surnamed Wang

The emperor who was still sleeping was emboldened to be woken up by the eunuch. When he vaguely learned the news of Ji Hong's defection, he thought he had heard wrongly.

Wang Zhaoqi read the secret letter from the secret guard several times before he was sure that Ji Hong was really bold enough to deceive him.

In the morning, the emperor looked at the officials below him with gloomy eyes. He didn't know who else he could trust. If Liu Baoqing hadn't stopped him, Liu Muqing would have been dragged out of the Meridian Gate in anger and beheaded.

"Liu Shangshu, Liu Xiang, is this the talent you recommended to me?"

"Your Majesty, I forgive you. I really didn't know that Ji Hong had colluded with the rebels."

A Confucian scholar in his mid-forties knelt down at the foot of the steps. It was Liu Muqing who had once dominated the court.

He had long been aware of Wang Siheng's rebellious attitude and had warned him more than once. However, the emperor always had a sense of luck, which allowed King Wu to hide his power and bide his time.

Liu Baoqing glanced at Liu Muqing, took a step forward and said:

"Your Majesty, at this point, it is useless to ask for the blame. The top priority is to find another general to put down the rebellion."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Sima Kuan, the commander-in-chief of Nanyang Prefecture, is a loyal man and cautious in marching. He will definitely be able to take on this important task."

"Can you trust Sima Kuan?"

"Your Majesty, I guarantee with the head on my neck that unless he dies, he will never have second thoughts."

After hearing the words, Wang Zhaoqi pondered for a moment and said:

"Since Liu Qing's family says so, let's send Sima Kuan to disperse the dynasty."

The emperor walked away without even looking at Liu Muqing, who was kneeling down. The remaining officials in the palace looked at each other in shock.

After this incident, the Liu Party is bound to decline. If nothing unexpected happens, the next person to lead the court will be the favored Minister Liu.

The official who was still wavering smiled and walked towards Liu Baoqing. He greeted Liu Baoqing with greetings and was more attentive than meeting his biological father.

For them, the King of Wu in the southwest is not a concern, and the most important thing is to do well now. Even if the opponent can really attack the capital and the emperor gives way, with their ability, it is not difficult to find a place in the new dynasty.

The officials were not all arrogant and self-indulgent. Those with a bit of backbone could only lament the harshness of the world, and then supported Liu Muqing and walked out of the palace.

There are only a dozen steps inside and outside the hall, and the contrast between the warmth and the desertedness is particularly sharp.

……

In the Imperial Garden, Wang Zhaoqi was staring at a laurel tree with his eyes in trance. Not far away, several concubines were playing and playing. They let out crisp laughter from time to time, trying to attract the emperor's attention.

The concubines were only fourteen or fifteen years old. To be precise, they were still children. Although they came from a famous family, they had only learned female precepts and training. They were more than capable of caring for their husbands and raising children, but they did not know how to share the emperor's worries.

Wang Zhaoqi didn't know what he was thinking of. He suddenly broke the branch in his hand and frowned:

"Noisy, put them all into the cold palace."

Several concubines had been paying attention to the movement here. When they heard this, their faces turned pale with fright, and they quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.

The young man's brows furrowed even deeper. Just as he was about to speak, a light voice came from afar:
"Who made Qier unhappy?"

Wang Zhaoqi turned his head with a complicated expression on his face. The only person in the world who dared to call him that was his biological mother, the dignified Queen Mother Liu Pheasant.

After a moment's hesitation, he bowed to the approaching woman:

"The child sees the mother."

The woman who had not been regent for a long time lost a lot of majesty, replaced by the calmness and kindness that should be expected at this age. She passed her son and walked to the concubines, reaching out to help them up.

"You men always like to blame women for your faults."

After speaking, he patted the back of the concubine’s hand and said softly:

"It's okay, let's all go down." "Yes."

The girls, as if they had received an amnesty, carefully bowed to the couple and quickly left the garden.

Liu Zhi sat down in the pavilion and said calmly:
"Are you worried about King Wu?"

"Does your mother know?"

The woman nodded, picked up the tea cup and said:
"You and Qing'er teamed up to deal with me, which really broke my mother's heart. I didn't want to care about it at first, but you two alone can't defeat King Wu."

"Mother, are you willing to help me?"

Wang Zhaoqi was a little surprised. Ever since he seized power, the Queen Mother had never given him a good look. Every time he went to pay her respects, he was turned away. As time went by, he became too lazy to go.

Liu Zhi took a sip of tea, looked at the osmanthus tree that his son was staring at, and said calmly:
"No matter how fiercely we fight, we are still one family after all. There is no reason to give up the throne left by your father to someone else."

After Liu Pheasant finished speaking, he took out a few letters from his sleeve and put them on the table. Wang Zhaoqi picked them up doubtfully, took out one of them and took a look at it, his expression immediately full of shock.

The Queen Mother still said slowly:
"The Sima Kuan recommended by Qing'er is quite reliable, but he can only guarantee a [-]% chance of winning, and there is still a long way to go before he can avoid any future troubles."

"Since the Queen Mother already knew that the Emperor's uncle would rebel, why didn't she get rid of him?"

"King Wu has outstanding military exploits and cannot be killed easily. Only when he causes trouble, no one dares to accuse him. Originally, my mother wanted to wait until he was eliminated before returning to you, but who knew you were so impatient..."

Liu Zhi's words stopped abruptly in the middle of his words, and in the end he could only sigh helplessly.

Wang Zhaoqi looked guilty after hearing this, lowered his head and said:

"This matter is indeed because the child is impatient, and the mother's hard work has been in vain."

"It's okay. My mother is now playing with flowers and flowers every day. She no longer has to quarrel with the people in the court. It's very peaceful."

"Mother, what should we do with Liu Muqing and the relatives and friends of those generals?"

"Since those generals dare to rebel, they are aware of it. Being cruel will not only not help, but will also anger them. It is better to keep it first. It will come in handy."

"My child knows, I will make arrangements right away."

Wang Zhaoqi took a few letters and left. It wasn't until his figure completely disappeared that Queen Mother Liu Pheasant sighed and sighed in a low voice:
"The children have indeed grown up, and they all know how to play tricks on their mothers."

The woman looked at the osmanthus tree again, which was planted by a family of three when the late emperor was still alive.

At that time, I had been busy for a long time and was very disgraced. Thinking about it now, I still can't help but laugh - it's a pity that such good days are gone forever.

……

After King Wu took control of Fanxiong, he blocked the entire southwest and immediately cut off the main road. All the money, food and personnel in it became his personal property. Many officials were intercepted by King Wu's men before they fled with their families and families.

There were only two paths before them. One was to fulfill their duties, appease the people, and give King Wu the greatest support. The other, needless to say, was a dead end.

Wang Siheng's kindheartedness was only useful when he was in a good mood. After ordering the execution of more than a dozen powerful officials, the remaining people finally knew that the prince was not joking with them, and each one of them completed the tasks assigned by the other party honestly.

There are always exceptions to everything. A magistrate saw several colleagues dying in front of him. Instead of being afraid, he jumped on his feet and cursed his mother. His words were so filthy that he was not like a scholar at all.

Such a courageous person could not resist a knife after all. The knife was stabbed by King Wu himself, and the blood spurting out stained half of his sleeves red.

"What's going on today, Your Majesty?" someone among the soldiers in the rear whispered.

"You look like you're new here. All the old brothers know that if the prince is in a bad mood, he will take action himself."

"Why?"

"Eighty percent she's the princess."

……