When Xue Poye was at Huiying Hall, he was having this gloomy conversation in the imperial study room deep in the palace.
Emperor Deqing was sitting on a large purple oak chair, writing something in front of the case with his ink pen. In the imperial study room, which was not too big, there were three ministers kneeling in front of the emperor's case.
Wei Shantai, governor of Kyoto, Hou Jingzong, the admiral of the four gates, and the last one is Lan Wuqing, the most prestigious scholar of the Hanlin Academy and even the Great Chu Kingdom.
Needless to say, Wei Shantai is the governor of Kyoto and the leader of the purple-clothed men. Regardless of his strength and background, no one dares to offend him easily.
Academician Lan is an upright man and handles everything rationally and seldom uses emotions. His greatest strength is that he is knowledgeable and knowledgeable about many things. He never blindly follows mainstream evaluations, but has
My own rather unique perspective.
As for the Admiral of the Four Gates, Hou Jingzong, it seems that his official position is not very high, but this position is extremely important. He is responsible for the guards of all the four gates of Kyoto. He controls the gates of Kyoto. If he can be responsible for this position, he is naturally the most popular among Emperor Deqing.
of respect and trust.
The three ministers were kneeling in front of the imperial court, waiting for Emperor Deqing's words.
Kyoto Governor Wei Shantai is here, which means that the content of this conversation will definitely not make people happy. Wei Shantai represents blackness and death. Wherever he appears, nothing good will happen.
"Wei Qing." Deqing raised his head and looked at Wei Shantai. Under those thick eyebrows were deep and gloomy eyes. The light was not deep, but it gave people a feeling of penetrating everything.
Emperor Deqing pondered for a moment and finally said: "Have you already confessed it?"
Wei Shantai immediately said: "I have informed you, Your Majesty, that I have already issued an order to all the brothers in Kyoto Prefecture not to interfere in this matter. This matter is over!"
"You did a good job." Emperor Deqing nodded thoughtfully and said slowly: "There is no need to waste time on this matter. Even if we investigate, no one will be able to find him. Even if he is found, it will not be enough."
It was given to him as a target."
Wei Shantai said in a respectful voice: "The Holy One is considerate and considerate of the ministers. I would like to thank the Holy One for His kindness on behalf of the brothers everywhere."
A smile appeared on the corner of Emperor Deqing's lips, and he said warmly: "Wei Qing, I just like your pretentious way of looking like a loyal minister."
Wei Shantai squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "I am a loyal minister by nature."
Emperor Deqing turned to look at Hou Jingzong and said slowly: "Before you served as the admiral of the four gates, you were the chief guard of the Yulin camp of the inner court. You and I went abroad to Kyoto and visited many places."
"Wei Chen has always missed those days and is grateful to the Holy One for his trust." Hou Jingzong said sincerely.
He was dug into the Yulin Camp from Jinling Prison, and step by step he took the position of the chief guard of the Yulin Camp, and then to the current admiral of the four gates. He was promoted by the Emperor after a test. At the beginning, he was still Yulin
When he was the commander-in-chief of the battalion, he was deeply trusted by the emperor and even accompanied the emperor on several incognito private visits.
"Eight years ago, you and I went to Jinling!" Emperor Deqing said slowly, his eyes began to become hazy, and his voice became cold: "Do you still remember what we encountered?"
"Assassin!" Hou Jingzong replied immediately.
"Yes, during that trip to Jinling, I was almost stabbed to death there." Emperor Deqing said solemnly: "That was the greatest shame in my life."
Except for Hou Jingzong, it was the first time for the other two people to know about this matter. The three ministers heard the anger in Emperor Deqing's voice and said in unison: "I have frightened the Holy One and deserve to die. Please punish me.
!”
Emperor Deqing waved his hand, shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with you, so don't panic."
Wei Shantai and Lan Wuqing looked at each other, and both of them had a look of sudden realization in their eyes. Only then did they understand why the governor of Jinling was suddenly dismissed eight years ago, without any reason, and left Jinling in despair.
When he was appointed magistrate of a small county near Mobei, it turned out that His Majesty the Emperor was assassinated in Jinling, so he was implicated.
"There is no need to go into details about the process. In the end, I was not in danger, but several of my guards were injured by assassins." Emperor Deqing's eyes flashed with a strange cold light: "I injured him at the time, but
When he escaped, I thought he would die of serious injuries, but I didn't expect...!" He did not continue speaking, but half-squinted his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.
Wei Shantai and Lan Wuqing were both surprised as to why His Majesty the Emperor was telling the story of his adulthood eight years ago today. His Majesty the Emperor must be a person who is good at hiding things and does not like to mention the past. There must be some reason why he suddenly said this today.
It makes sense, so both of them were waiting for what His Majesty the Emperor would say next.
His Majesty the Emperor did not speak, but Hou Jingzong, who understood the Emperor's meaning, said slowly: "When the assassins injured our Yulin Guards, they used plum blossoms to pierce the throat."
Wei Shantai and Lan Wuqing were not too surprised. Both of them were the most shrewd people in the Chu Dynasty, and they were able to draw inferences from one instance to another. Among them, Wei Shantai had already seen the secret, so they only nodded slightly.
"Your Majesty, in other words, the murderer who killed the deputy general manager of the inner treasury this time was the assassin who assassinated Your Majesty." Once Wei Shantai started to do something, he was experienced and cautious: "Your Majesty, he was seriously injured at the beginning. I thought
There is no doubt that he will die, but I didn't expect that he would appear now at the time of worshiping heaven and ancestors."
Emperor Deqing said calmly: "It may not mean that the assassin is not dead, but the method used to kill Yang Shande this time is very similar to the original assassination method."
After Hou Jingzong waited for the emperor to finish speaking, he immediately said: "The method used by the assassins back then was also Plum Blossom Sword Qi, but the method back then did not seem to be as powerful as it is today. The wounds back then were irregular and the plum blossom blood stains were also scattered, but today
The plum blossom sword energy is not only extremely sharp, but the blood stains on the plum blossoms are regular and regular, and the skill has been greatly improved compared to the past."
"Sword Qi?" Wei Shantai frowned and said slowly: "I was able to use Sword Qi eight years ago, and I was at least a Seventh Path warrior. Now it seems...!"
Sword Qi is not a sword, but a kind of strength. In other words, it is a kung fu that warriors can only perform after reaching a certain number of levels. They use their own strength to activate it. The strength is like a sword, and the sword energy kills people.
This is an extremely advanced martial arts.
Lan Wuqing said seriously: "According to Sir Wei's speculation, this assassin's martial arts cultivation level may have reached the eighth level."
Warriors of the Eight Paths are characters that can be encountered but not seen in the ranks of warriors.
There are nine warriors in total. People say that there are four masters of the nine paths in the world. However, the masters of the nine paths are already at the top of the tower and are extremely rare in the world. Therefore, the warriors who can control the world are the eight warriors.
Anyone who has a thorough understanding of martial arts also knows that every step of progress in a warrior's practice is extremely difficult. As for moving from the seventh path to the eighth path, it is something that can be encountered but cannot be expected. Many warriors will rarely achieve this in their entire lives.
Breakthrough, as for the warriors of the Seven Paths to break through to the Eighth Path, it is even more difficult to reach the sky. It is only slightly easier than the myth of the Eighth Path entering the Nine Paths.
If the assassin is really a warrior of the Eight Paths, even if all the purple-clothed men from Kyoto Prefecture are dispatched, they may not even be able to find the corners of other people's clothes, and may even be killed completely in turn.
Emperor Deqing said coldly: "Unexpectedly, he broke through the seven bottle mouths."
University student Lan frowned and said: "Wei Chen is just curious. Since he is already an Eighth Path warrior, why did he kill a deputy general manager of the inner treasury? Isn't this self-exposure?"
Hou Jingzong nodded and said solemnly: "Yes, even if you are a warrior of the Eighth Path, it may not be that easy for you to take the First Path in Beijing."
Of course what he said is true.
Even a real eight-path warrior would have no problem dealing with hundreds of people, but the Habayashi camp in Kyoto, the four major purple camps in Kyoto Prefecture, the four major camps in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, plus those warriors in the open and in the dark, once they are entangled,
, it may not be easy for Eight Path warriors to really leave Kyoto alive.
Emperor Deqing looked at his ministers analyzing the problem and suddenly sneered: "He wants to tell me that he is already in Kyoto."
Academician Lan hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing. However, Emperor Deqing's sharp eyes naturally noticed this and said warmly: "Lan Qing, if you have anything to say, there is no harm in saying it."
Grand Scholar Lan finally said: "Your Majesty, what I said is a taboo. If I am wrong, I hope your Majesty will have mercy on you."
Emperor Deqing smiled and said: "Lan Qing, when did you become such a mother-in-law?" After saying that, he suddenly started coughing. It seemed quite serious, and he almost coughed out his internal organs.
The three ministers all said worriedly: "I sincerely ask Your Majesty to take care of the dragon's body."
Emperor Deqing wiped the corners of his mouth with yellow silk, waved his hand and said: "No problem, Lan Qing, just say it's okay, I won't blame you."
Grand Scholar Lan glanced at Emperor Deqing and said slowly: "The assassin may have come here to let the Holy Emperor know that he is now in Kyoto, but Wei Chen thinks that the most important thing is to cause chaos in the court."
Emperor Deqing's eyes shone brightly, and he stared at Grand Scholar Lan, waiting for him to continue.
"Your Majesty, the day when Deputy General Manager Yang was killed was the time to offer sacrifices to heaven. The purpose of killing Deputy General Manager Yang was probably to silence people. His Highness the Crown Prince's sacrificial ceremony is against the ancestral customs. Considering the prince's character, I'm afraid he won't do it.
For doing such a thing, Wei Chen always thought that there might be something wrong with the internal treasury, and that there must be something fishy about Deputy Manager Yang, who was in charge of the prince's ritual. He was killed just because the assassin didn't want him to leak something that shouldn't be leaked.
The purpose of the matter is to kill people and silence them." Grand Scholar Lan saw that Emperor Deqing looked calm and was listening carefully, so he continued: "Once Deputy General Yang is killed, this line will be broken. It is difficult for the prince to defend himself.
The matter of the ceremony has become an intractable problem in the court."
Emperor Deqing pointed to a table full of folds on the west table and said calmly: "The knots are right there."
Of course, there are documents presented because of the incident of the prince's sacrifice. There are those who support the prince, and naturally there are those who are against it. Most of the officials in Kyoto are involved in this incident. The most lively thing in the court these days is this matter.
, although the power of Emperor Deqing prevented this matter from getting too serious, the impact of the ceremony incident was huge, coupled with the special instructions of some people, there was always going to be a storm.
No one can tell what happened in the temple. It seems that there won’t be any big changes during the storm that seems to be intimidated by His Majesty the Emperor. However, no one can guarantee whether there will be any unexpected factors during this period that will lead to a bigger disaster.
Troubles.
"That's right!" Hou Jingzong nodded and said, "Your Majesty, by choosing the day of Qianqiu's birthday, you naturally want to cause unrest in the court through this matter."
Wei Shantai immediately said: "Wei Chen can't understand why he, an assassin, would cause turmoil in the court?" He raised his head and looked at his master with reverence, and said slowly: "Who is instigating this behind the scenes?"
His Majesty the Emperor's eyes finally shot out a sharp and cold light, and he said coldly: "I also want to know who is playing this very unpleasant game with me."
The three ministers felt a slight chill all over their bodies when they heard His Majesty the Emperor's cold voice.
"Since we are in Kyoto, of course we will not neglect this guest from the Eight Paths." Emperor Deqing ordered coldly: "Wei Qing, everyone from the four major offices of Kyoto Prefecture does not have to take action, but you can dispatch five experts to accompany you in the secret investigation.
This matter."
"Wei Chen accepts the order!"
"Lan Qing, those bachelors of the Hanlin Academy have made me very unhappy these days. You should remind me that I have tolerated them for a few days. In the coming days, I hope to be clean." Emperor Deqing mentioned it again.
Zhu pen marked a few points on the document on the imperial case, threw it to Hou Jingzong and said: "From this time on, the princes are not allowed to leave the capital, and even no one in their mansion can enter or leave through the four doors you are responsible for, otherwise
...!" His eyes turned cold: "Bring down the prison of the Ministry of Punishment!"
The three ministers all respectfully accepted the order.
Wei Shantai suddenly said: "Your Majesty, the Metropolitan Procuratorate has many good people. Can you ask them to also dispatch some people to investigate this matter?"
Emperor Deqing smiled faintly and said slowly: "They have their own affairs, so I won't get involved in this matter." He waved his hand and said warmly: "Kneel down!"
After the three ministers knelt down and retired, Emperor Deqing coughed violently again. The yellow silk used to wipe the corner of his mouth had a trace of blood on it. Under the illumination of the palace lantern, the blood stain turned out to be a bit black.
Emperor Deqing frowned, closed his eyes and leaned on the big chair. After a long time, he whispered to himself: "Come on, let's make it more lively!"
The long river in Kyoto is quiet and long, and from time to time the luxurious cars of dignitaries pass by. The roads paved with bluestones are deep and glowing with a faint light under the moonlight.
Xue Poye's car was walking on the long river road. The horses' hooves were clicking and the carriage was rattling. Prince Yin's persuasion to drink made him feel dizzy.
Of course, Xue Poye was not stupid enough to refuse Prince Yin's invitation, but he did not agree immediately. All he left behind was "If the prince needs it, feel free to give him orders."
He knew that answering like this would make Prince Yin a little unhappy, but he could only answer like this.
Once you really agree to Prince Yin's invitation, you will immediately be involved in the power struggle in Kyoto, become Prince Yin's slave, and become a pawn used by Prince Yin to fight for power.
Although Prince Yin was quite dissatisfied, he still admired talents like Xue Poye, firstly because of Xue Poye's own ability, and secondly because of Xue Poye's status as the "Princess Master".
Prince Yin was not a fool. Of course he knew the importance of the eldest princess in the political structure of Kyoto. He always wanted to identify whether the eldest princess was biased towards him in this power struggle. When he was in a dilemma, he suddenly discovered the eldest princess's attitude.
It was so vague that I couldn't figure out the true inclination of my imperial aunt.
He needs the help of the eldest princess. If he has the support of the eldest princess, he believes that the chair in the Golden Palace will be closer to him.
The biggest weakness of the eldest princess is Princess Yi. She protects her daughter as if she were a life, and only her daughter can truly get in touch with her inner world. However, Princess Yi is not a fool. She knows her mother’s
Because of her political position, she never got too close to any prince easily. She was worried that doing so would bring some degree of trouble to her mother.
But the person closest to her now is Xue Poye, and Xue Poye is also a person whom Princess Yi respects and admires very much, so Prince Yin wants to use Xue Poye as an opening to get closer to the eldest princess through Xue Poye
Such a line.
He can tolerate Xue Poye's temporary reservation, because he will feel that the value of someone who is too easy to get is not too great.
Xue Poye leaned in the car, listening to the "clack" of the horse's hooves. He felt that the rhythm of the horse's hooves was really nice. It seemed to be endless. The combination of the horse's hooves and the bluestone road could produce such a sound, and he and Kyoto
What kind of notes can be produced by combining them?
But he soon heard another combination of notes.
It was the sound of the knife joining the neck, making a weird cracking sound. When Xue Poye heard this sound, he saw the silhouette of the car in front of him rolling, and the carriage stopped on the long river in an instant.
.
Xue Poye's palms were sweaty and he quickly held the cold blade in his hand.
***, did you meet an assassin?
I didn't expect that I would encounter such a thing even though I had no identity. It was really depressing.
It was quiet outside, not even the horses pulling the cart made a sound. The air seemed to be frozen, stiff and depressing. Xue Poye's heart was beating fast and his mind was racing.
Whose person could this be?
The night wind whistled softly, gently blowing away some dust on the bluestone road, leaving the road extremely clean.
"Come out!" After a long time, a deep voice finally sounded outside.
Xue Poye sighed. In this case, there was no use staying in the carriage. These people did not take action immediately, so Xue Poye had a little luck. If it was an assassination, it would naturally be a decisive battle, and he would have been killed long ago.
Now that we're in the carriage, there's no need to wait outside for a long time.
He opened the curtain and found that the coachman was lying limply on the shaft of the carriage, as if dead, while the horse was held by someone's head. There seemed to be something stuffed in the horse's mouth. No wonder it didn't neigh.
He walked out of the carriage and smiled bitterly in his heart. He saw that the carriage was surrounded by six or seven masked men in black. Each of them had a sharp knife in his waist, but now they all had their bows and strings bent, and several large bows were aiming at them.
It seems that the arrows will hit me at any time.
Xue Poye saw a stout man in black standing not far away. Under the night, it was quite blurry, but he was definitely looking at him.
The man in black said solemnly: "Give it to him!"
Then he saw a man in black throwing something. Xue Poye stretched out his hand to catch it, but it turned out to be something like a sugar cane.
"If you don't want to die, take a bite!"
Just as Xue Poye was about to speak, the stout man in black had already said in a deep voice: "Say one word and you will die immediately!"
Xue Poye frowned. He suddenly felt that the voice of the man in black was quite familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it. At this moment, there was no room for negotiation. Xue Poye believed that if he really wanted to
If you resist stubbornly, I'm afraid the river will be splashed with blood in an instant.
He took a bite of the "sugar cane" in a polite manner, but found it sweet and delicious, and it was a delicious thing. However, within ten seconds after taking one bite, he felt dizzy, his eyelids drooped, and finally softened.
"Damn, I was kidnapped!" Xue Poye cursed in his mind before losing consciousness.
As soon as Xue Poye fell, a man in black jumped over, carried Xue Poye on his back, and headed towards the alley to the west. The thick man in black led the others away, leaving only the man holding the horse's head.
The man in black let go of the horse's head, took out the thing stuffed in the horse's mouth, patted the horse's back, and the horse immediately carried the empty cart away, disappearing on the long river in the blink of an eye.
The man in black then ran into the alley. The long river became quiet for a moment, and the moonlight shone on the bluestone road, as if nothing had ever happened.dd