Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 234 The Emperor is Guilty
He Shikai was stunned.

After Lu Qubing said this, even he himself was a little shaken.

But he quickly realized that following orders was different from colluding with the Pseudo-Zhou!

He quickly looked at Gao Zhan, "Your Majesty!! I have followed you for many years!! How could it be the Pseudo-Zhou Bandit Army!! Your Majesty!!"

Gao Xiaoyu hurriedly saluted and said, "Your Majesty, whether it is true or not, we can find out by searching his mansion. I will lead the troops there now!"

He Shikai jumped up, "Your Majesty!! How can we let him go! No, he and I have always been at odds, he will definitely frame me!!"

Gao Rui sneered and said, "Then I'm willing to go."

"No!"

He Shikai subconsciously looked at the important officials in the court. At this moment, he felt a little desperate. He had been following Gao Zhan all these days and was hostile to everyone who was close to Gao Zhan. This resulted in He Shikai having almost no allies in the court.

He Shikai is an enemy of everyone.

Whether it was someone as neutral as Gao Yin, someone as close to the emperor as Gao Rui, or someone as close to the empress dowager as Lou Rui, or even those relatives of Queen Hu. He was close to Queen Hu, but he couldn't get along with her clansmen.

The only one who had some connection with the couple was Heba Ren, but he was in trouble now and he didn't even dare to speak about Heba Cheng's affairs.

Looking at the panicked He Shikai, Gao Zhan frowned and then looked at the people in front of him.

The ministers looked delighted.

Finally, we can kill this evil.

This bastard has ruined so many things over the years!
No wonder he did this, it turns out he is Wei Xiaokuan’s man!
Lu Qubing looked at the hesitant Gao Zhan and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I am loyal and devoted. I swear to heaven that I have never thought of rebelling. I attacked the angel and contradicted Your Majesty. My crimes are unforgivable. I am willing to die and have no complaints. I only ask Your Majesty to put the country first! Don't trust He Shikai easily! "

He struggled to get up, and while the soldiers were stunned, he rushed towards the main beam.

Gao Zhan was shocked. Before he could say anything, Gao Xiaoyu jumped out and stretched out his big hand to barely grab Lu Qubing's clothes. The two fell to the ground together. Gao Xiaoyu held Lu Qubing down and said, "Mr. Lu cannot die yet! This matter has not been made clear yet! In order to punish you, we must first punish He Shikai's crime!"

"He Shikai is in contact with the enemy!"

"We can search his mansion first!"

"Capture Cui Ang first!"

Everyone was talking, and the hall suddenly became restless. The original silence and uneasiness disappeared, and the atmosphere became subtle.

"enough!"

Gao Zhan reprimanded loudly, and peace returned to the hall again.

Gao Zhan stood up slowly and said, "This matter of the bandit army is extremely important. I will personally go over to investigate. Lu Qubing will be imprisoned temporarily. Once the matter is investigated, we will deal with him together."

After saying that, he turned around and left. The ministers saw He Shi running to catch up with the emperor. The two of them walked very fast. The soldiers hurriedly blocked their way. Gao Rui shouted loudly several times, but Gao Zhan pretended not to hear.

They just left like that.

For a moment, the hall became silent again. The important officials looked at each other, and their eyes became more and more intriguing.

"Your Majesty is trying to favor He Shikai."

"Why?"

Gao Xiaoyu frowned, puzzled.

Gao Rui said coldly: "Why else? Obviously, this withholding of food and fodder is not just the idea of ​​He Shikai alone."

"The border soldiers are fighting bloody battles on the front line?! They have repelled Yang Zhong several times, but instead of rewarding them, they are also withholding their food and fodder?!"

Gao Xiaoyu looked at Lou Rui and asked loudly: "Sikong! Does the Queen Mother know about this?"

Lou Rui, who had just led his troops back to the court, did not speak but frowned.

Those important ministers who were not very respectable felt that this was a bit too much at this moment. Even Heba Ren, who had fought in wars after all, knew too well what it felt like to fight on the front lines while his own food and fodder were withheld in the rear.

In the end, everyone's eyes were focused on Gao Yun, who was sitting in the front seat.

Gao Yin had a stern face, clenched his fists, said nothing, and his whole body was trembling slightly.

Ever since Gao Yan left Yecheng and went to Shuozhou, Gao Yun has become much quieter. He just focused on his work and did not get involved in some disputes in the court. Even when Gao Zhan wanted to send Gao Anagong to fight, Gao Yun chose to remain silent.

This was not because he was timid, but because of Gao Yan's persuasion.

Gao Yan would send letters every once in a while, advising Gao Yu not to get involved in anything when he was not around, especially in front of outsiders, and never to contradict the emperor.

Do this not only for yourself, but also for the country.

Gao Yu could only remain silent again and again.

But this time, he obviously couldn't help himself.

Generals and soldiers loyal to the Great Qi fought on the front lines, suffering countless casualties.

However, the treacherous villain, while eating, drinking and having fun in Yecheng, did not forget to interfere and kill his own loyal officials.

Gao Yu stood up slowly.

All the ministers looked at him. His status, political achievements and reputation made Gao Yun the rightful leader of the ministers.

"The soldiers on the front line are fighting bravely. We must not let them lose heart."

"Xiao Yu, you will lead the troops to guard the city gates immediately, call Liu Shagui, and have him ask Lu Jun to draw the appearance of the spies, post a notice throughout the city, and search with all your strength."

"only!!"

"Prince Zhao, send someone to collect the many crimes of He Shikai and his subordinates, and prepare to submit a formal impeachment letter."

"only."

"Run, go arrest the Fifth Army Minister Cui Ang, interrogate him about the details, and make a list of the officials involved in this incident along the way."

"only!!"

Gao Yu gave several orders, and finally he looked at Lou Rui, "Sikong, please follow me to pay respect to the Queen Mother."

Lou Rui's brows trembled, and he slowly lowered his head, "Yes."

Your Majesty can certainly end the court meeting by force, protect He Shikai rudely, and ignore the opinions of the ministers.

But there is a price to pay for doing so.

Sitting on the throne does not allow you to do whatever you want, nor does being an emperor allow you to completely ignore your ministers.

Especially since this emperor had just ascended the throne and had no achievements or reputation.

The emperor's actions undermined his own prestige and broke the rules. If the emperor did not abide by the rules, then these ministers would naturally follow suit. Moreover, they had no shortage of leaders.

Everyone left, and Gao Yun walked on the road with Lou Rui. The two of them didn't say a word to each other.

The Queen Mother was not in good health at the moment and did not meet outsiders easily.

However, Lou Rui and Gao Yin are obviously not outsiders.

When the two men walked into the hall, they were stopped by soldiers. After Lou Rui stepped forward, the soldiers dared not stop them anymore. However, someone secretly ran out to report. Gao Yun did not care, and the two men walked all the way into the innermost room.

The hall was filled with the smell of medicine.

Several female officials helped Empress Dowager Lou to stand up. In just one year, Empress Dowager Lou had completely changed.

He no longer had the heroic spirit of the past. He looked old and weak, with cloudy eyes and a gleam of tears in them.

The sons left one after another, and even her own grandson was not saved. The old lady suffered a huge blow. After Gao Yan passed away, she fell ill and could not get up. Although she did not say anything, she often cried silently and fumbled with the toys of her sons when they were young.

"Meet the mother!"

Gao Yin changed his words and stopped addressing her as Empress Dowager. He bowed to Empress Dowager Lou to pay her respects.

Empress Dowager Lou shuddered, "Get up."

Empress Dowager Lou didn't like Gao Yin very much in the past, not because he was not good enough, but because of his mother.

Gao Yin’s mother was Erzhu Ying’e. Yes, Gao Yin’s grandfather was the famous ruthless man, Erzhu Rong.

Erzhu Ying'e was extremely favored when Gao Huan was alive, and her treatment even surpassed that of Lou Zhaojun at one point. Although Lou Zhaojun did not say it explicitly, she did not like her very much either.

It was not until the tenth year of Tianbao that Gao Yang went mad after drinking and forced himself on Erzhu Ying'e. Erzhu Ying'e refused, so Gao Yang killed her.

After this incident, Empress Dowager Lou felt somewhat guilty towards Gao Yun. She persuaded Gao Yang to reinstate Gao Yun to his original post. After Gao Yang's death, she promoted him again and let him lead the government.

"Mother, you are ill. Logically, I shouldn't bother you with state affairs." "But, Da Qi is almost destroyed now, I dare not not come."

"I am not here in my official capacity as Grand Tutor and Recorder of the Secretariat, nor am I here in my title as King of Pengcheng. I am here in the name of a son of man to report an important matter."

Lou Zhaojun was a little surprised and didn't quite understand what Gao Yun meant.

Gao Yu said: "Mother, the emperor is guilty."

"what?"

Lou Rui was shocked at this moment. He looked at Gao Yu in astonishment. Gao Yu said again: "And a minister cannot criticize Your Majesty, so I come here to report that my brother is guilty."

"What crime did your brother commit?!"

"My elder brother trusted He Shikai and forced out the wise officials in the court, driving them to remote states, and promoted the incompetent people who defected to He Shikai. The court and the country are in chaos, and there are few wise people."

"He also believed in He Shikai's instigation, dismissed Huluxian, ignored Huluguang, and replaced them with people like Gao Anagong!!"

"He believed in slander and forced Gao Guiyan to rebel. It was the spring plowing season, but Jizhou had no harvest!"

"He also wanted to murder the loyal general Liu Taozi. He captured many garrisons, appeased the border soldiers, sent people to repel the Turks many times, and evenly distributed the land and opened up the Shuoheng. His contributions were huge! At this moment, Yang Zhong led his troops to attack. With his weak force, he was fighting with more than ten famous generals including Yang Zhong, fighting to the death! He repelled more than ten attacks by the Zhou people, leaving them with almost no gains."

"But even so, my brother actually sent He Shikai to withhold the money and food supplies shipped to the border. He wanted the border soldiers to go hungry, empty-handed, and fight the Zhou people on foot!"

"In order to kill Liu Taozi, he did not hesitate to allow his subordinates to collude with the Zhou people!"

"How shocking! The ruler of a country colluded with the enemy to kill his own general!!"

"I have been tolerant again and again, hoping that my brother would soon realize his faults, but now, I really can't be tolerant anymore. If Liu Taozi is defeated, who can stop him at the border?"

"Yang Zhong's army will immediately seize Beishuo and Beiheng, and even our homeland will be lost!"

"The border defenses were broken, and Yang Zhong's army was able to march all the way to Jinyang without any hindrance. When Gao Guiyan was in power, he sent people to replace the guards along the way, but He Shikai used the excuse that these people were Gao Guiyan's confidants and sent his own people to replace them. None of the people he sent were useful!!"

"In addition to this, he openly raped Empress Wenxuan, spent his days drinking and having fun, wasting money without restraint, and had no regard for human ethics!!"

The more Lou Zhaojun listened, the more shocked she became. When Gao Yin finished speaking, Empress Dowager Lou's face had turned pale. She really couldn't reconcile the person Gao Yin had just described with her well-behaved, sunny, cheerful and gentle son.

After Lou Zhaojun became seriously ill, she stayed in the palace and never went out. She had little knowledge of what was happening outside.

She slowly looked at Lou Rui, "Is it true?"

Lou Rui didn't say anything, but bowed his head towards her and said, "Aunt."

Lou Zhaojun's face was filled with despair, and Lou Rui's appearance had already proved Gao Yun's words.

The next moment, she started crying, "Why are you telling me this?"

"What else can I do?"

Gao Yu hurriedly said, "Queen Dowager, I want to kill the traitor He Shikai and make Your Majesty return to the right path. Please come forward and issue an edict to refute the emperor and temporarily let him return to government affairs. First, protect the loyal and good, kill the villain, repel the foreign enemies, and pacify the country!"

When Lou Zhaojun heard this, she quickly wiped away her tears. She looked at Gao Yin suspiciously, examining him up and down.

Lou Rui still didn't speak.

But he knew in his heart that Gao Yun would never succeed.

My aunt is a very suspicious person, and she protects her own people very much. This statement will only make her think that Gao Yun is relying on his power to play the same game as the Prime Minister.

You shouldn't say that, even if it's the truth.

Looking at Lou Zhaojun's suspicious eyes, Gao Yin's lips trembled.

"Queen Mother."

"What I said was true."

"I swear to heaven."

"I understand. You go back first. Rui, go and call His Majesty over."

"Your Majesty!! I know I was wrong!!"

"But I really didn't lie. I have been with you for so many years. How could I be a thief?"

"Go to my mansion right now. If you can find any evidence, I won't even need you to do anything. I will just commit suicide!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent!"

He Shikai knelt beside Gao Zhan and cried bitterly.

Gao Zhan stared at him. "Let me ask you, how did you know that Heba Cheng was colluding with Lu Qubing? How did you know?!"

"That day when I went to see Cui Ang, I found that Heba Cheng's behavior was strange. I thought that he had worked with Liu Taozi, so I sent someone to invite him over. As a result, he ran away. I thought he didn't dare to run directly to Shuozhou, and Cheng'an was Liu Taozi's hometown, so he might have run there. So I sent people to Cheng'an to inquire, and sure enough, I found that he had run to Cheng'an. That's why I asked you to send someone to capture Lu Qubing!"

"That's the way it is. I don't know anything about spies or Zhou people!"

"Your Majesty, I have followed you for so many years, have I ever told a lie?!"

Gao Zhan spoke again: "Shi Kai, you have to tell the truth. If this is related to the Zhou people, it will be different. I want to kill Liu Taozi, but I can't get involved with the Zhou people. What good intentions can they have? If I fall into their trap, I will be caught by the Zhou people in one fell swoop!"

He Shikai quickly raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I swear to heaven that I have never lied. If I lie, let me die with arrows through my heart! I will die without a burial place!"

Gao Zhan's expression eased a little, and he nodded, "I believe you. If there are no Zhou people here, then it will be easy to deal with."

"You are going to be my Zhang Liang and my Zhuge Liang in the future, but you must not panic and get involved in these dirty things."

"Wei Xiaokuan is a vicious person. He is ten thousand times more hateful than Liu Taozi. Besides, I asked you to take away 30% of the food and grass. How can you take all of it?"

"I know that Liu Taozi has humiliated Your Majesty and is eager for revenge, so he did this. Please punish him, Your Majesty!"

"If you are short of money, I will tell you not to overdo it."

"We need to keep Liu Taozi in a state of being on the verge of starvation but not dying, and let him fight with Yang Zhong a few more times. If necessary, we can increase his reward and use false reputation to keep him hanging so that he will fight even harder."

Gao Zhan's eyes rolled around and he began to teach He Shikai attentively. He Shikai also made an expression of sudden enlightenment and quickly agreed.

"I see! I will teach you a lesson! What I did was indeed inappropriate!"

Gao Zhan talked and laughed for a few words, then suddenly frowned again, "If you haven't done these things, then this matter is a conspiracy of the ministers."

"Since I ascended the throne, these ministers have changed."

"Gao Rui used to be very close to me, but now he always says things that are outrageous. Gao Xiaoyu grew up with me, but he always speaks up for Liu Taozi, refutes me, and says that I employ the wrong people!"

"And Gao Guiyan, Gao Yu, Gao Yan, Duan Shao, Lou Rui, Huluguang. All of them have changed."

Gao Zhan looked at He Shikai who was standing aside and grabbed his hand, "Don't do this!"

He Shikai shed tears and said, "I will never do that. I will serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly."

Gao Zhan sighed, "My ministers will surely rebel this time. Although I am the emperor, if these villains collude with each other, it will be difficult for me to deal with them. What do you think I should do?"

He Shikai said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the Zhou army is coming aggressively. Your Majesty should lead the troops to Jinyang, command the army and repel the enemy. How can you stay in Yecheng? It is better to let Gao Yu, Gao Rui, Gao Xiaoyu and others stay in Yecheng and let them continue to do their work while we go to Jinyang to fight the enemy."

"Once we reach Jinyang, away from these traitors, Your Majesty will be able to show your abilities. You can take the opportunity to temporarily transfer the generals who oppose you, use our people as generals, and take the opportunity to take all the soldiers in the world into your pocket. With a large army, what trouble can these ministers cause?"

Gao Zhan frowned and stroked his beard gently, "Jinyang is too close to Liu Taozi."

"Gao Anagong will definitely not be able to stop Liu Taozi."

"Your Majesty, Yi Di Huiluo was humiliated by Liu Taozi and is still in Yecheng. He is a famous general of the time, not inferior to Hulugu, Lou Rui and others. You can let him go to Sixian and keep an eye on Shuozhou. You can leave the state affairs to the ministers and have fun in Jinyang. You can also take the opportunity to control the army."

Yecheng, the capital of Yedi.

The young man pushed the door open hurriedly, his face full of panic. He pushed the door open and rushed into the house.

"Father!"

"His Majesty sent someone to issue an edict, saying that you are to lead the troops to the border!!"

Lying on the sickbed, Yi Di Huiluo slowly opened his eyes. His hair was messy, his lips were pale, his whole body was trembling, and he could hardly get up.

Hearing this, he was stunned for a long time.

"What mistake did I make?"

"Why did your majesty want to kill me?"

(End of this chapter)