Also leaving was Prince Li. As soon as they left, Emperor Mingwen looked at Chu Yunning: "Where is Princess Yu'an?"
"Imprisoned in the Chu family."
"Then who was that just now?"
"It's just a betrayer, so don't mention it." Chu Yunning didn't pursue the identity of the fake princess just now, but Gong Cheng was relatively guilty, so he brushed the matter off.
Emperor Mingwen looked at her: "If the four countries join forces to attack the south end, are you afraid?"
His tone was very soft, not serious at all, as if he was talking about a very light thing. Chu Yunning hesitated for a moment: "I have seen such an example in a book. There are seven countries on the map.
, and later they were unified by a man called the First Emperor, and the six countries became one country. If the strategy is used well, there may not be no hope."
Yunlan Kingdom and his relatives had impure motives, so this war was inevitable.
Emperor Mingwen was surprised and said: "Where did you see such a strange book?"
"I'm just looking for fun when I have nothing to do. Are you afraid of the emperor?" Chu Yunning asked back. He is now a normal person and should have no worries.
Emperor Mingwen hesitated for a moment.
At this time, a report came from outside the door, it was Prince Xiao who was here.
After not seeing Prince Xiao for a long time, Chu Yunning almost forgot about the existence of such an ex-husband. Since Prince Xiao married Princess Weiwu, his behavior has changed greatly. The thin horse in the house has also been dismissed by Princess Weiwu. Yingying Yanyan
They all disappeared, controlling Prince Xiao's temper step by step.
At first, there was a lot of commotion in Prince Xiao's mansion. Prince Xiao was very unconvinced, but he had no choice but to deal with Princess Mighty.
The guards all over the courtyard are the dowry of the mighty princess. If the princess is unhappy, Prince Xiao will not even be allowed to leave the house.
Over time, the two became happy enemies. After an accidental drunken encounter, the two consummated their relationship, and their feelings for each other unknowingly developed by leaps and bounds.
Prince Xiao's reputation gradually improved, and the Queen Mother was full of praise for Princess Mighty and gave her many rewards.
After a while, Prince Xiao walked in with a more solemn look on his face: "Brother, I know that the imperial court is employing people, so I am willing to share the burden for my brother."
Emperor Mingwen was very satisfied with Prince Xiao's performance these days, so his attitude towards him had improved a lot. He raised his hand from the air and said, "Get up, you look more energetic. How is the princess doing lately?"
Upon hearing this, King Xiao showed an unnatural blush on his face, scratched his head and said, "Brother, Weiwu is one month pregnant."
"Really?" Emperor Mingwen was overjoyed.
"I just found out this morning. Weiwu said that it is the time for the imperial court to hire people. As a prince, my brother should share the emperor's worries and solve his problems. Therefore, I let my brother enter the palace and see if there is anything he can do to help.
"Yes." Prince Xiao said.
Chu Yunning's eyes almost popped out of his head. The former Prince Xiao was not like a young man who had just started to fall in love, but a middle-class prince with low emotional intelligence.
The abilities of this mighty princess really opened her eyes. It seemed like this was the right move.
"Don't worry. If anything happens, I will be the first to notify you. However, Weiwu is pregnant with the prince's heir. This is the time when he needs someone to accompany him. You should accompany him well."
With a wave of his hand, Emperor Mingwen generously gave some precious supplements, as well as gold, silver and jewelry to Princess Mighty.
"Brother Chen will bring Weiwu over to pay his respects to Brother Huang someday."
"No need, she's too sick to stay at home to recuperate. Brothers and I, I won't find fault with her," Emperor Mingwen said.
"My dear brother, thank you for your consideration, brother." After King Xiao finished speaking, he turned to look at Chu Yunning and said, "Weiwu asked me to send a message to Chu Shang Palace, thanking Chu Shang Palace for the tonic. I will thank you personally if I wait.
"
"Your Majesty, you're welcome. Congratulations to Your Majesty. Congratulations to Your Majesty."
After all, he was Beibei's biological father. She was also happy for him that Prince Xiao could live on the right track. Prince Xiao's attitude also softened a lot and he became polite. He said to Emperor Mingwen again: "My brother, I haven't been here for a while."
Now that I have entered the palace to visit my mother, my younger brother will go to Cihe Palace first."
"Go ahead and remember to say hello to me."
"yes."
…
Celebration banquet
Emperor Mingwen sat at the head of the table, overlooking the ministers. There were fine wines and delicacies in front of the table, but no one present was in the mood to eat.
After a while, someone asked about Prince Huai and the frequent small actions of the Four Kingdoms in private. Emperor Mingwen turned his attention to the Prime Minister: "What does the Prime Minister think?"
The Prime Minister stood up immediately and said, "I forgive my incompetence. I don't know what to do at the moment. I also want to hear your thoughts."
At this moment, the Minister of Revenue stood up: "Your Majesty, the gold mine has just been mined. If the four countries start a war immediately, even if the gold mine is there, it will not be enough to support the national treasury and purchase grain and grass. The situation is not good for us.
"
The Minister of War nodded in approval: "Soldiers and horses are not yet experienced enough to defend against the enemy, and food and grass are also top priority. Half a year ago, the southwest and northeast encountered floods and droughts, and the harvest was limited. Our only way is to try every means to delay
, waiting for the gold mines to be mined, the crops to be harvested, and the training of newly recruited soldiers and horses to resist the invasion."
"Your Majesty, what the two ministers said is absolutely true." The Prime Minister of the Palace nodded, with a difficult expression on his face: "Since ancient times, food and grass have been the top priority in wars. If the soldiers don't have enough to eat, how can they bother to fight."
"Your Majesty, can we send the princess to get married to ease the tense atmosphere?" someone suggested.
Emperor Mingwen currently only has one princess, but since the princess is only a few months old, she will definitely not be able to get married. So he can only choose a daughter of the right age from the family of the princes and ministers, make her a princess and marry her to another country.
As soon as the words fell, several families with suitable daughters lowered their heads, for fear of being noticed. Fools all knew that getting married at this time would be tantamount to death.
"What do you think, Prime Minister, of this method of marriage?" Emperor Mingwen kicked the ball to the Prime Minister, waiting for him to offend someone.
The Prime Minister hesitated for a moment: "This can only be a bad move."
Many people breathed a sigh of relief and secretly felt lucky that their daughter had escaped the disaster. However, Emperor Mingwen said: "It is also a strategy to make a bad move. Just be prepared. The task of selecting the princess to marry is left to the prime minister."
This was definitely an offending thing. The Prime Minister's brows were so furrowed that he could pinch a fly to death, and he said in his heart: "Your Majesty, I am blind and may not be able to choose a suitable princess. I beg your Majesty to choose someone else to take on the important task."
Emperor Mingwen once again scolded the old fox in his heart, saying that he really refused to suffer any losses.
"Ahem!" Prince Li suddenly choked on his wine. At this time, everyone's eyes were focused on Prince Li. The Prime Minister immediately said: "Didn't the Emperor just consecrate two princes today? Why not be promoted?"
How about the princess? I heard that the two princesses are well-known in the capital, and they will definitely be qualified for the position of princess."
Prince Li panicked, stood up, walked around from the table, and knelt in the main hall: "Your Majesty, no, these two children are ignorant and have never seen much of the world. It is impossible for them to take on this responsibility."
"The prince is being humble. If I have a daughter, as long as the court can use her, even if I go through the sword and the sea of fire, I can only reluctantly part with her."
What the Prime Minister said was so righteous that it is hard not to praise him.
Emperor Mingwen immediately raised his wine glass: "The Prime Minister is loyal and loyal. It is my blessing to have such a loyal minister as the Prime Minister in the south. I would like to offer you a glass of wine."
After that, I drank the glass of wine in one gulp.
All the officials in the court raised their glasses and stood up. They raised their glasses to the Prime Minister and drank it down in one gulp. The Prime Minister raised his glasses modestly and said, "Your Majesty is ridiculous. It is the duty of an minister to share the country's worries."
With the Prime Minister taking the lead in making comparisons, Prince Li seemed very embarrassed when he knelt in the main hall. He could only bite the bullet and change his words and said: "I would like to thank the Emperor for your consideration on my behalf. If there is a place in the south that needs a daughter, I will definitely accept my request."
Therefore, Emperor Mingwen decreed that the two of them be promoted to princesses.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Prince Li thanked him with a livid face. When he stood up, he looked at the Prime Minister meaningfully. Aren't the two of them allies? How could they have started an internal strife?
The Prime Minister doesn't want to see King Li now. When he sees him, he thinks of the gold mine. Now he decides not to believe anyone. It is not difficult to rule out whether King Li is the emperor's man or not. Maybe he is just a man.
Acting.
After thinking about countless possibilities, the Prime Minister would rather kill a thousand people by mistake than let one go. The candidate for the princess marriage has been decided. All the officials present looked like they had escaped death and breathed a sigh of relief.
"We have the lower and lower strategies, but what about the middle and best strategies?" Emperor Mingwen asked in a deep voice.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue said: "Wei Chen believes that the central strategy is to find allies with whom we have good relations, jointly resist the invasion, and then wait for the opportunity to move and fight hard. We are not the only ones who are recuperating. Other countries also need the preparation of troops, horses, and food."
"That's right, instead of being on tenterhooks all the time, it's better to give it a try. The worst it can do is save one's life." The military commander advocated war, and he was so excited that he moved his arms and wanted to start a war right away.
"How can this war be fought so easily? Not only will it cost food and grass, but innocent people will also suffer."
The civil officials advocated peace, and soon they started to quarrel with the generals, and the two factions were furious in the main hall.
"A bunch of cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death!"
"A bunch of reckless men who underestimate the enemy!"
Emperor Mingwen didn't stop, he slowly poured a glass of wine, picked up a chopstick and ate with great interest. For the first time, he felt that the food in the imperial dining room was pretty good, and he must reward him well later.
After waiting for Mo for about half an hour, the group of people became tired from the noise, breathing heavily, sweating on their heads, and their voices gradually weakened.
Emperor Mingwen calmly put down his chopsticks and searched the officials: "If we don't have to worry about food and grass, can this battle be fought?"
The Minister of Hubu immediately stood up; "If we don't have any worries about food and grass, I think this battle can be fought, and it must be fought as soon as possible without giving the other side a chance to breathe. Maybe the four countries are still waiting and watching. Once we unite, we will fight."
It’s passive.”
"Wei Chen also thinks that what Shangshu said is reasonable. We should think of ways now. Some countries can fight, and some countries can make peace. As long as the four countries do not practice and their cooperation collapses, we will have a chance."
This sentence touched the heart of Emperor Mingwen. Emperor Mingwen gave the official who spoke an appreciative look: "Ai Qing's words make sense!"
"Which one of the Yunlan Kingdom, Zhuxi Kingdom, Zhao Kingdom, and Lian Kingdom do you think can be fought, and which one can make peace?" Emperor Mingwen asked in public.
The officials present stopped talking for a while and said everything. The prime minister's concern was not this, but asked: "The emperor just said that there is no need to worry about food and grass. I am very curious, is there enough food and grass?"
The word "food and grass" was like a big stone pressing on the heart of the Prime Minister. For some reason, his eyelids were beating rapidly, and he had an unknown premonition.
At this time, General Chu said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Prime Minister. I found several huge granaries on the way back. They have grain and cotton clothes needed by the soldiers, which is enough to supply 100,000 troops with rations for half a year."
The Prime Minister's heart sank, his expression was a little unnatural, and he asked without giving up: "Where did General Chu find out about it? How come he has never heard of it?"
General Chu looked at the Prime Minister's face and smiled: "Prime Minister, you don't need to ask where the granary is. You just need to remember that supplying the three armies will not be a problem."
Hearing what he said, the Prime Minister became more and more uneasy. He said with a smile: "The Prime Minister is just worried that General Chu will be deceived by the deception. So, General Chu has personally checked whether the food and grass are real. The Prime Minister wants to know more."
Who knows who is so bold as to hoard such a large amount of food and grass?"
This topic was brought up to General Chu, who was forced to tell how he discovered the grain and grass.
"Speaking of which, this person has some connection with the Prime Minister. Jiang Zhihe, the commander of Jiangzhou, forcibly requisitioned grain, and the people around him complained endlessly. By chance, someone sued me, and after investigation, I found the granary.
."
As soon as Jiang Zhihe said the three words, Prime Minister Gong's brain exploded with a buzzing sound, and his face turned pale.
No longer able to suppress the fishy smell rising in his body, it spurted out with a pop. He swayed and fell into his seat. He didn't wake up for a long time.
"Master Xiang?" Emperor Mingwen called.
After a long time, the Prime Minister raised his eyes and met Emperor Mingwen's eyes, which were as calm as if he were looking at a dead person.
He suddenly understood that today's celebration banquet was the day of his death. Emperor Mingwen had no reason or evidence to kill him. If his death was unclear, Emperor Mingwen would have no way to explain it to the civil and military officials.
Therefore, Emperor Mingwen repeatedly brought out his weaknesses to stimulate him, making him angry to death in front of all the civil and military officials.
In this way, you can get rid of yourself legitimately.
What a plan!
The Prime Minister really underestimated Emperor Mingwen's skills. He used explicit praise and covert derogation, and alienation tactics, all of which were good means.
"Looking at the Prime Minister's expression, could it be that he knows Jiang Zhihe?" Emperor Mingwen asked.
All a person's hope is gone, his spiritual support has collapsed, and he loses his fighting spirit in an instant, and doesn't even want to live anymore.
The Prime Minister's last escape route is gone. All his leverage is in the hands of Emperor Mingwen. If he doesn't die today, he won't survive for a few days. Emperor Mingwen is destined to force him to death.
"Your Majesty, Jiang Zhihe was indeed recommended by an old minister. When he saw how talented this man was, he appointed him as the commander of Jiangzhou, but he never thought that he would be so bold and reckless." The Prime Minister held his heart tightly and suppressed the surge.
With a fishy smell, he added: "How dare you collude with the enemy and hoard food and grass privately? Your Majesty, this person must implicate the nine tribes to intimidate everyone, and no longer dare to have any rebellious intentions."
The Prime Minister said with his last breath: "Your Majesty, I have committed many sins over the years. Maybe many people dislike me, but I have no intention of rebelliousness. No matter who framed me, I beg your Majesty to look at it."
For the sake of my hard work over the years, I will spare the Gong family."
At this moment, Prime Minister Gong recognized him and stopped being stubborn. He could die for the sake of the Gong family's descendants, but the Gong family could not bear the crime of treason.
The Prime Minister stood up unsteadily, knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily to Emperor Mingwen: "Your Majesty, I felt unwell half a month ago. I am afraid that I have reached the end of my strength. I beg your Majesty to remove me from my post as Prime Minister.
, appoint virtuous people.”
He gave up not because he was willing, but for the sake of the future generations of the Gong family. If he had to do it again, Prime Minister Gong would never give up.
The biggest mistake in his life was not to eradicate Chu Yunning, otherwise, he would not be so embarrassed and would not be willing to accept it until his death.
Emperor Mingwen looked at the Prime Minister seriously and saw that he was completely decadent and his eyes were dark: "If the Prime Minister wants to rest, I can agree to it, so why do you have to do this? Get up quickly, my foundation is not stable.
We still need the Prime Minister’s assistance.”
The implication of this is that when the Prime Minister is about to die, he must explain his power in public, be loyal to the emperor, and not have any inappropriate thoughts.
The Prime Minister gritted his teeth tightly and said: "Your Majesty, I am confused. I am afraid I won't be able to survive. You adults must recognize the reality clearly and don't have any thoughts that you shouldn't have. Your Majesty is a wise king. If you are honest and honest, your Majesty will definitely
I won't treat you badly. If you have other evil thoughts, think about your family and you won't end up well."
Emperor Mingwen was satisfied after hearing this.
Then the Prime Minister fell to the ground with a bang, his eyes fixed on Emperor Mingwen, but Emperor Mingwen poured the wine slowly and asked for the imperial doctor.