diskusbooks Chapter 198: Together in the same boat
Chapter 198: Together in the same boat
The sincerity of King Qin Zhao Defang finally calmed the anger of the Luo family.
Luo Li signaled the King of Qin to continue and told all the future plans to his father-in-law and brother-in-law.
After listening to this, the Luo family, father and son, were silent for a long time.
It was Luo Wenhao who spoke first, "Zhao Defang, as long as you are sincere and treat my sister well, it doesn't matter if the Luo family follows you on this broken ship. The worst that can happen is that we will lose our lives if we fail!"
Luo Wen'an looked at his father, waiting for his decision.
Luo Ji stroked his beard and pondered for a while. Looking at his daughter's determined eyes, he finally nodded and said, "Okay! The Luo family will be tied to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin and we will stick together!"
A surge of heat surged through the heart of Qin Wang Zhao Defang. Family! This is Li'er's family, and from now on, they will also be my Zhao Defang's family, a family that will stick together through thick and thin!
"Father-in-law, I, Zhao Defang, swear that I will never let down the Luo family's kindness!"
Luo Ji sighed!
“This is God’s will. Emperor Taizu died suddenly when he was in his prime. We, the ministers, secretly have some suspicions.
However, the current emperor ascended the throne smoothly, and for the sake of the stability of the Song Dynasty, the ministers had to swallow their suspicions. Later, the emperor took out the "Golden Casket Alliance", and the ministers had no objections.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor forced the King of Wei to death, who should have inherited the throne according to the "Golden Casket Alliance", and eliminated the King of Qi. He also deliberately wants to eliminate you, the King of Qin, the only one standing between the princes. How cruel and ruthless!
Luo Ji was once deeply favored by the Emperor Taizu. As long as you don't disappoint my Li'er, the Luo family will avenge your father and regain the throne, even if it means sacrificing their lives!"
However, Luo Li didn't want to hear that her father and brother were willing to fight to the death for the King of Qin's cause.
"Dad, my two brothers, I won't allow you to risk your lives for him.
His relationship with his daughter has implicated the Luo family, so the safety of the Luo family must be guaranteed, and only then will I fight alongside him.
If you die for his father's revenge and his great cause, why would I fight with him? I will kill him first to vent my anger."
The Luo family's father and sons were all smiling happily, as their precious daughter always put her family first.
………………
The eldest prince Zhao Yuanzuo drank to drown his sorrows in the East Palace every day. When he thought of the love his uncle had shown him since childhood, he would be heartbroken and burst into tears!
King Qin Zhao Defang has always valued his brother Zhao Yuanzuo, who is upright, kind, and loyal.
In the past, he was worried that after a civil war broke out, foreign enemies would take the opportunity to invade and the people would suffer. He only wanted to avenge his father and did not want to fight for the throne. In his mind, he wanted to push the talented and upright Zhao Yuanzuo to the throne.
Hearing that the eldest prince Zhao Yuanzuo drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day and cried bitterly day and night while drunk, the King of Qin wanted to comfort this loyal brother.
After entering the East Palace, I found that the atmosphere in the palace was filled with heaviness and anxiety. The palace maids and eunuchs all lowered their heads, kept silent, and walked cautiously.
"Uncle!... Father is too busy to care about the father-son relationship. When I was a child, you often carried me on your shoulders, you held the reins and taught me to ride a horse, you played with me, and you taught me to read and understand the meaning of things...
But...Uncle! Now I can't even save your life!..."
Qin Wang Zhao Defang felt a little sad. The emperor's uncle Zhao Tingmei was a kind and generous elder who loved children and was very caring and attentive to his nephews.
Especially for Yuan Zuo, he was loved as his own son since he was a child. It is no wonder that Yuan Zuo could not accept this cruel reality.
The two maids guarding the door knelt down and saluted! "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin."
The Princess of Chu looked up and saw that it was the Prince of Qin who had come. A forced smile appeared on her pretty face, which was already tearing up.
Yingying bowed and said: "Royal brother King Qin, please try to persuade my prince! He is so sad that he hasn't eaten for several days. He drinks every day to drown his sorrows. If his body collapses..." The Princess of Chu choked with sobs and could not continue.
Prince of Qin Zhao Defang walked over and helped up the eldest prince who was drunk and crying on the ground.
“Yuan Zuo, things have come to this point. Even if you die of grief and sorrow, nothing can be changed.
Being born in a royal family, you don’t value emotions and blood ties like ordinary families do. You have to learn to accept many bloody and cruel realities.”
The eldest prince Zhao Yuanzuo hugged the King of Qin and asked in tears, "Brother, is it true that being born into the royal family means that there is really no blood relationship?
The family is fighting against each other, and brothers are killing each other. Is it so good to sit on the dragon throne?
My brother, if that is the case, I, Zhao Yuanzuo, will never sit on that throne in my life!"
The King of Qin sighed and patted him on the shoulder, "Yuan Zuo, you are too upright and kind.
This world is actually a jungle where the strong prey on the weak. This is true between countries, between ethnic groups and tribes. And in the royal family, for the sake of the supreme imperial power, it is also the same!
Yuan Zuo, don't be too sad. In order to repay the emperor's uncle's love for you, you must take care of your health and take good care of the emperor's uncle's two young sons. That will be the emperor's uncle's greatest comfort."
The eldest prince Zhao Yuanzuo was still drunk and crying in grief.
The King of Qin had no choice but to press his sleeping point with his finger, then carried him into the inner room, put him on the bed, and covered him with a quilt.
: "Take good care of him and let him get some sleep."
Princess Chu nodded with tears in her eyes. "Don't worry, my brother. I will take good care of the prince."
After leaving the palace, Prince of Qin Zhao Defang went to the Dali Temple prison to visit his uncle Prince of Qi and see him off.
The Dali Temple jail held all the serious criminals of the imperial court, and the security was strict! Not to mention the common people, even the powerful princes and generals could not enter without a warrant. But as the King of Qin who was temporarily acting as the chief minister of the Dali Temple, this place was under his jurisdiction.
King Qin Zhao Defang walked up the stone steps in the dim light into the cells on the third underground floor where serious criminals were held.
The underground cells were all cut from a whole piece of bluestone, and the smell of blood mixed with the sour smell of mold and the stench of feces and urine hit my nose.
There were cells on both sides of the long passage. Every ten or so steps, there was an oil lamp with a wick as big as a bean on the stone wall. The light flickered on and off, and it was as eerie as hell.
The King of Qin came to a cell at the end of the passage. The jailer who was leading the way took out the key, opened the cell door, and respectfully stepped aside.
A middle-aged man in white prison clothes and with disheveled hair sat on a small wooden bed.
"Uncle!..." Prince Qin shouted standing at the door!
King Zhao Tingmei of Qi, who knew that he would die one day, was no longer timid and frightened.
When she saw the King of Qin walking into the cell, she smiled slightly, her eyes full of calmness.
"Defang, didn't I tell you not to come visit me again? If the emperor gets upset and you get implicated, it will be more trouble than it's worth.
I am very happy that you have taken care of me and saved me from suffering before my execution."
King Qin Zhao Defang sat down on the only small wooden stool in the room.
"Uncle, if I am not implicated by you, will the emperor let me go?"
After hearing this, the King of Qi leaned weakly against the stone wall behind him!
He let out a long sigh!
"No! If your father were here, I could be a carefree and idle prince. The throne fell into the hands of this second brother, who was so cruel that he would not allow anyone in the world to threaten his throne.
Defang, today is the day that the emperor's uncle will be executed. I have lived in fear and terror for the past few years. If I drink a cup of poisoned wine at dinner, I will be free."
The tone of Qi Wang Zhao Tingmei was full of relief, as if he had seen through the fate of life and death. He looked up at the most outstanding nephew in front of him, with a look of heartache and hope in his eyes.
"Defang, you are talented, brave and wise, but don't be a fool waiting to be slaughtered on the chopping board!"
Qin Wang Zhao Defang smiled faintly, his eyes firm and determined: "Uncle, my nephew will never be a foolish fish waiting to be slaughtered on the chopping board!"
The King of Qi stared at his nephew's determined gaze, as if it was the hope he left in this world after his death. Suddenly, he raised his head and burst into laughter!
"Good! You are worthy of being the most beloved child by your father, the Emperor Taizu.
He is indeed a young hero who became famous in the Song Dynasty when he was only a teenager! "...
In the Dali Temple prison cell, at dinner time, the palace's chief eunuch, Wang Jie'en, came with a table of sumptuous dishes and a pot of highly poisonous poison, to see Prince Qi off.
The King of Qi, who had seen through life and death, showed no fear. He picked up the chopsticks and ate a big meal. Then he drank a cup of poisoned wine and died with blood coming out of all his orifices!
In the Qin Palace, Qin Prince Zhao Defang stood in the courtyard of Chunfengju with his hands behind his back, looking up at the half-moon in the sky. His tall figure stood there quietly for a very long time!