In the evening, the emperor gave a banquet in the Qing Xi Palace, in order to welcome Yishan's return after being separated for many years, and also to let Yishan meet the people of the palace. There are not many imperial concubines, and in addition to the emperor Yilin, there are Yi Guifei, the third prince Minhe and his mother Concubine Ying, Concubine Qi, Concubine Shu, Zhao Zhaoyi, and Jiaorong and her mother Wencairen. The second prince Min Che was imprisoned, and the eldest prince Min Xuan closed the door all day long, and he couldn't come. Everyone couldn't help but marvel when they saw such a resemblance between Yishan and Yilin.

"If the queen can see today in the spirit of heaven, she must also smile." Yi Guifei spoke softly.

The emperor sighed lightly, almost inaudible, and flashed a subtle wry smile. Restraining the affection, the emperor's loving statement, "I should have held a banquet yesterday, thinking of the tiring carriage and horses for more than ten days, it should be exhausting, and last night's cold storm and rain, the palaces are inconvenient, and Minhe's body is afraid that it will be really unbearable, so it was changed to today." ”

"Thank you for your kindness." Min He got up, his thin body was like a weak willow supporting the wind, his slender fingers were distinct, and his gentle smile couldn't hide his haggard face.

"Minhe's complexion is not good, did you catch a cold last night?" The emperor's loving concern.

"It's still the same, and the sons are fine."

The emperor nodded, and Minhe sat down respectfully.

"Today is a family banquet, you don't have to be formal, be casual, just come for the first time, and I'm afraid that she won't adapt to the rules." The emperor said.

"Thank you, Father." Yishan's hearty smile is rare in the palace. I went out of the palace once during the day, and the important thing was to see Cheng Zheng, and I was not happy when I went back.

"Come and get to know your brother and sister. You've already seen your sister, so you don't need to say more. This is your third brother Minhe. The emperor personally pointed to Min He and introduced it to Yishan.

Yishan left her seat and walked lightly to Minhe's table, and was blessed: "Yishan has seen the third brother." ”

Minhe stood up and bowed back: "My sister is polite." ”

"That's your third sister Jiaorong." The emperor pointed to a table of literati at the very end, and the imperial banquet could only be attended by concubines with more than four grades or with imperial heirs, and the literati were ranked last according to their ranks.

Jiaorong is well-behaved and clever, only twelve or thirteen years old knows how to read words and feelings, and before Yishan walked over, he left the table and saluted Yishan: "Jiaorong has seen the second emperor sister." ”

Yishan stretched out her hand to help Jiaorong: "Sister, hurry up, my sister has just arrived, I'm afraid I will need my sister's guidance in the future." ”

"Okay, don't be polite." The emperor deliberately interrupted Jiaorong and Yishan's words, and his gaze swept to Wencairen, who lowered his eyelids expressionlessly. "You'll have time to meet in the future."

"It seems that the emperor is not in a hurry for Yishan's marriage?" Yi Guifei took a sip of tea, her phoenix eyes picked lightly, and she opened her mouth unhurriedly, lest the world be chaotic to provoke the topic, and the words were inserted like sharp needles.

Yilin was a good cultivator, his expression was neither happy nor sad, he listened quietly, and did not pay attention to Yi Guifei's slightly provocative words, but the emperor saw the depressed sadness in Yilin's heart.

Concubine Yi's words made her anxious: "My father doesn't really want to keep me for two more years, I can come back often after I get married." ”

The emperor said unhappily, "Yishan, although you and Cheng Zheng have a marriage contract, after all, you have not yet issued a decree to announce it to the world, as a princess, you should be dignified and dignified, how can you make a big deal about your marriage in public." ”

"Oh. Yishan knows. "Yishan said in her heart that the rules in the palace are more exquisite, and when I was in Jiangnan, I kicked Liu Gongzi out of the house, and my father didn't say anything about me. Although the person in front of him is his father, he is not familiar with him after all, who knows his joy and anger, so let's deal with it first. Yishan couldn't help but think of the night she was on the roof with Cheng Zheng, Cheng Zheng's sentence "Although you are a princess, you must also be cautious in your words and deeds, and you can't say anything when you think of it." ”

As soon as I heard the emperor say this, I secretly thought about what the emperor meant. Because she and Cheng Zheng have been close since they were children, as soon as they came to play with Cheng Zheng out of the palace micro-service, they observed the people's feelings, and they went all day, and the emperor never said anything, why did my sister just mention a few more words of Cheng Zheng in front of her family, and her father was going to warn her. After all, Cheng Zheng and I came first, and now that the people around Cheng Zheng have been replaced by my sister, it is inevitable that someone will say something. When my sister first came, my father couldn't take care of her, and in a strange place, it was always good to be cautious in everything. As soon as I think about it, I feel that it is reasonable.

"Why didn't my father hurry up and make an order to fulfill this pair of mandarin ducks?" As soon as he spoke for his sister, his tone was light, as if he had nothing to do with him at all.

The emperor was a little surprised, when he came, he really matured? Letting out his childhood sweetheart's lover with his own hands is not something that everyone can do. "When do you think it's right to make an order?"

"Tomorrow. If the order is made a day earlier, my sister will not be afraid of someone gossiping behind her back. "Long pain is better than short pain, sooner or later there will be one, why delay it for so long. Doesn't it hurt to drag on for so long. At least this will also fulfill my sister as soon as possible. Yishan cast a grateful gaze, hehe, my sister still understands me.

"Since you say so, let's do it tomorrow." Since you can see it and know how to make a trade-off, what am I worried about, father. I have been dragging it out before, because I am afraid that you will not be able to accept this decree.

"Thank you, father, can I go out of the palace to find Cheng Zheng in the future?" Yishan's eyes immediately lit up, and she couldn't wait.

"Father is a good person to the end, send the Buddha to the west. simply gave my sister the right to enter and leave the palace freely. "In the imperial city, if the prince wants to leave the palace when he is a minor, he must ask the emperor for permission, and when he becomes an adult, he can freely enter and leave the palace when he builds a mansion outside. And the princess is not allowed to leave the palace at will before she gets married, unless she is allowed to do so. I've been licensed since I was a child. Now Princess Kyaukrong is thirteen years old, but she has never left the palace gate once.

"This," the emperor felt inappropriate.

"If my father doesn't want to be pestered by his sister every day to get out of the palace in the future, let her go. Seeing that she just left the palace today to see Cheng Zheng, she was happy when she came back. It is inevitable that I will go out often in the future. As soon as he finished speaking, Yishan looked excited and grateful again. Can I leave the palace freely? Oh my God, I can't imagine it.

"Well, I'll do as you asked for today. Yishan, remember to inform Yao Luo before leaving the palace in the future, and he will send someone to protect you. ”

"Thank you, Father." Now I jumped up with joy.

Concubine Yi quietly sipped tea and watched this good show of sisters competing for sons-in-law.

Due to physical discomfort, Minhe retired early after sitting down as usual, and after singing and dancing the orchestra to cheer up, the feast was almost time to disperse. Out of the Qingxi Palace, Yishan returned to his palace under the guidance of the palace maid.

Entering the dormitory, the palace maid Blowing Ling made the bed, took off the hairpin for Yishan, changed into bed clothes, and Yishan sent the others out to let Blowing Ling stay.

"Blowing Spirit, I want to ask you a question."

"Princess, please speak."

"My father doesn't seem to like the third sister very much, but my sister is also a princess, why does it seem that she has rights more than ordinary princesses?"

"This, the princess forgives. The slave did not dare to discuss royal matters. "After all, Blowing Spirit has been in the palace for many years, and he knows how to act carefully.

"I forgive you for your innocence, and besides, now it's only you and me, what are you afraid of. I don't know anything about the palace, and you, as my maid, should remind me of the relationship. ”

Blowing Ling hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Princess Jiaorong's biological mother is an eight-rank girl, and she gave birth to a princess before she was promoted to a seventh-grade talent, so Princess Jiaorong's status is not high, and the emperor rarely goes to see her, and she has no title until now." And Princess Yilin is the queen's daughter, she was named Princess Rong'an at birth, and she was taught by the emperor personally with the eldest prince since she was a child, and she is highly respected, and her status is naturally different. At the age of thirteen, he was allowed to walk in the imperial study, and at the age of sixteen, he participated in the discussion of politics. ”

"That's right. My sister is really amazing, which makes me so envious. ”

"Princess, you don't have to be envious, you are a fellow mother with the eldest princess, and you are also a princess born from the queen, I heard that you also had a title when you were a child, and you were sealed with the eldest princess, but it has been more than ten years, and the slave and maid were not in the palace at that time, so it is not clear. Now that you have only entered the palace for a few days, the emperor has given you the right to enter and leave the inner palace freely, which shows that your status in the emperor's heart is by no means ordinary. Moreover, General Cheng was born in a family, his status is noble, he is young and promising, he commands a party of soldiers and horses, and is deeply valued by the emperor, and he is the sweetheart of many famous ladies in the capital. The emperor has now agreed to give marriage, which shows that the emperor really loves the princess. "Blowing Ling is worthy of being an old character, deliberately omitting the friendship between Yilin and Cheng Zheng's childhood sweetheart, and praising Cheng Zheng again, which made Yishan happy.

Qinghe Palace, as soon as he was lying on the bed tossing and turning, tomorrow the holy decree will be completed, and he and Cheng Zheng will be completely cut off. Ah Zheng, will you understand how I feel at the moment, do you know how reluctant I am at this moment. You said that we are all extraordinary people, and we are destined to bear too many responsibilities from birth, and we can't say no or run away from them. We don't live for ourselves, you have the lives of thousands of Yun Clan troops on you, and I want to carry the burden for the people of the world. But I really want to be willful once, I really want to live for myself once, let go of my identity and responsibility, and do what I like unscrupulously, no longer have to do it. Retreat from the prosperity of the brocade, and you will be indifferent for a lifetime.

And this night, Cheng Zheng did not sleep peacefully. Recently, Yingfeng has made frequent moves, Yingfeng is loyal to Min Che, Min Che was deposed, but this group of people is not giving up, conspiring inside and out, trying to find evidence that Min Che was used by others to overturn the case for him. Cheng Zheng learned from the secret news that Chen Wanlu, a subordinate of Yingfeng, would enter Beijing tonight, and specially intercepted it here. Chen Wanlu was ordered by Yingfeng to quietly recruit strategists and warriors in the field, and the news was tightly blocked, Cheng Zheng sent people to disguise and investigate many times in vain, this time trying to get some inside information on him.

Cheng Zheng led the people of Tingfeng Hall to ambush more than ten miles south of the city, which was the only way to enter Beijing from the south. The suburbs of the city were silent, and there was no sound at all, and at the third watch, the sound of horses' hooves was clearly heard getting closer and closer. After confirming that it was Chen Wanlu, Cheng Zheng led people to block the road. Although Chen Wanlu is extraordinary, he was besieged by Cheng Zheng's dark people, and he was also invincible with two fists and four hands, and he was defeated in a few moves. Cheng Zheng was injured on his hand, so he didn't participate in the battle, just stood aside and watched. Chen Wanlu was pressed to the ground by the dark man and couldn't move, and the dark man searched his body, but there was no gain.

"Cheng Zheng! Your dignified general actually used a sneak attack as a means! Chen Wanlu shouted. Cheng Zheng did not cover his face, because he was rounded up tonight, and he was not prepared to let him return to the capital alive.

Tingfeng Hall Master Tingxi looks like a weak woman, but her personality is also dry, and her foot fell on Chen Wanlu's head, "The name of the door master is also worthy of your name." ”

Cheng Zheng squatted down, "I'll do it, do you dare to see the light of what you did for Yingfeng?" Since they are not good people, is it necessary to compare who is worse? You entered Beijing late at night from other places, and it is impossible for you to come empty-handed, so let's say, where is the secret letter hidden? ”

"If you want to ask me, it's up to you!" Chen Wanlu is determined.

Cheng Zheng took out a dagger he carried with him and stuck it directly into Chen Wanlu's arm, "Why bother to ask for hardship, you can't endure the hardship, I'm afraid that you won't be able to beg for death when the time comes." ”

Chen Wanlu screamed, "Cheng Zheng! You wait, Lord Yingfeng won't let you go! ”

Cheng Zheng couldn't help but feel funny, when did he let me go? The Yun clan has always been the most indispensable thing to fight openly and secretly, the soldiers and horses of the Yun clan army are too large and attractive, and there must be a capable leader. And the only way to keep a tribe in the long term is competition. This is the so-called born in sorrow, die in peace, and the dark iron must be sharpened before it becomes a sword.

Cheng Zheng sighed, "In the middle of the night, I'm too lazy to grind with you, since you want to suffer a little, I will fulfill you." "Turn your head and tell me to listen," he said, taking it back and asking slowly. ”

In the early dynasty, the emperor ordered Ming'an to announce that the princess of Yishan would return to the palace and give marriage to Cheng Zheng, and the marriage would be completed two months later. Cheng Zheng, the general of the Yun clan in the western frontier, was born in a family, full of loyalty, great military achievements, meritorious service to protect the lord, and was named the marquis. As soon as the holy decree was issued, the courtiers in the hall all congratulated, and the double happiness came. Cheng Zheng has been cultivated by the emperor as a confidant since he was a child, and he is a marriage and an official, and the courtiers are not very surprised. It's just that the marriage is not given by Yilin but by Princess Yishan, which is worth discussing in private.

As soon as Cheng Zheng finished dealing with the congratulations of the courtiers, he turned around and was invited by the patriarch Qingsong. Cheng Zheng entered the door and said straight: "The prince won't congratulate me on my promotion, right?" ”

"Where did you go last night?" Qing Song asked sternly.

Cheng Zheng didn't care: "Why does the prince even care about this?" ”

Qingsong asked, "This dagger is yours?" ”

Cheng Zheng looked at the table, his heart was shocked, how could it be that before leaving, he clearly ordered Tingxi to take people away, could it be that the dagger was lost? No, people without door-to-door people won't be so careless. Alas, no matter how you can't deny it, you can't say that someone stole my dagger and went to kill people outside the city, Cheng Zheng answered honestly: "Yes".

Qing Songfu asked: "Chen Wanlu was killed by you?" ”

I can't hide it from the eyes of the prince, is there any way but to admit it at the moment, Cheng Zheng couldn't help but lower his head and replied: "Yes." ”

"It's strange for you this time, how can you kill someone and don't even bother to erase the traces, you can be so unscrupulous just after being named a marquis?" Qingsong didn't even ask Cheng Zheng, it seems that he didn't want to investigate deeply.

"The last general will not dare. I will deal with this matter when I go back and give the prince a satisfactory explanation. Cheng Zheng also understood the meaning of Qingsong's words, after all, he was the duanhou who had just been pushed up, and he couldn't hold the face of King Xiang if something happened, so it shouldn't be a problem to do some high-sounding kung fu perfunctory, as long as he didn't want to get to the bottom of it, he shouldn't be afraid.

"No need, I've taken care of it. You'd better be more restrained when you just returned to Beijing and pay attention to your current identity. "Qingsong is a good person to do it to the end, and he will deal with it himself, it seems that he really doesn't want to make a big deal.

"Yes." Cheng Zheng responded obediently.

"Go back and think about it for me behind closed doors, if you dare to go wrong during this time, you should be careful yourself." Qingsong handed the dagger to Cheng Zheng.

"Yes." Just now, I was congratulated by the stars like the moon, and now I was pulled over and reprimanded, this contrast is inevitably too big. Fortunately, King Xiang has always turned a blind eye to the battles in the clan, as long as you don't make too much trouble, there is nothing wrong with learning some conspiracy and power, and those who climb up, who do not step on corpses under their feet, do not have blood on their hands.

Cheng Zheng walked out of the military and political center and saw Yuan Chen coming head-on. The succession of King Xiang is undecided, Yuan Chen, Cheng Zheng, and Yingfeng are all promising candidates, Yuan Chen has been guarding the southeast border, why did he come back without hearing any news. Yuan Chen had a smile on his beautiful face, his snow-white robe swayed lightly in the wind, as delicate as an immortal in the world, very gentle, very elegant, like a weak scholar with no temper, "Congratulations on your marquis." As I expected, you were the fastest of the three of us. Yuan Chen spoke as lightly as the wind, as if this matter had nothing to do with his interests.

"I remember that when the three of us were compared by the council, we privately bet on who would eventually sit on the throne of King Xiang." Cheng Zheng said.

Yuan Chen chuckled, "It's good if you remember." ”

"The coming day is long, and it is not yet known who will kill the deer in the future." Cheng Zheng is rarely humble, is this encouraging Yuan Chen.

"Nature." Yuan Chen bowed slightly, like a gust of wind drifting by.

That night, Cheng Zheng came to the Sunset Cave, which is the hiding place of the dark people, in the deep mountains in the northern suburbs of the capital, where the jungle is dense and the ravines are steep, ordinary people will not come here, let alone in the middle of the night.

The original source of the Cheng family's secret man was that when Tasha married Dazhao, King Xichi was not worried about his sister, so he arranged a group of samurai to secretly protect him, only for Tasha's use. When Tasha became a monk, he handed over this group of people to Cheng Zheng, and later reorganized and combined them through Cheng Zheng and Jinfeng to form Wushang. Cheng Zheng served as the master of the door, and there were six halls, all of which were women, respectively, listening to the wind hall, welcoming the wind hall, chasing the wind hall, chasing the sound of the wind hall, watching the end of the wind hall, hearing the wind hall and hearing the depression, and guarding the wind hall and the moon. Among them, Lang Yue is deeply appreciated by the master of the door, and everyone else uses the first word of the name to represent each hall according to the rules, except for Lang Yue, and Shoufeng Hall is the core of no door, summarizing the clues collected by each hall and the implementation of tasks, it is also the highest status among many halls. Lang Yue was veiled every time she appeared, and few people had seen her face. Cheng Zheng has always been strict with his subordinates, but he has never lost his temper with Lang Yue. In a cruel organization full of strife and blood, how many people stepped on corpses and climbed up, but Lang Yue sat on the position of the master of the Wind Guarding Hall effortlessly at a young age, and was favored, and all kinds of speculations made a strange mistake in the hearts of the dark people.

After passing the stone gate, after a few bends, and then going inside, it suddenly became clear, and it was no longer the appearance of no one outside. The cave is well renovated, and the fire candles, tea sets, incense and soft couches in the hall are all available, just like a separate garden. Lang Yue was lying on the soft couch reading a book, that was Cheng Zheng's position, except for Lang Yue, no one else had ever sat down. Hearing the doorkeeper saluting, knowing that it was the door master who came, Lang Yue got up: "The door master." ”

Cheng Zheng asked: "What about listening?" ”

"Holding it in the spring cave, do you want to pass it over?" It seems that Lang Yue knew that Cheng Zheng would come, and knew why he came, so he was waiting for him here.

"No need." Cheng Zheng turned around and went, in the spring cave, just right.

Spare a few turns and arrive at the spring cave. It is said to be a spring cave, and there is indeed a pool of spring water, about a zhang long and wide. However, the boiling mountain spring water is not a hot spring, and the reason why it boils is that someone dug up this area and burned it underneath.

Cheng Zheng stood on the steps that surrounded the pool, the water in the pool gurgling and boiling, and the mist on it. Listener, he buried his head and knelt underneath.

Cheng Zheng asked: "What happened at night, how could my dagger be in the hands of King Xiang?" ”

Listen to Xi truthfully replied: "The subordinates are incompetent, after the door master left last night, the subordinates were planning to bring Chen Wanlu back, and the binding inspection was broken free by him, and between the fights, Yuan Chen and a group of people passed by, and the subordinates had no choice but to kill Chen Wanlu's mouth in a hurry, and hid first, and then cleaned up after Yuan Chen passed." Who knew that Yuan Chen stopped after seeing Chen Wanlu's body, and then they took Chen Wanlu away. ”

Lang Yue said, "It should be Yuan Chen who handed over the dagger to King Xiang." ”

Cheng Zheng nodded and analyzed, "Yuan Chen grew up in the southeast, and he only came to the capital for a few days every year during the Pilgrimage and New Year's Festival, so he didn't know me well, he shouldn't recognize it as my dagger, and Yuan Chen had no reason to use such a trick to deal with me." Then he should have taken Chen Wanlu away only for official business. Seeing that there was a murder in Gyeonggi Guandao, it was reasonable to bring the body back with the murder weapon to the government for detailed investigation. ”

Lang Yue responded, "It's a small matter to kill Chen Wanlu, but this dagger fell into the hands of King Xiang overnight, which shows that King Xiang has many eyes and ears, but fortunately, King Xiang did not pursue it." ”

"He naturally doesn't want to pursue it, the emperor just issued an order to make me a marquis, and a scandal broke out in less than half a day, and he was also disgraced." Yuanchen turned to Tingxi and said, "But I want to investigate, you shouldn't give me a problem at this juncture." ”

"Yes, my subordinates know their mistakes. But Yuan Chen and his entourage have a lot of people, and their subordinates don't want to make a big deal about it, and if they really start with Yuan Chen, their subordinates may not have a chance of winning. ”

"You have your reasons, but I'm not going to give you another chance."

"Yes." There was no superfluous justification, and there was no crying and begging for mercy. Two people walked behind him and walked towards the pool and pushed down decisively. The boiling hot water quickly surrounded Tingxi, who struggled and screamed in pain for a while, and then floated to the surface of the water like cooked food, his face already dragged a layer of skin, and his face was scarlet and indistinguishable. Some of the hair is also detached from the scalp, swaying restlessly up and down with the boiling water. Cheng Zheng, Lang Yue, and the people around them didn't have any expressions, and this kind of scene was commonplace in their eyes.