The morning light shines through the clouds and mist on the earth.
A feeling of hunger came from his belly, waking Zhitang from his sleep. She opened her eyes, and what she saw shocked her. She saw a man lying beside the bed. Zhitang moved her body back vigorously. After she felt that the distance between herself and this man gave her a sufficient sense of security, she calmed down and took a closer look.
Huh? Why does this man... look familiar?
Zhitang blinked, and the hazy world gradually became clear. At this time, I took a closer look at the person beside the bed and realized that if he wasn't 'Mr. Zheng', who could he be? Why is he here? Could it be that...he has always been by her side?
After confirming that the person lying next to her bed was Mr. Zheng, Zhi Tang lowered her guard a little. On the contrary, at this time, she actually felt curious about who this Mr. Zheng was.
Zhi Tang endured her hunger and fatigue, and worked hard to move her body back. She was even closer to Ying Ping than when she woke up. When she focused her eyes again, this face was right in front of her eyes - this person's face. Although he is not as refined as Mr. Su, why is he so attractive? Look at this skin. Although it is quite shiny, it is far less delicate and fair than Mr. Su. Besides, this nose is not as handsome as Mr. Su... Could it be because of these eyes? Recalling how Mr. Zheng looked at her every time, Zhi Tang suddenly had two red clouds appear on her cheeks. It was precisely because of this surge of energy and blood that her breathing fluctuated a little.
"Cough-cough-"
Zhitang tried his best to control himself, but the breath from his mouth still moved Yingping's eyelashes up and down.
Ying Ping, who was sleeping, suddenly felt itching on his eyelids. He stretched out his hands to rub his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he saw Zhi Tang wearing a smile that could melt everything.
"Zhitang, are you awake?" Yingping straightened up excitedly. He asked frantically and with concern: "You...do you feel better now? Does the wound still hurt? Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?" "
Seeing Yingping asking so many questions like firecrackers, Zhi Tang couldn't help but become speechless. Even if she had the strength, she might not be able to answer them all at once, but the concern in Yingping's words was obvious.
"Yes! You must be hungry and thirsty now. Someone is here -"
Yingping shouted outside the palace, and a palace maid hurriedly came to Yingping.
"Quick! Go and prepare some food!"
The palace maid received the order and hurried out again.
Seeing the palace maid go out, Yingping turned around. He couldn't help but grab Zhitang's little hand and shouted softly: "Zhitang!"
Zhitang allowed Yingping to hold his hand without breaking away.
"Where...that assassin?"
Zhitang's voice was very thin, and Yingping couldn't help but lean closer.
"She...she has been subdued. Don't worry, I am safe now! We are all safe!" Yingping said with a smile. This time, he smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"Zheng...Mr. Zheng..."
"My surname is not Zheng." Yingping interrupted Zhitang and said, "My surname is Li and my first name is Yingping. You can just call me Yingping."
Zhidang recited it silently and then memorized it firmly.
"Do you know who I am?" Yingping asked directly, not intending to hide it anymore.
Zhitang smiled slightly and said: "Yesterday... I had a dream yesterday. Xiaoyuan said... said... that you were the emperor... isn't it funny?"
Seeing Zhitang's disbelief, Yingping reached out and gently stroked Zhitang's hair and said, "That was not a dream."
Zhitang's smile froze. She looked at Yingping and then around, as if she was still in a dream.
Seeing the change in Zhitang's expression, Yingping became inexplicably nervous. Although he didn't know what he was nervous about, he always felt a little worried about the gain and loss when facing the lost and recovered person in front of him.
"What...what's wrong? Are you scared?" Yingping said hesitantly.
Seeing Yingping's silly face, Zhi Tang couldn't hold it back after all, and saw her smile as if a hundred flowers were blooming.
"You're not afraid of death, why are you afraid of you, the emperor?"
Yingping felt at ease, and he giggled and said, "Yes! Yes! Don't be afraid! Just think of me as the original 'Mr. Zheng'!"
"Silly..."
Facing Zhitang's coquettishness, Yingping couldn't help feeling emotional and said: "Don't be afraid anymore, yes, no one will bully you anymore, and you and I don't have to be afraid in the future..."
The four hands were clasped together, as if they would never be separated again.
…
…
The years seem to have really become quieter and better. Under the careful care of Zichun and the imperial doctor, Zhitang's injury recovered quickly, and he was almost healed within a month. It was also from then on that the two really began to live like a couple of gods and gods. It could be said that they hung out all day long, never came to court, and sometimes they were even late to greet the Queen Mother.
Recommended pillows and rolled clothes, the spring breeze of the evening moon.
After Zhi Tang entered the palace, she was named a talented person, but she didn't care about this. She was content to be with Ying Ping every day. The two of them rubbed their ears together, played the piano, talked, laughed and played together, and their whole bodies glowed with a different kind of brilliance.
But a happy life cannot always continue. Yingping, who originally did not care about court affairs, had to go to court today. However, it was not that he wanted to go to court on a whim, but that a special guest came to Xintang today - instead of To say that he is a 'guest', it is better to say that he is a 'refugee' who came to Datang.
In the hall, on the dragon throne, the king of Yingping was still very elegant. Looking at the somewhat down-and-out young man in the hall, he suddenly felt that his life was really happy. Although he is a puppet emperor, he is well-dressed and well-fed and accompanied by a beautiful woman. Moreover, with Ye Changshan by his side, he is not in danger of his life for the time being. But what about this young man? Although his status was extremely noble, he was kicked out of his home and was even hunted all the way. He had no choice but to come to Xintang to seek protection and help.
Ying Ping secretly shook his head, looking at the young man whose eyes were full of resentment and unwillingness, he waved his hand and said: "Come here, give Prince Chen a seat quickly -"
"Give Prince Chen a seat -" Chen Jinjue shouted loudly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty——"
This young man is Ji Si, the current prince of Chen Dynasty.
The old Chen Jun of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty originally established a prince early, but then he established Prime Minister Feng's sister as his concubine, and had a little prince. Queen Zhou and Chen left early, and the prince was very weak in the court. Previously, when King Zhou and Chen were alive, Prime Minister Feng was relatively tolerant. Now that the king passed away, he took off his mask and worked with his party members to try to kill the prince and those who supported the prince's rise to power. The ministers rushed to kill them all. If it were not for the loyal servants who fought to protect him, I am afraid that the prince would have been killed by the rebels. After a series of arduous escapes, Ji Si finally fled to Chang'an, and only then escaped the Yang Party's pursuit.
Zhouchen is located in the center of the vast land of the Central Plains and is also the country with the oldest civilization in the Central Plains. Thousands of years ago, the arrogant Taizu of Zhou and Chen chose to make Luodu his capital after conquering several surrounding countries. Since then, Zhou and Chen have become the largest country in the Central Plains, and its heyday is beyond even the reach of today's Northern Wei Dynasty. The prosperous age of Zhou and Chen lasted for nearly a hundred years, until one of the Zhou and Chen emperors launched a war and fought for years, which caused misery in various places. From then on, the Zhou and Chen princes went their own way, and it was at that time that the Central Plains began to compete with each other. But no matter how the situation in the Central Plains changed, Zhou Chen, the oldest kingdom in the Central Plains, miraculously survived. This has to be lamented about the tough fate of the Zhou and Chen kingdoms.
In fact, long before the last Northern Barbarian invasion of the Central Plains, Qi Shimao of the Northern Wei Dynasty had already occupied Zhou and Chen. Since ancient times, there have been commercial capitals in the north and south in the Central Plains. If you want to do business all over the world, these two are the only roads that cannot be bypassed. The southern capital is Xinzheng, the capital of South Korea, and the northern capital is the capital of Zhou, Chen, and Luo.
Luodu is located between the Northern Wei Dynasty and the New Tang Dynasty. It has three passes and two ports. It is connected in all directions, with flat terrain and smooth land and water. It is a rare and fertile land in the Central Plains. Both the Wei and Tang Dynasties coveted Luodu. At that time, the Wei army under the rule of Qi Shimao captured Luodu with thunderous momentum, and crossed Hangu to approach Chang'an. But then the situation suddenly changed, and the Northern Barbarians invaded the Central Plains. Their offensive was as unstoppable as a flood. This put the Wei army into a difficult situation where both the front and the end were ignored. It was at this time that King Chen of Zhou led the remaining troops to defend Sishui Pass, which made Qi Shi Mao and his Wei army got a chance to breathe. What happened next is a familiar story. Under the active lobbying of a young man named Chen Laoba, the kings of several countries gathered in Wuguan and formed an alliance to fight against the Northern Barbarians. King Chen of Zhou Dynasty put aside his previous suspicions and took the initiative to provide food and grass for the Wei army. Only then did hundreds of thousands of Wei soldiers fight bravely to kill the enemy. It was precisely because of the actions of Zhou and Chen that he and Qi Shimao became close friends. After driving the Northern Barbarians out of the Central Plains, Qi Shimao returned Luodu to Zhou and Chen and restored the good relationship between Qin and Jin, and declared that there would be no mutual exchanges within a hundred years. commit——
And this year is the deadline for this century-old agreement.
It was at this juncture that something happened to the Zhou and Chen royal families. If there was no shadow of the Northern Wei Dynasty behind it, I am afraid no one would believe that the female prime minister coveted the Central Plains. The biggest enemy she faced was naturally the New Tang Dynasty. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even though the New Tang Dynasty has long lost its former prosperity, it is no longer possible for the Northern Wei Dynasty to win it at will. Facing such a behemoth as the New Tang Dynasty, the best way is to grind it to death. If the Northern Wei Dynasty wants to strangle the New Tang Dynasty by the throat, Luodu is the most critical step!
If Luodu fell into the hands of the Northern Wei Dynasty, there would be no buffer between the two countries. Once Tongguan fell, the New Tang Dynasty would be wide open!
Even if the two countries did not meet at war, the trade routes of the New Tang Dynasty would be firmly controlled by the Northern Wei Dynasty. Due to the relationship between the pavilion master and the female prime minister, Hou Han and the Northern Wei Dynasty had close contacts. If Zhou and Chen made mistakes at this time, once the Wei Dynasty If the sisters join forces, both the northern and southern trade routes of New Tang Dynasty may be completely blocked, and then the situation of New Tang Dynasty will really not be optimistic. Therefore, the ownership of Luodu will have a great impact on the situation in the two countries and even the entire Central Plains. It is no wonder that the Queen Mother and Wang Yanqing had to pay attention to this matter this time.
"What happened to His Highness is truly unfortunate. I feel deeply sorry to hear it. I would like to ask Your Highness to stay here temporarily. After settling down for a while, I will take care of Your Highness! Lord Honglu Temple——"
"Wei Chen is here -" A gray-haired old man came out.
"Let Prince Ji settle down well, don't neglect it!"
"Wei Chen takes the edict——"
