In an instant, mid-spring has passed, and the scenery of late spring is slowly coming to an end.

With the clouds rolling day after day, the brightness and warmth of spring are also gradually worn away in the ruthless passage of time, and a little more full of spring is gradually reduced; The blue sky, although it is still as clear as a wash, is obviously less clear in late spring, but frequently adds the clarity and blazing of the early summer solstice, reflecting the bright black sun in the sky, casting thousands of feet of red light, outlining the majestic outline of Shangjing in the Great Zhou.

Spring is not over, but summer is quietly coming. At this moment, it is still noon, looking inside and outside the capital, the clear blue sky, cloudless, as clear as jade, and as holy as velvet; In addition to the floating white clouds, only a hook of gold embedded in the sky remained, looming among the clouds until it illuminated most of the sky.

Nowadays, between heaven and earth, the clouds are not stained, and everything is silent; The blue sunny sky and white clouds present a colorful picture of late spring and early summer.

The day seems to pass quickly, and it is already dusk in the blink of an eye.

At this time, the sun is setting in the west, and a remnant sun as red as blood hangs in the distance; The faint afterglow poured down and sprinkled on the tall and magnificent Shangjing City, covering the heavens and the earth with a layer of exciting red, and even a few dark clouds in the air were also rendered by the sunset, which looked gorgeous and colorful...... Under this gradually faint firmament, the huge Shangjing City seemed to be a Shura field that had just been killed, devouring the only remaining light, leaving the city full of blood.

With the last touch of sunset falling clouds, the north gate of the Taiji Palace in the imperial city of Shangjing, the Xuanwu Gate, has been slowly closed; And on the tower of Xuanwu Gate, two teams of fully armed gold-armored royal forest army have already been lined up neatly, unusually calm to climb the city tower, after completing the simple change of guard procedures, then distributed in all corners of the palace gate, standing tall, immovable.

The sassy breeze blew through the heroic faces, and the setting sun shone on the golden armor, as if coated with a dazzling red glow; The straight spear, held in the hands of these proud sons of the sky, is fluttering with red tassels, flashing with snow-bright spears......

The dusk of early summer is extremely beautiful, especially when it is not yet the hottest, so the sunset shrouded in the capital city is even more beautiful and quiet.

Shangjing, the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

The remnant sun of the western sky, crumbling, set off the vast and bloody twilight, reflected on a vermilion palace wall, like a scorching open flame, directly illuminating people's eyes confused.

In front of the temple of manna.

Countless feathered tigers, dressed in black and heavy armor, standing solemnly with swords, all with grim faces, sealed off within a radius of a hundred paces, they seemed to have a sacred mission, that is, to defend the solemn palace behind them, and the noble king in the palace.

The "Ganlu Palace" that stands in the north of the Taiji Palace, sits in the north and faces south, the eaves are high and pecked, adjacent to the Wude Palace, it is the dormitory of the daily living of the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty today; And the owner of this palace is the man who dominates the lifeblood of the dynasty and the honor and disgrace of thousands of people.

As the dormitory of the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the layout of the Ganlu Hall is completely free of extravagance and glitz, but shows a rare elegance, solemnity, and a room full of books; In addition to the imperial case, bookshelves, and concertos, there is only a screen standing on the side of the dragon couch, and a "Kyushu territory" hanging high above the wall, which is quite eye-catching, and there is nothing left.

The huge manna hall is extraordinarily quiet at this moment, in the gilded enamel Baoding smoker, there is a fine ambergris incense, and for a time the green smoke curls up, lingering in the sky above the temple, and has not dispersed for a long time.

It was almost evening, in the deep palace, Xiao Longxian, the Great Zhou Xuan Emperor in a foggy blue nightgown, was idly holding a book, half-lying on a recliner, casually flipping through the book in his hand, his expression was as plain as water; Behind him, two palace maids who are like flowers and jade are fanning his majesty to enjoy the coolness, and on the right, an elderly nobleman, holding a dust whisk, drives away mosquitoes and flies for the Son of Heaven.

Suddenly, a pale yellow clear summer sun, through the snow-white paper, sprinkled on the green and smooth ground of the Manna Palace, and also sprinkled on the emperor's blue and misty nightgown, allowing the bright sunset outside the window to sprinkle all over the body, dyeing a body of purity and calm.

I saw that this forty-six-year-old son of Da Zhou, although he was over the age and was not confused, was reclining on the recliner at this time, but he did not see the bloated fatigue of middle age at all; His face is not heroic, but there is still a majestic wind between his eyebrows and eyes, with a pair of black and gold dragon eyes, a righteous and resolute face, and two majestic and slender mustaches embedded under the straight nose, revealing an awe-inspiring and inviolable majesty; And the nightgown embroidered with the pattern of double dragons playing with beads was worn on Emperor Xuan, which just set off his long figure, showing his supreme status, and teaching people not to approach easily.

In the eyes of everyone, he is the eldest son of the first emperor, the father of the four emperors, the heaven of all the women in this palace, and the prince who personally led the troops to the north and the west, fought softly and retreated to the north of the desert, and killed His Royal Highness the prince who opened the door of the Xiyan Kingdom; Today, he is the ruler of this powerful empire and the most recognized ruler of the world.

Someone once said that His Majesty's appearance and bearing today have inherited the grace and grace of his father Emperor Jing; However, his iron blood and ruthlessness completely inherited the decisiveness of his grandfather Emperor Wen; Therefore, His Majesty in the eyes of the ministers is a master of Xiongchai who directs the country; The father in the eyes of the children is a strict father who is not angry and self-authoritative; And the Son of Heaven in the eyes of the queen and concubines is an unfathomable lord...... Hardly anyone, from His Majesty's face, saw a shallow smile, not a trace. Because he is the emperor, is the emperor of the world, from the moment he ascended the throne, he understood what the responsibility on his shoulders was, behind him, is the Great Zhou Dynasty, as the lord of the Great Zhou, if he can clear the four seas, the total eight wilderness, and create a thousand years of meritorious deeds, even if it is a big price, he is willing to bear it.

At this time, in the quiet palace of the Son of Heaven, sandalwood curled up, Xiao Long first reclined on the recliner, but his eyes never moved the book in his hand, his eyes were cold, only the contemplation between his eyebrows, like a long cloud in the sky of the nine heavens, which was unpredictable.

The nobleman standing beside the emperor, perhaps because of the emperor's authority at this moment, hung his head and did not dare to look directly at the expression of the Son of Heaven; But in this short moment, in the depths of the nobleman's mind, a handsome figure suddenly appeared:

It was a fluttering white dress, proud of the snow and frost, and the dust was spotless; It was a handsome man, with heroic sword eyebrows, deep eyes, sharp gaze, and a cold look, that kind of stubbornness, that kind of pride, that kind of contempt for everything, it was exactly the same as His Majesty the Emperor in front of him, like His Majesty when he was young.

It was only at this time that Zhonggui had an epiphany, presumably, the most dazzling young commander in the capital, his upright majestic posture, chic attitude, uninhibited expression, including the black eyes that seemed to be burning with raging flames, all of which should have been born from his father, the most powerful monarch in the world today; No wonder among the three princes, His Majesty only prefers himself as Erlang, maybe when he sees him, His Majesty thinks of his former self!

The atmosphere in the manna hall has always been as condensed as ice, and the Son of Heaven on the reclining chair, although he is middle-aged, does not show any fatigue; He just looked at the book quietly, a few wrinkles appeared faintly on his slightly vicissitudes of life, and under the brow that was always tightly locked, there was a resolute gaze unique to a lonely person.

After a while, Xiao Long spoke slowly, but his eyelids did not lift.

"You just said, whose girl is she?!"

The emperor's voice was very soft, as if he was speaking casually, and he didn't know who he was asking, but the bitter meaning in his words was with countless chills, deep and audible, which made people shudder when they heard it.

Hearing His Majesty's cold question, the nobles who were waiting on the side were slightly stunned at first, then bowed slightly, and said cautiously.

"Back to Your Majesty, is it...... It is the fourth lady of the Xie Situ family. ”

"Oh?"

Xiao Longxian's eyes moved slightly, and the thin wrinkles at the corners of his eyes almost covered his eyes; He put down the scroll, put his hands firmly in front of his knees, and leaned back on the back of the chaise longue, allowing the chaise longue below him to gently shake his body.

This posture is extremely comfortable and relaxed, as the emperor of all vehicles, Xiao Longxian seems to enjoy this feeling very much, most of his body is nested in a small recliner, where he quietly closes his eyes and recuperates, but he doesn't say a word.

After a long time, Emperor Xuan suddenly smiled strangely, and under the thin corners of his lips, an intriguing smile appeared, and then he slowly opened his eyes, and the pair of deep pupils were still so cold.

"Well, it turned out to be the four girls of the Xie family, I remember her, when she was just full moon, I also hugged her, for which the queen complained a lot to me, saying that when Pingyang was born, I never saw me so concerned; Counting, she should only be one year younger than Erlang. ”

When he said these words, Xiao Longxian's tone was low and gentle, as if he was talking about a short matter in the family; At this moment, he doesn't seem to be an emperor of the Ninety-Five, but just a childlike father who recalls his son and daughter.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Miss Xie Si is fifteen years old this year."

When he heard this, Xiao Longxian's blazing dragon eyes narrowed slightly, and his dark but not cloudy gaze had a slightly hazy smile in the reflection of the setting sun outside the window.

"Fifteen years old is a woman's best years. What I was doing when I was fifteen, I can't even remember myself......"

Deep contemplation and faint smile evoked the memories that a generation of emperors had pressed in their hearts for a long time; Now that he reigns over the world and is rich all over the world, perhaps only when he dreams back at midnight, will he recall the freshly dressed angry horses of the past and chase the youth that has long passed.

A hint of an elusive, strange-looking smile once again hung on the corners of the Son of Heaven's stable mouth, different from Fang Cai's warm smile, this smile was obviously a little cold, like the night wind in the night; Accompanied by the sneer of the emperor's male guess, Xiao Longxian's two thick beards under the bridge of his nose also looked so strong and powerful, like the blades on a long knife.

After a while, Xiao Longxian's complexion returned to his previous cold-blooded and fierce killing, and there was a large dazzling cold light in his eyes, which appeared and disappeared; He opened his mouth lightly, and his voice was as unattainable as a snow-capped mountain.

"I heard that Erlang has been very close to the four girls of the Xie family recently?!"

It seems to be a casual question, but in fact it is a resounding question issued by the emperor with supreme authority; The heart of the nobleman couldn't help but tremble violently, and the beads of sweat the size of soybeans on his forehead continued to seep out, and he could only respond in a trembling voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

At this moment, the majestic face of Da Zhou Tianzi inadvertently relaxed, revealing a trace of self-deprecation, so that the sharp light condensed in his pupils also turned into endless indifference and endless ridicule.

"Xie Wende's good daughter, what kind of spell did she cast on Erlang to make my son so obsessed! Don't even care about the system? ”

Hearing the obvious anger in the emperor's words, the nobleman stood aside, and he didn't dare to take a breath more, hesitated for a while, but still had the courage to speak in a hoarse voice.

"Your Majesty, the old slave heard that King Rencheng has often taken the fourth lady in and out of the military camp recently."

What?

Get in and out of the barracks!

As soon as I heard this, I saw that the expression on Emperor Xuan's face suddenly sank down, and the angular face suddenly became darker and darker, as if shrouded in a layer of rolling dark clouds, cloudy and uncertain; Since the Great Zhou Zhaoji, whether it is Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing before, or Emperor Xiao Longxian of Zhou who is now on the throne of the dragon, they have never relaxed their control over the military, let alone allow such absurd things as women entering the military camp without permission; Especially Xiao Longxian, the mighty and strategic king, when he was still the crown prince, he personally led a large army to conquer the south and the north, and established a high prestige in the army. Just imagine, once an emperor who ascended to the throne with great martial arts has a control over the army and military power, once he reaches a certain peak state, it will be a terrifying thing.

Although the look on Xiao Longxian's face was already gloomy to the extreme, he still remained as silent as ever, his eyebrows were calm and unwavering, and the majesty of being an emperor was like the mountains and rivers on the "Kyushu Territory", which was forever engraved in the depths of his bone marrow, he did not speak, but listened unusually calmly and indifferently.

The Son of Heaven was half-sitting and half-lying, listening to these words and sentences, listening to the nobleman talking about the affair between Erlang and the girl of the Xie family, his expression was faintly weird, and it seemed to be shrouded in a faint disappointment, shrouded in a faint displeasure, but it was not easy to be noticed.

The nobleman glanced at His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, the old slave also heard that the soldiers of the Northern Battalion all call Miss Xie Si ......"

Speaking of this, the nobleman suddenly stopped talking, and he didn't dare to say any more, and he didn't dare to face His Majesty's fierce gaze, so he could only lower his eyelids as much as possible.

"What do you call her?!" Emperor Xuan, who had been silent for a long time, slowly rubbed his palms on the back of his hands, his eyes narrowed into a pitch-black line, and his clear gaze, like two scimitars, slashed at the body of the nobleman, and asked coldly.

The more restrained he is, the sharper His Majesty's gaze becomes, and there is no way, so the nobleman has no choice but to bite the bullet and forcibly swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"Princess Rencheng."

These four words were said very low and very lightly, and he thought that in this way, His Majesty the Emperor might turn big things into small things and small things; However, he was wrong, the lord in front of him was a man with a strong heart and a wise king who was not invaded by any external objects, and he was the most powerful king in the world, and the will of the Son of Heaven could not be figured out by those of them who were slaves.

"Smack!"

The emperor's broad palm, at last gently raised, fell heavily, afraid on the armrest of the chaise longue; I have to say that the strength of the emperor's palm, although it was not enough to overturn the chaise longue, also shook it violently, like the sound of a stone thrown into the water.

Immediately, the noble man who was walking on thin ice, including the two palace maids behind the emperor, and all the eunuchs and palace maids in the Ganlu Palace, were so frightened by His Majesty's majestic and domineering palm wind that they fell to the ground, and no one dared to look up at His Majesty's eyes and expressions at this moment.

"Your Majesty is angry!"

But soon, Xiao Longxian took a deep breath, and his bland tone was full of suffocating indifference and coldness.

"Jiro is getting more and more nonsense now!"

The last few rays of dusk, hidden in the bleak twilight clouds, passed in a flash.

A middle-aged man in a foggy blue nightgown, slightly tall and thin, stood under the corridor of the Ganlu Hall, with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at the wide square in front of him; The night of late spring and early summer enveloped the entire Great Zhou court, and it was reflected in the depths of the middle-aged man's eyes, which made his eyes appear lonely for a moment.

At this moment, he doesn't seem to be the supreme in the world, but just an ordinary father.

"Erlang, you've disappointed my dad too much."

……

It was already very late at night.

In the early summer night, quiet, quiet, obscure, the waning moon on the horizon is like a hook, and the light cyan moonlight of the moon, accompanied by the drowsy night, pours down, reflecting on the Jinming Pond of the Imperial Palace, and after the summer breeze blows, the water waves like fish scales appear on the surface of the pool; After a while, the silver glow dissipated, leaving only a pool of clear water.

The night was long.

Chongde Palace, the lights are dim.

At this time, the night was already very deep, but the faint lights in the queen's bedroom still illuminated the grass and trees outside the palace clearly.

In the West Pavilion of Chongde Palace, in the small Buddha Hall, the queen Dugu Yuanji, twisting Buddha beads in her hand, kneeling on the futon, gently closing her eyes, is reciting the "Lenga Sutra" devoutly; I saw that this forty-three-year-old mother, who was born in a Xianbei family in the north, and gave birth to the three emperors of King Qi, Princess Pingyang, and King Rencheng today, was wearing a big red beard suit, and her makeup was simple and elegant.

Because of the reason for being a Xianbei woman, and because of her family background in the north, although the queen is not confused, she is very well maintained, her temples are not rich, her hands are smooth and tough, her skin is still slightly shiny, and her graceful and luxurious bearing is better than the vulgar powder in the palace, like a proud cold plum, blooming against the wind and snow.

The space of the Buddha hall is not large, located in the side hall of the West Pavilion, which is very close to the dormitory where the queen lives, and there is a gauze curtain in the middle; Late at night in Chongde Palace, countless maids stood outside the curtain, no one stepped forward, from time to time looked at the Dugu Queen who was worshipping the Buddha behind the curtain, through the thin gauze curtain, they vaguely saw that Her Royal Highness the Half-Aged, kneeling lonely on the futon, eyes slightly closed, and words in the mouth.

No one dared to come forward to disturb the queen, even if her face was old, even if Shaohua was no longer there, but their queen mother was still trying to maintain her elegant demeanor as the queen of the Great Zhou, and was unwilling to show the slightest tiredness and old state in front of outsiders.

Undoubtedly, Dugu Yuanji at this moment is extremely lonely, there is no one around her, except for the statue of Manjushri enshrined in the Buddhist shrine, there are only those poems, ancient books and Buddhist scriptures that have accompanied her for nearly 20 years on the bookcase on her side......

"Saints, saints......"

At this time, a personal maid of Chongde Palace, bent her knees slightly, and whispered through the gauze curtain; Because the queen has a habit of not disturbing her unless there is something important when she is worshipping the Buddha, she is not sure whether the queen has finished worshipping the Buddha.

"Saint, saint ......" This time, the maid raised her voice slightly.

"What's the matter?"

Dugu Yuanji slowly opened her eyes, her face was gloomy, and her voice was cold; She put down the Buddha beads in her hand, and her posture was already a little stiff, just like the statue of the Buddha in Yong'an Temple in Shangjing, which was solidified on the futon by itself.

"Sage, there is a message from the Ganlu Temple, Your Majesty invites you to come over."

"It's so late, hasn't Your Majesty rested yet?" Dugu Yuanji asked calmly.

"Nope."

"Did you say what it was?"

"The slave maid heard that it seems to be for the king of the city." The maid who came to report secretly glanced at the queen and whispered cautiously; She also knew that the queen, like His Majesty, liked His Royal Highness King Rencheng the most among the three children, and she really wanted to see Queen Dugu's reaction.

Sure enough, when she heard the words "King Ren Cheng", Dugu Yuanji subconsciously turned her head, and the worry and anxiety of being a mother appeared on her face, which had disappeared from the face of the past.

"Erlang! What's wrong with Jiro?! ”

"The slave doesn't know what's going on, but I heard that Your Majesty is a little displeased, look at this ......," the maid said timidly.

As soon as these words came out, Dugu Yuanji's expression appeared in an intermittent trance, and her eyes were blank; However, as the mother of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the world, Her Royal Highness the Queen, who exuded the true temperament of a humble woman all over her body, quickly regained the composure that the lord of the harem should have, and said lightly.

"Okay, I'll go now."

……

Deep palace, late at night, everything is silent.

There is only a lonely city in all directions, lonely and lonely.