Invincible son

Chapter 1152 1153 [Prelude to the Great Change]

In the seventh year of Kaiping, October 27, afternoon.

Liu Xian came to Jingren Palace to greet Empress Dowager Wu as usual.

Empress Dowager Wu looked gentle, looking at the boredom on Liu Xian's face that had not dissipated, and said with concern: "The emperor is busy with government affairs recently, and there is no need to come here every afternoon to pay his respects. The Ai family knows that the assassination of Wei Guogong made you very embarrassed. If you don't If this matter is found out, it will probably cause controversy between the government and the opposition. But if some people are really found out, it is difficult to guarantee that the situation will become more complicated."

Liu Xian smiled wryly and said: "I know that there is something wrong with this matter, and I hope that the Queen Mother can clear up my doubts."

Empress Dowager Wu pondered, "Have any clues been found in the Xiangguo Mansion?"

Liu Xian shook his head and said, "Chen An reported to Erchen the day before yesterday that Luan Yiwei had nothing to gain. The blood on the back wall of Xiangguo Mansion has long since dried up, so it cannot prove that it is related to the assassin. As for the double knives in the grass beside the street behind Xiangguo Mansion After being identified by Pei Yue's personal soldiers and the people who witnessed the assassination on Gushui Street that day, it was indeed the weapon used by the assassin."

"In this way, Xiao Jin is indeed suspected?"

"Queen mother, how could the Marquis of Xiangcheng make such a simple mistake? If the assassin was really assigned by him, he would not be able to return to the vicinity of Xiangguo Mansion afterwards, let alone throw the bloody swords there at will. I really don't believe it. The Xiangguo Mansion has been passed down for nearly a hundred years, and the Marquis of Xiangcheng has a deep foundation in the army. Could it be that he can't even bring out a loyal dead soldier? Therefore, I have let Xiao Jin leave the palace and return to the mansion."

"It is indeed full of flaws. This kind of evidence is equivalent to child's play. Logically speaking, this problem is not difficult to solve. Why is the emperor depressed?"

"Mother, this is where the blame lies. Even the son-in-law can see the strangeness. There are still some people who persist in impeaching Xiao Jin."

He sighed softly, frowned and said, "What are these people trying to do?"

Empress Dowager Wu remained silent.

After a while, she asked softly: "Since someone wants to frame her, it's natural to add fuel to the flames."

Liu Xian's heart tightened: "Mother refers to Pei Yue?"

Empress Dowager Wu nodded and said: "It's not impossible. Emperor, have you ever thought that the so-called assassination is actually a trick by Pei Yue to deceive the world?"

"To tell my mother, I did have such suspicions at first, so when I went to visit Pei Yue that day, I brought the imperial physician with me. After the examination, they told me that Pei Yue's injuries were not fake."

Liu Xian stared at the solemn face of the Empress Dowager, and continued to explain: "The Empress Dowager, Luanyiwei and Taishi Taige all have eyeliners on Pei Yue, and the two sides restrict and monitor each other, so there will be no mistakes. The assassin's martial arts is extremely advanced. Gao, he is definitely not an idler, nor is he a dead man supported by Pei Yue, so the assassination this time should not be caused by Pei Yue's deceit."

Empress Dowager Wu did not argue about this issue, and said slowly: "Then how does the emperor plan to deal with it?"

Liu Xiandao: "No matter what, my son must find out who is behind the assassination."

Complicated emotions appeared in Empress Dowager Wu's eyes, and then she changed the subject: "Although Xiao Jin is suspected of sending someone to assassinate Pei Yue, he has been loyal and loyal for so many years, so there is nothing wrong with the emperor taking care of him, otherwise it will be cold." The hearts of those loyal ministers. It's just that he can't leave the capital for the time being, and the tour of the southern army can only be postponed."

Liu Xian was puzzled and said: "What does the queen mother mean?"

Empress Dowager Wu said: "Although Xiao Jin can't leave Beijing, the southern border should be fine. After all, the Tiancang River separates the north from the south, and now the Southern Zhou navy is no longer as strong as it used to be. Even if the Southern Zhou wanted to use troops, as long as the navy has not regained its vitality, They won’t make any rash moves in a short time. But the western region is different, the Gaoyang Plain can’t hold off the cavalry of the Western Wu, but for them, it’s like a flat river coming from morning to evening.”

Hearing the words "Xiao Jin can't leave Beijing", Liu Xian's mind seemed to be struck by a thunderbolt.

According to Empress Dowager Wu's suggestion, he asked Gu Liang to inspect the defense in the western border and Xiao Jin to check the military situation in the southern border, so that he could deal with possible wars on the border without further aggravating Pei Yue's power.

But if Xiao Jin fell into this incident, Pei Yue would naturally be the one who went south.

Is this really his conspiracy?

Seeing that Liu Xian was absent-minded and silent, the Empress Dowager Wu said softly, "Emperor, Gu Liang's inspection on behalf of the heavens cannot be delayed any longer."

Liu Xian came back to his senses, hesitantly said: "Mother, I think it's safer for Gu Liang to stay in the capital for the time being."

Empress Dowager Wu frowned and said: "Since you trust Pei Yue so much, you can't ignore the hidden worries he raised earlier. It is very likely that Western Wu and Southern Zhou will jointly send troops. Now the Western Army of Daliang is much weaker than before, and the four battalions have been reformed. For the third battalion, most of the military stronghold will be abolished, and it may be in danger in case of war. At this time, you don’t need to send imperial envoys to the southern border to inspect the defense of the frontier army, but you must not underestimate the threat of the Western Wu cavalry.”

Liu Xian didn't agree in his heart, especially after the idea that terrified him appeared, but he never dared to disobey the Queen Mother's ideas since he was a child, so he could only hesitate and said: "After receiving the teachings of the Queen Mother, I will make the Marquis of Guangping as soon as possible. Go to the West."

Empress Dowager Wu nodded approvingly.

Liu Xian was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the flash of sternness in Empress Dowager Wu's eyes, he just lowered his head slightly to hide the panic in his heart.

Pei Yue is both a teacher and a friend to him, and he has always assisted him a lot.

Without Pei Yue's support, it would be impossible for him to become the crown prince so easily, not to mention that when Wang Pingzhang rebelled, Pei Yue tried his best to turn the tide and help the country.After he ascended the throne, several crucial reform strategies were written by Pei Yue, and all parts of Daliang began to revitalize because of this, and he was very pleased in his heart.

But if the assassination on Gushui Street was really done by Pei Yue himself, and then he targeted Xiao Jinxing to frame him, wouldn't it mean that Pei Yue wanted to monopolize the power?

Would he really do that?
Why is he doing this?
……

October 29th, the lunar new year.

Eleven days had passed since Pei Yue's assassination, and the assassin had not yet been arrested, and the differences in the court became more and more obvious.

When seeing the figure of the young Duke appearing in Chengtian Hall, many courtiers couldn't help frowning quietly.

Right now, there is no evidence on either side. Those who impeached Xiao Jin could not produce evidence related to the assassin, and those who impeached Pei Yue could not prove that this was his conspiracy, so the situation fell into a fierce stalemate.

In fact, the vast majority of courtiers are like mirrors in their hearts. At this point, it doesn't matter whether there is evidence or not.

There can be no two tigers in one mountain, the battle between Pei Yue and Xiao Jin has been made public, it seems that only one of them surrenders the power and leaves the court to calm the turmoil.

After the routine, even several ministers stood up to impeach Xiao Jin, and the content of their impeachment had nothing to do with the assassination case, pointing out that Xiao Jin was nepotism, for example, Pei Cheng became the deputy commander of the Kyoto garrison at a young age.

He also said that he had embezzled the military pay to fill his own pockets, and made countless fortunes during the ten years in Hucheng.

Some people even impeached him for oppressing the people and coercing women into concubines.

There are many, many, and many others.

Unlike before, most of the middle- and lower-level officials appeared on the stage, today there were actually two purple-clothed ministers.

The situation was not one-sided, and civil and military officials who supported Xiao Jin soon stood up.

The hall was like boiling water, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Liu Xianduan sat on the dragon chair, unaware of the noise below him, his eyes stayed on the head of the martial arts class, looking at Pei Yue who was wearing the Duke's court uniform and looked more and more solemn.

At this moment, Pei Yue suddenly stepped forward and walked to the central position step by step.

This scene seemed to slow down the passage of time, and the disputing voices disappeared.

Everyone looked at the young Duke in unison.

Pei Yue faced the emperor on the dragon chair, bowed in a calm manner, and then said: "Your Majesty, I have something to announce."

Liu Xian cleared his throat, raised his hand and said, "Speak."

Pei Yue raised his head, looked at Liu Xian with clear eyes, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, during these days when I was recuperating in the mansion, I have heard of disputes in the court. Now the assassin's whereabouts are unknown, and it seems that this matter has nothing to do with the Marquis of Xiangcheng. It is related, so I want to talk about my own views."

Not far to the right, Xiao Jin, who had always been silent and calm when facing the criticism from a small number of courtiers, turned her head and glanced at Pei Yue.

The courtiers in the palace had different expressions, some were looking forward to it, while others were full of worry.

They couldn't help but think of Xiao Jin's aggressiveness towards Pei Yue in the court hall after the Yanzhi incident broke out two months ago.

According to the disposition shown by that young duke in the past, today I am afraid that he will fight with an eye for an eye.

Pei Yue didn't seem to notice the commotion behind him, he kept looking at Liu Xian, raised his tone and said, "Your Majesty Qizuo, I am determined not to believe that the assassination case has anything to do with the Marquis of Xiangcheng. despicable scheme!"

The sound is like the sound of gold and stone.

It is also like Huang Zhong Da Lu, suddenly playing.

Liu Xian met Pei Yue's gaze, quietly comprehended these words, and the heartstrings that had been tense for days finally relaxed.

(End of this chapter)