Return home?
Huo Wujiu had destroyed Hou Zhu's country, and Hou Zhu had killed Huo Wujiu's father. At this point, how could he still say that this was Huo Wujiu's mother's home?
Although he said that he wanted to return home, his undisguised tone was clearly looking for an excuse to bring Huo Wujiu back to ridicule and humiliate him.
Through thousands of years of history books, Jiang Suzhou had some understanding of this incapable ruler.
He was as stupid as he could be. This despicable move to make Huo Wujiu return home was definitely not something he could come up with.
Jiang Suzhou saw the exchange of glances between Hou Zhu and Pang Shao.
In all likelihood, Pang Shao was in cahoots with Hou Zhu.Hou Zhu wanted to vent his anger on Huo Wujiu, and Pang Shao wanted to please him. Therefore, Pang Shao came up with this idea for him.
The two of them hit it off and got what they wanted. In the end, Jiang Suzhou was the one who suffered.
It didn't matter who wanted to insult Huo Wujiu. In Huo Wujiu's eyes, he, Jiang Suizhou, was on the same side as them. Hou Zhu felt good after bullying him. This debt was on Jiang Suzhou's head.
If Jiang Sunheng didn't want to live, he could do it. However, he couldn't use Jiang Suzhou's head as a bargaining chip.
Jiang Suzhou gritted his teeth.
He had to refuse on behalf of Huo Wujiu and come up with a reasonable reason.
He paused. His exquisite and almost beautiful face showed some disgust and embarrassment.
"Imperial Brother, there's no need for that." He lowered his eyes. His long eyelashes blocked the emotions in his eyes, and he put on a posture of refusal. "A cripple is unworthy of elegance. How could he provoke Imperial Brother's disgust?"
His tone was very slow, and his disgust was obvious.
His words were beautiful, as if he was thinking for the future master. However, when the people around him heard it, they knew that he was just saying a few beautiful words because he was embarrassed.
Naturally, no matter what, he was still a prince of a country. Entering the palace with a prisoner of war to "return home" was too comical and embarrassing.
Many of the courtiers had gloating expressions on their faces.
When the Lord heard this, he became even more spirited.
"What? You don't want to bring it out? Fifth Brother, you just consummated your marriage last night. Why are you so heartless today? "
Jiang Suzhou couldn't help but feel disgusted by his strange tone, but he had no choice but to continue the act.
He paused for a moment, as if he was extremely embarrassed because he had been intimate with the other person. After a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "Imperial brother, this is different."
Later Lord laughed loudly, and the entire Imperial Court was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Pang Shao coughed again.
Later Lord looked at him and saw Pang Shao winking at him from below.
Later Lord understood.
Long before the Imperial Court, his uncle had told him that although he proposed to let Huo Wujiu return home and humiliate Jiang Suzhou, it was just a casual remark. More importantly, he wanted to use this matter as a bargaining chip in exchange for something good in Jiang Suzhou's hands.
Although he wasn't interested in what good things Jiang Suzhou had, it was still a happy thing to be able to take something away from him.
Even now, he was no longer the pitiful legitimate prince who was ignored by his imperial father and could only watch as his imperial father doted on Jiang Suzhou. Even now, he was already the emperor.
His hobby still hadn't changed.
Later Lord cleared his throat and changed into a more comfortable sitting position. He raised his leg and stepped on the cushion of the dragon chair.
"Fine. Since Fifth Brother is unwilling and wants to keep a mistress in a golden house, I won't force you." He dragged out his tone and smiled. "However, since Fifth Brother wants to hide the mistress, he has to give something in exchange. Don't you think so?"
Jiang Suizhou frowned imperceptibly.
Sure enough, he guessed right. Later Lord's trick was suggested by Pang Shao. Since he had made Later Lord happy, he naturally wouldn't leave without a reward. If Later Lord didn't want to give him this reward, then Pang Shao would definitely take it himself.
But … from the looks of it, he was just an idle prince. What was there for them to scheme against?
Jiang Suzhou paused and said tentatively, "Imperial Brother, please speak."
Later Lord cleared his throat.
"After thinking about it, I think that the Ministry of Works should be the one to build the ancestral hall, not the Ministry of Rites. It just so happens that Luan Zhaoyi has been begging me these days to let her father share your burden. Fifth Brother, no matter what, you can't let the beauty be sad, right? "
Jiang Suzhou's eyebrows twitched.
So that was the case.
During the reign of Emperor Jing You, the corruption in the imperial court had reached its peak because of Pang Shao's power. Since ancient times, the officials were the easiest to tamper with. Among these, the most profitable one was definitely the construction of the palace.
Because of this, when Later Lord made a fuss about building a new palace, Pang Shao allowed him to build it.Anyway, once the palace was built, the money would flow from the national treasury to Pang Shao's pocket.
Now it seemed that the palace's renovation hadn't been completed yet. That was why Pang Shao was eyeing this cushy job covetously. But … Jiang Suzhou didn't understand how such an obvious piece of fat meat fell into his hands.
He didn't say anything for a while. His gaze swept around the imperial court without leaving a trace.
Some were watching the show calmly, while others were keeping a cold face and not saying anything. There were even a few officials who looked nervous and kept glancing at him.
Under the turbulent undercurrent, there was a clear distinction between them, as if there were two factions in the dark.
A bad guess suddenly arose in Jiang Suizhou's mind.
Looking at the situation … it seemed that he had some hidden forces in the imperial court. This job was given to him by those people.
Pang Shao manipulated Later Lord to say these words. It seemed that he was also competing with him.
If that was the case, the situation was much more complicated. If he took a step back now, it wouldn't only hurt his own interests.
But …
Firstly, he was in the dark now. He didn't know what was going on in the imperial court. He didn't even know who his subordinates were. Even if he took this job, there would be trouble.
Secondly, he was now faced with a choice between the two. He could either give up this hard-won benefit from Prince Jing and offend his colleagues, or he could bring Huo Wujiu into the palace and humiliate Huo Wujiu and offend Huo Wujiu.
Jiang Suzhou sighed.
It was as if he was being roasted in a fire. But compared to the two options, his head was more important.
On the dragon throne, Later Lord was still urging him, "Fifth Younger Brother, why aren't you saying anything?Between a beauty and a good job, you have to choose one, right? "
Jiang Suzhou looked up. This time, the disgust and anger on his face were no longer feigned.
"Imperial Brother is right. I really shouldn't have overstepped my boundaries," he said slowly.
He saw that Later Lord was smiling even more proudly.
— —
The sky was bright and the shadows of the trees outside the window danced. The sun shone brightly through the tender green branches and spread mottled light on the glossy dark tiles.
Fine dust particles danced quietly in the light, making the light look like gauze.
It was bright and quiet.
Doctor Zhou knelt on the ground, paralyzed. His back was straight and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat.
His eyes were wide open and his neck was stiff. He didn't dare to move.
In front of the throbbing blood vessels on his neck was a sharp, blood-stained piece of wood.
The blood wasn't his, but he could feel how sharp this piece of wood was. It could instantly cut through his throat and take his life.
"Madam … General! General! General, what do you want to ask? Just ask! "His voice trembled as he spoke.
A low voice sounded above his head.
It was Huo Wujiu in his wheelchair. He sat there and leaned over. One arm was lazily resting on his knee. The other hand was holding the piece of wood covered in blood.
It was pressed firmly against Doctor Zhou's throat.
"What did he send you here for?" He tilted his head and lowered his eyes. He looked down at the person kneeling in front of him and asked.
Doctor Zhou trembled as he told the truth, "I'm here to treat your injuries under the orders of Eunuch Qianshan!"
Huo Wujiu said coldly, "Speak the truth."
Doctor Zhou was about to cry. "I'm telling you the truth!"
Huo Wujiu coldly looked him up and down.
He didn't seem to be faking it, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that he was faking it.
Huo Wujiu already had his suspicions when this person came and said that he was a doctor in the residence.
Emperor Jing was an idiot, but King Jing wasn't. Emperor Jing only wanted to torture him for fun. However, King Jing's goal would not be this simple.
If he didn't make a move, he would definitely be plotting something. What King Jing wanted from him was either information on the Liang army or to use him to fight against Emperor Jing.
Although his performance yesterday didn't match the rumors, the rumors weren't groundless. Therefore, if Imperial Prince Jing wanted to lower his guard and control him, then the best way to do so would be to drug him under the pretext of a doctor's order.
Huo Wujiu looked at the doctor who was trembling like a sieve. His gaze was cold and unmoved.
"Then open your mouth," he ordered.
The doctor trembled as he obeyed.
The next moment, a pill suddenly fell into his mouth. Before he could react, someone had already grabbed his chin tightly and lifted it up abruptly.
The pill fell into his stomach.
The doctor's pupils trembled. He immediately felt an intense burning pain rising from his stomach.
In front of him, the handsome general slowly put away the wooden piece and sat up with his hands on his knees.
His eyes were as dark as a deep pool, calm and without any ripples. He looked like the impermanence of hell that took people's lives.
He leaned against the back of the wheelchair.
Although he was sitting on an extremely simple wooden chair, his aura made him look like he was sitting on a tiger's skin in an imperial tent.
He looked down at Doctor Zhou and said, "This pill will corrode the five internal organs in less than a minute. While I still have the antidote, tell me why they sent you here. "
Doctor Zhou wept bitterly.
"I'm not lying to you!" The burning pain in his stomach made him tremble with fear. He was anxious and scared. He awkwardly grabbed the medicine box that had been thrown to the side and opened it for Huo Wujiu to see.
"This humble one really received orders to come and treat your injuries! These are all medicine for your injuries. If you don't believe me, just pick one. I can use it on myself and testify for you! "
As he spoke, he hurriedly poured out the contents of the medicine box and opened them one by one for Huo Wujiu to see.
Huo Wujiu looked at him quietly.
This time, he believed that this person was telling the truth.
Was he really here to treat his injuries?
For some reason, the scene of Jiang Suizhou under the red candlelight last night appeared in his mind.
He was clearly a rabbit that was so scared that its ears had turned to the back of its head, but he still pretended to be fierce.
… That's right, he probably didn't have the guts to drug me.
Huo Wujiu quietly looked at the doctor on the ground. After a while, he took out a small bottle and threw a dark brown pill on the ground.
"One pill is worth three months. You're not allowed to say a word about what happened today. After three months, come and get the medicine from me again. "Huo Wujiu said.
Doctor Zhou hurriedly picked up the pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Since you're here to treat my injuries, then get up and take a look."
Huo Wujiu said indifferently and looked down at the small bottle in his hand.
He only had two types of medicine on him. When he was imprisoned, the soldiers who escorted him were former subordinates of his father's old friend, Lou Yue. Therefore, when they searched his belongings, he was able to leave behind some life-saving items.
One of them could quickly stop bleeding when severely injured, but after swallowing, it would cause severe pain in the five viscera. The pain would disappear after about half an hour. The other one could raise the qi and replenish the blood. It was most useful when marching in the snow.
He glanced at the doctor who was stumbling to his feet while wiping away his tears. He looked away and quietly put the medicine back into his clothes.