Xiahou Yunzhao turned around and knelt down on one knee in front of Li Shengxuan and saluted, "Xiahou Yunzhao of the Southeast Xiahou clan is here. He officially resigned from the post of General Zhennan. Xiahou Mingxun, the head of the Xiahou family, handed over all the control rights of the southeast. From then on The Xiahou clan will stay in the old land of Baiyue and will never set foot in the capital. I hope your majesty will allow it."
Her words were heard clearly in the ears of everyone present. Xiahou Mingxun took out half of the white jade tiger charm from his arms, knelt on one knee and held it in front of Li Shengxuan.
Xie Chen watched this scene quietly, sighing secretly in his heart that whether it was the Xia family or the Xiahou family, their military life was full of glory, but it would eventually come to an end.
It's not that he doesn't know that wood is strong, even if it prospers, it will decline. On the contrary, he knows it better than anyone else after going through many ups and downs.
However, after all these years, the Xiahou Yunzhao in his eyes and heart was still the same as when he first met her, like a graceful rose, the last beauty standing proudly.
"Your Majesty..." Xie Chen spoke slowly, but was interrupted by Li Shengxuan, "What do you want to say, Xie Qing?"
He withdrew his gaze and turned to Xie Chen, who was a few steps away. "You are not joking. Since Xiahou Yunzhao has lost, if the Xiahou family wants to leave, they can leave."
Xie Chen said nothing, as if he did not expect that Li Shengxuan would let the Xiahou family go so easily. Before coming to Beijing this time, he had told Xiahou Yunzhao that the emperor's heart was unpredictable and they might not be able to escape unscathed.
Li Shengxuan casually took the white jade tiger talisman held in Xiahou Mingxun's palm and said, "I'm a little tired today. You all should step aside."
Fang Zilan stood in the middle of the martial arts arena, but she could clearly see the loneliness in Li Shengxuan's eyes. She watched him turn and leave from a distance, with Xia Houzhang following behind him. The word "lonely person" suited him more and more.
Fang Zilan returned the sword in her hand to the guard on the sidelines. Awan and Deputy General Cao walked to her side. Before they could say anything, they saw Li Qiyou walking over. The two of them hurriedly saluted.
Li Qiyou waved his hand to indicate that they didn't need to be polite. Then he looked at Fang Zilan and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Fang."
However, Fang Zilan's expression was gloomy and there was no trace of joy on her face, and she asked: "Your Majesty, we were in Wanfu Palace just now, why did you deliberately use words to irritate the head of the Xiahou family?"
"I'm just telling the truth, and I don't mean to offend the Xiahou family." Li Qiyou frowned slightly, "Master Fang, do you blame me for pushing you to the forefront?"
Fang Zilan did not answer, and Li Qiyou continued talking on his own, "It is inevitable for the Xiahou family to hand over power. Even without me adding fuel to the fire, Mr. Fang cannot keep his clothes clean."
"I don't dare to blame the prince. It's just a good intention to ask more. I just hope that the prince will not be used by someone with evil intentions and become a chess piece without knowing it." Fang Zilan looked a little distant, and Li Qiyou was stunned and said nothing. There was an unspeakable awkwardness between the two of them.
"Master Fang." A voice broke the silence at the right time. Several people looked at the person who came, but it was Qiu Shui beside Fang Ziqin.
She bowed and saluted Li Qiyou, then turned to Fang Zilan and said, "Master Fang, the Queen has invited you."
"Invite me?" Fang Zilan asked uncertainly, Qiu Shui nodded and said, "Yes, please come with me, Mr. Fang."
"Okay." Fang Zilan responded and looked at Awan and Deputy General Cao. Before he could say anything, Qiu Shui said: "The Queen only invites Mr. Fang to come over. As for the others..."
Qiu Shui didn't say any more, but Fang Zilan understood what she meant and immediately said to the two of them: "You go back to the post house and wait for me. I'll go back when I'm gone." After that, she said goodbye to Li Qiyou, and after being polite, she and Qiu Shui entered Feng Shui. Yi Palace.
Fang Ziqin held a heater in her hand and was sitting on the porch enjoying the scenery. When Qiu Shui led Fang Zilan in front of her, she stepped back and asked Fang Zilan to sit next to her.
Fang Zilan hesitated for a moment and then stood by the railing not far from Fang Ziqin. She didn't say anything more and just smiled, "Master Fang, do you know why I invited you here?"
"I don't know." Fang Zilan shook his head, and Fang Ziqin closed his sleeves, "You have done a good job in establishing people, and you deserve a thank you from the Fang family."
"The Queen is very polite. Young Master Fang Liren has thanked me personally." Although Fang Zilan answered neatly, she couldn't help but feel suspicious in her heart, and she didn't know what Fang Ziqin's plan was.
"It's different." Fang Ziqin put the incense burner aside and rubbed his hands gently, "Liren left the Fang family, but Master Fang became a shareholder, which means that the entanglement with the Fang family will no longer be resolved. "
Fang Zilan snorted softly and said noncommittally: "The Queen has lived in the palace for a long time, so she is well-informed."
Fang Ziqin still had a faint smile on his face and whispered softly: "Today you defeated Xiahou Yunzhao, and tomorrow the news will spread all over the world. In less than two years, a large family was wiped out and two ministers were replaced. It broke the situation in which the nine princes and princes were in a dichotomy. Do you think the Empress Dowager and the other princes would just sit back and watch and let you dominate?"
Fang Zilan's face was a little colder, obviously on guard, "What do you want to say, the Queen?"
"What I want to say is that if you are willing, the Fang family can help you." Fang Ziqin stood up and walked in front of her, "It's cold at high places, and your position below one person and above ten thousand people is shaky. Today, King Yucheng was encouraged by the Queen Mother to push you to the forefront, and tomorrow there will be other ministers joining forces to try to kill you. If there is no one to support you, how far can you go alone? "
Fang Zilan asked instead, "How did the Queen know that King Yucheng was instigated by the Queen Mother?"
Fang Ziqin covered her face and chuckled, "Don't you also have doubts about why King Yucheng came forward? When I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager today, it happened that King Yucheng was also there. The Empress Dowager was full of praise for you and said You are infinitely better than Xiahou Yunzhao, and you told King Yucheng that you and he had a life-saving grace, so of course I want to recommend you to the throne in front of His Majesty as a reward."
Fang Ziqin paused and continued, "King Yucheng is upright and simple, and he has deep faith in his grandmother, but he doesn't know that the Queen Mother's actions are not to help you but to harm you. The higher you climb, the more you fall. The heavier you are, not to mention that you are alone and have no one to rely on? How deep is the pool of water in the Dajing Palace? You have been in the north for a long time and can only see a glimpse of the leopard. There is no good person in the whole court, they are all cannibals. You, the bone-spitting ruthless horn, won’t be able to last long on your own.”
"Since the Empress is in danger, she knows that the Fang family is not an easy person to deal with. Or is it that the Empress has been relying on the Fang family for too long and has been confused? Do you think that everyone has the same reliance and confidence as you? ?" Fang Zilan's lips curled up slightly, and she smiled helplessly, "I am a person with nothing. Now that I have climbed up, I am not afraid of falling to pieces. I understand the Queen's kindness, but since His Majesty is standing behind me, No need for anyone else to support you."
