Chu Jingchuan is in the army, and he is almost a Shenwu general worshiped by everyone. Many people did not want to fight him, let alone make enemies of him.

Righteousness covers the clouds, and the wind is frightened...... That's what most people think of him.

Zhou Youchen, as the monarch of Northern Yan, has reigned for 20 years, although he has been conscientious, but his evaluation in the hearts of the ministers is mixed.

He is more diligent than the first emperor, but he is also more ruthless than the first emperor. He has also won battles, but he has also been defeated. He doesn't like women, but he has done a lot of foolish things for women. He favored the queen, made the Meng family gain power, and even killed his brother by all means......

He is the ninth son of the emperor and the youngest son of the previous emperor. In obscurity in the palace, he grew up ten years old, and gradually began to come into people's sight.

His background is not high, his mother is Turkic, and he is also a "red face and trouble" in the eyes of everyone. Moreover, he is not the crown prince, no one thought that he would be the last beneficiary in the battle for the heir, and behind him, there is only the Meng family......

Xu Xuanwu is only thirty years old this year, and he knows very little about everything that happened back then, but he has only heard a few words from his father.

He was in the military department for less than three years, and he waited for the opportunity to be promoted, which was given by the emperor. Therefore, his heart is also full of gratitude to the emperor. But Chu Jingchuan was the person he admired the most when he was a teenager.

Xu Xuanwu hesitated while thinking, not knowing how to admonish the emperor.

When he finally sorted out his thoughts and came to the door to ask to see the emperor.

The emperor already had an idea in his heart.

Zhou Youchen summoned his soldiers and officially announced that three days later, he would leave for Beijing.

The danger of the capital can be imagined.

Those who advised the emperor to return to Beijing as soon as possible suddenly changed their attitudes and became hesitant.

"Your Majesty, maybe this matter should not be rushed."

"Your Majesty, what is the situation in the capital? We don't know, so we might as well wait......"

Zhou Youchen saw their changed faces, and laughed angrily: "I am still the emperor of Beiyan, the master of this world, as long as I am still sitting on the throne, no one can resist!" ”

His gloomy tone made everyone's backs chill.

The emperor's words are holy decrees, and no one can disobey them.

The generals fell silent suddenly, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

Zhou Youchen's eyes were sharp, he glanced at everyone, and said quietly: "Those who follow me prosper and those who disobey me die." If you want to take refuge in Chu Jingchuan, you must first look at the situation in the capital! ”

This sentence expresses the secret voice of many people.

"The minister didn't dare...... The ministers are loyal to the emperor! No two minds! ”

As he spoke, the person in front of him had already fallen to his knees.

Zhou Youchen's eyes sank, dark and dark, like an abyss.

He only now understands why before leaving Beijing, Meng Xilan kept telling him to return to Beijing earlier, presumably, there is such a worry hidden in it.

She seemed to have expected it, but she didn't break it. That's what hurts him the most.

……

The emperor drove the expedition in person and was about to return triumphantly.

This news has always been firmly held in Chu Jingchuan's hands, and no one is allowed to leak half a point.

Of course, paper can't keep the fire.

He wasn't prepared to hide for too long, just a few days. When Zhou Youchen gets closer and closer to the capital, he will bring a dark cloud of depression, and the fear mixed with blood will slowly envelop the sky of the capital.

When two sides contend, one will lose. If he loses, it will be the nine clans of Zhulian, and if he wins, it will be a change of dynasty.

The days of captivity were the hardest.

Changsheng had been completely grounded, and he could never see anyone again except for the minions who served around him.

Every day, every day, he seemed to be living like a year, tormented and miserable.

Shen Dan was by his side, seeing his joys, sorrows, and sorrows in his eyes, and didn't dare to say much, but silently accompanied him and boiled with him.

During the day, they looked together at the familiar and boring scenery of the courtyard.

In the middle of the night, they looked up together at the quiet night sky, which was interesting if there were stars, but only darkness was left if there were no stars and no moon.

Today is bad weather, a bad weather without stars and without a moon.

"Your Highness, it's a little windy, and besides, the hour is not early, why don't you rest early?" Shen Dan reminded him softly.

Hearing this, Changsheng just shook his head: "I've never been so idle, how can I be tired?" ”

It's not angry talk, it's the truth.

As the crown prince, from childhood to adulthood, he has lived a busy life like the stars holding the moon. Since the day of enlightenment, he has to go to the study every day to attend classes, and although the master is his own uncle, he is extremely strict with him. Archery and archery, poetry, calligraphy and painting, he can't fall behind anything. Later, he followed his father to the early dynasty, and realized that the policy of governing the country and rejuvenating the people was not in books, but in thinking day after day, year after year......

His father's appearance of not being angry and arrogant has always impressed him. However, what he saw more was the appearance of worrying about national affairs.

"Your Highness, now is a good time to recharge." Shen Dan comforted him softly.

Changsheng looked at her and said, "There are only you and me here, you don't have to flatter me." ”

In his current situation, his identity, along with his rights, has been exploited.

Shen Dan shook his head: "The slave maid did not flatter His Highness, but felt that the predicament in front of her, although dangerous, was not without the possibility of a turnaround." ”

Turn...... It's surprising that you can still hear that word now.

Changsheng glanced at her meaningfully.

Shen Dan bowed his head slightly: "The emperor will definitely come back to rescue the prince and his mother." Although Chu Jingchuan had great achievements, he failed to keep his bottom line after all. He rebelled and usurped the throne, and the Zhou royal family was the monarch of Northern Yan for generations. Chu Jingchuan can snatch this exquisite palace, but he can't snatch it, the majesty of the Zhou royal family for a hundred years! ”

Changsheng frowned thoughtfully after hearing her words.

He pondered for a moment before he stood up and said, "You know what? You are a very smart woman. ”

Shen Dan was slightly stunned, puzzled.

Changsheng saw that she didn't understand, so he explained again: "You are very good at comforting people. ”

He only said the first half of the sentence, and silently suppressed the second half.

"She's very comforting, but unfortunately it's useless to him."

The dignity of the Zhou royal family has been trampled under Chu Jingchuan, no, it should be said that the people of the whole city have been trampled under their feet!

A courtier with high merit and glory returned like a hero, and then, the result he wanted to see was chaos in the world.

Chu Jingchuan wants to be the regent, but this is simply impossible. When the emperor noticed the strangeness of the capital, it was the beginning of the war.

Changsheng is ready, ready to fight to the death.

…

Same night, different palaces.

Meng Xilan and Chu Jingchuan sat opposite each other, and in front of them was a game of chess.

Chu Jingchuan pinched a white piece and said in a deep voice: "Do you remember, how long has it been since we played chess?" ”

Meng Xilan lightly dropped a sunspot, thought for a while and said, "There have been more than ten years." ”

"No, it's been twenty years. We haven't played chess since you entered the palace. Chu Jingchuan blurted out, not even thinking about it.

He remembered what had happened between them clearly.

Meng Xilan was silent when she heard this, still looking at the chessboard in front of her, concentrating on the game.

Chu Jingchuan couldn't help but smile when he saw her engrossed look: "What, do you want to win me so much?" ”

Meng Xilan's eyes still fell on the chessboard, and she said softly: "You always beat me in the past, but in the chess game after twenty years, if I lose again, won't I waste my time?" ”

She deliberately responded to him with a rhetorical tone.

Chu Jingchuan's eyebrows moved slightly when he heard this, and a slight glint flashed at the bottom of his eyes, which was a subtle smile.

"Since you're going to win, I'll let you ......"

Before his words fell, Meng Xilan raised his hand to stop him: "Then it's not interesting." ”

If you can't tell the real winner or loser, then the time will be wasted.

Meng Xilan fell again, and this move was the key to her victory.

Chu Jingchuan naturally understood, and only put all the chess pieces in his hand back into the chess box.

"Looks like I'm going to lose."

Seeing that he took the initiative to admit defeat, Meng Xilan raised her eyes and said lightly: "That's the end?" ”

The curvature of the corners of Chu Jingchuan's mouth seemed to be smiling: "If you continue to fight so hard, I'm afraid it will be difficult to distinguish the winner from the loser for three days and three nights." ”

Her body is still recuperating, and she shouldn't be tired of the chess game.

Meng Xilan groaned for a moment, and then put down the black piece in his hand, but took out a white piece from his chessboard and played it again.

Chu Jingchuan was slightly surprised.

"What? You're going to win it back for me? ”

Meng Xilan said to Baizi: "It has nothing to do with you, I just think that the biggest enemy in life is myself." ”

Chu Jingchuan's face changed slightly when she heard this, and she only felt that there was something in her words, and there was no deep meaning.

"What is the point of living if a man is an enemy of himself?"

Meng Xilan held the white son in one hand and the black son in the other, her eyes were always staring at the chessboard, and she said softly: "As the general said, I have been fighting against myself all my life, and I am the most boring. ”

"You chose the wrong person and were imprisoned in this deep palace for the rest of your life, how could you be happy?"

As Chu Jingchuan spoke, he had already held down her hand, and then took the chess pieces in her palm.

The chess pieces are cool, with her body heat.

"If you had to choose again, who would you choose?"

Meng Xilan was stunned when she heard this, and raised her eyes to look at his slightly flickering eyes.

Neither nodding nor shaking his head.

Chu Jingchuan looked at her silently, just looked at herself with a complicated expression, and couldn't help but smile lightly, the smile was slightly bitter.

"You are such a person, you can make your life better by telling a lie, but you refuse to ......"

All the time, she is always so cruel and sober, she would rather follow the emperor with all her heart and live a difficult life of Lu Ru walking on thin ice, rather than hypocrisy and give herself a pure and comfortable life.

Meng Xilan lowered her eyes and bit her lip, and continued not to answer.

She didn't know what to do with him, because no matter what she did, the resentment in his heart would not go away.