love palace

Princess Ke entered the Ronghua Gate, walked through the front yard full of winter snow and pine trees, and then walked around a carved marble screen to enter Jinyan Palace.

Her precious daughter Shuo Lan, dressed in luxurious clothes, was sitting on the front porch of the dormitory, trimming her nails under the service of more than ten maids.

Not only polish the tips of the nails to make the fingers more slender, but also use the red dye carefully prepared from the impatiens to smear on the nails, and then tie them with a piece of silk. Will fade.

"One pipe is wonderful and clear, and the slender red jade fingers are long." Shuo Lan recited the poem in a very good mood, imagining how beautiful she would be when she played the melody with her jade fingers like a bamboo pipe, the emperor would definitely be fascinated.

"Oh, my precious daughter, you are so leisurely!" As soon as Princess Ke arrived on the front porch, she sat down on the embroidered pier angrily.

"What's the matter, who made you angry?" Seeing that her mother didn't salute herself, Shuo Lan felt a little displeased, but she still smiled authentically.

"Isn't it..." Princess Ke wanted to say something, she paused again, and then said, "I just went to see the treasure land of geomantic omen bestowed on you by the emperor."

"How is it? The place is big?" Seeing her mother's indignation, Shuo Lan couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Could it be that the new location won't be in the eyes of the concubine?

"Big, in addition to independent gardens and lakes, sixteen rooms can be built." Dayan's palace has always been known as a "vast palace". There are [-] rooms, not counting the city walls, moats, turrets, and countless pavilions, large and small.

From such a vast land, it is not difficult to allocate a small piece of land to build another palace, but the land given by the emperor has always been in the north, which is obviously far away from the harem, so there is suspicion of moving Concubine Lan out .

"Haha, what did I think you were angry about?" Shuo Lan covered her mouth and laughed, "The emperor will be afraid of the long distance when he comes and goes in sedan chairs? When the palace is built, I will live in the largest concubine hall." ! There is a way to not look at the monk's face, but at the Buddha's face. The emperor loves me so much, I don't believe anyone else can climb on top of me!"

Even if she can't become a queen for a while, she still wants to be an uncrowned king, and watch over those lowly maidservants so that they can no longer flatter the emperor.

Just a while ago, a pretty maid beside her dared to wink at the emperor while serving tea.Today's maids really don't know what is good and what is bad, and they don't even look at who they are!

The night before yesterday, Shuo Lan asked Nanny Li to push the maid into the well in the backyard and drowned. She said to the public that the well was slippery and the maid accidentally fell down.

"Oh, that's not what I'm worried about for my mother. You see, before you move far away, someone sneaks in!" After talking for a long time, Princess Ke winked at Shuo Lan. The front porch is not In the room, there are some things that cannot be said publicly.

"Everyone back down." Shuo Lan stood up pretending to be dispirited, and was supported by her mother back into the room.

In fact, her body is very good, she has practiced martial arts since she was a child, and she is pampered, and a premature birth can't deplete her vitality.However, she just wanted to make the emperor worry, so she "fainted" or "couldn't eat" from time to time, making it impossible for the emperor not to visit.After getting along day and night, even a stone man should be emotional.

Shuo Lan knew that Huang Ye had a grudge against her dead grandfather, Zhao Guowei, even if it was a thing of the past, so she couldn't show her martial arts ability, usually the weaker her body the better.

No man can resist a woman who is as tender as water and who is all over the country. Shuo Lan is very confident in her appearance and acting skills.She knew that Yongfu was only the first child between her and the emperor, and there would be a second and third child in the future...

The palace maids all retreated outside in a regular manner, Princess Ke held her daughter's hand affectionately, and the two sat down side by side in the soft and thick chaise longue.Princess Ke took a breath, and said straight to the point, "The emperor is going to see Ke Weiqing again!"

"What?! How could it happen!" Just hearing the words Ke Weiqing, Shuo Lan's heart was on fire, full of jealousy, unbearable!

"When I passed by Xinuang Pavilion, I saw the guards were guarding the door, so I knew it." Princess Ke lowered her voice, and said, "I heard that the emperor was there last night..."

"Impossible!" Shuo Lan stood up abruptly, and said angrily, "He is half dead, how can he still sleep?!"

Not long ago, Shuolan approached Beidou privately and asked him about Ke Weiqing's physical condition. Beidou frowned at that time and said that Ke Weiqing was not well, and only had half his life left.

"Mother, will you still be able to deceive you, you! I'm afraid you were deceived by that imperial doctor!"

"Damn Beidou!" Shuo Lan tightened the brocade handkerchief in her hand and said angrily, "See if I don't peel off his skin!"

"That's all, he's just a doctor. How to deal with that bastard is the serious business!" Princess Ke sighed and said, "It's all my fault. When your father and king picked him up, you should have thrown him out to feed the wild dogs. !"

"What's the use of what you say now?" Shuo Lan gave her mother a very dissatisfied look, and even resented her mother. If she could give birth to a boy, her father would not have picked up this bastard.

"Yes, yes. Daughter, we can no longer soften our hearts on this matter. You have to make up your mind as soon as possible." Princess Ke has always been cruel, but at this time she put on an appearance of a gentle woman and listened to her daughter.

"I have to think about it..." Since Ke Weiqing "was given abortion pills by Concubine Li", the guards in Xinuang Pavilion have become more stringent. Ke Weiqing's food and drink are carefully inspected by the eunuchs in the imperial dining room, and some people try them , poisoning is impossible.

Therefore, although Shuo Lan was thinking, there was actually no feasible solution.What's more, she always felt that the emperor's heart was already biased towards her. At this time, if there were some outrageous actions, she would lift a rock and smash her own foot.

"I'm telling you, Mrs. Li, Eunuch Li is here." A palace maid stood outside the threshold and bowed.

"Please." Shuo Lan suddenly smiled, and glanced at her mother, Eunuch Li is here, can the emperor not come here?You, don't worry about it!

"My slave greets the two ladies." Li Deyi always smiled softly and saluted respectfully.

"Come here, let's have some tea." Shuo Lan greeted.

"Thank you, ma'am, but it's not suitable for slaves to stay for a long time, and they have to go back to Xinuang Pavilion to serve them." Li Deyi said, still smiling.

"Oh? So the emperor is going to visit my younger brother." Shuo Lan smiled softly without changing her expression.

"Yeah, Prince Ke's health has improved a lot, so the emperor asked him to talk to him." In front of his master, he could say anything, and Li Deyi would not go against his flesh and blood, lest he would be punished.

"Is it as simple as talking?"

"Of course. However, the emperor will go to the imperial study to discuss matters later, so I won't come to your Jinyan Palace today." Li Deyi said apologetically.

"So, what about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow... I'm afraid it won't work either." Li Deyi thought, there are so many memorials recently, even if the world is peaceful, the emperor still has more things to do.

Besides, the emperor came to Jinyan Palace mainly to visit, and now that Concubine Lan's health is getting better, the emperor doesn't have to report every day.

"What about the day after tomorrow?" Shuo Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone already somewhat displeased.

"Well, this slave depends on what the emperor wants..." Li De felt that the situation was not good, so he reasoned that it was getting late and he had to serve the emperor, and wanted to bow out.

"Eunuch Li." Shuo Lan stopped him and handed him a bank note with a smile, "You have worked hard."

"Thank you, master, for your concern." Li Deyi had no choice but to accept it, bowed again, knelt down, and left.

"Daughter, do you think this is...?" Although Princess Ke remained silent, she felt a lot of dissatisfaction in her heart.

"Hmph. I won't let him be so proud!" Shuo Lan said through gritted teeth. At this moment, there was a commotion outside. Nanny Li hurried in and knelt down with a plop, appearing anxious and panicked.

"What's the matter? Didn't you go to see Fu'er?" Princess Ke asked in surprise. Her precious grandson got jaundice two days after birth. Not to mention how ugly it is.

Such a child cannot be shown to the emperor. Concubine Ke asked the nuns of the Yuyingtang to take care of it, but the matter was still known to the emperor, and the emperor canceled it early in the morning on the grounds that Yongfu was not in good health and needed to rest. Shuo Lan was terribly annoyed by the prepared Moon Ritual Ceremony!But as compensation, Huang Ye agreed to Shuo Lan's request to build another palace.

"Second Highness, he, he has a high fever!" Nanny Li is very experienced in raising children, and she knows that if a newborn baby develops a high fever, it will be dangerous.

Congenitally underdeveloped, he was born to him in only seven months. The mother is fine, and all the troubles have been borne by the child.

"How did this happen? A few days ago, didn't you say that the jaundice was about to subside?" Although Shuo Lan is a mother, she didn't feel sorry or painful when the child was taken away, and she didn't even care much about it. .

The only thing she was thinking about was that, with God's blessing, she gave birth to a prince, not a princess.

She didn't care about the baby's little problem at all, as long as it was a son who could help her ascend to the throne of queen, it would be fine.

Therefore, when she heard Mammy Li say "high fever" so frighteningly, she realized the seriousness of the problem for the first time.

"Will Fu, Fu'er be alright?" Shuo Lan was so dizzy when she said this, that she could hardly stand on her feet.

"Why do you have a fever?" Princess Ke asked Nanny Li anxiously as she supported her daughter.

"The doctor said it was umbilical cord wind..."

"What?" Princess Ke's eyes widened, "This child is already one month old, how could he still have umbilical cord wind?!"

Umbilical cord wind is mostly caused by broken wind infection when the umbilical cord is cut off during delivery, and it usually occurs within seven days. How could it happen at this time?

"The imperial doctor said that he didn't know why this happened. In short, he had to take good care of him. If he couldn't make it through tonight, then..." Nanny Li didn't dare to continue, and lowered her head.

"Ke Weiqing! It must have been done by Ke Weiqing!" Thinking of the emperor often talking about Qing'er's cuteness and beauty, Shuo Lan's hatred and resentment burst out.

"Daughter, don't worry..." Princess Ke hurriedly comforted her, signaling her to keep her voice down, for fear that the walls have ears.

"I won't let him off lightly! First he was shameless and robbed me of my husband! Now he's coming to curse my son!" Shuo Lan shook her head, her face turned blue, "It's been a month, how could he get umbilical cord wind , if it wasn’t for him, how could this happen?!”

"That's right." Li Mama said, "The palace people are all wondering, Second Highness must have suffered from an evil wind to fall ill."

"I'm going to the Yogyakarta," Shuo Lan said.At this time, she had to stay with her son no matter what.

"Slave, I'll make arrangements now." Nanny Li said hastily, and retreated.

"Mother Concubine." There was no one around, so Shuo Lan didn't need to hide anything anymore, and said viciously, "I thought of an idea to deal with that bastard."

"What idea?"

"I want him to kill his own child!" Shuo Lan said coldly, with hatred shining in her eyes.After Ke Weiqing was removed, no one in the harem would dare to oppose her again!

Thinking of her prosperous future, Shuo Lan smiled coldly.

※※※

The remaining snow melted, and green shoots appeared on the branches.Although this year's spring came late, it was full of prosperity. In the palace garden and under the corners, there were patches of tender green everywhere.

Ke Weiqing stood under the eaves of the Xinuang Pavilion, taking advantage of the good time in the morning, trying to practice swords and regain his skills, but what Li Deyi sent was a heavy and blunt wooden sword!

He held the wooden sword in his hand, thinking that he hadn't touched such a child's thing for a long time, a slight smile appeared on his face.

Huang Ye obviously didn't want him to use real weapons, so he asked Li Deyi to send the wooden sword over. Could it be that Huang Ye was still worried that he would rebel?

Ke Weiqing couldn't help sighing, looking at the sharp sword in his hand.How could he betray Huang Ye again?No, it should be said that his heart has never left Huang Ye, and he has always been loyal.

It's just his loyalty, how can he express it clearly in words?One time of infidelity is not used a hundred times. The gap between him and Huang Ye cannot be made up by giving birth to Qing'er. Huang Ye no longer trusts him, and they will never go back to the past...

Thinking of this, Ke Weiqing felt very sad, no matter how close the body is, if the heart is far away, what is the use?

"My lord, is this sword too blunt to be useful? The servant will find another one." Li De asked Ke Weiqing as he held the wooden sword in a daze.

In fact, this wooden sword is more difficult to find than a real sword, because only the little princes can use this thing, and now the princes are still young, Li Deyi rummaged through the utility room, and it took him a long time to find such a sword. of.

"No, I can use it." Ke Weiqing whispered, holding his breath, and swung the wooden sword.

Sleeves fluttering, wind blowing, sword dancing, Ke Weiqing's steps are light and nimble, like a swallow in early spring, practicing sword in the courtyard.

Qingjun's face is so solemn, the spring breeze, willow branches, and leaves are all around him.Suddenly—swipe!A sharp sword flew out, and several green leaves floated down.The blade flipped lightly, and in an instant, the large and small emerald greens were cut into two!

Li Deyi's eyes popped out.Is it really a thick and blunt wooden sword in Ke Weiqing's hand?He couldn't help wiping his eyes with his sleeve, that's right, that flying up and down, shining white thing is a wooden sword!

"The so-called good calligrapher chooses his brush..." Li Deyi had infinite admiration, and couldn't help but think of this old saying.

But in fact, Ke Weiqing felt that his reaction was already slow, and his strength was not as good as before.

"Master Ke, Eunuch Li." When Ke Weiqing was practicing his sword, a young eunuch in green came in and saluted politely, "Master of the Ministry of Rites, please."

"Ministry of Rites?" Ke Weiqing put away his sword and looked back at Li Deyi.I saw Li Deyi slapped his head, and hurriedly said, "By the way, Lord Tong of the Ministry of Rites! You have forgotten such an important matter like a slave! Lord Ke, the emperor said a few days ago that he would hold a meat ceremony for His Royal Highness , so the Ministry of Rites wants to invite Mr. Ke to come over."

"What is the ritual of opening meat?" Ke Weiqing was an orphan, and he couldn't even get enough to eat when he was a child. It is impossible for him to understand these official rituals.

"That's what happened." Li Deyi explained enthusiastically, "The eldest prince is already three months old. According to the rules of the royal family, he should be fed with something other than milk. Such as minced meat, honey, etc. This is called Kai Hun, yes It’s very particular, so we need to hold a ceremony to please you.”

"I understand." Ke Weiqing nodded thoughtfully, "Do I have to do this too? It's just like the Moon Ritual Ceremony."

"Yes, that's why Ribu-sama invited you over."

"Then let's go there." Thinking that he might see Qing'er, Ke Weiqing responded readily, and handed the wooden sword to the palace maid beside him.But as soon as he raised his wrist, the tiger's mouth went numb, and the wooden sword fell to the ground with a snap.

"Your servant is not sure, you should die!" The maid was terrified, and quickly knelt down and kowtowed.

"No, it's none of your business." Ke Weiqing looked at his right hand in surprise, what's going on?After practicing for a while, your hands are numb?

"Don't hurry up." Li Deyi reprimanded the palace maid like a reproach.

"Yes!" The maid hurriedly picked up the wooden sword and withdrew.

"It's really none of her business." Ke Weiqing said, slightly clenched his limp hands.

"Yes, the servant knows. It's not too late, please Master Ke to move now." Li Deyi said respectfully, he wanted to punish the maid, but seeing what Ke Weiqing said, let's forget about it.

※※※

In the quiet imperial study room, Huang Ye sat behind the dragon table, flipping through the self-recommendation letter presented by Fei Ying, while he himself knelt down with a serious expression on his face.

This matter is really not easy.Due to continuous natural disasters, the Liang State in the south asked its neighbor Dayan to send troops to support it.

The northern part of Liang State is bordered by the Cang River of Dayan. There are mountains, grasslands, and seas in the territory. There has never been any dispute with Dayan. Since it made a request on its own initiative, Dayan naturally had to respond.

Huang Ye planned to send 3000 elite soldiers, 30 chariots, and an additional [-] taels of military pay for this dispatch. Firstly, it was to stabilize southern Xinjiang. intelligence.

Who is the general leading the army?Huang Ye didn't have a final decision on the court, no, after only two days, Fei Ying couldn't help but came here to recommend himself.

This impassioned letter with thousands of words was full of scenes, such as how loyal he is to Dayan and the emperor, how he will not be afraid of difficulties, how he will wipe out the bandits, and so on.It seems that just being the leader of the Iron Eagle Knights is not enough to satisfy the arrogant Fei Ying. He wants to make real contributions on the battlefield.

"Fei Ying, do you know what a famous general is?" Huang Ye smiled, put down the self-recommendation letter in his hand, and looked at the stiff and serious man in the hall.

"The general will know!" Fei Ying clasped his fists and said loudly, "Loyal to the king, not afraid of death, good at tactics, not afraid of the powerful..."

While Fei Ying was talking nonstop, Huang Ye thought of Ke Weiqing, because Ke Weiqing had asked such a question a long time ago.

"Your Majesty, what exactly is a famous general?"

"Oh? Wei Qing wants to be a famous general?"

"Um."

"Famous generals are naturally invincible and invincible, and their reputation has spread far and wide, and..."

"And...?" Ke Weiqing blinked those black eyes, looking straight into Huang Ye's heart.

"And the heart is as hard as a stone, ruthless." On the battlefield full of corpses and rivers of blood, no matter how hot a heart is, it will be completely frozen.

Huang Ye has learned the principle of survival of the strong since he was sensible.

On the battlefield, there are no emperors and no generals.We are all human, and we fight for our lives!So "benevolence does not lead soldiers" is the truth.Speaking of which, Huang Ye was very worried that Ke Weiqing would not be able to adapt to the cruelty of the battlefield, but he did not expect him to survive.

Moreover, he was not contaminated with any bloody vices.Generals or soldiers, the more wars they have experienced, the colder they become. In their eyes, life has become something that can be waved away. They will massacre the people of the enemy country and plunder all the money.

In some cases, burning, killing and looting is also a means for generals to reward soldiers.

However, Ke Weiqing would never do such a thing no matter what.It is also strictly forbidden for soldiers to harass the people. Some people say that he is too benevolent, and there is no benefit in fighting a war, but Huang Ye doesn't think so.

Because his benevolence is towards the common people, if he is facing the enemy, he will kill more ruthlessly than anyone else. He has completely memorized the teaching of "heart like a stone, ruthless".

It is also rare that he can maintain himself in the bloody storm while making all kinds of brilliant achievements...

If Ke Weiqing hadn't rebelled... Huang Ye's sharp black eyes narrowed slightly.At a time like now, he didn't need to think about it at all, and he directly sent Ke Weiqing to send troops to Liang Guo.

"Your Majesty." Fei Ying raised his voice, he had finished speaking, but the Emperor did not express anything, which made him uneasy.

"What?" Huang Ye was slightly displeased when the good memories were interrupted, but he still raised his eyes and asked.

"Weichen..."

"Report to Your Majesty, Liu Ren, Minister of the Ministry of War, has arrived." At this time, the eunuch outside the door spoke loudly.

"Xuan." Huang Ye nodded.

Liu Ren came in quickly, holding a white sandalwood sword box in both hands, which contained the famous sword Tiger Roar.

"I kowtow to the emperor, long live, long live, long live!"

"Excuse me, bring the sword up." Huang Ye said.

"Yes."

Liu Ren was once sentenced to a court stick by Huang Ye for delaying the military situation. After that, he became more disciplined and reported everything in time, so he was not removed from his position as acting Minister of the Ministry of War.

Liu Ren carefully opened the sword case, untied the purple satin cover, and the ivory scabbard was exposed. The sharp tiger claws and mountains and rivers are extremely shocking no matter when you look at them.

Huang Ye drew out his sword and murmured, "This Tiger Roaring Sword...was given to Ke Weiqing by me. Now, it has been returned to its original owner."

"Your Majesty..." Liu Ren and Fei Ying both bowed, looking a little panicked.

"According to my decree, to seal up the Tiger Roaring Sword, no one can mention Ke Weiqing's appointment as the Hussar General in the future. No one is allowed to call him a general again!"

"Yes! I understand."

Although Ke Weiqing has been demoted to a commoner for a long time, the soldiers he personally trained still respect him very much and secretly call him "General Ke".

"However, since Ke Weiqing has been staying in the palace, I will let him do it temporarily..." What should I do?The time of confinement has passed, so he can't be allowed to stay in Xinuange all the time.

Huang Ye looked around and saw the common scholar standing in front of the small book case, working hard to draft the imperial decree, so he smiled and said, "Let him be a civil servant."

Ke Weiqing used to be a commoner, and now he is returning to his old career, so it shouldn't be difficult.

"But your majesty..." Liu Ren was a little dissatisfied. The generals followed the emperor all day long. Not only could they participate in the drafting of imperial edicts, but they could also listen to them. This power was too great.

But Huang Ye ignored them, and after making a decision, he asked them to quit.

Knowing that he had gone against the emperor's will again, Liu Ren was not Ke Weiqing, he would be forgiven if he rebelled, so he kowtowed to Fei Ying and withdrew.

After the two ministers left, the Ministry of Rites sent someone to send a post, which was an alternate date for the opening of the meat ceremony.After Huang Ye browsed it once, it was set on the first day of March, which was a very auspicious day.Speaking of which, some ministers have hinted that he dotes on the eldest prince too much and ignores the second prince Yongfu.

Yongfu is always sick, and he just came back from hell a while ago.Therefore, it's not that Huang Ye is partial, but that he really isn't suitable to appear in crowded and noisy places.

Can't hold a grand ceremony, and can't visit too much, Shuo Lan is very generous about this, but Huang Ye just can't like her.

After closing the post, Huang Ye closed his eyes and rested for a while.Thinking of discussing matters with foreign envoys in the evening, he got up and ordered the eunuchs to drive to Xinuang Pavilion.

※※※

When Huang Ye came to Xinuang Pavilion, Ke Weiqing just came back from the Ministry of Rites, and the two met in the front yard.

"The servant bows to the emperor!" Ke Weiqing saluted like other palace people, with his face lowered.

"Heh." Huang Ye also enjoyed Ke Weiqing's submissive appearance, "Get up."

"Yes." Ke Weiqing got up, but still lowered his head, and asked, "Why is the emperor looking for a servant?"

"Nothing, just take a look." Huang Ye said.There is a fresh green spring scene in the yard, which makes people feel refreshed.

"How good is the wooden sword?" Huang Ye asked.It had been a long time since he saw Ke Weiqing practice sword, and he suddenly felt a little pity.

"Hmm..." Ke Weiqing nodded slightly, but didn't say anything about the sword he dropped.

"That's good. Wei Qing, I suddenly want to know, what were you thinking in your heart when you were fighting on the battlefield?" Huang Ye approached Ke Weiqing, staring at his handsome face.

"My slave's heart...?" Ke Weiqing was very confused, and raised his head unconsciously.

"I want to unify the world, so I will never retreat on the battlefield. What about you? What is supporting you?" Huang Ye wanted to know the answer.

"Eat the king's salary, share the king's worries, what I think in my heart is naturally you, the emperor." Ke Weiqing replied with lowered eyebrows, without expressing his true heart.Even if Huang Ye is not the king, he is willing to die for him.

"It seems that you are similar to Fei Ying and the others..." It was obviously a good answer, but Huang Ye was extremely disappointed.Turning his back, he walked towards a peach tree in the courtyard.It was still early spring, and apricot-pink flowers were already blooming on this tall peach tree.

"Your Majesty...?" Ke Weiqing followed Huang Ye, wondering why he was unhappy?

Huang Ye stared at Manzi's peach blossoms, and seemed to be talking to himself, "I really don't understand..."

"What?" Ke Weiqing asked carefully.

"Since you are so loyal to me, why did you choose Yonglin?" Huang Ye's gaze shifted from the flowers to Ke Weiqing's face, without any sudden feeling, because this person is also handsome and elegant, which makes people's heart flutter .

"Slave..." Ke Weiqing frowned, not knowing how to explain it?If you tell the truth, how will the emperor react?But if you continue to deceive, it is also a crime of deceiving the emperor, how will it end in the future?

"That's all." Seeing Ke Weiqing was so distressed, Huang Ye's heart felt like a huge boulder was falling, and it hurt, "Do you know why I didn't execute you?"

"The slave doesn't know."

"Because I always feel that your heart is hidden very deep, and I will not let you die easily before digging it out." Huang Ye smiled, but the look in his eyes made people shudder, "Executing you is like As if you are satisfied."

"Your Majesty?!" Ke Weiqing was startled, afraid that Huang Ye would see his secret.If he could die with the heart of loving Huang Ye, what regrets would he have?

"Wei Qing, take a good rest." Huang Ye raised his hand to caress Ke Weiqing's cheek, then turned and left.

Only Ke Weiqing can appreciate this spring scenery. Looking at this green and vibrant natural scenery, Ke Weiqing has an inexplicable uneasiness in his heart, as if he will lose something important.

And this ominous premonition soon became a cruel reality... Dayan Palace will be plunged into a bloody storm again.