Three days later, Mu Sheng, Yao Ji, and Guo Huan went to the East Palace to meet His Highness the Crown Prince. They disguised themselves.
Passing through many palace gates all the way to the vicinity of the East Palace, he walked to the entrance of the East Palace and waited for the prince's call.
As a prince, Mu Sheng had lived in the palace for more than three years and was quite familiar with it. He felt relaxed and strolled around the palace. However, this behavior was different in Guo Huan's eyes. Most people would still feel a little in awe when they first went to the palace. Seeing Mu Sheng strolling leisurely in the courtyard, he secretly decided that Liu Jun was indeed a person who could do great things, and he would focus on recruiting him in the future, not to mention that he had made great achievements.
After a while, an eunuch summoned came to the door of the East Palace: "Prince Zhao, everyone, please come in."
The three of them followed the eunuch through numerous guards and went straight to the prince's office.
When he arrived here, Guo Huan turned around and said to Mu Sheng and Yao Ji, "I will go and report something to the prince first. You two will wait here for a while."
"promise."
Mu Sheng and Yao Ji were waiting at the outer gate to be summoned. Yao Ji rubbed his hands nervously and paced back and forth. After all, this was his first time entering the palace.
Mu Sheng stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "Brother Yao, don't panic. The prince is also a human being. He has one nose and two eyes, and he is not an evil ghost. From now on, brother Yao will be favored by the prince, and he will be by his side all year round." It’s no surprise.”
Yao Ji smiled and said, "This is my first time entering the palace, so I am definitely nervous. Besides, you are the first to blame for the Yuejun incident."
Mu Sheng waved his hand and said, "It is you and I who have made great contributions through life and death together, as well as those brothers who died in the battle..."
Mu Sheng told Yao Ji about joining the family of Lord Changping. After all, he was also Lao Guo's confidant, not an outsider, so he would have to know about it sooner or later.
Hearing this, Yao Ji was shocked and said, "Mr. Liu, I have to obey you. I have been lurking in Lord Changping's house for a long time. This matter is probably very dangerous. If His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, I will need to reuse Jun Liu. But now you have to be patient for a while." "
Mu Sheng said indifferently, "We are all doing things for the Crown Prince."
At this moment, Mu Sheng sighed in his heart, wishing that he really was Liu Zhang. On the surface, the status of this clan looks very glorious, but in fact, it is a kind of constraint. If you can't ascend to the supreme throne, it will be difficult to achieve anything. sky.
It has always been a taboo for members of the clan to hold power, something no emperor could bear. In the nearly 800 years of Jin's history, there were extremely bloody power struggles within the Jin Dynasty because of members of the clan taking power. Uncles robbed nephews. After the nephew came of age, he brought foreign troops to kill his uncle and seize the throne. The uncle's son in turn killed the king. The upper class of the Jin Dynasty fought for the throne, and the blood flowed like rivers and heads rolled.
The replacement of the king on the throne of the Jin Dynasty was more diligent than the prime minister of an island country in the East, and even led to the tragedy of the country's division. Even the important ministers of the Jin Dynasty who were standing on the sidelines watching the show had to massacre every time a new boss came to power. Approval of old ministers from the previous dynasty.
Later, the enlightened people in the Jin Kingdom finally couldn't bear it anymore, and they succeeded to the throne as Duke Zhao of Jin. Prince 钫, who had fled to the Dongyue clan of the Huns, succeeded him to the throne. After that, Duke Zhao almost completely excluded the clan members from the core of power. Finally, the Jin Kingdom gradually got rid of the tragic situation of further national defeat.
There are lessons from history, so what if Mu Sheng made great contributions to the crown prince? With this level of clan status, it is absolutely impossible for him to be reused by the prince. When the prince actually ascends the throne, which is the day when his retirement life officially begins, he will not be able to live wearing a human skin mask all his life.
Mu Sheng and Yao Ji were engrossed in chatting outside the palace. Someone was sent from the East Palace to summon the two of them to enter the palace to see His Highness the Crown Prince. They walked through the layers and stood upright wearing heavy armor. Among the halberd-wielding men guarding the palace, When the two arrived at the main hall of the East Palace, they saw that the nobleman sitting in the middle of the hall was His Highness the Prince. Sitting on the left was Guo Huan, and on the right was an official who looked to be in his early thirties.
Mu Sheng and Yao Ji stepped forward and bowed in salute. After the ceremony, His Royal Highness turned to Guo Huan and said, "These two warriors are the young heroes who defeated the Southern Barbarian coalition forces in the Yuejun Battle, right?"
Guo Huan nodded with a smile on his face and said, "Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, it is these two warriors."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also smiled and stood up and came to the two of them, saying repeatedly, "Okay! Okay! I never thought that such a young hero could come out of Guo Huan's sect."
"Which one of you is Liu Zhang?"
After hearing this, Mu Sheng stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, is in Liu Zhang, Xiacheng County."
The prince nodded slightly and said, "Well! I heard that in the battle of Yue County, you burned the enemy's food and grass, which enabled our army to achieve a great victory. Fu Bao also mentioned that you made the first contribution to this battle."
Mu Sheng said in a humble tone, "Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, I was born and died together with Yao Jun next to me. Brother Guo commanded and dispatched well, and he relied on the hard work of our Jin soldiers to finally achieve the great victory. This small contribution I made is really great." It’s not a big deal, I think of Pao Ze, who went through life and death together, and I’m extremely lucky to be able to save my life.”
When the prince heard this, he nodded with satisfaction and said to himself that he is a man who can be made since he takes credit but is not arrogant.
The prince stood up and came to Yao Ji's side, asking, "Is this strong man surely Yao Ji?"
Yao Ji hurriedly bowed and bowed deeply and said, "Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, I am from Jiao County, Xiabei County, and I have seen the Crown Prince thousand years old."
The prince said, "Oh! It turns out we are from Jin, good! Very good! It is true that a hero emerges from a young age."
"You two strong men, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The prince looked back at the official on his right and said with a smile, "Mr. Qin, what do you think of these two warriors?"
Mr. Qin stroked his goatee and said with a smile, "Young heroes can be made."
The prince turned to Guo Huan and said, "Guo Huan, I'm going to let these two warriors join the prince's guard for a few years and then serve as Lang officers in the East Palace. What do you think?"
Guo Huan even smiled and promised, "My people are His Royal Highness's people, so there is no reason why I should not obey."
In this peaceful atmosphere, everyone decided on the future of the two of them. Yao Ji's face was red, obviously excited that he could get ahead.
Mu Sheng smiled on the surface, but in fact he was uneasy inside. He didn't know whether Guo Huan told the prince that he was going to work as an undercover agent in the Changping Lord's house.
At the end of the meeting, the prince also rewarded Mu Sheng and Ji Yao with 20 pieces of high-quality brocade cloth each. Each piece of brocade cloth is worth about 500 gold, which is equivalent to a huge reward of 10,000 gold each to Mu Sheng. Equivalent to one million dollars, this is quite remarkable. In this era, when productivity was underdeveloped, high-quality brocade cloth was hard currency, and sometimes it was better than money.
On the way back, several people's faces were full of joy.
Guo Huan turned to Mu Sheng and said, "Brother Liu Xian, if you are going to the Changping Lord's Mansion to serve as intermediaries, His Highness the Crown Prince is considering it carefully, and there should be a reply soon. This time His Highness the Crown Prince lets you join Prince Langwei, and you will definitely be reused." , you must seize this opportunity..."
Mu Sheng and Yao Ji nodded in agreement.
Everyone was impressed by the prince, so they went back to the palace to hold a banquet and drink to celebrate. It was not until midnight that Mu Sheng came out of Guo Huan's house. He was very drunk, returned to the monastery, and fell asleep.
A few days later, the Guo Mansion sent someone to deliver another letter, looking for him to discuss matters. After receiving the news, Mu Sheng put on a bamboo hat, put on a simple disguise, and went to a wine shop in the east of the city. The steward of the Guo Mansion took him to the private room upstairs. When Mu Sheng entered, he found that Guo Huan and Mr. Qin, who had been seated to the right of the Crown Prince in the East Palace a few days ago, were also present.
Seeing this, Mu Sheng felt a move in his heart. After all, it is very prudent to send someone to be an undercover agent. The person who goes there must be reliable and there must be no problems in all aspects. If he is accidentally exposed, it will be very troublesome for the superiors. It's basically a matter of openly breaking up with the other party, so the candidate must be carefully considered.
After Mu Sheng entered, Mr. Qin motioned for him to sit down.
Mr. Qin bowed his hands and said, "Mr. Liu, I am Qin Shao. I wash horses for the Prince of the East Palace. I am from Shao County, Donghai County."
The prince's horse-washing is an official of the East Palace. He does not actually wash the prince's horses. This kind of official position has no actual authority and is mainly held by the staff around the East Palace prince. They are all close confidants of the prince. They will also be important members of the new leadership team after the prince ascends the throne. They should not be underestimated.
Mu Sheng quickly bowed respectfully and said, "I have met Mr. Qin."
Qin Shaodao: "Liu Jun, I have discussed the matter you proposed with His Highness the Crown Prince, and I think it is feasible. His Highness the Crown Prince believes that Liu Jun is loyal and brave and can be trusted. From now on, you will directly report to your own leadership. After joining the sect of Lord Changping, you and I will We only have a single line of contact with each other. If you have any important matters, just report to me directly..."
Mu Sheng nodded in agreement.
Qin Shao changed the subject again: "If anything goes wrong under Lord Changping's door, you have to understand your situation and who is your master. But don't worry, as long as you perform outstanding services for His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness will personally promise it." I want you to come directly to the East Palace to serve as the crown prince's garrison commander. This position is not for ordinary people. You must be clear about your status in the prince's heart."
After hearing this, Mu Sheng kowtowed in the direction of the East Palace from a distance and said, "I am loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince. The sun and the moon can tell me. If I am exposed, I will commit suicide to thank His Highness the Crown Prince for his kindness. I will never implicate the East Palace. Qin Please don’t worry, sir.”
Qin Shao nodded with satisfaction after hearing his statement: "Okay! Okay! Liu Jun is indeed an unparalleled righteous man."
Qin Shao clapped his hands and heard a guard coming in outside the door. He saw him carrying a box and placing it in front of Mu Sheng, then turned and left.
Qin Shao said, "Open it and take a look."
Mu Sheng opened the box and took a look. Oh dear, there was a whole box of gold cakes inside, which probably amounted to about thirty thousand gold.
Mu Sheng quickly declined and said, "Master Qin, how can this mean that it is my duty to work for His Highness the Crown Prince..."
Qin Shao waved his hand and said, "This is Liu Jun's salary as the guard commander for five years. I'll give it to you in advance. Just feel free to work for His Royal Highness. Leave everything to me behind you. If you want money or women, just open your mouth."
Mu Sheng pretended to be moved, and bowed in the direction of the East Palace and said, "A scholar will die for his close friends, and those who dare to die for His Highness the Crown Prince."
After Mu Sheng went out, Guo Huan asked, "Brother Qin, does His Highness really want Liu Zhang to go to Lord Changping's residence to make peace?"
Qin Shao sighed and said helplessly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is also in a very difficult situation now. The Yue County Incident, the Left Prime Minister Huo Zheng, used this as an excuse to attack Cui Xiangguo. After all, Fu Bao is from the East Palace, and he is also a talent Cui Xiangguo has cultivated. Your Majesty He also used this matter to dismiss many officials from the prince's faction. You can also guess why your majesty suddenly conferred the title of Lord Changping on Prince Sheng. Now your majesty is trying to suppress the prince and let Liu Jun go to the palace of Changping Lord to serve as his intermediary. This can be regarded as an idle step. Don't worry, Qi! I won't use Liu Jun easily until the critical moment."
After leaving the wine shop and returning to the monastery, Mu Sheng looked at the box full of gold on the table and complained, "How the hell can you get money even if you defect to yourself? Where can you find such a good thing in the world?"
Qin Shaowan didn't expect that Liu Zhang himself was Gongzi Sheng. If others went to his house to work as undercover agents, they might have a narrow escape. I just went home, with zero risk.
Thinking of this, Mu Sheng laughed loudly and was overjoyed.
It's really ridiculous. No one would believe this kind of nonsense, right?
Mu Sheng's wild laughter aroused the curiosity of Xixue, who was doing embroidery in the inner hall. She got up and came here. When she saw a box full of gold on the table, she was surprised and said, "Master, so much money? Where did it come from?"
Mu Sheng turned around and picked her up, kissing her mouth deeply until her face was red and she couldn't breathe.
Mu Sheng smiled and said, "Someone got on the pole and gave me 30,000 gold for free. Do you believe it? Hahaha..."
After saying this, Mu Sheng picked up Xixue and walked towards the collapse.
Xixue shouted in panic, "Master, it's still daytime, don't do this..."
Mu Sheng chuckled and said, "Little goblin, I'm happy today. I can do whatever I want, hahaha..."
