Yan Cigui.

Chapter 375: Adding fuel to the flames (two updates combined into one, please vote for me)

When Lin Yunyan returned to the wing, Xu Miao mentioned to her about Mrs. Gu's visit.

"Mrs. Gu seemed to be very concerned about A Jian's injury. I wasn't sure how much I should say to her, so I just ignored her." Xu Miao said.

Lin Yunyan held her arm and said softly: "It's okay to be careless. We all know that you never like to talk to others. If you suddenly get into a conversation, it would be strange. I can't tell you and A-Ping about the specific situation now, but don't worry. , It doesn’t matter, that’s good.”

Xu Miao felt much relieved after hearing what she said.

She still didn't know the inside story, but this kind of concealment was different from the way Liu Jing and Liu Xun hid it from her before.

She could still tell the difference.

On the other side, Mrs. Gu returned to the wing and was restless.

She unexpectedly got such news, and she wanted to tell her husband immediately, but it was only noon now, and the husband had to wait for the next office to return home, so she could only hold back and do whatever she had to do.

But when she went to offer incense in front of the Buddha, Mrs. Gu sincerely prayed silently with her hands clasped together.

"Bodhisattva has blessed me with the true news. This news can help the master, Empress Jieyu and His Highness the Fourth Prince."

After finishing chanting, he kowtowed, bought a lot of sesame oil money, and then headed back home.

After entering the house, people couldn't help but feel a little more anxious, and asked the concierge to tell him a message as soon as the master came back.

Gu Heng made an appointment with his colleagues for a drink today, and Mrs. Gu waited until her husband, who was slightly tipsy, arrived.

"Why did you come back!" Mrs. Gu complained.

Gu Heng was drunk and confused: "What, what's wrong?"

We are already an old married couple, so having a drink with colleagues with whom we are close is not a big deal...

How can you make it look like he is unclear?

While Mrs. Gu was urging people to prepare sobering soup, she pulled Gu Heng to the table and sat down: "I went to Guangde Temple today and met Princess Ning'an and Mrs. Xu. It turns out..."

As Mrs. Gu narrated, Gu Heng became excited and completely sobered up.

"Madam, are you sure?" he asked, "Did the injury that Duke Fu suffered before was to save the prince? Did the prince sneak out of the prison and get involved in the battle between the two armies?"

"Mama Zhang heard it."

Gu Heng turned to look at his grandma again.

Grandma Zhang nodded: "The slave girl was hiding behind the door panel at that time. That's what the princess and the maid beside her said."

Gu Heng touched his beard and asked again: "Could it be that the princess discovered Zhang Ma and said that on purpose?"

"I thought about it too, so I went to see Mrs. Xu," Mrs. Gu said. "Then I thought, if it was a lie, what did the princess lie to us for?"

Gu Heng was asked.

The deception must have a purpose.

If the princess deliberately told lies, then her purpose must be to mislead them.

Gu Hengruo was self-righteous and spread the news to the outside world. Once it was found to be false news, he would not be able to live with it.

Not only him, but also the Fourth Highness will be implicated.

This move was called to divert trouble to the east, push him and His Highness the Fourth Prince out, and resolve the current troubles His Highness the Crown Prince was in.

From a common sense point of view, it is just such a move. However, the prince's troubles are clearly caused by Duke Fu behind his back!

Others may not have noticed this, but when Shan Shen went to the Ministry of Rites to question the prince, Gu Heng had someone eavesdrop.

There is indeed a conflict between the prince and the auxiliary Duke.

And if the conflict originated from that rescue, it is not incomprehensible.

Of course, Gu Heng understood Duke Fu, but he did not understand His Highness the Crown Prince.

The Duke of Fuguo sacrificed his life to save the prince and broke a leg, but His Highness did not appreciate it. This is so heart-breaking!

Once is not enough, there will be a second time, adding to the cold.

It is not unusual for Duke Fu to secretly seek trouble for the prince.

Gu Heng thought that he had guessed that Duke Fu wanted to get off the prince's boat, but it was probably not just his wild imagination.

However, Gu Heng is not a fool.

He didn't mind being the vanguard and challenging the Crown Prince at the Golden Palace, but he didn't want to be fooled, so he still had to be cautious.

After tossing and turning all night, Gu Heng made up his mind.

The next day.

It was relatively calm in the morning, and there was no glare on the surface, but anyone who was smart could sense an undercurrent.

After going to court, Li Shao went to the Ministry of Rites again.

He is not flexible enough in political matters, but he is very keen on other people's eyes glancing over him, especially those eyes that explore, observe, and examine.

In the afternoon, this strange feeling became more obvious

"Gouzi," Li Shao explained, "go outside and ask around, what are they talking about?"

Wang Gouzi followed the instructions and went out for a spin.

There are only a few days left before the sealing, and with the New Year in mind, some officials, especially the junior staff, are more distracted than usual. Once they become more active, all kinds of news will spread faster than before.

The bosses have a sullen face and will not easily be found out. The junior officials obviously don't have that ability.

Wang Gouzi walked around the Qianbu Corridor and knew the situation.

The people talking everywhere are His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Duke Fu, with the focus pointing directly at Yumen Pass.

The news is obviously not detailed enough, and some parts are specious, but it is precisely because of the ambiguity that it arouses people's curiosity even more.

The previous rumors about the inside story of Duke Fu's injury were uncovered again and pieced together, the more complete they became.

A year ago, even if they were scratching their heads, they would not involve His Royal Highness. Even if there were a few rumors, they would go in one ear and come out the other, and they would not be included in the story.

But it's different now.

The lively experience in Chenmi Hutong was first, and the Shuntian Mansion was pressing behind them in recent days. Everyone was discussing "whether Geng Baoyuan's robbery had anything to do with His Highness" and "what did the outer room look like?" He was able to win over Liu Xun and caught the eye of His Highness" and a series of rumors such as "Whether Geng Baoyuan is dead or alive". Naturally, he also had the same enthusiasm for the sudden inclusion of "the grudges between His Highness and Duke Fu". .

Chew the root of your tongue, chew the root of Your Highness the Prince's tongue. Chewing one thing is chewing, chewing two things is chewing.

As the Chinese New Year is approaching, instead of chatting with colleagues, why should we gossip about the prince with our neighbors when visiting relatives and friends?

Wang Gouzi's brows were throbbing with veins.

He knew very well how Duke Fu was injured in the first place, and he knew even more clearly that His Highness the Crown Prince was definitely not willing to hear these comments.

His Highness was already simmering with anger because of Geng Baoyuan's matter. If this kind of spark falls, he is afraid that it will really burst into flames.

And when he works beside His Highness, the most important thing is to ensure His Highness's "peace".

After sorting out his emotions, Wang Gouzi returned to Li Shao and said, "It's the Chinese New Year and I can't sit around anymore. We're all discussing where to go have a drink later."

Li Shao glanced at him when he heard this: "That's all? It has nothing to do with me?"

Wang Gouzi lowered his eyes: "It has nothing to do with you."

Li Shao frowned.

He did feel something, but there was no need for Wang Gouzi to lie to him. Maybe his feeling was wrong...    Wang Gouzi saw Li Shao's reaction in his eyes, said nothing more, and cheered up in his heart.

There are still a few days left before he can watch the government. As long as he takes good precautions and doesn't let His Highness know about it, after the seal is sealed and His Highness is walking in the palace, there won't be any unsightly people muttering in front of him...

When he arrived at the Yamen, Li Shao left the Rites Yamen. Instead of returning to the palace, he went to Qiantou Street.

Wang Gouzi was anxious: "Your Highness..."

"If you don't want to eat in the imperial dining room," Li Shao said, "just have a drink in the front building."

Wang Gouzi looked worried.

"What?" Li Shao was unhappy, "They are celebrating the New Year and want to go out and drink. Am I not allowed to eat?"

Having said that, how can I stop Wang Gouzi? He had to wait for Li Shao to have a drink.

Business was good everywhere a year ago, but there was only one private room at the end. Li Shao sat down and asked for a lot of food and drinks.

Maybe it tasted pretty good, and after a quarter of an hour, Li Shao looked much more relaxed.

Wang Gouzi felt relieved and waited carefully, adding wine to Li Shao.

Suddenly, there was some movement next door. It seemed that he had drunk a lot and was talking loudly.

"Did Duke Fu really break his leg to save the prince? I heard that he was stabbed by a Xiliang man. How could the prince meet a Xiliang man?"

"How can this be false? The prince sneaked out of the confinement and pretended to be a soldier. How dangerous it is for the two armies to fight. If it weren't for the sharp eyesight of the Duke of Fu, the prince would have been chopped down by the Xiliang people."

"Then why are there no rewards based on merit?"

"How to reward? If you reward me, won't you be able to hide the prince's misdeeds?"

"If he hadn't saved the prince's life and kept silent about it, how could the Holy Emperor think so highly of Duke Fu? Who do you think he married? Princess Ning'an! The empress dowager's most beloved princess!"

"What kind of honorable guest can't be found like a princess? No matter how young and talented the auxiliary Duke is, he has injured his leg and can't stand it when winter comes. He can't lead troops to fight, and he is not a civil servant. He only has a title and is idle . If he hadn’t saved the prince, how could the Holy One have persuaded the empress dowager to marry the princess to him?”

"It makes sense! The prince is inspecting Yumen Pass on behalf of the Holy Spirit. How dare he sneak out of the pass?"

"Hey! You dare to let the guards rob someone else's girl. Why don't you dare?"

"Yes, His Highness did indeed act out of line..."

When Wang Gouzi heard these words, his face turned whiter than his own skin.

He never expected that when Your Highness came to have a drink, there would be some talkative people sitting in the private room next door!

He knew something was wrong when he heard the first sentence, and was about to raise his voice to speak to the neighbors. Unexpectedly, before he could speak, His Highness was staring at him with cold eyes, so that he could not remind him at all.

His Highness wanted to continue listening, but he deliberately interrupted. So if he tried to persuade His Highness in the future, would it still be useful?

Wang Gouzi could only stand there with his neck curled up, watching Li Shao's face become darker than charcoal bit by bit.

Li Shao said nothing.

All he could think about was, how dare these people? How dare Xu Jian? !

At that time, the situation of Yumenguan was not spread in Beijing, even if there were some rumors, it did not cause a stir, and the old events were hidden.

But now, everything has been revealed, and it’s much more detailed than those rumors!

Even if someone had guessed more, they still couldn't guess the details of "dressing up as a soldier". There were only a few people in the capital who knew the ins and outs, and among them, Li Shao was the most suspicious and the first to question. There is no doubt that it is Xu Jian.

What a Xu Jian!

Lianhe and Shan Shen have been causing trouble for him these days.

Now he is bringing up the injury and continues to add fuel to the fire, endlessly, endlessly!

What he felt today was correct, but someone was talking about him. Thinking of those sights, Li Shao couldn't help but shudder.

It seems that the entire Qianbu Corridor has spread?

Li Shao raised his eyes and looked at Wang Gouzi fiercely: "Is this what you mean by 'it has nothing to do with me'?"

"Xiao Xiao, Xiao Xiao went out to inquire at that time, and indeed he didn't hear anything about this," Wang Gouzi said bravely, "Maybe they all recognized Xiao Xiao as he was following you, but when they saw Xiao Xiao walking around, they stopped talking... "

Li Shao didn't say he believed it or didn't believe it.

Wang Gouzi was afraid that the neighbor would continue talking and didn't know what he would say, so he had an idea and loosened his fingers.

Snapped--

The wine bottle fell to the ground and the wine spilled all over the floor.

Wang Gouzi looked horrified and knelt down: "Your Highness, forgive me! I, I was not sure..."

He let go of his voice. When the sound came out, the neighbor seemed to be strangled by the throat. There was no sound for an instant. It was only quiet for a while. There was another sound of dragging chairs in the other room, and then the private room door opened, and there was a rush. After the footsteps, it fell completely silent.

Li Shao was furious, so he quickly opened the door and looked outside, only to see a few people dressed as minor officials going downstairs.

"Running so fast," Li Shao gritted his teeth, closed the door and looked at Wang Gouzi again, "Tell me, is Xu Jian looking for trouble?"

Wang Gouzi opened his mouth.

Who did it? It's hard to say.

Is there any push from Duke Fuguo behind this? no doubt!

But it was impossible for him to tell His Highness the Crown Prince like this, because he was afraid that His Highness would ignore him.

"I, I don't know, but..." Wang Gouzi swallowed, "I think that the person who spread these rumors must want to anger His Highness. His Highness has already been questioned by Shuntian Mansion about Geng Baoyuan. You Because of this, I am annoyed with the Duke of Fu.

If you get angry because of this, whether you argue with others or confront the Duke, you will only be fulfilling the wishes of the person who caused the trouble. "

"You mean," Li Shao stared at Wang Gouzi, "I can tolerate it? He is deliberately looking for trouble with me, so I still have to tolerate him?"

"Your Highness..."

Li Shao interrupted Wang Gouzi's words: "Everyone knows that my father indulges him, and he relies on his father's trust in him to cause trouble for me!"

Li Shao couldn't even breathe when he thought of his father's trust in Xu Jian.

Why?

Obviously he is his father's son, but his father prefers Xu Jian. He loses to an outsider in his father's heart.

The more Li Shao thought about it, the angrier he became. He was not in the mood to drink anymore and strode out.

Wang Gouzi got up on his hands and feet and hurriedly followed him out.

What they didn't know was that in the lobby downstairs, an old man threw down his money and left in a hurry.

The old man was old, but his legs were not slow. When he arrived at the official residence and entered the study, the person sitting in front of him was Gu Heng.

"From what I've seen, it's almost the same," the old man reported. "Our people deliberately talked next door. I heard them say that His Highness threw a wine bottle at his place. His Highness came out to take a look and his face was very ugly. When he left, The younger one saw it clearly and was furious.

It's not as if he's been wronged and angry, but more like he's been exposed and is furious. "

Hearing this, Gu Heng stroked his beard.

Now that the test results are out, it's time for him to take action tomorrow morning.

　The monthly pass is doubled, please give me a monthly pass! ! !

　　

　　(End of this chapter)