A rebellious minister forced me to be a foolish king

Chapter 572 The Power of the Jade Seal

Yuan Wuyou's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at his mother, thinking, when did you owe me this romantic debt? Why did you hide the existence of my brothers?

The lights on the roadside were dim, almost unable to match the brightness of the mother and daughter's eyes.

Seeing that the spying was successful, Dugu Yongye said calmly:
"Your Majesty, don't forget that when you were ruling the Northern Wei Dynasty as the aunt of the emperor, you divorced your husband because a woman came to your consort Dugu Ruyuan with a big belly. He was Dugu Ruyuan's eldest son who fell into the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Although the child is not yours, he looks most like your original husband."

After hearing this, both mother and daughter breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing that this man was not his biological brother, Yuan Wuyou was so grateful for his explanation that he burst into tears. But then he felt something was wrong. How could his biological father have so many children?
As the night faded, a cool breeze blew up the black robe worn by the female Khan, causing it to flutter. Amid the rustling of the wind, Yuan Wuyou was unaware that someone was approaching him.

Seeing the Queen Mother staring at the young face of her own father in a trance, Yuan Wuyou was about to speak when she suddenly felt a hand pulling her from behind. When she turned around, a sack was thrown over her head!
Instantly plunged into darkness.

Yuan Wuyou reacted extremely quickly. When he was being dragged down, he quickly fought back against the gangster with elbows and kicks in the dark!

As she was struggling to break free, she heard Xiao Tongyan's urgent voice comforting her from above her head: "Don't panic, it's me!"

As the sun rose outside, Yuan Wuyou, with a sack over his head, was dragged into a dark room by Xiao Tongyan.

When she saw the light again, it was the white-robed female soldiers under Xiao Tongyan who were inserting candles into the wall lamps.

Seeing that the little Empress Huaxu looked unhappy, Xiao Tongyan explained:

"This is a secret room in Bowangguan Inn. There is a rockery outside. It is very hidden and no one will find it."

Yuan Wuyou rubbed her arm that was pinched by her just now, thinking that Xiao Tongyan was really inhumane. He specifically grabbed her left arm where the wound had not healed yet. It was too mean to take advantage of her misfortune, so she questioned him angrily,
"Why did you bring me here? What's going on with Dugu Yongye?"

"Zhou asked for your mother, and you would throw yourself into her arms without hesitation. How can Qi stop you two? Of course, we should fight poison with poison and defeat them one by one."

"If there is no order from the emperor, who can dispatch Dugu Yongye? How would Zhou know that my mother's flesh puppet appeared?" Yuan Wuyou suddenly thought of Gao Yanzong, the only person who had seen her mother. Even if she refused to believe it, this was the only possibility. "Did Gao Yanzong leak the secret?"

Xiao Tongyan spread his hands and shrugged innocently.

"Who should I ask if you ask me? You should ask King Ande."

"Where is the exit? I'm looking for Gao Yanzong."

As she spoke, she raised her leg to leave, but before she took a step, Xiao Tongyan raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't leave so quickly. How about we discuss an alliance? Your Majesty has no choice but to help me."

Yuan Wuyou pulled the corner of his mouth with a fake smile, "A humiliating alliance? What a joke, what capital do you have to negotiate an alliance with me? And what ability do you have to cut off my retreat and force me to surrender?"

Xiao Tongyan's eyes suddenly raised mischievously, "Your Majesty, do you really have no feelings for the jade seal?" "Oh, what do I think it is?" Yuan Wuyou laughed sarcastically, his eyes contemptuous, "I let the jade seal go, how come you think it belongs to you after it passed through my hands? How dare you use my things to lure me?"

The white-robed woman looked playful.

"I am indeed puzzled. What on earth is your majesty thinking? It is understandable that you treat gold and silver as dirt, but how can you ignore the imperial seal of destiny? Has the imperial seal depreciated? No way, the first offer for the Heshi Bi was fifteen cities. Your majesty is so indifferent that you are willing to hand over the country and destiny to someone else?"

"Humph, isn't such a temptation ridiculous? Since I can release the jade seal, I have the confidence to take it back. It's just that I am just like you now, I like to watch people fight for the destiny that does not belong to them, and fight to the point of bloodshed."

"Your Majesty, I have a clue now. It seems that the power of this imperial seal is irresistible to anyone. But Your Majesty, are you not afraid that the string of the kite will break and the seal will be snatched by thieves, which will help the rebels to wash away their bad reputation and pretend to be orthodox?"

"Heh, although it's not a prosperous era, it's definitely not the chaotic era of the late Northern Wei Dynasty when many princes rose up. The emperors of various dynasties are still the Son of Heaven even if they don't hold the imperial seal. The remnants of the previous dynasties, like you, can never become a real dragon even if you are a mud loach jumping over the Dragon Gate."

"Isn't your majesty also a descendant of the previous dynasty?"

"Yes, so it is useless for me to show the imperial seal now, and it will only cause trouble."

"Hey! That's wrong!" Xiao Tongyan waved his hands repeatedly.

"No one looked up to Yuan Shu, the withered skeleton in the tomb of the Three Kingdoms. Just because he touched the imperial seal, he was recorded as "collapsed" in history books after his death. It is really a mortal who was appointed by heaven to ascend to heaven. Even the incompetent ruler like the King of Qi who ignored state affairs was crazy about the imperial seal. Your Majesty underestimated the power of the imperial seal."

Hearing this, the little empress drooped her eyelashes and sneered.
"Besides the priceless jade, haven't you heard of 'the man is innocent, but guilty of possessing the jade'? The first person to take out the jade seal during the Three Kingdoms period was Sun Jian, but why didn't the soldier who fished the seal out of the well use it to claim the throne?"

"This..." Xiao Tongyan was stunned for a moment, then replied,

"Your virtue is not worthy of your position? Your Majesty is a descendant of the royal family, how can you compare yourself to a small soldier?"

"Don't flatter me. No one knows my situation and status better than me. Now I have no power, no influence, and no territory. If you hold the imperial seal, you will be a sitting duck and the whole world will be at odds with you. Isn't this exactly your situation now?" Yuan Wuyou said such a long speech, licked his lips with a dry mouth, then immediately raised his eyebrows and looked up, smiling at the woman in white in front of him.

"Don't say that forming an alliance with you will bring me trouble. Even if I form an alliance with you, does that mean I have to draw my bow and shoot at my own home?"

"Your Majesty, are you confused? Your family is now occupied by the White Traitors. Only if we join forces can we put an end to this and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty."

The young king patiently responded,
"Are you at a loss for words? You've only been saying these few words over and over again. Besides, I have nothing. How can I help you?"

"You get Xiangyang, and I get Jingzhou. If nothing goes wrong, Your Majesty will get this territory and power in no time, right?"

"The border is in a mess, why don't you just pick up the bowl and drink it while it's hot?" Yuan Wuyou was somewhat amused by Xiao Tongyan's wild words. Obviously, the Jingxiang area was within his reach, but from her tone, it sounded as if she had given it to him as a reward? But he didn't dare to laugh. After all, he was trapped by her, and there was no guarantee that she wouldn't do something desperate.

Therefore, Yuan Wuyou frowned and said coldly, "I will never agree to such a humiliating alliance, and I don't have time to plan a great cause with you. I have a bunch of troubles on hand, so I have to cut the Gordian knot first."

The little empress's words seemed profound, but upon closer inspection they were all ambiguous and perfunctory.