In the sky jail, Cheng Boxian changed out of his prison uniform and put on the clothes he took off when he was imprisoned. He stretched his arms and twisted his head.
The feeling of being free again is really indescribably comfortable!
"General Cheng, please go out quickly. County Master Cheng is still waiting for you outside." A jailer smiled apologetically.
Cheng Boxian snorted coldly and said, "I heard that everyone in the Xue family has been imprisoned. Where is Xue Shao imprisoned?"
The jailer said: "The Xue family, like you, are also imprisoned on this floor."
"lead the way!"
The third floor of the Tianlao is divided into two sections. In one section, the royal family members, the Xue family and Cheng Boxian are locked up in the other section.
Following the jailer, Cheng Boxian arrived outside Xue Shao's prison door after a while.
Xue Shao was seen sitting cross-legged on the ground. After hearing the sound, he looked up and saw that it was Cheng Boxian, with a look of disappointment in his eyes.
"Xue Shao, what grudge do I have against you? You want to harm me like this?" Cheng Boxian roared angrily.
Xue Shao held a piece of straw in his hand, rubbed it with his thumb and forefinger, and said calmly: "The only thing to blame is your bad luck. You were the closest to me at the time, and I didn't mean to target you."
Cheng Boxian was even more angry: "You bastard!" He held the prison bars with both hands, as if he was going to jump in and bite him.
Xue Shao sighed and said: "God is really unfair. A stupid person like you has such good luck. Our Xue family has worked hard to plan, but because of a small mistake, it failed completely."
Cheng Boxian snorted coldly: "You say others are stupid. If you were smart, how could you end up in this situation?"
Xue Shao shook his head and said: "I'm destined to never talk to a fool like you, so please leave and let me be alone."
Cheng Boxian's face darkened, and he was about to retort, when suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps and a woman came from a distance.
"Brother, what are you doing here?" That woman was Cheng Caiyi.
A smile immediately appeared on Cheng Boxian's face, he touched the back of his head and said, "This kid is hurting me. I'll come over and scold him to vent my anger."
Cheng Caiyi glanced at Xue Shao and said: "What is there to say to such a dying person? His Royal Highness King Zhou's wedding banquet is about to begin. You still have to go back to your house to take a shower and change clothes, so there is no time to delay!"
"Yes Yes!"
Cheng Boxian smiled apologetically and left with his sister.
Xue Shao originally had a calm expression on his face, but after hearing Cheng Caiyi's words "a dying man", his expression finally changed.
He gritted his teeth and said towards the opposite cell: "Second uncle, they...why haven't they come yet?"
The Marquis of Hedong closed his eyes and did not answer him.
Xue Shao tore off the straw, veins popped up on his face, and said, "Are they planning to ignore us?"
Hedong Hou finally opened his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Why are you panicking? Even if Wei Xuanzhen doesn't come, Xiao Kai will definitely come."
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from the corridor.
"My brother knows Xiao very well."
A person came out of the darkness, it was Song Guogong Xiao Kai.
Xue Shao no longer cared about people eavesdropping around him and said anxiously: "Mr. Song, do you have any way to rescue us?"
Song Guogong ignored him, walked slowly to the front of Hedong Marquis, and stared at Xue Hui.
"Brother Xue, I came to the Tianlao at this time and temporarily left the third floor of the Tianlao without guards. You should understand how much it cost me, right?"
"snort!"
"My brother is a smart man and should know the purpose of my coming here!"
Xue Shao lost his voice and said, "Aren't you here to save us?"
Song Guogong still didn't look at him, as if there was no such person in front of him at all, and his cold eyes only stared at Xue Hui.
Hedong Hou said coldly: "You want to know the whereabouts of our family's contract?"
Song Guogong narrowed his eyes and said:
"I know that you have an illegitimate son in Hedong. As long as you tell me the whereabouts of the contract, I will keep the last bit of incense of your Xiao family."
In the cell on the left, a member of the Xue family shouted: "Mr. Song, you are adding insult to injury!"
Song Guogong said coldly: "You might as well ask your clan leader, what would he do if he and I were in a different place?"
The Marquis of Hedong raised his head and laughed loudly, saying: "Yes, if I were standing outside the prison door, I would only do it more cruelly than you!"
Song Guogong said: "Since Lord Xue can understand, please tell me the whereabouts of the contract."
Xue Shao said sternly: "Xiao Kai, don't forget, my mother is still outside. If she announces the contract, everyone will die together!"
Song Guogong finally glanced at him and said calmly:
"Princess Chengyang's Mansion has been blocked by Qianniu Guards. She will not be able to step out of the Princess Mansion within a month. If you expect her to go to Xue Mansion to get the contract, I'm afraid you will be disappointed."
Xue Shao said angrily: "We made an agreement at the beginning that the plan of Furong Garden will be operated by our family. If it fails, you two will help outside to rescue us. Are you going to break the agreement?"
Song Guogong said in a deep voice: "Young man, please wake up. You have lost so miserably this time. No one can save you!"
Xue Shao was stunned. He had never thought of this, but he still had illusions.
The Marquis of Hedong sneered and said: "I finally understand today that there is something special about you Guanlong clan being able to continue to this day. You are more scheming and low-key than me. It is not surprising that we have such a result today!"
The Duke of Song Dynasty remained silent.
The Marquis of Hedong said coldly: "But Mr. Xiao, don't blame me for pouring cold water on you. As long as His Majesty Long Yu dies, even if the Wu family does not have that contract, he will attack you two."
"I understand!"
Marquis Hedong frowned and said, "Then why are you still clinging to that contract?"
Song Guogong suddenly said: "Do you know why Brother Wei didn't come over?"
"He? Ah...I understand!"
Xue Shao also understood that Wei Xuanzhen must have gone to the East Palace. After the emperor died, the prince ascended the throne.
Although Concubine Xue Xian is gone, there is Concubine Wei Xian.
Xiao Kai and Wei Xuanzhen have decided to put all their chips on the prince.
Song Guogong said calmly: "Even if the new emperor ascends the throne, the situation may not be very good, but as long as the contract does not fall into the hands of the Wu family, there is still some chance."
The Marquis of Hedong remained silent, and the Duke of Song did not urge him. In the silence, time passed by one by one.
Xue Shao couldn't bear it anymore and begged: "Mr. Xiao, after the prince ascends the throne, you and Mr. Wei go and beg for mercy and save our Xue family!"
Song Guogong sighed: "Nephew Xue Xian, everyone in the civil and military affairs of the court knows what happened today. Even if we try to move the prince, the ministers around him will not agree."
The Marquis of Hedong said coldly: "When the new king takes the throne, he will only think of ways to establish his prestige. Naturally, he cannot create a quarrel with the ministers because of us!"
Xue Shao fell backward and lay on the ground, his eyes gradually becoming desperate.
The Marquis of Hedong glanced at him, thought of his illegitimate son in Hedong, sighed, and finally made a decision in his heart.
"Mr. Xiao, I hope you will keep your word!"
Song Guogong stood up straight and said loudly: "We, the Xiao family, have been the heroes of this world before. Can Mr. Xue still not trust me?"
The Marquis of Hedong took a deep breath and said: "That thing is in the secret passage behind the ancestral temple. The mechanism is on the right wall, inside the third stone lamp."
At noon the next day, the news spread throughout Chang'an that the Hedong Hou Mansion had been raided. Suddenly, both Xue families had been raided, and the people of Chang'an were talking a lot.
Those who didn't know better thought that the Hedong Marquis Mansion was being implicated by the Pingguo Mansion.
At midnight in the afternoon, Wu Chengsi personally led a team of Jinwu guards into Xue's mansion and loaded countless large boxes onto the carriage.
Then the carriage convoy headed towards the Daming Palace under the strict protection of the army.
There are two main treasuries of the treasury, located on the left and right sides of Zichen Hall.
Wu Chengsi stood outside one of the main warehouses, watching the last box of copper coins being transported into the warehouse, and the hanging heart in his heart finally dropped.
Behind Wu Chengsi, the eyes of the Taifu Qing and the Shaofu Eunuch were shining.
The Taifuqing was an old official with white beard and hair. He stroked his long beard and said with a smile:
"I didn't expect that the Hedong Marquis Mansion could be so rich. His family's wealth is close to one-tenth of the total treasury. Your Highness, King Zhou, in this way, your Xidian camp can continue to be maintained."
He originally intended to please, but he didn't expect to receive a blank stare from Wu Chengsi.
"You have to manage your money well this time. If there is any mistake again, I will only ask you!"
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and left.
The Tai Fu Qing's gray eyebrows knitted together and said: "Yang Fu Superintendent, what's wrong with His Highness the King of Zhou? He doesn't seem to be happy about it."
Supervisor Yang is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a tall nose and wide eyes, and a rather stern expression.
He shook his sleeves and whispered: "Mr. Li, haven't you heard a rumor recently?"
"What rumors?" asked the old minister.
"I heard that money from the treasury was secretly stolen, and one of the masterminds was the Xue family. Maybe the money from the Xue family was stolen from the treasury!"
Li Fuqing glared and said: "Nonsense. I have been in charge of the treasury for many years and have never found any omissions. The accounts are clear. How could someone steal the treasury?"
Supervisor Yang said calmly: "I just heard about it."
Li Fuqing groaned and said: "The person who spread this rumor is really hateful. If I know who it is, I will slap him!"
…
Wu Chengsi left Zuocangku and was about to report to Wu Mei when he suddenly saw Shangguan Wan'er holding up her skirt and running hurriedly from a palace passage.
"Wan'er, what's wrong?"
Shangguan Wan'er said anxiously: "Your Highness, Her Royal Highness the Queen wants you to rush to Jinluan Courtyard immediately!"
Wu Chengsi was startled, a bad premonition arose, and he hurried towards the Jinluan Villa.
Halfway through the journey, I suddenly met Princess Taiping, who also came after receiving the news.
When they arrived outside the palace, they saw Wu Mei, wearing a bright yellow floor-length dress, standing by the porch, quietly looking at the evening sky, her expression full of sadness.
When the two came to her, Princess Taiping had a look of horror on her face and said: "Queen mother, my father cannot be..."
Wu Mei said lightly: "You go in and meet him."
Princess Taiping breathed a sigh of relief and quickly entered the palace, followed by Wu Chengsi.
When they came to the inner room, they saw Li Zhi lying on the bed, looking haggard and extremely weak.
Princess Taiping threw herself on the edge of the bed and burst into tears: "Father, how could you...become like this..."
Li Zhi turned his head with difficulty, slowly put his hand on Princess Taiping's head, and said softly: "My child... my father is tired... he needs to rest..." His voice was indescribably hoarse.
Wu Chengsi tilted his head and his eyes were slightly moist. After more than a year of getting along, he could feel that Li Zhi truly regarded him as a relative.
There was a rush of footsteps, and Prince Li Hong and King Li Dan of Yin also arrived.
After a while, King Li Xian of England also arrived. When everyone saw Li Zhi's appearance, they all burst into tears.
Li Zhi repeatedly said: "Don't cry... don't cry..." However, his voice was weak, and after hearing this, several people felt even more sad.
"Your Majesty asked you all to stop crying, didn't you hear me?"
Wu Mei's cold and majestic voice came from behind, and she walked in slowly.
Princess Taiping and the princes immediately stopped crying.
Others stopped slowly, but Li Xian immediately covered his mouth with his hands, his face flushed, as if he was afraid that if he said one more word, Wu Mei would scold him.
Wu Mei came to Li Zhi and said softly: "Your Majesty, they are all here. If you have anything to say, please tell me."
Li Zhi took a few long breaths and said: "After I die, you brothers and sisters must love each other and are not allowed to fight with each other. Do you remember this?"
The three princes and Princess Taiping responded in unison.
Li Zhi turned to Wu Chengsi and said:
"Chengsi, your parents died young. The queen and I have always regarded you as our own. I like you very much for your prudent approach and upright character. I hope you can live in harmony and friendship with them in the future and support each other."
Wu Chengsi sighed secretly and nodded in agreement.
Li Zhi looked at Wu Mei again and said, "Mei Niang, I entrust them all to you."
Wu Mei was startled for a moment and said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of them."
Li Zhi nodded and said, "Xuan ministers, please come in."
Wei Dongfu promised.
After a while, Zhongshu ordered Liu Rengui, his servant Liu Qixian, Sikong Li Ji, Situ Su Dingfang, Shangshu's left servant shot Li Jingxuan, and Shangshu's right servant shot Pei Yan.
Li Zhi glanced at everyone present with a serious expression, and his face seemed to be shrouded in a divine light.
"Listen!"
Including Wu Mei, everyone in the room bowed down.
"After my death, I will be kept in my coffin for seven days. The crown prince will be the emperor in front of my coffin. The garden and mausoleum system must be frugal!"
"The prince is more generous than others but lacks determination. You must assist him and help him. In all matters concerning the government, the prince must listen to the opinions of his ministers and not act arbitrarily on his own.
If there are military and state affairs that cannot be decided, please ask the Queen Mother to make the decision. You will all assist me in the future... The new emperor, please do not betray my... kindness... "
I said these few words in one breath, but at the end, I finally lacked the strength to continue.
Wu Chengsi looked up quickly and saw Li Zhi's head tilted to one side, his eyes lost their luster, and there was a strange smile on his face.
It is really sad that this emperor, who had been tortured by illness for a long time, was finally freed from this terrible torture and smiled when he was dying.
In 667 AD, on the night of December 21st, Li Zhi, the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty, passed away in Jinluan Courtyard. His deathbed decree ordered Prince Li Hong to ascend the throne.
After the government and the public learned that Emperor Long Yu had passed away, they were all grieved, and the entire city of Chang'an was shrouded in an atmosphere of sadness.
The bright moon is high and pure, its light is as clear as water.
Wu Chengsi stood alone in the back garden, looking up at the night sky, silently remembering the passing king.
Li Zhi's words and deeds before his death deeply touched him.
He could see that Li Zhi had been holding on for a while, and he didn't dare to leave with peace of mind until he had arranged his funeral arrangements one by one.
From him, Wu Chengsi deeply felt the emperor's responsibility.
Throughout history, although emperors have the power to control the lives of others, they often have fewer smiles on their faces than ordinary people.
Especially Mingjun, they must always be concerned about the world, always think about this and consider that in their minds, and must not relax in the slightest.
How can one be happy under such circumstances?
I was lost in thought when a burst of piano music suddenly sounded.
The sound of the piano went from low to high, in an orderly manner, and when it reached a very high point, it suddenly circled like a hundred birds returning to their nests, and then the sound turned low and downward again.
The piano sound was impassioned when it was raised, and gentle and elegant when it was lowered, like a spring of warm water, caressing Wu Chengsi's heart.
The sad and sad emotions gradually disappeared with the sound of the piano.
Later, the sound of the piano became lower and lower, as if the person playing the piano was leaving.
Wu Chengsi was so mesmerized by what he heard that he couldn't help but step forward, chasing the sound of the piano, and came to the outside of a courtyard.
The three words "Xinglan Courtyard" were written on the plaque on the gate of the courtyard. Wu Chengsi was moved in his heart and thought: "Could it be that the eldest lady of the Liu family he just adopted is playing the piano?"
When Wu Chengsi had sex with her last night, she acted very coldly, like a large doll.
Wu Chengsi teased him for a long time, but she only said "um" or "oh" occasionally, even less than Feng Wu.
Boss Wu Chengsi was bored, so he went to bed early.
Unexpectedly, she has such miraculous piano skills.
The sound of the piano had stopped. Wu Chengsi hesitated for a long time and finally knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door was a little girl with freckles. Wu Chengsi only knew that she came with Miss Liu, but did not know her name.
"Ah! Zhou, His Highness King Zhou...you, are you here to find a child?" The little girl was very panicked.
Wu Chengsi smiled and said, "What's your name?"
"Anise, anise treasure!"
Wu Chengsi nodded and stepped into the courtyard.
This Xinglan Courtyard was originally a separate courtyard for appreciating apricot flowers. As soon as you enter the courtyard, you will see a large apricot orchard.
But in autumn and winter, the apricot flowers have already withered.
Walking on the path in the forest, I suddenly saw a few figures. If I looked carefully, I saw that there were several maids working beside the almond trees.
Some maids held lanterns for lighting, some used small shovels to shovel soil, and some used large scissors to prune branches.
Wu Chengsi walked over and asked, "What are you doing?"
None of the maids knew Wu Chengsi, and one of them scolded him and asked, "Who are you! How dare you break into the children's residence?"
Xi Bao hurried over and scolded: "Don't be rude, this is your new master, His Highness the King of Zhou!" Although she is young, she seems to be the leader of this group of maids.
All the maids bowed in unison and said, "Greetings to the prince."
Wu Chengsi frowned and said, "Aren't you from the palace?"
Hui Bao said: "Your Highness, they were originally the maids of the Liu family who served the children. The master sent someone here this morning so that they can continue to serve the children."
At the end, he added: "Her Royal Highness the Princess has agreed."
Wu Chengsi nodded and asked, "What are they doing?"
Hui Bao said: "This is the order of the children. Let them loosen the soil and remove the branches of the apricot trees so that they can grow better next year."
Wu Chengsi said: "It's so late, why not wait until tomorrow?"
Anibao's eyes dodge and he said: "Is this...it's because they want to finish their lives early..."
Halfway through her words, a cold voice interrupted her: "I gave the order that they must finish their work today!"
Turning around, I saw Miss Liu walking towards me wearing a blue dress and a thick purple cloak.
Wu Chengsi frowned secretly: "It seems that the new lady has a bad temper." He said: "It's getting late today, let them do it tomorrow."
Liu Lanshuang said calmly: "General, when you were marching and fighting, could you easily withdraw the military orders you issued?"
Wu Chengsi never expected that she would contradict him over such a trivial matter, and said calmly: "This is not a military camp, so whatever, you can do whatever you like!"
He turned around and strode out of the yard.
Liu Lanshuang clenched her fingers tightly, her chest heaved violently, and her lips trembled slightly.
Seeing Wu Chengsi leaving angrily, Hui Bao hurriedly came to her side and said: "Miss..."
"Call me Ruren!" Liu Lanshuang said coldly.
"Yes, yes! Ruren, the prince seems to be angry. Please hurry up and catch up to him and explain to him."
Liu Lanshuang ignored her and looked at the maids, who quickly started working again.
Liu Lanshuang turned around and returned to the main room.
Hui Bao followed her and kept trying to persuade him: "Ruren, today is the first day we enter the prince's palace. We can't leave a bad impression on the prince!"
Liu Lanshuang acted as if she didn't hear anything and continued walking silently.
Anibao said again:
"The prince has three concubines. You don't have the status advantage of His Royal Highness, nor are you like Mrs. Yang Guo and the prince who have known each other for a long time and share weal and woe. Today, the prince finally comes here, why do you want to talk back to him!"
Liu Lanshuang turned her head and stared at her.
Hui Bao said: "I know you don't like to hear this, but that's the situation. It would be better if you didn't say a word like yesterday."
Liu Lanshuang stopped and pointed to the open space outside the lobby.
Xi Bao sighed and said: "It's okay for me to kneel down as a punishment, but you have to think carefully about what I just said."
Liu Lanshuang stamped her foot.
Xi Bao said hurriedly: "I know." He quickly walked to the lobby door and knelt down, while Liu Lanshuang walked around the lobby and went to the backyard.
After a cup of tea, another maid came outside the lobby and said angrily: "Get up, I asked you to boil water for her."
It seemed that Hui Bao had expected this. He stood up, patted his knees and said, "Have you been reflecting on what I said?"
Another maid said: "How do I know what she is thinking?" Then she walked towards Xinglin.
Hui Bao said: "Hey, Qin Bao, it's so late, where are you going?"
Another maid said: "Ruren asked me to see if they are lazy."
Anibao muttered something and headed towards the fire room.