The night was deep, like a cloud of thick ink tightly wrapped in Kaifeng City.

The messenger sent by Zhao Gou rode a fast horse and quietly went out of the south gate, carrying a secret edict and heading straight to Shudi.

His task was to convey the emperor's will to Liu Guangshi, who was far away in Shu, and to recall the former commander of the palace.

However, he didn't expect that his every move had already fallen into Wen Boyuan's eyes.

Wen Boyuan had already laid a net in the city, just waiting for the messenger to throw himself into the net.

Just as the messenger was not far from the city and entered a dense forest, suddenly, a cold wind struck, accompanied by a "whooshing" sound, and countless arrows were shot from the darkness.

The messenger was frightened and tried to turn his horse back to the city, but it was too late.

He could only swing the whip in his hand with all his might, trying to block the rain of arrows.

However, there were too many arrows and too dense for him to block them all.

An arrow pierced his left arm, and the pain was so severe that he couldn't help but scream.

Then several more arrows struck his horse, and the fast horse neighed and fell to the ground with a thud.

The messenger fell off his horse and rolled a few laps before stopping. He struggled to get up, only to find that his limbs were no longer moving.

At this moment, a group of men in black rushed out of the shadows and surrounded him.

"Who are you? Dare to intercept the imperial messenger! The messenger shouted inwardly.

"Humph! You don't have to know who we are. You just need to know that your life is in our hands. ”

A man in black said coldly. He stepped forward, retrieved the edict from the messenger's bosom, and waved for the others to take the messenger away.

This move was unaware of it, and Zhao Gou didn't know anything about it.

In the afternoon, Zhao Gou took a steady step and slowly walked into the bedroom of the imperial sister Zhao Yingluo.

He had a gentle smile on his face, but there was a hint of imperceptible cunning in his eyes.

In the dormitory, the fragrance of medicine was permeated, the light gauze curtain was gently swaying in the wind, and Zhao Yingluo was lying on the bed, her face was pale, and she looked weak and powerless.

However, her eyes were clear and bright, revealing an unyielding perseverance. She watched Zhao Gou approach step by step, and sneered in her heart.

Zhao Gou walked to the bed and said softly: "Imperial sister, I don't know if your shoulder injury is better, I came to visit." ”

However, Zhao Yingluo tilted her head slightly, avoiding his touch. She said lightly: "Thank you Brother Huang for your concern, I just suffered a slight shoulder injury, and I expect to recover soon." ”

Zhao Gou's hand froze in mid-air and retracted it awkwardly.

He didn't care about Zhao Yingluo's coldness, and continued: "You are my own sister, how can I not care about your physical condition? The affairs of the court, you can put your mind at ease for the time being, with me here, everything will be handled properly. ”

When Zhao Yingluo heard this, she sneered even more in her heart. She clearly knew that Zhao Gou's words were nothing more than a cat crying mouse fake compassion. The reason why he said this is nothing more than to stabilize himself so that he can better control the power of the court.

However, Zhao Yingluo didn't want Zhao Gou to get his wish. She smiled slightly and said, "The imperial brother cares so much about the minister's sister, and the minister's sister is really grateful. However, although the courtier's sister was unwell, she did not dare to slack off in the affairs of the court. After all, the safety of the Great Song Dynasty is tied to one dynasty, how can the courtiers recuperate with peace of mind? ”

When Zhao Gou heard this, his face changed slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed in his heart.

However, he quickly regained his composure and said with a smile: "The imperial sister really cares about the world, and I am very pleased. However, the most important thing for you now is to take care of your health, and leave the affairs of the court to me. ”

After pretending to be affectionate for a while, Zhao Gou felt very embarrassed, so he found an excuse to say that he was busy with affairs, so he made an excuse to leave.

Four days later, as the night grew darker, Zhao Gou quietly left the palace, avoiding people's eyes and ears all the way, and came to the Drunken Immortal Tower.

This restaurant, located in the prosperous area of Kaifeng City, is bustling and full of people on weekdays, but tonight it was cleared by Qin Hui to discuss the plan.

Zhao Gou entered the private room, only to see Qin Hui, Wan Qiao, Du Chong and others had already arrived, and when they saw Zhao Gou, they got up and saluted.

Zhao Gou waved his hand and motioned for them to sit down, before he whispered: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have summoned you here today because there is a major matter to discuss. ”

When Qin Hui and the others heard this, their expressions suddenly became solemn. They knew that the "big event" in Zhao Gou's mouth must be related to the power struggle above the court.

Zhao Gou paused and continued: "I want to re-ascend to the Great Treasure, I don't know what you Aiqing thinks? ”

As soon as these words came out, the private room suddenly fell silent.

Qin Hui and the others looked at each other, each with a plan in their hearts.

After a while, Qin Hui took the lead in speaking: "The Emperor Taishang has such ambitions, and the ministers naturally support him. Now most of the courtiers in the court are already the emperor's people, and when the time is ripe, they can succeed in one fell swoop. ”

Wan Qiyu also echoed: "What Lord Qin said is extremely true. The ministers are willing to serve the emperor and seek common causes. ”

However, Du Chong said with some caution: "Emperor Taishang, this matter still needs to be considered in the long run. After all, the official family is your son, and you don't have to rush to regain the throne. Moreover, Her Royal Highness the Princess Zhao Yingluo's injuries will soon heal, and the military power is still in her hands, once she recovers, I am afraid that our plan will fall short. ”

When Zhao Gou heard this, his brows furrowed slightly, and he was a little unhappy in his heart.

He glanced at Qin Hui and Wan Qiao, and saw that both of them shook their heads slightly, obviously not agreeing with Du Chong's opinion.

Zhao Gou thought to himself: "Du Chong is so cautious, but it is a little in the way. However, Qin Hui and Wan Qian both support me, and there will be no problem in thinking about it. ”

So, he spoke: "Du Aiqing's worries are also reasonable, but I have made up my mind, and this matter cannot be delayed any longer." I have already sent a messenger to Shu to recall Liu Guangshi, and it is expected that King Qin's army will arrive in Kaifeng within ten days at the earliest. At that time, after Liu Guangshi replaced Wen Boyuan as the commander of the palace, I will be in power, even if Zhao Yingluo recovers, what can I do? ”

At this point, he paused and added, "Of course, we can't take it lightly, we must be prepared. Saying that, he looked at Qin Hui: "Qin Aiqing, what good plan do you have?" ”

Qin Hui pondered for a moment and said, "What the Emperor Taishang said is extremely true; We have to make sure everything goes wrong. In the opinion of the ministers, we can start from two aspects: first, find a way to make Her Royal Highness the princess's injury not heal, or even directly die; Second, strengthen security patrols and control inside and outside the city to ensure the stability of the situation. ”

Zhao Gou's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said: "What Qin Aiqing said is exactly what I want; I wonder what specific plans you have? ”

Qin Hui smiled slightly and said, "The Emperor can rest assured; The minister has already arranged it. We can make a hand and foot in the potion of Her Royal Highness the Princess, and let her die without knowing it; In addition, the minister also arranged for Yu Wende to be assassinated secretly, just in case. ”

He said it lightly, as if he were just talking about a trivial matter.

Zhao Gou was overjoyed when he heard this, but on the surface, he pretended to be hesitant and said, "This ...... Wouldn't it be too risky to do so? What if someone finds out? ”

Seeing this, Qin Hui immediately said: "This matter will be arranged properly by the ministers, and no one will find any clues." ”

Wan Qiyu also chimed in: "The Emperor doesn't need to worry; Lord Qin has always been safe and reliable, and he will be able to ensure that nothing goes wrong. ”

Hearing this, Zhao Gou finally made up his mind, he nodded and said, "Okay! Then do what Qin Aiqing said! Be careful, though, not to show your feet. ”

Qin Hui and Wan Qian responded in unison: "The Emperor can rest assured!" ”