The last time the two met, Xu Ji was still Lou Ji, and the old woman was still the queen mother, and the meeting was to see if he could be worthy of the daughter of the king of Jibei.

After that, many things happened.

Hearing the word "death", the Empress Dowager was obviously stunned, glanced at the people on the left and right, and asked, "The emperor ...... Go? ”

Most people don't know anything about it, they don't dare to shake their heads in denial, they don't dare to nod their heads in acknowledgement, so they have to move their eyes and look around for someone in the know.

Zhang Shiyu was even more surprised than the Empress Dowager, took two steps forward, came to her grandmother's side, leaned over and whispered.

"Be louder." The old woman said coldly.

Zhang Shiyu was a little embarrassed, and stepped forward and said in a normal voice: "Your Majesty has indeed been killed, the news has just arrived, and we are worried about ......"

"My husband and son are dead, and now it's my grandson's turn, do you think I won't be able to bear it?"

"It's all my fault, it's me who is trying to keep the news from you for the time being." Zhang Shiyu knelt in front of his grandmother's knees.

Seeing him admit his mistake, the Empress Dowager forgave him instead, and sighed lightly, "Who wants to hide the news, I still don't know?" Get up. How did the emperor ......?"

"At present, it is said that he died of illness, but the rumors say that he is inseparable from the Liang and Lan families, and in order to compete for power, these two families will do everything they can."

"It's been messed up like this, they ...... Alas, the Lan family is too disappointing. The Empress Dowager was particularly dissatisfied with her family and burst into tears.

Now that the news has been clear, people on both sides know what they should do, either hold their breath to help their grief, or comfort each other softly to reduce their pain, Zhang Shiyu, as a grandson, has to make an appearance, take the silk handkerchief from the palace maid's hand, wipe her grandmother's tears, and whisper in her ear.

The Empress Dowager finally calmed down again, looked up and saw the young man at the door, and suddenly remembered that there was something important today, and then she was suspicious, and said to Zhang Shiyu: "I don't know about the emperor's death, and the people around me don't seem to know, why does he know?" What did you tell him? ”

"I haven't seen him in days...... I'm also curious, I don't know who leaked the news, I will definitely find out about this matter. ”

Xu Ji had been waiting for a while, and then he said: "The prince doesn't have to check, no one leaked the news, I guessed it." ”

"Guess?" The surprise in the Empress Dowager's heart outweighed the sadness.

"There's also a little bit of 'counting'. I have been watching the sky at night for the past few days, and when I saw the purple microstar suddenly dimming, I knew that the emperor would be disadvantaged. When I came today, I saw that the prince was wearing plain clothes, and there seemed to be sadness on his face, so I guessed that the emperor died in Jiangdong. ”

Zhang Shiyu was indeed wearing plain clothes, but it had nothing to do with Emperor Jiangdong, he came here to confront Xu Ji, denying that his subordinates had participated in the plan to assassinate the father and daughter of the king of Xiangdong, of course, he couldn't dress too fancy, as for the sadness on his face, he was just more honest in front of his grandmother.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her grandson, but she did see something abnormal, and sighed lightly, "It's really hard for you to force a smile." ”

"It is my sin to grieve the old lady."

"One confession is enough." The Empress Dowager sighed again, looked at Xu Ji, and said for a while: "Looking up at the heavens and looking down at the humanities, it seems that you really have some ability." It's a pity that if you don't want to be a loyal minister, you have to be a thief, the greater your ability, the more evil you do. Often, rebellion is just a capital crime, Lou 17, your rebellion, a hundred deaths are difficult to redeem. With the chaos in the world, I will spare you for a while, but you don't know how to be grateful, you don't know how to bow down and introspect, but you have intensified, and you even want to separate the two kings. How did our Zhang family offend you? Is it because of the princess of Wu Kingdom? When she arrives in Yecheng, she is still haunted? ”

Xu Ji was about to speak, but the Empress Dowager had no intention of listening to his defense, and waved her hand: "Take it down, I'll ...... today." I'm going to take a break. ”

Xu Ji was taken back to his original place, and finally someone brought food, and after he ate it, he went to bed and didn't think about anything.

The door sounded, it seemed that someone came in, Xu Ji vaguely heard it, but he was too sleepy, he didn't want to open his eyes, his heart was horizontal, and he followed it with blessings and misfortunes, and he slept by himself.

When the visitor entered the inner room, the curtain sounded, and Xu Ji knew that he couldn't sleep this time, so he struggled to withdraw from the dream, turned over and sat up.

"How are you trapped like this?" Zhang Shiqing asked.

"I was brought into the city overnight yesterday...... What are you doing here? ”

Zhang Shiqing shrugged slightly, "The old lady allowed me to say goodbye to you." ”

"Goodbye?"

"Soon I'll leave Yecheng and go to Saiwai." Zhang Shiqing smiled, "When the matter came, I found that it was not so difficult, He Rongbu sent me a few good horses, and compared my brother's horses to all the horses, they said, when I got to the outside of the Saiwai, there were more good horses in BMWs, I could choose whatever I wanted." ”

"Congratulations." Xu Ji was sleeping in his clothes, put on his shoes, and still sat on the edge of the bed.

"Congratulations too."

"Me?"

"Well, the emperor died in Jiangdong, and the old queen mother was in pain, and she was in no mood to worry about you for a while."

"It is said that the emperor was brought up by the Empress Dowager."

"Not only to bring big, but actually to be big, since childhood, lawless...... Forget it, what do you say he did? The old queen mother doted on him so much, she didn't hide it from each other when she fled, counting on the other party to stay in the eastern capital. Actually, my brother asked me to come, and I asked the old lady for permission, but she was not very happy. ”

"The prince wants to know the truth?"

"Yes, the news of his death has just arrived, and few people know about it, and even I was kept in the dark. After being picked out by you, it has now spread and is known all over the city. ”

"It spread so fast, I just fell asleep."

"My brother was very nervous and thought that someone had deliberately leaked the news, so he asked me to understand."

Xu Ji smiled: "The prince wants me to lead the sin to someone, right?" ”

"I don't care what he thinks, I just want to hear the truth."

"The truth is actually simple: Yecheng sent an army to Huaizhou, and some of the people who were transferred happened to be the guards of the valley, and I saw that they went back safely, so I guessed that the emperor had died."

"That's too easy, isn't it?"

Of course, Xu Ji couldn't confess to "Little Eight", so he said: "Although the two states of Hebei and Huai have formed an alliance, they have not yet fully trusted each other, and even if Yecheng only sends one pawn south, it will arouse suspicion." Therefore, if that army can enter Huaizhou, it must be allowed by the Sheng family, and the two states must do a big thing together. I think about it, those who can make the two states join forces are nothing more than three things, one Qinzhou, two eastern capitals, and three Jiangdong, since it is going south, it must be the third. ”

The major event in Jiangdong is the life and death of the emperor.

Zhang Shiqing still felt that it was too simple, but he was satisfied, "That is, you can come up with so much from this little thing - you just happen to be in the middle." ”

"As long as you guess and try, you can always get one or two hits." Xu Ji said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll tell my brother what you said, and I'll get him sick."

"He should be glad that the prince will soon be enthroned."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Xu Ji smiled, laughing so inexplicably that Zhang Shiqing laughed, "What?" Did I say the wrong thing? ”

"No, it's very ...... to hear you ask, 'Good or bad' Interesting. ”

"Interesting? You know what it means to be interesting? Zhang Shiqing snorted lightly, and suddenly smiled, "A month ago, when my brother became the emperor, I would only regard it as a good thing, and I would not think of a bad thing - well, it's very interesting, but you don't have to be complacent, it's me who is growing up, not that you teach well." ”

"Of course."

The smile on Zhang Shiqing's face gradually disappeared, "You haven't answered me yet?" Is it a good thing or a bad thing? ”

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing for a beggar to get a hundred taels of silver for nothing?"

"I want to say it's a good thing, but there must be a trap hidden in your words, so I won't answer until you explain."

Xu Ji said with a smile: "If a beggar uses this hundred taels of silver to do some business, it is a good thing to turn poor and become rich, if you buy wine and meat, participate in gambling and seek pleasure, and squander it, this is an ordinary thing, if you show off everywhere, it will lead to death because of revealing your wealth, this is a bad thing." ”

"Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, it all depends on my brother and my father, how to choose." Zhang Shiqing thought for a while and said with a smile: "I'm leaving, why bother about this?" Everyone has his own life, and my own life cannot be decided by myself, let alone others. I'm not Huanyan, and I can't help much in this kind of thing. Goodbye. You only escaped for the time being, and when the old queen mother comes to her senses, she will blame you for the emperor's death. ”

Xu Ji lived in seclusion in Yecheng, and the emperor died in Jiangdong, but for the Empress Dowager, if she wanted to find someone to vent her anger immediately, Xu Ji must be the first choice.

"It's okay, I've already been charged with stabbing driving, and I'm not afraid of another one."

"Occasionally, just occasionally, you seem to have some fun, but it may be that I think too much." Zhang Shiqing turned around to leave.

Xu Ji suddenly had an impulse and said, "You are really willing...... Do you want to marry outside the Saiwai? ”

Zhang Shiqing turned around, stared at Xu Ji for a while, and suddenly smiled, "Save yourself first." ”

Zhang Shiqing left, Xu Ji felt sad for a while, but he was also glad that she didn't say anything.

What can change the fate of him and Zhang Shiqing can only be the general trend, and if the general trend does not come, any clever plan is just to suspend the crisis, and it is likely to cause greater trouble.

The general trend is like a pair of stable parents, no matter how much their children want something, they are not in a hurry to do their own thing, according to the financial resources and the established plan, and never give surprises.

As the days passed, Xu Ji was never interrogated again, as if he had been forgotten by the Empress Dowager.

The house is very large, fully furnished, but there are no books and pen, ink, paper and inkstone, Xu Ji is very bored, so he has to recite the books he has read, and when there is no book to memorize, he calculates the time and guesses where the marriage between the lord of Fangde and He Rongpingshan has progressed.

Five full days passed, and Xu Ji was finally "remembered" again.

Sun Yalu pushed the door into the house and said with a serious face: "Young Master Xu, please come with me." ”

Xu Ji was moving his muscles and bones, retracted his hands and feet, and said with a smile: "Qinzhou has news?" ”

Sun Yalu's expression became more and more cold, "Young Master Xu doesn't need to ask more. ”

"Well, I don't ask about it. Lord of Fonde County ......"

"The emperor died in Jiangdong, the whole world mourns, all marriages are suspended, and He Rongbu is willing to wait."

"It's better to marry a princess than to marry a princess." Xu Ji felt an indescribable joy in his heart.

"This matter has nothing to do with Xu Gongzi. You should think carefully about what you can do to make Yecheng let you live again. ”

Xu Ji became more and more convinced that the battle of Xijing had been decided.