I'm only one year old, what the hell is the counterattack system?

Chapter 194: Eight out of ten people will not have a good ending (Subscription required)
The sound of dripping rain came from outside, and the overcast sky forced the lighting of several oil lamps in the central hall of the Lin Mansion of Duke Xing.

The early spring weather was accompanied by drizzle, and a cool breeze blew into the hall, but was transformed into a warm breeze by the formation under the eaves.

Lin Hansong pursed his lips slightly, and Chen Yi's figure was reflected in his calm eyes as he pondered his questions.

The Emperor of Wei granted Chen Yuan a marriage after Chen Yi slaughtered hundreds of thousands of barbarian troops in the southern barbarian land.

At that time, the Emperor of Wei conferred a reward on Chen Yi, who was awarded the title of Earl of Yingwu!

Lin Hansong had some guesses about this, but he couldn't guarantee that his guess was true.

This was probably because the emperor rewarded Chen Yi for his clear achievements, and granting him marriage to Chen Yuan seemed more like a way of "bringing honor to the Chen family."

After all, Chen Yi, the greatest contributor, had already been engaged, and it was impossible for the emperor to grant him a marriage.

Thinking of this.

Lin Hansong's face darkened slightly, and he replied, "Yier, do you know how many princesses have been granted marriages by the emperor in the past thousand years of the Wei Dynasty?"

Chen Yi thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "I don't know."

This niche knowledge has touched his cognitive blind spots.

He had indeed read many historical books of the Wei Dynasty when he was a child, but it was impossible for him to know the detailed information of every prince consort.

In particular, the classics involving the royal family will only be preserved by historians and are almost impossible to be known to the outside world.

Lin Ji, who was standing by, thought for a moment and replied, "If I remember correctly, it should be one hundred and forty-three."

Lin Hansong nodded.

Chen Yi looked at Duke Xing and his son in silence. How could they remember such a trivial thing?

Lin Hansong explained without changing his expression: "Since the founding of the Wei Dynasty by the previous emperor, a total of 143 princesses have been granted marriages."

"The rest of the princesses have chosen their favorite princes-in-law, just like marrying a son-in-law to become a vassal of the royal family. Such a 'granted marriage' is more like a formality."

Lin Hansong paused, his expression slightly more serious, and continued as he looked at Chen Yi:

"Do you know how many of the 143 princes-in-law who were granted marriages by His Majesty had a happy ending and how many did not?"

Chen Yi frowned slightly and still shook his head.

He vaguely understood the intention of Lin Hansong's words.

"Nine out of ten people do not have a good ending." Lin Hansong said with a slight sigh:
"Only twelve of the consorts died of natural causes, while the rest met a miserable end."

"Some died on the battlefield, some died in prison, and some were stabbed to death at home."

Chen Yi's eyes changed slightly, and he caught a glimpse of Lin Jixin's solemn expression, and his heart couldn't help but feel a chill.

Twelve to one hundred and forty-three, anyone who has studied arithmetic knows what this ratio means.

It is not an exaggeration to describe it as a life-or-death situation.

"Uncle, dying on the battlefield can still be considered sacrificing for the country, but why did those princes-in-law who died in prison or were assassinated die?"

The general died in hundreds of battles, so it is natural for a prince consort to die on the battlefield.

But other ways of death are too strange, not to mention that most of the princes-in-law died in this way.

"Yier, you need to know the emperor's intention in granting the marriage," Lin Hansong said cryptically, "There are only two purposes."

"One is to add honor to oneself, to show the royal family's favor to the subject."

"The second is to win over the ministers, to deepen the relationship with them through marriage, and to gain their loyalty."

Purpose, ministers...

Chen Yi didn't care about "reward" and "win over". In his opinion, these two words expressed the same thing.

What he cared about was the "purpose of marriage" and "who are the subjects" as Lin Hansong mentioned.

It is certain that the "subject" is definitely not Chen Yuan.

Then it is him, Chen Yi.

Or, the current Marquis of Wu'an, Chen Taiping.

"But is it too much to assume that Chen Yuan is marrying me to win me over? Isn't that a bit too much to assume?"

Chen Yi frowned secretly, feeling that his clear thoughts were now shrouded in a fog and he could not see the truth behind it clearly.

Lin Hansong glanced at him and continued, "No matter which one it is, it almost indicates one thing - the grace of His Majesty."

"Then, guess why the prince consort who received this honor died in such a miserable way?"

Lin Hansong's words were still reserved, and his tone was slightly cautious, as if it was a dangerous thing to discuss the emperor in private like this.

Chen Yi lowered his head and thought for a moment.

Grace...purpose...a miserable death...yes!
Damn it, doesn’t such favor mean telling everyone that he, the Emperor Wei, is optimistic about the Chen family and wants to bring glory to the Chen family?

"Living target!"

Hearing Chen Yi's answer, the seriousness on Lin Hansong's face faded away and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Good fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. This is what is meant by 'the emperor's favored marriage'."

"It may seem like an honor to have your Chen family become the most favored courtiers in the entire Wei Dynasty, but in fact, it is just a 'target'!"

Lin Jixin, who was standing by, opened his mouth, wanting to remind his father and Chen Yi that their words were a bit too extreme.

But after looking at the expressions of the two men, he thought for a moment and then kept silent.

Because he suddenly realized that their Lin family and Chen family had become tied to the same rope because of the marriage contract.

If something happens to the Chen family, their Lin family will also be affected.

"So His Majesty is trying to harm us?"

After figuring everything out, Chen Yi became more and more confused about Emperor Wei's actions.

His father Chen Taiping is now guarding the border in northern Zhili, while he himself is in the southern barbarian land fighting off the invading enemies.

It is neither moral nor reasonable to let them become the target of public criticism and a "living target" of jealousy.

Unless Emperor Wei wants to die!
Chen Yi shook his head secretly.

Even with his current level of cultivation, he still wasn't sure he could break into the imperial city and kill Emperor Wei.

"The word 'harm' is inappropriate," Lin Hansong laughed dumbly, "The emperor must have a longer-term plan, and he needs your Chen family to take the lead."

Chen Yi frowned and looked at him and said, "Uncle, do you know the true purpose of the emperor?"

Lin Hansong shook his head and said, "I don't know either. I only know that you were rewarded several times because of your merits."

"Before this, he had never disclosed anything about the marriage to Chen Yuan to anyone."

"But from what I know about His Majesty, he must have his reasons for doing this."

"Just like the emperors of all dynasties granting marriages, there is a purpose behind it."

Lin Jixin pondered for a moment and said speculatively:

"Just like the previous emperor granted marriage to Wu family from Northern Zhili, so that they dared not neglect the construction of Beixiongguan."

"Afterwards, the Wu family was involved in a gold and silver case, and three clans were implicated. From then on, they never recovered."

Lin Hansong nodded and added: "There is also the marriage granted by Emperor Wei II to the Liu family of Sichuan Prefecture, which also made them the leading family in the Southern Seven Provinces."

"Not long after, the Liu family's prince consort was assassinated by an evil demon and died tragically."

"Also, the 13th Emperor of Wei married his princess to the son of the then left prime minister, which made them the target of criticism from the Wuhou lineage."

Seeing Chen Yi's increasingly calm expression, Lin Hansong paused, then changed the subject and said:
"Of course, there were also twelve princes-in-law who died of old age."

"Without exception, they all successfully completed the tasks assigned to them by the then Emperor Wei, and rose to prominence from then on."

Hearing this, Chen Yi nodded thoughtfully.

Just as Lin Hansong said just now, "blessings and misfortunes go hand in hand", Emperor Wei had his own plans for granting Chen Yuan marriage.

If the Chen family can withstand the storm or achieve his goal, then they can enjoy this glory safely.

If they can't hold on, many people may die...

Thinking of this, Chen Yi suddenly laughed, but his eyes were extremely cold.

If he doesn't agree, no one can harm the Chen family - not even the Supreme Emperor of the Wei Dynasty!
The father and son of the Lin family, who had been watching him, looked at each other quietly, and felt a little chill in their hearts. They both understood that Chen Yi had the intention to kill.

Lin Hansong thought more, this son-in-law's "murderous intention" was really fucking terrifying.

Over the past thousand years, apart from evil spirits and monsters, there are not many people who dare to kill Emperor Wei.

Such a daring person is his son-in-law...

Thinking of this, Lin Hansong's heart moved and he decided to say more.

"Yier, I can think of only one reason why His Majesty did this."

Chen Yi was startled, realizing that he had frightened the two men. After calming down a little, he said, "Uncle, please speak."

Lin Hansong said succinctly: "The struggle between the lineage of civil officials and the lineage of military marquises!"

"Is that so?" Chen Yi's face was calm.

In fact, before he entered the secret realm, Xie Dong'an had implicitly expressed that after he became Marquis of Wu'an, he would break the balance between "civil officials and military marquises."

That time, Xie Dongan also mentioned Zhou Guanwu, and even mentioned the injustice that happened...

Huh? Zhou Guanwu?
Chen Yi's thoughts shifted instantly, and he said to himself:
"It seems that our Chen family's current "influence" is greater than that of the former Jingye Marquis Zhou Guanwu..."

A Marquis of Wu, a royal consort, and he, the number one on the list of geniuses, it is indeed so!
Thinking of this, Chen Yi looked up at Lin Hansong and asked, "Uncle, do you think I look a lot like Zhou Guanwu back then?"

"Zhou Guanwu?"

Lin Hansong was stunned for a moment, and then his face changed drastically.

He suddenly understood the emperor's intention in doing so, and understood it completely!
His Majesty did this not simply for the "civil and military dispute", but - he wanted to use the entire Chen family as a bait!

Lin Hansong thought about it carefully again, and sorted out in his mind the whole story of Zhou Guanwu's rise to death.

At the same time, he also compared Zhou Guanwu and Chen Yi, and the expression on his face became more serious.

Lin Jixin, who was standing next to him, saw that he didn't say a word, but couldn't help asking, "Is Zhou Guanwu the former Marquis of Jingye? The one who died at Beixiong Pass?"

"It's him." Chen Yi's eyes were still fixed on Lin Hansong, wanting to hear what he would say.

long silence.

Lin Hansong let out a long sigh and his expression relaxed a lot.

"Yier, this matter is of great importance. If it is not necessary, I advise you not to stop the emperor from granting the marriage."

Chen Yi frowned, but did not interrupt him.

The key now is not whether he wants to stop it, but the intention of His Majesty in doing so!

"The emperor granted marriage to Chen Yuan, presumably to use the power of your Chen family to lure out certain people."

Lin Hansong said in a heavy tone: "Do you know how Zhou Guanwu died?"

Chen Yi said: "I heard that when the demon court went south, the court received the news but also received a 'rumor'."

"Some people say that Zhou Guanwu is secretly communicating with the Demon Court and wants to trap and kill the Wei Dynasty soldiers."

Lin Ji was stunned, his mouth slightly opened: "Is there such a thing?"

Lin Hansong nodded and said, "The strangeness of that incident made His Majesty think too much, which led to the loss of the opportunity to fight."

"Afterwards, His Majesty investigated for a long time, but could not find any clues. Even the court officials who advocated the detention of King Zhenbei died for no reason."

"Dead?" Chen Yi asked suspiciously, "Uncle, are you saying that those who framed Zhou Guanwu are dead?"

"That's right, without exception, no one can speak anymore," Lin Hansong sighed.
"After that, the emperor was furious and killed many people, but he could not change the fact that the Zhou family was cut off."

Lin Hansong paused, took a deep breath and said, "I guess His Majesty might want to use you to lure out those people hiding in the dark."

"So that's how it is." Chen Yi suddenly realized. Now he completely understood the emperor's intention.

No wonder he couldn't figure it out before. It turns out that after Zhou Guanwu was framed for collaborating with the enemy, there was a sequel...

At this time, Lin Hansong continued: "I think His Majesty made this decision after learning that you killed a group of demons at Zhennan Pass."

“Firstly, the Chen and Zhou families have equal status and position, and secondly, your cultivation is far superior to Zhou Guanwu.”

"The third point is also the current situation in the court - the struggle between civil and military officials is becoming more and more intense."

Chen Yi nodded, understanding that this must be the reason.

"Uncle, haven't you found any trace of those people in all these years?"

"As far as I know, few people in the court mention that matter now. Perhaps the emperor is still investigating."

Having said that, Lin Hansong thought for a moment and then said:

"Last night when Xie Xiang and I accompanied His Majesty to the Vermillion Bird Tower, he asked us whether his achievements could surpass those of previous emperors."

"No matter how Prime Minister Xie and I responded at that time, His Majesty has a scale in his heart."

"So, I don't think he wants to harm your Chen family..."

Chen Yi smiled and interrupted, "Uncle, don't say more, I understand."

It seemed that his murderous intention had indeed frightened Duke Xing, otherwise he would not have said so much to explain for the Emperor of Wei.

However, after figuring out Emperor Wei's intentions, Chen Yi couldn't figure out how to respond for a while.

There are three key points.

One is whether he wants to become the guillotine lifted up by the Emperor of Wei.

The second is whether Chen Yuan is willing to be a chess piece and honestly accept the emperor's marriage proposal to marry Wei Jinyu.

The third is what his father, Wu'an Hou Chen Taiping, thinks.

Before clarifying these three points, Chen Yi would not make any decision casually.

Of course, if during this period someone wanted to test the sharpness of his sword, he wouldn't mind sharpening it.

"Thank you for your guidance, uncle."

"We are family and should keep our differences," Lin Hansong said in a rare gentle tone.

After he finished speaking, he thought for a moment and said, "If possible, you'd better ask your father for advice."

"That's exactly what I was planning." Chen Yi nodded and said with a smile:

"After all, I have lived in the mountains for many years, and Kyoto is too unfamiliar to me."

Lin Hansong and Lin Jixin looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he listened to them, otherwise they would have to consider whether to remind the imperial palace to add more guards.

After all, beheading an emperor with a sword is always a top priority in the world!
After resolving his doubts, Chen Yi said goodbye to Zhu Yu and Lin Xueru, and left the Lin Mansion with ease.

He did need to contact Chen Taiping, not only to inform him of the "Emperor's marriage grant", but also to inform him of the Demon Court's march south to block the checkpoints.

After Chen Yi left, Lin Jixin sighed: "Father, my brother-in-law is really... a man of great ambition."

Lin Hansong glanced at Lin Jixin and said coldly, "He is making plans before taking action."

Lin Jixin: “…”

Where is it?
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Go and copy the Family Instructions a hundred times. I believe you will understand it soon."

"what?"

Lin Ji was dumbfounded. He had already entered the court as an official, but was still punished to copy the "Family Instructions"?
There is no justice!

……

The Left Prime Minister of the Great Wei Dynasty, Xie Fu.

Chen Yuan signaled Chen Fan to wait outside and knocked on the door of Xie's house.

The doorman opened the door and a young servant looked at him, his eyes fixed on his long silver hair.

"Can I help you?"

Chen Yuan clasped his fists and said calmly:

"Please inform that Chen Yuan, son of Wu'an Marquis Chen Taiping, wishes to see the Left Prime Minister!"

(End of this chapter)