Guo Chong opened his mouth full of blood, pointed at the few people in front of him and shouted and cursed, his voice was terrible. Then he collapsed from his chair and slowly slid to the ground, leaving him breathless.

Lu Zhongtian, Guo Xu and the others watched all this in horror, and after Guo Chong fell for a long time, Lu Zhongtian said to Zhao Yuankang in a dumb voice: "Go...... Let's take a look...... What happened to the emperor? ”

Zhao Yuankang hurriedly stepped forward cautiously, Guo Chong covered his cheeks with messy hair, Zhao Yuankang reached out to brush away the messy hair, and suddenly jumped up in fright. I saw Guo Chong's eyes wide open and staring at him, with blood stains on his face, like a ghost.

"Useless stuff!" Lu Zhongtian scolded.

Zhao Yuankang had the courage to probe Guo Chong's snort, but found that he had already died of exhaustion.

A generation of emperors, once cherished the ambition of an emperor through the ages, was determined to reform the evils of the times, and worked hard to make the Great Zhou Dynasty rejuvenate and prosper. In this bloody twilight, he vomited blood and died, and he died without seeing it.

Guo Chong is not a good emperor, he is suspicious and soft, unwilling to take responsibility, likes to play with the art of imperial balance, and is too concerned about the royal face and indecisive. However, he had selfish intentions and caused long-term chaos in the imperial court. The Great Zhou reigned under him for several years, and there was almost no time of peace. However, I have to admit that Guo Chong still has its merits. He wants to change, he wants to do something, he is also very smart, he knows the reasons for many things, and he is also kind of and tolerant. When Da Zhou arrived in his hands, it was actually difficult to continue, and he had accumulated a lot of disadvantages. It is obviously wrong to put all the blame on him alone, he is just a driver on the road to the decline of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although he tried very hard to prevent the Great Zhou from sliding into the abyss, he did have limited intelligence, his character was not resolute enough, and he lacked the courage to move forward.

What's even more unsuccessful is that in the matter of the crown prince, he committed a big taboo. Unable to conform to the main forces in the court, Guo Xu, the king of Huai, and unwilling to go against his own preferences to establish his eldest son Guo Mian according to the rules of his ancestors, he fell into wandering at the beginning. His ambiguous attitude fueled Guo Xu's ambitions, and also made the courtiers who were originally in a wait-and-see posture fall to Guo Xu's side, resulting in them having no choice, and in the end they could only stumble to the end.

The recklessness of Guo Xu, Lu Zhongtian and others is not so much because of their inflated ambitions, but because they have come to an end, and there is no way back. Guo Chong is to blame for this series of tragedies.

After confirming Guo Chong's death, there was a brief silence in the dormitory. Lu Zhongtian, Guo Xu and others are not untouched. Guo Chong is Lu Zhongtian's son-in-law, and Lu Zhongtian's daughter Lu Mei is Concubine Mei's mother. Putting aside this layer of relationship, in terms of the relationship between monarchs and ministers, before and after Guo Chong ascended the throne, Lu Zhongtian and him were still good friends with monarchs and ministers. Guo Chong also has great respect for Lu Zhongtian. People like Lu Zhongtian, although they are in high positions and powers, have many enemies, and almost every day someone says bad things about him, reports the mistakes of the people around him, and impeachment of Lu Zhongtian also happens from time to time. But Guo Chong actually didn't care about these things, and he also relied on Lu Zhongtian very much. As long as Lu Zhongtian raised the big and small affairs, there was basically no rejection.

The rift between the two sides actually started when the law was changed, but it wasn't really too much of a feud. The only thing that Lu Zhongtian was dissatisfied with was that letting Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru enter Beijing to change the law was actually weakening his power. He was a little dissatisfied with Guo Chong's approach, believing that it was Guo Chong's distrust of himself. If the emperor really wants to change the law, why can't he do it. Although he opposes the change of the law, it is not because of the change itself, but because of people and power.

Therefore, in fact, the relationship between Lu Zhongtian and Guo Chong, as well as between the monarch and the minister, is actually generally harmonious. But now that Guo Chong is dead, it can be said that he was forced to die by himself, and he was angry with the usurpation action planned by himself. Lu Zhongtian still felt a little sorry and sad in his heart.

For Guo Xu, after the exuberant murderous madness, he also slowly returned to rationality. When Guo Chong died, he suddenly realized that the dark clouds above his head seemed to disperse, but in fact, his backer had also fallen. His father and brother were killed or forced to death by themselves at this dusk, although no one seemed to stop him from ascending to the throne, but he seemed to have become a helpless orphan. This feeling of suddenly becoming a lonely person made Guo Xu panic.

Although he didn't let himself be the crown prince, his love and teaching for him over the years, and the bits and pieces of getting along with him came to his heart irrepressibly. Guo Xu suddenly collapsed, collapsed on the ground and cried loudly. The cry naturally had the sadness of wailing the death of his father, but at the same time, there was also the excitement and apprehension that was finally unhindered, and it contained all kinds of indescribable emotions.

"His Royal Highness King Huai, let's mourn and change, this is not the time to cry. When the emperor dies, you will have to take on the responsibility of the world, and you must start this matter immediately. There's still a lot of work to be done. Wu Chunlai comforted beside him.

Guo Xu just wailed, couldn't stop crying, and didn't get up.

Lu Zhongtian wiped away the cloudy wetness from the corners of his eyes, and shouted in a deep voice: "Guo Xu, don't cry." There are so many things waiting for us to do, and now is not the time to cry. The emperor died, and things were much more troublesome. Now you have to find the jade seal quickly, otherwise you won't be able to issue the holy decree of succession. Don't get me up yet. ”

Guo Xu stopped his sad voice and slowly got up. stepped forward to stare at Guo Chong's remains, wanting to reach out to close Guo Chong's eyes, but he didn't dare to reach out. Seeing this, Zhao Yuankang tore off a curtain and stepped forward, Guo Xu took the curtain and covered Guo Chong on his body.

"Lu Xiang, Your Highness, I will take someone to search for the national seal." Wu Chunlai said.

Lu Zhongtian nodded and said, "Go quickly." ”

Wu Chunlai left quickly, and Lu Zhongtian turned his head to Zhao Yuankang and said: "Yuankang, you personally go out of the palace, first, to see the movement outside, and second, to announce Yang Jun's entry into the palace in the name of the emperor." By the way, the news of the emperor's death must not be leaked, and strict precautions must be taken inside and outside the place, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. ”

Zhao Yuankang said in a deep voice: "Obey orders!" ”

After Zhao Yuankang left, Lu Zhongtian walked up to Guo Xu, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Guo Xu, don't be sad. The emperor said that Da Zhou is going to die, so you have to show him. You want to revitalize the Great Zhou, as long as you can revive the Great Zhou, the emperor will forgive you under the spring. Think about Li Shimin, when the Xuanwu Gate changed, he was also despised and scolded by the people of the world, but Li Tang Shengshi was created in his hands. When he is mentioned now, people will only praise him as an emperor through the ages, a wise and martial emperor, who will remember that he once killed his brother and forced Li Yuan to abdicate? As the so-called monarch of the country, he should think of the country, and the son of heaven is not bound by the norms of human ethics. Got it? ”

Guo Xu's eyes shone brightly.

Lu Zhongtian said softly: "So, don't think too much. This has come to this, and there is no way back. Only forward. Got it? ”

Guo Xu said in a deep voice: "I understand. ”

Wu Chunlai led people to conduct a carpet search in the Yanhe Palace, and from the mouth of the chamberlain, he learned that the national seal was kept in the hands of Qian Delu, and it was stored in the secret room of the treasury where only Qian Delu had the key. So Wu Chunlai rushed to the warehouse to check as soon as possible.

The storeroom was not locked, but closed tightly from the inside, and could not be pushed open from the outside. It's obviously tied from the inside. Wu Chunlai thought at first that there was an attendant or palace maid hiding in, so he ordered someone to break the door bolt and rush in. However, the storeroom was empty, and a narrow chamber was found in the wall of the storehouse's side, with the lid of a bronze niche open and empty. I searched the treasury and didn't find the national seal. Wu Chunlai had a foreboding.

Wu Chunlai did not give up, and searched everywhere, the emperor's study, and the spring and summer pavilions everywhere, but they all returned in vain. In desperation, I had to come back in frustration to report.

"Your Highness, Lu Xiang, there is no trace of that national seal, and it seems that I am afraid that I have escaped from the palace with that Qian Delu at present. How good is that? ”

Guo Xu said angrily when he heard this: "Qian Delu, a dog minion, ran away, and took away the national seal, which is simply hateful." Without the national seal, how can you draft the decree and pass on the throne? What to take to stamp the Great Seal? ”

Lu Zhongtian frowned and thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "If you really don't have the jade seal, it will indeed be a little troublesome. If the edict of succession does not cover the jade seal, the officials will be suspicious. But to try to stop us in this way is also wishful thinking. Ordered someone to carve another one overnight. When spring came, he immediately summoned the best jade workers in the capital into the palace and ordered them to carve a jade seal overnight. As long as the handwriting on the stamp is the same as the handwriting on the decree. ”

Wu Chunlai said: "It's not difficult, but it's just that I have to delay the time, I'm afraid that there will be many dreams at night." ”

Lu Zhongtian said: "Don't be afraid, the old man will go to see Yang Jun in a while and have a showdown with him." As long as Yang Jun joins, he can mobilize troops and horses to blockade the entire city. The situation is under control. Early tomorrow morning, you can convene the ministers to read the edict of succession. But you're right, until then, one must not make any more mistakes, and the other is to keep a close eye on the movements in the city. Especially...... The movement of Liang Wangfu and Lin Jue. Once they know about the things in the palace, they are afraid that they will cause chaos. In fact, they are not afraid of chaos, they don't have much strength, but I am worried that they will run away with oil on the soles of their feet. How could they run? After the new emperor ascended the throne, he was about to attack them. The old man's old and new accounts with King Liang and Lin Jue should also be calculated. ”

Guo Xu nodded and said, "Yes, you must not let him escape, you have to block all the city gates." The first thing I did after I ascended the throne was to cut off Lin Jue's dog's head. Today, all of this is forced by Lin Jue to make me an unfaithful and unfilial person, I want to execute him in the market and behead all the people in his Lin family. and my imperial uncle and Guo Kun, they are not good things, they must be destroyed together, and they will never be troubled. ”