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Volume 1: The Border Town of the Empire Chapter 70: The ground is dry and the earth is cracked and the seedlings are crooked

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    Chapter 70: The ground is dry, the soil is cracked, and the seedlings are crooked

    The old lame man squinted his eyes and waited for Fang Jie's answer, with some expectation in his eyes.  He became more and more interested in this young man who looked like a loser, because if he looked carefully for this young man, he would always find a lot of things that made people like him.

    Fang Jie is an interesting person. He understands better than anyone else when he should understand. He is confused by everyone when he should be confused. He will not deliberately pretend to be an idiot to show weakness. Maybe it is disdain, or maybe it is just pretending to be a person like him.  Even an idiot can't pretend to be different.  Or perhaps, he feels that he is not qualified yet.

    Maybe some people like to pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger, but this young man understands that he is not a pig, so he cannot pretend to be a pig, let alone eat a tiger.  In this world, pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger is a game only played by those who are so fierce that they have almost no taboos. Fang Jie is not considered a strong person and does not have the capital to pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger.

    Fang Jie pinched a piece of cooked meat and put it into his mouth. He pondered for a while and sorted out his words in his mind.

    "If we analyze it according to common sense, this matter is actually not difficult to guess."

    He washed down the meat in his mouth with a mouthful of Northwest barbecue, savoring the heat of Northwest barbecue.

    "That person was the only prince among the seven sons who had always stood by His Majesty's side. Regarding that chair, perhaps he was also the only prince who had never coveted the chair. This was something that everyone in the Sui Dynasty knew.  If you ask any old man on the roadside, he will be able to clearly tell you about the past.¡±

    "When His Majesty was still the fourth prince, he was not favored by the late emperor. At that time, the third prince was most likely to receive the jade seal in terms of reputation. The third prince, Yang Ji, was a good social person and could make sophistry, not to mention in the court, that is, in the Jianghu world.  There are also many heroes who are willing to die for him. They are generous and never hesitate to use their privileges to help others. Therefore, Yang Ji's reputation has always been very good and high among the people. "

    "Another hot prince who can compete with Yang Ji for the throne is the eldest son Yang Xiong. He is the eldest son of the empress in the main palace, and the queen was particularly fond of him at the time. With the backing of his descendants, he naturally has the help of ministers. The descendants are in  He has great prestige in the military, so Yang Xiong, the eldest son of the emperor, is more confident in inheriting the throne than Yang Ji, who has extensive connections. "

    "But Yang Xiong was very arrogant, and he didn't know how to hold back even though he had the support of his descendants. Later, the emperor gradually became more and more disgusted with this eldest son who bullied men and women secretly. It was the queen who worked hard to support him.  Let Yang Xiong fall completely."

    ¡°Because the emperor disliked Yang Xiong, the third prince Yang Ji became more and more outstanding.¡±

    Fang Jie took a sip of wine, smiled and said: "This story is known to the people in the border town of Fangu. But no one can tell how much of it is true and how much is false. But it cannot be said.  What is denied is that the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty never made secrets about the selection of the prince. He preferred his children to fight based on their true abilities, so there were many stories circulated, unlike the previous dynasty where everything was done.  It was all done in secret.¡±

    The old lame man smiled and said: "Most of these things are true, just like what you just said. The biggest difference between the royal family of the Sui Dynasty and the royal family of the previous dynasties is that they don't talk about benevolence, justice and morality, but do some dark things behind the scenes.  It's a cold thing. The emperors of the Sui Dynasty always chose the best heirs openly. The emperor even encouraged the princes to compete, but only based on their true ability. "

    Fang Jie nodded and said: "There is no doubt that at that time, no one was optimistic that the current emperor would sit on that chair. The late emperor was seriously ill and had not chosen the prince before he died. He was leading troops to guard Eastern Xinjiang and Eastern Xinjiang.  Yang Xiong, the eldest prince of Chu State who negotiated and planned the national border, learned that the late emperor was critically ill and rushed back from Eastern Xinjiang at night with five thousand soldiers. "

    "At that time, the third prince was already sure of victory, and even the most favored old ministers who were on the late emperor's bedside were on his side. When he learned that the eldest prince had returned with his troops, the third prince sent His Majesty, who was also on his side at the time, to intercept him.  His Majesty went straight to the Taiji Hall of the Forbidden Palace and took away the Tiger Talisman. The elite Zuowuwei soldiers from the Sixth Army of the Emperor came out of the city to intercept the eldest prince. They were caught up by the Seventh Prince Yang Qi on the way. No one knew what Yang Qi was saying to His Majesty at that time.  But maybe that¡¯s when His Majesty made up his mind.¡±

    "His Majesty led the elite soldiers of Zuo Wuwei to intercept the eldest prince on the way, and detained him for defying the emperor's order and leading troops back to the capital without authorization. Then he immediately led his troops back to the imperial capital. The third prince ordered all the gates of the imperial capital to be closed. It was seven  The prince and his two hundred and sixty slaves defended a city gate and fought bloody battles until His Majesty returned with his troops. In that battle, only nineteen of the two hundred and sixty slaves survived. The seventh prince was seriously injured in thirteen places.  Three of them are transparent from front to back.¡±

    "Your Majesty led his troops straight into the Taiji Palace and trapped all the ministers. Old Nayan Suwei asked the late emperor in front of his bedside who would inherit the throne. At that time, your majesty happened to bring his armor through the door. The late emperor glanced at the three princes and then looked at themLook at His Majesty, and then point to His Majesty.  "

    "Although those veterans preferred that the third prince succeed to the throne, the late emperor's orders cannot be violated. So His Majesty ascended the throne, and the third prince was demoted to a commoner and sent to Ning'an Tower to guard the border. The eldest prince was demoted to a disobedient officer and permanently stationed in southern Xinjiang.  Xinshui City is not allowed to leave the city. Luo Yao has been guarding the southern border, so it may not be that he has no mission to monitor the eldest prince. "

    "Seventh Prince Yang Qiis the owner of Hongxiu Zhao, right?"

    After saying this, Fang Jie glanced at the old cripple.

    The old lame man sighed and said: "These things are definitely not something that a random old man on the roadside can tell Fang Jie, how on earth did you know?"

    ¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­

    What Fang Jie knew was all mentioned by Li Xiaozong to him.  In the border town of Fangu, Fang Jie was the only one who could sit down and drink with Li Xiaozong and talk freely.  Although Li Xiaozong was only a child of the Li family, it was not too difficult to know the inside story.  At that time, there was such a lively commotion among the seven sons competing for the right to inherit the throne. Which aristocratic family could stay out of it?

    ¡°Actually, to put it bluntly, the prince¡¯s battle to win the heir is the strength behind him.

    The reason why Li Xiaozong knew so much was because Li Luan, the general of Zuo Zhenwei, was one of the few people who stood beside the fourth prince Yang Yi.

    If this were not the case, it would be extremely difficult for Li Luan to bring the Li family into the ranks of a first-class family based on his military exploits.

    Your Majesty has always been a person who repays kindness and revenge.

    When Li Xiaozong first told Fang Jie about this, he never thought that one day he and Fang Jie would become mortal enemies.  At that time, he was still bent on cultivating Fang Jie as his confidant.  Li Xiaozong is a man with great ambitions, and although Fang Jie is young, he definitely has the ability to seduce him.

    So this is no longer a secret, but when he tells it, it still seems that he trusts the other party.

    Fang Jie explained it to the old lame man, and then said with a smile: "Speaking of which, it is undisputed that the seventh prince Yang Qi deserves the greatest credit for His Majesty being able to become the person chosen by the late emperor at the last moment. If it weren't for Yang Qi  He ran thousands of miles alone and killed two horses to catch up with His Majesty. If he hadn't led his slaves to guard the city gate, Your Majesty wouldn't be Your Majesty."

    He said this in a very low voice, not daring to be heard by others.

    Who knows if this kind of thing will cause trouble if someone listens to your nonsense?

    The old lame man hummed and said: "After His Majesty ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to make the seventh prince a loyal prince, ranking first among all the princes and ministers. His salary was three times that of other princes, and his fiefdom was ten times that of other princes. Even  Being able to have 3,000 soldiers who were completely obedient to Prince Zhong was such a grace, and it was the only one in the hundred years since the founding of the Sui Dynasty. Even the nineteen domestic slaves who had fought hard to defend the city gate and survived were all granted the title of county magistrate.  Your descendants will never serve in the military or pay taxes!"

    He paused and continued: "But no one expected that on the third day after His Majesty ascended the throne, Prince Zhong resigned from all military posts, did not join the court to participate in politics, and did not return to his fiefdom. Instead, he opened a palace in Chang'an City  A song and dance house called Hong Xiuzhao. The emperor issued seven orders in succession to let him enter the court, but he refused and refused. The queen even served wine to persuade him. The queen offered him a glass of wine, and he drank a glass of wine from the queen.  Sixteen cups, half drunk and half awake, but unwilling to go to the temple again. "

    Fang Jie sighed and said: "There is no more wise person in the world than this."

    "But his influence is too great. During the reign of the late emperor, Prince Zhong led his troops on several expeditions and won many battles. He was unrivaled. Moreover he is the younger brother of the eldest prince. After the eldest prince lost power, the descendants of the family  We can only place our hopes on him, soit will inevitably arouse people's suspicion, even if his decision has already shown his attitude."

    Fang Jie said: "So I say, on the surface, it seems that Prince Zhong left Chang'an ten years ago and disappeared without a trace, and the red sleeves were expelled by another prince. This matter has nothing to do with your majesty. If your majesty is thinking of love,  How could you not ask a single question about Hongxiu Zhao? "

    When the old cripple heard this, he couldn't help but frown slightly and asked: "You mean, this is just what it seems on the surface?"

    "What I have heard over the years is that although His Majesty is the mildest-tempered among the emperors of the Sui Dynasty, he is by no means a person without courage. If he wanted to attack Prince Zhong, he would not use such a naive trick of making people disappear.  Then he immediately drove Prince Zhong¡¯s property out of the imperial capital. Don¡¯t you think this is too obvious?¡±

    Fang Jie thought of the scene in the town outside the imperial capital where he saw the red-robed priest of the Dao Sect sinking into the ground with one finger, and he became even more sure that his idea was right.  How could an emperor who knew everything possible make such a stupid mistake in the first place?

    "If he wants to get rid of Prince Zhong, he will definitelyAt all Moreover, he would not use such a substandard method.  "

    The old lame man was stunned, thought for a while and said: "Prince Zhong's family has been living very well, and the fiefdom has not been touched. Every year, His Majesty will give many rewards, although there are only a group of old slaves left in Prince Zhong's fiefdom. I always thought that  , this is the emperor¡¯s guilt"

    "Guilty?"

    Fang Jie smiled and said: "How can someone who can really do such a thing feel guilty?"

    The old lame man snorted, his face looking a little ugly.

    Fang Jie pondered for a while and said: "When Hong Xiuzhao was forced to leave the imperial capital city, it was another prince who did it. The emperor didn't stop it, maybe he didn't have time to stop it. That prince was suppressed by Prince Youzhong, even if  If Prince Zhong did not go to court or participate in politics, it would not be his turn to take the lead, so after Prince Zhong disappeared, he thought he had seized the opportunity. By the time the emperor wanted to take care of it, it was already too late, and in order to protect the face of his other brother, the emperor decided to take action.  We can¡¯t invite back the Hongxiu Zhao who was expelled from the imperial capital.¡±

    After thinking it over carefully in his mind, he said: "Maybe this is the truth. The dismissal of the Red Sleeve Soldiers was just an idiotic thing done by some idiot prince to show his loyalty and win the throne. He thought that Prince Zhong was gone and the emperor  I would take the opportunity to eliminate Prince Zhong¡¯s strength, but I didn¡¯t expect the flattery was not done well. "

    The old lame man's expression changed, and he hesitated and said: "It seems that the prince who drove Hong Xiuzi out of the imperial capital has not been used by your majesty in these years. Although he is still a prince, he is really an idle person with no power.  "

    ¡°Everything can be seen clearly as long as you are willing to look at it carefully.¡±

    Fang Jie summed it up in a very disgusting way.

    When the words are said to this point, the wine is drunk and the meat is eaten. The words are finished, just right.

    "Tomorrow morning you come to Hongxiuzhao's backyard, and I will teach you a sword."

    The old lame man got up. He was slightly drunk, so he was walking a little unsteadily.

    Fang Jie stood up, not drunk, and still walking smoothly.

    But the one who is slightly drunk is actually not drunk, and the one who looks not drunk is really drunk.

    For that sword, Fang Jie spent a lot of time. He has never been a drinker. Such a big wine gourd is empty.

    Xi Huamei glanced at Fang Jie who was walking away, and then at the old lame man who was belching wine.

    "Want to help him?"

    she asked.

    The old lame man smiled and said: "The rapport, the temper He is a waste with no cultivation, and he can't be beaten into a pig's head casually when he enters the martial arts academy? After all, he came from Fan Gu.  If I lose a game and get beaten to a disability, I will be embarrassed I haven't used it for a long time, it's time to see the light of day."

    "This is a great gift."

    Xi Huamei said seriously.

    The old lame man waved his hands indifferently, leaned against the door frame and fell asleep quickly.  He murmured a few understated words in a very soft voice.  I don¡¯t know if he was talking drunkenly or in his sleep, but it was somewhat intriguing after all.

    "The ground is dry and the soil is cracked, no wonder the seedlings are crooked. Water more and then sprinkle with manureit can still be saved."
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