Cover The Sky With One Hand, Beat The Ground With The Other

In the following days, I lived an easy to boring life. Cheng Illi either ate, drank, or slept, or played chess with Jiayi. Even Chenggong, who occasionally came to explore the wind, said, "The princess is round when she sees it."

Being so frank with him, I once again declined his request to persuade me to coax the prince.

Since the fight with Jing Yan, he has never stepped to my Changle Hall. I have naturally never been to the East Palace. I have been so stalemate for a while. Broken gold" goes on and on.

The mother and the queen always favored the younger brother, but most of the time she would not interfere with the problems between our siblings. It was because of two incidents that had happened recently.

The first is the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens.

Speaking of it, the winter sacrifices of the past dynasties are an extremely important event. From the many tedious preparations before the sacrifices to the layout of the sacrifices, the arrangement of the sacrifices is not sloppy. There was a time when the father was only replaced by the lack of a sky lantern that should be hung. The Ministry of Industry's Shangshu also distributes the frontiers, not to mention the words and deeds of the officials that accompany the worship that day. If you make a mistake, you must prepare the head of the item. Therefore, the whole dynasty is sincere and fearful, as if facing a major enemy.

In previous years, the person who worshipped the sky was naturally the emperor of the current dynasty. Since the father had fainted two years ago, this ceremony had to be stopped for two years.

It is also strange to say that the natural disasters in the past two years have been continuous. The drought has just eased, and the flood has risen again, making the people uneasy and the political turmoil. After several fierce discussions between North Korea and China, the big guys unanimously decided to resume worship to heaven.

Now that the emperor father is still awake, no one has the courage to carry him to sacrifice to heaven, so the burden naturally falls on the prince.

Then, the significance of this sacrifice to the prince was extraordinary.

Since ancient times, the reason why you have been cautious when offering sacrifices to the king is not only to pray for God’s blessings, but also to show your sovereign power to the people. The so-called "sovereign power granted by the gods" means that if even the heavens recognize your position as the king, who can be under the world? question?

In fact, the father’s illness has dragged on for so long, not only has no improvement, but also worsened. Someone in the DPRK has proposed to let the prince ascend to the throne. It's just that the prince was not prepared at all before, so there has been no movement. Later, King Kang planned ahead and Hou Xiayang was in trouble. The cabinet headed by Zhao Gengnian once again proposed the view that "a country cannot be ruled out for a day", and both the civil and military courts of the Manchu dynasty agreed.

This time, the prince did not refuse, but only said a sentence, and the matter will be discussed further after the sacrifice to the heavens.

In a word, the sacrifice to heaven this time is of great importance. In the event of a turmoil or disaster, the prince may be misinterpreted as "non-destined to heaven", and the road to the throne will be even more difficult and rugged. .

My mother later came to me. To put it bluntly, she also felt that Jingyan was not so reliable. If I could help out, I would be safer. Of course, it would be great if I could accompany the prince all the time.

I looked at the queen mother with a headache and said: "The queen mother, I am Jing Yan’s sister and not his wife. If he wants to sit in that position, he must be alone. He must always guard as if he is not weaned. How should officials look upon it."

The mother said: "Do you still remember your father's entrustment to you?"

"You have repeated this sentence seven times..." I let out a clear cough: "Not to mention that I have been given to the prince all that the emperor has granted me. If I go to help, I have to say where do I start?"

The mother said: "Don't mention the sacrifice to the sky for the time being. There is nothing you can do about the feast and the marriage of the concubine?"

This is the second thing. The prince wants to make the first daughter a daughter as a concubine. Although Zhao Gengnian also has this intention, Zhao Yanran seems to be reluctant to die. It is said that Zhao Shoufu has been locked in the mansion and has been on a hunger strike for three days.

I sighed for a long time, "How can I be able to do something about this kind of question that I don’t want? So I came to the door, it must be a source of money, and it can better relieve the need of the treasury..."

The queen mother’s gaze swept sharply: "The prince has explained the truth to this palace. You abandon the country because of your personal affair, but have you forgotten your father’s entrustment to you?"

"Even if you change the sentence, there is nothing I can do. The key to this question is not at all in me..."

The mother slapped the case and smashed the cup in her hand, "Okay! She really is a good princess in this palace!"

The queen mother rarely gets angry. Seeing her like this at the moment, I can’t help feeling palpitations. She said, “You don’t understand your temperament when you are in this palace? Regardless of whether you have a way to help the banquet, you will not step into the East Palace for a few days. , Isn’t it because you don’t want to intervene in this matter? You, like your emperor brother, look down on the so-called marriage and always pursue those sincere emotions, huh, from the perspective of this palace, those are just your reasons to satisfy your selfish desires!"

"Queen..."

"One, disregarding one's own responsibilities for the selfish relationship of his children; one, antagonizing his brother for the selfish relationship of his children," the mother trembled: "Do you think that Jingyan is willing to carry this weight, and marry someone who doesn't like it? Your own girl?! You blame your brother for not caring about your feelings, so why have you cared about him?" After she said this, she left without waiting for me to elaborate on the point of view, leaving the little maids behind. Quietly, he scrambled to pick up the debris.

I didn't tell my mother that I actually never thought about staying out. I had done a lot of things in the dark these days, just waiting for a suitable time.

The little palace lady serving tea carefully looked at my face, and was tiptoeing about to make a pot of new tea. I said: "This princess is greedy, I want to eat soft beef intestines, grilled shrimps, tenderloin, and Xihu fish soup for dinner. There is milk stewed chicken, bamboo shoots can be fried on a plate, and pastries come with golden milk crisps."

The little palace lady was a little dumbfounded and said, "Hall, does anyone have a meal in the hall?"

"What's wrong?"

The little maid shook her head again and again, "The slave and maid will go and order the imperial dining room."

Isn't it just a few more dishes? Why is it so fussed?

If everyone can turn grief and anger into appetite when they are unhappy, I don't know how many disputes can be avoided.

I stretched my hand into my arms and unfolded the note in my palm. This is the flying eagle's biography from Song Langsheng last night at the third watch: the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky, Nie Dang must move.

I followed the breeze and looked out the window. The clouds on the horizon were soft and soft, and the tranquility before the storm was a little bit frustrating. I wondered if I should wake up the prince so that he could increase troops inside and outside the palace. Although Song Langsheng told me to rest assured, rest assured does not mean that I can take it lightly.

Now that the prince’s favorite food was prepared, it’s okay to invite him to the Changle Hall for a meal. I gathered my robe and was about to go out, but the voice of the palace lady heard: "Your Royal Highness, Princess Jiayi is here."

Without waiting for me to speak out, Jiayi pushed the door and walked in, waving a kite in her hand and squinting: "Emperor Sister!"

I rubbed my forehead, and then I remembered that Jiayi casually coaxed Jiayi and said to accompany her to fly a kite outside the courtyard, and said: "The emperor has something important to go to the prince to consult. It's better to fly the kite another day."

Jiayi was disappointed, and she didn't dare to play her temper, so she nodded obediently. I couldn't bear to look at her, so she hurriedly stopped her and asked her to wait for me outside for a while.

I rummaged in the cabinet, and I have collected more than one or two rare treasures from small to large. Most of them have never touched the bottom of the box anyway, so it’s okay to find it for the emperor at this moment.

Sure enough, there are many interesting things hidden in the large wooden boxes under the cabinet. I picked up a pile of them and I was about to send it to Jiayi, but I accidentally caught a glimpse of a sword.

The scabbard of this sword is made of bronze, carved with dragons and auspicious clouds. It is extremely majestic and majestic. It can be blown out of the sheath, and it can cut the hair and cut the iron like mud.

This sword was used by the emperor when he was fighting against the mountains. Later he gave it to the eldest brother of the emperor. At that time, the brothers were all envied, until the emperor left the imperial city with the beauties, and he gave the sword to him on the day of parting. I said he had no face to personally return the sword to the emperor father.

When I brought the sword to the emperor father, the emperor father said, "Since he gave you the sword, keep it safe."

I put away the sword, and I just wanted to return the sword to him one day when Brother Dahuang came back, but after that time, he never heard from him again, like a leaving wind...

Thinking of this, my heart sank.

Lan is the wind in the mountains, leaving with the wind, it is the wind leaving.

I closed my eyes and warned myself not to think about it out of thin air, and now I should focus on helping the scenery feast to tide over the difficulties.

At noon, Jing Yan didn't stop as expected, and was still struggling to write a book and review the memorials before a few cases.

I didn't let Chenggong pass the pass, so when he looked up, I was obviously startled when he saw the person coming, "Emperor Sister..."

I sat down on my knees beside him, picked up a memorial at random, looked at it, and said, "It seems that Qingliu in Chaozhong doesn't approve of your aggressive practices like this..."

Jing Yan lowered his head, "Is the emperor sister here to taunt me?"

"Will I know the prince's intentions? Now Daqing can be regarded as internal and external troubles. Zhao Shoufu has such a huge power but looks at the fire from the side. His heart is unfathomable. If he turns to each other, the road of the prince will be difficult in the future... To be honest, except for marriage I can't think of a better way to win over Zhao Gengnian..." I put aside Zhezi and sighed, "It's just that you don't know Zhao Yanran too much. I have had some contact with her, although she is expensive as the first daughter. , Is different from other famous ladies, and has no attachment to the power and glory under the high walls of the harem. If she does not want to marry, you may not get it if you want to marry. If you really want to win a woman who is obsessed with emotions, this You shouldn't move like this."

Jing Yan turned to me in surprise, "You, what do you mean..."

"I will visit the capital and auxiliary mansion in person," I said: "It's up to people to make things happen, and it's up to heaven to make things happen."

Seeing me picking up my robe, Jing Yan stood up hurriedly, "Since the emperor sister and Zhao Qianjin have made a good relationship, Jing Yan is really unwilling to force you into trouble. The matter is still..."

"It is not only your responsibility to guard Daqing, but also the emperor's responsibility." I smiled slightly and said: "What the queen said is right. You have always done a good job. I was too arbitrary."

Jing Yan shook his head, "If it wasn't for me, Sister Huang had been more comfortable than now..."

I didn't follow his words and patted him on the shoulder, "When I come back, you will come directly to Changle Hall to have a meal with me. The emperor has asked the Imperial Dining Room to prepare your favorite food."

Jing Yan fixedly looked at me and nodded, "Yeah."

When I turned and left, I let out a sigh of relief.

Perhaps, the days when the emperor was able to stay by your side, there were not many opportunities to dine with you.

---------------------------- Second more ------------------- -----------

At dusk, the autumn water of a lake in Zhao's mansion was sparkling in the setting sun.

I followed Zhao's servants and walked leisurely beside the waterside pavilion. When I turned back, I saw Zhao Gengnian hurriedly walking across the corridor. When I was close to me, I bowed and bowed, and raised my hand to signal me to enter the hall and take a seat. When the princess arrives, there is a long way to go, and I hope the princess will not be offended."

I looked at him slowly, his face a little more haggard than I saw last time, "Elder Ge is busy with official duties.

Zhao Gengnian instructed his servants to watch tea and wait for the cakes to be ready, and said: "I don't know what is going on with your Royal Highness's presence?"

I said: "My palace is here today to visit my sister Yanran."

Zhao Gengnian's expression did not change, but his eyes were slightly surprised, "Oh? Don't you want the princess to meet the little girl?"

I smiled and said: "I have had a few fate with Ling Ai, and it is still considered a contract. Recently I heard that my sister Yanran was so worried because of the prince's choice of the concubine, so she came here uninvited. If there is something difficult, you might as well tell you frankly. If there is anything you can do, this palace will definitely help."

Zhao Gengnian expressed his gratitude: "Thanks to the princess's kindness, I blame the old minister for indulging the little girl too often, and she is so used to her that she even dares to defy the marriage of the prince, hey, the old minister is really shameless to face the prince..."

"This is because of Yanran's nature. Elder Ge does not need to blame herself." I said: "If this is the case, can Elder Ge take this palace to see her?"

Zhao Gengnian nodded slightly, got up and led the way, "Princess, please."

I guess Zhao Yanran should have gone on a hunger strike for several days.

When I entered the house, the door was opened and closed so loudly that she turned a deaf ear to her ears. She sat motionless by the window and looked at the clouds in the sky. It seemed that the blow she had received was not small.

I pulled a chair and sat down next to her, staring at her for a long time, she finally found out my existence, and was startled when she slowly turned her head back, "Princess?!"

I looked at her dark eyes and sighed: "Long time no see, you have lost a lot of weight."

She asked me with her eyes, "Why did you come to my house?" After thinking about it, she immediately understood, "Yes, how could you not know that the prince is going to marry me as a concubine. Princess, are you here to help me?"

My heart ached, Zhao Yanran had put her hands on my shoulders, her eyes flashed like ashes, "You know, you know who I really like in my heart, I can't marry the prince, I can't marry Enter the palace, princess, will you help me? You are the prince's sister, maybe he can hear what you say..."

"Yanran, I..." I moved my lips and I wanted to speak but didn't say anything. Zhao Yanran was so smart, as if she understood the helplessness in my eyes, she slowly let go, "You are not here to help me... …Why? Is it because I robbed your Xu Fang?"

I shook my head, her eyes gradually turned angrily, "Why is that?"

"For the prince." I was silent for a moment. "The prince needs your father's help, but your father also has your father's concerns. If you are to be your concubine, the prince will become the queen in the future...For your father, Only in this way can you keep the Zhao family standing. As far as the prince is concerned, only in this way can your father give his full support..."

Zhao Yanran raised her hand and interrupted me, "What do you do with me?! Have you ever asked my wishes when making private decisions?! Is it possible to sacrifice my feelings and sacrifice my life in order to consolidate power? Princess, you If you don’t help me, it’s okay. Now you are uniting them to deal with me. Ask yourself, how did Zhao Yanran treat you and how did you treat me?!"

I lowered my head, my throat couldn't help but choke, "You treat me very well, you worked hard to save my life when I was in trouble, and I will tell Nie Ran the truth after Xu Fang disappeared..."

Zhao Yanran was stunned, "This, are these things Brother Ran told you?"

I nodded.

"In that case, how can you..."

"Yan Ran," I said solemnly, "Even if you don't want to marry the prince, you can't be with Nie Ran."

"Why?"

"Maybe you are still kept in the dark, then I will tell you-Xiayang Hou Nieguang intends to rebel, and Nie Ran is also involved in it," I said: "Now the prince has ordered someone to monitor him in secret, just wait for the incident. Arrested and brought to justice."

Zhao Yanran stood up suddenly, her face filled with disbelief, "You are talking nonsense! But how can my brother be rebellious..."

"He told me personally." I closed my eyes, and then opened them again. "You have known him for so long, and I can't see anything if I don't believe you. If you still don't want to believe it, it's okay. Go and ask your father, if you don't believe it anymore, go to the Imperial College to find Nie Ran to see what he says."

She held the window with her fingertips, as if lost in memory. For a long time, she asked: "If this is the case, why did you tell me all this? Are you not afraid that I will tell Brother Ran to let him take the opportunity to escape?"

I said: "You can give it a try. It is best to make sure that he can escape safely. Otherwise, if he is arrested for fear of guilt, he will be pushed to death in advance, and his charge will be confirmed."

Zhao Yanran was shocked and her face was as pale as snow. I gritted my teeth and said, "It's just that no matter if you do this successfully or not, you will treat you as the same party. The Zhao family will also face the disaster of extinction. You can abandon you in order to save Nie Ran. Your own life, but can you really give up your relatives and your family?"

She looked like she would collapse at any time, and the breath of persistence that she had been insisting on as soon as I came in disappeared without a trace, "You tell me this, do you want me to give up on my brother Ran and marry the prince... …"

"You care about love and righteousness, and you don't want your family to be implicated because of you. If Nie Ran died because of it, how could you marry the prince?" I turned my head away, "You will follow Nie. But go, so, it will live up to your love in this life."

Zhao Yanran's beautiful eyes showed hopelessness, "The princess really knows Yanran best..."

I secretly clenched the fists in my sleeves and warned myself not to show my feet, "Yan Ran, do you want to save Nie Ran?"

Zhao Yanran raised her eyes suddenly when she heard the words, and said, "I can guarantee him to leave the imperial city safely."

"...He, isn't he going to rebel, how could the prince allow him to leave..."

"Don't say that the prince will not allow it, I'm afraid that even the civil and military people of the Manchuria will not agree to the tiger and return to the mountain..." I took a deep breath, "but if you want, I can do it, but you have to marry the prince. This is the only condition."

Zhao Yanran bit her lip tightly, biting out the bright red blood. After an unknown period of time, her voice faintly sounded like a gossamer, "I'm married."

"As long as you can save Brother Ran, I will marry."

Although it was an expected answer, I still felt sore in my heart when she said that, I slowly stood up and said, "Since you figured it out, eat and rest. You shouldn't want me to stay here... …"

"Princess..." Zhao Yanran stopped me aloud, "Can I... ask you a question?"

I dare not look back at her, "Yeah."

"Do you remember when I asked you in the woods,'Why did you block which arrow for Brother Ran?' How did you answer me?"

The words of the day lingered in the ears.

"You said,'He will remember me one day, and he will feel very happy just thinking about it this way.'" She said slowly: "I feel so sad after hearing this, but...I'm so envious...I am not only envious. His love for you is even more envious of your unreserved heart for him."

I lowered my eyelids.

She said: "You said that if the wind at that time knew that one year later, in order to achieve his goal, he could even threaten the life of the person who was swearing to protect him, can he say that without shame?"

"Miss Zhao, the person standing in front of you now is no longer a gentleman. For this question, I cannot answer you." I took a deep breath and said, "Farewell."

———————————————— Third more————————————————————

I slowly turned around and got out of the room, walked a few steps, and looked at Zhao Gengnian standing at the corner of the window. At this moment, the expression on his face was rather complicated, but there was no utterance, lest Zhao Yanran find him always outside the house. I stretched out my hand to ask him to go first, and immediately followed suit.

Passing through the courtyard and going back to the main hall of meeting guests, Zhao Gengnian waved and dismissed the servants in the hall, leaving me alone.

I sat down and picked a piece of honey cake. Seeing that Zhao Gengnian was silent, I asked, "Do you have anything to say to this palace, Elder Ge?"

Zhao Gengnian squinted slightly, "The old official thought it was a princess and said it first."

I said: "I have persuaded Ling Qianjin to prepare for the marriage in a few days. This matter is still considered satisfactory. Just go back to the palace and have a business relationship. What else do you want to say?"

Zhao Gengnian took a deep look at me, "Should I be confused for the old minister, since the princess's purpose is to try to get the crown prince over, then it is enough to persuade the little girl alone, why bother to invite the old man to snoop in secretly?"

"Elder Ge has misunderstood. This princess did not come here today to win over Elder Ge..." I looked back at him, "It's just a little bit confused to ask for a solution."

Zhao Gengnian said: "The princess's words made the old minister even more confused."

I brushed the pastry crumbs on my cuffs, "Since the old man wants to be more transparent, I will be blunt."

I pondered the words and said: "For a long time, does the old man know what kind of person you are in my mind? Back then, you and Fang Liang, the mentor of this palace, were both used by the emperor, and the scenery is infinite. From the capital to the place, I don’t know how many officials want to cling to you. Mr. Ge, you have made friends with nobles to form parties and private individuals. Nowadays, you are the most powerful ministers all over the world, but Fang Liang's mentor has ended up doing it for the people... "I twitched the corners of my mouth. "The palace once sighed about the unfairness of the world, complained about the unfairness of the father and the emperor, and even thought that one day it would be necessary to overthrow all the Zhao Dang, and let hundreds of officials and people see the sun and the moon, the reincarnation of heaven, and the idea of ​​a prince should be It coincides with me."

He did not speak, but continued to listen to me: "In the early days of the imperial supervision of the country, it would be improper to handle the affairs of the North Korea and Central Government without the approval of the old man. To deal with the old man, it can be said that the prince and I made an effort to investigate and make unannounced visits and win over. People’s minds and cultivating capable ministers will eventually make a small difference. Even if you can’t bring down the old man, you will finally be able to compete with you."

"Later, this palace was harmed by Nie Guang and left for the people. The prince feared that he could not beat Elder Ge's power alone, so he had to find a substitute to deceive Elder Ge when he was in a hurry..." Thinking of this, I smiled. "Elder Zhao, you said it was funny, the prince still thinks that you don't know it."

I slowly stood up and said, "After the princess returned to the palace, she was very unfamiliar with many things. At that time, Mr. Zhao suggested Nie Ran as the choice for disaster relief. The prince was afraid that there would be fraud, so I tried to push Han Fei to go. Recently, it was learned that the floods in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were caused by Xia Yanghou, whose purpose was to create more disasters and turmoil. In retrospect, if Nie Ran was really sent to go there, the court would have to condemn the disaster if the relief was not good. The relief is good. Isn’t it the laborious work of Lao Tzu digging holes and filling soil? I was really puzzled, so I went to check the files at that time, only to find that Xia Yanghou opened up the context and presented the papers for Nie Ran to enter. Jing, there is no mention of disaster relief in a single word--I suddenly realized that Zhao Shoufu, you nominated Nie Ran that day, apparently to find an opportunity for Xia Yanghou, and the person you really helped was His Royal Highness, right?"

With this question, Zhao Gengnian finally had a wave of waves between his eyebrows. I said: "Since I helped the prince help the country, I have found it difficult to understand why everything goes wrong but I can make a difference? Take the person assigned for disaster relief as an example. Elder Zhao was blocked a bit, but did he finally agree to let Han Fei go? There is also the case of King Kang’s rebellion. If it weren’t for Zhao Shoufu’s sentence, "Murring a princess is like murdering a saint", how can Jiang Feng be forced to identify King Kang? Let the civil and military of the Manchu dynasty bow their heads?"

Zhao Gengnian said quietly: "These are just the princess's guesses..."

I smiled faintly and said: "A year ago in Suiyang, I was attacked in a forest with Ling Qianjin and Nie Ran. It is reasonable to say that we should choose the weak and threaten the enemy. However, so many killers only attacked Nie Ran. , Almost no one has committed murder to our two women..."

Even the arrow in me was a human shield by myself in desperation.

Song Langsheng and I also mentioned this. The question of who sent to assassinate Nie Ran is really at a loss. After all, the most likely person is the father, but the father is in a coma, and there is no Fazi secret faction. Where's the killer?

Later Song Langsheng suddenly asked me: You and Nie Shizi have been in Chenjiacun for so long, and there has never been a killer. Why did you ask Zhao Yanran in the jungle and the killer appeared?

"I was puzzled in my heart, so I sent someone to find out where the assassin came from, and who was he hired," I looked at Zhao Gengnian, "Zhao Shoufu, do you want to hide it from my palace?"

Zhao Gengnian’s chaotic eyes gradually showed signs of mountains and dews. “The assassination of Nie Ran was indeed the veteran’s instigation. The veteran did not know that His Royal Highness was also in Suiyang that day. He did not leak any water for this matter, and even Nie Guang could not find any clues. From now on, it looks like your Highness is underestimated."

I smiled with a guilty conscience. That day, the assassin had no characteristics except for a black suit. After a year, who was looking for a clue?

I said: "When the prince was first established a few years ago, he was just an ignorant young man. He had no prestige in the court. Nowadays, all civil and military people in the Manchu dynasty are willing to play the prince ascend to the throne. I can’t believe it. The old man took so much pains to let the prince learn to govern the government and balance the forces of all parties..."

Speaking of this, I curled up my sleeves and bowed to Zhao Gengnian respectfully.

Zhao Gengnian hurriedly returned a salute, "How dare...all of this was originally meant by the sage, the old minister is just a matter of the loyalty to the emperor, and I hope the princess will not blame the old minister for the crime of deceiving..."

I was taken aback for a moment, and then I wanted to understand, "Since the father reuses the old man, there must be a reason for reuse. So, at first, the marriage between the two families of Nie and Zhao was just a means by you to win the trust of Nie Guang?"

"Exactly."

It seems that when the Nie family occupied the land for the king, the father and the emperor left an eye on it. The friendship between the Zhao family and the Nie family was calculated early in the morning.

It's a pity that Zhao Yanran was always kept in the dark and put the true feelings on Nie Ran.

I sighed, "The old committee member shouldn't use Yanran to achieve your goals. It shouldn't be, but now it shouldn't be."

Zhao Gengnian asked, "What does the princess say..."

I lifted my eyes slightly, "Fang Caige asked why this palace wants you to listen to our conversation. There are actually two intentions. The first intention is just to prove to the old man that Yanran has concerns and it is not difficult to persuade her. Even this palace can do it, so why can Elder Ge only let her go on a hunger strike and become depressed? Is your scene for the prince, or is it for Nie Guang?"

Zhao Gengnian was shocked, and in my fixed gaze, he was a little stuttered, "Old officials, old officials have no intention of this..."

I looked at him quietly.

After all, he has his own selfish intentions. He helped the prince secretly without leaving a trace, so he didn't leave a way for himself.

He is indeed loyal to his father, but he may not do his best to the court.

The prince proposed a marriage, and he spread the news of Zhao Yanran's refusal to marry-until this moment, he still wanted to maintain a neutral perspective, because he did not want to blatantly be an enemy of Nie Guang.

"You know that the dispute between the prince and Nie Guang is imminent, but you don't want to be involved. You don't want Nie Guang to realize that you have turned each other, and you don't want to offend the prince, so you use Yanran as a reason for this marriage. Delaying, I want to wait until the prince ascends the throne, all the dust is settled before making a decision?" I stared at him, "Unfortunately, from this moment on, you can no longer stay out of the matter."

Zhao Gengnian closed his eyes wearily, "It turns out that the princess persuaded the little girl to get married, but in fact, she wanted everyone to see that I Zhao Gengnian was facing the prince...If the old minister now proposes to refuse to marry, I am afraid that the princess will also assassinate Shizi Nie that day. One thing was revealed to Nie Guang, so there is no way for an old minister to retreat if he doesn't enter..."

I said indifferently: "The loyalty to the emperor, the loyalty to the emperor, is this what the old man said before?"

Zhao Gengnian opened his eyes, seeing the faint Gujing Wubo in his eyes, "What is the princess's second intention?"

I walked a few steps forward, then paused, and slowly said, "The second intention... is simpler, it's just that Elder Ge can see your daughter Yanran, even if she has a deep love for Nie Regardless of her own life, she is more able to give up her beliefs and life for you and for the safety of your family. Actually... The palace is privately planning to wait for the turmoil to pass and find a way to get the prince to cancel the marriage. After all, the prince To marry Yanran, the purpose is to obtain the strength and help of the elder Ge. If the elder Ge can do his best to help the prince win this battle, then the marriage is not so important for the prince..." After a pause, "but I'm afraid it will be you who insist on the marriage then..."

Zhao Geng hasn't said anything for a long time.

The head of the cabinet that the father and the emperor attaches the most importance, to this position, there are too many inexhaustible details.

The so-called emperor of one dynasty and one courtier, the greater the power, the more sorrows.

Even if he spares no effort to help the prince, he may not be able to hold onto his current power.

Marriage is the most direct and safest method.

Zhao Gengnian's figure looked rather desolate against the light and shadow. He stretched out his hand to cover his forehead, and said dumbly, "How can there be parents who don't cherish their children..."

After these words, he couldn't say anything anymore.

Until I left Zhao Mansion, I was not sure if Zhao Gengnian took what I said to heart.

I forced him to stand openly on the side of the prince. It is already difficult for a strong man. If he is to give up the marriage, it is a bit impossible to think about it.

Hey, he can only hope that Yan Ran's tears can inspire his father's love to overflow, otherwise he will have to try to help Zhao Yanran escape from marriage until then.

I rubbed my forehead with a headache.

I don't know if it is possible for Yan Ran to empathize with the prince brother.

After comparing Nie Ran's face with Jing Yan's face in my mind, I quickly dispelled the idea.

The sky was getting dark, a stunned carriage passed through the palace gate, the palace lanterns on both sides flashed by, and Suyue Qinghui sprinkled on the high tiles of the red wall.

A few days later, it will be the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens. For many people, success or failure will all depend on this.

Song Langsheng said he was certain of winning, and I believed him.

I think it is time to leave the imperial city with Song Langsheng and let go after Feng Li is removed and the current crisis is lifted.

Pulling Zhao Shoufu into our camp completely, this should be the last thing I can do for the prince.

With Zhao Gengnian, even if Nie Guang rebelled, the prince would be able to deal with it.

The snow in the Changle Hall covered the courtyard. I stepped on it and made a creaking sound, causing the people inside to hear the movement and hurriedly greeted me.

"Princess, I'm at the bottom of the Prince's Palace, waiting in the hall for the princess to come back."

I remembered that before I left, I invited the prince to come to my temple to have dinner together, so I ordered the meal to be delivered, and then went straight up the stairs and entered the hall.

Jing Yan sat on the ebony chair, and when he saw me coming in, he walked forward, ignoring the chill of the servants I brought outside, and took my hand and said: "Sister, you are back. You have been there for so long. Jing Yan is very worried, can Zhao Shoufu have trouble for you?"

Feeling the heat in the palm of his hand, I was taken aback, and subconsciously glanced at the high case next to the wooden chair. The case was empty, Jing Yan followed my gaze, "What's the matter?"

"I'm just thinking, why the maid in Changle Hall is so ignorant of the rules, no one will come up to serve tea when you come, come here--"

Jing Yan smiled, "They naturally had tea, but Jing Yan thought that drinking tea in the cold weather would be better than drinking, so he ordered the Yushan Fang to choose a jar of good wine to cook... …"

At this time, the lady of the court approached and said that dinner and boiled wine were ready, and asked us to move to the side hall.

"That's exactly what I said," I pursed my lips and smiled. "I found the bronze cup given to me by the emperor my father when I turned the box in the morning. You don’t get drunk or return."

"Okay! Don't get drunk or return!"

When a plate of delicious food was spread out at the dinner table, I felt hungry, Jing Yan moved my index finger, and said with a smile: "I still care for me, and I prepare everything I love."

I picked up the beef and chewed it with relish, "Anyway, the emperor is not happy with meat, and I feel good if I eat meat."

Jing Yan moved his chopsticks and asked, "Sister Huang hasn't said that I'm going to Zhao Mansion today. What happened?"

I smiled mysteriously, "Guess?"

"Emperor Sister..."

"Zhao Yanran compromised." I toasted and took a sip of plum wine. "Zhao Shoufu... it's not particularly willing. Since the marriage was proposed by the prince, it is difficult for him to dismiss it, but the prince does not have to worry about it. As long as Yanran is willing to marry, the marriage will be mostly successful."

Jing Yan was overjoyed upon hearing the words, "Is what the emperor said is true?"

"When did the emperor tell you?"

Jing Yan drank the wine in one sip, "My brother thanked the emperor."

After three rounds of wine, the night darkened.

Jing Yan was overwhelmed with alcohol and was already slightly drunk. Dao had to go back to rest earlier.

I got up to see him off, and suddenly remembered something. I asked him to wait a moment, then turned back to the bedroom and picked up the bronze sword on the table, turned around and handed it to him. Jing Yan returned to his senses and said, "This sword... …"

I smiled and said, "This is a gift from the emperor