In the fifth year of Taihe, October Gengchen, the beginning of the child.

Chang'an, Wannian County, Sixteen Princes' Mansions.

The title of the king, in his own house, only one person dares to call himself like this......

King Ying turned his head to see that his side concubine Wang was saluting him.

King Ying ordered his subordinates to go to rest first, and after the maidservants had retreated into the second courtyard, Li Han took a closer look at Wang. She was wearing a brown light-pink hairpin dress embroidered with peonies, and the inside of the dress was a light purple silk shirt, and the waist seemed to be a bundle of silver thread embroidered satin, lining out the slender body like a water hibiscus, and the clothes were lined with uncovered collarbone skin, like a lonely thin snow frost.

Li Han asked with a little surprise, "Why haven't you slept yet?" ”

Wang bowed his head and saluted: "The concubine knows that the saint and the king have a banquet in the sixteenth house, but for some reason, the concubine misses the king very much tonight, so she wants to wait for the king to return to the house and sleep with the king at the same time, fortunately she waited. ”

I have to say that Wang's slightly lowered head really made Li Han feel a little moved, even if he didn't make up too much, his white face was bright and dignified; As the so-called powder is too white, Shi Zhu is too red; The eyes are smart, but they are delicate but not charming; The most important thing is a touch of goose yellow on the forehead, which can be described as bright.

The princess looked up at Li Han, and when the two looked at each other, Li Han, who had been very serious almost all night, had affection in her eyes.

"You don't have to remind me like this," Li Han reached out and touched Wang's watery cheek, and smiled, "I remember, back then, today, my father gave you to me, when you were in cardamom, I will pass the general horn, and eight years have passed." Is this why you've waited for me until now? ”

Wang's face turned red in an instant, "The concubine's careful thinking, the king knows it." ”

"It's not too late, I haven't drunk much wine just now, you go and prepare it for me, I'll go to the back garden and drink some more by myself." But don't bother, you can rest early after you're done. ”

Wang bowed his head and sang, and then withdrew.

Unlike the princes and princesses who often occupied half a square or even a square in Chang'an City during the Zhenguan period of Taizong, the Yingwang Mansion located in the Sixteen Princes' Mansions is not large. Like all the kings' mansions that live in the Sixteen Houses, it is just a three-hall courtyard, with three halls in the front, middle and back, plus a back garden. There is a gold lacquer mahogany plaque hanging above the main entrance, on the regular script "Yingwang Mansion" three big characters, the font is balanced and thin, the penmanship is strong and powerful, obviously from the hand of the current dynasty to advise the doctor Liu Gongquan.

In the center of the first courtyard is a coral tree given by the Son of Heaven to the emperor's younger brother Yingwang the year before last, about one and a half feet high, with jagged branches, and the color is polished and red and shiny, and it can glow with a faint red light even at night. A few willow trees were planted in the second courtyard, as early as when Li Han left the cabinet at the age of twelve and lived in the sixteenth house, the willow trees were already there, and it is said that they were planted by his father, Emperor Muzong. Now it grows vertically and straight, and every time the season enters summer, it is luxuriant, and the wind blows the willow flowers and fills the garden. Now in winter, watching the branches swaying in the wind also gave King Ying an inexplicable sense of relief.

Li Han walked through the courtyard of the two entrances, took off his Taoist robe, changed into the regular clothes of the dark purple prince and walked into the back garden, picked up the Taoist dust placed next to the alchemy furnace in the back garden, and sat down on the stone bench. It is already winter, the sassy west wind blows the autumn chrysanthemum petals planted all over the yard, and the back garden is cool and refreshing. At the half-moment when Li Han was changing clothes, Wang had already placed a thin-necked silver wine jug and a white jade wine cup on the stone table in the back garden.

It was night, and the moonlight was clear.

Wang always felt that King Ying had something on his mind, the usual King Ying only cared about alchemy, and when Zhang Yijun was still in Chang'an, the two of them read and sat in front of Taoist scriptures for an afternoon. Later, after Zhang Yijun went to Huazhou and then to Xichuan, King Ying occasionally called Zhao Guizhen, a Taoist priest in the palace, to come over and ask for immortals, and the two of them were stuffy together by the alchemy furnace in the back garden for a few hours before they came out. But today's King Ying, after the feast, seems to be a different person, although he is still smiling as before when he looks at himself, but when he looks away, he frowns, and he doesn't know what he is thinking.

Thinking like this, the Wang family quietly opened the door of the back garden, only to find that King Ying uncharacteristically took off the Taoist robe that never left him, changed into the dark purple regular clothes of the vassal king, and also tied a white jade belt. The pouring moonlight illuminated the angular and handsome face of King Ying, but he looked elegant and extraordinary at the moment.

"Zongzhi's chic and beautiful young man, looking up at the blue sky, is as bright as a jade tree in front of the wind......"

For some reason, looking at King Ying at this moment, Wang remembered Du Zimei's poem in his heart. When he was a singer, he learned to sing this "Song of the Eight Immortals in Drinking", and later was dedicated to the palace because of his good singing and dancing, and was immediately given to King Ying by Emperor Muzong, and he never sang it for eight years.

As if he felt the presence of the Wang family, King Ying looked over and said, "Don't hide, I saw you." ”

With a panicked face, Wang opened the door and stepped into the back garden, almost tripping over the threshold.

"Didn't I let you rest, what's the matter at such a late hour?" Li Han asked.

Wang straightened his clothes and knelt down, his eyes clear, "The concubine is just worried about the king, seeing that the king seems to be worried tonight, and wants to come to share the king's worries and solve problems." ”

Li Han sighed, and pulled Wang to sit next to him.

"I'm afraid you can't think about it."

"Where is the king's thoughts, isn't it the court?"

Li Xiao was stunned and looked at Wang, "Exactly." ”

"The concubine may be able to solve a question or two for the king."

Li Xiao smiled and said: "You only live in the palace every day, and rarely go out of the house, how do you know about the temple?" ”

Wang raised his clear eyes and looked at Li Han, and there was even some confidence in his words.

"The king doesn't know, every time Zhao Guizhen comes to preach for the king, it will be a few hours, and the concubine will chat with his little Taoist boy for a long time in order to pass the time."

"You mean, that Zhao Guizhen Dao Tong? What's it called, it seems to be ......"

"It's called Ah Hao."

"Oh, I remember, Zhao Hao, that kid with clear eyebrows."

"Although Zhao Guizhen is only a Taoist priest, because he often goes in and out of the palace, he knows a lot of things in the court, and he lives in Pingkangli, and he has heard many rumors. Ah Hao naturally also heard about it," Wang looked at King Ying intently, and then said: "The concubine also learned from him about some things that happened outside the Sixteen Mansions, and I don't know if it will help the king." ”

In the past eight years, even in the year of the weak crown, since the murder of Emperor Jingzong, the party strife between the DPRK and China has been raging, and the dangerous political situation has also made King Yingwang choose to stay away from the center of the power struggle. After leaving the pavilion and moving into the Sixteen Princes' Mansion, he only devoted himself to cultivation, and the people he met were no more than Taoist priests in the palace. After Li Deyu left the town, King Ying rarely interacted with courtiers. It's all about this, so that Beiji won't be targeted. It can be said that in the past eight years after leaving the cabinet, escape is the main theme of Li Han's life.

King Ying held the white jade cup and groaned for a moment, then looked at Wang's firm eyes, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, if Li Deyu or Zhang Yi were there, I am afraid that he would not be so ignorant of what happened in the court, so that even his beloved woman was far more aware than himself.

King Ying asked Wang to get up, and the two sat across the stone table, "Have you ever heard that there is a Mu Qingchen in the court, the new Shangshu Zuocheng?" ”

Wang obviously felt that today's King Ying was indeed different from the past, even she had never seen King Ying's eyes so serious.

"This ...... The concubine body is not very clear, but this person has indeed heard of it," Wang thought for a while and said: "During the Baoli period of Emperor Jingzong, he was only a member of the Ministry of Rites, and then he was soon transferred to the Hanlin Attendant Lecturer, and then the saint ascended the throne, and it only took five years to rise to his current position. It is said that this person never forms a party, and he is only a nodding friend with Niu Sidian and Li Zongmin......"

The Wang family paused, and then continued: "In the humble opinion of the concubine, his promotion may be to let Nan Ya learn." ”

King Ying pursed his lips, looked meaningfully at Wang's slightly delicate eyebrows, smiled and quipped, "Is this what you said not very clearly?" You're a lot clearer than I am. ”

Wang smiled and said, "Because...... The concubines really don't know the reason why Duke Mu was promoted so quickly. ”

"You're on the point," King Ying put down the white jade wine glass and got up slowly, "Although Shangshu Zuocheng is the fourth grade, but he is in charge of the march, the senator seal, and he can see the Son of Heaven, and he is also a bachelor of Hanlin, and he is in charge of the machine and knows the ......."

Li Xiao said that he fell into deep thought, and Wang knew that it was best not to disturb King Ying when he was thinking, so he just sat quietly on the stone bench and watched King Ying's eyes flash.

Even though the banquet had long since ended, there was still a shadow lingering in Li Han's heart, and what made Li Han even more depressed was that he couldn't think of a reason why he was so worried. It can be said that in the past few years, because he has never cared about the political situation of the court, he has put his mind on the cultivation and safari, even if he is talented, he wants to immediately understand what happened between the court, and King Ying suddenly feels powerless. Because Li Han never thought that the entanglement of interests in the Daming Palace, the intertwined forces of all parties would reach such a point.

As if he had guessed Li Han's heart, Wang got up and stroked her husband's broad back, and whispered: "The concubine remembers that when Yijun was in Chang'an, whenever she had thoughts, she liked to speak alone, and she would be able to sort it out quickly. The prince is worried, it is better to speak out, otherwise it will always be a mess, and it will only increase his worries......"

King Ying looked at Wang, unconsciously brushed her cheek with his hand, and couldn't help but smile. King Ying remembered that when Zhang Yijun was thinking alone, his expression was as serious as a bronze statue, at that time, Li Han always liked to make trouble in the past, but Zhang Yijun could not be moved.

Thinking that it had been two years since he had seen him, King Ying instantly missed that time a little.

King Ying learned from Zhang Yijun's appearance at the beginning, and it was as if he was telling Wang, "Wang Shoucheng's power has been scorching for a long time, so don't care about it for the time being; His henchman Zheng Zhu, who openly betrayed his official position, has long been notorious, and it is impossible for the saint not to hear of it; When the prime ministers of the dynasty Niu Sidian and Li Zongmin, the same party protected each other, the old ministers of the three dynasties, known as famous, since the year before the two of them worshiped the prime minister in the same year, they jointly squeezed out the teacher Li Deyu's close people; And Mu Qingchen, who has no friends and no party, and is cautious, has to be promoted......"

A thought suddenly flashed in Li Han's mind.

"Paradoxical!"

Li Han and Wang almost spoke in unison, Wang raised his eyes, and the two looked at each other.

"That's right," King Ying looked at Wang deeply, and Fang Cai's flash of thought gradually took shape: "...... Whether it is Wang Shoucheng's favor, the sage's appeasement of Zheng Zhu, or Niu Sidian and Li Zongmin, who openly formed a party and belittled the courtiers, if there was no Mu Qingchen, everything would be explained and everything would seem calm. ”

"And if you add Mu Qingchen, compared with these people in the court, they all seem abrupt." Wang Wenyan added.

"It's not so much abrupt as his promotion that is at the center of all these contradictions." Li Han faced the chrysanthemum rockery, stood with his hands in his hands, and his expression was a lot soothed, "I didn't expect Zhang Yijun's way of thinking to be useful......

Somehow, Li Han felt in his heart that outside the Sixteen Princes' Mansion, in the treacherous court of the Daming Palace in Chang'an, there was an inexplicable undercurrent slowly surging, far from a simple party struggle or eunuch dictatorship, but a more dangerous struggle was dormant in the stormy center of the empire. But what it is, Li Han still has no clue at this time, at least judging from the existing information, I am afraid that everything is not simple.

King Ying seemed to have made up his mind, and said softly in his mouth: "Maybe...... Indeed, this king should have made some changes. ”