Chapter 174 The Crazy Emperor From Time to Time
When Lu Lingxuan sent people to chase the mission outside Yecheng, another piece of news was delivered to Gao Zhan’s desk!
The person who sent the message was Liu Taozhi, the number one assassin in the Northern Qi Dynasty!
"Your Majesty, Yu Wenhu's mother Yan is missing. Someone probably sneaked into Yan's room and kidnapped her!"
Gao Zhan's face changed with shock when he heard the news, and he quickly asked: "Who did it?"
"Your Majesty sent the Yang family to the Kingdom of Zhou in the name of escorting Yu Wenhu's mother. The news was very secret. Except for He Shizhong and the two envoys Wei Pushe and Bi Shangshu, Your Majesty did not tell anyone else about this... …”
"It can't be Yantong's doing. It was Yantong's idea to ask Yuwen Hu's aunt Yang to return to the Zhou Kingdom in place of his mother Yan. There is no need for him to do this, and it will not do him any good... …”
"yes!"
Liu Taozhi buried his head and stopped talking. To the king of Northern Qi, he was just an executioner. He would kill whoever the emperor asked him to kill. Trying to figure out the emperor's thoughts was the last thing he should do, and he was not good at it either. .
"I'm afraid there are spies from the Zhou Kingdom infiltrated into our city of Ye, so I'll leave it to you to find out! In addition, find Yu Wenhu's mother, Yan, as soon as possible!"
"yes!"
After responding, Liu Taozhi saw that Gao Zhan was hugging a beautiful woman and was a little uninterested. He didn't say anything for a long time, so he handed over his hands and was about to leave. At this moment, Gao Zhan suddenly asked: "Taozhi! You said that if I want a beautiful woman, but her husband is unwilling to give her, and this person has a good reputation, I can't touch her, what do you think I should do? "
Liu Taozhi understood what he meant and simply said: "Your Majesty, please tell me who this person is, and I will help your Majesty go and kill him!"
Gao Zhan took a sip of wine, coughed suddenly, laughed a few times, waved his hands and said: "That's all, this matter is not urgent. I will consider this matter again after the matter in Zhou Kingdom is settled!"
"yes!"
"I heard that Yu Wenyong, the puppet emperor of the Zhou Kingdom, sent envoys to the Turks many times in order to marry the Turk princess. He is ready to join forces with the Turks to invade Qi at any time!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, in fact, as early as when Yuwentai conquered the puppet Zhou Dynasty, he married the Turks and wanted to fight against our Northern Qi!"
"Oh, this Turkic Muzhan Khan is also an old fox. While discussing marriage with the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he also wanted to reconcile with our Qi State. The last time he invaded our Bingzhou border, fortunately Chang Gong repelled him... "At this point, Gao Zhan felt agitated for no reason, "That's all, this old Turkic fox won't let it go. I'm afraid he will unite with the Northern Zhou Dynasty to attack Daqi again.
Let’s find out about Yan’s disappearance first! "
"yes!"
Liu Taozhi resigned after responding!
Gao Zhan suddenly turned over and pushed down the beauty in his arms. The beauty was rosy and charming. She looked at him with a charming smile and called out shyly: "Your Majesty!"
"I am the emperor, but I can't get the woman I want. Do you think I am a coward?"
"Your Majesty, I wholeheartedly want to serve Your Majesty!"
"What a pity. After seeing such stunning beauty, I feel that you vulgar fans have no interest in you. Besides, you once served my imperial brother Gao Yang, right?"
When Gao Zhan asked, the beauty's face suddenly turned pale, and she could clearly feel a hint of coldness in the emperor's smiling eyes.
"His Majesty!"
She was about to beg for mercy, but she didn't expect that Gao Zhan's hand had already strangled her slender neck. With just a sudden force, the woman's head was twisted and drooped on her shoulders.
Gao Zhan stood up, kicked the woman's body off the couch, and then called He Shikai and the palace people to come in!
"Clean this place up!"
He gave the order, and the palace servants responded tremblingly, thinking to themselves: Your Majesty's temperament is really uncertain, and he seems to be ill again! The last time he got sick, he beat the late Queen Li Zumo half to death, and killed her only youngest son who was still alive in front of her. Then he ordered people to put Li Zumo into a silk bag and throw it into the He stayed in the ditch for a whole day, but fortunately, he was rescued by the palace people, so he did not lose his life. After that, Li Zumo became a nun in despair!
His Majesty likes beauties, but he never pities them. If anyone displeases him, he will not even know how he died!
Just like this beautiful concubine in front of me!
"Your Majesty, has this beauty made you angry?"
He Shikai is the only one who dares to talk to His Majesty so far.
Gao Zhan asked in return: "Yantong, what do you think I should do if there are spies from the Zhou Kingdom around me?"
He Shikai's expression changed, he looked at the beauty's body being dragged out by the palace servants, and said in shock: "Your Majesty, are you saying that this Wang's concubine is a spy of the Zhou Kingdom?"
Gao Zhan chuckled twice: "Otherwise, Yantong, who do you think it will be? Who let out the news that I replaced Yan with Yuwen Hu's aunt Yang?"
He Shikai suddenly turned pale and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, this matter is definitely not my fault. I strictly keep it a secret and have never told anyone!"
"Okay, okay, get up! I never doubted you!"
"It's just that I don't dare to trust another person now!"
He Shikai seemed to have expected who the other person in Gao Zhan's mouth was, but at this time he did not dare to say anything to refute, so he changed the subject and said with a flattering smile: "Your Majesty, you should not worry about this matter. You can leave these matters to reliable people." Just go and deal with it with the ministers. You are still young now, so you should enjoy yourself in time to live up to this life. You see, the emperors in ancient times, no matter how diligent they were during their lifetime, were not all reduced to ashes. Yao, Shun, Jie, and Zhou had no final fate. What a difference!
A wise husband dies for his reputation, and a greedy husband dies for profit, the end is the same, they just end up in the same place!"
Gao Zhan seemed to think what he said made sense, and his frown slightly relaxed.
He Shikai seized the opportunity and further said: "I know that your Majesty is suffering from beauty. You cannot hold the stunning beauty in your arms. Your Majesty feels uncomfortable. In fact, I have a plan to relieve your Majesty's suffering!"
"You said?" Gao Zhan's face was filled with joy!
"Why not send Prince Lanling to guard the border and let him keep Princess Lanling in Yecheng Mansion. As long as he is not here, Your Majesty will have many opportunities, not to mention that she is still a female official of Taishi Ling, and Your Majesty wants to issue an imperial edict. What's the problem with her?
And even if your Majesty cannot see your family members for the time being, you can still send them to the palace in the name of the Queen!"
When He Shikai said this, Gao Zhan looked happy, but then his face darkened again.
"But not long after Changgong came back from Nanchen, and he was newly married, I asked him to guard the border. Isn't it so unkind?"
"Your Majesty, you are the emperor, what do you care about these things? As long as you give an imperial edict, no minister will dare to disobey!"
This was what Gao Zhan wanted to hear, and he happily pulled He Shikai over, and the two began to play chess with each other again!
……
Just as Gao Zhan and He Shi were playing chess, two letters were sent to Yuan Zisi's Lu Mansion and the Lanling Palace in Tiangong.
"Your Majesty has begun to be suspicious of you, and quickly bring back the people who came to intercept the mission!"
This was the letter He Shikai sent to Lu Lingxuan. When the housekeeper delivered the letter to Lu Lingxuan, Lu Lingxuan's eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly and she quickly called Han Changluan over!
"Quick, get my son back quickly!"
…
But the letter sent to the Lanling Palace said: His Majesty suddenly went crazy for some unknown reason and strangled a beauty to death in the palace! In addition, Shikai seems to be slandering His Majesty again. Please be careful with your actions!
When he saw the letter, Xiao Jinyu was a little stunned and asked Gao Changgong: "Has your Majesty ever been in such a situation before, going crazy and killing people for no reason, just like Emperor Wenxuan?" Gao Changgong shook his head and said: "Your Majesty's temperament is a bit violent, but he is not. Unprovoked killing spree has happened before, but there is a reason! "
After saying this, Gao Changgong became even more frightened, and couldn't help hugging Xiao Jinyu very tightly, "Ayu, with your Majesty's temperament, I'm really afraid of you being around him..."
Xiao Jinyu smiled and interrupted in a warm voice: "I will cherish my life very much. Today in the Tai Chi Hall, you also saw that Xie Zhen is not a person who only knows how to advise. What kind of king does he face? What kind of method will be adopted? Isn’t it said that those who understand the current affairs are heroes? "
Gao Changgong couldn't help but feel a movement in his heart, and the worry in his eyes became even more serious:
"I'm afraid that the war is about to break out, and I have to go to the border to defend against the enemy. When the time comes, you..."
Xiao Jinyu had already told him about Yuwenhu's character. Regardless of whether Gao Zhan sent his mother Yan back to Zhou, Zhou and Qi would inevitably have a war. Neither Gao Zhan nor Yuwenhu kept their promises. Generations!
The so-called strategy of cutting off diplomatic relations is just to explore the opponent's enemy situation and delay the war!
Seeing that he was worried, Xiao Jinyu immediately interrupted with a smile: "I have Ling Ye and a bunch of troops given by uncle Xian. I will be fine. Chang Gong, you also need someone to help you in the court, and Xie Zhen I am your backing!
I will protect myself, don’t worry!”
Tears welled up in Gao Changgong's eyes. He said "Okay" and couldn't help but hugged Xiao Jinyu.
"I just don't know how Phoenix is doing now? Did he leave the mission early as I said he planned!"
…
In the twilight, a carriage outside Yecheng was still driving slowly on the official road surrounded by the envoys. The old lady in the carriage held the hand of the "maid" beside her and kept talking about many things.
From his childhood experiences to getting married at the age of seventeen, and then being taken as a hostage and confined in the palace of Qi State, living a dull and lonely life every day, when talking about missing his children and grandchildren, Unable to help but burst into tears, he touched the face of the "maid" again, and said with a tearful smile: "I think my youngest grandson is as old as you. My child, we are riding in the same carriage today, so we are destined. Take care of yourself and don’t worry about me anymore!”
The maid looked a little surprised!
The old lady added: "Although I am a little confused in my old age, I am not stupid either. My son has sent people to look for me many times, and every time he was about to escape to his motherland, but he was beaten by you again. Your majesty will recover it!”
"Now that I am old, I really can't escape, but I am satisfied to have such a child beside me who is willing to listen to my nagging and talk to me. If I can never return to my motherland in this life, I only hope that you can join me Your Majesty will be satisfied if you can send my ashes back to Zhou!"
After saying that, he looked at the embarrassed "maid" in front of him with a kind face.
"Son, tell me, you need me to do something for you. I am willing to help you. Then, you can run away!"
This maid was the disguised Phoenix. Originally, he lied and approached the old lady Yan as a spy of the Zhou Dynasty. Then he changed her appearance and became Yang, and then asked her to help him. He went out of Yecheng with her as a maid. Unexpectedly, the old lady was blind but aware, and she had already seen through his disguised identity.
"Old madam, you should go back to Zhou with the envoy. My brother said that whether you come back or not, war will break out in Qi and Zhou. Why let an old lady die in a foreign land?"
The old lady couldn't help but burst into tears and smile.
"Your brother is really a kind-hearted and good man. I wish I could! I hope I can see my children and grandchildren in my lifetime!"
As soon as the old lady finished speaking, Phoenix's eyes became wary.
"No, someone is catching up!"
The old lady's expression immediately became tense. While pushing Phoenix, she whispered: "Let's go quickly! My child, go quickly, I don't need you to take care of me anymore!"
The sound of horse hooves behind him made Phoenix hesitate a little. Unexpectedly, just as the carriage entered a path in the mountains and forests, there were chaotic footsteps ahead again!
There was a sudden panic and commotion outside the carriage. Phoenix opened the curtains and looked around, only to see a group of refugees dressed as bandits blocking the mission!
"Keep all your belongings or I will kill you!"
The leader of the gangster shouted in a rough voice.
As a civil servant, Wei Shou rarely faced the gangsters so directly, but Bi Yiyun looked calm and asked calmly: "Do you know who we are? Do you dare to rob us?"
"I don't care who you are, even if the emperor comes, you will still be punished. There is nothing more terrifying than being hungry!"
Bi Yiyun's face suddenly darkened, and he hurriedly raised his hand to summon the armed troops behind him to fight with these bandits. When Fenghuang saw these people fighting together, he glanced at the old lady, took advantage of the chaos, jumped out of the carriage, and also fought with these bandits. The gangsters fight!
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves behind him was getting closer and closer!
"Who in the front dares to rob the mission?"
Mutipo gave an order and arrived in an instant with a group of government soldiers!
"Catch all these people, including all the people in the mission. No one is allowed to leave Qi State. All of them must be sent back to Yecheng!"
Wei Shou was very surprised when he heard this order.
"General Mu, what do you mean? Your Majesty ordered us to send the old lady to the Kingdom of Zhou. Why do you want us to return to Yecheng?"
Today, Mutipo serves as the general of the armed guards.
"I suspect there are spies from the Zhou Kingdom in the mission. Let's all go back to the city for inspection!"
Bi Yiyun looked calm and didn't know what to say!
But Lu Lingxuan and her son had their own reasons for their actions, and he couldn't interfere!
At this moment, the old lady's cry suddenly came from the carriage. Bi Yiyun opened the carriage curtain and asked, "What's wrong? Old lady?"
The old lady cried for a long time before saying: "My Aying is missing... I just saw her fighting with gangsters and being forced down the mountain by a group of gangsters... Go and help me find her!"
Bi Yiyun's expression changed drastically, and he looked in the direction where the gangsters were fighting with his tribe. Sure enough, the maidservant was nowhere to be seen, so he led the two of them to chase after her. They saw that there was really a bottomless mountain ahead. The phantoms at night make it impossible to see the situation clearly!
"Old Madam, she's just a maid. How about returning to Yecheng and I can send some maids to Old Madam?"
The old lady cried even more sadly. Bi Yiyun didn't know what to do for a moment and looked at Wei Shou!
"What do you think I'm doing? I don't know what to do? Send two people to look for me at the bottom of the mountain? Do you want to see the person alive or the body if you die?"
"What else are you looking for? Go back to the city immediately!"
Mutipo gave a sharp shout, and the old lady stopped crying. Immediately, Bi Yiyun also waved his hand to signal the troops to turn around and return to the city!
…
The next day, the news that the mission was chased back to Yecheng by Mutipo reached Gao Zhan's ears. At the same time, Sima Maozong, the minister of Dali Temple, also sent a stack of files to Gao Zhan's desk.
"Your Majesty, Gao Lingjun does often enter the Lu Mansion secretly and has close personal contacts with Lord Lu.
And he brought these eight assassins this time to assassinate Xie Zhen. Zhen Yin came to Beigong to kill him, and it seemed that he wanted to accuse him of being a spy of the Zhou Kingdom after killing him!"
The place where Gao Anagong assassinated Xie Zhen was not far from the palace where Yu Wenhu's family members were banned. This was indeed a good reason to frame him!
Gao Zhan was furious when he heard the two pieces of news in succession. In anger, he suddenly revealed the case!
"Liu Taozhi!" he ordered.
"exist!"
"Go and ask Lu Lingxuan to come see me immediately!"
"yes!"
(End of chapter)