Jiang Qing

Li An was a little afraid of Zhao Yuansheng.

From the age of ten to the present, he was raised in Prince Sheng's Mansion.

The old prince didn't treat him harshly, but due to his status as a proton, he was always cautious and timid in doing things.This made Zhao Yuansheng look down on him very much. He inherited the nobility of the royal family, he was young and old, and he was reticent. He really looked down on Li An's coy style.

In his opinion, one should live upright throughout one's life, even if one is imprisoned, one cannot lose royal dignity and human dignity.

Originally, one of them lived in the east courtyard and the other lived in the west courtyard, and they had nothing to do with each other.Zhao Yuansheng can be regarded as out of sight, out of mind.But ever since there was a night banquet in the palace, the first emperor just kindly asked Li An what books he had read in Prince Cheng's mansion, but he seemed to be in the execution ground, murmuring, whimpering, unable to utter a complete sentence.

The first emperor just laughed and turned the matter over, but this made Zhao Yuansheng feel ashamed at the time when he was in a very face-saving period. After returning, he dragged Li An into the room and searched his books fiercely.

Li An still couldn't figure out why, Zhao Yuansheng became impatient, and went to the battle himself, taking him with him every day when he was reviewing in class, watching him complete the homework of the day.Li An still has shadows, and he is most afraid that when he can't recite the book, Zhao Xiaowang snorted coldly, and he obediently sent his palm out to be beaten.

Originally, after the dinner broke up unhappy, he planned to sneak away with Mei Shao, but before he slipped out of the Magnolia Terrace, the eunuch beside His Majesty took Mei Shao away, leaving only himself alone, and he didn't want to be with those Go together with the old-fashioned people in the court, and simply wait here for a while.

The palace maids in the Magnolia Terrace filed in to clean up the remnants of the banquet, and he leaned against a magnolia tree in a daze.

The moon has quietly climbed up the treetops and turned into a thin blade of ice, cutting off the night, but lighting up the magnolia flower on the top of the treetops.The ice blade seemed to be falling, as if it was about to cut the magnolia, making its thin petals tremble.

He just raised his head like this, looking at the bright flower.

Only then did he discover what Mei Shao was looking at with his head up under the magnolia tree.

He was looking at the sky among the shadows of flowers, the sky squeezed by overlapping magnolias, sprinkled with pure and blue fragments, which must be fine and sharp when falling among the flowers.It's just that now the twilight is sinking, and there is only one moon left for him to see.

"What are you doing standing here?"

Hearing it was Zhao Yuansheng's voice, he didn't move, but continued to raise his head: "I'm looking at the blue sky."

He didn't know why, but he felt that in this situation, he was not afraid of Zhao Yuansheng anymore, he felt like he was stuck in a safe corner, and no one could hurt him.

"Are you stupid?" Zhao Yuansheng also looked up, the twilight was deep.

He forcibly straightened Li An's upturned head: "If you keep your head up for a long time, you will get dizzy."

Li An was indeed a little dizzy. He slowed down for a while, and looked at the person in front of him in a daze. His eyes, which always had a bit of a romantic smile, opened slightly, as if he had just woken up, and he was a little dazed. stunned.

As he approached, Li An could smell the strong smell of alcohol on his body.

"When you left Prince Sheng's mansion, you told me that you only liked women." Zhao Yuansheng almost gritted his teeth and said word by word, "When Jianzhou took my token to save the beauty , but it came in handy.”

Li An woke up immediately, and cold sweat crept up his back inch by inch.He felt that he must have been dizzy just now, how could he feel that he was not afraid of him?Especially a drunk Zhao Yuansheng.

He didn't dare to look up into Zhao Yuansheng's eyes, so he had to work hard to shrink himself a little bit smaller.

After a long silence, he heard the man's sigh fall in his ear.

"Don't talk."

Li An raised his head in surprise, just about to refute "I didn't say a word", but saw his dark and scary eyes, as if polluted by the night.

Zhao Yuansheng avoided his gaze uncomfortably, and raised his hand to cover his eyes.

"I used to think that people should have their strength and dignity when they are alive. If they are humiliated once, it is better to die. But now, I have discovered my shallowness. It is not easy for so many people in this world to survive. It's really ridiculous for me to ask the world because of my unique background. If Mei Shao and I change places, I can't reach his level, and I can't live like him. I'm not as good as him."

"Also, at that time, I shouldn't have forced you to learn those things. You were in a difficult situation, and hiding your clumsiness was the way you survived. If it weren't for me, the late emperor would not be afraid of your sharpness, nor would you It will be what it is now."

Zhao Yuansheng's forcing him to study was very fruitful. In later discussions on poetry by his disciples, Li An, who expressed his opinion under Zhao Yuansheng's encouraging gaze, also saw the meaningful gaze cast by the late emperor.

But a month later, his father died at the border.After that, his uncle Li Chengji fled again in the name of attending a funeral, and his situation in Pingdu became more and more difficult.

He always remembered the first emperor's look in his heart, that cold look followed him like a snake and scorpion, like a shadow.That glance became his shadow during the day and nightmare at night. He dared not wake up, let alone sleep soundly.

Later, he forcibly soaked in the brothel in Pingdu for more than half a month, indulged in the things in the cup and the soft jade, until Zhao Yuansheng dragged him out of the brothel.He almost drunk himself to death in the brothel in Pingdu.

"Don't be afraid." Zhao Yuansheng felt the coldness in his hands.

Only then did Li An belatedly realize that he was trembling. Over the years, he thought he was suave and coaxing people to the peak.

But in front of him, he seemed to have become that idiot who couldn't speak a word again. He obviously turned around a few jokes in his heart. As long as he said it as usual, the current situation could be alleviated, but he was alone I couldn't speak a word, so I had to let my tears flow.

He hated the way he was now, so cowardly and unbearable, but such ugly scenes were shown in front of Zhao Yuansheng time and time again.

"I'm leaving, you're back, be well."

Zhao Yuansheng let go of his hand.

Li An raised his head again, the magnolia was no longer on the treetop.

He didn't look at the back of the man leaving, and he still didn't say a word.

In the inner hall.

Zhao Zhen is playing chess with himself.On the chessboard, black and white are vertical and horizontal, and the two sides are even fighting for a while.

He twirled a sunspot and stroked it, but it didn't fall off.

In the hall there is a wreath vessel, which is filled with water all the year round.The sound of water rose and stopped, but it didn't disturb the king's chess intention at all.

"Mei Shao, look at the chess game, where should this sunspot fall?"

He waved to the person who had been kneeling below for a long time: "Come here and have a look for me."

Mei Shao didn't move: "Slaves don't dare. Your Majesty's chess game is profound, and slaves have no solution."

Zhao Zhen didn't expose that he said compliments on the advanced chess game without even looking at it. He twisted the chess piece and walked up to Mei Shao: "I want to use this black piece to break the situation in the game, but I'm afraid that this black piece will go deep into the game. In Baizi's hinterland, he was surrounded and ate his sons, so it was not decided. Do you have a way to get the best of both worlds?"

"It's just giving up a chess piece." Mei Shao replied, "It's the luck of the chess piece to exchange a chess piece for the situation His Majesty wants."

Zhao Zhen smiled, and helped him up himself: "As expected of the son of the Mei family, the wind of the general family is still there. The ministers outside think that I am calling Xie En King back to the capital, but you know that I want to call you back All." He waved to the old eunuch Fushun standing beside him: "Give me a seat."

"You have also seen the banquet tonight. I have just ascended the throne, and many things cannot be done completely. Some things need to be fought for by yourself." Zhao Zhen patted Mei Shao on the shoulder, turned around and sat in front of the chess game again, lightly He sighed softly, "I only have the Imperial Forest Army in the palace. If there is another King Jing, what will I use to protect the Dali River and Mountains?"

With only a few words, Mei Shao already understood what Zhao Zhen was referring to.

The Li Kingdom was established by force, and the generals who followed Emperor Mu De to conquer the country all those years after the establishment of the Li Kingdom, all of them took away part of the fief and military power one after another.Later generations of emperors were afraid of losing military power, but they suffered great losses when they took back military power several times.

In a situation where both the local military officers and the imperial court suffered losses, the imperial court had no choice but to try its best to support the new generals, but was afraid of repeating the same mistakes.They sent officials to manage the army in a unified manner, and only temporarily dispatched generals to lead the army when there was a war.The soldiers will be separated for a long time, and the two sides will not accept it, so it is difficult to win.

Most of the time when the DPRK and China encountered wars, they still had to rely on the military marquis, but under the hereditary military marquis, the descendants no longer had the talents of their fathers to be generals, but they still held on to the military power.

People in the army who want to rely on their military merits to be promoted still have to look at their faces, and when they march, they send many civil servants with them. Under the pressure, it is difficult for outstanding generals to stand out.Going round and round, Li Guo's army management turned into a dead end.

Since the first emperor punished several military generals headed by the Mei family for the crime of treason, generals became even more scarce.Now Zhao Zhen is trapped in a situation where he has no generals to send and no soldiers at hand, otherwise he would not have used Mei Shao, who was convicted of treason.

It's just that Mei Shao, can he understand what he thinks in his heart and make this chess piece well with peace of mind?

Zhao Zhen looked at this man with probing eyes, but found that he didn't have much memory about him.During the time of the first emperor, Mei Shao only had the appearance of a wealthy son, and he often walked around the palace to visit Concubine Mei.At that time, he was just an unfavored prince who lived in another courtyard and had not met Mei Shao face to face a few times.

This person was once too well protected by his family, he had never been on the battlefield a few times, and he didn't care much about political affairs.I don't know if the changes and pains of these years have sharpened the heart of this arrogant and indulgent man who is ignorant of the world, so that he can become a sharp knife to break the stalemate situation between the court and China for himself.

Mei Shao knelt respectfully without looking up, he knew that the king was looking at him.He did not have any contact or friendship with this new monarch in private, but there was a "family letter" attached to the edict of Li An's return to the capital. King En should bring the beauty back to the capital to revisit the old place, and recount the love between the monarch and my ministers with me."

Mei Shao gambled on this, betting that the ambition of this new king is not only satisfied by the position of king, what he wants is to hold real military power and manpower in his hands, so that one day he can raise his arms and shout, and the mountains and rivers will be in the future. go.

"Sinners must live up to His Majesty's trust." If it was a gamble before, after these few words, Mei Shao already knew what Zhao Zhen was referring to.

"I'm waiting for the day when you stand above the hall as a subject." Zhao Zhen felt that he underestimated the man in front of him, and secretly had some expectations in his heart. Maybe he could really be the one who broke the situation in the court of Li Guo. .

After the two knew what the other was thinking, Mei Shao chatted with Zhao Zhen for a few more words, and then withdrew first.

Zhao Zhen let go of the black chess piece that he had been holding in his hand, looked at it for a moment, put it aside, twisted another black piece from the chess box and landed on the board.

The water-filled wand toppled again, causing noise in the empty hall before returning to silence.

Someone tapped twice on the back of the screen, and Fushun quickly went around to the back and pushed Bai Bingchen out.

"I have no regrets. Yan Fang, please stop trying to persuade me."

After listening to their conversation for a while behind the screen, Bai Bingchen felt a little chill on his body. He rolled up his cuffs, and before he could speak, he was blocked by Zhao Zhen's words.

"I know what you're going to say."

"So His Majesty asked the minister to listen behind the screen, which is to tell the minister clearly that he will not listen to the request of the minister." Bai Bingchen pointed out this point directly.

"Yes. I need someone who can help me regain military power, and that person must be him."

Mei Shao is really a pawn for Zhao Zhen to reorganize his military power. He was born in a family of generals, and under the influence of his ears and eyes, he always has a bit of leadership ability.

What's more, in today's court where in-laws have complicated nepotism, a slight influence can affect the whole body.Such a pawn whose family members are all dead, and whose life, honor and disgrace are all in his own hands, is extremely easy to handle.

"Your Majesty, don't forget that it was the Mei family who was ordered to be killed by the first emperor. He hates the Zhao family. It is really risky for Your Majesty to keep such a tiger beside his couch." Bai Bingchen still tried to convince Zhao Zhen that if this pawn was right Because there is nothing to worry about, he will fight with swords in the future, I am afraid that the balance of court and court that he is trying to maintain now is just a luxury.

"Yanfang, I have no better choice." Zhao Zhen looked directly into Bai Bingchen's eyes: "Compared to the risk of trying to seize the throne back then, this is nothing. Besides, I don't still have you."

Zhao Zhen slowed down his speech, testing Bai Bingchen's reaction: "Back then Patriarch Bai and the first emperor did very well. If there is such a day, you and I may as well follow suit."

Hearing this, Bai Bingchen's hands hidden in his sleeves trembled slightly, but he looked at Zhao Zhen without showing any emotion.

Suddenly mentioning the past, the air pressure in the hall was a little low.The Bai family also participated in the Cangshan Incident. If it weren't for the critical moment when Bai Jianzhong betrayed the Mei family, it would be unknown if the dynasty changed.It was not a glorious thing for the Bai family to step into the court of Li country by stepping on the blood of these generals, but as the status of the Bai family improved, no one dared to mention it lightly.

now......

Looking at the emperor whom he assisted all the way, Bai Bingchen felt a chill in his heart for the first time.This once cowardly and playful prince, who had to be coaxed to read two pages of the book, has now learned to take advantage of his weaknesses and make silent threats.

"As Your Majesty wishes." Bai Bingchen still obediently agreed, but there was a little more coldness in his eyes.

After six years as a monarch and minister, Zhao Zhen still knew a little about Bai Bingchen's expression, but he didn't care about the emotion hidden in those eyes.

Walking in front of Bai Bingchen, Zhao Zhen squatted down, patted his knees with a smile in his eyes, and said in a low voice: "I have been dragged down by the affairs of the previous court, and I have been unable to rectify the harem. The queen is therefore more tired, I have been ill for no reason these few days. The siblings of the Bai family have deep feelings for each other, so you should visit as often as you have time. "

Bai Bingchen looked at the man squatting and looking up at him, but felt that he was being looked down upon.

Hearing him threaten him with Bai Zijin, Bai Bingchen's originally slightly disturbed heart calmed down.

Bai Bingchen remembered the day when Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, he squatted halfway in front of him in his clothes and crown, looking at his crippled legs, his eyes turned red quietly.

Bai Bingchen didn't expect that he would do such a thing at the enthronement ceremony, and hurriedly wanted to help him up, but he heard his dull voice falling in the quiet hall: "Between Bai Qing and I, we should first have you and me, and then talk about the monarch and ministers. "

Looking at the emperor who was still squatting in front of him, he didn't stretch out his hand again, but just smiled: "I would like to follow your Majesty's instructions."

Bai Bingchen was pushed out of the inner hall by the little eunuch, and he heard someone sigh behind him: "I still hope that you and my monarch and ministers can have a good beginning and a good end. Don't let me down, and you who chose me back then."

It was mid-spring, but the night was as cold as water, and it filled him completely. Only the moon looked warm, hanging high in the sky.