When the emperor saw Cheng Chumo, a smile appeared on his face.
Just now he was telling Li Ke that he hadn't heard from Zhao Chen for a long time.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Chumo had already arrived.
The emperor took it for granted that Zhao Chen had arrived in Jing County and now asked Cheng Chumo to come over and contact him.
"Where is Mr. Chen? Why don't you see him coming here in person?"
"And you guys, I asked you to come to Qizhou to do business, not to enjoy the mountains and rivers."
"Everyone came here with their families, right?" The emperor was smiling, and although he was complaining about what he said, he was still in a good mood.
When Zhao Chen came over, the emperor felt that he could completely relax.
Cheng Chumo smiled awkwardly. After all, his matter with Princess Qinghe had not yet received the emperor's consent.
But right now, this matter is obviously not important at all.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Da did not come to Jing County." Cheng Chumo said with the emperor holding hands.
The emperor's smile stopped on his face and he looked at Li Ke standing aside.
"Father, the emperor said that he went to Qi County. The only one who came here this time was Cheng Er." Li Ke quickly explained to the emperor.
The emperor frowned.
He didn't quite understand why Zhao Chen went to Qixian County and sent Cheng Chumo alone to meet him here.
Could it be that something happened in Qixian County?
The emperor speculated in his mind.
"What happened?" the emperor asked, flicking his sleeves and almost extinguishing the candles in the room.
Cheng Chumo took a breath and said, "Your Majesty, we discovered in Ninggu County that the riot among the people of Qizhou was planned by officials of all sizes in Qizhou."
"What?" The emperor's face immediately turned gloomy and terrifying.
The emperor had always felt that although the officials in Qizhou were unlucky in their affairs, they always cared for the imperial court.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Chen and the others discovered that the Qizhou riot was actively planned by Qizhou officials.
This is undoubtedly of the same nature as treason.
"Father, please drink tea." Li Ke comforted the emperor and sat down, pouring another cup of tea.
Emperor Niu drank the tea in the cup and slammed the cup on the table.
"Continue." The emperor's voice was cold and stern.
"In that village where the plague was rumored, Zhao Da and I found a man named Ma Zhiqing."
"He is the younger brother of Ma Zhiyuan, the governor of Qizhou."
"We learned from his mouth that Ma Zhiyuan colluded with the ministers of Chang'an, and it was they who planned the Qizhou riot."
"Forcing officials of all sizes in Qizhou to participate by coercion or inducement."
"Ma Zhiqing had a falling out with Ma Zhiyuan and was hunted down by Ma Zhiyuan from Qi County to Ninggu County."
"The burned village was not caused by a plague, but because they helped Ma Zhiqing and were retaliated by Ma Zhiyuan, so the whole village was massacred." Cheng Chumo's voice rang in the room.
The emperor's fists were clenched into balls.
Looking at the table in front of him, the emperor suddenly punched the table hard.
The loud noise attracted the Beiya Imperial Guards from outside and came running.
"Your Majesty, are you okay?" a soldier's voice came from outside the door.
"I'm fine, step back." The emperor said.
The soldiers retreated, and the emperor calmed down.
"Go on, why did Mr. Chen go to Qixian County?" The emperor said to Cheng Chumo, his eyes already turning cold.
Cheng Chu took a silent breath.
This was the first time he felt the emperor's power up close.
I felt somewhat uneasy in my heart.
"We learned from Ma Zhiqing that he hid a letter in Qixian that showed Ma Zhiyuan colluded with other Qizhou officials."
"In addition, Ma Zhiqing said that the man from Chang'an promised that after the matter is settled, all Qizhou officials will rise to power..."
"With so much success, does that man still want to be the emperor?" The emperor sneered.
Besides the emperor, who can allow a group of officials to rise to the top?
"Zhao Da also means the same thing, so he doubts that the man from Chang'an wants to attack your Majesty."
"I came here, and Zhao Da went to Qixian, not only to inform His Majesty of the news, but also to find some evidence of Ma Zhiyuan's crime in Qixian." Cheng Chu nodded silently and told the emperor the reason for his coming here.
The emperor felt extremely angry in his heart.
When he came to Qizhou, someone actually plotted against him.
There were only a few people in high and powerful positions who wanted to replace him as the emperor, but the emperor did not dare to continue thinking about it.
"What else did Mr. Chen say?" the emperor and Cheng Chumo asked.
"Master Zhao said, please His Majesty the Emperor, please stay around a little longer and don't rush to Qi County."
"Because once they go to Qixian County, Ma Zhiyuan and others will definitely be ready, and it will be difficult to escape by then."
"Besides, Zhao Da and the others are not moving very fast and they need time to find evidence." Cheng Chumo said to the emperor.
It contains Zhao Chen's explanation and Cheng Chumo's own thoughts.
The emperor clenched his fists, his face still filled with anger.
"Father, what the emperor said is very reasonable. If we go there now, we are completely throwing ourselves into a trap. Those people are eager for us to go there as soon as possible." Li Ke also advised.
Since they knew Qixian was a huge trap, they would be stupid if they couldn't wait to step into it.
The emperor wanted to know how Ma Zhiyuan wanted to deal with him, but right now, it was really not a good time.
"Forget it, I'll inform Ma Zhiyuan tomorrow that I'm feeling a little unwell and have to stay in Jing County for a few days." The emperor waved his hand and said to Li Ke.
"Cheng Chumo, what about you, are you going or staying?" the emperor asked Cheng Chumo again.
Cheng Chumo was at his wits' end for a moment.
When Zhao Chen asked him to come here, he didn't ask him to stay here, but to go to Qi County to find him.
It was quite difficult for the emperor to ask such a question.
"If you don't know, go find Mr. Chen. Although he has Li Ruoshuang by his side, he still has Ping An and Qinghe to take care of. There are many things that he doesn't even have a helper for."
"Go find him and tell him that you must find evidence of Ma Zhiyuan's crime."
"I'm going to cut it into eight pieces." The emperor and Cheng Chumo said, with a stern look on their faces.
Of course the emperor was very angry.
Using the people as bait to force him, the emperor, into danger.
If the man behind the scenes is not caught, he will no longer need to be the emperor.
Cheng Chu nodded silently, left the room, jumped off the balcony, and disappeared into the darkness.
The emperor walked out of the room and came to the terrace, looking at the dark night with only a bright moon hanging in the sky.
…
Chang'an, Qunfang Garden.
Jiang Siye came here again today.
Saw the mysterious man in robes.
"Sir, what do you want to explain to me today?" Jiang Siye and the man in robe asked.
The man in the robe was completely hidden in the darkness, and Jiang Siye could not see his appearance at all.
"According to my calculation, Zhao Chen should not be in Chang'an." The man in the robe said.
This made Jiang Siye feel extremely strange.
Obviously, I went to Chang'an Military Academy before and heard the real voice of Zhao Chen.
If Zhao Chen was not in Chang'an, whose voice would it be?
"Sir, what do you mean?" Jiang Siye looked at the man in black robe in front of him with confusion on his face.