Rewards and Trials

The sudden change in the Liang Kingdom's royal family spread quickly.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was Situ Xie's attempt to usurp the throne. It seemed that only Situ Han was dead now, but his sons would not have a good end. The first one to be killed was Situ Jing.

But Situ Xie issued such a killing order to his nominal nephew Situ Jing, which was reasonable because Situ Jing had betrayed Liang Kingdom, changed his name to Qiu Jing, and became the commander of the Northern Defense Army of Gan Kingdom. Who could tolerate treason?

When the news entered Gan Kingdom, the first place it arrived was Xuanbei City.

When Qiu Cong learned about it, he had just bought a roast chicken from outside and took out a jar of fine wine sent by Su Liang during the Mid-Autumn Festival, intending to drink a few glasses with Qiu Jing and his grandson.

Hearing the spy rushing over and saying there was news from Liang, Qiu Cong tore off a big chicken leg and snorted coldly, "News from Liang? Did they attack? Or was Situ Han struck to death by lightning?"

Qiu Jing knew that Qiu Cong hated Situ Han the most, so it was normal for him to say such a thing.

The spy quickly told about the changes in the royal family of Liang. Qiu Jing stared at him, and Qiu Cong stopped eating the chicken leg halfway.

"Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Situ Xie actually killed Situ Han for the throne?" Although Qiu Cong hoped that Situ Han would not die well, he never thought it would end up like this.

The spy then talked about something directly related to them, "The new Liang emperor offered a reward of 100,000 taels of gold for General Qiu's head."

Qiu Jing's expression became calmer. If Situ Xie could even get rid of Situ Han, it means that he has completely given up pretending after his plans failed in the past two years, and revealed his true face of cruelty and ruthlessness. How could he let go of Qiu Jing, who ruined his plan and rubbed his face on the ground?

Qiu Cong was instantly furious, "I knew that bitch Situ Xie! One hundred thousand taels of gold? Great, let's see who has the guts to come and kill my grandson! I've been itching for a long time!"

The last sentence was the truth. The main reason why Qiu Cong had to follow Qiu Jing to Xuanbei City and stay here with him was that he was afraid that he would be assassinated by the Liang Kingdom royal family. After waiting for a long time, he didn't see the Liang Kingdom royal family take any action. Qiu Jing said that it was not the time yet. Sure enough, now the time has come!

"Grandpa, eat the meat quickly, it will be cold soon." Qiu Jing pulled Qiu Cong and asked him to sit back, then asked the spy to rest and called someone over.

Soon, the urgent message of eight hundred miles set out from Xuanbei City and rushed to the capital.

After doing all this, Qiu Jing picked up the wine poured by Qiu Cong for him and drank it all, "This wine is good."

"Xiao Liang sent it, of course it is the best." Qiu Cong frowned and looked at Qiu Jing, "From now on, I will live in the same room with you, and you are not allowed to leave my sight."

"This... I don't mind, but if it is a reward of 100,000 taels of gold, I am afraid that even some old guys who have been secluded from the world will be tempted." Qiu Jing's face was calm, but he knew in his heart that he was in great risk now, and this trouble was not easy to solve. He asked Duanmu Chen in the memorial, if he really got into trouble, who would take charge of the overall situation in Xuanbei City, let Duanmu Chen decide as soon as possible.

Qiu Cong was also an old man who had been secluded from the world before. Hearing this, he snorted and said, "Let them come!"

"It shouldn't be so fast." Qiu Jing sighed slightly, and suddenly laughed after he finished speaking, "Well, with grandpa's protection, I can take this opportunity to practice, otherwise it will always be difficult to improve. Next time we meet, I will fight with Gu Ling again."

"That's right. We did it, and we will bear the consequences. What are you afraid of? Situ Xie is your biggest enemy. Now that he is the emperor, he wants to turn the clouds and rain with his hands. Dream on!" Qiu Cong's eyes are cold, "Eat the chicken legs, let's practice again!"

...

Ganguo Capital.

The rumors of Liangguo have not yet reached the capital, but the urgent news from Xuanbei City has arrived.

Su Liang and Gu Ling were invited to the palace by Chang'an. When he saw Duanmu Chen, his face was still okay and he shared the news he had just received with them.

"He finally stopped pretending." Su Liang was a little surprised, but only a little. Situ Xie will take this step sooner or later, because there is only one dragon throne, and if he lets others sit on it, he will not be able to control the situation. And Situ Xie has absolute strength and power in Liang State. Even if Situ Han has been the emperor for many years, he is actually a puppet.

Situ Xie does not want to be the emperor, but he is unwilling to give up the supreme power. This can only show that he is an egomaniac and a control freak in his bones. He is too conceited and has a strong desire for control. He thinks that even if he does not sit on the dragon throne, he can still control everything. This was indeed the case, but many things in the past two years have exceeded his expectations, and his plan does not work.

In short, before the usurpation of the throne, Situ Xie was both in power and in office. He wanted power, but did not want to bear the stigma of seeking power and usurping the throne.

"There is no essential difference between Situ Xie's coming to power and Situ Han's being in power. Perhaps the Liang Kingdom's royal family will be tougher in the future." Duanmu Chen originally regarded Situ Xie and Situ Han as one. It's just that their coexistence as "uncle and nephew" and their intrigues were more in line with the interests of the Gan Kingdom. Now the situation has changed, but it is not to the extent that Duanmu Chen is afraid.

"But," Duanmu Chen continued, "the most urgent task is to resolve Situ Xie's bounty order for Qiu Jing."

Gan Kingdom is in need of people, and Qiu Jing is the most outstanding general among the current Gan Kingdom. If something happens to him, it will be a great loss to Gan Kingdom and will also affect the morale of the army. He took the risk of betraying Liang Kingdom and being loyal to Gan Kingdom. If he, as the commander of the Northern Army, was beheaded by Liang Kingdom, Gan Kingdom would also be very embarrassed.

Su Liang said in a gloomy tone, "Send Situ Yao back to Liang State as a condition to make Situ Xie cancel the bounty on Qiu Jing?" Assassination is different from an open bounty. The assassination can only be done by Situ Xie's people. The open huge bounty will attract all kinds of masters, and the latter are even more uncontrollable.

Duanmu Chen's face darkened when he heard this, "Su Liang, don't tell me you are serious! Situ Yao is my woman, isn't this equivalent to asking me to sell my woman in exchange for benefits?"

Su Liang coughed lightly, "Your Majesty, calm down, I just proposed a possibility."

"She is pregnant." Duanmu Chen snorted coldly.

Su Liang was surprised, "Then congratulations to the emperor and Concubine Liang."

"Speak of some serious and feasible solutions!" Duanmu Chen was not really angry. At this moment, he even felt that his reaction just now seemed a bit extreme. Would it make Su Liang and Gu Ling think that he regarded Situ Yao very important?

"It's actually simple." Su Liang said, "Reward, money matters, just use money to solve it. Since the new emperor of Liang is so determined, we can give a big gift in return. We, Gan State, offer a reward of 100,000 and 1 taels of gold for the head of Situ Xie's eldest grandson Situ Jing."

Duanmu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, "What's the reason?"

"It's about spending money, we are happy to do it, what reason do you need?" Su Liang snorted, "Just tell Situ Xie that Qiu Jing is my Gan State's person, he can't move him whenever he wants. If he wants Qiu Jing to die, let his own precious grandson be buried with him. If you don't want Situ Jing's safety to be threatened, quickly revoke the reward order!"

Give him a taste of his own medicine. As for Situ Xie's claim that Qiu Jing is a traitor of Liang State and that Gan State should return him to Liang State for disposal, then he should talk about why Qiu Jing grew up in Xuanbei City. The source of the matter is that Situ Xie secretly sent Qiu Jing to Gan State as a spy, and this account can be settled.

Duanmu Chen thought this method was very good, "The treasury is tight, and the bounty will be paid by you two rich men?"

Su Liang smiled and shook his head, "It's not that we can't afford it, but if it gets out, it might make the emperor lose face."

Duanmu Chen was also joking, because it was likely that he didn't really need to pay money in the end, just to show an attitude.

When Su Liang and Gu Ling left the palace, the bounty order of the Gan Kingdom was officially issued: the head of the Liang Kingdom's crown prince Situ Jing, the bounty is 100,000 and one tael of gold.

This fraction is very interesting, and it is obviously for Situ Xie to see.

But if it comes to pretending, Situ Xie really dares to gamble, but it is his grandson who is in danger. Because the masters who want the bounty don't care about the twists and turns in it. As long as they believe that the bounty order issued by the royal family will not deny it for the sake of face, they may complete the bounty task.

……

At night, Duanmu Chen went to the Queen Mother Xiao and saw that Queen Xing Yuyan and Liang Concubine Situ Yao were there.

They were both pregnant, so Xiao wanted them to get along well, and the most important thing was to give birth to the baby safely.

Xing Yuyan deliberately showed off her high status in front of Situ Yao, and Duanmu Chen did not refuse her approach, but secretly observed Situ Yao's expression.

Situ Yao acted very generous and gentle as always, but occasionally she would look down and show a bit of loss.

Duanmu Chen himself did not notice it, and he was a little happy to see that Situ Yao seemed jealous.

After dinner, Xiao asked Duanmu Chen to send Xing Yuyan back first.

Duanmu Chen agreed and stood up. Xing Yuyan couldn't hide her smile, but she heard Duanmu Chen say, "I will send the queen back and go to Yao'er."

Situ Yao's eyes lit up, and Duanmu Chen didn't care about Xing Yuyan's sudden change of expression, and walked out on his own.

Xiao frowned when she saw this. A bystander can see things more clearly. Recently, she felt that Duanmu Chen was really different to Situ Yao, not just testing her as he said at the beginning.

Duanmu Chen did not talk to Xing Yuyan along the way, just thinking whether to tell Situ Yao the news he got today. Such a big thing cannot be concealed.

After sending Xing Yuyan back, Duanmu Chen turned around and left without even sitting down.

Xing Yuyan was so angry that she scolded Situ Yao as a foxy woman and cried again.

When Duanmu Chen arrived at Situ Yao's palace, she had changed her clothes and prepared supper.

After talking for a while, Situ Yao was as considerate as always, "Your Majesty seems to have something on your mind?"

Duanmu Chen sighed, "There is indeed something, I think I should tell you."

Situ Yao nodded, "Your Majesty, please speak."

"It's the news that just came from the north today." Duanmu Chen told Situ Yao about the changes in the royal family of Liang.

At first, Situ Yao looked surprised, and then she showed a sad look, "Uncle Emperor has always loved me very much."

Duanmu Chen looked at Situ Yao's sad look and felt that it was a bit fake. Did she really not know that Situ Han was killed by Situ Xie? Is this really naive, or is she pretending?

However, Duanmu Chen didn't care much about this. He liked smart people, and Situ Yao's current behavior was very normal. She couldn't happily say that her grandfather finally became the emperor.

Duanmu Chen held Situ Yao's hand, "I am also shocked by this. However, there is one more thing. After your grandfather ascended the throne, he issued a bounty of 100,000 taels of gold for Qiu Jing's head."

Situ Yao was stunned for a moment, "This... Grandfather must have been helpless. General Qiu was the one that Grandfather valued the most. As the prince of Liang, he betrayed Liang. If Grandfather didn't do this, he wouldn't be able to explain to the people. I believe that Grandfather's move was definitely not to make enemies with Gan State."

Duanmu Chen's face faded a little, "Then what do you think I should do?"

Situ Yao sighed, "I just feel that General Qiu is capricious and not a trustworthy person. The emperor has entrusted him with important tasks, so he must not ruin the big things."

"Because he once ruined your grandfather's important affairs, otherwise you wouldn't marry him?" Duanmu Chen's sudden change of expression shocked Situ Yao, and his face instantly turned pale.

"Your Majesty, I definitely didn't mean that. After all, I grew up in Liang Kingdom and just got married not long ago. I can't forget my relatives. If I said something wrong, please forgive me." Situ Yao stood up and knelt down. His face was pale with fright, and only his eyes were red, which really made me feel pity for him.

"Qiu Jing is a spy arranged by your grandfather to deal with the Qian Kingdom. I haven't settled this debt with him yet. Now he has offered a reward to kill the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army of the Qian Kingdom. You actually told me not to do anything? Let your grandfather do it. Killed?" Duanmu Chen looked at Situ Yao with a disappointed expression, "Actually, there is a way to resolve the conflict. If you care about your mother's family so much, I will send you back and ask your grandfather to cancel the reward order. Do you think he will agree? "

Situ Yao's expression froze, "I am pregnant with the emperor's child..."

Duanmu Chen hummed, "So if I'm not pregnant, do you really want to go back?"

Situ Yao grabbed Duanmu Chen's clothes and said, "I really didn't mean that, the emperor misunderstood..."

Duanmu Chen's face was expressionless, "Actually, what I really want to tell you when I come here tonight is that I have issued the same reward order during the day for your eldest brother's head. The reward is one tael more than what your grandfather gave."

Hearing this, Situ Yao was stunned at first, and then kowtowed to beg Duanmu Chen to take back his life, "I know it was my grandfather who was at fault first. But that is my eldest brother. If the emperor has any sympathy for me, please don't do that. ”

"I have more than half a pity for you, but now it seems that you don't deserve it." Duanmu Chen shook off Situ Yao, turned around and strode away.

Chang An, who was waiting outside, saw Duanmu Chen's sullen face. He didn't know what happened and didn't dare to ask. He just followed silently to the imperial garden.

There is a pavilion in the Imperial Garden. Ever since he was a child, Duanmu Chen liked to sit in a certain position to calm down when he had troubles.

On the night when Ji Yueyan stabbed her with a hairpin, Su Liang and Gu Ling came to see Duanmu Chen, and he was sitting here looking at the moon.

Seeing that Duanmu Chen was going to his old place, Chang'an also stopped at his old place. He could see Duanmu Chen but would not disturb him.

Duanmu Chen sat down and looked up, only to see that there was no moon in the sky tonight, only a few scattered stars, and the starlight was much dimmer than before, just like Duanmu Chen's mood at the moment.

The moment he was disappointed with Situ Yao, he realized that he seemed to be really attracted to this woman. Because Situ Yao really suited his liking, and being with her made him feel very comfortable and relaxed.

But now Duanmu Chen is awake. He had always wanted to test Situ Yao, and what happened tonight finally gave him the answer.

In the final analysis, what disappointed Duanmu Chen was not the fact that Situ Yao cared about her natal relatives. Because Duanmu Chen would not like a cold-blooded woman.

The key is that Duanmu Chen discovered that Situ Yao was stupid.

Born into the royal family, Situ Yao should know that feelings are luxurious. When she was sent to the Kingdom of Qian by her grandfather as a chess piece in exchange for Situ Jing, and when Situ Jing said he felt sorry for her while allowing her to marry into the harem of the Kingdom of Qian, he should have understood that she wanted to settle down and live in the future. It was Duanmu Chen who relied on her, not those family members who didn't really care about her.

Originally a princess, Situ Yao is now a real princess in the Liang Kingdom. However, she is pregnant with Duanmu Chen's child, but she still stupidly defends the Liang Kingdom's royal family in front of Duanmu Chen. She still doesn't understand why. This is her home for the rest of her life, which is simply ridiculous.

Situ Yao was good at playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and being considerate. But she is obviously Situ Xie's good granddaughter, and she still is, and she has shown her intention to use her emotions to influence Duanmu Chen's decision-making and thus help Situ Xie. Probably Duanmu Chen gave Situ Yao an illusion recently, making her really feel that she was the most special one in the harem.

In fact, this might not have been an illusion, as long as she chose the right position.

Unfortunately, Duanmu Chen was a little fascinated, and Situ Yao was also confused at the same time.

Duanmu Chen didn't have such high requirements for women, but he thought Situ Yao was smart. He likes smart people.

From this point of view, Ji Yueyan is much smarter than Situ Yao. At least she has seen the nature of the royal family clearly and has no nostalgia after leaving. The previous plan was actually not bad, but it was a pity that Su Liang was discovered. But she had a goal and had the courage to do it. She was willing to fight for her love even if it was dangerous.

Duanmu Chen's request for Situ Yao was just that she should wake up and make plans for herself instead of thinking about things for some unworthy people.

From this perspective, Xing Yuyan is also stupid, but at least she is innocent, and Duanmu Chen can see through her thoughts at a glance.

Not to mention Su Liang, there was another very smart woman in Duanmu Chen's life, and that was his mother, Queen Mother Xiao. While borrowing help from her natal family, she avoided being controlled by her natal family. She always kept a clear mind and became the most beloved concubine around Duanmu Yi. She also protected her son. Today, she is still helping Duanmu Chen manage the harem and avoid concubines. Conflicts arise between them.

"Chang'an." Duanmu Chen suddenly spoke.

Chang An immediately responded and ran over, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"I want to eat the sauced pork buns made by Su Liang." Duanmu Chen said.

Changan was stunned for a moment, and said weakly, "It's too late now. Madam Gu must have gone to bed early because she is pregnant. And now it's Marquis Gu who cooks."

Duanmu Chen nodded, "Gu Ling's cooking is also OK."

Changan: ... If he dares to ask Gu Ling to get up and steam buns, he is likely to be beaten, and he thinks he deserves it...

"I'll go now..." Changan said with a stiff face.

Duanmu Chen stood up and walked over, "Why are you going so late? I didn't say I have to eat now. Tomorrow I plan to visit the Su Mansion incognito to see my godson." By the way, he talked to Su Liang about his troubles. After all, that was his best friend.

－－－－－－Off topic－－－－－－

Ask for monthly tickets