This year's winter in the Imperial Capital has been extremely cold. There are frost flowers like ice crystals on the glass windows, which have to be melted away at noon. Under the sun, a few withered yellow leaves on the old locust tree outside the cabinet are gently swaying with the cyclone coming from nowhere.
, there was a burst of rapid footsteps, followed by a loud response: Urgent report from the southwest!
Prime Minister Pei immediately said, "Come in express!"
The rest of them also put down their pens and stood up. When the military report was delivered, Prime Minister Pei checked the lacquer seal of the Ministry of War. He didn't even take the paper knife handed over by the attendant, and just tore it open and read it quickly, with a look on his face.
Showing a hint of relief, he handed the emergency report to his second assistant, Du Shangshu, "Finally, we are stable."
After Du Shangshu read it, his normally upright face gradually softened, and he nodded, "Hu Shizi has lived up to His Majesty's expectations."
Everyone in the cabinet circulated the battle report. It was now a cold winter, and Hu Qing was about to take over the war after arriving in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Although he had no obvious victory, he firmly held the front line and did not allow the Zhennan people to advance even half a step further.
The elders can all breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhuo Yushi said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, it is better to submit this battle report to Your Majesty as soon as possible, so that His Majesty can feel at ease."
Everyone said yes.
There is no need to go together with such good news. A few days ago, Lu Guogong, who wanted to be Pei's chief minister for some reason, has returned to his previous modesty and low-key. He only showed some joy as he went along, and did not rush to meet Pei.
The prime minister went to the imperial court to report back. Since Lu Guogong did not want to steal the mission, the first assistant and the second assistant went together.
Du Shangshu always talks little, and Prime Minister Pei is not a talkative person either, but both of them are in a good mood. Prime Minister Pei said, "It's rare to have good weather today. Looking at the weather, it will be sunny tomorrow."
"Yes." Du Shangshu followed Prime Minister Pei unhurriedly. To show respect, he was half a step behind Prime Minister Pei. "The big sacrifice is coming soon, which is a good sign."
After Emperor Mu Xuan saw this battle report, he felt relieved, "Hu Qing has not failed me and I have not failed the court." The monarch and his ministers talked about government affairs, and Emperor Mu Xuan left them to eat. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and Emperor Mu Xuan wants to go to Yuan in person.
Qiu offered sacrifices to heaven, so he was fasting all the time. The emperor was fasting, so naturally the ministers were fasting together, and the Queen Mother Lan in the harem was also fasting together.
When Empress Dowager Lan started her fast, the empress, princess, concubines and concubines also ate together.
The empress dowager, queen, and concubines in the palace all started fasting, and the famous ladies outside also started fasting too.
Fortunately, you don’t have to eat for too long, three days is enough.
Most of the dignitaries in the imperial capital were fasting. Dulanhou's Mansion and Lu Guogong's Mansion were very excited about the meal. Lanhou's Mansion and Prime Minister Pei's Mansion were serious in-laws. Now that the winter solstice has not yet arrived, they sent the New Year's gifts to them first.
.
Putting aside the rich annual gifts, Lanhou now, in addition to being an official in the court, goes to Xiang Pei's house whenever he has free time to talk to his sister about the relationship between brother and sister in the past. This is a serious brother-in-law, so even though Xiang Pei feels that his uncle comes too frequently
If you get too old, it's not easy to drive people away.
Lan Hou simply regretted that he had married his granddaughter to Prince Lu without knowing why.
Now that there are vague rumors, the granddaughter has fallen into a pit of fire, but there is still a big family in the Lan family!
Yes, Pei Ruyu and Mu Anzhi spread rumors about Lu Guogong's life experience. Although Pei Ruyu's album only passed through the hands of Emperor Mu Xuan and the prince, and Emperor Mu Xuan burned the album at that time, the matter still spread back to the imperial capital.
It is estimated that those who know it do not know the officialdom of the imperial capital.
Everyone knows that Mu Anzhi and Pei Ruyu are active in Xinyi. Now all the children of officials from various states in northern Xinjiang are studying in Xinyi Academy. In order to take care of their children, each family has sent capable relatives or servants to Xinyi.
After receiving the news, these people sent it home.
These prefects and prefects were all sent abroad. When they got the news, they sent it to their family and friends.
In fact, the other rumors are not bad. The rumors about the Lu family are really too explosive. There are brothers killing each other, spies from the enemy country, and even the blood of the imperial family. It is simply——
Even though winter has started, there has been no news in Northern Xinjiang, but it has not delayed the spread of the news at all.
Lanhou Mansion is not a well-informed house, but it also knows about this matter. It is not known whether it is true or not, but since such rumors spread, Lanhou is very worried.
In fact, Marquis Lan didn't want to believe such rumors, but it happened that Marquis Lu and Duke Lu had broken off relations for many years. So, was there really a secret behind Marquis Rui's death...
This is true even if Marquis Lan is just an in-law of Lu Guogong's family, let alone Lu Guogong's family.
Mrs. Lu has not even listened to her favorite music recently, and she has lost interest in joking with her children and grandchildren. When she heard about this, Mrs. Lu turned over and smashed her most beloved glass lamp to pieces!
When Lu Guogong returned home in the evening, he heard from his wife that his mother had not seen anyone for half a day and had not even used dinner. Mrs. Lu sighed anxiously, "Who should go? The old lady should not be seen either."
"Why did you suddenly lose your temper?" Lu Guogong sat down and received the warm tea from his wife.
Mrs. Lu hesitated to speak. Duke Lu's face darkened slightly, and the hand holding the tea was slightly sluggish, "Old lady, do you know?"
Mrs. Lu nodded and said worriedly, "I also told you not to talk nonsense. Master, our house is fine, but I am worried that there will be people outside the house who believe these nonsense."
Lu Guogong sneered coldly and put down the tea cup, "I'll go to the old lady's place to have a look."
When winter comes, the flowers and trees wither, making it hard to hide the desolation. However, the holly that is still green after winter is placed outside the Fushou Hall, which adds a lot of greenery to the yard.
At night, the lights have begun to be turned on in the corridor room. The lights are flickering, and the bustling courtyard in the past is particularly quiet today. The maid's voice of greetings is especially lowered. When Mr. Lu entered the room, Mrs. Lu leaned against him with one leg bent.
He closed his eyes and meditated on the warm couch. A string of elegant wood-colored beads was wrapped around his dead wrist.
Hearing the sound of walking, Mrs. Lu opened her eyes, saw her son, and sighed, "You're back."
Before Lu Guogong asked the maid to come into the house to serve him, he went over and knelt on one knee on the footrest, "My son is unfilial and makes his mother troubled."
"You shouldn't hide it from me, but I also know that you are filial." Mrs. Lu patted her son's shoulder, sat up straighter, and said, "Get up and talk."
After feeling furious for a long time, Mrs. Lu had calmed down and asked her son, "How do you plan to deal with it?"
Lu Guogong said calmly, "Of course I will obey the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince."
A trace of satisfaction appeared on Mrs. Lu's wrinkled face. There seemed to be two awls in her old eyes. She curled her lips coldly, "That's right. I wonder if the prince knows this news?"
"The prince has his own way of getting information." Lu Guogong's attitude was still cold. Originally, he thought that he and the prince were related as uncle, nephew and son-in-law. In this world, the one who is closer than them is His Majesty. But after the Zhennan Imperial Master incident
, Lu Guogong could clearly see that this prince was no longer what he used to be, and he no longer relied on him when he was eager to ascend the throne.
Mrs. Lu looked at her son keenly and asked, "Why are you and the prince so cold?"
"It's not that my son is cold. The prince has always had big ideas. When he chose the princess, he had other ideas. As an uncle, I haven't seen him be so warm. It's impossible to say that we are close, but he thinks that I am a powerful minister.
Control him." Lu Guogong said sarcastically.
Mrs. Lu obviously also thought about the Zhennan Imperial Master and snorted softly, "It's not our Lu family after all. There are two hearts just one floor away."
Mrs. Lu was even more alarmed, "I heard that the prince is very close to Jiaxiang's consort."
Lu Guogong's mouth opened into a smile, revealing a corner of his white teeth, which seemed to bite people, "Not only are they very close, the prince also relies heavily on Qin Ting."
"What did Qin Longhu say?"
"He has been running Longhuying for all these years. Even if he is a waste, he can still raise a few useful people. What's more, how can he give the real power to Qin Ting?" Lu Guogong thought of something and frowned as if being stung. "He
There is one condition."
"What?"
"He hopes to have a grandson concubine in his family."
"It seems that Qin Longhu is still upset because the second son failed to be the master." Mrs. Lu's drooping mouth showed disdain, and her old eyes suddenly looked at her son, "It was clearly Qin Longhu's second son who you recommended to the prince.
, how did you change it to Qin Ting later?"
"The prince is probably suspicious of me already. It's a good thing that I didn't recommend Qin Xun. When I mentioned him, the prince chose Qin Ting instead." This was one of the reasons why Lu Guogong believed that the prince had two minds with him.
"Does the Third Highness know about Qin Ting? During that trip to Henan, Qin Ting was the most suspicious. He did not see the Third Highness blaming him. Instead, he showed closeness to him. If the Third Highness had the intention to send him to Northern Xinjiang,
It was easy to cure him and make him bury his bones in the yellow sand, but he came back smoothly." Mrs. Lu's eyes were as bright as ghost fire, "Qin Longhu didn't show any flaws, did he?"
"That's not true. We all know that Qin Longhu is very strict in raising his children, and Qin Ting is as docile as a dog in front of him, doing whatever he is asked to do." Lu Guogong said, "The third highness has always been unpredictable in mood and anger. At that time, Qin Ting was already in control.
Consort, if something happens in his territory, he has just arrived in the vassal territory, so he probably doesn't want to cause trouble. No matter how much he values Qin Ting, he still knows that Qin Ting is Jiaxiang's consort, and he cannot win over him. I think,
It was the prince who really won over Qin Ting."
A sly smile escaped from the corners of Mrs. Lu's lips, "Our family is not the one affected most by this matter right now. Dong Palace must be more anxious than us. Suppress your temper and take a look at the cards in Dong Palace's hand."
"Yes. My son thinks so too."
The candles flickered, and the mother was kind and the son was filial. Both mother and son had a tacit understanding and did not mention the incident of Rui Hou back then, as if that was a forgotten time.
East Palace.
The plain white fingertips held a sunspot for a long time, and the sunlight came in through the window, casting a light shadow on the chess scale. After a long time, the tip of this hand tilted slightly, and held the sunspot in the palm, and the coolness of the jade immediately refreshed it.
into the skin.
Duke Lu Guo sat on the other side of the chess scale, "Your Highness, won't you play?"
"I'm not in the mood," the prince said.
Duke Lu Guo bowed slightly and lowered his eyes, as if he was respectfully listening to the prince's instructions. But the prince knew that Duke Lu Guo was waiting for him to speak and ask for help.
The prince smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes, "That's it for today. I'll ask my uncle to come over and finish the game tomorrow."
"Yes." Lu Guogong bowed respectfully.
Even the farewell figure showed meekness. As soon as the rumors about the third child reached the imperial capital, the always cautious uncle came back again.
However, it is also more difficult to deal with.
A hint of coldness gradually appeared in the prince's eyes. Lu Guogong probably thought that he attacked Ruihou to avenge his father. I wonder if this man has ever thought about his current status and all the glory. Who laid the foundation for him? If he really has the backbone.
, he was able to break off with Ruihou back then and seek his own future, so he took advantage of Ruihou's benefits, but he did it secretly... Even if the prince wanted to seize the throne, he would not cooperate with such a villain!
What's more, Lu Guogong actually wanted to rub him, which is really ridiculous!
Winter Solstice Festival.
The prince still accompanied the emperor. Even after the sacrifice, Emperor Mu Xuan personally cut a piece of sacrificial meat and gave it to the prince. This was a privilege that the prince had had since he was a child. Emperor Mu Xuan's eldest son came late. After the prince was born, Emperor Mu Xuan treated the prince as his legitimate son.
As a reward, when his son was older and could go out to perform sacrifices, Emperor Mu Xuan would take him with him and cut a piece of sacrificial meat for his eldest son every time.
The prince had been accustomed to eating it for more than ten years. He took the salt and pepper fried in the palace with him and mixed it with the tasteless and cold sacrificial meat, but his heart was full of sorrow. He did not expect that his father would still be willing to give this piece of meat to him.
Sacrificial meat was given to him.
How does he repay this kindness?
Emperor Mu Xuan still treated the prince favorably, and those people who were about to be moved by the rumors temporarily settled down and prepared for the New Year after the winter solstice.
night.
Emperor Mu Xuan was heartbroken by the sounds of sword fights outside. He suddenly sat up and opened the brocade tent, and the faint light of fire reflected outside. Emperor Mu Xuan immediately shouted, "Here comes someone!"
Those who stumbled in from the door were not the eunuchs Emperor Mu Xuan was used to, but a few panicked servants. Emperor Mu Xuan stood barefoot on the ground, looked at the firelight outside the window and asked, "What's going on outside?"
"Your Majesty, someone has invaded!"
"Nonsense! Who can lead the troops to attack the Forbidden Palace!" Emperor Mu Xuan's heart sank like a heavy stone to the bottom of the valley. He directly opened the door and walked out of the dormitory. A slender figure was standing in the corridor holding a sword. The figure from the back was so familiar that Emperor Mu Xuan was shocked.
Taking a step back, "Prince!"
The prince turned around, the sword in his hand still dripping with blood. His handsome face seemed to be stained with night frost, showing a cold white color, and his whole person was like a jade sculpture carved from ice. He held the sword, and the blood slowly pooled along the blade.
A little bit, and then dripped on the white imperial steps, spreading out dark blood spots.
He stepped forward slowly, approaching Emperor Mu Xuan step by step, and said in a cold voice, "The guards are planning to rebel, and I will come to protect you."
The prince's black court boots stepped on the ground, hitting Emperor Mu Xuan's heart as hard as a heavy drumstick. At this moment, no one knew how the emperor felt. Emperor Mu Xuan pursed his thin lips tightly. After being shocked and disappointed, Emperor Mu Xuan's eyes were still sharp. He hated
You can't pierce the prince's chest, take out this heart and take a look at the scale to see whether he has a conscience or not. The huge disappointment and anger finally converged into a shout, "You led the troops to force the palace to seize the throne! What are you doing?"
rebellion!"
Under the cold starlight, the prince's expression was also frozen, and he did not move at all, "Since I dare to come, I am not afraid of these words. Father, the night is more exposed, and the wind is cold in the depth of winter. Please rest in the palace for the time being."
, I will come again to pay my respects to my father after I have dealt with the rebellious party." His soft and caring tone, as in the past, fell in Emperor Mu Xuan's ears as if it contained great irony, this was his most beloved son, and this is what he expected.
Prince! Emperor Mu Xuan raised his palm fiercely, but was firmly blocked in the air by the prince. The prince's long and strong fingers grasped Emperor Mu Xuan's wrist, and with a gentle move, he pushed Emperor Mu Xuan back a few steps. A group of eyes
The imperial guards came forward and respectfully invited Emperor Mu Xuan to come in and rest.
Emperor Mu Xuan raised his hand and took the saber from the hand of a guard, and said coldly, "I am ordered by heaven, how can I be humiliated by a villain!" After saying that, the saber was horizontal, and the prince jumped up, and the long sword was faster.
Standing at the edge of the sword, the prince said, "All I want is the throne, and I will never kill my father or the king. If my father dies like this, aren't you worried about what I will do to my younger brother, younger sister, and the second and third child?"
"Beast!" Emperor Mu Xuan cursed softly through his teeth.
The prince reached out and took out the saber from Emperor Mu Xuan's hand, threw it back to the guards, and told them, "Just stay outside the palace and don't disturb my father's rest."
Emperor Mu Xuan was helped back to the palace by several servants. The prince suddenly called the servants, took off his big fur and put it on Emperor Mu Xuan's shoulders. Emperor Mu Xuan's eyes fell on the bloody corpse in front of Zhaode Hall, and his beloved son-in-law Qin Ting was silent
Directing the fight, the thick smell of blood spread in the cold night. His fur clothes blocked the night chill, but Emperor Mu Xuan felt an indescribable emptiness and sadness in his heart. His achievements in this life had ended up like this.
Is it going to end like this? At this time, Emperor Mu Xuan didn't even think about how the prince led the troops to rebel, and where Feng Ning, who lived in the palace, went. Emperor Mu Xuan suddenly said, "Since Emperor Taizu founded the country, you are the first
Kill the prince who reaches Zhaode Hall."
The prince's fingers were nimble and he tied a beautiful double knot on Emperor Mu Xuan's neck. He said, "I have reminded my father that General Sui is not useful, but my father has not listened to my advice."
"Father, you are beyond your capabilities, let me do it."