Exile opening: I won with the Universal Maker

Chapter 346
General Zhao Mu returned to his mansion after leaving the palace, closed the door to thank the guests, and did not go to the backyard, staying in the hall to drink alone.

While drinking, the servant reported that Mrs. Zhou had come.

Mrs. Zhou is the wife of Zhao Mu. She married Zhao Mu when she was 17 years old. The couple had two sons, the eldest son was 15 years old and the second son was [-] years old.Although Mrs. Zhou is in her mid-thirties, she has maintained her appearance and posture pretty well. It can be seen that she was also a beautiful woman when she was young.It's just that he is a bit short-sighted and timid.

Back then, King Xiao Ming of Qi responded to the second prince's appeal and raised troops to attack the capital.Zhao Mu was in a dilemma.If you help Emperor Yongde, you are injustice to King Qi.If you help the king of Qi to beat the emperor, that is disloyalty.Mrs. Zhou gave him a pillow breeze. Since King Qi and the Son of Heaven are incompatible, no matter which side they help, it is not pleasing, so it is better to stand still and watch the changes.In this way, neither side will be blamed.

Mrs. Zhou felt that this was a good strategy. In fact, this kind of sloppy approach was very inappropriate, but at that time Xiao Ming could understand his difficulty in not being able to send troops.A narrow-minded person would already harbor resentment.

Zhao Mu is good at leading troops to fight, otherwise he would not be able to guard the frontier, but his ears are a little soft, and he also felt that Mrs. Zhou's suggestion had merit, so he adopted it.Later, Emperor Yongde set himself on fire in Fengqi Palace, and Xiao Zhuo and King Qi reconciled after the war in Shengjing. He finally didn't have to worry about this matter.After Xiao Ming became the throne, he also treated him kindly, directly promoted him to the rank of general, and commanded the whole army of Dayan.

After getting through this crisis safely, he trusted Mrs. Zhou's judgment more.

Now that Emperor Qi Ming passed away, Xiao Beiheng ordered him to prepare an army and choose a day to attack King An Xiao Zhuo, and he encountered another difficulty.After all, Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Beiheng are brothers, and it seems inappropriate to help either side.

After Mrs. Zhou came, Zhao Mu told her what happened that day.Mrs. Zhou cheered and said: "This matter is all clear, why is the master still not sure?"

Zhao Mu put the wine bowl on the table and said, "Why is this so easy?"

"Was the will of King Ping to be the crown prince fabricated?"

"The Prime Minister has confirmed it, it is His Majesty's imperial decree."

Mrs. Zhou picked up the flagon and poured wine for him, and said: "This is the end. Since Your Majesty has passed away, it is only natural for King Ping to ascend the throne as the crown prince. How dare the master confront the emperor face to face? Could it be that he does not want to die?" gone?"

Thinking of his confrontation with Xiao Beiheng in the Golden Luan Hall, Zhao Mu felt a little uneasy.No matter how rude Xiao Beiheng was, the prime ministers and other ministers all knelt down and admitted that Xiao Beiheng was the emperor, but he himself was the only one who still held his neck and refused to bow down.

"At that time, King Ping was sitting directly on the Golden Luan Hall, and I was in a hurry..."

"My lord, even if the emperor's etiquette is broken, if he doesn't go to greet his father's coffin, it's not up to us courtiers to criticize," Mrs. Zhou said. "We courtiers must not make mistakes first. Otherwise, the emperor will arrest you." hold on..."

Zhao Mu heard sweat on his forehead, put down the wine bowl he was carrying and said, "Ma'am, then... what do you think?"

Mrs. Zhou said: "My lord, Your Majesty ordered you to lead an army to attack Xiao Zhuo. This is obviously useful for you. Otherwise, how could Your Majesty tolerate your disrespect in the Golden Luan Hall? There should be no danger for my lord. I will let my servants prepare A generous gift, at noon the master will bring himself into the palace to make amends to His Majesty, and then lead the army to destroy Xiao Zhuo, and then he will be able to sit back and relax and make great progress."

Zhao Mu smiled wryly, and said, "I've already been appointed as a great general, and I'm an extremely human minister, so there's nothing worth pursuing."

Mrs. Zhou glanced at him and said: "You only think about yourself, our son will rely on you in the future. Once Xiao Zhuo is destroyed, Jingzhou and Liangzhou will be vacant. Your Majesty becomes the emperor, and An Zhou Yuzhou is also free. If you don’t make military exploits, how can His Majesty confer titles on our son?”

Zhao Mu pondered and said, "I had dealt with Xiao Zhuo's wife, Shen Yuexi, and I thought she was a very nice person. I'm afraid there is something wrong with Xiao Zhuo killing the king..."

"My lord, what are you thinking about?" Mrs. Zhou pretended to be annoyed. "Could it be that you think what the empress said is false? Since ancient times, people know their faces but don't know their hearts. Didn't Xiao Zhuo kill his teacher back then. Now assassinate him Isn't it reasonable for your father to be emperor?"

Zhao Mu was still hesitating, when a servant came to report: "My lord, General Anguo is visiting."

After hearing this, Mrs. Zhou looked at Zhao Mu and said, "Master, General Anguo is the Qi Shengjue who brought the news? Why did this person come to the door at this time?"

From Zhao Mu's return to the present, it was just dawn, and generally no one would come to the door at this time.

Zhao Mu was startled, he contradicted Xiao Beiheng in the Golden Luan Hall, did Xiao Beiheng send him to arrest him?
He tried to pretend to be calm and asked: "Can General An Guo bring troops?"

"No, there is only one person," said the servant, "General Anguo is very secretive, and seems to be hiding from outsiders."

Hearing that Qi Shengjue came alone, Zhao Mu felt relieved, and said to Madam Zhou: "General An Guo is visiting, Madam will avoid it for now."

Mrs. Zhou agreed, but she knew in her heart that Qi Shengjue came here strangely, and there must be some ulterior purpose.She refused to leave just like that, secretly hid next door and listened.

Qi Shengjue led the way down to meet Zhao Mu, and the two finished their ceremony.Zhao Mu said to Qi Shengjue:

"You also know my rules. You have to drink three bowls of spirits before talking. Otherwise, you won't talk about it."

Qi Shengjue also knew about his special request.He was not polite or refused, just picked up the wine jar and poured three bowls of wine, drank all three bowls of wine in one go, and put down the wine bowls.

Seeing how happy he was, Zhao Mu couldn't help but also clapped his hands and said, "Okay, it's a happy one."

Qi Shengjue wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said to Zhao Mu: "General, please let the servants back down, I have something to say to the general."

Seeing Zhao Muping retreating, Qi Shengjuan said to Zhao Mu: "I have heard for a long time that the general has a deep personal relationship with the emperor. When the general offended Emperor Yongde, it was the emperor who relieved the general. Is there such a thing?"

Seeing Qi Shengjue mentioning his relationship with Xiao Ming, Zhao Mu didn't know what his intentions were, so he could only say, "Your Majesty and I are a ruler and a minister. How dare I lie that I have a deep friendship with Your Majesty."

Qi Shengjue lowered his voice and said, "Was the general angry when His Majesty was assassinated?"

Zhao Mu said: "Of course, in the future, I will bid farewell to the emperor and lead the army to conquer the rebels and avenge the late emperor."

Qi Shengjue looked him up and down, and said, "Is the general telling the truth? The general really thinks Xiao Zhuo did it?"

Zhao Mu didn't really believe that Xiao Zhuo would do such a thing. Now when Qi Shengjue asked him, he was a warrior and was not good at hiding his thoughts, so he hesitated at the moment, not knowing how to answer.

Seeing his hesitation, Qi Shengjue felt confident, and said in a low voice, "The general saw Ping Wang's expression in the Jinluan Hall today. In fact, His Majesty was assassinated by Ping Wang."

"What!" Zhao Mu jumped up as if frightened, and even his face turned pale.

In fact, he also had doubts about Xiao Beiheng, but he still didn't quite believe that Xiao Beiheng would really do such a thing.After all, Xiao Beiheng is different from Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Ming has been kind to Xiao Beiheng for 20 years in nurturing him.Now that Qi Shengjue came to express his doubts in person, he was still quite frightened.

Qi Shengjue said calmly, "The general and the Son of Heaven are brothers and sisters. I'm here to tell the general the truth. I hope the general can distinguish right from wrong, and don't help the evildoers."

"Isn't this the queen's edict?" Zhao Mu forced himself to calm down and looked at Qi Shengjue.

"Prince Xiao Zhuo hadn't arrived when His Majesty was stabbed. Xiao Beiheng told me that a wild boar injured His Majesty. I checked with the imperial doctor, and it was actually a sword wound," Qi Shengjue said in a lower voice, "The empress said that His Majesty was Ping Wang's harm, it can be seen that the queen and Xiao Beiheng are in the same group."

Zhao Mu wiped the sweat off his forehead: "Then why are you telling me this?"

Knowing these inside stories, he already vaguely guessed what Qi Shengjue wanted him to do.But he was terrified when he thought about what would happen next.

Qi Shengjue said: "Your Majesty treats me well. Although I am not talented, I can't tolerate a man who kills his father becoming emperor. The general received His Majesty's great favor and led the Yan army. If he helps Xiao Beiheng in turn, His Majesty has the spirit. Jiuquan will be heartbroken when he hears about it. I hope the general will think about the people of Dayan, capture the real traitor, and welcome King An back."

The words have been made clear, now it depends on Zhao Mu's attitude.

Zhao Mu was so excited about Ai Ai that he didn't dare to respond directly.He is not a person who can make decisions, otherwise Mrs. Zhou would not have given him advice.After hesitating for a long time, Fang Qi Shengjue said, "This matter is too important, let me think about it slowly before replying."

Qi Shengjue was a little anxious, and said: "General, you contradicted Xiao Beiheng in the early court today. Xiao Beiheng didn't seem to care, but the general didn't know what he was thinking. A person who can kill his father, the general thinks he can do it." What's the matter?"

Zhao Mu hesitated after hearing this.

What Qi Shengjue said made sense.He contradicted Xiao Beiheng in the Golden Luan Hall, which was a crime of disrespect, but Xiao Beiheng didn't say anything.From Mrs. Zhou's point of view, this is because Xiao Beiheng still has something to do with him.Since Xiao Beiheng still wants to use him, shouldn't he be harmed?
After thinking about it for a while, he felt that what his wife said was reasonable.Then he said to Qi Shengjue: "I know everything, but this matter is really important. My mind is in a mess. Let me think about it."

Qi Shengjue said: "General, this matter cannot be considered slowly at all. Major events should be interrupted, and you will suffer from it. You are the commander of the Yan army, and the [-] guards at the border are also the commander of your confidant Wei Liang. As long as you raise your arms With one call, the world responds. With an army and power, why does the general still look forward and backward?"

Zhao Mu frowned tightly, turned around and poured down a bowl of wine, arrogance arose in his heart, and he said to Qi Shengjue, "General Anguo is right, I saw Xiao Beiheng's panicked face in the Golden Luan Hall, and he felt guilty. Now the general is here to tell I have no doubts about the truth. What good strategy does the general have?"

Qi Shengjue was overjoyed, pulled Zhao Mu to sit down, and said in a low voice: "Now the army in the capital is under the command of the general. Although Xiao Beiheng has ascended the throne as the emperor, he has no ability to mobilize the army. It is easy for the general to capture him. You and I will be together at noon." The barracks prepares the army, and then the general invites him to give a lecture to the three armies, and I will send a few powerful men to capture him."

Zhao Mu nodded, but he still had worries in his heart, and asked, "The prime minister has confirmed the will of Xiao Beiheng, and he was indeed appointed as the crown prince. Now that His Majesty has passed away, Xiao Beiheng's ascension to the throne is justified. If I am captured in the army Will he be criticized by the world?"

Qi Shengjue said: "The general captures the traitor who murdered his father for the sake of the common people, why should there be any criticism? If His Majesty made the decree that day, if he knew that Xiao Beiheng would commit patricide, would he still make this decree? The general should not have any doubts. "

Zhao Mu nodded repeatedly and said, "What the general said is true, I have made up my mind, so I will act according to what the general said."

Qi Shengjue got up and said, "I went to the barracks outside the city to prepare, and the general acted according to the plan. This matter is a matter of life and death, the general must not tell other people, so as not to cause complications."

Zhao Mu also knew that this matter was too important, so he cut his finger with a knife and swore blood with Qi Shengjue.Only then did Qi Shengjue feel relieved to leave, and went outside the city to prepare.

After seeing off Qi Shengjue, Zhao Mu returned to the room and saw Mrs. Zhou waiting there.

"Master, you are so confused!" Mrs. Zhou cried when she saw him, "I'm not here to help you, so you do such a thing?"

Seeing Mrs. Zhou crying, Zhao Mu panicked and asked, "Did you overhear our conversation?"

"Fortunately, I listened, otherwise, the entire General's Mansion would have died in the hands of that Qi Shengjue!" Mrs. Zhou cried even harder.

Zhao Mu didn't understand why, and said to Mrs. Zhou, "Why did Madam say that?"

Mrs. Zhou wiped her tears and said: "My lord, you are really confused. Who is Qi Shengjue? Don't you know that he used to be Xiao Zhuo's subordinate? Now that His Majesty has passed away, as a general, he naturally wants to speak for his old master He is all selfish and full of lies to harm our family."

Zhao Mu said: "He saw it with his own eyes at the Anzhou hunting ground..."

"Which one of your eyes saw him with your own eyes?" Mrs. Zhou said angrily, "Isn't it all because he just opened his mouth and said nonsense. Can the empress's decree be fake? His Majesty's decree for the crown prince can be fake? Ah If you really don't read these things, you will be convinced by his empty words. If you want to harm His Majesty, this is treason, and this is a matter of the Jiuzu Clan."

Zhao Mu was already ready to act, but was hesitated by Mrs. Zhou's few words, and stood there silently.

"Our whole family is in the capital, and you are going to plot against His Majesty," Mrs. Zhou continued to cry, "Who are we? This official position and title are all given by His Majesty. You don't want to die, can it be the fate of our whole family?" You don’t want it either? Since ancient times, how many assassins have you seen succeeded in assassinating the emperor? Even if they succeeded, they would still be described by later generations as traitors who usurped the throne, and their reputation will last forever.”

Zhao Mu's head got dizzy when he heard it. He had already drank a lot of wine, but Mrs. Zhou's chatter gave him a headache.

But what Mrs. Zhou said is correct, Xiao Beiheng is indeed the rightful son of heaven now, this is recognized by the prime minister and other ministers, if he succeeds in attacking Xiao Beiheng, he may be scolded as a traitor who seeks to usurp the throne, and if he fails, then It is even more implicated in the nine clans, and the whole family is copied and beheaded.

Thinking of the whole family being tied up with ropes, taken to the entrance of the downtown area, and being beheaded one by one by the executioner, he also became afraid.

"Then...what about Madam's opinion?" He asked with difficulty, like an old man in his dying years.

"Needless to say, send someone to arrest that Qi Shengjue," Mrs. Zhou spattered like a cannonball, "and then bring Qi Shengjue to His Majesty to make amends. If you have done meritorious service in prosecuting the traitor, His Majesty will forgive you. He still has to rely on Your strength is going to attack Xiao Zhuo, how can it make things difficult for you."

"But...but I just now," Zhao Mu felt blushing, "I have made an oath with General Qi."

It's really shameless to arrest Qi Shengjue just after making an oath with him.

"What is an oath, elm head!" Mrs. Zhou reprimanded unceremoniously, "Can an oath be eaten? Is it important that an oath has a life. Arms can't twist thighs. When is this time? Keep yourself first. important."

Zhao Mu felt that what Qi Shengjue said was also reasonable, and what Mrs. Zhou said was also reasonable. This matter was too important and related to the life and death of the entire family, so he really didn't dare to make a conclusion lightly.

Mrs. Zhou was crying and crying in front of him, constantly stating how terrible he was.He could only drink bowls of wine non-stop. After drinking, Mrs. Zhou became angry and took his bowl away:
"It's a shame you're still a man, and you're still drinking at this time. It's almost noon!"

At noon, it was Qi Shengjue's agreed time to act.

Zhao Mu raised his head in a daze, and when he saw the sun hanging high outside the window, he woke up suddenly. He got up and knocked over the table. From broken altars flowed out, and the earth was filled with water.

(End of this chapter)