Safely returned to the base camp of the Han army in Guangwu City, Lu Pheasant hung his heart all the way, and then completely let go.

Liu Ji's allied forces with the vassal states had been stationed in Guangwu for almost a year, and the wartime headquarters was located in Liu Ji's temporary residence, the largest and most luxurious residence in the city.

In the inner room of the house, a young girl who had not yet reached the end of the house was anxiously pacing back and forth.

The snacks on the dining table did not move at all, which showed that she was waiting intently, and had no interest in eating and drinking.

Hearing the chaotic footsteps outside the house, she turned around sharply and greeted the hall, almost colliding with Lu Pheasant, who hurriedly entered the door.

When she saw who it was, the girl choked up and called "Mother", and then cried out, her arms firmly wrapped around Lu Pheasant's waist, and refused to let go for a long time.

Lu Pheasant knew that this was her and Liu Ji's daughter, Princess Lu Yuan.

Seeing that the princess couldn't cry, the maids around her couldn't help but burst into tears, and the house was full of crying for a while.

Stroking the thick black hair of the girl in her arms, Lu Pheasant had mixed feelings, and she thought of the two daughters she once had:

The little baby girl who died in infancy, and the princess Taiping who spent her life proving that she was different from her mother.

I don't know how peaceful she is, and when she was finally forced to commit suicide by her nephew, she once called her mother in a low voice, but she once understood her mother's original intention of wanting her to seize power.

In the previous life, she passed on all the things she thought were the most versatile and powerful to Princess Taiping, including power, status, and wealth, but she didn't teach her how to discern the malice and tricks of the people around her, and how to protect these treasures;

She was like a fragile child with a rare treasure in her hand, walking alone in the dark of night, under the gaze of a pair of greedy and covetous eyes, unaware of the danger.

As a result, she was betrayed and betrayed by her first husband Xue Shao's family, and was forced to death by her nephew and former political ally.

Thinking of this, Lu Pheasant mourned in her chest and hugged her daughter hard, and the girl asked timidly with a crying voice,

"Mother, this time, you won't leave me again, will you?"

"Not anymore, never again."

Lu Pheasant thought to herself, in this life, I will definitely give her more, not only let her be born to have, but also teach her how to capture, how to protect, and how to use.

Let her no longer harbor childish kindness, no longer fear loss and failure, and make her strong enough to get up and start again anytime and anywhere.

***

That night, Liu Ji had a banquet with the generals in the city to reward the three armies, one to celebrate the smooth return of the hostages, and the other to celebrate the peace between Chu and Han, and to withdraw their troops with the chasm as the boundary.

It seems that the hard-won peace is within reach.

Liu Ji was born in the market, and he was in the army, so there were not so many complicated rules of red tape, so he ordered people to put the feast in the spacious courtyard, and put gilded palace lamps one after another, and everyone guarded their own food table under the light of the lamps and candles, and ate separately.

Lu Pheasant hastily freshened up and repaired, as the queen of Han and the head of the hostage group, attended to accompany him.

On the night of early autumn, the moon is bright and the stars are scarce, the cool breeze is blowing, Liu Ji is in a very good mood, holding a wrong gold and silver carved ear cup in his right hand, and the middle and senior generals who are sitting on the ground are clinking glasses one by one, and drinking table by table.

He was followed by two clever maids holding wine honors, and when they saw that the king's cup was running low, they immediately filled it with a lacquer bucket.

Staggered, endless wine in the cup, endless entrepreneurial bitterness.

With the yellow soup in his stomach, Liu Ji was drunk, his eyes and ears were hot, he put his arms around the shoulders of several middle-level officers, poured cup after cup, and shouted that after the withdrawal of the army and the return to the west, he would reward everyone with land and beauty.

Seeing that Liu Ji was full of energy to collect troops and go home to live a solid life, King Zhao's face, who was sitting at the banquet without saying a word, showed obvious resentment.

***

Like Liu Ji, Zhang Er is also a ranger, but his level and prestige are much higher than him.

Zhang Er's origin can be traced back to Xinlingjun during the Warring States Period.

During the Warring States Period, chivalry became a trend, and from the upper class to the people in the market, there were abundant "rangers", who were free characters who wandered outside the law and ethics.

The rangers traveled back and forth between countries, staying with the lord and the monarch, and leaving if they did not, which was quite a meaning of good birds choosing trees and perching.

At that time, the world-famous four princes - Shen Jun of Chun of Chu State, Meng Weijun of Qi State, Pingyuan Jun of Zhao State and Xinling Jun of Wei State were all known for raising disciples and rangers;

And Zhang Er is one of the most outstanding rangers under Xinling Jun.

After the death of Xinlingjun, 3,000 guests were scattered everywhere like stars, and Zhang Er relied on the money and wealth of the Yue family to transform himself from a ranger to the master of the door;

And Liu Ji, a young man from the countryside who takes Xinlingjun as his spiritual idol, has come to Zhang Ermen from Pei County several times and has become his ranger.

The iron-clad brotherhood between the two began at that time and continues until now.

Later, when Zhang Er was defeated and fled two years ago, he gave up the olive branch handed by Xiang Yu and resolutely took refuge with his former little brother Liu Ji.

Liu Ji treated each other with the courtesy of a king, and married Zhang Er as an in-law, and agreed to give Princess Lu Yuan to Zhang Er's son Zhang Ao.

Zhang Er has always been upright by nature, and relying on the qualifications of the big brother, he was about to open his mouth, but when he saw Chen Ping and Zhang Liang in the adjacent seat frequently glaring at him, he didn't press it, only drank with his head bored, and soon his cheeks were steamed.

These undercurrents were all in Lu Pheasant's view, and she had a sense of familiarity that she had not seen for a long time, like the god of war had entered the rich arsenal, and her ambition was inexplicably growing.

But what aroused her curiosity even more was her husband Liu Ji.

Looking at Liu Ji, who was drunk and slurred in his mouth, Lu Pheasant's heart moved:

In his early years in Pei County, his alcohol consumption was first-class, and the legendary thousand cups were not drunk, so why is it difficult to hold himself with only a few glasses now?

While he was thinking about it, the profligate King of Han said to the maid beside him,

"Hurry up and invite Qi Ji, I am happy today, ask her to beat the drum for me, I want to sing."

Mrs. Qi is the favorite concubine of Liu Ji, the king of Han, she is as beautiful as a flower, can sing and dance, and has given birth to a cute little prince of ice and snow for Liu Ji-

Liu Ruyi.

Lu Pheasant smiled, the drum beat sounded, the curtain opened, and the protagonists couldn't wait to appear on the stage.

***

In less than half a cup of tea, Qi Ji, who was dressed up, hired Tingting to come, and the elderly maid behind her was still holding the prince Ruyi, who was less than two years old.

The noisy table was silent for a moment, and all eyes were on her.

What an outstanding beauty, black hair is like clouds, skin is whiter than snow, and she can stand there, like a weak willow supporting the wind.

She bowed to Liu Jishi, and said with a coquettish smile like no one else,

"Please forgive the king and queen for being late.

It's all because Ruyi kept crying, and the concubine thought, this child probably missed his father, so she brought him too.

My mother and son congratulate the king together, and wish the king all the best. ”

It's strange to say, she obviously lowered her eyebrows, looked at her nose, and looked at her heart, but Lu Pheasant felt that there was a gust of wind sweeping from her eyes, which was breathtaking.

Liu Ji grinned, staggered forward a few steps with wine, and reached out to tease the little Ruyi in the maid's arms.

The kid was also well-behaved, and when he saw Liu Ji coming forward, he clapped his hands and smiled at him, which provoked Liu Ji to say,

"All the best, huh? Since the birth of this child, I have indeed been invincible and very wishy-washy! ”

Everyone was informed and interested, and they raised their glasses.

Lu Pheasant also picked up his wine glass, and when his eyes swept to Liu Fei during the banquet, he suddenly remembered his evaluation of Qi Ji,

"There is a Mrs. Qi from Dingtao, which is not simple."

She raised her head and drank all the wine in the cup, feeling that Liu Fei was still too reserved, Qi Ji was not simple, I just felt pity, not to mention the old slave!