The beauty is delicate and soft, and he madly criticizes the powerful officials for taking her as th

After Pei Xu rushed to Qingzhou, the prince finally allowed his sister to leave the palace.

Zhao Zhen took the young Zhao Qing out of the palace for a walk. On the way, he lifted the curtains of his car and saw refugees on the streets of Chang'an. He was shocked for a moment.

After returning to the East Palace, she said to the prince: "The Chang'an gentry hates the intrusion of refugees the most, and they can't stop it now. This shows how far Guanzhong has reached."

Zhao Zhen's lips moved: "First there were floods in the south, and now there is famine in Guanzhong. My father still wants to build the Liuxiang Canal."

The prince's expression was dull, with a look of decadence on his face, "Nine of the ten rooms in Guanzhong are empty, the people exchange their children for food, and there have been riots recently."

Zhao Zhen looked at him blankly, and vaguely heard the prince say: "Zhen'er, the world is in chaos, and I cannot change it alone."

The dignitaries of Chang'an are still dreaming. Their ancestral residences and villas are more like fortresses than residences. They are surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland with high walls. Some of them are well-trained, capable of being self-sufficient and resisting intrusion.

However, the whole world was in turmoil, and public anger was difficult to control. In the year of Zhao Zhen's death, a piece of news reached the capital.

Wang's side branch in Bieyuan in Bingzhou was attacked by hungry refugees.

Regarding the ending of the children in the garden, there are only three words, "cooking and eating".

The frightened and angry nobles asked the imperial court to send troops to quell the intensifying rebellion. At the same time, Beihu Chanyu once again led his troops southward, and the Liangzhou Pass was lost.

The Chanyu asked the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty to hand over Princess Chengyang by name. If he agreed, he would stop fighting for five years. If he didn't agree, he would continue the attack.

The emperor felt deeply humiliated and refused.

The Liangzhou Army lost the pass and struggled to hold on at the front. They sent letters back to Chang'an several times, saying that they could only last for two years at most and hoped that Your Majesty would make an early decision.

It was the end of the year, and the governors from various states returned to Beijing to report on their duties. Pei Xu stood outside the palace and heard a fierce argument inside. They were arguing about whether the princess should be given away for marriage.

Zhao Zhen escaped from the crown prince's supervision and ran all the way outside the palace. When he saw the young man's familiar pair of phoenix eyes, he was stunned for a moment.

The governorship of Qingzhou sounds good, but it is not a good job. Qingzhou is rich in resources and people, and there are many scholars. Even the self-reliant bandits on the mountain have military advisors to make suggestions and go against the government.

Pei Xu has spent more than a year either quelling the chaos or on the road to quelling the chaos.

Zhao Zhen's eyes were a little sour, and he felt that his figure was stronger than before, his skin color seemed to be a little darker, his youthfulness had faded, and he was more stable than before.

"If it were you, how long would it take to defeat Beihu?"

Pei Xu was silent for a long time. It would take at least five years to prepare food and grass and train the soldiers.

"Five years."

Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "It's pretty much what I thought. I believe you."

Dazzled by that smile, he was stunned for a moment, and suddenly had a bad premonition. The girl in front of him rushed into the hall with her skirt flying, knelt down and said loudly: "My son is willing to get married, so as to solve the urgent need of my father."

The prince's face was ashen and he scolded: "Who allowed you to come here? Go back quickly!"

Emperor Pian smiled and said: "My daughter still knows the general idea, since Zhen'er said so -"

The emperor's words were suddenly stuck in his throat, because someone strode in, knelt in front of the throne and kowtowed heavily in salute.

"I, Pei Xu, the governor of Qingzhou, kindly ask your majesty to tolerate it for two years so that I can lead the troops to put down the rebellion and take back the Liangzhou Pass."

"Two years?" There was a hint of disdain in the emperor's smile, "Pei Qing's young mind, if Liangzhou is completely lost, the cavalry will go straight to Sili."

"I guarantee it with my head on my neck."

The emperor remained silent and showed no intention of letting go. Zhao Zhen knelt beside him and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "In five years, I will wait for you to pick me up."

He turned a deaf ear. The white marble brick in front of the throne was engraved with exquisite patterns. His forehead touched it again and again. The dull sound was particularly obvious in the silent hall. The red blood seeped into the relief and slowly spread.

The courtiers were like mutes, not daring to speak and secretly looking at Captain Pei's face.

No need to ask any more questions, if there is no personal relationship, why come here.

The emperor finally agreed, because the blood stains on the ground were frightening, and the young man knocked harder every time. He could not watch the Taiwei's son die in the palace.

Before leaving the palace, on the side of the empty and deep palace road, Zhao Zhen looked at the wound on Pei Xu's forehead and suddenly hugged him and cried bitterly, all his tears smeared on his official uniform.

"I went to Beihu, and I can still act as a spy and pass on information to you. Maybe you can take me back in three or four years." She felt that two years was impossible. "You can't boast about Haikou now." What should I do, do I really want to come back with my head in my hand?"

"Are you careful?" His phoenix eyes that were always full of stars when facing Zhao Zhen were faintly red, "Zhao Zhen, do you have any brains? Beihu wants to humiliate you, they will use various methods to torture you."

"What if you die, have you ever thought about what I would do?" He was so angry that blood rushed to his head. "If you do such a thing, why don't you come to me in advance and tell me - um..."

He opened his eyes wide, and the girl in his arms suddenly raised her head to kiss his lips. The tip of her tongue penetrated the seam of his lips, exploring awkwardly.

Pei Xu became even more angry. Where did Zhao Zhen learn this?

He took off the person who was almost hanging on him, pursed his lips and said, "How do you do this?"

"Hui Yi taught me." The girl's almond-shaped eyes were watery and her face was flushed. "I know, that day in Chunshan Palace, it was not the hilt of the sword."

He quickly covered her mouth and heard her mumbled: "Before you go to Qingzhou, the prince brother will not let me find you."

Warm breath fell on his palm. Pei Xu let go of his hand and heard her say: "You must come back safely. I'll wait for you to marry me."

He lowered his eyes and saw the girl in front of him shaking his arm and talking as before.

"Huiyi said in her letter that she is very happy after getting married. I also want to get married to you soon." Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and full of affection. "Then you take me to Qingzhou. I also know the art of war. I can help you."

After the words fell, the young man in official uniform lowered his head to kiss her on the lips. It was completely different from Zhao Zhen's careful probing. He was more unrestrained. It wasn't until the red lips of the girl in his arms were swollen that he held her tightly and said nothing for a long time.

The next two years were considered by later generations to be an important milestone in the rise of the Pei family. Pei Xu divided the rebellious refugees in the south, defeated them one by one, and then recruited them under his command.

At the same time, the Pei family of Yanzhou recruited 80,000 people on the pretext that the imperial court was recruiting troops to fight against the Northern Hu. However, the false news released claimed that there were 100,000 people. These were actually Pei's family soldiers.

It was only a year and a half when Pei Xu led his army to move north, taking advantage of the flood season to lead the enemy troops to the river, using water flow obstructions and vehicle formations to control the infantry and iron cavalry.

From then on, the Yanzhou Pei family was fully qualified to compete with the imperial court.

*

After Pei Xu left Beijing, Zhao Zhen really had no leisure during the day, and only missed him in the dead of night.

The prince became increasingly unpopular with the emperor. He sighed with his sister in the East Palace: "Recently, several official positions have been vacant. The few talents I mentioned have been rejected by the emperor. He would rather hand over important responsibilities to eunuchs."

Zhao Zhen put down the official document in his hand, looked at his brother who was getting thinner due to overwork, and said with tears in his eyes: "Eunuch? Eunuchs can only sell their official positions and titles to make money for him and build large-scale construction projects. Aren't all the affairs of the court on your shoulders?" , I can only try my best to help you deal with part of it now."

The prince was not yet in his thirties, and already had gray hair on his temples. He patted his sister's head gently and said softly: "Zhen'er, I have advised you several times, but my father and the eunuchs have long since been unable to tolerate me. I am here every day." They’re all waiting for the knife to fall.”

"No." Zhao Zhen looked at his brother, leaned against his ear, and moved his lips, "Why don't you follow the example of Prince Wei? Since there is no way out, why not give it a try."

The prince did not respond to her proposal.

It snowed heavily in the middle of winter that year, and after the prince once again angered His Majesty with his remonstrance, the emperor's constant servants falsely accused the prince of treason. The former East Palace ministers were either released or demoted and their homes confiscated.

On the night before they were so bold as to rush into the East Palace to search, the prince suddenly visited Zhao Zhen's bedroom.

He coughed a few times and waved: "Zhen'er, come to my brother's arms."

Since she grew up, the prince has never behaved in such an intimate manner. Zhao Zhen did not hesitate. After sitting down, he saw a token in his brother's hand with complicated and fine lines.

The man with a sickly face bowed his head and said: "My cousin is in Yizhou and has helped me raise some dead soldiers. This token can be used to dispatch them."

He said something in a very weak voice. Zhao Zhen paused for two seconds after hearing the words, then took off his shirt, revealing the snow-white skin around his waist.

The prince dipped the needle in ink and pierced it bit by bit. The complicated lines the size of a palm were still soaked with blood and covered her waist.

Zhao Zhen said nothing, with a thick layer of sweat on his forehead. He stood up at dawn and saw his brother throwing the token into the brazier.

Before leaving, the prince touched his sister's face and said softly: "The fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty is over, and the fate of the princesses of the subjugated country is bleak. I think Pei Xu may be somewhat sincere to you. My brother agrees that you marry him."

"From now on, the only master of those dead soldiers is you."

The girl on the couch opened her eyes wide and tightly grasped the man's sleeves, trying to stop him from leaving, but she felt as if she had been drugged and had no strength at all.

"Zhen'er, don't eat too much sweet food in the future, or you'll get a toothache."

These were the last words her brother left for her.

The prince was dressed in court uniform. When he walked into the main hall, he saw his mother. After being stunned for a moment, sadness came to his heart. He listened to the eunuch beside the emperor reciting the imperial edict and scolding him for his treason.

The prince did not wait for the imperial edict to be finished reading, and said loudly: "Father, I have been advised by my sons and ministers several times. It is not for disobedience, but for the sake of the country and the country, and to fulfill the prince's duty. Now I can only die to prove my innocence."

After saying that, he bumped into the golden dragon pillar. The eunuch who announced the decree paused, and could not say the last sentence of the decree to depose the prince.

The emperors and empresses, who were far away, stepped forward at the same time, holding the body of their eldest son. When Queen Qiao's hand touched the court clothes, she vomited a mouthful of blood. The empty court clothes showed that the prince was already very weak.

The emperor also saw it. The eldest son's suicide aroused his last trace of fatherly love, saving the queen and the Qiao family in Yizhou.

The eunuchs in front of the emperor still did not give up and turned the East Palace upside down, but did not find anything suspicious.

Zhao Zhen sat quietly in front of the case, his eyes were dark, and he said quietly: "The eunuch who brought trouble to Chao Gang, do you still want to take off my clothes and search me now?"

She knew exactly who was causing trouble to Chao Gang.

Kill him, she will definitely kill him.