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

After the war in Jingzhou was over and on the way back to Chang'an, Zhao Zhen received many letters from the emperor, each of which was filled with excuses. Later, she was too lazy to read them and just had them burned.

After the eldest princess and Prime Minister Pei returned to Beijing one after another, they were as calm as before, as if the incident of killing the emperor's envoys in the army did not exist at all.

In the princess's mansion, Zhao Zhen sat silently in the courtyard, pointed to the pear tree in the corner, and said to Pei Xu: "We used to play with her there before."

She couldn't stand the idiot on the throne for a moment, so she closed her eyes and said, "It will take another year. You can come back and stay during this time."

Pei Xu's phoenix eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he nodded quickly as if he was afraid that she would regret it.

She took a sip of tea and said after a long silence: "Why are you standing so far away? Sit closer."

Zhao Zhen heard that he was almost blinded by an arrow during the battle. Seeing that he was not moving, he walked up to him and raised his head. He looked closely and saw that there was indeed a scar at the end of his eye.

The woman's fingertips lightly touched the scar, and she choked for a long time. It was obvious that they had been apart for a long time, but the couple was relatively speechless.

Zhao Zhen thought about it for a long time, but didn't know what to talk to him about. Those troubles she had just mentioned were all military secrets.

"Mingze, the scenery in Yizhou is very beautiful. When we have time in the future." Her lips were a little dry. "When we have time in the future, we will go together and take Qing'er with us."

Pei Xufeng's eyes drooped slightly, knowing that there would be no timetable in the future, but still a little bit of expectation arose, and said with a smile: "Okay, but Zhao Qing will have Yushu with him from now on, it's just the two of us."

With a few words, the long-pressed emotions in her heart suddenly collapsed, and she cried bitterly while hugging the man in front of her.

"But Pei Lang, how long do you have to wait?" Zhao Zhen looked at him with moist eyes and said, "I always feel that I will never be able to wait in this life."

Her lips were covered, and she said vaguely: "In recent years, there have been internal and external troubles, and natural disasters have occurred frequently. My eldest brother is right, Dazhou's destiny is over."

Tears fell on the back of the man's hand. Pei Xu's throat tightened and he whispered: "No, Zhen'er still has me."

As if hearing some joke, Zhao Zhen looked at him steadily: "Mingze, I have never doubted your sincerity. It's just that our every move cannot be based on sincerity."

"Besides, it's because of the Pei family," her voice distorted for a moment, "that I feel more and more that the Great Zhou Dynasty is going to die."

Every one of the children of the Pei family, not only heroes, can at least help Pei Xu defend a city.

Looking at the men in the Zhao family, few of them could stand up. Instead, they liked to point and point, making her feel like a lonely tree was unable to support itself.

Pei Xu was extremely serious and looked into her eyes, "I can help you."

"How can you help me borrow money and food? It is better to do business with the Pei family than with the forces southeast of Jingyi. The distance is short and the price is low."

"No need to borrow it, I'll give it to you."

Zhao Zhen laughed, touched his cheek and said, "Don't make fun of me. What do you want to give me? Your own prestige?"

Her voice was faint, "Your soldiers, horses and subordinates are also short of money and food. They follow you to gain a future, not to please Prime Minister Pei with military and political affairs to please his wife."

Nine out of ten houses were empty, and no one was plowing the fields. Floods, locusts, and droughts came one after another in several years. The harvest was not good, and there was a shortage of food everywhere. Pei Xu's Liangzhou army only had light cavalry and had to raise horses.

"Besides, I still want to expand eastward. If I can kill Fu Xing someday, I will go north." She paused, "Pei Lang, I am very interested in your Qingzhou."

Pei Xu was silent for a long time, choked by her words, and suddenly chuckled: "That's it for you."

Zhao Zhen didn't answer his words. After all, it was just a matter of words. If he really gave Qingzhou to her, every one of the officials she sent to take office would probably die.

Just like her cronies in Jing Yi, they all looked forward to the sudden death of the consort and Pei's men.

*

Since Pei Xu returned to the Princess Mansion, facing Zhao Zhen who became increasingly talkless, he learned to find something to say when he had nothing to say.

At night, Zhao Zhen pushed away the man who wanted to get close to him and whispered: "You can't have sex."

Pei Xu pursed his lips tightly and felt panicked when he suddenly heard her calm voice.

"It will cause a miscarriage."

He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly hugged her and said, "Zhen'er has figured it out?"

Pei Xu had previously suspected that her infertility was due to miscarriage, but after thinking about it later, he thought that she might have used contraception, so she left him alone every time on the bed.

Zhao Zhen pursed his lips and said, "I've been staying in the capital this year. I'm afraid I might arouse His Majesty's suspicion. Raising a baby is a good reason."

As soon as she finished speaking, the man holding her froze up, his eye circles turned red, and water streaked across her eyes.

His voice was dry: "Zhen'er wants to have children, isn't it because she likes me?"

After Pei Xu finished speaking, seeing that the person in front of him had no intention of comforting him, he stood up, put on his coat, bowed his head and said, "Zhao Zhen, you have always had the final say between you and me. It's just because I like you. "

"My daughter died in Bingzhou. You didn't tell me. Now you do this without consulting me. What do you think of me?" His throat tightened. "You want to use my child as a cover-up. You think of Yanzhou?" What does Mr. Pei do?"

Zhao Zhen looked at the furious man, moved his lips, and heard him say in frustration: "Since you don't have me in your heart, why should I hold on to my youthful feelings? Let's go back to the bridge and go back to the bridge. As for the You can do whatever you want with this child."

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, "Okay."

Seeing that she responded simply and even lowered her head without looking at him, Pei Xu was so angry that his hands were shaking. He stared at her for a while and then walked away.

The Prime Minister's carriage returned to the Pei Mansion late at night. The man who got off looked so gloomy that the servants were so frightened that they did not dare to step forward.

In the evening of the next day, Pei Xu sat in the study, absentmindedly discussing matters with several ministers.

"My lord, will you return to the princess's mansion tonight? Regarding the battle in Guangling, I have something to report."

The man behind the desk looked cold and said, "Say, there is no need to ask about this kind of thing in the future. The war is important, and besides, I will never return to the princess's mansion again."

The few people in the study were all confidants, and they didn't quite believe this.

Chen Ling laughed dryly. It was probably because the Lord was angry with His Highness again, and he would send him back in a few days worthless.

An hour later, the shadow guard sent in a letter. Pei Xu opened it and glanced at it, and said calmly: "We will discuss it tomorrow. I will go back to the princess's mansion first."

He added: "His Royal Highness personally wrote a letter inviting me to come back. His words were sincere and I could not refuse."

The shadow guard's eyelids twitched as he hadn't left yet. Wasn't the letter just now a military report from Guangling?

In the hazy night, Pei Xu was stopped just as he was about to step into the princess mansion.

"His Royal Highness has given instructions not to allow the Prime Minister to enter." The person who spoke was the shadow guard beside Zhao Zhen. "His Royal Highness said that since Prime Minister Pei wants to sever ties of friendship, there is no need to meet each other in the future. If you have anything to do, I will tell you later."

"When did I say that I would sever ties with her?"

Pei Xu looked pale and barged into Zhao Zhen's yard. When he raised his eyes, he saw a young man with red lips and white teeth standing by the couch, smiling at the woman on the couch: "Is Your Highness satisfied?"

With ringing in his ears, Pei Xu walked up to her and asked in a cold voice, "Who is he?"

Zhao Zhen asked the slender young man to step aside first. Thinking of Pei Xu's words yesterday, he lowered his eyes and said, "Aren't you going to go back to the road with me? Prime Minister Pei must have no shortage of women around him. He came here late at night to do it." What, are you looking for me to cherish your youthful friendship?"

Pei Xu was silent for a moment, took out the sword from his waist, and forced the hilt into Zhao Zhen's hand.

The man kneeling beside the couch held her hand tightly and stabbed himself without hesitation. All the actions were done at one go, in just a few seconds.

Zhao Zhen was so shocked that she threw away his hand. The tip of the sword penetrated an inch of her flesh. Her pupils trembled slightly as she stared at the blood on the ground.

"Zhen'er, what I said yesterday were all angry words. Don't leave me." He was bleeding profusely and refused to let Zhao Zhen call the doctor. "Promise me not to find another man."

The man's phoenix eyes were as dark as ink, "As long as I live, you can only have me. You can either drive that person away tonight, or watch me die."

Zhao Zhen secretly summoned the head of the Que family in Yizhou to Beijing. He shouldn't have told Pei Xu, but seeing his appearance, he said helplessly: "That is the daughter-in-law of the Que family in Yizhou. Her single name is Min. This time she will accompany her father." When I enter Beijing, I will stay in the mansion for a few days."

Hearing the word "female young master", Pei Xu calmed down. Seeing the calm expression on the woman beside him, he explained in a low voice: "I just misunderstood, and I was anxious for a moment."

He held her hand carefully, "Can I come back in the future?"

Zhao Zhen took a deep breath, nodded and said: "Okay, don't follow those tricks in the future where you cry, make trouble, and hang yourself. Who is going to apologize for stabbing himself?"

When Ximian came to apply medicine for him, he sneered: "I have been suffering from bad luck for eight lifetimes. The old wounds have not healed completely and new ones have been added. From now on, in this house, one will nurse the fetus and the other will nurse the wound. It's just right."

*

Not even half a month after Zhao Zhen gave birth to her child, thousands of dead soldiers suddenly appeared in Weiyang Palace and forced a coup.

Following the wishes of the eldest princess, Pei Xu forced the emperor to draft a decree to pass the throne to Zhao Zhen's third brother Zhao Yan.

General Mingwei, who was under the command of the eldest princess, kept staring at Prime Minister Pei in the palace, holding his sword in his hand and recalling His Highness's instructions.

"If the Prime Minister changes his mind and takes steps to become independent, he can be killed on the spot."

It was the middle of winter, and Pei Xu glanced at General Mingwei's sword with a subtle expression.

Being so ready to attack must have been inspired by Zhen'er. Before he left, he patted the general on the shoulder and joked: "This sword is not sharp enough. The general will try the original sword someday and then he will know what sharpening means." Iron as clay.”

People in Chang'an City were in panic, and all the officials and their families were so frightened by the sudden change that they stayed behind closed doors. There were only a few hurried pedestrians on the streets, and a carriage slowly drove from the palace city to the princess's palace. The man sitting in it had a sinking face.

Pei Xu stepped into the courtyard and saw Zhao Zhen leaning on the couch. When he saw him, he folded the memorial in his hand.

The baby lying next to her moved his eyes and was neither crying nor fussing. Pei Xu occasionally wondered if the child was not very smart.

Zhao Zhen knew the situation in the palace early and said softly: "It's faster than we expected."

"It's okay." Pei Xu's tone was a little stiff and he lowered his eyes and said, "I always feel that Zhao Yan is not good. His wife is exactly the same as your second brother."

Zhao Zhen disagreed, "You have never met my third sister-in-law."

Having expected what she would say, Pei Xu didn't say anything anymore. The entire inner room was extremely silent. For the first time, he hoped that the child would be more noisy and give him something to do.

Finally, it was Zhao Zhen who broke the silence and said casually: "Has your mother not seen you yet?"

"She is still chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall and praying for her eldest brother."

Pei Xu's eyes twitched when he mentioned this. Although his mother spoke for him back then, she cut off relations with him in private. Especially in recent years, she refused to see him even once.

When his eldest son was born, he delivered the news to the Buddhist hall, but his mother only sent a message: "I feel sorry for Ke'er because he is a posthumous son and has never met his father. He is not as lucky as your son."

Zhao Zhen was silent. What was the conflict between praying for blessings and meeting his grandson? Pei Xu was still willing to pretend to be gentle in front of her all these years, but he became more and more rough in the war, using all means to remove all obstacles, and his true nature was fully exposed.

Coupled with Mrs. Pei's attitude, she could naturally guess what the truth was back then.

She had no idea that with Pei Xu, her bottom line had dropped to an unprecedented level, as long as he didn't usurp the throne.

As for the gentle words and soft words he wanted, Zhao Zhen really couldn't give him. He couldn't help but treat him better, and he always despised his own hypocrisy in his heart.

She occasionally suspected that she and Pei Xu might be the same person, otherwise how could she like him so much.

After Zhao Zhen was out of confinement, he hurriedly rushed to Jingzhou. In just one year, Fu Xing's territory expanded by more than half, and the forces in Jiangzuo that had been beaten to death were greatly reduced and were almost swallowed up by him.

Yu Xin read the military newspaper and said solemnly: "Your Highness, the Fu family has a large amount of money to form a navy. It is because of the support of the Jiangzuo nobles. Fu Xing overcompromised with them and allowed these nobles to enclose their land openly."

The young man in white hesitated for a moment and whispered: "If there is no accident, it will not be a problem for him to seize control of Jiangdong within five years."

Zhao Zhen frowned, but she still wanted to send troops to Beihu to bring Zhao Qing back.

In the second year of the new emperor Jianzuo, floods in the east of the Yangtze River hindered Fu's expansion, and the plague followed.

Since the great chaos in the world, a plague has appeared in the south every five years, but this time the scale of the plague is so large that history books record that "Every family in Jiangdong closed their doors, their families were overthrown, and mourning was everywhere. It was the same month, and most of the people died in Luoyang."

In the end, even the Liangzhou army was plagued by disease, and the journey north was far away. The last bit of food in the warehouse was used up for the disaster relief, and several of Pei's and the eldest princess's capable generals also died.

When news came from Chang'an that Pei Xiang was ill, Zhao Zhen was busy for three days without sleeping and was about to take a nap.

She froze in place and didn't move for a long time. She tightly clasped the messenger's wrist, "What did you say?"