Chapter 185: Unlocking the Way of Powerful Ministers, Ridiculous Rewards
Mutipo's face was pale and her lips trembled as she replied: "Maybe there is something wrong with our secret spy organization in Zhou State. Only this Anu received our secret message to assassinate Xie Zhen, and... this Yang Su, I I suspect that he has betrayed the covenant with his mother. This time, he did not follow his mother's arrangements, but just let Anu carry out the assassination alone. There is no guarantee of victory.
Mother, I asked This man is said to be a profit-seeking villain, and he will work for anyone who can bring him greater benefit!"
Lu Lingxuan sneered and shouted: "Everyone in the world is here for profit, and there is nothing wrong with being only profit-seeking! That only shows that what you gave him is not enough for what he wants!"
Mutipo said: "Mother, since Your Majesty handed over the Cizhou kiln in Pengcheng, Xuzhou to Lanling King Gao Changgong, our daily income has been reduced by more than half. We only rely on bribes from some officials to maintain cooperation with these 'cooperative allies' We maintain a group of secret agents who only take orders from us, so we really can’t give any more money to those allies!”
Hearing this, Lu Lingxuan's face turned greener and greener, and her clenched fist hit a pile of broken porcelain hard again.
"After returning from the peace talks this time, Xie Zhen will definitely be favored by Gao Zhan. In this case, it will be a matter of time before he replaces me in Gao Zhan's heart!"
Mutipo felt distressed and scared, and hurriedly advised: "Mother, how about we ask Han Changluan to send some more people to kill Xie Zhen before he comes back!"
"Kill? Haha... How could you successfully kill them? Not to mention the last time we came back from the Southern Dynasty, we had the upper hand in the dark, but we still couldn't kill Gao Changgong and Xiao Jinyu. Now they Everyone in Prince Lanling's palace is wary of us like tigers and wolves, do you think we can still assassinate them?"
"Then... what should we do?" Mutipo was a little scared and had no idea.
what to do?
Lu Lingxuan's eyes became gloomy again. After some inner consideration and struggle, she answered: "Since Xie Zhen has an inseparable relationship with Prince Lanling and Xiao Jinyu, it is just a matter of killing them. It’s better to alienate the unbreakable relationship between them!”
"How to separate?"
"Isn't Prince Lanling's biological mother the best chess piece? I haven't given her back the slap she gave me last time, so let your Majesty treat her well for me!"
…
In the Zhaoyang Palace, after listening to Lu Lingxuan's words, Gao Zhan narrowed his eyes, as if recalling some unbearable past.
"Princess Liyang, Chang Gong's biological mother, I remember she was once the most beautiful woman in Daliang, right?"
"Yes!"
Gao Zhan chuckled: "The most beautiful woman in the world never comes to me. When I was young, I watched my eldest brother hugging the most beautiful woman in Daliang, and my second brother hugging me, the most beautiful woman in the country of Qi. The number one beauty always shows off at banquets, so I can only watch and deal with these brothers cautiously. Now that both brothers are dead, it would be a waste to keep this beauty. Why not raise it by me? Come on!"
After speaking, he pointed to the chamberlain beside him and said, "Go and give me a message. Let Xiao, the birth mother of Prince Lanling, be conferred the title of Lady of the Liang Kingdom, and let her come into the palace to receive the reward and thank you!"
The waiter's expression was a little embarrassed, but he still lowered his head and said: "Yes!"
When the imperial edict reached Prince Lanling's palace, Madam Wei was startled and her thoughts were a little confused.
"What on earth is going on? What does this ridiculous majesty want to do? He even asked the princess to enter the palace to receive the reward and thank you!"
When Mrs. Wei thought about the rumors about the Gao family, she felt bad!
"Princess, you must not go. What if you can't come back? Wouldn't this become a big joke?"
Axiu was also a little ashamed and anxious.
"It's all my fault. I didn't help the lady, and even asked the county prince's mother to... Madam, please don't go, otherwise the lady will blame herself when she comes back. Moreover, I have received a letter from the lady, saying that there are still three days at most. We’re almost at Yecheng! Let’s wait for her to come back and figure something out!”
Princess Liyang shook her head and said: "When she comes back, Gao Zhan will make plans for her again. Instead of doing this, it's better for me to face him!"
"Princess, no!"
Madam Wei and Axiu were so anxious that they knelt down and begged, "Wait a little longer, I'll be sick for a few more days!"
Princess Liyang stood up and said with a wry smile: "The men of the Gao family are all so lustful. When I was young and ignorant, I was coaxed and coaxed into bed by Gao Cheng. Now his ninth brother comes directly.
The moment my father and grandfather gave me to Hou Jing, the word chastity was really just a joke to me.
But if you can divert his attention, make him give up his desire for the princess, and protect Chang Gong's wife, that would be great! "
"Princess, think twice!"
Madam Wei still wanted to persuade her, but she saw Princess Liyang's expression darkened and she whispered:
"You don't need to persuade me. I also want to know whether Gao Cheng's death was planned by Gao Yang or Gao Zhan? Also, the death of my father and grandfather, and the demise of the Liang Kingdom were all part of his plan. …”
After saying that, Princess Liyang stopped the dissuasion of the people in the room, walked out of the gate of Prince Lanling's Mansion, and said to the chamberlain: "Take me to the palace! However, as a daughter-in-law, I have to see the Queen Mother first!"
"Yes! Madam, she is still as charming as she was before. She is still as beautiful as ever!"
When Princess Liyang left on the bullock cart, Lady Wei and Axiu became even more anxious. They walked back and forth in the house like ants on a hot pot for a long time. Axiucai suddenly had an idea and quickly wrote a letter to the princess!
…
When Xiao Jinyu received Fei Ge's letter, she was already very close to the inn in Yecheng. At that time, Xie Yuxuan was still talking to her about some things about Zhou State.
"Sister, don't worry, I already have my own intelligence network in Zhou State, and I also helped His Majesty Zhou to destroy several spies' strongholds in Qi State, so there shouldn't be much left of the spy Lu Lingxuan planted in Zhou State. , it still doesn’t pose a threat to the fifth brother!”
"As for that Yuwenhui, although Yuwenhu is highly regarded, this kind of behavior of privately leading troops to kill envoys is shameless. As long as I spread this matter in the streets and alleys of Chang'an, no matter how angry Yuwenhu is, , and he doesn’t dare to cause any trouble for the time being, after all, he still wants to welcome his mother Yan Ji back! "
"Moreover, Yu Wenhu's mother's return to China will be very useful to the fifth brother's plan, and even His Majesty's plan! Therefore, they will definitely agree to Sister A's request for peace talks!"
Listening to her confident words, Xiao Jinyu couldn't help but raise a smile on her lips.
Seeing that the night was getting late and another day was about to pass, Xie Yuxuan sighed with some sadness. Looking up, she saw a homing pigeon flying over and landing on Xiao Jinyu's shoulder very obediently.
Xiao Jinyu took off the note from the carrier pigeon's foot. After seeing the content on it, she couldn't help but smile, and a trace of sadness appeared in her eyebrows.
"What's wrong?"
Xie Yuxuan looked over curiously, and Xiao Jinyu handed the note into her hand without hesitation and asked, "Does Xuan still remember the most beautiful little princess in Nanliang?"
"You mean Princess Liyang?"
"Yes!" Xiao Jinyu responded, looked at her again, and said in a solemn tone, "She is Chang Gong's biological mother. Now she is afraid that she is in trouble. We must hurry up and rush back to Yecheng!"
"Ah? She...is actually the biological mother of the county prince?"
Before the sound of surprise could be heard, Xiao Jinyu was seen riding his horse forward quickly, and the sound of wind and lightning could be heard.
He then heard Xiao Jinyu say, "Axuan, do I need you to do me one more favor this time when I return to Yecheng?"
"What's the deal? Tell me? Why are you so polite to me?" Xie Yuxuan replied boldly.
Xiao Jinyu pondered for a moment before replying: "Pretend to be Princess Lanling!"
…
Just when Xiao Jinyu led a group of people and horses to Yecheng, there was also a turmoil in Chang'an City of Zhou State.
The news that Yu Wenhui secretly led his troops to Yubi City to rob and kill King Lanling, the envoy of Qi, in order to avenge his personal revenge, spread quickly throughout the streets and alleys, and even flew into the Duke's Mansion and the Imperial Palace of Jin. middle.
At the same time, Yuwenhui's body was also delivered to the residence of Jin Duke Yuwenhu along with this "rumor".
Because the journey back to Chang'an was quite long, when the corpse was brought to the Duke's Mansion of Jin, it already gave off an extremely unpleasant rotten smell, making it even more difficult to distinguish its identity.
"Is this my son Yuwenhui? Do you think you can fool me by just finding a corpse?"
Yu Wenhu refused to acknowledge him and had his body carried out. He also ordered the soldiers who brought the body to be beaten to death with sticks. As soon as Yu Wenhui's body was sent away, Yu Wenhu couldn't help but shed a few drops. tears.
The staff beside him couldn't help but said: "Otsuka Zai, I'm afraid this corpse is true. Lord Saburo did leave a letter before leading his troops to Yubi City. He said that he would kill a powerful enemy for his father before he went there!"
"It's not like I don't know, but I can't recognize the opportunity now, otherwise I will be exposed and the revenge of killing my son will be avenged later!"
After saying that, he wiped away his tears and asked again: "Has the letter Wei Xiaokuan sent to the palace been intercepted? What is the outcome of the peace talks?"
"It has been intercepted. I have copied the content of the letter. This is it!"
The staff handed a blank piece of paper filled with words to Yu Wenhu's hand. Yu Wenhu read it in a hurry, with a sneer on his face.
"This Wei Xiaokuan still likes to think of himself as the lord, and he gave his majesty advice in eloquent words. He said that the envoy of Qi State asked for two counties in exchange for my mother's return. He has negotiated that he only needs one county or five hundred stones of food and supplies. silk!"
"What do you think, Mr. Otsuka?"
"Let's ask, how does our Majesty view this matter, and whether he sincerely wants to welcome my mother back!"
After saying that, Yuwenhu changed into court clothes and came to the main hall where the Zhou courtiers were meeting.
At this time, all the ministers had already surrendered to the main hall and were discussing the matter of replacing Yan Ji, the mother of Yu Wenhu. Some ministers were so angry that they almost bumped into each other and died in the main hall!
Under the pressure of Yu Wenhu’s strong authority, there were still people in the court who dared to stand up and remonstrate to death. Trading counties and counties for an insignificant Yan Ji to return to the country was an act of losing power and humiliating the country. It is not a shameful deal!
When Yu Wenhu walked into the hall, many officials lowered their heads and did not dare to say anything. The only one who was aggrieved was the minister who just spoke out and remonstrated!
As soon as he saw Yu Wenhu walking in, Yu Wenyong, who was sitting on the dragon chair, immediately became frightened and did not even dare to look directly at Yu Wenhu!
Of course, he is not really a coward, but he wants to perfectly play the role of a cowardly and incompetent puppet emperor, despised by the courtiers, bullied by Yu Wenhu and even his sons!
"How dare you be so rude to Otsuka Zai, take off his official uniform and drag him out!"
After giving a sharp shout to the direct minister, Yu Wenyong said "righteously":
"I...I feel that it is just right for our Zhou Kingdom to rule the world with filial piety, so that the mother of the Duke of Jin can be reunited, and the mother and son can be reunited. As for how much food and silk, it doesn't matter even for a county, let alone Otsuka Prime Minister I will also ask for them all from Qi in the future! Am I right?”
After saying that, he looked timidly at Yu Wenhu's stern cold face, unable to avoid his eyes.
Yu Wenhu didn't speak for a long time, and the court became silent for a while. After a long time, he asked: "I wonder who your Majesty wants to send this envoy to Qi State in exchange for my mother's return?"
Yu Wenyong looked at him and couldn't make up his mind for a moment.
Yu Wenhu then pointed to the official who had just made the most vehement remonstrance and said: "I think it is most appropriate to send him there. In addition, the eldest son of the Gu family, Dugu Shan, also went to Chen State with my son as an envoy. This time Let him go and get together with his half-brother Duguluo who is also a hostage in Qi, right? "
As soon as he finished speaking, the former almost lost his breath and suffocated to death. Hu Duxin, who was mentioned as his son, also looked livid, but after all, he was one of the Eight Pillar Kingdoms. His expression only changed slightly and then returned to normal. He stood up from the queue and said, "I would like my eldest son to accompany me!"
After a court meeting, Yu Wenyong returned to the palace and was so angry that he crushed a porcelain cup into pieces.
"I have been playing this begging dog for too long. The courtiers despise me and the people accuse me of being stupid. When can I regain the military and political power?"
Two young officials walked in from outside the curtain, and one of them said: "Your Majesty, if you bear with me for a long time, we will have a chance when Yan Ji is replaced!"
The speaker was Zhao Wang Yuwenzhao.
The other person looked more calm, pondered for a moment, and said: "Maybe we have to wait until the Qiyi War breaks out and Yuwen Hu's reputation is greatly reduced, then we can implement the previous plan! By then, we will have to pull him in again Wei Gongzhi!”
This is Yang Jian!
Yu Wenyong patted the shoulders of the two of them before he could bear the anger just now: "Okay, then I will follow what you two said and bear with it!"
"Quickly write a letter and send it to the Lord of Qi!"
"Tomorrow, I will send an envoy to Yecheng, Qi State!"
…
When Gao Zhan received the letter from the Kingdom of Zhou, he was so happy that he quickly ordered a banquet in the Taiji Hall. He summoned all the beautiful concubines in the palace to the Taiji Hall, where they sang and danced constantly!
"I originally thought that as long as I could get Yu Wenhu to send people to my country of Qi to pick up his mother in person and sign a covenant to cease the war and make peace, the peace talks would be won. Unexpectedly, the country of Zhou actually sent five hundred Stone, food and silk are exchanged!
This Xie Zhen is indeed a genius, and he lives up to my expectations! "
"Yantong, what do you think I can reward him with?"
The monk smiled flatteringly and before he could answer, Gao Zhan suddenly had an idea. Looking at the beauties in the palace, he laughed and said, "Yes, I will give Xie Qing a surprise!"
When Xiao Jinyu returned to Yecheng with the delegation, she heard the cheers of the people again. The streets of Yecheng were once again crowded with people, and even sisters-in-law threw brocade handkerchiefs at her to express their admiration.
Xie Yuxuan, dressed in plain clothes and wearing a silk hat to hide her true appearance, followed Xiao Jinyu into the city.
As soon as he entered the city, Xiao Jinyu received an imperial edict, saying that His Majesty had already held a banquet at Tai Chi Hall and ordered Minister Xie to go to Tai Chi Hall to receive the reward immediately!
Xiao Jinyu ordered Ling Ye to take Xie Yuxuan back to Prince Lanling's Mansion first, and asked Gao Yanzong to take the tribe back to his Prince Ande's Mansion.
She herself went directly to the Tai Chi Hall carrying the staff that symbolized the messenger.
Gao Zhan was extremely excited when he saw her. He hurriedly pulled her into the palace. He didn't know if it was because he drank too much wine. His face was red, and his eyes were a little blurry when he looked at her dressed as "Xie Zhen". .
Almost suddenly, he brought a beautiful lady over to him, reached into his clothes... rubbed it, then pushed it to Xiao Jinyu and said: "Come here, I'll touch it for you too!"
"Xie Qing has contributed a lot to the success of this peace negotiation. I have decided to let you choose my beloved concubine!"
After saying that, he seemed to get more and more excited as he thought about it, and even added, "Of course, if Xie Qing is interested in my queen, my queen will also be yours!"
(End of chapter)