Heaven is fearless

In the 16th year of Taihe in the Great Wei Dynasty, the sixteen tribes in southern Xinjiang congratulated the emperor and presented ten thousand catties of Nantan.

At the end of October of the same year, the Imperial Construction Department rebuilt the Taocheng Tower of the Daming Palace, opened the storehouse to get sandalwood, and saw that the heart of the wood was rotten.

Not more than a month later, Nanjiang sent envoys to Beijing, and had a quarrel with wild peddlers on Zhuque Avenue. During the dispute, the peddlers accidentally beat them to death.

In southern Xinjiang, there was a statement of disobedience. The emperor ordered Crown Prince Heng to lead the army, and Lin She, the general of the guard, led [-] troops to attack the south.

The [-] army crossed Luohe in the south at the end of spring, crossed the Nanshan Mountain, and conquered for several months. Finally, when autumn was approaching, they finally leveled the land of the sixteen tribes in southern Xinjiang, and planted the Xuanniao banner of the Great Wei in this vast land. In the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

The "Book of Wei" has only a few words on this matter. The southern border is the last uncompleted territory on the territory of the Great Wei. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a pity that the food is tasteless and discarded, but since it has been beaten, it is too unreasonable not to accept it.

The people of the Great Wei Jingshi talked about it with great interest. They talked about the peculiar queen system in southern Xinjiang, the magnificent scene when the [-] troops went out to fight, whether there were immortals behind the battle in southern Xinjiang, and the person in the deep palace. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who is astonishingly talented but not good at acting.

"So Southern Xinjiang is really a woman in power?"

"That's false?! My uncle's father-in-law's nephew was in the army. When he sent a letter back, he specifically mentioned this matter, saying that Nanjiang is a woman in charge, tsk tsk tsk, it's strange to say , Are all their men cowards, can such a thing be done?"

The noisy voices from the teahouses erupted again. Most of the people gathered in these teahouses on the wharf were porters who worked hard. They were very interested in the affairs of these men and women, and they all booed the speaker to say more.

The person who was surrounded by the stars was obviously drunk, and he picked up peanuts and ate them with great interest: "...Hey, let me say one more thing. I heard that the Queen of Southern Xinjiang is already in her twenties. Although she is a middle-aged lady, she still has a charming charm, she looks like a country or a city—"

His words were overwhelmed by a burst of laughter again, and someone shouted: "That's called Qingguoqingcheng! Du San, you want to pretend to be a literati after drinking a drink?! No one at the dock knows you! Don't bite your tongue! "

Du San's face turned red, he drank a sip of low-quality dirty wine, and yelled: "You have the ability, if you have the ability, don't listen!"

Seeing that he stopped talking, someone immediately came out to smooth things over, ordered a few plates of minced meat in sauce from Du San's table, and coaxed Du San to continue talking.

Du San ate a mouthful of minced meat, and raised a greasy hand: "That queen, she looks good! She also has a pair of sons and daughters. According to their rules, the daughter was supposed to be the next queen, but our crown prince Having said that, Southern Xinjiang has been the territory of the Great Wei ever since, so where did such a queen come from? So I asked His Majesty for an order, and appointed the little princess as Nan'an Princess, and she married into a local tribe."

"What's more, what's wrong with that queen?" someone else asked.

Du San chuckled: "Queen? The queen brought thousands of soldiers from southern Xinjiang and married them to the capital! Oh, what's that called, marriage!"

Immediately, someone shouted in disbelief: "Why didn't the little princess marry here? The queen was married before! Who wants to marry her!"

Du San said impatiently: "These twists and turns, the elders have to think about it, what do you know! The one who is going to marry is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

As soon as he said this, it immediately caused an uproar, and the whole teahouse was boiling.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Great Wei is twenty-six this year. His appearance is as handsome as a fairy in the sky. He is kind to people and loves things. situation.From the turmoil in Mobei in the past two years, to the great flood in the Weihe River last year, and the heavy snowfall in the north every year, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not come forward to solve the problem, none of the people in the whole Wei Dynasty dared to pat their chests and say that they have not suffered. Prince's kindness.

In the hearts of ordinary people, the prince is their patron saint, so although the one sitting on the throne is a little out of tune and often does things that waste people and money, the common people feel that the future monarch is such a good person. I can still live with it.

And His Royal Highness, such a good prince, has not yet married a wife. The reason is that everyone in the world deplores this prince who is good everywhere. He is a real medicine jar. Walking is difficult.

But no matter what, even if those official ladies don't want to be the crown princess, it's not the turn of this inexplicable Southern Xinjiang queen to spoil the good prince in the hearts of the people of Wei!

Du San was pushed out of the teahouse amidst the anger of the crowd. Standing on the street, he spat angrily: "Bah! Is it your turn to shout! The prince, three wives and four concubines want to sleep with whomever he wants, but marrying a wooden Dunzi came back to take a seat! There are really people who worry about family affairs for the emperor, hey, this matter!"

Chatting in the teahouse is just the most insignificant corner of Wei, and the course of history will not be changed because of the pity of the people.

In the winter of the 17th year of Great Wei Taihe, Southern Xinjiang was destroyed. The former Queen of Southern Xinjiang, Chu Tianfeng, was granted the title of Princess Nanhe, and was given the concubine of the crown prince.

Chu Zhang will always remember the winter when he was 14 years old.

He fell from the high prince in southern Xinjiang to a tiny duke in the Wei Dynasty. In his mother's eyes full of shame, he accepted the edict handed over by the eunuch with a high-pitched voice. In this edict, he made his wife , Also set the mother's future husband.

He is indifferent to the fact that he is about to marry a wife. After all, even in southern Xinjiang, as a man, he will be married to a noble woman appointed by his mother or sister in the future, which is no different from the current situation, but This is probably a great shame and shame that the mother can never let go of.

Chu Zhang helped his mother to stand up, and listened to the eunuch in front of him talking about going to meet the prince for a while.

Ah, prince.

Chu Zhang's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

He knew the prince of Wei.

The one who led the army to break through his capital, made the southern Xinjiang royal family prisoners, and married his proud younger sister to the man she despises the most, the future monarch of Wei Dynasty—the one who will marry his mother.

His... stepfather?

Chu Zhang paused for a while, and couldn't help feeling a little bit of envy in his heart.

If he was born in the royal family of Wei, could he also be like that prince, leading an army across the north and south, where thousands of people bow their heads and be admired by everyone?

When Wei Jun attacked Southern Border, the crown prince never showed up. Chu Zhang vaguely knew that the other party's health seemed to be not in good condition, but he didn't know exactly what happened.

The crown prince accepts the side concubine, and there is no need for such a grand ceremony. One is that the prince is not in good health and cannot stand the fatigue, and the other is that the identity of the woman is not very worthy of the stage. It is said that she is a side concubine, but it is just for people in southern Xinjiang to listen It sounds good, but the actual treatment given by Da Wei is not as good as the crown prince accepting a concubine.

A sedan chair, followed by the various "dowries" brought by Nanjiang - in fact, they are spoils of war for paying tribute to the court. Before the key was released at the palace gate, Chu Zhang followed His own mother entered the East Palace.

At that time, the sky was cloudy, as ignorant and gloomy as his road ahead.

***

Different from the simple and natural style of the Southern Border Palace, the Great Wei Palace is a representative of the most extravagant luxury in the world. Walking in the majestic palace, the ladies in skirts kneel down like clouds, revealing their snow-white necks and fluffy stacks like dark clouds. Their temple hair, with flowers made of silk inserted in their black hair, set off their beauty like fairies in the sky.

Chu Zhang looked at the ingenious mountains and ponds along the road, the luxurious and magnificent golden steps of the jade bridge, and countless unimaginable treasures as decorations dotted the palace. The vermilion gates opened and closed after their carriages passed by. The sky gradually darkened, and they finally crossed the gate belonging to the East Palace.

The terrain of the Eastern Palace is at the height of the Imperial Palace. To avoid suspicion, it was built far away from the harem, but it is close to the Outer Palace City. At the highest point of the Eastern Palace, you can overlook the entire capital.

A dozen or so beauties in palace attire wearing light pink skirts walked forward silently, holding lamps, and bent towards the carriage frame: "Welcome to Your Highness, Your Highness Side Concubine."

The leading palace maid came forward with a smile and Yanyan, and softly and politely said beside the frame: "My concubine, His Royal Highness will be going to bed in fifteen minutes. Are you going to have an audience now, or will you report for an audience tomorrow?"

Her words were gentle, but Chu Zhang could feel her unquestionable majesty—either to meet the prince within a quarter of an hour, or to wait until the prince wakes up tomorrow, in short, no one can disturb the prince's work and rest.

Is it because of his poor health?Chu Zhang thought vaguely.

He turned his eyes to his mother, the woman who wore the red side concubine Xiapei according to the Wei etiquette system clenched her fists, her face flashed with humiliation, but she still swallowed her anger and said: "My... concubine... Let's go to see His Highness now."

Chu Tianfeng got out of the chariot, and immediately someone from the palace opened an umbrella for her, and Chu Zhang followed immediately. He looked at the palace lady who was holding the umbrella for him with lowered brows and narrowed eyes, and followed his mother in silence. pace.

As Chu Tianfeng's son, he shouldn't have entered the palace with the chariot of his marriage, but opening the palace gate for him once seems like a big deal, and letting him live outside the palace alone is too harsh, the emperor He has never hesitated to show his benevolence in these small places, so a strange situation has formed in which the mother marries the son as a dowry.

They walked for a while, and came to a large hall. Braziers were burning everywhere in the hall, making the empty residence warm like spring, and elegant and precious fragrances were rising. Before he had time to clearly see those hanging on the wall, Calligraphy and paintings and exquisitely carved tea table high chairs, the palace servants who entered the inner room of the side hall reported that they had come out, bowed their knees and motioned for them to enter.

Chu Tianfeng entered the door following the maid's guidance, and Chu Zhang followed closely behind. The temperature in the inner room was higher than the outside, almost creating a summer. The mica gilt screen was painted with large and large splendid landscapes. The magnificent map of Jiangshan Sheji stretches from the northern part of the border to the southern border. The golden gauze curtains embroidered with clivia and pearl plums are gently rolled up by the palace people standing on both sides, and the blankets stretching like clouds under their feet finally stop at one place. In front of the bed.

The maid who led the way stepped forward and replied softly. Five or six maids were serving in front of the bed. Chu Zhang lowered his head, but he could feel all kinds of gazes on him.

The curtains hanging in front of the bed were thinner than snow, and the curtains made of silk brocade embroidered mercilessly hung on the ground, and behind the dense gauze curtains, there was a sigh-like whisper: "... Xuan."

The maids immediately stretched out their hands to pull the curtains, four or five layers of curtains were opened heavily, and someone went up to carefully lift up the young man on the bed, letting him lean on him.

Chu Zhang felt a penetrating gaze fixed on him.

"...Chu Tianfeng?" The voice of the crown prince who is under one person and above ten thousand in Wei Wei is very low, showing a pathological indifference. He speaks very lightly, as if he does not want to expend a little effort, but with his status , No matter how soft his words are, they can still be heard.

Chu Tianfeng knelt down upright according to the etiquette learned earlier, knelt twice and kowtowed six times to pay respects, Chu Zhang immediately followed his mother to kneel down, saluted in a proper manner, and heard the young man not far away say indifferently and hoarsely, " rise".

The palace servants came up to help them up, and Chu Zhang took this opportunity to quietly raise his eyes. When he saw the half-reclining young man clearly, the still young Chu Zhang was startled suddenly, as if his whole body had been electrified, and he couldn’t help but feel stunned. language.

The magnificent surroundings, pearls, jades and golden powders, peonies hanging out of the dew, and beautiful courtiers suddenly all moved away from him at this moment, and his world shrank to only a square inch in an instant, and in this square inch, there was a noble Like a fairy with a bright moon in the forest.

Chu Zhang grew up in the most beautiful mountains and forests in southern Xinjiang, but he had never seen such a person as beautiful as the bright moon in the sky. The eyes of that person were like cold springs in the mountains and forests, and butterflies with beautiful wings lived on them forever. Long black hair hung down on him, more gorgeous than the twilight, and had a vigorous and vigorous charm like bamboo. He frowned slightly, as if feeling tired and sleepy, but even if he frowned, it was still pretty. One wants to cry.

Chu Zhang didn't know how to describe him, he was even panicked and at a loss, just thinking blankly in his heart, so the immortals in the sky are like this.

But this person is closer to the world of mortals than a fairy, and his eyes are filled with arrogance soaked in power. Compared with the lotus in the sky, he is more like a magnificent peony growing from the extreme wealth of the world, and the sickly light red at the end of his eyes has also become Pulling the chain on his lower cloud, his face was lined with dignity and beauty, with a faint gloomy and hostile look at the corners of his eyes and brows.

At this time, Chu Zhang looked at these extravagant and excessive decorations again, and felt that they were not mediocre, and it seemed that it should be used to serve such people.

The sick and weak prince raised his eyebrows and stared at him. His eyes did not look weak because of his body, but they were more majestic and arrogant than the healthiest people.

"... Dingnan Gong."

No one thought that after the prince called out, the first thing he said was to Chu Zhang.

Chu Zhang's soul is still lingering at this time, not knowing what time it is today, and he has not realized that "Dingnan Gong" is calling him. He just thinks the voice of His Royal Highness is really nice. If you can say a few more words ——

"...my lord."

"... Grandpa!"

The little palace maid who stood by had to raise her voice a little bit before waking Chu Zhang up. Chu Zhang looked back at her for a while in panic, and suddenly realized that he was calling himself. He panicked. I can't think of anything for a while.

Chu Tianfeng had always looked down on his taciturn son, seeing his flustered appearance at this moment, he felt even more humiliated in his heart, his face turned green and pale, but in the end he smoothed things over: " My concubine is young and I don't know anything about it yet, when I first saw His Majesty's majesty, I felt a lot of fear in my heart, if I was rude, please forgive me."

In the slightly flickering candlelight in the room, the person on the bed suddenly laughed and coughed twice. The faces of the maids on the side changed drastically, and they were about to go up to help him, but the other party raised their hands and directed them away: "Fourteen, not too young."

Chu Zhang lowered his eyes, but his heart skipped a beat.

Why did he remember his age so clearly?

The identities of the two of them are very different. It is really a bit...

"...The princess of Prince Shen's Mansion is approaching the age of Ji, and the wedding date set by the emperor will be in October next year. During these few months, you can live with your mother in the East Palace." He said these words lightly. , it seems that he doesn't feel that there is anything wrong with his concubine bringing such a big stepson to live in his harem.

After he made such a decision, the servants around him lowered their eyes and remained silent, and none of them came out to persuade them. Chu Tianfeng only had time to take Chu Zhang to thank him, and was taken out of the bedroom by the big maid who brought them in.

Coming out of the warm and fragrant bedroom, Chu Zhang was still thinking about what the man said to him, the way he raised his eyes to look at him, the slight curvature of the corner of his mouth that seemed to be a smile that was not a smile, and the part of his cuff that was exposed when he raised his hand and waved back the man. Wrists as pale as jade...

Chu Zhang's brain suddenly burned dizzily.