every hour.

The commander of the Imperial Guard hurriedly entered the hall, sweating profusely and anxiously: "My lord! Xu Fangshi, the guard counselor at the east gate, opened the city gate, put the Nanying rebels into the city, and led the east gate guards to defect. Towards the rebels, they fought all the way into the city, and now they have come to the palace!"

Liang Zhen turned his head and glanced at Zhu Yunxuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch and playing chess. After a pause, he asked in a low voice, "How is the situation outside?"

"The streets are full of rebels, fighting against the Jingwei Army, saying... that the Deputy Commander Zhou of the Jingwei Army has been captured by them."

"Really?" Liang Zhen's expression was still calm, even an hour ago, the Deputy Commander Zhou had just received his order and went out of the palace to deal with the rebels.

"My lord, what should I do now..."

Listening to the faint shouts of fighting outside, Liang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then shook his head lightly: "Whatever, you decide for yourself. If you feel that you can't stand it any longer, open the palace gate."

"My lord!"

"You go down."

"Your Highness, are you going to just grab it like this?!"

Liang Zhen said nothing, waved his hand, turned his back and walked towards Zhu Yunxuan.

The commander of the Guards clenched his fists and had to retreat.

Liang Zhen also sat on the couch and held the black piece in front of him: "What's the point of playing chess alone, Your Majesty, please accompany you."

Zhu Yunxuan looked up at him, swept away all the original pieces on the chessboard, and started again.

The two played chess quietly, no one made a sound, and there were only occasional sounds of moves in the quiet hall.

Six quarters of an hour.

Gao An ran into the hall and was so excited that he was almost incoherent: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Duke Dingguo and the others have come in! They will soon arrive at the Ganlin Palace!"

Zhu Yunxuan left his last son and stated the facts calmly: "I won."

Liang Zhen raised the corners of his lips lightly and whispered, "It's a pity that I have nothing left to lose to Your Majesty."

The sound of swords crossing and footsteps getting closer and closer, Zhu Yunxuan looked at him quietly: "It's the last time."

The gate of the palace outside the hall was opened, and the soldiers and horses of the South Rescue finally broke through the gate of Ganlin Palace. In a flash, they had subdued all the guards who were still struggling. He Huailing captured the commander of the guards alive and rushed into the hall first. Inside, besides Jiang Sheng, there was also Xu Fangshi, the general of the Jingwei Army who opened the gate for them.

The personal soldiers behind He Huailing rushed forward to capture Liang Zhen, but Liang Zhen did not resist: "This king has no weapons on his body, so Duke Dingguo doesn't need to worry."

He Huailing glanced at him coldly, took a step forward, and led the crowd to kneel in front of Zhu Yunxuan: "I'm waiting for the rescuer to arrive late, please forgive me, and see your Majesty, long live, long live!"

"Get up."

Zhu Yunxuan sat up straight, and looked at Liang Zhen, who was being held on his knees on the ground, his face remained unchanged, and he was not even a little flustered.

Liang Zhen suddenly opened his mouth, but he asked Fangshi Xu who was following He Huailing: "You were also picked up by this king alone. Could it be that you are also from Duke Dingguo?"

The other party avoided his gaze and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness treats the last commander well, but half a year ago, the last commander's wife and a pair of children went back to Jiangnan to visit relatives. On the way back, they passed through Yuzhou, and the last commander's sons and daughters were all infected. Epidemic disease...was sent to the quarantine area by the prince, and it was gone the next day. A fire burned the body and no bones were left, and the last general's wife couldn't stand the blow and jumped into the well..."

"……I see."

He really didn't know about this. It was in chaos at the time. Maybe the people below were afraid of taking responsibility and didn't report to him that the official's family jumped from the well. Afterwards, Fangshi Xu never mentioned it before. But even if he had known that there were children of his trusted subordinates among the people who contracted the disease, he would not be able to open the door, let alone rescue them. Xu Fangshi may not have known this, but he couldn't help but hate him. It seemed that he chose to betray him.

Liang Zhen looked at Zhu Yunxuan, whose expression was gloomy and uncertain, and laughed at himself: "Your Majesty, if you say this, the minister is really doing his own fault, and the minister risked his life to go to the epidemic area alone to solve his problems for His Majesty. The person turned to your Majesty, and in the end helped His Majesty to deal with the minister and put the minister to death."

Xu Fangshi clenched his fists hard, his eyes reddened, and Zhu Yunxuan frowned slightly, also speechless. Only He Huailing retorted him coldly: "King Zhao's words are wrong, the matter of eating the king's salary and loyalty to the king, King Zhao, you are contemptuous of national laws and disobedient, you deserve what you deserve, and General Xu Can is just doing his duty as a courtier. "

Liang Zhen sneered and asked Zhu Yunxuan: "Your Majesty, does this minister really have such a heinous crime?"

Zhu Yunxuan didn't answer, his eyes moved, as if it was about to overflow into a flood.

Liang Zhen looked at him with good eyes, he was the one who carefully planned and sent secret orders to go out of the city to move rescue soldiers and wanted to wipe out his power, but an hour ago, he was the one who silently blushed in his arms. His Majesty is so contradictory that he made a desperate attempt early in the morning, but at the last moment he couldn't help showing his softest side, so that people couldn't even hate him.

Zhu Yunxuan gave the decree in a stern voice: "Put King Zhao in prison and adjourn for another trial."

"Your Majesty, I would like to say a few words to you alone."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yunxuan instructed the others in the hall: "You guys should wait outside first."

"Your Majesty is careful." He Huailing reminded him worriedly.

Zhu Yunxuan said calmly: "It's okay, you all step back first."

He Huailing had to ask people to release Liang Zhen first, and lead them back out. Without going too far, they waited outside the hall door, listening to the movement inside. If something was wrong, they could rush in again at any time.

The hall returned to tranquility, Liang Zhen simply sat on the ground like this, there was no fear of imminent death between his eyebrows, and there was even a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and asked Zhu Yunxuan: "Your Majesty, the crime of this minister. , is it certain death?"

"...you know, why ask again."

"Does your majesty want your servant to die?"

Zhu Yunxuan's eyelashes trembled slightly: "I have already given you a chance."

"You don't want your minister to die," Liang Zhen said firmly, "you can't bear it."

Zhu Yunxuan looked down: "Liang Zhen, you are too self-righteous."

"If Your Majesty really wants to kill the minister, the minister will die if he dies, but since you are not willing to let the minister die, the minister cannot die either. The minister does not want to see His Majesty execute the minister today, and will suffer from regret in the future. ."

"Liang Zhen! Do you still have a choice now?!"

Liang Zhen sighed lightly: "Your Majesty, in the two years after you ascended the throne, the minister has done every single thing that is selfish, but the minister has always done it for your own good, and the minister has never thought of harming you."

"I said, you are too self-righteous..."

"Yes, the minister is really arrogant and thinks that he can control everything by himself, but in fact, the minister can't even control the people around him, you said that day, what you want, the minister will not give, the minister has been in these days. Think, what exactly do you want, today, the minister seems to understand, but Your Majesty, you will not give the minister a chance, will you?"

Liang Zhen said it seriously, with an undisguised loss in his eyes, Zhu Yunxuan looked away and said coldly: "Why does King Zhao say this, I said that you have no way out."

"The former minister seems to have mentioned to His Majesty that the late emperor gave the minister a secret decree before his death..."

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes shrank suddenly: "What do you mean?"

Liang Zhen smiled lightly: "Your Majesty, in the imperial edict of the late emperor, not only did he give the minister his clan status, but he also said that the minister could depose the new emperor at any time..."

"You want to threaten me?" Zhu Yunxuan hated, "Do you think that at this point, with a secret decree left by the late emperor, you can move me? I can say it's fake, you are just an individual now. It’s just a scoundrel and thief who got it and executed it, who would respond to you, and who would dare to respond to you?!”

Liang Zhen still smiled: "Your Majesty, this imperial decree alone cannot shake your throne, but don't forget, how you got your throne in the first place, even if the eunuch Feng Sheng has already been disposed of by you, it can be corrected. In the matter of the imperial edict, the minister still retains other witnesses and evidence. Even if the minister dies, the original truth can be revealed to the world. You must know that the ninth prince is still alive. Live, how many people can you kill? Even if you have the ability to continue to hold the throne, but the road is not right after all, the world is big, anyone can justly crusade against you, I am afraid that you will not be able to live in this life In peace, after death, there will be endless infamy."

"You—! Hello... well..." Zhu Yunxuan hated, "It turns out that you have left this back road for a long time, from the beginning..."

Liang Zhen shook his head: "Your Majesty, in the past you didn't believe in the minister, and the minister naturally didn't dare to believe you, so he had to keep some way to save his life, but now, whether the minister can still live, the minister himself no longer cares, even in the Before today, I wanted to accompany you to sing this last play with the determination to die. But Your Majesty, after all, you are reluctant to bear this, and this being the case, I would rather you hate me than I want you to suffer because of Killed the minister with his own hands and held it for a lifetime."

"I wish I could kill you now!"

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes were red and his anger was uncontrollable. Liang Zhen sat up and said to him in a warm voice: "Your Majesty, don't be angry, the minister will dispose of all the evidence, and the secret order will also be returned to you, and the minister will leave here and leave the Great Hall. Yan, if you don’t want to see the minister again, the minister will not take a step in Dayan in this life. You can say to the outside world that the minister is dead, and you should be dead as well. In this way, the minister can no longer threaten you. I will never pester you again. If you have not really killed the minister, you will not be thinking about it all the time. Sooner or later, the reluctance in your heart will fade away and forget it. At that time, you will truly be the king who can win the game. already."

"Do you think that... I will be grateful to you?!"

"I don't need His Majesty's gratitude, I just hope that His Majesty... can leave the life of this child in his womb and raise him well. Even if he doesn't know this in his life, it doesn't matter if he still has this father."

Zhu Yunxuan stared at him and water began to pour out of his eyes. Liang Zhen stopped talking, stood up, gave him a deep look, turned around, and walked out step by step.

Pushing open the door of the main hall, following the dazzling rising sun, there were countless swords hanging around his neck. Liang Zhen closed his eyes and accepted it calmly.