Return of the Swallow

When Li Qitian received the report from Pang Xiao's last homing pigeon, he felt mixed emotions in his heart. After finding the treasure, except for the first pigeon, Pang Xiao, who clearly complained about why he was not trusted, the subsequent pigeons all reported back the details of the treasure step by step.

Until all the treasures were moved out for transportation, he did not forget to carefully count the treasures and collect them to avoid corruption during transportation.

Combined with You Meng's report, although Pang Xiao is domineering and arrogant and even beats people, there is no doubt about his loyalty.

Li Qitian sometimes even began to reflect on whether his treatment of Pang Xiao was a bit too much.

However, now he finally found this large treasure. Although the treasury could not be enriched all at once with this money, it was still enough to meet the urgent needs. The money was enough to support the Hu Ben Army and Long Xiang Army for five years.

With such a number of treasures in hand, Li Qitian was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and even sleep soundly.

Li Qitian walked around the large Paulownia bookcase covered with a bright yellow tablecloth, rubbing his sweaty palms, and walked towards the open door of the palace.

The extremely clean black marble floor was shiny and Li Qitian did not make the slightest sound of footsteps, while the servants in front of the door lowered their heads and bent down respectfully.

Outside the open door of the palace is a spacious square. You can see the white stone brick floor, red walls and clear tiles, as well as the blue sky with white clouds.

Take a deep breath, feel happy and refreshed!

"Someone is coming."

"My slave is here." Li Guanwen immediately smiled and stepped forward to salute.

Li Qitian smiled and said: "Xuan Qin Aiqing came to see me."

"yes."

Li Guanwen immediately went to deliver the order.

Qin Huaiyuan came with full of questions, but when facing Li Qitian, he just kowtowed loyally and listened to his orders.

Li Qitian smiled and said: "I used to think that Prince Zhongshun was naughty, but now it seems that with the guidance of Qin Aiqing, the father-in-law, Pang Zhixi has restrained himself a lot. It can be seen that Qin Aiqing teaches well."

Qin Huaiyuan was suspicious, but he waved his hands in shame and saluted: "Your Majesty has given you too much praise. How can I bear it? Even though Prince Zhongshun is reckless and irritable,

There is also some old grudge against Wei Chen, but now that they have become a family, the old minister should give him a proper reminder, whether it is out of loyalty to the emperor or for the sake of his daughter. "

Qin Huaiyuan's words were well balanced. He neither exaggeratedly boasted about his loyalty nor hypocritically said he was loyal to the country. Instead, he mixed the truth with the lies, which made people think he was sincere.

Li Qitian now pays more and more attention to Qin Huaiyuan, not only because of Qin Huaiyuan's talent, but also because his appearance is really pleasing to the eye, and when Qin Huaiyuan was in Dayan earlier, he also deceived the foolish king of the Northern Hebei Kingdom. , Li Qitian, as the party who rose up in rebellion, was not completely bored with Qin Huai.

Looking back on the past now, Li Qitian deeply felt that Qin Huaiyuan was delayed by the foolish king of Dayan, and he wasted his good years, but he was born in Dayan and wanted to be loyal to that kind of person. If he had been born decades earlier and this person had been under his command earlier, I am afraid it would be a different situation now.

Li Qitian smiled and asked Li Guanwen to give Qin Huaiyuan a seat, but he actually went around and sat with Qin Huaiyuan.

Qin Huaiyuan was so flattered that he only dared to sit half of his body next to him.

Li Qitian smiled and said: "I called you here today for no other reason than to tell you something important."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"The treasure has been found, and now it is waiting for my order to be transported back to the capital."

When Li Qitian spoke, he had been carefully observing Qin Huaiyuan's expression. Seeing him staring in surprise, the last few doubts about him disappeared in his heart, "It's Dayan's treasure. What does Qin Aiqing think?"

This question was very skillful. He didn't say which aspect he was looking at. He just said this. Whether he can answer to the satisfaction of Li Qitian depends entirely on Qin Huaiyuan's ability to figure out what he wants.

"Your Majesty," Qin Huaiyuan stood up and saluted respectfully, "That sum of money is said to be a treasure, but in fact it is the people's anointing that the Supreme Emperor of the Yan Dynasty finally looted. It is evidence of his crime of not giving the people a way to live. That sum of money, Whether it is buried underground or used to satisfy selfish desires and desires for power for some people, it is not the most appropriate place to go. I believe that only by using the money on the people can the sins stained on the money be eliminated."

At this point, Qin Huaiyuan raised his head to look at Li Qitian, and continued to bow his head and salute: "I think that it is God's will that the Holy One can find the treasure. God also knows that the Holy One is a wise king who cares for the people wholeheartedly. At a time when the dragon in the south was turning over, the plague was raging, and the people were displaced, God opened a door for the people to survive. It is indeed God's will that this treasure was found and disposed of by the Holy One!"

Qin Huaiyuan's face was serious, and every word he spoke was sonorous and powerful.

And these words, without any surprise, each word scratched into Li Qitian's heart and hit his most itch.

Only when you truly become an emperor will you understand what it means to be overwhelmed by the cold at high places.

Standing in this high position, he is responsible for everyone who follows him. Everyone, his ministers and subjects, including his mother, are always asking for things from him, but no one can really understand him.

\u0026n--\u003e\u003e

bsp;However, the words that touched his heart the most were said by his courtiers.

Moreover, he was also a surrendered minister of Great Yan, the most embarrassing presence in the Great Zhou court.

Perhaps after getting the treasure, the big stone that had been weighing on his heart could finally be put down. Li Qitian also became more considerate of others, and was even more moved by Qin Huaiyuan's words.

"Qin Aiqing." Li Qitian helped Qin Huaiyuan up with both hands and patted his arm movedly, "I did not misjudge the person. I have obtained the treasure this time, and I also plan to take it from the people and use it for the people. It can also be regarded as a gift for those who have died in the past. To add some merit to the people."

Qin Huaiyuan nodded heavily, and his eyes and expression when he looked at Li Qitian perfectly showed the obedience and implicit admiration of a loyal minister to the princess.

Just one look like this can make people feel more at ease than listening to compliments for an hour.

"Qin Aiqing, now that this treasure has been found, Aiqing said what should I do next?"

Hearing this, Qin Huaiyuan thought carefully for a moment and then said: "I believe that there are three things to do at the moment. First, order Prince Zhongshun, Princess, Prince Yan and Mr. Gu to stand by and arrange for people to be stationed and guard to prevent the secret from being leaked. . Secondly, order Ji’s Prince Consort to go out of the city to assist in order to avoid any accidents along the way. Thirdly, start planning the use of the treasure and spread the word appropriately to build momentum.”

Qin Huaiyuan made his opinions very clear, but he also did not explain every opinion, giving Li Qitian enough room to think.

This way of giving advice is the most sincere and least likely to make people think that he is trying to influence other people's choices.

Li Qitian nodded repeatedly, already feeling Qin Huaiyuan's sincerity.

After thinking for a while, he asked: "Ai Qing said that Prince Zhongshun and his entourage should be on standby. How long will they be on standby?"

Qin Huaiyuan said bluntly: "Those who come to the Holy Land can just receive the treasure."

Li Qitian pondered for a moment, but he didn't immediately ask what he wanted to ask.

He actually wanted to say that Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were Qin Huaiyuan's sons-in-law and daughters. Didn't he care that they were suffering where they were?

But after thinking about it carefully, Li Qitian also understood.

Qin Huaiyuan is a transparent person. This not only ensures that secrets are not leaked, but also eliminates all suspicions of Pang Xiao and his wife. It also serves to avoid suspicion.

Li Qitian shook his head in confusion, but did not feel disgusted at all by Qin Huaiyuan's actions. If Qin Huaiyuan acted too selflessly and had no preference for his children, Li Qitian would doubt this person's loyalty. Now Qin Huaiyuan makes people feel more real.

Li Qitian quickly ordered someone to deliver the letter urgently from eight hundred miles away.

When Qin Yining, Pang Xiao and others received the news, they were having a barbecue with Huzi, Jiyun, and Bingtang around the campfire.

Qin Yining has truly lived in the mountains and endured hardships, so he prefers the days of returning to his original nature. Especially her ability to survive in the wild really makes Pang Xiao and the guards around Pang Xiao admire her.

In the mountains, she can always choose the best way to go, knows what fruits are delicious and what wild vegetables are edible, and her hunting skills are not inferior to those of the hunters, and she is even more powerful than the guards around Pang Xiao.

Qin Yining's skin now looks brand new, and there are no traces left by the wind and rain.

But looking at Qin Yining like this, Pang Xiao felt even more distressed.

"Your Majesty, someone is coming from the bottom of the mountain." The guard whispered.

Pang Xiao nodded and said, "I heard it."

The three hundred Longxiang troops guarding the foot of the mountain had already planned to take turns to guard the sentry posts. At this time, they led the messenger up the mountain to see You Meng.

Not far away, Yu Chiyan and Gu Shixiong, who were tied up, and the more than twenty followers they brought with them, all looked nervously in the direction of the messenger.

You Meng stepped forward to take Li Qitian's secret order and read it twice, then turned around with a smile.

"By the Holy Emperor's decree, Prince Zhongshun, his wife, and their entourage are ordered to stand by where they are. Prince Shengyan and Gu Shixiong are also on standby. The rest..." You Meng made a gesture of wiping his neck.

The personal guards around him immediately went to capture Gu Shixiong and Yu Chiyan and brought them to Pang Xiao, Qin Yining and their party.

Those who followed Yuchi Yan, including Xiao Luzi, screamed in horror and despair, "No, no!! Prince, help!"

"We didn't do anything, we are innocent!"

"Help!"

…

In the end, the screams of these people were muffled by the executioner Long Xiangjun and they were dragged away.

Soon, those people came back and stood behind You Meng. If you look carefully, each of their bodies and faces are gradually stained with blood.

"No, no no..." Yu Chiyan shook his head, closed his eyes in pain, and murmured: "It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this, they are all innocent!"

"Innocent?" You Meng sneered, "You can't bear it after seeing it with your own eyes? Then why don't you think about your wife who stayed in Kyoto?"

Yuchiyan opened his eyes wide, filled with despair, "No, no..."