Jin Xinguo didn't reply, just frowned and left with a straight face, and Li Hui kept laughing after he left.

At this time, the crown prince was receiving his ministers in the Qinghui Building, where he lived, and the officials and officers of the Han Dynasty had gathered here today, as if it had turned this place into a real Goryeo court.

Unlike Zhao Song, who had barely slept all night, and the civil and military officials of the embassy, he slept very deeply that night, and did not wake up until it was already dawn, and then immediately received a report from the attendants around him, telling him that Zhao Song had led the Han garrison in Goryeo, had entered the palace and controlled the whole of Seoul.

For this expected result, the prince was not excited, but very calm. Whether it was someone else's report or his own observations, he was sure that the garrison of the Han Dynasty would be absolutely superior to those unusable Goryeo soldiers, and they would definitely not have the determination to resist the **** for Li Hui.

"Zhao Luzheng is really a hero." When he came to the pavilion where the ministers gathered, the prince first praised Zhao Song. "I heard that this time I was the first to rush to Gyeongbokgung Palace, and sure enough, I am the most brave general of the Han Dynasty!"

"The prince praised it falsely, and the minister was ashamed and didn't dare to be it." Zhao Song bowed his head and saluted the prince, "When the minister was in Liaodong, he often took the lead, and he was already used to it. In addition, when he thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still in Gyeongbokgung Palace, the minister did not dare to slack off, and only thought about coming to His Highness's side as soon as possible to protect His Highness's safety. ”

"What can I be unsafe here?" The prince couldn't help laughing, "This is not a war, you don't have to be so close to the enemy." However, when the war is really fought, the brigade must not do this again, the brigade is a general before, so it is natural to give priority to bravery, and the first soldier can boost the morale of the generals under his command, but now it is different, the brigade is the main general of one side, and what is tied to the blessing and misfortune of the whole army and soldiers, and he must not take risks himself. Leave it to the officers under your command to take the lead in the charge. ”

"The minister understands, Prince Xie mentions!" Zhao Song also knew that the prince was right, so he immediately responded.

"It's already morning, is there any chaos in Seoul?" The prince looked away and continued to ask the others.

"Your Highness, the courtiers and doctors of Goryeo have not moved." The first to answer was the ambassador to Goryeo, Shi Gaoyi, "The ministers and others have already laid eyeliner in the homes of important Goryeo courtiers, and they all say that there is nothing abnormal. ”

"It seems that Jin Xinguo is really capable, and these ministers are either his comrades, or they are intimidated by him." The crown prince nodded, and then looked at the deputy envoy Zhang Daoyan, "Is there calm in Goryeo City?" ”

"Your Highness, everything is calm, the life of the people is as usual, and no one talks much about this." Zhang Daoyan immediately replied, "The markets and shops in the city are also open as usual, and the soldiers who enter the city have been ordered to never interfere with the business of the shops, and those thieves who want to take advantage of the chaos are also severely punished." ”

"And what about outside Seoul?" The prince asked again.

"Your Highness, everything is as usual outside Seoul, and there is no change." This time it was Wang Yun, who was in charge of guarding the outside of Seoul. "Although I just heard that the Goryeo army was a little discouraged when there was a commotion in the city, after we explained the situation, they all chose to stay put. These soldiers were all severely beaten by our army when Li Hui was reinstated a few years ago, and our army was also responsible for the whole training in the past few years, so they all had lingering fears about us, and they would never dare to move easily. ”

There is no movement in the city, and there is no outside the city, although the news will definitely spread to various places and cause a commotion soon, but after getting Li Hui's edict and having his own town, there must be no Xiaoxiao who dares to make trouble, and even if there is, it is just waiting to be beaten into powder by the Han army. The prince believed that the two battalions of the garrison could already suppress the territory of Goryeo, not to mention the continuous flow of troops at sea.

Since making this decision, the crown prince has methodically arranged this matter with the civil and military ministers around him, and at the same time wrote a recital and sent it back to the capital. However, in order to hurry up, he did not wait for a reply from China and directly ordered to move.

Now that I think about it, everything has gone much smoother than expected.

For the first time, he did great things according to his own judgment, and immediately got such a satisfactory result, which made the prince very happy and excited, and only in order to maintain his demeanor in front of everyone, he barely maintained it without venting.

Just then, an attendant walked in, and then leaned into the prince's ear to report that Jin Xinguo had come to see him.

"The lord wants to see me?" After listening to his report, the prince was a little surprised.

In the current situation, according to him, Li Hui should be in a panic all day long, but he didn't expect to take the initiative to ask to see him.

"Your Highness, now that it's over, you don't need to see him, right?" Shi Gaoyi, who still held a grudge against Li Hui, hurriedly said, "Now that the overall situation has been decided, even if he doesn't cooperate, there is no other way out, what's the point of seeing him again?" It's just boring. ”

The prince did not immediately refuse, but groaned slightly, and finally came to the opposite conclusion, "Okay, let him come and see me." ”

"Your Highness?" Shi Gaoyi was a little surprised, for fear that at this point, Li Hui would be desperate again, "Why do you want to see him again now?" If he makes an ugly appearance of weeping bitterly, it will ruin His Highness's mood,"

"This Gyeongbokgung Palace was originally his home's place, since I have let him fall to this point, why not meet him?" The crown prince swept him dissatisfied, "Now that things have come to this point, no matter what he says, the result will not be changed again, does Ambassador Shi think that I am a child who is random and capricious?" ”

"The minister didn't dare to ......" Shi Gaoyi was so frightened that he didn't dare to say more, and the others stopped speaking out, and no one questioned it anymore.

Since the crown prince came to Goryeo, he has established his prestige among these civil and military officials during this period of time, and no one dares to treat him as a child who has nothing to do.

"Bring him in."

After getting the prince's order, it didn't take long for Jin Xinguo to find Li Hui again, and then he was taken into the Qinghui Tower by the attendants, except for the two personal attendant guards, the other civil and military officials had already avoided it.

When Li Hui came to the second floor, the prince sat by the window, looking at each other without saying a word, and the sun behind him and the mountain breeze and water color were poured into him, as if he was the master of this palace.

"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Under the traction of the attendants, Li Hui walked in front of the prince.

"No need to kneel, please sit down." Before he could salute respectfully, the prince spoke directly.

The attendant beside Li Hui couldn't help but say, forcibly supported him, and then put him on the seat next to the prince. This kind of almost unsympathetic approach can very well reflect the current difference between the two people.

As if he was thinking about how to speak, he didn't speak.

"Lord, now I'm afraid you have to listen to my arrangement." After Li Hui sat in his seat, the prince continued, "Since we have already made such a big battle, then you should understand by now that there is no turning back from the matter. I have asked the Minister of Parliament of your country to come to you to approve the edict, so that we can be respectful to each other, and I ask you to do as he says. ”

"Your Highness, the minister came here today, not to beg His Highness for mercy, the minister knows that it is impossible to make His Highness change his mind now, and there is no room for things to turn around. So His Royal Highness the Prince, please rest assured, the minister will not be embarrassed and make everyone embarrassed. Li Hui lowered his head and gave an answer that surprised the prince, "Your Highness, please rest assured, the minister has handed over the state seal to Jin Yizheng before he came, and he has already passed the edict out of the palace, and it will soon spread throughout the country." When the time comes, everyone will know that I am expected to be in Goryeo Yeonjo......"

Although he tried to speak calmly, the prince could also hear the loss and fear in the other party's heart, and he also understood the other party's feelings, so he deliberately slowed down his tone.

"In that case, it's for the best. Please rest assured, we are only doing this for the sake of the stability of your country, and we do not have the intention of harming your lord. As long as the lord of the kingdom acts according to our will, then no one will be able to threaten the safety of the lord of the kingdom, and the lord of the kingdom can continue to live in the palace for the rest of his life, even if it is the biological father of the heir or even Kim Yezheng himself, we will never allow them to be disrespectful to you. ”

This was originally his established policy, and the reason why he clearly interfered with the lord of Goryeo and appointed the heir for Goryeo himself was to comply with the wishes of his subordinates and solve the problem of Goryeo's national throne at the same time, but more importantly, to establish his authority in front of the Goryeo court and even the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty, so that they could understand their power and will, rather than treating themselves as children who had nothing to do.

Now that both goals have been achieved, these civil and military officials have become jealous of him, and the Goryeo court will only obey orders, and it will be very convenient for him to act when he is in Pusan in the future, and no one can hinder him.

Now that his purpose has been achieved, he doesn't plan to embarrass Li Hui anymore, he is an old man in his last years, so it's okay to let him die of old age in this palace.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness." Li Hui once again nodded and thanked the prince. "The minister has now reached this age, and his energy is not good, even if he wants the minister to take care of the minister, he will not be busy, and he will be able to get rid of the chaos in the future, I really want to thank His Highness."

His constant gratitude made the prince feel a little awkward, and he even suspected that the other party was mocking him in this way and venting his resentment.

"The lord of the country doesn't have to thank me, I really feel a little sorry for you for doing this, but since it has come to this point, I won't change my mind because of apologies." He lowered his face slightly, wanting to tell the other party in this way that this was already the best result that could be given to him, "However, my country sent troops to help the lord of the country restore the country, so that the lord of the country can re-ascend the throne after so many years, it should be worthy of the lord of the country, right?" ”

"The minister has no intention of satirizing His Highness, and please ask His Highness to be clear." Li Hui suddenly smiled bitterly, and kept himself by his side, "Really, in Chen's opinion, although today's ending is a little regrettable, it can be regarded as a relief." The minister has absolutely no resentment towards His Highness, and if he wants to say resentment, he can only resent himself......"

"Resentful of yourself?" The prince didn't know why.

"Yes, I can only blame myself for falling to the point where I am now......" Li Hui smiled bitterly, reached out and touched his face, and touched the scarred and bloody eyes, "The minister should have become a lonely ghost many years ago, and now he is fortunate to be able to become the monarch again, what can he blame?" Your Highness, I just want to ask you a question, please don't hide it for the sake of me being very respectful to serve the Han for many years, and answer me truthfully. ”

"What's the problem?" The prince was noncommittal.

"Now the army of the Great Han should have controlled the entire periphery of the national capital, right? With **** strong soldiers, there must be no omissions, the minister just wants to ask...... On this day, have there been courtiers who have defended their ministers, or who have been grieving grievances for their ministers, even if they are just in private? Your Highness doesn't have to worry, the minister is not lucky, everything has been settled, the minister just wants to ask. ”

"No, not a single one, at least until now." Without thinking, the prince replied, "I'm not lying to you. ”

"Not a single one...... Li Hui laughed a little miserably, "Sure enough, there is no one." ”

"Why is this result, the lord of the country should know in his heart." The crown prince replied calmly, "If it weren't for the perverse behavior of the lord of the country before and ruined the hearts of the people, how could he be overthrown by the palace of his subordinates?" Since no one spoke back then, it won't be anymore now. ”

"Corrupting the heart...... Indeed it is, indeed it is. Li Hui smiled bitterly. One wrong step, one wrong step, and in the end there is no turning back. But, Your Highness, how can there be a king in this world who wants to corrupt the hearts of the people from the beginning? When he first became the lord of the country, the minister also thought about how to govern the country well and let the people of the world praise him! It's a pity...... It's a pity...... Hey......"

He suddenly shook his head and was full of pain, and the prince did not speak, allowing the other party to sigh for a long time.

After a while, Li Hui finally regained his composure. "The root of everything lies in the fact that the minister is not the son-in-law. When the minister was young, he was trained as an heir, and he learned literature and martial arts, but when the minister was an adult, the minister's father was ...... but gave birth to a son-in-law with the newly crowned queen. The difference between the concubines is the difference between the heavens and the abyss, even if the father and the king let the ministers ascend the throne, there are still countless villains who want to use that concubine...... With that sister-in-law's struggle, it is just like today's Jin Yizheng. ”

"So you killed your brother?" The prince asked coldly.

"Yes, the minister was afraid, and then he killed his brother. In that position, no one will not be afraid, and they are afraid in their dreams that they will lose their power and fall into the abyss, and there will be no room for a little threat. As long as there is the slightest threat, it must be eradicated, extinguished, and killed...... That's what the minister thought at the time. Li Hui recounted the past with a cold attitude, but it unnaturally brought some cold, which made the prince a little creepy.

Then, Li Hui regained his composure, and then smiled bitterly, "For the sake of power, it must be difficult for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to imagine killing his brother, right?" However, there are many examples in the history of our country, even if the **** dynasties are everywhere, and there is no other reason to be in that position...... It's unacceptable. Therefore, Your Highness, I really envy you, you are the eldest son, a natural heir, and you were made the crown prince at the beginning...... You don't have to execute anyone, as long as you live, you will one day be able to succeed to the throne peacefully, which is enviable, so enviable! ”

The prince was not happy, on the contrary, he only felt a little blocked in his heart.

Li Jiancheng is also the eldest son and the crown prince, has he succeeded to the throne? This strange thought popped into his head.

Originally, those past stories of brothers fighting for the throne of the king were just boring words in the history books for him, but when he really encountered and heard the person concerned calmly narrating in front of him, he realized how close this kind of thing was to himself.

In front of the power, there are a few people who can always maintain family affection...... Suddenly, he understood the withered old man on the other side.

"After killing my brother, people's hearts were in turmoil, and everyone thought that the minister was a tyrant, but because of this, in order to be able to drive them, I had to be more and more severe, even cruel, until finally the hearts of the people were cleansed. At that time, Daming asked the minister to help fight Jiannu, but the minister knew at a glance that Daming couldn't beat it, so he was unwilling to cooperate, and gave the domestic opposition a mouthful. Li Hui continued calmly, "Finally...... It's just that the palace has changed, there's nothing to say, this is the minister's own fault, if the minister can do a little better, maybe there won't be such a result. ”

Then, he sighed again, "It's too late to say this now, so it doesn't make much sense, the minister came to His Highness today, just to talk to his heart, really, just to pour out his heart, the minister just wants His Highness to know that the minister is not a stupid and cruel king from the beginning, but really wants to govern the country well, become a generation of bright monarchs, and become a model for future generations...... Because in the minister's opinion, the one who may be able to understand the minister is His Royal Highness alone, I ...... I don't have more than a few years to live, and I really don't want to die and everyone still thinks I'm crazy, a bloodthirsty maniac, even if only one person doesn't think so. Of course, this may be the minister's cranky thinking. ”

"If it were me, I would never do anything to my younger brother, whether it was my brother or my brother." After being silent for a long time, the crown prince suddenly said, "So, we are different, I can become a generation of heroes, inherit the great cause of my father, and you ...... It can only be like this. ”