyes narrowed.

"This is what the poisoner did?"

Dongfang Shuo asked.

Feng Qingyang smiled, and then pulled up his shirt again: "I almost gave my life back then, and because of this, even if I can't really keep that assassin, it's still a great achievement." In other words, my current position was bought with my life. ”

"But what are you telling me this for?" Dongfang Shuo sneered and said, "To show that you are loyal?"

"No, no one in the world can really be loyal to the emperor, it is nothing more than loyal to his own heart. Feng Qingyang said, "Similarly, I am no exception. ”

At this time, Dongfang Shuo raised the sunspot, and after hovering on the chessboard for a while, it fell with a 'click'.

After falling, Dongfang Shuo said: "Then what is in your heart?"

In a word, it is like a heart-wrenching word.

However, Feng Qingyang's face was not moved in the slightest.

"I still really like to play chess with people like you. ”

He said.

Dongfang Shuo was stunned for a moment, frowned and said, "The answer is not what you asked." ”

"No, the answer to you is in this sentence. ”

"What do you mean?"

"If you want to know what it means, why don't you look at the chessboard first?"

Feng Qingyang's face seemed to be smiling.

Dongfang Shuo stared, and finally set his eyes on the chessboard.

Scanning back and forth across the board, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with that.

However, only in a trance, Dongfang Shuo seemed to notice something unusual, so he immediately got up and looked at the chessboard from the side.

Although it was a little crooked, and even looked a little awkward, it was still easy to see that all the sunspots had been connected into one word at this moment.

Disloyal.

"Are you telling me that you are loyal to the Emperor?"

Dongfang Shuo narrowed his eyes.

And Feng Qingyang smiled and said: "As I said, no one in the world is really the emperor, it is nothing more than loyal to his heart, and I am no exception." It's just that I've always wanted a reputation for loyalty. ”

"In that case, you are still trying to rebel?"

"Do you still think I wrote that letter?"

"You didn't write it, but who wrote it?"

"Isn't that you?"

was asked by Feng Qingyang like this, Dongfang Shuo was suddenly speechless.

Looking at Dongfang Shuo's expression at this moment, Feng Qingyang asked, "If it weren't for you, where did you get this letter from, could it be that Your Majesty gave it?"

"Sort of. ”

Dongfang Shuo nodded.

What his words show seems to be that he doesn't know Ji Zhaoning at all, and he doesn't know the existence of Gongzi Zhang. And whether he deliberately acted it out, or he really didn't know, Dongfang Shuo would not take the initiative to disclose the existence of Gongzi Zhang.

At this time, Feng Qingyang leaned back, leaned against the back railing, and said, "No matter where this letter comes from, Your Majesty's meaning has been clearly expressed. ”

Dongfang Shuo was silent and sat back in his place.

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

He stared.

"Ten years ago, the southern part of the empire was in chaos and needed someone to step up and solve this mess. Feng Qingyang said, "And the south connects the two empires, and it can even be said to be one of the few important hubs in southern Xuzhou, once the muddy water in the south is clear, then with all advantages, it is easy to threaten the Longlin Imperial City." Your Majesty, you are going to be wrong. ”

"What if I say that Your Majesty did not doubt this letter at all? That is why Your Majesty wants to kill you. ”

"If that's what you're thinking, you're really wrong. Feng Qingyang said, "There is one thing Your Majesty must know in his heart, that is, even if everyone in the world is against him, I will never oppose him." ”

"How so?"

"It is not modest to say that Your Majesty appreciates my pen and ink and my talent, and to this day I often exchange letters, but I am not known to the world. ”

"How do you prove it's not a lie?"

"The letters are burned, and I can't prove it, and I don't need to prove it. Feng Qingyang said, "I don't say this to beg you to spare me. is still the same sentence, the king wants the minister to die, and the minister has to die. ”

Dongfang Shuo fell silent.

After a while, he asked: "Take 10,000 steps back, if what you said is true, why did Your Majesty kill you? Wouldn't it be boring to kill you and change to a disloyal person in charge of the south?"

"If you insult Your Majesty like this, there are really not many people in the world. Feng Qingyang smiled suddenly, and then looked out the window, "So, Your Majesty wants to change, change this imperial machine that may collapse at any time." ”

Dongfang Shuo did not speak.

Feng Qingyang quickly continued: "Today's imperial machines are too sophisticated, and they are also too old, old things are easy to break, and even if a precision machine only breaks a very small part, it may cause a large-scale collapse. ”

After a pause, he continued, "All parties in the empire are strong and powerful, and it seems that the counties are peaceful, but in fact, the annexation of the forces behind the scenes has been going on for more than a hundred years, and the undercurrent of the imperial wilderness is surging, and it is only under the constraints of the imperial city that they can check and balance each other and prevent changes from happening." ”

"On the other hand, in the imperial city, it is even more than that, even if His Majesty took advantage of the situation to purge the dynasty ten years ago, it is still difficult to cut off the decay of the center of the empire. Outside the imperial city, there are feudal officials who are ready to move, and inside the imperial city are the families who covet the imperial power, but if there is a generation of weak lords, the world of the empire will collapse in an instant. ”

At this point, Feng Qingyang stood up: "The empire needs strength to purge the feudal officials, and my soldiers and horses can become a strong support for the empire." And in addition to strength, there is also an excuse, and if I rebel, the empire will have an excuse. ”

(End of chapter)