Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

The east hall is the "Yangde Hall" where the emperor rests. The plants in the flower pots beside the wall have been replaced with peonies, and the purple flowers are blooming. The hall is ventilated on both sides, with a faint fragrance of flowers in the cool breeze.

Guo Shao got up and took down a barrier knife from the wall, and with a light press, he heard a "click" sound from the mechanism, and his right hand grasped the handle of the knife and gently pulled it out. The thin and sharp blade made Guo Shao's heart tighten slightly.

A fishy smell like pure milk came to the face, it was butter smeared on the knife. Because this knife is basically a decoration, and the oil is anti-rust.

Weapons do have an inherently dangerous aura. Guo Shao is holding the handle of the knife, so the blade cannot hurt himself... However, this does not prevent the dangerous blade from chilling people's hearts.

This feeling is very subtle, with some fear and some kind of closeness.

Humans have soft skin, and their teeth and nails are not sharp; weapons can greatly improve a man's combat effectiveness. Although dangerous, but rely on it to get close to it.

It's as if people can't run much, but they can reach a wind-like speed with a good horse. Riding a horse is also dangerous. If you accidentally fall off a speeding horse, your life will be in danger.

Men's material desires can easily include such things as swords and good horses. Because being afraid to stay away from danger is to stay away from power; the extension of power can bring deep pleasure|sensation.

At this moment, the eunuch Cao Tai entered, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Zuo Shaoqing has arrived."

Guo Shao raised his head and said, "Announce him to see you."

"Here." Cao Tai bowed, and then stepped back and went out the door.

Guo Shaoshun handed the barrier knife to the scabbard, handed it to the maid standing beside him, slightly raised his chin to the side, motioning her to hang it on the wall.

The maid took it with both hands, her arms were shaking like chaff. Guo Shao glanced at her and couldn't help but said, "It won't jump up and hurt you by itself. What are you afraid of? As long as people really learn how to use weapons and respect them, they won't be in great danger if they don't abuse them."

Only after Guo Shao finished speaking did he realize that he was talking for nothing. The palace maid didn't understand at all, she hastily said in a trembling voice: "My servant is guilty, my servant is guilty..."

Guo Shao ignored her.

Before Zuo You came in, he waited for a short time. In this short period of time, Guo Shao had no time to review and clear up his thoughts in detail; the joints were not clear, and many things were based on guesswork.

However, in this chaotic matter, Guo Shao has a very clear idea in his heart, which is also the core idea. That is: now is not the time for internal friction to balance and weaken one's minions.

Otherwise, we will be unable to deal with foreign aggression, and the humiliation and helplessness caused in the future will still not be pleasant... If the defense line in the north is not perfect and allows foreign enemies to grow up, we will be forced to sue for peace at every turn in the future. The situation can be imagined.

Sitting in this position, Guo Shao had to look far away.

At this time, Zuo You came in with Cao Tai, went to the table where Guo Shao was sitting, knelt down and saluted, and said, "I have an audience with you, and my emperor will live forever!"

"Zuo Shaoqing is dead." Guo Shao said.

Zuo You said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Guo Shao raised his arm and swung it sideways. Not at Cao Tai or someone waving his sleeves, but at the empty wall over there. Cao Tai didn't dare to stare at the emperor, but he reacted quickly at this moment, beckoning to the maids on both sides, and bowed his knees to back out.

Then Guo Shao said: "I met Zuo Shaoqing today because I wanted to ask you something."

Zuo You hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, please ask me, I dare not deceive the emperor, I will know everything without saying anything!"

Guo Shao nodded, his expression was very gentle, but his eyes were sharp and energetic. He said directly: "Yesterday there was a memorial written by Shi Yanchao, and you also saw it. He said that Zuo Shaoqing went to Luo Yanhuan's house the night before and met Li Chuyun secretly at the mansion."

Zuo You already knew about this, but it was harsh to say it face to face. His face was pale, and he said, "Return to Your Majesty, secret meeting is out of the question, Luo Yanhuan's birthday was the day before yesterday."

"That's not what I asked." Guo Shaodao, "What I want to ask is, did you talk about Fan Zhi's letter against Empress Duanci's ruling at Luo Yanhuan's house the day before yesterday?"

Guo Shao looked down on him intently from above.

This question is indeed delicate. It seems to be an insignificant detail, but it seems to be the key to Zuo You's position...

When Zuo You went to Luo Yanhuan’s house, there were very few people who knew about Fan Zhi’s memorial, and the people in front of the palace (Li Chuyun) couldn’t find out so quickly; as long as Zuo You didn’t leak the secret in advance, it would prove his loyalty... because he and Luo Yanhuan and others were originally friends.

What's even more amazing is that it is impossible to verify whether Zuo You said or not; because Guo Shao announced Fan Zhi's memorial to the ministers the next day, even if he said it, Li Chuyun and Luo Yanhuan could not have betrayed Zuo You.

Guo Shao watched Zuo You intently.

Zuo You immediately cupped his fists and said, "I didn't say a word!"

He looked almost without hesitation, and his expression was a little excited... Guo Shao believed his words for a moment.

Zuo You excitedly said: "Your Majesty has absolutely nothing to say, please summon Li Dianjian and Luo Dushi to confront each other immediately! On Luo Dushi's birthday, we talked about our friendship and gossip, but we didn't say a single word of official business! I have a good relationship with Luo and Li. I also thought about mentioning Fan Xianggong's memorial, but I also thought that since Your Majesty hasn't made it clear, it's not appropriate to say it casually..."

A smile appeared on Guo Shao's mouth. He found that Zuo You was a little unscrupulous at this time... For example, the sentence "Befriend Luo Yanhuan and want to mention Fan Zhi's memorial" exposed his heart: Why did he rush to tell Li Chuyun whether Empress Duanci is in power or not?

Anyway, such words are generally not said in front of the emperor, and it has nothing to do with trust or distrust.

"I see." Guo Shao nodded. "That's all right."

"Are you all right?" Zuo You was stunned, as if he was still thinking about the relationship.

Guo Shao looked at the table next to Shaoyao, on which was a set of Go...This place was originally used as a place for Guo Shao to rest after working, and there were many things for leisure.

He stood up and said, "Zuo Shaoqing, play a game of chess with me."

Zuo You hurriedly said, "Here."

Guo Shao sat down on the soft couch next to the table, pointed to the opposite side and said, "Sit down and play chess with me."

"Thank you for sitting down, Your Majesty." Zuo You's face was still pale, and he reached out his sleeve and gently wiped his forehead. I don't know if he understands the question just now, but Guo Shao believes that Zuo You will understand sooner or later...Sometimes people may not be able to react immediately, but as long as they have time to think over it, they can generally understand a lot.

Guo Shao smiled and said, "I don't know much. Mr. Zuo don't let me, but you can teach me."

The two set out the chessboard. Guo Shao is really bad at playing. Although he understands the basic rules, he is almost inexperienced... The rules of Go are simple, but the gameplay is more complicated.

Zuo You obviously didn't feel that playing chess with a beginner was boring at all, because this beginner was the emperor. He taught some chess moves in detail.

Guo Shao was also very devoted, learning with great interest, and comprehended quickly.

He understood another way, and said happily at the moment: "So it's because of this consideration, so it's so!"

After finishing speaking, he glanced at Zuo You, and said calmly: "This way looks complicated, but it's actually simple. Some things, as long as you talk about it, it's just that, and it doesn't matter."

Zuo You was thoughtful, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is right..."

Guo Shao didn't emphasize that he believed Zuo You's "answer" just now. But the attitude has already revealed everything. After asking that question, sitting and playing chess with Zuo You, he behaved very happily... Then what else do you need to say?

Guo Shao said enthusiastically: "There are not many things to pass the time at this time, but each of them has a suitable time. For example, when two friends are together and there are not many people, playing Go is very suitable."

Zuo You also smiled and said, "Exactly."

Guo Shao patted his thigh and said: "Hey, Li Chuyun is a martial artist like me, maybe he's not very good at chess, why don't you invite him too. I just happened to try the moves I just learned with him, haha!"

After hearing this, Zuo You suddenly remembered something, and took out a memorial from his sleeve: "There is a memorial by Li Chuyun, and I just wanted to bring it in for His Majesty's review. But I was distracted before, so I forgot."

"Oh?" Guo Shao reached out to pick it up.