Let's talk about the human race's capital city. After dark, the city gates are closed, but the city is full of lanterns. It is the most prosperous city in the world and its reputation is well-deserved.
Different from the hustle and bustle in the city, the palace is much quieter. After all, the palace is an important place and there are many rules and tight security after nightfall.
However, the lights in the emperor's palace were brightly lit at this time.
The fat man Zhao Ruizhi yawned listlessly, draped one leg casually on the dragon chair, stuffed the pastry next to him into his mouth, took another bowl of tea bone and drank it all in one gulp, and then said: "You two
Uncle Emperor, why are you looking for me so late? Tell me if you have anything to do, I still want to play."
Opposite him, stood two middle-aged men, wearing the clothes of palace generals.
One of them is called Zhao Si and the other is called Zhao Tai. Their father is Zhao Huang, the king of Yi. Zhao Huang is the general of Zhendong and is the founder of Yitong Sansi. He is a highly virtuous and respected person in the royal family.
In the Zhou Dynasty, for the sake of loyalty, the imperial guards in the palace mostly selected noble sons of the clan, and the two brothers became the generals of the imperial guards in the palace.
Because Yi Wang Zhao Huang is Zhao Hao's uncle, they are also Zhao Ruizhi's uncles in terms of seniority.
Seeing that Zhao Ruizhi was not sitting up, a lot of the cake crumbs from earlier were spitting out when he was talking, which really didn't look like a king.
However, the two of them definitely did not get up this time to advise the emperor on his behavior. After hearing this, they hurriedly said: "We have confidential matters to report to the emperor. Please step aside."
As he spoke, he looked at the eunuchs and maids next to him in embarrassment.
"How dare you ask to see the emperor in the middle of the night. How can you let the emperor be alone with you?" the eunuch behind Zhao Ruizhi scolded. He was an old man who had been with the prince since the East Palace period, and now his status has increased.
Everyone used to call him Xiao Xuzi, but now who wouldn’t respectfully call him Eunuch Xu?
Of course he knew where all his glory came from, and he was naturally concerned about Zhao Ruizhi's safety. After all, he was not... a normal person and had no ability to protect himself.
At this time, a general at the door said solemnly: "I will stay here to protect the emperor. No one can be hurt."
The closest troops to protect the emperor were the Hitting Huben. The leader of the Hitting Huben was Guangling King Zhao Yuan, followed by the general in the palace and the lieutenant in the palace.
And this person was Li Guanshi, the middle man in the palace.
As Zhao Yuan, it was impossible for him to stay close to the emperor at all times, so Li Guanshi and various imperial guards were basically responsible for Zhao Ruizhi's daily safety.
He had a very high level of cultivation and was very reliable in his work. When Eunuch Xu saw him speaking, he said nothing and left with the others one by one.
After the eunuchs and maids left, Zhao Ruizhi said impatiently: "Tell me what you have to say."
At this time, Zhao Si and Zhao Tai both knelt on the ground: "The Emperor, the Grand Tutor, and the Chariot and Cavalry General Liu brothers colluded with the Regent, and connected with the demon clan, intending to rebel!"
"Huh?" Zhao Ruizhi originally picked up another piece of pastry and was about to bite it, but when he heard this, he froze on the spot.
Even if he is stupid, this news is too explosive.
"This is impossible. The Grand Tutor and the others are the elders of the Queen Mother and are loyal to me. The Regent is also my master. How can they possibly rebel."
"This is absolutely true. News came from the Monster Clan before, saying that there was a problem in their sealed land and they needed our support. The Regent and the Liu brothers strongly advocated sending reinforcements to the Monster Clan. As a result, not long after, our reinforcements
They were actually ambushed by them in the territory of the Monster Clan, and the entire 100,000 elite army was wiped out!" Zhao Si said hurriedly.
Zhao Tai also echoed: "Yes, now I think that the news about the Demon Clan's Sealed Land was only said by Zu An. He is the regent of the Demon Clan and colluded with the Demon Clan's Little Demon Queen. Obviously he wants to take this opportunity to ambush us.
The effective strength of the human race will clear the way for future demon invasions."
"And the Liu brothers took charge of this matter, and they are obviously co-conspirators with Zu An."
…
The two of them talked with each other, but Zhao Ruizhi looked at the two of them doubtfully, and said after a while: "Didn't I say this in the court before? Linglong and the Queen Mother both said that the frontline intelligence was unknown, and now they have made a judgment.
It's too early. Do you have anything else to report? If not, I'll go play with grasshoppers."
Zhao Si and Zhao Tai were immediately dumbfounded. They never expected that their passionate impeachment would not arouse his interest at all.
They know that if they don't get the results they want today, a lot of people, including them, will be dead tomorrow.
Thinking of this, the two gritted their teeth and said: "The Queen Mother is from the Liu family, so she will naturally excuse the Liu family."
"Queen, the queen is..."
"What's wrong with Linglong?" Zhao Ruizhi suddenly raised his head and stared at the two of them fiercely.
It doesn’t matter the others, Bi Linglong is his rival. After so many years, he has regarded him as the most important person.
Seeing his reaction, the two of them were a little frightened, and since they couldn't find any reasonable reason for a while, they fell silent.
"If there's nothing else, get out." Zhao Ruizhi felt unhappy. No matter if he was an uncle or not, there were so many royal families anyway, and these two were not important people. Linglong had told him that he should not be underestimated in any important matter.
At this time, Li Guanshi at the door suddenly said: "The queen probably said that deliberately to help the regent."
Zhao Si and Zhao Tai's eyes widened immediately. This guy really dared to speak.
Sure enough, Zhao Ruizhi suddenly became furious and stared at the other person: "What did you say?"
Although he is usually more of a fool, there seems to be murderous intent in his eyes at this moment.
At this time, Li Guanshi had some hesitation on his face: "The queen seems to be too close to the regent, and the empress treats the regent obviously differently from other men."
"You're talking nonsense!" Zhao Ruizhi suddenly became anxious, and the fat all over his body trembled.
Li Guanshi sighed: "Your Majesty, think about it carefully. The Queen never lets other men enter her palace, not even you, but the Regent can go in directly without going through the communication."
Zhao Si and Zhao Tai's breathing became rapid. They seemed to have heard something extraordinary today.
Although both of them were generals of the imperial army in the palace, they occasionally heard some rumors, but they did not take them seriously at the time. Now that they have been confirmed by people around the emperor, the meaning is different.
"That's because Linglong and the regent have a major military matter to discuss, and Linglong told me about this." Zhao Ruizhi hurriedly defended.
"But why is the emperor not allowed to enter the palace?" Li Guanshi looked at him with a sympathetic look.
"That's because...because..." Zhao Ruizhi's fat face turned red, and some meaningless words came out of his mouth. He couldn't come up with a reasonable reason for a long time.
At this time, Zhao Si and Zhao Taifu reached their hearts and hurriedly followed:
"By the way, I seem to remember that when I was still the Crown Princess, I seemed to have had an affair with the Regent."
"Yes, the late emperor had someone check the princess's virginity because of this matter."
Zhao Ruizhi seemed to have found a life-saving straw, and immediately said: "Yes, the nun in the palace at that time proved Linglong's innocence, and the sacrificial wine also expressed concern for Zu An, and he did not lie."
At this time, a strange smile appeared on Zhao Si's face: "Your Majesty, mothers and the like can be bribed. Although the sacrificial wine will not be bribed, what if he is willing to protect someone? You must know that he has always been very careful.
He valued Zu An and later passed on the position of offering wine to him, which proves that the relationship between the two is extraordinary."
"Shut up, shut up!" Zhao Ruizhi smashed the teacup in his hand towards the two of them, "You are just making random guesses. Linglong has been so good to me and the regent has saved me several times. They have no reason to be sorry.
It’s my business.”
"Who says there is no such thing," Zhao Si said hurriedly, "That Zu An is probably the remnant grandson of the previous dynasty. Although there are rumors, they may not be unfounded. He has a blood feud, and of course he wants to rebel and overthrow our great Zhou Dynasty.
!”
Hearing this, Zhao Ruizhi suddenly turned gloomy. He was not completely mentally retarded. He could still distinguish between simple good and bad. If the regent really had this identity, he would indeed have enough motivation to rebel.
At this time, Li Guanshi also spoke: "As for the Queen, she is naturally very affectionate towards the Emperor, but the Regent is too powerful. Even the Emperor's own brother, King Jin, was killed at the request of the Emperor, and the King Dai was deposed.
Perhaps in order to protect you, the empress had to bear the humiliation and bear the heavy burden to cater to the regent."
"What!" Zhao Ruizhi suddenly stood up and pointed at the other party, his whole body was so excited and angry that his voice almost trembled.
Li Guanshi continued to finish the attack: "Your Majesty, do you still remember the time when the Regent entered the Queen's palace? The Emperor happened to run but was blocked from the door and could not go in. In the end, the Regent stayed inside for several hours before he came out.
."
"Stop talking!" Zhao Ruizhi covered his ears with his hands, his fat face in great pain. These things seemed normal before, but when they talked about it today, they gradually found it strange.
"Your Majesty, take care of yourself. A little impatience will ruin your big plans. I'm sorry for the sacrifices I made for you." Li Guanshi consoled him.
"You bastard," Zhao Ruizhi kicked the chair next to him, "Be patient, bear with me like your uncle, come on, I'm going to cut those rebellious officials and traitors into pieces!"
"The thieves are extremely vicious. How can His Majesty, with his wealth of gold, do these things himself? He can just leave it to his ministers. All he needs is an edict from the emperor." Zhao Si and Zhao Tai said hurriedly.
Thinking of Zu An's fierce side in the past, Zhao Ruizhi couldn't help but swallowed his saliva: "What Ai Qing said is true, but the edict requires me to summon the ministers from my province..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Si had already taken out an imperial edict from his arms: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. We loyal ministers have already drafted the edict. All we need is the emperor's seal."
"That's great!" Zhao Ruizhi was overjoyed, but had no idea why the other party had prepared such an edict so early.
He took the edict and stamped it with the jade seal without even looking at it. All he could think about now was killing the abominable Zu An, so he couldn't care about anything else.
Originally, Bi Linglong was the one handling all kinds of government affairs in the palace, but for the sake of the emperor's good looks, she would return the jade seal to Zhao Ruizhi for safekeeping after finishing the government affairs during the day, and then ask for the jade seal from him the next day.
I never expected that someone would seize the opportunity at night to cause such a big thing.
After Zhao Si and Zhao Tai left the emperor's palace, they were all thankful: "Fortunately, General Li helped us today, otherwise our plan might have failed."
"I don't know who General Li is and why he helped us. He couldn't really be a loyal emperor and spoke out of indignation."
"Of course it's impossible. He is the lieutenant in the palace, and he is most likely a subordinate of Zhao Yuan, the king of Guangling. But it's not necessarily true. Maybe he is the secret agent arranged by the other adults in the palace, which played a decisive role today."
"Do you think the person named Zu and the Queen he mentioned are true?"
"The stupid emperor believed it, and so did you? What kind of temperament does the queen have? She has always been a lady from a famous family and a model of maternal etiquette for the world. How could she do such a thing?"
"That's right. That man surnamed Li is so ruthless that he came up with such a vicious plan."
"Fortunately, he is from our side."
…
There was no light in the room in a small courtyard outside the palace.
But a group of people were sitting inside, waiting for something without saying a word. The atmosphere was extremely oppressive and silent, and many people had beads of sweat on their foreheads.
You must know that what is planned today is very big, and if it fails, it will be a catastrophe that will confiscate the family and exterminate the family. Even the people in the scene are accustomed to seeing big storms, and they are extremely nervous at this time.
At this time, the door was opened, and someone brought in a roll of something. The bright yellow color on it made everyone in the room brighten their eyes.
The person at the head was the father of the current queen, Bi Qi, the head of the Bi family. He took the imperial edict and looked at it, and couldn't help laughing: "Half of the matter is already done, now everyone will act according to the plan!"
"Yes!" Everyone stood up and left. If anyone else saw this scene, they would be very shocked, because everyone is a very important figure in the capital.
…
In Pei's house in the capital, a lively banquet was being held in the courtyard, where two young men were holding hands, drinking and talking.
"Brother Pei, which girl in your Pei family is going to go out of her way? Can you tell me the truth?"
"Brother Gao, you are so unfaithful. I have asked you so many times before and you couldn't refuse. But this time when I mentioned that the Pei family wanted to marry you, you came over immediately."
The two people were clearly Gao Ying and Pei You. After the situation in Yunzhong County stabilized, they were summoned back to the capital by their respective families.
It's a pity that I just missed the opportunity to meet Zu An.
"It's not like you don't know that I am now responsible for the safety of the palace, and my responsibilities are very heavy. It is so rare that I only get a leave." Gao Ying said with a bitter smile.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're pretending again, I almost forgot to congratulate you on your promotion to General Right Guard." Pei You said with a smile.
"It's not like you don't know. I am a well-connected person. How can I convince others at such a young age? So I am walking on thin ice. I haven't been able to find time to get together with my brothers these days. I punished myself with three drinks." Gao Ying was distressed and took the initiative.
Had three drinks.
The Liu family is now very powerful. As the nephew of the Liu family, Gao Ying will naturally be placed in some important departments with real power.
Pei You couldn't help but sigh and drank with him: "We only know the root cause, so I know that this is indeed what you really think. If it were other people, I'm afraid you would think you were deliberately showing off."
"But you don't have to belittle yourself. These days, your cultivation has progressed very quickly. You are now at the ninth level. In addition to being a little younger, you are more than enough to hold this position."
Gao Ying said angrily: "It's not like you don't know how my ninth grade came from. It was completely made by the Liu family's resources regardless of the cost. To be honest, I feel that I entered the country too fast and the foundation is unstable for the future.
It’s a big hidden danger.”
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're pretending again, I thought the Pei family would give me so many resources to pile me up." Pei You was a little depressed. His status in the Pei family was naturally not as good as his counterpart.
Gao Ying also realized that something was wrong and directly put his arm around his shoulders: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Please tell me secretly. Which lady do you intend to marry me?"
Girls from the Pei family are famous for their beauty. Pei Mianman, for example, was shocked when he first saw her. Of course, the woman was his brother's woman, so he didn't dare to think about it. He only thought about what would happen if
It is enough for the Pei family to marry 60-70% of Pei Mianman's beauty this time.
Pei You said awkwardly: "Actually, I don't know about this. My father told me. I don't know which house the older generation is interested in. But you don't have to agree to it today. Let's take a look first and wait.
Brother, I will help you find out more clearly in private."
Gao Ying was overjoyed: "That's enough brothers!"
The two of them drank together, and other members of the Pei family came to drink from time to time, so the drinking was very lively.
"Hey, why is the sky a little red?" Suddenly some female relatives at the table started talking.
Gao Ying took a casual look and subconsciously replied: "I guess one of the companies got away with it. Let me think about which company it is in that direction..."
Suddenly his eyes widened and he broke into a cold sweat, because that was the direction of the palace and there were no other houses nearby.
"Yunlongmen!" As the right guard general, he has been familiar with the layout and terrain of the palace these days, and he immediately realized where the fire started.
Yunlong Gate is one of the two most important gates in the imperial palace!
He couldn't sit still anymore and stood up to leave. Who knew that as soon as he stood up, he felt dizzy and almost fell down.