The so - called "sin of the gods" in Nangong Liuyun's plan was gunpowder. He had buried gunpowder in the imperial mausoleum in advance. When Helian Qi went there to pay homage, he would light the fuse. In this way, he could create an image of the angry ancestral gods. Not only could he kill the emperor, but he could also create an opportunity for himself to ascend the throne.
"Good job!" He replied in this way. Then, as if he had thought of something, he said, "Why haven't I seen Tianci recently?"
Three days had passed, and he still hadn't seen his eldest son. At such an important moment, he didn't know where the boy had gone to fool around. Thinking of this, the anger in his eyes burned even more fiercely.
After Nangong Yunze heard his words, his eyes flickered for a moment, and then he replied, "A few days ago, a soldier said that he saw elder brother in a brothel in the town. Now we don't know where he has gone."
"A brothel?!" Nangong Liuyun immediately shouted. The anger in his eyes seemed to be spurting out. Then he widened his eyes and roared angrily, "Go and bring him back right away!"
He couldn't believe that while he was here preparing for a major event, that boy only knew how to enjoy himself. What on earth had he done wrong to have such a good - for - nothing son? He was even inferior to a concubine - born son.
Thinking of this, he sighed and waved his hand at the man in front of him, signaling him to leave. Then he sat down on his seat with a look of disappointment.
On the other side, Nangong Yunze, who had already left the tent, didn't follow his father's order to look for his so - called elder brother in the town. Instead, he walked straight into a forest.
When he reached the depths of the forest, he stretched out his hand, and a pigeon landed on his arm. He stuffed the note in his hand under its claw and then let it fly away.
After watching the pigeon fly out of the forest safely, he walked towards the other side.
There was a small stream there. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood became. When he reached the stream, he saw a corpse. The body had been disemboweled, and the internal organs in the stomach had been eaten by some unknown animal. The face was also unrecognizable.
Nangong Yunze couldn't help sneering when he saw it. Then he said in a deep voice, "Elder brother, father sent me to look for you..."
Unexpectedly, the corpse with its internal organs eaten was actually Nangong Tianci.
Let's trace back to three days ago. Nangong Tianci had been beaten to his knees by Nangong Yunze, and Yunze had threatened that if he continued to act recklessly, he wouldn't spare him.
But with Nangong Tianci's temper, he was not the kind of person who would just take the loss silently. That night, he found several powerful men to block his second brother. However, to his surprise, Nangong Yunze wasn't hurt at all in the end. Instead, he became even more angry.
So the next day, he was tricked into the small stream in the forest and killed. Since no one had buried his body, after two days, the body was naturally eaten by the wild beasts in the mountains.
It had to be said that Nangong Yunze was a ruthless character. But wasn't his current state because the entire Nangong family had pushed him into an unjust situation...
At this time, Helian Qi and his entourage were on their way. When they were about to enter the outskirts of the capital, Ru Yi suddenly lifted the curtain of the carriage and said, "The emperor has sent a letter."
After hearing this, Helian Qi took the letter from her hand. It read, "During the Tomb - Sweeping Festival sacrifice, a fire broke out on the altar. The gods have punished us. A fox feigns the majesty of a tiger."
After reading these short sixteen characters, he couldn't help sneering. He already understood the meaning of the letter in his heart.
At this moment, Dongfang Yi also woke up. Rubbing her fluffy eyes, she asked in a soft voice, "Where are we now?"
"We're almost at the outskirts of the capital." Helian Qi replied. He just thought the drowsy little woman in front of him was very cute.
But the next moment, Dongfang Yi saw the note in his hand. Although she knew every character, she didn't understand the meaning when they were put together. So she asked in a confused voice, "What does this note mean?"
Helian Qi then told her that it meant Nangong Liuyun planned to burn them to death with the fire on the altar and tell the world that it was because the emperor was immoral that he suffered such a fate.
After hearing this, she understood what "a fox feigns the majesty of a tiger" meant. It turned out that he wanted to use the so - called power of the gods.
After thinking for a while, she suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, "Who sent this letter?"
Since Nangong Liuyun's plan was extremely secretive, few people must have known about it. The person who knew it so clearly and could send the letter out must not be an ordinary person.
Hearing this, Helian Qi couldn't help chuckling. Then he said, "It's Nangong Yunze."
"Is he your man? But isn't he Nangong Liuyun's son?" Dongfang Yi asked in surprise. There was a bit of doubt in her tone. After all, she still believed in the deep affection between father and son, and it seemed that their relationship was very good.
"He just has his own desires, but his father can't fulfill them." Helian Qi replied like this. Then he turned his head towards the window and looked at the scenery outside. He thought of the scene back then.
Back then, Nangong Yunze came to him and said that he wanted to report that his father had evil intentions. Going to the imperial mausoleum was just for seizing power and usurping the throne.
At that time, he asked, "Aren't you betraying your father like this?"
But Nangong Yunze said coldly, "But the entire Nangong family has betrayed me. So what else do I have to be nostalgic about?"
He was a concubine - born son. His biological mother was executed as soon as he was born. He had been bullied since childhood. He had tried his best to beg his father to take a look at him, but in the end, he got nothing. So he wanted to stand up and trample the entire Nangong family under his feet.
Helian Qi naturally saw his ambition, but he didn't have any concerns. He just needed a most suitable person to infiltrate the imperial mausoleum. And Nangong Yunze was undoubtedly the most suitable one. So from that moment on, he became the spy Helian Qi placed beside Nangong Liuyun. And in return, Helian Qi promised to make him the new head of the Nangong family.
This wasn't a losing deal. After all, Nangong Yunze was just an ambitious kid, while Nangong Liuyun, that old and cunning fox, was really difficult to deal with.
After hearing what he said, Dongfang Yi couldn't help shaking her head and saying, "Alas, it seems that the second young master of the Nangong family is also a pitiful person."
"When did you, Dong'er, become so compassionate?" Helian Qi asked with raised eyebrows. There was a bit of teasing in his expression, as if he was waiting to see her joke.
After all, in everyone's mind, the queen was a ruthless character. Compassion didn't quite match her persona.