Chang'an City.

Outside the health hall.

The scorching sun slowly slid overhead to the western horizon.

More than a dozen guards outside the gate of the health hall stood straight, looking vacantly in the direction of the setting sun.

Even in the sand-swept desert Gobi, the midsummer nights are still sweltering. The guard's armor was already half wet, and beads of sweat were dripping down his cheeks.

Finally, when night fell, the wind from the distant Gobi Desert blew through the large Chang'an City, and the streamers on the guards' helmets danced in the breeze.

A waning moon shone brightly, passing through the cracks in the branches and leaves on the guards' heads, mottled on the ground, and the grass and trees beside the temple heard the sound of insects.

Praetorian guards patrolled the palace with their lanterns in columns, their boots making a neat sound as they stepped across the bluestone pavement. At this time, no one dared to approach the health hall for half a step.

Inside the temple.

Bean-sized candles have been lit on the lantern stand, and the small hall is lit up, and the golden surroundings are reflected more gorgeously.

Qi An had already taken off his white dragon robe, leaving the placket open, revealing the fat on his chest, and the bright candlelight reflected his fleshy head red. A pool of sweat soaked the placket of his clothes, and it was still dripping downward.

The two talked about the late night, and the teacup beside Qi Yu was filled several times.

"Our father and mother died early, no one hurts and no one raises them, only leave us a knighthood, no use for fart. Qi An lay on the bench and babbled, as if he wanted to confide in Qi Yu about all the short things in his parents over the years.

Qi Yu responded lightly, a little carelessly, as if he was full of concerns.

"Thanks to the fact that the old man is the prime minister in the cabinet, the emperor has no children under his knees, and he is like a brother and sister to our father, and treats us as his own sons, so we have come to this day step by step, and we have everything we have today. Qi An fell into the memory, his tone became deep, and said, "But to be honest, in the current court, the parties are very chaotic, and after the old man abdicates, he talks like a fart in the court, who cares about him? Our identity is very passive, what are we? It is the old prince, the abandoned son left by the old cabinet, those new party members are trying their best to get Lao Tzu and drive our people out of the court." ”

Qi Yu raised his eyelids to look at him, his long eyelids trembling slightly.

"We can't be like before, like a big prince who has no quarrel with the world. Although the emperor accepted you and I as a righteous son...... Qi An said, drank all the tea in his hand, smashed his mouth, and said, "But do you know that after the emperor made the will to establish the crown prince, how many old things in the cabinet were about to breathe fire in their eyes?"

"The book is on the east gate. Qi Yu said lightly.

Qi An looked at him and said, "Not bad." The old things in the cabinet knelt down from outside the hall to the east gate of Chang'an City, and the people in the military department accounted for the majority, I don't cowardly, Lao Tzu is not afraid of those cultural people who have a stomach full of scriptures, they will only sour and put aside the impeachment, write something to complain, and stab the knife in the back, Lao Tzu despises cultural people the most, but no matter how many folds they put on the emperor, I am not afraid. ”

Qi Yu said: "But my brother is still a little jealous. ”

"Yes, no matter how many folds there are on the cabinet, they are just a few pieces of soft paper, but that time there were a lot of people from the military department kneeling at the east gate, and the other military power tiger talismans in their belts accounted for most of the people of the Qi country, which were quite hard things. Qi Yu pulled the placket of his robe outward, his eyes narrowed, and said.

After that, the emperor issued a holy decree and gave his brother the power of the crown prince, but the military power was still in the hands of the cabinet. Qi An continued his words and said, "In this way, it is also in line with their wishes, cutting off our way." ”

Qi An nodded heavily, straightened up with difficulty, raised the teacup in his hand, and saluted Qi Yu, and said: "My brother is really good, and it touches my brother's heart, so what do I say, don't look at so many people in my house, the Hanlin Academy listens to me, but you are the one who can really talk to my brother." ”

After hearing this, Qi Yu also picked up the teacup, saluted from afar, and said, "Brother has lifted it." ”

Qi An drank the tea up his neck, breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and said, "It's too difficult, brother, I don't accept it." Without military power, my position as the crown prince is like a dead letter, except for that holy decree, who the hell takes me as a prince in his eyes? I have to follow the court around and whisper to those old guys, and secretly engage in military power. Without its own army, it can't be done, its fists are not hard, and no matter how well you dress, you are just a fat sheep on the board. ”

After hearing this, Qi Yu was a little dazed, frowned, and said, "What does that brother think? I live outside the court all the year round, no one troubles me, and I can't get involved in the affairs of the palace." ”

Qi An looked at him, his eyes lit up a little, and said: "You are different from me, since the emperor made the will of the crown prince, everything I have is in the calculations of those old guys, and they want to keep me in captivity and use me as a puppet." I have no choice, I don't have any military power in my hands, and you are different, you have the biggest dart game in Chang'an City. ”

Qi Yu frowned and asked, "Dart game...... It's just business, so what does it have to do with the imperial court?"

Qi An waved his hand and said: "You don't know this, the dart game can be used as a stronghold for recruiting troops, if it is used well, it will be of great use, and it can always become a pimple for those old guys!"

After Qi Yu listened, the thoughts in his mind began to surge into volumes, colliding in his heart. His eyes were blank and he picked up the teacup to hide the strangeness on his face.

After serving it for a while, Qi Yu realized that the teacup was empty, he slowly put the teacup down, his face became complicated, and his eyes revealed firmness.

"Brother, do you know...... News that the emperor is seriously ill?" Qi Yu said to Qi An.

Qi An was stunned for a moment, looked at the strange look on his younger brother's face, and said, "I don't know, what's wrong? Didn't the emperor go to the villa to escape the summer?"

Qi Yu shook his head slowly, his voice lowered a little, and said, "The emperor's summer vacation is fake, and seeking medical treatment is true." ”

After hearing this, Qi An looked suspicious, his facial features were crowded together, and he said, "This...... How do you know? It's hard to spread the word. ”

Qi Yu looked at Qi An's face, stepped forward slightly, and said: "The emperor went to the villa a few years ago, and he always had to bring a lot of people, from playmates to ministers, from the harem to the guards, and always had to pull a few cars, but this year not only postponed, but only brought the queen alone, not even Princess Jing'an, and the guards didn't bring much, and all the old people in the imperial doctor followed." ”

Qi An thought for a while and said, "Hey...... What do you say...... There's no basis, if this thing is spread blindly, you can be deducted from it. ”

Qi Yu said: "But I believe in my brother. ”

"It's useless for you to believe me, the important thing is how do I believe you?" Qi An asked, spreading his hands.

"The master told me. Qi Yu said, "Since the beginning of the year, the emperor has reduced the number of times he went to the court, but let the cabinet take charge, ostensibly to support the new party of the imperial court, but the imperial doctor was promoted by the master that year, and he revealed that the emperor suffered from severe tuberculosis at the beginning of the year, and it has reached the level of coughing up blood in the middle of the night." At that time, the parties in the court were contending, the old and the new were not incompatible, and the overall situation was unstable after the anti-Chu resistance, and the entire Chang'an could not help but have one person in charge. The emperor asked people to be strict. ”

"That's what the old man told you?" Qi An asked with some eagerness, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Qi Yu said in a low voice: "The master only told me recently, according to the imperial doctor, the emperor's disease is menacing, and no matter how much medicine he prescribes, he is not good, and the emperor ...... There is still half a month at most, which may be faster. ”

When Qi An heard this, his small eyes widened, and a mess of fat seemed to bounce off the chair. He lowered his voice and said, "Half a month......?" This...... What should I do? Have you told anyone about it?"

Qi Yu shook his head lightly.

Qi An broke out in a cold sweat in the smoldering furnace-like place of the health hall, he stared blankly ahead, his mouth opened slightly, and the whole person seemed to have fallen into dementia.

"It's too fast...... It's too fast......" Qi An muttered.

Qi Yu looked at his reaction, as if he had expected it, and said: "Brother, this news is very important, it is absolutely true, Qi Yu didn't dare to say half a lie, so he came here to discuss with his brother." ”

Qi An's mustache trembled, and his face was covered with dense beads of sweat. His hands gradually clenched, and he said, "Your Majesty...... If it really dies, according to the situation in the imperial court...... The new party will soon stand up, and countless people will want to pounce on it, and they will no longer have taboos, and at that time, you and I will become the target of public criticism...... Fan Changlong, the secretary of the military department, and the secretary of the household department Hongliang...... The leader of the Chang'an City Praetorian Guard...... Who's that...... and the marquises...... They can all stand in my way. ”

After that, he looked at Qi Yu and said, "I don't have military power, even if they find an excuse, they can get me down from the crown prince!"

Qi Yu shook his head and said, "Brother don't be so worried, the emperor is dead, you are the crown prince, if you make an order......

"No!" Qi An's fat head shook into a wave drum and said, "I, the crown prince, exist in name only, and everyone has to obey the arrangement of the military department." In the imperial court, the new party will take over the power, and the old party of you and me will be like a fat sheep on the board, and everyone will be in danger at that time, and everyone will come up to make up for it.

The more Qi An spoke, the more angry he became, he pulled the placket of his clothes, opened his chest and exposed his breasts, and gasped heavily.

Qi Yu also fell silent and did not answer.

There was a sudden silence in the health hall, and the air around it seemed to freeze and become oppressive. Both of them were racing in their minds.

"Brother. ”

After a long time, Qi Yu suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, and Qi An hurriedly looked up at him.

"If you have military power, will the pattern of the imperial court be different?" Qi Yu's deep voice said word by word.

Qi An said: "How did you get the military power? Not to mention the military department, the situation of several marquis is on the side of the new party, and we all rely on the relationship between the emperor and the old man." If the emperor is a few years late, I still have time to prepare. But during this time, the cabinet was closely watching, and the situation was grim, and I couldn't spare my hands at all, in case the military power was not gained, and I was charged with deliberate rebellion, it would be more than worth the loss. ”

Qi Yu said: "Brother, what I'm talking about is the kind of military power that is justified and upright, and the cabinet will take the initiative to give it to you." ”

"! Those people regard me as a beast of prey, not to mention military power, and they are reluctant to give me even a piece of silver! You are their good boy, why don't you ask them for it?" Qi Yu was a little angry, and the spittle stars flew outward.

"If you see this?" Qi Yu said softly, taking something out of his arms and placing it on the table in front of him as he spoke.

It was a bronze token with rust on it and a large inscription faintly carved into it.

Qi An's eyes widened and he looked at it, and the token looked horizontally and vertically, and he couldn't see what was written on it.

"What is this?" Qi An's fat upper body moved over, leaned closer, and asked, "What is written on this?"

"Chu. Qi Yu said, "The token of the royal family of the Chu State." ”

Qi An was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and said, "What do you mean?"

An imperceptible smile flashed through Qi Yu's mouth, and he pushed the token towards him, and said, "Brother, listen to me, I have a way to help my brother succeed, I wonder if my brother would like to hear about it?"

Qi An's hand trembled slightly, and he lowered his voice and said, "Are you bluffing your brother?"

"Isn't the current Daqi cabinet chaotic enough? The new party and the old party are surging and competing with each other, and my brother must have better understanding than me. Qi Yu said, "I don't know how many eyes are staring in the dark, as long as the time comes, they will be like wolves, and they will treat the old party as a lamb to eat." ”

Qi An was stunned when he heard this, these words really felt a little strange from Qi Yu's mouth, and he asked suspiciously: "What do you mean? You are not from the court, are you not from the court, did the old man tell you this?"

"Nope. Qi Yu smiled slightly, "The interests of you and I are the same, I came to my brother this time, not only to give my brother a chance, but also to use my brother's strength to wipe out the remnants of the Chu State." ”

Qi An looked at Qi Yu in plain clothes in front of him, and the picture of the battle against Chu also appeared in his mind.

At that time, Qi Yu was still the governor of the Qi army, and when the Chu army reached the border of Qi at an unstoppable speed, he was ordered to personally take command, leading hundreds of thousands of Qi troops to the east, stationed on the front line of anti-Chu.

After several years of fighting, the Chu army was finally defeated, and he was also taken off his military robe and armor by the cabinet early on the grounds of ineffective united front.

Qi An subconsciously swallowed his saliva and said, "You...... What do you mean? Isn't the Chu State already dead?"

Qi Yu shook his head and smiled: "Brother thinks too simply, I have been fighting horses all my life, although I have not experienced many battles, I am not as good as a veteran, but my military career has been survived on the battlefield of resisting Chu, and the remnants of the Chu State are burned inexhaustibly, and the spring breeze blows and grows." As soon as there is a possibility of a resurgence in the state of Chu, I will not be able to sleep peacefully for a day, and I will not be able to face my brothers and soldiers who sacrificed my life. ”

Qi An asked, "Then what do you mean......?

Qi Yu stood up, walked closer to Qi An, leaned close to his ear, and began to whisper.