Changyang Prime Minister's Mansion.
The several imperial doctors who came in and out all had their faces set and sighed, wishing they could hold back a few tears.
"Prime Minister, Mr. Prime Minister, we have invited the best doctors in Changyang City." Butler Hu felt his voice trembling.
"I know, let's find a way to find some old ginseng." Xu Mu said with difficulty, turned around, and walked into the house again. In fact, he also understood that it was not the poison that made the old Marquis dying, but the dying body.
At the age of seventy, he had already taken the lead in fighting for Qing Jun.
"I told you not to invite me." Li Rucheng looked very open, with a rare look on his face.
"If it were two months ago, I would not have dared to die. I would have tried my best to hold on and keep myself alive."
"After meeting you, Wanwan has found a place, and Chengcheng's surname Li has also found a place."
First it was Yuan Tao, and now it is Li Rucheng.
Xu Mu only felt that those who were good to him were about to leave him one after another, and they would be separated forever.
"Don't let Wan Wan enter Changyang. What happens next will be discussed after I die. You don't know, I am already very satisfied. I have been on the battlefield for more than thirty years, and hey, I can almost die."
"My generation joined the army, fought against Beidi and horse bandits, and had to quell rebellions everywhere. Very few of them could survive. I had a nightmare last night, and many of my dead old friends and colleagues were calling me."
"Keep your head up."
Xu Mu looked up with red eyes.
"I am about to die, so I will speak for the last time." Li Rucheng cleared his throat twice, but could not clear the hoarseness in his throat.
"The inner city is turbulent, and you have to find a way to leave Changyang. You can see clearly that the new emperor is someone who cannot be helped. He doesn't have much time before he dares to try to cross the river and burn the bridge."
"Little Marquis doesn't blame you, and thousands of people won't blame you either."
"leave……"
"Son-in-law, go and prepare the banquet. All my colleagues and old friends have crowded into the house... I'll sharpen my knife and it will still be usable..."
The voice became lower and lower until nothing could be heard clearly.
Suddenly a cold wind rushed into the room, making the whole body feel chilly.
Xu Mu silently stood up, taking two steps at a time. On the third step, he suddenly stopped and held on to the doorpost with difficulty.
Si Hu, who was standing aside, was shouting with tears in his eyes.
"The old man has gone -"
…
After the funeral, Xu Mu did not enter the palace. He complained of illness every day and did not even go to the morning court. Yuan An in the palace was finally restless and sent several rounds of people over.
"Where's Chen Changqing?"
"Hiding in the palace, the original three thousand iron guards have been supplemented by two thousand more battalions." As he spoke, Cao Hong blamed himself.
"Master, we are incompetent."
"No wonder you waited, you are really hiding in your bastard's shell."
"Don't worry, Master, the person you went to invite should come tonight."
Xu Mu nodded slightly. Cao Hong sent someone to find out about the assassin, and heard that he spent seven thousand taels of silver.
"What else have you heard about?"
"The new emperor seems to have changed a lot. I met him several times when I followed the Marquis. He is always humble and decent in dealing with others. For the sake of the victims, Yang Yushi came to the palace last night to ask for an audience, but the new emperor ignored him. Yang Yushi knelt all night and passed out."
"He's a very expressive person."
Cao Hong smiled bitterly, "I dare not hide it from my master. When the Marquis chose him, he had considered it for a long time, but at that time, the Marquis' time was running out."
"If the young emperor from before is compared with Yuan An, Yuan An is indeed pretty good."
"That's why the Marquis asked the master to assist the government."
"I can't help you anymore." Xu Mu raised his head coldly, "When I go to Master Hou's grave someday, I will accuse him again."
"Master wants to——"
"I'll talk to you later. Spring is coming, and with the Beidi people knocking on the gate, the inner city will only become more chaotic. Cao Hong, if I leave Changyang, will Hutang follow me?"
"Now that I have recognized my master, I will follow him in life and death."
"good."
Xu Mu rarely smiled. The biggest gain that Yuan Tao gave him was not only the reputation of killing traitors, but also the four thousand dead soldiers of Hutang.
"Master, people are here." Outside, another dead soldier of Hutang came with a message.
"Let him in."
He had previously discussed with Cao Hong to invite assassins to Changyang to kill Chen Changqing.
Not long after, a thin figure walked in, wiping the sweat from his forehead and carrying a load of tofu.
Xu Mu was startled, and Cao Hong beside him was also startled.
"Cao Hong, you're right."
"Master, it should be him...the best assassin in the world, Bai Chu."
The tofu man who entered the house smiled and unloaded the pole.
"Cao Hong, go and serve hot tea." Xu Mu calmed down and spoke seriously.
In order to survive, he has been hiding his clumsiness for a long time. I guess the tofu man in front of me has the same reason.
"Before entering the city, I made some inquiries." Bai Chu didn't hesitate and sat directly opposite Xu Mu.
"You are Xu Zaifu, the man who killed the traitor."
"Exactly."
Bai Chu smiled slightly, took out a stack of banknotes from his arms, and handed them to Xu Mu.
Xu Mu looked puzzled.
"A good man doesn't want to accept it?"
"received."
"Then this silver..."
"I took Xu Zaifu's silver and it was hot."
Xu Mu fell silent immediately. Unexpectedly, the benefits derived from having the surnamed Marquis personally kill the traitorous prime minister would be so many.
"The killing order is considered a contract. Xu Zaifu is waiting for news."
Bai Chu smiled and stood up calmly.
"Here you go?"
"After the killing, I still need to give you tofu."
After walking out of the house, Bai Chu suddenly turned his head again.
"If I never come back, please help Xu Zaifu and send the water tofu to Huang's house in Niuwei Lane for me."
"If you don't do what you promised, you will always feel like you are in debt."
"Mr. Bai, I still have a good sword." Cao Hong, who was beside him, couldn't help himself.
"If you have murderous intentions, you can use chopsticks as a sharp weapon." Bai Chu smiled and pointed to a piece of bamboo chopsticks with curly hair.
"Master, can this happen?" Cao Hong asked with some doubts after Bai Chu walked away.
"I don't know either." Xu Mu shook his head seriously, "Cao Hong, go mobilize the people from Hutang and the beheaded soldiers. If something goes wrong, prepare for the worst."
Deep down, Xu Mu was willing to believe it. When Jing Ke assassinated Qin, he hid his sword in the belly of a fish, while Yu Rang swallowed coal in his mouth... The assassins of the ancients already had the will to die when they took action.
Again, no matter which path he takes, Chen Changqing must die.
…
About an hour later, it was morning. Two carriages carrying night fragrance drove into the palace with heavy tones.
Sitting on the carriage.
Bai Chu bowed his head, like a frightened man, holding his hands and not daring to move.
…
In the royal study room of the palace.
Chen Changqing and Yuan An were sitting opposite each other, their expressions grave.
"The people of Changyang City only have Xu Zaifu in their eyes, not His Majesty. Furthermore, the Di people outside Wangzhou will be very menacing in the future."
Yuan An frowned. He had only been emperor for less than a month, and he couldn't imagine how he would turn out like this.
"The mess that the emperor's uncle left for me is too big, and I am powerless."
Along with Yuan An's sigh, there seemed to be strange movements coming from outside the imperial study.
