In a blink of an eye, mid-spring has passed, and the scenery of late spring is slowly coming to an end.
As the clouds roll in and relax day after day, the brightness and warmth of spring are gradually worn away by the ruthless passage of time, and the vibrant spring spirit is gradually reduced; although the blue sky is still as blue as the sky, However, the clearness of late spring is obviously missing, and instead the clarity and intensity of early summer are added. Against the bright black sun in the sky, it casts thousands of red light and outlines the majestic outline of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Spring is not over yet, but summer is coming quietly. It was still noon at the moment, and looking around the capital, the clear blue sky was cloudless, as clear as jade, and as holy as velvet; except for pieces of floating white clouds, there was only a golden rim embedded in the sky. It loomed among the clouds until it illuminated most of the sky.
Nowadays, the sky and the earth are unstained by clouds and everything is silent; the blue sunny sky and white clouds present a colorful picture of late spring and early summer.
The day seemed to pass by very quickly, and it was already dusk in the blink of an eye.
At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and a wisp of the setting sun, as red as blood, hung in the distant sky; the faint afterglow poured down and sprinkled on the tall and majestic Shangjing city, covering the heaven, earth and the imperial capital with a layer of buckle. The soul-stirring red color, and even the few dark clouds in the sky, are rendered gorgeous by the setting sun... Under this gradually fading sky, the huge Shangjing City actually seems to be... A Shura field that had just experienced a massacre swallowed up the remaining light, leaving only blood in the city.
As the last ray of sunset fell behind the clouds, the Xuanwu Gate, the north gate of the Taiji Palace in the imperial city of Beijing, slowly closed; and on the tower of the Xuanwu Gate, two teams of fully armed golden-armored forest guards were already lined up. , climbed up the tower with unusual composure, and after completing the simple guard change procedures, they were distributed in every corner of the palace gate, standing tall and motionless.
The rustling breeze blew through the heroic faces, and the setting sun shone on the golden armor, as if coated with a layer of dazzling red clouds; the straight spears were held in the hands of these proud men, with red tassels fluttering, The sharp light of the gun flashed...
The dusk in early summer is extremely beautiful, especially when it is not yet the hottest time. Therefore, the city of Shangjing under the sunset is even more beautiful in its tranquility and tranquility.
Go to Beijing, the Imperial Palace of the Zhou Dynasty.
The remaining sun in the western sky is crumbling, setting off the vast and bloody twilight. It is reflected on a vermilion palace wall, like a burning fire, shining directly into people's eyes and confusing them.
In front of the Manna Hall.
Countless Yulin tigers, wearing dark armor and holding swords, stood tall and solemn, with stern faces, sealing off the area within a hundred steps. They seemed to have a sacred mission, which was to defend the solemn palace behind them. , and the noble king in the palace.
The "Ganlu Hall", which stands to the north of the Taiji Palace, faces south and has high eaves. It is adjacent to the Wude Hall. It is the daily residence of the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty today; and the owner of this palace is the ruling dynasty. A man whose life and death depended on the honor and disgrace of thousands of his people.
As the residence of the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, the layout of the Ganlu Hall is completely devoid of splendor and extravagance. Instead, it shows a rare elegance and solemnity. The room is filled with the aroma of books. Apart from the royal desk, bookshelves, and memorials, there is only one standing room. On the screen beside the dragon couch, there is a "Kyushu Territory" hanging high on the curtain wall. It is quite eye-catching, but there is not much else left.
The huge Manna Hall seemed extremely quiet at this moment. The fine ambergris was burning in the gilt and enamel cauldron. For a while, green smoke lingered in the sky over the hall and did not dissipate for a long time.
It was almost evening. In the deep palace, Emperor Xuan of the Zhou Dynasty, Xiao Longxian, was wearing a mist blue nightgown. He was holding a book leisurely, half-lying on a recliner, and casually flipping through the book in his hand, with a calm expression. Water; behind him, two flower-like palace maids are fanning His Majesty's hands to keep him cool. On the right, an elderly middle-class man is holding a fly whisk to drive away mosquitoes and flies for the Emperor.
Suddenly, a light yellow clear summer sun shines through the snow-white paper, onto the smooth green ground of the Ganlu Hall, and onto the emperor’s azure mist-like nightgown. Let the bright sunset outside the window spread all over the body, Dye a body with the purity and tranquility that is the most noble in the world.
I saw that the forty-six-year-old Emperor Zhou, although he was already over 40 years old, was reclining on a recliner, but he did not show the bloated fatigue of middle-aged people at all; his appearance was beyond words. Although he is not very heroic in appearance, he still has a majestic look between his eyebrows and eyes, those black and gold eyes, his upright and determined face, and two majestic and slender mustaches embedded under the straight nose. , invisibly revealing the awe-inspiring and inviolable majesty of the monarch; and the nightgown embroidered with the pattern of two dragons playing with pearls, worn on Emperor Xuan, just highlighted his slender figure and showed his supreme status. Teach people not to dare to approach easily.
In the eyes of everyone, he was the eldest son of the late emperor, the father of the four princes, the god of all the women in the palace, and the man who personally led the Northern Expedition and made Rouran cower in Mobei. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince opened the gate of Xiyan Kingdom; now, he holds the country in his hands and overlooks all directions. He is the monarch who dominates this powerful empire and is also a generation recognized by the whole world.
Someone once said that His Majesty's appearance and demeanor are inherited from his father Emperor Jing's suave style; however, his iron-bloodedness and ruthlessness are completely inherited from his grandfather Emperor Wen's decisive killing; therefore, in the eyes of the ministers, His Majesty is A wise lord who guides the country; the emperor in the eyes of his children is a strict father who is not angry and has authority; and the emperor in the eyes of the queen and concubines is an unfathomable lord... Almost no one has ever seen a faint smile on His Majesty's face, not even a trace. Because he is the emperor, the emperor of the world. From the moment he ascended the throne, he understood what responsibilities he shouldered. Behind him was the country and the country of the Great Zhou. As the Lord of the Great Zhou, if He would be willing to bear the price no matter how high it was to be able to clear up the world, rectify all the wastelands, and create a lasting legacy in his lifetime.
At this time, in the quiet emperor's palace, sandalwood was curling up. Xiao Long was reclining on the recliner, but his eyes never moved away from the book in his hand. His eyes were cold, except for the contemplation between his eyebrows, which was like a man standing in the sky. The long clouds are so unpredictable.
The noble man standing next to the emperor, perhaps because of the emperor's power, lowered his head and did not dare to look directly at the emperor's solemn expression; but in this short moment, deep in the mind of the noble man, suddenly A handsome figure emerged:
He was dressed in fluttering white clothes, proud of the snow and frost, and spotless; he was a handsome man, with handsome eyebrows, deep eyes, sharp eyes, and a cold and solemn look on his face. This kind of stubbornness, that kind of pride, that kind of coldness that despises everything, is exactly the same as the Emperor in front of him, very much like His Majesty in his youth.
It was only then that the nobles had an epiphany. Presumably, the most dazzling young commander in the capital city, with his tall and straight posture, unrestrained attitude, and uninhibited expression, including those black eyes that seemed to be burning with blazing flames. , all of this should be derived from his father, the most powerful monarch in the world today; no wonder among the three princes, His Majesty only favors himself as Erlang. Maybe seeing him, Your Majesty thinks of his former self. Bar!
The atmosphere in the Manna Hall was always as cold as ice. Although the emperor on the recliner was middle-aged, he was not tired at all. He just read the book quietly, with a few wrinkles appearing on his face that showed a bit of vicissitudes of life. , under the ever-furrowed brow, is the determined gaze unique to a lonely man.
After a while, Xiao Longxian slowly spoke, but he did not raise his eyelids.
"You just said, whose girl is she from?!"
The emperor's voice was very soft, and he seemed to be speaking carelessly, and he didn't know who he was asking, but the coldness in his words was filled with countless chills, which was deep and audible, making people shudder when he heard it.
Hearing His Majesty's abrupt question, the nobleman waiting on the side was slightly startled for a moment, then bowed slightly and spoke cautiously.
"Your Majesty, it's... the fourth lady of the Xie Situ family."
"oh?"
Xiao Longxian's eyes moved slightly, and the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes almost covered his eyes. He put down the book, placed his hands steadily in front of his knees, and leaned on the back of the recliner, letting the recliner beneath him gently Shaking his body.
This posture is extremely comfortable and relaxing. As the emperor of all ages, Xiao Longxian seems to enjoy this feeling. Most of his body is nestled in a small recliner, where he is quiet. He closed his eyes and meditated, but said not a word.
After a long time, Emperor Xuan suddenly smiled strangely. An intriguing smile appeared under the corners of his thin lips. Then he slowly opened his eyes. Those deep pupils were still so cold and stern.
"Well, it turns out it's the fourth girl from the Xie family. I remember her. I hugged her when she was just one month old. For this reason, the queen complained a lot to me, saying that she didn't see Pingyang when she was born. I have been so concerned; after all, she should be only one year younger than Erlang."
When he said these words, Xiao Longxian's tone was low and gentle, as if he was talking about a trivial matter. At this moment, he seemed not to be a great emperor, but just a person reminiscing about his son and daughter. Childlike father.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Miss Xie Si is fifteen years old this year."
When he heard this, Xiao Long's bright eyes narrowed slightly, and his dark but not cloudy eyes contained a slightly hazy smile under the reflection of the setting sun outside the window.
"Fifteen years old is a prime time for a woman. Even I can't remember what I was doing when I was fifteen years old..."
Deep contemplation and a faint smile brought back the memories of a generation of emperors that had been buried in the heart for a long time. Now that he rules the world and is rich all over the world, perhaps only when he dreams back at midnight, will he recall the anger of the past in bright clothes. Horse, chasing the long-lost youth.
An elusive and strange-looking smile hung on the emperor's stable lips again. Different from the warm smile just now, this smile obviously had a bit of coldness, just like the night in the dark night. As chilling as the wind; along with the emperor Xiongcai's sneer, the two thick beards under Xiao Longxian's nose also looked so strong and powerful, like the blade on a long knife.
After a moment, Xiao Longxian's expression returned to its former cold-blooded and murderous nature, and there was a large dazzling cold light in his eyes that disappeared as soon as it appeared. When he spoke lightly, his voice was as high as a snow-capped mountain.
"I heard that Erlang has been very close to the four girls of the Xie family recently?!"
It seemed like a casual question, but it was actually a resounding question uttered by the emperor with supreme authority. The noble man's heart couldn't help but tremble violently, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans continued to seep out on his forehead. Neng replied with a trembling voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
At this moment, the majestic face of the Emperor of Zhou inadvertently relaxed, showing a trace of self-deprecation, so that the sharp light condensed in his eyes turned into endless indifference and endless ridicule.
"What kind of curse did Xie Wende's good daughter cast on Erlang to make my son so obsessed with me? Did he not even care about his decency?"
Hearing the obvious sullenness in the emperor's words, the noble man stood aside, not daring to take a breath. After hesitating for a moment, he still had the courage to speak in a hoarse voice.
"Your Majesty, I heard from people that King Rencheng often takes the fourth lady in and out of the military camp recently."
What?
Entering and exiting the military camp!
Upon hearing this, I saw that the expression on Emperor Xuan's face suddenly darkened, and the angular face suddenly became darker and darker, as if covered with a layer of rolling dark clouds. Uncertain; since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, whether it is the previous Emperors Wen and Jing, or the Zhou Emperor Xiao Longxian who currently sits on the dragon throne, they have never relaxed their control over the military, let alone allow women to enter the military camp without permission. Ridiculous things occurred; especially Xiao Longxian, a talented and strategic king, when he was still the prince, he personally led an army to conquer the north and south, and established a high prestige in the army. Just imagine how terrifying it would be for an emperor who rose to power with his illustrious martial arts to control the army and military power once it reaches a certain peak state.
Although the expression on Xiao Longxian's face was extremely gloomy, he still remained as calm as ever, with a calm expression between his brows. His majesty as an emperor was just like the mountains and rivers on the "Kyushu Territory" , forever engraved deep in his bone marrow, he did not speak, but listened with unusual calmness and indifference.
The emperor was half sitting and half lying down, listening to these words, listening to the noble man talking about the romantic affair between Erlang and the girl from the Xie family. His expression was slightly strange, and seemed to be covered with a touch of disappointment, and a touch of sadness. It's unpleasant, but it's not easy to detect.
The noble man glanced at His Majesty.
"Your Majesty, this old slave also heard that the soldiers of the Beida Camp all called Miss Xie..."
At this point, the noble man suddenly became speechless and did not dare to speak any more. He did not dare to look directly at His Majesty's sharp eyes, so he could only lower his eyelids as much as possible.
"What did you call her?!" Emperor Xuan, who had been silent for a long time, slowly rubbed the back of his hand, his eyes narrowed into a dark line, his pure gaze, like two scimitars, gouging into the noble man's body , Leng Qinqin asked.
The more restrained he became, the sharper his Majesty's gaze became. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and swallow hard.
"Princess Rencheng."
These four words were spoken very lowly and lightly. He thought that in this way, His Majesty the Emperor might turn the big things into trivial matters. However, he was wrong. The Lord in front of him was a man with a tough and strong mind. The heroic and wise king who is invaded by any foreign object is the most powerful king in the world. The will of the emperor is not something that slaves like them can figure out without authorization.
"Snapped!"
The emperor's generous palm was finally raised slightly, and then fell heavily, fearing to be on the armrest of the recliner. It must be said that the strength of the emperor's palm, although it was not enough to overturn the recliner, made it tremble violently. Suddenly, there was a sound like a stone thrown into water.
Immediately, the noble man who was walking on thin ice, including the two maids behind the emperor, and all the eunuchs and maids in the Manna Palace, were frightened by His Majesty's powerful and domineering palm and fell to the ground. No one dared to look up at His Majesty at this moment. Eyes and expressions.
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
But soon, Xiao Long took a deep breath, his plain tone filled with suffocating indifference and coldness.
"Erlang is acting more and more nonsense now!"
The last few rays of dusk were hidden in the pale dusk clouds and disappeared in an instant.
A tall and slim middle-aged man wearing a foggy blue nightgown stood on the corridor of Ganlu Hall, with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at the wide square in front of him; in the night of late spring and early summer, It enveloped the entire Great Zhou Palace and reflected deep in the eyes of the middle-aged man, making his eyes look lonely for a moment.
At this moment, he seemed not to be the supreme being in the world, but just an ordinary father.
"Erlang, you disappoint dad so much."
…
The night was already very deep.
In the early summer night, it is quiet, quiet and dim. The waning moon is like a hook in the sky. The light blue moonlight pours down along with the groggy night, and is reflected on the Jinming Pool in the Royal Palace Garden. When the summer wind blows, the pool changes. Ripples like fish scales appeared on the surface; after a while, the silver glow dissipated, leaving only a pool of clear water.
The night is long.
Chongde Palace, dimly lit.
At this time, the night was already very deep, but the faint lights in the queen's palace still illuminated the plants and trees outside the palace clearly.
In the small Buddhist hall in the west pavilion of Chongde Palace, Queen Dugu Yuanji was twisting Buddhist beads in her hands, kneeling on a futon, closing her eyes slightly, and reciting the Lankavatara Sutra devoutly. I saw that this forty-year-old Three years old, the mother of the Zhou Dynasty, who was born into a Xianbei family in the north and gave birth to three princes, King Qi, Princess Pingyang, and King Rencheng, for today's emperor. She was wearing a bright red Hu dress with simple and elegant makeup. Although she was not stunning, she was She also lightly swept her eyebrows, looking full of the wildness and vitality of a Xianbei woman, quite like the mother of a country.
Because she was a Xianbei woman, and because she came from a wealthy family in the north, the queen was well-kept even though she was already over 40 years old. She had no hair on her temples, her hands were smooth and firm, her skin was still slightly shiny, and she had a graceful and luxurious demeanor. , better than the vulgar powder in the palace, just like a proud winter plum blossoming against the wind and snow.
The Buddhist hall is not large in space and is located in the west pavilion. It is very close to the queen's bedroom, separated by gauze curtains. In Chongde Palace late at night, countless maids stood outside the curtains, no one came forward, and they looked at what was happening from time to time. Queen Dugu was worshiping the Buddha behind the curtain. Through the thin gauze curtain, they could vaguely see Her Majesty the Queen, an old lady, kneeling on the futon alone, with her eyes slightly closed and murmuring words.
No one dared to come forward and disturb the queen. Even though her appearance was old and her youth was gone, their queen still tried hard to maintain her elegant demeanor as the queen of the Great Zhou Dynasty and was unwilling to show any trace of tiredness or fatigue in front of outsiders. Old-fashioned.
Undoubtedly, Dugu Yuanji is extremely lonely at this moment. There is no one around her. Except for the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva enshrined in the Buddhist niche, there are only the selected poems on the desk beside her that have been with her for almost twenty years. , ancient books and Buddhist scriptures...
"Saint, saint..."
At this time, a maid from Chongde Palace bent her knees slightly and whispered softly through the gauze curtain; because the queen had a habit of not disturbing her when she was worshiping the Buddha unless there was something important, so she couldn't Determine whether the queen has finished praying to the Buddha.
"Saint, saint..." This time, the maid raised her voice a little.
"What's up?"
Dugu Yuanji slowly opened her eyes, her face was gray and her voice was cold; she put down the Buddhist beads in her hand, her posture was already a little stiff, just like the Tathagata Buddha statue in Yong'an Temple in Beijing, which was frozen on the futon.
"Sage, someone from the Manna Palace has sent a message. Your Majesty would like you to come over."
"It's so late, has your Majesty not rested yet?" Dugu Yuanji asked calmly.
"No."
"Did you tell me what happened?"
"I heard that it seems to be about King Ren." The maid who came to report secretly glanced at the Queen and whispered cautiously; she also knew that the Queen, like Your Majesty, liked Ren the most among the three children. His Highness the City King, she really wanted to see Queen Dugu's reaction.
Sure enough, when she heard the words "King of Rencheng", Dugu Yuanji turned her head subconsciously, and the worry and uneasiness of being a mother appeared on her face that had lost her former majestic appearance.
"Erlang! What's wrong with Erlang?!"
"I don't know what's going on. I just heard that His Majesty is a little unhappy. Look at this..." the maid said timidly.
As soon as these words came out, Dugu Yuanji's expression showed intermittent trance, and her eyes were dull; however, as the mother of the Zhou Dynasty, the empress who exuded the true temperament of a Xianbei woman quickly restored her harem. The master should be calm and said calmly.
"Okay, I'll go now."
…
Deep in the palace, late at night, everything is silent.
There is only a lonely city in all directions, lonely and deserted.
