Dong dong dong — —
The drums of dusk and thunder intertwined. Dark clouds covered the sky above Chang 'an, making the entire city seem solemn and oppressive.
An innumerable number of Imperial Guards and Wolf Guards passed through the streets and alleys, closing the doors and imposing curfew. The streets and alleys were empty. Even in the most prominent Kui Shou Street, there was not a single Marquis carriage to be seen.
"It's going to rain …"
In the old wine shop on Bluestone Street, the old shopkeeper had a towel draped over his shoulder. Looking at the gloomy sky, he softly muttered a few words before going silent. It was not that Shopkeeper Sun had changed his habit of being a chatterbox. It was simply because the only customer in the old wine shop did not want to listen anymore.
The wind and rain swayed, and the building was about to collapse.
Dressed in a scholar's robe, Song Ji sat at a wine table near the alleys. In front of him were two wine jugs, and his face was already somewhat drunk.
Song Ji was meticulous and knew the principle of making mistakes after drinking. Ever since he could remember, he had never been greedy for a drink. In the ten years since he succeeded to the throne, the only time he made a mistake was when he was too engrossed in playing chess and delayed attending court.
Sitting at the table where the three brothers drank together in the past, only a single shadow remained. Song Ji had always been thinking about why things had turned out this way. He reviewed the various actions he had taken in the past, trying to find the reason.
Dai Yue had established the country for sixty years, and there were many problems that had accumulated over the years. There were also many reasons for the current situation, but after careful review, he did not seem to have done anything wrong. If he did not remove the vassals, it would have happened sooner or later. If he did not suppress the families of generals, it would have happened. If he did not purge the Jianghu, the world would not be at peace. If he really wanted to find the reason, it could only be that he, the Emperor, was half a step too fast.
Since things had reached this point, the reason was nothing more than to seek peace of mind. What he really needed to think about was how to deal with this situation.
Song Ji held the wine bowl and looked at the cloudy sky above Chang 'an, thinking about how to revive this chess game. But looking back, there was not a single chess piece left in his hand. Without even a chess piece, how could he revive this chess game?
Sha sha sha — —
The drizzling rain fell from the sky, hitting the eaves and the yellow wine banners.
Shopkeeper Sun warmed up another jug of wine and placed it on the table.
Song Ji finished the wine in his bowl but did not open the jar again. He sighed softly and took out a tael of silver from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and walked out of the tavern.
The only remaining kamikaze soldier C held up an oil-paper umbrella and escorted Song Ji far away.
Shopkeeper Sun stood under the canopy as he watched the two figures disappear into the darkness. His expression was complicated, but he did not say anything for a long time …
… …
At the same time, Chief Longevity street.
There was a curfew at night, so all the nobles stayed in their mansions.
The doors of each family were tightly shut, and the Wolf Guards and Imperial Guards were standing outside. They were at daggers drawn and were on high alert. It was said to prevent assassins from harming the important officials of the imperial court, but how could the officials who had worked hard in the imperial court for many years not figure out the meaning behind it?
Next door to the Xiao Residence was the residence of the Imperial Censor, Cui Huai Lu. There were also Wolf Guards at the door. And as the Emperor's father-in-law, Song Ji seemed to have given special treatment, sending two more Wolf Guards to guard the back door.
Cui Huai Lu was Song Ji's trusted aide. Ever since Song Ji ascended to the throne, he had assisted Song Ji. In the past, he had a part to play in planning. At this moment, the only person who could enter the Imperial Study was Guan Hongye. At first, Cui Huai Lu went as usual. But before he could enter, Song Ji said, "Master Cui is old and should rest at home for the next few days. There is no need to worry about politics."
How could Cui Huai Lu not understand the meaning behind his words? He had already been suspected by Song Ji.
In the back garden of the Cui Residence, the white-haired Cui Huai Lu sat in the tea pavilion with a cup of tea. He frowned and thought hard, wondering where he had gone wrong.
Mrs. Cui sat in front of him. She also knew that her husband had been ignored by the Emperor these days. After a little hesitation, she asked the maids to leave and said,
"Husband, could it be that your crooked idea was discovered by the Emperor?"
Cui Huai Lu's thoughts were interrupted and his face darkened. "What crooked idea? I just thought about it. I didn't have time to plan it. The Emperor doesn't have the great magical power to see the mind. How could he find out? "
Mrs. Cui thought for a moment. "The Emperor must have found out about Lil Wan. Do you think the Emperor will send someone to harm Lil Wan?"
Cui Huailu was infuriated when he heard this. "If it weren't for you, stupid woman, hiding it from me, would it have become like this? After so many years of serving the Emperor, he doesn't even let me enter the Imperial Study. There are more Wolf Guards at the door than the Xiao family. It's really … "
"What's the use of scolding me now? The Emperor is suspicious by nature. Didn't you hide it from him after you found out about Lil Wan? Now the Emperor is suspicious of you. Who can you blame? "
"Last time, you stopped me from confessing to the Emperor. Who do you blame?"
Mrs. Cui sighed. "There's no turning back. If the Emperor continues to be in power, you can forget about making a comeback in this life …"
"Hey!" Cui Huai Lu quickly glared at Mrs. Cui. "Are you tired of living? If your Wang family wants to exterminate the whole family, don't drag my Cui family into it. "
"What Wang family or Cui family? I have married into the Cui family …"
Mrs. Cui sighed and sat a little closer. She raised her finger to the house next door.
"You have been suspected by the Emperor, but you still stay on the ship. Even if the Emperor suppresses this storm, you won't get any credit. If the ship sinks, you will be the first one. In my opinion, you can ask the Xiao family and the Lu family for their opinion. Think about it, Prime Minister Xiao's sister is the Crown Prince's wife, and you are Lil Wan's father. If you are on the same ship, Prime Minister Xiao has to call you uncle … "
"You are … a woman's view. How can you treat the important affairs of the court like this!"
Cui Huai Lu glared at Mrs. Cui. He wanted to say a few more words, but he felt that it was a waste of words to talk about politics with a woman. He got up and walked out.
Mrs. Cui stood up. "Husband, where are you going?"
"I am going to visit the house next door."
"There are wolf guards outside, and there are many spies. Let's talk on the way to the court tomorrow."
"…"
Cui Huai Lu stopped and turned to walk into the bedroom …
…
The house next door was the house of the Prime Minister Xiao Chuyang.
The Xiao family was frugal. There were few lights at night, and only a few students of the Xiao family were reading by the window at night.
In the study of the main courtyard, there were no lights. The light was dim, and people and things could not be seen clearly.
Xiao Chuyang was sitting on the couch. Next to him was the finance minister Lu Chengan, who had just sneaked out of the tunnel. There was a small table between them, on which tea was brewed.
The Xiao and Lu families had a long history, and it was not that they had never been at odds with each other in history. However, on the chessboard of the world, there was no such thing as mortal enemies. As long as they had the same interests, they were allies. Looking at the current situation, the Xiao and Lu families were clearly in the same boat.
Lu Chengan was Lu Hongluan's uncle. He leaned on the tea table with his left hand and said softly,
"His Majesty has been behaving strangely recently. He has ordered the Xiliang Army to return to Suzhou and Xu Buling to defend Nanyang. He has not given them any face. It looks like he is forcing the Xu family to rebel. Prime Minister Xiao, do you think Xu Buling will swallow his anger? "
Xiao Chuyang put his left hand on his knee, and his right hand lightly tapped on the tea table.
"Looking at the current situation, if the Xu family rebels, they will at most occupy Guanzhong. They will have to face the various feudal vassals outside the pass and the Left Prince of Northern Qi, Jiang Nu. Even if they can hold it, it will be a small country in a small place like Guanzhong. It will not last long, and there is no benefit. However, if they don't rebel, Xu Buling's efforts to conquer Nanyang and Xiangyang will be wasted. Whether or not Xu Buling can bear it, there is no benefit. "
Lu Chengan thought for a moment. "His Majesty has put up such a battle formation, almost tacitly admitting that Xu Buling will rebel. It is already like flipping the table. If Xu Buling doesn't rebel, he will scram back to Suzhou. If he rebels, he will make enemies on all sides, and it will be difficult for him to last long. Both paths are disadvantageous to the Xu family. So, no matter what Xu Buling does, His Majesty will not back down and give Xu Buling a third path … "
At this point, Lu Chengan tilted his head to look at Xiao Chuyang. "Has the Xu family told Minister Xiao about this? If they are determined to rebel … "
Xiao Chuyang's brows furrowed. He was rather dissatisfied with these words.
"I am Dai Yue's prime minister, not the Xu family's prime minister. What difference is there between him telling me about this and directly declaring rebellion?"
Lu Chengan laughed. "That means I can't be sure. Looking at the current situation, it is best if the Xu family does not rebel. Otherwise, it would be normal for Dai Yue to be split into a dozen pieces. The disaster would be too great. However, it is impossible for the Xu family to suffer an open loss. What do you think Xu Buling will do, Minister Xiao? "
Xiao Chuyang shook his head. "The infantry of Xiliang has already retreated, but Xu Buling has no intention of obediently accepting orders. He will probably come to Chang 'an in two days to ask His Majesty for justice. At that time, we will see what he says and what His Majesty says. We will stand on the side of 'reason'. "
Lu Chengan thought carefully for a moment and sighed. "His Majesty has predicted that the Xu family will rebel, but he has no evidence, so he is definitely not in the right. This matter will be difficult … "
…
