In the 10th year of Yuan Sui, on July 20, there were only two days left before the army set off. It was already dark, and the palace of King Ye was silent. Only the Shoucheng Palace of Lord Qi and Yin was still lit with bright candles.
A group of Mo Ling guards followed one person and walked quickly from outside the palace. After talking for a few words with the chamberlain on duty at the door, the other party turned around and entered the inner chamber with carved dragons and painted phoenixes.
The flickering candlelight reflected the shadow of the chamberlain on the paper, and he bowed and stood in front of the king's bed to read. But before he could say a few words, he heard the slightly hoarse roars of Qi and Yin:
"If he doesn't come back to Xiyin, why is he still hanging around in the city? Let him go, I don't want to see him!"
The silhouette of the chamberlain was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed a few times before hurriedly exiting the door, forcing an awkward smile on his face:
"This - Your Majesty, you have also heard it. The king is still seriously ill and is in a bad mood. You should please come back."
"How about - you guys go back first. I will accompany my father outside this door, and it will be the same."
Now Qi Zixiu has a mustache on his lips, giving him a bit of maturity. He turned his head and waved his hand to signal the Mo Ling guards to disperse, but his face was full of sadness. Everyone seemed to be in a position of dignity.
A loyal, filial and righteous prince.
Seeing this, the chamberlain immediately stepped forward to persuade: "Your Majesty, although you are filial, it is not a good idea to wait here like this. The autumn night is cold, and if you catch the cold, I really can't bear it.
ah!"
However, Qi Zixiu just cupped his hands, bent his knees and knelt directly on the stone steps outside the door. Seeing this, the servant knew that the other party had made up his mind, but it was not easy to directly chase them away, so he could only sigh.
He stood in front of the door again and said no more.
At this time, the young prince was only wearing a thin brocade robe. It was late at night and he was exposed. He had just knelt for less than half an hour when a layer of white water vapor condensed on his hair, and his whole body became uncontrollably wet.
I shivered.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this? Forget it, I will go and beg the Lord for you. Even if I don't see you, I will let you wait inside."
The chamberlain knew that although the prince in front of him was not as popular as the plain-clothed boy in Guihongyuan, he was the crown prince established according to the rules of his ancestors. In recent days, instead of getting better, the old prince's health was getting worse.
If nothing unexpected happens, the person kneeling in front of him will most likely be the future new king of Ye Kingdom.
So he diligently fetched a fox fur coat for the other party and put it on his shoulders, then opened the door again and entered the inner chamber. The relationship in the palace was complicated, and the chamberlains were all exquisite people. I don't know what he actually said to the king.
, when he came out again, his face was full of smiles:
"Your Majesty, the Lord finally allows you to enter."
"Then I have to thank my father-in-law very much!"
Qi Zixiu also seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. With the help of the other party, he stood up, rubbed his sore legs, adjusted the purple gold crown on his head, and then cautiously stepped into the door.
"Ahem...Xiu'er...listen to what Eunuch Ma said, you are planning to kneel outside the door tonight because you are worried about...ahem...my body?"
Only a few days later, Qi and Yin were lying on the bed with sunken eyes, dark purple lips, and one foot seemed to have stepped into the gate of hell. However, they were still full of aura when they spoke, and their eyes just looked at Qi Zi.
With a look on his face, the young prince immediately bowed down:
"My father is old, but my children cannot always serve him. Now that you are suddenly suffering from a serious illness, my children are tossing and turning every night, so I want to pray for my father and show my filial piety."
"Among my many children, apart from Yin'er, you are the only one who has this kind of heart. You two brothers have had the best relationship since you were young. I hope that we can work together in the future, so that your expectations as a father will not be wasted. .”
Hearing what the eldest son said, Qi Heyin's faces finally showed some relief, but they still did not forget to give him a beating.
"We are all of Qi family's blood, so it should be like this. My father's words will be kept in mind by my sons and ministers!"
"So...very good. But Xiu'er, please tell me, did I do the right thing or the wrong thing in ordering the troops to attack the Peng Kingdom this time? Why did I always feel a little confused after the dynasty dispersed that day? But I don’t even remember what Baili Aiqing said..."
"What my father did in this matter is absolutely correct. As the saying goes, raising an army for a thousand days only takes one day. If our country, Ye, allows others to bully and swallow its humiliation, it will make other countries look down upon it. Once we lose our prestige, we will suffer even more." Aren’t they ordinary people?”
"You are sharing your anger with my brother Wang. However, since you are willing to share my worries, I did think of something that you need to do. This should be your last experience before taking the throne."
"My father has an order, and my sons and ministers should go all out!"
After hearing what Qi and Yin said, Qi Zixiu immediately knelt down in front of the couch and solemnly bowed.
"In this attack on the Peng Kingdom, I have handed over the full power of the land division to Baili Aiqing. However, as a result, there is no general in the boat division. Although Xie Xun, whom Brother Wang recommended, is still useful, I can't. But I always feel that this person's behavior is a bit too gentle, and he may be indecisive when defending against the enemy, delaying the opportunity to fight..."
"So the father wants to appoint his son to be Xie Xun's lieutenant and carry out the responsibility of supervision and restraint as the crown prince?"
Qi Zixiu was not stupid. He had already guessed before Qi Heyin finished speaking.
"Yes. Brother Jinghai, although he is usually in charge of the commander's seal of the navy, he is good at writing but not at martial arts. The commander-in-chief has a very heavy responsibility, and I am not very relieved to leave it to Xie Xun. However, it is no longer possible to withdraw the commander in the middle of the battle, so he has been since his childhood. As someone who has practiced martial arts and is familiar with the art of war, you are the best choice for the handsome man you are now."
As Duke Ye spoke, he actually used his elbows to push himself up from the bed, his eyes looking eagerly at the eldest son in front of him. However, Qi Zixiu did not answer, but just raised his hands in front of him without daring to raise his head. He looked very embarrassed.
This situation once again made Qi Heyin so angry that he couldn't help but grab the hand stove used to warm the quilt on the couch and threw it at the eldest son:
"Bastard! Didn't you just keep saying that you wanted to share my worries? Did you come here tonight to see if I breathed my last?!"
Seeing his father yelling, Qi Zixiu didn't dare to say anything. He just dodged the hand stove and let it roll down at his feet. The charcoal fire in the hand stove immediately spilled all over the floor, causing the waiters outside the door to run in panic. He came in, fell to his knees with a plop, and hurriedly put out the sparks that had been ignited on the bed and carpet:
"My Lord, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down. Although I don't know what the prince said wrongly, it must not have been his intention. This old slave deserves to die. I shouldn't bring him in tonight to disturb my Lord's rest. I am willing to accept the punishment!"
"Hmph, even you think that my life is not long, now you start to speak for the new master?! Although I am lying on the bed now, I am not confused! The ancestors of my Ye country have been heroes for generations, both wise and courageous. As Qi
If a man of your family is timid and cowers in battle, then what kind of prince would you be? What kind of prince would you be?"
Qi Heyin said that he wanted to grab the long pillow embroidered with gold on the couch. However, the scolding just now exhausted his little strength, and he suddenly fell down, but he could not get up again.
Only his chest was still rising and falling violently.
"The lord of the country calms down, the lord calms down, the prince has realized his mistake!"
The chamberlain faintly heard that Duke Ye was so angry that he actually wanted to abolish the establishment. He immediately rushed forward and stroked his chest with his hand to calm him down. He secretly winked at the prince behind him and told him to leave quickly, so as not to hurt him.
Invite punishment.
Qi Zixiu also understood that he should not stay any longer, and staggered immediately turned around and ran out of the door. His face was full of resentment and anger, and he did not notice that just as he was leaving, he was wearing white clothes and taking advantage of the moonlight.
I walked gently into the long corridor in front of Shoucheng Palace.
"Why did the young master come in so silently? Why don't you hurry up and get out? Don't disturb the king's rest again!"
The chamberlain who had just served Qi and Yin to bed saw the young man in white appearing in front of him in a daze. He didn't know how long he had been waiting outside the door. He immediately lowered his voice and wanted to drive him away, his tone full of disgust.
Qi Ziyin never dared to raise his head. Even after receiving such a look from the other party, he did not refute a word. He knew that he, a child of a concubine, was not welcomed in the palace, but he stood still and did not move:
"Eunuch Ma, how is your father's health?"
"Oh, the king just went to bed. If you have anything to do, we can wait until tomorrow. It's not too late to talk about it tomorrow. Young master, please don't cause any more trouble to this old slave, okay?"
As the chamberlain spoke, he reached out to push Qi Ziyin's shoulder. The young man hesitated for a moment, until he heard his father's heavy and even breathing on the bed, then he nodded, turned around and walked out the door.
Unexpectedly, the king on the couch was not asleep. When he heard the voice, he knew that it was his youngest son who had arrived, and immediately shouted: "Eunuch Ma... is that the way you talk to the young master?
"
Although his breath was weak, his half-open eyes were still shining brightly, and the waiter was so frightened that he knelt down again with a pop:
"I don't dare, I don't dare. The Lord needs to recuperate now, and I'm worried about your health——"
"Fart! You were very attentive when Xiu'er came here before. Please step aside, you have nothing to do here!"
Amidst the scoldings of Qi and Yin, the waiter retreated angrily, but did not go far. Instead, he leaned against the door and listened to what was going on inside. The young man in white clothes inside the door didn't know that the wall had ears, so he couldn't wait to ask:
"Brother Zixiu is here too?"
"I was almost angered to death by that treacherous son, it would be better not to come!"
Speaking of the eldest son, the king couldn't hold back the anger in his heart. He cursed a few words and then coughed violently. Qi Ziyin quickly patted his father's chest gently with his hand:
"Father, brother Zixiu is also very filial. Your health is important, so don't be angry anymore."
"How can I not be angry? I am a prince of a country, but he doesn't even have the courage to lead an army on an expedition. Since the rise of the dynasty, all princes of our country Ye have to go on expeditions with the navy division and make some military exploits before they succeed to the throne.
Could it be that this rule is going to break in my hands in the end?"
"Does the father want Brother Wang to go on an expedition with the ship to the Peng Kingdom? Please forgive me for speaking frankly, this move is very inappropriate."
"Yin'er, how can you help that traitor to escape?"
Qi and Yin couldn't help but feel strange when they heard that the youngest son in front of them was also opposed to letting the eldest son lead the expedition.
Qi Ziyin then continued:
"Brother Zixiu has been guarding Xiyin City for several years and has finally made some achievements. If he travels far away with the ship, it will be harmful rather than beneficial to the implementation of various government orders in the city. In addition, Chengguo and Weiliang have always coveted the wealth of Wanzhou, and if
Engaged in a fierce battle with the Peng Kingdom, these two countries may not take advantage of the situation. Xiyin is located in the upper reaches of the Yanjiang River, which is the chokepoint to Mulu City via the waterway to the west. It is better to have Zixiu's brother in charge than to leave it to a retainer with a foreign surname.
Don't worry."
Qi and Yin always listened to their youngest son's advice. They seemed a little shaken for a while and nodded slightly:
"Although what you said Yin'er makes sense, Brother Jinghai has no martial arts skills at all. Apart from Xiu'er, I really can't think of anyone else who can be worthy of this task. Besides, the expedition to Pengguo is of great importance. If
None of our Qi descendants can take the lead, so how can we expect our soldiers to fight bravely?"
"It is not appropriate for Brother Zixiu to go to Zhangzhou this time. If my father really has no one available, I would be willing to go!"
After hearing what the king said, Qi Ziyin suddenly volunteered. He did not do this because he wanted to take credit, but he just felt that he needed to do some sharing for his father who was terminally ill but still worried about the country.
Qi and Yin looked at the little son with amber pupils in front of them in astonishment, and they couldn't bear to agree to the other's request: "You child, you have known your eldest brother since you were a child, and you still do so even now, but -"
Qi Ziyin knelt on one knee in front of the couch and began to plead more sincerely:
"Father, my son has been practicing martial arts with General Baili for more than three years. It's a pity that he has been idle in the palace all day and can't use it. I can take this opportunity to go out and practice. I hope my father will succeed!"
Duke Ye Guo couldn't help but reveal a smile of relief on his face:
"That's alright. It's not impossible for you to go, but you have to have someone accompany you to keep you safe on the military formation. In addition to your personal bodyguard Wan Shi, I also want to send some additional people. I don't know what you think.
how?"
"No, no, brother Shitou is too verbose. I won't be allowed to do anything then, so what's the point of going out with the army?" The young man in white shook his head hurriedly.
"But if you don't let Wan Shi go with you, how can I rest assured?"
"I have someone who recommended me. He and I are both students of General Baili. They are also very skilled in martial arts. They are currently on duty in the Mo Ling Guards——"
After hearing this, the expression on the king's face became complicated, with 70% surprise and 30% displeasure:
"Could it be that young man with black eyes? This matter is about your life, Yin'er, you have to think carefully about it!"
"Yes, I have thought it through. I also know that my father has some prejudices against Jiang Yan, but I believe him!" Qi Ziyin nodded solemnly.
Although the youngest son's suggestion sounded a bit unreasonable, Qi Heyin knew in his heart that this was indeed a real solution to the current problem. After pondering for a long time, he finally agreed, and he fell in love with his younger son even more.
By the candlelight in the house, Qi Ziyin took a pen and paper on the spot, wrote down the edict based on his father's dictation, and helped him seal it with the national seal. But just as he was about to open the door and leave, he kept standing outside the door to steal the edict.
The old slave who heard this held up the hem of his robe and hurried towards the East Palace where the prince was resting.