Chapter 310 The Last Stumbling Block
Mid-February is almost over, and the night wind is still chilly.
In the Qin Mansion, a square courtyard was surrounded by the palace guards and fifty soldiers. A low hum of insects gradually came from the corners of the courtyard.
The figures who had been invited quietly entered from the side door of the Qin Mansion, followed by the accompanying servants, and hurried past in the light of lanterns under the nearby eaves. Under the watchful eyes of the guardian, they entered the courtyard under martial law.
The steward led several older maids, brought tea and pastries, and then silently exited the room and closed the door.
Qin Wenwen sat at the head of the hall, with a cane to support his walking next to him. He blew on the floating tea stems from a porcelain cup. His colleagues sitting on both sides sat squarely with calm faces, drinking tea.
The classics are rich, the case is clumsy, and the small stove lit with incense curls up with light green smoke.
This is the study room of the Qin Mansion. It is Qin Tongwen's favorite place, and it is also the place where she often discusses things with Xiang Nu. Now there are several colleagues in the court here.
With their weight, during the reign of the late emperor, they were enough to influence the situation in the entire north.
However, after King Xia took control of Yanjing and took control of the north, many old ministers died one after another in the last palace coup. Those who were not involved were disheartened, and many resigned and returned. Township.
The remaining people tried to save the court, but unfortunately the power in their hands was gradually taken away by the new courtiers step by step. Now that King Xia is about to inherit Zuo of Yan State, there is no room for recovery.
As for the matter of King Xia, he was not sure whether he could succeed. Qin Tongwen decided that he could not wait any longer, but he would definitely not be able to accomplish such a big thing by himself.
Then he invited the remaining veterans of the Yan State. They had some conflicts of interest in the past and still had some power in their hands, such as Zu Zhou, the minister of punishment, Wang Qi, the minister, and Kong Lingde, the captain of Jingzhaoqi... ...waiting for six people.
“…Since King Xia entered Yanjing, his power has become more and more powerful, and time has not waited for me. Now he returns to the court with a victorious army. Under the monument, he swears an oath to the three armies, with unparalleled prestige.
Now it is even rumored that His Majesty has enthroned him. Regardless of whether it is true or false, it is a great disgrace to us and other loyal ministers of Yan State... In the past two years, I have been trying to persuade King Xia to return to the right path and return power to His Majesty. , don’t be the violent minister who insults the Holy One.
But it seems that I was wrong. He became the King of Xia just for the throne. I and other veterans can no longer sit back and wait for death. Even if we are broken into pieces, we must give it a try! "
Qin Tongwen took a deep breath and slapped her hands on the table a few times. Her weak body was shaking with excitement.
The servants had all avoided such occasions, so There is no need to worry about speaking loudly or not.
Wang Qi, the servant on the side below, put down his tea.
“We all know what Qin Shangshu said, but King Xia is very powerful. , controls all the troops and horses in the world, and all the land in the capital belongs to him. We don’t have much power in our hands anymore, how can we check and balance him. ”
When he said these words, the other five people had different expressions. Some were stroking their beards and being silent, or they were closing their eyes and nodding. Kong Lingde, the Cavalry Commander, spoke up: "Although the veteran is sixty-two, he was promoted when the late emperor was still the prince. This is a great opportunity." I can't repay my kindness, but I'm willing to risk my life for the great Yan State!"
"What are you trying to do? Are your heads weak or your necks are not afraid of the blade?"
"No, Ling Dejin is talking nonsense, what can dozens of people under your command do? It's not enough for one of the fierce generals under King Xia to kill with his bare hands."
"Speaking of fierce generals, the generals under King Xia's command can't do anything." Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, and Li Xuanba are all powerful people. They are also in Yanjing City. What should we fight with them?"
"Qin Shangshu, Lu Bu seems to have fought with you before? , did you really give him the Xiang girl?”
The flurry of words made Qin Tongwen's face turn red, and he banged the table.
“Let’s talk about how to get rid of the King of Xia, what’s the point of involving me? We, a group of people who have been officials for decades, are not as good as a young man of ten or so. Tell us where to go with our old faces. "Let go!"
He was also touched on a painful spot, and what he said was quite impatient.
"Qin Shangshu, we are all half dead. We are not afraid of death, but it is worth dying. You and I both know that we have no soldiers, no power, no power at all. There is no way to be the King of Xia."
Among the court officials here, apart from Qin Tongwen, Zuzhou, the minister of punishment, is the oldest. He is already sixty-nine years old. "If Qin Shangshu can find a way. , but please tell us and we will discuss with the minister whether it is feasible.”
"There is a way."
Qin Tongwen leaned back, put his fingers on the side of the tea cup, and tapped lightly with his fingertips. After a while, he looked away from the candlelight.
"The King of Xia is about to ascend the throne, and all parties are under martial law. But the more this happens, the greater our chances."
He paused and looked at everyone.
"Accession to the throne is a major event. The civil and military officials around King Xia should concentrate on preparing for the enthronement. You may be able to catch a glimpse of it in some corners, but not many. The Fengchan platform is already being built in the imperial city, and there is a backlog in the court. The King of Xia must be tired of handling affairs and coordinating the affairs of all parties, and will not live in the palace. Although the Palace of the King of Xia is large and heavily guarded, it is much simpler than the high-walled and deep courtyards of the Imperial City."
"There are many soldiers and horses stationed in Prince Xia's palace. It's so easy!"
"Haha, the palace's high wall stretches for twenty-seven miles. It is impossible for soldiers to be stationed at every section. They are mostly patrolling soldiers and horses. As long as you want to , I have more than a hundred people under my command, that’s enough! King Xia’s parents are in the palace, so he will be there every day. The best time to take action is in the dead of night!” Discussion, but that's all they can do at the moment. Any conspiracy, tricks, and tricks in the court have no effect at this time.
Others will ascend the throne in a few days, and they are still making plans here. When the plans take effect, it is estimated that the emperor has been demoted to the throne and sent out of Yanjing.
At this moment, beheading the leader of the thieves is the truly effective strategy. Even if the death of the King of Xia causes turmoil, it will be worth it. When the time comes, everyone will unite with the big families from various states to eliminate the turmoil. Calm down, Yan State is still Yan State.
After thinking about it carefully, Zu Zhou and others sighed that Qin Tongwen's decisive methods were really the cornerstone and mainstay of the Yan Kingdom. They were all a group of old officials and were not afraid of death. Since they had made a decision, they must have planned something and discussed another one. At that moment, fatigue hit them, and they stood up to say goodbye.
After leaving this courtyard, although the smell of impending mountain rain hit their faces, Zu Zhou, Wang Qi and others couldn't help but sigh that they and their group also had the ability to turn the clouds over.
Soon, they parted ways and took carriages to leave. On the way back, they thought about today's plan with Qin Shangshu, and the more they thought about it, the more feasible it became.
Kong Lingde, the captain of Jingzhao Cavalry, did not expect so much. He was old and concentrated on discussing many things with everyone. His mind was a little confused. At this time, he was already drowsy while leaning on the carriage.
While he was sleeping soundly, the slightly shaking carriage suddenly stopped. He leaned forward suddenly and almost hit his forehead.
"Old Wang, are you here? Why are you so careless about parking today?"
"No...Master, outside...outside..."
Kong Lingde, who was about to get out of the car, opened the curtain. , saw a row of figures in brocade clothes and embroidered robes standing in the middle of the aisle on the street leading to the mansion, headed by a conductor from the embroidery department, looking at them expressionlessly.
"Who are you? Do you know that I am..." "You are Kong Lingde, the captain of Jingzhao Cavalry. I know it!" The commander came forward with more than a dozen people from the Embroidery Department and took out the Wang Ling General. The guards around the carriage rushed away.
"Qidu Lieutenant, do you recognize the token? Please come with us to the Embroidery Department."
"You are outrageous, I am a minister of the imperial court, Jingzhao..."
"Don't talk nonsense. , Take it away!" The conductor shouted loudly, directly interrupting the old man's words. With a wave of his hand, several Si Jinwei in embroidered clothes jumped on the carriage and threw the driver outside. One person drove the car, and the other two stood with their swords drawn. Kong Lingde's neck disappeared into the night following the command of getting on his horse.
Outside the same official residences, the other five veterans who were returning, such as Wang Qi, Zu Zhou and others, were also stopped by people from the Embroidery Department on the road, arrested on the spot and stuffed into the carriage to leave.
In less than half an hour, government agents and government officials were dispatched and broke directly into the homes of these six court officials. Carrying royal orders, these agents and government officials showed the arrogance of oppressing ordinary people and quickly The mansion was seized, the property confiscated, everything inside and outside was searched, and all the other party's family members were taken away and thrown into the government prison.
...
During this process, a six-horse carriage came out of Prince Xia's Mansion, drove through the mist that filled the long streets, and soon stopped outside the Qin Mansion.
The guard guarding the door saw the figure coming down from the carriage, and his legs became weak with fright. When the other party led two tall guards up the stone steps and walked into the eaves, the guard guarding here Instinctively, he pushed the door open and respectfully stepped back to the sides and knelt down.
Who in Yanjing does not know Xia Wang Su Chen.
For a time, the Qin Mansion was trembling with fear. After hearing the news, the steward sent someone to inform Qin Min of the news, and at the same time led the family's servants to kneel down to welcome him.
"Where's Qin Shangshu? Take me over."
Su Chen held the Xia Wang Sword and strode straight past the kneeling crowd without even looking at them. Dian Wei and Xu Chu followed closely. Afterwards, Xu Chu casually picked up the old man who looked like a manager and threw him in front of him, and shouted in a low voice: "Lead the way."
In the backyard at this time, Qin Tongwen finished washing up under the service of the Xiang girl. After lying on the bed and sleeping, Qin Xiang's daughter covered him with a quilt, sat on the edge of the bed, and said softly: "Father, do you think you can succeed this time?"
"No matter whether it succeeds or not, as a father Everyone has to give it a try, otherwise there will be no chance.”
The old man was so angry that he vomited blood in the court that day. Coupled with the previous punch from Lu Bu, the new injuries and old injuries made his actions difficult. Inconvenient, "Xiangnu, you should also go and rest."
"Yes, foster father!"
Qin Xiangnu stood up and bowed slightly to give her blessing. Just as she was about to blow out the candles, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, and a servant ran to the door in a panic.
He was panting through the door.
"Master, it's not good, the king...the king is here!"
Qin Tongwen, who had closed his eyes, was so frightened that he opened his eyes. Before the Xiang girl came to help him, He sat up immediately, and before he could speak, Su Chen's voice sounded from under the eaves outside.
"Qin Shangshu, I'm here to see you."
The door creaked and was pushed open by a giant man with a ferocious face. Su Chen came in with the Xia Wang Sword, glanced at the slim woman beside him, and He raised his hand and pressed Qin Tongwen, asking him to lie down.
"Shang Shu has been injured twice, and he still has to deal with everything. It's really hard, so don't get up."
"Your Majesty..." Qin Tongwen didn't dare to struggle to get up, and the voice of Su Chen next to him suddenly rose. : "Lie down!"
The old man didn't dare to move after being yelled at. He stared blankly into Su Chen's eyes. All he saw was indifference. He slowly lay down, his heart pounding. Jumping wildly, he asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, you came to see me late at night. What are your orders?"
"I just came here for a visit."
Su Chen tucked the quilt for him with a smile, and continued: "The public security in the city has been bad recently. Let's see if there are any thieves at Shangshu's house. Department of Embroidery Clothes A summons was sent to Gu, saying that a few people were caught on the road, and they were all old thieves. Tell me, at such an age, why do you still want to be a thief? Is the family short of money or food? "
"They..." Su Chen shook his head and sighed with a smile: "...this is driving his family to death, are you right? "
Hearing this, whether it was Qin Tong or Qin Xiang's daughter, the expression on her face changed instantly.
"Your Majesty...those people..."
"They are just a bunch of thieves. But don't worry, Qin Shangshu still needs to take good care of his injuries. When I ascend the throne, you must come. Do you understand?!"
Su Chen patted the old man's chest. Under the quilt, he said with a smile: "I have been too busy recently and I have to leave soon. The minister must take good care of his health."
Qin Tongwen pursed her lips tightly and looked at Su Chen who stood up. The old thief, he naturally knew that it was Zu Zhou and others. How did the other party know about such a strict matter?
But now Su Chen was in this room, with two guarding generals standing at the door. He quickly winked at Qin Xiang's daughter. The woman also had some martial arts skills. She could kill seven or eight strong men. Can do it easily.
The understanding woman remained calm. When she saw King Xia turning around, his pretty face lightly painted with pink and white, she suddenly showed a charming smile, "Nujia Qin Xiang's daughter has seen King Xia..."
While the gentle words were still being spoken, Su Chen, who was walking past the round table, glanced at him from the corner of his eyes with cold eyes.
The next moment.
There was a sound of 'Qiang', the cloak was raised, the King of Xia's sword was unsheathed, and it slashed down the fair and thin neck under the shy and charming face that was slightly bowed.
The blood spattered on the round table and the wall next to it, forming an arc and slowly flowing down.
The gentle voice stopped suddenly. Dian Wei and Xu Chu who were outside the door poked their heads in for a look, then turned their heads back. The Qin Xiang girl covered her neck and looked at Su in front of her with wide almond eyes. Chen, a dagger fell to the ground with a clang.
A few blood bubbles appeared on the thin neck that the woman was holding. Her delicate body fell backwards, fell to the ground and twitched a few times, then stopped moving.
Su Chen took out his handkerchief and wiped the blade of the sword, sheathed the sword, and glanced at Qin Tongwen, whose face was pale and stunned on the bedside.
"Shang Shu Qin, please keep your house clean. Don't let all the cats and dogs get in. Look, isn't there a female assassin who has sneaked in? Fortunately, Gu helped you kill her, so be careful next time. "
Su Chen strode out of the room with a smile. Qin Tongwen's face was pale and her lips were trembling. Looking at the dead Xiang girl on the ground, he seemed to have lost all his strength and fell down on the bed with a thud.
The final stumbling block has been cleared.
(End of this chapter)