love palace

At night, the Zhuque River Valley becomes extraordinarily beautiful, and the royal camp in this area is like a string of jade beads falling into the mortal world, shining brightly.

In the heavily guarded grassland, there are large pieces of sheepskin felt, 160 banquet tables, 120 grills, [-] wine barrels, and countless other fruit plates and sauces.

With the emperor as the center, thirteen princes sat around, and foreign envoys sat under the prince.Another hundred civil and military officials accompanied him.

This dinner, in the name of celebrating the autumn harvest, exudes a piece of royal extravagance in the dance of a hundred drums.

After the toast ceremony is held, it is the emperor's meal.The imperial chef covered the imperial delicacies with embroidered dragon burdens, and the four eunuchs came forward to serve the food, holding it with both hands.

After the emperor had enjoyed the deliciously roasted wild venison, he served the dishes to the officials.

As a result, trays of grilled bones, white meat, and wheat cakes filled the official's dining table.

"Report to Father, I have something to say." Eldest Prince Yao Zu came to the seat and said with cupped hands.

"Now that you're not in the palace, if you have something to say, you can just say it. It's not polite." Chunyu Wen looked at this son who had been the "Elder Prince" for 36 years, and felt a little bit unbearable.

May I ask among the ten kingdoms in the world, which prince is willing to be lonely and does not want to be the heir apparent?

The position of the crown prince is still in the air, so the princes will not be able to be crowned kings and lands. No family can live without the imperial city. It is indeed difficult for them.

"Thank you, father, for your kindness!" The eldest prince said with a smile on his face and impassioned, "When I was hunting today, I climbed up and looked far away. I saw the valley and plain spread out from the foot of the mountain to three sides. The Zhuque River is like a silver belt, shining brightly! And The paths in the fields are criss-crossing, the smoke from the cooking in the village is curling up, and the ears of wheat are turning golden waves, it is really a bountiful harvest, a fairyland on earth!"

"What the emperor said is true." Chunyu Wen was in a very good mood, nodding his head and smiling, "This trip to the Zhuque River Valley has allowed me to see that the great rivers and mountains of Dayan have not been affected by the war, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. I am very relieved. "

"This is all thanks to your kindness, father. My son has inquired about it. It used to be a place where bandits fled. The fishermen lived in hardship and were oppressed! Six years ago, you gave this valley to your uncle Ke Xian and ordered him to Take good care of it, and order the 'Jiangtian Granting Ding', and only then will there be a scene of vitality."

"Indeed." Chunyu Wen just nodded, his expression changed slightly, as if he was unwilling to mention this matter.

Six years ago, he did more than this.They even secretly dispatched troops to raze the Wuque Village, which lived in seclusion deep in the river valley, and ordered that no matter men, women, old or young, they would be killed!

As for whether the Wuque tribe is a human being or a legendary fairy?Chunyu Wen didn't even want to pay attention to them, only when they disappeared could he completely get rid of his depression that had been suppressed for many years!

Back then, Chunyu Wen set fire to the mountain on the grounds of exterminating the bandits above the Zhuque River Valley in order to slaughter the village in an upright manner. Whether it was Ke Xian or the local fishermen, they were still kept in the dark.

In order to establish a good political performance and secretly monitor whether there are any fish that slip through the net in Wuque Village, Chunyu Wencai sold this treasured land to his cousin Ke Xian, who has no power in the palace.

Ke Xian didn't know that in his valley farm, those very sturdy farmers with their headscarves and trousers rolled up were actually spies who had been ordered by the emperor.

However, in these years, no suspicious person has been seen, and Zhao Guowei has always cut grass and roots in his work, leaving no chickens or dogs behind.That's why Chunyu Wen agreed to come here to hunt.

"Father has worked hard for the common people. This autumn rhinoceros ceremony is also a blessing for the world. My son and minister are grateful. I specially captured ten of the strongest stags and made deer blood wine. May my father live long, long live , long live!"

After the eldest prince sang loudly, Eunuch Zhang held a golden three-legged food tripod carved with a dragon, bowed his head, and presented it to the dragon case.

Chunyu Wen saw that the deer blood wine was bright red in color, like a ruby, and under the firelight, it shone charmingly.

Although there are many precious traditional Chinese medicines in the tripod, there are no suspended impurities and no foul smell.Smell it lightly, and the fragrance will enter your heart and spleen.

The eunuch at the side took out the silver needle to test the poison as usual, Chunyu Wen waved his hand to indicate that it is unnecessary.With such trust, the eldest prince's face is naturally very radiant.

In front of everyone, Chunyu Wen held up the dragon-patterned golden tripod steadily, and took a big sip. The taste was even sweeter and softer, with a pleasant aftertaste, which lingered in his heart for a long time.

"Okay! As expected of the emperor's son's elaborate deer blood wine, I will also share some with you dear ones, and share my son's sincerity and filial piety."

After finishing speaking, the eunuch brought out more deer blood wine, but it was packed in wine bottles and distributed to the envoys and ministers.

"Thank you, Majesty Long En!" Then, the ministers stood up one after another, fell to their knees, and shouted long live the emperor!

Then, she got up again, knelt down in front of the eldest prince, and wished a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years!

"Excuse me, let's all get up." The eldest prince stroked his beard and said solemnly, asking all the officials to stand up, as if he was a prince.

"Your Majesty Qizuo, Your Majesty is humble and courteous. He is good at making friends with the princes and civil and military officials. It can be said that he is very popular. He also likes to read and is full of talent. If he is such a good-natured and talented person, if he can't become the Prince of Yan The regret of the Great Swallow is the regret of the world.”

The eldest prince's father-in-law, Zhou Chong who served as the Taishi, took advantage of the wine and the good time, and didn't care about avoiding suspicion, so he directly came out and petitioned the emperor.

His words aroused the sympathy of all the ministers, who nodded and said yes, some applauded and booed, and the atmosphere was very enthusiastic.

But in the prince's seat, everyone just looked at each other in blank dismay, and there was no major movement.

That's right, Brother Dahuang's art of consolidating people's hearts is so powerful that he can make court officials bow to him, but secretly, Brother Dahuang uses his power to overwhelm others and never takes his brother seriously. The Empress Dowager treats him again. The more you love, the more power you give.

Fortunately, he still lacks military merits and did not send troops to serve the country. Otherwise, this eldest prince with a bright front and a dark back would have long been the current prince.

Chunyu Wen originally wanted to show the warm scene of father's kindness and son's filial piety, but Zhou Chong took the opportunity to recommend Yaozu as the prince, and it seemed that it was already expected by everyone.

If you don't say anything at this moment, it will inevitably make the courtiers lose confidence, but if you really want to say something, wouldn't it be the same as making Yaozu the crown prince?

Chunyu Wenzheng didn't know what to do, Zhao Guowei, the general who protects the country, came out and said loudly, "The matter of the crown prince is not a trivial matter, please think twice!"

"What do you mean by this, are there any deficiencies in my Highness?" Before the emperor could speak, the eldest prince said in embarrassment.

"The old minister dare not, it's just that the emperor has already announced to the world that the crown prince of Yan will only be named after the Autumn Kidney Ceremony. Please wait a little longer, Your Highness, so as not to let the emperor have the reputation of being dishonest."

"You are bold!" the eldest prince scolded angrily, "Even if it is registered at this time, it will not be too late to promulgate it at that time. You say that, but you want to slander the reputation of the father!"

"This..." Zhao Guowei dared to come out to stop him because he believed that he had a lot of secrets from the emperor, and he believed that the emperor would definitely treat him a little less and suppress this matter.

After all, the Ninth Prince Huang Ye became the crown prince, so he could reap more benefits.

But he forgot that the First Prince would not buy it, and Zhao Guowei didn't want to offend the First Prince now, if he really became the Prince in the future, wouldn't he be isolated?

"What Your Highness said is very true. It will be registered first and announced later, and it will not violate the imperial edict." Zhou Chong took the opportunity to say.

"Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to appoint His Royal Highness as the crown prince! It will really benefit all people!" I don't know who started it, a group of gray-haired veterans all knelt down.

At this time, Chunyu Wen was a little jealous of the eldest son, he was so eager to pursue the crown prince, and to put it bluntly, he wanted to be the emperor.

Yaozu has such a wide network of contacts, if he is forced to abdicate in the future if he is forced to abdicate, wouldn't he be a troublemaker?

Just when Chunyu Wen was speechless and riding a tiger, the deacon and eunuch announced sharply, "Your Highness the Ninth Prince! Here you are!"

"What?!" The eldest prince's expression changed suddenly, and he fixed his eyes on the audience.After a while, Huang Ye arrived.

He wore a buckskin crown on his head, and was dressed in a simple and elegant light blue brocade robe without other accessories. After he stood still, he greeted the emperor.

Although his clothing was not as luxurious as other princes, it made him look handsome.Although he is not very old, his eyes are sharp and his manner is calm, revealing the coldness and nobility that a prince should have.

"Ye'er, why did you delay and come to the banquet so late?" Chunyu Wen asked gently, because Huang Ye's arrival broke the stalemate.

"I'm afraid I'm just going to have some fun." The First Prince cast a sharp look at Eunuch Zhang beside him, and said with a look of disdain, "Otherwise, why would he not attend such an important dinner party, with empty hands and no sincerity?" !"

"I feel that on this day of celebrating the harvest, one should take a bath and fast, not listen to music, not be close to sex, don't pay homage to funerals, don't deal with punishment, and stop killing." Huang Ye ignored the eldest prince and said loudly, " So I didn’t hunt anything today, I just stayed in the tent and recited the scriptures, punishing myself, all I can offer you is a heart of sincerity and kindness.”

"What a self-punishing, sincere and kind-hearted man! This is the Prince of Yan!" Chunyu Wen said with great joy, "Abandoning pomp and fasting for the sake of common people, I should do the same!"

"Father! Don't listen to his nonsense! Today he just..." The eldest prince was so anxious that he almost said that Huang Ye didn't stay in the camp at all, but went hunting, and ran as far as the top of the cliff The place.

"What's wrong?" Chunyu Wen asked in a deep voice.

"Just..." The eldest prince was unable to answer for a moment.

"It's just a painstaking effort." Huang Ye smiled mischievously, bowed and said.

"Haha, what Ye'er said is true. Come here, remove all the deer wine and minced meat, and replace it with melons, fruits and cakes. I will also fast tonight." Chunyu Wen ordered without saying a word.

As a result, the eunuchs came up one after another to change the banquet. The eldest prince saw that the stag blood wine he had carefully prepared was thrown into the big wooden barrel like dross, and the anger in his heart could no longer be contained. His arm, pulling him closer.

"How dare you spoil my good deeds?" The eldest prince said in a very soft voice.

"Brother Huang, may I ask which one are you referring to?" Huang Ye said coldly without struggling, "Are you sending someone to assassinate me? Or is it a chance for you to show courteousness to your father?"

"Hmph, I don't know what you're talking about." The eldest prince denied it vehemently, grabbing Huang Ye's arm as if he wanted to break it, "As long as you're here, it's a big deal for me!"

"How dare I, father is looking at you, do you want to ask you to go over and drink?" The two of them whispered to each other, making people wonder what they were talking about.

The same is true for the emperor, looking at this side from afar.

"This matter is not over! Just wait and see!" The eldest prince let go of his hand, and then looked Huang Ye up and down. Why did he fall from such a high cliff without any injuries on his body? Could it be Zhang? Is the father-in-law lying and cheating?

Thinking of this, the Eldest Prince felt very uncomfortable, he reasoned to the Emperor that he was not feeling well, and asked to go back and rest.

The emperor didn't force him to stay, so he left.

Huang Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his fingers trembling slightly, when Brother Dahuang held his arm hard, he just pinched the wound.

This kind of pain was comparable to a knife gouging out flesh, but Huang Ye still didn't change his expression. Now, the blood had seeped out of the bandages and was flowing down his elbows. His father must have noticed something strange, and Huang Ye wanted to leave.

However, at this moment, Chunyu Wen smiled and said, "Ye'er, which scripture are you reciting? You really put your heart into it, and you never forget to bring the scriptures with you when you go hunting."

Huang Ye was startled. In his tent, there were chess records, military books, and even ancient music scores, but there were no Buddhist scriptures.

He said bathing and fasting was because when he came back, it was already very late, and he only had time to change clothes, but he had hunted for a day, but returned empty-handed, and he would definitely be used by the elder brother to make irresponsible remarks, so he came up with the idea of ​​chanting sutras Come.

"The Shurangama Sutra..." Huang Ye continued.

"Oh? This sutra is divided into three parts: Preface, Authentic, and Circulation. I wonder which part Ye'er is reading?"

"It's the second volume, Your Majesty!" Suddenly, a little man rushed in rashly, holding a lacquer tray covered with a piece of yellow silk.

"Oh, is that so?" Chunyu Wen didn't blame him, but just felt strange that when Ye'er was around, there was also a child as a servant.

Huang Ye has dealt with adults since he was a child, and the cavalry he trained are all older than him.

Because of this, Chunyu Wen took a few extra glances at the boy servant under the banquet, but he bowed his head and lowered his eyebrows, so he couldn't see his face clearly.

"Don't be rude, you need to be informed when you come in!" Huang Ye sternly said, and then pleaded guilty to his father, saying that he was not strict in discipline, and asked to be punished.

Chunyu Wen was naturally not angry, he just smiled and said, that's all, you are still young after all, so I can't make things difficult for you.

But Huang Ye still said it was his fault, and he would go back and reflect on it seriously, and continue to chant scriptures and fast until the end of autumn maki.

Chunyu Wen was impressed by his sincerity, so Enzhun Huangye went back. Afterwards, the banquet, singing, dancing and music all stopped, but the sound of insects and crickets seemed elegant...

※※※

Huang Ye took the boy servant Wei Qing and walked hurriedly, avoiding the crowd, and came to a secluded path.

"Where did you find the Shurangama Sutra?" Huang Ye couldn't help asking.Wei Qing came here within a few days, how could he get to know the eminent monk who traveled with the emperor.

These precious scriptures are usually placed in the monks' place, and they will not be easily borrowed. It has to be said that Huang Ye did not expect Wei Qing to have such abilities.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry, I have no choice but to do it." Wei Qing lowered his head and pulled off the silk cloth covering the wooden tray. There was nothing inside? !

"Uh..." Even Huang Ye was stunned.

"I was worried about your injury, so I followed you. I heard the emperor asking about your scriptures outside. It happened that some father-in-laws were packing up the dishes, so I secretly took a plate, and a yellow silk rushed in..."

"This is the crime of deceiving the emperor. Are you not afraid that the emperor will ask you to present the scriptures for him to read?"

"This... I didn't expect it, I just wanted to help you out." Wei Qing panicked, maybe it was self-defeating and hurt Huang Ye instead.

"Oh, it's considered a rescue." Huang Ye smiled, "You are more courageous than your people."

"Huh?" Wei Qing didn't understand what Huang Ye meant, and looked up at him.

"You will follow me from now on and serve me." Huang Ye looked at him, Wei Qing was a full head shorter than him.

"Yes!" Wei Qing said happily.

"But don't do this kind of thing again, your little life is not worth paying for." Huang Ye stretched out his hand, trying to stroke Wei Qing's head, but Wei Qing cried out "Ah!".

"You're bleeding!" Wei Qing quickly grabbed Huang Ye's wrist, "I'll show you."

"We'll talk about it when we get back." Huang Ye immediately withdrew his hand, why did he want to stroke Wei Qing's head?He looks very cute and has a pleasing personality, but he is a boy after all, and his status is low.

Huang Ye's mood suddenly became a little chaotic, so he strode ahead, Wei Qing hurriedly followed, and along the way, the two of them stopped talking.

※※※

Back in the camp, Huang Ye took a shower and changed clothes again under the management of the eunuch, the blood stained his sleeves red, Wei Qing was so heartbroken that he couldn't speak when he packed his clothes.

"Burn it, don't let anyone see it." Huang Ye warned, he didn't want the eldest prince to know that he was injured.

"Yes." Wei Qing took the order and went.

Seeing that the young master was seriously injured, the maid in the dining room wanted to stew some venison to nourish her body, but the fragrant broth was ready, but Huang Ye refused to eat it.

He had already "deceived the emperor" once, and he didn't want to hide his father anymore. He said that he must keep his promise until the end of the fasting ceremony.

Wei Qing saw it and was very worried, but there was nothing he could do.I could only take out the cold broth.

When he entered the tent again, Huang Ye had already fallen asleep, Wei Qing tucked up the quilt for him, blew out the oil lamp, and still sat cross-legged under the slum, performing the night watch.

"If I knew martial arts, Brother Luo De wouldn't have died." Recalling what happened during the day, Wei Qing didn't feel scared, but thought that if he learned swordsmanship, he would be able to protect His Highness well.

This feeling was so urgent that he dreamed of learning kung fu in the school field...

The next morning, when Huang Ye got up, Wei Qing was able to hand him the coat in time, and did not oversleep again.

"Your Highness, do you want to eat?" After Huang Ye finished washing and changing, the maid asked respectfully.

"En." Huang Ye nodded, and the two eunuchs and four maids got busy.

Although it was just breakfast, it was also rich and unusual. There were cabbage noodle soup, lotus seed soup with rock sugar, lily mung bean porridge, and four dishes of pickled melon, peanuts, almonds, and candied fruit.

All of them were vegetarians, Huang Ye didn't require the servants to follow the vegetarian diet, but they didn't dare their masters to be vegetarians, and if they ate meat themselves, they also fasted.

After Huang Ye finished his breakfast, he was going to wear an armor cloak, and Wei Qing was in charge of preparing the armor.

This is a set of silver-white armor made of high-quality refined iron. The armor body is thin, soft and close-fitting but extremely strong. When the armor leaves rub against each other, they will emit a crisp vibrating sound.

Wei Qing tidied up the armor body, armor sleeves, and armor skirt, and put them on for Huang Ye one by one. The belts were all made of leather, and it took him a lot of effort to tie the ties tightly.

"Get dressed, Your Highness." Wei Qing said, sweating profusely, but seeing Huang Ye's majestic appearance, he was overjoyed.

Huang Ye looked at his red face, but said nothing.

Afterwards, Huang Ye took Wei Qing, who was accompanying him, to visit the cavalry who had been poisoned yesterday. They were all detoxified, and they were lying in a soft bed, under the care of an old military doctor standing sideways.

All along, the nine knights who followed Huang Ye through life and death, under careful care, obviously improved a lot. They saw that His Highness came to visit themselves in the midst of busy schedules, and everyone was moved to wipe their tears and sigh.

Then, when they heard the news of Luo De's sacrifice, they struggled angrily to get up, saying that they would take revenge!

"Take a good rest, and keep the green hills, so you don't have to worry about running out of firewood." Huang Ye comforted the cavalry, and then went to the stables to choose a suitable horse.

If he wanted to go hunting again, Huang Ye had to prepare his horses and select cavalry again. As the saying goes, sharpening knives does not make mistakes in chopping firewood. These preparations in advance must not be sloppy.

Although I returned empty-handed yesterday, because there are already a lot of prey in the tent, it should be full in two or three days.

Huang Ye thought about it, and asked Wei Qing to pull out a red and black horse. At this moment, a soldier ran over in a panic.

Seeing Huang Ye, she knelt down with a plop, shaking like a sieve.

"Your Highness, Your Highness... big, big things are not good, you should go and have a look!"

Huang Ye immediately followed the soldiers and went to the place he said "the big thing is not good". It turned out to be the tent used by the princes to store their prey.

There are fourteen tents in total, all of which are white tents. They are divided into two rows, front and back, with seven seats in each row. They are arranged neatly from west to east. The first one is the First Prince's tent, with six soldiers holding the handles.

As for the tents of the other princes, there were only four guards. It was said that the two extra guards of the eldest prince were all his confidantes. The emperor did not say that he could not send guards to guard the tents.

When they saw Huang Ye, they all knelt down and saluted, but there was obviously a little less respect on their faces.

Huang Ye walked quickly to his tent, opened the curtain and looked, his expression changed immediately!

Wei Qing also took a deep breath, his eyes widened.

Originally, there were prey wrapped in oilcloth piled up here, but now there are only pieces of blood-stained oilcloth left, and all the prey have disappeared!

Without saying a word, Huang Ye turned around and walked towards the First Prince's tent, asking to check his number, but was obstructed vigorously by the six guards.

"Only the emperor has this power!" The bearded soldier in the lead said extremely arrogantly.

Huang Ye clenched his fists and rattled, but judging from the stuffed tent of the eldest prince, it was clear that Huang Ye's prey had been stolen!

"You guys are going too far!" Wei Qing was annoyed, pointing at them and said, "It's really nothing if people don't do secret things, let's see what's the matter?"

"Who are you, dare to shout here?" The bearded soldier put one hand on the scabbard, "Can't you rebel?!"

"Shut up." Huang Ye shouted, although the soldier's face was ugly, he still kept his mouth shut.

"Your Highness!" Wei Qing called out, unwilling to let it go.

"Let's go." Huang Ye already understood that this time the big emperor brother won the victory, and he had calculated everything, but he never expected that the big emperor brother was so despicable!

What is the difference between stealing other people's achievements and rogue thieves?This is really not something a prince can do!

Since there is no engraving on the prey who belongs to it, making a big mess here, and being scolded by his father, Huang Ye will only get a bad name of ineffective supervision, and the situation will be more difficult than losing the prey.

And without any proof, Brother Da Huang would definitely bite him back and spurt people with blood in order to slander him.

"Being a man, it's better to stick to your duty, don't pretend to be a car, trying to fight with our Highness!" The bearded soldier saw that Huang Ye wanted to calm things down, but shouted even more arrogantly.

Huang Ye walked out a few steps, then picked up a stone from the ground, without turning around, just raised his hand, flicked with two fingers!

The stone unexpectedly shot into the bearded soldier's mouth impartially, and he was about to continue to taunt Huang Ye with his mouth wide open, but the stone slipped into the trachea.

"Woooooo!" The bearded soldier's face turned into a liver color, his eyes were bulging, and he scratched his neck with both hands, almost bleeding out from scratching!

The soldiers at the side didn't see the stones flying, thinking that he had suddenly gone epileptic and mad, and that's why he turned into such a terrifying appearance, so they yelled "Help" and patted his body, in a state of confusion. for a while.

But Huang Ye and Wei Qing had already left.