The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

Wuhua Mountain is not very far from Zhenxi Military Camp, but it is still more than 100 miles away.The terrain here is rugged, with rolling peaks and dense forests.If there are no locals to guide the way, it is easy to get lost or even be in danger and die.

The King of Chu and his party disguised themselves as traders and successfully sneaked into Yunshui Mansion at the foot of Mount Wuhua.

Yunshui Mansion is the only state capital in Wuhua Mountain, but since it is not far from the Zhenxi Military Camp, the inspection of outsiders here is relatively strict.However, King Chu and his party had already made preparations, and their arrival did not attract much attention.

At this time, King Chu and his party were staying in the only guest house in Yunshui Mansion.

King Chu stood by the window, looking at Wuhua Mountain in the distance.Wuhua Mountain at night is shrouded in thick fog, and only its outline can be seen.

At this time, there were several knocks on the door.Then, Wei Mian's voice appeared outside the door.However, Wei Mian's voice was a little different from usual.His voice now sounded a little low and rough, not as high-pitched as usual.

"Master, it's me."

King Chu said without looking back: "Come in."

Wei Mian walked in and respectfully reported to the King of Chu: "Your Highness, I went out to inquire, but no useful information was found."

King Chu turned around and sat down at the table.

"As expected." King Chu had already expected that they would not easily find useful clues.

Wei Mian picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for King Chu.

"Your Highness, we have been to Wuhua Mountain for several days, but we haven't found any clues. What should we do?" Wei Mian frowned worriedly and said, "We can't spend too much time in Wuhua Mountain, otherwise it will The prince and others noticed that we had left Pengcheng."

King Chu was not in a hurry.He picked up the teacup, lowered his head and drank tea slowly.

"There won't be any clues."

When Wei Mian heard what King Chu said, his eyes suddenly lit up, with a look of anticipation on his face.

"Your Highness, what can you do?"

King Chu put down the tea cup in his hand and said warmly: "Lin Geng should come back with some clues." Lin Geng is the most capable guard around King Chu.

After Wei Mian heard this, he was no longer anxious.

"Then let's wait for Mr. Lin's good news."

After the King of Chu drank his tea, he spread out the geographical map of Mount Wuhua on the table.

Wei Mian was worried that King Chu could not see clearly, so he quickly turned on the lamp on the table to make it brighter.

"Your Highness, this Wuhua Mountain is composed of five mountains. Each mountain is covered with dense forests, and this dense forest is very dangerous. Even the locals dare not enter easily. I think the lost copper in Pengcheng is hidden in these five mountains. In the mountains, but I don’t know which mountain it is hidden in specifically.”

King Chu had a guess in his mind, but whether it was true or not would have to wait for the news brought back by Lin Geng.

After a while, Lin Geng came back from outside to inquire about the news.

"Your Highness, I heard that there is something strange in Guihua Village, fifty miles away from Yunshui Mansion."

King Chu asked: "What's strange?"

"A few years ago, a plague suddenly broke out in Guihua Village, and everyone in the village died." Lin Geng frowned slightly and said, "No one survived."

When the King of Chu heard this, he immediately frowned and asked with a serious face: "Plague? When did it happen?"

"I don't know what the specific plague was. I just know that it killed the entire people in Osmanthus Village." Lin Geng said, "It happened in the autumn four years ago."

"Only Osmanthus Village has the plague, is there any plague in other places?" King Chu had a bad guess in his mind.

"Only Osmanthus Village has the plague, not other places."

King Chu asked again: "Are there any other villages near Osmanthus Village?"

"No, Osmanthus Village is located near the fifth mountain of Wuhua Mountain. There are no other villages there."

When the King of Chu heard this, he lowered his head and looked at the regional map on the table carefully, then pointed to the fifth mountain and asked Lin Geng: "You mean here?"

Lin Geng stepped forward, took a look and said, "It should be right here."

Wei Mian also looked over and found that there was no village marked near the fifth mountain pointed by King Chu.He looked puzzled and said, "There is no Osmanthus Village on this map." King Chu looked at Lin Geng and said, "Continue talking."

Lin Geng continued what he said before: "After the plague occurred in Guihua Village, no one dared to live in Guihua Village. It was also said that Guihua Village was haunted, and no one dared to go there. No one even dared to approach the fifth mountain. .”

"It's haunted. It's a lie." Wei Mian didn't believe there were ghosts in the world.

"Your Highness, my subordinates guess that the prince and the others hid the stolen copper here."

King Chu nodded slightly and said, "It's very likely that he's in Osmanthus Village."

Wei Mian asked: "Your Highness, the plague in Osmanthus Village was caused by the prince's people, in order to drive away the villagers of Osmanthus Village?"

King Chu put away the regional map on the table and said with a cold face: "For them, killing a whole village of people in order to hide the copper is nothing."

"The lives of a village." Wei Mianyi said in disbelief, "The villagers are all innocent. The prince's people can just drive them away. There is no need to kill them."

"A dead man can never speak." King Chu said with a serious face, "In the eyes of the prince and others, the lives of a village mean nothing."

"Your Highness, people here are very taboo about Osmanthus Village." Lin Geng was very good at getting information. "Anyone who mentions Osmanthus Village will disappear."

After hearing this, Wei Mian said with a look of horror on his face: "Kill someone and silence them." After he finished speaking, he looked at Lin Geng curiously, "Master Lin, how did you find out about Osmanthus Village?"

"I heard it from the beggar. He said he has relatives living in Guihua Village."

Wei Mian looked at Lin Geng with admiration: "As expected of Mr. Lin."

"Your Highness, with the prince's methods, a dragnet should be set up in Osmanthus Village. It will be difficult for us to get close to Osmanthus Village." Lin Geng guessed that the area near Osmanthus Village has been tightly guarded by the prince's people, and no one is allowed to get close.

"Tomorrow night, let's test the situation first, and then make detailed plans." Now that they have found out where the stolen copper is, they can't leave empty-handed.

"Your Highness, let me bring someone over tomorrow night to investigate the situation." Lin Geng felt that it would be dangerous for them to venture to Osmanthus Village.It doesn't matter if something happens to them, but if something happens to His Highness, it will be very serious. "You can make plans after your subordinates find out the information."

"Tomorrow night, I have to check it out for myself so I know what to do."

"Your Highness..." Neither Wei Mian nor Lin Geng agreed with King Chu's personal risk of going to Osmanthus Village.

King Chu interrupted them: "You go and prepare."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Lin Geng, if you go to inquire about the situation in Guihua Village, it is best to know the situation in Guihua Village."

"The subordinate will go right away."

After Wei Mian made arrangements for tomorrow, he came back to serve the King of Chu.Seeing King Chu's gloomy face, he asked with concern: "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"

"He just killed a whole village of people to hide the stolen copper. I dare not think of how many more people he killed."

Wei Mian knew that the "he" in King Chu's mouth referred to the prince.

"Those who helped him steal copper, those who helped him forge weapons..." King Chu did not dare to think about it. "Since I was a child, I have always thought that he is a gentle and kind person, and I think he will be a benevolent king in the future. So I never thought about competing for the position of crown prince." This is why the king of Chu immediately left the capital and went to the fiefdom of Liangzhou when he became a queen.

"My father sent me to recover Shu. I knew my father's intention, but I didn't want to participate. After recovering Shu, my father called me back to the capital. I told my father that I didn't want to stay in the capital. I wanted to go back. Liangzhou, but my father disagrees."

"Your Highness, it is not your decision whether to return to the capital or not."

"At that time, I thought he was the best prince, but I could not disobey my father's will and could only stay in the capital." King Chu said this with a sarcastic smile on his face, "Now I know The father is right, he is not worthy of being the prince." The father once said to him, "The prince is not the prince of Zhou Dynasty, but the prince of the Xie family." What Zhou needs is a prince who has the world in mind, not the prince of the Xie family. .

"Your Highness, your Majesty is so wise. Your Majesty asked you to investigate the matter of stealing copper. You probably know that the prince is behind this." Wei Mian comforted King Chu and said, "Your Highness, in order to prevent the prince from continuing to do evil, let us quickly reveal the truth about the matter of stealing copper. Investigate it and report it to the emperor, and the emperor will definitely not spare the prince."

The King of Chu remembered that the Zhenxi Military Camp was not far from Mount Wuhua, and also remembered that Xie Shishi’s Zhenxi Military Camp was there.There was an ominous premonition in his heart.

Wei Mian saw King Chu's face becoming more and more solemn, and his heart tightened. He cautiously asked, "Your Highness, did your servant say something wrong?"

The King of Chu ordered: "Immediately write a letter back to the capital and send Lin Xu to the Zhenxi Military Camp and ask him to find out if there is anything abnormal in the Zhenxi Military Camp."

When Wei Mian heard this order from King Chu, he had a horrified look on his face: "Your Highness, you suspect the Zhenxi Military Camp..."