The night was like ink, silent and deep. After the first heavy snowfall since the beginning of winter, the weather rarely clears, and the weather is unusually cold during this period of heavy winds and thick clouds. People who live in this kind of weather are also quite depressed.

In the study room of the second entrance of the Wang's Mansion in Nancheng, Chengdu, under the light of the beans, Wang Yuan sat at the table and read with a book. Of course, Wang Yuan's purpose was not to read, he just wanted to be quiet in the study and sort out his complicated thoughts.

What happened during the day today made Wang Yuan's mood very unhappy. However, Wang Yuan was also very helpless, after all, in this matter, the hundred officials only have the responsibility of recommendation, but have no right to decide. The decision to establish the crown prince is still in the hands of Xuanzong. Thinking that Li Linfu was powerful back then, didn't he have no way to choose the crown prince? Even if he publicly stated countless times that King Shou was the best candidate for the crown prince, and deliberately shouted to Xuanzong, Xuanzong turned a deaf ear.

Sitting in the study with a book in his hand and thinking about it for a long time, Wang Yuan also figured it out. What Xuanzong did today was trying his best to hold his last line of defense. In Xuanzong's view, he is already the biggest threat to his imperial power, and in the matter of establishing a prince, he is Xuanzong's last hope and bottom line. Of course, Xuanzong would not allow his successors to be controlled by himself, so he had to raise objections no matter what. Even if there were no moves by Yan Zhenqing and others today, Xuanzong would definitely reject it categorically in the end. And the current delay is just a delaying tactic.

Wang Yuan didn't expect that he had been trying his best to avoid becoming a powerful minister, but he had to admit that he was indeed the only powerful minister in the Tang Dynasty court. It is no wonder that Xuanzong has clamped down on himself in many ways, and his status has indeed affected the authority of the imperial family, which has exceeded the scope of his courtiers.

However, Wang Yuan himself also felt a little wronged, and along the way, what Wang Yuan did was only to protect himself and control his own destiny. However, in the process of pursuing these, he invisibly became the tallest tree and the most prominent bird. The tree is a big wind, and the gun shoots the first bird, which is why things have evolved to this point. There were his rules in those years, and he failed to adapt to these rules, but changed his rules, so he became that unpopular character and a threat in the eyes of Xuanzong.

Another reason why Wang Yuan feels wronged is that he really doesn't want to do anything. I don't have any other ambitions, but I'm afraid most people will scoff at it now. In addition to self-preservation, he really just wants to make Datang better, so that the most powerful country in the world will continue to be strong, so that the golden age of the Celestial Empire will last longer, and the people will live better. In his bones, Wang Yuan is actually a person who would rather have comfort and pleasure than fight and kill, but reality has forced himself to this step step by step.

In today's situation, Wang Yuan has no way out. Although Wang Yuan thought countless times about what a comfortable life it would be if he could leave these troubles behind and live a peaceful life with his wife, concubines and children. However, he also understood that this was just an idea. By now, he couldn't turn back. Once you retreat slightly, you will end up with no place to die, and you will suffer with your wife and children, relatives and friends. Don't look at Xuanzong's cowardly face now, once he has his hands free, he will do it mercilessly.

Moreover, over the years, Wang Yuan has almost integrated into this era, facing the miserable life of the people, and facing the broken rivers and mountains, the iron hooves of the Hu people trampling and abusing the land and the people, Wang Yuan cannot sit idly by. Being in a high position and holding heavy soldiers, the heavy sense of responsibility lingers. Wang Yuan couldn't imagine what the Tang Dynasty would be like once he withdrew. Do you want to let this rebellion last for eight years, as recorded in the history books, and let the world be ruined for eight years? That's absolutely not going to happen.

The current situation is a bit tricky, Xuanzong delayed the establishment of the prince, and he couldn't really force the palace. It's not that I can't, but I don't want to. Wang Yuan didn't want to let himself fall into the abyss of the real Son of Heaven to order the princes. Once inside, there's no turning back. And the act of forcing the palace will arouse the disgust of the people of the world, and will make you fall into a catastrophe. And even when it came time to force Xuanzong to listen to his opinion, it was not now. Now is a critical time for counterinsurgency, and if there is infighting, the rebels will have a chance to breathe, and the consequences will be even more unpredictable. Again, everything must be premised on counterinsurgency. If the decision is made regardless of the overall situation, Datang will be torn apart, and the world will fall into extreme chaos.

There is another thing that makes Wang Yuan very puzzled, that is, Li Mao's delay in returning. Wang Yuan's initial judgment was that Li Mao would not dare to stay and not return, because Xuanzong would never allow him to do so. However, more than ten days have passed, and Wang Yuan has been a little shaken in his thoughts. After Li Mao left, what Li Mi said in his ear came to mind, and now it seems that Li Mi's judgment seems to be more reasonable. If what Li Mi said comes true, it will be a big mistake for himself, and the situation will become confusing, and he doesn't know where to go.

In the cold night under the lamp, Wang Yuan's thoughts were in a mess, and the more he thought about these things, the more chaotic his mind became. Because the deeper he thought about it, the more Wang Yuan had a bad premonition. The more I cleared my thoughts, the more I felt that Xuanzong's delay was related to Li Mao's delay, and the more I felt that I had made a huge mistake.

Wang Yuan closed the book and stood up, and the two maidservants who were waiting in the study hurriedly appeared from the darkness and saluted and asked, "What does the master command?" Do you want to drink tea or add fragrant tablets? ”

Wang Yuan waved his hand and said, "No need, I'll go out for a walk, you pack up your pen and ink, blow out the candle and go to sleep." ”

The two maidservants agreed softly, and gently cleaned up the desk. Wang Yuan walked out of the study door and came to the porch. Walking along the lantern-swaying corridor to the back house, walking to the gate of his courtyard, he suddenly thought about it and turned to the east, to the small courtyard of the plum garden where Gongsun Lan lived.

Came to the small courtyard of the plum garden, walked a few steps along the stone path and bypassed, and saw the small house where Gongsun Lan lived from the plum tree, but the lights under the corridor of the small house were extinguished, and the window was also dark, obviously Gongsun Lan had also slept. Wang Yuan stood stunned for a while, listening to the whistle of the night wind blowing through the plum tree in his ears, and turned around with a light sigh. When I came to the road, I unconsciously walked dozens of steps to the east, where was the apricot orchard, which was the residence of Mrs. Qin Guo and Yang Yuhuan.

Wang Yuan didn't plan to go in, but he inadvertently looked at the lights in the windows of the east wing of the three main rooms in the courtyard, and couldn't help but feel very curious. Yang Yuhuan lives in the east wing, and I don't know why she hasn't slept yet. Wang Yuan was curious, so he gently pushed open the courtyard door and walked in. When I came to the porch, I heard the faint sound of the tinkling of the piano in the east wing, as if there was a gentle humming sound.

Wang Yuan stretched out his hand and gently tapped the window edge, the sound of the piano inside stopped, and Yang Yuhuan's low voice came: "Who is it?" ”

Wang Yuan said in a deep voice: "It's me, I'm Wang Yuan." ”

There was silence for a moment, and soon after, Suosuo's footsteps sounded, and then the door creaked open, and Yang Yuhuan's figure appeared in front of the door.

"Jiro. How can you ...... on such a cold day? Came to me in the middle of the night? Yang Yuhuan said in surprise.

Wang Yuan smiled: "What? Aren't you welcome? I read a book in the study just now, and my head was extremely dizzy, so I wanted to come out and take a few steps to change my breath. Passing by here, I saw that the lights were on in your house, so I came and looked. ”

Yang Yuhuan smiled: "I'm afraid I'm here to see the eighth sister, the eighth sister is asleep, do you want me to call her for you?" ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Why do you say such things, I'm just here to see why you haven't slept, if you don't welcome it, I'll leave." ”

Yang Yuhuan smiled and said, "Then I don't dare, wouldn't I go back and ask your wives and concubines to make trouble, blame us for not knowing what to do." It's cold outside, so let's come in and talk. ”

Wang Yuan said: "You come out, just accompany me for a walk in the yard." so as not to disturb the lady and others. ”

Yang Yuhuan thought for a while and nodded, "It's okay, please wait, I'll go and put on some clothes." ”

Yang Yuhuan turned around and entered the room, and after a while, he came out wearing a wide coat and carrying a lighted lantern in his hand. The two of them went out and walked into the courtyard, walking slowly along the path between dozens of tall apricot trees at the east end of the courtyard.

The two walked silently for a while, standing still under an apricot tree, Wang Yuan leaned on the apricot tree and sighed softly, looking up at the dark sky.

"Jiro doesn't seem to be in a good mood?" Yang Yuhuan stood in front of Wang Yuan and asked in a low voice.

Wang Yuan looked down at Yang Yuhuan, reached over and took the lantern in her hand, hung it on a branch, and gently held Yang Yuhuan in his chest with his left hand. Yang Yuhuan put his hands on Wang Yuan's chest, slowly leaned his head on Wang Yuan's chest, listened to his powerful heartbeat, and slowly closed his eyes.

"There are too many troubles in life, when can we live a free life like a fairy? I don't know why I care so much about things outside of my body, and I don't know what good things are other than the annoyances they cause me. Wang Yuan said in a low voice.

Yang Yuhuan raised his head and said in a low voice: "People live in the world, and it is inevitable that they will experience this. But aren't all these experiences evidence that we are alive? If there is no annoyance, I am afraid that it is also a kind of annoyance. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "When did you become so open-minded?" Remember not long ago, didn't you want to become a Taoist monk? ”

Yang Yuhuan said angrily: "Don't make fun of others, after going through so much, I also have some insights." I'm already reborn. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Are you still happy living here?" ”

Yang Yuhuan nodded and said: "We are very good, at that time, because the wind and rain in the outside world were blocked by you, you had a lot of worries, but we were stable." ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "That's good, I have too many things to worry about anyway, and one or two more things are nothing, as long as you are happy and happy." In the future, when the time comes, you will not have to live here, and you will be able to live freely again. Patience and patience for the time being. ”

Yang Yuhuan said softly: "I understand." I don't yearn for freedom, I only yearn for peace, and ...... With you by your side. ”

Wang Yuan stared at her eyes, and saw the true feelings in Yang Yuhuan's eyes, and his heart was very moved. Reaching out to hold her face, he leaned over and kissed it. Yang Yuhuan was just like that, and the two kissed silently for a long time before they separated.

"What song did you just play?" Wang Yuan asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing, it's just thinking about a new song. It is not as clear as thinking clearly in the noisy daytime, so take advantage of the quiet time of the night to ponder. Yang Yuhuan said softly.

Wang Yuan smiled: "Very good, after the score is finished, I will be the first to listen." ”

Yang Yuhuan said with a smile: "There are no songs, and a song without lyrics is unsatisfactory." I've always been dissatisfied with the lyrics I wrote myself. By the way, would you like to write a song for me? ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "I just asked casually, and I got into trouble." How can I be in the mood to write lyrics? ”

"Ask Erlang for a favor, I beg you, okay? You write one for me, I'll ...... Won't I be able to repay you twice as much? What do you want? Just say. How about I send you an amber sword spike? Or will I give you the precious jasper fan? Yang Yuhuan said coquettishly.

Wang Yuan smiled silently: "That's not necessary, I'm really not in the mood to write poetry at the moment, but I can give you an old work I wrote a few days ago." A few days ago, I went to the banks of the Geumgang River, where the water was already frozen, and the scene was spectacular. So I got a poem. ”

"Great, let's listen to it." Yang Yuhuan said happily.

Wang Yuan groaned slightly, and said in a mansheng voice: "When the thousands of miles of the river first froze, Yukeyao wore a jagged sound. The floating life is just like the water under the ice, which flows eastward day and night, and people don't know it. ”

Yang Yuhuan leaned on Wang Yuan's chest in a daze, and muttered: "Floating life is just like water under ice, and people don't know about it day and night." What a poignant sentence, these two sentences should be passed down through the ages. Yes, our lives pass by in such silence, we can't see, we can't hear, we can't grasp it. When I knew it, it was already Gao Tang Mingjing's sad white hair, and the morning was like green silk and twilight like snow. ”

……

In Ningyuan City, the farce of disagreement within the Tang Dynasty staged in front of Guli Peiluo opened the eyes of Guli Peiluo and others. While Li Mao and Li Guangbi were arguing with Guo Ziyi, Guli Peiluo and his men were talking in a whispered voice.

"See? The reason why Datang has fallen to the point where it is today is because they like to fight in the nest. We Hui people can never learn from their example, we must unite and work together. As long as we work together, unlike the Tang people, we will be able to sweep the eight desolate lands in the north and south before long. Guli Peiluo said.

"Yes, under the leadership of the Great Khan, I will be able to dye the rich land of the Gui Fang and become the masters of the greatest empire in the world. The subordinates are looking forward to that day. Kizanali chuckled under his breath.

Guli Peiluo laughed and said, "That's not a difficult thing. For now, though, it's better to say less. The hundred-legged insect of Datang is dead but not stiff, and the strength is still there. Therefore we must not act rashly, but remain in friendship with them. That's one of the reasons why I'm borrowing troops to help them put down the rebellion. While lending them troops will cost us some of our troops, we will gain much more than we lose. In the words of their Tang Dynasty, this is called fishing in troubled waters and taking advantage of the danger of others, let's see, after this deal is done, I will get two cities for nothing, and I will also get thousands of Tang people. Materials, weapons, armor, and horses will be countless. ”

"What does the Great Khan mean that after the two cities are in their hands, they will not be returned to them?" Kizanali whispered.

"Joke, have you ever seen the truth that wolves on the steppe eat their prey and spit it out? Those two cities are fortresses on the border of the Tang Dynasty, and after we occupy them, we can go south at any time. When I want to go south, I can drive straight in. That's not something that can be compared to tens of millions of dollars. ”

"What the Great Khan said was that if he really occupied those two cities, he would be able to garrison them here. There are no important Tang towns to garrison in the hundreds of miles to the south, and the situation is extremely favorable to me. But the Great Khan, after saying that it is a mortgage, if the Tang people pay the money, if we don't return it, will we have to make a stalemate? ”

"Beggar Zanali, you're still too tender. Am I going to allow the Don people to raise money indefinitely? After a while, I made a three-year appointment with them. If they fail to pay the money within three years, the two cities will be mine. In three years, do you think they will succeed in counterinsurgency? An Lushan's rebels are strong, although An Lushan is dead, but hundreds of thousands of fierce generals are still there, and they don't want to succeed in counterinsurgency in less than ten or eight years. If they don't have enough money to fight and fight, how can they have the money to return to us? So, these two cities are in my possession. For me, the most advantageous thing is for them to fight to the death, so that we can be most profitable. ”

"Great Khan. But the subordinates still don't understand, let's borrow 100,000 elite soldiers to put down the rebellion for them, wouldn't it help them speed up the process of counterinsurgency? My 100,000 elite soldiers are all brave soldiers, and I'm afraid that it won't take me a year and a half to sweep away the rebels. ”

"Hehehe, beggar zanali, is your head full of sheep dung? Do you really think I'm going to lend them 100,000 soldiers? We have just pacified the Turkic tribes, and it will take time to stabilize the situation. If those guys take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos, can't we deal with them empty-handed? I'll only give them 50,000 soldiers, and I'll keep the remaining 50,000 to prevent the unconvinced guys from messing around. ”

"But didn't the Great Khan promise them to give them a hundred thousand soldiers and horses? Where did these 100,000 soldiers come from? Kizanali was surprised.

"Hahaha, that's not easy? The old and weak remnants of those Turkic tribes are all incorporated into them, so that they can gather 100,000 horses? As for whether we can fight or not, that's not something we are considering. Got it