C98

"Your majesty?" Zhao Yuannan was a bit nervous. He bent his body and tightened his grip on the horsetail whisk in his hand.

Upon seeing this, Wei Shuge hesitated before stepping forward. "Your majesty?"

Zhao Jing put down the jade slip in his hand. "Shuge, bring your men down."

Wei Shuge naturally understood Zhao Jing's intentions. She immediately bowed and led everyone away. The moment the door closed, Zhao Yuannan kneeled on the floor, bowed, and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Big brother Nan." Zhao Jing straightened his body. "Do you feel happy?"

Zhao Yuannan lowered his head, "Servant..."

"Tell me the truth!" Zhao Jing's expression darkened.

Zhao Yuannan took a deep breath. "I had to. Jiang Qingfeng, the Chief Eunuch of the Internal Affairs Bureau, had already fallen. If I don't curry favor with Fu Shengquan now, then Fu Sheng will have thoughts on the side." "At this crucial moment, if we can get Fu Shengyun to join our side, it would be like adding wings to a tiger for us!"

"Such as adding wings to a tiger?" Zhao Jing coldly looked at her. "Big brother Nan, how long have you been in the palace?"

"Two years!" Zhao Yuannan pursed his lips. He didn't know what Zhao Jing meant by that. "The words spoken by this servant are true, and they come from the heart. I don't have any intention of lying. I don't know why Your Majesty is asking …" "Why?"

"Two years!" Zhao Jingtao looked at him, "You followed me for two years, and have been tortured in this palace for two years. Don't you know the faces of those people from the inner palace? The imperial bodyguard was disobedient to the Regent's estate, but in the end, he was still a part of the Qi family. Are you so sure that you can have them on our side? "Where did your confidence come from, to be able to overthrow the Qi Family?"

Zhao Yuannan didn't understand. "But your majesty, Qi Yunshan already went to the Royal Tomb …"

"Although Qi Yunshan went to the Royal Tomb, his eyes, ears, and knife were still in the capital, resting on my neck. I have never understood why Qi Yunshan, who could have kept Qi Rufeng's life, would want to kill him and leave the capital, and give up the power in his hands! "Now I understand what it means to truly fight and gain." Zhao Jing coldly snorted. "Old Slave is truly a scheming person. Even Dongfang Wenming has fallen for his tricks!"

"This servant doesn't know!" Zhao Yuannan's eyes widened. For a moment, he really didn't understand what Zhao Jing meant. "What kind of trick is this Qi Yunshan playing?" Your majesty, this servant, this servant really, really doesn't know! "

Zhao Jing slowly stood up with his hands behind his back. His expression was deep, as if he had already known everything and everything in his mind. "Qi Yunshan is a schemer. He knows that if he stays in the capital, he will become a thorn in our side." If he were to leave the capital, then we will be the only ones left in the capital with the Residence of Regent. "

"One mountain doesn't allow two tigers. When two tigers fight, there will be injuries. By that time, he only needed to come back and clean up the mess, and he would be able to sever all ties with the Regent's Mansion without even fighting a single soldier. "Regardless of whether it is me who killed Dongfang Mingming, or Dongfang Mingming who killed me, it will all be beneficial and harmless to Qi Yunshan!" Zhao Jing narrowed his dangerous eyes. "Qi Yunshan used the pain of losing his son in exchange for my Da Xia Empire." Elder brother Nan, do you think it's worth it? "

Zhao Jing spoke calmly without a trace of emotion in his words, but Zhao YuanNan's hair stood on end as he listened. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he said, "This servant, this servant, this servant really didn't think of all this. Qi Yunshan even killed his own son for his own ambition, and the poison in his heart can be imagined! "

"Ruthlessness is the law of survival." His fingertips gently brushed the cold sweat on his forehead. "Big Brother Nan, you think too kindly of people. In other words, you're not ruthless enough, which is why you are bullied time and time again in this palace. Brother Nan, have you thought about it? Rather than winning over others, it's better for you to strengthen yourself! "

Zhao Yuannan's eyes suddenly widened as he stared in disbelief at Zhao Jing. "His Majesty's meaning is …"

"Do you know how to borrow a knife to kill people?" Zhao Jing asked, "It's not like Fu Shengquan is the only one serving in this prison. He's Jiang Qingfeng's foster son! "If Fu Shengming becomes the Chief Eunuch, you won't be able to escape from him in the end!" She pinched Zhao Yuannan's jaw, "Brother Nan, do you want to continue being humiliated?"

When Zhao Yuannan mentioned the word "humiliated," his body began to tremble uncontrollably. Some things were fear and anger that came from the heart, and some things were more unacceptable than the fear of death. The moment he fell from the peak to the bottom, he became a slave that was trampled by others. The moment this despicable thing was branded into his bones, Zhao Yuannan was destined to have a miserable and hateful life.

"If you don't want to be humiliated, then don't put your hopes on those bastards. We are different from them!" Zhao Jing unhurriedly stood up. "Big brother Nan, with two years of service in the palace, I should let you understand what it means to not care about anything." This place is a place where people eat each other! "

Zhao Yuannan trembled as he got up from the ground. He smiled bitterly and said, "This servant understands. Your majesty, rest assured!"

"Everyone in this palace, including you and me, depends on stealing everything from life to death!" Zhao Jing slowly spread out his arms. "In fact, this entire Grand Xia was snatched up by my mother for me!"

Even Zhao Yuannan's life had been snatched away from him by Zhao Jing.

"In the past few days, I have already asked Shuge to pay attention at the palace. "If only our spies are left in these two places, then we will only be considered a step closer, or else we will be squeezed in other people's hands, understand?" Zhao Jing lowered his voice.

Zhao Yuannan nodded, "This servant understands!"

"We have already thought about the matter of the poetry contest. Since we can mutually benefit from each other, why should we take the challenge alone?" Zhao Jing smiled meaningfully.

"Your Majesty's meaning is, to join hands with Fang Hua Zhai?" Zhao Yuannan was a little worried. "However, we don't know Wen Rusheng's background very well. If we work together..." If he wants to harm you, your majesty, wouldn't that be a bad thing? "

"The enemy of the enemy is our friend!" Zhao Jing began to walk away. "In this world, there are no eternal friends, nor are there any eternal enemies." Whoever helps me will be my friend. If anyone dares to block my way, I will kill Buddha if I block my way, and kill demons if I block my path! "

"Yes sir!" Zhao Yuannan bowed.

The weather wasn't good today. It was raining heavily, and the rain seemed to be hitting against the wind, bringing with it a refreshing coolness. When Zhao Jing left, Wei Shuge had already tied the shawl around his shoulders. "It's very cold today, the emperor is holding tight!"

Zhao Jing coughed to clear his throat. After a moment of thought, he turned around and returned to the imperial study. "I won't be going out today. Let's talk after the rain stops!"

"Your majesty, Lord Shi said he has something to discuss!" Wei Shuge found it difficult to reply. "At this critical juncture, what do you think …"

"If it was just a small matter, Teacher will never say it was something important. He is not the kind of person to cause trouble for no reason!" Zhao Jing stopped walking. "To Wen Yuan Pavilion." Shi Zhonggu could clearly distinguish the severity.

As his voice faded, Zhao Jing turned and headed for Wen Yuan Pavilion.

However, Zhao Yuannan subconsciously stopped walking and looked behind him at Chong Yu. "Go to the royal kitchen. His Majesty's favorite plum cake is already prepared. Remember to keep it warm. "If the plum cake is too hot, it will easily hurt the emperor. If it's too cold, the emperor will eat the toothache and send it out to wait outside the imperial study. Do you understand?"

Chong Yu bowed, "This servant will go now!"

As he watched Chong Yu leave, Zhao Yuannan's expression darkened. He stood there for a long time to confirm that Chong Yu had not left before returning. Only then did he chase after Zhao Jing. After all, Chong Yu came from an attendant, so he had to be on his guard against her.

There were rarely times when Shi Zhongguo was in such a hurry. He paced around in the pavilion, not even drinking a single cup of alcohol. He was clearly anxious. Upon hearing Zhao Jing instructing Wei Shuge and Zhao Yuannan from the outside, Shi Zhonggu hurriedly rushed over to greet him, almost bumping into Zhao Jing, who had just entered the restaurant.

"Your majesty!" Shi Zhonggu hurriedly bowed.

"Sir, why? Are you that flustered? " Zhao Jing didn't understand.

Shi Zhonggu quickly closed the door, "Something has happened at the border!"

Zhao Jing suddenly raised the center of his brows. "How does Mister know?"

"It has been a long time since the news of the border feints was reported to the imperial government. Even if they did arrive, it would only be a cliché with no new meaning. Repeated rumors about the border feints are all about the Wu Tuo Country, so this old official believes that the imperial government is no longer in control of the borders!" Shi Zhonggu's expression was heavy, "Your majesty, the capital is more than 10,000 miles away from the border. If something happens and Wu Tuo takes advantage of the situation to enter, then it will be too late!"

Zhao Jing naturally knew what was at stake. Originally, he had been feeling somewhat apprehensive, but now that Shi Zhonggu had spoken of it, he felt even more apprehensive. She touched Shi Zhonggu's words in her heart and could not help but frown as she asked, "Didn't they send all the papers to the Regent's Mansion? "Qi Yunshan told me before he left. I presume this news came from the Residence of Regent?" After a pause, Zhao Jing asked, "How did the Prime Minister's estate react?"

"No reaction!" Shi Zhonggu let out a long sigh and sat down, "Ever since Qi Yunshan left, Uncle Ke has been thanking his guests with closed doors. Tell me, what disease did he have? "Even if it's old age, it's still too early!"

"Heart attack!" Zhao Jing sat down and glanced at the wine jug on the table. He picked it up and placed it in his mouth.

"Hey hey hey, take it easy, this is the best girl red in the world, you can't drink it normally, so don't let this old man swallow it!" It was not easy to snatch it back, but he did not forget to open the wine pot's lid and peek into the pot with his one eye. "This mouthful is less than half full!" The emperor's recent alcohol consumption has also increased! "

"I haven't had a drink in a long time, I'm so greedy!" Zhao Jing muttered, "Teacher is getting more and more petty." As he spoke, he continued, "I had originally planned to leave the palace today, but who would've thought … We'll have to be forced out. We won't be able to have peace in this rainy day! "

Shi Zhonggu held the jug of wine tightly, looking resentfully as if his trick had been exposed. "Your majesty, there are many capable people! Who told you to be the master of this world? This old official is old and has so little potential. The rest is up to the emperor to comprehend by himself! "

"Can This Emperor not know what it means to pass you a paper slip?" Zhao Jing rubbed the center of his brows, gnashing his teeth as he shouted, "Eastern Thief!"

After he finished speaking, Zhao Jing stepped out.

Wei Shuge hurried to catch up. "Where is the emperor going?"

"Congratulations!" Zhao Jing frowned slightly.

Wei Shuge's heart skipped a beat when she saw this expression. To whom? In the capital. No one had made a birthday present recently?!