Changsun Wuji has always been very thoughtful, and almost nothing he has planned for so many years has failed. Through his careful thinking, he has obtained the truth that he thinks may be the closest to the truth.
However, there was still a fog in front of him.
The wheels were turning, and Changsun Wuji stretched out his hand to lift the car curtain and looked out the window. The cold air poured in, which refreshed his spirit. The fields on both sides of the road were desolate and endless as far as the eye could see.
If my guess is correct, then who could this person be?
What is particularly worrisome is that Gao Jifu, a senior official of the imperial court, was assassinated outside Mingde Gate. In addition to causing shock to the government and the public, it will also definitely make people in the prince and Jin camps panic, fearing that he will become an unruly opponent. Be afraid of the target of attack.
Once the news spreads to Jiangnan, Fang Jun will definitely increase his vigilance around him.
If Qiu Yingqi failed to take action before Fang Jun received the news, and when Fang Jun stepped up his guard, the chance of success would be much smaller.
Although he had arranged a backup plan, he did not expect Qiu Yingqi to succeed in the assassination. However, if Qiu Yingqi was captured by Fang Jun and he was revealed as the mastermind behind the scenes, he would be in big trouble. .
First, Gao Jifu was assassinated, and then Fang Jun was assassinated... One can imagine how furious His Majesty Li Er would be in the face of such a tragic court dispute.
But even if he was still worried, Qiu Yingqi and others had already arrived in Jiangnan. He was beyond his reach and could only wait for news from Jiangnan.
But I guess I don’t have to wait too long. Calculating the time, the news will come back within these two days...
*****
When the news that Gao Jifu was assassinated outside Mingde Gate reached the Qiu Mansion, Qiu Xinggong was having breakfast, washing up and sitting down to drink tea. When he heard this, he was so panicked that he almost knocked over the tea cup...
"What did you say? Gao Jifu was stabbed to death, right outside Mingde Gate?"
Qiu Xinggong's eyes widened and he asked the servant who reported the news in disbelief.
The servant affirmed: "Reporting to the master, this matter is absolutely true. The Jingzhao Mansion and the Ministry of Punishment have deployed a large number of capable personnel to detect the case. Even Jingzhao Yin Ma Zhou and the Ministry of Punishment Shangshu Zhang Liang were personally present. The case has been It shocked Chang'an, and there is no falsehood."
Qiu Xinggong was so worried that he almost pulled out his beard.
He naturally knew that there was nothing false. Although Qiu Yingqi, the nephew, was a little slow-minded and acted a little recklessly, he actually inherited the Qiu family's tradition of being vigorous and fearless. The ability to assassinate Gao Jifu will never fail.
But this bastard couldn't assassinate Gao Jifu there. He had to do it outside Mingde Gate?
This is simply a slap in the face of His Majesty Li Er. It is a clear provocation to His Majesty Li Er's imperial majesty. He has been assassinated by thugs at the feet of his own imperial capital in broad daylight. What emperor can bear this? Come on?
There is no doubt that Gao Jifu's death will shake up both the government and the public, and the whole world is also staring at this case.
Under such circumstances, how could I go to His Highness the Crown Prince and present this "letter of surrender"?
It's not that the weight of this "letter of nomination" is not enough, on the contrary, it is precisely because the weight is too sufficient. How can His Highness dare to accept it?
If Gao Jifu was assassinated without anyone noticing, the effect that a mere minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs could have is really limited. Even if he couldn't cover it up, he could still get a scapegoat to take the blame. The Jingzhao Mansion and the Ministry of Punishment didn't bother to investigate, so they closed the case in a hurry. No.
But now that there is such a commotion, who dares to neglect their duties?
Qiu Xinggong was worried. If Qiu Yingqi were in front of him right now, he might not be able to control himself and strangle this bastard to death!
He took a deep breath, put down his teacup, and said, "Get the car ready, I'm going out of town."
"Here!"
The servant took the order and left. After a while, he hitched up the carriage. Qiu Xinggong wore regular clothes, took a sword and put it on his waist. He went out and boarded the carriage and went straight out of the west gate of Chang'an.
The Qiu family has a manor on the north bank of Kunming Lake, which is reserved for summer escape. It is located in a deep valley beside the lake, with rivers flowing through it, and the scenery is very beautiful.
It's just that it's early winter now, and all the vegetation, flowers and trees have withered, and everywhere you look is yellow and withered, making it look particularly desolate.
The carriage entered the manor and stopped in front of a small building. Qiu Xinggong opened the curtain and got out of the carriage. He told the soldiers on the left and right: "Closely monitor the surrounding situation. If you find someone sneaking in, shoot and kill!"
"Here!"
Qiu Xinggong then strode into the small building.
The light inside the building was dim. When Qiu Xinggong entered, he saw a figure lying on the floor, snoring like thunder. There were leftovers of food on the coffee table around him, and half a bottle of wine was open, smelling of alcohol.
Qiu Xinggong suppressed the anger in his heart, stepped forward and kicked the figure hard, shouting: "Get up!"
The figure was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly kicked awake by someone. He was about to get angry. He rubbed his eyes and saw clearly that it was Qiu Xinggong. He quickly got up, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and said loudly: "Uncle, why did you kick me? "
"Kick you?"
Qiu Xinggong was furious: "If you were not my nephew, I would like to kill you right now!"
This person was Qiu Yingqi. When he heard this, he was immediately surprised and asked hurriedly: "Why is uncle so angry? Who made you angry? Tell my nephew, I will take it out on you!"
"Aren't you the evil one?!"
Qiu Xinggong pointed his halberd and said angrily: "I asked you to assassinate Gao Jifu and cut off the arm of the King of Jin as a way to surrender to the prince. It would be better for you, lest the world doesn't know that Gao Jifu's death is related to the struggle for the throne, right?" To actually carry out an assassination in broad daylight outside Mingde Gate is so stupid!"
Qiu Yingqi was still in a daze and hadn't woken up. He scratched his head when he heard this and said with aggrieved tone: "Isn't our purpose of assassinating Gao Jifu to cut off the wings of King Jin as a pledge of surrender to the prince? Since It's a certificate of prominence, so naturally the greater the impact, the greater the consequences, the greater the effect! Assassinating a high-ranking official like Gao Jifu in the street would be an unparalleled shock to the Jin Wang family. Only in this way can we better demonstrate the loyalty of our Qiu family. Geng Geng! What’s wrong with this?”
"I...mother!"
Hearing that Qiu Yingqi not only refused to admit his mistake, but instead defended it plausibly, Qiu Xinggong was so angry that one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven. In a rage, he kicked him to the ground and cursed: "It's like an elm-headed person, extremely stupid. Rotten wood cannot be carved!"
Qiu Yingqi grinned after being kicked. Although he was angry in his heart, he did not dare to refute. After all, this uncle was very famous back then. Now, although he is old, his power is still there. He was frightened in his heart and could only say: "Yes, yes, uncle." The lesson is, it’s all my nephew’s fault.”
Qiu Xinggong vented his anger, and when he saw the bastard's unhappy face, he had to calm down and said: "Now the dispute over the throne has caused a stir in both the government and the public. Although your Majesty prefers the King of Jin, there are still many people in the court who However, some civil servants and generals all supported the prince. After all, the prince was the eldest son, and his title was justified. Those imperial officials wrote letters all day long, requesting your majesty to deprive the king of Jin of his official position, and issued an edict to confirm the prince's position as heir apparent. Otherwise, the situation would be reversed. , The world is not at peace, and His Majesty is very troubled by this. It would be better for you. At this juncture, Gao Jifu was assassinated with such great fanfare outside Mingde Gate. He wished that no one in the world knew about it. You really think that His Majesty could not mention it. You can’t kill anyone with a knife?”
Only then did Qiu Yingqi realize his fear and said tremblingly: "What should we do?"
Qiu Xinggong was furious when he saw his face. He had seen countless fools and fools in his life, but had he never seen such a stupid person?
The entire Qiu family is probably going to be tricked by this idiot!
Qiu Xinggong had a gloomy face and said in a cold voice: "You and your subordinates will be hiding in this village for the past few days. You can't go out or see anyone. I'll wait until I find an opportunity to meet the prince and see if he can." Are you willing to accept our letter of nomination? You'd better pray to God and Buddha to bless the prince with this courage, otherwise if there is no prince to save his life, not only will your life be saved, but our Qiu family will be affected!"
Qiu Yingqi said in panic: "Why is this happening? Uncle, don't scare me!"
Qiu Xinggong said angrily: "Why is this so important? Our Qiu family is lucky enough to kill all three clans if you don't get involved this time! Let you assassinate Gao Jifu and kill him without anyone noticing. It's all done on your own." It’s extremely stupid to make a fuss all over the city!”
Qiu Yingqi was obedient and did not dare to say a word.
Qiu Xinggong was too lazy to say anything more to him. He flicked his sleeves and said, "Just stay here and wait for news about so-and-so!"
After saying that, he turned around and walked away.
