Plan to cut off the nine states

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Liang Shengzhi looked unkempt and looked like a beggar who had strayed into the palace. Although he had to take care of the new emperor at all times and still had time to wash up, he would rather stay like this and give outsiders a very strong impression that the emperor could not live without him.

The little emperor was lying on the couch, resting on one of Liang Shengzhi's legs, half asleep. Occasionally he would open his eyes and look around in panic to make sure that this was really the palace and that familiar people were around, so that he could rest quietly for a while. .

Candles were placed in a circle, illuminating the whole room as bright as day. Four eunuchs took care of these candles and cut off the candle flowers regularly to prevent them from extinguishing.

Kneeling to the emperor is also kneeling to Liang Shengzhi, and no one can avoid it.

Before every word Liang Shengzhi said, he would look down at the little emperor, as if he had received instructions, "Young Master Lou is of equal height." His smile was a little tired, but very confident.

"I'm very happy that you can come, and your Majesty is also very happy." Liang Shengzhi looked down again and said, "God did not bless this dynasty, so the late emperor abandoned his ministers and left. God also favored this dynasty and sent his majesty back to the East in time. All, one is sad and the other is happy, all depends on God’s will.”

Guo Shifeng smiled and said: "It was God's will that sent the Seventeenth Young Master here."

Liang Shengzhi smiled slightly. This was not the grandson of the Grand Tutor who lost his temper after being drunk in public a month ago, but an upstart who had escaped the disaster and suddenly gained great power.

"How can I dare to bear the will of God when I am so humble? Only when Liang Xima's contribution to protecting the horse is well-known throughout the world can we call it God's will." The foundation of the building said with a cup of his hands.

Liang Shengzhi laughed loudly and immediately lowered his voice, "We are already acquaintances. I heard from Mr. Guo that the Seventeenth Young Master is very popular with the general..."

The little emperor suddenly sat up, with a look of horror on his face, and screamed: "Drive away! Drive everyone away!"

Lou Chu thought he was not welcome and looked at Guo Shifeng in surprise. Guo Shifeng smiled and shook his head.

Liang Shengzhi comforted him with warm words: "Your Majesty, don't be afraid. This is the Dongdu Palace and there are no rioters around."

"I heard you say 'General'." The little emperor was not used to calling himself "I" yet.

"The chaos is most afraid of the general."

"Oh." The little emperor slowly lay down, completely unaware of the other people in the room, and suddenly said: "Did the general kill the father?"

Liang Shengzhi quickly glanced at the foundation of the building and whispered: "No, the general is devoted to the country and is the first-class loyal minister. The court will find out the truth soon."

"revenge."

"This revenge must be avenged."

"Kill all the rioters."

"Leave no one behind."

The little emperor hummed twice and gradually fell asleep.

Liang Shengzhi patted the little emperor gently, raised his head and whispered to Guo Shifeng: "Mr. Guo, please receive Mr. Lou. What I mean...you understand what His Majesty means."

Guo Shifeng claimed that it was true and led Lou Chu out of the room. This visit was not for discussion, but to prove to Lou Chu that he, Guo Shifeng, could indeed represent Liang Shengzhi and the emperor.

There was no one in the room next door and no lights were lit. Guo Shifeng and Lou Chu were standing at the door bargaining.

"The general will not be held accountable by the imperial court for his defeat in Qinzhou. However, the general must submit a letter to become an official. His name can be retained. The imperial court will also grant him the position of Taibao. In short, he will not embarrass the general."

"Since the imperial court has this intention, why not let the general enter the city?"

Guo Shifeng smiled and said: "The people in the city are unstable. The court does not want to cause any more surprises, so it is better to resolve the matter outside the city."

"Where are the other members of the Lou family?"

"The generals of the Central Army will be promoted to the rank of attendants. Others who have official positions will remain unchanged and will be promoted to the first level of nobility. Those without official positions will be promoted to the first level of nobility. Except for the seventeenth son, they will continue to stay with His Majesty as attendants. The imprisonment will be carried out slowly. Don’t be too hasty.”

"The imperial court... is so generous."

"Brother Chu, don't worry too much. The imperial court hopes that the general will serve as an official. It really has no other purpose. It's just that the new emperor is young. I'm afraid all parties are dissatisfied. It needs an important minister to warn the world. The general can enjoy his life. If you like, You can take charge of the army again after a while, just like Taifu Liang did."

"Yeah." Lou Chu thought for a while, "His Majesty just said he wanted revenge..."

Guo Shifeng said with a smile: "Your Majesty wants to avenge Qinzhou for being frightened, not for killing his father. Of course, things can't just go by like this. The assassin is from Liang, so a group of people from the Five Kingdoms must pay the price. Brother Ma, this is It was such an unfortunate escape that I had no choice but to use him as the mastermind.”

"Mavie is my best friend."

"Isn't it the same for me? I met Brother Ma earlier. Alas, he is also unlucky. All we can do is to inform him secretly and let him escape as far away as possible."

"And Brother Ma's family."

Guo Shifeng shook his head, "This kind of thing cannot be comprehensive. We have to protect ourselves first. Otherwise, there won't even be anyone to ventilate Brother Ma."

While Lou Chu was still hesitating, Guo Shifeng added, "We'll discuss Brother Ma's matter later. The court hasn't found out about him yet. The general needs to make a decision early."

"I will convey the court's good wishes to the general - what if the general does not accept it?"

"This... Liang Xima didn't say anything. I can only guess that the court can only investigate the crime of Qinzhou's defeat and the general's unauthorized return to the capital. It stands to reason that the general should at least stay in Tongguan. The best choice is to stick to it Xijing, waiting for reinforcements to stabilize the people of Qinzhou."

"I understand. As long as the court can guarantee that there will be no further investigation, I think the general will agree."

"Since the general has handed over his military power, what's the point of pursuing it further?"

Lou Chu thought for a while and said, "The Lou family needs a shepherd guard. Jizhou is good. I heard that Huangfu and his son fell into the hands of the rebels and the position is vacant. Wuzhou or Yizhou is also good."

"I won't make promises casually. I have to ask about this matter."

"I'll wait here."

Guo Shifeng bowed and said goodbye, and went to the next room to discuss with Liang Shengzhi.

Lou Chu must put forward conditions so that the other party believes that he is sincere in negotiating.

Guo Shifeng is more like a businessman. If he agrees too readily, he will be suspicious.

There were several screams from next door, and the little emperor was awakened by a nightmare again.

Guo Shifeng came back, "The General of the Central Army can go to Yizhou, but he won't be given the position of Minister of the Court."

"Okay, I'll leave the city at dawn and talk to my father."

"Brother Chu must persuade the general that retirement is the best choice for both public and private reasons."

"Understood. Before leaving the palace, I have to meet the general's wife and the general of the Central Army. My father will definitely ask about them."

"I can send you to see the general of the Central Army. I'll also send someone to ask the general's wife to see if she can come out."

"Thank you, Brother Guo."

"Brother Chu, don't be so polite. No matter what happens above, you and I are friends, and so is Brother Ma. Although I can't guarantee his innocence, at least I can save his life, and maybe his wife can be saved." Guo Shifeng obviously reflected on his previous answer and revised it, saying that friendship is more important.

Lou Chu bowed and said, "There will be a lot of things in the future, and Brother Guo will bear more."

"You and I are not classmates, but we will serve the new emperor together in the future. We can be regarded as colleagues and we should bear each other."

The two of them expressed their feelings to each other, and then Guo Shifeng took Lou Chu to see the general of the central army.

Lou Ying insisted on keeping vigil for the emperor, and the Empress Dowager pitied his loyalty and asked him to guard the door of the palace.

When Lou Chu arrived, Lou Ying was sleeping on a blanket, naked, curled up in a ball, relying on the fat accumulated over the years to resist the cold.

Guo Shifeng tactfully said goodbye, "I will find someone to inform the general's wife."

Lou Chu pushed his third brother awake.

Lou Ying opened his eyes and was about to cry. Lou Chu sat next to him, "Third brother, it's me."

Before dawn, Lou Ying looked at the visitor carefully by the candlelight in the palace, and trembled, "Is it you?"

"It's me, my father sent me to the city to find out the situation." Lou Chu has practiced lying to perfection, and even he himself is a little serious.

"Father... is really back?" Lou Ying was about to cry again.

"I'm back, I stopped at the post station outside the city."

Lou Ying held back his tears, leaned on the doorstep and looked out for a few times, then said in a very low voice: "Hurry up and ask my father to save me."

"What are you afraid of, third brother?"

"Your Majesty, something happened in my house..."

"The court will not wrongly accuse the innocent."

"You don't understand..."

"The new emperor acts differently from the previous emperor."

"Different?"

"Different."

Lou Ying felt a little relieved, hugged his brother, and still cried, "This is really not a life for a human being. No matter what, I must leave Dongdu. I really... I really don't want to stay for a day. Sometimes, I seem to be able to hear your majesty's voice..."

Lou Ying looked at the coffin in the hall, his whole body was cold and shivering.

Lou Chu also looked into the depths of darkness, saw nothing, and was not afraid of anything. Even if the Emperor of All Things came out at this time, he was not afraid.

Madam Lan came alone, and the princess and daughter-in-law had been called back to the palace by her to accompany the grieving Empress Dowager.

"How is the general?" Madam Lan asked about her husband's situation as soon as they met.

"Everything is fine." Even if there were no outsiders, Lou Chu did not mention his father's injury.

Madam Lan let out a long sigh, "Then I feel relieved. Please tell the general that Ying'er and I..." Madam Lan glanced at her son and frowned slightly, "We are fine too. Please rest assured, general. I don't understand the affairs of the court, but the court will never be wrong. The Lou family is full of loyal people and must not let down the court's kindness."

"Yes, madam, I understand."

Madam Lan sighed, "The Lou family has many descendants, but you are the only one who can be used in the end. Don't worry about your third brother, he is a useless waste."

Lou Ying was still sitting on the blanket. He hummed twice when he heard his mother's words.

Madam Lan had nothing else to say. Lou Chu said goodbye and found Guo Shifeng, who sent him out of the palace.

It was just getting light, and Guo Shifeng sent someone with the order without being stopped.

Lou Chu rode out of the city and ran to the military camp first, just in time to meet Qiao Zhisu coming out.

"Seventeenth Prince, you don't have to go to the camp. Go back and tell the general that the King of Xiangdong will go to the post station tonight to discuss face to face."

The King of Xiangdong was at least tempted.

The two rode to the post station. Along the way, Qiao Zhisu didn't ask anything. He was just an aide. He would give advice when the general needed it, and never ask questions when he didn't.

The general was waiting for news. Hundreds of guards surrounded the post station, and the errands had to go elsewhere.

When Qiao Zhisu said that the King of Xiangdong was coming, the general nodded, "Okay, Mr. Qiao, go and prepare, and make sure to receive the King of Xiangdong well."

When he heard that the Seventeenth Prince came to the city last night, the general showed a little surprise, and then smiled and said, "Fortunately, I have a son like you."

Lou Chu told the princess and Liang Shengzhi about their respective attempts to win over each other.

Lou Wen listened to every word, "Which side do you think I should accept?"

"The Liang family is not trustworthy, and neither is the princess. I think it would be better to take the imperial edict and take charge of the imperial guards, and go into the city with the King of Xiangdong to clear the court and avenge the Emperor of All Things."

"Revenge? How to avenge?" The general himself was one of the masterminds behind the assassination.

"Liang Shengzhi brought the prince back to Beijing at a very coincidental time, and Guo Shifeng, who was beside him, was the one who arranged the assassin. The court will know once it investigates, and he can be executed immediately."

"Hey, then what?"

"Follow my father's wishes." Lou Chu didn't know how far his father would go, so he didn't want to persuade him.

Lou Wen took out the will from his arms and slowly opened it, "I have asked someone to add a few lines on it, what do you think?"

Lou Chu took it in his hand, glanced at it, and said, "Not appropriate!"