From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 617

"How will the Duke of Wei fight this battle?"

Heavy tone, heavy expression, heavy question.

Yang Guozhong stood at the door of Ziwei Palace and happened to see Zhou Yuan coming out.

He didn't say hello, he seemed to have guessed everything, his eyes were calm and deep, as if he saw through Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "If Lord Yang was in charge of the army, how would Lord Yang fight?"

Yang Guozhong shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I am just a civil servant and not good at fighting."

Zhou Yuan said, "You have been the Prime Minister for so many years and you have not made any big mistakes. Even though His Majesty is already quite dissatisfied with you, he is still reluctant to depose you. You are not good at fighting, but you are good at scheming."

Yang Guozhong laughed and said slowly, "After all, the Duke of Wei is young and sometimes looks at things too arbitrarily. Many times, there is no right or wrong in this world. It doesn't matter if you do too much or suffer a little. As long as your position is right and you have the ability, that's enough."

"I have many small problems. If His Majesty really wants to kill me, he will definitely find a reason, but... I love my country and I am loyal to the emperor! I have Ability!"

"If you were an emperor, would you kill a capable and loyal prime minister? You can only complain and criticize him at most."

Zhou Yuan sneered, "You understand the power politics, but you can't think of a way to deal with the 80,000 Mongolian cavalry going south."

Yang Guozhong said, "This court is not the court of one person, and this world is not the world of one person. Officials should perform their duties to run well. I do my job well, and the generals do their job well. This is the best pattern."

"If I, Yang Guozhong, was as good at fighting as you, Zhou Yuan, His Majesty would not tolerate me."

Zhou Yuan sighed. This old fox saw through everything. No wonder he has been at the top of the political arena for so many years and is still as stable as a mountain.

Deng Bochi and his ilk are much inferior to him!

Zhou Yuan said: "So in Yang Ge Lao's opinion, how should the Mongolian crisis be resolved?"

Yang Guozhong smiled and said: "Hasn't the most core strategy already been deployed by the Duke of Wei? A stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade."

The court is indeed full of smart people, but they are just ill-intentioned.

Zhou Yuan shook his head and strode out.

The battle in Northern Mongolia is not easy to fight, but Zhou Yuan is not without direction, but he has to go to Datong to slowly determine the strategy.

At this moment, he has to solve the problem of Shenjing first.

The most important thing is Xiong Kuohai.

As an old friend who has known each other since Yunzhou, he and Zhou Yuan have fought side by side many times along the way and have already established a deep friendship.

Zhou Yuan is unwilling to pretend to be confused anymore.

He wants to make everything clear, and Shenjing cannot leave any uncertainties.

Xiong Kuohai's residence is different from other high-ranking officials. Although he is very greedy, he is very low-key. He only lives in a three-story mansion, which is only slightly better than the one Zhou Yuan had when he first entered Shenjing.

Faced with Zhou Yuan's arrival, Xiong Kuohai seemed very surprised, and said with wide eyes: "Mr. Zhou? You actually have time to come here! It seems that you don't have enough troubles!"

This bastard is really well-informed and knows everything.

Zhou Yuan said: "Stop talking nonsense, ask my sister-in-law to prepare the meal, and we will have a few drinks in the evening."

Xiong Kuohai was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said: "It seems that we are going to go to war. Haha, Mr. Zhou is really loyal to the emperor and patriotic. I admire you."

The two walked around the yard, looked at the layout of the mansion, and then sat in the study.

Zhou Yuan looked up at him and said slowly: "Old Xiong, we have known each other for more than two years, right?"

Xiong Kuohai was startled and said quickly: "Master Zhou, don't...if you have something to say, just say it directly, don't reminisce about the past, it makes me very stressed."

Zhou Yuan said: "Then I will show my cards directly. Tell me, what happened to you this year? You are always testing my position."

Xiong Kuohai was silent for a moment.

He looked up at Zhou Yuan, poured him a cup of tea, and then smiled and said, "Do you know how long I have been waiting for you to say this? A year!"

Zhou Yuan said, "Are you going to tell the truth today, or are you going to speak in an official tone?"

"Of course I am telling the truth."

Xiong Kuohai sighed and said, "You ask first."

"Okay."

Zhou Yuan said, "Are you already His Majesty's man? I mean, did she send you to monitor me and test my position?"

Xiong Kuohai shook his head and said, "I am the commander of the Jinyiwei, of course I am His Majesty's man, but His Majesty has never sent me to monitor you, let alone test your position."

"In fact, during my time as the commander of the Jinyiwei, I solemnly asked His Majesty this question, whether I should monitor you and test you."

"Her Majesty's answer was very firm. She said no, and she would not allow anyone to test you.You, she said she believed you. ”

Zhou Yuan was silent.

Then he slowly said: "Why are you talking nonsense? This is not your style. You have always been cautious and never want to be involved in any inexplicable political vortex. ”

"Nonsense!"

Xiong Kuohai said: "You still know that I am cautious! You still know that I don't want to be involved in such a mess! But damn, who in the world doesn't know our relationship? Who doesn't know that I am a so-called member of the Zhou Party?"

"Last year, there was a case of assassinating the emperor. It happened suddenly. I was imprisoned and beaten. My family was also placed under house arrest and almost lost their lives. ”

Speaking of this, he looked at Zhou Yuan and said: "Do you understand what I was thinking at that time? I was thinking that if I had a chance one day, I would definitely take revenge and I would definitely eliminate this danger completely. ”

Zhou Yuan was stunned.

Isn't this what I think?

Xiong Kuohai said: "But don't worry, I am nothing. What can I do? I can only endure it. "

"But then things went wrong, I found out you were doing something."

He looked at Zhou Yuan and chuckled, "I've been a Jinyiwei for so many years, and later I became a commander. How could I not be well-informed? I know all your actions!"

"You! Zhou Yuan! You have ulterior motives!"

Zhou Yuan held his face and didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.

Xiong Kuohai said, "You have ulterior motives, which means I have ulterior motives. We are clearly on the same boat. If something happens to you, I will die with you."

"Damn it, I didn't do anything, but I took such a huge risk with you, and I was terrified every day."

"You said, I am such a cautious person, facing this uncontrollable potential crisis, should I test your position? "

Good fellow, I thought this guy was testing His Majesty, but who knew he was thinking further, for himself.

Zhou Yuan said: "But this time, your words are different. It's no longer a test, but more like baiting me."

Xiong Kuohai spread his hands and said: "Brother! Boss! I'm with you! I can't figure out your attitude, of course I'm anxious!"

"On the one hand, you are growing rapidly, and on the other hand, you are willing to expose your own strength and help the queen. I don't know what you are thinking! Are you against it or not, I don't understand!"

"You are good, you are a favorite, you have made contributions to the country, even if His Majesty really can't tolerate it, at most you will be dismissed and wait for the opportunity to use you again."

"What about us? As a party member, we will definitely be cleared out."

"I'm afraid of death! I've finally gotten to this point, with a wife and children, and a comfortable life. Am I willing to fall? ”

“So I have to force you to come over and let you show me your cards, otherwise I can't live like this.”

“So I said, I've been waiting for you for a year.”

Zhou Yuan said, “You want to know an answer.”

“Yes, the answer.”

Xiong Kuohai said, “No matter what the result is, I will accept it.”

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes and said, “Why?”

Xiong Kuohai said, “If you don't rebel, I will be safe, I will be my high official and enjoy my life.”

“If you rebel, I can't get off the boat, I have been tied to you for a long time. In this case, it is better to do something with you. If you succeed, you will be crowned king and your name will go down in history. I can take whatever concubines, foreign women, waterways and land roads, and your sister-in-law will not have any objections.”

“If I lose, it will be a great victory, which is better than being pitted to death by you.”

Zhou Yuan said, “Okay! Then I will tell you! From beginning to end, I have never thought about rebelling. "

Xiong Kuohai took a deep breath, feeling relieved, and then sighed: "Very good, you are safe, I am safe too, you will definitely be a first-class duke by then, and I can also be an earl, very good."

Zhou Yuan looked at him, his eyes were deep, and he said slowly: "First-class duke, is that all?"

Xiong Kuohai said with a change of color: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Yuan said: "I have never thought about rebelling, nor have I ever thought about sitting and waiting for death. You have a misunderstanding about this matter."

"This is not an either-or thing. I have never thought about rebelling or sitting and waiting for death. I have always been thinking about how to treat His Majesty."

Xiong Kuohai said: "Since you said this to me, then... you should have made a decision."

"Yes."

Zhou Yuan looked at him, his eyes were calm, and he said slowly: "Yes, I hesitated for a long time and thought a lot, but I figured it out in the past two days and decided. "

Xiong Kuohai said: "What? ”

Zhou Yuan said: "Princess Qinshui is pregnant, I plan to give her child the surname Chen."

"Returning the world to Chen is something that countless old ministers, nobles, and royal family members have longed for."

"They don't have the ability to do it.Come, I will help them!"

Xiong Kuohai said: "Then! What should your majesty do?"

Zhou Yuan said: "Women should do what women should do, warm my bed and feed my child."