Jiuxi

Chapter 408 Chapter 406 [The Fading Tiger]

While Lu Chen and Lin Xi were talking to each other, Yongjia City seemed to be particularly bright tonight.

The news of Lu Chen's assassination has spread throughout the city. I don't know how many dignitaries' mansions are brightly lit, how many people are discussing in secret rooms, and how many people can't sleep all night.

Imperial City, Harem, Cining Hall.

The three princes stood breathlessly, each looking more docile and well-behaved than the last.

On the couch, the elegant Queen Xu looked solemnly, looking at the expressionless Li Duan beside her. She wanted to ease the atmosphere, but she was worried that it would make the situation worse.

Regarding the king who has been by her side for more than twenty years, Queen Xu knew very well that he was usually gentle and tolerant, but if she offended his negative side, she would also unleash the fury of thunder.

An ordinary man's anger would cause blood to splash five steps, let alone the emperor who brought Da Qi back from the brink of destruction?
Therefore, she could only use her eyes to quietly signal the three princes standing in silence in the hall, telling them to act according to the situation and not to add fuel to the fire.

"Lu Chen was assassinated on Qingfeng Street today. I want to hear your views on this matter."

Li Duan finally spoke, his voice low, making it difficult to understand his mood.

Li Zongchao felt a sudden cold sweat on his back. Of course he understood the meaning of this sentence.

The three princes usually always wanted to talk loudly and scold Fang Qiu in front of their father, but now that the opportunity was presented to them, the three of them seemed extremely humble, and no one wanted to be the one who stood out.

Li Zongchao was so frightened by these words that he quickly denied it and said, "My father clearly knows that there is absolutely no such thing! I heard Shanyang Marquis talk about the difficulties of the border troops and the brutality of the war, and he also heard him talk about my father's good deeds. I feel very guilty, how could I have a dispute with Marquis Shanyang?"

Although she was not close to the eldest son, she also knew that his family was relatively shallow. Just because of the emperor's words, the words "good intentions" appeared.

Li Duan passed the second prince and looked at the third prince kneeling on the other side.

In fact, the eldest prince is a very complicated person. He knows how to show a kind and generous attitude in front of outsiders, and he has won the praise of some young literati for this. However, he obviously lacks a calm demeanor in many cases, not to mention that he is in the palace. The violent temper shown in it.

Li Zongchao's face turned pale and he raised his tone slightly: "Father, my sons and ministers dare not deceive you. If you tell a lie, the sky will thunder!"

Li Duan said: "I heard that you broke up on bad terms in the end?"

Generally speaking, he knows how to be a prince who hopes to become a prince, but it is difficult to overcome the flaws in his own character.

Although Prime Minister Li Zongben was kneeling, his waist was straight. He faced Li Duan's scrutinizing gaze calmly, with no trace of guilt or evasion on his face, and his eyes were extremely calm.

Li Duan raised his eyes and glanced at the three people, his eyes stayed on the face of the eldest prince, and said calmly: "What did you and Lu Chen talk about in Feng Yuan Garden today?"

Queen Xu noticed this detail, her expression did not change, and her hands in her sleeves clenched quietly.

Li Duan looked at his eldest son steadily.

Li Duan did not give Li Zongchao a clear reply in the end. He just nodded slightly, and then looked at the second prince kneeling on the right.

To put it simply, as long as Li Zongben didn't have a brain disease, he would just try his best to win over Lu Chen and would never have any evil thoughts towards him.

Li Zongchao's heart tightened and he said cautiously: "Father, I admire Marquis Shanyang's military exploits very much, so I asked him about the details of the border wars in the past two years. We chatted for a while without touching other topics."

Li Zongchao looked up at the Emperor and said hurriedly: "Father, the assassination of Shanyang Marquis has nothing to do with my son. I don't have the guts to do such a thing, and there is no reason to murder Shanyang Marquis. I beg your father to take a closer look!"

With a "plop", he knelt down without thinking, and the other two princes quickly followed suit.

Naturally, he did not need to feel guilty. Lu Chen's participation in the Mo Yuan Literary Meeting represented the emperor's wishes. At this time, he only had to wait honestly, and he would not be stupid enough to make trouble over nothing. Furthermore, he learned about Lu Chen's attitude from Xue Susu, Knowing that this promising and powerful prince did not reject his kindness.

Li Duan did not deliberately correct his wording, and said in a low tone: "I am puzzled. Your banquet with Lu Chen was not publicized. How could those assassins know Lu Chen's whereabouts so well and set up a trap on his way back? Such a thorough and ruthless ambush?”

Queen Xu's eyebrows moved slightly.

Sensing that cold gaze, the third prince said nervously: "Father, my son and I have absolutely nothing to do with the assassination of Shanyang Marquis."

Li Duan stared into his eyes and said slowly: "You had a grudge against Lu Chen two years ago."

The third prince quickly explained: "Father, I did have conflicts with Marquis Shanyang, but after my father's teachings two years ago, I already understood my fault, especially during the six months when I was closed to myself in the palace. I have long thought about the reason. Although I am not close to Shanyang Marquis now, I will not make my father angry by doing random things, let alone such arrogant actions as assassinating him in the street."

The princes each had their own excuses, as if they had nothing to do with Lu Chen's assassination.

Li Duan looked over one by one, his eyes dim and unreadable, and he said quietly: "I will give you three days to think about it carefully when you go back. If you have anything to say to me, you can enter the palace at any time within these three days."

He paused slightly, and his tone became particularly complicated: "Don't say that I didn't give you the last chance."

"My son, I obey."

The three princes agreed in unison, then bowed and left.

Walking in the quiet palace at night, feeling the refreshing breeze of the summer night, the three people walking side by side seemed particularly silent.

The eldest prince did not show his eldest brother's kindness as usual, the second prince did not speak with witty words, and the third prince also lowered his head and concentrated on walking.

When they arrived outside the palace, there were three distinct teams of guards standing in the square.

The three princes bowed and said goodbye, then walked in different directions into the blurry and deep night.

……

Pingnanfang, the Li family's mansion.

This is not only the residence of the left prime minister, but also the residence of the Jinlin Li family, the most prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, in the capital. Therefore, this mansion occupies an entire street and has a permanent population of seven to eight hundred people.

Jinlin Hall is the residence of Li Daoyan, and its status in the mansion is self-evident. However, there is another place that is more important than Jinlin Hall, and that is the Li family ancestral hall located not far to the west of Jinlin Hall. Late at night, a young man in brocade clothes was kneeling on a futon in the inner hall of the ancestral hall. When he raised his head, he could see the portraits of the ancestors of the Jinlin Li family.

He had been kneeling since the afternoon and had not drunk any water yet. His mouth was parched and he collapsed. The most important thing was that his knees were in unbearable pain, but he still did not dare to move because his grandfather and father were standing next to him.

Li Daoyan looked at the portraits of his ancestors that carried hundreds of years of Li family history, and said slowly: "I have been running the family for more than thirty years. I have been cautious all my life. I don't want to meet such unworthy descendants like you when I am old. Shi Ye? Fate too. ?”

Li Yunyi, who was kneeling on the ground, timidly said: "Grandpa, my grandson was bewitched by the third prince. He said that Lu Chen was bent on targeting prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River, and the Jinlin Li family was the first to bear the brunt. If he cannot be stopped from doing whatever he wants, there will be chaos in the capital. Grandson The son thought that his grandfather and father had been working hard on state affairs and family affairs all day long, but the grandson could not help with anything, and he felt very ashamed. Therefore, when the third prince said that, the grandson agreed. In addition, the third prince was responsible for this matter. Leader, those masters and dead warriors are all his, Sun'er only sent two people there."

Li Daoyan still looked forward, and said leisurely: "So, you are very filial."

No matter how stupid Li Yunyi was, he knew that this was not a good thing to say, so he did not dare to say any more.

Li Shizhi sighed softly, stepped forward and said, "Father, your son has no way to teach his son, and you are suffering."

Li Daoyan turned to look at his eldest son, with deep disappointment in his heart, but he said with a half-smile on his face: "Is there no way to teach your son?"

Li Shizhi's heart trembled, and he lowered his head and eyebrows even more.

"You, in the early years, acted upright and upright, but now you are heading down a dark and treacherous path. Perhaps it is because your father has lived for too long that you can't see the hope of taking over, so you have become more paranoid and withdrawn. "

Li Daoyan's words caused Li Shizhi's expression to change drastically. He knelt down and said without hesitation: "My son really can't bear what my father said."

"Can not afford……"

Li Daoyan laughed expressionlessly, shook his head and said, "If you really have such a consciousness, how could you sit back and watch these two old men get together, and watch Li Yunyi board the third prince's pirate ship?"

Like a thunderbolt hitting Li Yunyi's head, he looked at his father not far away in disbelief. Could it be that the conspiracy between himself and the third prince had been exposed long ago, but why didn't his father stop him?

Li Shizhi remained silent.

Li Daoyan put his hands behind his back and continued: "Although Li Yunyi can hide it from everyone in the world, he can't hide it from your biological father. His every move is under your nose. How could he send someone quietly?" Participate in this assassination against Lu Chen. The reason why you do this is simply to tie the Jinlin Li family to your will, and as the leader of the Jiangnan family, launch the most determined struggle against His Majesty in the palace."

Li Shizhi only said four words: "Father will see you clearly."

At this moment, Li Yunyi's mind was in a blur, and he could only kneel on the spot, not daring to express his anger.

Li Daoyan did not continue to criticize Li Shizhi and changed the topic: "I guess the third prince has sent someone to hint you?"

Li Shizhi replied calmly: "Yes, father. For the third prince, it is extremely difficult for him to compete for the throne. Compared with His Majesty's love for the second prince, the eldest prince's eldest son's status is equally difficult, so this time he First, someone tricked the eldest prince into hosting a banquet for Lu Chen, and then set up such a killing trap. Although Lu Chen was unscathed, if the court followed those assassins and the standard military weapons to investigate, the eldest prince would definitely be implicated in the end."

Facing his father's indifferent gaze, Li Shizhi paused for a moment and said with emphasis: "Among the three princes, the third prince knows how to rely on the famous families in the south of the Yangtze River, which is better than the other two. My son thought he might as well take this opportunity to help him. , Furthermore, now that his fate is connected with Yunyi's, for the sake of the Jinlin Li family's century-old foundation, I beg my father to forgive my son for making his own decisions."

He did not deny Li Daoyan's previous inference, and simply put a choice in front of his father.

Either use the trap created by the third prince to target the eldest prince, or watch the Jinlin Li family fall into the abyss.

There is no third way.

Li Daoyan turned around and looked into Li Shizhi's eyes. The father and son looked at each other for a long time.

He took a step forward and said, "Do you know why the Jinlin Li family can stand out among the Jiangnan clans?"

Li Shizhi said with admiration: "Because my father is stronger than others."

Li Daoyan took a step forward again and then leaned forward slightly. His old and dim eyes suddenly shone with light, and he said sternly: "Then do you still see me as your father?!"

"Snapped!"

The old man's skinny right palm suddenly twitched, and he slapped Li Shizhi mercilessly on the face.

Li Shizhi swayed slightly, but immediately maintained a calm posture, his expression did not change too drastically, and he still looked at the old man sincerely.

On the contrary, Li Yunyi next to him was so frightened by the slap that he fell to the ground, and then subconsciously shrank towards the corner.

Li Daoyan spit out two cold words: "Yu Liang."

A middle-aged man emerged from the darkness and said respectfully: "Master Xiang."

Li Daoyan stood up straight and said in a cold voice: "I will imprison Li Yunyi. No clan member will be allowed to see him without my permission. Anyone who violates this will be directly expelled from the house."

Li Yuliang responded: "Yes."

Li Daoyan said again: "Ask the Qing guest to write a memorial on behalf of the great master. He has been feeling unwell recently and needs to return to the palace to recuperate. The government affairs of the Ministry of Punishments are temporarily handled by others. You personally take care of the great master and don't let the outsiders disturb you." To keep him clean.”

Li Yuliang glanced at Li Shizhi, whose back looked slightly lonely, bowed and said, "Yes, Prime Minister."

Li Daoyan looked at the solemn face of his eldest son and said word by word: "I hope you can understand that the Jinlin Li family has been passed down for hundreds of years and has indeed used some dark methods and relied on the power of heresy, but the bottom line cannot be forgotten. You have read many books and seen many truths, but don’t be blinded by the desires of the world, and end up harming yourself instead of harming others.”

Li Shizhi was silent for a long time, then slowly stood up and bowed to Li Daoyan, still without saying a word.

After Li Yuliang respectfully asked the father and son to leave, Li Daoyan turned around and looked at the portraits of his ancestors, a look of determination appeared on his old face.

"How can a century-old foundation be destroyed in my hands?"

He muttered to himself, his body was thin but seemed to be extremely tall.

(End of this chapter)