On the sick bed, Emperor Chen, with the help of the imperial physician, stuffed the quilt behind his back and sat back. This posture made him sit more stable and less tired.
After several bowls of ginseng soup, Emperor Chen finally gained some energy. Although he could not bear to sit still for a long time, he had to summon several important ministers immediately to stabilize the current situation.
When Qi Xinghe, wearing a suit of armor, rushed straight to the Yangxin Hall with a clatter, the corners of Chen Di's face were slightly raised, making it look like he had a crooked mouth.
"Last general, Qi Xinghe, see your majesty!"
Emperor Chen wanted to stretch out his hand to make a gesture without courtesy, but because his mind was still unable to coordinate his body, he could only speak with difficulty.
"I! I am...the Chinese Army."
Qi Xinghe, who was half-kneeling on the ground, was stunned for a moment, then raised his head, as if a fierce fire was igniting in his heart.
I am the Chinese army! This was what Emperor Chen said to Qi Xinghe, who was still very young at the time, when he went on a personal expedition to put down the Three Kings Rebellion.
At that time, Qi Xinghe replied: "I am a pioneer, and I am willing to move mountains and fill the sea for Your Majesty. I will attack the unruly ministers and punish the unjust!"
"I am the Chinese Army!" Emperor Chen stared at Qi Xinghe.
Qi Xinghe immediately realized that Emperor Chen was asking him about Qi Xinghe's heart.
At that time, facing the three kings who almost disrupted half of the country, Emperor Chen did not back down. He led a small number of troops and launched a charge against the huge coalition of three kings.
Before the charge, Qi Xinghe was called to the imperial tent. Emperor Chen at that time once said such a sentence.
Facing an enemy several times his own, Emperor Chen asked Qi Xinghe, "I am the Chinese army, the backbone of this army, and the backbone of everyone in the world, so I cannot retreat."
Qi Xinghe also expressed his position with this sentence. He is a pioneer. No matter what difficulties he encounters ahead or how many enemies there are, he just has to fight bravely to kill them first.
Today in this Yangxin Palace, Emperor Chen, who was sitting on the sickbed, asked this sentence again. The meaning contained in it was obvious. The current situation is as dangerous as when we faced the three kings coalition, but I am the Chinese army. Can't retreat!
So Qi Xinghe also knelt down on the other leg, took off the bag and put it aside: "Your Majesty is the central army, and I am the vanguard. Even if you are hit by thousands of arrows, you dare not retreat!"
Boom!
One head hit the ground heavily.
"Wherever your Majesty's sword points, I will fight to the death to conquer it!"
Emperor Chen nodded: "Really... I am the number one... fierce general in Chen Dynasty!"
Qi Xinghe couldn't help but feel moist at the corners of his eyes.
Before coming to the palace, he had guessed that the situation might not be good. When he saw with his own eyes that Emperor Chen, who was so heroic back then, was already lingering on the sickbed and even unable to speak, he realized that the situation was not only bad, but terrible.
But fortunately, Emperor Chen can still speak and think clearly.
Qi Xinghe resigned. He wanted to be the most powerful general in Chen Dynasty again for Emperor Chen, and charge again, even if it cost his life.
Emperor Chen watched Qi Xinghe exiting the Yangxin Hall, and then said to Prince He Cong: "It is said that Li Youdao, the Prime Minister of the Left, has paid an audience."
So not long after, another young eunuch hurried out of the palace gate. This time, he did not go through the corner door, but the main entrance.
The servants and carriage drivers arranged by the ministers at the entrance of the palace had already gone home to report the news when Qi Xinghe entered the palace.
So when the little eunuch came out, there was no one in front of the palace gate.
It also took less than a quarter of an hour for the young eunuch to arrive at the residence of Left Prime Minister Li Youdao. He did not call the door, but casually handed over a jade pendant.
After seeing the jade pendant, Menzi did not dare to neglect it. After careful observation, he returned it with both hands. Then he immediately opened the side door and led the young eunuch to the Wenjiao Garden where Li Youdao lived.
Li Youdao is reading in the study. On the surface, he doesn't appear to be very impatient, but from the slight whitening of his knuckles holding the book, it can be seen that he seems to be thinking about something difficult to decide in his heart.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, someone from the palace came to see the Prime Minister with a jade pendant."
Li Youdao immediately stood up to greet him.
That jade pendant was a pair given by Emperor Chen. Later Emperor Chen took one of the jade pendants from him and told Li Youdao: "Those who enter your house with this jade must not be stopped."
The young eunuch still simply conveyed Emperor Chen's oral instructions and asked Li Youdao to see him immediately.
Li Youdao had previously received a report from the servant who stayed in front of the palace, saying that Zhonglang Yulin had brought Qi Xinghe into the palace.
Qi Xinghe is the most loyal armed force guarding the palace. At this point, it is obvious that Emperor Chen is extremely ill and is preparing to deploy backup plans.
Li Youdao didn't even change his clothes. He just wore the dusty clothes he wore when tending flowers and plants, and followed the little eunuch to the palace like a farmer.
At this time, Emperor Chen pointed to the huge curtain on the front wall of Yangxin Hall and said, "Cong'er, go and open it."
Prince He Cong hurried over and stretched out his hand to open the curtain, revealing hundreds of small drawers densely packed behind it.
"Third row, seventh column, Li Youdao!"
The prince checked according to the row and quickly found the small drawer labeled Li Youdao.
"No need to bring it over, just stand there and read the contents of the drawer before talking."
So Prince He Cong opened the drawer, and inside there were several small bamboo tubes, each marked with a number.
He Cong took out the bamboo tube with "一" written on it, unplugged it, took out the note inside and started reading.
"Li Youdao, who was promoted to son in the fifth year of Daye, was born in Fengxi County, Wubai Prefecture, Yangzhou, and was selected as the number one scholar by Emperor Taizong..." This paragraph is a description of Li Youdao.
Prince He Cong was a little confused. Does this basic information still need to be recorded here? Is there anything I can use it for?
When his eyes moved down and looked down again, he suddenly lost his composure.
"The head of the Crane Control Division is in charge of a team of secret agents who have been investigating the disaster in Tantai for ten years."
Prince He Cong didn't know that the current Prime Minister Zuo actually controlled a secret agent and was still investigating the Three Kings Rebellion.
The Tantai Disaster obviously refers to Lu Wang Tantai Zongyou, and has been investigating it for ten years. In other words, four years after the Three Kings Rebellion was put down, Zuo Prime Minister Li Youdao was in charge of this secret matter. .
No wonder the father stripped off most of the departments Li Youdao was responsible for and handed them over to Lin Ruoquan to manage; no wonder the father deliberately favored Lin Ruoquan and suppressed Li Youdao; no wonder the first person to meet Qi Xinghe was Li Youdao.
It turned out that Li Youdao was the one who had always been trusted by his father, and Lin Ruoquan was just pushing it out to deceive others.
There was more than one bamboo tube in the small drawer. The prince put the bamboo tube he had just read back into the drawer and picked up the bamboo tube marked with the number "2".
He took out the thin paper and unfolded it. It recorded Li Youdao's relatives, wife's family, fellow villagers, and even classmates, as well as his colleagues who were elected at the same time as him. The entire page was densely recorded.
"This is Li Zuoxiang's relationship network..." The prince took out the third scroll from the bamboo tube. It recorded who Li Youdao had private contacts with in a certain year and month, what things he did secretly, etc.
