Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Next, Du He and Hou Junji together set all the letters on fire.

Looking at the pile of ashes in the brazier, Du He and Hou Junji both breathed a sigh of relief.

An invisible crisis was finally resolved.

Hou Junji asked curiously, "Du He, how did you find the location of this letter?"

Du He pointed to the other beams and said with a smile, "Uncle Hou, the tops of the other beams are covered with dust, but the top of this beam is relatively clean."

"So my nephew inferred that someone had climbed up this beam."

The beam is very high, and unless it is a major cleaning, servants usually do not climb up to such a high place to clean.

It was because of this that Du He discovered the trick.

Hou Junji patted Du He's shoulder excitedly and praised him, "Good boy, you are really smart."

"My dear nephew, please stay here for lunch and have a drink with Uncle Hou."

Hou Junji had made great military achievements, held a high position, and was an arrogant person, so there were only a few people willing to be invited to drink by him.

Among the younger generation, there is only Du He at present.

Du He smiled and bowed, "Uncle Hou invited me, so I'd better obey your order. I haven't had a drink for a long time, so I'm craving for it."

After giving instructions to Xi Junmai and Donggong Qianniu, Du He followed Hou Junji through corridors and finally arrived at the side hall for dining.

"The house where Hou Junji lives is really huge!"

Du He's eyes were full of envy.

Although their Duke Lai’s Mansion is not small, it is far inferior to Hou Junji’s mansion.

But this is not surprising. Du Ruhui died in the fourth year of Zhenguan, and Hou Junji has been making contributions over the years.

Those who have made contributions will be rewarded. It is not surprising that the Duke's Mansion where Hou Junji lives is larger than the Duke's Mansion of Lai.

Under Hou Junji's arrangement, the kitchen quickly prepared more than ten dishes, including beef and mutton, filling the entire table.

"Nephew Du, we won't go home until we are drunk today."

Hou Junji asked his servants to bring two jars of his treasured fine wine and said with a smile on his face.

These wines were given to him by His Majesty when he made meritorious services, and he usually was reluctant to drink them alone.

In order to thank Du He for saving his life twice, Hou Junji also spent a lot of money.

Hou Junji filled their large bowls with wine, then he picked up the bowl and gestured to Du He.

"Nephew Du, drinking from a glass is too slow, let's drink from a bowl."

"please."

The way warriors drink is different from that of scholars. Warriors are generous and they pay attention to drinking and eating meat in big gulps.

Du He picked up the big bowl and made a gesture of invitation, and then the two of them drank it all in one gulp.

The alcohol content of this wine is not high, far from the 50-plus alcohol content of later wines.

And the taste is just so-so.

After a big bowl of wine, the two began to chat.

Du He asked with some concern: "Uncle Hou, will it be okay to beat Helan Chushi to death?"

Killing someone for no reason and being exposed by someone with ulterior motives is also a troublesome matter.

"Haha, it's okay, I have my own way." Hou Junji laughed loudly, not afraid at all.

He had too many reasons and ways to deal with killing a traitor in his territory.

Since Hou Junji said so, Du He didn't ask any more questions.

Even if the truth is revealed and he is impeached by the censor, it is Hou Junji's own family affair.

It has nothing to do with him as an outsider.

"My dear nephew, let's clink glasses of wine again." Hou Junji filled their bowls with wine, raised his bowl and continued.

"Please." Du He raised the bowl.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the two chatted for a while and then began to talk about the crown prince.

Hou Junji narrowed his eyes and asked, "My dear nephew, among these princes of His Majesty, who do you think is most likely to inherit the throne?"

Du He glanced at him, smiled and said, "It has to be Crown Prince Li Chengqian."

This seemingly ordinary question and answer actually represents that the two people have different reasons for supporting Li Chengqian to ascend the throne.

In the 14th year of Zhenguan, Hou Junji led his troops to destroy Gaochang Kingdom. However, without reporting to Li Shimin, he sent some innocent people to exile and secretly took the treasures of Gaochang Kingdom for himself.

After returning to the capital, Hou Junji, who had made great contributions, was impeached and eventually imprisoned.

Although he was soon released after the plea of Zhongshu Shilang Cen Wenben and others, the arrogant and rebellious Hou Junji also bore a grudge against Li Shimin.

What a joke! Not only was he not rewarded for his great contribution, he was also thrown into jail.

How could Hou Junji possibly endure such humiliation?

Therefore, the reason why Hou Junji supported Li Chengqian's rebellion was because he hated Li Shimin and wanted to hold great power, not because he valued Li Chengqian's ability and future.

On the other hand, Du He is different.

Du He is Li Chengqian's good friend. The two have been friends since childhood. Du He is the one who is willing to support Li Chengqian to ascend to the throne.

Hou Junji asked doubtfully, "Why are you so sure?"

From the talents displayed by Du He, we can see that he is not a stupid person and it is impossible for him not to see the incompetence of the prince.

Du He said confidently: "The Crown Prince is the eldest son. As long as he is not stupid and dissolute, he can succeed to the throne smoothly even if he has mediocre abilities."

"In addition, with you, Duke Chen, and me, and a group of neutral ministers supporting us from behind, as long as the crown prince moves forward steadily and waits patiently, he will be able to take over smoothly."

This little flattery touched Hou Junji's heart, and a happy smile instantly appeared on his face.

In the current imperial court, most of those who have served the emperor well are already very old.

The only people who had the power to command troops and whose status was comparable to his were Li Ji and Cheng Yaojin.

Hou Junji found Du He more and more attractive, so he did not continue the conversation on the topic of the crown prince. Instead, he gave some kind advice in the tone of an elder.

"My dear nephew, your Du family can't do this. If the prince can't ascend the throne, your Laiguo Mansion will definitely be in decline."

"You should make preparations for both situations. You should support the crown prince, and you should also find a way to get your elder brother Du Gou promoted to a more important position."

From ancient times to the present, a big family will never put all its bets in one basket.

The best way is to bet on both sides, or even on both sides.

Du He bowed his hands in thanks and said, "Uncle Hou, what you said makes sense. I will learn from your advice."

Only the Du family knows about their affairs.

In the fifth year of Zhenguan, the eldest brother Du Gou had his left hamstring severed by a needle-like fish while suppressing bandits in the waters of Dengzhou and Laizhou.

Although he made great contributions by helping fishermen to get rich by catching needlefish, he also suffered from a hidden disease in his legs and walked with his feet uneven.

Because of his weak legs, my eldest brother's ambition was completely extinguished and he hid in Cizhou as a governor for many years.

Cizhou belonged to the lower prefecture, and the governor of Cizhou was an official position below the fourth rank.

There are a large number of governors of Zhongzhou and Shangzhou above him, so it is not his turn to be promoted.

"Hou Junji is right. It's time to give my eldest brother a hand. If the Duke of Lai's Mansion is to become bigger and stronger, it cannot be separated from the brothers working together."

Du He drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, thinking about the issue of the family's development.

His uncle Du Chuke is an ungrateful person.

With the influence of his brother Du Ruhui and the strong support of his family behind the scenes, he had a smooth career in officialdom. After becoming the Minister of Works, he became so proud that he almost got cocky.

After he became rich, he never came to the Duke of Lai's Mansion, and he ignored his young nephews.

In addition, Du Chuke openly supported King Wei, which made the two families even more hostile.

When Du He and Hou Junji were drinking and chatting, a woman with red and swollen eyes rushed in and questioned Hou Junji loudly.

"Dad, why did you kill your husband?"

She is Hou Haitang, the daughter of Hou Junji.

When Hou Haitang learned that her husband was killed by her father, she felt like the sky had fallen.