Zhuo Buyi¡¯s face turned pale when he saw Fang Jie, and he couldn¡¯t help but ask what happened. Fang Jie was silent for a while and handed the letter in his hand to Zhuo Buyi. Zhuo Buyi couldn't wait to take it and look at it. In an instant, his face began to turn pale.
"Is this newsreliable?"
He raised his head and looked at Fang Jie with disbelief in his eyes.
"The news from Mu San should be reliable."
Fang Jie sighed and sat down by the river: "Before I left Chang'an, Luo Weiran and the others told me that the emperor intended for me to enter the East Palace as the prince's attendant. The emperor said it in front of several important ministers in the Dongnuan Pavilion. Yes, nine times out of ten it's true So Mu San should have contacted Luo Weiran immediately after knowing the news, and Luo Weiran knew that the Ouchi Guards Department was now being targeted by Su Buwei's inner guards, so he sent him. There was no one to deliver the news, so we found the Sanjinhou"
"If this news is true, you must rush back as soon as possible."
Zhuo Buyi said: "The letter said that the emperor vomited blood many times every day and his health was getting worse every day It seems that the original rumors were true. I didn't pay attention to it at all."
"What rumors?"
Fang explained the question.
Zhuo Buyi said: "It is said that when His Majesty ascended the throne, he was already seriously ill. There were rumors that the emperor told Prince Zhong that if he could not hold on for a few years, he would pass the throne to Prince Zhong, but Prince Zhong refused in person. He took out a few small golden elixirs to extend the emperor's life, but the effect of the small golden elixirs was too strong and the emperor's illness could not bear it Prince Zhong's journey to the west actually had another purpose. It was said that the Buddhist sect had a precious elixir that could prolong life, so Prince Zhong insisted on leaving Chang'an City."
"Later, because the emperor never suffered from any illness, this rumor was self-evident. It was expected that the emperor suppressed his illness somehow. Some people once speculated that Wu Yiyi, the Hou of Sanjin, went overseas in person to invite him. The foreign doctor treated the emperor Now it seems that even the foreign doctor could not cure the emperor. "
"No wonder"
He was silent for a while and said: "The emperor's decisions over the years have sometimes been wise and sometimes confused He couldn't wait to launch troops against Meng Yuan, just to fulfill his long-cherished wish before he became seriously ill. Although he was physically ill, his mind was stronger than ever before. The emperor wants to be great. He is determined to be a sage monarch and expand his territory to the Langru Mountain for the Sui Dynasty. Now I also know why the emperor wants to slaughter the Qiu family"
"At that time, there were so many aristocratic families that supported other princes to inherit the throne, not just the Qiu family? And although the Qiu family had a prominent family background, they did not have the ability to influence the court situation. Back then, the emperor had summoned the head of the Qiu family alone, and this old head, The most famous thing is not the official reputation, but the medical skills. The Qiu family is a famous medical family in the south of the Yangtze River. There are people who have served as imperial doctors in the palace in the past dynasties Presumably, the old head of the Qiu family saw the emperor's incurable disease. The disaster caused by the destruction of the family."
When he said this, Zhuo Buyi couldn¡¯t help but sigh.
"If it is true that the emperor is seriously ill, then it can explain why he has made many mistakes in the past two years."
Fang Jie shook his head and said: "When the Northwest Army was defeated, he should have planned to take advantage of it slowly. He would first replenish his troops and fill the national treasury, and then gradually mobilize troops and horses from various places. But before he could finish this matter, he He found that his body could no longer support him, so he came up with a way to recruit Xiaoyong The prince was young, and he didn't want to leave the prince in a mess after his death. "
"In the beginning, he just wanted to fulfill his wish, which was to do something that no Sui emperor dared to try easily to launch troops against Meng Yuan. He was like a naughty child, in order to avoid the obstruction of the courtiers. , he chose to use goods to transport troops and grain all over the world. At that time, he had already had a premonition that his time was running out But he did not expect that the war he had carefully prepared for so many years would be wasted because of Li Yuanshan. "
"The northwest has become a mess, and he must clean up the mess before his body collapses. The prince is only less than ten years old, and with the new emperor ascending the throne, the situation in the court will inevitably be unstable."
Having said this, Fang Jie's mind suddenly lit up: "I also understand nowwhy the emperor only has the prince as his heir."
"Why?"
Zhuo Buyi asked.
Fang Jie took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly to suppress his inner uneasiness: "For the Sui Dynasty, the emperor has thought of everything he can think of. It is precisely because he has long known that his body cannot support it. How many years does it take for him to have only one prince? If he has several sons, they will inevitably not be manipulated by courtiers with ulterior motives. Once the emperor dies and there are several young princes left, then situationIt¡¯s really so messy that there¡¯s no way to clean it up! "
"In order to stabilize the Sui Dynasty and the court, the emperor wanted this son He didn't want his heirs to kill each other because of the competition for the throne. The most important thing was that he didn't want the Sui Dynasty to be stolen by those aristocratic families! Since he ascended the throne From the beginning, the emperor had already thought about what would happen after his death"
After listening to Fang's explanation, Zhuo Buyi's face became ugly: "I understand If the emperor leaves early, not only will the court be in chaos, but the harem will also be in chaos. If there are several princes, I'm afraid those concubines All the concubines want their sons to inherit the throne, and the concubines in the harem are all from aristocratic families, and each has a lot of support behind them If the harem is connected to the aristocratic family, then the fight for the right to inherit the throne will be real. The blood is flowing like a river. And nine times out of tenthe Yang family's power will be stolen by others. Even if the person sitting on the throne is still a member of the Yang family, the power will definitely fall away!"
Zhuo Buyi said: "Now it seems that the emperor put a lot of thought into establishing the queen. Although the queen also came from a noble family, the queen's family has long since declined"
Fang Jie sighed: "A man thinks about this, an emperor, thinking about his death He has done everything he can think of, but he is unlucky, too bad If he didn't want to fulfill his wish, it would be wrong. If Meng Yuan mobilizes troops, the country of the Sui Dynasty will not be as precarious as it is now. Although the prince is young, with the guidance of the queen and the selection of a few important ministers to assist the government, nothing will happen to the Sui Dynasty. "
"Maybe"
Zhuo Buyi shook his head: "This is all determined."
"Are you going back or not?"
Zhuo Buyi asked.
"No return!"
Fang Jie shook his head firmly: "I now understand why the emperor sent me out and why, before I left the capital, he mentioned to the courtiers that he wanted me to join the East Palace to assist the prince. The emperor's considerations were too far away. It is very difficult for ordinary people to see what will happen tomorrow, but what the emperor will see is a few years or even ten years from now If I had not received this secret letter today, I still would not have understood why the emperor was like this arrange."
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"What do you understand?"
Zhuo Buyi asked.
Fang Jie stretched out his hand to ask for the wine bag, raised his neck and took a sip. The spicy wine poured down his throat and into his stomach. His chest felt cold at first, and then a burst of heat began to burn. Only this burning feeling could free Fang Jie from the bone-chilling coldness.
"Because the emperor wants to use me, that's why he let me leave."
Zhuo Buyi didn¡¯t understand what Fang Jie meant, so he couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly.
Fang Jie was silent for a while, and said with some emotion: "The emperor wants to use me, but not him. He plans to wait until the prince ascends the throne, and then use me to assist the prince. But my qualifications are too shallow, and my foundation in the court is even worse. Qian. In the eyes of those aristocratic families and the important officials of the court, I am simply an insignificant person. It would be too easy to crush me If the emperor wants to use me, he must let me live. "
"If he promotes me too early, what will happen to those important officials from aristocratic families who want to control the government once he dies suddenly? In order to hold the prince hostage, I will bear the brunt. There are those courtiers with dirty thoughts who want to be the ones who influence the government. He wants to control the prince first, so I will definitely die. The emperor knows that if I stay in Chang'an City, those courtiers will kill me immediately if he dies."
"That's why he found an excuse for me to leave Chang'an. The reason why he asked me to come to Yongzhou is that the emperor probably wanted to train me and let me know more about the Sui Dynasty. The emperor knew that Luo Yao would be the cause of the Sui Dynasty sooner or later. Therefore, he sent me here to let me get to know Luo Yao so that I can deal with it in the future He knew that after his death, the government would be out of control, so he sent all those who could assist the prince away from Chang'an City including you. "
"If nothing else happens, Sanjin Hou should be leaving the capital soon. The emperor made arrangements for the prince and the reason why he mentioned his intention to let me enter the East Palace before I left the capital was to pave the way for me to return in the future. I guess the emperor He must have left a secret message, not only for me, but also for many people.¡±
"But¡¡"
Zhuo Buyi wondered: "Send all the people who are loyal to you away from Chang'an. When the emperor dies, Chang'an will be filled with young people. Who will protect the prince?"
"I have no idea¡¡"
Fang Jie sighed: "Perhaps the emperor has already thought of how to arrange it."
"Then when will you go back?"
Zhuo Buyi asked.
Fang Jie frowned and thought for a while: "If the emperor doesn't give me a decree, it means he will give me a signal. When I see this signal, I will know that it is time for me to return to Beijing It's just that I have no idea what this signal is. "
It is still difficult for Zhuo Buyi to understand the emperor's thinking, because Fang Jie's mind is also very confused now, so he cannot make sense of Fang Jie's words. But he could guess how much pain and helplessness the emperor felt now, and he also understood that the emperor was still trying his best to stabilize the Yang family.
"What should we do now?"
"Wait!"
Fang Jie drank the wine in the wine bag in one breath, wiped the corners of his mouth, and spoke with a sad tone and a slightly trembling voice: "Wait until I see the signal released by the emperor, and then find a way to return to Chang'an City. Damn it. Isn¡¯t this forcing me to sacrifice my life for the Yang family? This old guy has figured out what¡¯s softest in my heart. Isn¡¯t it shameless to use others like this before I die?¡±
He was cursing, but Zhuo Buyi knew that he was not cursing.
Everything the emperor did was for the future of the prince, but why not to save Fang Jie¡¯s life?
The softest part of a person like Fang Jie¡¯s heart is that he doesn¡¯t like to see people who are kind to him being wronged
Fang Jie handed the wine bag to Zhuo Buyi, stood up and stretched his body: "Although I don't know what the emperor's arrangement is, I can be sure that this signal will be obvious. He arranged for people leaving Chang'an City to see this signal After that, you don¡¯t need to be reminded that it¡¯s time to go back.¡±
"Therefore, Luo Yao must be prompted to go to war with the rebels."
Fang Jie gritted his teeth: "If Luo Yao is allowed to occupy Huangyang Road, then even if the rebellion in the northwest is suppressed, the southwest may not be secure. As long as Luo Yao fights with the rebels, the resistance of the imperial army will be reduced. It will be smaller.¡±
"Crossing the river?"
Zhuo Buyi asked.
"Cross the river!"
Fang Jie nodded vigorously: "We must cross the river."
At the same time, Changchun Garden in Chang'an City.
The emperor asked Su Buwei to go out and summon the three auxiliary ministers to Qionglu. Su Buwei accepted the order and left. After Su Buwei's figure disappeared, the emperor called in the young eunuch Mu San who was waiting outside the door.
He took out a wooden box from the cabinet behind him and handed it to Mu San: "Take this out of the palace, out of the city, find a place to hide, or find someone you think you can trust. But even if you die, this thing It cannot fall into other people¡¯s hands. As for when you open this thing, you don¡¯t need to be told, you will know when the time comes.¡±
"Your Majesty? This is"
Mu San turned pale with fright and knelt down to take the wooden box. Although he didn¡¯t know what was inside, he felt that the box was as heavy as a mountain.
"I will send you out of the city, and you go and declare the decree Luo Weiran, the commander of the Ouchi Guards Department, has an affair with the imperial criminals, despises the imperial court, is disloyal and unjust, and deserves to be beheaded! But I want to serve the country for many years, so I can't bear to execute him. , removed from all positions and titles, demoted to common people, and expelled from Chang'an You personally watch him leave the city, and then don't come back"
After saying this, the emperor's body shook a few times, as if all his strength had been drained away. Mu San looked at the emperor's hair, which was completely white, and suddenly felt a knife digging into his heart, causing pain