The two came to the incense case hand in hand, bowed a few times together, Princess Zhou burned incense, prayed with her palms together, and Princess Tian gave a with tears. Cigarette smoke is rising...... The breeze blew from afar from the sky, and the tall ancient trees swayed their branches and leaves, making a rustling sound, as if they were about to drown out the faint sound of the flute, Princess Tian blew hard, suddenly felt a heat in her heart, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground softly, holding the jade flute tightly in her hand.

In the palace of King Xin, the lights are bright, and the mansion is still not resting. Princess Zhou sat in the main hall, holding a small bamboo fan, waiting for Gao Shiming's news. There was silence all around, only the Luo fan gently swayed to float the airflow, and the cicadas outside began to murmur intermittently. Princess Zhou suddenly felt a little hot, the fragrant sweat gradually came out, Luo Shang was slightly wet, she wanted to walk out of the palace gate, to wander and dance in the night breeze outside, let the cool breeze blow up pieces of Luo shirts, isn't that a pink butterfly flying in the flowers in early spring? It's a pity that it's not spring anymore, where can I still breathe the fragrance of flowers to my heart's content? She sighed faintly, and her thoughts flew to the Forbidden City, which had not yet been seen, and flew to the thin and elegant man. She couldn't think of what he was doing, she didn't know what the palace looked like, she just wanted to be by her husband's side and live a peaceful and peaceful life as before. Thinking that her husband is the emperor, but tonight he can only swallow wheat cakes, no water, no soup, and no dishes, and he feels miserable for a while.

"Princess, the slave is back."

Princess Zhou suddenly woke up from her reverie, but saw that Gao Shiming had returned to the hall at some point, and hurriedly asked, "Is things going well?" ”

Gao Shiming replied: "The slave and maid acted according to the plan, and first arrived at the mansion of Master Zhou, and Master Zhou said that the wealth of the family depends on the mother, and since it is one, it is natural to do its best." Master Zhou rewarded his soldiers with fifty taels of silver overnight, and ordered them to recruit relatives and friends, pretending to be soldiers patrolling the night, and secretly waiting beside the official road leading to the Forbidden City. ”

Princess Zhou sighed: "It's rare that his old man knows the general situation so well, and he puts his net worth and life out of the way." What are the courtiers? ”

"There is no news yet, we will find out when Master Tian goes to Liuquanju."

"Hey! If the Wei thief is in trouble late at night, the prince and they are lonely, how long will they be supported? I'm afraid I'll only be caught with my hands tied! Princess Zhou missed this, and she was even more anxious, and for a while, boundless sorrow hit her heart.

Gao Shiming persuaded: "People are always not as good as heaven, the prince is auspicious, and the mother is still relieved to rest." In a few days, the prince will ascend the throne and canonize the queen, there are many things! Don't worry too much. ”

"That's good! It's also willing. Princess Zhou got up and went to the flower window, looking at the endless night, and suddenly heard a wisp of flute sound, which seemed to be far and near. She listened quietly for a long time, and unconsciously burst into tears, and asked in a trembling voice, "It's late at night, who is giving a?" ”

"It's Concubine Tian. After the prince left, she climbed the Wangwu platform alone, saying that if the prince didn't come back, she would play all the time. ”

"You don't know how to persuade? If you don't stop playing, too much air will be consumed, which will hurt your body very much. ”

"The slave and maid persuaded me several times, but I couldn't persuade it! Tian Niangniang, who is kind and angry on weekdays, is pale today, and she is so frightened that the slave and maid dare not go on stage again. ”

Princess Zhou no longer asked, after more than a year of getting along, she also knew her temperament to some extent, and she also had a temper in front of the prince, usually looking coquettish, soft and weak on the surface, but once she was iron-hearted, she was a master who couldn't pull back. Princess Zhou sighed secretly in her heart and said, "Alas! Ordered to go down, I went to accompany her, and went to Wangwu Platform to pray for the moon and pray for the prince. ”

"The servant, please be nine thousand years old Jin'an." Next to the Yinxiang Building, two maids carrying lanterns greeted them and held lamps to guide Wei Zhongxian. Wei Zhongxian asked, "Is Mrs. Fengsheng available?" ”

"I'm bathing upstairs."

"Lead our family to her." Wei Zhongxian ordered the snickering eunuchs Li Chaoqin and Pei Yousheng next to him to stay below.

The maid held the palace lamp and illuminated the rockery next to the building, and the three of them climbed the stairs. The hall on the second floor is very elegantly clean, the front hall and the back hall, the front hall is a bright and two dark three rooms, unusually wide, a row of yellow pear interpolated screen seats large screen will separate the hall, and the imperial book "Mother Ceremony World" is hung high above the four gold lacquer characters. Listen to a full of exquisite Huanghuali chairs, under the large screen in the center is a large case, one side of four round-backed chairs, several cases in the middle of the enshrinement of a colorful Buddha sitting statue, the right is a painted gold lacquer Puxian Bodhisattva sitting statue, the Buddha statue in front of the yellow ground purple glaze double dragon bead pattern amphora in the green smoke, a pair of glaze red four seasons pattern jade pot spring bottle on both sides of several cases, each obliquely inserted a few fresh flowers. The south wall is all carved by red silk nan wood, a color flower window, the verandah is built outside the flower window, the heavy eaves fly on it, shade the sun and avoid the rain, enclose the carved railing, the flower window in the hall slides under the yellow pear bent leg square flower table, there are different trees, mountains and stone bonsai. Underneath is a pile of wooden planks, and there is no red felt orangutan blanket, which is even more good. On the right side of the hall, there is a Huanghuali six-leaf partition screen, behind which is the Huanghuali six-legged folding couch, a rosewood waist round pedal, and a small kang table with colored lacquer flowers and birds on the top, the table is full of candy and pastry boxes, and the red carved lacquer peony pattern cover box, the red peony petal plate, the red flower pattern round box, the colorful eight-treasure cloud crane pattern round box, and the colorful open-light Rui beast pattern octagonal cover box...... There is also a pair of green glazed and yellow colored pearl lid jars, which are colorful and delicate; A rectangular plate of carved lacquered flowers holds a few yellow and clear pears. Wei Zhongxian sat for a while, couldn't hold back the anxiety in his heart, got up and looked at the back hall, and vaguely saw that behind the bead curtain, there was a bucket-shaped wooden tire inlaid with silver bathtub more than half a person high. Ke Yinyue has been soaked in a basin of water, revealing her head and face, her hair is scattered and hanging down, covering her neck and face, and her skin is more and more snow-white and crystalline, delicate and delicate. Wei Zhongxian was stunned for a while, and he couldn't help but walk to the basin, scooped up Ke Yinyue's fat white arm and sniffed it, and said with a smile: "It's so fragrant!" ”

Ke Yinyue opened her eyes and saw that it was Wei Zhongxian, and said with a pretense of disgust: "It's not good to come when you come, but wait for someone to come when they take a bath, and teach the girls to make fun of it in their hearts!" ”

Wei Zhongxian patted Ke's shoulder and said with a smile: "I can smell the aroma in the Bamboo Wind Pavilion, where can I still sit?" Even the gods don't have the heart to make any plans. ”

"I'm afraid the plan hasn't been decided yet, right?"

Wei Zhongxian smiled and sighed: "The eyes are still so poisonous, I can't hide it from you!" It seems that our family is old, but we can't get home. ”

"Now that you're complacent, where do you have any scruples? It's not like many years ago, with your tail clamped tightly and being a good person everywhere! Besides, what is there to hide from me? After all these years, I know you too, and you know me, don't you? In the past few days, everyone has been hot like ants, and they have become headless flies in a panic, where do you have any thoughts and smells, I know that you just coaxed me. "Ke Yinyue opened up in the steaming water vapor, like anger and joy, and the eyes flowed. Wei Zhongxian grabbed her hand, stood by the basin and looked at her jade body in the water and said, "This will not be coaxing you. ”

Ke Yinyue smiled coquettishly and said softly, "Which one blames you?" I didn't mean to be cold, am I a person who doesn't know the general situation? What the hell happened to that? ”

"It's being discussed, and it's been hard to decide."

"Why are you still deliberating? It's nearly the second watch, do you want to wait for dawn to do it? I wanted to go to the Bamboo Wind Pavilion after bathing and have the same good news as you! Alas! What else to be interested in bathing, changing clothes! The maids on both sides stretched out their hands to help, and Ke Yinyue stepped out of the bathtub, draped in a loose silk robe, and half-lay and half-sat on the wide low couch. A maid stands aside with a mahogany tray in hand, and there are four stacks of snow-white towels neatly arranged in the tray, each of which is embroidered with a golden phoenix with yellow silk thread, and the four sides are locked with lace that is less than 10,000 words, each stack is twenty-five, a full hundred, and the four maids in beautiful clothes are like flying palms, and they see the towels like pear blossoms in early summer. The maids wiped Ke Yinyue's body, took out an ivory comb, dipped it in her mouth, decorated her temples, and changed into a gorgeous dress, and a fragrant and beautiful woman in palace clothes stood up neatly. "Let's go! Let's see how long they are going to argue? ”

The two maids held the lamp in front of the road, Wei Zhongxian hugged the Ke family with one hand, and hurriedly followed the rockery downstairs, but he walked more than a dozen steps, stepped on the air, and leaned back, Ke Yinyue was about to pull him, but he was taken to the unstable, and both of them fell to the ground. The maids exclaimed, and Li Chaoqin and Pei Yousheng hurriedly grabbed over and helped the two up. Fortunately, the grass at the bottom of the mountain is like grass, and it is not very high from the ground, and the fall is not heavy, but the clothes are crooked, the hair is scattered, and the expression is quite embarrassed. Ke Yinyue said angrily: "The clothes that have just been scented and the body that has been washed are pickled again." ”

Wei Zhongxian persuaded: "Later, our family will be washed up." ”

Ke Yinyue said: "It's not convenient to see people in this pickled appearance, and I will comb it a little outside, and go to the window to listen to what they say?" It's never too late to get in! ”

"It's okay to go in like this, who of them dares to make fun of them?"

"Tell the truth behind your back, and spit out the truth after drinking. If thou go in and sit firmly on it, they shall have scruples, and which one shall dare to speak freely? ”

"Reasonable, reasonable." Wei Zhongxian's sleeve gently approached the window, hiding in the bamboo shadow and listening, but seeing that the room was silent, the two couldn't help but wonder.

Xu Yingyuan returned to the Wenhua Palace, saw King Xin and Wang Chengen, and said: "Zhang Niangniang already knows that the prince has entered the palace, and tells the prince to be more careful. ”

King Xin nodded gratefully and said, "Is Niangniang okay?" ”

"It's not a big deal, it's just that I'm too sad and my face has been reduced a lot." Then Xu Yingyuan urged King Xin and Wang Chengen to exchange clothes, and knelt down with Wang Chengen and said: "Slaves and maids can't serve with them, so be careful." ”

"Hurry up." King Xin hurriedly raised his hand and ordered the two to get up. Xu Yingyuan said to Wang Chengen: "We don't have to be formal, so as not to be spied on." ”

Wang Chengen said with tears: "The prince is not humble as a slave and a maid, and the courtesy is very good on weekdays, and the slave and maid are broken bones, and it is difficult to repay them in case." While the slave and maid still have this breath, they will bow to the Lord of Long Live first. After that, the two made a big salute, ordered the guards to come in, threw the sword back to him, and pointed to King Xin, who was dressed in eunuch clothes, and said: "This king wants to go to the Qianqing Palace overnight to pay tribute to the imperial brother, and he is afraid of disturbing the inner palace, so he ordered him to replace the king and quietly worship and worship, and you send a few people to take him." ”

The guard said: "Our duty is to protect the prince, since the prince is staying in the Wenhua Palace, the villain does not dare to easily divide the manpower." He turned back to King Xin and smiled: "Father-in-law, it's not that I don't want to escort him, so I really don't dare to send people here." However, there are many sentries in the palace, and it is extremely safe, and the father-in-law can go with confidence, and there will be no accidents. ”

King Xin smiled and said: "You don't need to escort, the prince is still more noble, but you have to be careful to guard." Looking at Xu Yingyuan and Wang Chengen, he stepped out of the palace gate.

Princess Zhou looked at the southern sky in the courtyard, the moon fell and the stars were sparse, the blue sky was clear, the night breeze was rising, a wisp of flute sound was intermittent, and a soft Wu song was played. Princess Zhou also felt sour, and her steps couldn't help but slow down. The sound of the flute is mixed with the fragrance of late-blooming flowers, rippling and drifting away with the breeze. Jiangnan, Jiangnan, Jiangnan, the Jiangnan in the dream, the green bamboo on the green hills, the green water under the stone bridge, the plum rain like fog and smoke, the rice wine like mash, the song boat painting boat of the Qinhuai River, the sound of silk and bamboo in the song boat painting boat, the jade people playing the flute and drumming the zither, seem to be close to the distance, looming. On the moonlit night of the twenty-four bridges, where does the jade teach?

In the back garden, stands the towering Wangwu Terrace. It was built by King Xin for the two concubines of Zhou and Tian to look at the hometown garden from afar to quench the thirst of homesickness. The platform is ten zhang high, there are stone railings around it, and stone tables and stone benches are placed on it, which is a good place to admire the moon. Princess Tian did not sit on the stone bench, but leaned on the danger railing, blowing gently, and a tender voice like resentment poured out of the flute. Concubine Zhou walked up the stairs and called softly: "Sister Tian! ”

The sound of the flute stopped abruptly, Concubine Tian turned her head to meet her, there were a few bright tears hanging on her face, the moonlight was shining, and the stars were shining, "Sister!" Concubine Tian shrunk her shoulders and sobbed lowly.

Concubine Zhou forced a smile and comforted: "My sister has been playing for a long time, she must be tired, go back and rest!" ”

"Lord Wang, but he has a message?" Concubine Tian raised her head, as if she was a little pleased.

"Not yet. My sister came on stage late at night and was about to pray for the moon and blessing for the prince. ”

Concubine Tian muttered lightly, "When the prince left, my sister made a vow to play a song for the prince on the Wangwu platform, and there will be no message of peace, and she will never stop!" ”

"It's the same with my sister's blessing. My sister's body is already weak, if the prince returns, and sees that my sister is so anxious that her face is reduced, how to teach my sister how to explain? When it came to the injury, Concubine Zhou's eyes couldn't help but turn red.

Concubine Tian burst into tears and wept and said, "Since my sister can't drive for the king, let's blow the flute to help my sister pray for the moon!" ”

Concubine Zhou said lovingly: "With my sister playing music, the gods will bless the prince in the past!" With that, the two came hand in hand to the incense case and bowed a few times together. Concubine Zhou burned incense, prayed with her palms together, and Concubine Tian gave a with tears. Cigarette smoke is rising...... The breeze blew from afar in the sky, and the tall ancient trees swayed their branches and leaves, making a rustling sound, as if they were about to drown out the faint sound of the flute, Concubine Tian blew hard, suddenly felt her heart hot, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground softly, holding the jade flute tightly in her hand. The maids hurriedly lifted her up, sat down on the stone bench, took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood for her. Concubine Tian's face was bleak, and when she saw Concubine Zhou looking at her with concern, she looked anxious, and smiled weakly: "My sister is useless, my heart seems to vomit!" ”

Concubine Zhou couldn't help crying: "My sister is ruining her body like this, the prince will not be at ease if she knows it." ”

Concubine Tian closed her eyes and whispered:

Wangwutai, Wangwutai,

Look at the husband on the Wu platform.

The third watchman does not return,

The heart is anxious and pale;

The fourth husband does not return,

The liver weeps and bleeds;

The fifth watchman does not return,

I want to be a ghost in the audience.

When everyone heard this, there was a sigh and a cry of sorrow. Princess Zhou leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, the night was boundless, looking at Wu Taigao, but she couldn't see the Forbidden City in the distance, let alone the king of faith in the Forbidden City. With a snap, when she turned her head to look, an object fell out of Concubine Tian's waist, and it was not broken when it fell on the stage. Gao Shiming leaned over and picked it up carefully, changed color and said: "Tian Niangniang actually prepared a crane top red!" ”

Concubine Zhou knew that Hedinghong was the most poisonous drug in the world, and asked in horror: "Why did my sister find such a short view?" ”

"If the prince can't come back, my sister will go with him." Concubine Tian tilted her body, leaned on the railing obliquely, and the jade flute in her hand fell straight down the stage.

"When I think about it, it is extremely safe to coerce the Son of Heaven to order the world. If you don't support the emperor who has a corpse, I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed. Under Fang today, how many of the subjects loyal to the Ming Dynasty are tens of millions? The so-called allegiance to my father everywhere is just forced by the situation, and it has to be a last resort. There are also those repeated villains, who can share wealth and prosperity, but they can't share hardships, and they can't be trusted! The available people, but the Jingshi Dongchang and Jinyi Guards are only tens of thousands, and there is no shortage of relying on the power of the saint, once the matter is urgent, there are no available generals, even fewer available soldiers, what can I do about it? Xu Xianchun broke the silence in the room.

Cui Chengxiu retorted: "What Xianchun said is ridiculous! Those who are most afraid of taking power and seizing the throne are those loyal ministers, and what villains are afraid of? The more villains, the easier it is to act. ”

"I want to hear about it."

"The nature of the villain originally belongs to the two ends of the first rat, and it is easiest for me to use it when I see profit and forget righteousness. As long as they are given some small profits, they will be like maggots attached to the bones, and they will smell flies, and they will not be able to drive them away. If you like high-ranking officials, glory and wealth, things are much easier to do! ”

"Having said that, the situation today is different from that of the pre-Han period, and it is difficult to compare."

"What's the difference?" Choi Chengxiu leaned forward.

"At that time, the so-called Qin lost its deer, and the world chased it. Qin Zi II had lost the hearts of the people, so that the world rose together, and everyone could replace him. Now the Ming Dynasty has gone through more than 200 years, and all the people respect it, and they all take the surname Zhu as the authentic, and I am afraid that others will not be allowed to have different aspirations. ”