Chapter 16 The Greedy King
He smelled hot, like a furnace for forging swords, with energy that melted everything, making her breathless.
Jiang He put his ear against Zhao Zheng's chest. His heartbeat was strong and strong. It seemed that he would not die.
Did you mistake yourself for someone in a dream? Maybe he mistakenly thought she was his mother? Jiang He suddenly pushed Zhao Zheng away. If there weren't so many people kneeling behind him, she would probably have punched him to wake him up.
"Your Majesty is awake."
After standing up and getting out of the way, the palace maid carrying the soup and medicine immediately came forward, and several important officials in the court who were kneeling and waiting behind the screen also bent down and kowtowed.
Zhao Zheng leaned against the jade pillow and drank the decoction. The panic and excitement he had when he just woke up faded away, and his face was covered with a layer of frost.
"Wei Xiangguo."
He looked at a shadow on the screen and spoke in a gentle voice.
I've heard him speak harshly and have harsh expressions, and I've even seen him scowling coldly, but he's so gentle that it's hard to ministers outside the screen were silent, and only an old and respectful voice could be heard saying: "I am here."
Wei Zhangde, the Prime Minister of the Yong Kingdom, was 62 years old. He had a wide forehead and high nose, a narrow face and a long beard. He was tall and thin with gray hair on his temples. He always looked worried about state affairs, with wise and respectful eyes.
This is the Prime Minister who supported the late emperor's succession and was honored as "Father Zhong" by Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Zheng coughed lightly. The smoke from the fire burned his throat, making his voice a little hoarse.
"There was a fire in the palace last night, which alarmed my wife."
He did not question Wei Nanxu about setting fire to kill the king, nor did he question Wei Zhangde's involvement, but instead spoke to comfort him.
Wei Zhangde kept his forehead pressed to the ground and said in a deep voice: "It is the law of the Great Yong Dynasty that regicide means the destruction of the nine tribes. I have sealed the gate of the palace on my own and privately sent out the lieutenant army to capture Wei Chen's family members in his hometown of Sichuan. I will return soon." If you go to the capital, you can die.”
Without defending his legitimate daughter, let alone begging for forgiveness, Wei Zhangde set an example by implementing the laws of the Yong Kingdom and annihilating the nine tribes on his own.
Zhao Zheng's expression moved slightly, and he subconsciously raised his eyes to look at Jiang He.
Jiang He was tilting his head cautiously, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister of the Yong Zhao Zheng looking at her, she gave Zhao Zheng a thumbs up.
"The power of the prime minister has been taken back, and you can take charge personally."
The voice was barely audible and he just moved his lips, but Zhao Zheng understood.
After the death of the previous king, Zhao Zheng followed the custom of observing filial piety for one year before he succeeded and was this year, the government was gradually controlled by the Prime Minister and the Queen Mother.
To this day, if the memorials and decrees signed by Zhao Zheng are to be stamped with the imperial seal, they must be submitted to the Da Zheng Palace for memorial that Zhao Zheng could sign and approve was also acquiesced by Prime Minister Wei Zhangde after reading it.
The new king of the Yong Kingdom is like a statue that has been raised high, with only arms and legs that cannot be moved, and only ambitions that cannot be used.
If the barbarians destroy the nine tribes of Xiangguo, Zhao Zheng can take back half of the royal power.
But he shook his head at Jiang He.
"not enough."
Zhao Zheng coughed lightly and said to the old minister outside the screen who was respected by the people and relied on by the late king: "What did the Prime Minister say? The matter has not been found out, and it is not known whether it was framed or framed. How can I be blamed for some igniting things?" , will you abolish your phase and destroy your clan?"
That means we need to check again.
Before finding out, Wei Zhangde just needs to stay in his house and not go out.
Lord Xiangguo breathed a sigh of raised his hand to take off his official hat, took off his fish charm and jade pendant, took out his seal from his sleeve, and took off his black these things on the tray held by the waiter, kowtow and leave.
Before leaving the house, Jiang He's voice came: "The sacrifices in the palace are almost ready. Please ask Miss Wei and Mr. Xiangguo to go back together."
Can you still take it away? A strange color flashed across Wei Zhangde's dark eyes.
As soon as he climbed onto the carriage, Wei Nanxu knelt in front of Wei Zhangde with tears in his eyes.
"My daughter is willing to die to pay for her sin!" she kowtowed.
Wei Zhangde, who had taken off the black robe that symbolized the head of the hundred officials and was wearing a white-collared dark brown coat, sat with a solemn expression and said slumpedly: "How can you die alone to offset the sins of hundreds of people in my Wei family? "
"Your Majesty actually wants to exterminate the clan?" Wei Nanxu's beautiful face was deformed due to shock. His legs could no longer kneel due to the shaking of the carriage, and he slumped down.
Wei Zhangde shook his head.
"Your Majesty is extremely wise and unfathomable. He will not order the extermination of the family just because you are suspected of arson. First, because Wei's family has been operating in the Yong Kingdom for hundreds of years, and uprooting it will harm the country; second, I'm afraid your Majesty doesn't believe that you did it."
"Your Majesty, you don't believe it?" Wei Nanxu's tears that had just stopped rolled down in clusters, and his cries were mixed with excitement and cried and said: "It's really not my daughter who started the fire! My daughter loves the king. Even if she wants the queen to die, she will take advantage of the king's absence."
Wei Zhangde sighed and looked at his daughter in front of him.
She was pampered by her daughter in her old age, and thought that by inviting teachers from the Seven Kingdoms to teach her how to excel, she would be able to avoid disasters for the rest of her would have thought that once he had acquired talent and learning, he also developed a proud and domineering temperament.
Having grown up in a honeypot, she cannot understand the unpredictable nature of people's hearts and knows how to advance and retreat in a controlled manner.
There is little cleverness, but there is no great wisdom.
Do you still have the intention to harm the queen?
Judging from the fact that the queen allowed him to take away his daughter at the right time today, this person cannot be underestimated.
After this disaster, we should quickly find a suitable family and marry Wei Nanxu.
Only by having her husband and her son live in the inner house can she be kept safe and peaceful throughout her life.
"Xu'er," Wei Zhangde gently patted Wei Nanxu's shoulder, motioning her to stop crying, and said, "Tell my father exactly what happened in the past few days. Who you have been in contact with, what you have seen. , what did you say? If you make one mistake or miss something, our Webster will be in disaster." Wei Nanxu wiped away her tears and knelt in front of her father, reporting everything in detail.
After the carriage entered Wei Mansion, the two of them still stayed in the one in the Wei family dared to come forward to disturb him. It was not until night fell and dark clouds covered the moon that Wei Zhangde walked out of the carriage.
The servant went to pick up the master with a lantern.
The lights that turned on instantly illuminated Wei Zhangde's face, and he shuddered as the early autumn wind blew his foot, he missed the mark and almost fell.
The servant quickly supported him.
Wei Zhangde's legs were weak and his expression was gloomy. His tall back was bent when he walked. In just one day, he seemed to have aged by more than ten years.
Zhao Zheng didn't sleep.
He leaned on the dragon bed and looked through a scroll of bamboo slips.
The Zhiyang Palace dormitory was burned down. The Queen Mother meant that they could temporarily move to Dazheng Palace, but Zhao Zheng refused because he had inconvenience in his legs and feet and did not want to move.
The palace maid then cleaned out another side hall of Zhiyang Palace according to the instructions. This one was just slightly smaller and the furnishings were a little more plain, but there was nothing wrong with the rest.
After Mr. Xiangguo left today, Zhao Zheng supported and handled some court that it was already Wu o'clock, I still had no intention of going to bed.
I heard that Lord Chang'an, who was out hunting, heard that his brother's palace had been set on fire. He was horrified and worried and fell off his horse, breaking his ankle. He had already rushed back from the hunting ground overnight and would go to the palace to pay his respects tomorrow.
Seeing him flipping through the bamboo slips very slowly, I wonder if he is thinking about this.
Jiang He glanced at the dowry behind the screen in front of the dragon bed and prepared to sleep.
Suddenly, Zhao Zheng said: "Those letters were not burned, were they?"
During the early morning fire, Zhao Zheng found that the palace door was locked. He opened the window and called for the guards before returning to untie Jiang He's arms.
Unfortunately, he was pinned down by a falling beam.
There was no time to call for help in the smoke. When he saw Jiang He falling off the bed, the first thing he subconsciously did was to take away the luggage in the dowry.
In that baggage were letters written to her by people she cared about.
Later, Jiang He found out that he was being suppressed, so instead of running for his life, Jiang He came back to save him.
The bundle was tied to her body, not on her back, but close to her chest.
She leaned down in the fire, almost using her own life to protect the letters.
Now that I have moved to the temporary dormitory, the first thing I do is to carefully put the letters back into the new look was like holding a baby.
Hearing Zhao Zheng's question, Jiang He nodded and replied: "It's been checked and it's fine."
Zhao Zheng gently rolled up the bamboo slips, turned to look at her and said, "Who is that person?"
Who is that person who wrote to you?
Who is the person you care about so much?
Compared with the king of a country, what kind of person is he?
Zhao Zheng had many questions waiting for Jiang He to answer.
Jiang He thought for a while.
Wei Ji's name was known all over the world, but she already had a Qi State hostage held by Zhao Zheng as a bargaining chip, and she was unwilling to add another one.
She smiled slyly, leaning on the middle coat she had folded as a pillow, and looked up at the pearls hanging on the bed long as these pearls encounter a little light, they will shine brighter.
Bright but not dazzling, soft and warm.
same as him.
"He is a good man," Jiang He said. "He is my savior, my brother, the person I often dream about, and the person I want to see."
After saying so much, I didn't mention her name.
Zhao Zheng turned his head.
Jiang He stretched out his arm: "Tie it up, don't wait for me to fall asleep and wake me up again."
Zhao Zheng, who was sitting deep in the bed tent, did not speak. He hesitated for a moment and said calmly: "The rope was burned. Let's forget about it for a few days."
Jiang He looked at him with some surprise and saw that he had laid down on the pillow, pulled up the brocade quilt and closed his eyes.
It looks like they are no longer tied up.
This was a blessing in disguise. Jiang He raised his hands and stretched comfortably.
She turned her back to Zhao Zheng, pulled up the brocade quilt and wrapped it casually around her body, before going to sleep.
In a daze, I heard Zhao Zheng ask.
"Jiang He, do you like him and want to marry him?"
(End of this chapter)