Shang Rui was greedy for life and afraid of death, and had no decision-making ability from the emperor.
Xiao Yuan was inevitably a little disappointed in his heart.
But the matter has come to this, the capital must be taken back, and the leader of the bandits, Wu Yuan, must be eliminated.
After he pondered for a while, he replied: "Your Majesty, I have a plan, but... I'm afraid your Majesty won't be willing to do it."
"Oh? My dear, please speak." Shang Rui said quickly.
Xiao Yuan glanced at Zhong Bai first, and then said: "If your majesty agrees, I will pretend to be the magistrate of Yuyang County, Mr. Zhong will wear a dragon robe and pretend to be your majesty, and we will deceive the gate of the imperial capital."
"Ai Qing means..."
"I escort Mr. Zhong to surrender to Wu Yuan." Xiao Yuan explained.
To put it bluntly, it is to offer a false emperor. Hearing this, Shang Rui asked uncertainly: "But this, is this okay?"
"It must be possible." Xiao Yuan was confident.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Prime Minister Dong Hua said angrily: "How unreasonable! This strategy is absolutely unacceptable! Your Majesty is the king of the world, how can you pretend to be someone else! And you are escorting the emperor! This is simply ridiculous!"
This is an old minister. When Xiao Yuan heard this, he took a deep breath and then explained: "Prime Minister, there is no need to be excited. What I said was just a pretense. It is for the sake of victory in the war, and I will never humiliate His Majesty."
"No! If this is the case, where is the majesty of the emperor!" Dong Hua still said, very pedantic.
How long has this happened? From Xiao Yuan's modern point of view, as long as he can win, he can do anything! Not to mention just pretending, without losing a piece of meat.
At this time, Zhong Bai also began to say: "Your Majesty, Xiao Yuan's plan is really the best! If we can deceive the city gate into opening, our army can take back the capital without any bloodshed! I hope your Majesty will adopt his words."
"This..." Shang Rui hesitated.
Xiao Yuan continued: "In addition, we need to borrow His Majesty's jade seal to make sure everything is safe."
"What!?" Before Shang Rui could speak, Dong Hua had already shouted: "Pretending to be the emperor is a treason! Now you dare to talk about the jade seal! What is that? It is an artifact of the empire! If it is betrayed by a traitor, As a result, the country is in danger!"
His tone was very exciting. As Xiao Yuan said before, Shang Rui was still a little hesitant. Now when he heard the jade seal, he shook his head and said, "It's necessary. The jade seal of the country, no matter what, you can't leave me."
"Hey!" Xiao Yuan had no choice but to sigh. In his opinion, it was just a piece of stone. Compared with the war, victory or defeat was more important. But what he didn't know was that the Imperial Seal, at that time, was , means something to people.
Zhong Bai was also stunned for a moment, but soon he stood up, then knelt down towards Shang Rui and said: "Your Majesty! What Xiao Yuan said is a strategy to defeat the enemy. Only in this way can the leader of the thieves Wu Yuan be fooled. , when our army captures the capital, we can also welcome His Majesty back to the capital!"
"Your Majesty! I am willing to guarantee it with my head. The jade seal is just to deceive Wu Yuan. When the time comes, I will return to your Majesty." Xiao Yuan followed and stood up.
"Your Majesty! I am willing to pledge my head as a guarantee!" Zhong Bai followed closely.
But Shang Rui still shook his head: "No, no, it's easy to say that Zhong Aiqing is pretending to be me, but the jade seal is absolutely unacceptable. You two dears don't need to say more."
After hearing this, the two of them looked at each other first, and then had no choice but to salute and return to their seats.
The banquet went on again, but Xiao Yuan and Zhong Bai were no longer interested.
After the banquet ended, the two of them walked side by side. Zhong Bai sighed softly and said first:
"Your Majesty is unwilling to use the jade seal to deceive the city gate. If we want to attack the capital, we can only attack by force. But the capital city is tall. If this is the case, the rebels will defend the city and be condescending. The outcome is unpredictable."
"When we first entered the imperial capital, I had seen its city defenses. If we attacked by force, it would be impossible to break the city with our strength."
Xiao Yuan took over the conversation, paused, and then said: "How about a gamble?"
He has an adventurous spirit. Zhong Bai understood what he meant. He waved his hand and said: "No, if there is no jade seal, Wu Yuan may not be fooled."
The two of them were walking and discussing. After a while, Zhong Bai stopped and said, "I think it's better to ask to see His Majesty again."
"I'm afraid there's little hope." Xiao Yuan shook his head.
"Brother Xiao, wait for my news." Zhong Bai said directly, then turned around and walked away quickly.
It had been some time since the banquet had ended, and the ministers had already dispersed. Emperor Shangrui returned to the residence arranged by the county magistrate. Just as he was about to go to bed, someone reported that it was Zhong Bai who was asking to see him.
Ancestor Zhong Bai was the hero of the founding of the country. This time he saved Shang Rui's life. The latter now regarded him as a treasure. After hearing this, he had no hesitation: "Please come in, Zhong Aiqing."
"No." The attendant responded, and after a while, he led Zhong Bai in.
After coming in, Zhong Bai lifted the hem of his clothes, knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty, Zhong Bai, long live my emperor."
"Ai Qing, please get up." Shang Rui stretched and said, "It's so late and you haven't rested yet?"
"Your Majesty." Zhong Bai stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty should give full support to Xiao Yuan's plan now. You should not be limited to the jade seal."
Why is this happening again?
After hearing this, Shang Rui became a little impatient and said, "My beloved, you also know the importance of the Imperial Seal. It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't do it."
"Your Majesty, I understand the importance of the jade seal, but this strategy is just a temporary loan and will not fall into the hands of thieves. Your Majesty does not need to worry about it at all." Zhong Bai explained.
"But this." Shang Rui still couldn't make up his mind.
Seeing this, Zhong Bai knelt down again and said seriously:
"Your Majesty, the ancestors of the Zhong family have been favored by the royal family and have been loyal to the royal family for generations. They have never had second thoughts. This is even more true for me. If I can exterminate the traitors and welcome your majesty back to the capital, I will be willing to even escape death!"
"As for the traitors who live in the palace, as Xiao Yuan said, thieves will inevitably spread everywhere, the royal family will be robbed, and the ancestral temples and imperial mausoleums will be destroyed. By then, even if the thieves are eliminated, the entire imperial city will probably be in ruins."
"Your Majesty, it is about the country, and I am heartbroken. Your Majesty, just imagine, if I don't really protect the country, how could I be like this?"
"Zhong Bai, I swear by the ancestors of the Zhong family for generations, if Yuxi cannot return to His Majesty safely, I will be willing to die nine times!"
"Your Majesty, please give me permission!"
He said so much in one breath, all from his heart, and his words were quite exciting.
Zhong Bai definitely has the heart to protect the country, and his ambition is to help the country.
With such words, Shang Rui was also moved by his sincerity, and said quietly: "I, I believe that this time Zhong Aiqing..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhong Bai was overjoyed and said immediately: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will destroy the traitors and welcome Your Majesty back to the capital!"
