The King of Liang, the feudal lords outside the town, and the generals inside

After the curfew, the streets were silent, with occasional candles flickering and flickering in the rooms facing the street, and the cold north wind kept blowing.Yan Zun looked up at the sky, just as the moonlight flashed across the street quickly.

After waiting for a moment, a black-clothed masked man quietly appeared behind him like a ghost.

Yan Zun turned around and said, "What do you want me for?"

The masked man said: "Yan Shilang finally came here, why don't you come with me? We will treat Yan Shilang as our honored guest."

Yan Zun snorted, "Are you people from Shixiezi so weird and bold? You are not afraid that I will bring the imperial soldiers and horses to kill you all."

The masked man smiled and shook his head, "You won't. You know our existence, and it's only good for you."

"Really." Yan Zun was noncommittal.

"You can't spend your whole life in such a small position as a servant. How can the other of your two sons of the Yan family be in charge of the world's army and command millions of soldiers? Tsk tsk, how beautiful it is."

"That's his own ability." Yan Zun sneered, "Don't come to me again, or I will expose your existence."

The masked man was not afraid at all, and looked at Yan Zun leisurely, "No, no, you wouldn't do this. If you really had this heart, we would have ceased to exist long ago. Isn't it?"

Just as Yan Zun was about to retort, the masked man raised his hand to stop him, "Don't be too sure about everything. How do you know what will happen tomorrow?"

Yan Zun rolled his eyes at him, he didn't want to listen to his nonsense anymore, and wanted to leave.

The masked man slightly raised his voice and said: "Yan Shilang, I heard that General Yan is hiding in a golden house in the Chinese military tent these days, raising a very beautiful boy by his side. Is it true?"

Yan Zun's footsteps stopped suddenly, and he turned sharply and glared at the masked man.

The masked man smiled leisurely, "The name of Yan Shilang Long Yang has already spread, and you have always been flirtatious. Are you not attracted to such a beautiful boy?"

Yan Zun took a deep breath, as if he was suppressing some emotions in himself, "He is not a plaything my elder brother keeps around."

The masked man raised his eyebrows and said, "So, you are indeed moved."

Yan Zun did not refute.

The masked man said: "Yan Shilang, the person you like should be yours. Isn't it?"

Seeing that Yan Zun didn't answer, the masked man became more confident, "But how can you compare to General Yan?"

Yan Zun said: "My eldest brother must have a son, he can't..."

The masked man interrupted him and said: "Who is Yan Xun? He has been decisive in killing and attacking for so many years. If he is really determined, who can stop him? Not to mention anything else, the queen mother wanted to give him and Princess Zhaoning He dares not to marry even if he is offered a marriage, what is he afraid of?"

Yan Zun's face gradually darkened following his words.

The masked man's voice was somewhat bewitching, "If you want to get something, you should rely on your own ability to fight for it, rather than relying on you to pick it up one day when others don't want it. Isn't it?"

It was already the next morning when Yan Zun returned to the barracks, he heard the soldiers discussing that the general had overslept today and woke up two hours later than usual.

"The general fought seven generals by himself yesterday, beheaded four and injured one of them. He must be extremely exhausted, and it's normal to sleep more."

"You know what! Didn't the general feel tired after fighting in the past ten years? He never overslept! Let me tell you, the general didn't sleep alone last night!"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"That little beauty, you remember, the one who lived in the tent of the Chinese army all the time - he ran to the general's place in the middle of the night, and never came out again!"

"Really? I didn't expect the general to really be with him... Also, many women are not as good-looking as him. If it were me, I would..."

"You are looking for death! Be careful to let the general know!"

"Hey, talk casually, talk casually, how dare I."

……

As Yan Zun listened, he gradually clenched his fists.

·

At the same time, a huge earthquake suddenly broke out in Jiangnan, which had been prosperous and peaceful for several years, and even affected the capital Shangjing.The violent shaking of the ground made people unable to stand still, the loud noise was endless, the buildings and houses swayed sharply, and finally one after another collapsed.

The local officials quickly reported the casualties and property losses to the emperor, but they did not expect that the emperor was also suffering from severe wind and cold at this moment.

When the queen mother heard about this, she was shocked and painful, and immediately summoned Si Tianqin Cui Jin, Cui Jin knelt on the ground with a heavy expression, "I want to report to the queen mother, I watched the sky last night and found that there was a white light on the tail of the star Jianglou. The horn of the collision is strong. This is the punishment of God, and the disaster is the king, so that the dragon's body is disturbed, and the south of the earth is shaken."

The Empress Dowager frowned and asked anxiously, "What's the explanation for this astrology?"

Cui Jin said: "There is a person in the northwest of this astrological master who is in conflict with His Majesty's life star. This person is approaching Shangjing, and he is very hostile."

"Who is this person?"

The Empress Dowager held a string of Buddhist beads with her fingertips and rubbed them carefully.She placed a piece of white jade in her hand for a pillow, and her mind was startled when she saw it, she said suddenly: "Then tell me, what should I do?"

Cui Jin kowtowed and said, "Find this person and kill him."

The Empress Dowager's brows gradually frowned, like mountains and rivers stacked with twists and turns.She picked up the piece of white jade and stared at the sky for a moment, then patted the mother-of-pearl table heavily with one hand.

The Empress Dowager said: "Cui Aiqing will step down first, and report immediately if there is any change."

Cui Jin retreated respectfully.The queen mother's face was gloomy, and endless storms were brewing.

Lan Yan hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Empress Dowager, didn't Aunt Zhu Sha send a letter back a few days ago, saying..."

"Since the emperor wants to pick up someone, let him pick it up." The queen mother threw the jade in her hand, with a cold and sharp expression, "It's one thing to pick it up, but another thing is how long he can live. Speaking of which, the emperor How is your illness?"

The emperor's illness lasted more than five days.The queen then lived in the side hall, and served her carefully every day without taking off her clothes, and no longer interfered with the affairs of the six palaces.The other concubines naturally wanted to come to take care of the emperor for favor, but most of them were stopped by the concubine.

When the queen heard about this, she couldn't laugh or cry: "You are too petty, if they want to come and take care of the emperor, let them come, why bother to stop it? It's not good to spread the word."

The noble concubine snorted and said: "My sister and I serve the emperor out of our sincerity to the emperor. They want to come to the emperor to seek favor for themselves, but they ignore the imperial doctor's warning that the emperor is sick and forbids others Too much noise. Of course I have to stop it."

She paused, and said: "Besides, I didn't stop them all. People like Wen Jieyu and Zhuang Guiren sincerely treat the emperor and want to come and see them. Wouldn't I personally bring them here?"

The queen was noncommittal, took off the lid of the medicine jar, smelled it, and took the medicine jar off the fire, "Bring the bowl."

The imperial concubine hurriedly took a bowl of medicine, and the queen said: "You go to serve the emperor to take the medicine in a while, I am a little tired and want to take a nap."

The noble concubine responded, and said: "Then sister should go to answer the queen mother in the afternoon, I will not go, the queen mother feels uncomfortable when she sees me. But it doesn't matter, I don't like her anyway."

The queen hurriedly covered her mouth, looked around vigilantly, and said solemnly: "No nonsense, be careful that walls have ears!"

The imperial concubine pouted, and said sullenly: "Got it."

When the medicine cooled slightly, the imperial concubine took the medicine bowl and went to the emperor's bedroom. The emperor was sitting on the head of the bed with his clothes on, and stacks of memorials were placed beside the pillow.

The imperial concubine gently put the medicine bowl aside, raised her hand to test the temperature of the emperor's forehead, frowned and said: "The emperor is still hot, why are you reading the memorial again? Be careful."

The emperor folded the music in his hand and put it aside, rubbed his temples, and said: "I heard the prime minister talk about the earthquake disaster in the south of the Yangtze River, and I couldn't help but look at the casualties of the people. After seeing it, my head hurt even more. "

The imperial concubine immediately took off the jewels and jade ornaments on her hands, dipped some menthol oil in and gently massaged the emperor, and said softly: "The prime minister is a veteran of the four dynasties. He has never seen any big storms. He will definitely take care of everything. The emperor can rest assured."

The emperor eased his eyebrows slightly, and said: "If I didn't have this disease, I should have gone to Jiangnan to see for myself. It's one thing for the prime minister to handle affairs, but it's another thing for the emperor to satisfy the people."

The noble concubine smiled and said: "That's why the emperor must take good care of the dragon's body and get well soon. When the emperor recovers, let my sister accompany the emperor to the south of the Yangtze River to appease the people. The people must be grateful for the empress' kindness."

She said and brought the medicine to the emperor, "Your Majesty, drink the medicine. Knowing that the Emperor is afraid of suffering, the candied fruit is ready and put aside."

The emperor gulped down the medicine, holding his breath, clenching his teeth in pain, and the imperial concubine hurriedly brought over a plate of candied fruit.

The emperor slowed down for a while, and looked sideways at the concubine's lower abdomen, his eyes became more gentle, "You are still pregnant, it's better not to come to serve me every day, be careful that you will be tired if you get sick."

The noble concubine said decisively: "No, the concubine only needs to be with the emperor. Besides, it is hard work for my sister to take care of the emperor, and the concubine can't just watch. The emperor doesn't know that my sister has to take care of the emperor, the prince and the princess at the same time. Running at both ends is exhausting."

The emperor smiled and shook his head, "You two sisters are really interesting. The queen said in front of me that the noble concubine is pregnant, and she still serves me diligently every day. It is too hard. You said in front of me again that the queen is exhausted from running around Yes. If all the concubines in the harem are like your sisters, the harem will be at peace."

The imperial concubine Yubai's cheeks flushed a little, she smiled and said in a low voice: "The concubine and the queen's sister are biological sisters after all, the emperor, the sister, and the child in the womb are the closest people in this palace for the concubine."

The two laughed and exchanged a few words, the imperial concubine suddenly turned her head and said: "I am a little hungry, you go to the imperial dining room to get some pastries, and the emperor's favorite peach blossom dew."

The palace people withdrew according to their words, and the noble concubine bent down and whispered in the emperor's ear: "Your Majesty, the concubine got the news. The Empress Dowager sent Si Tianqin and Cui Jin into the palace and asked about the earthquake in the south of the Yangtze River and the emperor's illness."

The emperor restrained his face slightly, and said, "What did Cui Jin say?"

The noble concubine said: "Cui Jin said that he watched the sky at night and found that there was a person in the northwest of the lord who was in the northwest of Lou Chong Jiaokang. He clashed with His Majesty's life star and caused disaster. He also said that he must find this person and kill him to eliminate the disaster." —Later, Lan Yan also mentioned cinnabar."

The emperor's brows curved slightly, "It's this Cui Jin again! At first, I wanted to send Yan Xun to the southwestern garrison, where the climate is mild and the people are rich. He was the one who spoke to the queen mother, saying that Yan Xun's fate is incompatible with the southwest. I had no choice but to send Yan Xun to the bitter cold place in the north of Saibei. Now he comes to scare the queen mother again with alarmist words, I am really impatient!"

The noble concubine said: "The concubine, like the emperor, has always disbelieved in these gods and ghosts, but she can't stand the Queen Mother who believes in it. But the emperor, the concubine does not know who Cui Jin is referring to?"

A look of helplessness flashed in the emperor's eyes, "It's a coincidence that even if I don't believe it, Cui Jin's words can't help but make me think of him. Presumably the empress also thought of him. This is good, there is another excuse in the hands of the queen. inside."

The words were unclear, the imperial concubine didn't understand at all, the emperor said again: "He should come to Shangjing in a few days, I will tell you again when the time comes."

The imperial concubine obediently responded, and continued to massage the emperor's head. The emperor picked up a memorial and read it.

Just at this time, the eunuch came in to report, and Prime Minister Shen Qing asked to see him.The imperial concubine was about to go out, but the emperor raised his hand and said, "You don't need to go out, just sit behind the screen for a while."

The prime minister sent a stack of letters of state, which he presented to the emperor, and said: "Your Majesty, I dare not preside over such important matters. These are the five kingdoms of Weiyan, Yeluo, Beihuang, Qingwei, and Xichu. The letter of credence sent here. Your Majesty’s Longevity Day is approaching, and the monarchs of the five countries have expressed their congratulations, saying that they are willing to send envoys to Shangjing to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday, and request marriage.”

"Marriage?" The emperor glanced at the screen and coughed lightly, "Zhen..."

The prime minister followed the emperor's gaze and caught a glimpse of a woman's blue skirt. He immediately understood and said with a smile: "This marriage is not only married, but also married. Among the five kingdoms, the monarchs of Yeluo and Xichu are still young, and the other three kingdoms are still young. There are also unmarried princes. Although the emperor's two princesses are still young, doesn't the emperor still have an unmarried younger sister?"

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, and thought: "I have three imperial sisters, all of whom have already married, and only Zhaoning is left. But she... I will think about it again, Ai Qing will step down first."

The prime minister bowed and retreated, and the imperial concubine came out from behind the screen holding back a smile, and said half coquettishly, "That's all for Weiyan, that's the mother country of the concubine and the queen's sister. Then the other four countries are fighting for the eldest princess, so why not?" Took the head off? In order not to treat one more favorably than another, the emperor may have to accept a few more concubines, right?"

The emperor turned to look at her with a bit of pampering and pampering, "Okay, I could smell the sour smell when you were still behind the screen."

The noble concubine said softly: "When the newcomer arrives, the concubine will pack up her things obediently and live in that corner and let it get moldy."

The emperor couldn't help laughing, "How can I marry all the monarchs? The marriage is for the stability of the government. This is also the in-laws and that is also the in-laws. If there are too many in-laws, they are worthless."

The noble concubine curled her lips, then calmed down, and said with her head sideways: "Just now, the prime minister mentioned Princess Zhaoning...Princess Zhaoning should have been betrothed long ago, but I heard that she has always only liked General Yan. I said that it is he who will not marry in this life. The queen mother chose several princes from aristocratic families for her, and she looked down on them all, and she was very angry—I am afraid she would not want to marry."

The emperor pondered for a moment, then said slowly: "Zhaoning is not my own sister, but the daughter of the eighth emperor's uncle's family, and the sister of King Zhaowu. Just because she fit the Queen Mother's eyes, she was accepted as a foster daughter by the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother treats her See it as your own."

The noble concubine said thoughtfully: "Take it as if it is her own, after all it is not her own. The concubine heard that two years ago, the Queen Mother told General Yan Da that Princess Zhaoning liked him very much and wanted to marry him. But General Yan refused in every possible way, which annoyed the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager disliked him even more."

The emperor nodded: "Yan Xun couldn't push it, but he came to ask me for help, and he didn't want to marry Zhaoning even after saying anything. His expression was like seeing a ghost."

The imperial concubine couldn't help laughing, and said with a low laugh: "Princess Zhaoning is also a famous beauty, why doesn't the general look down on her? The concubine thought, the queen mother's anger may not be all because of the general's refutation of her face, but because The queen mother knew that the general refused to marry the eldest princess because he was afraid that the person next to him would have a different heart. On the surface, it was a gift of marriage, but in fact, the queen mother put an eyeliner on the general's side."

The emperor said helplessly: "I know you are smart, but it's fine to say such things in front of me, but you are not allowed to tell others. If it gets to the ears of the queen mother, I will not be able to protect you."

"The concubine understands, but it's all because the emperor favors the concubine." The imperial concubine said with a smile, "then the general should return triumphantly on the emperor's birthday. At that time, Princess Zhaoning will definitely ask the queen mother for a marriage. If the general continues to evade like this, it is really unreasonable. The emperor feels sorry for the general."

The emperor said: "Then according to you, what should I do?"

The noble concubine said softly: "Before the queen mother speaks, give the general a marriage. Choose a girl from a good family, and the general will like it. The concubine thinks that the queen mother will not let a dignified princess be the concubine of the minister. ?”

The emperor thought for a while, and couldn't help but smile and said: "I just remembered, Yan Xun's biological mother is Princess Chunyi of the Prince Regent's family of Weiyan, so she is the nephew of you and the queen. After all, you It's for his marriage."

The noble concubine laughed and said: "The concubine and the queen sister have seen several good girls during this period, it depends on whether the emperor will follow her or not."

"Okay, okay." The emperor said, "You guys choose first, and when Yan Xun comes back, I will promise him whichever one he likes."