PS: Thanks to Zhou Yangong, Nan Nan, and Jingting Qiuji for the generous reward. I would like to express my gratitude for the third update today. Also, please collect it.
The taste of the meal had changed after eating it. Liu Meier could see what the emperor and the empress meant, let alone Liu Ling. What disappointed Emperor Xiao and Empress Su was that no matter how the couple hinted or even expressed it,
Liu Ling was smiling and noncommittal.
This attitude disappointed both Emperor Xiao and Queen Su. The purpose of inviting Liu Ling and Liu Meier to dinner today was to give Liu Meier a beating. After all, it won't be long before Lu Sen's beloved daughter, His Majesty the Emperor's adopted sister Lu Yuzhu, will marry
Now that Liu Ling is the head wife, the position of a loyal princess still needs to be filled by a woman from a well-known family.
The reason why they did this was because they heard a lot of rumors about Liu Ling and Liu Mei'er. The last time Liu Ling was almost poisoned to save Liu Mei'er, it was rumored that it was hard for Emperor Liu Zhuo to interfere with Liu Mei'er.
Ling's family affairs. But Liu Ling is the pillar of the Northern Han Dynasty and the barrier of the Liu family. It would be too unfair to lose anything for a small and insignificant maid.
Not to mention, after all, the marriage of Liu Ling and Lu Yuzhu was not yet clear at that time. But it is different now. Both the Liu family and the Lu family are busy preparing for this wedding that will surely cause a sensation in Taiyuan City and even the whole country. And the parties involved
One of them, Liu Ling, actually called this little maid named Liu Meier to the study every day to express his favor. After all, it was not pleasant to hear the news in Miss Lu's ears.
As Liu Ling's brother and sister-in-law, they absolutely cannot sit back and watch a little maid grow up in Prince Liu Ling's palace. She can stay overnight in the study room where Liu Ling usually handles official business, so there is no guarantee that she will not be arrogant and indulgent based on Liu Ling's favor.
If a young lady from the Lu family gets angry with a little maid instead of marrying her, then Emperor Xiao, who is the matchmaker, will not look good.
Although Emperor Xiao knew something about the little girl Liu Mei'er. When Liu Ling spent those two years of dark life in the prison, this little girl stayed by his side every step of the way. People's hearts were filled with excitement.
She was born with flesh, and it was only natural for Liu Ling to be attracted to her.
But Liu Ling can be confused, but Emperor Xiao cannot be confused. He cannot watch Liu Ling getting further and further away from the royal status step by step. If Liu Ling insists on going his own way and marries a little maid as his wife, the royal family's face will be lost.
Even if the ministers don't say anything, they will still laugh at the loyal king and the emperor's family.
Even if Liu Ling does not regard Liu Mei'er as his head wife and only gives her the status of a side wife, there is no guarantee that she will not rely on Liu Ling's favor to put Lu Yuzhu's shoes on. Lu Yuzhu is a great matchmaker who is personally protected by His Majesty, and is not only the prime minister.
My daughter is also His Majesty's adopted sister. It would be a big joke if she was bullied by a little maid.
Liu Ling could love as much as he wanted and ignore her, but Emperor Xiao couldn't.
It was also difficult for the couple, one of whom was the most powerful emperor in the world, and the other whose mother was the head of the harem in the world, to condescend to hint at Liu Meier in this way.
Liu Ling was not a fool and would not have failed to understand what Emperor Xiao and Empress Su meant. But he did not show anything clearly. Even when he ordered Liu Meier to serve him at the wine table, there was still a hint of caution in his words.
Gentleness. This made Emperor Xiao feel very uneasy. He was not only afraid that Liu Meier would crowd out Lu Yuzhu, but he was also afraid that Liu Ling would suddenly fall into the ecstasy and never be able to extricate himself.
How many heroes are invincible in the world, but they fall softly on the belly of a woman? Because there are many examples of women making mistakes and harming the country, Emperor Xiao was afraid that Liu Ling would forget his military and national responsibilities because he doted on Liu Meier too much. Now
The world of the Northern Han Dynasty was in danger, and Emperor Xiao knew that he alone could never support this small and vast country.
When the princes fought for the heir, the prince and the fourth brother were all dead. Not even half of the dozen brothers were still alive. On that day, the prince led the imperial army to cause a bloody storm in the palace. Five princes were greedy by the prince.
Desires devoured them and left no bones left. The kind-hearted eldest prince, the brave and competitive fifth prince, the literary and military fourth prince, the unambitious seventh prince, and the naughty and cute fourteenth prince who was only eleven years old.
, one by one is gone.
Although all the princes who were lucky enough to survive have now been crowned kings, they have long since lost the blood-thicker-than-water feeling between brothers. The third youngest, Liu Lun, was crowned King of Qi, and when he was less than thirty, he used the excuse that he was young.
He is old and frail, and plans to live in the palace for the rest of his life. He feeds birds and fish every day. Since Emperor Xiao ascended the throne, he has not even stepped out of the gate of the palace, and even declined all visitors.
Is it really possible to live a comfortable life while being imprisoned in the palace courtyard?
Liu Yan, the sixth son, was granted the title of King of Chu, but he took the initiative to guard the border and defend the country for the Han Dynasty. He took the rank of General Mingwei from the fourth rank and went to the northwest border to enjoy the wind and sun. He said it was for
The country guarded the border, but after settling down in a small county called Anyuan, Liu Yan, a dignified prince, spent the whole day traveling around the mountains and rivers, composing poems and lyrics with a group of literati under his disciples, seemingly carefree and at ease.
It's just that Duke Yan of Zhou passed by Anyuan when he was on an envoy to Xixia, and Liu Yan once hosted a banquet in his honor. Although Duke Zhou's memorial only mentioned a few words about this idle prince, it can't hide his love for him.
The deep disappointment of a prince who has always been known as a wise man. Emperor Xiao knew why Liu Yan went to Anyuan. He went to avoid trouble. He was afraid that if he stayed in Taiyuan, he would accidentally follow in the footsteps of his brothers.
.
Zhou Yangong described the King of Chu in his eyes like this. Although he was not yet 30 years old, this prince who was once famous for his wisdom had turned gray on his temples, and his once bright eyes had lost their former sparkle. Look at his
The eyes are like looking into a pool of stagnant water.
As for the other princes, although they stayed in Taiyuan City, they all refused to go to the palace to discuss matters on the excuse that they lacked ability and were afraid of delaying state affairs. The younger Prince Lu, the twelfth prince Liu Yuan, and the thirteenth prince Liu Zhuan, visited the palace every day.
It is known that drinking, having fun, and dancing with bewitching girls can blow away a weak body with a gust of wind. And the tenth prince Liu Zhi, who has always been as famous as Lao Jiu, Yi Wen and Wu, has been lying ill since he suffered a serious illness the year before last.
at home.
In the entire Han royal family, except for one Liu Mao, the Marquis of Hu Ting, who was incomparable to the emperor's family and could be of great use, the others were like mud that couldn't be put on the wall, either drunkenly and dreamily, or singing and dancing in peace. There was only one Laojiu Liu.
Ling, shoulder to shoulder with him, carried the devastated country.
How could Emperor Xiao not think more about Liu Ling?
If Liu Ling falls under the skirt of a woman again, he will have to rely on himself to carry this big man. He is really afraid that he will not be able to hold on and fall. Prince Liu Li is less than four years old, what will happen to this big man's country?
?
That's why Emperor Xiao and Empress Su bravely intervened in Liu Ling's family affairs and mobilized people for a little maid. Liu Ling didn't seem to care about this painstaking effort. How could Emperor Xiao not be anxious?
Xixia, Daliao, and Later Zhou were all big countries with millions of troops. The Northern Han Dynasty struggled to survive in the cracks of these three powerful countries. It was inevitable to grovel, but it could not blindly show weakness. If you were not weak, those powerful countries
He would treat the Northern Han Dynasty as a thorn in his side and pull it out quickly. And this show of weakness was done by him as the emperor. Just like in the Battle of the South, Liu Ling won a great victory, but he ordered to negotiate peace with Zhou Shizong Chai Rong as soon as possible.
As the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces, Liu Ling had to be tougher so that the three major powers would not take the Northern Han Dynasty seriously but also not ignore it too much.
Originally, the tenth prince, Liu Zhizhi, was the one who could be of great use. He and Liu Ling complemented each other well in both literature and martial arts, making him the right-hand man of Emperor Xiao. Unfortunately, I don’t know whether he did it deliberately due to depression or because he was really seriously ill.
Liu Zhi lay on the hospital bed all day long and ignored the world.
Sometimes Emperor Xiao thought, if he could control his subordinates with his eldest brother's kindness and kindness, charge into battle with the martial arts of the fifth brother, manage the situation with the ninth brother, and deal with foreign affairs with the tenth brother, the Northern Han Dynasty might be really strong despite its small size.
As solid as a barrel.
God was actually kind to his father, and gave him fourteen sons, all of whom were able to stand alone. However, God did not give his father wisdom, so that the princes became jealous and ended up fighting each other. Emperor Xiao also
Knowing that there has been no family ties in the imperial family since ancient times, Tang Wang Li Yuan only had four legitimate sons. Wasn't the prince Li Jiancheng, who was as kind-hearted as his eldest brother, hacked to death by the ruthless Li Shimin in the end?
But Emperor Xiao couldn't help but imagine that if his fourteen brothers could really work together, not to mention the three tigers blocking the road from Xixia, Daliao, and Houzhou, what would happen if there were just a few more hair-eating beasts?
After Liu Ling and Liu Mei'er took their leave from the palace, Emperor Xiao sat in a chair and was stunned for a long time. Su Jianli stood behind him silently, with tenderness in his eyes. She didn't speak, she knew
Her husband needs some peace and quiet now. But she won't leave because she also knows that Emperor Xiao's shoulders look so lonely at this moment.
He didn't know how long he sat there. Emperor Xiao turned around and smiled tenderly at his wife, whom he had been with for nearly ten years. Su Jianli married him when he was fourteen, and it has been nine years and four months now. That
The green and budding girl has bloomed like a gorgeous peony, but what has not changed is that she is as affectionate towards him as ever.
Taking Su Jianli's hand, he rubbed it on the catkin that was still white and tender. With a pull, Xiaodi put Su Jianli on his lap. Su Jianli looked around first.
At a glance, she saw that the maids were all standing far away and there were no outsiders, so she softened and leaned into Emperor Xiao's arms.
Reaching out his hand to gently smooth the wrinkles on Emperor Xiao's brow, Su Jianli said softly: "Your Majesty, my concubine's behavior at the banquet must have made Prince Zhong feel uncomfortable. Your Majesty will atone for her sin."
Emperor Xiao smiled and said: "Lao Jiu is not confused. He knows that you are thinking about him and he will not take it seriously. Lao Jiu is a loyal and honest man and he respects you sincerely. I understand him."
Su Jianli chuckled, still as beautiful as a peony flower blooming in majesty. There was not a single wrinkle on her face, and the years did not leave any traces of wasted time on her face. What she had was a more mellow taste. She
I no longer have the ignorance I had when I was a teenager, but I have charm and wisdom that may seem superficial but cannot be ignored.
"Your Majesty, since you know that King Zhong is not confused, what are you still worried about?"
She hugged Emperor Xiao's neck and whispered in his ear: "Prince Zhong's experience is the most difficult among your Majesty's brothers, right? No matter what kind of difficulties and obstacles, didn't he come through step by step?
Your Majesty, perhaps our worries are really a bit unfounded."
Her words are like the spring breeze in March, which can melt the ice and snow. (To be continued)
