The night is not young, and there are thousands of lights. The west wind is beautiful, and the servants sing in the palace.

The sundial shifts quietly on a moonlit night, and the bronze turtle in front of the stone lantern is spitting sandalwood.

The cornices at the corners are carved in the shape of flowing clouds, and the beams of the aisles are covered with beautiful paintings.

The young ladies dressed in lilac robins walked out of the Shangshi Bureau with their heads upturned. Holding the food table with wine and food in their hands, they divided into two columns and walked to the Yuanqing Palace, where a banquet was being held.

The carvings above the palace are illuminated by a multitude of stars, and several well-armed guards are patrolling the palace on a regular basis.

The sound of singing and music wafted in front of the cinnabar red palace walls, and the costumed servants were dancing in the hall, and their overlapping figures were reflected in the red partition doors.

Daozhi Emperor Dugu Hong sat on the throne and commanded to Master Xinghan: "I have heard that the national master is proficient in illusion, and it is a good day today, so let the ministers open their eyes." ”

"Your Majesty has no choice but to obey what he says. ”

Then Xinghan Master Li Daocheng got up and saluted, and threw the silver bottle in his hand into the hall.

The clear sake immediately took root and suddenly turned into a slim ancient cherry blossom.

The cold cherry blossoms in the unseasonable season withered with the wind and fell on the people one after another.

The servants were wearing Tang clothes painted with acacia patterns, and were dancing fans in front of civil and military officials, with heart-warming smiles on their faces.

Their foreheads are pasted with red flowers, all of them look like dying peaches, and their posture is like weeping willows.

Just as the hundred officials were watching with relish, the lanterns hanging above their heads seemed to come to life, and the carp-shaped and shrimp-shaped lanterns broke free from their green ropes and swam around the air in groups.

As a result, all kinds of lights converge like a serpentine river. Its light is like day, and it looks beautiful.

And in the middle of the river of lights, a dark whirlpool was born, and there were faint bursts of dragon groans from it. A behemoth poked its head out of it and swayed its body through the clouds.

I saw that the golden dragon with blood-red eyes roared over the heads of the ministers,

And then it rained from heaven. However, before the raindrops could get their clothes, they had already dissipated from everyone's eyes.

Li Daocheng immediately raised his sleeves slightly, and the singing and dancing in the hall suddenly stopped, and all kinds of illusions disappeared with the wind. It turns out that the servants who have been dancing in front of hundreds of officials are also part of these many illusions.

After a long time, everyone woke up and found that the prosperity around them had faded, and there was still a piece of old scenery.

The beautiful woman of flowers and trees is nowhere to be seen, but the empty bottle on the case contains liquor, which is still warm.

In the past, the golden dragon had called for wind and rain in the temple. However, the rain is not rain, it is actually this wine!

"Weichen wishes His Majesty a long life and good luck. ”

"Li Aiqing, where have all those excellent actors been changed by you?"

"What I borrowed from heaven is naturally returned. ”

"In that case, that's fine. The red face is easy to be old and the flowers are also disabled, so it is better to look for a long time in the wine country. "Emperor Daozhi just put down the gold bottle, but it hurt lovesickness again. Because among the group of people who are beautiful and fragrant, there is one who is exactly the same as the late Gao Yang Zhaoyi.

Shao leaning, the woman sitting next to Empress Yizhen slowly got up, saluted Emperor Daozhi, and said, "Father, the son specially brought a congratulatory gift from Ningzhou, dedicated to you and the queen mother. ”

I saw her wearing an ivory tulle jacket and a red satin dress with peacock patterns. And she was born dignified and beautiful, and her black sideburns looked shiny.

This person is the eldest princess of Yude, Dugu Qingruo, because of the promise of the fourth general Gongsun Wuji, so she moved to the fiefdom of Ningzhou for a long time.

Then, she asked the lady who stood behind her to present it, and explained to the emperor: "This thing is called the Holy Infant Fruit, which resembles a baby and has golden branches and jade leaves on its head, and its taste is sweet, which can make people live longer and stay longer, and it is a thousand years of immortal medicine in China." ”

"Okay, Taichen's golden phoenix has brought good news to Lone. ”

As soon as the words fell, a young man in a python robe suddenly stepped forward, bowed slightly to Emperor Daozhi on the throne, and said, "Father, the son also has a congratulatory gift. ”

I saw that this person was about the age of a weak crown, and his lips were grease and heroic.

This person is the second prince of Taichen Kingdom, the king of Later Liang Dugu Zhan.

Dugu Zhan gave a slight high-five, and the two ladies immediately raised the case and entered the hall. After he lifted the red cloth that covered it, the blue-scaled armor that glowed with cold light came into the eyes of the ministers.

"Father, the son-in-law traveled far from the world this time, hunting and killing 3,000 mermaids in the Emerald Ocean. According to Zhou Yanzheng, a college student, the scale in the center of the merman's eyebrows was the most valuable, invulnerable and indestructible, so the retainers ordered someone to remove it and make it into armor. May my father go into battle in armor from now on, and be invincible in all battles. ”

"You are commendable for your bravery and innocence, but you lack strategy and thought. Emperor Daozhi paused, and said: "That Emerald Ocean is under the rule of the merman Huanghai Town. This person and the first head of the Dugu clan were the most dazzling heroes of that era, and even I had to give him three points of courtesy.

"Although my Taichen is a far-reaching country, I can't act recklessly in other countries. As a prince, you should be more cautious in your words and deeds. A wise monarch should understand that wars to expand their territory are meaningless, and that only by benefiting the people can they win the hearts and minds of the people. As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize a boat. If you can't love your people like sons, how can you return heaven and earth to your heart?

"Sooner or later, we will all reign over the world, and we should treat the mermaids of the Emerald Ocean as our own people in advance. Zhan'er, you can't behave like this next time, do you know?"

"The sons obey the teachings. ”

"Your Majesty, although the second brother is young and vigorous, his filial piety is commendable. The eldest prince Dugu Xuan suddenly said: "On this auspicious day of the dragon and phoenix, the sons also have a small gift. ”

Immediately afterwards, he took out the ancient book from his sleeve and explained: "This is the "Ni Clothes and Feather Song" left by the gods temporarily, which is said to have been written by Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty, and he also asked his father to look at it.

"In the past, after the great god Yu Yan brought this score and many precious classics from the other world, he preached and preached the Dharma in the temple of Wulingyuan, and taught those scriptures and Taoist collections and famous poems to ordinary people. Among them, those who have a heart will copy this song into a book, so that it can be passed on to future generations.

"It's a pity that the years have passed, and most of those classics have been lost in the wars that followed. This time is also a coincidence, the day before yesterday, the son entered the temple to worship the ancient Buddha and pray for his father, but because of the heavy rain and stranded in the temple. The rain dripping from between the tiles knocked on the lotus seat next to the Buddha's knee, but its sound was heard through the empty wall. Only then did I realize that in that hidden secret box, there was actually this ancient music score.

After the court musician Xue Jun learned, the hard yellow paper used in this ancient book is indeed the craftsmanship of the Shenlin era, and the tune recorded during it has many similarities with the residual score in the Longyuan Pavilion. The son heard that his father was very good at music and rhythm, and he was especially fond of the ancient music of the Divine Era, so he dedicated this thing to his father. ”

After hearing this, Emperor Daozhi bowed his head slightly, and replied indifferently: "This thing is rare, Xuan'er is very hearted." ”

Seeing this, the hundred officials moved slightly. It seems that the eldest prince does not see love in His Majesty's heart. And Dugu Xuan, the king of Beijing, looked like he had been before, turned around and sat down in the banquet.

At this time, Da Sima Xuanqiao suddenly got up and admonished, saying: "Your Majesty, the weight of the main weapon is in Yuanliang, and if you want to be Zhengbang, you must establish a reserve." This is the great inheritance of the country, and it must not be overlooked. The minister thought that the second prince Zhan, Mingde to sex, benevolence, filial piety and gentleness, should be built to build the second prince, in order to inherit the temple. ”

Most of the civil and military generals in the court then paused and shouted in unison: "The ministers seconded the proposal. ”

At this moment, Xiao Zhi, the great minister, suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, the master is the eldest son, and the successor must have the world in mind. The great prince Xuan, talented, benevolent and filial piety, and his generosity and courtesy, must be courteous. May Your Majesty be enlightened. ”

As for the rest of the ministers, when they saw this, they also followed him and bowed to Emperor Daozhi.

This battle for the country's capital has been going on for a long time.

If the ancestral system is followed, when the country and the people are safe, they should first establish a successor. However, except for the eldest princess, Empress Yizhen did not give birth to any dragon heirs.

At that time, the reputation of the eldest prince was not obvious, but the second prince was not yet an adult, so Emperor Daozhi did not make a decision, resulting in the position of the crown prince being vacant for a long time.

Over the years, the two princes have secretly encircled the courtiers and developed their respective forces, and the contradiction of political disagreement has become increasingly prominent.

To this day, it is just that the second prince Dugu Zhan is already weak, and the ministers think that they can all celebrate the opportunity of the banquet to reconsider the matter of establishing a prince.

The eldest prince Dugu Xuan is the eldest son, and his biological mother is Gao Yang Zhaoyi, who has been dead for many years.

Her real name is Gao Yang Nianyun, and she is the Ruyi princess of Yun Han Kingdom.

Therefore, in Dugu Xuan's body, half of the blood of the enemy country flows.

Xiang, the first emperor Delong Emperor died during the expedition to the Yunhan Kingdom, and millions of guards sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. This made the old ministers of the court led by the great Sima Xuanqiao feel sorry for him and turned to support the king of Houliang.

Dugu Zhan is young and promising, and his demeanor is the same as that of the late emperor.

Moreover, his mother, Concubine Hua, was born in the Shen family, a famous family in the Taichen Kingdom, and her power in the court should not be underestimated.

As for the reason why Xiao Zhi of the Great Xiangguo supports the eldest prince, it is not only because he values Dugu Xuan's ambition and bearing, but also because the two are in-laws. After all, today's Princess Beijing is the daughter of the Xiangguo Mansion.

At this time, Emperor Daozhi suddenly moved his gaze to the side, looked at Li Daocheng's master and apprentice who were pouring themselves a drink there, and asked him with interest: "Li Aiqing, why don't you speak?"

"The king has his own decision, how can he allow others to put his beak in it?"

"Although the national teacher is old, he is like a mirror, and he is not declining, but he is deaf and deaf. Emperor Daozhi said: "This matter is already known, and he will choose his sage to stand." From now on, if anyone dares to discuss the establishment of a prince again, he will be flogged to death in the palace. ”

"Your Majesty is angry. For a while, the ministers were terrified, and they couldn't kneel down in the hall.

Fortunately, Empress Yizhen stepped forward in time and advised that the birthday banquet was not easy to be angry. Only then did Emperor Daozhi change his mind and ordered the civil and military officials to return to the banquet to reopen the banquet, and he would not let down the beautiful scenery and wine and food on this good day. Later, I saw:

Persuade the gentleman to enter the wine glass without stopping, and when he wakes up, he will return to sleep in the drunken palace.

The fireworks of the prosperous era of Qingping are shining, and the mountains and rivers are thousands of miles and the city is deep.

On the night of a thousand lights, singing and dancing, how many times does the world smell it in the sky?

The emperor took the stage alone, relying on the railing to the red maple.

When the lights are dim, when the tears are silent.

"Your Majesty, are you thinking about Gaoyang Zhaoyi again?" Empress Yizhen Xu Huaijun slowly stepped forward and silently took out a handkerchief from his arms to wipe his tears.

"Lone is getting old, and he is becoming more and more useless. Emperor Daozhi sighed, and then said: "Xuanqiao has really been too presumptuous recently, and he dared to incite the ministers to force the isolated prince. In the past 20 years, he has relied on the support of the old ministers of the DPRK and China, and has repeatedly encroached on Lonely. If he hadn't had many scruples, Lone would have beheaded him in the city. ”

"Xuan Biao is in the position of the Great Sima, shocking the seven generals of Taichen. This time, Teng Qiman, the general of the left, supported the army and stood on his own, and he should have sent him to quell the rebellion, but His Majesty used the young Dugu Ye, which would make him so annoyed, so he behaved disrespectfully. However, the establishment of the reserve is a major military event, and Xuan Biao is worried about His Majesty first, and his sincerity can be learned. Don't harm the loyal and good in vain, so that the old ministers are chilled. It's a pity that this person is proud of his achievements, and sooner or later it will also affect the community. Empress Yizhen pondered for a moment and said, "These days, Your Majesty has always been thinking about the Northern Expedition. Why don't you send him on an expedition to the country of Guirong? Once he succeeds, he will be able to expand his territory for thousands of miles, and if he is vice versa, he will also be able to get rid of His Majesty's heart disease. ”

"Who said that women are inferior to men?" Dugu Hong put his arm around Xu Huaijun's waist and turned around and walked towards the hall. Wen Qing's words are better than a hundred ministers' words. ”

"I can relieve His Majesty's worries, and the concubine is also happy to be happy. ”

When the two of them walked together in the hall, the military generals of Wenchen were enjoying themselves in the banquet, and they were already drunk for nearly half of them. After seeing this, Emperor Daozhi and Empress Yizhen just looked at each other and smiled, but they were noncommittal about it.

However, at this time, a eunuch hurriedly went to the palace, held the three-mountain hat on his head, and bowed his hand respectfully, and reported: "Your Majesty, the seven generals Dugu Ye came to the banquet, and ......"

"Hugh should be alarmed, but it is okay to say. ”

And he also captured Teng Qiman, the general of the left, alive, saying that it was a congratulatory gift to His Majesty. ”

"Good. Emperor Daozhi was immediately overjoyed, and ordered: "Quickly announce him to enter the palace." ”