The Grand Princess

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan walked out of the palace together. Li Rong just remembered: "Don't go to the official office today?"

"I have something to discuss with you," Pei Wenxuan explained, "I just heard that you were in the palace, so I came directly."

"Oh?" Li Rong was a little surprised, "What makes you come here in such a hurry?"

"Today, the court has a great victory, and the frontline wins." Pei Wenxuan said, Li Rong raised his eyebrows, and then listened to Pei Wenxuan's reply, "The list of generals that Xiao Su came up to receive the award is controversial."

Li Rong passed these words once, and immediately understood.

Xiao Su is Rou Fei's elder brother. He used to be a cold clan. After several years of studying, he was promoted all the way through the relationship between Rou Fei.

This time, Li Ming took the Yang family and sent Li Chuan to the battlefield. By manipulating Li Chuan, the family was forced to contribute. It took a lot of effort to stabilize the situation in the northwest. As a result, Li Ming eased Li Chuan on the eve of his meritorious service. , Let Xiao Su forcibly change into the battlefield and become the main general, this breath is probably still pressed in Shangguan's heart.

The Shangguan family is a century-old famous family, and most of them have in-laws in the DPRK. This time when confronting the Yang family, the big clans in the DPRK have done a lot of effort.

And Xiao Su was born in a poor family, and it was Li Ming's special knife to suppress these families. The list of rewards he gave, even if it was not his person, would definitely not be from the family. The aristocratic family has given up so much energy in the early stage. Now if they don’t make a profit, how can they let go?

So now that the front line has won a big victory, this list is sent back, and the family will immediately quarrel with Li Ming.

"Then what do they say?"

Li Rong turned the small fan in her hand, thinking about it: "Xiao Su and the others can't move. Concubine Roux is well-loved. If you want to be able to move, they will start early. They can also pick up soft persimmons."

After speaking, Li Rong remembered: "Which generals did Xiao Su report to?"

"A total of seventeen generals," Pei Wenxuan said, analyzing, "Basically, they are imperial examinations, poor families, or second-rate families."

"Can Qin Lin be inside?"

Li Rong immediately asked, and Pei Wenxuan shook his head: "He is not here, but Qin Feng is here. I heard the battle report. It should be Xiao Su who was afraid that he was too junior and put his credit on his uncle. But they are all family members. , It’s okay."

Li Rong replied, Qin Lin is still too young now, and it is really not good for him to appear too early. But as long as the Qin family can gain a firm foothold in the northwest, it will be sooner or later that Qin Lin will make his debut.

"So," Li Rong tapped on the table, "The family is afraid that these ordinary generals will make trouble for them. Your Majesty will not just look at it like that."

"Yes," Pei Wenxuan replied, "Your Majesty called my second uncle over."

Pei’s family started with Pei Lizhi and was the core of Li Ming’s special support against the gentry. After Pei Li’s death, Pei Lixian continued his path. Although his talents were not as good as Pei Lizhi, he still occupied the position of the family.

Although this position is not like Pei Lizhi's former position of Shangshusheng Zuopushe, which generally governs six departments and has the actual execution power, it also has the right to refute and review it, which is very close to the emperor.

Li Ming called Pei Lixian over, about to discuss how to bite the big piece of northwest border with the family.

Li Rong did not speak even more, Pei Wenxuan sat on the side and waited for a while before saying, "What does your Highness think?"

"Today I had a dispute with my mother and queen."

Li Rong said indifferently: "She wanted Chuan'er to marry someone from Shangguan's family, especially Shangguanya. She was very angry about the palace banquet yesterday and scolded Chuan'er and me."

"What did your highness say?"

Pei Wenxuan knew that Li Rong could not just succumb to Shangguanyue, so he directly asked Li Rong's response. Li Rong said slowly: "I have made it clear after the pros and cons of the same mother. It is not necessary for Chuan'er to marry Shangguanya. . But she didn't seem to listen."

"It's impossible for the empress to listen."

Pei Wenxuan sipped the tea lightly, saying: "After all, the empress is the daughter of the Shangguan clan and is inseparable from the Shangguan clan. During the war on the northwest frontier, a lot of blood has been expelled from the Chaozhong family. If the prince concubine is not used as a reward to appease the family , Shangguan’s heart is afraid of feeling unfair, and the pressure that the mother needs to bear is too much."

Li Rong remained silent. Pei Wenxuan knew that Li Rong was thinking. After waiting for a while, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Why is your Royal Highness worried?"

Li Rong was quite puzzled. She raised her head and looked at Pei Wenxuan, who looked a little curious: "What?"

"Actually, this matter has nothing to do with His Majesty," Pei Wenxuan analyzed, "Let the noble family fight against your Majesty. If the noble family wins, they will support the prince. There is nothing serious about it. If your majesty wins, Xiao Su recommends it. In the list, one part is our people, and the other part is another way. What's your concern?"

Li Rong pondered. After a long time, she said slowly: "Do you really think that after the family arranges their people to the northwest border, their people are ours?"

Pei Wenxuan laughed without saying a word, bowed his head and poured tea. Seeing that he had no desire to answer, Li Rong couldn't help but said, "Why don't you speak?"

"His Royal Highness, you have to ask you, don't ask me."

"What do you mean?"

"His Royal Highness, the last life," Pei Wenxuan raised his eyes with a calm expression, "Isn't he the family?"

From the time Li Rong became the eldest princess and Li Chuan ascended the throne, they were no longer the same way.

"Is the power in the hands of His Royal Highness the same as the power of His Royal Highness?"

Li Rong was speechless.

Pei Wenxuan put his hands in his sleeves and smiled softly: "Only when I am alive, your Highness has a person who needs to be defeated, and always needs the help of His Highness, will he stand with His Highness. If one day I am gone, When the eldest princess's family was the only one in the DPRK, the eldest princess’s sharp blade could be referred to as His Royal Highness."

Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan. She looked at Pei Wenxuan quietly. After a long time, she finally said: "So, does your power belong to me again?"

"I don't know the future. But at least at this moment," Pei Wenxuan replied sincerely, "Even Pei Wenxuan belongs to His Highness."

Li Rong was taken aback for a moment. She looked at Pei Wenxuan's Qingming eyes, knowing that Pei Wenxuan was talking about politics, but still couldn't help but beat her heart.

She pulled her eyes alive, looked out the window, rubbed the lines on the gold fan, and continued: "You can contact Qin Lin, and send him whatever help he needs. At the court, I will let Tuoba Yan help. The Qin family manages secretly, but this will not be known to others. The relationship between the Qin family and me and the prince seems to be as far away as possible."

"understand."

After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, the two of them didn't talk much. After a while, Li Rong turned her head. She looked Pei Wenxuan up and down. After watching for a long time, she sighed, shook her head, and turned her head away.

Pei Wenxuan was confused by Li Rong, and couldn't help but say, "What does your Highness mean?"

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong was rather helpless, "Why is your official promotion so slow?"

Pei Wenxuan heard what the choking person said, and glanced at Li Rong lightly, and said, "His Royal Highness, you still don't seem to be favored enough, otherwise I should be promoted quickly."

"Look at your little mouth," Li Rong tapped on Pei Wenxuan's hand with a fan, "It's really annoying."

Pei Wenxuan laughed, did not pay attention to Li Rong, took the folds, bowed his head and stopped talking.

In the next few days, Li Rong made people keep an eye on the developments of all parties, and the court was arguing over the issue of rewards for major border generals. The core was not money, but position.

There is a pit for a carrot, and a place for this person to go, and another person can't go, and after the Yang family fell, there was such a big piece of fat in the northwest, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. As a result, every day they quarreled in the court. The family attacked the person selected by Xiao Su. Every time Li Ming asked for a reward, he said that there was a problem with this person. Li Ming forced the reward, but the Central Book Ministry refused to give the order. The province gave the order, but the subordinate province rejected it, saying there were problems.

Li Ming was so angry that he smashed things in the palace all night. After the family put forward a list of rewards, Li Ming directly tore it up, and refused to reject it.

The two sides were in a stalemate for several days, arguing every day in the court.

Pei Wenxuan is in Yushitai. Although the official is not big, it is Li Ming's core combat power. After all, there is no pressure on quarrels. Pei Wenxuan has no pressure from one dozen to ten, so every day Pei Wenxuan comes back, he is tired to death. Sleep as soon as you lie down on the bed.

Li Rong didn't want to disturb him, but every time she went back to bed, she would hear Pei Wenxuan ask in a daze: "I'm back?"

"What did you do today?"

Li Rong didn't know whether he was awake or awake, but he answered when he asked her that she slept well every day and was in good spirits, and some of them had the strength to answer Pei Wenxuan's questions.

Her days are much more leisurely than Pei Wenxuan, and the thing she does the most every day is to walk around, contact acquaintances, go to the teahouse to listen to the scholar's talks and see if there are any talents that can be approached.

Her life may be too boring, just say a few words at random, and Pei Wenxuan fell asleep.

Li Rong couldn't help but feel funny. I don't know what Pei Wenxuan's habit is, and she must speak a few words with her before she will go to sleep.

After arguing for five or six days, Li Rong called out Shangguanya, and secretly inquired about the news with her. It was estimated that the family would not make any more quarrels, and it should be true.

They had nothing to do with Xiao Su, and nothing with Li Ming, so they found one of the officials who had been rewarded to kill the chickens and the monkeys, and let them retreat.

If you want to choose someone to scare you, of course you have to choose the hardest and best place among these soft persimmons.

Li Rong took the list and took a look around, guessing that the people of these aristocratic families who planned to move should be the Shannan Jiang family whom Xiao Su valued most, and no matter how bad they were, they should be other people who had been close to Xiao Su.

If the family moved Xiao Su’s people, it was tantamount to touching Li Ming’s people. Li Ming would definitely not give up, fearing that he would fight back fiercely. After going back and forth like this, when they were tired, Li Rong could come forward and talk secretly. The aristocratic family and Li Ming choose a bunch of second-rate families that are not close to each other to fill the position.

Li Rong played well, and she even prepared the list of candidates. Who knew that on the eighth night, she was asleep, and there were rapid footsteps outside.

There was heavy rain that night, and the sound of rain drowned out the outside sound. Li Rong only vaguely heard the sound of human and rain intertwined. She was still asleep, so someone raised her hand to cover her eyes and reminded her: "The light is on."

Li Rong slowed down, Pei Wenxuan slowly let go of his hand, allowing Li Rong to adjust to the light, and stood up and said, "I'll go out and have a look."

With that, Pei Wenxuan put on his clothes and got up and went out.

When Li Rong saw Jinglan come in and light up the lamp, she knew something must have happened, but she didn't rush, got up and put on the clothes, just after putting on the coat, she saw Pei Wenxuan come back.

His face was extremely ugly, he pinched a note in his hand, and said coldly: "The people of the Xing Department have sealed the Qin family."

Hearing this, Li Rong suddenly raised her head: "What?!"

"Yesterday afternoon, the Zhezi submitted by Yushitai participated in the Qin family’s participation in the Yang family case. They colluded with the Yang family and colluded with the Rong state and collaborated with the enemy and traitorous country. At this moment, the search warrant for the city’s southern army has been sent to surround Qin’s house."

"Then what are you doing standing there?!"

Li Rong shouted loudly, and said directly: "You immediately go into the palace and report to your Majesty, and I will take someone there."

"What do you take people to do?" Pei Wenxuan grabbed her and said anxiously, "If you are in the past, the relationship between the Qin family and you and the prince will be exposed!"

"If I don't go there, they will have all the evidence after the search! They care about what is exposed or not!"

Li Rong stretched out her hand and pushed him away. Before he could even get the umbrella, he drank and hurried out.

Pei Wenxuan gritted his teeth and finally asked for a horse, and rushed into the palace with the token.

Li Rong led the people all the way to the Qin Mansion. When they arrived, they found that Qin Mansion cried and cried. The soldiers surrounded Qin Mansion tightly. Li Rong did not dare to go out rashly. She stood in the dark to observe the situation. , Thinking about countermeasures.

The heavy rain made the whole world foggy, and he couldn't see his surroundings at all. Li Rong stood in the rain, frightened and angry.

How do these people think of the Qin family?

Obviously she had secretly asked Tuobayan to take care of the people of the deceased family, and the Qin family was by no means as eye-catching as Shannan Jiang and others. No matter what, the family should not start with the Qin family.

Li Rong took a deep breath and decided to ignore everything else and go up and hold off for time. Just as soon as she moved, one hand suddenly stretched out and grabbed the corner of Li Rong's skirt. Li Rong suddenly turned her head and saw a hand sticking out of the bamboo basket next to her.

Li Rong overturned the bamboo basket and saw a teenage girl squatting inside. She was shaking and her face was pale. Li Rong instantly recognized her as the maid next to Qin Zhenzhen. Li Rong squatted down and calmed down. Said: "I met Qin Lin and came to rescue you. Where is your lady?"

The girl trembling lips, raised her hand, pointed to the north, and stammered: "Run...Run..."

Li Rong immediately understood the girl's meaning, stood up, and led the people to chase out in the direction she pointed.

Based on her real understanding of Qin Zhen, although Qin Zhenzhen is almost innocent, she is not stupid. She ran out so desperately, it must be that she knew what happened and left with something.

After Li Rong chased for a while, he saw sword marks on the walls of the alley. Li Rong followed the sword marks all the way to the past. Not long afterwards, he saw blood. The rain quickly diluted the blood. Li Rong tried to identify the rain, blood, and water in the dark. The sword marks also have traces of various fights.

These traces spread all the way to the end of the narrow alley. The end of this alley seemed to be used by ordinary people to pile up debris. Those things were stacked half a wall high, and everyone subconsciously chased behind the wall.

Li Rong didn't move. After scanning around, she fixed her eyes on a wooden box in the center of the debris.

She stepped forward and lifted the lid of the wooden box. At that instant, the cold light cut through the night rain, and a blood-stained sword hit Li Rong's neck.

Li Rong looked at Qin Zhenzhen, who was stained with blood and pale. The other party seemed to have been seriously injured. She was panting low, and she was only a few steps away from Li Rong.

Qin Zhenzhen looked at Li Rong, holding the sword extremely firmly.

Li Rong looked down at the girl who looked like a fighting beast in front of her with a calm expression. After a long time, she calmly said, "Remove the sword."

"I'm here to save you."

"How do I believe you?"

Qin Zhenzhen said hoarsely, and Li Rong looked at her quietly without panic: "If you don't believe it, just kill me."

Qin Zhenzhen didn't speak. She squeezed the sword in her hand. After a long time, she took the sword in her hand and stood up from the wooden box with difficulty.

Li Rong supported her, Qin Zhenzhen was wounded on her body, and the wound began to bleed as soon as she moved. She held the blood on the wound and gasped and said, "Go."