Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 173 The Emperor Who Goes Mad from Time to Time

When Lu Lingxuan sent people to chase the delegation outside Yecheng, another piece of news was delivered to Gao Zhan's desk!

The person who delivered the message was Northern Qi’s number one assassin, Liu Taozhi!

"Your Majesty, Yuwen Hu's mother Yan is missing. Someone must have sneaked into Yan's room and kidnapped her!"

Gao Zhan was so shocked when he heard the news that his face changed. He asked hurriedly, "Who did it?"

"Your Majesty originally sent Yang to the Zhou Kingdom in the name of escorting Yuwen Hu's mother. This news was kept secret. Your Majesty did not tell anyone except the Minister of the Court and the two envoys, Wei Pushe and Bi Shangshu. This matter..."

"It is impossible that it was done by Yan Tong. It was Yan Tong who suggested to me that Yuwen Hu's aunt Yang should replace his mother Yan to return to Zhou. There is no need for him to do this, and it will not benefit him in any way..."

"Yes!"

Liu Taozhi lowered his head and stopped talking. To the king of Northern Qi, he was nothing more than an executioner. He would kill whoever the emperor told him to kill. Trying to figure out the emperor's thoughts was the last thing he should do, and he was not good at it.

"I'm afraid there are spies from the Zhou Kingdom in my Ye City. I'll leave this matter to you to investigate! Also, quickly find Yuwen Hu's mother, Yan!"

"Yes!"

After answering, Liu Taozhi saw Gao Zhan was somewhat bored with a beauty in his arms. He looked listless and didn't say anything for a long time, so she bowed and was about to leave. At this time, Gao Zhan suddenly asked, "Taozhi! If I want a beauty, but her husband is unwilling to give her to me, and this person has a good reputation, I can't touch her. What do you think I should do?"

Liu Taozhi understood what he meant and said, "Your Majesty, please tell me who this person is, and I will help you kill him!"

Gao Zhan took a sip of wine, coughed suddenly, laughed a few times, waved his hand and said: "Forget it, this matter is not urgent, I will consider this matter after the matter of Zhou State is settled!"

"Yes!"

"I heard that the puppet emperor of Zhou, Yuwen Yong, has sent envoys to the Turks many times, hoping to form an alliance with a Turkic princess. He is ready to join forces with the Turks to invade our Great Qi at any time!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, in fact, as early as when Yuwen Tai conquered the pseudo-Zhou Dynasty, he had already formed an alliance with the Turks in order to fight against our Northern Qi!"

"Oh, this Turkic Khan Mugan is also an old fox. On the one hand, he is negotiating a marriage with the Northern Zhou, and on the other hand, he wants to reconcile with my Qi State. Last time, he invaded my Bingzhou border, but fortunately Chang Gong repelled him..." At this point, Gao Zhan was annoyed for no reason. "Forget it, this old Turkic fox will not give up. I am afraid he will join forces with the Northern Zhou to attack my Great Qi.

Let’s first investigate the disappearance of Yan!”

"Yes!"

Liu Taozhi responded and left!

Gao Zhan suddenly turned over and pressed the beauty in his arms down. The beauty had a ruddy face and was full of charm. She looked at him with a charming smile and called out very shyly, "Your Majesty!"

"I am the emperor, but I cannot get the woman I want. Do you think I am a coward?"

"Your Majesty, I want to serve you wholeheartedly!"

"What a pity! After seeing such a stunning beauty, I find you vulgar women boring. Besides, you once served my brother Gao Yang, didn't you?"

When Gao Zhan asked this, the beauty's face suddenly turned pale. She clearly felt a hint of coldness in the emperor's smiling eyes.

"His Majesty!"

She was about to beg for mercy, but Gao Zhan's hand had already grasped her slender neck. With a sudden force, the woman's head twisted and drooped on her shoulders.

Gao Zhan stood up, kicked the woman's body off the couch, and then called He Shikai and the palace maids in!

"Clean this place up!"

At his command, the palace maid trembled and answered yes, thinking to herself: Your Majesty's temperament is really unpredictable, it seems that he is sick again! The last time he was sick, he beat the late Queen Li Zu'e half to death and killed her only youngest son who was still alive in front of her. After that, he ordered people to put Li Zu'e into a silk bag and throw her into the ditch for a whole day. Fortunately, the palace maid rescued her and saved her life. After that, Li Zu'e became desperate and became a nun!

His Majesty likes beauties, but he never shows pity towards them. If anyone displeases him, he will die without knowing how he did it!

Just like the beautiful concubine Wang in front of you!

"Your Majesty, does this beauty make you angry?"

He Shikai is the only one who dares to have a heart-to-heart talk with Your Majesty.

Gao Zhan asked in return, "Yantong, what should I do if there are spies from the Zhou Kingdom around me?"

He Shikai's face changed, and he looked at the corpse of the beauty being dragged away by the palace servants, and asked in shock: "Your Majesty, are you saying that this concubine is a spy from the Zhou Kingdom?"

Gao Zhan laughed twice: "Otherwise, Yan Tong, who do you think it was? Who spread the news that I replaced Yan with Yuwen Hu's aunt Yang?"

He Shikai's face turned pale and he knelt down.

"Your Majesty, this matter is definitely not mine. I have kept it a secret and have not told anyone!"

"Alright, alright, get up! I never doubted you!"

"It's just that I don't dare to trust another person anymore!"

He Shikai seemed to have guessed who the other person Gao Zhan was talking about was, but he did not dare to say anything in rebuttal at this time, so he changed the subject and said with a flattering smile: "Your Majesty, you should not worry about this matter, just leave these matters to reliable ministers to handle. You are still young now, you should enjoy yourself in time, so as not to waste your life. Look at the emperors in ancient times, no matter how diligent they were in their lifetime, they all turned into ashes, Yao, Shun, Jie, Zhou, the final end is no different!

A virtuous man dies for fame, a greedy man dies for gain; the end is the same, they just go to the same destination by different paths!"

Gao Zhan seemed to think that what he said made sense, and his furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

He Shikai seized the opportunity and said further: "I know that your majesty is distressed because of the beauty. You can't even hold the beautiful woman you see in your arms. Your majesty feels uncomfortable. In fact, I have a plan to relieve your majesty's suffering!"

"What do you say?" Gao Zhan's face was filled with joy!

“Why not send Prince Lanling to guard the border and let him leave Princess Lanling in the palace in Yecheng? As long as he is not here, Your Majesty will have plenty of opportunities. Moreover, she is now the female official of the Grand Historian. If Your Majesty wants to summon her, how difficult will it be?

Moreover, even if Your Majesty cannot see my children and relatives for the time being, you can summon them to the palace in the name of the Empress!"

After hearing what He Shikai said, Gao Zhan's face was very happy, but then his face became gloomy again.

"But Chang Gong has just returned from Southern Chen and is newly married. I am asking him to guard the border. Isn't that too inhumane?"

"Your Majesty, you are the emperor, why do you care about these things? As long as you issue an imperial decree, all your subjects will dare to obey!"

This was exactly what Gao Zhan wanted to hear, and he happily pulled He Shikai over, and the two began to play chess with spears again!

……

Just as Gao Zhan and He Shikai were playing chess with spears, two letters were simultaneously delivered to Yuan Zisi's Lu Mansion and Lanling Prince's Mansion in the Heavenly Palace.

"His Majesty has begun to doubt you. Hurry and bring back the people who have gone to intercept the envoys!"

This was the letter from He Shikai to Lu Lingxuan. When the housekeeper handed the letter to Lu Lingxuan, Lu Lingxuan's eyelids twitched slightly and she quickly called Han Changluan over!

"Quick, bring my son back!"

……

However, the letter sent to Lanling Palace said: Your Majesty suddenly went mad for some unknown reason and strangled a beauty to death in the bedroom! He Shikai also seemed to have whispered something in Your Majesty's ear, so please be careful with your actions, Prince and Princess!

When Xiao Jinyu saw the letter, she was somewhat stunned and asked Gao Changgong, "Your Majesty, has there ever been such a situation before, where you went crazy and killed people for no reason, just like Emperor Wenxuan?"

Gao Changgong shook his head and said, "Your Majesty has a somewhat violent temperament, but he is not crazy and kills people for no reason. There have been such cases in the past, but there were reasons for them!"

At this point, Gao Changgong became even more frightened, and couldn't help but hug Xiao Jinyu tightly, "Ayu, with His Majesty's temperament, I'm really afraid of you being around him..."

Xiao Jinyu smiled and interrupted in a gentle voice:

"I will cherish my life. You also saw in Taiji Hall today that Xie Zhen is not a person who only knows how to give advice. He will take different measures according to the king he faces. Isn't there a saying that a man who knows the current situation is a hero?"

Gao Changgong couldn't help but feel moved, and his sparkling eyes were filled with worry:

"I'm afraid that a war will break out, and I'll have to go to the border to defend against the enemy. Then you..."

Xiao Jinyu had already told him about Yuwen Hu's character. Regardless of whether Gao Zhan sent his mother Yan back to Zhou or not, war between Zhou and Qi was inevitable. Neither Gao Zhan nor Yuwen Hu were people who kept their promises!

The so-called strategy of cutting off diplomatic ties is nothing more than probing the enemy's situation and delaying the war!

Seeing his worry, Xiao Jinyu immediately interrupted with a smile: "I have Ling Ye and a group of soldiers sent by Uncle Xian with me, nothing will happen, Chang Gong, you also need someone to help you in the court, and Xie Zhen is your backer!

I will protect myself, don't worry!"

Tears suddenly welled up in Gao Changgong's eyes. He said "OK" and couldn't help but pick up Xiao Jinyu.

"I just wonder how Fenghuang is doing now? Has he left the mission early as I told him?"

……

In the dusk, a carriage outside Yecheng was still slowly driving on the official road surrounded by the delegation. The old lady in the carriage held the hand of the "maid" beside her tightly and kept talking about many things, from her childhood experience to her marriage at the age of seventeen, and then to being held hostage in the palace of Qi State, living a dull and lonely life every day. When she talked about her longing for her children and grandchildren, she couldn't help but shed tears, and touched the face of the "maid", smiling with tears in her eyes, "My youngest grandson should be the same age as you. Child, we are destined to ride in the same carriage today. Take care of yourself and don't worry about me anymore!"

The maid looked a little surprised!

The old lady continued, "Although I am old and a little confused, I am not stupid. My son has sent people to look for me many times, and each time he was about to escape to his homeland, he was caught back by your Majesty of Qi!"

"Now I am old and can't escape, but I am satisfied to have a child like this who is willing to listen to my nagging and talk with me. If I can't return to my homeland in this lifetime, I only hope that your Majesty of Qi can send my ashes back to Zhou, and I will be satisfied!"

After that, he looked at the "maid" in front of him with a kind face.

"Child, tell me what I need to do for you. I am willing to help this person, and then you can run away!"

This maid was none other than Fenghuang in disguise. Originally, he lied and approached the old lady Yan as a spy of Zhou State. Then he changed her appearance to Yang and asked her to help him leave Yecheng with her as a maid. Unexpectedly, the old lady was blind but smart and had seen through his disguise long ago.

"Madam, you should go back to Zhou with the delegation. My brother said that whether you go back or not, the war between Qi and Zhou will break out. Why should we let an old lady die in a foreign land?"

The old lady couldn't help but smile with tears in her eyes.

"Your brother is such a kind-hearted man. I wish! I hope he can see his children and grandchildren in his lifetime!"

As soon as the old lady finished speaking, she saw Fenghuang's eyes become alert.

"Oh no, someone is catching up with us!"

The old lady's expression immediately became nervous. She pushed Fenghuang and whispered, "Let's go! Child, let's go. I don't need you to take care of me anymore!"

There were sounds of horse hooves behind him, and Fenghuang hesitated. Unexpectedly, just as the carriage entered a small path in the mountains and forests, he heard chaotic footsteps in front of him!

There was a sudden panic and commotion outside the carriage. Fenghuang quickly opened the curtain and looked around, only to see that it was a group of refugees dressed as bandits who had stopped the delegation!

"Leave all your belongings behind, or I'll kill you!"

The leading gangster shouted in a rough voice.

As a civil official, Wei Shou rarely confronted bandits directly. Bi Yiyun, on the other hand, said calmly, "Do you know who we are? How dare you come to rob us?"

"I don't care who you are. Even if the emperor comes, I will rob you. What is more terrible than being hungry?"

Bi Yiyun's face suddenly darkened, and he quickly raised his hand to summon the armed troops behind him to fight with these bandits. Fenghuang saw these people fighting in a group, so he glanced at the old lady, jumped out of the carriage in the chaos, and also fought with these bandits!

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves behind me was getting closer and closer!

"Who is ahead of us who dares to rob the delegation?"

Mu Ti Po gave an order and arrived in an instant with a group of palace soldiers!

"Capture all these people, and this delegation. No one is allowed to leave Qi. All of them must return to Yecheng!"

Wei Shou was very surprised when he heard this order.

"General Mu, what do you mean? Your Majesty ordered us to send the old lady to Zhou State, why do you want us to return to Ye City?"

Today, Mutipo serves as the General of Wuwei.

"I suspect there are spies from the Zhou Kingdom in the delegation. All of them should return to the city for inspection!"

Bi Yiyun had a calm expression the whole time, not knowing what to say!

But Lu Lingxuan and her son had their reasons for doing what they did, and it was not convenient for him to interfere!

At this moment, the old lady's cry suddenly came from the carriage. Bi Yiyun opened the carriage and asked, "What's wrong? Old lady?"

The old lady cried for a long time before she said, "My Ah Ying is missing... I just saw her fighting with bandits and being forced down the mountain by a group of bandits... Go and help me find her!"

Bi Yiyun's face changed drastically, and he looked in the direction where the bandits and their troops were fighting, and sure enough, there was no trace of the maid. He took two people to chase after them, and sure enough, they saw a bottomless mountain cliff in front of them. In the night, it was impossible to see the situation clearly due to the shadows!

"Madam, it's just a maid. How about I give you a few maids when we return to Yecheng? Is that okay?"

The old lady cried even more sadly. Bi Yiyun didn't know what to do for a moment and looked at Wei Shou!

"Why are you looking at me? I don't know what to do. Send two people to look for him at the bottom of the mountain? Do you want to see him alive or dead?"

"What are you looking for? Return to the city immediately!"

Mu Ti Po shouted loudly, and the old lady stopped crying. Soon, Bi Yiyun waved his hand to signal his men to turn the carriage around and return to the city!

……

The next day, the news that the delegation was chased back to Yecheng by Mutipo reached Gao Zhan's ears. At the same time, Sima Maozong, the Minister of Dali Temple, also delivered a stack of files to Gao Zhan's desk.

"Your Majesty, General Gao often enters the Lu Mansion privately and has close private dealings with Lord Lu.

Moreover, he brought these eight assassins with him this time to assassinate Xie Zhen.

He was the one who led Xie Zhen to Beigong and intended to kill him, apparently intending to accuse him of being a spy for the Zhou Kingdom after killing Xie Zhen!"

The place where Gao Anagong assassinated Xie Zhen was not far from the palace where Yuwen Hu's family was confined. This was indeed a good reason to frame him!

Gao Zhan was furious after hearing two pieces of news in a row. In anger, he overturned the table!

"Liu Taozhi!" he ordered.

"exist!"

"Go, let Lu Lingxuan come to see me immediately!"

"Yes!"