Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 198 My Mr. Liu
That’s not what you said before!

Everyone sitting in front of Tian Zili found it a little unbelievable.

Tian Zili frowned and said, "In short, don't be anxious. This doesn't look like an opportunity, but rather a thief's calculation."

"After you go back, just pretend nothing happened and continue to prepare. If anyone contacts you, remember to let me know."

"only!!"

Everyone got up and left.

Tian Zili frowned. He didn't expect that he would gain such a lot when he returned to Cheng'an this time.

If it were the him of the past, perhaps he would be laughing and leading his brothers to do things, but at this moment, he didn't think so.

There must be someone behind this.

But who did it?
And for what purpose?

Tian Zili fell into deep thought. He walked out the door and decided to put the village affairs aside and get to the bottom of the matter.

He hurried out of the mansion, got into the car, and disappeared in the distance.

After the carriage left, a passing dung carrier walked slowly along the path he had taken. Finally, he walked into a small alley and disappeared without a trace.

In a small mansion, Xu Laoli closed the door, walked into the inner room, and closed the door again.

The room was exceptionally dim, but the people inside didn't care about it.

The two sat facing each other.

Xu Laoli whispered, "Liu Taozi didn't lead them to Yecheng because he was afraid that Gao Zhan would attack them. But Gao Yan was there, so Gao Zhan didn't dare to attack him. Obviously, Liu Taozi's trip to Yecheng was definitely not just to pay a simple visit to Lou Zhaojun. He would definitely make a big move!!"

A deep voice rang out from the shadows.

"You continue to contact their people and try to get more information."

"The general attaches great importance to this matter. Many people have come from his hometown. You must be more attentive. This important event must be accomplished."

Xu Laoli's eyes flashed with anger, "Liu Taozi made the general suffer such humiliation. If I can't kill him with my own hands, how can I be worthy of the general's kindness?"

"Don't worry, I will do my best, no matter what!"

In an instant, countless pigeons flew out of the city.

The dove flapped its wings, flew through the city wall, tore through the clouds, and flew towards its homeland with a nimble figure.

"General! The thief army!"

A line of knights appeared on the ground. Looking at the pigeons in the air, their horses sped up and were even faster than the pigeons.

The knights drew their bows and arrows and shot them one by one.

They moved very quickly, and pigeons fell from the sky one by one. Someone picked up the pigeons and the letters. Immediately, several clerks were brought here and began to try to decipher the letter from the pseudo-Zhou people.

Some knights continued to chase, while the clerks started to compare.

After being plagued by spies for so long, the Northern Qi Dynasty did not gain nothing. They tried to decipher the opponent's coded texts, and also wanted to recapture several pseudo-Zhou states for their own use.

Changing the cipher text is definitely an extremely troublesome task at this moment, and the same is true for deciphering it.

Both sides were in a tense confrontation.

The clerks gathered together and tried to decipher the code, while the masked knight stood aside, waiting for them to come up with any useful clues.

Just as they were busy, a knight came galloping, dismounted, and came in front of the masked general.

"General, Prince Changguang asks you to put down everything you are doing and go to his residence immediately."

Liu Taozhi was stunned. He raised his head and looked at the pigeons flying in the distance, hesitating for a moment.

"Okay, I'll go over now."

Yecheng, inside the imperial palace.

Lou Rui closed his eyes helplessly.

The struggle between the two sons is the topic that the old lady is most reluctant to mention.

Lou Zhaojun was also a little surprised. She looked at Liu Taozi in front of her blankly, as if she couldn't understand how he dared to say that.

The next moment, Lou Zhaojun finally got angry.

"What do you mean? Do you think my two sons are going to kill each other?!"

Lou Rui was about to open his mouth to defend him, but Liu Taozi nodded, "Yes."

Lou Zhaojun's face turned red instantly, and she was about to raise her crutches tremblingly.

"Prince Changguang is recruiting soldiers and contacting nobles in Yecheng, and Your Majesty is condoning him to continue doing so."

"Prince Changguang is accumulating power, so why not Your Majesty?"

"At present, once Liu Honghui is removed from the Central Army, he will be replaced by Gao Changgong."

"Your Majesty also asked King Pingyuan, King Pengcheng and others to help him."

"Who prepared faster, Prince Changguang or Your Majesty?"

"If this continues, Yecheng and Jinyang will go to war, and only one of your two sons will survive."

Lou Rui's face became more and more terrified.

Lou Zhaojun's hand holding the cane was shaking, but she was reluctant to put it down. She slowly put it down and suddenly cried in grievance, "Why is it like this? Why is it like this?!"

Liu Taozi continued, "Queen Dowager, I have been a family servant for generations, and I have always been concerned about the affairs of the Great Qi. Therefore, I have offended the Queen Dowager. Please punish me, but I have to say these words."

"Everyone is afraid of the Queen Mother's power, so they are unwilling to tell the truth."

"If this continues, not only will you lose your son, but more seriously, it may cause the Great Qi to split. At that time, the Pseudo-Zhou will definitely not miss the opportunity. They will attack together with the Turks. The Great Qi has experienced a long period of turmoil and has just begun to have some stability, but it will be torn apart in an instant."

"The Queen Mother is a mother, but she is also the mother of the world. Whether it is for the sake of being a mother or for the sake of the world, you should not turn a blind eye and hide in the harem. Only you can solve this matter."

Lou Zhaojun looked at him suddenly, her eyes no longer sad but full of murderous intent, "Then how do you want me to solve this?!"

"Now is the best time. The Queen Mother can directly summon Prince Changguang to enter the harem."

"We will capture him here. After we capture him, you will issue an edict to let King Lou take charge of the army in Yecheng, and then use the excuse that King Changguang is unwell to keep him by your side."

"As long as Prince Changguang loses his military power and cannot go out, the unrest will naturally end. Prince Lou has prestige and your support, so he will naturally be able to take over the troops in Yecheng. At that time, you can ask Your Majesty to punish Prince Changguang for his crimes of drinking and rudeness."

"Your Majesty, just give the order to dismiss him from his post and let him stay by your side to fulfill his filial duties."

"Then everything will be resolved. You can save your son and the country. Your Majesty will no longer have internal troubles and can devote all his efforts to governing the country."

Liu Taozi spoke very quickly and finished her words in a flash.

Lou Rui's eyes widened, stunned.

He had previously felt that Gao Zhan was too dangerous and too humble, mainly because he seldom hesitated and would do whatever he thought of. But after hearing what Liu Taozi said, Lou Rui was suddenly awakened. Gao Zhan was nothing!
The real danger, the real Xianbei is the guy in front of me.

He had just entered Yecheng and asked the Queen Mother for help in capturing Prince Changguang.

Are you crazy??

Lou Zhaojun gritted her teeth and said, "Liu Zi asked you to tell me this?"

"No, no, my son is very cautious and won't be so hasty."

Lou Zhaojun hesitated for a moment, frowned, and didn't know what to say.

Looking at the extremely entangled Lou Zhaojun, Liu Taozi said again: "Queen Mother, we can't hesitate. If you sit in the harem and pretend that nothing has happened, will the world be peaceful? Will brothers not kill each other?!"

"You are the only one who can solve this problem!"

"If you think it's inappropriate to imprison Prince Changguang, then secretly help Prince Changguang, poison His Majesty, and let him take the throne!"

"you!!!"

"The Queen Mother has to make a decision! No matter whose decision she supports! She has to make a decision!! The only thing she can't do is do nothing!!"

"I!!"

"Please give the order, Queen Mother!!"

Lou Zhaojun's expression kept changing. She stood up, paced back and forth, with a murderous look on her face.

Lou Rui lowered his head and knelt in front of the Queen Mother, saying nothing and trembling.

"Let me think about it, let me think about it."

"Get out! Everyone, get out!!"

Lou Zhaojun had a terrible headache at the moment. She waved her cane and drove both of them out.

Liu Taozi stood up helplessly, pulled Lou Rui with her, and without saying anything more, she bowed and turned to leave.

“You scared me to death!!”

"Are you crazy?!"

"you!!"

After coming out of the palace, Lou Rui still had a look of fear on his face. He looked at Liu Taozi in disbelief, "What on earth do you want to do?"

"Your Majesty, this is for the sake of Da Qi. If the two of them go to war, I don't know how many people will die."

"Is there a day when people don't die in Da Qi?"

"It's always a good thing if fewer people die."

"Taozi, I have to tell you, this is not an easy thing to do. Auntie's personality is changeable. She may like you now, but she may hate you tomorrow. If you rush to meddle in the brothers' family affairs, you will cause a huge disaster sooner or later!"

Liu Taozi suddenly stopped, turned his head and looked at Lou Rui.

"grown ups."

"I heard that you have been through hundreds of battles and are extremely brave in battle, able to fight ten at a time." "But why have you become so cowardly now? If the Great Qi is not stable, can the king still enjoy the wealth and honor now? This wealth and honor, this kingdom, were conquered by people like the king, why don't you care about his life or death now?"

Lou Rui was stunned. He wanted to refute several times, but he couldn't say anything.

He sighed and waved his hand, "Whatever you want to do, I won't get involved. I can't get involved. I fought so many battles and shed so much blood just to enjoy myself. I won't do anything risky!!"

Lou Rui left here angrily, but fortunately, he did not take Gao Wangjian with him this time.

Liu Taozi walked forward a few steps and was about to mount his horse when suddenly a carriage slowly stopped in front of him.

A man walked down with a smile and saluted him.

"Young Patriarch, I am here to pick you up on the Patriarch's orders."

"Who is your master?"

"Uh, it's your grandfather."

"lead the way."

Liu Taozhi has her own mansion in Yecheng, but there are usually not many people in this mansion.

The location of the mansion is very good and its size is not small. It is located in the "noble area".

When Liu Taozi came here, it was still silent inside.

The soldiers outside the door took the lead in saluting.

Liu Taozi pushed open the door and walked rudely into his "home", even though this was the first time he saw it here.

Liu Taozhi was standing not far away. When he heard the door open, he turned around abruptly. He had already taken off his mask, and his face was full of anger.

Liu Taozi closed the door and walked quickly to him.

"Where's my mother?"

The veins on Liu Taozhi's forehead twitched, but he still pointed to the inner room.

Liu Taozi walked quickly to the door of the inner room, and Liu Taozhi pushed him in and quickly closed the door.

"peach!!"

Liu Zhang quickly stood up and ran over. The coldness on Liu Taozi's face suddenly disappeared and he lowered his head.

"Taozi, I missed you so much. Look at you. You've become so thin because of hunger. Have you not eaten much?"

Xiao Wu stood aside and also spoke with a smile.

"Brother."

Liu Taozhi snorted coldly, sat aside, and cursed: "This guy is almost as big as a bear. He is half a head taller than me now, and he is so damn thin? If he eats any more, he will need two horses to carry him when he travels in the future!"

But Liu Zhang didn't think so.

She stroked Taozi's face, her eyes filled with tears.

"Taozi, you've suffered a lot, right?"

"You should have stayed with me back then. Why did you suffer so much?"

She couldn't help wiping away her tears.

"Mom, I haven't suffered any injustice."

"Your own people sent troops to stop you, and you still think you are not wronged? These evil people..."

The mother had a lot to say, and Liu Taozi listened very carefully.

Hearing them talking, Liu Taozhi finally couldn't help but interrupt them.

"Let's talk about the past later."

"First, let me tell you about the trouble you caused for Nai Gong! Just now, Prince Changguang came to me and forced me to take sides, and then he gave my military power to Liu Honghui. Sigh, I am so sad."

Liu Taozhi sighed repeatedly but did not get angry.

After Gao Yang's death, Liu Taozhi's condition obviously improved, and he was no longer as cruel and violent as before.

The whole person became much calmer.

He has killed many people in the past.

There are many people who want to kill him.

At that moment, Gao Zhan obviously wanted to hold him hostage to threaten Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozhi never dreamed that there would be such a day. In the past, he was always worried that someone would hold Taozi hostage to threaten him, but why did he feel something was wrong at this moment? ? ?

Looking at Liu Taozhi who looked depressed, Liu Taozi said slowly: "You don't have to worry, just stay at home."

Liu Taozhi glanced at Liu Taozi with disdain, "That's right, with Mr. Liu in Yecheng, I still have..."

He suddenly reacted, trembled all over, and looked at Liu Taozi.

His voice had changed.

"What do you want to do?!!"

He keenly sensed that his Lord Liu was planning to do something big.

Liu Taozi did not answer this question.

Liu Taozhi stood up and walked quickly in front of him. "The reason why I am still alive today is because I obeyed the emperor's orders and did not do anything unnecessary, nor did I question or refute."

"If you want to live, you should listen to me more and know the difference between father and son, and between ruler and subject!!"

Seeing Liu Taozhi getting angry again, Liu Zhang stood between the two of them.

"My dear, do not be angry."

She looked at Liu Taozi and asked, "Did you discuss something important with the Queen Mother when you entered the harem this time?"

Facing her mother, Liu Taozi nodded slowly.

Liu Zhang frowned her beautiful eyebrows and didn't speak for a long time.

She thought for a long time and suddenly said, "Don't mention this to anyone again."

Liu Taozhi quickly spoke up, "Then what about us?"

"My dear, things have come to this point, so don't think too much about it. Let's just follow the old way. My dear, do your thing, and Taozi will do his thing, and we won't interfere with each other."

From that day on, Liu Taozi lived here. To him, wherever Liu Zhang was, that was home.

Mrs. Liu Zhang had countless things to say to her son.

She also cooked the meal herself.

Liu Taozi hadn't eaten the food she cooked for a long time, and she ate it with great relish.

The only unhappy person was probably Liu Taozhi, who sat at the upper seat and acted sarcastic, but they still sat down together and had a nice meal.

The family was eating, and Liu Zhang said, "Taozi, I faked my death to get away because of some things. You don't need to know many of them. Just remember, if the Queen Mother asks, just say that I am no longer in this world. It's still not peaceful enough now."

This night was probably the night Liu Taozi slept the soundest.

The next day, it was bright and clear.

There were hurried footsteps coming from outside, and the person coming was Lou Rui.

Lou Rui didn't say anything and just took Liu Taozi and left.

Liu Taozhi did not come out to meet them. Liu Taozi glanced at the mansion and followed Lou Rui to the palace.

Walking on the road, Lou Rui gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know what's going on. My aunt actually wants to do something."

"Remember, this time, you owe me a big favor!!"

"remember."

Lou Rui slapped his face fiercely, "Sooner or later I will regret what I am about to do today."

They all hurried to the harem.

Lou Zhaojun sat in the middle, with no one around her, and her face finally became resolute.

Faced with the choice of pretending nothing happened and letting her two sons fight over it or helping one of them, she chose the latter.

She raised her head and looked at Lou Rui and Liu Taozi angrily.

"I helped the Sixth Son this time only because I didn't want to see the country in turmoil and brothers fighting each other, but I also saved the Ninth Son's life!!"

"Even if he is Gao Liuzi, don't even think about killing my son!!"

"Whoever dares to hurt or kill him, no matter what the reason, I will kill him without mercy!"

Lou Rui hurriedly saluted, "Aunt, we will never hurt Prince Changguang!!"

Lou Zhaojun ignored him but looked at Liu Taozi. Until this moment, she still felt that Liu Taozi was instructed by Gao Yan. Even if not, she was still a strategist on Gao Yan's side.

The reason he came to persuade me this time was to help Gao Yan deal with Prince Changguang.

She could help to quell the fight, but she absolutely could not watch her son die in front of her. She had already lost enough sons!

Liu Taozi bowed to her and said, "Queen Mother, as long as Prince Changguang can stay by your side, enjoy himself all day, not recruit troops or interfere in government affairs, then Your Majesty will definitely do your best to protect him!"

"it is good."

"Someone is coming."

"Prince Gao Zhan of Xuanchangguang is here to pay his respects to you!!"

(End of this chapter)