Li Zicheng secretly decided that after a few days, Fei Zhen'e must be accepted as a concubine, or first named a talent, a nobleman or a servant, and gradually promoted to a concubine, as for Wang Ruifen, he can stay by his side and be awarded the title at the same time as Fei Zhen'e, or he can reward Wang Ruifen to Luo Hu to complete Luo Hu's marriage.

He asked the people of Fei Palace, "Why do you want to pretend to be a princess if you want to tell me the truth?"

Fei Zhen'e replied fearlessly: "The slave fainted because she saw that the princess had a sword wound on her left arm, but she was not actually dead. In the chaos, He Xin, the eunuch in charge of Shouning Palace, carried the princess out of the palace and didn't know where to hide. The slave is willing to pretend to be the princess, let it be killed, protect the princess from search, and escape safely. ”

"Yes, you have a loyal heart, it's really rare!"

Li Zicheng praised the people of Fei Gong in his heart, and then asked: "Listening to General Wu Ruyi's performance, you refuse to say anything to him, you must see me face to face Chen Gong, what is the purpose?"

"A slave is like a lost dog, life and death are up to anyone, and she doesn't care about anything else, but the princess cares about herself. The slave and maid have to see the general today......"

Wang Ruifen said softly: "Don't make a mistake!"

Fei Gongren's words were interrupted. All the palace maids waiting in the warm pavilion were startled and secretly looked at Li Zicheng's expression. Li Zicheng was also surprised, turned his head to look at Wang Ruifen, and asked softly, "Huh?"

Wang Ruifen was afraid that Fei Zhen'e would anger the new monarch in her words, so she bowed to Li Zicheng and said: "When Fei Zhen'e came to the emperor, she was very scared, and mistakenly called Your Majesty a general, she really deserved to die, and begged the emperor's aunt to remember that she was young and ignorant, and she was shocked, and accidentally said the wrong thing, don't be angry, let her finish the words." ”

Li Ziyuan was only surprised, but not angry, listened to Wang Ruifen's words, nodded lightly, showed a vague smile, and said to Wang Ruifang in a gentle tone: "Tell the people of Feigong not to be afraid, raise your head and finish speaking." ”

Wang Ruifen said to Fei Zhen'e: "Zhen'e, you raise your head and boldly show your majesty." Sitting on the dragon chair is not the general, it is the emperor, the new emperor, and the emperor of Dashun! You must be called the emperor and your majesty!"

Wang Ruifen saw that Li Zicheng had taken a fancy to Fei Zhen'e's beauty, so she added: "Long live your life, you raise your head and speak, you quickly raise your head!"

Fei Zhen'e also decided to change her confrontational attitude just now, and wanted to win Li Zicheng's fancy for her beauty, so as to avenge the martyred emperor and empress. She raised her head obediently and said in a pleasant accent: "The slave maid asked General Wu to see His Majesty Chen Zuo in person, which is to plead for one thing, not to track down the whereabouts of the princess, so that she can die in old age and death in peace. This is the wish of the slave and maid to see His Majesty at the risk of death. ”

Li Zicheng said: "I have heard that the princess is now hiding in the palace of Emperor Zhou. I have decreed that the princess will be protected and that she may recuperate in peace. When her body healed and her filial piety period expired, she was presided over by the government of Li and married the originally selected concubine surnamed Zhou. And I will give her a manor, and I will give her a house, and she and her horses may be rich and prosperous. ”

Fei Zhen'e prostrated her head on the ground and shouted long live. It turned out that she thought that Li Zicheng was just a murderous thief who killed people without blinking, and after listening to Li Zicheng's words, her prejudice began to change, and she said in her heart: "He is really different among the group of thieves!"

Li Zicheng said: "I like you very much because of your outstanding appearance and willingness to sacrifice yourself as a Savior. I read your imitation book, and I heard that you are known as a female talent in the palace, which is even more rare. What books did you read in the palace?"

"The slave maid finished reading the "Four Books" and "The Biography of the Daughters", and also read some ancient texts and Tang poems, and read the "Three Character Classic" and "Hundred Family Names" when she was enlightened, which was the same as the folk private school. ”

"Have you read the Pentateuch?"

"I only finished reading the Book of Songs. ”

Li Zicheng heard the "Book of Songs" and said: "I was in Chang'an, and I also hired a learned Mrs. Deng to teach "Mao's Poems" to the queen and princess. Can you memorize 300 poems?"

"The slave and the maid carried it. ”

"Guan Guan Sui Dove, do you like to read?"

"This is the first poem of "The Book of Songs, National Style", which talks about the virtue of the concubine, and the slave and maid memorize it well. ”

"I asked you if you liked this poem?"

Although the slave maid likes this poem, but the slave maid as a palace maid, never dared to have the idea of a concubine, the poem said that my fair lady, the gentleman is good, and it has nothing to do with the palace maids. ”

"Why is it irrelevant?"

"If the palace maid is not released from the palace by the emperor's grace, and the parents choose a good marriage, even if she is a fair lady, she can only die in the palace. ”

Li Zicheng listened to her answer and felt that although this palace maid was young, she was a rare smart and knowledgeable woman who dared to express her opinions, which was greatly different from ordinary women, and she was by no means a mediocre and mediocre person. He ordered Fei Zhen'e to raise her head again and look at her beauty with a smile. Not only did he see clearly that her eyes were as bright as autumn water, but also that she had a rare fortitude in her beauty.

His idea of charging Zhen'e as a concubine was even more certain, his eyes could hardly leave Fei's face, he had nothing to say, and asked casually: "What other verses in the Book of Songs do you like to recite?"

"Back to Your Majesty, there are many good verses in the Book of Songs, sometimes I like these lines, sometimes I like those sentences, and it varies with the mood of the moment. ”

"I'll take the exam in person, and you can recite a few sentences at will. ”

Fei Zhen'e blurted out: "My heart is a bandit, and I can't turn it." My heart is a bandit, and I can't be swept away. ”

Li Zicheng had been conquered by the appearance and literary talent of the Fei Palace people, and he didn't think deeply about why she recited these few lines of poetry, smiling, and nodding frequently. The people of Fei Palace also saw that Li Zicheng did intend to accept her as a concubine, and there was affection in his eyes. She blushed and panicked at the sight, and lowered her head again.

Wang Ruifen understood that Li Zicheng had taken a fancy to Fei Zhen'e, and she was quite emotional, she was not jealous, walked behind Li Zicheng, and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, do you want to leave Fei Zhen'e in the palace tonight?"

Li Zicheng hesitated for a moment, and after thinking about it calmly, he shook his head lightly to Wang Ruifen, and then looked at the Fei Palace people who were kneeling on the ground and said, "Fei Gong people, you go back to Shouning Palace to recuperate with peace of mind, read books every day, and don't waste them." In a few days, I will call you back. Let's go down!"

"Shane!"

Fei Zhen'e kowtowed and got up, and the four palace maids just now sent her back to Shouning Palace with palace lights. When she walked across the Jinshui Bridge outside Wuyingmen, Wang Ruifen came quickly from behind, held her hand tightly, walked a few steps with her, and then stopped, waved the four palace maids away, and whispered to her.

"Sister Zhen'e, the new emperor likes you very much, and you will soon ascend to the sky in one step. You have to be very cautious when you speak. The change of ownership is all destiny, and it is none of our women's business. How many civil servants and military generals have surrendered to the new dynasty and sought wealth and nobility, you and I are women, no matter what dynasty they are women, and they will always take suppleness as a virtue. Your appearance is outstanding, as long as you are favored by the emperor of the new dynasty, the family will enjoy endless glory and wealth. You have to bathe every day, dress carefully, and be prepared for the emperor to summon you to the palace at any time. ”

"Thank you sister for your kind attention. Fei Zhen'e turned to look at Xihuamen and sighed softly: "What will the two sisters Wei Qinghui and Wu Wanrong say in Yin Cao?"

That night, Li Zicheng slept on the imperial couch, covered with a yellow satin embroidered dragon quilt smoked with ambergris, and couldn't sleep for a long time. Fei Zhen'e's shadow kept appearing in front of his eyes, thinking that in a few days, thousands of palace ladies would be assigned to meritorious generals, and he would accept Fei Zhen'e as a nobleman.

But then he couldn't help but think of Deng Damiao in Xi'an. Deng Taimiao is twenty-three years old this year, known as a talented woman in Guanzhong, quite famous for poetry and learning, he was very satisfied at first sight, but she was the widow of the famous scholar Wen Xiangfeng, so he had to treat him politely, escort her home, and hire her as a teacher in the inner court to give lectures to his queen and princess.

He carefully compared Fei Zhen'e with Deng Damiao in his heart, although Fei Zhen'e is more beautiful than Deng Damiao, and is more at a young age, Deng Damiao is not only cute, but also more understanding of the world, more profound, more knowledgeable and talented. He thought that he had to choose the Fei Palace people now, but unfortunately a woman like Deng Taimiao could never meet again.

That night, Fei Zhen'e couldn't sleep for a long time. At first, she only planned to use the method of pretending to be a princess to save the princess from being searched, but after meeting the general Wu, she came up with the idea of assassinating Li Zicheng to avenge the emperor and empress, so she asked to see Li Zicheng.

But whether her appearance can impress Li Zicheng and keep her by her side, she doesn't know. Now that she knows that her appearance has been favored by Li Zicheng, maybe within a few days, the time will come for her to assassinate Li Zicheng. Thinking of this, her chest was filled with generosity and passion, as if it were a wave of waves. She couldn't help rolling out tears, looking at the faint moonlight on the south window, as if she had seen Emperor Chongzhen.

She whispered the pillow and said: "Emperor, the slave maid has read the book of Confucius and Mencius in the palace since she was a child, and she knows a little about the principle of loyalty and filial piety, and also knows the righteousness of killing oneself to become benevolent. I am a palace maid in the Ming Dynasty, and in the Ganqing Palace, I have received the emperor's special grace. I decided to assassinate the traitor, and I knew that I would be slashed by a thousand knives and would not look back. ”

＊＊＊＊＊

Wu Ruyi said to Li Zicheng: "When the minister was in Chang'an, he came to the queen to face him, saying that His Majesty has no prince. After coming to Beijing, be sure to choose a wishful concubine for Your Majesty and give birth to a dragon son early. This matter of the queen's heart is related to the succession of the imperial lineage, which is a major event in our dynasty, she not only told the ministers twice, but also asked the red lady to tell General Li Yan......"

Song Xiance interjected: "The queen is deeply worried about Her Majesty's lack of children under her knees, and the ministers also know about this matter. ”

Wu Ruyi continued: "Yesterday, I saw the palace maid next to Princess Changping, whose surname is Fei Zhen'e, who is very beautiful and well-versed in literature and ink. The minister learned today that His Majesty had summoned the people of the Fei Palace in the dormitory last night, and the Sacred Heart also felt agreeable. Since this is the case, the minister dared to ask His Majesty to choose the Fei family as a concubine on the next day to comfort the queen's desire for a son. ”

Li Zicheng listened to Wu Ruyi's words, and at the same time praised Wu Ruyi in his heart for paying attention to learning etiquette and language from the ministers in the past year, and these few words were very decent, which increased his happiness. If it was Zhang Xianzhong, he would definitely be holding his brown beard and laughing at this time, and then scolded Wu Ruyi with two foul words to express his praise.

However, Li Zicheng almost never smiled, and said softly in a reproachful tone: "Before Chang'an left the school, there was an agreement, and after entering Beijing, the palace maids will be assigned to meritorious generals. At present, the matter of distributing the palace maids has not yet begun, how can I choose a beautiful woman first?"

Niu Jinxing saw that Li Zicheng's words of reproaching Wu Ruyi were not sincere, and hurriedly said: "The emperor first thought of giving the school to the palace maid to the meritorious general, which is naturally the intention of the Ming Jun, which is rare in ancient and modern times. However, in the opinion of the ministers, the distribution of the palace maids is only a matter of a few days, and it can be handled jointly by the military marshal's office and the chief general. As for the emperor's selection of concubines, you might as well do it. General Ruyi's request, I hope that the Holy One will agree. ”

Li Zicheng looked at Liu Zongmin and asked, "What does Zong Min think?"

Liu Zongmin said: "You are the Son of Heaven, the lord of a country, if you don't choose a concubine first, who of the generals will dare to accept the palace maid rewarded by the emperor? The palace maid that Wu Ruyi said, since she is handsome and can read and write, you can take it by your side, the emperor." What is the point of going to Beijing to choose a beauty? Since ancient times, which emperor has not had a mother's seventy-two concubines in the three palaces, six courts, and courts? Could it be that the founding emperor of my Dashun Dynasty ate Qing Zhai?"

Li Zicheng smiled: "The most urgent thing to discuss in today's imperial meeting is the major military affairs, and there is no need to discuss the rest of the matters here. Because the matter of rewarding the palace maids to the generals was punished by the military division and the advice was left behind, Li Yan and Ruyi were both responsible for the Qing Palace, and the palace maids who had checked the palaces also stayed, and the rest of the civil and military ministers could leave the palace and go back to their own yamen to do business. ”

After the ministers withdrew from the imperial kowtow, Li Zicheng got up and took Song Xiance and others to Xinuan Pavilion. There are very few chairs there, suitable for a few people to have a secret conversation. After Li Zicheng sat down on the dragon chair, he retired from the palace maid and did not allow anyone to wait outside the window, and then he said slowly.

"When it comes to beauty pageants, I have a thought. Although I don't have a son under my knees, and I care about the subjects of the Dashun Dynasty, I think more about how to properly reward the palace maids for meritorious generals. What do you think?"

Song Xiance said: "The minister thinks that His Majesty's selection of concubines and His Majesty's reward of palace maids for meritorious generals can be done in parallel, and Your Majesty's selection of concubines may as well go first." The palace maids are rewarded with the generals, because there are many people, and they must be prepared to do it properly, and they are all happy and share the emperor's grace. As for His Majesty's choice of concubine, it is only a matter of one person, and there is no need to delay. Empress Gao burned incense and made a wish, but she hoped that Her Majesty would have a concubine who would give birth to a prince early, and her subjects would also have the same ardent expectations. ”

Li Zicheng nodded again and again, but said: "Since ancient times, emperors have started businesses, although they have all been in accordance with the mandate of heaven and the will of the people, but they also have to fight a hundred battles to have the world. After winning the world, it is necessary to eliminate the opposite, defeat foreign enemies, and expand the territory. The emperor's hundred battles are operated in order to clean up the country. The soldiers fought bloody battles in order to establish meritorious deeds and get the rewards of their children's jade silk and feudal marquis. There are no exceptions. ”

"I relied on the power of the soldiers to break Beijing, destroy the Ming Dynasty, and create the country, so I always thought that the meritorious generals should not only be rewarded by Hou and Bo, but also by their children. Otherwise, how can we inspire the morale of the army? The matter of rewarding the palace maids has been decided in Chang'an, and the soldiers know about it, so I think that the matter of rewarding the palace maids should be done quickly, and the matter of accepting concubines might as well be delayed a little. ”

Wu Ruyi stood up and said, "Your Majesty cares for the soldiers, and he is really a saint of the ages. But His Majesty is the lord of all peoples, since he personally summoned the people of the Fei Palace, which is quite in line with the holy will, he might as well take the Fei family as a concubine first, and then choose a date to reward the palace maids to the meritorious generals. ”

Li Zicheng asked, "What do you think about it?"

Song Xiance said: "What General Ruyi said is very true. The 28th of this month is a good day for marriage. If His Majesty approves it, the minister intends to order the officials of the military division office to make a list of the generals and schools that should be rewarded to the palace maids, and to check the list of palace maids suitable for marriage from the palace, and quickly get ready, and complete the matter of rewarding the palace maids from the 28th to the 29th. In the Forbidden City and all over the West Garden, there are many palaces and courtyards, guarding the door, being careful of the fire candles, sprinkling everything every day, and no one else. The courtiers will temporarily reward the generals with 2,000 palace maids, I don't know what Your Majesty thinks?"

"It is so good that the palaces and courts must not be left unattended, nor should they be overwhelmed. ”

Song Xiance also said: "The emperor's choice of concubines should be before the 28th of this month. The Forbidden City is a place where beautiful women gather, and Fei Zhen'e is not the only one who can be used as a concubine, listening to the deputy military division, there is a palace maid surnamed Dou in Ciqing Palace, who has both virtue and appearance, and is crowned in the group of fangs, which can be the choice of His Majesty's harem. Please summon her to come here today, take a look at it with your own eyes, and then choose one of the Dou clan and the Fei clan. ”

Li Zicheng didn't expect that there was a more outstanding woman in the palace than Fei Zhen'e, and he was surprised.