A strong wind blew, and a running figure appeared in the wilderness. The figure was bloated and seemed slow, but it soon reached the road.
The rich man, still wearing a brocade robe, stood in front of the black umbrella. He reached out and fished it out on the empty road and flicked it hard. The wooden monk staggered before his eyes.
The rich man circled around him and said in surprise: "I can hardly see you anymore."
Monk Mu looked down at his hands, his slender hands were crystal clear.
"Illusion will replace reality." He said, "Time is running out."
He raised his feet and was about to take a step, but the rich man stopped him: "Illusion has replaced reality, monk, you can't kill her anymore."
Monk Mu looked at him: "Let's live and die together."
"Yes, yes, I was wrong, you could kill her." The rich man said helplessly, "But now she can survive, maybe it is God's will."
Without waiting for Monk Mu to speak, he hurriedly said.
"The guy who is most afraid of death among the Five Taoists ran back from the mountains. He moved all his belongings back and said he won't leave this time."
He looked at Mu Monk and smiled meaningfully.
"I think maybe she is really the hope for peace in the world."
Monk Mu looked to the sky: "I don't see any hope, at least not the hope of those innocent people now."
After saying that, he raised his feet and took a step, but as soon as he took a step, he was hit on the back of the neck, and he fell forward to the ground.
The rich man looked at his hand and was surprised: "I can actually hit it? Can I also knock him unconscious? This is the first time I have hit a monk! Am I so powerful? I will try to see if I can hit a Taoist priest later."
After muttering happily to himself, he looked at the monk on the ground, tutted and shook his head.
"Even I can knock you out, but you are really about to die."
"It's hard to think about it. Just take your time and look. If you can't see it now, what if you can see it in the future?"
The short, fat and weak rich man leaned over and easily picked up the monk on his shoulders. Then he looked at the black umbrella on the ground, picked it up with disgust and reluctance, muttered, holding the umbrella with one hand and holding the monk with the other, shaking it.
It swayed away like a big mushroom in the wilderness.
...
.......
The capital city was heavily guarded. When they saw a group of people running towards them, the guards immediately opened the city gate.
The banner with the word "Chu" was fierce, surrounding Li Minglou as he entered the city.
People were coming and going in the capital, and the streets were bustling. It was not affected by the battle outside, and it seemed like another world.
But that doesn't mean that the capital is isolated from the rest of the world and doesn't know what's going on outside.
When Li Minglou left the capital, the ceremony was grand and everyone could see it.
At the same time that Longyou Road and Southeast Road launched a crusade, the capital government posted a notice.
The government announced the subsequent battle situation once every three days and posted it on the streets and alleys, guarded by officers. The officers answered the questions of the onlookers.
He even wrote about Han Xu.
Han Xu was kidnapped by Xiang Yun Qishan, with the intention of using the death of the late emperor to frame the First Marquis.
For the safety of the capital, the city gates were closed, entry and exit were restricted, and daily life continued as before.
The queen will be able to calm down the two turmoils as soon as possible, so that the capital will be safe and secure, and there is no need for anyone to panic.
The people did not panic. Although the city gates were closed, the trade routes were not cut off. Merchants who received the approval documents could still come in and out, bringing plenty of fresh goods and news from the outside world.
The information from the people is similar to that from the government, but there are still differences, such as "Do you know the true identity of the First Marquis?" "Miss Li from Jiannan Road." "No way, Miss Li from Jiannan Road is not here.
Taiyuan Mansion." "When Taiyuan Mansion was lost, the First Marquis of Chu State's wife had just regained the capital."
This incredible news triggered heated discussions as to why the people on Longyou Road and Southeast Road were raising troops but did not care anymore...
Suddenly there were guards clearing the way on the street, which attracted people to gather to see and speculate. When they saw the banner of the First Marquis and the figure of the woman, the originally nervous people suddenly cheered.
"First Marquis!"
"The First Marquis is back!"
"The First Marquis is safe and sound!"
"I knew it would be safe!"
"Look, the face of the First Marquis..."
Seeing the woman's figure, the people burst into cheers. When the woman approached, the cheers suddenly disappeared. The movements had not stopped, the wavers were still waving, and the laughers were still laughing, but their eyes were frozen...
...
Whether she was the Lady of Chu or the First Marquis, she conquered the capital and lived in the capital, but no one had seen her face for so long.
She seems to be everywhere, but no one has seen her.
What everyone is familiar with is the gorgeous carriage, or the black robe, covering the head, face and whole body, and a guard holding an umbrella following beside him.
At this moment, the woman under the banner of Hou was wearing a large black cloak without a hat, and the guard who was following him did not have a black umbrella in his hand. A face as white as snow appeared in everyone's sight...
..
It's impossible to describe or even shock, there is only silence.
Li Minglou's figure galloped past, the ice and snow were freezing all the way, and then it was like a frozen river melting in spring and running forward, making a roaring noise.
Inside the closed palace doors, the court hall was as quiet as a deserted place.
Some officials were sitting on the ground, some were sleeping with their eyes closed, and some were pouring tea into the kettle sent by the eunuch.
There was a faint noise outside, and the sleepy official opened his eyes with his eyes closed: "What's the sound?"
The officials in the palace listened attentively, nervous and excited. The noise became louder and louder, getting closer, and it seemed that they were reaching the palace...
"Yes..." An official jumped up, "It's Governor Xiang, Governor Qi, calling in!"
This shout made the sleepy ones jump up, the tea drinkers dropped their teacups, and the ones who were sitting there staggered towards the palace door.
"Dudu Xiang, Dudu Qi, called in!"
"Dudu Xiang and Dudu Qi are here to save the Queen Mother and Your Majesty!"
"We are saved!"
Some shouted, some cried, some laughed, and the emotions that had been accumulated for a long time poured out in an instant.
At that time, a crowd of people in front of the Queen Mother's Palace were excited and chanting to kill the queen, Hou Kuang, and help the world, but after the shouting, they did not even go out of the palace...
The imperial army surrounded the palace, arrested Wu Zheng and several other ministers on the pretext of being spies and causing trouble, and sent the Queen Mother and the Emperor back to the harem. The name of protection was actually imprisonment, and they were also imprisoned in this hall, even though they had food and tea.
, even having all the bedding prepared for sleeping is like going to jail.
They cried out, but the Forbidden Army was unmoved. They rushed out boldly, but the Forbidden Army drew their swords... They had no choice but to retreat.
This time when they arrived at the door, the door opened by itself, and a skinny figure was startled.
"What are you doing!" he shouted.
An official who was at the front was also startled. He yelled and ran back, causing a period of confusion until an official recognized the person standing at the door: "Jiang Liang!"
Stopping in panic, the officials looked at Jiang Liang at the door, and the next moment they panicked again: "You, you..."
Why are you here?
This guy is the queen's lackey!
However, maybe he has taken refuge with Qishan Xiang Yun? Jiang Liang is not a good person at first glance... Everyone looked at him expectantly.
Jiang Liang enjoyed being watched by people and walked in swaggeringly: "You were bewitched by Xiang Thief Qi Thief and almost disrupted Chao Gang. Do you realize your mistake now?"
The last glimmer of hope disappeared, and the officials in the palace were grieving. Some were desperate and some shouted angrily, "The queen plotted to kill the late emperor!" "We will never coexist with this thief!"
Jiang Liang was surrounded by sad and angry officials. Without the slightest fear, he stopped the imperial guards standing at the door and refuted these words.
"Those are all framed by Thief Qi and Thief Xiang!" He sneered, "Those Wu and Zheng are inciting and deceiving you."
"You are the one who made the false accusation." An official said, "The two gentlemen Wu and Zheng were the late emperor's confidants and the most trusted ministers. That's why the late emperor asked them to come to the capital to investigate first."
Jiang Liang snorted and said, "So it is, but didn't they come to the capital with Xiang Yun? They were bribed by Xiang Yun on the way."
This is nonsense!
"Do you have evidence?" the officials asked.
Jiang Liang curled his lips: "Is there any evidence that the Marquis harmed the late Emperor?"
Yes! The officials said in unison: "The Queen Mother said it herself!"
Jiang Liang looked at them sympathetically: "You said it in front of Wu and Zheng, right? That means the Queen Mother was coerced!"
The officials continued to make noise, but Jiang Liang raised his hand to stop them.
"You don't need to argue with me here." He said, "You can wait until the queen comes to talk and ask questions."
The word "Queen" made the officials quiet for a while.
"The Queen," someone asked in a hoarse voice, "is she back?"
Jiang Liang said: "I'm back." He twisted his beard and smiled proudly, "If Madam doesn't come back, how could I come back?"
An official asked in a trembling voice: "Well, Xiang Yun Qishan..."
"Xiang Yun was beheaded in front of the formation." Jiang Liang said easily and casually, "The whole mountain fled."
The officials in the palace were completely desperate. They seemed to have no strength to grieve and angry, and looked blankly at the door of the palace...
What about the queen?
.......
...
The palace door of the harem was pushed open by the imperial guards. There was a waiter inside, who immediately saluted and called his wife.
Li Minglou walked in.
In winter, the palace is particularly desolate without the red flowers and green willows, and without the eunuchs and maids passing through it.
"The Queen Mother, the Emperor, the Concubines and the Princesses are all in their own palaces." Wei Hua said, "You can move around as you like, and you can eat and drink as usual, without any harsh treatment."
Li Minglou nodded, and followed Wei to the gate of the Queen Mother's Palace. There were also guards here, and he pushed open the heavy palace door again.
Several palace maids were sitting in the corridor of the palace sunbathing. When they heard the knock on the door, they got up in fright. When they saw Wei Wei leading a woman in, they even retreated to a place where no one else could see them.
Weiwei and Li Minglou did not look at them and walked straight into the palace.
There is plenty of light in the hall, and the sound of weaving can be heard from behind the curtains.
"Empress," she continued, "the First Marquis is here."
The sound of weaving slowly stopped, accompanied by the Queen Mother's voice: "Madam is back."
After drawing up the curtain, Li Minglou watched the Queen Mother in homely clothes walking down from the loom.
Her face was not haggard, it was even much plumper than at the Songzhou Night Banquet.
"I eat well, sleep well, and of course I have gained weight." The Queen Mother said, holding her hand and sitting back on the chair, pointing to the side, "Madam, please sit down."
Li Minglou sat down, looked at the Queen Mother and said, "It seems that this incident did not scare the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother smiled and said: "When the Forbidden Army protected us, I knew that Madam was in control of everything, and I wasn't worried at all."
Li Minglou smiled. The Queen Mother took the initiative to point out that she was being protected by the Forbidden Army, which meant that the courtiers were thieves.
Just like Songzhou took the initiative to draw a knife to kill the late emperor that night, not because he really wanted the late emperor to die, but because he wanted his own hands to be stained with blood, and handed Li Minglou a knife that could be used to blackmail her.
This is what counts as an alliance.
But this time Li Minglou didn't plan to take the knife.
"Empress, you and the ministers identified me," she said.
"Madam, I didn't say anything." The Queen Mother stood up, pointed outside, and said urgently, "If you don't believe me, ask them, ask everyone, I hugged the emperor and didn't say a word about madam!"
She did not name the first prince to kill the king, she just said that she did not dare to say anything.
The reason why I dare not say anything is because of the threats from the officials.
"I'm scolding them. I'm scolding these treacherous ministers and rebels to the world! They threatened me and I dare not say anything."
Li Minglou didn't argue with her, he just said: "Mother, you didn't say anything, you just identified me."
The Queen Mother looked at her for a moment, then slowly sat down: "What do you want, madam? I have lived too long, do I need to die?"
She glanced at the table and saw that she had just brought tea over. The tea was red and beautiful.
After seeing this, he took the tea away and placed it in front of Li Minglou without saying a word, and stood quietly.
Li Minglou did not answer, but asked first: "When the empress raised the sword against the late emperor, was it for the sake of Daxia's world, or for your own survival?"
Speaking of the beginning, the Queen Mother looked a little dazed: "I was... I was really scared by Madam. What was I doing? In this world of Great Xia..."
She smiled.
"What does the world of Daxia have to do with me? I am originally a Princess Lu, or a queen who has separated from the emperor and is about to be poisoned by the emperor."
"I'm just afraid of death, I just want to live."
Li Minglou picked up the tea and drank it all in one gulp, then stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I just want to live. Then I would like to ask Your Majesty and Your Majesty to entrust Daxia to me."
The Queen Mother looked at her and was not shocked by these words. In other words, from the moment the lady killed the emperor, she had thought that such a day would come, but she did not expect it to be so soon...
"Since Madam is going to do this," the Queen Mother smiled sadly, "why ask me, what difference does it make if I agree or not."
If you don't agree, you'll die. If you agree...she, the Queen Mother and the Emperor, will be in danger every day she lives, and she won't end well.
Either way, she would die, so she had nothing to worry about.
Li Minglou said: "I will let the empress and the emperor live, and let you all live."
Speaking of which, he looked at the Queen Mother.
"Maybe I don't believe it. I raised my sword against the late Emperor because I didn't want to die. Not only did I not want to die, I also wanted more people to live."
She looked out the window. The palace maids were sitting around feeding the birds. At this time, the palace ladies all hid away, but the birds were still flying around and pecking outside... making the bleak winter day lively.
"I want Daxia. What I want is not the world of Daxia, but to keep more people alive in this world."
"As you said, I scared you, and fear has arisen in your heart. If you and I can never eliminate our suspicion, the court will continue to have disputes and the world will continue to fight."
"You and I cannot coexist with the imperial court."
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the Queen Mother.
"But as long as you are from the world, you can live."
"I, Li Minglou, keep my word."
Li Minglou? The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment and looked at the woman standing in front of her. She was not familiar with this name, but she was familiar with a similar name, Li Mingyu...
She said, "Are you the eldest lady from Jiannan Road?"
Li Minglou nodded: "Yes, I am Li Minglou, the daughter of Li Fengan from Jiannan Road and the sister-in-law of Li Mingyu."
The Queen Mother suddenly said: "No wonder, no wonder."
Jian Nan said, no wonder Zhong Qi listens to her, Li Mingyu listens to her, Han Xu... half of the world belongs to others!
The Queen Mother smiled sadly, shook her head, then raised her head and said calmly: "Madam, what do you want me to do?"
In December of the ninth year of the Chengyuan Dynasty, due to the rebellion of Xiang Yun on the Longyou Road and Qishan on the Southeast Road, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were frightened and did not want to eat or drink, and were sick. They entrusted the government to the First Marquis, hoping to pacify the world, quell the rebellion of the Wei Road, and relieve all the people.
Sleepy.
When the Queen Mother and the Emperor told the incident in the court, Li Minglou thought that the civil and military officials would make a fuss, but in the end they just cried out in grief and crawled on the ground, but did not make a fuss and die.
admonish.
"I've made it clear to them." Standing in Haitang Palace, Jiang Liang twirled his beard proudly, "Let them know that Xiang Yun is dead and Qi Shan has been defeated. Madam, you are invincible in the world. They have nothing to rely on. In addition,
After being imprisoned for so many days, I have thought about death hundreds of times. After thinking about it too much, I stopped thinking about it."
That's fine. Although she won't use these court officials anymore, she doesn't want them to die. Li Minglou nodded, ignored these things and asked, "Have Wu Jin, Wu Xiao and the others arrived?"
Yuanji stepped forward and said, "We've arrived. Waiting outside the hall."
Although she was still the First Marquis, because she was in charge of the world for the Empress Dowager and Emperor, she also lived in the palace, which was still the former Haitang Palace. Li Minglou said: "Tell them to come in."
A eunuch took the order and loudly announced the message. The maids rolled up their curtains. Li Minglou sat up and looked at the thirteen young men and women running outside the palace.
Some were running in front and others were walking slowly behind. Both men and women were wearing armor and looking high-spirited.
.......
.......
At the beginning of the tenth year of the Chengyuan Dynasty, the First Marquis Linchao issued an edict, summoning the military generals from various regions to report their duties to the memorial court, and set up a military supervision court in the Wei Road to conduct inventory of armaments.
The Wei Dao in the world was in an uproar, refused to enter Beijing, and expelled the supervisory envoy.
In February of the 10th year of Chengyuan, the First Marquis appointed the thirteen righteous children as generals. In addition, Wu Ya'er, the military governor of Shuofang, and Li Mingyu, the military governor of Jiannan Road, jointly led troops and horses, took over the Wei Road, consolidated the guards, and cleared the rebels.
The remnants of the army are investigating the bandits causing chaos.