Plan to cut off the nine states

(Please collect and recommend)

Even if there is a flood, there are people who can live their lives as usual without being affected, and even find things to do to add some fun.

Empress Dowager Lan has such qualifications. In the first two days after the emperor was assassinated, she was worried for a while, but soon returned to her original life and concentrated on preparing for her birthday. It was not that she did not care about her son's safety, but all the news showed that it was not a big deal and the emperor handled it well.

The big search inside and outside the city had no effect on her. Anyway, the streets would be cleared when the empress dowager left the palace, and there would always be people kneeling along the streets. It seemed that everything was no different from usual.

A large number of noble ladies had already arrived at the gate of the Great Huguo Temple in advance, arranged in order according to their own or their husband's titles, surrounded by many maids, and then their own nephews and male servants, in case of emergency.

First, someone shouted to clear the way, and then there was a sound of stringed instruments. The empress dowager got off the sedan chair in front of the mountain gate and walked into the temple to show her piety. The monks came out of the temple and sang scriptures together to welcome the empress dowager.

Lou Chu stood in the back, and could see almost nothing except the flags covering the sky.

He didn't want to follow, but Madam Lan wouldn't let him go, so he stayed in the mansion for a day and came to the Great Huguo Temple together the next morning.

Madam Lan's plan was to wait for the Queen Mother to summon her, and then she would refuse to leave and must follow her sister into the palace. If the plan didn't go well, Lou Chu would have to improvise and help her find a solution.

When the Queen Mother entered the temple, the noble ladies marched in a line under the guidance of the eunuchs, and each of them could bring two maids.

There was a small commotion in the team at the back.

Most of the noble ladies were escorted by their own children. For them, the Queen Mother, the ceremonial guards, and the temple were not important. The most important thing today was to have a chance to see the beauty of the young noble lady.

The Tiancheng Dynasty was founded more than 20 years ago, and the rules are not too strict. Unmarried women can make public appearances. Almost all the princesses, county ladies, princesses, and wives living in Luoyang have arrived today. The older ones are self-respecting and arrogant, and are not paid attention to. The younger ones, especially the unmarried women, are the targets of attention and discussion among the young men.

The crowd in the back can't help but surge forward. The accompanying male servants have no right to look around, forming the first line of defense, but facing their own young master, they can only be half-hearted, and even push forward secretly.

The many maids are the insurmountable solid line of defense. The old women are experienced and calmly assign commands, and never allow any man to pass their level.

It was not until the last noble lady entered the temple that the crowd quieted down, brewed for a moment, and began to talk to each other. Even if it was just a glimpse, they could appreciate thousands of words.

Lou Chu heard the name of "Princess Huanyan" three times, and knew that she was here too, but he didn't see her in person, and didn't believe the exaggeration of these dandies.

Someone squeezed closer and whispered, "Master Lou is here. I went to visit you yesterday, but you were not at home."

The visitor was Duan Siyong, a servant in the Guangling Palace. Lou Chu replied, "I was left at the General's Palace."

"I see. The prince wants to see Master Lou."

"I don't know when I can leave."

"How about this? I'll visit you tonight. If Master Lou is here, we can meet. If he's not here, we'll talk about it later."

Duan Siyong was very thoughtful. Lou Chu couldn't refuse and said, "Thank you."

The discussion around them had not subsided. Most of the guards around the emperor came from noble families. Now they were all imprisoned. It was hard to predict whether they would be good or bad. However, their brothers, nephews, and sons were not affected at all. They were still concerned about the ranking of beauty and how to be beautiful. They wanted to use all the literary talent they had learned in their lives on this. Then they turned around and sternly stopped others from talking about their own women.

News came from the temple that the Empress Dowager wanted to keep the noble ladies to have a vegetarian meal together. People outside could take a break, but the servants could not move and could only relax on the spot. The accompanying children could call their friends and walk further.

Lou Chu did not want to leave, but someone came to find him.

Liang Shengzhi, a servant of the East Palace, squeezed through the crowd and said with a smile: "It's you from afar, Lou...Chu, Lou Shiqi, right?"

"It's me, Mr. Liang, you still remember me."

"As long as we drank together, there is no one I don't remember. Let's go and have a few more drinks."

"I can't leave." Lou Chu didn't think he was familiar with Liang Shengzhi enough to drink.

"Don't worry, the people inside won't be able to come out for at least an hour or two. It will take half a day just to celebrate the old empress' birthday." Liang Shengzhi moved closer and whispered, "You are the only man in the Lou family who is here. Don't spoil everyone's mood."

"Okay, I'd rather obey than be respectful. Today I'll bother Mr. Liang with a few glasses of wine."

"Haha, that's right." Liang Shengzhi pulled Lou Chu out.

Lou Chu told the servants and followed Liang Shengzhi into an alley. He asked casually, "Isn't Marquis Yuefu here today?"

"As a descendant of the former emperor, he doesn't have any wives at home, so he doesn't need to come."

A temporary shed was built in the alley. Inside was a long table with pots and cups on it. The wine was freshly heated, and the dishes were some fresh fruits and vegetables. More than a dozen people stood around the table, drinking and talking, very happy.

Liang Shengzhi was obviously the host of the banquet. As soon as he showed up, he was welcomed by everyone.

Lou Chu glanced around and didn't see Zhang Shiduan, the prince of Guangling.

The topic still couldn't be separated from the beauty. The four words "Princess Huanyan" floated into Lou Chu's ears one after another, and he couldn't avoid them even if he wanted to.

After all, beauty is obviously unavailable. When he got tired of talking, the topic turned to assassination. Liang Shengzhi was very interested in this and soon became the leader. He served in the East Palace and what he said was quite credible. He said loudly: " This matter is by no means simple, there must be someone behind the scenes, and it is very likely that important officials in the court will be implicated.”

"Have you not recruited the assassin yet? How many days has it been?" one person asked.

"It doesn't matter whether we recruit assassins or not. There are always other ways to find out the truth. Today's Holy Lord is wise and powerful. After this incident, can't you still tell who is the loyal minister and who is the traitor?"

Lou Chu suddenly understood that Liang Shengzhi's invitation to him was actually unkind, and he wanted him to accept the rebuke on behalf of the Lou family, so he pretended to be confused and just kept his head down and drank.

"My family is loyal." Someone immediately answered, "My brother will be released soon."

Liang Shengzhi sneered, "It is up to His Majesty to decide whether to release someone or not. What can outsiders know? But I can tell you one thing: Wen Zhongwu and traitors can never be wrong."

"Who said that military generals must be traitors?" Someone blushed and defended, "Who defeated Tiancheng Jiangshan?"

"It is the military generals who control the country, but it is the civil servants who protect the country. And not all military generals have problems. What I am talking about is this time, don't take over a certain family."

The man's face turned even redder, and the person next to him whispered something. He suddenly understood and looked at the building foundation standing on the other side.

Liang Shengzhi was high-spirited and raised his glass: "Just wait and see, the world will be clear and clear soon. This dynasty will rely more on civil servants to govern the country, with clear rewards and punishments, and meritocracy. Those who rely on military merit to obtain honors, it is best to do so as early as possible See the situation clearly, hand over power when it is time to do so, let go of power when it is time to do so, and go home to live in good health and still maintain your reputation as a loyal minister."

Some people were chatting, some were cheering, but the floor pretended not to hear. After drinking enough, he bowed his hands to Liang Shengzhi and left, turning around and leaving.

However, Liang Shengzhi refused to let him go and caught up to him and said, "Master Lou, don't worry too much. The general is loyal to the emperor and serves the country. It is known to the whole world that he is definitely not a traitor."

Lou Chu stopped and said with a smile: "Of course, if he didn't have His Majesty's trust, how could the general be ordered to serve as a guard in the palace?"

"Haha, that's what I mean." Liang Shengzhi patted Lou Chu's shoulder and put away his smile, "The way of heaven circulates and retribution is certain. The Lou family should understand this truth better than other families. By the way, the ancestor of the family has been ordered to serve as an official again. The old man originally wanted to spend his old age in peace, but His Majesty did not agree, saying that the old minister was reliable and could not be compared with others, so the ancestor had to reluctantly serve as a minister and also be in charge of the Ministry of Secretariat. "

"Congratulations, your ancestor will be in the palm of your hand again. The people of Liang She will surely prosper in the future."

"I don't rely on my ancestors." Liang Shengzhi said coldly, "Master Lou, please tell the Lou family to be content with what you have and don't regret it when the opportunity is lost."

"I speak softly, and no one in the Lou family will listen to my words." Lou Chu said with a smile.

Liang Shengzhi laughed, "Now and then, talents like Mr. Lou, who could not be reused in the past, may become the pillars of the Lou family in the future."

Lou Chu returned to his original place and thought about it for a while, feeling that Liang Shengzhi must have something to say. The situation of the general might be more dangerous than he expected. The emperor had already suspected the assassin before he even revealed the names of Lou Chu and others. Lou family.

Liang Shengzhi was right. It was not until the afternoon that the ladies from the temple came out one after another, causing another commotion. The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving more and more open space.

After Mrs. Lan was done, she sent a maid out and ordered the steward to take the servant back to the house. She specifically told Lou Ji: Just stay at home and don't move around at will.

Lou Chu said yes, turned around and disobeyed the order and ran to find Ma Wei.

Ma Wei still looked calm, smiling, arranging food and drinks, and asking questions as usual, but when all the servants left and only two of them were left, the smile on his face disappeared without a trace.

"It's Guo Shifeng." Ma Wei said.

"He asked Hong Daohui to take action in advance?"

"Guo Shifeng was anxious and ran to win over Huangfujie. After getting the news from him, he asked Hong Daohui to go and assassinate him. Alas, as Brother Chu expected, Hong Daohui was negligent and killed the wrong person."

Lou Chu was stunned, and after a while he said: "Huangfu Jie was actually persuaded?"

"Guo Shifeng is an excellent eloquent. With this ability, he saw that Huangfujie couldn't stand the emperor's teasing. His father Huangfukai was defeated by He Rongbu one after another in Jizhou, and his status was already unstable..."

"Where are the others?"

"I disappeared. I don't know where I hid. I never showed up again."

"Hong Daohui..."

"You can rest assured about him. Hong Daohui has been prepared for it. He knows that he will be arrested and will not reveal the names of others."

"Then why is Guo Shifeng running away?"

"He is still timid. I misjudged him before." Ma Wei sighed, "Now that the matter has come to this, there is no other way but to give up the plan and wait and see what happens. If there is an accident, my brother and I will flee together." Don’t live alone.”

"We can't give up, the emperor must die."

Ma Wei was shocked, "Brother Chu, you..."

"If the emperor does not die, the Lou family will perish, the Ma family will perish, and I don't know how many other families in the world will perish."