In the depth of winter, Tokyo is covered in silver. Under the gloomy night, the majestic imperial city is covered with a thick layer of snow. A bright moon in the sky casts a deserted silver glow, and the imperial city is covered with snow.
The snow on the city reflects the solemn light.
Outside the room, the cold wind was biting. The whistling north wind carried snow particles and blew against the window lattice.
There was a whining sound. Snow particles hit the window paper, making a rustling sound, like spring silkworms biting mulberry leaves.
In the imperial study room, the emperor sat on the dragon chair, holding a cinnabar pen in one hand, reviewing the memorials gathered from various places, while listening to the secret report from the Lu Yushi in front of him.
More than a month has passed since Concubine Xi left the country. With the signing of the covenant, the situation in the north has eased slightly.
The Turks retreated to the north of Yin Mountain, and the crisis at Yanmen that had plagued the Great Zhou Dynasty for several months also dissipated.
With the situation in the north easing, the emperor could finally free his hands to deal with increasingly serious problems from within the court.
For example, the most difficult issue at present is the crown prince.
With the emperor's serious illness last month, the hidden struggle for the crown prince finally came to light.
During the period when he claimed to be ill, the prince used his status as superintendent of the country and under the instructions of the An family, he eliminated and eradicated dissidents. Several princes who were thinking about competing for the throne did not compromise under the pressure. They gathered their own strength.
, and started a battle with the prince. In just one month, there were no fewer than five large-scale armed fights in the city of Tokyo. The number of casualties was in the thousands.
What made the emperor really feel the threat was that Beiying, who was responsible for Tokyo's defense, seemed to be involved. According to Nightingale's report, the massacre of Yushitai officials who happened in the suburbs of Ji three days ago was the masterpiece of Beiying.
"Your Majesty, after the visits and investigations by the ministers, all the evidence of the family extermination case now points to His Royal Highness, do you think?" Lu Yushi stood respectfully in front of the dragon chair, quietly reporting the news of the past few days.
, when talking about the prince, his tone obviously hesitated, but after thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and clasped his fists and said to the emperor.
"How sure are you?" The emperor stopped what he was doing, raised his head and glanced at Lu Yushi, his expression remained calm. However, the hand holding the memorial was trembling slightly.
"Ten percent!" Lu Yushi hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth.
The emperor's hand trembled suddenly, and the memorial slipped from his hand with a clatter and fell to the ground.
"Are you sure?" The emperor looked up with a look of shock and pain on his face, took a deep breath, looked at Lu Yushi and asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lu Yushi still had that dead face and his demeanor was still respectful. However, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
Lu Yushi was "extremely cautious in his official duties" and extremely loyal. Because of this, the emperor appointed him as the leader of the Nightingale. Therefore, what he said through his mouth was basically true.
"Furthermore, after these days of investigation by my subordinates, many generals in Beiying have decided to serve His Majesty the Crown Prince. Your Majesty, I am afraid." At this point, Lu Yushi raised his head and glanced at His Majesty, whose eyelids were slightly drooped.
After thinking about it, he decided to remain silent.
As for what he was afraid of, the emperor knew very well.
A few days ago, the prince had suppressed several of his opponents to death through a series of bloody suppressions. The reason why he did not kill his brothers was entirely because he was afraid of himself.
Nowadays, the prince's family is the only one. Moreover, it has the support of Beiying. So, if I suppress the prince too fiercely, compared with the prince's stupidity and violent temper, it is very likely that he will take risks and stage a coup.
!
The assassination attempt on Xiao Wu a few days ago was a test of the emperor!
After a deathly silence, the emperor, who had been sitting there quietly, with a dazed expression, sighed slightly, bent down and picked up the memorial from the ground, and threw it casually on the table.
"How is the young prince?" The emperor leaned on the chair feebly, closed his eyes and nose, and asked in a low voice. There was a slight tremor in the old voice, and he was full of regret.
"Yesterday, the imperial doctor has checked and found that the young prince is fine! In the past two days, I have arranged for nightingales to be distributed around the palace to carefully check the passers-by. The young prince is absolutely safe!" Lu Yushi heard his majesty ask.
Regarding the matter of the young prince, a smile finally appeared on that dead face.
Speaking of which, he also likes this smart little prince. Well, although the young prince often bullies him, for example, he has already pulled out his beloved beard, and there are only a few strands left. But Lu Yushi
Every time I see the young prince, I feel very happy.
"That's good!" After the emperor heard the news, a smile finally appeared on his old face.
"Did the prince do the assassination of the young prince?" The emperor stroked his beard and spoke in a terrifyingly calm tone. A complicated and ruthless look flashed through his deep eyes. He looked at Lu Yushi and asked in a deep voice.
.
"Yes!" Lu Yushi lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, cupped his fists and answered simply.
After Lu Yushi finished answering, the emperor felt a faint pain in his heart. The expression on his face was complicated and difficult to describe.
"Send the message!" The doubts in his heart were confirmed, and the emperor's last trace of tolerance for the prince disappeared. His expression seemed to have become much older at this moment. He leaned weakly on the chair, full of contentment.
A look of solemnity flashed across his wrinkled face. He said lightly.
In front of the table, Censor Lu suddenly felt a chill in his heart after hearing His Majesty's words.
"Xuan Huainan King Taiyuan Festival envoy Wu Ningyuan, after receiving the imperial edict, immediately led the army to Beijing without delay!" The emperor sat on the chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he read word by word, and the words were filled with murderous intent.
out.
"Zhang Wenshan, the magistrate of Xuanyi Prefecture, must resolve the matter in Yizhou as soon as possible and arrive in the capital before the end of December! Yin Hongquan of Xuanjiangning Prefecture will go to the capital immediately to take up the post of Shiro of the Ministry of War! Xuan!" followed by orders one after another.
After issuing the order, the emperor's tone became more and more cruel.
In front of the desk, Yushi Lu knelt respectfully on the ground. While writing the orders conveyed by His Majesty, he secretly raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Looking at the orders written on the jade tablet, Yushi Lu was extremely frightened.
These people are all members of the Huainan King Wu Ningyuan's lineage. The Huainan King is the most powerful supporter behind the young prince.
It seems that the rumors in Tokyo a few days ago that His Majesty wants to establish a young prince are probably true!
After Lu Yushi tremblingly gave his orders and left, the emperor, who had been sitting there with no expression like a stone statue, finally opened his eyes. Those eyes without any emotion were full of frost and coldness.
"You forced me to do it!" The emperor picked up the cold tea on the desk, opened his mouth tremblingly, took a sip, and leaned weakly on the chair, murmuring in a low voice.
There was silence in the imperial study room.
The emperor was sitting there like a statue, motionless.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew, and the door opened with a crash. The biting cold wind, carrying icy snow particles, blew straight in. The emperor, who was sitting on the dragon chair, was blown away by the cold wind.
, and suddenly came back to his senses.
After a chill, his eyes, which were like ice, regained some sparkle.
I lowered my head and looked at the messy memorials on my desk. I felt waves of emptiness and loneliness in my heart.
It's so empty! The emperor opened his eyes, glanced at the empty study, and said to himself with a somewhat sad expression.
"Come here!" The emperor stood up slowly while holding on to the armrest of the chair, took the dragon robe from the side, put it on his body, and said to the eunuch who was probably asleep outside the palace.
Outside the palace, the father-in-law, who was already asleep and sitting on the cold ground, suddenly woke up when he heard the emperor's voice in the study. He quickly stood up and took a look at the wide open door.
Suddenly panicked.
Liáo lifted up his front skirt and rushed into the study with a rolling crawl. He knelt on the ground, kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, slave, slave, I deserve to die!"
"Okay, get up!" The emperor waved his hand, indicating that he would not blame him.
"Slave, thank you for not killing me!" The father-in-law kowtowed quickly, and then stood up with lingering fear.
"Your Majesty, you haven't had a meal yet! Do you want to summon the imperial study?" "No, summon the imperial palace to Prince Zheng's Mansion! I will go to Prince Zheng's Mansion for dinner!" The emperor waved his hand, lowered his eyebrows and thought for a moment, then said to his father-in-law.
.
"yes!"
In Prince Zheng's Mansion, Xiao Wu, whom I haven't seen for a long time, has grown up a lot. Although there is still a trace of childishness on his face, his behavior is like that of a little adult.
At this time, he was wearing a coat, sitting in front of the desk, using the faint light of the candle, quietly thinking about something. However, the brush was held in his hand for a long time, but he never dropped the tip of the pen.
On the top of the rice paper, there are a few words written: The theory of centralization and decentralization. These words are the last of many test questions that Lu Heng set for him when he left Jiangning.
Xiao Wu has answered many test questions like this. However, what makes him frustrated is that every time he sends the collection he has written to Jiangning, the answer he gets is always a painless one.
It doesn’t itch to read. Moreover, there is a circle drawn on the word “read”.
Now, Xiao Wu has been thinking about this exam question for a long time, but he still can't figure it out, let alone write about it.
He didn't know what kind of answer Lu Heng wanted him to write.
The night is quiet, and the cold wind howls outside the window.
The cold wind blew against the window lattice, making a whining sound. The cold wind blowing in slightly caused the dim candlelight on the table to sway.
Xiao Wu seemed to have never noticed anything strange, and just sat there quietly, frowning and thinking.
I must be excellent!
After remembering what Lu Heng once told him about the method of distinguishing good and bad grades, Xiao Wu snorted angrily, took a deep breath, held the brush, dipped the tip in ink, and after thinking for a moment,