……

The night is as cool as water, and the imperial city is lit up.

Inside the palace, a crescent moon streaked across the delicate corner tower, casting a dim light on the high walls, and a carriage stopped quietly outside the Taihe Palace.

The hall is spacious and atmospheric, the ground is full of gold bricks, the light can be seen, the nine dragons around the pillars, the incense burner is dense, the purple gas rises in the east, on the top of the dragon chariot, there is a man sitting high, the eyes are bright, intimidating the world.

This is the Great Zhou Emperor, Zhou Tian!

"The son visits his father."

Underneath the dragon chariot, stood a burly man with a face like a knife, black hair, and a python robe, who respectfully bowed.

"Please." Zhou Tian sat in the dragon chariot, put down the scroll in his hand, looked at the young man below, and a look of appreciation appeared in his eyes, "It's not a court meeting now, Your Royal Highness the Prince, don't be so restrained." ”

"Come and talk closer, what is the matter with coming to me so late?"

"Thank you for your grace."

Zhou Wuji's voice was loud and he got up neatly.

He walked to Long Yuan's side with a calm expression, and then arched his hand and said: "Erchen came here late at night, first, to tell his father that the royal banquet in seven days has been prepared, and the officials of the current dynasty who came to participate in the list of Jianghu sects have been prepared, and I hereby invite Your Majesty to take a look." ”

Zhou Wuji said, stepped forward with a solemn face, and handed over a thick fold with both hands.

"Oh, so fast?" Emperor Zhou was a little surprised, took the fold and opened it, his star-like eyes turned, and swept the names on it.

After a long time, Emperor Zhou finished reading all the names above, showed a meaningful smile, and said casually:

"You haven't been back in Beijing for a long time, and your popularity is good."

"In addition to those generals in the army and the military attachés of the dynasty, many sour Confucians who give me a headache are willing to give you face and participate in the banquet."

"My prince, I really have some means."

Emperor Zhou smiled slightly, his voice calm.

Zhou Wuji sighed in his heart, knowing that something was wrong, the emperors of previous dynasties, no matter how broad-minded, the most taboo thing was that before they died, the princes below began to fight for power.

And those who are anxious to win over the party will often be regarded as a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh by the emperor in the end.

But fortunately, he was prepared.

Zhou Wuji's face remained unchanged, he knelt down on one knee, and said without humility or arrogance: "My father has tormented his sons." ”

"The people in the army are willing to come because their sons have been stationed at the border for many years, and they are like-minded and sympathetic, and the civil officials of the Ministry of Rites are willing to come because my father praised me in the court and made me the crown prince."

"This banquet is ostensibly a birthday banquet for Erchen, but in fact, these guests regard this as a celebration banquet for Erchen to be crowned prince."

"So it's not so much that these people are giving face to their sons, it's better to give face to their fathers, after all, the position of the prince of sons is hand-picked by their fathers, and their sons hold banquets, and when they are hand-picked by the emperor, how can those ministers not come?"

When Emperor Zhou heard this, he laughed and said:

"Hahahaha, you kid, you deserve to be the prince who is most like me when I was young, not only has you practiced a good kung fu, but the emperor's mental skills have not fallen."

"Erchen doesn't dare."

Zhou Wuji arched his hand and said with a solemn look in his eyes.

Zhou Tian smiled kindly and asked, "This is just the first thing," Hurry up and say, after listening to your last excerpt, I will also go to rest. ”

When Zhou Wuji heard this, the solemn expression on his face disappeared, replaced by a look of anticipation, he arched his hand, and smiled generously:

"The second thing for the son is to invite his father to the royal birthday banquet seven days later."

"As soon as I came, many ministers would be present that day, and the ministers returned to Beijing for the first time, and they were really worried that they couldn't hold back the scene, after all, those ministers were your henchmen."

"Second, this banquet was not only crowned with the word royal, but even the Great Xia Dynasty sent envoys to give gifts, such a battle, if the father is not there, everything is decided by the sons, and the sons are really worried about what will happen!"

Zhou Wuji bowed his hand and said respectfully, then took a step back, quietly waiting for Zhou Tian's reply.

This first sentence, firstly, praised Emperor Zhou for governing the country and his majesty in front of the ministers of the court, and secondly, he also explained the misunderstanding just now, indicating that he did not have the intention of rushing for quick success and fighting for power, even if he did, it was given to me by you personally.

And in the second sentence, he even mentioned the matter of the envoy of Great Xia, and also put forward the word royal, and the words were not leaky, which directly made Zhou Tian unable to find a reason to refuse.

But Emperor Zhou is Emperor Zhou after all, how could he not understand Zhou Wuji's careful thoughts.

The latter smiled and said half-jokingly:

"You have been in the frontier for six years, and you have put down several chaos in succession, eliminated demons and killed enemies, brave and mighty, and defended the peace of one side, what kind of scene have you never seen, and some ministers can scare you?"

When Zhou Wuji heard this, he arched his hand and said:

"No matter how brave and mighty the sons are, they are less than half of their fathers, and those ministers are all trained by their fathers, and it is normal for them to be unable to suppress them."

When Zhou Tian heard this, he smiled and said:

"Oh, you really want to suppress them?"

"If you can suppress it, then what else do you want me to do?"

Zhou Wuji realized that he had said the wrong thing, and his heart trembled, and he wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of what to say anyway.

Zhou Tian's words, he didn't go along with it, he didn't follow it, no matter how he answered, he would fall into the trap.

So at this time, it is best for him to remain silent.

"Erchen has no such intention, maybe because it is too late, Erchen is sleepy and dizzy, he said something wrong, and please atone for his sins!" Zhou Wuji knelt down and admitted his mistake and shouted.

Zhou Tian lowered his head, looked at his eldest son, who had been stationed on the frontier for six years, with a calm expression, and didn't know what he was thinking, so he said directly:

"Alright, get up."

"The ground is cold, I remember that you have a wound on your leg, so don't kneel on the ground."

"Thank you, Father!" Zhou Wuji stood up a little nervously and stepped aside in silence.

Seeing this, Zhou Tian said with some displeasure:

"Why are you staying here if you don't leave?"

When Zhou Wuji heard this, he asked cautiously, "Father...... I haven't told my son yet, you won't come in seven days. ”

A trace of irritability appeared between Zhou Tian's eyebrows, and he forcibly held back his anger and said, "I'm tired, I'll ask about this matter tomorrow morning." ”

"This jujube is offered from the Western Regions, comparable to the spirit fruit, take two for you to taste on the way back, the province is boring."

Zhou Wuji was a little stunned to take the jujube handed over by Emperor Zhou, and after instinctively thanking him, he walked out of the gate of the Taihe Hall in a daze.

Qinghui Yue Ning, the rainy palace was very cold at night, even if Zhou Wuji was a martial artist of the Four Realms, he couldn't help but wrap his python robe tightly at this moment.

Without saying a word, he walked outside the palace wall, got into the carriage, and in the dim carriage, he looked at the two ruddy jujubes in his hand with a gloomy face, and shouted with some anger:

"What is this, hit a stick and give two sweet dates!"

"The royal prince's banquet, even if the emperor doesn't want to come, even if there are more ministers, what's the use, I, the prince, is my father really sealed, or is it just a superficial article?"

"If it's the latter, then what's the point of me staying on the frontier for six years!"

Zhou Wuji was extremely angry, over the years, he adhered to the frontier, worked hard, did not dare to slack off, and after returning to the imperial city, he was directly crowned as the crown prince.

thought that the throne was imminent, and his third brother would have no chance, but he didn't expect Zhou Tian to give him such an answer tonight.

"No, it's not time to turn your face yet!"

Zhou Wuji ate two jujubes in one bite, chewed even the jujube cores, and said to the coachman with dissatisfaction:

"Move to Guanghuai Garden, I'm going to visit the third brother's mansion!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The coachman's voice was old, but very neutral, and the carriage he drove was fast, but very steady, and in a short time he arrived at Guanghuai Garden, and came to a noble mansion.

"Who's coming?"

The guard at the door of the third prince asked with a wary face, and the old coachman said calmly:

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, and he wants to catch up with the third prince, and he still won't give way?"

When the two guards heard this, they said with a serious face:

"Please forgive His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness has been in retreat at noon today, and I have specially instructed that unless His Majesty is looking for him, the rest will not be seen!"

Hearing this, the coachman narrowed his eyes, the hand holding the reins slowly loosened, and a faint killing intent came out of his palm.

"Forget it, seeing that the third brother is so diligent, it's not easy for me, the elder brother, to disturb him." Zhou Wuji in the sedan chair said lightly, and then said, "It's not too late, go back and rest, and when the third brother has time, we will come back to visit." ”

When the two guards at the door heard this, they respectfully bowed and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Qiqi, the time for His Royal Highness to leave the customs is exactly the day you held your birthday banquet. ”

When Zhou Wuji heard this, he was silent for a moment, and then said with a faint smile: "Okay, then in seven days, I will catch up with this younger brother who I haven't seen for many years." ”

"Drive!"

The old driver whipped his whip and the BMW slowly left.

In front of the Third Prince's Mansion, the two guards breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why do you say the third brother doesn't dare to see me?" In the carriage, Zhou Wuji frowned and asked.

The old coachman muttered: "His Royal Highness Zhou Yuan is smart and clever, and he is well versed in the way of Taoguang and obscurity, but I am afraid that His Highness is in the limelight at this time, and he doesn't want to bow down to His Highness, so I dare not see it." ”

Zhou Wuji was very satisfied with this explanation, he smiled proudly, and said with a gloomy look in his eyes at the cold moon outside the carriage, "Don't you want to bow down to me?" ”

"After those seven days, I have to let my smart brother be embarrassed in front of the civil and military officials!"

……