The melodious bells sounded in Yuzhen Temple.
Li Jilan stood up slowly, picked out a colorful dress from the closet and looked at it. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
It was a pity that as a cultivator, she was not suitable to wear it like this, so she had no choice but to put it back, but she felt that it was fun just to look at it.
Putting on a Taoist robe, she secretly applied a little rouge in front of the bronze mirror, picked up the manuscript she had prepared last night, left the boudoir, and went to the law hall to find Li Tengkong.
The law hall was quiet, Jiao Nu was leaning on the wooden frame and reading a storybook, Mian'er was sleeping back in the cage holding a futon, and only Li Tengkong was meditating.
"Are you doing your homework in Takong?"
"Ji Lanzi doesn't do his homework?"
Li Jilan answered matter-of-factly: "But I'm worried that my legs will bend while meditating."
As she spoke, she lifted up her Taoist robe and showed Li Tengkong her straight calves.
This small move made Li Tengkong feel a little more cautious, and whispered: "My legs are also very straight."
"Let me see."
Although they were both women, when Li Jilan touched Li Tengkong's calf and raised his head to reveal those gorgeous peach blossom eyes, Li Tengkong was still a little embarrassed. He felt that this senior sister was weird and always got close to him for no reason.
"Ji Lanzi, we have a visitor."
"Is this sir here? Please come quickly."
"No, it's the Lord Hezheng County who is here."
"Wait a minute, I'll be here soon..."
Li Jilan hurriedly got up and picked up the manuscript and went out.
The play Xue Bai asked her to write would be dedicated to the saint and should not be seen by others. After she hid the manuscript and rushed to the hall, she saw Li Tengkong talking to Li Yuituo.
Ever since they met at Zongsheng Palace, the three of them have become good friends.
Li Yuetu was different from other princesses in that she was not arrogant, but very compassionate, especially treating women well. She lost her mother when she was young and was raised by the Crown Princess Wei Fei. Later, Wei Jian's case was discovered and Wei Fei became a monk. In short, she experienced ups and downs.
"Huh? Usually you are very happy when I come, but today you don't seem to welcome me."
"Sanniang is talking nonsense." Li Jilan said, "I'm looking forward to your coming."
"You have a guest coming?" Li Yuetu could tell at a glance that she was lying, and said with a smile: "Then when he comes, I will just say goodbye, so don't cover it up."
"Where are the guests?"
Li Tengkong still refused to admit it, but the next moment, a female champion came over and said: "Tengkong, Ji Lanzi, Xue Lang is here."
"Okay, I'm leaving." Li Yuetu stood up with a smile, but asked: "By the way, can I have a chat with him?"
~~
Xue Bai was not surprised to meet Li Yuetu at Princess Yuzhen's Taoist temple.
What surprised him was that the royal granddaughter actually apologized to him.
"I'm sorry, I asked the saint to grant me a marriage. If you marry me, you will be very unhappy, right?"
"What's up?"
"Can I apologize to you again for my grandpa?"
There is no apology without reason. Xue Bai knew why she came and said in a deep voice: "Let me just say a few words and you can tell your grandpa."
Li Yuetu was a little surprised by his tone and thought he was very fierce.
But she nodded anyway.
"good."
"Let him stop trying to win me over. It's useless. Don't worry too much. I promised Mr. Li that his words will count. Now I have figured it out. Mr. Li is right. The saint lives forever. Don't worry about my grudges with Dong Palace. , just leave it to time."
Li Yuetu's eyes widened, frightened by such words, and she became more and more worried about her grandfather's condition.
Xue Bai said: "In short, now I am focusing on preparing for the spring exam and will no longer get involved in these intrigues."
He raised his hand, keeping a respectful distance, and walked away.
It took Li Yuetu a while to react, secretly thinking that Xue Bai was really rude and bold for having such an attitude towards Dong Gong.
For a moment, she inexplicably thought of the scene of Concubine Wei kneeling in front of the ancient Buddha with a green lantern, twisting off her long hair one by one. Deep in her heart, she vaguely wondered whether Grandpa had lost his prestige little by little since then...
~~
Prince's Courtyard.
"Is that what he said?"
"Yes, my daughter sees how leisurely he is, so it's time for her to stop being an enemy of grandpa."
Li Yuetu actually beautified Xue Bai's most vicious words, changing it to say that grievances will gradually fade away over time.
Finally, she said with emotion: "Mr. Li is really capable. Although he did not make Xue Bai a friend, he easily turned him into an enemy. I have one less cunning and insidious enemy, so I can rest assured and recover."
"Go ahead."
Li Heng waved his daughter away, sat up from the hospital bed, took off the wet cloth from his forehead, and looked a little pale.
"Sir, he really appeased Xue Bai. He used a good method... It turns out that as long as he said that the prince will definitely die before the saint, everything can be solved."
"Your Highness, no one would think this way. It must be Xue Bai who deliberately alienated us."
"Ahem, cough, cough. Maybe he didn't think that way. Maybe he thought that it would be enough for the prince to take the throne for one or two years without having to exert any prestige or power."
After saying that, Li Heng waved his hand and lamented: "You don't have to persuade me. I'm not blaming you. He is a loyal minister of the country, and he should think this way. This is my destiny."
"Your Highness!"
Li Jingzhong burst into tears and fell to the ground wailing.
When he cried like this, Li Heng calmed down, turned his eyes, and said thoughtfully: "It seems that winning over Yang Dang is not possible... How else can I protect my sworn brother?"
In fact, it is impossible to think about it. The saint's will cannot be violated. From Shibao City to Pei Mian's case, they were all excuses. After trying for so long, they finally couldn't get over it.
At this moment, a young eunuch hurriedly ran over and reported, "Your Highness, there is someone asking to see you. She claims to be Wang Zhongsi's daughter."
Li Jingzhong was shocked when he heard this, and secretly cursed her for how dare she come, and quickly reminded her: "Your Highness, the case that the saint asked Your Highness to investigate has not yet been revealed."
"Ahem..."
Li Heng hesitated for a moment, with a bitter look on his face, coughed a few times, lay down again, and turned over.
Seeing this scene, Li Jingzhong wiped away tears and rushed to the door in person.
"Wang Twelve Mother, please come back. Your Highness is really sick."
"Please, Your Highness, protect my grandpa."
"Wang Twelfth Mother has misunderstood. The reason why she said that Bianzhen Jiedu uses Hu people is to appease and encourage the Hu generals, and has nothing to do with General Wang." Li Jingzhong was humble and said sincerely: "Right now, people are worrying about things in vain, but they are causing harm. General Wang."
After Wang Yunxiu heard this, although she was still frightened, she had to go home temporarily.
There is a map in her home, which she drew with her own hands based on previous news, to analyze the situation in the Battle of Stone Castle City.
Wang Zhongsi has been besieging Shibao City for more than four months. Ge Shuhan defeated the Tibetan cavalry and supported him. If he attacked by force, Shibao City should have been captured long ago.
"Grandma, why are you still not victorious?"
~~
A simple map was placed on the small case, and Xue Baixi and Li Mi were sitting and talking.
"The reason why General Wang hasn't conquered Shibao City yet is because he is still waiting."
"wait?"
Xue Bai said: "When the weather turns cold, we can use the method of burning rocks with firewood, bombarding stone fat fireballs, and burning the city wall..."
The fire was burning brightly on the small stove, and the teapot on the fire was making a gurgling sound.
After hearing this method, Li Mi had a look of compassion on his face and said: "If General Wang is willing to attack by force, he will be able to break the city sooner. This move is to reduce casualties."
"Then I don't know."
"The saint was very satisfied with Xiao Bolu's battle, and today he sent a decree to Anxi to commend him. He also asked, if Gao Xianzhi destroyed a country, Wang Zhongsi still couldn't destroy a city?"
Xue Bai said: "Mr. Li is well-informed?"
Li Mi waved his hand and said: "I'm waiting for the imperial edict to be sent to Hanlin, just for the convenience of my duties."
“Those who sit and watch fishermen only envy the fish.”
"Don't be joking." Li Mi said seriously: "Do you know who the right minister plans to appoint to succeed General Wang?"
"If you take Shibao City, General Wang will have great achievements. How come you have already thought about appointing someone to replace him?"
"Jiedu uses Hu people. Isn't it just for you and me?" Li Bi said: "It's for General Wang's subordinates, Ge Shuhan, An Sishun and other Hu generals. It is said that Ge Shuhan has been drafted as a He is the military envoy to Longyou; An Sishun is the military envoy to Hexi and Shuofang; An Lushan is also the military envoy to Hedong."
This was the intention to carve up the four major border towns in Wang Zhongsi's hands, which was expected.
Li Mi continued: "Do you know who An Sishun is? His uncle is An Lushan's stepfather, and they are cousins."
"So, all the five great governors in the world belong to the brothers of the An family?" Xue Bai looked calm, but he casually said something extremely treasonous, "The saint might as well just make An Lushan the prince."
Li Mi originally wanted to scare Xue Bai.
But even though he had cultivated to a calm state of mind, he was still frightened by Xue Bai's arrogance. When he heard it, his face turned pale.
"No." Li Mi had to comfort him and said, "For one thing, it has not yet been determined whether this arrangement will be like this."
Xue Bai understood that it was nothing more than bargaining.
Li Linfu shouted out the slogan first to fight for these barbarians. How many of them can be decided by then depends on Li Longji's wishes.
"Secondly, the loyalty of the An family brothers is still trustworthy, especially An Sishun, who is very loyal..."
"What are you talking about?" Xue Bai was too lazy to listen and said, "Since we are talking privately today, I will show you some magical skills."
"good."
"I see that the shape of Anlu Mountain has been reversed. There are many evils in the liver and gallbladder. Sooner or later it will be reversed." Xue Bai said: "What will happen if An Sishun is loyal then? Since he is given great power, should he kill or not? The way to employ people should be fair. A rigorous system that relies entirely on 'loyalty' and delegates power to everyone, no matter how eloquently they talk, they still think they have everything under control and are hopeless."
"Whether An Lushan wants to rebel, it's useless for you and me to say it." Li Bi said: "He is now stranded in Beijing, waiting for this change."
"oh."
Li Mi asked: "What do you think?"
"Li Hanlin promoted me." Xue Bai said: "I don't even have an official position, how can I treat it? I just heard about it and passed the time."
"You also have friendship with General Wang. Can you please ask Mrs. Guo Guo to come forward and persuade me?"
"Impossible." Xue Bai shook his head decisively, "Usually, it's okay to play around with small things. This time it's a major military matter. Is it reasonable to ask her to make a few comments?"
Li Mi was silent for a while and then asked: "I heard that Yuan Zai, the judge of salt and iron next to Uncle Yang, is the son-in-law of General Wang. Maybe Uncle Yang can come forward?"
Xue Bai took the teapot away from the fire without adding any salt. He scooped out the tea soup and said casually: "I have no friendship with Wang Zhongsi. We have only met him a few times, but he is not my sworn brother. You also know that I am utilitarian. The reason why I built the giant stone cannon is because I know this object and I want the little girl around me to make a contribution."
Li Mi pondered: "At this time, even if there is only one Hedong Jiedu envoy?"
"Ask me, sir? Why not ask the prince?"
"The prince is sick."
Xue Bai's reaction was indifferent, as if the matter had nothing to do with him, and said: "Let's have tea. The prince is sick, and you and I are two little people. It's best not to talk about state affairs."
~~
Sunlight poured into the small room through the lattice window. Qinglan woke up and rubbed her eyes.
Xue Zhai originally raised chickens, but she knew that Xue Bai often got up late, so she asked the kitchen to stew all the roosters. Therefore, the morning in the Xue family is very quiet.
After freshening up a little, Qinglan walked around to the main room.
The orientation of the main house was not very good, it faced the west, so the morning sunlight could not shine in, and it was still a little dark. Xue Bai was sleeping soundly.
"Mr. Lang, it's time to get up."
After calling out, seeing that Xue Bai didn't respond, Qing Lan said, "If you can't afford it, I'll tickle you."
This is a big progress in their relationship recently, because when she was playing with Xue Bai, she scratched him and ended up scratching him on the bed, and she gradually got used to it.
"I really tickled you..."
Xue Bai felt a pair of small hands reaching into his arms in a daze, turned over, and a soft body squeezed into the bed. He had no choice but to hug her and stop her from making trouble.
"Sleep a little longer."
"oh."
As soon as Qing Lan was hugged, she stopped making trouble.
After a while, Xue Bai said: "General Wang is about to capture Shibao City."
"What?"
"When the time comes, I will ask you for my merits. In addition to this treason and despicable status, you can marry someone as your wife if you want."
Qinglan was not happy after hearing this. She felt that he still didn't care about her, but when she thought about how hard he worked to get her out of the country, she was inevitably a little confused.
She asked in a low voice: "Mr. Lang, can I be your concubine?"
Xue Bai hadn't fully woken up yet, so he subconsciously responded, "Then you've earned it."
Qing Lan was stunned and didn't know what this meant.
When Xue Bai regained his consciousness, he probably still remembered what he said, and he sat there and muttered, "I'm a little too crazy."
In short, he promised to take her as his concubine, and Qinglan was very much looking forward to it, and even became concerned about the battle report of Stone Castle City.
Finally, on the sixth day after a light snowfall, she was hanging clothes in the yard when she suddenly saw Xue Bai coming back.
"Huangfu'e, Shibao City has been captured."
Qing Lan raised her head and looked at Xue Bai, dumbfounded because she hadn't heard anyone call her name for a long time.
"Mr. Lang?"
"The battle report has just been sent, and the memorial of meritorious service has not been sent yet." Xue Bai said: "But Wang Zhongsi promised to write down your name. If he forgets about this..."
He didn't say any more and just smiled.
Maybe there were people in Stone Castle who were defeated in advance and suffered fewer casualties?
He didn't know about this matter, and everything had to wait until specific information came out. He only hoped that because of his intervention, the information about this battle would change for the better.
~~
At the same time, there were post horses galloping on the official road to the west of Chang'an.
The knights traveling from west to east carried memorials of their achievements in the Battle of Shibao City. There were names on the memorials. There was Ge Shuhan who killed five thousand Tibetan cavalry and did not return. There was also a night attack on Shibao City. The generals of the city, Gao Xiuyan, Tian Shengong, Tian Shenyu... also recorded many meritorious craftsmen, including Xue Bai, An Bobo, Huangfu Cai.
In addition to these, there is also a list of names of those who died in the war. It is very long.
"Hush!"
On the official road, another group of knights was running wildly from east to west, carrying with them an imperial edict calling Wang Zhongsi back to the palace.
I would like to recommend, the History Wolf's "The Clothes Don't Travel South" has been released, you can watch it if you are waiting for the update~~
(End of chapter)
