The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

Chapter 534 Cheating each other
As Zhao Yao expected, the next assassin was no longer a dead soldier of the Xiongnu, but a dead soldier of the Xun family. Of course, there are no marks on the dead soldiers that can prove that they belong to the Xun family.

In addition to the dead men of the Xun family, there were also dead men of the Wang family. There are even professional killer assassins.

The assassinations came one after another, becoming more and more brutal. In order to kill Zhao Yao, he tried all means, but still failed to kill Zhao Yao.

The emperor who was far away in the capital was not worried at all when he learned that King Han kept sending people to assassinate Zhao Yao. On the other hand, Sun Kui, who was waiting aside, was frightened and worried about Zhao Yao's safety.

Today, the Dragon Guard sent another secret letter, which said that several more groups of dead soldiers had assassinated the King of Han.

After the emperor read it, he rubbed his chin and sighed: "The life of that brat is really valuable. Wave after wave of dead soldiers are going to kill him."

Sun Kui on the side heard this and cursed in his heart: Your Majesty, His Highness the King of Han is in danger, why are you not worried at all? Aren't you afraid that something might happen to His Highness the King of Han?

"I understand that the Xun family took action to kill that brat, but why did the Wang family send dead soldiers to assassinate him?" The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a dark expression, "When did the relationship between the Xun family and the Wang family become so good?"

Sun Kui murmured in his heart: The Wang family is not the former Anyang Palace. Their titles have been abolished. They are not honest and keep their tail between their legs. They dare to send people to assassinate His Highness the King of Han. Don't they want to live?
The emperor looked at Sun Kui, who was standing silently aside, and asked, "Concubine Shu has a good relationship with Concubine De?"

Sun Kui thought about it seriously and said, "The two empresses seldom move around." When Empress Shu was still a concubine, she had no contact with Empress De. When the two met, they would also make jabs at each other from time to time. By the way, Concubine Shu and Concubine De were jealous before, and they didn't seem to have a very good relationship. Also, the two empresses had a big quarrel over the relationship between their two sons. Both empresses told their sons not to associate with each other's son again.

After hearing this, the emperor laughed inexplicably: "Interesting."

Seeing the emperor's smiling expression, Sun Kui's heart skipped a beat, and then he quickly lowered his head.

The emperor looked at the dragon guard and ordered: "Go check on the concubine Shu and the concubine De."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The dragon guard retreated respectfully.

The emperor played with the secret letter in his hand and said with a half-smile: "I still underestimated women."

Sun Kui: What do you mean, the emperor said that he underestimated concubines Shu and Concubine De? Could it be that Concubine Shu and Concubine De are not as incompatible as they appear?
In the harem, it is not uncommon for ladies to pretend to be at odds with each other on the surface. However, if Concubine Shu and Empress Dowager De are really pretending to be at odds with each other, this would be too...pretending.

The emperor sighed: "A woman's heart is as deep as a needle in the sea."

Sun Kui said deliberately: "Your Majesty, you also said this to Concubine Liang."

The emperor glared at Sun Kui and smashed the secret letter in his hand at his head.

"Speak up."

Sun Kui raised his hand and slapped himself gently, and said with a smile: "This slave deserves to die."

"Humph, Xiaoxiao is not one of those women."

"Your Majesty, your Highness the King of Han is being assassinated, don't you care?" Those are dead soldiers, they kill without blinking an eye, and they will not stop until His Highness the King of Han is put to death.

"What do I care about?" The emperor put on an indifferent face, "I am very busy, how can I have time to care about this matter."

Sun Kui: "..." Your Majesty, do you want to listen to what you are saying? If His Highness the King of Han heard you say this, his heart would be broken.

"Aren't you afraid that something will happen to His Highness the King of Han?" Also, if Empress Liang knows that His Highness the King of Han has been assassinated and you don't care about the life or death of His Highness the King of Han, I'm afraid Empress Liang will never end with you.

"That brat is too lucky to die." The emperor snorted coldly. "If that brat returns to the capital without his life, it means he only has this ability."

After Sun Kui heard this, his heart became cold. For a moment, he didn't understand whether the emperor really loved His Highness the King of Han.

It is said that the Emperor loves His Highness the King of Han, but now His Highness the King of Han is encountering various assassinations and life and death are uncertain, but the Emperor turns a blind eye. Let’s just say that the emperor does not favor His Highness the King of Han. The Emperor has paved a lot of paths for His Highness the King of Han.

The emperor is so compassionate and cruel!

Seeing Sun Kui's worried look, the emperor joked: "I am not worried about that brat, but you are."

Sun Kui's heart tightened, and a flattering smile appeared on his face: "As soon as I heard that there were assassins, I was afraid." He did not say that he was worried about the safety of His Highness the King of Han.

"What are the dead soldiers to be afraid of?" The emperor didn't take the dead soldiers seriously at all. Back then, when he was quelling the war, he encountered countless assassinations by dead soldiers. "Don't worry, the brat will be fine."

Sun Kui felt a little weird in his heart. These words were obviously meant for him to comfort the emperor, but why did the emperor comfort him instead?

"His Royal Highness the King of Han, good people have their own destiny, and they will definitely turn bad luck into good luck."

"The bad boy is indeed very lucky." After the emperor finished speaking, he continued to read the memorial.

Sun Kui glanced at the emperor secretly and saw that he was really not worried about Zhao Yao's safety. He sighed slightly in his heart: I hope His Highness the King of Han comes back safely!

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Han's Mansion has not been cleaned up yet. Do you want me to ask someone to clean it up?" Ever since His Majesty the Prince of Han went to Lingnan, the Prince of Han's Mansion has been vacant, and no one has been sent to clean it on weekdays. His Highness should be back soon. We need to put the Han Palace in order before His Highness comes back.

"Then ask someone to clean it up."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Sun Kui walked out and called his apprentice over, "You personally lead people to clean up Prince Han's Mansion."

When Sun Doudou heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Master, His Highness the King of Han is coming back."

Sun Kui nodded lightly and said, "Well, it's only in the past few days."

Sun Doudou looked surprised and said, "Why was there no news beforehand?"

"Don't you know now?"

Sun Doudou pulled Sun Kui aside and asked in a low voice: "Master, is it okay for His Highness the King of Han to return to the capital?"

Sun Kui glanced at the nervous apprentice and asked, "What do you think?"

When Sun Doudou saw his master's attitude, he couldn't help but tremble, and his face became solemn: "Master, has something happened to His Highness?" The Master had never told him that His Highness the King of Han was going to return to the capital. Now he was suddenly told that His Highness was going back to Beijing. There must be something going on.

Sun Kui was very pleased to see his apprentice so alert, but he didn't show it on his face.

"His Royal Highness, King Han, is fine. Don't worry about it."

Sun Doudou didn't quite believe it and asked with suspicion: "Is Your Highness really okay?" He thought for a while and then said, "Master, there is no news in the capital or the palace about when His Highness the King of Han will return to the capital. I will go now." By cleaning Prince Han’s Mansion, isn’t this telling everyone that His Highness the Prince of Han is coming back? Wouldn’t this be bad for His Highness?”

Sun Kui hit his apprentice's little head with a whisk and comforted him gently: "I asked you to clean Prince Han's Mansion, which means nothing happened. Stop talking nonsense and go clean it quickly."

Hearing what Sun Kui said, Sun Doudou felt relieved: "Okay, I will take people to clean it now." After that, he ran away quickly.

Sun Kui looked at his apprentice's leaving figure with a comforting smile on his face.

Brat, you're getting smarter and smarter.

Returning to the imperial study, Sun Kui respectfully reported to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I asked Sun Doudou to lead people to clean the Han Dynasty Palace."

Hearing the name "Sun Doudou", the emperor paused with the cinnabar pen in his hand, then looked at Sun Kui and asked, "How old is your apprentice this year?"

When Sun Kui heard the emperor's sudden question, he was slightly stunned, and then replied respectfully: "In response to the emperor's words, Sun Doudou is twenty-three years old this year."

"Twenty-three." The emperor asked again, "How many years have you been in the palace?"

Sun Kui replied: "It will be fifteen years this year."

"How many years have I been with you?"

"Ten years."

"I remember that you accepted this apprentice thanks to that brat Xiao Shi, right?"

Sun Kui didn't expect that the emperor even knew about such a trivial matter, "The emperor is right, thanks to His Highness the King of Han." Ten years ago, Sun Doudou was a low-level eunuch in the imperial garden. His daily errand was to clean the imperial garden. It was very cold that winter. Sun Doudou, a little eunuch, wore thin clothes and braved the cold to sweep snow in the imperial garden. Soon he fainted from the cold in the imperial garden. Fortunately he met Zhao Yao. When Zhao Yao was about to carry him back to Kunde Hall for treatment, he met Sun Kui.

Zhao Yao handed Sun Doudou, who had fainted from the cold, to Sun Kui, and repeatedly emphasized that Sun Kui must save and cure him. So Sun Kui rescued Sun Doudou. However, Sun Kui forgot about Sun Doudou after that.

Sun Doudou later recovered from his illness and came specially to thank Sun Kui. At that time, Sun Kui didn't have this little eunuch in his heart. He saved him just because of Zhao Yao's orders.

Since then, Sun Doudou greeted Sun Kui from time to time. If there is anything delicious or good, he will honor Sun Kui. He also washed Sun Kui's clothes, feet, and shoes, and served Sun Kui like a snail girl.

Sun Kui knew the purpose of his attentiveness and didn't take it seriously at first. Later, I saw that the child was smart, diligent, and able to endure hardships. Although he has some small thoughts, he has a good heart and never does anything harmful to others.

After observing the child for a period of time, he accepted him as his disciple, took him with him, and taught him personally. Sun Doudou did not disappoint him. He has done very well in the past ten years.

Although the master-disciple relationship has only been ten years, Sun Kui has long regarded Sun Doudou as his own son.

"Your apprentice has taught me well, and my work is quite safe." The emperor said, "However, compared to you, he is still a little behind."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. My servant is also..."

The emperor interrupted Sun Kui, "Don't say anything modest. You have been by my side all these years. I still don't know how you are doing."

After hearing this, Sun Kui was moved and his eyes turned slightly red. He hurriedly knelt down and said in a choked voice: "Your Majesty, slave..."

"How rude is it for a man to cry and cry? Get up quickly."

Sun Kui quickly stood up, raised his arms, and wiped his face randomly with his sleeves.

"Your Majesty, I am not a man."

"That's true." The emperor glanced at Sun Kui up and down and said with a smile, "Although you are no longer a man, your temperament is quite masculine."

Sun Kui said with a smile on his face: "This is all because I am with you."

"Come on, stop flattering me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sun Kui corrected silently in his heart, Your Majesty, your ass is a dragon's fart, not a flattery.

"Your apprentice has been with you for ten years, are you reluctant to let him leave you?"

Sun Kui heard this and sighed in his heart: Sure enough!

"This slave is willing to give up."

"I see that you regard him as your son, are you really willing to let him leave you?"

"Your Majesty, it is impossible for him to stay by your side forever." Sun Kui asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, do you want Sun Doudou to stay with His Highness the King of Han?"

"I have this plan."

"Your Majesty, is it too early to let Sun Doudou go to His Highness the King of Han?" Sun Kui was not reluctant to let go of Sun Doudou, but because Sun Doudou was his apprentice. If Sun Doudou was to serve Zhao Yao now, wouldn't it mean telling everyone , is the emperor’s favorite prince his highness the King of Han?

"You are right, now is not the time." The emperor had forgotten this.

Sun Kui didn't want Sun Doudou to be with Zhao Yao now, firstly because it was not the time yet. The second is because he felt that it would be better for Sun Doudou to stay in the palace than to follow Zhao Yao to Marsh Mansion.

Zhao Yaoyuan was in Marsh Mansion, far away from the capital. Even if he has someone in the capital, he will still receive news if something happens in the capital, but it will be a few days late for him to receive the news. If Sun Doudou stayed in the palace, he would know what happened in the capital or in the palace. Furthermore, Sun Doudou can also help Zhao Yao keep an eye on the situation in the capital and the court.

"Although I can't stay with Xiao Shi, I can let him take refuge with Xiao Shi." The emperor said meaningfully, "There must be someone from Xiao Shi in this palace."

What he said was a bit shocking, and it scared Sun Kui's heart to beat a few times.

"Your Majesty, do you mean to ask Sun Doudou to inform His Highness the King of Han?"

"correct."

Sun Kui: "..." Your Majesty, what are you going to do?
Generally speaking, shouldn't the emperor hate someone telling others about the affairs in the palace? Why did the emperor let Sun Doudou take the initiative to tell the truth?

"Let your apprentice be Xiao Shi's spy in the capital."

Sun Kui hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, let Sun Doudou take the initiative to surrender to His Highness the King of Han. I think this is not feasible."

The emperor asked in confusion: "Why doesn't it work?"

"I feel that His Highness the King of Han does not want it."

The emperor was stunned when he said this. After a while, the emperor sighed and said: "You are right, that brat Xiao Shi definitely doesn't want to be your apprentice."

Sun Kui whispered in his heart: Isn't it? You asked Sun Doudou to seek refuge with His Highness the King of Han. With His Highness's intelligence, how could he not guess the purpose of such an arrangement? With His Highness’s temperament, he would naturally refuse.

"Your Majesty, when His Highness the King of Han was in the palace, he always kept a distance from those who served in front of him." Although His Highness the King of Han was polite to them, he never tried to win over them. In order to avoid trouble, His Highness the King of Han even stayed away from them.

"This brat is too smart." The emperor shook his head and said, "It's hard to lie to him."

Sun Kui thought of something and opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't dare.

Seeing Sun Kui's hesitant expression, the emperor raised his eyebrows slightly: "If you fart, let it go."

"Your Majesty, do you really think that His Highness the King of Han is not aware of your thoughts at all?" His Highness the King of Han is the most intelligent person in the world. He does not believe that His Highness the King of Han is not aware of the Emperor's thoughts at all.

After hearing this, the emperor's expression froze, then his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly.

When Sun Kui saw the emperor's appearance, he was shocked and said: No, the emperor really thinks that His Highness the King of Han is not aware of it? !

"Do you think the brat knows?"

"It's impossible not to know." His Highness the King of Han is not an idiot.

The emperor thought about it and felt that Sun Kui was right. With the brat's intelligence, it's impossible for him to be unaware.

Sun Kui said cautiously: "What you and General He did is not secretive. It would be difficult for His Highness the King of Han not to notice it."

The emperor put his hand on his forehead and sighed, "Oh... Lao He didn't say anything about it either."

"I guess General He didn't notice it either."

"Lao He is staying by the brat's side, and he doesn't even notice. He's so stupid!"

Sun Kui: Your Majesty, you didn’t notice it either.

Neither you nor General He noticed it. We can only say that His Highness the King of Han disguised himself well.

"Did the brat really notice it?" The emperor thought about it carefully and didn't notice that Zhao Yao knew it.

"Your Majesty, you can test whether His Highness the King of Han is aware of it."

The emperor waved his hand: "You can't test me. Once you test me, the brat will have a showdown with me."

Sun Kui thought to himself: His Highness the King of Han might really be able to do it.

"If he doesn't pretend he doesn't know anything, then I also pretend not to know."

Sun Kui: "..." Your Majesty, are you and His Highness the King of Han trying to deceive each other?

The emperor said with a serious look: "I will never pierce this layer of window paper." Once it is pierced, that brat will definitely give up his job, and maybe he will escape and stay away from Da Zhou.