Just when Wang Dan hurried to the Great Prison Temple, Li Shou, the Nine Emperors and King of Anping, took the carriage sent by the palace to pick him up and came to Zhengyang Gate.

Come, the person in charge of the order of the palace is the Northern Army under the jurisdiction of Guanglu Temple, but because yesterday Guanglu Temple Qingqin responded to the crown prince Li Wei at the last moment and rebelled, therefore, more than 16,000 soldiers of the Northern Army are now imprisoned in the camp of the Eastern Army, guarded by more than 4,000 fully armed Eastern Army soldiers, and its commander Qin was imprisoned in the third stone prison at the end of the corridor in the prison of the Great Prison Temple, and became the prisoner friend of the fifth prince Li Cheng.

Because of this, the order in the palace is temporarily guarded by Yan Kai, one of the four generals of the Eastern Army, and the 3,000 Eastern Army is on duty.

"Your Highness!" Yan Kai, who had already received a message from the palace, was waiting in front of the Zhengyang Gate, and when he saw the Ninth Emperor Li Cheng getting off the carriage, he immediately asked someone to open the Zhengyang Gate and welcome Li Shou inside.

"There is Deputy General Lao Yan!" Li Shou bowed.

At this time, Wang Ying, the chief eunuch of the inner court, who was waiting at Zhengyangmen, came over and said to Li Shou, "Your Highness Shou, Your Majesty ordered the old slave to wait for Your Highness here, Your Highness, please!" ”

Hearing this, Li Shou frowned and glanced at the old eunuch who had served his father for thirty years, and when he thought that he was about to meet his biological father, Li Ji, the emperor of the Great Zhou, who had not been close for more than ten years, he felt a little uneasy in his heart.

"Why did my father summon Xiao Wang?" On the way, Li Shou asked Wang Ying more than once, but unfortunately, Wang Ying smiled bitterly frequently, but he never spoke, and after several times, Li Shou couldn't continue to ask.

When he walked to the jade steps of the Yangxin Palace, Li Shou was surprised to find that the third prince, Li Shen, was standing in front of the jade railing with his hands behind his back. Smiling at him, it seemed that he had something to say to him.

Sure enough, when the old eunuch Wang Ying led Li Shou to the steps, the third prince Li Shen greeted him, spread his hands, and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiu, relying on the ground is so slow, it's so hard for my brother to wait here!" "Speaking of which. He turned his head to the old eunuch Wang Ying, arched his hand and said respectfully, "Princess, can you wait a while, I have something to say to Xiao Jiu......"

Under Li Shou's puzzled gaze. The old eunuch Wang Ying frowned slightly, lowered his head, and whispered in a slightly sharp tone, "Your Majesty has something to order, it is inconvenient to delay here for too long, and I hope His Royal Highness Shen will ...... as soon as possible."

"Deserve it!" Li Shen saluted respectfully, and then looked at Wang Ying and walked to the front with the two little eunuchs behind him. Only then did he turn around, stretched out his hand and patted Li Shou on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiu looks good today...... Hey? Why do you look at him like this? ”

"Huh?" Li Shou came back to his senses when he heard this. He bowed his hand and said, "I heard a few days ago that the third brother encountered an assassin in his own house, and I can see you today...... Oh, let the third brother laugh! ”

In fact. Li Shou had already learned from the inference of the eldest grandson Xiangyu that his third brother Li Shen was still alive, therefore. Seeing that Li Shen was safe and sound, Li Shou was not very surprised, the question was, why would Li Shen be in the Heart Cultivation Palace, why would he be waiting for him here, this is what Li Shou was surprised about.

Glancing at Li Shou deeply, Li Shen smiled slightly, as if he had thought of something, but he never said anything, and said with a smile following Li Shou's words, "Xiao Jiu is so worried about his brother's safety, and he is very fortunate for his brother, how can he meet and laugh?" Speaking of this, he paused, looked at Li Shou and said inexplicably, "Fang Cai, my brother has already met his father, and after listening to the meaning of his father's words, it seems that he intends to pass on the throne to Xiao Jiu ......."

Suddenly, Li Shou's heart tightened, and his face showed a little nervousness, because he couldn't figure out the purpose of Li Shen's words.

After thinking for a while, Li Shou reluctantly smiled a little, and said, "Maybe the third brother misunderstood, maybe the younger brother is pampered, he is ridiculous in his studies, and he is not as good as your brothers in terms of talent and prestige, how can my father pass the throne to my younger brother?" ”

As soon as the words fell, the third prince Li Shen suddenly laughed, only to laugh so that Li Shen felt weak.

"Xiao Jiu," exhaled, the third prince was facing the jade railing, looking at the vast palace square, and said with a smile, "Until now, Xiao Jiu is still saying this, it seems that my two brothers are a little angry, isn't it?" ”

"The younger brother doesn't understand what the third brother means......"

"Do you really not understand?" The third prince, Li Shen, turned his head, looked at Li Shou, and said with a smile, "At present, we are waiting for the situation of the brothers, the crown prince Li Wei died in the rebellion last night; The fifth Li Cheng has been imprisoned in the Great Prison Temple and died nine times for life; The fourth Li Maoshang is still in northern Xinjiang and has no time to rush back; The eighth Li Xian is still unconscious in Tai Hospital...... And Xiao Jiu, because of the support of Xie An and Xie Shaoqing, the eldest grandson Xiangyu gave advice, Wu Youliangqiu Dance commanded the overall situation, plus Xun Zheng of Weiwei Temple and Ruan Shaozhou, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites...... Now you are what everyone expects! ”

"......" Li Shou opened his mouth, wanted to speak and stopped, and after thinking for a moment, he arched his hand and said, "There is a third brother here, and the younger brother will never dare to think about it......"

"Third brother, I'm ......" Li Shen sighed when he heard this, shook his head and said, "It's not a secret, third brother, I did think about becoming the emperor, but it seems that in the current situation, the third brother has no hope for the throne...... Xiao Jiu did a beautiful job this time! ”

Due to his lack of experience, Li Shou was not sure whether Li Shen's words were cynical, so he kept silent and remained silent.

Seeing that Li Shou was silent, Li Shen was slightly stunned, and also realized that Li Shou had misunderstood, and said with a smile, "Hehe, Xiao Jiu, for my brother, I don't have the slightest intention of asking for guilt!" ――In fact, Brother Wei has long known that Xiao Jiuxin has big ambitions! ”

Li Shou raised his head when he heard this, and looked at Li Shen in astonishment, but saw Li Shen blinking, and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiu dares to say that when he threw himself on his brother's side, didn't he want to use his brother's strength to compete with the second brother?" - As a brother, he is very good at being a shield for Xiao Jiu! ”

Li Shou's face changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Third brother, junior brother, ......" but he was interrupted by Li Shen before he finished speaking.

"Okay, okay, forget about the past," interrupting Li Shou's words with a wave of his hand, Li Shen said with a smile, "Third brother, I know the current affairs best, although I was worried about the throne before, but it seems that in the current situation, there is no possibility for me to inherit the throne, this point, Xiao Jiu knows it, and I also know it for my brother." This time, my brother is waiting for Xiao Jiu here, just to ask Xiao Jiu for a favor......"

"Do me a favor?" Li Shou was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Li Shen in puzzlement.

Seeing this, Li Shen smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "Xiao Jiu also knows that thanks to the second and fifth brothers, this little power that my brother worked hard to manage in Jijing has already been dismantled by them. Not to mention fighting for the throne again, even saving his life is a problem, so he is waiting for Xiao Jiu here for his brother's cheekiness, and wants to ask Xiao Jiu to open up. Tell my brother to be a prince who enjoys peace and tranquility......"

Li Shou was shocked when he heard this, and subconsciously said, "Why did the third brother say this? ”

"Isn't it?" With his eyes narrowed, Li Shen laughed in a low voice, "The woman of the eldest grandson Xiangyu has sent several people to keep an eye on Brother Wei's mansion and watch Brother Wei's every move. In the name of protection, in fact, it is surveillance, this woman is the most vicious, and the whole Ji Kyoto knows it...... His husband-in-law Xie An stood on Xiao Jiu's side. She will naturally consider for Xiao Jiu, now that the second and fifth children have been removed, the eighth child is difficult to protect, and the only obstacle that still stands in front of Xiao Jiu. It's just for my brother...... According to Brother Wei, that woman has probably suggested to Xiao Jiu. Eliminate my brother as soon as possible, so as not to cause trouble? ”

Hearing this, Li Shou's heart thumped, and he barely put on a smile and said, "How could the third brother think so?" Miss Eldest Sun would never behave like that......"

"......" Li Shen looked at Li Shou deeply when he heard this, laughed at himself, and said, "Five years ago, in the Northern Hebei Campaign, that woman dared to exchange the lives of 80,000 soldiers and civilians in Gaoyang for the victory of more than 20,000 Eastern Army, not to mention killing me now?" - Xiao Jiu, if you don't save your brother, your brother will definitely not be able to live this time, it is not difficult to guess that when her father dies, that woman will definitely try to harm her brother and the sixth and seventh three! - Xiao Jiu, my brother no longer has the heart to compete with you for the throne, I hope Xiao Jiu will take care of you and Xie An for his brother many times, and help him ...... brother."

"This ......" Li Shou showed a little hesitation on his face when he heard this, after all, the eldest grandson Xiangyu had reminded him in advance that Li Shenwai must not be crowned king, otherwise it would be a disaster for the tiger to return to the mountain and disaster in the future.

Seeing Li Shou's hesitant expression, Li Shen frowned slightly, changed his tone, and said, "Xiao Jiu, you also know that yesterday it was for my brother to help you wait at the last moment, kill the second child for you, and save this catastrophe...... But you should also know that we and the prince, at such times, must not come to the palace, let alone seek the protection of my father, otherwise it will be equivalent to withdrawing from the battle for succession! - The crime of killing compatriots' siblings, for my brother this time, I have carried the black pot for Xiao Jiu, if I didn't help my brother secretly, how could Xiao Jiu have such a good situation now? ”

Li Shouyan's face showed a little embarrassment when he heard this, and his heart was a little shaken.

Seeing this, Li Shen struck while the iron was hot, and deliberately sighed and said, "That's it, if Xiao Jiu is embarrassed, just treat it as a brother and never say it, anyway, he secretly helped Xiao Jiu for his brother last night, and it was not all selfless!" ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Obviously! -- It seems that the second and fifth children and other vicious people will not be able to tolerate being brothers, and when the time comes, there will be only one way to die for brothers; On the contrary, if Xiao Jiu gains power, although his brother has lost the throne, he can still be a rich and noble prince, and he will have no worries about food and clothing......" Speaking of this, he looked at Li Shou and sighed, shook his head and walked in the direction of Zhengyangmen.

Li Shou is not deeply involved in the world after all, and when he heard Li Shen's words, he felt really uncomfortable in his heart, hesitated, raised his hand and shouted, "Third brother, stop!" ”

Hearing this call, Li Shen showed a little inexplicable smile in his eyes, then put away his smile and turned his head to look at Li Shou.

But seeing that Li Shou hesitated for a moment, he arched his hand and said, "If it is really as the third brother said, the father and the emperor will pass on the throne to the younger brother, and the third brother will never dare to resign!" ”

Li Shen secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart when he heard this, and also arched his hand and said, "In this way, please leave it to Xiao Jiu!" ”

"Don't dare!"

"By the way, my father has something important to recruit Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu will go quickly, don't delay, I won't bother if I am a brother......"

"Little brother sends off the third brother!"

"Hehe, it's ......"

Seeing the third prince Li Shen walking away, Li Shou scratched his head with a headache and walked in the direction of the old eunuch Wang Ying, but saw the old eunuch who had served the Great Zhou Emperor Li Ji for nearly thirty years looking at him with strange eyes.

"Princess?" Li Shou wondered.

I saw that the old eunuch Wang Ying glanced at the back of the third prince Li Shen leaving, and then glanced at Li Shou, opened his mouth, and stopped talking, but in the end he didn't say anything, just invited Li Shou to the Heart Cultivation Palace.

At this time, Li Ji, the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was resting on the dragon couch in the inner hall of the Yangxin Palace, and it could be seen. Compared with a few days ago, this noble Great Zhou Emperor was obviously much haggard, with sunken eyes and a bloodless face.

It is not difficult to guess that the death of the crown prince Li Wei dealt a great blow to him, making the emperor seem to have aged by more than ten years overnight, showing the appearance of an old dragon clock.

In the empty palace, the Great Zhou Emperor Li Ji sat on the dragon couch and stroked the bloodstained sword in his hand.

It was the sword worn by the crown prince Li Wei before his death. It was also the sword he planned to use last night to kill the king and his father, and now, this sword has lost its owner......

"It's a pity ......," Li Ji muttered to himself.

He said this last night, but he didn't finish it.

Li Ji wanted to say at that time that he would give the crown prince Li Wei a few more years. Li Wei may be able to surpass his father.

For the princes, this is the highest praise from their father, but unfortunately, the crown prince Li Wei can't hear it anymore......

The Great Zhou Dynasty was prevalent in the ritual of catching the Zhou, and the world felt that the first thing that a child caught in this custom could reflect their achievements.

The former crown prince Li Yong grabbed a wooden knife. Hence the name [Yong]; The crown prince Li Wei caught a night pearl that shimmered in the night ceremony, so he named it [炜], the same as [Hui], that is, the meaning of light; The third prince, Li Shen, looked at the hundreds of props as long as a stick of incense when he caught Zhou. In the end, he grabbed the nearest thing around him, so he named it [Shen]; The fourth prince, Li Mao, was named [Mao] because he climbed to the highest place among those props and grabbed the highest prop. i.e. at the top; The fifth prince, Li Shenyuan, like his own brother Li Wei, was ready to get the night pearl. But in the end, he picked up the box containing the night pearl, so he named it [承], that is, to set off the bright shadow; The sixth prince, Li Xiao, was named [孝] because he grabbed the Confucian Book of Filial Piety; The seventh prince, Li Yan, was named [彦] because he grabbed a family feng shui book; The eighth prince Li Xian was named [Xian] because he turned out a pendant hanging from the waist of a man and a gentleman from the dazzling jewels, but the ninth prince Li Shou was carried out of the palace because he was just full moon, so he never experienced the gift of catching Zhou.

Perhaps there are some things in the world that cannot be judged by common sense, and even Li Ji, the Son of Heaven, was quite surprised that the names he gave to his sons were precisely the future portrayal of their personalities or life experiences.

It is understandable that among these nine sons, Li Ji loves the eldest son, that is, the former crown prince Li Yong, the most, but this does not mean that the former prince Li Yong is most like his father Li Ji, after all, Li Ji was an out-and-out tyrant in the initial stage of the thirty years of imperial power, which can be proved by the fact that he ordered the Southern Army to [trap] to slaughter all the spiritual thrones of the Southern Tang Emperor Liu in Jinling.

Maybe no one knows, the character of the former prince Li Yong is similar to a brother that Li Ji eradicated for the throne back then, perhaps because of guilt, Li Ji hopes that Li Yong can inherit the throne, but unfortunately, Li Yong, who has both martial arts, died of illness on the way back to Beijing in triumph before the weak crown, and the most like Li Ji when he was young, it was none other than the crown prince, it was the prince Li Wei, ruthless, powerful, scheming, city, and means, the only difference is that Li Ji is not like the prince Li Wei, who has a close brother with the same father and mother.

remembered that Xie An once suspected that the Son of Heaven Li Ji seemed to cover up too much for the crown prince Li Wei, and even the crown prince Li Wei asked Jin Ling'er to frame the eighth prince Li Xian, but Li Ji ignored it.

In fact, Xie An's guess is not wrong, the Son of Heaven Li Ji does have the idea of shielding the crown prince Li Wei, after all, in Li Ji's opinion, a gentleman like Li Xian, the eighth prince, who acts above board, is not suitable to be an emperor, at best he is just a prince.

And when it comes to those who are suitable to inherit the throne, there are only the crown prince Li Wei, the third prince Li Shen, the fourth prince Li Mao, and oh, the fifth prince Li Cheng......

I have to say that the fifth prince Li Cheng acted viciously, which really made the son of heaven Li Ji also startled, after all, before this, the son of heaven Li Ji really didn't expect that among his sons, there was such a hero.

Among these heirs, the Son of Heaven Li Ji is the most optimistic about the crown prince Li Wei, because the prince Li Wei resembles him when he was young, but unfortunately, there are still deficiencies in terms of strength and courage.

Because of this, Li Ji, the son of heaven, hesitated, and finally did not write the name of the crown prince Li Wei on the edict, but only put an empty edict, but he did not expect that it would cause a catastrophe and cause the most favorable heir to die.

But last night, the strength and courage of the crown prince Li Wei really surprised the son of heaven Li Ji, and because of this, he secretly stopped the old eunuch Wang Ying from preparing to escort him, wanting to see if the prince Li Wei had the courage or courage to kill the king and father for his brother Li Cheng before he died, but unfortunately, due to the final obstruction of the fifth prince Li Cheng, Li Ji will never be able to find out about this matter.

Li Ji had to admit that the crown prince Li Wei surpassed his father before he died, whether it was strength or courage, it was just ......

He died too unjustly......

died under the bad things of his younger brother Li Cheng, if it weren't for this, Li Ji didn't think that this prince would lose power in the future.

And it's too late to say that......

Closing his eyes, the tragic situation of the crown prince Li Wei before his death came to mind, and the son of heaven Li Ji only felt a breath in his chest, not up or down, very uncomfortable.

And at this moment, he heard a slight footstep, and then the old eunuch Wang Ying walked gently to the inner hall and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Shou has arrived ......"

Exhaling slightly, Li Ji placed the bloodstained sword in his hand under the bed, and said in a deep voice, "Call him in!" ”

"Yes!"

With a sound of footsteps that were not light or heavy, Li Shou, the Nine Emperor Princes and King of Anping, strode into the hall.

Looking at the dodging gaze of this ninth prince, it was not difficult for Li Ji to guess that his son must be extremely panicked at the moment.

In this regard, Li Ji secretly shook his head in his heart, after all, after seeing the crown prince Li Wei last night, the current Li Shou's posture is too unsightly, and he simply does not have the momentum and courage that he should have as an emperor, not to mention being compared with the crown prince Li Wei, even the fifth prince Li Cheng and the third prince Li Shen can't compare.

After more than ten years of hard work, in the end, he still had to ask his youngest son who was so unbearable to inherit the throne?

Li Ji, the son of heaven, who knew that his time was short, smiled bitterly to himself, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, only feeling that the will of heaven was unpredictable and beyond human measure.