GBP Chapter 1896 Who will be the next one?
Chapter 1896 Who will be the next one?
The night was dark, like thick ink that could not be dissolved, covering the crisis-ridden Chang'an City.
There was dead silence in the residence of Guanglu Dafu Li Bi, with only the occasional sound of the night watchman knocking on the gong, which seemed particularly clear and harsh.
In the inner room, the candlelight flickered, illuminating Li Bi's face, which was pale and distorted due to blood loss and pain.
He lay on the bed with a thin blanket covering his lower body, but he could still smell the strong smell of blood and the pungent smell of ointment.
The torture of thirty strokes of the cane almost broke his bones, and also shattered his last bit of fantasy and loyalty to Dugu Jia.
Waves of piercing pain came over him, making it impossible for him to sleep, and his heart, already full of resentment, felt like it was being repeatedly roasted on fire.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes no longer holding the cunningness of the past, but burning with anger and deep hatred that was almost about to burst out!
"Dugu Jia... poisonous woman!!"
He squeezed out these words from between his teeth, his voice hoarse and full of anger.
"I, Li Bi, have provided you with strategic advice, stabilized the government, and prepared for the defense of the city. Even if I haven't made any contributions, I have certainly worked hard!"
"You...you treated me like this! Thirty lashes! If I hadn't sacrificed my dignity and begged for mercy, you would have been killed today!"
The more he thought about it, the more hateful he became. His body trembled slightly with excitement, which affected the wound and caused another heart-wrenching pain, making him sweat on his forehead.
This pain deepened his hatred.
He realized that in Dugu Jia's eyes, they, his ministers, were nothing more than chess pieces that could be abandoned at any time or even used to establish his authority!
Today it is Li Bi, but tomorrow it could be Wang Yu, Zhang Tao, or anyone else!
There's no time to hesitate! If you continue following this crazy woman, you'll end up dead!
"Someone come here!" Li Bi roared hoarsely with all his strength.
An absolutely loyal old butler quietly pushed the door open and walked in, with worry and indignation on his face:
"Master, what do you want?"
"Go... go and invite Minister Wang Yu, Imperial Guard Zhang Tao, Zhao Ming, Zhao Taicang... and those others you know, to come to the palace immediately!"
"Just tell them... just tell them that I'm seriously injured and have something important to ask of you. Please be sure to come and talk to me!"
"Be quick and be secretive!"
Li Bi endured the severe pain and gave orders hurriedly.
The old butler knew that this was a serious matter and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Master. I will do it right away!"
An hour later, the night became darker.
The back door of Li Bi's residence was opened quietly again, and several inconspicuous sedan chairs arrived one after another.
Wang Yu, Zhang Tao, Zhao Ming and three other officials who were quite influential in the court and also had ulterior motives were secretly brought to Li Bi's bedside.
When they entered the inner room, they smelled the strong smell of blood.
Seeing Li Bi's miserable appearance lying on the bed, they couldn't help but gasp, with horror and sympathy on their faces.
"Brother Li! You...you..."
Wang Yu stepped forward quickly, his voice trembling slightly, looking at the faint traces of blood seeping between Li Bi's buttocks and legs, unable to bear to watch.
Weiwei Zhang Tao had a hot temper and was furious when he saw this. He growled:
"How ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous! Lord Li has worked so hard for the country. Even if he has no merit, he has worked so hard. How could the Queen Mother... how could she do such a cruel thing?!"
Taicang Commander Zhao Ming also sighed repeatedly and shook his head:
"Thirty lashes! This... this is clearly a beating to death! Sir Li, you've suffered!"
Several other officials also spoke out, expressing indignation and concern.
Li Bi listened to these seemingly concerned words, but a cold, sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
He raised his head with difficulty, and glanced at everyone. Although his voice was weak, it was filled with a biting chill:
"Thank you all for your concern. I...can't die yet, but this physical pain has made me completely sober."
He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold, like a poisoned dagger:
"Today it's me, Li Bi, but who knows... tomorrow it might be someone else's turn!"
"Do you think that by hiding in the background and being overly cautious, you can escape disaster?"
These words were like thunder, instantly freezing all the concern and indignation in the room.
The expressions on the faces of Wang Yu, Zhang Tao and others instantly became stiff, and a trace of unconcealable fear flashed in their eyes.
They knew this truth, but they had previously held onto a glimmer of hope. Now that Li Bi had exposed it so bloodily, their fear could no longer be suppressed.
Wang Yu's face turned pale, and he lowered his voice with fear: "Brother Li, what you said is very true. The Queen Mother is now bloodthirsty and has no regard for the relationship between the monarch and his subjects, or the friendship between colleagues."
"Today in the court, those ten iron laws were spoken, every word stained with blood. Now, Brother Li is... Sigh!"
Zhang Tao suddenly punched the coffee table next to him, causing the teacups to rattle. He gritted his teeth and said:
"This vicious woman! She's clearly trying to drag all of us down with her!"
"She enjoys her life in the palace, but forces us to fight on the front lines. If we don't do what she wants, she'll torture us! This isn't a monarch, it's the King of Hell!"
Zhao Ming also said worriedly, "Yes, the Chu army is besieging the city now, and morale is already low. The Queen Mother is still so harsh. I'm afraid... I'm afraid people's morale will be even more divided."
"Defend the city? What will we defend it with? Do we really want all of us to die in this Chang'an City?"
Several other officials could not help but complain:
"We have been nobles for generations, are we really going to end up dead and our clan wiped out?"
"It's not worth risking my life for her and her son!"
"If I had known this would happen, I would have..."
Complaints and angry shouts echoed in the small bedroom, filled with dissatisfaction and despair towards Dugu Jia.
Li Bi listened quietly until everyone's emotions calmed down a little. Then he slowly spoke. His voice was still weak, but it carried a guiding force:
"Everyone, you've cursed and complained enough."
"But is complaining enough? Can it change our current situation? Can it save us and our families from destruction?"
His eyes were as sharp as torches, scanning everyone's faces one by one, and he asked the most crucial and cruel question:
"Are you truly willing to remain here, accompanying that heartless Queen Mother who treats us like dirt, and her worthless son, and be buried alive with the doomed Han Dynasty?"
"boom!"
This question, like the final heavy hammer, shattered the remaining hesitation and luck in everyone's heart!
The house fell into dead silence in an instant.
You can hear the needle drop.
Wang Yu, Zhang Tao, Zhao Ming, each of them had a drastic change of expression, their breathing became rapid, their eyes were filled with intense struggle and a hint of desperate madness.
They looked at each other and saw the same fear in each other's eyes, as well as the determination called betrayal that gradually grew under the oppression of fear.
Silence lasted for a long time.
Finally, Wang Yu was the first to raise his head and look at Li Bi, who was lying on the bed with a cold look in his eyes. His voice was dry, but with an unprecedented firmness:
"Brother Li, tell me, what should we do?"