Plan to cut off the nine states

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Although he already has more than a dozen children, the King of Jibei is not very old, just in his early thirties, and looks quite similar to the emperor. He is fat, not as big as the general and the general of the central army, but a whole circle bigger than the emperor.

In his early years, he also lingered on horseback, obsessed with talking about military affairs, and followed his father on expeditions. Since the current emperor ascended the throne, the martial spirit of the King of Jibei has disappeared, and only his body has become heavier and heavier due to wine and sex.

He sat in the carriage and first met the emperor's envoy Shao Junqian, then met him and his children who stayed in the capital with the close kings, and finally accepted the reception of the Lou and Lan families.

Introduced by the etiquette officer, Lou Chu and Lan Yong stepped forward, toasted three cups of wine at the same time, expressed their greetings as fathers and brothers, and invited them to enter their colorful tent to taste the welcoming banquet.

Qiao Zhisu guided him on the side, and Lou Chu was careful and did not make any mistakes.

The King of Jibei drank the wine and declined to enter the pavilion. He first greeted Lan Yong and asked about General Lan's situation in Qinzhou. Then he turned his eyes to Lou Chu, looked him up and down, and nodded.

"I didn't expect that the son of Princess Wu has grown up so much."

Lou Chu was slightly angry in his heart, but he couldn't show it on his face, so he had to lower his head and pretend to be shy.

The King of Jibei was still not satisfied, and turned to Lan Yong and said, "You haven't seen it. When Princess Wu came to Beijing, it caused a sensation. It's no exaggeration to say that the Tiancheng Dynasty, which had just unified the country, almost split because of her. Fortunately, the Queen Mother made a prompt decision and gave Princess Wu to General Lou, which calmed down the chaos."

Lan Yong smiled and said, "Although I haven't seen it myself, I often hear about it."

"Having said that, the Queen Mother is still the most far-sighted. Only General Lou can control Princess Wu in the entire court. No one else can. Alas, Unfortunately, the beauty is gone, and there is no place to seek again. "The King of Jibei sighed for a long time, not noticing Lou Chu's anger at all, and finally said: "You are a good child, and I like you very much."

The King of Jibei said this, which was considered to have agreed to the marriage of the two families. Qiao Zhisu gently touched Lou Chu, and Lou Chu bowed his hands and thanked: "Thank you for your love, Your Highness."

"Haha, not bad, not bad, let's get along as family members in the future."

The King of Jibei and his entourage of hundreds of people set off again, accompanied by greeters, and the colorful tents set up by each family were useless.

When they arrived at the post station, it was dim, but the King of Jibei was still energetic. He ordered a banquet and served the specialties brought from the capital. Because there were no outsiders, all the children of the royal family who were here were invited, and men and women sat at different tables to talk about family matters.

The King of Jibei was not an emperor. He was easy-going, but he attached great importance to rules. The etiquette officer presided over the banquet. Drinking too much, drinking too little, or drinking randomly was not allowed. It must be carried out according to the fixed ceremony. There was also a sequence for questions and answers, and no random speeches were allowed.

When it was Lou Chu's turn, he was asked about the general and Madam Lan's recent situation. Lou Chu answered truthfully. Occasionally, he couldn't explain clearly, and Qiao Zhisu came to his rescue.

After several rounds, the girls left first. After a few more rounds, the boys such as the prince Zhang Shiyu were also sent to rest. Before the second watch, Lou Chu and others also stood up and left at the signal of the etiquette officer.

Back in the room, Qiao Zhisu smiled and said, "The marriage has been completed, which is gratifying. The seventeenth prince has lived up to the general's expectations and will be rewarded."

"The King of Jibei has not promised yet." Lou Chu didn't care much about this marriage.

"Haha, of course the King of Jibei can't ask the future son-in-law directly for this kind of thing. He needs to meet the Queen Mother after entering the capital and get the imperial decree first, and then the general will send someone to ask for marriage. But I can see that the King of Jibei is very satisfied with the seventeenth prince."

"I hope so." Lou Chu yawned and Qiao Zhisu left.

It took Lou Chu a long time to fall asleep. In his dream, he was still thinking about what Shao Junqian said, but he couldn't tell the truth from the false.

The next day, he returned to Beijing. Everything went smoothly. The family and baggage of the King of Jibei entered the palace. He went directly to the palace to meet the empress dowager and the emperor. Lou Chu and Qiao Zhisu went to see the general. Although they both entered the imperial city, they took different paths and went through different gates.

Lou Ying had already returned to the city and was having dinner with his father. When he saw Lou Chu coming in, he smiled and said, "How is it, did you meet your father-in-law?"

"I met him, but..."

Lou Wen had finished eating and said coldly, "Your third brother will arrange a new house for you tomorrow. You must get married before I lead the army to the battle."

"So soon! Only more than ten days left?" Lou Chu was surprised.

"Is it better to get married soon? Seventeenth brother, you should have gotten married long ago at your age. It's too late now. The little girl from the Wang family in Jibei is only thirteen or fourteen years old, right?"

"Fourteen years old, you can get married." Lou Wen felt that he had made things very clear, so he stopped talking and turned to talk about military affairs with Qiao Zhisu. It took half an hour to finish.

During this time, Lou Chu was called to the table by Lou Qiang to eat. After eating, the servants came in to clean the table. After Qiao Zhisu left, the father and son talked about some confidential matters. Lou Chu stood up and moved aside, not daring to sit with his father and brother.

Lou Wen still ignored Lou Chu and said to his third son: "Within eight or nine days, Bingzhou Lao Shen and Jizhou Huangfu Kai will be able to arrive in the capital. Lao Shen will have no problem. As for the Huangfu family, how are you preparing?"

"Don't worry, father, there will be no problem at all. All the generals are your old subordinates. They will obey your orders. As long as Huangfu Kai enters the military camp, he will be unable to escape."

"Well, remember, General Duan is brave but not wise. Don't reveal the plan to him in advance. General Guan is honest and reliable. You can reveal one or two to him two or three days in advance. Sun and Hua need to be observed again. The rest of the generals are not available."

"I understand. Anyway, my father will be in charge of the military camp the day after tomorrow. What those officers are thinking, my father will know at a glance."

Lou Chu couldn't help but interrupt: "Your Majesty allowed my father to leave the city?"

Lou Gang smiled and said, "Don't be paranoid now. As long as my father enters the military camp, he will be like a fish in water. Your Majesty knows this very well, so he really believes in and relies on our Lou family."

Lou Wen remained silent and seemed to agree with this statement.

"Does your Majesty have any edict regarding Huangfu Kai?" Lou Chu asked again.

Lou Jian frowned, "Didn't Shao Junqian say that I can't write a word for fear of leaking secrets." Lou Jian smiled half-heartedly, "Shao Junqian came here the day before yesterday and talked about some strange things related to you."

"Mr. Shao mentioned it to me at Big Foot Station."

Lou Gang smiled and said: "You are not really an accomplice of the assassin, are you? Neither my father nor I believe it."

Lou Wen said: "I didn't say I didn't believe it."

"Hey, what did father say? Look at the soft and weak look of Seventeenth Brother, like someone who dares to do something rebellious? Besides, what's the benefit of having the assassin over him? Should he be imprisoned or imprisoned?"

Lou Wen stared at the Seventeenth Son, "Why did Shao Junqian tell this lie?"

Lou Jian rushed to answer: "Simple, but still a test. If His Majesty wants to reuse the Lou family, he must make sure that his father will not rebel no matter what."

"In this case, I should hand him over to plead guilty. Don't let your majesty think that I am covering up my son, let alone let your majesty think that I am involved."

"It stands to reason that this is the case, but Shao Junqian was vague. From what he meant, it seemed that he didn't want us to hand over the Seventeenth Brother. Alas, no one can guess what His Majesty is thinking. Seventeen, please say something."

Lou Chu kept listening, and after getting permission, he said: "If the assassin's name is Hong Daohui, then he has indeed been to my house."

Lou Wen remained calm, Lou Jian stood up from the table, pointed at the foundation of the building and said, "You...you...what did you say?"

Lou Chu said to his father: "Hong Daohui is from Jiangdong. He is just looking for me to catch up on old times and nothing else."

"Reminiscing about the past? Reminiscing about the past? You are not... Oh, your biological mother is from Wu." Lou Jian slowly sat down and looked at his father, "This is a bit troublesome."

Lou Wen said: "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I didn't know who the assassin was, let alone that he would reveal my name. But as soon as Shao Junqian said that I was involved, the child immediately thought of Hong Daohui, and there would be no one else but him."

"You are not careful when making friends. Alas, Shi Qi, you are so careless." Lou scolded, his face sweating with anxiety, "What can we do? The assassin must not be beaten. What will His Majesty think if he confesses indiscriminately? Why has there been no movement?”

Lou Chu said: "My child has been thinking for a long time and thinks that Shao Junqian is trustworthy."

"Shao Junqian said many things, which one is credible?" Lou Wen asked.

"About His Majesty's intention to harm the Lou family." Lou Chu actually didn't hear these words, but he guessed that Shao Junqian must have had similar hints when she came to see her father and brother.

As expected, Lou Wen did not deny it. Lou Gang said hurriedly: "Those are all tests and cannot be taken seriously."

"Brother, have you asked His Majesty?"

"How can you ask such a thing? If Your Majesty had malicious intentions, he would never give the Lou family such an important task, right? Without a general, who would eradicate the Huangfu family for Your Majesty? Who would go to Qinzhou to quell the chaos? Who would crusade against He Rong? department?"

Lou Chu only looked at his father, "Shao Junqian was willing to take risks, it was not just a test. The child thought he was really scared, so he risked his own life and came to ask his father for help."

"What does he have to be afraid of? He is your Majesty's most favored minister." Lou Jian couldn't believe that the emperor wanted to deal with the Lou family.

"If anyone is careful, there will be no disciples. His Majesty is very careful and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake from anyone, and Shao Junqian is no exception."

"Just because of an insignificant typo?" Lou Jian smiled and shook his head.

Lou Wen leaned forward slightly, "Suppose Shao Junqian is really afraid."

"Father..." Lou Jian was taken aback.

Lou Wen raised his hand to stop the third son from interrupting, and continued: "There are many important ministers in the court. Shao Junqian came to me for help instead of others. The only reason is that he believes that you are an associate of the assassins. He thought that I was also involved in the assassination." ”

Lou Chu's expression remained unchanged, and he made up his mind not to tell the truth, "Shao Junqian believes that the assassin's confession is his business. But the child thinks it is more than that. Shao Junqian must have thought that the people that His Majesty is most afraid of and wants to deal with the most are the Lou family, so... "

"Father, you can't believe this guy's nonsense!" Lou Jiang said loudly and stood up again.

Lou Wen glared at him, and Lou Jian had no choice but to sit down and turn to glare at his seventeenth brother.

"Assuming Shao Junqian believes the assassin's confession, then His Majesty must also believe it." Lou Wen was usually rough and forceful, but at this time he was thoughtful and not at all confused.

"That's why Your Majesty wants to do harm to the Lou family."

"But you're not a fellow assassin?"

"No." Lou Chi said firmly.

"Okay, in that case, I will send you to confront the assassin tomorrow. Either your Majesty will give up this idea, or we will get to the bottom of it and overcome mutual suspicion."

Lou Wen would never take a risk for any of his sons.