Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 196 You and I join forces, invincible

Gao Zhan's carriage did not go to the palace.

Instead, he drove to his own residence.

Although they are all princes, there are differences in status among them. For example, Gao Changgong, the Prince of Lanling, or Lou Zhao, the Prince of Dong'an, are obviously not as good as Gao Zhan, the Prince of Changguang.

This Gao Zhan is the second best person in the world.

He had a large army at his disposal and was recognized by many nobles, and his reputation was second only to his brother Gao Yan.

The two of them sat in the car, and Gao Zhan smiled particularly heartily.

It seemed that he was in a good mood, and the two of them walked all the way to his palace.

There are a lot of soldiers stationed here. Before he reached his house, but just approached the street, he could see groups of soldiers walking back and forth around. Archers were also stationed on those high places, looking around vigilantly.

After entering the main gate, two rows of soldiers holding spears cleared a path.

Liu Taozi remained calm and followed Gao Zhan to the backyard. After getting out of the car, someone had already prepared a banquet.

Gao Zhan took Liu Taozi to the banquet, took a deep breath, and said with satisfaction: "It's great!"

He suddenly looked at Liu Taozi.

"I am not like your majesty."

"Speaking of which, your Majesty is this person."

"High expectations, low skills."

After Gao Zhan finished speaking, he leaned his head forward and looked straight at Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi said nothing.

Gao Zhan grinned, revealing his white teeth, "As a loyal subject of your majesty, shouldn't you stand up and reprimand me at this time?"

"This is a family matter."

Liu Taozi spoke.

Gao Zhan was overjoyed. He slapped his legs hard and said, "You are absolutely right!"

"Today, don't treat me as some great king, and I don't treat you as his majesty's lackey. Just talk to me and have some wine!"

Gao Zhan asked someone to bring some wine, drank it in big gulps, and then handed it to Liu Taozi.

"Your Majesty is a man with high aspirations but low skills. He claims to be cautious, but in fact hesitant, suspicious, and indecisive!"

"The day after he killed Yang Yin, he regretted it and told me that maybe I could save his life."

"Oh, is he taking this as a joke? He just throws candied fruit at the person and then stops beating him?"

Gao Zhan's expression was very exaggerated. "Look at the current situation. The Jinyang soldiers and border soldiers are basically in his hands. The nobles are incompetent, and those who can stand up are basically by his side. How much better is this than when Emperor Wenxuan was here?"

"Think about it yourself. Who did Emperor Wenxuan have to deal with when he first ascended the throne? Who does the current emperor have to deal with?"

“Can these two be compared?”

"Even in such a favorable situation, he still cannot lead his troops to kill the nobles directly, and dare not directly issue a new order. I can make a bet with you."

Gao Zhan looked at him calmly, "I bet that this time, His Majesty will not make any big moves. At most, he will kill some people in the name of border defense and assassination. He will never dare to take more steps. Do you want to bet?"

Liu Taozi replied: "I am a warrior and do not understand the affairs of the court."

“How could you not understand?”

"You are the one who understands best. You see it more clearly than I do."

Gao Zhan said dimly: "Actually, I am the one who planned to murder you this time."

"I was the one who told the Queen Mother to summon you, and I also informed the nobles in Jinyang and hinted them to take action."

Liu Taozi was still not surprised and nodded, "I see."

Gao Zhan said, "In fact, I don't have any personal grudge against you. I sent people to provoke you before because I was ordered by others. I had no choice. Speaking of which, I am very close to your father, closer than anyone else. But you know, there is always a bad guy around a good guy. I have been running around and being a bad guy, but I have made a lot of enemies."

"My original idea was very simple. I just wanted to use you. If the nobles touch you, Your Majesty will touch the nobles, and the nobles will support me."

"But this time, you woke me up."

"What nobles? A hundred or eighty of them are not as good as you!!"

"If I hang out with these idiots, they will kill me sooner or later."

"But you are different. You alone are enough to change the situation. I would rather abandon those fools and get your help."

Gao Zhan handed him the wine again, "Don't be so quick to refuse."

"I know you want to improve the status of those Han people. Get rid of these evil nobles. My Gao family is the Han people of Bohai!"

"I also have a lot of Han Chinese staff around me. Among all the royal families, I have the closest relationship with the Han Chinese officials. I even have many of their children around me."

"Your Majesty is too indecisive and not suitable for you."

"Let's just say this one time. If I were in Jinyang and you killed your way through and came to me, I would directly order you to drag out all the people in the palace and chop them to death."

"I know you dare to do it, and you know I dare to order it."

"Look, aren't we a match made in heaven?"

"And the equal distribution of land. Equal distribution of land, right? If I come to power, I will do it! Equal distribution of land across the country! Those who don't distribute land equally will be killed!"

"What do you mean Han people don't serve as soldiers? If I were in power, it would be the same! Everyone can serve as a soldier!"

"And what about Han people not being able to be generals? If I take over, whoever has the ability will be the general!"

Gao Zhan has a unique chivalrous spirit, which is completely different from the conservative and solemn Gao Yan.

There are two brothers, one looks mature and steady, the other looks chivalrous and heroic.

"How about it?"

"Would you like to help me?"

"I'll do whatever you say! If we join forces, who in the world can stop us?"

Looking at the excited Gao Zhan, Liu Taozi shook her head slightly.

"Your Majesty has been very kind to me."

Gao Zhan looked at him for a long time, then laughed again, "Don't you want to consider it for a few days?"

"Not consider."

"Does the king want to kill me?"

Gao Zhan pursed his lips and shook his head, "No, no, you can live here with me."

As he was speaking, there was a sudden noise outside. He Shikai walked in quickly, bowed to Gao Zhan, and then whispered something.

Gao Zhan looked at Liu Taozi again and laughed, "People in the world not only regard me as a bad person, but also as a fool!"

"Get up, get up, come with me to meet someone."

Gao Zhan took Liu Taozi and walked out the door.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw a man violently knocking over the soldiers on both sides and striding towards here.

Gao Zhan smiled and walked forward to greet him.

“Cousin!!”

The person who came was Lou Rui.

When he saw Gao Zhan and Liu Taozi following behind him, the anger on Lou Rui's face immediately disappeared and he smiled.

"Why does your Majesty force you so much?"

"The Queen Mother urged me to pick up Liu Taozi several times. The King hid him in the backyard, so I was always scolded, and there were also these blind people."

Gao Zhan was furious. He pointed at the soldiers in the distance and said, "My cousin is coming, and you dare to stop him? You have really had enough of living. Come on, take these people out and kill them!"

"Your Majesty!"

Lou Rui hurriedly pulled him, "These people are also loyal to the Lord, forget it, forget it."

Gao Zhan argued with him for a few more words, then looked at He Shikai standing beside him and gave him a look.

"Brother, I love Taozi very much, so I drank some wine with him. I never thought that I would delay mother's work and make you suffer for me. Please forgive me."

"I asked He Shikai to prepare some gifts, which I will send to your house now as an apology."

Lou Rui smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed. "Why be so polite? Why be so polite?"

The two chatted for a long time before Lou Rui took Liu Taozi away. Gao Zhan stood there and watched them leave.

He then looked at the soldiers and said, "Well done, you are so loyal that you can even stop the princes for me. I will promote you to higher positions! Each of you will be rewarded ten gold coins!"

"Thank you, my king!!!"

Gao Zhan turned and walked towards the backyard, but He Shikai followed him, "My lord, did it not work?"

Gao Zhan's face was very ugly. "It's not easy. This guy has great talent. If I kill him, even if Your Majesty is indecisive, he will lead his troops directly to Yecheng to arrest me and punish me. If I don't kill him, we can't recapture the city. When he returns to help my brother, it will be a disaster for us."

Looking at Gao Zhan who was having a headache, He Shikai suddenly said: "I have a solution."

"Oh? Tell me?"

"Start with Liu Taozhi."

At this moment, Lou Rui pulled Liu Taozi out of the house.

Lou Rui narrowed his eyes, "I was going to meet you in person, but the knight told me that you would not arrive until tomorrow."

"This guy is getting more and more powerful."

He suddenly looked at Liu Taozi beside him, his face becoming somewhat solemn, "No matter what he said to you, don't believe it."

"He is a true Xianbei. He seldom considers the consequences of his actions. He does things on impulse and his thoughts change quickly. He has people inside and outside the city. If he suddenly wants to kill you, you can't escape."

"He must have seen that you are brave and wanted to win you over."

"In recent days, he has won over many people."

"Is your Excellency one of them?"

Lou Rui quickly cleared his throat, "I used to be friendly with him. To be honest, His Majesty is too serious. Sometimes, it's not easy to get close to him. Although he is enthusiastic, I always feel that something is missing. But this king is different. If he gets close to you, he is really close to you."

It was difficult for Lou Rui to describe this kind of relationship. Both of them were very polite to Lou Rui, but His Majesty's politeness was like that of a minister, while Gao Zhan's politeness was like that of a relative or friend.

"But don't even think about it, alas."

Lou Rui suddenly sighed, looked around, and whispered, "Prince Changguang may be planning a rebellion."

"Why do you say that, sir?"

"When we executed Yang Yin, His Majesty told him: If this succeeds, you will be made the Crown Prince."

"Several of us heard this."

"But now, things have gone smoothly and successfully, and Prince Changguang has made an indelible contribution, but Your Majesty has appointed him as the Crown Prince."

"After arriving in Ye City, Prince Changguang changed his usual personality and made friends everywhere, interacted with the powerful and wealthy, and trained the troops of Ye City. All the generals in the city were replaced by his men."

"I've never seen anyone do things this way. They really do it as soon as they say it, without any hesitation. It's similar to you."

Liu Taozi asked again: "Which side should the adults stand on?"

Lou Rui shuddered and quickly pushed Liu Taozi, "What nonsense is this? I will serve my aunt well in the palace."

As they got closer and closer to the palace, Lou Rui raised his head and said seriously, "My aunt is a very kind person, especially when it comes to being close to you. But you have to remember one thing. No matter what, don't disobey her. Whatever she says is what it means. Even if she says that your uncle is still alive, you have to nod and say that you saw him yesterday."

"She hates it most when people disobey her. You must remember that."

"Then, don't talk about His Majesty and Prince Changguang in front of her."

"Well, also, don't look so fierce, be a little kinder."

Lou Rui chattered on and on about the many rules of paying a visit to the Queen Mother.

When they arrived at the gate of the palace, they performed the familiar operations, taking off their weapons, armor, and changing their clothes, while Lou Rui was waiting all the time.

After completing some formalities, Lou Rui took him to the Queen Mother's bedroom.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard laughter coming from inside.

Chirping like birds.

Lou Rui led Liu Taozi in. The empress dowager was sitting in the middle, surrounded by many women. These women were all young, and they surrounded the empress dowager and made her laugh.

Lou Rui muttered in a low voice: "If it was a year earlier, no one would dare to come in."

"Meet Auntie!!"

Lou Rui said loudly, and Liu Taozi followed him to meet him.

Empress Dowager Lou then looked at the two of them. Her face was full of kindness. She looked at Liu Taozi gently, "Boy, stand up and let me see you."

The women surrounding her also blushed and felt shy.

Of course they knew why they were called over.

Among these people, either they had the surname Lou or Gao, and they were all of similar age, with no particularly big difference between them.

They also looked at Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi stood up suddenly, his brows furrowed and his eyes fierce.

"what!!!"

A woman screamed, then realized she had lost her composure, quickly covered her mouth, and took a few steps back.

The other women were so frightened when they saw how ferocious he was that they stepped back one after another.

Empress Dowager Lou glared at them and scolded them, "Useless things, is this handsome and majestic man so scary?"

Empress Dowager Lou was particularly concerned about her reputation, and was very dissatisfied with the performance of these women.

She was already a little angry, Lou Rui hurriedly said: "Aunt, Taozi just came back from the frontier, full of murderous intent, not to mention them, even I would be afraid if I saw her."

"You followed your uncle into battle when you were thirteen, what are you afraid of?!"

Lou Rui touched his head and laughed.

Empress Dowager Lou cursed a few words, but her expression looked better. She looked at Liu Taozi in front of her again.

"Zhizhi, is that the name? Oh, please don't be surprised, these people were all born in Yecheng, they no longer have the temperament of people from the frontier, they all like those who put on powder and lipstick, the playboys from noble families are useless."

"Come and sit down."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Liu Taozi took a few steps forward and sat next to the empress dowager. The empress dowager waved her hand and asked the women to leave.

Lou Rui also sat aside cautiously, and Empress Dowager Lou pretended not to see him.

Empress Dowager Lou pulled him and looked at him repeatedly. The more she looked, the more satisfied she became. "He looks like my father. He looks like my father."

"As strong as your grandfather, and as pretty as your mother."

"That's great. My sons are extremely cruel and brutal."

Empress Dowager Lou couldn't help wiping away tears when she talked about this incident. "If Prince Gao were still alive, he wouldn't let you suffer such injustice, nor would he let me suffer such humiliation."

"aunt."

Lou Rui spoke, and Empress Dowager Lou wiped her tears and calmed down.

Obviously, Empress Dowager Lou also saw clearly that she had just ordered Liu Taozi to come under Gao Zhan's instigation, and then someone set an ambush on the road.

How could she not know who the mastermind was?

Gao Zhan's actions after arriving in Yecheng were very dramatic, and he never hid it from anyone. How could she not know what her son was thinking?
But even if she knew, Empress Dowager Lou could do nothing.

She didn't like to make a choice between her own flesh and blood. No matter how bad or hateful they were, they were still her children after all.

Empress Dowager Lou did not ask about what happened on the road, nor did she even mention the nobles and the emperor. She only asked about Liu Taozi's situation over the years and told him some things in the past.

It's like chatting with the younger generation.

After talking for an unknown amount of time, Empress Dowager Lou suddenly said, "Wang Xi sent someone to deliver a letter to me. The letter said that you loved the second daughter of Hulugu's family and wanted to marry her, but Hulugu refused, saying that you were just the son of a slave and were not worthy of marrying his daughter. Is that true?"

She was a little angry. "What kind of big shot is this Huluguang? So what if he is a Cangtou slave? Can he look down on my Cangtou?"

Liu Taozi was stunned and fell silent.

Lou Rui frowned and suddenly felt a headache.

He really didn't want to get involved in the brothers' affairs, but there was no way to avoid it. What about Wang Xi's petition? How dare Wang Xi write to the Queen Mother privately? ? What about liking the second daughter of Hulugu? How fucking old is Hulugu? Is his youngest daughter ten years old this year? ? Liu Taozi has never met anyone, how can she like him? ?
As he continued to think about it, there were a lot of things going on, and Lou Rui sighed.

"aunt."

"What? Is this a lie?"

Lou Rui hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly:
"I heard that your majesty is planning to let the crown prince marry the eldest daughter of the Hulugu family, and Prince Changguang wants to have his child betrothed to the second daughter of the Hulugu family."

Empress Dowager Lou was shocked and immediately thought of the connection. She became angry again and wanted to say something.

But faced with such a situation, she had no choice but to keep all her anger hidden in her heart.

The hall suddenly became quiet, and none of the three spoke.

Liu Taozi interrupted the silence, "Queen Mother, Prince Changguang wants me to marry a daughter of the royal family, and His Majesty wants me to marry a daughter of the Hulu clan."

Lou Rui was shocked and quickly hinted to Liu Taozi not to say more, but Liu Taozi seemed not to hear him.

"The only one who can stop the chaos right now is the Queen Mother. I don't know what the Queen Mother will decide. I only ask her to step in. The Great Qi State has just started to improve. We cannot let it fall into civil strife again!"

(End of this chapter)