Even when they arrived at Nanjing, the welcoming party was still very slow because Huo Yuyan needed someone to take care of them along the way.
It was not until the tenth day of the lunar month that the palace received a report from a scout saying that the welcoming party for the Crown Prince and the officials of Northern Liang was about to arrive at Nanjing.
Jiang Suzhou pondered for a moment after receiving the news and said, "Got it. Invite Lord Qi to the palace."
The scout acknowledged and retreated.
"You want Qi Min to go out of the palace to welcome them?" Huo Wujiu asked.
Jiang Suzhou nodded, "He's the most suitable."
Huo Wujiu thought for a moment and said, "If he sees Qi Min, he will definitely think too much. Qi Min is an old official of Nanjing. Instead of using so many generals, I'm using two old officials of Nanjing to welcome him. However, Qi Min has a high official position. When he sees Qi Min, he will definitely think too much. "
Jiang Suzhou nodded, "That's what I mean."
Huo Wujiu raised his eyebrows, "Then I'll get someone to prepare a banquet. I'll personally welcome him. At that time, I'll reveal some disloyal thoughts. I'm afraid he won't be able to hold himself back and will make a move. "
Jiang Suzhou thought for a moment and said, "That's a good idea."
Huo Wujiu stood up and walked behind him. He reached out and hugged him, "You just need to stay in the palace and wait for my news."
Jiang Suzhou raised his head and looked at him, "You won't let me go?"
Huo Wujiu frowned and said without hesitation, "Of course you can't go. What if he has his eyes on you?"
Jiang Suzhou shook his head, "But if I don't go, he will be suspicious of you."
Huo Wujiu's voice sank.
"Let him be suspicious," he said. "To me, it's up to me to make a move on him. How can I let you put yourself in danger? Don't mess around. "
Jiang Suizhou could not help but refute, "What danger can there be in Nanjing now?"
Huo Wujiu didn't listen to him. "Even so, we can't take the risk. You just need to stay in the palace. Even if he wants to know who you are, he doesn't have the ability to do so. "
Jiang Suizhou looked up at him and could not help but sigh in his heart.
Huo Wujiu could not change the fact that he had to complicate a simple matter in order to protect himself.
He retracted his smile and looked at Huo Wujiu with a serious expression.
"What did I tell you before?" he said. "I don't need you to protect me like this and cause trouble."
Huo Wujiu's attitude did not soften at all. "That won't do. It's different this time."
Jiang Suizhou asked, "What's different?"
Huo Wujiu said, "Huo Yuyan is very sinister. Who knows what he will do."
"But ever since he stepped into Nanjing, he and his subordinates have all fallen into your surveillance, haven't they?" Jiang Suizhou said. "Moreover, you and I both know the current situation of Lin 'an's defense. What he wants to do is simply harder than ascending to the heavens."
Huo Wujiu knew he was in the wrong and did not speak.
Jiang Suizhou knew that if he did not speak, it meant that he was in the wrong but still wanted to act shamelessly.
He reached out and held Huo Wujiu's hand.
"If I'm not wrong, he followed these ministers here and will definitely try to drive a wedge between you," he said. "Those ministers, from their official positions to their daily meals and lodgings, are all places that can be tampered with. You only know that these people are loyal to you, but you should also know that people's hearts are the most fickle things. You've been in Yangguan all year round and haven't been to Ye City many times. Are you sure you can grasp the thoughts of every courtier? "
Although Huo Wujiu put on a cold face and a cold heart at this time, Jiang Suizhou's hand was on the back of his hand. He couldn't help but turn his hand over and hold Jiang Suizhou's hand in his palm.
"… I really can't," he admitted.
The delicate thoughts between the civil officials were indeed something that gave him a headache when he touched it.
"That's why you need me," Jiang Suizhou said. "I know them better than you do."
Huo Wujiu pursed his lips and didn't say anything.
Then he heard Jiang Suizhou ask gently, "Let me go with you tonight, okay?"
Huo Wujiu struggled for a moment and finally retorted, "… Then in what capacity will you be attending? Right now, everyone in the city knows about my relationship with you. Huo Yuyan will definitely make things difficult for you. "
Jiang Suizhou chuckled softly and pulled Huo Wujiu's hand up and pressed it against the side of his face.
Huo Wujiu lowered his eyes and saw that Jiang Suizhou, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was looking up at him. A fox-like smile appeared on his excessively exquisite face, causing the soft red mole at the corner of his eye to shimmer vividly.
"What's so difficult about that?" Jiang Suizhou said. "Just think of me as a pretty boy who has bewitched your mind and seduced General Huo into doing whatever I say. Then, for your sake, he will have to endure everything."
Huo Wujiu lowered his eyes and looked at him. He clearly knew that he was pretending, but his Adam's apple couldn't help but roll up and down on the ground.
… He was really a seductress who could steal a person's soul.
He gulped and after a moment, his teeth clenched. He bent down, pressed Jiang Suizhou onto the dragon throne, and kissed him fiercely.
"Why don't you take my life as well?"
Huo Wujiu gritted his teeth and said between kisses.
—
As the current Chief Minister of Nanjing, the fact that Qi Min went out of the palace to welcome Huo Yuyan showed how much importance Huo Wujiu placed on him.
Everyone knew that Lord Qi was going out of the city to welcome Huo Yuyan today. Who was Lord Qi? Including today, he was about to become a senior official of four dynasties. Even Pang Shao respected him a little when he was alive. Now that he was seventy years old, he was willing to go out of the palace to welcome Huo Yuyan. It was really because of the deep brotherly love between General Huo and the Crown Prince.
However, this was not the case in Huo Yuyan's eyes.
When he heard that Lord Qi was already waiting outside the city, Huo Yuyan's face turned a little ugly. He responded calmly and lowered the carriage curtain. After that, he didn't say anything else.
Qi Min? No matter how famous he was, he was nothing in Huo Wujiu's eyes.
Huo Wujiu didn't like civil officials in the first place, especially Qi Min, who was a sour scholar who talked about loyalty, filial piety, and benevolence, and who had betrayed his former master. If Huo Wujiu really valued him and didn't have any enmity with him, then why didn't any of his important generals come out to welcome him?
In Huo Wujiu's eyes, any one of the ten thousand households was more important than Qi Min.
For a moment, Huo Yuyan couldn't figure out what Huo Wujiu was thinking.
Did he ask Qi Min to go out of the city because of Li Cheng, or did he already suspect him, so he used Qi Min to brush him off? Or could it be that Huo Wujiu didn't have any other intentions? Because of Qi Min's reputation, he wanted the world to see how important he was to him and his loyalty to the Beiliang court, so that he could make a name for himself and save face?
Qi Min was too special, so Huo Yuyan didn't know what to do for a moment.
He thought about it all the way with a sullen face. His body was useless to begin with, so it was even more unsuitable for him to think so much. The carriage traveled all the way. When it reached the city gate of Lin 'an, Huo Yuyan was already a little tired and exhausted.
Looking at the towering city gate that was gradually approaching, he coughed a few times and endured the discomfort all over his body. He forced himself to look normal and sat up straight in the carriage.
The carriage stopped, and the sound of shouting came from outside.
"We are here to welcome Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Then, a soldier lifted the carriage curtain for Huo Yuyan.
A eunuch came forward and helped Huo Yuyan out of the carriage. As soon as he held Huo Yuyan's arm, he felt that his body was weak and couldn't help but look at Huo Yuyan worriedly.
However, he saw that Huo Yuyan's expression was normal, and there was even a gentle smile on his face.
The eunuch quickly looked away.
Huo Yuyan stood in front of the carriage and threw away the eunuch's hand. He walked in front of Qi Min and helped the trembling old official up.
"Thank you for waiting here, Lord Qi," Huo Yuyan said with a gentle expression.
However, Qi Min looked cold and indifferent. There was no warmth, only a business-like appearance. He took half a step back and bowed, saying, "We welcome Your Highness, the Crown Prince. The general has already set up a banquet in the palace. Your Highness must be tired from the long journey, so we are only waiting to welcome Your Highness. "
Huo Yuyan's expression was normal, but his gaze stopped on Qi Min's face.
He looked like this … Was it because he was an old official of Nanjing, or was it because he was instructed by Huo Wujiu?
Huo Yuyan was even more uncertain about Huo Wujiu's attitude.
His body swayed, and he was quickly supported by a young eunuch who hurried forward. He smiled faintly, and when he turned his head, he signaled the captain of the imperial guards behind him with his eyes. Then, he turned back and said with a gentle smile, "You are really tired. Then, please lead the way, Lord Qi. "
Qi Min responded and turned to leave with a cold face.
Lou Yue, who was standing next to him, saw everything.
He knew that Qi Min must have been arranged by Jiang Suizhou. Now, Huo Yuyan had come to Nanjing in person because he could not figure out Huo Wujiu's attitude, so he wanted to see it for himself. Jiang Suizhou had guessed it, so he asked the people around to use some tricks to make Huo Yuyan hesitate and become more uneasy.
People would only make the most irrational choice when they were caught in a puzzle and couldn't decide what to do.
With this thought in mind, Lou Yue went forward and said with a smile, "Your Highness, don't take it to heart. Qi Min, that old man, has a bad temper and doesn't like to talk to anyone. Your Highness, please don't be calculative with him. "
Huo Yuyan wanted to guess Huo Wujiu's thoughts through the people below, but he was also a meticulous and thoughtful person. A person like him would be easily confused by some small details when he speculated about others.
Then, they would each do their own thing and make Huo Yuyan confused.
Sure enough, when Huo Yuyan heard this, he smiled and said warmly, "What's wrong with that? Lord Qi is a person of virtue and prestige, so it's natural for him to have some temper. I admire his true nature. "
Lou Yue heard this and laughed loudly, "Your Highness is magnanimous, so I am relieved! Your Highness, please get on the carriage. "
Huo Yuyan smiled and responded, then turned and got on the carriage.
The smile on his face was forced, but when he arrived at the palace, he could no longer maintain the smile on his face.
In the splendid banquet hall, all the civil and military officials were already seated and waiting for him.
The seat at the head of the table was empty, presumably for him.
However, the person sitting next to him was not Huo Wujiu.
Instead, it was a man dressed in the royal robes of King Qin of Nanjing. He was extremely young and beautiful, so delicate that it was almost demonic.
Under the light, he smiled faintly at him. That smile was natural and full of meaning, as if he was a victor demonstrating his power to him.
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