Surrounded by strong ministers

Returning to the palace from King Qin's residence, Xiao Zong went to Qingquan Palace by himself, soaked in a warm soup until evening before coming out.

Wang Rong waited outside, listening to the movement behind the heavy curtain with his ears upright. If he couldn't hear the sound of water for a while, he would call "Your Majesty" cautiously and tentatively. I'm afraid that something will happen to the master after soaking in the warm water pool for a long time.

Xiao Zong came out of the bath and finished dressing himself.Wang Rong blinked, saw the master's silent and indifferent face, and shrank his head.In fact, he didn't quite understand why the meeting between the monarch and his ministers would end up with the master wearing a frosty face and stepping on floating clouds to come out of King Qin's room.He didn't even understand why King Qin, who was sick and bedridden, suddenly walked steadily and vigorously?He remembered that when the king of Qin sent his master to drive, he was clearly proud of his whole body, not like he was breaking up unhappy, but the master has kept his face sullen until now, as if what he ate at King Qin's place is destined to never return to the original It seems like a loss, what is this for?

Wang Rong's stupidity is recognized, and he knows it himself, and he doesn't expect to come up with one, two, three, four by hammering his elm head.

But one thing he knew roughly, the emperor, who was always good-tempered in the next few days, might not be easy to serve.Wang Rong thought about finding a time to explain it, and in the past few days, everyone has been serving His Majesty to tighten their skin and flesh, so that no moths are allowed.

Xiao Zong took a bath, left Qingquan Palace without saying a word, and headed towards Chongyang Palace.

Wang Rong followed behind him step by step, seeing that his master meant to criticize the state affairs, he hesitated to follow, opened his mouth several times, and shut up immediately after seeing Xiao Zong's expression, he had served Xiao Zong for ten years, and finally knew the master's plan It turned out that his face looked like this, and his heart was a little hairy.

After hesitating for a few times, Wang Rong finally swallowed and whispered, "Your Majesty, Taifu Han... is still waiting in the South Study Room. He seems to have been waiting for you all afternoon. Does the Emperor still summon him?"

Xiao Zong paused, and then he remembered that before he left the palace to meet the King of Qin, he passed an oral order, and Xuan Han went to the south study room to wait for him.

He Xuan Hansu, originally planned to make some arrangements for Prince Chu's entry to the capital in advance, and then listened to the Taifu's opinion on this matter, but he didn't want to get upset and forgot about it.

Wang Rong saw that the master was silent for a long time, and said cautiously: "The emperor is tired today, why not... I ask the master to go back to the mansion first, and you will call again tomorrow?"

Xiao Zong gave the little eunuch a cold, swishing look, suppressed the turbulent emotions that he couldn't get back for a long time, and said after a long while, "Show me the South Study Room."

He felt that sitting on the throne of the Ninth Five-Year Emperor was incomparable with the peerless hero, but he hadn't used it for a little physical loss, and couldn't distinguish between big and small, and the priority.

Xiao Zong calmed down and stepped into the south study, and caught a glimpse of Han Su who was sitting quietly in a pear-blossom armchair by the window, his plain face was no longer as cold as it was a moment ago.The person involved may not have noticed some things, but Wang Rong, who followed up from the sidelines, actually realized something. His master always calmed down unconsciously in front of the gentle and elegant Taifu.

Han Su wore a lavender Qingjue brocade robe with unicorn patterns embroidered with silver thread on the sleeves. He was sitting drinking tea when he saw Xiao Zong.

Seeing this, Xiao Zong felt a little relieved, gave him a seat, and sat down on the first throne himself.

Han Su waited for Xiao Zong in the study for half a day, and now he was sitting in the chair, his gentle and upright face was not agitated. The movement came out from the bones.

Xiao Zong watched, and couldn't help but feel more relaxed.

Wang Rong sent someone to re-distribute some refreshments and fruits, and he took the palace maid out of the South Study Room in a very sensible manner.

As soon as the servants retreated, Xiao Zong and his Taifu were the only ones left in the big study, Xiao Zong was about to speak when Han Su said in a low voice, "I heard that the emperor left the palace in casual clothes today, and went to see King Qin in the residence. But what happened to King Qin?"

Xiao Zong looked at him, didn't say much, just handed out the memorial written by the king of Chu, "This was sent by the envoy sent by the king of Chu this morning, just take a look."

Han Su frowned when he heard the words "King of Chu". After reading the content of the letter, his face gradually became condensed.

"What does Taifu think about this matter?" Xiao Zong said.

Han Su frowned, closed the notebook, pondered for a moment, and said, "Young Master Chu is going to Beijing, I'm afraid the person who comes will be unkind."

He raised his eyes to look at Xiao Zong, and continued: "What is the truth about King Qin being poisoned, everyone knows it well, and the matter is not yet known how it will end. Naturally, I won't let it go..." Han Su suddenly stopped at this point, raised his eyes and looked at the emperor for a long time, "The emperor left the palace today for this matter... to appease King Qin?"

Xiao Zong met the Taifu's straight eyes, and for some reason, his relaxed mood tightened suddenly. He suddenly remembered the four words "the following offends the superior" that he heard from the emperor's nephew Xiao Li that day, holding a teacup. His hands froze involuntarily, and he subconsciously turned his eyes to look elsewhere.

"Forget it...that's right."

There was a sudden silence in the study.After a long time, Xiao Zong heard Taifu's voice again, "Why does the emperor condescend to see the King of Qin?" But there was a little coldness in his indifference, "I don't think it is necessary. The second son of the King of Chu went to Beijing. If the King of Qin If the emperor really intends to do something, if the emperor wants to dispel his idea, he is afraid that he will have to pay a considerable price in exchange. The king of Qin is good at schemes, how can the emperor send him out of thin air. Besides, if the emperor really doesn't want to see the king of Qin causing trouble, the two kings are in the capital. There is a situation that cannot be dealt with, and you have refuted the letter written by the King of Chu with one order, just to prevent Sima Xian from entering the gate of the imperial city, and you have no need to show weakness in front of the King of Qin."

Xiao Zong listened, a little surprised and a little dazed.Han Su was angry. Although he had expected that his grand tutor would be unhappy when he knew he was going to see King Qin, he didn't expect that the grand tutor's anger would come so quickly, stuffy, cold, and chilly.

Xiao Zong moved his lips, he was really at a loss.

"Teacher, you..."

After Han Su said those words, he didn't speak again.

Xiao Zong waited for a while, looked at the undisguised coldness on Taifu's gentle face, sighed secretly, and said: "What the Taifu said, I have naturally thought about it, and it is easy to refute King Chu's letter, but Well, my uncle has been a loyal and virtuous minister for so long, so it was so easy to make a move, how could he give up willingly, I will not allow Sima Xian to enter the capital this time, my uncle will definitely make me restless elsewhere." Seeing Han Su's expression Still cold, Xiao Zong secretly sighed again, and continued, "Besides, the King of Chu is presenting such a memorial at this time, the Taifu doesn't think it's strange. My uncle just planned to poison the King of Qin two months ago but failed. I asked Wen Ting to take the blame for him in front of the people of the world, but it would be ridiculous to say that he believed that no one noticed that he was the mastermind behind the scenes, and the King of Chu would not be the King of Chu. He clearly knew this, and he also knew that King Qin With a temperament of vengeance, but still sending his son to the capital, the Taifu didn't realize that the king of Chu's move was not reasonable?"

Han Su was slightly taken aback when he heard the words. In fact, since the moment he saw Xiao Zong step into the study, his mind was a little messed up, and he only suppressed it with self-restraint. After venting, he realized that he had touched the emperor's prestige, which violated the etiquette of the emperor and ministers, and his heart became even more messy. It was not until now after listening to Xiao Zong's analysis that he finally calmed down.

Xiao Zong continued: "The sudden and unreasonable publication of King Chu's paper makes me wonder if there is someone hiding behind his decision."

Han Su had just taken care of Sheng Wuming, now he calmed down, heard what Xiao Zong said, and frowned, "What does your majesty mean, suspecting that King Chu's actions were instigated?"

Xiao Zong didn't say a word, it was his tacit consent.

Han Su's face darkened. If there was such a person who provoked the King of Chu, then Sima Xian's most welcome result in going to Beijing would be to die in the capital.

Who is most looking forward to this result?

Han Su frowned and exploited several vassal kings of the Great Zhou Dynasty and some powerful princes in turn several times. His brows became deeper and deeper, and his mind was chaotic. Everyone looks like a mastermind behind the scenes.

In the end, he looked at Xiao Zong dejectedly, "Who does the Emperor suspect?"

Xiao Zong smiled wryly, "I suspect everyone." After a moment of silence, he said again, "But what I fear the most is the King of Qin."

He thought for a long time, if King Qin had the heart to aspire to the throne, how would he seize his power.After Wen Tingli was castrated one after another, the government and the public were already in awe of him. He returned to the military power, and it seemed that his strength had greatly increased, but in fact he knew one thing very well-the situation had not changed much for him.The kings support soldiers, but he is still struggling.The checks and balances have not collapsed. Whether it is him or the king of Qin and the king of Chu, everyone seems to have a lot of worries, unable to control the overall situation, and overwhelm the crowd.This is his great fortune in misfortune, but it is also the biggest obstacle for the princes to compete for the throne.

If King Qin aims at the throne, he must first break this deadlock.

How to break it, to put it bluntly, there are only two ways.Either the king of Qin will first unite with him or the king of Chu to eradicate the other side, and then the remaining two sides will fight each other, and the winner will win the world.Either the King of Qin urged the King of Chu to raise troops and meet him in battle, and the King of Qin would reap the benefits himself.These two methods, as far as the current situation is concerned, his uncle has painstakingly cultivated a good reputation for Zhongliang, and he will never form an alliance with the King of Qin to kill the king unless it is absolutely necessary. Therefore, if the King of Qin wants to rebel, it must be between him and the King of Chu challenge.

If Sima Xian went to Beijing, if something happened, King Qin would definitely not bear the reputation of killing himself.

This is the worst situation he can handle.

So, he went to see King Qin.

He didn't know if this was a sign of weakness, or he couldn't hold his breath, or he thought he was rational when facing King Qin, but he was never calm.

Many years ago, his second elder brother Rui Wang Xiao Jing once warned him solemnly, saying that he may be the smartest among them, he can understand the chaotic situation at a glance, but he has two big problems , if he doesn't change it as soon as possible, it is destined to be his fatal injury.At that time, he was just worrying about a child whose father was hesitant to kill or keep him, and he didn't agree with the cold heart of the second brother.

Prince Rui said that he was merciful and merciless.

Perhaps Prince Rui knew him best since he was a child, and his words were not pleasant, but most of the time they hit the nail on the head.

Now he can see many things clearly, and he also knows that if he makes a wrong move, the country will be overthrown, and the people will be destroyed, but it is still inevitable, as Prince Rui said, he will act on his emotions.

King Qin has been stationed in the capital for a long time, and behaved ambiguously towards him. Even though he warned himself that no one would be willing to stop in front of Wang Tu Baye, he was still guarding against that wolf-like man, and a thought flashed inadvertently. .

Will King Qin really rebel?

"The emperor went to see King Qin, did you see anything?" Han Su asked after being silent for a long time.

Xiao Zong regained consciousness slowly.

What can he see? He can see many things clearly, but there are also some things that he can't allow him to delve into and let go.If he was only the fourteenth prince in the Xinyang Palace, perhaps he could grasp the situation more accurately, and he would not have to be so hesitant and hesitant about King Qin.

Sitting on the throne, many things are no longer simple.

Xiao Zong was silent for a long time, he didn't know what he was thinking, and after a long time, he said: "Does the Tai Tuo think King Qin's promise is credible?"

Han Su was taken aback, looked into the eyes of the emperor for a moment, his eyes were sharp, his gentle face changed several times, and after a while, he said: "I heard that King Qin never promises lightly, but if he makes a promise, I have never heard of any repentance." Han Su looked at the emperor with a cold expression, paused for a moment, and then spoke in a cold tone, "I don't know what King Qin promised His Majesty, but I have to say something more, King Qin respects you." The promise is not false, but the cunning is also true."

Xiao Zong's face was sullen, he didn't say a word, he sat quietly for a while, got up and said to Han Su, "Teacher who worked so hard today, it's getting late, the Tutor should go back to the manor and rest earlier."

Han Su hesitated for a moment, got up and left.

Xiao Zong walked back and forth in the study for a few times by himself, then sat back on the throne.All the events of the day were running in his mind one after another, the story of King Chu, the embarrassment and shame in King Qin's bedroom, and the exploitative situation just now, all made him exhausted and heartbroken.Xiao Zong rubbed his forehead, a sense of weakness permeated his limbs, he really felt tired.

Just when he felt a little overwhelmed, there was a faint sound of a piano floating in the quiet study.At first, the sound of the piano was very low, soft and intermittent, as if it had just started, Xiao Zong thought for a moment that he had used his brain too much and was hallucinating.Gradually, the sound of the piano was melodious and clear, continuous like a gentle breeze, as if carrying a fistful of peace and warmth, floating in from the outside.This is Xiao Zong's affirmation, but someone is really playing the piano.

The sound of the zither is soothing and soothing, sometimes like flowing water, and sometimes like a slanting wind and drizzle, softly moistening the delicate flowers and herbs, and everywhere revealing the meaning of comfort and affinity, coming from across the wall, lingering in the quiet study Inside, it is like a ray of requiem incense permeating the heart and spleen.

Xiao Zong sat quietly in the room and listened for a while, all the troubles receded in an instant like an ebbing tide.

The sound of the zither didn't stop, Xiao Zong got up and went to the window, pushed open the window, and for a moment, he was awed by the beautiful scenery that came into his eyes.

Sunset on the west mountain, the twilight is gradually sinking, the red afterglow smudges a thin cloud in the sky, the inner courtyard of the South Study Room is full of white chrysanthemums, the lingering fragrance of osmanthus, phoenix trees and evening breeze.

One person plays the piano, sitting on the ground, with the twilight clouds behind his back, clasping the strings with ten fingers and lightly twitching, the sound of nature is like water, the gust of wind blows, the black hair is flying, the face is drooping, and the elegance is full of charm.

Xiao Zong suddenly remembered many years ago, when he was young, when he heard Han Su play the piano for the first time, he also plucked the strings with ten fingers, his style was unparalleled.

After the song, Han Su got up and approached, and bowed slightly outside the window, "The emperor once said that I hope that I hope that I am not only the emperor's servants, but also that I hope that I will accompany the emperor to drink tea and watch the scenery. Today, the emperor is in a bad mood, so I play the piano and divide the emperor. Worry about one or two." A slight smile hung on the corner of his lips.

Xiao Zongzheng didn't know what to say, but he heard Han Su say again: "Don't worry about the matter of Sima Xian, the emperor, you can't avoid what should come, if it is really King Qin who planned it behind the scenes, trying to break the check and balance, and plot something wrong, the emperor can do whatever he wants." Prepare in advance, pre-empt strikes, and unite with Chu to fight against the King of Qin."

Eyebrows are flying, and there is a hint of strength in a gentle smile.

Volume [-] Cup with Xiao Zong