――Twenty-two years ago――

"Niangfei, concubine......"

The fashionable and only four-year-old Li Wei stomped into his mother's bedroom, staring at the baby boy who was lying beside his mother and crying.

Perhaps noticing the look of doubt in her eldest son's eyes, the noble concubine Chen barely supported her weak body after giving birth, leaned on the bed, stroked Li Wei's head, and said softly, "Wei'er, he is your younger brother, and your father named him Cheng ......."

"The child already has two younger brothers......"

Chen Guifei smiled slightly, waved her hand to tell the palace maid in the house to step back, and then stroked her son's hair dotingly, and said, "No, Wei'er, the third and fourth are not your closest siblings, only Cheng...... He has the same blood in his veins as yours, and he is your true brother! ”

Li Wei looked at his mother puzzled. [This article is from]

Seeing this, Chen Guifei smiled slightly and said softly, "Being born in the royal family is both a blessing and a calamity for you...... When you grow up, you will understand the words of your mother, whether it is Li Yong, Li Shen, Li Mao, or those brothers you have not yet been born, don't look at you and wait for your brothers to get close now, in the future, they will definitely become your enemies......"

"Why?"

"Well, you'll understand later...... Wei'er, you are the light, your brother Chengnai is the shadow, as long as your brothers work together, others will not be able to defeat your two brothers! - Remember, Wei'er, in this world, only Cheng flows the same blood as you......"

"Well, the kid remembers!" Li Wei nodded seriously.

――Seventeen years ago――

"Concubine ......" was accompanied by a burst of howling and crying, and the fifth prince Li Cheng, who was only five years old, ran into his mother's palace Chen Guifei with tears on his face.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Cheng'er......" Chen Guifei gently patted the back of her second son with her hand distressedly, and asked softly, "What's wrong." Cheng'er? ”

Wiping the tears from his face, Li Cheng cried, "Brother beat me......"

"Really...... Okay, okay, for my mother to know, for my mother to go and tell your brother, okay? - Don't cry, be good, Cui'er, take His Royal Highness down to wash his face......"

"Yes. Concubine Niangniang! Ying Ying, a palace maid who was waiting beside her, bowed, walked over and took the little hand of the fifth prince Li Cheng, and led him to the inner hall.

Looking at the back of the second son's departure, the smile on Chen Guifei's face gradually faded, and she sent someone to call her eldest son, Li Wei, who was nine years old, to him.

"Smack!" A resounding slap resounded throughout the temple.

Perhaps this was expected for a long time. There was not much consternation in Li Wei's eyes, only anger and resentment.

"Why is the concubine indiscriminate? The concubine knew that the jade pendant that she had given to her child was broken......"

"Smack!" Another resounding slap in the face.

Looking at the eldest son with an angry face, Chen Guifei said coldly, "Do you know why your mother wants to beat you?" ”

Looking at his mother angrily, Li Wei finally lowered his head and said as if admitting his mistake. "The boy hit his brother......"

"Not bad! - He is your younger brother, the only person in the world who has the same blood as you, fighting tiger brothers, fighting father and son. How can you swing your fist at your own brother?! - It's just an inconsequential jade pendant, if you like it, you can ask your father to reward you with another ten or twenty pieces......"

“……”

"Both of your brothers are at fault in this matter! - Cheng'er shouldn't have broken your things. Even if it's a piece of jade pendant that is not worth mentioning in the eyes of Wei Niang, and you. Shall you beat your own brother for this? - Before sunset today, my mother wants to see your brother reconciled as before! ”

"This ...... Most of them won't pay attention to the children at the moment......"

"Then you go and apologize to him!"

"For ...... Why? - Apparently he caused it! ”

Looking at the angry gaze of the eldest son, Chen Guifei said with a straight face, "Just because you are a brother!" This is your duty and obligation as an elder brother, and you have no hesitation! ”

Seeing his mother's resolute attitude, Li Wei nodded reluctantly.

Seeing this, Chen Guifei sighed slightly, squatted down, stroked the head of her eldest son Li Wei, and said softly, "Wei'er, you are good at everything, but you don't have enough equipment, you can't even tolerate your own brother's faults, how can you accommodate people in the world?" - You see, your father will never favor any of your princes, he is a benevolent emperor, but not a benevolent father...... In the future, your mother will eventually pass away one step ahead of your two brothers, and when the time comes, only your own brother will be the only person you can trust, understand? ”

"Well, the child understands, and the child will go and apologize to Cheng later......"

"This is the bearing that a brother should have!" Chen Guifei nodded with satisfaction, then held the two palm prints on the face of her eldest son Li Wei with both hands, and asked distressedly, "Does it hurt?" ”

"Hmmm......"

"Remember this pain, seeing that your brother is not compatible, it hurts for my mother's heart, a hundred times more than you!"

"The child knows ...... wrong"

"Okay, come here, apply some wound medicine for your mother......"

"Hmm!"

――10 years ago――

"Oh no, no, the Second Highness and the Fourth Highness have fought......"

In the Jijing Imperial Palace, a group of eunuchs and maids rushed to tell each other, looking panicked, and in the garden of the West Garden of the Imperial Palace, Li Wei, who was still not the prince at that time, struggled to get up from the ground, and looked at the fourth prince Li Mao in front of him angrily.

Looking at the embarrassed Li Wei, Li Mao, who was only eleven years old, laughed and said, "Second brother, save some effort, you are not my opponent!" - The master who taught me martial arts, but I am the first fierce general of the Great Zhou, the Duke of Dongguo! As he spoke, he glanced around at the princes present, and said with a sneer, "Who else wants to try?" ”

At that time, except for the former prince Li Yong, who led the army to attack Wairong in northern Xinjiang, the rest of the princes were present, and none of them dared to speak out in the face of the domineering fourth prince Li Mao.

Seeing this, the fourth prince Li Mao's eyes showed a little smugness, and at this moment, a fist hit him in the face, causing him to stumble and almost fall to the ground.

"Ah, yes, I can't beat you alone, but ......" Holding the hand handed over by the fifth prince Li Cheng, Li Wei stood up. patted the dust on his body, sneered and said, "It's hard to talk about two people!" ”

Before the fourth prince Li Mao could react, Li Wei and the fifth prince Li Cheng glanced at each other and pounced on Li Mao, and the three princes were actually rolling in the mud in the palace garden.

Although the fourth prince Li Mao had already entered the name of the Liangqiu family in the Donggong Mansion at that time, and was personally taught martial arts by Liang Qiugong, the first fierce general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was only eleven years old. The body is not yet fully developed, how can you take advantage of one against two?

But then again, Li Mao is a prince who has been taught orthodox martial arts after all, although he has paid a heavy price. But in the end, he knocked the two Li Wei brothers to the ground, but he himself was also blue and swollen, and he couldn't get up from the ground.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Ji, the son of the Great Zhou Dynasty, felt furious when he learned of this, and severely reprimanded the three princes. They were ordered to go back to their respective mothers' bedrooms and be grounded for three days.

Under the surprised gaze of Li Ji, the son of the Great Zhou Dynasty at that time, Li Wei and Li Cheng brothers were bruised despite their torn clothes. But as if he had won a battle, he went back with his shoulders on his back and talking and laughing, but on the other hand, the fourth prince Li Mao had an angry look on his face.

After drinking the rest of the princes. Li Ji, the Son of Heaven, frowned and thought for a while, and walked towards Chen Guifei's bedroom. Before he entered the door, he heard the exaggerated and smug laughter of the fifth prince, Li Cheng.

"Concubine, concubine, didn't you see that the child was very majestic at that time, and he pressed the fourth child to the ground and beat him severely!"

Looking at the second son's almost treasure-like pride, Chen Guifei showed a little relieved smile on her face, nodded and said, "Very well done, Cheng, you really did a good job...... Does it hurt? ”

Seeing his mother's praise, the fifth prince Li Cheng grinned, shook his head and said, "It doesn't hurt!" As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't seem to touch the wound on his face very much, and grinned in pain.

Seeing this, Chen Guifei shook her head angrily, and said with a smile, "Are you still strong in front of your mother?" - Cui'er, why don't you quickly apply medicine to His Royal Highness? ”

"Yes, concubine ......"

Glancing at the second son Li Cheng, who was grinning in pain during the dressing process, Chen Guifei smiled slightly, took the wound medicine, wiped the bruises on his face for the eldest son Li Wei, and said softly, "Wei'er, originally, you will be beaten to the ground by the fourth child today, and you will be humiliated, who will relieve you from the siege?" ”

"It's ......"

"Yes, it's your own brother, in this palace, only your own brother who has the same blood as you will spare no effort to help you...... The fourth child studied in Liangqiu's house in Donggong Mansion, which is another example

What? Your two brothers still taught him a lesson, right? - If it is not bad as expected by my mother, the fourth child will never dare to be presumptuous in front of your two brothers in the future! - Wei'er, do you know why? ”

Li Wei lowered his head and thought for a while, raised his head and said, "He has only one person, and we have two!" ”

Chen Guifei smiled slightly, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "It's good to understand...... In this world, only your own brother who has the same blood as you will spare no effort to help you and remember this blessing from your brother! ”

"Hmmm! - Got it! ”

Outside the hall, when the Son of Heaven Li Ji heard this, he nodded as if approving it, then shook his head and turned to leave.

After the three-day confinement, the Li Wei brothers and a group of eunuchs went to ask their father, Li Ji, the son of the Great Zhou Dynasty, to ask for peace, but they met the fourth prince Li Mao in the corridor.

"Get out of the way!" Perhaps thinking about the pain on his body, the fourth prince Li Mao reprimanded angrily.

Li Wei sneered and said lightly, "It's time to give way, it should be you!" ”

"What did you say?" Li Mao took a step forward angrily, and suddenly his face was shocked, because he found that the fifth prince Li Chenglai turned out behind Li Wei, and the two brothers stared at him with unkind eyes.

"Get out of the way!" Li Wei shouted coldly.

Staring at the two Li Wei brothers with anger on his face, Li Mao thought for a while, stood aside silently, and watched the two Li Wei brothers walk away.

"This kid can't be arrogant!" Clearly noticing the angry look of the fourth prince Li Mao, the fifth prince Li Cheng sneered and said to the brother beside him.

Hearing this, Li Wei glanced back at the fourth prince Li Mao, and then looked at his younger brother Li Cheng, who had the same hatred as him, with a little smile on his face.

"yes......"

"If you dare to be arrogant, beat him again!" Li Cheng said viciously.

Li Wei smiled even more on his face, and his left arm wrapped around his own brother Li Cheng.

"That's right! - That's it! ”

……

……

"Poof......" A mouthful of blood spat out of his mouth, and the crown prince Li Wei silently looked at the imperial robe on his chest that was gradually penetrated by the blood in his body.

"Really...... Unexpected......" With a somewhat wry smile on his face, Prince Li Wei raised his head, looked at his younger brother Li Cheng, who was obviously scared stupidly, and stretched out his right hand. Gently stroking the blood stains on Li Cheng's forehead that had been grazed by the crossbow arrows, he said softly, "Leaked...... One ......"

Hearing this, the eyes of the fifth prince Li Cheng were suddenly filled with tears, and he shook his head again and again, muttering, "No, no......"

"I'm sorry, ......" looked apologetically at his own brother. Li Wei said bitterly, "My brother was negligent, my brother really didn't expect that the third brother would set up an ambush in his father's bedroom......" Speaking of this, his figure flickered.

See here. The fifth prince, Li Cheng, hurriedly supported his brother, looking at the blood that couldn't stop flowing from his brother's chest and back, his eyes were full of guilt.

"Crying for what? We haven't lost yet! With the help of his younger brother Li Cheng's strength, the crown prince Li Wei barely stood up straight, looked back at the third prince Li Shen in the palace, and said with a smile, "Ah." We haven't lost yet! - We're still in control! - Wen Chin! ”

With a loud roar, a mouthful of blood spat out of his mouth.

Seeing this, the third prince Li Shen's face changed greatly, and he raised his hand to point at the Li Wei brothers and shouted at the dozens of crossbowmen. "What are you waiting for? Kill these two rebel thieves quickly! ”

The crossbowmen were shocked when they heard this, abandoned the crossbow in their hands, pulled out the saber at their waists, and killed the two Li Wei brothers.

"Delusional!" pushed away his younger brother Li Cheng. The crown prince Li Wei slashed a crossbowman to death with a sword, but he was also stabbed in the abdomen.

"Brother!" Li Cheng, who was slumped on the ground, shouted.

And at this very moment. Wen Qin rushed into the hall with Xie An in his arms, and when he saw that the crown prince Li Wei was covered in blood, his eyes were round, and his face was full of anger, he abandoned Xie An, drew his sword, and hacked the dozens of crossbowmen to the ground.

Seeing this, the third prince Li Wei's face changed greatly, holding his sword in his hand, and fled to the corner in a panic.

"One step away, only one step away......" Forcibly enduring the severe pain of being pierced through his body by more than ten arrows, Prince Li Wei gritted his teeth and staggered towards his father on the dragon couch, Li Ji, the son of heaven, with a fierce glint in his eyes.

With every step, a large mouthful of blood flowed from his mouth, flowing down the four-clawed black dragon yellow robe on his body, soaking the vermilion leather carpet under his feet.

Everyone in the hall was moved, and even the Great Zhou Emperor Li Ji also showed a shocked look, looking at the crown prince Li Wei with complicated eyes.

At this time, Wang Ying, the old eunuch who was waiting by the dragon couch, narrowed his eyes, his slightly cloudy eyes showed a bit of murderous intent, and his body flickered, as if he wanted to take action.

Suddenly, he was stunned, because Li Ji, the son of heaven, stretched out his left hand and grabbed his arm quietly.

As if he had received some kind of information, the old eunuch Wang Ying showed a bit of complexity in his eyes, took a step back, and lowered his head.

At this time, the crown prince Li Wei had already walked to the side of the dragon couch with a sharp sword, looking at his father on the dragon couch, with a sad smile in his eyes.

The entire inner hall was silent, even Xie An was stunned, he couldn't believe it, how could the crown prince Li Wei, who had shed so much blood, still stand, how could he still swing the sword in his hand.

"Father, you have been an emperor for more than thirty years...... Ahem, it's long enough, let's go on the road with Erchen...... Poof......" Spit out a mouthful of blood, Prince Li Wei caressed the wall with his left hand, and slowly raised the sword in his hand with his right hand.

Looking at the crown prince Li Wei like a bloody man, a little heartache that could not be concealed flashed in the eyes of the son of heaven Li Ji, and he said calmly, "Before you die, are you still thinking about removing the last obstacle for him?" Do you bear the unforgivable charge of killing the king and the father for him? ――Is it worth it? ”

"Worth it? - He is the only son...... Such a younger brother......" Speaking of this, a trace of fierceness flashed in the eyes of the crown prince Li Wei, and the sword in his hand swung down violently towards the son of heaven Li Ji.

And at that moment, a hand gently supported his downward swinging arm.

"Enough, brother, enough is enough......" hugged the crown prince Li Wei from behind, and the fifth prince Li Cheng cried silently.

"Acceptance?" Prince Li Wei looked at his younger brother in surprise.

I saw Li Cheng shaking his head again and again, crying with remorse on his face, "I don't want to be an emperor, I really didn't want to be an emperor...... I was just...... I was just...... I just want my mother to pay more attention to me, and I want others to pay more attention to me, I ...... The only candidate for the throne in my mind is my brother! ”

The crown prince Li Wei's face was shocked when he heard this, and then he said with a wry smile, shook his head and said, "Brother...... I can't be an emperor anymore......"

"I know...... I'm sorry, brother, I'm sorry, brother, I'm sorry for you......" The fifth prince Li Cheng cried silently.

"......" looked at his younger brother Li Cheng with a smile, and the crown prince Li Wei endured the severe pain and said in a low voice, "Cheng, while my brother still has ...... There is still a little strength, my brother killed my father for you, and then ...... Then you take control with Wen Chin...... The situation must not be called...... Tell others to sit and collect the profits......"

"No, no......" shaking his head again and again, Li Cheng shouted with remorse on his face, "If my brother is gone, it doesn't matter who becomes the emperor...... My younger brother has harmed my brother so badly, how can I not make my brother bear the great sin of killing the king and killing the father again......"

Before the words fell, only a long sound was heard, and the sword in the hand of the crown prince Li Wei fell to the ground.

Looking down at his trembling right hand, Prince Li Wei slowly lay in the arms of his younger brother Li Cheng, and said bitterly, "Even if my brother wants to kill at this time, he can't lift the sword...... As he spoke, he used his last strength, raised his right hand, and gently stroked his brother's hair, and suddenly, his right hand hung down weakly.

"No, no...... Elder brother! The fifth prince Li Cheng screamed and shook his brother's body vigorously, but Li Wei did not make any movement, and he was obviously dead of anger.

The crown prince Li Wei died, and the fifth prince Li Cheng did not have any orders, but only hugged his brother's bones and cried bitterly, and all the northern army and Jizhou soldiers outside the palace threw down the weapons in their hands, even Wen Qin also slammed the sword upside down on the blue bricks in the hall, sat cross-legged on the ground, and was silent.

Subsequently, Liang Qiuwu, who was aware of this change, stopped fighting with Jin Ling'er, entered the palace to watch the movement, and then under Xie An's signal, opened the Zhengyang Gate, put in the Eastern Army, quickly controlled the situation in the palace, and arrested all the people who participated in the rebellion.

Seeing that the fifth prince Li Cheng was taken away by the soldiers of the Eastern Army like a walking corpse, the son of heaven Li Ji got down from the dragon couch with a slight tremble, and with the support of the old eunuch Wang Ying, he slowly walked to the corpse of the crown prince Li Wei, looking at the somewhat staggering smile on his face.

"This son of a scumbag, after doing such a crime, is still smiling so gratifying...... muttering to himself, Li Ji, the son of heaven, suddenly changed his complexion, and suddenly spurted out a mouthful of blood.

"Your Majesty?! - Someone, someone, pass on the imperial doctor! Fast! ”