It was getting dark, and the rain was getting heavier.

At the end of the long banquet table, the emperor was sitting in the first seat, the queen was close to his side, and on either side sat the people from the city lord's mansion and the emperor's cronies.

"This time I left the palace to see the beautiful scenery of the world, but also followed the queen's wishes, originally I was still a little reluctant, but I didn't know that this way down, but I also found a lot of fun that I can't experience on weekdays," the emperor said, with a slight smile on his face, "This first cup, I respect Empress Qingxuan!" As he spoke, he raised his glass to the queen on the side, but before the queen could make any moves, he said, "But the queen is ill today, so I will drink this cup for her on my own initiative." ”

After that, the emperor raised his glass, drank it all, and then said: "This second cup, I want to respect the ancestors to fight this country, without the efforts of the ancestors, how can there be peace today?" ”

After finishing speaking, he looked around at the crowd at the table, raised his glass again, and said, "Respect the emperor!"

"Respect the Emperor!" Everyone immediately reacted no, and they also raised their glasses and said, and then followed the emperor to drink it all.

"This third cup, I want to pay tribute to the city lord of Suzhou," the emperor paused, "I learned that I am coming to Suzhou, and there is a city lord of Lao, so many preparations have been made." ”

As he spoke, he raised his cup and looked at the city lord of Suzhou who was sitting on the side, and the city lord was not slow to react, and drank this cup with the emperor, looking quite flattered.

"I won't say much next, ladies and gentlemen, don't be restrained today," the emperor said again, and he said these words while he was sitting precariously, but it made the other people tense their spirits, "Just eat and drink to your heart's content." ”

After finishing speaking, he stopped talking, and chatted quietly with the queen, and when the witnesses saw him like this, they slowly let go of their hands and feet and began to eat and drink.

Just when the atmosphere is in full swing -

"Your Majesty the Emperor, I haven't seen you for seven years, and your means of winning people's hearts are becoming more and more sophisticated."

Such a discordant voice sounded, and everyone in the hall followed the voice, only to see a man and a woman walking out of the shadow of the hall, and the two were walking leisurely towards the table.

"Bold! Dare to be disrespectful to the emperor! ”

At the banquet table, they were stunned for a moment, and then they shouted angrily, and the guards also rushed forward to surround the two.

"Why, Your Majesty, you are a noble person who forgets things, and if you haven't seen you for seven years, you may forget us." The man spoke, softly, but so that everyone in the hall could hear it.

"You guys, you guys?!" The emperor was shocked, the cup in his hand shook, and he didn't know that the wine had spilled on the table.

"It seems that the emperor still remembers us 'jumping clowns'", the woman said, "Why don't you invite us to sit down for a drink when we see each other?" ”

"......" The emperor looked at the two of them with a gloomy face, and then waved his hand to signal the guards to retreat, "Please." ”

The two of them sat down under the gaze of everyone, and the attendant next to them also served cups and bowls to the two of them and filled them with wine, and the man took the cup and took a sip, and said meaningfully: "Although the wine is good wine, it is a pity that not all the people present are good people." ”

As soon as these words came out, the temperature in the hall dropped suddenly, and everyone was silent, but their eyes quietly glanced at the emperor.

"What have you come from?" The emperor asked directly.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, we are not here to trouble you, it can even be said that on the contrary, we are here to solve your problems this time."

When the emperor heard this, he didn't speak, but squinted slightly, picked up the wine glass and took another sip of wine.

Haitang also raised his glass to the emperor from afar, and said: "Although many years have passed since this incident, my friend has been wronged until now, for the sake of my friend, I must seek justice and come back." ”

"What are you talking about?" The emperor still has a gloomy face.

"Twenty-two years ago, the emperor was poisoned by the then imperial chef Zhao Wuya, and then Mu Wangfu assassinated you, but unfortunately they didn't expect that there was a group of secret guards around you who only you knew, although the poisoning was successful, the assassination failed," Xiao Yue said on the side, "I'm not wrong, right?" ”

"It is true." The emperor said without being salty, his face was slowly stretching, and he seemed to have regained his composure.

"But don't you think it's strange, Your Majesty, if you really want to kill you, why don't you just put deadly poison in the food?" Haitang turned Xiaoyue's words, "Give you some exhausting medicine, and then send someone to assassinate, although the assassin really can't pay much strength to deal with such a person, but don't give a deadly poison and turn to such a medicine and then send someone to assassinate, doesn't it seem redundant?" On the contrary, it only increases the risk. ”

"......" The emperor's brows furrowed slightly, as if he was thinking.

"It's ridiculous to say, for twenty-two years, the huge palace, the civil and military officials, no one can think of such a simple defect."

Begonia said, took another sip of the wine glass, squinted slightly and enjoyed the mellow fragrance in his throat for a moment.

"Say whatever you want."

The emperor said.

"Your Majesty, don't worry," Xiao Yue sneered, "and listen to us slowly." ”

"I believe that all of you present also know about this," Haitang said quite leisurely, "Twenty-two years ago, the imperial chef Zhao Wuya colluded with Mu Wangfu in a vain attempt to assassinate the emperor and seek power to usurp the throne......"

Twenty-two years ago, at night, King Mu's mansion.

"Lord Wang, everything is ready."

Prince Mu sat at the table and listened to the report of his subordinates.

"In this way, remember, after today, if it is done, we will be the masters of this Qiang country; If not, we are lost dogs, pigs and dogs are not as good! Mu Wang Ye said, his eyes suddenly became sharp, "Therefore, this matter can only succeed, not fail!" ”

"I understand it below!" The servant replied.

Partial Temple.

This is the resting place of the imperial chefs, at this moment, in a certain courtyard.

"Ready?" The man in black asked.

Zhao Wuya smiled slightly and said, "Everything is ready." ”

"If you don't succeed, you will become a benevolent, do you know the seriousness of this matter?" The man in black asked again.

"Nature." Zhao Wuya replied, without much words, and after lifting the box beside him and nodding slightly to the man in black, he strode out of the courtyard.

The box is a supper prepared for the emperor, these days, the emperor seems to have developed the habit of eating the food made by Zhao Wuya every night, but in this meal, there is a little poison, this poison is not fatal, but it will make people exhausted, assassinating the emperor is not his task Zhao Wuya, he just needs to let the emperor have no strength to resist just in case, the drug inspector around the emperor has already been bribed by Mu Wangfu, Zhao Wuya only needs to deliver the food, what happens next has nothing to do with him.

Everything went smoothly as planned, the food was delivered, and Zhao Wuya breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the Bi'an Hall to rest.

In the middle of the night, a figure flashed out of King Mu's mansion, wrapped in a black cloak, and ran through the shadows by the moonlight.

"This is it." This person muttered to himself, in front of him was the Qiankun Hall where the emperor had criticized the folds, and the emperor had been busy until late every night before resting, which also gave them a chance to start.

This person's figure flashed, and he took a few steps to the roof, and after walking along the roof for a while, he stopped, and he knew that going directly from here was the room where the emperor was.

Tiptoeing away a few tiles, the man cautiously jumped down from the gap, just behind the emperor, who seemed to be extremely weak, lying on the table, panting faintly.

The man in black took out the dagger from his waist and tiptoed close to the emperor.

"Dog thief, die!"

With a low shout, the man in black raised his knife and fell—

"Poof......

The head of the man in black was cut off.

The emperor struggled to prop up his body and asked the secret guard who killed the man in black on the side, "Have you found out?" ”

"Back to the emperor, this person is from King Mu's mansion."

"Give it to me...... Surround King Mu's Mansion for me! ”

The emperor hated it.

"Yes," replied the guard, "as for the cook, the Praetorian Guard has already set out to capture him." ”

Ten days later, the Qiankun Palace.

"Emperor Qiqi, all the people who fled from Mu Wangfu have also been killed, and there is no one left in Mu Wangfu."

The emperor nodded slightly, and said to the secret guard: "Thank you for your hard work, that Zhao Wuya...... Let it go, and he will not be allowed to set foot in the imperial city again in the future. ”

"Your Majesty, let him go so easily?" The Dark Guard was incredulous.

"Let it go," the emperor said a little tiredly, "just say to the outside world that the matter is clear, and he has nothing to do with this matter." ”

"But-" The dark guard wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the emperor on the occasion:

"Over the years, I have had few real friends, and although he is just a cook, he has a good conversation with me, and he is one of the few friends I have over the years. Let it go, let it go. ”

"My subordinates understand." The Dark Guard didn't hesitate and replied.

"This is the 'truth' you know," Haitang sneered, "Although outsiders think that Zhao Wuya is innocent, there are still some of you who more or less understand that he also participated in the assassination, and it was only the emperor who spared his life because of his old feelings." ”

Haitang paused slightly, shook his head invisibly, as if he was laughing at something: "Don't you think it's strange, the emperor can kill his brothers and his whole family, but he wants to let go of a cook of unknown origin, or do you actually have suspicions, but you don't dare to say it?" ”

"Let me tell you the truth," Begonia said, looking at the Emperor from afar.

"......" The emperor didn't speak, but he didn't know when his face was gloomy again.

"Let me tell you the facts that no one knows, including the emperor."

Haitang said lightly, word by word, he seemed to be very useful for such an atmosphere.

"The person who poisoned the emperor, although he was the imperial chef, was not Zhao Wuya; The person who assassinated the emperor was not Mu Wangfu. ”