After retreating from the court, the East Palace.
Prince Xiang Baichuan has already laid out the banquet and is only waiting for Gu Beichuan and Wei Qing to take their seats.
This time it was still just the three of them.
In terms of status, Xiang Baichuan was the prince of the dynasty, inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people.
And what about Wei Qing? He was also the Prime Minister and the head of the civil service.
In terms of status, I am afraid that only Emperor Renxuan can overwhelm the two of them.
However, the protagonist of today's banquet is none other than Gu Beichuan, who is about to become a master craftsman!
This official position is naturally good in the eyes of ordinary people, but in front of these two people, it is really not enough.
To be able to receive such courtesy from His Highness the Crown Prince is really... the sun is rising in the west.
But the fact is, that’s it!
The prince poured the wine himself, handed it to Gu Beichuan, and said, "Thanks to Gu Qing this time, otherwise, I may not be able to escape."
"Your Highness is ridiculous. Since ancient times, it is the duty of ministers to worry about the king."
When the prince heard this, his eyes suddenly shone and his brows lit up with joy.
What's the meaning?
You and your ministers must not talk nonsense. Gu Beichuan is showing his loyalty!
How could he not be happy to have such a talented person helping him?
"On the way back this time, I expected that King Yuan would probably send someone here. Even if it is not to kill people, it can delay the situation for some time."
"So we took a detour and entered Qiandu from the Vermillion Bird Gate in the north. It delayed us for a while and almost caused harm to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"What are you talking about, Gu Qing? This time, if you hadn't gone to Jiuyuan, I'm afraid we would have been played by King Yuan."
"Sending new soldiers to intercept and kill them on the way, and privately training elite troops, my imperial brother is really bold." Xiang Baichuan snorted coldly, with a cold light in his eyes.
When it comes to seizing a legitimate son, he has always been wise and well-informed.
This time, it was entirely because he had never thought that King Yuan would be so bold, so he lost the opportunity, and subsequently encountered constraints everywhere.
Fortunately, Gu Beichuan is there!
This is the sincere thought of His Royal Highness at this moment.
"Can those captured soldiers come forward to testify for us and identify King Yuan?"
"Once the crime of ambushing and killing his colleagues is proven, no matter how much my father favors him, he will never tolerate it."
Hearing this, Gu Beichuan shook his head and said, "It's difficult. Either they are little pawns and don't know anything. Or they keep silent and don't recruit at all."
"Obviously, King Yuan has taken corresponding precautions before."
Wei Qing smiled slightly when he heard this.
"You guys, you can't just use force when interrogating prisoners. Sometimes, it's also a good idea to use reason and emotion."
"Leave this matter to me."
"You can just wait for the results in three days."
When the prince and Gu Beichuan heard this, they looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
Even torture may not be able to extract things. How can it be useful to use reason and emotion?
Both men were skeptical.
I even felt that Prime Minister Wei was just a scholar after all, so I took it for granted.
…
Three days later, the same place.
Behind Wei Qing stood a burly sergeant with gloomy eyes.
"He knew many things about King Yuan's military training in Zhubei County, and he also happened to know that the leader received the order from King Yuan before leading his troops to Jiuyuan to ambush Beichuan."
Gu Beichuan and the prince looked at each other, dumbfounded.
"This...is this asked by Xiao Zhi with reason and emotion?" Gu Beichuan didn't believe anything he said.
"The human heart is grown from flesh. People are not saints, how can they be ruthless?"
"He was a talented general with a bright future, but now he has become a prisoner for no apparent reason."
"How can there be such a truth in the world? In addition, he misses his parents, wife and children too much at home, so he agreed to cooperate with us."
When Gu Beichuan heard this, he finally understood.
After a person is sent to prison, he is already at a loss, and his longing for his family is getting worse day by day.
At this time, Prime Minister Wei informed Yi of his family's current situation and elaborated on the unfairness of his situation. Finally, he placed all the blame on King Yuan, and even hinted to him that as long as he committed the crime and performed meritorious service, he had every hope of being cleared of the crime.
By then, will there be anyone who refuses to confess?
Scholars are so dirty.
Ah, you senior, you have so much experience.
Gu Beichuan looked a little unnatural, forgetting that he was also a scholar, and almost scolded himself.
"However, there is a condition."
Wei Qing spoke again, with a serious expression.
The prince didn't take it seriously. He waved his hand and said, "What do you want? Money and beauty? Glory and wealth?"
"As long as you are willing to identify Prince Yuan for me in the Jinluan Palace, it's no problem."
When the sergeant heard this, he shook his head and said angrily: "I only want my old woman, my mother-in-law, and my baby."
The prince was stunned when he heard this, obviously he did not expect such a request.
"What's so difficult about this? Once it's done, how about I forgive your sins and let you go back to reunite with your family?"
When Wei Qing heard this, he shook his head and said, "Your Highness, it's not that simple."
"Their family members were all gathered together and were guarded by troops sent by King Yuan."
When Xiang Baichuan heard this, he realized how difficult the matter was.
He was silent for a moment, but still did not retreat. He looked at the sergeant and said solemnly: "Okay, as long as you come forward to identify King Yuan on my behalf, I will rescue your family safely."
"Not only that, I will also give you a sum of money to allow your family to fly far away from Qiandu."
When the sergeant heard this, he was stunned. He seemed to want to say something grateful, but he hesitated for a long time, but could not say anything.
It wasn't until Gu Beichuan said something about His Royal Highness's benevolence and righteousness that he learned and said it in a loud voice.
…
Three days later, Qiannan, Jing'anfang.
In a house, on top of the roof tiles, Gu Beichuan and a group of people were gathering their breath and crouching down, waiting.
There were seven of them in total.
In addition to Gu Beichuan and Li Dongbi, there is also a sword-wielding man and a sword-wielding woman. It is said that they are from Jianfeng, one of the three peaks.
The other three are all Taoist priests, but all of them have bright eyes and impressive aura.
Obviously, he was from a Taoist family.
These people were sent by Xiang Baichuan with the intention of working with Gu Beichuan to rescue the sergeant's family.
Not far from them, a complex of buildings called Zhenghui Garden was their destination.
Although Zhenghuiyuan is located in Qiannan, it has a good location and is easily accessible in all directions. In addition, there are many shops around it, so the price of the house is not low.
Logically speaking, the people who live here are not said to be high-ranking officials, but at least they are either rich or noble.
In fact, it's just the opposite. Most of the people living here are poor families, or they are the wives and daughters of some small generals in the army.
Obviously, this was King Yuan’s intention.
Gather the wives and daughters of his subordinates together for easy control.
On the contrary, the idea of building Tiangan Garden was exactly the same as that of Emperor Renxuan. He was worthy of being a father and son.
In Zhenghui Garden, there are several powerful auras not far away. They are obviously the people sent by King Yuan to look after Zhenghui Garden, and they are also the opponents of Gu Beichuan and others on this trip.
