Aspirations

Chapter 111 One Emperor and Four Kings

King Jing ignored King Yun's performance, smiled slightly, and looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back.Seeing Wang laughed, he patted King Yun on the shoulder: "Uncle Wang is a few years older than my nephew, but why does his mind seem to be seven or eight years younger? Forget it, my nephew will tell you what a dead man is. Let's put it this way, Jiang Qilang is a soldier, Shen Balang is a dead soldier."

King Yun's face changed a few times, from blue to white, and then from white to blue again. He forced a calm smile: "Uncle Wang can't understand what nephew Wang is saying."

Seeing that King Yun was still pretending, the king wanted to make it clear that Jiang Qilang was one of the personal soldiers of King Yun's mansion, and Shen Balang was one of the capable men and strangers recruited by King Yun, a dead man.King Yun did not expect that the names of the soldiers and dead soldiers in his mansion could be casually mentioned by the king. It can be seen that there are eyeliners who saw the king in the mansion, and they were terrified and angry.

King Jing coughed, and refused to let see Wang go on, just click to the end, and there is still a little bit of affection between brothers.

"The Emperor is here!"

Just when everyone was in an awkward situation and the brothers had different thoughts, suddenly the familiar voice of Chang Guan sounded, causing everyone to fight a cold war at the same time!
The emperor is here?how is this possible?The emperor was not seriously ill and bedridden, how could he come to Xingwang's birthday banquet in person?Taking a step back, even if the emperor is in good health, he would not easily visit the prince or minister's home in person. He usually only visits the prince or minister when he is seriously ill, and it is even rarer to attend the prince's or minister's birthday banquet!

Today, he made an exception and came to the Xingwang's birthday banquet, and he was ill. Does the emperor attach great importance to Xingwang, or does he have some ulterior motive?

Even Xing Wang was stunned on the spot, his mind went blank for a moment, he was stunned for a long time, but he forgot to pick him up!
Xingwang was not shocked because the emperor came to his birthday banquet in person, but he never thought that why the emperor's condition suddenly improved?The day before yesterday, he personally visited the emperor in the palace. The emperor was dying and could hardly speak. Among the imperial physicians, except for Jin Jia who believed that the emperor might get better, the rest of them secretly told him that the emperor's time had come. It's only a few days.

It was precisely because of this that he was in a good mood today, and on the occasion of his birthday, he had a big banquet with his guests and friends.One is to take the opportunity to observe who will come to congratulate him on his birthday. Those who come are all available.Those who do not come will be blacklisted.The second is to create momentum for him to take over the throne.When the emperor passed away, if there was no designation of who would succeed Dabao, then whoever had the highest voice and received a lot of response from the court would naturally ascend to the throne.

But... the emperor is already dying of illness, and he has seen it with his own eyes. He can't get out of bed and walk, so why did he come to his birthday banquet in person?Countless possibilities flashed through Xingwang's mind for a moment, and he subconsciously looked at Jin Jia.

Jin Jia happened to look at him, his eyes met, Jin Jia suddenly blinked, with a playful look in his eyes, Xing Wang suddenly had a thought, could it be that he was cheated?The emperor's condition has already recovered, but it was kept secret. What he wanted was to cause him to make a misjudgment and make an irreversible mistake, so that the emperor would have the opportunity to uproot his power and completely eradicate it?
King Jing, King Qing, King Yun, and King Jian all looked back in surprise.A large chariot approached slowly. Besides the gold and silver decorations, there were also seven treasures and colored glaze embellishments on it, which was extremely solemn.The guard of honor of the four horses and 64 is just the royal majesty.

The servant Chang Guan rode a tall horse, came to the front, got off the horse, and sang a song: "My lords, the villain has business to do, so I don't have time to salute, so please don't blame me. The official is here, it's important to greet him quickly."

"Second brother is unwell? How dare the third brother's birthday alarm the second brother?" Xing Wang came back to his senses, with a look of sincerity and fear, and hurriedly greeted everyone, "Big brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, nephew Wang, hurry up!" Follow me to meet you."

The servants usually like to call the emperor an official family, and the folks often use this name, but the emperor's relatives and relatives are still referred to as brothers.

Several people straightened their clothes and went forward one by one to meet the driver.Seeing this, Cao Shujun quietly pulled Jin Jia and Ye Muping aside, whispered something to the two, and the two whispered something, then the three left the crowd, turned and left.

The crowd was in chaos, no one noticed the departure of Cao Shujun, Jin Jia and Ye Muping, only Song Chaodu noticed something, when he looked back, the three had gone far away, he smiled and quickly fell to his knees, Follow the crowd and shout long live.

Cao Shujun left a little earlier, if he was allowed to see the situation behind, he would definitely stay for a while longer.It's just that he was only thinking about bringing Jin Jia and Ye Muping back to Guanxin Pavilion to meet Lian Ruohan, and he didn't care about the next thing.

But even if he stays, he might not be able to see any way out of it, after all, he is not Xia Xiang.If Xia Xiang saw what happened here with his own eyes, Xia Xiang would have a clearer understanding of how he should serve the country and the people in the future.

Unfortunately, Xia Xiang was not there.

Xia Xiang was not there, but Li Dingshan was.Li Dingshan followed behind the crowd and bowed down. When he looked up, the emperor was coming down from the chariot.Even though he was far away, he could still see clearly. The emperor in his early forties had a haggard and old face, similar to the third prince, with a thin face and sunken eye sockets. He looked like he was just recovering from a serious illness.

Li Dingshan was heartbroken and distressed for a while, thinking that when he was with the emperor, the emperor was a high-spirited, handsome and free-spirited young man, but now, he was in his prime and tried his best to govern, but he ended up like this. Is it because of Xiang Tao, or because the emperor was framed by someone and poisoned his body?

No matter what the reason is, Li Dingshan understands that neither he nor King Jing can get close to the emperor to explain to the emperor the truth about the new law harming the common people, nor can he place his own people around the emperor to protect the emperor from bad people. the deceitfulness of the wicked and the murder of the wicked.Thinking of this, he suddenly thought of Jin Jia and Ye Muping who were trying their best to protect Cao Shujun, and with a sneaky glance, the three of them had disappeared.

I hope Cao Shujun can make a breakthrough from Jin Jia and Ye Muping.

The emperor's chariot is called a big chariot, which means that the emperor's chariot is larger than the chariots of the kings, but no matter how big the chariot is, it is only a chariot, and it is no more than three feet above the ground.The height is more than three feet, if it was before, the emperor could jump down.But now, with the support of his servants, the emperor felt as if he had exhausted his whole body's strength every step he took. It took a full stick of incense to walk the seven steps of the chariot pedal.

Everyone was silent, no one dared to make a sound, and no one urged the emperor.The emperor was quite patient, and waited for the moment his feet landed on the ground before slowly opening his mouth and said: "Everyone is free from courtesy. Brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, get up quickly."

Li Dingshan was startled suddenly, he was proficient in medical skills, and Xia Xiang's medical skills were taught by him.Although the emperor's complexion was extremely poor, and his body seemed extremely weak, he spoke with sufficient energy, which showed that the emperor was not lacking in energy.A person can be healthy only when he is full of essence, full of energy, and energetic.Therefore, the way of self-cultivation and health preservation is inseparable from the cultivation of essence, qi, and spirit. Deficiency of essence cannot transform qi, and deficiency of qi cannot transform spirit, and people will be depressed and full of diseases.

Since the emperor is full of energy, it can be seen that he is not weak, the energy is full, but the spirit is not strong, it can be concluded that the emperor's condition has improved greatly.If the essence and energy are all empty, it is a sign of great evil.In other words, the emperor at this time is only one step away from physical recovery.

No, if the emperor has enough energy, why does it take so long to get off the car?Countless thoughts flashed through Li Dingshan's mind. Could it be that the emperor did it on purpose to make outsiders think that he was still seriously ill?Otherwise, if the emperor is really seriously ill, why would he have the heart to come here to celebrate Xingwang's birthday?

Thinking of this, Li Dingshan's eyes suddenly lit up, and when he looked at the emperor again, his eyes suddenly became much warmer.It should be, since the emperor's martial arts and martial arts, since he took the throne, the national power of Daxia has been booming, the people in the territory live and work in peace and contentment, the surrounding enemy countries are all subject to surrender, and no one dares to violate the border.How could such a wise Holy Master suddenly change his temper and become fatuous?Presumably there must be an unknown inside story behind it!

"Third brother, today is your birthday, and the second brother is here to congratulate you. The second brother is not feeling well, so he didn't prepare a rich gift, but just wrote a pair for you, come..." The emperor rushed to Chang Guan slightly nod.

Chang Guan understood, and stepped forward with a pair of yellow silk in both hands.Xing Wang took it flatteringly, and wanted to kowtow to thank him, but was stopped by the emperor.The emperor said softly: "There is no need to be too polite, come, open it and have a look."

Chang Guan promptly handed over the handkerchief, and the emperor gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Xing Wang dared not be negligent, opened the yellow silk, it was a couplet, the first couplet, there is a panlong in the pavilion, why not fly thunderbolts in the sky, the second couplet, Yue Chang and Fengdu came here to listen to Xiao Shao.

The pen is vigorous, penetrating through the back of the paper, and the pen style that faintly has the meaning of gold and iron horses is written by the emperor himself.

Xing Wang was overjoyed, the emperor's couplet had a profound meaning, and seemed to entrust the country.He suppressed his joy and thanked him again: "I thank the emperor for his kindness."

The emperor's gaze stayed on Xingwang's face for a moment, and a sullen look flashed in his eyes, and then he regained his composure. He came to King Jing, took King Jing's hand, and said with emotion: "The elder brother is still in spirit, the second younger brother is still alive." But it's getting old before it's old..."

King Jing also sighed for a while: "The emperor is in the prime of his life, so a slight ailment is nothing. The minister was also sick for a few days a few days ago. After recovering from his illness, he is still alive and well? From the view of the minister, the emperor's condition is already very good. It will heal soon."

The emperor nodded slightly, and came before King Qing again: "The fourth brother has become more and more vigorous. Among several brothers, the fourth brother is both civil and military, so he should be No. 1."

"Your majesty has given me the prize, but I am ashamed and dare not take it." King Qing bowed slightly. He had the same doubts as King Jing. Although the emperor looked sick, he was full of energy and bright eyes. It was not a sign of a serious illness. Playing sick?
The emperor took King Yun's arm affectionately: "The fifth younger brother is becoming more and more extraordinary. Given time, he will become a great weapon."

"Second brother's illness is healed? Fifth brother always thinks of second brother's illness, can't sleep at night, and can't eat well." King Yun shook the emperor's arm, "Second brother will get better soon, fifth brother really wants to go to Xishan with second brother Go hunting and climb Xiangshan."

"Okay, okay, I also want to get better soon, and I also want to go out to play with you." The emperor showed a rare smile on his face, and he came to see the king again, looked up and down to see the king, "my son I have grown taller again, but my body is not strong enough. I need to practice more horseback riding and archery, and read more books. I will become a pillar of the country in the future and be able to entrust important tasks. Have you studied recently?"

Seeing Wang Wei revealing a look of shame: "Going back to the emperor, I have a lot of chores recently, but I haven't let go of horseback riding and archery, and I have delayed my study a lot."

"If you don't study, you can't be a tool." The emperor's face was solemn, "The late emperor's "Poetry on Encouraging Learning" must be kept in mind, Wen can write a pen to secure the world, martial arts can set the world, and bring the talents of the world, the latitude and the earth, and the spirit of shocking the past and the present. The way of the king."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked!
Xing Wang was holding the yellow silk, and he had a happy expression, but when he heard this, his expression changed suddenly, his hand trembled, and the yellow silk in his hand almost fell to the ground.What does the emperor mean by this?Why does it sound like the emperor intends to pass on the throne and see the king?
King Jing, King Qing, and King Yun also looked at each other in astonishment. The emperor's words were really meaningful, and people couldn't help thinking about them.Just thinking about the couplet given by the emperor to Xingwang, there is a faint intention to entrust the country to Xingwang. The emperor's mind, even though he is a brother, is still unpredictable.

The emperor coughed a few more times, Chang Guan stepped forward to support the emperor in time, and whispered: "Officials, it's time to go back. It's windy outside, be careful of catching a cold."

"Go back, let's go back now." The emperor got into the chariot with Chang Guan's support. He stood on the chariot, looked behind King Jing and the others, and suddenly his eyes paused for a moment, and stayed on Li Dingshan's face for a while. , there was a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth, "I am very pleased to see you brothers and ministers today. When I am in good health, I should work hard to inherit the great achievements of Taizong Taizong, stabilize the hearts of the people, and open up the territory .”

"Get up and drive back to the palace." Chang Guanliang shouted loudly, and the chariot slowly started.

"Farewell to the emperor!" Everyone shouted together.

It wasn't until the emperor's chariot disappeared at the end of the street that everyone put away their respectful attitude.Seeing Wang Dong looking around, he grabbed Xing Wang's arm: "Uncle Wang, why don't you see Mr. Hou?"

As soon as the words came out, everyone looked suspicious, yes, for such a grand event, the four princes gathered together, and the emperor came in person, but Mr. Hou Pingpan was not there, could something have gone wrong?
Xingwang patted his forehead, and suddenly said: "Nephew Wang reminded me that Mr. Hou was in the mansion to help greet the guests. I came out in a hurry and forgot to call him. The emperor also came unexpectedly, but he was negligent."

"It doesn't matter, anyway, Mr. Hou sees the emperor every day, and it doesn't matter if he sees the emperor one infrequently." Jian Wang smiled disapprovingly, and ran to the side to talk to King Qing.

Everyone followed Xing Wang into the palace.

King Yun came to King Xing, saw no one was around, and whispered, "Cao Shujun, Jin Jia, and Ye Muping are gone."

King Xing nodded slightly: "I saw them leave just now, it doesn't matter, one is the son of a little servant, one is an imperial doctor, and the other is a Taoist priest pretending to be a ghost, it is not enough."

A group of people came to the living room of the palace in a mighty manner. The living room was big enough to accommodate hundreds of people. At this time, there were no less than a hundred people sitting there, all of whom were senior officials of the fifth rank or above in the current dynasty.There is a person sitting at the top, with a face full of spring breeze, and entertaining all the guests enthusiastically.

It was Hou Pingpan, the prime minister who was a first-rank member of the dynasty and a man under one person and above ten thousand people!
Hou Pingpan seemed to regard himself as the master, and he would not refuse anyone who came, as long as someone offered a toast, he would drink it all in one gulp, in an extremely bold manner.Looking around, everyone here is mainly civil servants. Except for the newly appointed Minister of Rites, Gao Hai, all the six ministers are present, and none of them is absent.

It's not that Gao Hai doesn't want to come, but that he made an insult to Wen Changju in the Wenchang Ju imperial examination fraud case, which made Xing Wang extremely dissatisfied with him.Later, although he became Minister of the Ministry of Rites as he wished, he was oppressed by Xingwang and Hou Pingpan everywhere.However, Gao Hai was not willing to be isolated. He once asked the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Chai Shiye, to send a message to Xing Wang, expressing his intention to surrender, but he did not get a reply from Xing Wang.

It's not that Xing Wang didn't want to take Gao Hai in, but that Xing Wang kept an eye on it, always thinking that behind Gao Hai's appointment as Minister of Rites, it was the emperor's deliberate tentative move.Gao Hai has always been a fool in the middle of the court, and has never clearly belonged to which side.Later, when the new law was implemented, he neither opposed nor supported it, and acted according to the emperor's wink.

After the Wenchangju imperial examination fraud case happened, Xingwang originally thought that after the emperor won Wenchangju, he would appoint Xiong Shiwang, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, as Minister of Rites. He didn't want the emperor to fight against all opinions, so he rejected Hou Pingpan's recommendation three times. Gao Hai was forcibly appointed.In this way, Gao Hai clearly bears the mark of the emperor, and Xingwang and Hou Pingpan have almost all the court officials under their own banner. One more Gao Hai is not too many, and one less is quite a lot.Rather than risking being suspected by the emperor, it is better to keep Gao Hai out.

Anyway, Gao Hai is also a grass-roots figure. Even if he is not accepted, he is still weak. If he wants to oppose the new law above the court, no one will agree.

Originally, many military officers wanted to attend today's birthday banquet, but Xing Wang declined.Although Sima Zhaozhi knew that Xing Wang wanted to take over the throne, but after all, the emperor was still there, and the emperor did not specify who would inherit the throne.Seventy to eighty percent of the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty came, which was already equivalent to the Xingwang Mansion being a small court. If some military officers came, they could directly raise their troops and conspire against each other with a single call.

Xingwang didn't want to be honest, he believed that with his strength and prestige in the court, if the emperor didn't let him take over the throne, it would be because the emperor was too selfish and didn't care about the country and society of Great Xia.

The emperor's sudden visit today made Xing Wang firmer in his guess. The emperor was quite cautious about him, and he also wanted to test and beat him. He reminded himself to act more cautiously. Before, you must not act rashly, so as not to fail.

(End of this chapter)