Mansur was already beginning to suspect Abu Muslim. Of course, his current suspicion was not that Abu Muslim was colluding with his old rival, Abdullah. They were still on the same boat, and Abu Muslim had no reason to betray him.
What he cared about was that Abu Muslim was not absolutely loyal, not obedient enough, not completely subservient to him. Even after knowing that Ziyad had returned to Khorasan, Abu Muslim had not immediately sent someone to inform him. This was clearly a sign of arrogance.
There were already signs of arrogance, and if this continued, there was a chance that he would become disloyal, and disloyalty was not something that any ambitious and ruthless person could tolerate.
When he first heard that Ziyad had returned, Mansur had suspected that Abu Muslim had made this decision without his knowledge, but later on, various signs indicated that Ziyad had not been sent back by Abu Muslim. He had probably come back on his own. Thus, it was impossible for Abu Muslim to be disloyal to him.
But regardless, Ziyad was still a renowned general of the Apus dynasty. Since he had returned to Khorasan and met with Abu Muslim, Abu Muslim should have informed Mansur as quickly as possible so that Mansur could know why Ziyad had returned to Khorasan. He needed to know this before he could feel at ease, but Abu Muslim's refusal to tell him of his own accord made him very uneasy. Even though there was no important reason, Mansur still felt very uncomfortable.
Mansur had wanted several times to send someone to ask Ziyad why he had returned to Khorasan, but he had swallowed the order each time. He desperately needed the support of Abu Muslim and Ziyad. Thus, he could not make the two of them feel like they were being watched, and he certainly could not force them to answer questions they did not want to answer. Moreover, if Ziyad did not want to answer, he would not be able to get an answer out of him, much less interrogate him.
Thus, after some consideration, Mansur decided not to ask Ziyad why he had returned to Khorasan. He wanted Abu Muslim to tell him himself.
Mansur was someone who valued the overall situation, and he understood that Ziyad's problem was a minor one. The biggest problem was how to deal with his old rival, Abdullah.
Ever since the establishment of the Abbasid Dynasty, Mansur and Abdullah, these two comrades and relatives who had fought side by side, had become strangers who were on guard against each other. At most, they could only maintain the most basic form of courtesy, and after Apos fell seriously ill, it was very difficult to maintain this form of courtesy. It seemed like they were just short of meeting each other on the battlefield, but because Apos was still alive and many of the central factions were still watching from the sidelines, none of them dared to make the first move. Each of them had more than a hundred thousand soldiers, allowing them to reach a terrifying equilibrium.
At this critical juncture, Mansur could not lose Abu Muslim and Ziyad. Only with the full support of these two could he have a better chance of victory. Thus, he chose not to ask about Ziyad's matter to show his fake magnanimity.
"Master, Abdullah went to see the Caliph just now and stayed in the hall for quite some time. Because they were speaking very softly, our people could only hear the gist of what they were talking about. However, one of their names was very clear: Ziyad."
A black-clothed servant hastily appeared in front of Mansur and reported.
"Ziyad?"
Mansur was stunned. Ziyad had only just returned to Khorasan, but Abdullah had already learned of it and even told the Caliph. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to sow discord? Immediately, Mansur's mind was filled with all sorts of suspicions.
"No, I can't let Abdullah sow discord. I have to go see the Caliph."
Mansur was infuriated. He needed to immediately seek an audience with Abo to clear himself of suspicion. Although he was no longer afraid of Abo, he still feared him from the depths of his heart. He still needed to wait until Abo said that he was going to pass on the throne to him.
The servants hurriedly prepared a carriage and escorted Mansur to see Abo.
After seeing Abdullah, Abo thought for a few moments before lying down. He needed more time to rest so that he could extend his lifespan as much as possible.
"Caliph, Lord Mansur requests an audience," one of the servants said.
Abo sighed.
Apos sighed and gestured for the servants to help him up. He had been waiting for Mansur for a long time. He knew that after Abdullah left, Mansur would definitely come looking for him. As expected, Mansur really did come.
"Let him in."
Abo waved his hand and had his servants withdraw. He needed to make himself seem as energetic as possible.
"Venerable Caliph, you will definitely get better."
Mansur was also very respectful, not showing the slightest disrespect to Abo.
"Your Uncle Abdullah just left, and now you're here. What a coincidence!"
Abo said, half-joking and half-sarcastic.
Mansur calmly replied, "Venerable Caliph, I came to inform you that Altik of Aden has once more refused our request. He probably believes that with Osman's assistance, we can't do anything to him! General Ziyad is also not confident in his victory, so he just returned to Khorasan today. He is at Abu Muslim's residence, discussing how to resolve the matter of Aden. "
Mansur had so casually changed the topic, and he had even cleared himself of any suspicion that Ziyad's return to Khorasan was part of his scheme. One had to admit that Mansur was rather skilled.
Abo didn't really believe Mansur's words, but he didn't completely believe them, either. It could be said that he believed them, but he also had some doubts. But this wasn't very important. He was about to die, so he didn't care about such things.
"That old fox Altik is nothing to worry about, and Osman isn't worth mentioning. I'm sure you're thinking the same thing. The most frightening enemy is within the walls," Abo calmly said.
"The most frightening enemy is the most terrifying," Abo indifferently said.
Mansur remained silent, which could be considered a tacit acknowledgment.
"Mansur, in your heart, how important is family?"
For some reason, Abo suddenly asked a very foolish question.
Mansur faintly smiled and said, "Family? That's a feeling that only ordinary people can enjoy. How can we enjoy it, nor do we dare to enjoy it? "
These words were very reasonable. The upper echelons found it very difficult to understand the feelings of ordinary people. This was because it was lonely at the top, and they had to be wary of being plotted against at all times. The pressure on their hearts was immense, and they didn't dare to trust anyone, not even their loved ones.
This was why it was said that the ruling class was very callous and couldn't have the emotions that ordinary people could easily have. It was truly a tragedy. However, the ruling class possessed far too much material wealth. Only by losing emotions could one achieve balance, and only then could one bring balance to the entire world. God is fair.
Abo also understood. Mansur had once more tactfully told him that he was determined to obtain the position of Caliph and would not give up the position he deserved for the sake of family.
Moreover, his subordinates would not agree. Many of them had followed Mansur for the sake of a meteoric rise. Only when Mansur ascended to the position of Caliph could they realize their dreams. If Mansur gave up the position of Caliph, his subordinates would be bitterly disappointed and choose to join Abdullah. In this way, his survival would become a problem.
Once Abdullah ascended to the throne, he would never forgive his nephew. Only by killing him could Abdullah sit on the throne with peace of mind.
"The rest of you, stay and serve. The rest of you, withdraw!"
Abo had the six maids stay and the male servants and guards withdraw for the time being.
"Caliph, what advice do you have?"
Mansur asked.
Abo lowered his voice and said, "I have some words that I must tell you. If I don't say them now, I might not have the chance."
"What words?"
"I know that you and Abdullah have both contributed greatly to the empire. Without your efforts, our empire would not have developed so quickly. In the past, I believed that my health was very good and that I wouldn't get sick so easily, so I suppressed you and supported Abdullah more. As a result, the two of you gradually became evenly matched. The two of you were each responsible for half of the empire's affairs. This should have been a good thing, but I didn't expect my health to suddenly deteriorate. I've thought about it for a long time, but I couldn't make up my mind, and I didn't dare to make a rash decision. Do you understand?"
Abo was a man on the verge of death, and his words were kind. He had actually spoken the words in his heart, and his tone was very sincere.
Mansur nodded. He understood his elder brother very well.
"Is Elder Brother worried that Uncle and I will clash on the battlefield and cause a schism in the empire?"
Abo nodded. "Precisely. That's what I'm most worried about. Both of you control the empire's elite soldiers and have the support of many people behind you. If internal strife breaks out, the foundation we've worked so hard to build will be completely destroyed."
"That's true, but who can change this? Not even the mighty Caliph can solve this problem, so Uncle and I naturally can't. Unless Uncle is willing to give up, I won't harm him as long as he's willing to give up the position of Caliph. "
Mansur made his stance clear. Regardless of whether Apos passed the position of Caliph to him or not, he was determined to take it. He would not give up the position of Caliph.
Abo forced a smile. How could he believe his younger brother's words? He didn't believe that Mansur would withdraw his killing intent if Abdullah gave up the position of Caliph. That wasn't Mansur's personality, not by a long shot.
"The position of Caliph should still be given to you, my younger brother. But this matter must not be made public. I must think of a way to weaken Uncle's strength so that you can sit firmly on the throne when you succeed," Abo said.
"Elder Brother is wise.
"Elder Brother's choice is wise. I will definitely live up to your trust. Don't worry! I know what to do. "
Mansur nodded and turned to the six trembling maids at his side.
These maids knew very well that they didn't have much time left. They had heard things they shouldn't have and would be silenced, so they were naturally terrified.
"Okay, I'm tired. My younger brother, you should go back and rest as well!"
Abo waved his hand, indicating for Mansur to withdraw.
"Mighty Caliph, you should rest early as well."
Mansur slowly walked out of the hall and watched the guards and manservants enter.
"Tea."
Abo looked at the tea table and indicated for the maids to bring it over.
Three maids carefully poured the tea and brought it to Abo, who reached out to take it.
Clap …
The teacup was clearly in Abo's hand, but Abo's hand trembled and the teacup fell to the ground, drenching his palm.
The six maidservants immediately knelt down. They weren't stupid. They knew that Apos was doing this on purpose. He wanted to find a slightly more reasonable reason to kill them. They didn't have the slightest ability to resist and seemed extremely helpless.
When Mansur had left the hall, the six of them were fully capable of strangling Abo to death. With Abo's current strength, the six maids were more than capable of strangling him to death, but they didn't dare to do so.
The servility that had been formed over a long period of time made it so that they didn't dare to resist their master. They had already lost all will to resist. Even if the person in front of them was a dying old man who would kill them, they still didn't dare.
Besides the servility that made them afraid to resist, they were also afraid of even crueler methods of execution.
What if Abo was merciful and only turned them into mutes? Then they would at least have a chance of survival. Of course, this situation was too uncertain. Abo wouldn't go to such great lengths. Only by killing them would it be the safest.
On the other hand, they were afraid of an even crueler punishment. If Abo killed them, it wouldn't be too painful. But if they committed regicide, what awaited them would be an extremely cruel death that would make them wish they were dead.
Of course, they could also choose to commit suicide after killing Abo. This could be said to be the best method of resistance.
However, the time between Mansur leaving the hall and the guards entering the hall was simply too short. How could these servile people make such a desperate decision in such a short period of time?
"Drag them out and flog them to death," Abo said indifferently.
It was as if the master was going to kill a chicken to entertain a guest. He didn't care about the lives of the maids at all.
Mansur walked very slowly on purpose. When he turned around, he saw the six maids being dragged out of the hall and being executed. The corner of his mouth curved into a smile. In his eyes, these maids were also worthless. What made him happy was that Abo was already on his side. This was very important.
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