Luodu, inside the Imperial Study.

Hai Zhong walked in from outside and reported to Emperor Guo Chunyu: "Your Majesty, Honglu Temple Qing asks to see you." ”

Guo Chun, who was sitting on the dragon chair, said while reviewing the recital: "Xuan." ”

"Your Majesty has a will, Xuan Honglu Temple Qing will meet you." Hai Zhong walked to the outer hall and said loudly.

"Step, step, step......" A rush of footsteps sounded outside the hall.

"Chen Honglu Temple Qing Yuan Hao see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live." Yuan Hao knelt down and saluted.

"Yuan Qing, is there anything urgent about being so anxious to see me?" The emperor put down the red pen in his hand and asked Yuan Hao.

"Your Majesty, Xirong's envoy Tuoba Tao has been waiting in the post house for five days, and now the people of the entire Luodu know that Xirong sent an envoy to negotiate peace with me, I don't know when Your Majesty will see you?" Yuan Hao reported to the emperor.

"I know, if there is nothing else, Aiqing will step back first!" After hearing this, the emperor's face did not change at all, and he said quietly.

People who can achieve Yuan Hao's position are all masters of observing words and feelings, and when he heard the emperor's words, Yuan Hao understood what the emperor meant.

"No! The minister retired. Yuan Hao said very interestingly.

After Yuan Hao left, the emperor said with a little anger: "Haizhong, prepare a dragon for me." ”

"No!" Hai Zhong gave an order to the little eunuch outside the hall, and came back to report to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the dragon chariot has been prepared. ”

Emperor Guo Chun got up from the dragon chair and left the imperial study under the service of Haizhong, and when Emperor Guo Chun came to the outside of the imperial study, the dragon chariot had already stopped outside the door of the imperial study; To put it bluntly, it is a large sedan chair, but this sedan chair is carried by sixteen people; The whole dragon chariot is very luxurious, it is made of golden silk nan wood, and the dragon chariot is inlaid with gold dragon patterns around it.

The sixteen people who carried the dragon chariot were sixteen very strong eunuchs, these eunuchs were specially trained, and the dragon chariot was very stable and would not shake in the slightest, and the emperor felt no different from sitting on the ground when he sat on the dragon chariot.

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" After Long Yuan was raised, Hai Zhong followed on the left side, asking Emperor Guo Chun.

Guo Chun, who was sitting on the dragon chariot, was silent for a while: "Go to Chengqian Palace!" ”

"Get up, Chengqian Palace." Haizhong shouted at the top of his voice.

Chengqian Palace is the front hall of the harem, and it is also the residence of the current queen, Guo Chun's queen Liu, from the Nanyang Liu family, the Liu family is one of the nobles of the Great Qi, the ancestors of the Liu family once followed the Taizu Emperor to raise troops; At the beginning, Guo Chun was able to become the emperor, and the Liu family contributed a lot.

Today's Nanyang Liu family, under the suppression of Emperor Guo Chun, has signs of decline, but many of the children of the Liu family also serve in the court and localities, and these people are also the backbone of the prince's family.

Outside the Chengqian Palace, the queen led the female officials and eunuchs in the palace; Waiting quietly outside the temple.

After seeing the emperor's dragon chariot, Empress Liu took the lead in making a blessing salute and said, "The concubines see Your Majesty." ”

After the dragon chariot stopped, the emperor got down from the dragon chariot, walked to the queen's side and said, "Concubine Ai, please get up." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." After the queen in the phoenix robe got up, she followed the emperor into the Chengqian Palace.

After the two sat down in the palace, the emperor asked the empress, "Zhan'er, have you been here recently?" ”

"Not yet, the hour is almost coming." Empress Liu brought Emperor Guo Chun a cup of ginseng tea ceremony.

"Recently, the imperial court is in an eventful time, and Zhan'er, as the crown prince, has to bear more."

"The concubine has written it down, and she will tell Zhan'er."

As soon as the two chatted for a while, Hai Zhong came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Niangniang, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is asking to see you outside. ”

"Let him in!" The Emperor said.

After the crown prince Guo Zhan hurriedly walked in, he saluted the emperor and empress: "The son Guo Zhan sees his father and mother. ”

"This is not a court, no need to be polite, sit down!"

"Thank you, father, emperor, and mother."

After the crown prince Guo Zhan sat down, the emperor asked Guo Zhan, "Zhan'er, what do you think of the situation facing the imperial court now?" ”

As soon as she heard that the emperor and the crown prince were going to discuss political affairs, Empress Liu consciously found an excuse to leave the inner hall, and only the emperor and the prince were left in the entire inner hall.

"Father, the emperor, the sons think that the current court can be described as internal and external troubles, and it is difficult." Prince Guo Zhan said.

"Tell me more?"

"Father, the internal worries are the five major feudal kings, and the external troubles are naturally Xirong and Beidi."

"Then how do you think this internal and external troubles should be solved?"

"Erchen thinks that 'if you can't completely solve the problem of the vassal king, it is impossible for the imperial court to draw all its strength to deal with Xirong and Beidi." After the crown prince Guo Zhan finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Emperor Guo Chun.

When Guo Zhan said this, he played a cautious eye with Emperor Guo Chun, and deliberately referred to the five major feudal kings as 'feudal kings'; you must know that there are not only five major feudal kings in the world of Great Qi, but also several small feudal kings, but these small feudal kings are weak and will not pose a threat to the imperial court at all.

The emperor smiled knowingly and said, "Zhan'er, what do you think of Xirong sending an envoy to discuss peace?" ”

"Father, the sons and daughters think that they should reach peace conditions with Xirong as soon as possible to resolve the conflict between our dynasty and the Xirong Khanate in the western Xinjiang. Prince Guo Zhan said.

"Go ahead and say what you think."

The crown prince Guo Zhan glanced at the emperor and continued: "Erchen thinks that after negotiating peace with Xirong, the father should recall the ninth brother back to Luodu, the ninth brother has made great contributions to the imperial court in Yongzhou, and it is time to return to Luodu to enjoy the blessings, as for the soldiers and horses under the command of the ninth brother, they can be incorporated into the imperial army." ”

"What about Beidi? Recently, Beidi can go south? ”

"Father Beidi goes south, it will be easier to solve." The crown prince Guo Zhan said with confidence: "Beidi went south because he went to the winter grassland and encountered a white plague, we can send envoys to negotiate peace with Beidi, it's a big deal to send them some grain and grass, it's really okay to make peace." ”

"Go on, what about after this?"

"After the father and emperor negotiate peace with Xirong and Beidi, the imperial army can first exterminate the king of Zhao, and then the army will go south......"

"Bang!" What the prince Guo Zhan said is rising! The emperor slapped the table aside angrily and said, "This is your strategy to calm the world?" ”

Seeing that the emperor was angry, the crown prince Guo Zhan immediately knelt on the ground and said, "The son lost his words, please atone for his father." ”

"I can forgive you for your sins." The Emperor said angrily, "But how do you want me to forgive you for the crime of colluding with Xijon's envoys?" ”

"Father, son, no; Father, you have wronged your sons. Prince Guo Zhan wept bitterly and kowtowed.

"You really think I don't know anything! Go ahead! How many bribes Tuoba Tao received, to tell the truth. ”

"Father, the son really didn't, he really didn't ask his father to investigate."

"At this time, you still refuse to admit it, do you have to let me put all the evidence in front of you?"

When Guo Zhan heard this, he straightened up with tears on his face, looked directly at the emperor and said: "If my father doesn't believe that even if his son kills his son, even if his son dies, he is not willing to bear the charge of being in a foreign country." ”