The palace maids filled two small bowls and put them in front of the emperor and Concubine Dou, Li Zicheng ordered, and the palace maids immediately changed a big bowl for him. Dou Meiyi has lived in the palace for more than ten years and has never heard of mutton risotto. She thought the smell of the mutton soup was too strong, and the little pieces of the pancakes were too hard. But as a concubine, she must carefully look at the emperor's color in everything, so that she can win the emperor's favor everywhere.

In the harem of the Ming Dynasty, people all know that the reason why Emperor Tian's concubine favored the harem not only relied on her natural beauty, but also relied on her ability to always accept the will and win the emperor's favor.

So although Dou Meiyi didn't like the mutton risotto in front of her, she had to pretend to like it very much, smiling, as if she was eating it very sweetly. Fortunately, the concubines generally eat very little, so she can stop as much as she tastes, and Li Zicheng will not force her. She had a smile on her cheeks and a smile in her eyes, but in her heart she was guessing that the emperor ordered to make mutton soup risotto and ordered the musicians of the former Qin Wangfu to play Guanzhong music for him, which must have caused homesickness. She didn't dare to ask, but she was eager to know a little bit of news.

When she was about to finish lunch, she asked Li Zicheng tentatively in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty, the concubine is ignorant, and today she mentioned the matter of Han Gaozu's return to her hometown, which aroused Your Majesty's homesickness, so she drank a few more glasses of wine than before." Please forgive your concubine for her casual remarks. ”

Li Zicheng said: "It's not your fault, I really miss Guanzhong." ”

After a pause, he unconsciously said with a grumble: "Ten Beijings are not worth one Chang'an." ”

Dou Meiyi's heart was taken aback, she didn't understand why the emperor said this, she didn't dare to ask, but pretended to understand and smiled, hiding the doubts in her heart, and said softly: "Your Majesty loves Chang'an, and the capital is Chang'an, and he will become the founder of the country through the ages like Tang Taizong." ”

Lunch ended quickly. After Li Zicheng rinsed his mouth, he should have gone back to the Renzhi Palace to rest, but he waved his hand to make Concubine Dou and many palace maids who were serving the food retreat, leaving only Wang Ruifen and the four palace maids to wait, returned to the inner room of Xinuan Pavilion, sat on the dragon chair, and gently instructed Wang Ruifen: "Tell the propaganda officer in Wuyingmen, Luo Hu is here, summon him immediately." You also go to Shouning Palace, pass on Fei Zhen'e!"

After Wang Ruifen took a palace maid out to deliver the message, Li Zicheng sat on the dragon chair and flipped through the map of Shanhaiguan. But after a moment's look, I pushed away the map and closed my eyes. Seeing this, the palace maid who stayed behind quietly retreated.

As a matter of fact, how could Li Zicheng have worked hard to cultivate his spirits? He was thinking about the major military affairs in front of him, especially the major affairs of fighting against Wu Sangui and the Manchurians. His mind was heavy, his emotions were suddenly worried, suddenly excited, and when he was worried, he couldn't help but regret that he had come to Beijing too quickly......

Before the time came, Wu Ruyi took Luo Hu to Wuyingmen, sat in Li Shuangxi's duty room and waited for the summons. He went to errands in a hurry.

Luo Hu has followed King Chuang's uprising with his brother Luo Long and uncle Luo Dain since he was a child, and grew up by King Chuang's side. At first, he was a child soldier, and later promoted to the small leader of the child soldiers, and then rose step by step from the small leader, replacing Li Shuangxi and Zhang Nai to become the general leader of the child soldiers, and the official name in the camp was the flag of the boy scouts. After the age of eighteen, he left the Boy Scout barracks, made many important military exploits, and became one of Li Zicheng's handy generals.

Although Luo Hu and Li Zicheng have such an extraordinary historical relationship, they have been calling to come here today, and they have always been in their hearts. On the one hand, he thought that it was a special favor for him to be summoned by the emperor alone, and on the other hand, he knew from Wu Ruyi's mouth that Wang Changshun had said a lot of good things about his military training in Tongzhou in front of the emperor, and he also knew that Wu Ruyi had been instructed by the emperor to prepare an excellent residence for him in Beijing as soon as possible, and that all kinds of furnishings and materials should be very elaborate and new. Why did the emperor suddenly make such a decision? Why did he pass the news that he must come from Tongzhou this morning? Luo Hu went to the Wuying Palace to see the emperor with these unclear questions in mind.

Since Li Zicheng was called the generalissimo of Fengtian and advocating righteousness in Henan, Luo Hu could not often go to Li Zicheng's side, and he could not report directly to Li Zicheng if he had something. After Li Zicheng proclaimed the king of Xinshun in Xiangyang, Luo Hu had many fewer opportunities to meet him directly. Last winter, Li Zicheng went to Xi'an, and used the Qin Wangfu of the Ming Dynasty as the temporary Dashun Imperial Palace, busy with the establishment of a new dynasty, and formally established the major yamen of the central government, including the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Military Division's Mansion, the Chief General's Mansion, the Six Government Yamen, etc., and promulgated the "Dashun Rite System", Luo Hu was able to see Li Zicheng speak less.

In the past few years, the relationship between Li Zicheng and Luo Hu was like that of father and son, but after arriving in Xi'an, it became a relationship between a monarch and a minister with strict etiquette, and most of the original feelings disappeared, like a few years ago, King Chuang sometimes patted him on the top of his head or twisted his face, and there will never be any more.

Luo Hu was led by the propaganda officer, and walked towards the majestic Wuying Hall step by step, and it turned out that his mood became very nervous, and he couldn't help but pound. In front of the Danqi, the dragon railing is carved with white marble and divided into three parts. The Dan Majesty in the middle is a large rectangular white marble Majesty plate carved with delicate double dragons protecting the sun and the tide of clouds, and there are nine steps on each side of the Majesty Plate.

But this is the royal road, and civil and military officials are not allowed to pass. The hundred officials are only allowed to go up and down from the left and right of the royal road, through the nine steps of the carved dragon railing. Luo Hu knew that he was not allowed to go in the middle, and was about to go up the steps from the east, but the preacher made a look, and he suddenly understood, and followed the preacher to gently climb the stairs from the west and ascended to the Danqi.

In the past, Luo Hu only heard that there was a place called Danqi in front of each hall in the palace, which was the place where the ministers saluted and worshiped the emperor, and now he realized that it was originally a quadripartite platform, paved with white marble, and surrounded by beautifully carved white jade railings on the left and right sides and in front of him. On both sides of the Danqi stand tall copper cranes, copper lions, and copper tripods.

Under the eaves of the Wuying Palace, there are two eunuchs and two palace maids, motionless, waiting to be summoned. A towering Wuying Palace, from the main hall to the outside of the hall, from the Danbu to the whole courtyard, the forest is solemn and quiet, although there are people, it seems to be empty. But there was a little sparrow standing on the high branch of an ancient cypress, probably feeling the cold weather, and chirping two or three times, and no more. The chirping of this little sparrow added to the solemnity in the courtyard of the Wuying Palace.

Luo Hu originally thought that the emperor was sitting on the throne of the Wuying Hall and waiting for him to see him, but he looked up and peeked on the Danqi, but saw that there was a wooden shrine in the middle of the main hall similar to the middle of the big temple, three feet from the ground, golden in one color, solemn and exquisite, and the yellow satin throne in the shrine was empty. Where does the emperor sit?

He intended to ask the preacher about it, but he didn't dare to say anything. As if he understood what he meant, the young preacher tugged at his sleeve. He endured his doubts and said to himself in his heart, "Let's go!" and carefully crossed a high threshold of vermilion.

After entering the Wuying Palace, the propagandist led Luo Hu to the left, about a zhang away, and there was a door in the middle. The maid of the first palace opened the yellow satin door curtain, and Luo Hu followed the Xuanguan into the outer room of the Xinuan Pavilion. Another maid lifted the yellow satin curtain of the second door. He bowed down and entered the inner warm pavilion.

The propagandist walked in front and bowed to the emperor sitting on the dragon chair and said, "Emperor Qiqi, Luo Hu is here!"

Luo Hu's heart beat again, knelt down three feet in front of Li Zicheng's feet, and said the two sentences that he had secretly recited many times in a nervous state: "The mighty general Luo Hu has been summoned to the palace, see Your Majesty, and wish Your Majesty a long life! Long live, long live, long live!"

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Luo Hu, you have been stationed in Tongzhou recently, and you are still training hard, sharing the joys and hardships with the soldiers, and you have been reading and writing in addition to training. I was very relieved when I found out, so I specially called you into the official and told you to your face that it was time for you to build a great contribution for me. I think you're twenty-one years old......"

Luo Hu suddenly heard the curtain of the door, and at the same time saw the emperor stop his unfinished words and look towards the door. He still knelt respectfully on the ground, not daring to look back, but he knew that someone had walked behind him with a light step, and at the same time brought an elegant fragrance of fat powder. He understood that this was a palace maid serving the emperor.

Immediately, he heard the palace maid standing behind him say to the emperor: "Emperor Qi, Fei Zhen'e, who is to be elected, has arrived, and now she is waiting outside the palace." ”

"Bring her in!"

Luo Hu knew that the palace maid who had passed the decree quickly withdrew from the warm pavilion. He has already heard that Fei Zhen'e is a beautiful palace maid in the palace, and the emperor intends to choose her as a concubine. So he took advantage of the fact that the people from the Fei Palace had not yet come in, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty has something to summon the palace people, please avoid it." ”

"You don't have to shy away, just stand flat and wait. ”

Luo Hu kowtowed and obeyed the order, stepped aside, and did not dare to raise his head.

In a moment, Luo Hu heard a ringing sound and an elegant aroma coming in from outside. Luo Hu didn't dare to raise his head or peek at it, but he knew that it was not just a woman who came in, but three or four people, only the woman walking in the middle made a ring ding dong sound and a slight silver bell on the jewelry. Luo Hu judged in his heart: This is the palace maid surnamed Fei, the beauty of the emperor who will accept her as a concubine.

Luo Hu only saw the Fei Gong people's red Luo long skirt and the embroidered shoes half-hidden under the long skirt, but he already felt that this Fei Gong man must have amazing beauty. He had the heart to peek at it, but he didn't have the guts, and his head hung lower.

Wang Ruifen stepped aside, like a Honglu official saluting, and said in a coquettish voice: "Fei Zhen'e salutes the emperor!"

Fei Zhen'e knelt down, kowtowed to the emperor, and said in a slightly nervous soft voice, "Slave Fei Zhen'e congratulates Your Majesty for setting the world early and living forever!"

Li Zicheng asked with a smile: "Fei Zhen'e, do you know what I summoned you for today?"

"The slave doesn't know. ”

"Lift up your head and listen to me. ”

Fei Zhen'e raised her head as ordered and boldly asked Li Zicheng to look at her face. Li Zicheng's heart suddenly moved again, and he was surprised by her beauty again, as if a voice said in his heart: "Leave her behind!

After Fei Zhen'e's gaze met Li Zicheng's, out of the girl's natural shyness, she quickly lowered her head and avoided Li Zicheng's blazing gaze. Although she seemed to see the unusual look and gentle smile on Li Zicheng's face, she did not change her bitter hatred for Li Zicheng, and secretly said in her heart: "You are proud, you are greedy for women, am I Dou Meiyi's generation? My day of avenging the emperor and the queen is coming, even if I am chopped into meat sauce, I will not regret it!"

For a moment, Li Zicheng's heart couldn't be calm. Although he still had a smile on his lips, the smile suddenly froze and withered, and no longer had any meaning. He looked at the Fei Gong people who lowered their heads for a while, and then caught a glimpse of the map of the Shanhaiguan area spread out on the imperial case, his mood changed, he glanced at Luo Hu, and said to Fei Zhen'e.

"I asked you to come to Wuying Hall today, and there was nothing else, but I saw that you had made progress in the imitation books for the past two or three days, and my heart was very happy, so I asked you to come and see it. In a day or two, I will have an important message to you, and I always hope that you will not forget your love in the future. ”

Fei kowtowed: "Thank you to the emperor!"

If someone is summoned, after the summoned person kowtows to thank him, the emperor has nothing else to do, and at this time, even if the summoning is completed, he orders the summoned person to withdraw. But today, Li Zicheng did not order Fei Zhen'e to withdraw immediately. Now he wanted to see Fei Zhen'e more, and he was thinking about sending troops to Shanhaiguan, so he forgot to order Fei to withdraw.

The emperor didn't give orders, Fei Zhen'e didn't dare to get up, she was cautious everywhere, and secretly told herself in her heart: "He really likes me, I have to be patient, and I will see in two or three days." ”

Seeing that the emperor continued to look at Fei Zhen'e, Wang Ruifen was not in a hurry to order Fei Zhen'e to withdraw, and sighed in her heart: "Another person who is destined to be blessed and enshrined in front of the new emperor." ”

She gently walked to Li Zicheng's side and asked quietly, "Emperor, please command, what do you want to reward?"

Li Zicheng suddenly woke up from his complicated emotions, shook his head lightly at Wang Ruifen, and then said to Fei Zhen'e: "You can go back to Shouning Palace, and in two or three days, I will have a rich reward." ”

Wang Ruifen reminded Fei Zhen'e: "Thank you!"

"Thank you!" Fei Zhen'e said quickly, kowtowing.

Fei Zhen'e kowtowed again, and then got up. Taking advantage of the time to get up, he once again boldly raised his head and glanced at Li Zicheng, and also glanced at the face of the young general standing next to him, and then turned around and walked out of the warm pavilion with a graceful posture, and Wang Ruifen and the palace maid who served with him also followed out of the warm pavilion.

Wang Ruifen carefully and respectfully sent Fei Zhen'e out of Wuyingmen, crossed the Neijinshui Bridge, pulled Fei Zhen'e's sleeve lightly, and stopped under a pine tree on the side of the road. The four serving palace maids knew what Wang Ruifen was going to say to Fei Zhen'e, so they left them and continued to walk, waiting at the foot of the Youshun Gate.

Wang Ruifen leaned close to Fei Zhen'e's ear and whispered: "Sister Zhen'e, within a few days, you will be a new nobleman, and I will be your slave." Don't forget the wealth!"

Fei Zhen'e was thinking about other things, and when she heard this, she felt bored, glanced back at the king, and said softly, "I won't be rich." Sister Wang, I know that my life is no better than yours, and I can only be a palace maid forever. ”

"No, no. The new emperor has taken a fancy to you, so he will reward you richly in two or three days. As soon as you are rewarded, you will be blessed to be chosen to the emperor's side. But after you are blessed, don't forget my Wang Ruifen's loyalty to you. ”

Fei Zhen'e couldn't reveal to Wang Ruifen that she was determined to assassinate Li Zicheng, and suddenly thought of Wei Qinghui and Wu Wanrong, who threw themselves into the water and died, and felt sad, and said to herself in her heart: "I regret not throwing themselves into the water with them, it was easy to die!"

She didn't say another word to Wang Ruifen, smiled tearfully, turned around and walked to the right door.