Can Drink A Cup of Nothing

Zong Hongjiu rushed all the way to Zhang Gong.

The servants who came and went in the palace all avoided him when they saw him, lest they touch the bad head of this little highness. Previously, some servants had offended this person, and they were directly registered as criminals and distributed to the Xinzhe library; this is not too serious, and the serious ones were dragged out and beaten to death with random sticks, and was hastily thrown into the mass grave.

When the servant at the door saw him coming, he hurried up to greet him: "Your Highness, what are your orders?"

He asked, crying inwardly.

Emperor Yuan never liked to be disturbed when dealing with government affairs. But the ninth prince is indeed favored. If something really happened, the inner servant would not dare not go in and report.

"What's the matter?"

After hearing the sound, an old servant with white hair and beard suddenly walked out from the side of the hall.

When Zong Hongjiu saw him, his arrogant and domineering appearance did not restrain in the slightest. Instead, he couldn't wait to say: "Yuanjia, this prince has something important to discuss with his father, so hurry in and report."

The old servant didn't say anything, but the little eunuch listened and widened his eyes.

Yuan Jia was an old slave who accompanied Emperor Yuan when he was a child. He went through the turbulent changes of the previous generation with Emperor Yuan. He once watched the emperor lead the army to launch a bloody coup outside the Zhang Palace.

After all the princes of the previous generation died tragically and Emperor Yuan succeeded to the throne, Yuan Jia's identity naturally became important.

What is rare is that Yuan Jia did not become complacent because of this, but acted in a low-key manner. Every step was like walking on thin ice.

To put it horribly, high-ranking officials and ministers in the DPRK, and even the young prime minister who had always been arrogant and self-controlled, had to yield three points of courtesy and called him father-in-law when he met Yuan Jia. Only the ninth prince, when he came up, he called him by his first name and arrogantly, and he really deserved to be called favored.

"Hey, do you hear me, hurry up?"

After Zong Hongjiu's order, seeing that the old servant still did not move, he suddenly became angry: "What? Is this prince's command that can't move you?"

"How can it be." Eunuch Yuan lowered his eyebrows and smiled kindly: "The Prime Minister just went in and was discussing important matters with His Majesty. His Majesty ordered not to enter, although he did not specifically instruct His Highness not to disturb him, But in the end, national affairs are the most important, our family thinks..."

Zong Hongjiu is angry now, how can he hear this.

He said coldly: "Since Eunuch Yuan doesn't want to report it, then this prince will have to go in and take a trip by himself. At least you group of slaves won't be so daring and want to block the way?"

"The Ninth Highness is serious, the old slave naturally dare not."

Yuan Jia didn't seem to be surprised by his answer, and turned to his side, revealing the palace gate behind him.

In fact, just after saying this, Zong Hongjiu, who was hot-headed, also recovered a little.

It is strange to say that Emperor Yuan Mingming has always responded to his requests, but perhaps he has seen the means of taking life and death in his power, and Zong Hongjiu is afraid of his father and emperor in his heart.

But since he has said so impulsive, it would be a bit embarrassing to not enter.

It doesn't matter, my father hurts me the most. he thinks.

Last time, a courtier made him unhappy, and Emperor Yuan ordered to behead without saying a word. Now I'm just talking with the Prime Minister about state affairs, and I didn't order to close the door of the palace. What's the harm in interrupting?

After such a mental preparation, Zong Hongjiu pretended to straighten his clothes and stepped straight in.

The decoration in the Zhang Palace is extremely cold and hard, and even the incense is a cold incense, which is not very pleasant, but it is better to refresh the mind and clear the eyes and meditate.

Suddenly, a gust of wind passed through the hall, blowing a little bit of the thick curtain used to cover the front hall of the hall, revealing the shadowy figures behind.

When Zong Hongjiu walked in, he just heard a few intermittent voices.

"The ceremony of the witch sacrifice has been postponed for a long time. Now that Dayuan has a strong military force, several countries have been conquered in a few years, and the unification of the Central Plains is imminent, it is the time when morale is high. If the Spring Festival Festival can be held together with the ceremony next year, it will surely stabilize the people's hearts. , to attract talents from other countries and prepare for the attack on Yu and Wei."

"It makes sense."

Emperor Yuan nodded and said calmly: "Of course, I have to announce the candidate of the prince at the ceremonies of witch sacrifices in Da Yuan over the years."

"This is the reason why the minister came to persuade him today."

The cold voice of pine and bamboo hitting jade sounded from behind the curtain: "Your Majesty, a country cannot live without a ruler for a day, nor can it be without a reserve for a long time. Even if the rituals of the previous dynasty collapsed, the establishment of a reserve is still what the people want, and everyone's expectations will return, and they will also look to Your Majesty. Think again."

Zong Hongjiu was startled, and stopped subconsciously, feeling uncertain in his heart.

Prince? The prime minister is actually discussing the establishment of a reserve with his father?

Although most of the things he does on weekdays are ignorance and ignorance, when it comes to this kind of big thing, Zong Hongjiu can't help but feel a little overwhelmed in his heart.

As a dragon child, I dare to say that I have no desire for that dragon chair, and it is impossible to think about it. It's just that he was young and his concubine went early, and Zong Hongjiu was vaguely aware that he was in the palace all the year round, although he was favored by his father, but without the way of his concubine, he could not develop his own power at all.

Furthermore, several of his royal brothers were very powerful, and they could not be ranked above him as the ninth prince, no matter according to their seniority or strength. Unless Emperor Yuan was in a daze and had to abolish the elders and establish the young, there would be nothing to do with Zong Hongjiu. Obviously, although Emperor Yuan is a tyrant, he will never be confused in national affairs, otherwise it would be impossible to create Da Yuan's grand and hegemonic career for hundreds of years.

In this case, Zong Hongjiu can only find another way. For example, choose a team in advance, so that you can also seek a good place for yourself after the emperor takes the throne.

After a long time, Emperor Yuan said: "Then according to Pei Qing, which prince should I appoint as the heir?"

Zong Hongjiu's heart tightened, and even his breathing subconsciously relaxed.

Pei Qianxue, the prime minister of the Great Yuan Dynasty, was a legal disciple. At the Hundred Families Banquet that year, he had pressured the famous masters who were good at speech and art, and masters in calligraphy and painting, and easily won the three leaders of the book, music, and debate.

He was born in a commoner, and after he ascended to the heavenly official to pay homage to the prime minister in one step, he never sided with the various forces in the DPRK and China, and even more disdain to join forces with aristocratic families. Over the years, I don't know how many courtiers have used the topic to play their role, and they have written many impeachments, but they have not affected Pei Qianxue at all. It can be seen that Emperor Yuan attaches great importance to him.

Now that the prime minister mentions the matter of the prince, did he not intend to be a clean official and watch the fire from the bank, but has already decided to stand in line?

Pei Qianxue bowed his hands calmly: "I think that the fourth prince acts calmly and has a sophisticated style; the fifth prince has the ability to lead troops in battle, and is brave and good at fighting; the sixth prince has a high support rate in the court, and he must have had it before. The place of the people. Your Majesty should probably choose one of several princes to establish a heir after the witch sacrifice ceremony, and the establishment of the East Palace can also be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

Not being able to hear his name made Zong Hongjiu feel uncomfortable.

But what comes next...

He had a hunch that what they said next might not be within the range that he could hear. Just as he was about to take the initiative to come out from behind the curtain, he suddenly heard the laughter of Emperor Yuan, and was terrified.

Emperor Yuan stood in front of Lan Qi, stared at Zhan Lu Baojian lying on the shelf in front of him, raised his head and laughed.

At the end, he said, "Pei Qing has learned to speak nonsense with her eyes open."

The emperor wearing a black dragon robe held his hand and said, "Then I might as well tell Pei Qing why I didn't choose these princes."

Zong Hongjiu, who was eavesdropping, jumped in his heart, but he couldn't figure out the specific meaning of the phrase "why not choose", and listened to Emperor Yuan again.

"The fourth child acts calmly? That is to hide behind his back, play with power and scheming, and cannot stand on the table."

Emperor Yuan sneered: "The old five led the troops twice, and he made frequent mistakes without speaking. He actually left the lieutenant on the battlefield, ran back to the pass by himself, and ordered him to keep his mouth shut. "

"As for Lao Liu, doesn't he rely on the support of those aristocratic families? Without the family that supports him, he is nothing. With them as the reserve, how can I stabilize my great cause in the Yuan Dynasty?"

Pei Qianxue stood right behind Emperor Yuan, with an indifferent attitude, without saying a word.

After a long time, he sighed, and his words rarely faded from the indifference and acridity of the past, and became more human: "Your Majesty, the third prince is a dragon and a phoenix, and it is difficult to produce a great talent for hundreds of years. If he were to compare other princes with him It would be too harsh to compare.”

Pei Qianxue remembered the scene in the dream, and his eyes lowered: "His Royal Highness sacrificed himself for the country and guarded the gate of the country for the great cause of the Yuan Dynasty. The people have passed away, and Your Majesty should take the overall situation as the top priority."

What? Three princes? ? ! What does this have to do with the dead three emperors?

Zong Hongjiu's face was shocked.

Even if Pei Xiang and the third prince have a good relationship, if he said this in front of his father, wouldn't he be dead? !

Zong Hongjiu unconsciously took two steps back and calmed down, only to feel scornful.

The father emperor never mentioned the three emperors in the courtroom on weekdays, and even when he was in command, he never went to the city gate to send him off. You must know that the King of Beining, who is deeply favored by Emperor Yuan, has this treatment, but the third prince does not. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this person is not favored by Emperor Yuan at all.

Although Emperor Yuan criticized all the other princes in front of Pei Qianxue, Prime Minister Pei wouldn't be so sloppy with his words, would he really think that his father is the kind of monarch who is easy to get along with? afraid

Just when Zong Hongjiu, who was behind the curtain, thought that Pei Qianxue's head was about to fall to the ground in the next second, he finally heard Emperor Yuan's voice.

"You are more and more figuring out the holy will, and you are bold."

Emperor Yuan snorted coldly, his eyes darkened, and he could not see his anger and anger: "For the sake of your daring to speak out and persuade, I will spare your life for the time being."

"It's okay to hold a witch sacrifice ceremony. I then made an order and asked him to prepare various matters for the ceremony. As for the candidate for the prince...who?!"

The next second, the sword placed on Lan Qi was unsheathed.

With a sound of "bass--", the heavy curtain was immediately pierced by the sword's edge that was as bright as a cold light, forming a white arc of light. Not far away, all the papers piled on the table were swept away by the strong wind, and they were scattered all over the place.

Zong Hongjiu stood there in a daze, only feeling a tingling in his neck. He subconsciously reached out to touch it, only to find that his hand was stained with blood, and he collapsed to the ground as if he had collapsed.

Emperor Yuan was standing in front of him with Zhan Lu in his hand on his neck.

After seeing who was coming, he raised his eyebrows and looked displeased. In the end, he moved the tip of his sword away: "Why are you?"

After hearing the sound, the guards and inner servants who were guarding the door rushed in one after another. After seeing the situation inside, they knelt on the ground.

Emperor Yuan glanced at him and fell to the ground. Zong Hongjiu, who was trembling all over, turned his head and asked, "Yuanjia, what's going on? I'm talking with the Prime Minister about important things, why did you let irrelevant people wait in?"

The eunuch with white hair and beard knelt on the ground with his forehead close to the ground: "Your Majesty, this old slave is guilty."

Seeing that Yuanjia didn't say anything and directly confessed his guilt, what else did Emperor Yuan not understand?

No matter what, the ninth prince is the master and the servants are slaves. If he really wants to break in, he can't stop him.

Zong Hongjiu finally reacted, his lips trembling as he watched the sword, one of the top ten famous swords in the world, move away from his neck, and suddenly said loudly: "Father! I just saw Brother Three Emperors in the palace! Not only that, he also injured my bodyguard!"

The atmosphere in the entire hall was stagnant, and even Pei Qianxue couldn't help but look sideways.

The little eunuch who followed Yuan Jia wanted to bury his head in the soil.

Although His Majesty never said it, but this inner servant kneeling in the Zhang Palace, who does not know that the third prince who died in battle outside Hangu Pass is a scale that Emperor Yuan must never touch? Even the eldest prince, the second prince and the seventh prince who also died early did not receive such treatment.

Why can't you touch it? Can't even mention it. At the beginning of the year, an old servant missed his mouth, and Emperor Yuan pulled his tongue out without saying a word. Only the prime minister, who was deeply favored by Emperor Yuan and repeatedly persuaded bluntly in front of tyrants, dared to mention it.

Zong Hongjiu knew in his heart that the Third Prince was impersonated by someone else. He just heard the secret conversation behind the curtain, and immediately changed his statement, saying that the Third Prince had returned.

He didn't believe that the emperor who favored him the most on weekdays would value the third prince so much, but Prime Minister Pei didn't necessarily dare to create something out of nothing.

If the father emperor really valued that third emperor brother so much, to the point where he would not establish a reserve without seeing a dead body, he should be shocked when he heard this, and then immediately issued an decree to send an order to lead the guards to conduct a thorough investigation. In this case, even mobilizing the Imperial Army, blocking the city gate, and digging three feet into the ground had to find those who had come back from the dead.

If it is really found and found to be a fake, the father's anger will be transferred to the fake.

If the royal father does not value the third prince, then the things he overheard in the hall today will be gently put down.

However, unexpectedly again, after Zong Hongjiu finished speaking, Emperor Yuan's expression did not change, and he only glanced at him lightly.

This glance made Zong Hongjiu feel cold all over, and the next words stuck in his throat. He stared blankly at Emperor Yuan and continued to ask Yuan Jia.

"When did the ninth prince enter the hall?"

Yuan Jia: "In response to His Majesty, His Highness came in about half a column of incense. The old servant reminded His Highness, but if His Highness insisted on breaking in, the old servant was really helpless."

As for why he didn't report it, because Emperor Yuan personally ordered it, he would naturally not forget it.

Listening to the conversation in the hall, for the first time in his life, Zong Hongjiu, who was kneeling on the ground, felt a great fear in his heart. For some reason, he felt as if something was happening, gradually breaking away from his cognition and control.

The blood on his neck was still running down his neck, dyeing his clothes crimson.

If it were placed on weekdays, the imperial physician would not know how many came. But now, Zong Hongjiu knelt on the ground, didn't dare to say a word, and didn't dare to lift his head, for fear of seeing his father's face that was so cold and inhuman.

But Zong Hongjiu couldn't figure it out.

He could only watch Yuan Jia call the valet beside him, and chose an inconspicuous one, not the eunuch closest to him.

As soon as the valet came in, they knelt on the ground and said tremblingly that they had indeed encountered an assassin in the palace. As for the assassin's face, he didn't mention it at all. When asked, he only said that it was somewhat similar, and he didn't dare to use impersonation words.

That's right, given a hundred courage to his valet, he didn't dare to talk about the royal family.

What's more, this is the valet that Emperor Yuan put next to the ninth prince, so he knows better than Zong Hongjiu what can and cannot be mentioned in front of Emperor Yuan.

Before Zong Hongjiu was domineering in the palace and acted recklessly, how could Emperor Yuan not know? Just open one eye and close one eye.

Emperor Yuan's doting on him is more like an old father's doting on his young son for no reason. There is no reason, but there is no bottom line.

After listening to these words, Emperor Yuan said indifferently: "Hongjiu, I am very disappointed in you."

"Eavesdropping on secret conversations, arguing about the emperor's brother, shouting in the hall, where did you learn what the young master taught you?"

Emperor Xuanpao looked straight at the ninth prince kneeling on the ground, and threw his sword to the ground.

Zhan Lu, who was ranked among the top ten famous swords, was like throwing garbage, rolling to the ground, lying there icyly, abandoned.

"Since he came back, he went to see you, but he didn't come to see me? He didn't make a draft when he lied."

Emperor Yuan did not mention who "he" was by name, as if it was just his name, which was a taboo.

However, everyone present knew who this "he" was referring to.

Zong Hongjiu's forehead oozes cold sweat.

In the end, he was still too young, and it was not easy to think of another way of saying it in a hurry, and there was no time to think about it so much.

He couldn't hold it anymore, and tears poured out.

......

Zongluo told Zong Ruichen a few words, and after some remarks, he sent Zong Ruichen back to the cold palace again and waved goodbye.

After such a stubble, Zong Hongjiu probably won't focus on Xiaoba, and Zong Luo is finally relieved. Next, as soon as the matter in his hands progresses, he will find a way to take Zong Ruichen out.

When he returned the same way, Zong Luo still used the old trick to attract the attention of the guards first, lightly climbed over the wall, and walked quickly towards the side hall where he used to change his clothes.

The door behind the side hall is still the same as when he left,

Zong Luo raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, then flashed in again, and locked the door.

He originally thought that Gu Ziyuan would come to him uneasy when he had been away for so long. That's why I left a gap when I left the back door. At that time, I would have an excuse that I couldn't see it. I used the back door as the front. I accidentally lost my way in the Lanting Waterside Pavilion, and I could meet Xiaoba by the way. Seeing injustices logically strung together.

But since Gu Ziyuan didn't come, he didn't need to be so troublesome, he just had to say a word to him when he saw him later.

Thinking like this, Zong Luo turned around and wanted to throw down the whip in his hand. He walked to Pan Li to clean his hands, and suddenly turned around alertly with sharp eyes.

"Who?"

Across Bai Ling, his gaze pierced the screen not far away like electricity.

The next second, the sound of hunting the wind rang in the empty room.

The water in the pan swelled with oscillating ripples, with dark red python patterns swaying on the surface of the water, and there were a few throbbing golden lights inside, which merged with the spotless Baihui. , quickly stagger several times and then back away. The strong wind swept out fell into the air, splashing a curtain of water.

After only a short fight, Zong Luo understood who the uninvited guest who broke into the side hall was.

Resisting his anger, he gritted his teeth and said, "Yu Beizhou!"

The moment the water splashed down, Zong Luo swept his palm towards the opposite side, and the man's python robe was dyed a large dark color.

At the same time, Leng Feng flashed past, and the white silk wrapped around his eyes snapped, turning into strips of cloth and scattered on the ground, revealing slightly sullen brows behind him.

These eyes are like the stars and the moon.

The look that was lost because of the cover up was restored.

Even with the remaining sharpness of the brow, it also dilutes the deliberately disguised Luo Tuo's illness, and suddenly stretches out brightly.

Yu Beizhou stared deeply at these intact eyes and laughed softly.

"Senior brother's eyes are so beautiful, what a waste to cover them up."