During this period of time, news about the north was sent to the Han Palace.

At this time, in the study of the Han Palace, Zhao Yao was reading the news he had just received. After reading it, he first frowned, then showed a puzzled expression on his face, and finally his expression became solemn.

He Lianfang noticed the change in his face and asked with concern, "What happened?" ”

Zhao Yao didn't speak, but handed a secret letter in his hand to He Lianfang.

He Lianfang took the letter and looked at it. After he finished reading, his face showed an expression like Zhao Yao.

"What is this King Han thinking?"

Zhao Yao muttered: "Maybe he did it on purpose, in order to fool us, make us think that he doesn't care about his reputation at all, and make us feel that he has no interest in the throne at all." After speaking, he added, "The most important thing is that he wants his father to feel that he is obedient, and without his father's order, he does not dare to open the granary in Youzhou for disaster relief." ”

"Don't care about fame?" He Lianfang raised her eyebrows slightly, "Now that King Han's reputation in the north is completely ruined, he really doesn't mind at all?" ”

"Second uncle, reputation is not important, even if King Han has become infamous now and is disliked by the people in the north, but when he becomes the emperor, his bad reputation in the past will disappear, and the people in the north will not dare to be dissatisfied with him anymore." Fame is nothing in the face of absolute power. As long as you have the power of life and death in your hands, a bad reputation will also become a good reputation. "Do you think my father cares about reputation?" Fame is a good thing sometimes, but more often it's a bad thing. If you care too much about reputation, you will be limited in what you can do. Also, if you think about fame before you do anything, then the essence of the matter changes.

He Lianfang felt that Zhao Yao's words made some sense, "You mean that King Han deliberately ruined his reputation so that you no longer worry about him?" ”

Zhao Yao nodded lightly and said, "Hmm." Also, King Han has always done things as he pleases, and he never cares about other people's opinions. ”

He Lianfang raised her eyes and looked at Zhao Yao deeply: "In the north, the reputation of King Han has been ruined, but your reputation has spread throughout the north, and the people in the north are full of gratitude to you, so you are not afraid of being said that you are trying to gain a good reputation, and you are not afraid of being feared by the king on behalf of them?" ”

Zhao Yao asked rhetorically: "Second uncle, if I don't do anything, won't they guard against me on behalf of the king?" He didn't care about the vigilance of the king for a long time, "If I send grain to the north to win a good reputation, then I will tell the world all the way that I, Zhao Yao, have paid a thousand catties of grain from my own family and pocket to send to the north, which will definitely make them grateful to Dade." If I am afraid of them, then I will not do anything. I sent grain to the north just to help the people in the north, and as for the rest, I didn't bother to care what others thought. "He always had a clear conscience and didn't care about anything else.

"You're for the people, but the kings don't think so."

"Whatever they want." Zhao Yao said, a sneer came out of his mouth, "Even if I win a good reputation, what can I do, those ministers in the court still look down on me, the king of Han, they will only think that I am doing this in vain." As for the kings, they have never regarded me as an adversary, they covet my money and food. They tried their best to get rid of me, not because I posed a mortal threat to them, but because they were worried that the fourth brother would become strong because of my help, so that they could no longer compete with the fourth brother. "There is one thing, He Lianfang has never known, Zhao Yao secretly sent a lot of money to the King of Chu.

Zhao Yao made up his mind to stay away from the throne, and also made up his mind to help the king of Chu ascend to the throne. He didn't know why the emperor and He Lianfang thought he was suitable to be the emperor, but he felt that the king of Chu was more suitable to be the emperor than him.

He only sent some money to the king of Chu, and the rest did not help. Although he had a very powerful intelligence agency, he never sent intelligence to the king of Chu. Otherwise, I would be so sorry for King Wei.

He Lianfang glanced at Zhao Yao, who was full of indifference, and said mockingly: "You can see it clearly." ”

Zhao Yao smiled and said, "I have always seen clearly. He has always known how many pounds and taels he has, and he knows that he is not the material for the emperor.

He Lianfang asked, "What are you going to do next?" ”

"Don't do anything, I've done everything I need to do, and then I don't have to do anything."

He Lianfang asked with a little surprise, "You don't care about King Han?" ”

"I don't care what King Han does." Zhao Yao felt that He Lianfang's words were very funny, "The acting king and the fourth brother are both in the north, and they are staring at King Han, what else do you need me to do." ”

"Aren't you afraid of King Chu, they can't help King Han?" He Lianfang emphasized, "King Han has always been very hidden, and King Chu is not necessarily his opponent. ”

Zhao Yao chuckled and said, "Second uncle, you think too highly of me, and you look down on my fourth brother too much." ”

He Lianfang twisted her eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?" ”

Zhao Yao didn't answer, but asked, "Second uncle, do you believe that I can dig out the true face of King Han?" ”

He Lianfang didn't speak, but gave Zhao Yao a look.

"Second uncle, I'm really happy to be so trusted by you." Zhao Yao winked playfully at He Lianfang, "What I can find, the fourth brother will definitely be able to detect." Now that the fourth brother is in front of King Han, do you really think he can't find out anything? ”

"The person who discovered that King Han was hiding very deeply was you, not King Chu."

"It's indeed me, but it doesn't mean that the fourth brother can't help King Han." Zhao Yao was full of confidence in the King of Chu, "Back then, the fourth brother single-handedly found the place where the former prince and the former Zhenguo Duke hid copper. ”

After He Lianfang heard this, she didn't speak for a long time.

"King Han can deceive the acting king, but he must not deceive the fourth brother." Zhao Yao said confidently, "The most important thing is that the fourth brother discovered the true secret of King Han, but King Han didn't know about it. ”

"You are stupid to be the king of Han."

"Of course King Han is not stupid, but he is conceited, and he is afraid that he will still think that his secret has not been discovered." Zhao Yao said again, "King Han will be wary of the fourth brother, but the fourth brother has his own way to find out everything he wants to know, and he is quiet, and he will not let King Han notice." ”

"You really believe in King Chu." He Lianfang didn't think so.

"I've believed in the fourth brother since I was a child." Zhao Yao had long seen that He Lianfang looked down on his imperial brothers and felt that his imperial brothers were inferior to him. "Second uncle, just wait and see."

"I'll see." He Lianfang didn't believe that the King of Chu could find out King Han's secret, "The King of Chu is the King of Chu's business, and you are your business." ”

"Second uncle, it's enough to have the fourth brother check King Han, so I don't have to check it anymore." He still has a lot of things to do, and he doesn't have so much spare time to keep an eye on King Han.

"Don't forget that King Han and the Huns are not clear, you really don't continue to investigate?"

Zhao Yao shook his head and said, "The fourth brother will find out, so I won't interfere." ”

Seeing that Zhao Yao trusted the King of Chu so much, He Lianfang was very helpless. He knew that Zhao Yao had made up his mind, so he didn't persuade him again, and changed the topic to talk about other things.

After finishing speaking, He Lianfang returned to her courtyard.

The figure of someone who had been secretly following He Lianfang appeared in the shadows, and said in a very light tone: "Do you have something to worry about?" "His voice was so small that if you didn't listen closely, you wouldn't notice that there was another person in the room.

He Lianfang didn't speak, but there was a trace of murderous intent in his eyes.

Someone in the shadows sensed his murderous aura and asked, "Who do you want to kill?" ”

He Lianfang waved her hand at the person in the shadows, and someone hidden in the darkness disappeared from the room in an instant.

Just now, He Lianfang had murderous intentions towards the King of Chu, but he quickly regained his senses, because he knew that without his intervention, King Dai, King Jing, King Han and King Wei would not let the King of Chu go. When the king of Chu and them are both defeated, it is not too late for him to get rid of the king of Chu.

He Lianfang pushed her wheelchair to the desk, picked up the pen and began to write to the emperor in the capital.

Zhao Yao was not worried about what He Lianfang would do to the King of Chu, because he knew that He Lianfang would not get rid of the King of Chu at this time. With He Lianfang's temperament, he will kill the king of Chu in the end. However, when that time comes, he will definitely stop it.

At this time, Tongxi walked in and said to Zhao Yao: "Your Highness, Master Pei asks to see you." ”

"Dingyuan?" Zhao Yao was a little surprised. What surprised him was not that Pei Dingyuan came to see him, but that at this time, after all, it was very late. "Let him in." Dingyuan came to him at this time, there must be something urgent.

After a while, Tongxi led Pei Dingyuan in.

Zhao Yao glanced at Tongxi, who respectfully retreated and stood guard at the door, not letting others approach.

After Pei Dingyuan finished his salute, he said with guilt: Your Highness, I'm sorry to disturb you at this time. ”

"It's okay, you must have something to do when you come to me at this time." Zhao Yao said softly, "What happened to make you come to me in such a hurry?" "Is there something going on in the ministry?

Pei Dingyuan did not hesitate, and asked straight to the point: "Your Highness, do you know the people of the Southern Wei Dynasty?" ”

Hearing Pei Dingyuan's question, Zhao Yao's face showed a look of surprise.

Seeing Zhao Yao's expression, Pei Dingyuan knew that he knew.

"Your Highness, you know the people of the Southern Wei Dynasty."

Zhao Yao bowed his head slightly and said, "I have always known, but how did you know about the people of the Southern Wei Dynasty?" As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Have you stabbed the Southern Wei people?" ”

"Don't hide it from Your Highness, just some time ago, someone came to me, saying that he was a person related to the Pei family, and that he knew the truth about the Pei family's annihilation." Over the years, Pei Dingyuan has successively remembered the memory he had forgotten when he was a child, but he didn't remember it thoroughly. The memories he recalled were not related to the Pei family's destruction back then. He only remembered that he was indeed the Pei family, and knew that his grandfather had escaped the Pei family's annihilation back then.

When Zhao Yao heard this, he sat up straight and asked, "What did he tell you?" ”

"He said that the Pei family was wronged back then, and it was the Yuan family who caused the Pei family to be beheaded all over the house, which is the same as what you told the minister at the beginning." As early as a few years ago, Pei Dingyuan learned from Zhao Yao that the culprit who killed the Pei family was the Yuan family. He also said that Mrs. Pei, that is, Pei Guifei's grandmother, was from the Southern Wei Dynasty. The Yuan family framed the Pei family for one thing, and only the Pei family knew where it was. ”

Zhao Yao listened, and there was no look of surprise on his face, because he had already known it.

Pei Dingyuan saw that Zhao Yao's face was calm, as if he had known about this matter for a long time, and his face unconsciously showed a shocked look: "Your Highness, do you know?!" ”

"I know more than you do." Zhao Yao didn't say much, but pulled the topic back, "What else did he tell you?" ”

He also said that the Pei family was just an ordinary family, not a family, but it was because of the help of the Southern Wei people that the Pei family slowly became a family in the previous dynasty, and the Pei family was able to hold important positions in the court. At that time, it was also their handiwork that Pei Guifei was able to enter the palace and be favored. Pei Dingyuan continued, "He also said that there was no accident in the Pei family back then, and it was Pei Guifei's son who sat on the throne, but unfortunately Emperor Xia Ling listened to the slander and sent Pei Guifei and the prince born to her into the cold palace." Not long after Pei Guifei's mother and son were imprisoned in the cold palace, the Pei family was slandered as collaborating with the enemy and treason, and they were beheaded all over the house. Then Pei Guifei's son died of illness, but Pei Guifei was still alive, and the Southern Wei people had been trying to save her, but they didn't succeed. ”

Zhao Yao thought of the secret passage in the cold palace where Pei Guifei was, which was probably dug by the Southern Wei people. The secret passage was dug through, and it went straight to the cold palace where Pei Guifei was located, why didn't the Southern Wei people succeed in taking Pei Guifei away? Could it be that Pei Guifei herself is unwilling to escape?

"Did he tell you the location of the Pei family's treasure?"

"No, he doesn't know where the treasure is, but he said that the Pei family must know." For so many years, Pei Dingyuan has not remembered anything about the Pei family's treasures. "He thought I should know, but I told him that I burned my brain because of fever when I was a child, and I don't remember what happened when I was a child, so I don't know where the treasure of the Pei family is."

"He believes it?"

"I think he should believe it, and he said he would find a way to remind me of what happened when I was a kid." Pei Dingyuan didn't think that the Southern Wei people could let him recover the memories of his childhood, "He also said that the treasure of the Pei family belonged to the Southern Wei people, and he had to find it, and said that there was a very important thing in the treasure, which was related to the fate of the Southern Wei people, so I must try to remember what happened when I was a child." ”

When Zhao Yao heard this, he said calmly; "It's pretty much what I guessed."

"I asked him what that thing was, and he wouldn't tell me, Your Highness, do you know what it is?"

Zhao Yao shook his head lightly and said, "I don't know. However, he had a few guesses.

"Actually, I don't think it's useful for me to remember what happened when I was a kid." Pei Dingyuan said, "If I didn't guess, my grandfather should be an inconspicuous member of the Pei family, or a concubine who was sent to the Taoist temple in poor health." How could he tell him such an important matter as the Pei family's treasure. "It is precisely because his grandfather was sent to the Taoist temple by the Pei family since he was a child, so few people know that the Pei family still has such a person as his grandfather. Back then, the Pei family was full of beheadings and missed his grandfather.

"If the Southern Wei people know that you don't know the location of the Pei family's treasure, then you are in danger." Over the years, Zhao Yao has been secretly investigating the Southern Wei people, and he still has some understanding of the temperament of the Southern Wei people. "The people of the Southern Wei Dynasty will not be easily exposed to people, they come to you, mainly to find the treasures of the Pei family through you. If you don't know, they'll think you're useless. Besides, if you learn of their existence, you can't keep you in the world. ”

Pei Dingyuan looked horrified: "Will they kill me?" ”

"Yes, but it may not be, after all, you also have the blood of the Southern Wei people in your body."

"Your Highness, who are the Southern Wei people?" Pei Dingyuan intuitively felt that the people of the Southern Wei Dynasty were not good people.

"Not a good person." Zhao Yao said with a disgusted face, "A group of crazy people who want to restore the Southern Wei Dynasty, they will do whatever it takes, and they can do anything. ”

"Sure enough." Pei Dingyuan is very smart, and from the words of the Southern Wei people, he deduced a lot of things, "Your Highness, the Southern Wei people are in a hurry to find the treasure of the Pei family, mainly for that thing, is that thing related to the revival of the Southern Wei Dynasty?" ”