love palace

In the hot summer, the green leaves of Bodhi are swaying, casting a leisurely shadow on the green grass.Ke Weiqing was wearing a snow-white and flawless long cloth shirt, with a pair of soft white cloth shoes on his feet, his hair was tied with a white ribbon, and even the hairpin inserted horizontally on it was white jade.

"Shua, Shua, Shua!"

A silver light hovered and danced around him, like a white dragon appearing, with both rigidity and softness, floating briskly, exceptionally graceful!

For three years, regardless of the hot summer or cold winter, day or night, whenever he had time, Ke Weiqing would come to the ordinary small courtyard of the Jingxin Hall to practice sword like crazy.

A gust of wind blew, and some leaves scorched by the scorching sun curled up and fell from the trees. This was an extremely beautiful scene, but Ke Weiqing was thinking of Huang Ye's point.

"The key to using a sword is to observe changes. If the enemy moves slightly, I will move first. If you move, you will change. If you change, you will..."

When that blade was flying, I saw Ke Weiqing slashing straight at the head, the blade instantly shattered from the center, and the sword energy drew a straight and deep trace on the ground.

Vibrated by the sword energy, more fallen leaves danced in a spiral. Ke Weiqing spun the long sword and cut across the waist. No leaves escaped by chance.

It was almost noon, and the sun was glaring. Ke Weiqing held his breath and drew his sword.At this moment, I heard a "crack!", and out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a black shadow flying down the corridor eaves fifty paces away.

Ke Weiqing tilted his head slightly, pulled out the hosta, and flew out. With a bang, the hosta passed through the black object and was firmly nailed to the vermilion wooden post.

When Ke Weiqing walked over to take a look, he realized that something was wrong. Isn't this the tile on the temple?

It may be that the weather is so hot that the mud is cracked and the tiles will fall.This tile is black and shiny, comparable to jade, and it is carved with Buddhist scriptures, not to mention how exquisite it is.

"Master Dusheng won't mind..." Thinking of the serious old abbot in the temple, Ke Weiqing's heart beat a drum.Carefully pull out the tiles, look at the round hole and crack in the center, if you want to repair it, it is not impossible.

"What are you doing standing there?" The deep and moving voice made Ke Weiqing turn around suddenly and hide the tiles behind him.

"Your Highness!" Ke Weiqing called.

The person who came was Prince Huang Ye.Wearing a golden crown with dragon patterns on his head, a crimson gauze robe, a jade pendant with bright yellow tassels on his waist, and black soap boots on his feet, he is tall and straight. The so-called prince's dignity is like this.

Compared with Ke Weiqing's still young face, the 19-year-old Huang Ye is much more mature. His face is sharp and angular, his eyes are sharp, and his lips are gently pursed like a bow, making him even more handsome and cold.

As early as the year before last, Huang Ye held a crowning ceremony under the auspices of his father and eminent monks. In Dayan, a man must be at least 20 years old and his parents have died indefinitely before the crowning ceremony can be held.

Obviously, the emperor held the coronation ceremony in advance to let the prince establish more prestige.In today's court, Emperor Chunyu Wen has entered his sixtieth year, and his physical strength is not as good as before.

The Zhao faction headed by Zhao Guowei and the Li faction headed by Prime Minister Li Duo formed their own cliques for profit, and the political situation was at a time of turmoil.

As the saying goes, if the water is clear, there will be no fish.Emperor Wen knew that these veterans with outstanding military exploits began to have evil intentions, but he had to reuse them.Turn a blind eye to their corruption, perversion of the law, and encirclement of private houses, and turn a blind eye, as if they are not clear about their rights.

As long as the two factions check and balance each other now, it would be a good idea to put the throne in the middle.

But this was only an expedient measure, Emperor Wen knew it well, and Huang Ye knew it even more, so after being crowned, he took the initiative to ask for an order to lead troops to fight against the bandits outside the Northwest Great Wall.

These exiled gangsters who used Fuyun Mountain as their base, raped, looted, and murdered like hemp were all suppressed by Zhao Guowei's subordinates in the past, but now they are handed over to the prince who has no military achievements. Think he can win.

Zhao Guowei, on the other hand, put on a warm-hearted appearance, and specially "escorted" the prince's soldiers and horses to the northwest frontier. In fact, he wanted to see the prince's defeat, and then he would rescue him, and performed a passionate drama of master and servant.

Unexpectedly, Huang Ye only brought 20 people with him, and at night, he first raided the cliff village with nearly a thousand people.The fire illuminated the sky, and the arrows were shot without fail. To capture the bandits, the king was the first to kill the leader, and then the army pressed in. Although the bandits claimed to be desperadoes, they all ran away with their heads in their hands, and they were all arrested and brought to justice.

But Dayan had only a dozen wounded soldiers, and none of them died.It broke the law that in the past, when attacking bandit camps, there must be hundreds of casualties.

Zhao Guowei's face was naturally lost, but the emperor said with a smile, "This time chasing and suppressing the bandits is just a small fight. If we really want to be serious, we still have to rely on General Zhao's iron cavalry to save Dayan." Safety."

Zhao Guowei was not polite either, and even clasped his fists and said, "The emperor is right!" When all the officials saw him, they all praised Zhao Guowei for his military strength, and the prince's credit was taken away.

Of course, this is exactly what Huang Ye wants. He just needs to prove that he has military capabilities. He can't go head-to-head with Zhao Guowei at the moment. He needs to know that "once the power is in his hands, he will follow the orders." The military power in Zhao Guowei's hands is real. present threat.It is not difficult for him to conspire to usurp the throne.

Today's court discussion is also dominated by the two civil and military ministers. Although it is to discuss the emperor's 64th birthday banquet, the two sides are at loggerheads over how to celebrate, how many envoys to invite, and how to return the gift. open hand.It's really a dog bites a dog.Huang Ye deeply felt that controlling the officials was more difficult than anything else.

It was a matter that could be decided in an hour, but it turned out to be a whole morning, and after many mediations by the emperor, the two factions of Zhao and Li reluctantly negotiated a peace. Banquet, same this year.

Huang Ye felt depressed and came here without realizing it.Just as he thought, Ke Weiqing was still practicing sword, not afraid of the scorching heat, rain or shine.

"Excuse me, there is no one here, you can just call me Master." Huang Ye is used to Ke Weiqing calling him "Master". Sometimes it is a timid voice, but most of the time it is cheerful, and it is rarely in a proper manner.

"Yes, Master, is the court meeting over?" Ke Weiqing asked.These days, the prince often talks to him about the court affairs, so that he can understand the current power faction, the purpose of the struggle, etc.

However, the most talked about is the art of war.Looking at the mainland of Dayan, the north is bordered by the three kingdoms of Tianqi, Lu, and Jialan.In the south, the Three Kingdoms of Nanlie, Liang, and Feiyi face each other across the Cangjiang River.There is Xiyi Kingdom in the west, Donglin Kingdom in the east, and Sheng and Xia Kingdoms in the southeast, but they are close to the sea and far away from Dayan.

And in the northwest, southwest, southeast, and northeast of Dayan, there are four affiliated countries, namely Qinglu, Qitian, Lingquan, and Tengguo. Except for Qinglu, which has been included in the territory, the remaining three countries still make contributions every year. way, to seek the blessing of Dayan.

Emperor Wen had long wanted to annex the small countries and further strengthen the border towns, but due to the frequent invasion of the frontier fortresses by Tianqi and Lu, he had to stabilize the small countries first, so as not to be attacked by multiple enemies and get caught up in the fire.

Speaking of which, the overall situation in the world is unstable now. Everyone wants to annex neighboring countries, eat away at the map, and then achieve the goal of unifying the world. Therefore, the flames of war are endless, and it is time for Dayan to choose to form an alliance or send troops on his own initiative.

From Huang Ye, Ke Weiqing learned a lot of things that he couldn't learn in Guozixue.For example, a scholar said, "Human nature is good in the world, but we must start with harmony, and even important state affairs can be negotiated."

However, Huang Ye said that when the two sides are incompatible and can only fight to the death, "the strongest soldier wins", and only the sword and blood can solve the problem.

Ke Weiqing agreed with the prince's point of view even more in his heart. It can be seen from this that it seems inevitable that killing people in martial arts is inevitable, because he will go to the battlefield one day to contribute to the country.

But as long as it is beneficial to the crown prince, Ke Weiqing feels that even if he wants to make him feel ashamed, he will not hesitate!

"It's over. October is the emperor's birthday, you know that?" Huang Ye stared at Ke Weiqing, who was three years older, although his height had grown a lot, but his face was still pretty, like a girl.

"Yes."

"You can attend with me."

"Huh?" Ke Weiqing was a little surprised. Although he was the prince's personal bodyguard, he had been working in the imperial hospital and had never gone to the Baiwu Hall to learn art. Many people thought he didn't know martial arts, but only learned medicine.

Even Qingyun is the same, still arguing that when he has time, he must teach him how to practice.

"At that time, envoys from the seven countries will be present, as well as local officials who will enter the palace to congratulate you. You must pay attention to your safety, especially around the emperor."

"Yes, I obey!" Ke Weiqing cupped his fists, but forgot the tiles in his hands.

"What is this?" Huang Ye stared at the tile and hosta in his hand.

"Ah, this... I didn't do it on purpose! It suddenly fell from the eaves, and I happened to bump into it..." Ke Weiqing blushed and said in embarrassment.

"I will order a craftsman to repair it." Huang Ye took the tile from Ke Weiqing's hand and threw it on the ground indifferently.

"Yes……"

"Or, do you still mind what Master Dusheng said?" Huang Ye asked sharply.

"I didn't..." A year ago, the half-deaf monk who always chanted scriptures in the temple finally found Ke Weiqing and Huang Ye who were practicing swords in the courtyard. His expression was extremely surprised, and even a little scared!

The monk tremblingly pointed at Ke Weiqing's face and shouted: "Monster! Why did you come back after leaving here?! Do you still want to bring trouble to the court? Your Highness! This monster will not be eradicated! The Great Swallow will perish! ah!"

"What nonsense! When did Ke Weiqing enter the palace for the second time? Where did he bring trouble to the court? You are confused in chanting sutras!" Huang Ye immediately refuted, and Master Dusheng would go crazy from time to time. No one believed what he said .

Ke Weiqing went to see the master of transitional life in private, but the old man knelt on the futon with a numb face, completely ignored him, just knocked on the wooden fish, and couldn't ask any reason.

"Don't worry about such unwarranted charges." Huang Ye comforted him.

"Teacher understands." Ke Weiqing nodded, and wanted to put the jade hairpin on his back, but Huang Ye took it gently and put it on for him.

"It's a lot taller..." Huang Ye murmured.

"Master..." Ke Weiqing blushed, eyes sparkling.

"But still a child."

"How come?!" Ke Weiqing was a little dissatisfied.

"You need to grow up quickly." Huang Ye reached out and touched Ke Weiqing's head, and said softly, "Don't make me wait too long."

At this moment, a father-in-law dressed in red came, his name was Li Deyi, and he had already served as the eunuch in charge in the East Palace. Huang Ye trusted him a lot, so he told him the address of the secret meeting.

"My servant greets the crown prince and the young prince." Li Deyi bowed and said.

"What are you looking for?" Huang Ye understood that Li Deyi would not rush to the Jingxin Hall if there was nothing important to do.

"The empress dowager has a decree, please go to the Shou'an Palace and discuss the matter of congratulating the emperor on his birthday." Li Deyi reported truthfully.

"Understood, I'll go right away," said the empress dowager, who has been living in the palace since the eldest prince Yaozu's family was placed under house arrest outside the city.

Whenever Huang Ye celebrates the festive season, he will go to say hello in the morning, but the relationship between the two has always been lukewarm.It's no wonder that the empress dowager's favorite eldest prince was born to her niece Hua Guifei, and he was named Yaozu, with the intention of inheriting the throne and honoring the ancestors.

The wishful thinking has already been made, but in the middle of it, Cheng Yaojin, a concubine Ping who has been neglected by the emperor for many years, her son was actually made the prince, how can she accept this?

But the matter has come to this point, there is no other way than to cut off the connection with Yaozu in order to protect himself wisely.

"My minister respectfully sends His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Ke Weiqing sent Huang Ye and Eunuch Li away, but still stayed to practice swords.

An hour later, Ke Weiqing's stomach was rumbling with hunger, so he stopped and went to the release pool to wash his hands.The money stone turtle reflects the dazzling light under the sun.

He suddenly wanted to try a coin. If he increased his luck, he would be able to realize his wish of "grow taller quickly".

However, he tried several times two years ago, but he failed to make a hit, and he forgot about it after a long time.

Ke Weiqing took out a copper coin from his sleeve, took three steps back, muttered something, and then threw the copper coin with a whoosh!

A beautiful arc across the air, "Ding!" With a crisp sound, the copper coin fell steadily into the stone turtle's half-open mouth, without any deviation!

"Great, Your Highness. I hit it!" Ke Weiqing jumped up and down happily, and then scratched his head in embarrassment when he thought that the prince was not here.

"It is said that if you cast a money turtle, you will have good luck. However, the real luck is in your own hands."

Ke Weiqing suddenly remembered what the prince said. Although he listened to it back then, he didn't understand it. Now, seeing his calloused palm holding the sword all year round, he suddenly realized it.

The stone tortoise is still a stone tortoise, and it is not luck that gets better, but its own strength.So throwing coins and shooting turtles will become a piece of cake, with a hundred hits.Good luck abounds.

"My lord, thank you for your instruction, Prince." Ke Weiqing said softly, with a warm heart.

※※※

Huang Ye went to the Empress Dowager's bedroom. To his surprise, there were Empress Sun and Concubine Yun in the Empress Dowager's palace. They were sitting on both sides of the Empress Dowager, holding tea cups in their hands. Fan the wind to dispel the heat.

"His Royal Highness, how are you doing recently?" The charming and flowery Concubine Yun saluted courteously at night.After Huang Ye returned the salute, he greeted the Queen Mother and Queen.

The Empress Dowager is 78 years old, her hair is full of silver frost, and her face is wrinkled, but her eyes are like a star, she is calm and calm, she twists the jade Buddha beads from time to time, and sits on the sandalwood open-carved phoenix chair without any signs of fatigue.

The meaning of the Empress Dowager calling Huang Yelai was very clear. Empress Sun and Concubine Yun also came up with a lot of ideas to draw up the gift list for the emperor's birthday, but now the military and horse disaster relief expenditures are very large, and some places have to reduce expenditures.

"If Yaozu was here, he would definitely come up with a better idea." The queen mother pretended to mention it casually, flipping through the book full of gifts and singing and dancing programs.

Empress Sun naturally didn't dare to answer, so Concubine Yun flattered her horse and said, "Yes, Your Highness is the most proficient in rare things. A few years ago, he prepared the Hundred Girls' Long-sleeved Dance for the emperor, and my concubine still remembers it vividly. Woolen cloth."

"Hehe, he, he is not the one to be in power, he only knows how to make money." The Empress Dowager said with a smile, but there was something in her words, Huang Ye remained silent.

"Cross this out, what kind of shoes are embroidered with pearls, jade and emeralds? It's not Girl's Day." The queen mother pointed to the book, and an eunuch immediately stepped forward, took out a stick of charcoal, and blacked out that line of writing.

"It's just that no one makes up their minds, so everything is written on it." Concubine Yun pursed her lips and smiled.

"If that's the case, why don't you invite Brother Dahuang into the palace and discuss together?" Huang Ye's words were like a thunderclap, and the three of them looked at him together with different expressions.

"Is this true?!" The Empress Dowager blurted out.She just wanted to borrow the emperor's birthday celebration and recruit Yaozu into the palace. After all, he is the emperor's own flesh and blood, and it is only natural to celebrate his father's birthday.

But she couldn't blatantly send out the decree, so she could only invite the Queen and Concubine Yun to be lobbyists, but she still felt that it was not enough, so she called Huang Ye to see if he could let go and let Yaozu enter the palace to visit relatives.

"Even though Brother Dahuang has been demoted to a commoner now, why not go to the palace to celebrate his birthday and let father and queen mother feel the joy of reunion?" Huang Ye understood that if the queen mother speaks, it is not just as simple as "celebrating birthday", saying Maybe the eldest prince will stay for a few more days in order to plot a comeback.

The queen mother was a little hesitant, because her mind was exactly what Huang Ye thought.She wanted Yaozu to stay in the palace, as long as the crown prince hadn't ascended the throne, it was very possible that he would be transferred to Chu.

And she was ready, if necessary, she would tear her face apart, burst into a rage, and wanted Huang Ye to agree to Yaozu's entry into the palace to face the saint.

At this time, Huang Ye's generosity caught her by surprise.

"It's rare for His Highness the Crown Prince to have such filial piety, so you don't need to ignore the past. Empress Dowager, you old man should just accept him." Concubine Yun couldn't see the clue, she just smiled foolishly.

"Well, Concubine Yun is right." The Empress Dowager said this, feeling unhappy in her heart.Since the crown prince said he was only here to celebrate his birthday, then Yaozu must come and return on the same day, there is no possibility of staying.

"The grandson will report this matter to the emperor himself, so I won't bother the emperor's grandmother to worry about it." Huang Ye bowed.

"Then please trouble the crown prince." After taking a sip of tea, the queen mother withdrew the ceremony book and let the queen, concubine Yun and the prince kneel down together.

Huang Ye walked out of Shou'an Palace, thinking that the emperor's grandmother would not give up easily and let the elder brother ascend the throne.In the past three years, it is said that I stayed at home and did self-reflection, but in fact it was strategizing and waiting for the right time.

But she didn't know what kind of conduct the eldest prince had outside?Ever since he was demoted to a commoner and placed under house arrest, instead of introspecting, he intensified his efforts to have fun and spend money like water.If you don't have enough money, you will steal it and open a granary privately.

According to Qingyun's secret report, Yaozu not only opened a gambling house at home, but also went to prostitutes, spending all his money on prostitutes, drinking and drinking all day long, and rumors have already spread outside the city.

Such a Yaozu appeared in front of his father and wanted to celebrate his birthday. I am afraid that he would only make his father vomit blood.

Huang Ye originally didn't want to mention these scandals, since the Empress Dowager wanted the big emperor brother to "offer treasures" so much, he had to be respectful rather than obedient.

※※※

Two months later, the emperor's birthday banquet was finally held, with red lights hanging high at the gates of the palaces, and in front of the gates stood the Chinese character "Shou" cast in gold and copper, which was really dazzling in the morning light.

Envoys and civil and military officials from various countries entered the palace to worship in order according to their official rank.Those ceremonial cars covered with red cloth and embroidered with auspicious patterns with gold and silver threads were sent to the palace one after another, and they were continuously lined up to the east gate of the city.

"Wait a moment, this way."

Ke Weiqing was wearing a brown-red soft leather armor and a dagger on his waist. Together with other guards who were temporarily dispatched here, they maintained order at the East Gate.

In front of the vermilion rivet gate, there were not only thousands of imperial guards, but also guards lined the road for inspection. The grand occasion was nothing more than trying to show off Dayan's wealth and strength.

Ke Weiqing has received countless envoys and ministers since Mao, looked at their signs, checked the limousines, and then channeled the flow of people and let them in.

"Soldier in front, get out of the way and let the uncle go in!"

Just as the carriage in front left, a Ubud wagon aggressively cut in line and rushed in. The groom was very arrogant, and Ke Weiqing stared at him in surprise.

"What are you looking at? Do you know who's in the car? Get the hell out of here!"

Although the carriage was waving the whip and shouting rudely, Ke Weiqing opened the box and checked the gift list they carried with them as usual.To his surprise, Chunyu Yaozu's name was written on it. Isn't this the eldest prince who was demoted to a commoner?

The congratulatory gifts listed on the gift list were very lavish, including six pieces of sable fur, two sets of gold brocade tents, two boxes of gold, silver and jewelry, and twenty wild boar and elk, which were almost generous gifts from the state.

"Why, who is tired of work and won't let me go?!" Maybe Ke Weiqing watched for a long time, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a plump, oily face protruded.

Chunyu Yaozu wanted to yell and scold, but when he saw Ke Weiqing's face, he was stunned. There is such a young and handsome boy in the Imperial Forest Army, which really compares with the top students in the Liyuan.

Chunyu Yaozu was so elated, he forgot to get angry, and stared at Ke Weiqing's face lustfully.Ke Weiqing ignored him, and let the guards let him go after the inspection.

Even though he has been demoted to a commoner, he still calls himself a prince. Ke Weiqing hates Chunyu Yaozu, who is debauched, but he also knows that the Queen Mother loves him. After all, he is the heir of the royal family.

After working for another two hours, Ke Weiqing was so hungry that the guards on duty arrived. Ke Weiqing took two steps away when someone covered his mouth from behind and dragged him to the dark base of the city wall.

Ke Weiqing almost drew his sword, but he heard a gentle smile in his ear, "Don't move, little one, I'll take you out of the city to play."