Yan Cigui

Chapter 375: Adding fuel to the flames (two updates in one, please vote for me)

 When Lin Yunyan returned to the wing, Xu Miao mentioned to her about Mrs. Gu's visit.

“Mrs. Gu seemed to be very concerned about A Jian’s injury. I wasn’t sure how much I should say to her, so I just ignored her.” Xu Miao said.

Lin Yunyan held her arm and said softly: "It's okay to be careless. We all know that you never like to talk to others. If you suddenly get into a conversation, it would be strange. I can't tell you and A-Ping about the specific situation now, but don't worry. , It doesn’t matter, that’s good.”

 Xu Miao felt much relieved after hearing what she said.

She still didn't know the inside story, but this kind of concealment was different from what Liu Jing and Liu Xun hid from her before.

 She can still distinguish this clearly.

At the other end, Mrs. Gu returned to the wing and couldn't sit still.

 She wanted to tell her husband immediately after receiving such news unexpectedly, but it was only noon and the husband had to wait for the next office to return home, so she could only hold back and do whatever she had to do.

 When she went to offer incense in front of the Buddha, Mrs. Gu sincerely prayed silently with her hands clasped together.

"Bodhisattva has blessed me with the true news. This news can help the master, Empress Jieyu and the Fourth Highness."

 After finishing chanting, he kowtowed, bought a lot of sesame oil money, and then returned home.

 After entering the house, people couldn't help but feel a little more anxious, and asked someone to tell the concierge that he would send a message as soon as the master came back.

 Pian Gu Heng made an appointment with his colleagues for a drink today. Mrs. Gu waited until her husband, who was slightly tipsy, arrived.

“Why did you come back?” Mrs. Gu scolded.

Gu Heng was drunk and confused: "What, what's wrong?"

We are already an old married couple, so having a drink with colleagues with whom we are close is not a big deal...

How can you make it look like he is not clear?

Mrs. Gu urged people to prepare sobering soup, and pulled Gu Heng to sit down at the table: "I went to Guangde Temple today and met Princess Ning'an and Mrs. Xu. It turns out..."

As Mrs. Gu narrated, Gu Heng was so excited that he completely sobered up from the wine.

“Madam, are you sure?” he asked, “Did the injury to the Duke of Fu Guo be done to save the prince? The prince sneaked out of the country and got involved in the battle between the two armies?”

 “I heard it from Zhang Ma.”

Gu Heng turned to look at his grandma again.

Mammy Zhang nodded: "The slave was hiding behind the door. That's what the princess and the maid beside her said."

Gu Heng touched his beard and asked again: "Could it be that the princess discovered Zhang Ma and said this on purpose?"

"I thought about it too, so I went to see Mrs. Xu," Mrs. Gu said, "Then I thought, if it was a lie, what did the princess lie to us for?"

 Gu Heng was asked.

 The deception must have a purpose.

If the princess deliberately told lies, then her purpose must be to mislead them.

Gu Hengruo was self-righteous and spread the news to the outside world. Once it was found to be false news, he would not be able to live with it.

 Not only him, but also the Fourth Highness will be affected.

This move will divert trouble to the east, push him and His Highness the Fourth Prince out, and resolve the current troubles His Highness the Crown Prince is facing.

From a common sense point of view, this is just such a move. However, the prince’s troubles were clearly caused by Duke Fuguo behind his back!

Others may not have noticed this, but when Shan Shen went to the Ministry of Rites to ask the prince what he was saying, Gu Heng had someone eavesdrop.

 There is indeed a conflict between the prince and the auxiliary Duke.

 And if the conflict originated from that rescue, it is not incomprehensible.

Of course, what Gu Heng understood was Duke Fu, but he did not understand His Highness the Crown Prince.

 The Duke of Fuguo sacrificed his life to save the prince, but one of his legs was broken, but His Highness did not appreciate it. This is so heart-breaking!

 Once is not enough, there is a second time, the cold is getting colder.

 It is not unusual for the Duke of Fu to secretly seek trouble for the prince.

Gu Heng thought that he had guessed that Duke Fu wanted to get off the prince's boat, but I'm afraid it was really not his random imagination.

However, Gu Heng is not a fool.

He doesn't mind being the vanguard and attacking the prince at the Jinluan Palace, but he doesn't want to be fooled and must still be cautious.

 After tossing and turning all night, Gu Heng made up his mind.

 The next day.

It was relatively calm in the morning, and there was no dazzling light on the surface, but anyone who is smart can feel the undercurrent.

 After going to court, Li Shao went to the Ministry of Rites again.

 He ​​is not flexible enough in political matters, but he is very keen on other people's eyes glancing over him, especially those that explore, observe, and examine.

 In the afternoon, this strange feeling became more obvious

“Gouzi,” Li Shao explained, “go outside and ask around, what are they talking about?”

 Wang Gouzi went out for a spin as he was told.

There are only a few days before the sealing, and as they are thinking about the New Year, some officials, especially the junior staff, are more distracted than usual. Once they become more active, all kinds of news will spread faster than before.

The elders have a sullen face and will not be easily found out. The junior officials obviously do not have that ability.

 Wang Gouzi casually walked around the Qianbu Corridor and understood the situation.

With His Highness the Crown Prince and Duke Fu Guo Gong being discussed everywhere, the focus was on the Yumen Pass.

The news is obviously not detailed enough, and some parts are specious, but it is precisely because of the ambiguity that it arouses people's curiosity even more.

 The previous rumors about the injury of Duke Fu were uncovered again and pieced together, the more complete they became.

A year ago, even if they were scratching their heads, they would not involve His Royal Highness. Even if there were a few rumors, they would go in one ear and come out the other, and they would not be included in the story.

 But it’s different now.

The lively experience in Chenmi Hutong was first, and the Shuntian Mansion was pressing behind them in recent days. Everyone was discussing "whether Geng Baoyuan's robbery had anything to do with His Highness" and "what did the outer room look like?" He was able to win over Liu Xun and caught the eye of His Highness" and a series of rumors such as "Whether Geng Baoyuan is dead or alive". Naturally, he also had the same enthusiasm for the sudden inclusion of "the grudges between His Highness and Duke Fu". .

 Chew the root of your tongue, chew the root of your Highness’s tongue. Chewing one thing is chewing, chewing two things is chewing.

As the Chinese New Year is approaching, instead of chatting with colleagues, why don’t you gossip about the prince with your neighbors when visiting relatives and friends?

Wang Gouzi’s brows were throbbing with veins.

 He knew very well how Duke Fu was injured in the first place, and he knew even more clearly that His Highness the Crown Prince was definitely not willing to hear these comments.

Your Highness was already simmering with anger because of Geng Baoyuan's matter. If a spark like this falls, he is afraid that it will really catch fire.

 The most important thing for him when working around His Highness is to ensure His Highness's "peace".

 After compiling his emotions, Wang Gouzi returned to Li Shao and said, "It's the Chinese New Year and we have no time to spare. We are all discussing where to go to have a drink."

Li Shao glanced at him when he heard this: "That's all? It has nothing to do with me?"

 Wang Gouzi lowered his eyes: "It has nothing to do with you."

 Li Shao frowned.

He did feel something, but there was no need for Wang Gouzi to lie to him. Maybe his feeling was wrong... Wang Gouzi saw Li Shao's reaction in his eyes and said nothing more, cheering up in his heart.

There are still a few days left before he can watch the government last year. As long as he takes good precautions and does not let His Highness know about it, after the seal is sealed and His Highness is walking in the palace, there will definitely be no one who is short-sighted and whispers in front of him...

When he arrived at the Yamen, Li Shao left the Rites Yamen. Instead of returning to the palace, he went to Qiantou Street.

Wang Gouzi was anxious: "Your Highness..."

"If you don't want to eat in the imperial dining room," Li Shao said, "just have a drink in the front building."

 Wang Gouzi looked worried.

"What?" Li Shao was unhappy, "They are celebrating the New Year and want to go out and drink. Am I not allowed to eat?"

Having said that, how can I stop the dog? I had to wait for Li Shao to have a drink.

Years ago, business was good everywhere. There was only one private room at the end. Li Shao sat down and ordered a lot of food and drinks.

 Maybe it tasted pretty good. After a quarter of an hour, Li Shao looked much more relaxed.

Wang Gouzi was also relieved and waited carefully, adding wine to Li Shao.

 Suddenly, there was some movement next door. It seemed that he had drunk a lot and was talking with a loud tongue.

"Did Duke Fu really break his leg to save the prince? I heard that he was stabbed by a Xiliang man. How could the prince meet a Xiliang man?"

"How can this be false? The prince sneaked out of seclusion and pretended to be a soldier. How dangerous it would be for the two armies to fight. If it weren't for the sharp eyesight of the Duke of Fu, the prince would have been chopped down by a Xiliang man."

“Then why are there no rewards based on merit?”

"How to reward? If I reward you, won't the prince's misdeeds be hidden?"

"If he hadn't saved the prince's life and still kept silent, how could the Holy Emperor think so highly of Duke Fu? Who do you think he married? Princess Ning'an! The empress dowager's most beloved princess!"

"What kind of honorable guest can't be found like a princess? No matter how young and talented the auxiliary Duke is, he has injured his leg and can't stand it when winter comes. He can't lead troops to fight, and he is not a civil servant. He only has a title and is idle . If he hadn’t saved the prince, how could the emperor have persuaded the empress dowager to marry the princess to him?”

“That’s right! The prince is inspecting Yumen Pass on behalf of His Majesty. How dare he sneak out of the pass?”

“Hey! He dares to let his guards rob other girls, what’s the point of not daring?”

“Yes, His Highness did indeed act out of line…”

Wang Gouzi's face turned whiter than his own skin when he heard these words.

He never expected that when His Highness came to have a drink, there would be some talkative people sitting in the private room next door!

He knew something was wrong when he heard the first sentence, and was about to raise his voice to speak to the neighbors, but before he could speak, His Highness was staring at him with a cold gaze, so that he could not remind him at all.

Your Highness wanted to continue listening, but he deliberately interrupted. So if he tried to persuade His Highness in the future, would it still be useful?

Wang Gouzi could only stand there with his neck curled up, watching Li Shao's face become darker than charcoal bit by bit.

Li Shao said nothing.

All he could think about was, how dare these people? How dare Xu Jian? !

At that time, the situation of Yumenguan was not spread in Beijing, even if there were some rumors, it did not cause a stir, and the old events were hidden.

 Now, everything has been revealed, in much more detail than those rumors!

Even if someone had guessed more, they still couldn't guess the details of "disguising themselves as soldiers". There were only a few people in the capital who knew the ins and outs, and among them, Li Shao was the most suspicious and the first to question. There is no doubt that it is Xu Jian.

 What a Xu Jian!

 Lianhe and Shan Shen have been causing trouble for him these days.

Now you are bringing out the hurtful things and continuing to add fuel to the fire, endlessly, endlessly!

His feeling today was not wrong, that is, someone was talking about him. Thinking of those sights, Li Shao couldn't help but shudder.

So it seems that the entire Qianbu Corridor has been spread?

Li Shao raised his eyes and looked at Wang Gouzi fiercely: "Is this what you mean by 'it has nothing to do with me'?"

“Young, I went out to inquire about it, and I really didn’t hear anything about this,” Wang Gouzi said bravely, “Maybe they all recognized that I was following you, but when they saw him walking around, they stopped talking...”

Li Shao didn’t say he believed it or didn’t believe it.

Wang Gouzi was afraid that the neighbor would continue talking and didn't know what he would say, so he had an idea and loosened his fingers.

Snapped-

 The wine jug fell to the ground and the wine spilled all over the floor.

Wang Gouzi looked frightened and knelt down: "Your Highness, forgive me! I, I was not sure..."

He let go of his voice. When the sound came out, the neighbor seemed to be strangled by the throat. There was no sound for an instant. It was only quiet for a while. There was another sound of dragging chairs in the other room, and then the private room door opened, and there was a rush. After the footsteps, it fell completely silent.

Li Shao was furious, so he quickly opened the door and looked outside, only to see a few people dressed as minor officials going downstairs.

“Running so fast,” Li Shao gritted his teeth, closed the door and looked at Wang Gouzi again, “Tell me, is Xu Jian looking for trouble?”

 Wang Gouzi opened his mouth.

 Who did it? It's hard to say.

 Is there any impetus from Duke Fuguo behind it? no doubt!

 But it was impossible for him to tell His Highness the Crown Prince like this, because he was afraid that His Highness would ignore him.

"I, I don't know, but..." Wang Gouzi swallowed, "I think that the people who spread these rumors must want to anger His Highness. Your Highness has already been questioned by Shuntian Mansion about Geng Baoyuan. You also Therefore, I am annoyed to assist the Duke.

If you get angry because of this, whether you argue with others or confront the Duke, you will only be fulfilling the will of the person who caused the trouble. "

"You mean," Li Shao stared at Wang Gouzi, "I can tolerate it? He is deliberately looking for trouble with me, and I still have to tolerate him?"

 “Your Highness…”

Li Shao interrupted Wang Gouzi: "Everyone knows that my father indulges him, and he relies on his father's trust in him to cause trouble for me!"

Li Shao couldn't even breathe when he thought of his father's trust in Xu Jian.

 Why?

 Obviously he is his father's son, but his father prefers Xu Jian. He loses to an outsider in his father's heart.

Li Shao became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He was not in the mood to drink anymore and strode out.

The dog got up on his hands and knees and hurriedly followed him out.

What they didn’t know was that in the lobby downstairs, an old man threw down his money and left in a hurry.

The old man was old, but his legs were not slow. When he arrived at the official residence and entered the study, the person sitting in front of him was Gu Heng.

"From what I've seen, it seems that we are close to each other," the old man reported. "Our people deliberately talked next door. I heard from them that His Highness threw a wine bottle at his place. His Highness came out to take a look and his face was very ugly. When he left, The younger one saw it clearly and was furious.

　　It's not like being angry because you were wrongly accused, but more like being angry after being exposed. "

Hearing this, Gu Heng touched his beard.

Since the results of the test have been obtained, it is time for him to take action tomorrow morning.

The monthly pass is doubled, please give me a monthly pass! !

　　(End of this chapter)