Chapter 70 The Covenant of Civil and Military Affairs, Volume 1
The carriage that rushed to the Sword Palace was transferred directly to the Duke of Yu's Mansion.
Yun Que was a little strange, why did Zhou Shibo come to see Lan Yu again?
The meeting between the chief minister of the dynasty and the Duke of Yu was completely private, and the carriage took a side route.
In Lan Yu's study, two important officials of the court sat opposite each other. Only Yun Que was in the room, while Zhou Yuanliang and Luo Xiaoyu were waiting quietly outside the door.
In fact, Yun Que was considered a junior. He could tell that Zhou Shibo probably had something extremely important to discuss when meeting Lan Yu this time, so he originally planned to wait outside.
In the end, Zhou Shibo and Lan Yu both asked him to stay and observe, and neither of them regarded him as an outsider.
Yun Que had no choice but to be a listener, using only his ears and not his mouth.
"Mr. Zhou, could it be that you didn't eat well at the banquet during the day and came here specifically for a midnight snack?" Lan Yu joked.
"Old Duke, I was joking. I had a great meal today, but since I'm full, I should do some serious business." Zhou Shibo said with a solemn expression: "Old Duke, it's time for us to have a showdown with His Majesty."
A bright light suddenly flashed in Lan Yu's eyes, and he said: "What do you think, Lord Chief Assistant,?"
Blue jade represents the generals, while Zhou Shibo leads the civil servants. In fact, the two of them have no friendship on weekdays and almost never meet. Of course, this does not mean that they have any feud, but it is the way of being a minister.
If the civil and military leaders get too close, the emperor will definitely become suspicious and intervene, either to suppress one party or to promote the other. He will never allow the civil and military leaders to show signs of joining forces.
The way of balancing is the art of emperors.
Even the current emperor who ignores state affairs knows this, let alone the chief minister of the dynasty and the Duke of Yu, who is a very popular minister.
When Zhou Shibo revealed the news that he was poisoned by a strange poison, Lan Yu didn't speak for a long time, and the atmosphere was horribly depressing.
"It seems that the barbarians are determined to cross the Hanshui River. If you and I are eliminated, Yan Guo's spine will be broken. In the meantime, the building will collapse, and no one will have the power to recover." Lan Yu faintly said.
Sigh.
"So, we have to strike first." Zhou Shibo's clear eyes had murderous intent surging.
"How difficult! In these years, I have tried every means to convince the emperor, including relying on my elders and betraying them, and making trouble in the Jinluan Palace. But he just shook his head and disagreed! What can I do!" Lan Yu said angrily.
He dreamed of going on an expedition, fighting a bloody battle with the barbarians, avenging his son who died in the battle, and avenging the shame of the Yan Kingdom.
Unexpectedly, the emperor had no fighting spirit, so he focused on the Emperor's Sword and turned a blind eye to the large area of land north of Hanshui River that was occupied by barbarians.
"There is a way, and there is only one way." Zhou Shibo said.
"What can I do? Let me tell you." Lan Yu said.
"The Emperor's Sword!" Zhou Shibo said in a solemn voice.
"Emperor's Sword?" Lan Yu was puzzled for a moment.
Yun Que had been sitting quietly next to him, listening to the conversation between the two, and his eyes moved slightly at this time.
He guessed the method mentioned by Chief Assistant Zhou Shibo and murmured in a low voice: "The cauldron will sink the boat..."
Zhou Shibo cast an appreciative look at Yun Que, nodded and said:
"The Marquis is right, it means burning the cauldron and sinking the boat! The old prince needs to promise your majesty to help build the Emperor's Sword."
"No! Don't even think about it!"
Lan Yu slapped the table and said angrily: "Don't you, the Chief Assistant, not know how many people have been killed by the Emperor's Sword? The treasury was depleted because of the sword, the craftsmen were killed because of the sword, and your majesty levied excessive taxes to make the sword, and how many people were separated from their wives! That's basically
Not the emperor’s sword, but the devil’s sword! The devil’s sword!”
"Whether it is the Emperor's Sword or the Devil's Sword, this is our last trump card." Zhou Shibo narrowed his eyes and said: "Promising your Majesty to forge the sword is just a prerequisite. We have necessary conditions."
"What conditions?" Lan Yu asked.
"Northern Expedition." Zhou Shibo's tone became cold and ruthless.
"Northern Expedition..." Lan Yu's two big hands suddenly crushed her to death, making her joints crackle.
The aging Duke of Yu finally had his last hope after five years.
"Okay! Let's have a go!"
Lan Yu smashed the table with one palm, and with his beard and hair spread out, he roared like an old lion: "I agree to help forge the sword. The Chief Assistant must convince His Majesty to set a date for the Northern Expedition!"
"One word is settled." Zhou Shibo stood up and held his hands, making an alliance with the Duke of Yu.
A civil and military appointment!
This is the first and only time the two old men have joined forces since they came to power.
Lan Yu nodded slowly, tears flashed in his old eyes, and said desolately:
"I have only a few years left to live as an old man. My biggest wish in this life is to send my army north and kill Hanshui River! If I can't avenge my son and find out the cause of death of Yun Changji and the 100,000 border troops, I will
I will never die with my eyes in peace!"
Yun Que stood up solemnly, he could clearly feel the old Duke's anger and sadness.
Lan Yu's only son and Yun Que's father died in the battle to resist the barbarians, leaving behind a family of young and old, almost destroyed.
The Northern Expedition is not only the long-cherished wish of Duke Yu, but also Yun Que’s obsession!
Leaving the Duke's Mansion of Yu Kingdom, the group returned to the Sword Palace.
Zhou Yuanliang and his father hurried to the south courtyard to ask for help from elder Quan Yu, while Yun Que and Luo Xiaoyu returned to their residence.
"How did you know that the first assistant was poisoned?" Yun Que was very curious about Luo Xiaoyu's abilities.
This is no longer a problem of poisonous blood, but is similar to a talent.
If Luo Xiaoyu could tell whether there was poison in the food or wine, Yun Que wouldn't be too surprised, but it would be a bit incredible to be able to tell whether others were poisonous from a long distance away.
No matter how sensitive the poison detector is, it still needs to be exposed to poison.
I haven't heard of anyone being able to test for drugs through air.
Luo Xiaoyu hesitated and said: "I, I was blind and just making random guesses. Who knew that the old man was really poisoned?"
Yun Que didn't even need to look at the other person's expression, he could tell from his voice that this girl wasn't telling the truth.
Sighing, Yun Que said: "How about we exchange secrets? Now I can control two flying swords at the third level of Qi Refining."
"Really!" Luo Xiaoyu's eyes widened immediately, as if he had heard some huge secret, and he was very excited.
Yun Dianwan nodded, indicating that it was your turn.
At this time, he felt a sense of self-blame, as if he was cheating a silly kid on the street out of candy.
However, self-blame is self-blame, and you still have to lie when you need to. There is no child in Yanmen Town who has not been deceived by Han Shuihou. Yun Que always firmly believes that children will get used to it the more times they are fooled.
Besides, he didn't lie this time, he just stated the fact that one can control two swords at the third level of Qi refining.
Luo Xiaoyu looked around and saw that no one was around, and whispered:
"Actually, I don't know very well. I have had an extraordinary sense of all kinds of poisons since I was a child. How much poison is there in the centipede under the stone, how much poison is in the body of the toad, and how much poison is in the teeth of the snake, as long as they appear near me
, I can feel it clearly, like, like..."
Luo Xiaoyu couldn't find a good adjective for a while and scratched his head anxiously.
"You can tell it at a glance." Yun Que reminded.
"Yes! I can tell it at a glance!" Luo Xiaoyu said seriously: "I have an innate ability to perceive poisons around me. I don't know how this power comes from."
"Could it be a special kind of spiritual root?" Yun Que asked, "Have you practiced the Qi Refining Heart Technique?"
Luo Xiaoyu shook his head.
As a sword servant, she believed that the mental techniques in the Qi refining period were not prepared for her at all. They were the skills of sword disciples, and it would be useless even if the sword servant practiced them.
"You go back and try to see if you can cultivate spiritual energy." Yun Que said.
Luo Xiaoyu nodded and said yes, and happily went to find the method.
After returning to his house, Yun Que recalled what happened today.
The crisis in the Yu Kingdom's palace made him realize that there was a black hand in the imperial city, and the subsequent poisoning of the chief minister further confirmed this guess.
"Is it related to the twelve zodiac signs?"
Yun Que frowned and said to himself: "Could it be that in addition to dealing with Jian Palace, they also have to deal with the entire Yan Kingdom?"
To put it bluntly, Sword Palace is a cultivation sect, while Yan Kingdom is a kingdom in the secular world. The two are not on the same level and have almost no overlap.
It is reasonable for the twelve zodiac signs to have enmity with Jian Palace, but they should not have enmity with the entire Yan Kingdom.
Especially when Yun Que learned about the existence of Shang Zong, he was even more shocked by the existence of the twelve zodiac signs.
You must know that the Yan Kingdom Sword Palace is just an outer gate of the Lingjian Sect. If the Zodiac dares to deliberately deal with the Sword Palace, its real target is likely to be the Lingjian Sect!
As the top cultivation sect in Yunzhou, Lingjian Sect probably has very few forces that dare to challenge it, and it must be extremely powerful.
It seems that there is something more terrifying hidden behind the twelve zodiac animals.
Thinking of this, a sense of urgency arises spontaneously.
Yun Que threw away his distracting thoughts, stopped thinking too much, and began to practice quietly.
There are turbulent undercurrents in the imperial city. Only by improving one's own strength can one have the power to protect himself when the crisis breaks out.