mtl008 Chapter 358 Reappointment of Su Heng
Chapter 358 Reappointment of Su Heng
Li Lang calmly met God's gaze, "Your Majesty, do you think that two princes and one princess of Xiliang are not worth ten cities?"
"Not worth it." The emperor sneered, his eyes cold, "If you add the entire Xiliang Kingdom, maybe it will be worth it."
There was a sneer on Li Lang's well-defined face.
He was already strong and had a tough face, and at this moment, he looked even more oppressive.
"Your Majesty, I advise you to think carefully. Although Xiliang is small, we have never forgotten to prepare for war. With the Xiongnu King Linchuan's army of hundreds of thousands approaching, are you sure that Daning can be defended?"
The emperor looked at Li Lang with deep eyes, and was very disdainful of his words. "The King of Linchuan has been repelled by our army in the northern border. Moreover, the Xiongnu once occupied the land of Xiliang, and the blood of the Xiliang soldiers is still hot. How could the King of Xiliang collude with the Xiongnu?"
Li Lang stared at the emperor and said in a deep voice, "Aren't you curious why your Majesty didn't have my father to attend your birthday party this time?"
The emperor asked, "Why?"
Li Lang showed a proud expression, "Father has been bedridden for several months and is extremely ill. Originally, my eldest brother was in charge of state affairs on his behalf. Now my eldest brother has been killed in Daning, and I am in charge of Xiliang.
As long as they can take over the city of Daning and let the people live a more prosperous life, they won’t mind anything else.”
The emperor stared at Li Lang with a scrutinizing look, "Have you colluded with Linchuan Prince Hu Yanping?"
Li Lang chuckled, "It's not a collusion. We all just want to bite off a little bit of the fat piece of Daning. It's just a temporary cooperation."
Li Lang's tone was calm but firm.
The collusion between Xiliang and the Xiongnu was something the ministers present had not expected.
At this tense moment, none of them interrupted easily.
At this moment, they need to see the king's attitude and then give a corresponding response.
The emperor sat up straight, staring at Li Lang with a gloomy and cold gaze, "I fought my way to the throne at the age of 25, and I am never afraid of fighting!"
"If you don't believe it, you can try it!"
After the emperor finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves, stood up and left the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Seeing the emperor leave, Li Lang also strode out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony with his head held high.
The hall returned to silence, and the others looked at each other.
"Master, what do you think about this matter?" Cui Maoxing asked.
Taifu He looked at the direction where Li Lang left and sighed, "If he becomes the king of Xiliang, Daning will never have peace."
Minister of War Li Yi echoed, "Grandmaster is right. Although Daning looks strong, it has been..."
"Alas! In recent years, the North has been at war for years, and the national treasury and military strength are really worrying!"
Master He sighed, "There must be other ways. We must first determine what His Majesty thinks. Let's go see His Majesty first."
When everyone arrived at the Qinzheng Hall and were led in by Eunuch Wan, the emperor sat there with his hand on his forehead, his brow furrowed.
"You are here! Please take a seat!" The emperor spoke weakly.
Eunuch Wan asked the eunuch to bring stools, and everyone sat down in the hall.
Master He spoke first, "What does Your Majesty think?"
The emperor put down his hand that was supporting his forehead, sat up straight and looked at Grand Tutor He, "I don't want war in Daning, which will cause widespread suffering, and I will not become the eternal sinner who cedes land to seek peace."
He Taifu said: "Ceding land to seek peace is like cutting meat to feed the tiger. Once they taste the meat, they will be greedy and insatiable."
Minister of War Li Yi asked: "Grand Master, do you advocate war?"
Master He's face was solemn. "It's not that I advocate fighting, but I have to fight."
Li Yi looked troubled. "We have been fighting in the North for so many years, and the national treasury is not rich now. It's difficult!"
The emperor looked at everyone and asked, "Does anyone else have any other plans?"
At this time, the Minister of Rites Zheng Zixu asked: "The King of Xiliang has always advocated peace. Now that he is ill, why don't we try to contact him and listen to his opinion?"
Li Yi's expression brightened when he heard this. "Yes! The King of Xiliang is not dead now. Why not send someone to find a way to meet him and talk to him in person! The King of Xiliang Li Zongyuan is not warlike. As long as we have a good talk, we will be able to settle this matter."
"But in previous years, Su Heng was sent to negotiate with other countries. Who should be sent now?" asked Zheng Zixu, the Minister of Rites.
The emperor frowned.
"There is more than one Su Heng in Daning!" Taifu He said angrily, "There are so many civil and military officials in the court, and many ministers are capable of doing the job."
He still hasn't forgotten that Su Heng had plotted to kill his son He Zhang!
Because of the Longhua Temple assassin incident, he was dismissed from his post and placed under house arrest, and is still imprisoned in the mansion.
"But he is most familiar with the kings of allied countries." Li Yi said in a deep voice: "The situation is urgent now. It will definitely be too late to spend time to understand Xiliang King Li Zongyuan."
Zheng Zixu said: "The Queen, the Princess of Su, the Crown Prince's Concubine, and the entire Duke Dingguo's Mansion are all in the capital. Why not let Su Heng make amends for his crime? If the deal goes through, he can make amends for his crime. If not, the punishment will be doubled!"
The emperor frowned.
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Okay! I'll do as Mr. Zheng Aiqing says."
After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Eunuch Wan, "Xuan Suheng is here to see you."
"Your Majesty, you can't..."
Before Master He could finish his words, the emperor interrupted him, "Master! You are old now. Even if I send you, you can't go."
The emperor looked at the others with a scrutinizing gaze, "You are all in the same situation. Who can guarantee that this matter can be handled completely?"
Everyone was silent.
No one is sure.
*
Su Lingyue helped Xiao Yu to the palace hall, and saw the Governor-General of Liangjiang Sui Jian sitting and drinking tea.
Seeing Xiao Yu and Su Lingyue coming, he quickly put down the quilt and bowed, "Greetings, Prince and Princess."
Xiao Yu raised his hand calmly, "Master Sui, there is no need to be polite. Please sit down."
The three of them sat down, and Xiao Yu asked Sui Jian, "I wonder why Lord Sui came to the mansion?"
Sui Jian smiled and said, "I came to the capital this time for my son's marriage, and I came to visit the prince and princess by the way."
Hearing him say this, Su Lingyue complained in her heart, "There's no need to come here when you have nothing to do. Xiao Yu should be lying down and resting now!"
Although she thought so, she didn't show it and just sat there dignifiedly.
Sui Jian looked at Xiao Yu, whose face was too pale, and believed the rumors a little, feeling a little reluctant in his heart.
He looked apologetic, "Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? Sorry to bother you so much?"
Xiao Yu looked calm, "It's okay."
Having said that, Sui Jian still didn't want to waste time and directly stated the purpose of his trip.
"I came here today to thank His Majesty. When I was still working in the capital, Your Majesty once saved my son on the street. Now my son is getting married. This time I came to the capital to report, and I also specially prepared a small gift to express my gratitude."
Xiao Yu had no impression of this, nor did he intend to repay the favor. "Really? Congratulations, Master Sui."
"Thank you." Sui Jian bowed and thanked him, with a happy look on his face.
When he wasn't smiling, he looked very fierce, giving people a feeling that he was not easy to mess with. Now that he was smiling, he looked much more easygoing.
Xiao Yu frowned as he looked at him, then thought for a moment and asked, "Did Lord Sui throw a copper coin at the birthday banquet?"
Sui Jian paused, then smiled and said, "I did accidentally lose a copper coin that day, and I will have to explain it to my wife when I get home."
Su Lingyue looked at him curiously.
Xiao Yu and Su Lingyue were not familiar with him, so after chatting for a while, Sui Jian took his leave.
Before leaving, he looked at the pile of thank-you gifts on the table, staring at the box of snacks on top, his eyes solemnly, "That box of snacks is the specialty peach cakes from the area under my jurisdiction. Your Highness and Princess must try them."
"Well, the prince and the princess will enjoy it." Xiao Yu responded in a gentle voice.
After Su Lingyue and Xiao Yu sent the man away, they curiously asked Xiao Yu, "How did the prince know that he lost a copper coin?"
Xiao Yu did not tell Su Lingyue about Xiao Changan's provocation.
He smiled faintly, "I saw a copper coin in the temple that day, so I asked casually."
"Really?" Su Lingyue didn't delve into it further. She seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help laughing out loud.
"What is Yue'er laughing at?" Xiao Yu asked.
Su Lingyue tightened her hand around Xiao Yu's arm and said with a smile, "Is this Sui Jian's wife very arrogant? For just one copper coin, she will have to explain when she goes back."
Xiao Yu recalled the rumors he had heard before and explained with a chuckle, "His wife loves money very much."
Su Lingyue found it very interesting. A burly first-rank official was actually afraid of his wife who loved money like her life.
Back in the hall, Su Lingyue couldn't wait to ask Caidie to open the paper package containing the peach cakes.
Su Lingyue was curious about what he said, "It's just a bag of peach cakes, which are sold everywhere in the capital. Does he taste good?"
Xiao Yu sat opposite her with a smile on his face, looking at her greedy look, "Yue'er, you will know after trying it."
When Caidie opened the package, Su Lingyue saw an envelope on the snack.
"What is this?" She handed the envelope to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu took the envelope, opened it and took a look. His hands unconsciously clenched the letter paper, and his hands trembled slightly.
This is a page of accounts, dated seven years ago.