Chang'an City, Shangguanli.

Tiaohou Mansion.

Compared with the past, the Gu'anhou Mansion, which is known for its 'shabby', and Zhou Yafu's Tiaohou Mansion, can be said to be a noble one from the inside out.

The huge door of the house, which is two zhang high and nearly three zhang wide, is made of precious peach wood with two door panels;

The whole body of the door panel is baked with vermilion Chu lacquer, and in the position of the two door panels close to each other, there is a pair of gilded tiger faces that exude a golden yellow light throughout.

Two gold rings are hung on the 'tiger nose' of the tiger's face, and when you pick up the gold rings and knock them lightly, you can make a crisp sound on the door.

Outside the gate of the mansion, a pair of stone lions on the left and right opened their teeth and claws, as if they wanted to swallow everyone who approached them.

Inside the gate of the mansion, a little candlelight illuminates the lights up and down the Hou Mansion;

The sound of the sheng was endless, the smell of wine and meat was fragrant, and the rough laughter of the warriors sounded from time to time in the sky above the Hou Mansion.

——Today, Zhou Yafu held a banquet in his mansion to invite the generals who went out with him when the Wu Chu Rebellion was extinguished.

Although most of the people who participated in the banquet were captains, captains, and even middle-level generals at the level of team leaders, one of them was picked out at random, and they were all well-known 'famous generals'.

It's just that today, these young heroes who have become prominent due to the Wu Chu Rebellion and are about to emerge in the military circles of the Han family are obviously a little unhappy.

As for the reason, since he was the host of today's banquet, he sat on the throne with sorrow, drinking the sullen wine one after another······

"Why doesn't Your Majesty even give this little face?"

"-yes, yes;"

"-This prime minister is not for the Marquis to do it himself."

The complaints of several cronies who were fighting for themselves sounded in his ears, which provoked Zhou Yafu's already sad face, and he suddenly added a little more depression;

After pondering for a moment, he raised his head leisurely and looked at Li Guang, the guard of Changle Palace, on his left.

"There is one thing, please General Li must be honest with me."

"-Mrs. Li, is it really because she was sick that she died violently in Changle Palace?"

"In the days after Mrs. Li's accident, did anyone go to Changle Palace to find Mrs. Li?"

"For example, Lieutenant Zhidu and the like······"

When Zhou Yafu opened his mouth to ask, Li Guangzheng was busy drinking with the people next to him;

Hearing Zhou Yafu's question, Li Guang only turned sideways slightly, but he was reluctant to put the wine cup back in front of him at all.

He lowered his head thoughtfully, drank the wine in the cup, and then grinned.

"Can't the prime minister understand this?"

"——A discerning person can see that Mrs. Li moved into Changle Palace, and something was already wrong;"

"Now, Mrs. Li has died violently for no reason, but His Majesty has not reacted at all, and only explained that Feng Chang will handle the aftermath."

"Although Mrs. Li was finally buried in His Majesty's Yang Mausoleum, Mrs. Li's death ······"

"Hi~"

Stopping the conversation in silence, and drinking another one with a full face, Li Guangcai took a long breath, and bowed his hand to Zhou Yafu with a gloomy face.

"If you want me to say, the prime minister still has to think about this matter himself."

"I heard that when I learned of Mrs. Li's death, the third son of the emperor, Liu Si, the king of Changshan, immediately vomited blood and fainted;"

"Looking at this posture, King Changshan is afraid that he will end up depressed because of his mother's death."

"The second son of the emperor, Hejian Wang De, is coming to Chang'an to go to his mother's funeral."

"And the eldest son of the emperor, His Majesty did not even let him go to the funeral, only allowed the eldest son of the emperor to cry fifteen times in the morning and evening in his Linjiang Palace, and cried for fifteen days in a row······"

···

"In the past, His Majesty did not establish a prince for a long time, and the Phoenix Hall was inhabited by Mrs. Li, as well as the emperor's eldest son, the emperor's second son, and the emperor's third son, mother and son."

"And now, Queen Bo has moved to the North Palace, Queen Jia has entered the Jiao Room, and Mrs. Li has died of serious illness in a remote palace in Changle Palace;"

"The former Gongzi Sheng has now lived in the Tai Palace, and one of the three sons who lived in the Phoenix Hall in the past is about to die······"

"Alas~"

"—These things, Prime Minister, really need to be pondered more;"

"Pondering ······"

Repeating 'pondering and pondering' again meaningfully, Li Guang put on a posture that was overwhelmed by the strength of the wine, reluctantly put the wine cup in his hand back on the dinner table in front of him, and then lowered his head.

And after Li Guang's seemingly point-induced reminder, a touch of gloom and a little boredom gradually emerged on Zhou Yafu's face.

Regarding Mrs. Li's death, Zhou Yafu certainly understood in his heart: The cause of Mrs. Li's death could never be a simple 'serious illness and violent death'.

Just from the fact that Li Guang did not answer his question directly, but reminded himself to 'ponder more', Zhou Yafu could know: Among them, I am afraid that there are really some unknown inside information.

As for the matter of the third son of the emperor, Liu Si, the king of Changshan, Zhou Yafu has also heard about it, and the news he has is even more detailed than Li Guangdu.

- Liu Si, it's already gone.

Three days ago, the Son of Heaven Qigang ordered Zongzheng and Fengchang to handle the funeral of Liu Si, the king of Changshan.

The cause of Liu Si's death is nothing strange.

——Hearing the news of the death of his mother, Mrs. Li, Liu Shi, the king of Changshan, vomited blood and fainted, and died that night.

It's just that even so, Zhou Yafu still doesn't want to believe that Tianzi Qi would really be so ruthless to the concubine he once loved for the sake of the prince Liu Sheng······

"Alas······"

"As soon as Mrs. Li died, the eldest son of the emperor could be regarded as having lost the help of his maternal relatives;"

"Even if His Majesty plans to abolish the crown prince and the eldest son of the emperor in the future, there will be no more chances······"

···

"Could it be that Madame Li's death is a warning from His Majesty to me?"

"Is Your Majesty really so disgusted with the eldest son of the emperor, even if you break the rules of establishing a successor, you don't want to establish the eldest son of the emperor······

Thinking about it, he was about to reach out and pick up the wine cup in front of him, when he swept a 'maverick' figure, which caused Zhou Yafu to subconsciously turn his head.

As far as the eye could see, the middle-aged general's face was serious, his eyebrows were clear, and he was obviously a little out of place with everyone in the hall who was already drunk;

The wine cup in front of him was full of wine, but it was not picked up by the middle-aged general, so she could only lie quietly on the table like a secluded woman······

"Cheng Duwei, what's ······?"

"Is it because the drinks are unappetizing?"

"Or is Cheng Duwei unwell and can't drink?"

Hearing Zhou Yafu ask about himself, Cheng Buzhi put down the fast son in his hand as soon as possible, and his waist pole also stiffened.

- Today's banquet, Cheng Buzhi's mind is no longer on the meal in front of him;

Seeing that Zhou Yafu finally asked about himself, Cheng Buzhi immediately raised his head and looked at Zhou Yafu with a serious expression.

"Prime Minister, maybe you forgot, right?"

"——Since the first day of enlistment, I don't know Cheng, and I haven't drunk a drop of alcohol."

"Even if I lead the troops, I will always set the rule at the first time: all soldiers who are controlled by me are not allowed to drink alcohol in wartime!"

"After so many years, it has become a habit;"

"Even if it weren't for wartime, I wouldn't be able to drink a drop of this wine······"

The explanation that was neither humble nor arrogant only caused Zhou Yafu to nod his head slowly, indicating that he could understand Cheng Buzhi's strange behavior of 'not drinking'.

But what surprised Zhou Yafu was that after explaining the reason why he didn't drink, Cheng Buzhi, who was invited to come to participate in this banquet, actually stood up directly from his seat······

"Actually, I didn't want to come to today's banquet."

"It's just that I don't know where I am today, it's all because of Cheng's cultivation for many years."

"——After a while, I will go to Yanmen to serve as a county guard to defend against the Huns outside the northern wall."

"The court's order has been issued, and when I finish handing over the things in hand, I will set off."

···

"For the cultivation of the prime minister, I don't know what to remember in my heart, and I dare not or forget it in my life;"

"But now, the prime minister has made mistakes again and again, even if I have the heart to repay the favor, I am really unsuccessful······"

"I'm about to leave Chang'an, and I really can't rest assured that the prime minister came to participate in this banquet, in fact, there is a sentence I want to say to the prime minister."

"-Don't ask for this sentence, you can let the prime minister know his way back and protect the clan;"

"I only hope that my words can make the prime minister aware of the situation in front of him a little, so that he will not go too far on the wrong road, so that I will completely lose the opportunity to repay my kindness······"

Cheng Buzhi's tone suddenly became serious, which naturally made everyone in the hall turn sideways one after another, and the confused and scattered gaze laboriously converged on Cheng Buzhi's body.

It was the first lord, and when he heard Cheng Buzhi's solemn words, Zhou Yafu also stood up a little suspiciously, and gave up his hand to Cheng Buzhi.

saw Cheng Buzhi standing up straight, bowed to Zhou Yafu in a heavy bow, and then raised his head;

looked at Zhou Yafu's eyes, but there was a lot of worry and a little sorrow.

"The matter of the prince is really not a person like the prime minister, who was born as a martial artist and has a high position with martial arts, should be commented on······"

"Perhaps in the eyes of the prime minister, what he did was 'living up to the trust of the previous emperor', and it was for the sake of the temple and the community;"

"But the ninth son of the emperor was made the crown prince, and he was awarded the title as the eldest prince, and if you really want to study it carefully, you can't find fault at all."

"On the contrary, it is the prime minister who has repeatedly challenged His Majesty's authority and tested His Majesty's bottom line······"

"-Now, two of the four mothers and sons of the Phoenix Hall have died;"

"If the prime minister continues to be obsessed, the remaining two are likely to not live long."

"When that time comes, I'm afraid even the prime minister himself will ······"

"Alas······"

In the end, Cheng Buzhi only wanted to say something and let out a sigh, and said goodbye to Zhou Yafu.

"As a subordinate, you shouldn't talk like this to your superiors;"

"As a person who has received the favor of the prime minister, he should not accuse his benefactor like this."

"It's just that I'm about to leave Chang'an, and I really can't rest assured of the prime minister, so it's so rude······"

···

"To the prime minister, I have said all I have to say."

"In the future, no matter what the prime minister thinks of me, I will never forget the grace of the prime minister."

"I only hope that the prime minister, don't lose your clan and bloodline because of your stubbornness;"

"Don't let me in the future, even if I want to repay the prime minister's kindness, I can't find someone to repay······"

···

"If I say goodbye today, I don't know when I can meet the prime minister again."

"Yu Jun, don't leave it here;"

"I hope for a day when I will see you again······"

After saying that, Cheng didn't know it, so he ignored the eyes of everyone in the hall and knelt down to Zhou Yafu and kowtowed!

Then, Cheng Buzhi resolutely stood up and left Zhou Yafu's Tiaohou Mansion under the stunned gaze of everyone in the hall, including Zhou Yafu.

Cheng Buzhi's departure did not change much in this banquet.

Everyone drank wine and ate meat, pushed cups and changed glasses, and talked happily.

It's just that in the upper position, recalling Cheng Buzhi's words before leaving, Zhou Yafu was only stunned for a while, and he couldn't come back to his senses for a long time······

·

In the early morning of the next day, Liu Sheng, who appeared outside Sima Gate on time, waited for the imperial chariot of the Son of Heaven as promised.

With his father, Liu Sheng's own prince is driving, so naturally there is no need to bring it again.

With only a little eunuch Xia Que, he calmly sat on the imperial chariot of the Son of Heaven.

But after getting in the car, Liu Sheng did not open his mouth as casually as usual;

only behaved and polite, so he honestly sat in the corner of the carriage, and then sprinkled his scrutinizing gaze on another figure in the carriage.

- In addition to Liu Sheng and Tianzi Qi, there is a third person in the imperial palace.

And where did this person come from······

"Do you know why you can ride in the same car with me and the prince today?"

Liu Sheng was thinking about it, and the Son of Heaven opened his mouth to ask, but it only provoked the man to shake his head respectfully.

"I don't know."

"The minister is a native of Daling, originally just an ignorant boy, because of some skills that can't get a car on the stage, he was able to be appointed as a Lang official by the first emperor."

"Later, because of the favor of the first emperor, he was lucky enough to make some contributions and was appointed as a lieutenant general;"

"Four years ago, the first emperor died, His Majesty was on the throne of the country, and the minister was deposed for covering up the mistakes of his subordinates."

"In last year's Wuchu Rebellion, Chen was appointed by His Majesty as a general to lead the army in Hejian to pacify Qi and Zhao."

"After the rebellion was quelled, His Majesty summoned his ministers to Chang'an and once again served as the ······ of Zhonglang General"

After explaining his origin, he saw the man bow his hand to the Son of Heaven again: "Today, Your Majesty is going to Shanglin Yuan; As a lieutenant general, the minister escorts His Majesty by his side, which is the job that should be like this. ”

"Your Majesty asked the minister to ride with him, but the minister didn't know why."

"Just know that Your Majesty does this, there must be a reason to do this, even if the minister doesn't know why, he should obey it."

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It was another formal reply, which caused Liu Sheng on the side to nod his head secretly, and he also had a faint guess in his heart about the man in his early fifties in front of him.

And on the inside of the imperial chariot, hearing the man's answer, a hint of appreciation also faintly flashed between the eyebrows of Tianzi Qi.

Only in the end, that fleeting appreciation was replaced by a lingering grudge······

"Wei Juan~"

"Wei Juan······

···

"As early as the time of the first emperor, there were always people around me who said: Zhonglang Weiwan is a generous elder;"

"I've always wanted to meet the rumored and praised elders."

"——Back then, I also sent someone to invite you to the palace for a banquet, so that you could drink and talk."

"But you, a 'loyal elder', refuted my face as the prince at that time······"

"Huh?"

The words were said jokingly, and Tianzi Qi did not forget to make a free and easy look of 'I just said this casually, I have long forgotten these things'.

But whether it is Wei Juan, who is sitting in front of Tianziqi, or Liu Sheng, who is 'watching coldly' on the sidelines, it is not difficult to appreciate the shame that has not weakened even a little bit from Tianziqi's words.

- Tianzi Qi, he has not forgotten the past of that year;

Tianzi Qi, I mind that incident very much.

To this day, I still can't forget it, and it's hard to think about it······

"The minister remembers that at that time, the minister said to the person sent by His Majesty: The minister is sick."

Wei Wan's face did not change and said a word, causing Tianzi Qi to nod indifferently.

saw that Wei Juan still had a calm and calm demeanor, and gave up his hand to the Son of Heaven again.

"Minister, I'm really sick."

"After he recovered from his illness, he did not come to the door in person to confess his guilt to His Majesty and explain it clearly, which is really the sinful of the minister······"

Saying this, Wei Wan bowed his head, and when it was a big gift, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

He raised his head without saying anything, looked Wei Juan up and down, and asked again with a little embarrassment: "Since I am sick, then what happened back then was a misunderstanding." ”

"—what about last year?"

"Last year, after recruiting you back to Chang'an, I wanted to give you a sword;"

"Why did you refuse to accept my reward and let that Lang official bring back the sword I gave you intact?"

"Isn't it because of my reward that you don't feel precious enough to reward you for your merits?"

Tianziqi asked again, but Wei Juan still had that respectful and humble look, and bowed his hand to Tianziqi again.

"Your Majesty gave the sword to the minister, it is really a great honor for the minister."

"It's just that in the past, the first emperor gave his ministers a full six imperial swords, all of which were enshrined in the ancestral hall."

"——I heard that when Emperor Xiaohui was the prime minister, the prime minister Pingyang Yihou Cao Shen Cao Gong was the prime minister for four years, and he was rewarded with seven imperial swords by Emperor Xiaohui."

"Whether it is the virtue, talent, or credit to the temple and the community, the minister is less than one-tenth of the Pingyang Yihou - Cao Chengxiang;"

"The six imperial swords that have been rewarded by the previous emperor really shouldn't accept the seventh ······ that Your Majesty gave to the ministers."

was full of shameful justifications, which also made the Son of Heaven wonderful;

The corners of his eyebrows were slightly raised, and he asked with interest: "Things like swords are easy to be exchanged and sold; ”

"Is there still a person like you who has preserved the swords given by the first emperor intact to this day?"

Hearing this, Wei Wan's face did not change and he arched his hand again: "The sword given by the first emperor is still kept by the ministers." ”

Seeing that Wei Juan's face still did not see the slightest panicked look, Tianzi Qi only deeply commented to the depths of Wei Juan's gaze;

After a long time, he smiled again, then shook his head nonchalantly, and lifted the curtain slightly.

"Go, go to General Zhonglang's mansion and get all the six swords given by the first emperor."

"I want to see, my Han family, there are still such respectful subordinates, but I have never known about it?"