love palace

In May, the sky stretches as far as the eye can see, like a tight light blue silk satin, shrouded in splendor on the white marble dotted platform of the imperial palace.

Dianjiangtai is a perfect circle, wide enough to run a horse. There are three layers of stone-carved imperial roads leading directly to the top floor, and each floor is surrounded by jade-carved railings, with princes and officials standing beside them.

The five-color dragon-pattern flag was flying vigorously, and the soldiers holding golden spears and wearing battle armor lined up from the Meridian Gate to the audience of Dianjiang, how solemn and solemn it was.

Ke Weiqing was dressed in a gold helmet and silver armor, with a tall and straight figure. Under the guidance of the Luanyi guard, he stepped on the white marble imperial road step by step, passing through the princes, nobles, civil and military officials who were waiting for him, until he reached the top floor.

Huang Ye stood under a canopy with straight handles, wearing a sky-reaching crown and a mang dragon robe.His eyes are like cold stars, his demeanor is majestic, like a god alive, which makes people feel awe.

"The minister Ke Weiqing kowtowed to my emperor, long live, long live, long live!" Ke Weiqing knelt on one knee, with a handsome face and a heroic appearance...

"Give wine." Huang Ye said, and Li Deyi handed the gold bottle to Ke Weiqing.

"Thank you, long live." Ke Weiqing finished his drink and kowtowed again.

Afterwards, hundreds of monks chanted and sang scriptures together, wishing the expedition to Lingquan Kingdom a great success, and all civil and military officials knelt down one after another to pray to God for blessings.

Next, General Huang Ye handed over the military seal of the "Great General" to Ke Weiqing.Ke Weiqing knelt down respectfully to receive the seal, and said loudly that he would definitely live up to the grace of the Holy Spirit and win the battle.

Everything went smoothly. The bright red morning light shrouded Huang Ye and Ke Weiqing's bodies, as if they were surrounded by auspicious light, which moved all the viewers.

When the sun is rising and the sun is shining, this grand ceremony is coming to an end.

Everyone's face was filled with a joyful red light, and they were very much looking forward to the surprise that the general would bring them.

However, just when everyone was eagerly expecting General Ke to lift up his general seal and swear an oath to thank the soldiers, the emperor suddenly raised his hand and interrupted their cheering.

"I will go with General Ke this time—to go to Lingquan." The emperor's words were like a stormy sea, and everyone was stunned.

——The royal conquest? ! !

Never heard of this before.

Even Ke Weiqing looked at the emperor in amazement.

"The subordinate state of Yan in Lingquan, I should go and inspect it myself." Huang Ye said to the minister who stepped forward and wanted to advise, "I have made up my mind, so you don't need to say more."

"Your Majesty!" The ministers could only retreat sadly.

"Your Majesty, is this absolutely true?" Ke Weiqing had mixed feelings.It is very difficult and dangerous to fight against his rebellious behavior in this expedition to Lingquan, so the ceremony of "Desire to Expedite" will be held to boost morale.

If Huang Ye went out with the army, his fighting power would naturally increase, but Huang Ye's comfort also became Ke Weiqing's heart.

"Of course, how can fighting be a child's play?" Huang Ye said unwaveringly, "Don't worry, the general is still you, and I am just accompanying the army."

"Your Majesty..." Ke Weiqing knew that he couldn't change Huang Ye's mind, so he could only kneel down and say, "The last general ordered."

"Long live the emperor! Long live the Yan!" Unlike the officials with embarrassing expressions, the soldiers in the audience were excited and full of anticipation!

This battle, which has been prepared for more than 100 days, is finally about to start!

※※※

When Ke Weiqing led an army of [-] and headed to Lingquan Kingdom with Huang Ye, Shuo Lan also stepped up her contact with her mother, Princess Ke.

"Have you got the letter?"

In the garden of Jinyan Palace, Shuo Lan set up a banquet and pretended to enjoy the moon, but she was waiting for the return from her confidant palace lady Chunmei.

"Yes, empress." A nervous maid took out a brocade handkerchief that was hidden in her sleeve, with eight characters written on it, "It's done, please be careful."

Look at the embroidery on the brocade handkerchief again, which is a swallow flying in the air, and a child is pulling the full slingshot, aiming at the swallow, and can shoot it down at any time.

This lifelike embroiderer looks like it was made by her mother and concubine, Shuo Lan is relieved, her mother has already sent out slaves to infiltrate the military camp, and will assassinate Ke Weiqing whenever she has the chance.

And as long as he stays comfortably in the palace, he can hear the great news of his death on the battlefield.

"You've done a good job, go on." Shuo Lan put the wax paper on the candle, and it was completely missing, but she was reluctant to destroy the veil, and after admiring it carefully, she put it in her sleeve.

Shuo Lan then stood up, poured a glass of wine, held the silver cups in both hands, and bowed respectfully to the moon god.

I meditated in my heart, hoping that the assassin would succeed as soon as possible, the emperor would change his mind and pamper himself again, Prince Ke's mansion would also sweep away the gloom and prosper again!

※※※

The sky was getting dark, and the low-hanging twilight weighed heavily on the Dadan Mountain near Toudaogou.The winding city wall is like a boa constrictor hovering over it, without end or end.

The civil war in Lingquan, west of Xiaodan Mountain, is full of clouds and murderous.The bloody and extremely brutal massacre has spread to five fronts and more than 20 battlefields.

Huang Ye was dressed in pitch-black rhinoceros leather armor, with a long sword on his waist, standing on the highest beacon tower, looking towards the far west, where the palace of Lingquan was.

"Tomorrow afternoon, our army will be able to break in." Ke Weiqing reported from Huang Ye's side.He was wearing a scarlet thin velvet cloak, but it still couldn't cover the bloodstains on his nails.

"It's faster than expected." Huang Ye turned his head and looked at Ke Weiqing's handsome face under the bloody sunset.

War really wasn't for him, but the strategy he came up with was so brilliant.From intercepting and burning the opponent's food and grass, to splitting up multiple troops to break down the opponent's barriers together and expand the battle situation to every corner.

In the end, Lingquan fell into the predicament of looking after one thing and losing another, and exhausted his life. In order to save his life, the monarch even mobilized troops to guard the periphery of the palace, resulting in several military fortresses being left unattended and falling one after another.

With these fortresses as strongholds, the Dayan army has a lot of guarantees for attack and supply.Ke Weiqing also issued a strict military order not to kill civilians and not to plunder, so that every front can be advanced quickly, and the emperor personally supervised the army, making the whole army unstoppable and sweeping thousands of troops!

"Yes." Ke Weiqing cupped his fists and said, "This is all thanks to the protection of the emperor."

It has to be said that the enemy soldiers were already terrified when they heard that Emperor Dayan Chunyu Huangye had come to the battlefield in person. Those rumors about him with three heads and six arms and that he was the reincarnation of a god were also prevalent here.

If the king of Lingquan can also be afraid of these things, how good it would be to keep himself safe in front of Dayan's officials, and the people will not be displaced and affected by the flames of war.

"Are you thinking that this battle might not be necessary?" Huang Ye stared at Ke Weiqing and asked.

"No, we must fight." Ke Weiqing's black eyes revealed a bright light, and said, "The king of Lingquan is making progress, and he is restless in the room. He has always tried to collude with the officials of Dayan and carry out a conspiracy of internal and external cooperation. The general thought that even this time If you let him go, there will be a second or third rebellion.”

"So, my decision was correct."

"Exactly."

"But Wei Qing, I always feel that you are not suitable for getting blood..." Huang Ye stretched out his hand and gently stroked Ke Weiqing's cheek.

Ke Weiqing was startled, and the corners of his mouth, which had been tightened all the time, raised slightly, and then he knelt down.

"Your Majesty, for you, I can give up everything." It doesn't matter even if your hands are covered with blood, as long as it is for Huang Ye.Ke Weiqing understood that from the moment he killed the eldest prince, he was no longer a perfect person.

He also doesn't want to pretend to be kind, he only has Huang Ye in his heart, that's all.

"Wei Qing..." Huang Ye's black eyes widened, it was the first time he heard Ke Weiqing say that.

Ke Weiqing suddenly realized that he didn't hide his heart, and quickly added, "Zhang Huzi and the others are also in the same mood, so Dayan will definitely rule the world."

"Hehe." Huang Ye smiled, and helped Ke Weiqing up with his own hands.

Fu Xuanguan ran and panted, boarded the beacon tower, plopped down and knelt down, "Show the emperor, General Zhang has military information to report."

"speak."

"Luocheng has already been captured, and we can go straight to the gate of the palace. General Zhang implores the emperor to issue an order to attack the city ahead of time."

"Great." Ke Weiqing said excitedly, "I would like to ask the emperor to issue an order, and I will go with General Zhang at the end..."

"Don't be in a hurry." Huang Ye took a deep breath and said solemnly, "The soldiers also need to rest. You and I will go to Luocheng first, meet Zhang Huzi and others, and reorganize our armaments. I will, within three days, Take the throne of Lingquan."

"Decree from the last general!" Ke Weiqing clasped his fists, so that Huang Ye could get off the beacon tower together.

※※※

Camel City is the largest town in Lingquan Kingdom, next to the palace.Ke Weiqing had heard before that this place was full of flowers and splendor, like a miniature version of the capital city of Great Swallow.

Today, when he and Huang Ye rode into this legendary "rich city", they were all surprised by its weakness and dilapidation.

Not to mention the dilapidated city walls, even the official roads in the city are only as wide as the spokes of a wheel, and there are swaying weeds on both sides of the road.Because of the invasion of Dayan's army, this feeling of storm and depression was further deepened.

Although there are many mansions with black tiles and white walls along the way, most of them are thatched cottages, crowded like a beehive, looking very messy and dirty, even the river water is dirty yellow-green and emits a stench.

According to Zhang Huzi's report, the King of Lingquan has been recruiting soldiers in order to launch a war against Dayan. Those ordinary people who believed that once they become soldiers, they can support their families let the farmland destroyed by the silver flood flood into the city one after another, but What was waiting for them was that there was not even a place to stay.

All kinds of plagues and diseases broke out again and again, but those in power turned a blind eye to it, and officials searched wantonly. The more armored weapons, the more food and grass hoarded, the poorer the people, and countless starved to death.

This is one of the reasons why Zhang Huzi was able to easily break into Camel City.The soldiers had long since lost the mood to resist. It is not an exaggeration to describe this siege battle as "the army was defeated like a mountain."

However, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and most of the army is assembled in the palace, so the next siege cannot be taken lightly.

Huang Ye and Ke Weiqing came to a post house very close to the palace. Although Zhang Huzi had ordered someone to clean it in advance, it was not difficult to see the desertedness and desolation here.

"Your Majesty, please enter the inner hall to rest." Zhang Huzi stood under the porch and kowtowed to Huang Ye.

"Thanks for your hard work." Huang Ye said, looking at the grassy courtyard, a twisted branch of an old pine stretched obliquely towards the window on the second floor.

"General Ke." Zhang Huzi was very happy to see Ke Weiqing, clasped his fists and said, "Your room is on the second floor."

"Thank you." Ke Weiqing smiled slightly, "I made you worry."

"Where, the ability to attack here so quickly is due to your good command, general." Fighting side by side several times, Zhang Huzi has a deeper understanding of Ke Weiqing's prowess, and he admires him more and more.

"It's not my credit," Ke Weiqing said with a smile, "You were the one who attacked Camel City."

"No, no, this is General Ke, you..."

"Have you two complimented each other enough? Don't follow me in." Looking at the two capable generals, looking at each other with blushing faces, Huang Ye said with a straight face.

"Yes."

"Of order." Ke Weiqing said.

Although Huang Ye said so, he was very satisfied with Ke Weiqing's ability to establish a powerful monarchy.He is still so young, but, I believe that within three years, he will become Dayan's most capable general.

After the three of them entered the inner hall, they summoned the other six lieutenants to discuss how to attack the palace and deal with the aftermath.Liu Fuqiang was appointed to guard the city until the scattered good people were resettled. This is what Ke Weiqing wanted to see most.

After the meeting was adjourned, it was past lunch time, and the generals withdrew to go about their business.The posthouse, which had been bustling for half a day, became deserted again. Ke Weiqing went to the dining room to prepare some food and wine for Huang Ye, and then served them himself.

It has been nearly five months since I entered Lingquan Kingdom, and this is the first time I have enjoyed delicious food in a spacious hall.When marching and fighting, Ke Weiqing always used local materials to make food, even the emperor was no exception.

But taking advantage of the spare time now, Ke Weiqing wanted to make up for Huang Ye.

"Your Majesty, please have lunch." Ke Weiqing walked into the room with the food case in hand.Huang Ye was standing by the window, looking at the yard.

"Did you cook it?" Huang Ye walked over and looked at Ke Weiqing's white cloth apron around his waist.

"Well, but they already prepared the ingredients, I just stir-fried them." Ke Weiqing was worried that Huang Ye was hungry, so he didn't have time to take off his apron.

"Not bad." Huang Ye took a look. There were crucian carp in vinegar, shredded bamboo shoots in cold salad, stir-fried peanuts and Dongpo pork, a bottle of pear flower wine, and a small bucket of white rice.

The aroma of the dishes filled the room, Huang Ye sat down at the table and greeted, "Sit down and eat too."

"No, Your Majesty, I'm going back to make arrangements for the patrol." Ke Weiqing said, setting up the bowls, chopsticks and wine glasses, ready to leave.

"Wait until we finish eating." Huang Ye stopped him, "You are not allowed to resist the order."

"...Yes." Ke Weiqing had no choice but to put down the food table in his hand, and found a seat far away from Huang Ye. After all, it was disrespectful to sit on an equal footing with the emperor.

Huang Ye didn't care, and gave Ke Weiqing wine frequently. Knowing that he didn't drink well, he also brought him a lot of dishes. The white porcelain bowl was quickly filled with delicious fish and shredded pork.

I don't know if he was a little drunk or embarrassed, Ke Weiqing kept blushing and lowered his head.When Huang Ye asked him to eat, he ate, and when he asked him to drink, he drank it all in one gulp.

And Huang Ye also ate a lot of food, Ke Weiqing's cooking skills are really good, and he feels more and more omnipotent.

It's just that Huang Ye enjoys watching Ke Weiqing eat more than eating. The two haven't gotten along like this for a long time.

"Wei Qing, are you full?" Huang Ye put down his glass and asked gently.

"Yes, I'm almost full." Ke Weiqing put down the bowls and chopsticks that didn't have a grain of rice left, and said seriously.

"Very good." Huang Ye stood up and walked towards the back room.There was a mahogany bed with a light blue gauze hanging over it. After sitting down, Huang Ye patted his side, "Come here."

Ke Weiqing's eyes widened, his expression a little stiff.

"Are you so afraid that I will eat you?"

"No." Ke Weiqing shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you should be full."

"Hehe." If you dare to say that, it seems that you are really drunk.Huang Ye smiled slightly, "Since you are not afraid of me, come and sit."

Ke Weiqing walked over, stood by the bed, and said very honestly, "Your Majesty, you should rest for a while, I will guard you here."

"Sleeping is so boring, I still want to have some fun." After Huang Ye finished speaking, he grabbed Ke Weiqing's wrist and pulled him closer to the bed.Ke Weiqing struggled hard, and the two became entangled, and the gauze curtain slid down from the copper hook, covering the mahogany bed.

"Your Majesty!" Ke Weiqing blushed and was out of breath, his hands were pressed on both sides of his face, and his wet eyes couldn't help but stare at Huang Ye above.

"I'm here." Huang Ye smiled dizzyingly, Ke Weiqing's embarrassment was reflected in his dark eyes.

"You're drunk..." Ke Weiqing whispered, trying to reverse the situation being crushed, but his wrist didn't move at all, unable to resist Huang Ye's power at all.

"If I say yes, will you let me do it?" Huang Ye lowered his head and almost touched Ke Weiqing's ruddy lips, smelling the faint aroma of wine.

"No." Ke Weiqing didn't know where he got the courage to directly reject the emperor.

"Why are you so ruthless?" Huang Ye moved his legs and clamped Ke Weiqing's waist, "It's been several months, and I haven't been intimate anymore."

Since the last time they were in the storage room, the two of them didn't do it again. In other words, Ke Weiqing was too busy. He was either training the army, or raising food and grass, and planning the marching route, because the emperor also had to accompany him, and the heavy burden of guards It also fell on his shoulders.

Ke Weiqing held several positions by himself, spinning like a spinning top. Except when discussing matters, Huang Ye could see his figure, but he couldn't be seen at all at ordinary times.

But Huang Ye did not agree, since the power has been withdrawn, there is no need to give it away.Moreover, Huang Ye didn't say when he would choose a queen, which meant that the Phoenix Seal, the head of the Six Palaces, would remain in his hands for the time being.

Ke Weiqing couldn't argue with Huang Ye, so he could only retreat sadly.

"Then, it's okay not to do it, right?" Ke Weiqing felt that the smell of alcohol had been rising, allowing him to speak his mind without fear.

"What do you mean?" Huang Ye asked.

"Since you haven't done it for such a long time, your Majesty, you have to do it, right?" Ke Weiqing thought he had caught the point and became serious.

"Ke Weiqing." Huang Ye said dissatisfiedly, "Do you want to use this kind of reason to prevaricate me?"

"That's because..." Ke Weiqing thought for a while, then whispered, "It really hurts."

"——!" Huang Ye's eyes were straightened, looking at Ke Weiqing who was shy, and said that it was painful.

"Your Majesty?" Ke Weiqing saw Huang Ye let go of his hand suddenly, thinking that he had figured it out.

"Don't move." Huang Ye said in a low voice.Although he let go of Ke Weiqing's wrists, he held his hot cheeks again and bit his lips.

"Your Majesty! You're biting again...!" Ke Weiqing frowned, and when he protested loudly, Huang Ye's tongue slipped in, and flicked back and forth between the teeth as if he was tasting the aftertaste of wine.

And Huang Ye's other hand reached under the apron, along the neatly woven bronze armor, and touched the silk belt.

"Hmm... don't take off my armor." Although Ke Weiqing was dizzy from the kiss, she was still thinking about the patrol.

"Don't move." Huang Ye repeated, his voice was surprisingly calm.

"Huh?" Maybe it was because his tone was too calm, which confused Ke Weiqing. He squinted his eyes and looked at Huang Ye.

"Hush." ​​Huang Ye's hand gradually grasped the dagger at the back of Ke Weiqing's waist, and the moment he pulled it out, he shot it out with lightning speed!

There was a hole in the gauze, and a black shadow fell in from the window.

"There are assassins!" Ke Weiqing sat up and lifted the veil.

The assassin was wearing a Dayan military uniform, but covered his face with a black cloth.He was badly wounded with a dagger in his right rib cage, but still alive.

"Who sent you here?!" Huang Ye asked sharply after getting up.

"...!" The assassin's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot, but his gloomy gaze was not directed at Huang Ye, but at Ke Weiqing.

"You step back first." Fearing that he would cheat, Huang Ye blocked Ke Weiqing who wanted to catch the assassin.

"emperor?"

The moment Ke Weiqing saw the assassin, Zuihuhu's head woke up completely, and he was very annoyed that he hadn't noticed that someone was ambushing outside the window!

At the same time, it also shows that this person is very light-hearted, and he is definitely not an ordinary desperado.

"Over there—there are assassins! Escort!"

Just when Huang Ye stepped forward and wanted to interrogate the assassin who was huddled on the ground carefully, the shouts of the guards sounded outside the courtyard, and it seemed that this was not the only one who came.

"Could it be sent by Lingquan Kingdom?" Ke Weiqing couldn't help thinking.

Zhang Huzi rushed in with his guards and surrounded the assassin.

"I want to live."

"Yes!" Zhang Huzi and Ke Weiqing captured a total of three assassins, and they ambush on the courtyard wall, the dry well, and the lush pine trees.

I don't know how long they have been sneaking in, because after several inspections, nothing unusual was found.

What was unexpected was that when the three assassins met, without saying a word, they directly chewed the poison hidden under their tongues in advance. They seemed to die together after confirming that no one had betrayed their master.

Ke Weiqing firmly strangled one of them by the neck and urged him to vomit, but failed to stop the flow of poison, and the three of them died instantly.

"It wasn't sent by Lingquan Kingdom." Huang Ye frowned and said, "They didn't say a word from the beginning to the end."

"Is it to hide the accent?" Ke Weiqing quickly realized.Lingquan and Dayan's writing is similar, but their accents are very different. If they are Lingquan's assassins, they will inevitably show their feet.And, how could they be afraid of revealing their identities?The two countries are already at the point where they are at war with each other.

However, if it wasn't from Lingquan, then where would it be?The only ones who knew where the emperor was staying were Dayan's military officers.

It is also impossible for other countries, such as Xiyi Kingdom, to send people to assassinate while Emperor Yan was fighting in Lingquan Kingdom.The circle is also too big.

Countless mysteries were entrenched in Ke Weiqing's mind, and he lost his mind for a while.

"Your Majesty, it's because your subordinates are doing bad things, so please forgive me!" Zhang Huzi knelt on the ground with a livid face, and kept kowtowing.He was the one who found this place for the emperor, and it was impossible to escape the relationship.

"It's none of your business." Ke Weiqing's face became even more ugly, and he plopped down on his knees to apologize, "It's the last general who was too careless to let the emperor be in danger without knowing it!"

"Don't say anything about this." Huang Ye was not in a hurry to punish him, and murmured, "Because this assassin... probably came from Dayan."