Golden Branch

Beijing.

The small incident involving the misappropriation of the dowry of the Prince of Qi's concubine has long passed.

In the past few days, the news of the "civil uprising" from Qi has swept the entire capital.

Ordinary people just watch the fun:

Civil uprising?

In the new dynasty of Dayu, the world was at peace and a prosperous era was expected... But, in the not-so-remote Qi area, a civil unrest broke out?

Isn't this a joke?

It must be that the corrupt officials exploited the people too much, which forced the people to rebel.

Fortunately, the officials of Qi and the soldiers of Zhechoufu all performed their duties conscientiously and took quick action, which prevented the unrest from spreading.

Some people with political acumen vaguely sensed the urgency and crisis:

The King of Qi fought back!

Come to think of it, Qi was the fiefdom of the King of Qi.

However, the King of Chu wanted to stir up trouble in Qi and even let his people snatch away the victory that the Prince of Qi had personally cultivated.

If the Prince of Qi's Mansion can still endure it, wouldn't it be a betrayal of the reputation of the Prince of Qi as the God of War of the Celestial Dynasty?

A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. The King of Qi's dignity must not be damaged like this?!

Cause civil unrest, kill the enemy thugs who were picking fruits, a beautiful counterattack.

It can't be considered a decisive blow, but it can still help establish authority.

But the old foxes in the court saw a deeper layer:

In this contest between the sage and the King of Qi, the King of Qi "turned defeat into victory."

Even though the King of Qi was targeted and excluded, he remained the unruly and invincible legend.

It's a pity that the King of Qi was, after all, a minister and a son, and this natural disadvantage of his status made him passive everywhere.

Sure enough, just as some old foxes were secretly sighing and continuing to wait and see, the bad news of the disastrous defeat in the northwest war came.

The King of Chu led an army of 200,000, and was accompanied by the King of Qi's powerful generals Qu Tuxu and Wei Shilian as deputy generals. They fought a fierce battle with the invading Turkic army in the border town, but were defeated and their army was completely routed.

The Turks had always been a major threat to Dayu. When the dynasty was newly established and the world was just beginning to settle down, the Turkic Khan took the opportunity to move south.

Logically, the King of Qi, who had made outstanding military achievements and was victorious in every battle, was the best candidate to be the commander-in-chief of the Northwest March.

However, the sage was wary, and the King of Chu was scheming. Not only did the King of Qi not get the opportunity to lead the troops to war, but he couldn't even protect his capable generals.

Qu Tuxu and Wei Shilian were both confidants of the King of Qi, and they were also brave and skilled generals who were good at using troops.

If the saint sent any one of them to resist the Turks, he might not be able to guarantee a great victory, but he would not suffer a crushing defeat either.

However, the sage transferred them to the King of Chu, who became the chief steward and the two generals as his deputies.

They fight tough battles!

Command, the King of Chu is coming!

Now that we've lost, it's probably these two unfortunate victims who will take the blame.

Oh no, to be more precise, it should be Qu Tuxu.

Although Wei Shilian was also a backbone of the Qi Wang faction, he also had another identity - the son-in-law of Princess Jincheng.

After all, she was the son-in-law of a saint, and Princess Jincheng made great contributions to the establishment of the new dynasty.

Even if he really made a mistake, the saint would forgive him for the sake of his daughter.

What's more, Wei Shilian did nothing wrong. He was just tricked by the King of Chu.

The truth behind the disastrous defeat in the Northwest War was known to everyone in the court, including the Saint.

They were not defeated by the Turks, but by the internal fighting between brothers (fathers and sons).

Sadly, the truth doesn't matter.

What the saint wants is the result, an "excuse" to pull the son of the God of War down from the altar.

Just two days ago, the Northwest War Report was delivered to the capital, and yesterday, the Saint issued a series of imperial edicts:

Qu Tuxu and Wei Shilian went to Beijing!

Order the Dali Temple, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, etc. to punish the two!

The sage's meaning was very clear, he wanted Qu Tu and Wei to take the blame.

According to his intention, after an investigation, there is a high probability that the King of Qi will be implicated.

Even if we can't do anything to Yang Chong himself, we must continue to cut off the branches and leaves of the towering tree of Prince Qi's Palace.

The real purpose is revealed!

The "knife" is already on the neck!

Conflict is about to break out!

……

An Guo Gongfu.

The tall and heavy red-painted gate not only keeps the wealth of the garden inside, but also keeps out the storms outside.

At least, for the women of the Lou family, they were not very concerned about the disputes in the court and the competition between the Sage and the King of Qi.

For example, Mrs. Cui didn't care whether there was lightning, thunder, or flooding outside.

She only knew that her Shiyilang, her only son, was gone!

The east courtyard and the main hall are all white.

The mourning hall has been arranged, but the coffin is empty.

Lou Rang's body is still in Yizhou, thousands of miles away.

After receiving the news, Lou Jin immediately sent his personal guards to Yizhou to investigate the cause of Lou Rang's death, to deal with the aftermath of a certain young man, and then to transport Lou Rang's body back to the capital.

No matter what, Lou Rang is Lou Jin's biological brother and the master of the Lou family, so his funeral cannot be too simple.

After the funeral, Lou Jin will be sent back to his ancestral tomb in Liuzhen for burial.

Lou Jin was busy running around throughout the whole thing.

When Mrs. Cui received the bad news, she fainted on the spot.

After waking up, I felt numb and stupid, as if I had lost my mind due to excessive stimulation.

It was not until Lou Jin ordered people to set up the mourning hall and she looked up to see the dazzling white that Mrs. Cui seemed to "come back to life."

Despite her frail body, she struggled to reach the mourning hall.

Seeing Su Jin floating everywhere and the empty coffin, she cried out miserably, "Son," and finally burst into tears.

Everyone: ...crying? Crying is good!

As long as you cry and vent the grief, despair and other emotions accumulated in your heart, you will not collapse or go crazy.

Although Mrs. Cui was only a second wife, she was the widow of the old general and Lou Jin's mother after all.

If anything happened to her, Lou Jin would have to observe mourning and would also be criticized - Madam Cui's only son died at the hands of Lou Jin's "nephew".

Although Lou Rang "failed to kill and was killed instead", he still died at the hands of the "rioters".

But, those who understand will understand this kind of thing.

Rioters?

Haha, they can be rioters or secret guards.

It's just a fig leaf that can only deceive ignorant children.

Madam Cui was no child, and she knew the grudge between her son and that little beast Lou Yu.

When Lou Rang insisted on going to Yizhou, Madam Cui understood that her son still remembered the hatred of his broken leg and wanted to seek revenge on Lou Yu!

Mrs. Cui once thought about stopping it, but she knew very well that this was her son's inner demon.

If this bond is not broken one day, the son will live in the abyss of hatred and pain for the rest of his life.

Moreover, Madam Cui also hated Lou Yu and hoped to take revenge on him.

This time, it’s different from before.

At that time, Lou Yu had the support of Lou Jin, so Lou Rang suffered a great loss.

But now, behind Shiyilang is Queen Li, a saint, and he is also an official appointed by the court to carry out his duties. No matter how domineering Lou Yu is, he is just a young man without title or official position. How dare he kill an official openly?

When Mrs. Cui thought about this, she felt relieved and let Lou Rang go to Yizhou.

Unexpectedly, in just two or three months, Lou Rang...

"My son! My Shiyilang! You died so tragically!"

"General! My dear! If you knew about this in the afterlife, you would definitely stand up for our Shiyilang!"

"Shiyilang, his death was unjust. He served the court loyally, but was brutally murdered by a traitor!"

"Woo woo, Lou Yu, how dare you? How dare you kill your own relatives?"

Mrs. Cui stayed in the mourning hall, crying day and howling night and night. Her voice was hoarse, but she still refused to stop.

At first, she just cried and complained about her son's misery and pity.

The more I cried, the sadder I became, and I gradually lost my rationality.

She began to directly mention Lou Yu's name——

It's him!

It was he who used poison to kill Shiyilang!

Mrs. Cui was a strong mother. In order to seek justice for her only son, she no longer cared about Lou Jin or anyone else.

She now had only one thought in mind: to redress Lou Rang's injustice and seek revenge!

The little bastard harmed him, so he must pay with his life!

Madam Cui was a loving mother, and how could Dugu not value her son?

Perhaps, among herself, her husband, and her many children, Dugu would not choose Lou Yu.

However, if Lou Yu is put together with an "outsider", she will unwaveringly choose the former.

No matter what, Lou Yu is his own flesh and blood.

She still owes him a lot.

"Mother, please be careful with your words!"

Hearing the sound from the mourning hall, Dugu hurried over.

She was dressed in plain clothes, with only a silver hairpin pinned to her black hair.

Dugu was also somewhat saddened by Lou Rang's death.

After all, they are a family and have lived together in the same Duke's Mansion for several years. Now that the person is dead, all frictions and conflicts are wiped out.

Dugu was a soft-hearted person to begin with. She would feel sorry for the sudden death of someone she didn't know, let alone her legitimate brother-in-law?!

Not to mention, Lou Rang’s disability is related to his own son.

Like Lou Jin, Dugu felt somewhat guilty towards Lou Rang.

Lou Rang died suddenly, and his son was unharmed... Dugu really couldn't remain indifferent to Lou Rang's death.

Mrs. Cui's grief also made Dugu feel pity for her.

Therefore, Dugu did her best to take care of Lou Rang's wife and children, and tacitly tolerated Madam Cui's madness.

However, the Dugu family also has a bottom line.

The scope of her tolerance must never cross that bottom line - Lou Yu!

"Mother, Arang acted inappropriately and provoked a civil uprising. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he was tragically killed by the rioters!"

"This matter has been confirmed by Yizhou Governor Lu Huaijin, the Hedong County Magistrate, and the local gentry and elders..."

The Yizhou government had already made a decision on Lou Rang's death.

He was killed by the rioters.

And the rioters were also forced to rebel by him.

To put it bluntly, Lou Rang deserved the punishment and deserved to die.

"Mother, I know you are hurt and confused because of Shiyilang's death, but even so, you can't say anything nonsense!"

"What does this have to do with A Yu? Has he ever murdered your parents?"

Dugu is no longer the little concubine who only knew how to run away.

Having been the wife of a general and a duke for several years, she had the Dugu family behind her and was favored by Lou Jin. Not only in the Duke's Mansion, but also in the entire capital, she was one of the most famous noble ladies.

As a first-rank lady, she is a woman who can influence the Duke of Anguo.

When Dugu went to the palace and met Empress Li and other noble ladies, she was never bullied or treated badly.

Queen Li was very close to her, and the princesses, princes, and imperial consorts all looked up to her.

Wherever she went, she was surrounded by people and flattered by them.

Live the Qi and nourish the body!

Dugu has become a standard, successful, top-level noble lady.

Her every word and action exuded dignity and a superior aura.

Even when facing his former "master", Dugu no longer felt inferior or timid.

She has a strong aura, she is confident and outspoken, and when she refutes Madam Cui, her words are powerful and resounding!

Mrs. Cui was kneeling on the floor. When she heard Dugu's rebuke, she raised her head and revealed a face full of tears.

Mrs. Cui is not old. She was born into wealth and grew up in luxury. She is well maintained and looks a dozen years younger than her actual age.

But at this moment, Mrs. Cui seemed to have aged in an instant.

There are quite a few silver strands in the messy hair.

His face was pale and sickly, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth.

At first glance, she is just a desperate and decadent old woman. Where is the glory and respectability she once had?

Seeing Madam Cui like this, Dugu was stunned for a moment.

When Mrs. Cui was unconscious yesterday, she didn't seem so haggard.

How come people look so old after just one night apart?

My hair turned white overnight.

The despair and hatred that came from the bones made Dugu's high momentum even less impressive.

Dugu subconsciously took two steps back.

Mrs. Cui's gaze was so terrifying.

Just like a mother wolf who fell into a trap and lost her cubs!

Dugu had a premonition that Madam Cui might jump up and bite her throat at any time!

hiss!

Dugu only felt a chill on her back and her heart was in a panic.

She was not a person with a strong mind or a strong heart. Her aura was more given to her by external factors such as her status and husband.

It's not innate, not from within. Dugu is a bit of a paper tiger. When she meets a real ruthless person, she retreats.

"...Ha! Lou Yu didn't kill his parents?"

"Dugu Mingyue, I guess you don't even believe what you said yourself."

"I'm not stupid, I'm not senile yet! Even if I didn't see it in person, I know that all of this was a frame-up by that little bastard Lou Yu!"

"You little bastard! You're truly a heartless, inhumane little bastard. When he was just a few years old, he broke his own uncle's leg, and now he's even—"

"Dugu Mingyue, don't be so quick to refute me! I only have one question for you: do you dare to swear on your two children and Lou Jin's title that this was not done by Lou Yu?"

It has to be said that Mrs. Cui and Mrs. Dugu have been mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for several years, so she has some understanding of this daughter-in-law.

She precisely pressed Dugu's vital point—a boy and a girl! Husband!

Compared with these people, Lou Yu is nothing.

Dugu simply didn't dare to swear or swear on the person she valued most in order to clear Lou Yu's name!

She didn't dare, let alone want to.

People should know how to avoid prophecies and should not say unlucky words casually, let alone "oaths"?

Dugu was confused, her lips opened and closed, but she couldn't utter a single word.

"...See?! Even you know it yourself. Valan was killed by that little bastard!"

Madam Cui smiled bitterly. So what if her aura overwhelmed that of the Dugu family?

Her son is gone!