Xiao Yu had been standing at the edge of the clearing for a long time. He had witnessed the entire process of murder, and the young emperor standing in a pool of blood with headless corpses on the ground was both scary and disgusting.
The eyes of everyone present were focused on the shackled young prince. Many people knew him, and other relatives also got to know him in whispers.
"Haha, Xiao Yu!"
Xiao Yuheng let out a cynical laugh, which was somewhat inconsistent with his status as an emperor. He left everyone present and walked straight towards Xiao Yu regardless of the emperor's dignity.
Behind the young emperor, Feng Huai took the opportunity to lift up the frightened noble boy and quickly brought him back to the nobles.
The young man cried softly in front of an extremely majestic old man. The old man was expressionless and silent, but his cloudy eyes narrowed slightly, and the deep grooves formed by the wrinkles around his eyes suddenly deepened.
Looking at the other side, Xiao Yuheng had already walked up to Xiao Yu. He drove away Zhou Neiguan and looked at Xiao Yu up and down with the eyes of an elder.
"Xiao Yu, you have been suffering these days. I actually don't want to lock you up like that, but you have to know my difficulties. Someone accused you earlier of participating in Xiao Wei's rebellion. Although I don't believe it, I still have to block Youyou. All in all, I can only temporarily aggrieve you."
These remarks made Xiao Yu feel ridiculous. Looking at the corpses and pools of blood all over the ground, he actually felt relieved at that moment about life and death.
He smiled faintly, stretched out his hands and shook them, and the chains made a clattering sound.
"Your Majesty summoned the guilty minister this time, and he probably didn't want to apologize to the guilty minister in front of the distinguished ministers, right?"
Xiao Yuheng's expression changed slightly, but the smile on his face immediately became thicker. He lowered his voice and said, "I am the king and you are the minister. There is no reason for me to accompany my minister."
Xiao Yu realized that he was being presumptuous and was about to confess when the young emperor grabbed his shoulders and stared at him with an indescribable evil look in his eyes.
"I forgive you for your innocence. I am in a good mood today. I want you to accompany me when I go hunting. But Xiao Yu, you have to know that if you talk to me like this in normal times, I will not make you feel comfortable. Accepted."
Xiao Yu's face changed slightly. His relief just now seemed to be suppressed by an indescribable force at this moment. He even felt a little scared and raised his arms tremblingly, wanting to step in and bend down to apologize to the young emperor.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Yuheng suddenly laughed heartily. He patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder: "I'm afraid, I lied to you! Today is the day for me and my ancestors to go hunting. We don't distinguish between emperor and minister, we just want to have fun." .”
Xiao Yu opened his mouth slightly. He originally wanted to say something, but he was cautious and understood that trouble comes from words.
Just as he was thinking this, he felt the chain on his body being pulled hard, and it was the young emperor who pulled the chain.
"Will it sink in shackles?"
"The sinners...the sinners are all used to it..."
When Xiao Yuzheng thought how Xiao Yuheng wanted to play with him, he heard the young emperor complain: "How can you have fun while wearing shackles? Those people below are all ignorant. I didn't say that I will put heavy shackles on the prince. It's all those who deserve to die." The slaves are trying to figure out what they are thinking, but I will investigate the responsibility of those people when I turn around. What are you doing in a daze? Why don't you quickly remove the shackles of Prince Jiangxia!"
The young emperor issued the order, and a large number of people around him knelt down, including Zhou Neiguan, but no one did it.
"What are you doing kneeling down, the key!" Xiao Yuheng said dissatisfied.
No one dared to move on the ground, but some slaves looked at each other. Speaking of keys, no one knew where they would be at this time.
I'm afraid that it will still be hung on the waist rope of a prison warden in the sky prison. If this is the case, it will be a bad day.
"What are you doing standing there in a daze, Duke Zhou! Go and unlock the crown prince!" Xiao Yuheng glanced at the trembling Zhou Neiguan.
Zhou Neiguan was shocked. This matter was not his business. How could he know who had the key?
"His Majesty……"
Just when Zhou Neiguan was about to complain and said that he didn't know, he heard an unknown little Huangmen behind him say "Ah" and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, calm down, slave... I know the key, I will go and get it now."
Only then did Zhou Neiguan dare to breathe a sigh of relief. He thanked the slave in his heart, but he turned around and cursed: "Really, it's so messy and frizzy. This is how our family teaches you on weekdays. Why don't you hurry up and get it?" "
Xiao Huangmen ran in an extremely embarrassed manner, but fortunately he came back soon. After kowtowing again, he hurriedly went to unlock Xiao Yu's shackles.
Perhaps the emperor was right in front of him, and he was too nervous. It took him a long time to open the shackles on his hands and feet with a bunch of keys.
Xiao Huangmen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed to the young emperor and was about to leave.
But I heard Xiao Yuheng shouting: "Bold slave, where are you going!"
Xiao Huangmen's neck shrank and he quickly knelt down on the ground. He knew the emperor's cruelty towards the palace people, so he kowtowed and defended: "Your Majesty, this is not your servant's business! This is not your servant's errand. I originally left When we were in the prison, the jailer still didn't want to hand over the key. If the slave hadn't been more thoughtful at that time..."
"Haha, good slave, you mean to say that not only do you have no faults, but you also have merit!"
Xiao Huangmen didn't dare to refute, and his body was trembling even more violently. He kowtowed and begged for mercy, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of several headless corpses not far away.
Xiao Huangmen knew that those corpses were not necessarily treacherous and evil people, but the young emperor was murderous, and he was afraid that he would end up like those headless corpses today.
Xiao Yu on the side watched the situation in front of him silently, and he couldn't help but sympathize with this unrelated little Huangmen.
Just as he was about to say a few words for him, he saw Zhou Neiguan secretly winking at him, telling him not to get involved.
But after all, this happened because of the shackles on his body, Xiao Yu still felt guilty.
So he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, today's hunting is a joyful thing. To lose your joy for a little yellow gate is really not worth the gain! It's better to forget it..."
Xiao Yuheng raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Yu again: "Oh, Prince Jiangxia has really grown up. He can say such words and plead for a useless slave. Now I really believe that God will really open his eyes. To turn a fool into such a sharp-tongued person... Haha, by the way, is the Prince of Jiangxia always like this when I'm not around?"
Xiao Yuheng's words were so sharp that Xiao Yu felt a chill in his back. The young emperor obviously meant what he said. If you think about it in a light way, he was just joking. If you think in a serious way, what Xiao Yu did before This is the crime of deceiving the emperor.
The dignitaries and ministers present probably heard what Xiao Yuheng meant. They were all too nervous to take a breath, trying to figure out the young emperor's true intentions.
Xiao Yuzheng didn't know how to answer the question, but suddenly he saw the young emperor poking his armpit with his finger with a smile on his face.
Xiao Yu was in a state of confusion and was puzzled by Xiao Yuheng's sudden action.
Xiao Yuheng smiled and said: "What happened to the prince? I believe that this is God's blessing for the prince, and also for me, Daqi Sheji. Xiao Yu, you don't know, I heard my sister talk about your recovery that day, I’m actually quite happy, God finally made me not feel so lonely!”
Xiao Yu was so frightened that he was sweating profusely, but he kept his face calm. Xiao Yuheng was really a madman. What he said always made people afraid, and in his hands, he really didn't know what kind of situation the Daqi Empire would lead to.
"Xiao Yu, you said something right just now. Going out for a hunting trip today is a relaxing and pleasant thing. How can you let it go for a slave?"
"Your Majesty wants to forgive him?" Xiao Yu said.
"Then all the good guys have been fooled by you. It's unreasonable for me to be a bad guy like this. In my mind, merit must be rewarded and demerits must be punished. If this slave has a fault, I can only give him one chance to make up for it. Let me think about how to play?"
It seems that the young emperor is thinking of something else.
Xiao Yuheng stepped forward and patted the little Huangmen on the head, and said with a smile: "I am happy today, so you have to do your best to make everyone happy."
Xiao Huangmen has been in the palace for a long time, so he naturally knows what this means. It seems that his death day has come today.
But what huge mistake did he really make? He didn't. He just went to the guard and asked for the key out of kindness. He really felt wronged for being guilty of such a small crime. Logically speaking, this kind of bad luck could never happen to him.
After thinking clearly, he knelt on the ground with an ashen face.
The young emperor had thousands of ways to torture people. At this time, he just hoped that he could die a happy death.
Xiao Yu frowned. He didn't know how this little Huangmen should "use all his strength", but he clearly felt that something was wrong with the surrounding atmosphere. Except for Xiao Yuheng, everyone else seemed lifeless.
He glanced at the noble ministers around him, and it seemed that some of them were indeed people he had met, but most of them could not be named. But at the same time, among the noble disciples gathered together, he saw a few whom he had met. Yuan’s familiar face.
Among them were Cui Hong, the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister Cui Huijing, the useless son of Wei Weiqing Uncle Zheng Shao, Zheng Yuanyi who was given the nickname "Zheng Demon King", and the daughter of General Wei Rui's family, who was disguised as a man just like last time. Wei Yanrong.
These people looked at Xiao Yu nervously, especially Wei Yanrong, who did not avoid Xiao Yu's gaze on her.
At this time, I heard Xiao Yuheng's order: "Here, take him down first to get ready. There will be fun soon!"
Several black-clothed guards came forward and tied up the little yellow man who was lying on the ground.
Xiao Yu looked puzzled and watched the whole process.
Xiao Yuheng patted him on the shoulder: "Xiao Yu, come with me to the big tent to have a rest."
Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment: "The guilty minister dare not."
Xiao Yuheng took Xiao Yu's hand and walked toward the emperor's tent, waving his hand: "What a sinner, I am going to pardon you today and let you go back, but you need to behave well today."
Xiao Yu looked at the corpses on the ground and said carefully: "Your Majesty wants the guilty minister to behave well."
"Having fun with me will make up for your mistakes."
"How to play?"
"This... there are many ways to play, and it's very exciting. I haven't thought about it yet, but I will eventually think about it. You didn't catch up when I chopped off people's heads earlier. If you catch up, you chop off a few heads and shout a few times. Long live the emperor, I will pardon you."
Xiao Yu's body trembled slightly, and he looked back at the little Huangmen who was being tied away, feeling fearful in his heart.
"Your Majesty, that slave...that slave did nothing wrong. Why let him take his life for no reason?"
Xiao Yuheng suddenly stopped and raised his brows.
"Oh, Your Majesty, what you mean is that slave was right, but I was wrong?"
"The guilty minister dare not, and this is absolutely not his intention."
Xiao Yuheng patted Xiao Yu's shoulder: "Xiao Yu, I am the emperor. No one dares to talk to the emperor like you. But I am happy today. I won't argue with you this time. If there is a next time, you can ask Duke Zhou. , what will be the outcome.”
Xiao Yu glanced back and saw Zhou Neiguan following them, separated by several honor guards and black-clad guards, but he felt that Zhou Neiguan's face seemed panicked.
The big tent is in front of you, with tables and couches inside. Behind the main couch, a screen with "Fishing on the Cold River" is particularly eye-catching.
Xiao Yuheng entered the tent, sat on the main couch, and asked Xiao Yu to take the chief position on the left. Several higher-status royal family members also entered the tent under the emperor's order, and sat down according to their status. Several palace servants served wine and fruits, while the rest of the people waited outside the tent.
The atmosphere in the tent was even relaxed, and there were a few strangers who were very good at livening up the atmosphere. This was different from Xiao Yu's imagination that everyone was afraid of the young emperor.
These people were talking and laughing, and their words were full of compliments to the emperor.
Xiao Yu was not good at words and focused on looking at the screen behind the young emperor.
While Xiao Yuheng was chatting with his relatives, his eyes never left Xiao Yu. Seeing that he was not so gregarious, he secretly sneered.
The topic somehow came to reading, and Xiao Yuheng suddenly asked Xiao Yu: "Your Majesty, I know that you often stay alone in your study. I wonder what books you read on weekdays?"
This time, Xiao Yu was stopped.
The new palace was originally the former residence of the Consort Pan Duo, and there were many books in the study, all of which belonged to Pan Duo.
If Pan Duo has great literary talent and a wide range of knowledge, then Xiao Yu here just passively looks for some miscellaneous books and biographies that he is interested in or finds useful, and has not studied any classics.
And the topic these honorable nobles just talked about was not some miscellaneous books, legends of legends and the like for entertainment.
He could only bite the bullet and smile: "In the past, my father hired an enlightened tutor for the guilty minister and taught him a few things, but it took so long that I probably don't even remember it."
Xiao Yu didn't feel guilty or coy when he answered, but it still made the relatives around him laugh.
Some people didn't believe it. A relative who looked very old took out a few passages from "The Analects of Confucius" to test Xiao Yu seriously.
Xiao Yu stuttered with his answers, and some of his sentences seemed completely wrong. He was not even as good as an enlightened child.
Qingui twirled his long beard, shook his head and lamented.
Others have a good sense of proportion, speak to the point, and will not make people stand down in front of the emperor.
But the young emperor frowned: "Your Majesty, you haven't read The Analects of Confucius?"
"I read some of them, but I gave them back to the teacher and don't remember them."
Some people here couldn't help laughing, but the emperor didn't care. He asked: "I want to know what the prince is studying in the study. I heard that he is still writing."
Sure enough, there was an informant in the house. Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes, but said indifferently: "Read some unofficial history, which is more interesting than the Four Books and Five Classics. I also occasionally practice calligraphy. I didn't have the conditions before."
The other relatives couldn't hold back their laughter, and some of their words began to be outrageous, pointing at Xiao Yu and saying that he was ignorant and incompetent.
The young emperor's face lost the evil look, and now he looked like a normal person, but he did not mean to make fun of Xiao Yu. He asked: "Is the prince proficient in the six arts?"
"Your Majesty, are you talking about the six arts of a gentleman?" Xiao Yu asked.
"Can you learn the six arts?"
Xiao Yu shook his head: "Actually, the guilty minister has only heard about what the Six Arts are, and he may still not be clear about it."
Xiao Yu's words seemed to spread outside the tent, and laughter could be heard inside and outside the tent.
Xiao Yuheng shook his head: "Prince Jiangxia doesn't even know any of the six arts?"
Someone said: "Even the savages who are busy in the fields know that the six arts are etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and counting!"
Xiao Yu felt a little embarrassed and said truthfully: "Your Majesty, the guilty minister really doesn't know. The guilty minister has been crazy and stupid for several years and missed the opportunity to learn."
Xiao Yuheng leaned towards Xiao Yu, lowered his voice and said: "Besides shooting and fighting, I may not be proficient in the other four arts. If I don't know the six arts, does the prince think there is anything interesting in this world?"
