Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 419 Not to Help You

"He'er, come in and have some water. You've worked hard." Liu called out.

"Aunt, we still have responsibilities to fulfill and cannot stay for long. Come back when I have a day off." Liu He said.

"Okay, I'll make more delicious food for you later. Look how much thinner you have become." Liu said with concern.

"Hey!"

Liu He responded, bowed and said, "Aunt and uncle, cousin, I'm leaving first."

After Liu He left, Li An invited his parents in and ordered someone to close the door.

The family came to the main hall, and Liu and Li Nan told them what had happened.

When Li Nan and Liu were having fun, people from the city defense camp suddenly drove them away, and the streets became a mess. The people didn't know what was going on and wanted to go home quickly.

As a result, the servants who followed them were dispersed by the crowd.

Bianjing is so big that I usually take a car when I go out, so how can I remember the routes?

Fortunately, he met Liu He and was sent back.

"Your cousin is now a sergeant. I asked him what happened, and he said it seemed like some noble person was missing, and the whole city was looking for him. I didn't know who was so bold as to kidnap someone under the emperor's feet." Liu said.

"Mom, this has nothing to do with us. It's getting late. Go back to your room and get some rest. Don't go out for the next two days. Let's see how the situation develops," said Li An.

"Yes." Liu nodded repeatedly and said, "Tie Niu, you too, don't go to the restaurant tomorrow."

"I understand, Mom." Li Ping nodded.

……

The emperor has issued a death order, so how could the City Defense Battalion and the Five Cities Military Command dare to neglect it?

All the people were driven back home, all intersections in Bianjing City were blocked, and house-to-house searches began.

However, the city of Bianjing was so large that it was not easy to search its entirety.

By daybreak, not even one-third of the area had been searched.

As daybreak approached, the commanders of the city defense battalion and the Five Cities Army were in a panic.

Just then, good news came that Rong Feiyan was found.

The commanders of the City Defense Battalion and the Five Cities Military Division rushed over after receiving the news. They confirmed that it was Rong Feiyan herself, and that her clothes were neatly arranged, but she was unconscious. They immediately sent someone to the palace to report to the emperor.

Not long after, the people from the City Defense Battalion and the Five Cities Military Department began to withdraw their troops back to the camp.

After dawn, the people in the city saw that there was no movement outside, so they opened the door and looked, and found that all the soldiers on the streets had withdrawn. Only then did the city of Bianjing slowly regain some of its vitality.

The people were very curious about what happened last night and asked about it one after another.

I don't know where the news came from, but last night Rong Fei's sister Rong Feiyan was kidnapped and was not found until dawn.

For a time, all kinds of rumors were flying around in Bian Jing. After all, a young girl was kidnapped and did not return for a night. Who knew what had happened?

The ugliness of human nature was revealed at this time. No one thought positively, and all of them made malicious speculations.

……

In the imperial palace, the door to the official's bedroom opened and a eunuch walked out.

Looking at Rong Fei kneeling on the ground, he smiled bitterly and said, "Madam Rong Fei, the emperor was furious last night and did not sleep all night. He just went to bed after learning that Miss Rong had returned safely. Why don't you go back first? When the emperor wakes up, I will report to him."

"Don't bother me, eunuch. I'll just wait for the emperor here." Rong Fei shook her head.

"Empress Rong, why are you doing this? The weather is so cold, what will happen if you get frozen?" said the eunuch with a bitter face.

Rong Fei said nothing when she heard this, and continued to kneel there without moving.

"Alas." The eunuch sighed and walked into the bedroom.

……

"Zhong Huai, why are you here!" Li An hurried out to greet him when he learned that Gu Tingye had arrived.

Gu Tingye looked a little unhappy and said, "I have something to tell you."

"Then come to my courtyard and talk."

Li An brought Gu Tingye to his yard, and after Haitang brought her tea, he let her leave.

"Zhong Huai, what happened?"

When Li An first learned that Gu Tingye had come, he thought that Gu Tingye had come here because of Rong Feiyan.

But judging from Gu Tingye's expression, it should be because of something else.

"Man Niang and her brother were taken away by Marquis Dongchang." Gu Tingye said.

Li An was stunned and said, "Did you find it during the search last night?"

The Dongchang Marquis Mansion is Xiao Qin's maternal home, and the current Dongchang Marquis is the elder brother of Da Qin and Xiao Qin.

"That's right. I have found a lot of people to watch them. The city defense camp searched there last night and thought they were thieves, so they took them all away. This morning, the people I arranged were released. They said that they revealed their identities when they were arrested yesterday and were released after dawn, but Man Niang and her brother were not released. It seems that they were taken away by someone. The city defense camp is under the charge of Dongchang Hou." Gu Tingye said.

"That's troublesome. If they want to hide the news, they probably won't release the people." Li An said.

Man Niang didn't have a bond and was an honest citizen. It was illegal for Gu Tingye to have them locked up.

Although he is not a thief, it is entirely possible to find some excuses to lock him up in the city defense camp for a period of time.

But they let the person go.

"I've thought about it carefully, and they should want to negotiate with me." Gu Tingye said.

Li An thought for a moment and said, "You mean to release Xiao Qin? But that was your father's decision. Will it be of any use if you say so?"

"It's definitely not possible to just say it directly. They want to force me to admit to my father that I have a mistress. Now that my wedding day is approaching, for the sake of the Gu family's reputation, my father will naturally agree." Gu Tingye said.

"How can I help you?" Li An asked.

"You can't help me with this matter, but I'm worried about leaving my two children outside, so I want to send them to your house to stay temporarily." Gu Tingye said.

"Okay, send the person over." Li An nodded.

"I have asked Shitou to pick someone up." Gu Tingye said.

Li An nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said, "What do you think about the abduction of the Rong family girl?"

Gu Tingye sneered, "I can't think of anyone other than Prince Yong who dared to kidnap the sister of the emperor's favorite concubine in Bianjing City. Many people in the court, including the emperor, have guessed a little, but they just don't have evidence."

"In that case, what impact do you think this incident will have?" Li An asked.

Gu Tingye heard this and said sternly, "Ziqian, don't do anything stupid. After the person was found this morning, the emperor ordered the City Defense Battalion and the Five Cities Military Division to return to the camp. He had no intention of investigating further. I heard that Concubine Rong was kneeling outside the emperor's bedroom, but the emperor didn't see her. It's obvious that the emperor doesn't intend to pursue this matter."

“Why don’t the officials investigate this matter?”

Li An actually never understood this point. The government knew clearly that Prince Yong had done such a thing, but did not punish him.

As long as the government dealt with Prince Yong, the Rong family would never help Prince Yan to rebel.

"The official's health should be failing soon."

Even though they were the only two in the room, Gu Tingye still kept his voice low. Li An was startled when he heard this. So that's it.

No wonder the government did not investigate the matter. If the emperor investigated what Prince Yong did, he would lose the chance of becoming the crown prince.

If the emperor is in good health, there is still time to change the candidate, but now the emperor feels that his time is running out, and for the sake of the stability of the court, he can only choose to endure this matter.

"Do you think the Rong family will be willing to accept this?" Li An said.

"What can I do if I'm unwilling?" Gu Tingye asked back.

"Zhong Huai, let's not talk about the relationship between the Rong brothers and sisters. Prince Yong dared to attack Rong Feiyan before he ascended the throne. Once Prince Yong really ascends the throne, will he let the Rong family go? Don't forget, the Rong family still has a deputy commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Division. It's really nothing for the Rong family alone to be unwilling, but there is also an unwilling Prince Yan." Li An said.

Gu Tingye was silent. Li An had told him before that no matter who wins between Prince Yong and Prince Yan, the other side will not be willing to accept it.

Gu Tingye believed this. After all, even if the losing party did not die, they would be imprisoned for life. Who would be willing to accept that?
But he did not think that Prince Yan had a chance of succeeding in his rebellion.

However, the foolish move made by Prince Yong now made all this possible.

The Dianqian Division was responsible for guarding the imperial palace. There was one Dianqian Division commander-in-chief and two deputy commanders-in-chief.

The three of them take turns on duty. As long as Rong Xian is on duty, they can launch a mutiny and completely take control of the palace.

The reason why Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was successful in launching the Xuanwu Gate Incident was because he had bribed the commander of the imperial guards long ago.

He killed the crown prince, took control of the emperor, and forced Li Yuan to write an edict of abdication.

The ministers in the court and the generals in the army knew that Li Shimin was rebelling, and the edict of succession was not written by Li Yuan willingly, but so what?

They were totally unprepared and their people were divided. Was there anyone who could compete with Li Shimin and stand up to take the lead? Li Shimin had the imperial edict in his hand, so what could they do?
Some people may say that Li Shimin had high prestige in the army and had many confidants.

This is true, but Li Yuan had already let him go, and all of Li Shimin's confidants were transferred away from Chang'an, otherwise Li Shimin would not have rebelled with only a few hundred people.

Doesn't he know that the more soldiers he has, the greater his chances of success?
Although Prince Yan did not have the same reputation as Li Shimin in the army, as long as he launched a mutiny to take control of the emperor as soon as possible, killed Prince Yong's family, and forced the emperor to write an abdication edict, the ministers would have no choice but to accept it.

Even the success rate of Prince Yan's mutiny was higher than that of Li Shimin at that time.

After all, although there were hundreds of thousands of imperial guards outside the city of Bianjing, no one could mobilize them without official orders.

Even though they knew that the emperor was being held hostage and that there was a rebellion, according to the rules, the soldiers in the western suburbs camp were not allowed to leave the camp without an imperial decree. This was a strict rule.

"Zi Qian, if this is true, a good plan can certainly bring you wealth and glory, but if one thing goes wrong, there will be no recovery." Gu Tingye said.

"Zhong Huai, do you think I'm doing this for fame and fortune? Do you think if the world is handed over to Prince Yong, there will still be a chance to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?" Li An asked back.

"Prince Yan is a capable man. If he can succeed, it will naturally be destiny." Gu Tingye said.

His meaning was simple: this matter was too dangerous and he should not get involved.

If King Yan succeeds, then just follow the crowd.

"And if the emperor doesn't punish Prince Yong, he will definitely be on guard against the Rong family. He might even take away Rong Xian's position as deputy commander of the Palace Front Department. In that case, Prince Yan will still have no chance." Gu Tingye shook his head.

Li An shook his head. The problem was that the government didn’t have it.

The reason why the emperor didn't do so was probably because he felt guilty towards Concubine Rong.

Regardless of whether it is true or not, it is certain that the government did not touch Rong Xian.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Let's see how the situation develops next. You should hurry up and deal with your family affairs." Li An said.

"I know." Gu Tingye nodded.

The two chatted for a while, and then Shitou brought Nanny Chang and the two children over.

In addition, there were two maids.

Ang Lee placed them in a vacant yard.

……

Gu Tingye played with the child for a while, then said goodbye and returned to Gu's house.

Gu Tingye did not go to find Xiao Qin, nor did he go to see his father, but came to Gu Tingyu's yard.

Shao Shizhen was walking in the yard with Gu Tingyu, and when she saw Gu Tingye coming, she quickly stood in front of Gu Tingyu and said anxiously: “Uncle, that thing is really not what the official said.”

"Sister-in-law, I'm not here to cause trouble, but I have something to talk to my big brother about." Gu Tingye said lightly.

Shao was about to say something, but Gu Tingyu stopped her and said, "Go and see how Sister Xian's calligraphy is going."

"Sir..." Shao looked at him worriedly.
"Go, it's okay. I'm already in this condition, and I won't live long. Second brother will not bear the crime of killing his brother for a dying person." Gu Tingyu waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, Shao left, looking back every few steps.

Gu Tingye reached out his hand to support Gu Tingyu and said, "Big brother, let me help you sit down in the pavilion over there and talk."

"Ah."

Gu Tingyu let Gu Tingye support him, and said with a complicated look: "It seems that the two of us haven't been so peaceful in a long time."

"Isn't this your fault, big brother?" Gu Tingye said.

Gu Tingyu didn't say anything. After he sat down in the pavilion, he said, "You must hate me very much. You didn't come to me just to tell me these things, did you? Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"There's no rush for now."

Gu Tingye shook his head and looked at Gu Tingyu and said, "Big brother, you are a smart man. You should know that when my mother came into the family, she didn't know about your mother. Later, my mother also passed away. I really don't understand why you hate me so much?"

"Hate you?"

Gu Tingyu murmured, looking out of the pavilion absentmindedly, and said, "Actually, I don't know if it's hatred. Maybe it's because of my physical condition that I always have wild thoughts. Only with hatred in my heart can I stop thinking about those things. I want to live, so I keep letting my heart be filled with hatred. It may also be because I'm jealous of your healthy body. I can't tell why."

Gu Tingye was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then said, "Actually, I don't hate you."

"I don't feel guilty for telling me all this. Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about? It shouldn't be just to tell me this, right?" Gu Tingyu turned his head and looked at Gu Tingye.

Gu Tingye recounted the story of how Man Niang fell into the Dongchang Marquis's mansion.

"Do you want me to help you save someone?" Gu Tingyu asked.

"That's right, he is big brother's uncle. Big brother should be able to find a way." Gu Tingye said.

If possible, he naturally didn't want to negotiate with Xiao Qin.

"Why should I help you?" Gu Tingyu asked back.

Gu Tingye stood up, walked to the edge of the pavilion, stood with his hands behind his back, and said to Gu Tingyu, "Big brother, you should always consider your sister-in-law and Sister Xian, right?"

Gu Tingyu did not get angry when facing Gu Tingye's threatening words, but laughed instead.

"Okay, I'll help you!" said Gu Tingyu.

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye turned around in surprise and looked at Gu Tingyu with some disbelief.

He thought it would take some effort to persuade him, and he was not sure whether Gu Tingyu would agree.

I didn’t expect Gu Tingyu to agree so easily.

"I agreed not because of your threat, or in other words, I agreed not to help you." Gu Tingyu said.

(End of this chapter)