The next day, Dali Temple Prison.

A jailer took out the key from his belt and opened the door shakily. The wooden door made a heavy and dry sound. The jailer respectfully handed the key to Meng Zong and then stepped back, not daring to take a breath.

In the cell, Fan Zhi looked at Meng Zong who walked in through the door, his normally calm face unable to conceal his surprise.

"Mr. Meng is here, but is there any news from Yangzhou?"

His voice was very weak, and every word he spoke was like wind passing through a broken drum, difficult and stagnant.

However, the pain-ridden body did not weaken his will. The slumped old man looked at Meng Zong quietly with a pair of wise eyes. Meng Zong opened the corner of his robe and sat on the ground, saying, "What news do you want to know, Sir? The tragic defeat of Sifang Island

? Liao Rao died in the battle? Or are Eunuch Liu and Mr. Gu bringing Jiao Feng and Sir's niece to Shangjing?"

After a disastrous defeat, Liao Rao died in battle, and Jiao Feng and Jin Shu were heading to Beijing. But in just a few words, Fan Zhi had already guessed that the incident in Yangzhou was probably done.

He smiled slightly and said: "I already know the news I want to know. Thank you Master Meng for generously telling me. I am afraid that Master Meng's reason for coming today is not just because of Yangzhou. After all, while I am still breathing, maybe I can help Mr. Meng solve some of his doubts."

Fan Zhi thought that Meng Zong was here for the case between Liao Rao and Pan Xueliang, but Meng Zong frowned and said, "Everyone else said that the reason why the sage succeeded to the throne was because of Wu You. Qi Jiawen has the Xing family, but I don't know that it is because of the boss that the emperor is willing to lead troops to the capital."

Meng Zong's words were a bit unexpected.

After being stunned for a moment, he lowered his eyes and smiled and said: "Master Meng, continue to speak, I listen."

"If our sage had not been forced to the point of desperation, he probably would not have left Taiyuan Mansion to grab the dragon chair. Boss Only Queen Qi knew about the people going to Taiyuan Mansion to see the Holy One. No one in the world knew that the Holy One would send troops to the north, but he still listened to the old man's advice. Now the Holy King only has two sons. I have both taught in the Wenhua Palace, and I think I know that both of them are mediocre talents. The eldest prince has a long name, and with the support of the chief minister and other civil servants, he can barely be called an intellectual. Observe the etiquette, but he is too meek and obedient. He doesn't even dare to refute the words of the supervisors around him. Even if he ascends the throne and becomes emperor, he is just a puppet."

Meng Zong paused slightly after saying this. He poured a cup of cold tea from the teapot on the side, took a sip, and continued: "As for the second prince, it is even worse. As the only son of Queen Qi, the second prince has the confidence of the entire Qi family and the military generals in Beijing, and he is much braver than the eldest prince. . It's a pity that this son is too stubborn and too eager, and what he does is also arousing criticism. It is really not the choice of a good king."

Meng Zong's words can be said to be treasonous and sincere.

Fan Zhi looked up at him without saying a word.

"What I and the boss can see, the emperor can also see. When the boss asked Ying to be Prince Huai'an's enlightenment teacher, he probably guessed this predicament in the future. I heard that the boss once talked to Mr. Lin from the Hanlin Academy Prince Huai'an is well-educated and intelligent, much like the emperor when he was a child. Emperor Xu has secretly taught Prince Huai'an for many years, but he has been reluctant to establish a throne.

Master Fan probably knows why. The smile on his face gradually disappeared.

After a long time, he sighed softly: "It's a pity that the emperor softened his heart in the end. No, what's most pity for me is that my body can't last long, even the emperor..."

Emperor Jiayou coughed up blood in the Yangxin Hall. Whether it is the inner court, the harem, or the people in the court, very few people know about it.

Fan Zhi and Meng Zong are one of the few insiders.

Meng Zong understood what Lao Shangshu regretted.

If he had lived for a few more years, if the emperor's body had not deteriorated so much in the past two years, when the crown prince Huai'an was crowned, not to mention the old minister, even Meng Zong would probably support the crown prince Huai'an. That location.

However, Crown Prince Huai'an was only about to be eleven years old now, and the ministers in the court were divided into several factions. They were at odds with each other, and what they were thinking about during the day was how to weaken the power of the enemy factions.

Even if Prince Huai'an and his son could sit in that position, they would not be able to sit firmly on the dragon throne, and they might even be killed.

Emperor Jiayou's health was deteriorating. He hesitated and relented.

However, Lao Shangshu chose the lesser of the two powers and chose the eldest prince, and entered the situation himself, hoping to completely block the road between the Qi family and the second prince before he died.

It was precisely because Xing Shoufu understood the old Shangshu's decision that he tried his best to help the old Shangshu and sent people to secretly protect Liu Yuan and Gu Changjin to Yangzhou Mansion.

Fan Zhi became more and more puzzled about Meng Zong's purpose, "I can't understand Mr. Meng

even more today." Meng Zong said with a smile: "The boss has never relaxed his guard against me. I have always known that Liu Yuan is the boss. He knows that he surrendered to me because of the boss's orders."

Fan Zhi did not deny it, but said calmly: "I

don't care whether Eunuch Liu is a good person. The officer came today just to ask Mr. Lao, if there is a person who is more suitable for that position than Crown Prince Huai'an, would Mr. Lao be willing to help him, just like Mr. Lao spared no effort to help Crown Prince Huai'an? "

Fan Zhiding ? Ding looked at Meng Zong, as if he was trying to determine whether Meng Zong's words were true or false. After a while, he said, "Who is it?"

"Xiao Yan, the son of Prince Qi Yuan."

"Xiao Yan?" Fan Zhi's gray eyebrows were raised high. A childish, chubby baby face appeared in his mind, "That child is obviously already——"

Before the word "dead" could be uttered, Fan Zhi's voice suddenly stopped.

Twenty-one years ago, two months before Emperor Jiayou ascended the throne, the courtier who led the troops to the East Palace to encircle and suppress the remaining party of Prince Qiyuan was Meng Zong.

"Did you let Xiao Yan go?"

"Yes." Meng Zong put the empty teacup on the side table and said, "Both Ni Huan and Xiao Yan, the chief guard of the East Palace, were let go by me."

Fan Zhi After being silent for a long time, he said: "I didn't know Lord Meng had a bodhisattva heart. In fact, even if you didn't let Xiao Yan go, the emperor would not kill him."

"My lord, you think highly of me." Meng Zong said frankly. : "When I went to the East Palace, Ni Huan had already killed his son and burned him into a charred corpse, pretending to be Xiao Yan. But Ni Huan was ruthless, but he didn't get it right from beginning to end. He was chased by me within two days. "Enter."

The loyal East Palace guard guarded the child, knelt down and asked him: "How can Master Meng be so sure that the seventh prince will be a good emperor? If he is a coward and a tyrant, the young prince will be able to bring order to things." , opportunity to restore orthodoxy."

After Meng Zong said this, he smiled and said: "It was Ni Huan's words that made my subordinates show mercy and clean up the mess for him. Only I am not as good as the old minister. You can't be discerning and tell at a glance that the emperor will be a wise king."

When Emperor Jiayou was still the seventh prince Xiao Yan, he was unknown in the palace. Among the princes, he was the least famous.

In the eyes of the late emperor, it was precisely because his son was weak and mediocre that he pointed out the eldest daughter of the Qi family to the seventh prince, in order to dispel the ambition of the Qi family to have a crown princess and a future queen.

During the years when Prince Qi Yuan was in charge of the country, he killed almost all the adult men in the Xiao royal family.

Only the seventh prince Xiao Yan and the ninth prince Xiao Yin, who had just turned twelve, survived.

After the death of Prince Qi Yuan, the seventh prince Xiao Yan ascended the throne, which was expected by the public and the destiny.

The king is weak and the ministers are strong.

Meng Zong originally thought that someone as weak as Xiao Yan would become a puppet for the Qi family or the Xing family in their struggle for power, but he never expected that Xiao Yan could sit firmly on the throne and use twenty years to destroy the country that was once riddled with holes and surrounded by foreign enemies. Yin has governed the situation to this day.

After Meng Zong released Xiao Yan, Ni Huan changed his name and surname, and took Xiao Yan, who had just turned two years old, to Fuyu Mountain to seek refuge with an old friend from the army, Gu Jun, who had already been disarmed and returned to the forest.

Meng Zong also thought about whether to send people to Fuyu Mountain to kill Ni Huan and Xiao Yan. Unexpectedly, a mountain fire in Fuyu Mountain burned Gu Jun and his two children to ashes, and Xiao Yan and Ni Huan were also completely destroyed. Lost track.

Not only Xiao Yan and Ni Huan lost news, but Gu Jun's wife and young son were also missing. It was said that they had gone to seek refuge with relatives.

The news about Xiao Yan came again in the 18th year of Jiayou's reign. The leader of that year was Gu Changjin, the son of Jinan Prefecture.

Gu Changjin.

Meng Zong recognized it at a glance. This was the name of the youngest son of Orion Gu Jun.

The examiner of that examination was Kou Lu Zhuo, the chief minister of the Ministry of Punishment. Lu Zhuo admired Gu Changjin very much and praised him more than once in front of his colleagues for his deep chest and beautiful belly.

On the day when the examination results were announced, Meng Zong received a secret letter and a jade pendant.

Meng Zong knew that the jade pendant was an old item commonly used by Prince Qi Yuan.

The person who sent this thing was Mrs. Xu of the Gu Mansion in Wutong Lane, who was lingering on her sick bed and could not see guests all year round.

Only this Xu family is not that Xu family.

Gu Jun's wife's name was Xu Wei, and the Xu family living in Wutong Lane was actually Xiao Fu, the princess of Yunhua County.

Princess Yunhua's biological father was the late emperor's cousin, Emperor Jiayou's cousin King Xin. When King Xin was young, he was well-known as a libertine in Beijing, and he insisted on marrying a woman from the Western Regions as his concubine. This incident was widely known throughout the city.

After King Xin got married, he took the girl from the Western Regions to Liangzhou to join the vassal state. The couple fell in love for a few years, but both died of illness in Liangzhou. Their only daughter was Xiao Fu, the princess of Yunhua County.

It has to be said that Princess Yunhua and Gu Changjin appeared at the perfect time.

Meng Zong thoroughly investigated Gu Changjin's past in Jinan Mansion, and carefully read every article he had written since his enlightenment. And he had to admit that this child was indeed worthy of Lu Zhuo's evaluation.

He has been observing Gu Changjin in the past few years.

Meng Zong knows the cases he has handled, the reports he has written, and even the people he interacts with on a daily basis better than Lu Zhuo's violent temper.

Meng Zong finally understood why Xiao Fu dared to send Prince Qiyuan's jade pendant to the Meng Mansion in such a grand manner.

With Gu Changjin Zhuyu by his side, the eldest prince and the second prince were instantly transformed into fish eyes.

The cell was quiet for a moment.

Fan Zhi said seriously: "Is that kid now in Beijing?"

Meng Zong nodded and said with a smile: "I have seen that kid too. A few months ago, when he left Shangjing, he had a hand-to-hand conversation with the elder in this cell. One game later."

There were only two people who talked to Fan Zhishou in this cell.

Fan Zhi's expression changed.

After coming out of Dali Temple Prison, Meng Zong did not return to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but went straight back to the Meng Mansion.

When entering the study, Yan Qing couldn't help but ask: "Aren't you afraid that the old minister will eradicate the roots after learning about Master Gu's identity?"

Meng Zongdao said: "Fan Zhi can't. When Liu Yuan comes back from Yangzhou, he will probably be able to He has made up his mind. As for the choice of crown prince, that child is more suitable for him than Prince Huai'an. "

Yan Qing smiled and said, "It's only Mr. Gu who can pave the way for him so desperately."

Meng Zong's confidant, Yan Qing, naturally knew why Meng Zong wanted to win over the old minister.

There are two factions of civil servants in Beijing, one is headed by Xing Shoufu, and the other is headed by Lao Shangshu. It's just that the old minister has been lingering on his sick bed for many years and often avoids his home. This makes it seem as if the chief criminal has become the first minister.

He gradually forgot that the entire Hanlin Academy and Imperial College were standing behind the old minister.

The purpose of your trip today is to pave a smooth path for Gu Changjin!

Yan Qing thought of something and suddenly said: "There is one more thing. Just now, Deputy Chief Hu sent someone to deliver the news, saying that after the second prince visited Qi's house today, he hurried into the palace to meet Queen Qi."

Kunning Palace.

Empress Qi slowly fiddled with the foam on the tea cup, raised her eyes from the thin water vapor, stared at the second prince and said, "When did Liao Rao become yours?"

"When I went to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief a few years ago, I had met Liao Rao before, and it was at that time that Liao Rao surrendered to my son." The second prince said impatiently, "Mother, it doesn't matter when Liao Rao became my son. What's important is that he colluded with the Water Dragon King. I'm afraid he won't be able to do anything about it even if he dies. He still has the token of his son, and the top priority is to get it!"

Queen Qi smiled coldly: "Your uncle sent someone to deliver it to Jiangnan for disaster relief. You went, and you met with Liao Rao on your uncle's orders?"

"So what? My father has not established a heir in recent years. He has said everything in the capital, but there are still people who say that my father is interested in Xiao Yi. !” The second prince took the tea from Nanny Zhu and said casually: “The military power in Liao Rao’s hands is very useful. He keeps sending tens of thousands of taels of silver to me every year. Naturally, I want it. Take this person under your wing before Xiao Yi does."

Queen Qi also said casually: "You know how to be frank with me? If you just listen to your uncle, then ask your uncle to take care of it for you.

" Mother!" The second prince put down the tea cup and said dissatisfied: "You have a lot of people today, don't you want to argue with me! My uncle has sent people to ambush Liu Yuan and Gu Changjin on the road. If the incident fails, I have to ask you to explain this matter in front of my father."

The so-called explanation is to remove him from Liao Lao's corruption and collusion with the enemy even though he has done something stupid.

Qi Zhen looked steadily at the second prince.

I don't know since when, his son only listened to his brother's words, and he always said "Qi family" when he opened or closed his mouth.

Qi Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly, continued to push the tea lid, and said calmly: "Did Xiao Wu go back to Qi's house? I heard that you sent someone to take her back to Beijing two days ago?"

The second prince said yes, " The Queen Mother has always been fond of Xiaowu, and the Double Ninth Festival is coming soon. After Liao Rao's matter is settled, Xiaowu can spend the Double Ninth Festival with the Queen Mother, enjoying chrysanthemums and eating crabs."

Hearing this, Queen Qi made a loud noise. Throwing the tea cup on the table, she said to the few confidants around her: "Go out and close the door!"

Seeing Queen Qi's face sinking like water, Mammy Zhu's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly led the people out of the inner hall.

In a short while, only Queen Qi and the second prince were left in the inner palace.

Queen Qi walked towards the second prince, looked at him condescendingly, and said: "When you were fifteen years old, you followed your uncle to the suburbs of Beijing for hunting. After you came back, you were sick for two days. When you woke up, you killed those who followed you with a stick. The chamberlain who went hunting with you, Yu'er, tell me frankly, what did your uncle say to you on the day of hunting? "