More than a hundred years ago, the world that was bound to be divided once again fell into the flames of war. In the troubled times, the princes competed with each other. In the end, the Shen family of Qingzhou completed the small unification of the world. The land of Jiuzhou was divided, with the Rong and Liao in the north, and the barbarians in the south. It has been relatively stable until now.
On the day when the Shen family ascended to power, the Jiuzhou world also changed its name to Daqing and its surname to Shen. With the rise of the Shen family to unify the nine states, the Zuo family of Yanzhou was added to the aristocratic families that stood tall in the world.
The Zuo family accompanied Qing Taizu in his southern and northern campaigns and made great achievements. Finally, they established a foothold in Yanzhou in the north and defended the country Zuo. After pacifying Jiuzhou, they began to resist the Northern Rong at the beginning of the founding of the country. and Beiliao's invasion.
Today, the Zuo family, relying on its reputation in civil affairs and the military, has a status in Yanzhou that is equal to that of the Tu emperor. Especially in these years, the existence of a certain person known as Yanzhou Tiger has led the tribe to defeat several times. Daliao made this influence deeply rooted in people's hearts.
This Yanzhou tiger is also the only child of the younger generation of the Yanzhou Zuo family.
The son of An Yanhou, the grandson of Yanzhou Mu, and one of the four young masters of Qingzheng - Zuo Ning.
The name of the tiger is often heard in the army. He is the bravest of all three armies. Wherever his halberd is dangling, the enemies dare not use their tassels to advance.
A scholar once wrote a poem praising this rising star:
The knight's sharp armor and golden halberd can defeat hundreds of formations and gain fame.
At the pass with the sound of troops and horses in autumn, I dare to call out Hu Qiang's mournful voice!
…
"Your Majesty! Someone from the Imperial Capital is here! Go and receive the order quickly!"
A slightly old but powerful voice came from outside the courtyard, interrupting the movement of the unparalleledly handsome young man inside who was dancing with his spear.
The young man did not look outside the courtyard door, but he knew as soon as he heard the voice that the person coming was his old housekeeper, Old Tang. He is also the general of his own family.
Zuo Ning performed a closing move, stopped, then put the wax-white spear at his side, stood upright, and turned to look at the old housekeeper who called him with a puzzled look on his face.
The black hair was wet with sweat and stuck to Zuo Ning's handsome and demon-like face. A pair of peach blossom eyes were full of questions.
The old housekeeper skillfully handed a sweat towel to Zuo Ning. Zuo Ning reached out and took it, wiped the sweat from Jun's face and asked:
"Imperial Capital? If you don't come to my father or my grandfather for anything, why should you come to me?"
After wiping away the sweat, Zuo Ning threw the sweat towel on the table aside and put the weapon back on the weapon shelf. Zuo Ning turned to ask the old housekeeper.
"Hehe, congratulations, Your Majesty, I heard that His Majesty gave you Princess Huaiyu in marriage!" The old housekeeper patted Zuo Ning on the shoulder and said with a grin, the wrinkles on his face turned into A chrysanthemum.
"Let me just say, the prince is so charming and suave, and he has been firmly ranked first among the four young masters of Qingzheng in his early years. How come Miss An is the only one who likes the prince? Isn't it? The big one is coming!"
Princess? Be a prince-in-law?
After hearing what the old housekeeper said, Zuo Ning's expression did not change. He was not happy at all when he heard that he was going to marry the princess.
"? Become a prince-in-law? If I become a prince-in-law, if An An can't kill me... I won't go!"
After thinking for a short time, Zuo Ning, who weighed the pros and cons, looked disgusted and shook his head like a rattle.
What kind of bird princess is not as good as Li An? If she becomes a son-in-law, doesn't she have to marry only one daughter-in-law? I’m losing blood, so I won’t do it! I, the grandson of the state shepherd, the son of a marquis, went to the capital to become a useless prince-in-law who can’t do anything? Am I sick?
But Old Tang seemed to have already expected Zuo Ning's reaction. He smiled and explained: "Your Majesty also knows that the prince's ambition is Miss An, and he has a close relationship with Miss An. So, this time it is not a marriage! The princess married. Grant marriage!"
"?
What's the difference? "
Old Tang looked at Zuo Ning as if he was illiterate, clasped his skinny fingers and said, "The difference is big. Your Majesty has given you the princess, and you are no longer a consort. You don't need to abide by any of the rules of the consort before." , it’s just like two normal families marrying each other. Do you understand?”
Zuo Ning was stunned for a moment. There seemed to be very few cases of this kind of thing in the entire history, right?
In other words, the emperor is my father’s in-laws, so we have become relatives for no reason?
Thinking of some possible purposes of Qingdi's existence, Zuo Ning said smoothly: "Is there such a good thing? You can't promise this great good thing just to win over our Zuo family."
"Shh!"
After hearing Zuo Ning's words, Old Tang rolled his eyes at him.
"Is this what you can say? Our Zuo family has been blessed by the emperor for generations, and we have been loyal and loyal. We can learn from the world! What does it mean to win over? No matter how chaotic the world is, we are still Qing ministers! Mr. Zuo is also the state pastor of Da Qing! So is your father. The Marquis of Daqing!”
"Yes, yes, yes, it's my fault for talking too fast. Okay, I'll just change my clothes and come. Where's An An?" Although Zuo Ning, who had been in the army since childhood, was a little light on this concept, he still agreed wholeheartedly.
Old Tang nodded and waved his hand,
"Go quickly! Miss Li An's side will be discussed with Yunzhou Mu."
"Okay, okay, that's good. I'll be there soon."
…
Soon, Zuo Ning changed into formal clothes and hurried to the living room.
Before entering the living room, Zuo Ning looked in from outside the courtyard door and saw an old minister sitting on his imperial chair, sipping tea with his fingers curled up in a cup. The person sitting across the table was himself. His grandfather, Yanzhou Mu, Zuo Cheng.
The father-in-law with the orchid finger has no beard, but his hair and temples are all white. It can be seen from his appearance that this man is very old, but even though he is old, his hand holding the tea cup is still steady. Of course, in terms of actions and momentum, there is no trace of aging.
Presumably, this is the minister who came to read out the imperial edict.
At this age, he still looks energetic and his hands and feet are very steady. You can feel the flood of energy and blood in his body from a few feet away.
With this gesture, Zuo Ning estimated that this person was at least a master-level figure.
It is indeed not simple. Any old eunuch who comes out of the palace is a master.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Zuo Ning's father, An Yanhou Zuo Tongjiang, stood behind Zuo Cheng. Seeing his son arriving, he said calmly:
"Zuo Ning, this is Mr. Deng from the imperial capital."
Then he looked at the old eunuch and introduced, "This is the dog Zuo Ning."
Zuo Ning immediately folded his hands and bowed slightly to the old minister: "Greetings to Mr. Deng."
Hearing this crisp sound, Eunuch Deng put down his teacup and raised his head to look at Zuo Ning.
All I could see was that Zuo Ning's energy and blood were like a rainbow. His energy and energy were much higher than those of Zuo Tongjiang and Zuo Cheng, and his strength was definitely not inferior to his own! He had actually noticed this son when he first arrived. When he saw Zuo Ning himself, he just glanced away and looked away.
The old eunuch had no intention of examining Zuo Ning, and secretly praised in his heart: Your Majesty made the right move this time.
He withdrew his gaze and nodded. Zuo Ning's first impression on him was very good.
The momentum lives up to his reputation, he is suave and polite. He is indeed a young and handsome man who is almost unrivalled.
Then he stood up and waved to the little eunuchs waiting outside the door, asking them to bring them the imperial edict.
When Sanzuo saw the imperial edict, they immediately stood together and knelt down on one knee facing the orange imperial edict in Eunuch Deng's hand.
As the imperial decree unfolded, Eunuch Deng said loudly:
"The Zuo family listens!
In accordance with God's destiny, the emperor issued an edict: The Zuo family of Yanzhou has guarded the border for our Daqing for generations and resisted the Northern Liao Dynasty. This is really a great blessing for our Qing Dynasty and has made outstanding contributions. Now that I heard that Prince Ning is young and vigorous, I want to marry my eldest daughter Huaiyu to Zuo Ning, but I also heard that Zuo Ning is engaged, so I decided to marry Huaiyu to Zuo Ning. I appreciate this! "
"My lord, Zuo Cheng, accept the order!"
"My lord, Zuo Tongjiang, accept the order!"
"Caomin, Zuo Ning, accept the order."
Eunuch Deng handed the imperial edict to Zuo Cheng in front of him, indicating that they could stand up.
"After receiving the order, we will set off for Beijing as soon as possible. Our family will not stay long. Your Majesty has announced through the astrology department that the best zodiac auspicious day is in Guyu. I hope the prince will not be late. By then, the Zuo family will also be relatives of the emperor. .”
Zuo Cheng nodded and said: "I will let Aning set off as soon as possible. If Mr. Deng goes slowly, I will not see him off."
After finishing his work, Mr. Deng nodded, turned around and left.
Looking at the imperial edict in front of him, Zuo Cheng said: "Li An and An Ning's marriage can only be postponed. The Li family has known about it for a long time and expressed that everything depends on Li An."
Zuo Ning breathed a sigh of relief, signaled Old Tang to put away the tea sets he had just served, and then turned back to ask his father.
"When will I leave?"
After thinking for a moment, Zuo Tongjiang ordered: "The Holy Order has an order, Old Tang!"
"Master Hou, I'm here."
"You go to the capital first, decorate the house for An Ning, and spend all your money. The wedding house of An Ning and Princess Huaiyu must be good, but you can't make irresponsible remarks. Three days later, let An Ning go. Keep up."
Old Tang thought for a while, clasped his fists and nodded: "Okay, I promise to do everything beautifully, then I'll set off later."
After saying that, Old Tang left quickly.
"Aning."
"I am here."
Zuo Cheng patted his grandson on the shoulder and warned in a low voice: "Don't be too pushy. Once you enter the capital, it will be difficult to get out. Just remember, you are just a master, that's all! Don't put your Show off your strength everywhere!"
The world is in chaos now, and Zuo Ning knows it.
In the north, Bei Liao is eyeing the Central Plains, and it is only thanks to the two prefectures of Yan and Yun that they can occupy the border to resist the southward movement of Liao soldiers.
Today's Holy Emperor is very happy about his success, but he doesn't care about the small things. I heard that there are countless corrupt officials in several states in the south, so His Majesty doesn't care at all. In addition, with the continuous natural disasters in recent years, the entire southern part of the Central Plains has long been in chaos.
However, Zuo Ning did not see this situation in Yanzhou. In fact, he only heard about the situation outside and did not take these rumors to heart.
Moreover, Daqing could not help but martial arts, and the martial arts overlords in the martial arts world formed gangs in various states, occupied the mountains and became kings, and established sects. As long as taxes are paid on time, the court will not care.
Just talking about Yunzhou, there is a martial arts overlord, Spear Saint Lu Jiejing.
Fortunately, the old spear saint didn't have anything else on his mind, and even helped the Yunzhou frontier army fight against the Northern Liao Dynasty. The Yunzhou officials had always had a good relationship with the old spear saint.
What about the others? But he may not have such a good character as Lu Jiejing.
Staying ahead and staying humble is the best way to survive in this troubled world.
"I know, I'm just going to marry a princess and there will definitely be no trouble!" Zuo Ning said, patting his chest.
The old man nodded with satisfaction.
The old man is still very relieved about his good grandson.
At least so far, I'm very relieved.
"Go, go. Pack your bags. Old Tang will accompany you alone. Your father and I are busy with military affairs, so you won't be going to this wedding."
Zuo Ning hummed, bowed to his father and grandfather, then turned around and left.
After Zuo Ning left, Zuo Cheng sighed: "I don't know what your majesty was thinking, but he came up with this plan now...Sold a daughter for a family with three masters in one discipline. They really know how to do business..."
Zuo Tongjiang calmly drank a cup of tea and said, "Just watch and leave."
…
Capital City, Qingzheng City, Imperial Palace
In the spacious and bright gilded bookstore, there is a middle-aged man wearing a yellow robe. In front of him is a folded memorial that is more than a foot high.
This middle-aged man is Qing Emperor Shen Yi.
He felt a pain in his head as he looked at the messy memorials on Long's case.
After briefly reading a few of them, I found that they were still the same classic content about officials and officials quarreling with each other.
This is how A points out how B is corrupt, how he forms a party for personal gain, and how he plunders the people's wealth.
Then the next book is very different from the previous one in terms of content, but the target of the accusation becomes Person A again.
However, investigating these affairs between officials is not only troublesome, but also costly, time-consuming and labor-intensive.
In Shen Yi's opinion, it is a completely unnecessary job.
After flipping through several books in this way, Shen Yi, who finally regained his energy, chose to put it down. He put down the memorial and shouted loudly:
"Come here! Where is Zhang Hao? Zhang Hao!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged minister walked out quickly from behind the screen next to him.
Then with a plop, he knelt in front of Shen Yi and shouted:
"Long live, I am here."
Shen Yi pointed to the memorials on Long's case: "Let me deal with these things. Screen out the important ones and show them to me. You can take care of the unimportant ones yourself."
In his view, official quarrels are unimportant matters that have been left to the ministers around him for the past few years.
After saying that, he turned around and went to work on his own things.
It was still the same scene as usual, but Zhang Hao's forehead was already covered with cold sweat again.
Over the years, these ministers have relied on Shen Yi's delegation of power to dominate and dominate. The situation in Daqing has suddenly taken a turn for the worse in the past two years, which is also because of their accumulated contributions over the years.
Corrupt officials, part of the stolen money goes into their pockets.
Although they restrained themselves somewhat this year, it was already too late.
When the manager Deng Yuan left the capital in person, the old manager looked at them and shook his head. It was Zhang Hao's idea to tie the two states of Yanyun together through the marriage of the princess.
This was the only remedy he could think of.
He waited for a while, and after Shen Yi walked away, he quickly hid some high-level memorials in his sleeves, then turned and walked towards the Gongxiang Pavilion...
Shen Yi walked into the harem and first came to Huaiyu, the eldest daughter who was about to get married, just like recently.
After entering the courtyard, there is a small garden with flowing stone bridges, quiet pools and wooden pavilions.
The garden was as quiet as usual, only the sound of running water and the occasional turning of books could be heard.
Princess Huaiyu, however, did not lean on the wooden pavilion in the pool and read quietly as usual. Instead, she sat in the pavilion, embroidering something. On the chair next to her was the book that was blown by the wind. , making sounds from time to time. She was reading a book recently.
The side face is soft, the clear eyes are staring at the thing in the hand, and the jade-white catkin is holding the needle and busy.
The spring breeze blows in her face from time to time, rolling her green hair and knocking the jade on her hairpin.
Shen Yi did not disturb his daughter. He stood at the door and stared at her softly for a while, then left quietly.
As if he felt the gaze just now, Shen Luan stopped holding the female red in his hand, turned his head, held his wind-disturbed hair, and looked outside the courtyard door.
But nothing was seen.
She didn't think much and threw herself back into the work in hand.
In her hand is a red sachet with the word "Ning" that has not yet been embroidered on it.
"I hope...he will like it."
The girl mentally estimated the day of her wedding, and couldn't help but begin to long for and look forward to her future husband.
As for the marriage contract on him, Shen Luan didn't care much, he just obeyed his father's instructions. Since he betrothed himself to Zuo Ning even though he knew he was engaged, he naturally had some considerations.
"Just don't be an uncle..."
…
Far away in Yanzhou, Zuo Ning suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose, looked around, and murmured:
"Who is talking about me??"
