The sound of music lingered in the hall, and the fragrance of flowers floated in the air, refreshing the heart and mind.
Three musicians were sitting on the floor, one played the harp, one played the sheng, and the other played the flute. The music is not as sonorous and exciting as the Jin Dynasty, but more similar to the magnificent and lingering music of the Yue Kingdom.
In the center of the hall, a dancer bares his upper body, wearing colorful silk around his waist, with baby feathers on his head, colorful shells on his neck, and prances and spins with his bare feet. Her long black hair was tied up high, and a golden mask covered half of her face. She showed off her strong body to the melody, looking like a leopard swimming in the mountains and forests.
The maids in colorful skirts were waiting in the palace, holding gold plates and silver bowls, which contained dried fruits and dried meat, as well as cakes covered with honey, exuding a sweet smell.
There is a long table at the top, and two maids sit on the left and right.
There was a couch behind the case, and Mrs. Guotai was leaning on the couch, with her black hair piled in clouds and her long skirt flowing. Her eyes are full of charm, and there is no hint that she is in her sixties.
When the internal historian arrived in front of the palace gate, a maidservant immediately came in to report.
After a while, the music in the hall came to an end, and the musicians and dancers filed out. Nei Shi crossed the threshold, took three steps at a time, approached the long case, and bowed in front of the case.
"how?"
The voice came from the top of the head, which was very different from the gorgeous appearance, with a bit of harsh muteness.
Mrs. Guotai was poisoned in her early years, and it was later found out that she was trying to prevent disaster for the late emperor. Although he saved his life, his voice was hurt and it was no longer as clear and sweet as before.
The internal historian bowed deeply and said: "The old nobles sent the eldest son out of the city, but the new nobles held back."
"oh?"
Mrs. Guota leaned on the soft pillow, tapped the back of her hand with her fingers dyed with khao, and chuckled after a moment.
"They dared to do this while the late emperor was here."
Nei Shi remained silent, staring down at the ground, as if he had turned into a statue, and remained motionless for a long time.
"Miao Liang, who do you think I should help?"
"The servant dare not speak."
"It's okay, I'll forgive you."
The internal history raised his head cautiously, his eyes slightly raised, but he still did not dare to face the imperial concubine directly, and said: "I thought that all the kings in the court were in the same position, and the old illness of the king was difficult to heal. The Jin Kingdom should have established a heir apparent early. The court is stable. Then the country will be stable, and if the country is stable, the foreign enemies will retreat, and the queen can enjoy her years in peace."
After the last note fell, Naishi took a careful look at his head, then lowered his head and said no more.
Mrs. Kota fell into silence. She seemed calm on the surface, but the frequency of tapping her fingers was increasing, which showed that she was weighing the pros and cons in her heart and could not make up her mind at the moment.
"sit."
Without commenting on the internal history, she ordered the internal history to sit down.
The maid quietly retreated to the left and right, removed the burned out incense burner, opened the burner lid, and put in the fragrant cakes again.
"The late emperor made great achievements in battle, and he was able to overthrow the city and destroy the enemy. At that time, all the clans in the country obeyed, and no one dared to take a step beyond the enemy."
Recalling those days, compared to today, Mrs. Guotai's words were filled with anger and her eyes were gloomy.
"Today, my ambitions are high but my talents are sparse, my actions are starting at the beginning and ending at the end, and I am not aware of the mistakes I made. Year after year, I still can't clean up."
The more Mrs. Guotai talked, the angrier she became, both towards the clan and the Marquis of Jin.
Naishi was well aware of her temper and always remained silent and an honest listener.
"He wants to take sole control, that's fine. He wants to support the new clan and weaken the old ones, that's fine. But he shouldn't act recklessly and cause chaos in the country."
Mrs. Kota sat up straight. These words had been pressing in her heart for a long time, and she needed to vent them.
"There is nothing wrong with weakening the Zhi family, but he should not lose the big for the small. There is no difference between sitting back and watching the national crisis but not sending troops, which is the same as destroying the country."
"I thought it was a temporary measure for him to send away his legitimate son, and then welcome him back after threatening the old ones, which would also balance the new clan's win over the hearts of the people. Who would have thought that he really wanted to support his legitimate son, it is simply unreasonable!"
The internal historian raised his head and saw Mrs. Guotai's face stained with frost. She opened her mouth, but she did not give any advice.
"He has probably forgotten that he was able to become the heir only because he was a direct descendant. It was me who drank poison for the late king!"
The depression that had been squeezed in my heart for a long time was finally released today. Mrs. Guotai's cheeks were red and her lips were as red as blood. It was possible to see how magnificent she was in her youth.
Forty years ago, she was one of the most beautiful women in the Yue clan and was famous for her beauty.
Otherwise, she would not have married the Marquis of Jin and become the marriage link between the two countries.
She prides herself on being smart and is by no means dull. I never expected that the son I gave birth to would have high ambitions and low abilities, and always liked to be smart.
"If I hadn't been poisoned and injured, I wouldn't be able to get pregnant again..."
Mrs. Kota sat upright and her voice gradually became deeper. The unfinished words disappeared into the air, and the overflowing coldness and cruelty sent chills down the spine.
"Madam, it's not too late." Nei Shi seized the opportunity and spoke out, intending to direct the topic to Lin Heng, "Young Master Heng returns to the country, and Xun Jiu comes out to welcome him. Since you don't like the elder son, why not push him away. "
"Xunjiu?" Mrs. Guotai sneered, as if she felt tired, and leaned back on the soft pillow, "They are a group of greedy ferocious wolves. After the first king left, they escaped from the chain. They can't hold them down now, and his son may not be able to hold them back."
Internal history is puzzled.
Xun Jiu went out of the city against the will of the Marquis of Jin, didn't he make his attitude clear?
"How can things be so simple?" Seeing the internal history's doubts, Mrs. Guotai said coldly, "If you really want to support Lin Heng, the ones who leave the city today are not the eldest sons of the families, but their fathers and grandfathers."
Nei Shi thought carefully, his eyebrows gradually furrowed, and hesitantly said: "Are you saying this matter is uncertain?"
"The wolf nature is cunning, so he must wait for the price. Let's see what Lin Heng will promise. If he is incompetent, the old things in Zhongshan Kingdom may happen again."
Thinking of the consequences of the Marquis of Zhongshan being stolen from his country by his clan and his family fleeing to Beijing, Mrs. Guotai's heart became cold.
"Miao Liang."
"Servant is here."
"You go to see the king. If he still avoids seeing his legitimate son, let him rest in the palace and I will make arrangements for the sacrifice." Mrs. Guotai pinched her forehead and said solemnly.
"promise."
"Go to Zong and Zhu again and ask them to come see me."
"promise."
The internal history officer stood up to accept the order and respectfully left the hall.
The palace door was closed, and the lady had no intention of watching the dance and music. She ordered her confidants to bring the wooden box, opened the copper lock with the animal head, and took out the copper tiger charm.
She didn't want to mobilize this army unless absolutely necessary.
"Let's see."
If Lin Heng can shoulder the heavy responsibility, she will help him. If this is not possible, the only option is to kill the wolf in charge and drink poison to quench thirst in order to continue the rule of the country.
Nei Shi walked out of the south hall and went to the main hall alone.
Along the way, I met a waiter who was probing his head, but he did not scold him in person. There is no lack of clan eyes and ears in the palace. The south palace can be guarded without leakage, but the rest is not under his control.
The Marquis of Jin had just taken medicine, his forehead was wrapped in fine cloth, his clothes were scattered, and he looked slightly tired.
Nei Shi was ordered to ask for an audience and was taken directly to the screen.
The incense burner was burning in the hall, but it still couldn't hide the lingering sweetness. Nei Shi had a keen sense of smell and guessed the source of the smell. His eyes flashed slightly, he folded his hands and bowed in salute.
"Mother ordered you to come?" Jin Hou's tone was cold.
"Mrs. Guotai is worried about your illness. I ordered my servant to tell you that your Majesty can rest in peace and rest, and I can take care of all the sacrificial matters."
After Nei Shi finished speaking, the room fell into silence.
The murderous intention seemed to be tangible, turning into a sharp arrow and attacking him.
The Marquis of Jin sat behind the screen, suppressed his desire to kill, took a deep breath, and said, "Tell mother, it's just a minor illness, there's no need to worry."
"Your Majesty, what about the sacrifice?"
The Marquis of Jin avoided talking about it, but insisted on mentioning internal history.
Jin Hou narrowed his eyes and the fingers of his right hand trembled slightly, which was a sign that he could not control his temper.
Clenching his fingers suddenly, Jin Hou forced himself to calm down.
"Inform Mrs. Guotai that I will summon Zong and Zhu."
"promise."
The internal historian accepted it as soon as he saw it was good, saluted and then left the hall.
The palace door closed, and there was a loud noise in the palace. The inner historian was accustomed to it, and his emotions were not touched at all. The frequency of his steps always remained consistent, as if he had measured it.
He thought everything was under control, but little did he know that Lin Heng became a variable.
As soon as I walked down the steps, I saw several waiters walking towards me in a hurry, with panic on their faces, as if they were frightened.
"What happened?" Nei Shi stopped someone and asked in a deep voice.
"Young Master Heng has entered the city and has arrived in front of the palace gate." The waiter's face turned pale, his lips trembled, and he trembled.
"Why should you be alarmed when the young master returns?" Nei Shi frowned.
Unexpectedly, the waiter trembled even more violently.
"Young master, please give me a speech and present a gift to your Majesty. It's a human head in a box!"
"What?!"
The internal history was so surprised that he immediately turned around and rushed to the palace gate.
When he arrived, he saw a carriage with carved totems parked in the road, and clan vehicles lined up on the left and right, forming two long queues in an orderly manner.
The young master walked out of the carriage and stood in front of the car. He was wearing a black robe and his face became increasingly pale.
Several wooden boxes were placed side by side on the ground. The lids of the boxes were open, and inside were bloody human heads. They could vaguely be identified as Xian Huan and others.
Several double-spear soldiers dismounted from their horses, carrying sacks on their shoulders. They tore off the tether, and the dry and discolored ears fell to the ground and piled up into a hill in a moment.
The human ear has been soaked in the concoction and emits a strange smell, which is nauseating at first smell.
Lin Heng stood in front of the car with his arms folded, as if waiting patiently. It wasn't until the palace door opened wide and he saw the figure appearing behind the door that he raised his right arm to signal to the knight behind him.
The two spear soldiers dismounted neatly, stood still, struck their shields with their wrist guards, and shouted: "Young Master Heng returns to the country and sacrifices his life to honor the king!"
The sound continued to rise, carried by the wind into everyone's ears.
The head of the clan and the single ear of the assassin were a great gift prepared by Lin Heng for the Marquis of Jin.
The clan princes were ordered by their father to go out of the city to meet Lin Heng. When they saw him, they were led away by the nose without even exchanging greetings, and followed him to the palace gate.
Seeing the so-called "gift" clearly, the proud people couldn't help but feel horrified.
Not out of fear.
As the heirs of the family, most of them have been fighting with their fathers for many years, fighting against the soldiers of the princes, expelling the dog soldiers, or massacring the mountain bandits, and their hands will be stained with blood.
What really shocked them was Lin Heng's words and deeds.
The legitimate son left the country at a young age and stayed in Beijing as a hostage for nine years. After going through many twists and turns, he is now back safely. It is by no means relying on flattery to the emperor or luck.
Recalling the mysterious battle in the secret report and Tao Lian's attitude, everyone's minds were racing, and their understanding of Lin Heng suddenly became clear.
The young man is as stubborn as a tiger and must not be underestimated!
