Sun Wu saw that Gong Eryue's eyes were firm, but there was also a hint of grievance in them. Her expression was indeed somewhat similar to Madam's.
Sun Wu's heart sank, and he couldn't help but feel a trace of pity in his heart.
However, Sun Wu is a decisive person after all, and he also knows that a small impatience will mess up a big plan. Therefore, once it is something he believes in, it is difficult to change it.
Besides, this matter was related to Li Ran's safety, so he could only harden his heart at the moment:
"Gong Eryue! Don't pretend to be innocent in front of me! Your tricks are useless in front of me!"
Gong Eryue's eyes widened, and tears fell involuntarily:
"Sun Wu! I know you have always disliked me, and now that I have been framed by you again, I can no longer stay in the Li Mansion! You... just take care of yourself!"
After Gong Eryue finished speaking, she wanted to break out of the door.
Sun Wu was also a little confused by what Gong Eryue said, but he quickly came to his senses and thought:
"Let her go, it's best to leave. Regardless of whether she really has ulterior motives, even if she doesn't, her staying here will only disturb Mr.'s mind!"
Sun Wu wanted to apologize to Li Ran, but he didn't find him in the study. When he came out of the study, he suddenly heard Li Guang shouting:
"Er Niang, don't leave!"
Sun Wu's heart sank, and he followed the voice and walked over, only to see Gong Eryue carrying a baggage and preparing to leave.
Liguang, on the other hand, hugged Gong Eryue and refused to let go. Gong Eryue couldn't bear it and turned around to hug her.
Li Ran and Fan Li also heard the sound and stood on the other side.
When Fan Li saw this, he first advised:
"Miss Yue, what happened? Why do you want to leave in anger?"
When Gong Eryue heard Fan Li's question, she said nothing and only looked at Sun Wu fiercely.
When Fan Li saw this, he roughly guessed the situation. So, he immediately acted as a peacemaker:
Brother Changqing is also eager to solve the case, but you don't have to be like this. Just wait until the truth comes out! "
Sun Wu also took a step forward and said loudly:
"What Sun Wu said is definitely not without purpose!"
Sun Wu's words shocked everyone.
The scene was silent for a moment, and Li Ran could only sigh secretly.
Finally, it was Fan Li, who said Yuanchang:
"Brother Changqing, don't be anxious. In any case, this kind of matter must be based on evidence. If you make rash speculations without evidence, wouldn't you unjustly accuse a good person?"
Sun Wu was speechless for a moment, while Gong Eryue sobbed and said:
"Since I am suspicious of Mr. Changqing, it will be inconvenient to stay here. I...I'd better leave!"
Liguang also became anxious at this time:
"Second mother, don't go, second mother, don't go!"
Fan Li advised again:
"Please forgive me Miss Yue. This was definitely not Brother Changqing's original intention. In fact, he did it for the safety of my husband..."
Gong Eryue rolled her eyes at Sun Wu and snorted coldly:
"Since I was a child, I have been regarded as the apple of my tribe's eye, and I have never suffered such injustice! But since I came to the Lu country, I have never lived in peace for a day, but now I am still jealous!"
Gong Eryue said while looking at Li Ran again. But seeing his smart eyes is really pitiful:
"If I really wanted to harm Mr., why did I risk my life to save him in the first place?! Tell me!... Tell me!"
When Gong Eryue said this, everyone was shocked.
Yes, if she really wanted to harm Li Ran, she didn't have to wait until now.
As Gong Eryue spoke, she gently put down Liguang, and then went out to leave.
Li Ran, who had been silent on the side, finally spoke:
"Yue! Don't leave in a hurry!"
When Gong Eryue heard Li Ran's words, she did not move. Liguang also took the opportunity to hug her thigh again, which made her feel soft and she squatted down again.
Li Ran glanced at Sun Wu.
"Chang Qing, I know you have doubts about Miss Yue, but as a brother, I think Chang Qing is too reckless in this matter. But if you put yourself in my shoes, if she really wants to harm me, why bother? Wait until now?”
"This case is indeed worrying, but if there is no conclusive evidence, we cannot jump to conclusions!"
At this time, Chu Dang also heard the noise and rushed over, standing not far away and listening quietly.
Sun Wu couldn't help but sigh when he heard that Li Ran said the same thing:
"Sir, only Miss Yue and I are the only ones with such skills in the Li family. If it wasn't her, could it be me?"
Li Ran said helplessly:
"Changqing, there is no doubt about the crime. Since the case has been concluded, we should not speculate like this. Maybe this is a alienation plan set up by the enemy! Changqing must not make any assumptions about one of your own!"
Sun Wu disagreed with this:
"Since he is a suspicious person, it is always good to let him avoid suspicion first. Wu doesn't know people, he only talks about things. Even if there are mistakes, don't miss them!"
Chu Dang had a simple mind and couldn't help but say:
"Is General Sun suspicious of Miss Yue? This is impossible! On the day of the incident, Miss Yue took Guang'er to rest in the house. How could he be separated?"
Sun Wu retorted:
"Guang'er is young and sleeps very deeply. It's okay for her to leave for a short while during this period!"
Chu Dang was speechless by Sun Wu, but Fan Li said:
"Brother Changqing..."
Sun Wu waved his hand to interrupt Fan Li and looked at Li Ran.
"Sir, I just want to say something to you today. Since Gong Eryue is from the Yue Kingdom and is far away from her clan, and since the talent is not suitable for her, then let her return to her clan. Is this wrong?"
Li Ran thought about it for a long time. He understood Sun Wu's mood, but did not agree with his approach.
"If she goes back like this, she will definitely be looked down upon by her tribe. This matter needs more consideration. Sir, she has no relatives here, and she has saved her brother's life. How can we be so suspicious of her? Could it be that Sir Chang wants me to repay kindness with evil and leave a bad reputation?"
When Sun Wu heard this, he couldn't help but feel discouraged and pursed his lips:
"Since Mr. Wu said this, Wu naturally has nothing to say!"
Sun Wu cupped his hand towards Li Ran, turned around and left, seemingly unconvinced.
Li Ran couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart. The two of them actually felt like brothers, and even if they had some disagreements, they could mostly just laugh it off.
However, Sun Wu today did look angry.
Li Ran was stunned for a while, and decided to have a good chat with Sun Wu afterwards. He couldn't let this incident create a gap between the two of them.
Gong Eryue put down Liguang, but was still determined to leave.
Chu Dang, on the other hand, directly took the baggage off Gong Eryue's back.
"Miss Yue, if you leave like this, wouldn't the quarrel between Mr. and General Sun be in vain?"
Li Ran glanced at Chu Dang and thought that he and Sun Wu were just at odds with each other, so how could it become a quarrel with him?
However, he couldn't argue with him at the moment and just said:
"Miss Yue, Chang Qing, he has an upright heart. In fact, he..."
Li Ran couldn't find the words for a while. Gong Eryue didn't look back, just looked at Liguang. After a while, she sobbed and said:
"I...I have figured it out now. If I leave at this time, I am afraid it will make people even more suspicious! If I leave...won't I directly become a absconder in fear of crime?!"
After Gong Eryue finished speaking, she picked up Liguang and walked towards the back room.
And Liguang was very sensible and kept using her sleeves to wipe Gong Eryue's tears.
Li Ran couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this.
Chu Dang took the baggage and hurriedly followed Gong Eryue. At this time, Fan Li smiled and said to Li Ran:
"Miss Yue is so stubborn, but actually she can't let go of Guang'er!"
Li Ran was noncommittal about this. He returned to the study and after thinking about it, he felt that the possibility of Gong Eryue committing the crime was indeed unlikely, and he was even more convinced that it was indeed Sun Wu who had brought his own prejudices with him.
Li Ran believed that he could read people very accurately. There were some things that subtle expressions could never deceive.
Just like Gong Eryue's attitude towards Liguang, it is absolutely difficult to fake.
——
Chapter 617_Wu Zixu, a bitter and resentful person
Along with this dispute in the Li family, on the other hand, the case has reached a deadlock.
Although Confucius was investigating with great fanfare, he still had no clue.
Gradually, the case became an unsolved case.
On this day, Li Ran was going to have a good talk with Sun Wu. To show his sincerity, he decided to go to Sun Wu in person.
But as soon as he arrived at the courtyard, he saw Chu Dang running in in a hurry:
"Sir! Wu Zixu is here!"
When Li Ran heard Wu Zixu, he was startled at first, and then he immediately reacted.
"Quick! Invite him in!"
Li Ran and Wu Yuan have been separated for many years and have never seen each other again.
In fact, he occasionally thinks of the high-spirited young man he once was.
In addition, Li Ran actually pays attention to the situation in Chu from time to time.
Especially during this period, he also heard that not long ago, Wu Ju's son Wu She and his grandson Wu Shang were killed by Chu King Qi Ji because they were involved in the case of deposing Prince Jian in Chu State. The Wu members were missing.
There were rumors that he went to Wu State, but there was no conclusive news. Li Ran couldn't help but sigh when he thought about this.
Now, King Chu Qiji has died, and his posthumous title is King Chu Ping. His youngest son, Prince Zhen, succeeds to the throne.
Therefore, today's sudden visit by the Wu members is probably because of this matter.
Not long after, he saw a man with white hair walking in. Li Ran squinted his eyes. At first glance, he thought he was an elder from somewhere. When the man came closer, Li Ran recognized that he was the elder. Wu member!
At this moment, Wu Yuan looked much older than him, which surprised Li Ran.
"Zixu? You...with your head full of white hair...how did you become so old?"
Wu Yuan bowed deeply to Li Ran:
"Member Wu has met Mr. Ziming, hey...it's hard to describe!"
At this moment, another call came from outside the house:
"Sir, I heard that Wu Zixu is here?!"
This is Sun Wu's voice.
I saw Sun Wu heading straight to the living room, and he couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the soldier looking like this.
Then, he held the soldier's arms with both hands and said:
"Zixu, you...how did you become like this?"
The soldier couldn't help but smile bitterly, with resentment in his eyes.
"All of this... is thanks to King Chu Ping who killed a thousand swords!"
Sun Wu said anxiously:
"What happened?"
Wu Yuan and Sun Wu supported each other and sat in front of Li Ran.
"Back then, You Yin Randan granted King Chu Ping an order to invite my father to join the court as the Crown Prince and Tutor. Mr. Ran had persuaded my father not to go, but to protect the reputation of the Wu family, my father decided to go alone!"
"My father was cautious, and we got along well with him at first. However, Fei Wuji, as a close minister and the prince's young master, has been trying to drive a wedge between Prince Ping and Prince Jian."
"And since my father is the Crown Prince and Tutor, he naturally becomes the target that Fei Wuji wants to eradicate."
Li Ran couldn't help but sigh after hearing this:
"Fei Wuji... I have some impressions of this person. He is from Lu and comes from Fei Yi... This person seems to be somewhat related to Ji Pingzi at that time. This person was quite trusted by the King of Chu back then. If so, He said, I am afraid that your father-in-law is in danger!"
Obviously, Li Ran immediately classified Fei Wuji into the group of dark followers.
The Wu member also sighed and said:
"Sir, what you expected is not bad. However, King Chu Ping and Prince Jian are father and son after all, so Fei Wuji can't find an opportunity for a while."
"It wasn't until later that Fei Wuji was sent to Qin to marry Qin Princess Meng Ying on behalf of Prince Jian. And this gave Fei Wuji, who was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity!"
"After Fei Wuji and the princess of Qin arrived in the capital of Ying of Chu, he praised Meng Ying's beauty in front of the King of Chu and asked the King of Chu to meet Meng Ying in advance."
"When King Chu Ping saw that Meng Ying was indeed beautiful, he became lustful. At this time, Fei Wuji further lobbied King Chu Ping, saying that instead of letting the prince marry Qin, it would be better for him to serve as King of Chu. Wouldn't it be more direct to marry Qin directly? Why not do it? "
"I'm afraid that King Chu Ping also took advantage of the situation. He adopted Fei Wuji's idea and openly married his daughter-in-law Meng Ying as his queen in spite of the disapproval of the world!"
"And King Chu Ping also favored Fei Wuji even more because of this matter. Soon after, Meng Ying gave birth to a son for King Chu Ping, who is now the King of Chu, Xiong Zhen!"
This matter is known to the whole world, and there is no need for the military personnel to explain it. Li Ran and Sun Wu also generally know it.
At this time, Wu Yuan continued:
"This matter ultimately aroused dissatisfaction with Prince Jian, and then Fei Wuji went even further with his flattery, saying that Prince Jian was guarding the border and was close to our Wu family, saying that our Wu family had always been the favorites of the late King Ling. Don’t be defensive.”
"So, King Ping of Chu first ordered people to arrest my father, and then ordered Prince Jian to return the capital as soon as possible. Prince Jian saw that something was going wrong, so he fled directly to the Song Dynasty."
"Fei Wuji saw that his plan failed, so he encouraged King Ping of Chu to lure me and my brother to go to the capital together. This is because my father had previously told us brothers not to leave Jiaoyi unless we received a personal letter. !”
"However, my elder brother also knew that my father was in a critical situation, so he decided to go to Yingdu to save his father, but he left Yuan Yu to escape alone."
When the Wu member said this, he couldn't help but feel emotional for a moment, and actually covered his face and cried:
"My brother's words are still vivid in my mind now. He once said: 'You are in Wu, and I will die. I didn't know it, but I can die, and you can repay me! My father cannot abandon me, and my name cannot be abolished. You encourage me to support you." Get better!'"
When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but feel awe again.
In fact, Li Ran's feelings for the Chu Kingdom are still so strong even though they have experienced it for twenty years.
Not only because of Li Ran's pity for King Chu Ling, but also because of his admiration for the overall national style of Chu.
"When you hear your father's orders, you can't run away! If your relatives are killed, you can't run away from them! Running to death to escape your father's orders is filial piety! Doing what you have done is benevolent! When you choose to go, you know it! Knowing that you will die will not avoid it. ,Yongya!"
Li Ran also expressed heartfelt emotions for Wu Shang's behavior.
Afterwards, I heard Wu Yu continue to speak:
"What a shame that Xiong Qiji killed my father and brother not long after I ran away! He also ordered people to hunt me everywhere, so I had to hide during the day and drive at night. When I heard the bad news, I couldn't help but become furious. He suffered a serious illness and became bald overnight! Finally, thanks to the help of an old fisherman, he was able to sneak out of Zhaoguan and run away to the Kingdom of Wu."
When Sun Wu heard this, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Hey... In the past, my husband has already said that Prince Qiji is definitely not the master of human beings, and the Wu family is afraid that he will not be tolerated in the future. My husband also advised my father to make plans early. However, your Wu family does not want to Carrying a bad reputation, I succumbed to the prince's abandonment. Now that I have been killed, it is really a pity!"
When the soldier heard what Sun Wu said, he couldn't help but sigh again:
"Hey... Shi Ye! Fate! The fate of my Wu family may have been doomed at the time of Qianxi!"
At this time, I heard Wu Yu continue to speak:
"After I arrived in the Kingdom of Wu, I took refuge with Young Master Guang. Because Young Master Guang had many conflicts with our Wu family before that, Young Master Guang knew that I was good at using soldiers, so he kept me on staff and promised to be my replacement. I will take revenge!"
"And I also know that Gongzi Guang, as the queen of Zhufan, is interested in the king's affairs. So, I recommended the assassin Zhuanzhu to Gongziguang. Later, Zhuanzhu assassinated King Liao of Wu. Gongziguang was promoted as the king, and that is what he is doing now. King Wu Helu!"
"Now that the young ruler of Chu is in power, he is weak and incompetent! The King of Wu intends to attack Chu, and the officials also want to avenge their father and brother! Therefore, they recommend another person to the King of Wu, intending to conspire with him to achieve great things!"
Li Ran couldn't help being surprised and couldn't help asking:
"Oh? But who is it?"
The soldier stood up suddenly and knelt down to Li Ran and said:
"It's you, Mr. Ziming!"
Li Ran and Sun Wu couldn't help but look at each other in shock when they heard this.
Originally, they didn't know much about these things. But now that they know about it, they all feel sorry for what happened to the Wu family of Chu State.
They didn't think there was anything wrong with Wu Yuan's move. After all, the hatred for killing his father is irreconcilable, so it is understandable that the soldier wants to avenge his father.
However, King Helu of Wu wanted to use the power of Wu to destroy Chu. This strategy was not without its boldness. After all, just twenty years ago, the State of Wu was about to be destroyed by the State of Chu!
But now, not only is the offensive and defensive position changing, but Wu State actually intends to swallow Chu!
Such heroic spirit is rare in this era.
"The King of Chu is unjust and killed my father and brother. If I don't avenge this revenge, I am not a man! I am here today. I specially ask you to remember the friendship in the past and come out to help avenge the destruction of Chu!"
Li Ran heard this again, but he hesitated for a moment.
It's not because he thinks there's anything wrong with Wu Yuan's move, but if it's the only reason, it's hard to convince people.
What's more, the Wu people intend to raise troops to attack Chu, but it is hard to say how it will affect the world.
Seeing that Li Ran was indifferent, Wu Yuan went further and said:
"Mr. Ziming, I also know your ambition. I have something to say, please listen carefully."
"Speaking of the world today, in all countries, the power of the ministers is in power, the power of the king is on the side, the etiquette is broken, and the music is broken. According to the people's opinion, these are the reasons for the weakness of the Chu State! Since King Ling of Chu died in Qianxi, the world has been in chaos. This is how you lose your rank!"
"Therefore, if the state of Wu rises, then the state of Wu can easily replace the ambition of the former state of Chu, reach the north of the Central Plains and correct its status as a monarch and ministers! I wonder what you think, sir?"
When Li Ran heard this, he was extremely surprised by Wu Yuan's opinion.
Because Wu Yuan's opinion was exactly what Li Ran struggled with and thought about in his early years.
Especially after Li Ran left Chu State, he had been reflecting: Would a powerful Chu State be more beneficial to the stability of the world?
Although Li Ran couldn't answer the answer to this question at the time, after meeting his father Li Er, especially after he assisted Wang Zichao, he got a more complete understanding:
Now, in his opinion, whether it was King Chu Ling or the princely dynasty, the failures of these people were actually inevitable in history and not accidental.
As the saying goes, "It is better to keep the center than to talk too much."
Obviously, at this time, Li Ran had a deeper understanding of this "Wu Yuan Theory".
(End of chapter)
