Chapter 123
Li Shimin's establishment at this time was still in the name of King Wei, so of course he couldn't take Xiao Mingze to Dezhou openly, so they had previously discussed giving her a false identity while Li Qiao was still alive.
To the outside world, she is said to be a widowed cousin from her hometown. Both her parents are dead and she is bullied by her clan. I heard someone say that a man named Li Changsheng became a high-ranking official in the east. His age and appearance are somewhat similar to those of his cousin. It seems that I really can't survive in my hometown, so I have no choice but to pack my bags and go to seek refuge.
The world was in chaos, and originally a weak woman could not walk so far, but by chance, she met Li Qiao on the way. After the latter asked about the reason, he took the person to this place.
Li Changsheng was born in Longyou Road, and the emperor fled to the west. Li Changsheng's cousin fled to the west and joined his cousin. This is very reasonable!
The best thing is that given the current relationship between King Wei and the Emperor, he cannot send anyone to verify or investigate the matter.
After Li Qiao heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Brother, aren't you afraid that King Wei will become suspicious because of this?"
"I'm afraid it's just the opposite. Because of this, King Wei wants to win over him even more."
Li Shimin smiled and said nothing, while Xiao Mingze also smiled: "You are an envoy sent by the emperor, and he is a general under the command of the King of Wei. This time you have brought his cousin here. The King of Wei is afraid that I will only think that this is you, or the imperial court intends to win over Li Changsheng and alienate the relationship between them. In order to appease people's hearts and to show the emperor that this alienation plan is useless, of course he must be treated extra favorably. It’s divided!”
Li Qiao is indeed smart, but smartness cannot replace experience, especially the political skills of battling with those in power and repeatedly pulling strings.
This is due to one's background, and one can only explore it on one's own by fumbling around in the court, and cannot understand it innately.
In this regard, the two people facing him were much better than him.
At this moment, looking at Xiao Mingze who was sitting next to his adopted brother and smiling sweetly, and then looking at his adopted brother who was also smiling, Li Qiao felt envious in his heart.
Who wouldn’t want to have a caring person around who is in the same boat and understands hot and cold situations?
But his wife...
Li Qiao couldn't help feeling a little sad when he thought of this.
He knew that Wu Cuicui had worked hard enough, and he also knew that she was trying her best to grow. However, in the jungle of power, Wu Cuicui was too small and too fragile, so that even if she exerted all her strength to work hard, Wu Cuicui was too small and fragile. In terms of growth, it is difficult to compare with him.
Not to mention surviving in that cruel jungle where the weak and the strong eat each other.
Li Qiao could only respond with a long sigh.
…
Xiao Mingze changed his clothes and was taken by Li Shimin to meet dozens of brothers who were waiting for him outside Qingzhou City. After a few brief introductions, everyone set off to chase the team that had gone to Dezhou.
Over there, Li Qiao also returned to the envoy group, changed his official uniform, and urged his horse to go to Qingzhou City.
The reason why he traveled alone this time was to find out the strength of King Wei's army. As a result, he easily blended in without any effort at all, and helped his sworn brother to fight. How could you not see it? It exceeds the strength of King Wei's army.
Li Qiao felt contempt for Dasheng in his heart, but did not show it on his face. He rode his horse to the outside of Qingzhou City, and a spy came to report: "The Crown Prince of Wei is waiting for the angel five miles ahead!"
After hearing this, the rest of the people who followed him couldn't help but reveal a bit of strangeness in their brows. They secretly exchanged glances and squinted at Li Qiao's expression at this moment.
Who doesn’t know that General Li’s wife is the former Crown Princess of Wei!
Compared to the two parties who were harboring gossip and waiting for a good show, the two protagonists looked calm, as if there was no Wu Cuicui standing between them. They exchanged a few friendly greetings, with Li Qiao in front and Li Tianrong behind. Enter the city to see the King of Wei.
As soon as the shocking news from the west reached his ears, King Wei knew that he was bound to lose this game. Even if the emperor fled to the west, even if he was his nephew, he would still be the emperor!
After weighing the left and right, he decided to keep Princess Wei.
To keep this woman is to keep his own dignity and the prince. If the latter two are gone, what's the point of trying to seize the world again?
But if it were to blatantly disobey the imperial edict, I'm afraid it would be bad.
So he communicated with Princess Wei in private: "I just pretended to send you away..."
How could Princess Wei trust him?
Back then, he was able to kill his first wife, but couldn't he kill her today?
And the imperial concubine - I think back to when she was in the palace, how pampered the imperial concubine was, and she was treated like a queen in the palace. Now she is dead outside the palace, and she doesn't know where to bury her body. If the imperial concubine is like this, let alone her?
Princess Wei's eyes were red and swollen like rotten peaches, and she said sharply: "Call Tianrong, I want you to tell me in front of Tianrong!"
King Wei was really helpless.
Some things are just for the husband and wife to talk about, but they have to be turned over in front of the younger generation, which makes him an embarrassment as a father.
It's just that he didn't intend to fool Princess Wei. His son had asked about it in private, so he agreed and sent someone to tell the prince to come over and tell his story in front of him. arrange.
Only then did Princess Wei feel relieved.
The King of Wei had made a calculation in his heart, and Li Qiao had already expected it. There was no violent conflict between the two sides, and they were chatting and laughing, and the host and guest were enjoying themselves.
The King of Wei asked Li Qiao to ask about the emperor's security. Li Qiao smiled and said, pretending to be casual, he mentioned that he met Li Changsheng's cousin who went to visit his relatives on the road: "Speaking of which, Brother Li is still my family. That's it." A talented person, even the emperor has praised him several times..."
When the King of Wei heard him mention his beloved general, he felt very vigilant in his heart. He was afraid that this mighty general would be poached by others. He laughed loudly and asked, "Thank you, where is the sister of Immortality? I'll call her right away." Let someone send her to Texas so that she can be reunited as a brother and sister!"
Li Qiao smiled and drank a glass of wine: "No need to trouble the prince, I have already sent someone to send Miss Li to Texas."
King Wei frowned almost invisible, but soon calmed down and started talking about other things.
Li Qiao had the emperor's order with him and had no time to stay for a long time. After having wine and food in the city, he was ready to leave.
Princess Wei was dressed in plain clothes, with no beads in her hair. Her expression was haggard and her face was bloodless. She looked like a middle-aged woman who was grief-stricken after losing a loved one.
Although she knew that she would die when she left, she still behaved well in front of everyone and showed no timidity. She bid farewell to Prince Wei and his son with tears in her eyes, and then stepped into the car.
After all, she was the wife of King Wei. How could Li Qiao lock her up in front of him?
As the carriage moved forward, the people of Gyeongju continued to chase her along the way. Princess Wei opened the curtain of the carriage, wept for it, and walked out two miles away, but there were still people behind her who refused to go.
The accompanying deputy envoy asked Li Qiao: "Should we drive them away?"
Li Qiao glanced at him, shook his head slightly, but said nothing.
Such an attitude made the deputy commander somewhat confused.
After advancing for more than a mile, the sound of hurried hoofbeats was finally heard from behind. Li Qiao and others reined in their horses and turned around to look. It was Li Tianrong, the eldest son of the King of Wei, who led a group of retinues to urge the horses and rushed to Princess Wei. In front of the car driver, Princess Wei was picked up.
The expressions of the emperor's envoys changed one after another, and the accompanying soldiers were even more alert. The two deputy envoys turned to look at Li Qiao, waiting for his orders at any time. The scene was about to break out.
Li Qiao raised his hand to signal his subordinates to be calm, while he urged his horse forward and asked Li Tianrong, "What does this mean, Your Majesty?"
Li Tianrong said with tears: "A man is born between heaven and earth. If he doesn't know filial piety, how can he know loyalty? As a son of man, how can he watch his mother go to die and remain indifferent!"
After saying that, he took off the saber from his waist and threw it on the ground. After ordering his followers not to resist, he said to Li Qiao: "My mother is a member of the Chang clan. She has been convicted today and will be executed. Please let me do it for her." Die, if there is no her in this world, where will I be?"
Princess Wei wept, and the attendants who followed Li Tianrong also wept.
Li Qiao was deeply touched: "The sage said, 'The father hides for the son, and the son hides for the father, and they are always there.' Does this mean only the love between father and son? The situation between the prince and the princess today is exactly the same. This is How can I criticize such a situation?"
At this time, the King of Wei finally "learned" the news that his son was going to rob a prisoner. He rushed there angrily with a group of personal guards. After seeing the situation in front of him, he raised his hand and beat him: "You evil son, you call me a prisoner." Trapped in a dilemma——"
Li Tianrong and his mother held their heads and cried bitterly, but did not resist. The soldiers and civilians of Qingzhou who saw them off also shed tears. Instead, Li Qiao went to persuade the King of Wei: "This is a family relationship in the world. Don't blame His Highness the Crown Prince for this anymore..." "
King Wei looked at the overly young emperor's envoy in front of him with tears in his eyes, and soon realized that the other party was also acting. At least at this moment, he had no intention of breaking up with him. think.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, followed the established script and declined several times. Finally, after several requests from his son and the soldiers and civilians, he took Princess Wei back to Qingzhou.
Li Qiao watched the team of King Wei's family disappear from sight, the expression on his face finally calmed down, then he turned the horse's head and said calmly: "Let's go, keep going!"
The deputy envoy was his confidant. Upon seeing this, he had some guesses: "Has the general expected this?"
Then he said clearly: "That's right. Although you are literate, you have not read many books. When you said the sentence before, 'The father hides for the son, the son hides for the father, it has always been in it.' , I was even shocked, which gentleman did you ask to teach me on the spur of the moment?"
But there was a faint smile in Li Qiao's eyes: "You guessed wrong, but it was not taught by sir, but by my brother..."
The deputy said "Ah" in surprise: "Your brother?"
Li Qiao responded: "Yes, I really should ask you to meet him someday. He is truly an amazing person."
…
After returning to the throne room of the emperor, Li Qiao first went to plead guilty, and then put pressure on the new emperor from a moral level: "King Wei, the pillar of the clan, is also your majesty's uncle, and the prince is also your majesty's direct cousin, so flesh and blood." Separation, tears streaming down my face, I really don’t want His Majesty to bear the bad reputation of alienating my own flesh and blood..."
The new emperor's face was livid, and he obviously heard the unfinished meaning in Li Qiao's words. In anger, he even brought out this layer of meaning that could only be understood and unspeakable: "What do you mean?" Thinking about it, if I don’t forgive Princess Wei, will I be wasting my kindness?!”
Li Qiao lifted the hem of his clothes and knelt down: "I don't dare."
"Don't you dare?" The new emperor sneered: "Is there anything else that you, Li Qiao, don't dare to do?!"
The accusation in these words was very serious.
When the ministers on one side saw this, they hurriedly spoke to smooth things over. The emperor also felt that he had made a mistake, but he couldn't keep his face down for a while, so he waved his hands and said impatiently: "You are not doing your job well this time. You will be fined for one year and suspended from your duties. Go home and spend a month behind closed doors, don’t make any mistakes!”
This is the board raised high and gently falling.
Li Qiao is not short of money, as for his position...
In this world, as long as you have the skills, why worry about being idle for a long time?
The emperor did this out of incompetence and rage.
When Li Qiao returned to his mansion, someone put seals on all the doors, leaving only one door for transporting vegetables for the kitchen.
The people in the palace looked embarrassed: "General Li, this is your Majesty's wish. I really don't dare to disobey it..."
Li Qiao didn't take it seriously: "It doesn't matter, you are also following orders."
…
After Li Qiao left, the new emperor, who was originally full of sullen expression, turned indifferent. He ordered the attendants to change their clothes and went to the main room to pay his respects to the Supreme Emperor.
Before entering the house, I heard Wu Nong, a young singer, whispering softly. The spring breeze was blowing and the willows were soft. It was indeed a bit like the rich and noble charm of the imperial capital back then.
The new emperor was briefly in a trance for a few moments, then entered with a respectful look on his face. He waited for the Supreme Emperor to finish listening to a piece of music and send his attendants out before speaking in a low voice: "I have done as my father ordered... "
The Supreme Emperor was half-lying on the rocking chair, staring at the chessboard in front of him, and let out a low "Uh" sound.
The new emperor endured it again and again, but finally asked: "What did you do for that--"
The Supreme Emperor turned away and looked at him calmly: "What is the deepest connection between Li Qiao and the Wu family?"
The new emperor thought for a moment and said, "It's his wife Cuiniang."
"What a big mistake," the Supreme Emperor said flatly, "It's Mrs. Wu!"
The new emperor looked shocked.
But I heard the Supreme Emperor continue: "The connection between Li Qiao and the Wu family seems to be close, but in fact it is loose. Except for Xiaojiu's consort, none of the next generation of the Wu family has become successful. Cui Niang seems to have grown up. But compared with her mother, she is still far behind!"
"The Wu family fully supports Li Qiao. He wants people to help, strength to help, and money to pay - no matter how outstanding Li Qiao is, he is also an outsider, and his surname is not Wu. Don't the rest of the Wu family have any objections? It's just that they are all Mrs. Wu keeps suppressing her, so she doesn’t dare to say anything!”
The Supreme Emperor sneered coldly and stretched out his hand to wipe out the chaos of the chess game in front of him: "Li Qiao is scornful in the army, and the Wu family has deep roots in the court. The alliance between the two parties seems unbreakable, but in fact it is full of loopholes. All it takes is to remove Mrs. Wu If this most important foundation is removed, the building will collapse in an instant!"
The new emperor said clearly: "No wonder you asked the imperial doctor to conceal Mrs. Wu's illness and make her incurable, and then sent Li Qiao to Qingzhou for an excuse..."
The Supreme Emperor slowly laughed: "When a young man succeeds in his youth, it is easy to think that he is the smartest in the world. He thinks that you want to use King Wei to suppress his reputation, but he only knows one and not the other." . If you don’t send him away, how can you stop those private doctors from treating Mrs. Wu?”
