"…"
Gu Mang didn't say anything. He only felt that it was absurd.
However, Gu Mang wasn't the only one who felt that it was absurd. Mo Xi also felt that Jun Shang's words were too ridiculous.
Valuable?
Unwilling to lose?
Throwing it away like a worn-out shoe, eager to dismiss it … saying that it was a thorn in Jun Shang's flesh was more like it. Who would believe that it was a treasure?
Jun Shang saw that Gu Mang was silent. He tilted his head and suddenly asked, "Marshal Gu, what kind of person do you think Gu Mang is?"
Gu Mang's lips moved, and then he tightly closed them again.
"Actually, even if you don't say it, Gu Mang is clear in his heart. You people all think that the First Emperor is a virtuous ruler, willing to give a cultivator born as a slave a chance to make a name for himself. In your eyes, the First Emperor is a distant figure. But Gu Mang? "Jun Shang smiled." Gu Mang is stubborn and stubborn. "
He looked at the curtain of water trickling down the corner of the eaves. After a while, he said, "But have any of you ever stood in Gu Mang's position and thought about Gu Mang's situation?"
"Gu Mang also has no other choice." Jun Shang sighed softly. "Marshal Gu, you were born as a slave and walked all the way to today's position. You've encountered all kinds of criticism and countless setbacks. In Gu Mang's eyes, what I feel the most is not admiration or pity, but empathy. Because your path and my path are both equally difficult to walk. We are destined to bear countless infamy and crimes. "
"…"
"No, Gu Mang is actually inferior to you. In any case, you still have a Lord Xi He whom you can confide in, and a group of lone warriors who are loyal to you to the death. What does Gu Mang have? Meng Ze? Yan Ping … or a Murong Lian. " As Jun Shang spoke, he lightly laughed self-deprecatingly. "In such a big palace, there are many direct relatives, but none of them have no grudges with Gu Mang. Do you know why? "
Gu Mang shook his head.
Jun Shang said, "Because Gu Mang's path to the throne has long been splashed with the blood of my brothers."
As he spoke, he raised his head to look at the ink-like sky. "… Gu will tell you a rumor. No … it should be considered taboo. However, gossip is the hardest thing to suppress in this world. I believe that Marshal Gu might have heard of this legend before. "
Gu Mang didn't say anything. Jun Shang paused, then said, "It happened a long time ago, when I was just born …"
"As everyone knows, I am the eldest son of the Wang family. Logically speaking, I should be the heir to the throne. However, Chong Hua's struggle for the throne is not without precedent. As long as I haven't officially ascended the throne, anything can happen. Therefore, on the day of Gu Yi's full moon, Mother secretly sought out the fortune-teller, Zhan Cheng, for a fortune-telling. The divination is dangerous. The fortune-teller said that there will be a calamity in my life. In the Zi Wei Star Palace, I am destined to fight with my brothers. "
"This divination caused Imperial Concubine Mother to be unable to eat or sleep in peace. She was seriously ill for several months. And after she recovered … "Jun Shang paused for a moment and closed his eyes." For some reason, of all the male babies born by the concubines in the palace, none of them were able to live past a full age. "
Mo Xi knew that Jun Shang was right. When he was young, he often went to the palace with his father. From beginning to end, he had only seen one young imperial son … and that was the current Jun Shang. He also clearly remembered that there was once a gentle concubine concubine in the palace. She was good at making pastries. Every time he came, she would specially make two boxes of pastries for him to bring home. That concubine concubine had a weak body. Later on, she became pregnant and used all her strength to give birth to a child.
It was a young master.
At that time, Mo Xi still remembered that his father had discussed with his mother what kind of gift was suitable. However, before the gift could be finalized, the funeral bell in the palace rang throughout the entire capital — the young master had died.
As for the specific cause of death, because Mo Xi was too young at that time and too much time had passed, he couldn't remember it clearly. He vaguely remembered that it was a kind of acute illness in a child. The most unforgettable thing was that concubine concubine concubine was inconsolable because of the death of her young son. A few days later, she took advantage of the fact that the maids and guards weren't paying attention and hanged herself.
This strange and strange matter spread throughout the Chong Hua. Other than this concubine concubine, the other concubines all felt insecure. Later on, when there was a boy, for these women who relied on their son's status, it wasn't a good thing, but a curse.
That year, these murder cases were condensed from the tears of countless mothers and the souls of the deceased who died unjustly. However, if one really wanted to summarize it, it really was just this simple sentence.
Jun Shang gazed at the boundless rainy night. His gaze was very empty, as if he was looking at his own brothers who hadn't grown up yet.
He said softly, "These things, whether it was a coincidence or if they were really done by mother concubine concubine, I won't be presumptuous. However … everyone will feel that I have stepped on a path stained with blood. So of the previous emperor's concubines … which one of them will wish me well? Which one of their distant relatives will truly be willing to be of the same mind as me? "
"They weren't willing to submit to me and didn't pledge their loyalty to me. What's more, when the previous emperor passed away, he wanted to abolish me — to adopt a Murong Lian. How secure do you think my position is? "
Gu Mang: "…"
After Jun Shang finished speaking, he bit his lip. The light in his eyes flickered. "So it's not that I don't want to inherit the previous emperor's path, and it's also not that I really view you all as duckweed. It's because … "He closed his eyes." I don't have any other choice. "
"When I first took power, there were internal and external troubles. Everything wasn't stable. You all seem to think that as long as I approve all the big and small matters of Chong Hua, I can make any decision. But in fact, I can't even touch the Fallen Plum Garden that the Lord Wangshu opened. This is the situation of the new emperor of Chong Hua — look at how ridiculous it is. "
Gu Mang: "Fallen Plum Garden is just a brothel. Why can't it be sealed?"
"Brothel …" Jun Shang sneered coldly. He raised his eyes to look at Gu Mang. "Does Marshal Gu know how deep the water is behind this brothel? When you don't touch it, you only know that it's a place under the Lord Wangshu. But when you really want to uproot it, you'll find that its roots cover more than half of Wangcheng. As soon as you touch it, the interests buried deep in the soil will demonstrate to you, cry out to you, and go against you. "
"Just a Fallen Plum Garden is involved in officials protecting each other, selling stolen goods, accepting bribes, and all kinds of scandals … This is just a brothel. In today's Chong Hua, when I do something, there are ten thousand pairs of eyes watching, a thousand mouths saying no, and a hundred arms anxiously urging me back to my seat. What if one day, I want to reform the Ceremony Platform, the Military Agency, and even completely change the national system of Chong Hua? What kind of situation will that be? "
The wind blew and the rain slanted. The rapid rainwater slanted into the golden platform. For a moment, no one spoke. Whether it was Mo Xi, who was watching from the side, or the pair of officials at that time, they all fell into silence.
Not long after, Jun Shang said again, "Retreating and sticking to the old ways is not my will. It's a strategy that I have no choice but to take on, a responsibility that I have no choice but to take on."
A strategy that can't work … a responsibility that I have no choice but to take on …
These two sentences were like nails that were hammered into Gu Mang's flesh and blood, making his heart tremble.
"Marshal Gu."
Gu Mang suddenly raised his head.
Jun Shang put his slender fingers on the edge of the dark red railing and said in a low voice, "Do you know what I want to do the most in my life?"
"…"
"I want to make those old nobles learn to shut their mouths. I want to make those good-for-nothings spit out the meat in their mouths. Chen Tang believed in Hua Poan wrongly. With the Burning Country, some people felt that cultivators who were slaves should never be taken. But father believed in Gu Qing, so Chong Hua had an iron general to fight against the Burning Country. If there is Hua Poan in this world, there will be you, Gu Mang, and there will be Lu Zhanxing. "
"The late Emperor chose the right path, but I want to go further than him."
He paused, his eyes focused, and his fingers slowly clenched unconsciously, as if he was about to face something disgusting.
"Those officials who are unfaithful, those old nobles … They don't care about the Chong Hua at all. They only care about what rewards they get today and what titles they get tomorrow. If they really go to the battlefield, they are all a bunch of good-for-nothings! It's been so many years … Using Hua Po An's treason, they would rather die than let any capable and knowledgeable cultivator come out. If any cultivator who was born as a slave came out, they couldn't wait to attack and accuse him of a bunch of groundless crimes and let him die in the Storm Pavilion — "
Not only Gu Mang, but even Mo Xi was shocked by these words.
When has Jun Shang ever been this emotional and spoke so much in one breath without any concealment?
Moreover, when he said these words, his eyes gradually flashed with an intense light. This light seemed to have cracked the layer of invisible shell covering him. At this time, he really looked like a vigorous and high-spirited youth.
"They are afraid of the reformation of Chong Hua, afraid of the understanding of black magic, afraid of all the unknown changes. They only want to live a peaceful life until they die. They don't think that after a hundred years, the country may be destroyed, their family may be destroyed, and they only want to fight for a day of pleasure — this is the nobility of Chong Hua. My brothers. "Jun Shang said at last.
"…"
"But you are different. My brothers, my comrades, those who have the same blood as me in their bones, all they think about is how to drink more blood from Chong Hua, and how to be a glorious overlord for one more day. Marshal Gu, you are different. "
"Those brothers of yours, that army of yours, that is a sharp sword that Chonghua hasn't refined for hundreds of years. Whether you believe it or not, it's my treasure. "
Trapped in the night rain and unable to escape, the moth danced crazily by the candle flame and finally threw itself at the flame. Suddenly, the flame rose up, emitting a pungent burnt smell … The moth finally died with the light and fell in the middle of the candle pond.
"In this life, not only do I want to follow my father's path, but I also want to reduce the power of the nobility and lower my skirt. I also want to take risks that no one dares to take — Chong Hua doesn't learn the Black Demon Forbidden Arts, but I must master it and know it! What is the shame of knowing it but not being righteous? If Chong Hua could learn the Three Great Forbidden Arts widely, why would Lu Zhanxing be like this? "
Gu Mang's body suddenly trembled.
"Marshal Gu, one Lu Qing is enough … I don't want to see a second or third Lu Qing being harmed by the Black Demon without anyone noticing."
He looked at the Qiong Hut. At this time, there was a flash of lightning in the sky.
Not long after, there was a muffled rumble of thunder.
Jun Shang's eyes were lit up by the lightning. He muttered, "Chong Hua's sky, it's time to change …"
In the night, most of the candles in the inner court of the palace were extinguished. Only the golden stage at the top of King City was still lit by the whistling wind. It was like a cold sword, pointing straight to the Ninth Heaven, breaking through the thick clouds.
"Gu Qing, I need a person. He must be loyal enough, brave enough, and smart enough. I need a person like this to enter Liao Country and pass on information for me, to become the poison that is poured into the stomach of Liao Country and the old nobles. "
Gu Mang wasn't stupid. He already faintly understood the reason why Jun Shang invited him to meet on the golden stage today.
As expected, Jun Shang said, "Gu Qing. Are you willing to be Chong Hua's right-hand man and bear the burden? "
Gu Mang was silent for a while and said, "Jun Shang wants me to pretend to surrender?"
Extreme silence.
The sound of the wind and rain falling on the roof almost penetrated the eardrums. Gu Mang was waiting for this answer. Mo Xi was also waiting. It was like the bowstring of a jade bow had been pulled to the limit, only waiting for the last bit of strength to be exerted.
Jun Shang closed his eyes and then said, "… Yes."
With a bang, the bowstring broke. The broken string couldn't help but tremble, tremble …
Even though he was in Wang Jian, he was just a bystander. Mo Xi still felt that this night's wind and rain had killed into his bones and blood in an instant. All the blood in his body rushed to his head and immediately condensed into ice. He seemed to be frozen by this affirmation. He lost all feeling in his limbs and bones.
Cold, really cold.
But perhaps it was because he had been waiting for this affirmation, the truth of treason. He had waited for eight years, eight years of sorrow, eight years of pain, and eight years of despair.
When he really heard this sentence and knew that Gu Mang did have some hidden feelings, and was even a chess piece that Chong Hua had planted in Liao Country, all the emotions in these years turned into bitterness and heartache in an instant …
Reporting to Jun Shang's golden platform, leading the jade dragon to die for Jun Shang …
How ironic.
Only those who had truly stepped onto this high platform that was admired by tens of thousands of people would know what it meant to be an 'important official'.
The so-called 'important official' was not above the heavens, nor below the earth. All the conspiracies, tricks, and treacherous sacrifices would all come out from the mouth of the king and into the ears of the official. From then on, the brilliant and sincere smile would be torn off from the face dripping with blood. A face that you couldn't choose would be firmly pinned on your face.
When the blood dried and the scar faded, you would raise your head, but you would no longer be able to see your own face in the bronze mirror.
The so-called 'hero', perhaps for a dream, perhaps for a goal, perhaps for a person's words of goodwill, nodded on a stormy night.
From then on, he gave his whole life, and there was no turning back.
The wind blew his wide sleeves, Gu Mang pushed aside the scattered hair on his temples and said, "Jun Shang, you want to prove that you are right. You want to do something that will shake the heavens, and let the old nobles see clearly whether you are a piece of trash that stepped on flesh and blood to ascend the throne, or an indomitable king. Is that so? "
"…" His words were too quiet, as if he was trying to suppress some emotion, so Jun Shang didn't answer immediately.
"Jun Shang wants to be a wise king, and wants to change the foundation of Chong Hua. Naturally, this is a good thing. I also admire you very much."
Hearing him say this, Jun Shang was slightly relieved. He was about to answer when he heard Gu Mang say,
"But Jun Shang, I have already died seventy thousand times. The scar on my heart hasn't formed a scab, and the seventy thousand souls haven't been buried. Yes, I am willing to become your sharp blade, to become the poison you pour into the belly of the burning country, to become the spy who gathers information about the Black Demon for you, and to become the sacrifice you send to appease the old nobles. "
"I can agree to these, and I am willing to do them. I just want to ask you to spare my brother's life for the sake of these seventy thousand dead people. "
"…"
"I am not some God of War, I am just one of the hundred thousand slave cultivators. I am willing to become a traitor that you have appointed, and bear a lifetime of infamy, but I beg you to give them the justice that they deserve. "
Jun Shang slowly closed his eyes, as if he was disturbed by his words.
He whispered, "I won't let you suffer in vain. One day … Gu Qing, one day, I will clear your name. On that day, I will personally give you a blue gold ribbon. I will tell the whole Chong Hua, tell every peaceful and happy people that you have paid such a sacrifice to have such a world …"
Gu Mang's eyes flickered, but in the end, he was not moved by the future that Jun Shang described.
He was still clear-headed, clear-headed and stubbornly clinging to the things he had set his mind on.
He stared at Jun Shang's face and said word by word, "What about Lu Zhanxing?"
Junshang looked at him. Their gazes were like an invisible contest. In the end, Junshang was defeated in this panic-inducing deathly silence. He closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Minister Gu, Minister Lu has no way out."
The author has something to say:
Jun Shang: I heard that my speech yesterday didn't gain the trust of the comments section, so I decided to try again.
Gu Mang was confused: You have to persuade me first. I think they are smarter than me. You have to persuade me first, and then persuade them. 23333333
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