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When Xue Poye was in the Huiying Hall, he was having this gloomy conversation in the Imperial Study Room in the deep palace.

Emperor Deqing was sitting on a big purple oak chair, holding on to a vermilion pen, writing something before the case. In the not-too-large imperial study, three ministers knelt before the emperor's case.

Wei Shantai, governor of the Kyoto Prefecture, Hou Jingzong, the four-door admiral, and the last one is Lan Wuqing, the most prestigious scholar of Lan University in the Hanlin Academy and even in the Great Chu Kingdom.

Needless to say, Wei Shantai is the governor of the capital, the leader of the purple clothes, no matter his strength or background, no one dares to provoke him easily.

University scholar Lan is an upright person, he will deal with everything rationally, and rarely act emotionally, and his greatest strength is that he is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, and he will never blindly follow the mainstream evaluation on many things, but has own rather unique opinion.

As for Hou Jingzong, the admiral of the four gates, it seems that his official position is not very high, but this position is extremely important. He is in charge of all the guards of the four gates of the capital. respect and trust.

The three ministers prostrated themselves before the imperial case, waiting for Emperor Deqing to speak.

The fact that Wei Shantai, governor of Kyoto, is here means that the content of this conversation will definitely not make people very happy. Wei Shantai represents blackness and death. Wherever he appears, good things will never happen.

"Wei Qing." Deqing raised his head and looked at Wei Shantai. Under those thick eyebrows, there were deep and shadowy eyes. The light was not deep, but it gave people a feeling of penetrating everything.

"The minister is here!" Wei Shantai immediately agreed respectfully.

Emperor Deqing pondered for a while, and finally said: "Have you already confessed?"

Wei Shantai immediately said: "Report to Your Majesty, I have already issued orders to the brothers in all places in the capital, not to interfere with this matter, let this matter be over!"

"You did a good job." Emperor Deqing nodded thoughtfully, and said slowly: "There is no need to waste time on this matter. Even if you investigate, no one will be able to find him. Even if you find him, it will be nothing. It was given to him as a target."

Wei Shantai said in a respectful voice: "The sage is considerate and sympathetic to his subordinates. On behalf of the four brothers, I thank the sage for his kindness."

A smile appeared on the corner of Emperor Deqing's mouth, and said softly: "Wei Qing, I just like your pretentious appearance, you look like a loyal minister."

Wei Shantai narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "The minister is a loyal minister."

Emperor Deqing turned to look at Hou Jingzong, and said slowly: "Before you served as the admiral of the four sects, you were the chief guard of the inner court's Habayashi battalion. You and I went abroad to Kyoto and visited many places."

"I have always missed those days, and I am also grateful for the trust of the Holy One." Hou Jingzong said sincerely.

He was dug into the Habayashi camp from Jinling Xingtou, step by step he took the position of the chief guard of the Habayashi camp, and now he is the admiral of the four sects. He was picked up by the emperor after a test. He was still Habayashi at the beginning. When he was the commander-in-chief of the battalion, he was deeply trusted by the emperor, and even accompanied the emperor on several private visits.

"Eight years ago, you and I went to Jinling!" Emperor Deqing said slowly, his eyes began to become cloudy, and his voice became cold: "Do you still remember what we encountered?"

"Assassin!" Hou Jingzong replied immediately.

"Yes, during that trip to Jinling, I was almost stabbed to death there." Emperor Deqing said solemnly, "That was the greatest shame in my life."

Except for Hou Jingzong, it was the first time for the other two to know about this matter. The three ministers heard the anger in Emperor Deqing's voice, and said in unison: "The ministers have frightened the Holy Majesty, and the crime deserves death. Please forgive me!" !"

Emperor Deqing waved his hand, shook his head and said: "It has nothing to do with you, don't panic."

Wei Shantai and Lan Wuqing glanced at each other, both of them had a look of sudden realization in their eyes, and then they understood why the governor of Jinling Prefecture was suddenly dismissed eight years ago, and without any reason, he left Jinling in despair, and was even sent to the The county magistrate in a small county close to Mobei turned out to be the emperor who was assassinated in Jinling, so he was implicated.

"I don't need to go into details about the process. In the end, I was still safe and sound, but my personal guards were injured by assassins." A strange cold light flashed in Emperor Deqing's eyes: "I hurt him at the time, but Being escaped by him, I thought he would die from serious injuries, but I didn't expect...!" He didn't continue, but half-closed his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

Wei Shantai and Lan Wuqing are very strange, why His Majesty the Emperor told the old things of adulthood eight years ago today, His Majesty the Emperor seems to be a person who is good at hiding, and he doesn't like to bring up the old things in the past, so he suddenly said that today, there must be something wrong It makes sense, so both of them are waiting for what His Majesty the Emperor will say next.

His Majesty didn't speak, but Hou Jingzong, who understood the emperor's meaning, said slowly: "When the assassins wounded my Habayashi guards back then, they used plum blossoms to pierce the throat."

Wei Shantai and Lan Wuqing were not overly surprised, both of them were one of the most shrewd people in the Great Chu Dynasty, and they were even people who learned by analogy. Among them, Wei Shantai had already seen the way, so they just nodded slightly.

"Your Majesty, in other words, the murderer who shot and killed the deputy head of the internal treasury this time is the same assassin who assassinated His Majesty." Once Wei Shantai started to do things, he was seasoned and cautious: "My Majesty had already seriously injured him at the beginning. He will definitely die, but he never thought that he would appear at the time of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors."

Emperor Deqing said calmly: "It may not be that the assassin is not dead, but the method of killing Yang Shande this time is very similar to the method of assassination back then."

Hou Jingzong waited for the emperor to finish speaking, and immediately said: "The method used by the assassins back then was plum blossom sword qi, but it seems that the technique back then was not as powerful as it is today. The wounds were irregular back then, and the plum blossom bloodstains were scattered, but today His plum blossom sword energy is not only extremely fierce, but also the plum blossom bloodstains are neat and orderly, and his kung fu has greatly improved compared to back then."

"Sword Qi?" Wei Shantai frowned, and said slowly: "Eight years ago, he was able to display Sword Qi, and he was at least a martial artist of the Seven Paths. Now it seems...!"

Sword Qi is not a sword, but a kind of strength. In other words, it is a kung fu that warriors can only use when they reach a certain level. It is driven by their own strength, and the strength is imaginary sword, and the sword Qi kills.

This is an extremely advanced martial art.

Lan Wuqing said seriously: "According to Mr. Wei's speculation, the assassin's martial arts cultivation has probably reached eight levels."

Warriors of the Eight Paths are characters who can be encountered but not seen in the ranks of warriors.

There are nine warriors in total, and the world says that there are four masters of the nine realms in the world, but the masters of the nine realms are already at the top of the tower, and they are extremely rare in the world. Therefore, the warriors who can move freely in the world are already the kings of the eight warriors.

Anyone who understands martial arts also knows that every step forward in a warrior's practice is extremely difficult. As for stepping into the ranks of the eighth paths from the seven paths, it is something that can be met but not sought. Breakthrough, as for the warriors of the Seven Paths to break through to the Eight Paths, it is even more difficult to reach the blue sky, only a little easier than the myth of the Eight Paths entering the Nine Paths.

If the assassin is really a martial artist of the Eight Paths, even if all the purple-clothed people in the Kyoto Prefecture are dispatched, they may not even find the corners of other people's clothes, or even be killed in reverse.

Emperor Deqing said coldly: "Unexpectedly, he broke through the seven bottlenecks."

University student Lan frowned and said, "Weichen is just curious. Since he is already a martial artist of the Eight Paths, why did he kill a deputy manager of the internal treasury? Isn't this a self-exposed deed?"

Hou Jingzong nodded, and said solemnly: "That's right, even if you are a martial artist of the Eight Paths, it may not be so easy to take one step in the capital."

Of course what he said was true.

Even if it is a real eight-way warrior, it may not be a problem to deal with a hundred people, but the Habayashi Camp in Kyoto, the four purple clothes in the Kyoto Prefecture, the four major battalions of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, plus those warriors who are in the open and in the dark, once they are entangled However, it may not be easy for the warriors of the Eight Paths to leave the capital alive.

Emperor Deqing saw his subjects analyzing the problem, and suddenly sneered, "He wants to tell me that he is already in the capital."

Grand Master Lan hesitated to speak, and finally did not speak, but Emperor Deqing's sharp eyes naturally noticed this, and said gently: "Lan Qing, what do you have to say, but it's okay to say."

Grand Master Lan finally said: "Your Majesty, there is something wrong with my humble minister's words. If I am wrong, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Emperor Deqing smiled and said: "Lan Qing, when did you become such a mother-in-law." After speaking, he suddenly coughed, which looked quite serious, and almost coughed out his internal organs.

The three ministers all said worriedly: "The ministers beg your majesty to take care of the dragon's body."

Emperor Deqing wiped the corners of his mouth with yellow silk, waved his hands and said: "It's okay, Lan Qing, just say it's okay, I won't blame you."

Grand Master Lan glanced at Emperor Deqing, and said slowly: "The assassin came here, perhaps to let the Holy Majesty know that he is now in the capital, but I think the most important thing is to cause chaos in the court."

The light in Emperor Deqing's eyes was intense, staring at Grand Master Lan, waiting for him to speak.

"Your Majesty, the day when Vice-President Yang was killed was the time to offer sacrifices to heaven, and the purpose of Vice-President Yang's death was probably to kill someone. His Royal Highness's ritual is against the way of the ancestors. With the Crown Prince as a person, I am afraid that he will not To do this kind of thing, Weichen always thought that there might be something wrong with the internal treasury, and the deputy manager Yang who kept the prince's sacrificial ceremony must have something tricky. He was killed only because the assassin didn't want him to leak something that shouldn't be leaked. The matter is for the purpose of killing people." University scholar Lan saw that Emperor Deqing was calm and listening carefully, so he continued: "Once Deputy Director Yang is killed, this line will be cut off. The sacrificial ceremony has become an intractable knot for the court."

Emperor Deqing pointed to the pile of folders on the west table, and said indifferently: "The knot is there."

Of course, it was the papers presented because of the Prince’s Sacrifice Event. There were those who supported the Prince, and naturally there were those who secretly opposed it. Most of the officials in Kyoto were involved in this incident. This is the most lively event in the court these days. , although Emperor Deqing's power prevented this matter from getting too bad, but the sacrificial event had a huge impact, coupled with the special instigation of some people, there would always be a disturbance for a while.

No one can tell what happened in the temple. It seems that there will not be much change between the storms that seem to be intimidated by His Majesty the Emperor, but no one can guarantee whether there will be greater disturbances due to some sudden factors during this period. turmoil.

"That's right!" Hou Jingzong nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I chose the day of Qianqiu's birthday, so I naturally wanted to cause unrest in the court through this matter."

Wei Shantai immediately said: "I don't understand, he is an assassin, why did he cause turmoil in the court?" Looking up at his master with reverence, he said slowly: "Who is behind this matter?"

His Majesty's eyes finally shot a sharp and cold light, and he said coldly: "I also want to know who is playing this very bad game with me."

Hearing His Majesty's icy voice, the three ministers felt a slight chill all over their bodies.

"Since we are in the capital, of course we will not neglect this guest of the Eight Paths." Emperor Deqing ordered coldly: "Wei Qing, there is no need for all the people from the four major divisions of the capital to do anything, but you can send experts from the Five Paths to accompany you to investigate secretly. This matter."

"Wei minister leads the order!"

"Lan Qing, the academics of the Imperial Academy have made me very unhappy these days. You should also remind me that I have tolerated it for a few days. In the next few days, I hope to be clean." Emperor Deqing mentioned again Zhu Bi, counted the points on the document on the imperial case, threw it to Hou Jingzong and said: "From this time on, the princes are not allowed to leave the capital, and even no one from their mansion can enter or leave through the four gates you are in charge of, otherwise ...!" His eyes turned cold: "Down with the prison of the Ministry of Justice!"

The three ministers respectfully received the decree.

Wei Shantai suddenly said: "Your Majesty, the Metropolitan Procuratorate is full of experts, can they also send some people to investigate this matter?"

Emperor Deqing smiled lightly, and said slowly: "They have their business, so let's not get involved in this matter." He waved his hand and said softly, "Kneel down!"

After the three ministers knelt down and retreated, Emperor Deqing coughed violently again, and the yellow silk that wiped the corner of his mouth was covered with a trace of blood, and under the light of the palace lantern, the blood was a little black.

Emperor Deqing frowned, closed his eyes and leaned on the big chair. After a long time, he whispered to himself: "Come on, let's be more lively!"

The long river in Kyoto is quiet and long-distance. From time to time, the luxurious cars of dignitaries and dignitaries pass by. The road paved with bluestone slabs is deep and faintly shimmering under the moonlight.

Xue Poye's car was walking on the Changhe Road, the horse's hooves rattled, the car rattled, and Prince Yin's persuasion made him a little dizzy now.

Of course, Xue Poye was not stupid enough to refuse Prince Yin's invitation, but he didn't immediately agree, leaving only the routine of "if the prince needs it, just order it".

He knew that answering like this would make Prince Yin somewhat unhappy, but he could only answer like this.

Once he really agreed to Prince Yin's invitation, he would immediately be involved in the power struggle in the capital, become Prince Yin's slave, and become a chess piece used by Prince Yin to fight for power.

Although Prince Yin was quite dissatisfied, he still admired such a talent as Xue Poye. One was because of Xue Poye's own ability, and the other was because of Xue Poye's status as "Master Princess".

Prince Yin is not a fool, of course he knows the importance of the eldest princess in the political structure of the capital, he always wants to identify whether the eldest princess is biased towards him in this power struggle, and he suddenly found the eldest princess' attitude It was so vague that I couldn't figure out the real tendency of my aunt.

He needs the help of the eldest princess. With the support of the eldest princess, he believes that the chair on the golden palace will be closer to him.

The biggest weakness of the eldest princess is Princess Yi. She cares for her daughter like she cares for life, and only her daughter can really get in touch with her inner world. But Princess Yi is not a fool, she knows her mother's Because of her political position, she never gets too close to any prince easily, she is worried that this will bring some trouble to her mother.

But now the person closest to her is Xue Poye, and Xue Poye is also a person whom Princess Yi respects and admires very much, so Prince Yin wants to use Xue Poye as an incision to draw the eldest princess closer. such a line.

He can tolerate Xue Poye's temporary reservation, because people who are too easy to get, he will feel that the value will not be too great.

Xue Poye leaned in the car, listening to the "da da" sound of horseshoes, only felt that this horseshoe rhythm was really nice, it seemed endless, the combination of horseshoes and bluestone roads could make such a sound, and he and the capital What kind of note can be produced by the combination of two?

But he soon heard another combined note.

It was the sound of the knife and the neck combining, and there was a weird cracking sound. When Xue Poye heard this sound, he found the figure rolling in front of him, and the carriage stopped on the long river in an instant. .

Xue Poye's palms were sweating, and he quickly held the cold blade in his hand.

***, did you meet an assassin?

I didn't expect to encounter such a thing when I didn't have any status. It was really depressing.

It was quiet outside, even the horses pulling the cart did not make a sound, the air seemed to be frozen, stiff and oppressive, Xue Poye's heart was beating fast, and his mind was spinning rapidly.

Whose would this be?

The night wind blew softly, gently blowing away some dust on the bluestone road, making the road extremely clean.

"Come out!" After a long time, a deep voice finally sounded outside.

Xue Poye sighed. In this case, it is useless to stay in the carriage. These people did not attack immediately, so Xue Poye saved a little luck. If it was really an assassination, it would be a decisive battle, and he would have killed him long ago. Into the carriage, there is no need to wait outside for a long time.

He opened the curtain, and found that the coachman was already limply on the shaft, as if he was dead, but the horse's head was hugged by someone, and there seemed to be something stuffed in the horse's mouth, no wonder it didn't neigh.

He stepped out of the carriage with a wry smile in his heart. He saw that the carriage was already surrounded by six or seven masked men in black. Each of them had sharp knives in their waists. For himself, the feather arrow seemed to be shot at him at any time.

Xue Poye saw a stout man in black standing not far away. Under the night, he was a little blurry, but he must be looking at him.

The man in black said in a deep voice, "Give it to him!"

A man in black threw something, Xue Poye reached out to catch it, but it was like a sugar cane.

"If you don't want to die, take a bite!"

Xue Poye was about to speak, when the thick man in black said in a deep voice, "Say a word and die immediately!"

Xue Poye frowned. He suddenly felt that the voice of the man in black was quite familiar, but he couldn't remember where he heard it. At this moment, there was no room for negotiation. Xue Poye believed that if he really wanted to If you resist, I'm afraid blood will splatter the long river in an instant.

He took a bite of the "sugar cane" very neatly, but he felt that it was sweet and delicious, and it was a delicious thing, but after taking a bite, within ten seconds, he felt dizzy, his eyelids drooped, and finally softened.

"Damn, I was kidnapped!" Xue Poye cursed in his heart before losing consciousness.

As soon as Xue Poye fell down, a man in black jumped over, carried Xue Poye on his back, and headed towards the alley to the west. The thick man in black led the others away, leaving only the man holding the horse's head The man in black, he let go of the horse's head, pulled out what was stuffed in the horse's mouth, and slapped the horse's back. The horse immediately drove away with the empty cart, and disappeared on the long river in a blink of an eye.

Only then did the man in black dash into the alley, and the long river became quiet for a moment, and the moonlight shone on the bluestone road, as if nothing had happened.