Late at night, Weiyang Palace, sleeping hall.

There was a fire in the hall, filled with fragrance and warmth as spring. The emperor was wearing casual clothes and paced back and forth.

After returning from the Liang family, he stayed alone in the hall, whether in anger or in meditation, he was alone. He drove all his servants out, roared, whispered, smiled bitterly, and sighed alone in the hall.

At the beginning, he was angry that Liang Xiao was vicious and circled around for a long time. He actually tried his best to limit the imperial power and several generations of late emperors to restrict the power of the emperor. But later, he found that although he was full of support, he could not find the person to tell. Even the close ministers he picked up from the people were not trustworthy. After the memorial of King Liu De of Hejian was submitted to the imperial court, they collectively became aphasia.

Now that the emperor knows, they are not unaware of it, but they are unwilling to speak. In fact, they think the same as Liang Xiao, but they do not have the courage of Liang Xiao, and they only dare to hide it in their hearts and wait for others to stand up.

Once upon a time, he thought he had some real confidants, but now, no one can communicate with him.

The ministers in the foreign dynasty were not trustworthy, the ministers around him were not trustworthy, and even the women in the palace were not trustworthy. The queen's family was grateful to Liang Xiao. Dou Ying had an accident, and the Chen family's first reaction was to find Liang Xiao. Wang Meiren's brother accepted Liang Xiao's Maoling industry, and he jumped from a commoner to a wealthy rich man with a thousand gold medals. Wang Meiren's words were not trustworthy. Wei Zifu... Forget it, Wei Qing and Liang Xiao were in love with their brothers.

Even those who have nothing to do with Liang Xiao have never heard of their dissatisfaction with Liang Xiao, but they often hear some praise. Although they are silent now, the emperor knows that they only sympathize with Liang Xiao in their hearts.

The emperor suddenly realized that he had become a lonely man, a real lonely man. There were thousands of men and women in the Weiyang Palace, but he could not find a person who could speak intimate words. These people either asked for him, were afraid of him, or were either lies or talked empty words. The only person who dared to tell him the truth was outside the palace, in Qi, opposite the Weiyang Palace, and in the Hou's Mansion of the Champion.

But the truth... is really harsh. What he said is nothing. It's simply nonsense. No, it's a traitor.

The emperor sighed and sighed regretfully. People must learn. Liang Xiao has such a good talent, but he can only attribute his lack of knowledge to his lack of knowledge when he says this. However, he cannot blame him. How many people like him who were born in common people have read books.

When he mentioned knowledge, the emperor was stunned. Who is knowledgeable? Dong Zhongshu was knowledgeable, and he proposed the three strategies of heaven and man. However, he was speechless by Liang Xiao, and he slapped himself in the face of the disaster. The King of Huainan was knowledgeable, but now he was even more proficient and easy-to-open. He gave up the way of Huang Lao and instead studied the ultimate skill of not being able to enter the elegant hall. Liu De was knowledgeable, but Liu De committed suicide.

When he thought of Liu De's suicide, the emperor's forehead was covered with dense black lines. Liu De himself died, but left him endless trouble. How could he explain to the princes?

The emperor felt more and more broken and had a split headache. Liang Xiao gave him an idea, but he was not stupid. How could he not see that this was a bait? Even if the bait was surrounded by a beautiful vision of conquering the world, it could not hide the fact that this was a bait.

The sound of footsteps came from outside the hall.

The emperor raised his head and looked unhappy. He knew that his mind was very confused now and was not suitable to meet anyone. He had already ordered not to meet anyone. Who is so bold that he dared to resist the imperial edict?

The footsteps were getting louder and more messy, not just one person, but a group of people. The emperor became even more unhappy and shouted in a deep voice: "Who? Who is outside?"

"I." The Queen Mother appeared outside the hall with a stern look and a little sad.

The emperor felt warm in his heart, and then hid this weakness again. He knew too well that his mother and son were in love, of course, but in her eyes, he was a tool, a tool that could help the Wang family and the Tian family to gain benefits.

The mother and son were afraid of each other. Four words suddenly popped up in the emperor's mind, and he was shocked, and then he felt an inexplicable sorrow. Not only was the brothers unable to be compatible, but even the mother and son lost the most basic trust.

However, when he saw Tian Fu with his neck tilted beside the Queen Mother, the feeling disappeared and inexplicably felt disgust. Tian Fu was originally ugly, but now he was tilted. No matter how he looked, he did not have the majesty of the prime minister, and he was simply a street rogue. Compared with Dou Ying, he was far behind.

"My mother, it's so late, come to the palace, I wonder what's going on?"

The Queen Mother looked up and down at the emperor. "I heard that the emperor was in a bad mood after returning from the Marquis of Chancellor's Mansion and locked himself in the hall alone. I was very worried, so I came and take a look."

The emperor smiled, knowing that the words were half true and half false, but they did not expose them. He invited the Queen Mother to the main seat, sat on himself, but did not give Tian Fu a seat. Tian Fu stood aside in embarrassment and looked at the Queen Mother with help. The Queen Mother said, "The emperor doesn't even believe his uncle, no wonder he will be bullied by others."

"Where does the Queen Mother start? I am the emperor, who can deceive me?"

"If it weren't for being bullied, why should I slander yourself?" The Queen Mother sneered: "It turns out that you knew you were the emperor, and I thought you had forgotten. At the beginning, the late emperor was worried that the ministers would be rebellious and you would be wronged, so he executed Zhou Yafu and ordered me to assist him. Now it seems that he has not done enough and has suffered a lot of disaster."

When the emperor heard the Empress Dowager use the late emperor as a guise, and then said that the late emperor was not, the emperor felt even more uncomfortable. He had a calm face and kept silent.

"Of course, he could not have imagined that there would be no Zhou Yafu and Liang Yafu. But then again, if the emperor had not been indulged in Liang Xiao repeatedly, how could he have been today? Since marrying Liu Ling, he has become more intelligent."

The emperor became more and more unhappy when he heard it. He couldn't help but retort: ​​"Mother, I just returned to the palace shortly after, and this news reached the mother's ears and ears. The mother's ears and eyes are indeed smart."

"Don't you care about you?" The Queen Mother's face changed slightly, and she felt a little regretful. She came too anxiously, which made the emperor suspicious. "What did Liang Xiao say? If there is something that you are inconvenient to come forward, it's better to leave it to the Prime Minister. Your uncle, are you still worried?"

The emperor sneered in his heart. Is his uncle even closer than his brothers? Liu De, who has always adhered to the etiquette of ministers, was scared to death, but Tian Fu, who has always been absurd, lived a good life. He thought for a while and smiled bitterly: "Actually, Liang Xiao didn't say anything. He hoped that I would treat my ministers with etiquette and not invade the power of ministers from the foreign court, imitate the late emperor, and surrender to rule."

The Queen Mother was stunned and looked at Tian Fu hesitantly. Tian Fu was also stunned. Liang Xiao suggested that the emperor treat his ministers with courtesy and not invade the power of the ministers of the foreign courts? The ministers of the foreign courts regarded the prime minister as the prime minister. Is this the emperor's intention to respect the prime minister again?

For a moment, Tian Fu was filled with his heart and was so excited that he could not understand his excitement. He was probably the most cowardly prime minister in the history of the Han Dynasty. Although he was the prime minister and the honor of the foreign relatives, he did not enjoy any due honor. Now even the power has been taken away by the emperor and has become a decoration. It is impossible to say that he has no objection in his heart.

Tian Fen immediately thought of another question: Although he is still the prime minister now, the power of the prime minister has been transferred to the hands of the censor Han Anguo. Is Liang Xiao helping him or Han Anguo? It seems that it is the latter. After all, Liang Xiao and him are enemies, but they are close friends with Han Anguo.

Tian Fu's face changed all the time in the eyes of the emperor. The emperor became even more disdainful and asked deliberately: "Uncle, should I accept his advice?"

"This... etiquette is the foundation of self-esteem, and it is important to saints, and it should be even more so between kings and ministers. But this etiquette..."

Tian Fen's knowledge was originally average, but now it involves his own interests. He neither wanted to agree with Liang Xiao's opinions nor wanted to win some benefits for himself. He was unable to avoid being at a loss when advancing and retreating, and could not find a suitable statement for a while. His embarrassment fell into the eyes of the emperor, which made the emperor feel a little contempt. He said slowly: "Liang Xiao said that the prime minister is a minister and should not be replaced easily. Uncle, what do you think?"

"This..." Tian Fu's eyes were chaotic, but he couldn't speak.

"This sentence makes some sense." The Queen Mother couldn't help but take the conversation. "The Prime Minister shouldn't change easily."

"Yes, Liang Xiao also said so. He said that the Prime Minister was the pillar of the court. Three ministers and the Tao should be treated with special rituals and should not be humiliated at will. Treating him with etiquette, appointing him with law, examining him with achievements, and respecting him with honor is the right way."

"Appoint him to the law and take the exam?" Tian Fu was a prime minister after all. He immediately heard the problem, for fear that the Queen Mother would say the wrong thing again, so he immediately snatched the topic.

The emperor laughed in his heart. He made up these things. Liang Xiao didn't say them at all, or he wanted to say them, but he didn't have time to say them. He just pushed forward according to the direction Liang Xiao said, and there shouldn't be too far apart. Seeing Tian Fu's uneasiness, he felt an indescribable pleasure, as if he had done a prank.

"Yes, use laws to restrain the Prime Minister's actions and evaluate the Prime Minister's abilities with merits. Those who can live, and those who cannot go."

Tian Fu's face suddenly became ugly. He was almost certain that Liang Xiao's words were all for Han Anguo, and all he had left was the four words "If you can't go". He had self-knowledge. In terms of his ability to deal with the government, he was definitely not a qualified prime minister.

"Uncle, do you think Liang Xiao's suggestions are acceptable?"

Tian Fu was speechless and his ugly face turned red.

The emperor looked gloomy and said nothing. At this time, if he could not see what Tian Fu was thinking, he would not be him. Tian Fu wanted the prime minister's honor and wealth, but he did not want to take on the corresponding responsibilities of the prime minister. He regarded the position of prime minister as a tool for profit, and he could not care about serving the court. The emperor became more and more unhappy. Tian Fu's actions in the past few years have come to his mind, especially in order to expand his mansion, and he actually wanted to take the exam for the Works Department, which made him angry.

Can such a prime minister help me achieve success? He is just a greedy worm, and will not help anything except emptying the foundation of the court.

The emperor suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "Prime Minister, since your illness has been cured, it is time to come back to govern the government. The great dynasty is imminent, and the suicide of King Hejian has caused a lot of storm in the city. What should we do? The army's victory is frequent and will be triumphant soon, but Dou Ying is still in the Tingwei Prison. Should we release or kill you? You, the prime minister, have to come up with the rules of association."

Tian Fen sweated heavily. He had always wanted to regain power, but it was obvious that when he returned to the court at this critical moment, he would definitely face a difficult situation. How to appease the princes and kings, if Dou Ying's problem was solved, there would be no mistake. According to the emperor's opinion, if it was not handled well, he would be a scapegoat and bear the criticism from the princes and the sons of Chen Dou.

The field flies squeaked and silenced.

The emperor sneered and said nothing, only the corners of his mouth kept twitching, and his eyes were terrifying.

In mid-December, a victory was delivered to Chang'an, bringing the latest news on the Hexi battlefield.

Li Guang and Wang Hui led their troops to fight for more than 30,000 miles, with dozens of battles, killing more than 30,000, and seizing countless cattle and sheep. In the battle of Juyanze, Li Guang and Wei Qing made all the troops, which severely damaged the headquarters of the Right Xianwang and almost captured the right Xianwang himself alive. The right Xianwang led his army to flee far away. The battle of Hexi ended with the complete victory of the Han army. All Hexi and Qiangzhong in the north and south of the Qilian Mountains were controlled by the Han army.

The news reached Chang'an, and Chang'an was filled with joy.

The emperor was happy and worried. What was happy was that the battle in Hexi was a complete victory, which once again proved his ability. Who could doubt his decision if he could defeat a hasty war like this? What was worried was that the army was about to be triumphant, and there were dozens of people who had made contributions to Chen Dou's sons, and seven or eight were qualified to be a marquis, but Dou Ying was still imprisoned in the Tingwei Prison. How could he explain to Chen Dou's sons?

What made him even more uneasy was that the end of the Battle of Hexi, the management of the river became the top priority. However, because Dou Ying was arrested, whether the children of Chen Dou who were going out for inspection could still do things with peace of mind became a matter that the emperor must seriously consider.

Of course, there were also princes who watched coldly and waited for the emperor to give an explanation to King Liu De of Hejian.

The emperor had been struggling for a few days, and finally had to admit that Liang Xiao's method was not the best, but it was undoubtedly the only feasible. Without this, it would be impossible to solve the death situation he faced.

One evening, the emperor took the Lord Yan and others out of the palace quietly and came to Tingwei Temple.

Zhang Tang received the notice and immediately rushed out to pay homage. The emperor came to the cell where Dou Ying was imprisoned, ordered people to open the door, then waved his entourage back, crawled in, and sat down on the blood-stained weeds, sitting opposite Dou Ying.

Dou Ying sat in the corner of the wall, and heard the sound, slowly opened her eyes. In the dim flame, he narrowed his eyes and looked for a long time before he could see the emperor in front of him clearly. He couldn't help but feel excited and quickly turned over and sat up, and fell to the ground. As his movements, the shackles kept ringing.

The emperor let out a sigh of relief. "Du Gong, you have suffered."

Zhang Tang stood in the distance, holding his breath, pricking his ears, listening to the movements in the prison. When he heard this, his face suddenly turned ashamed-
Chapter completed!