Xie Jingchu quickly helped Qin Yuan sit down.
Then he immediately took out a top - grade pill from his bosom and made Qin Yuan take it.
Qin Yuan's appearance clearly indicated that he had just been in a fierce fight.
"What on earth happened? Why was the Prime Minister's wife locked in the dungeon?"
After seeing that Qin Yuan's complexion had improved a bit after taking the pill, Xie Jingchu voiced the doubts in his mind.
"After I sneaked into the Prime Minister's mansion, I couldn't find the Prime Minister's wife. Then I saw several maids go to a shabby courtyard to deliver meals, so I followed them.
Unexpectedly, there was a secret chamber hidden in that courtyard!
After the maids left, I sneaked in quietly and found there was a dungeon inside. The Prime Minister's wife was locked there, with her hands and feet chained.
I immediately announced my identity to the Prime Minister's wife. After she confirmed that I was sent by Miss Biao, she immediately told me that Gu Kexing was going to stage a rebellion!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ruan Jiu instantly caught her breath.
She exclaimed, "You mean Gu Kexing is going to stage a rebellion?!"
Qin Yuan nodded repeatedly.
However, Xie Jingchu was not overly surprised. After all, he knew that Gu Kexing was the mastermind behind the private manufacturing of weapons on Shendu Cliff.
"Did the Prime Minister's wife say anything else?" Xie Jingchu asked eagerly.
"Just as she finished saying this to me, a group of black - clothed men broke into the dungeon. They were tall and skilled in martial arts. They chased me relentlessly. It took me a great deal of effort to shake them off."
No wonder Qin Yuan was so seriously injured.
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu and Xie Jingchu glanced at each other.
It seemed that those people were probably the private soldiers raised by Gu Kexing.
Ruan Jiu pursed her lips. "It must be because of the matter of the Queen being deposed and His Majesty's intention to relieve Gu Kexing of his position as Prime Minister that made him and Xiao Qi eager to usurp the throne."
"Qin Yuan has alerted the enemy today. I'm afraid Gu Kexing will speed up his actions!" Xie Jingchu frowned and said.
Ruan Jiu propped her chin up, looking worried.
She murmured softly, "But Gu Kexing stays in the Prime Minister's mansion all day. How can he stage a rebellion?"
After a moment of silence, Ruan Jiu and Xie Jingchu glanced at each other and said in unison, "Xiao Qi!"
Gu Kexing had been under house arrest for so long, and only Xiao Qi had visited him.
Presumably, it was then that Gu Kexing and Xiao Qi planned the rebellion.
Cui Jin might have overheard this matter, which was why she was locked in the dungeon by Gu Kexing.
However, since Cui Jin was still the Prime Minister's wife, Gu Kexing probably wouldn't get rid of her before he succeeded.
The top priority was to figure out when Gu Kexing would actually act.
"But the place where weapons were privately manufactured in Shuozhou has been destroyed by Xiao Wang. Without weapons, how can Gu Kexing stage a rebellion?" Doubts arose in Ruan Jiu's mind again.
Xie Jingchu looked solemn. His deep eyes stared into the distance, and his fingers unconsciously tapped on the table.
He fell into deep thought.
After a moment, the chaos in his mind gradually cleared.
"One doesn't necessarily need weapons to stage a rebellion."
"What do you mean?"
Ruan Jiu was a bit confused.
How could one stage a rebellion without weapons?
"Don't you remember that it was Gu Kexing who handed over the geomancy map of Yizhou to the enemy troops back then."
"You mean Gu Kexing will collude with the Beirong tribe?"
Xie Jingchu nodded.
Ruan Jiu suddenly realized. No wonder the Beirong tribe had suddenly proposed peace talks not long ago.
It seemed that they had colluded with Gu Kexing long ago and were planning an inside - outside cooperation.
Ruan Jiu's expression became solemn. She said in a low voice, "But the envoys of the Beirong tribe will arrive in three days."
"So we must tell Xiao Wang about this immediately! Let him strengthen the defense in the city right away!"
Ruan Jiu nodded in agreement.
Then she immediately said, "A Jing, go and tell elder brother right away. Let him take father and mother back to Qinzhou first!"
The capital was likely to be in turmoil!
-
Three days later, the envoys of the Beirong tribe arrived in the capital as scheduled.
The Beirong tribe was located in a harsh terrain. For years, in winter, they had been burning, killing, and looting the bordering people.
Moreover, the Beirong soldiers were strong and powerful, which had led to years of inconclusive battles.
This matter had troubled His Majesty for many years, so he attached great importance to this peace talk.
The delegation of the Beirong tribe slowly walked into the Golden Luan Hall. Each of them was tall and imposing.
For this peace talk, the Beirong tribe had specially sent their third prince, Wanyan Tuo, and the Tiger - might General, Chai Ronglie.
Before Wanyan Tuo could speak, Chai Ronglie took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, in order to show our sincerity for this peace talk, we have specially prepared a little gift."
After saying that, Chai Ronglie clapped his hands.
Immediately afterwards, four Beirong people carried in a box.
After the box was opened, His Majesty's originally amiable expression visibly darkened.
A gloomy air surrounded him, and the air pressure was terribly low.
In the huge box, there lay quietly a straw mat woven with hemp ropes, and it was extremely shabby.
Obviously, the Beirong people were trying to humiliate His Majesty with this shabby straw mat.
For a moment, everyone in the hall except the Beirong people looked livid and glared angrily.
His Majesty frowned coldly and said in a low voice, "General Tiger - might, is this the etiquette of your Beirong tribe?"
Hearing this, Chai Ronglie laughed a few times. "We Beirong people don't understand the etiquette of your Central Plains. I only know that this is a carefully - prepared gift from our Beirong tribe. Does Your Majesty not want to accept it?"
Everyone could see that the straw mat prepared by the Beirong tribe was a deliberate humiliation, but Chai Ronglie claimed that it was carefully prepared.
If His Majesty didn't accept it, Chai Ronglie would surely use it as an excuse to say that His Majesty had no intention of peace talks.
But if His Majesty accepted it, it would be like making His Majesty swallow this humiliation.
The situation was at a stalemate for a moment.
Just then, Xiao Wang suddenly said coldly, "I'll accept this generous gift carefully prepared by the Beirong tribe on behalf of Father Emperor."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the court officials present gasped in surprise and looked stunned.
Although the Crown Prince had saved His Majesty from embarrassment, this humiliation had been transferred to the Crown Prince.
Immediately afterwards, a sneer appeared on Xiao Wang's lips. "I didn't expect that your Beirong tribe has fallen to such a state. A mere straw mat actually requires the whole nation's effort to prepare carefully. No wonder you've come to us to seek peace."
With just a simple sentence, Xiao Wang had turned the peace talk between the two countries into the Beirong tribe coming to seek peace.
The expressions of the Beirong people instantly turned ugly.
Xiao Wang seemed not yet satisfied. He glanced at the Beirong people who had just carried in the box and taunted, "It's said that the Beirong soldiers are strong and powerful, but why do four people have to carry such a small box?"
As soon as his voice fell, it caused a burst of laughter.
Chai Ronglie was so angry that his beard trembled, and several Beirong people looked at each other in dismay.
Previously, Chai Ronglie had ordered people to carry the box up in order to make His Majesty think that there were valuable things in it.
Unexpectedly, it had now become a reason for Xiao Wang to mock the Beirong tribe.
This was simply lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet!
Facing Xiao Wang's sarcasm and everyone's laughter, Chai Ronglie gritted his teeth so hard that they made a clicking sound.
"We've been on a long - distance journey for days. Now we need to go back to the post - station to rest. After we've recovered, we'll come back to discuss the peace talk with you."
After Chai Ronglie finished speaking, without waiting for His Majesty's permission, he directly led the delegation of the Beirong tribe away.
After turning around, Chai Ronglie's livid face instantly turned vicious.
Let's see how long you can still be so smug!