Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 155: Jade Ruyi, Shattered in Wuji
The Rong tribe broke through the pass in the afternoon, and now one night has passed, not even twelve hours have passed, so the news has not yet reached the capital.

The morning bell rang, and countless civil and military officials walked across the white stone tiles in front of the Taiji Hall against the rustling snow and entered the hall to attend court.

Now, more than a month has passed since the death of Emperor Jingzheng. The Rong tribe is blocking the pass, the crown prince is in a coma, but the court has yet to decide on a new successor.

In fact, if they really wanted to choose an emperor, they could just pull out the eldest grandson of the emperor and hold the coronation ceremony. Although the eldest grandson's father, the prince, was not dead yet, he was just poisoned and in a coma. It was not in accordance with etiquette for him to ascend the throne at this moment, but it was not a big deal as the situation forced him to do so.

But the court is not the domain of one family or one surname. Whoever becomes emperor is related to countless interest groups. Everyone wants the master behind them to succeed to the throne so that they can seek benefits. That is why the dispute has lasted for so long.

This is also because there are only external threats and no internal worries, so the situation in the world is not too serious... After all, the Rong people come to raid every year, but they have never made a name for themselves.

Not only were none of the three major outer passes breached, the Jingguan was well garrisoned, and even the border passes became a place for many young scion of military families to gild their reputations.

In the court, the Young Emperor faction and the Female Emperor faction were arguing with each other. Every morning they would go to the Taiji Hall to have a fight. Originally there were factions of vassal kings such as the Jin Wang faction, the Yan Wang faction, and the Shu Wang faction, but it was obvious that the Young Emperor and the Female Emperor were evenly matched in size, and the other parties could only be regarded as extras and cannon fodder.

Three of the six ministries supported the young emperor. The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Works, and the Detective Department supported Luo Chaoyan, while the Ministry of War and the three officials remained neutral and never expressed their views.

Inside the Taiji Hall, the big hole caused by Zhao Wumian had been repaired overnight, and the bloody path in front of the hall had been cleaned up. No one could see any trace of a fight having taken place here.

Mei Lijun, a doctor from the Ministry of Works, had a blank expression on his face as he followed the large group into the hall.

The Langzhong of the Ministry of Works was a fifth-rank official, with the Shangshu and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works above him. So although he was also considered an important official in the imperial court, his weight was obviously not enough, and he had no part in most of the quarrels in the past.

He just had to wait for the prime minister to finish discussing all the affairs of the world with the officials in the court, and then the officials would start discussing the throne. He stood in the crowd in a daze, either thinking about which city gate had not been repaired, how much money it would cost, and whether he could get funds from the Ministry of Revenue, or whether he could get some surplus project funds to buy more treasures for his son Mei Chongyang.

Mei Lijun is the head of the Gusu Mei family. The Mei family is one of the founding heroes... However, this heroism is a bit watered-down. He surrendered only one year before Emperor Taizu Gao founded the country. He was considered a fence-sitter. However, the head of the Mei family at that time was capable, loyal, and wealthy, and he still got the position of Minister of Works.

After Emperor Jingzheng succeeded in his campaign of suppressing the rebellion, the court naturally needed a new round of bloodshed. The old head of the Mei family knew how to deal with the current situation, so he retired and returned to his hometown. He passed away last year.

Relying on the Mei family's former connections in the court, Mei Lijun started from the bottom and worked his way up, spending fifteen years climbing up to the position of Langzhong of the Ministry of Works. Now he is only forty-three years old, and can be said to have a bright future.

However, Mei Lijun felt that he had no special ability. All the resources were earned by the old master Mei, and he was just reaping the benefits. In the past, what made him most proud was his son, and he would brag about him to everyone he met.

Mei Chongyang was very young, and he became the champion at the age of 18. I once heard that Chief Constable Su, one of the champions of martial arts, said that with Mei Chongyang's talent, it was not impossible for him to build a bridge between heaven and earth at the age of 40.

Maybe this was just a courtesy, but his son had fought his way to the top of the league...so the credibility was at least 30% out of 100, right?
Mei Lijun did not know martial arts. He had been reading poetry and books since childhood in order to become a civil official. Therefore, he did not really understand how big the gap was between the top scorer and the top scorer in martial arts.

But his son has been practicing martial arts since he was young, and he has always been obsessed with the plaque of the martial arts champion... He doesn't understand, but he respects his son's dream.

Therefore, he always spent thousands of taels of silver to go to the streets to buy some so-called magical secrets and rare treasures for Mei Chongyang to use. Although most of the time Mei Chongyang said that he was cheated, and then he would angrily go to the liar who had disappeared to seek justice.

At this moment, the high-ranking officials in the court, headed by the five ministers, began to spit again.

The Minister of Rites said that the emperor's eldest grandson's succession to the throne was in compliance with the law and no one could find any fault with it.

The Minister of Works said that the eldest grandson of the emperor was too young to be in charge of the overall situation, but the legitimate princess had an army of 100,000 and two top military masters behind her, and she herself was mature in mind. She only needed to gain two years of experience on the throne before she would be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

This had been said eight hundred times, and Mei Lijun's ears were almost callused from hearing it, so he closed his eyes, rested, and waited for the court to end.

At this time, someone in the crowd whispered to him, "Doctor Mei, have you found any good treasures recently?"

Mei Lijun opened one eye and looked. The man was the head of the Xiliang Tian family, the Minister of War, Tian Songqing...also one of the top scorers, the father of Tian Wenjing.

Both of them had sons who were the top officials in the country. Because of this relationship, they had a pretty good personal relationship with each other and often boasted privately about how awesome their sons were and how great their martial arts skills were.

But usually it was the Assistant Minister of War Tian Songqing who would listen quietly on the side... After all, as an important member of the Ministry of War, he had fought his way through the battlefield, unlike Mei Lijun who knew nothing about martial arts and just boasted. But this was also one of Tian Songqing's pleasures.

Mei Lijun asked: "Minister Tian, ​​do you still have the time to chat with me?"

"Oh, the Minister's mind is full of expelling the Rong people, but he doesn't want to get involved in this mess. It makes us, the subordinates, study 'silent meditation' every time at this time..." Minister Tian saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he cupped his hands and whispered, "I heard that your son went to the border of Jin to resist the Rong people?"

Mei Lijun closed his eyes again, but a smile remained on his old face, and he uttered a "hmm" with an upward tone, looking smug.

"Hey, my nephew Chongyang is a man of courage. He is much braver than my rebellious son. Wen Jing has learned a lot of martial arts, but he goes to brothels every day." Minister Tian sighed lightly.

Mei Lijun chuckled and didn't respond. Instead, he quietly pulled out a jade ruyi from his sleeve, opened one eye, and raised an eyebrow. "This is a treasure I asked a master for on my way to court today. According to him, this jade ruyi can nourish your internal energy and make your internal energy pure and incomparable as long as you carry it close to your body. If you use it to fight against the enemy, it will be even more useful."

Minister Tian wanted to laugh, but he suppressed his laughter. "Oh? This is so amazing? How much did it cost you?"

"It's not expensive, just eight hundred taels of silver." Mei Lijun laughed, "You know what, I've only worn it for a short while and I already feel much better..."

"Really? That's great." It was becoming increasingly difficult for Minister Tian to hold back his laughter.

Mei Lijun is definitely not stupid since he can sit in this position, but he is still often deceived. Why?

Minister Tian felt that this was how Mei Lijun and his son got along…all fathers and sons in the world are different.

Just as the two were chatting and slacking off, the court fell completely silent following the words of the Minister of Justice.

"At this moment, an army of one hundred thousand has arrived in Langfa, which is only ninety miles away from the capital. Even if the legitimate princess ascends the throne, what's the harm? Do you want to dye the red official robes on your body with the blood of the capital's defenders again? "The Minister of Justice was not sure if he was provoked or something, but at this moment his face flushed, veins bulged on his forehead, and he said angrily.

After these words were spoken, no one responded.

Even the ministers of the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Personnel who supported the emperor's eldest grandson were speechless.

There is a huge problem with what the Minister of Justice said... Whether Luo Chaoyan can sit on that position cannot rely on an army of 100,000 openly... because this means that if Luo Chaoyan cannot succeed to the throne, he will have to lead his troops to attack the capital, which is undoubtedly an act of treason and cannot be justified in terms of etiquette and law.

But etiquette is etiquette, and reality is reality... The reality is that a hundred thousand troops are currently at the gate of the capital, and anyone who dares to raise any objections will be able to be attacked on the spot.

The central government has a total of 100,000 troops, all scattered at various passes in the Central Plains, and the capital has 30,000 garrisons... If they really want to defend the city, it is not impossible, after all, they can still "serve the king", right?
But Luo Chaoyan actually has the legal right of inheritance. There are many outstanding empresses in history. The only problem is that if she becomes emperor, then whether her future children will still be considered princes of the Luo family.

But with an army of 100,000 already here, this sort of thing is naturally just a minor problem.

Several members of the 'Young Emperor Faction' had uncertain expressions. These days they had been trying to stop the 100,000-strong army. Otherwise, the army would have reached Langfa ten days ago.

But who among the officials who could get to their level was not an old fox? The Young Emperor faction would block it, but the Female Emperor faction would not use tricks?

After much tossing and turning, a month later, the 100,000-strong army finally arrived in Langfa.

Ever since the Prime Minister had finished dealing with daily government affairs, he has been standing in the first seat, with an indifferent expression, not uttering a word, and showing no signs of sadness or joy.

It was not until the Minister of Justice said this and everyone was silent that he raised his eyes and glanced at the officials in the court who had different expressions. He said calmly: "The dispute over the foundation of the country must not harm the people. In addition, the Rong tribe is blocking the pass now. Do we have to fight among ourselves and harm the lives of the soldiers for nothing?"

This is indeed a nice thing to say, and anyone can say it, but at this moment, it means that the prime minister has already taken sides.

What this means is that we must never allow this 100,000-strong army to attack the capital. If Luo Chaoyan wants to succeed to the throne, then let her do so. The most important thing is to ensure peace and prosperity for the country and expel the barbarians.

The prime minister's surname is Shen. He is the head of the Shen family and the father of Shen Xiangge. Before Zhao Wumian came to the capital, he was under the greatest pressure. People in the court and among the people all thought that he should support the young emperor so that they could control the government.

For this reason, Prime Minister Shen was very cautious all day long, fearing that he might say a wrong word, and he dared not express his opinion on the matter...and ever since the incident with Zhao Wumian, his suspicion towards him and the Shen family has decreased.

Therefore, Zhao Wumian was considered to have done a favor to the Shen family, but in politics, favors were not very important. He stood on the side of the "Empress Faction" only because of the issue of the country's foundation. The situation was already very clear... Luo Chaoyan won.

If the Prince of Jin had not captured her before his 100,000-strong army arrived in Langfa, he would have been completely defeated in the fight for the throne.

And the Young Emperor's faction...if they dare to allow the Emperor's eldest grandson to ascend the throne, then those 100,000 troops will dare to attack the capital.

Therefore, Prime Minister Shen's words were also to tell those "young emperor faction" to stop making trouble, as the overall situation has been decided.

The prime minister had already spoken, and someone in the court immediately agreed, "Yes, we should focus on expelling the Rong people. After arguing over the country's foundation for a month, it's time to have an answer."

"Yeah yeah."

The court began to quarrel again, but most people supported Luo Chaoyan's ascension to the throne.

But at this moment, a man came hurriedly from outside the Taiji Hall, shouting: "Eight hundred miles to hurry! Military intelligence at the border!! The Piantou Pass has been breached!!!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent. Even Minister Tian and Mei Lijun, who were chatting in the corner, looked shocked and incredulous.

You could hear a pin drop in the court until the guard who brought the news rushed into the hall. He fell down because he was in such a hurry, and then he crawled to the center of the hall, kneeling on both knees, holding a battle report tightly in his hands, and shouting: "The King of Jin colluded with the Rong tribe, which led to the breach of Piantou Pass. The Rong tribe entered the pass in large numbers, slaughtered the city and killed the generals. Twenty thousand border soldiers, now more than ten thousand, have all died for their country!"

As soon as the words fell, one could hear a pin drop in the court. Even Prime Minister Shen, who had seen many storms, looked stunned.

Until the Minister of War suddenly rushed in front of the messenger guard, his eyes red and his face ferocious, he grabbed the messenger guard by the collar and shouted: "Piantou Pass has blocked the Rong tribe for more than 50 years, how could it be broken!?"

"Jin, the King of Jin colluded with Rong..."

"I know!!!" The Minister of War grabbed the guard and shouted:

"Colluding with the Rong tribe? Why did the King of Jin do that? Because he couldn't be the emperor? Because he was afraid of being liquidated because his ambition was exposed? He is a vassal king at the border, in charge of an army of 200,000! Why is he afraid of being liquidated? Even if the legitimate princess takes the throne, as long as he doesn't rebel, he will dare to use a soft strategy!!!"

After this was said, everyone fell silent. The Minister of War felt that as long as Prince Jin behaved himself after Luo Chaoyan ascended the throne, everything would be fine. But Prince Jin might not think so... You are you and he is him, and you two have different positions, so you are destined to not be able to empathize with each other.

Therefore, the Minister of War's words only proved that he had lost his composure at the moment and did not even understand this truth.

Prime Minister Shen was the first to regain his composure. He raised his hand slightly and said, "I don't know the details. No one knows why the King of Jin would collude with the Rong people... But if he colluded with the Rong people, then we might as well not stop and give up Ningwu and Yanmen together... Have those two passes been broken now?"

The messenger's face flushed with fear. Upon hearing this, he replied, "Yanmen Pass and Ningwu Pass are guarded by General Dong Yulou and General Jiang Ronggao respectively. There has been no news of them being breached..."

The Minister of War let go of the messenger guard and glared, "Jiang Ronggao was sent out by me! If he dares to collude with the Rong people, I will chop off his three legs!"

Of the three major passes in Jin, two are manned by the Dong brothers, and Ningwu Pass is manned by people sent by the court... After all, it is obviously inappropriate to give full authority over the border to a vassal king, and it is impossible for the court not to send people to interfere.

But no one would lie about military intelligence, so the court immediately became noisy.

Compared with the Rong people's invasion of the pass, matters concerning the country's foundation are nothing.

The Piantou Pass, which had guarded the Dali border for more than fifty years, was actually breached. This was the first time that the Rong tribe had entered the pass in the Jiazi period, and the ministers present were inevitably panicked.

"If Dong Yulou also surrenders to the Rong people, Yanmen will be breached, leaving only Ningwu. The three major passes in Jin will be breached, and the Rong people can march straight into the Central Plains!"

"There is also Shanhaiguan in the Central Plains, which is guarded by 50,000 central troops. It is the most important pass in the Central Plains. It will take time for the Rong people to encroach on the Jin territory. It is impossible for them to break into Shanhaiguan so quickly."

"That may not be the case! Don't the Rong people understand the principle of making a concerted effort? If we break through the pass now, they will definitely gather a large army, at least more than 100,000 people. How long can they hold out at Shanhaiguan alone?"

"Then mobilize the troops! The Northern Cloud Cavalry of the King of Yan! The Black Tiger Army of the King of Shu! And the Southwestern Army and the Southeastern Army, quickly arrange for food and fodder, and mobilize the troops to Jin to defend our Dali River and Mountains!"

"Which unit is closest to Jin right now!?"

"The central army cannot be withdrawn, so we can only have... 100,000 Chu troops."

The discussion among the ministers was heated, but it was obviously not that easy to come up with a charter.

In the final analysis, it is just about having one less person in charge... one less emperor who can call the shots and make decisions.

Even Prime Minister Shen now had a frown on his face, as he couldn't understand why the Prince of Jin wanted to collude with the Rong people.

At this moment, a shrill voice that came from inner energy suppressed the noise of everyone's quarrel.

"The prince has arrived——"

The court fell silent again, and everyone looked over in disbelief at the sound.

Luo Shuzhi was wearing a four-clawed dragon robe, his face was pale, and he had his hands behind his back. He walked towards the side hall at a moderate pace. His long boots stepped on the floor tiles, making a light "pa pa" sound that echoed in the court where you could hear a pin drop.

Luo Shuzhi's steps were very calm, and his face was calm and composed, as if with his arrival, they had found a backbone.

Only from his occasional coughing and extremely pale face could one tell that he was still ill.

Chief Constable Su was a third-rank official, standing in the front row of the hall. Seeing this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his hands behind his waist with his fingers hooked.

Then he saw Eunuch Lin holding a Buddhist whisk, following behind Luo Shuzhi, looking at Chief Constable Su out of the corner of his eye.

Chief Constable Su's face remained calm. After a moment, he reluctantly relaxed, with his hands hanging respectfully at his sides.

Luo Shuzhi walked to the dragon throne, turned around and looked at the ministers in the court. He glanced at the expressions on their faces, all of them were filled with surprise and disbelief.

He smiled gently, "I haven't succeeded to the throne yet, so I won't sit on this throne. If there is something going on in the court, I will just stand and discuss it with you. I can't disrupt the royal etiquette in my generation."

As soon as Luo Shuzhi said this, the ministers in the court came to their senses and bowed, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—"

Prime Minister Shen walked quickly to Luo Shuzhi and bowed to him.

Luo Shuzhi raised his hand slightly, "No need to be so polite. During the time I was unconscious, it was the Prime Minister who carried Dali on his shoulders, so there was no trouble."

"Now that the Rong tribe has broken through the pass, I can't really say that I am 'carrying the Great Li on my shoulders'..." Prime Minister Shen simply said politely, then turned around and asked: "The prince is ill and should be unconscious. Now what is..."

Luo Shuzhi sighed lightly and raised his hand slightly, "Press forward."

Then I saw two people being tied up by the Golden Gourd Warriors and forced into the Tai Chi Hall. They were covered with wounds and breathing weakly. As soon as they were forced in, they lay on the ground. It was estimated that they had been tortured so severely that they didn't even have the strength to speak.

One of them was Luo Changshou, the prince of Jin.

Everyone present recognized the Prince of Jin, and when they saw him being escorted in, their faces changed slightly. Luo Shuzhi sighed again and said, "When I was unconscious, it was the chief eunuch Lin who searched everywhere and finally found the person who poisoned me. The person behind it was my cousin Luo Changshou. I was tortured severely and got the antidote from him to save my life. Otherwise, I would have died in a coma."

"This..." All the ministers in the court looked puzzled.

Luo Changshou ordered others to poison the prince? Is this true? He had the guts to do this, and he even had the antidote...

Seeing this scene, Luo Shuzhi secretly said in his heart, Zhao Wumian, Zhao Wumian, if it weren't for you, I would have obtained the pearl relic pagoda at this moment, how could there be such a flaw?

Prime Minister Shen pondered for a while and analyzed: "The Crown Prince used a slow poison but refused to use a strong medicine. He wanted the Crown Prince to live but be unable to compete for the throne. Only in this way can the Prince of Jin have a chance to seize the throne. Otherwise, once the Crown Prince is in trouble, there will be no etiquette to control him. We should support the eldest grandson of the Emperor to take the throne... But now, the Prince of Jin has failed to seize the throne, so he colluded with the Rong people, intending to use the Rong people to quell the rebellion?"

Prime Minister Shen's words perfectly fit in with Luo Shuzhi's plan.

Did he realize that all this was done by Luo Shuzhi, and seeing Luo Shuzhi appear and the situation leaning towards the prince, he quietly took sides, or did he really think so?

No matter what the answer was, Luo Shuzhi looked up to Prime Minister Shen in his heart, but the play had to go on.

He looked surprised. "Just now in the side hall, I heard you all arguing endlessly. I only heard that the Rong people broke through the pass, but I never thought that the King of Jin colluded with the Rong people!?"

When these words were spoken, all the ministers became indignant.

"Not bad! Otherwise, how could Piantou Pass be breached so suddenly after resisting the Rong tribe for sixty years?!"

"Add to that the fact that Luo Changshou poisoned the prince, and then it all connects, and that makes sense!"

"You are such a good King of Jin, you actually collaborated with the enemy and betrayed your country just for the throne! If Emperor Taizu knew about this, he would be furious!"

"The late emperor was kind and benevolent. He never reduced the power of the feudal lords even though he had an army of 200,000. Instead, he always treated him with courtesy and sincerity. Now, a month after the late emperor's death, he is so cruel and heartless!"

"He even instructed the Prince of Jin to poison the Crown Prince and harm my cousin! Bah!"

Luo Changshou had already been silenced and could not utter a word. He collapsed powerlessly in the hall, listening to everyone's abuse, humiliation and slander against him and his father.

He wanted to speak, but couldn't even utter a choked "wuwu".

Luo Changshou, a seven-foot-tall man, shed tears.

No, I didn't poison, and my father didn't collude with the Rong people. The soldiers at Piantou Pass were not killed by my father. You are all wrong. You have wronged us father and son... I just want to know who killed my mother's family. I just want to avenge my mother. I just don't want my mother to die in vain.

Luo Changshou couldn't say any of these words.

He could only stare at Luo Shuzhi who was standing in front of the dragon throne.

Luo Shuzhi coughed a few times, but did not even look at Luo Changshou. He just said sadly: "Is the throne so important? It can make uncles and nephews kill each other and brothers turn against each other. If the King of Jin really wants this position, I will give it to him. Why should the people and soldiers of Piantou Pass die in vain?"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the court comforted the prince and cursed the King of Jin.

Most of them felt that the prince was the victim and deserved comfort.

Only a very small number of people felt that this matter was too much of a coincidence, and that it might be a trap set by the prince long ago... But without evidence, what's the use of speculation?
And even if there is evidence, what can we do?

The prince is still alive at this moment, and according to the law, he is the first heir.

As long as he is alive, he is the only one who can sit on the throne of Emperor Dali.

On the premise that the prince is still alive, if the Chu navy dares to attack the city, then needless to say, we should summon military forces from all over the country to defend the king, first destroy the Chu navy and Xu Ran, resolve internal troubles, and then dispatch troops to expel the Rong people and eliminate external threats.

So Prime Minister Shen took the initiative to smooth things over for the prince, and at this moment, no official in the court raised any questions.

The truth is not important to them.

The most important thing is to keep your official position.

After pretending to sympathize with each other, the crown prince raised his hand and said, "My affairs are not important. The safety of the people in Jin is the most important... Now that the Rong people have broken through Piantou Pass, Ningwu and Yanmen will not be able to hold out for long. We must dispatch troops as soon as possible to support the soldiers in Jin... At present, whose troops are closest to Jin?"

The Minister of War replied: "The central army cannot be withdrawn. Only the 100,000 Chu troops under Commander Xu Ran are the closest to Jin. If they march quickly and cover 80 kilometers a day, they can reach Jin within half a month."

Luo Shuzhi wanted to laugh in his heart, but he still frowned, "Hurry up... Will we still be able to fight when we get to Jin?"

The Minister of War pondered for a while, "General Xu's Chu army is the elite of the elite. As long as the food and grass are sufficient, and we can defend the city with natural defenses, the impact on the combat effectiveness will not be too great."

"Where is Governor Xu?" Luo Shuzhi asked knowingly.

This question stumped the ministers in the court. Where was Xu Ran? He was protecting Luo Chaoyan in Jin. Why did he protect Luo Chaoyan? Because Luo Chaoyang wanted to be the emperor.

This was not appropriate to say to the Crown Prince, so the Minister of War said, "Also in Jin... Commander Xu is a martial arts master, and he can easily defeat a thousand people. He is not someone who does not understand the national justice. With him around, he will definitely be able to delay the Rong people for a while. When the Chu army arrives in Jin, he will be in full command to drive out the Rong people."

Luo Shuzhi hesitated for a moment, then gave the order, "Order the navy of Chu to enter Jin to resist the enemy!"

"Yes!"

All the officials in the court bowed their heads and accepted the order.

Luo Shuzhi looked at them with a calm expression.

Except for Zhao Wumian, his plans are currently progressing very smoothly, which is worth the time he has spent planning.

Although it was somewhat different from the original plan, fortunately, the Chu navy must have suffered a lot of losses after being consumed by the Rong people.

Xu Ran, Chief Constable Su, and these 100,000 naval forces can only be dealt with slowly and gradually after he ascends the throne.

Originally, he had not planned to show up so hastily, but the 100,000 Chu troops had already arrived, and if he did not show up, the throne would really be taken by Luo Chaoyan.

Unfortunately, if it weren’t for Zhao Wumian, who captured Luo Chaoyan, how could these 100,000 Chu troops get close to the capital?
Alas, it was still too hasty. The plan was very detailed, but nothing in the world is perfect.

If he fails to capture Luo Chaoyan, his plan will only be two-thirds successful... That is, he will reduce the power of the feudal lords and then use the troops of King Jin to encircle and suppress Wudamu. As for the prestige and reputation brought by saving the situation at this critical moment, it seems not worth mentioning.

If Wudamu is killed, everyone will be happy, there will be no general who can fight against him on the grassland, and the rest will be nothing but chickens and dogs.

If tens of thousands of troops plus the spear leader failed to kill Wudamu, that would not be a bad thing. At least Luo Shuzhi knew how terrifying Wudamu's true strength was, and he could then think of a plan to kill him in the future.

Failure is not scary, the most important thing is to learn lessons from it.

I was too hasty this time, mainly because I didn't expect that my father would pass away this year. Sigh...

Luo Shuzhi thought in his heart, and looked at the Minister of Rites, pretending to be ashamed to speak, and slowly said: "Now that the Rong tribe has entered the pass, we should wait until the danger of the Rong tribe is resolved before discussing this matter. This makes me seem too eager to seek the throne, but the country cannot be without a king for a day. I wonder what your opinion is, Minister?"

The Minister of Rites was slightly stunned, then bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, you are too polite. Now that the Rong people have entered the pass, we should quickly establish a new monarch... Why not hold the coronation ceremony after the end of the year? It will be a new year and full of vitality. I will discuss the reign title with my colleagues in the Ministry of Rites later."

"Thank you, Minister." Luo Shuzhi said with a gentle smile.

At this point, someone in the court said, "Prince, my son is also in Jin to defend against the Rong people. I wonder if there is any news about him in the military?"

Luo Shuzhi turned his head and saw that it was Mei Chongyang's father, Mei Lijun.

"Don't worry, my dear." After saying this, Luo Shuzhi looked at the guard who delivered the message.

The messenger guard stood up in a hurry, opened the letter, read it again word by word, and then saluted and said: "The leader Mei Chongyang was the first to discover the collusion between the King of Jin and the Rong people Wu Ming at Piantou Pass. Later, in order to pass the message, he ordered the beacon tower to be lit and died for his country. Although Piantou Pass was still breached, his move made countless people and soldiers in Piantou Pass prepared. His contribution is invaluable, and his blood is black and yellow..."

Mei Lijun didn't finish listening to the rest of the words.

His eyes widened, veins popped out on his forehead, and two lines of hot tears subconsciously slid down his face. He staggered a few steps and ran towards the messenger guard to snatch the letter, but after only a few steps he fainted on the ground with a thud.

"Li Jun!" Minister Tian was shocked and ran over quickly.

The jade ruyi that Mei Lijun had hidden in his sleeve and cost him several hundred taels of silver also fell to the ground.

He was indeed cheated. The jade ruyi was broken into pieces. If it was really a mysterious object, how could it be so fragile?

But at this moment, no one would yell at him for being cheated and then drag him to ask the scammer for money.

Chief Constable Su looked at the unconscious Mei Lijun with a gloomy expression. After a moment, he regained his composure and looked at Luo Shuzhi.

Luo Shuzhi smiled slightly, "Does Chief Constable Su have anything important to report?"

Eunuch Lin stood beside Luo Shuzhi and looked at Chief Constable Su indifferently.

Chief Constable Su was silent for a moment, then forced a smile, "As long as the prince is healthy."

The inside of Wuzhai City was in a mess, with ruins everywhere, shocking many passers-by who had not yet left.

Empress Canghua stood on the ruins with her hands behind her back, looking coldly at Chen Qiyuan in front of her, "Kneel down and kowtow, and I will spare your life."

Chen Qiyuan was not seriously injured, he just leaned on the ground with the gun and gasped for breath. Hearing this, he smiled carefreely, "Empress Canghua, who are you talking to? You knew I was going to fight Wudamu to the death, so you didn't hurt me during the fight. Do you think I can't see that..."

Before he finished speaking, a streak of blood appeared on the side of Chen Qiyuan's face.

He shrank his neck, "Zhao Wumian was disrespectful to you in every way, and you didn't even dare to breathe. I just teased you a few times, and you wanted to kill someone..."

"roll!"

Chen Qiyuan shrugged his shoulders, picked up the Blood Scale Spear again, and looked at Zhao Wumian, "Can you learn my Tianluo Spear?"

Lady Canghua also looked at Zhao Wumian. When the martial arts masters fought, it was already good enough for ordinary warriors to see the afterimage. How could they still want to learn the moves? Moreover, Chen Qiyuan would not be so kind as to specifically explain things like the exercise of Qi and energy.

Zhao Wumian nodded slightly, "Exactly."

Lady Canghua tilted her head cutely, thinking that Zhao Wumian was bragging.

Chen Qiyuan laughed loudly, and then said: "With the help of King Jin, I went to the palace to comprehend the red silk of Naraku, and then I was able to communicate with the bridge between heaven and earth."

Zhao Wumian raised his eyebrows slightly, "Then you don't have schizophrenia?"

"How could there not be?" Chen Qiyuan was silent for a moment, and then he smiled bitterly, "Back then, he almost killed my brother Chen Chengyu with his own hands. Later, he was in seclusion for many years before he barely recovered to normal."

As he spoke, Chen Qiyuan took out a book from his arms and threw it to Zhao Wumian, "I also have some experience about Naraku Red Silk, you can keep it."

Zhao Wumian took the book and put it in his arms. "Are you ready to go?"

Chen Qiyuan smiled again, "You are a good person, quite to my taste, smart and chivalrous. Do you know that if you hadn't stood alone in front of the river bend last night, I would have killed you and taken the Naraku Red Silk... and the Tianluo Spear is in your hands, so it's not a waste. It's a pity that I stand on the side of the King of Jin and you stand on the side of the princess. I heard that you can also play the Yuexian..."

Empress Canghua frowned slightly, ready to take action at any time.

Chen Qiyuan paused for a moment, then raised his hand gently, "The one who killed my father was Xiao Yuanmu, not you. I wanted to get some information about Xiao Yuanmu from you, but now it seems..."

He looked in the direction of Piantou Pass, took a deep breath of the winter air, and then smiled again, "Compared to killing Xiao Yuanmu... killing Wudamu is more to my liking."

After saying that, Chen Qiyuan carried his rifle and dug in the ruins for a while, and unexpectedly he found a broken jar of wine.

The broken pieces of wine jar still had a little wine on them.

He drank all the wine on the broken jar, and then threw the broken jar away. "Due to our position, we cannot be friends. I will drink this wine alone."

Zhao Wumian thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "You guys in the underworld all like to drink with your enemies? Liu Yuezhi does, and so do you."

"You guys?" Chen Qiyuan laughed loudly and said, "Could it be that you haven't entered the martial arts world yet?"

"Which martial artist has plunged into the vortex of the imperial court in one breath like me?"

"Whether it's the Jianghu or the imperial court, in the final analysis, it's the same thing." Chen Qiyuan's eyes were filled with reminiscence.

"As long as someone drinks with you from the bottom of their heart regardless of their position or grudges, then you are a gangster."

After saying that, Chen Qiyuan turned around and left.

Luo Shuzhi wanted to use him to test Wudamu?

Then he will go!

Not for anything else, just for the relief in my heart after practicing martial arts for so many years!

So what if I die at the hands of Wudamu?

Chen Qiyuan practiced martial arts not to hide away when encountering trouble.

If he lost this breath, even if he had lived for a hundred years, practiced martial arts for a hundred years, learned all the magical skills in the world, and became invincible in martial arts, in Chen Qiyuan's eyes, he would still be a weakling.

He was the top martial arts champion, who was personally conferred the title by Emperor Jingzheng.

There is absolutely no reason to flee when facing foreign enemies.

(End of this chapter)