Age of Lazurite, Tower of Glass

Chapter 76: Heartbroken and deeply wounded

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King Yan strode out of Prince Yan's Mansion, with Ma Sanbao following closely behind.

They saw Zhu Di striding forward aimlessly along the avenue, whispering in his mouth, and it was difficult to hear what he was saying. There was a gentle smile on his face, a sudden realization, a mixture of sadness and anger, and the expressions were extremely rich.

After returning to Peiping for more than a month, Zhu Di quickly recovered his health under Princess Yan's careful treatment. No more lethargy, get up and rest normally every day. He could eat and drink, he was getting fatter day by day, and his face was more rosy than when he was in the Northern Expedition.

It's just that my mind doesn't seem to be normal.

No. The word "seems" is redundant, it just isn't normal.

When you talk to him, he listens and answers, but what you say is totally wrong; when you don't talk to him, he mumbles to himself, laughing and crying; when left alone, he stares at the sky or is in a daze, and is quiet most of the time. , a newspaper is placed in front of you and you can stare at it for a whole day, but you turn a blind eye and your eyes have no focus.

Princess Yan asked Medical Officer Yang from the royal palace to come to see her many times, and she was diagnosed with panic and palpitations: her heart was pounding but not restless, her heart was pounding and she was afraid of being frightened, and her heart was tickling and restless. The cause of King Yan's disease was evil poisons invading the heart: "Internal deficiency of healthy qi, damage to the heart and body, consumption of qi and damage to yin. In addition, the blood vessels are blocked by wind and cold, which accumulate in the heart for a long time, and the heart vessels are blocked."

Xu Ying listened silently. She asked Ma Sanbao about the process of King Yan's stay in Beijing in detail, and she understood clearly.

Princess Yining left Peiping, and King Yan was a little depressed; Taizu died, and King Yan was in great mourning; he was sent back in the middle of the funeral, and he was filled with sadness; but he had to compromise and begged his nephew to let him go to Beijing to visit the mausoleum, and the depression in his heart became deeper and deeper; In the capital, there was a cry in front of the parents' grave; but the fifth brother moved, the thirteenth brother was imprisoned, and the twelfth brother even set himself on fire and died tragically. Zhu Di, who had always attached great importance to brotherhood and family ties, was forced to face this series of tragedies; The king's disdain and hostility made him feel even more sad.

Princess Yining's blow was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

If, just if, Yining followed King Yan back to Peiping and hid secretly, King Yan might be happy for a while. But the situation in the court will not change. Zhu Di is proud and domineering by nature. How long can he endure in front of the increasingly persecuting courtiers? I'm just afraid that sooner or later I will still go crazy.

Xu Ying saw the investigation report about King Xiangxian's rebellion sent by Qitai from the Ministry of War. It cannot be said that it was completely false, but it was somewhat reasonable. It is true that King Xiangxian spoke loudly, regarded himself as an elder, and called his nephew a brat a few times; but could he really rebel? Xu Ying doesn’t think so.

The vassal kings were all enfeoffed by Taizu. According to Taizu's original intention, the vassal king was the overlord of the fiefdom, guarding the territory outside and keeping the people at peace inside, and he had full power to help the court take charge of this place. The current thinking of the court is that the vassal kings are just common people, and they must obey the management of local officials like the common people and completely obey the arrangements of the court.

Xu Ying also saw the Ministry of War's writings. The imperial court stationed troops in Kaiping and Shanhaiguan, and mobilized the guards of Prince Yan's Palace to Kaiping to help. But these turned out to be the responsibilities of King Yan. The imperial court did this. At best, it was to guard against Mongolia; at worst, it was to guard against King Yan.

Xu Ying was a little lucky that Zhu Di was not clear-headed at this time. If he were sober, would he be furious when he saw the court's arrangement? Or will you mourn? After nearly twenty years of hard work in northern Xinjiang, the Mongols were forced to retreat to Mobei. Could it be that something is wrong

Taizu placed Zhu Di in Beiping, and the defense of northern Xinjiang was fully entrusted to the King of Yan. However, such a large military deployment was not even informed in advance. Xu Ying didn't say anything, but ordered Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng to cooperate with Xie Gui and Zhang Xin to send the palace guards. The two were surprised and went ahead without saying anything. Yes, even if you are dissatisfied, so what? Resist the decree

Shuerduo of the Alutai tribe brought people to visit King Yan. Princess Yan did not want outsiders to see King Yan's dejected and crazy appearance, so she asked Ma Sanbao to come forward to receive her and sent Shuerduo and his party away. Xu Ying couldn't help but think, why did Zhu Di work so hard? The situation in Mongolia is complicated. If you want to fight, you also need to appease and win over. Will the court understand

Xu Ying asked Dao Yan what to do. Dao Yan looked thoughtful when he saw King Yan's appearance, and finally said that it was God's own arrangement. But what is providential arrangement? Xu Ying felt that she was going crazy with anxiety.

Ma Sanbao followed King Yan and gradually arrived in the city of Beiping. There were many restaurants and shops and it started to become lively. Ma Sanbao was a little worried, so he quickened his pace to catch up with Zhu Di and called, "Your Majesty! Where are you going?"

Zhu Di glanced at Ma Sanbao and smiled: "You kid! Why are you here? She wants to eat fried cakes, hurry up! Go find her!"

Ma Sanbao felt sour in his heart: "Your Majesty! The princess is not here. Let's go home!"

Zhu Di didn't seem to notice and muttered: "She likes candies, I have to find one with candies." As he spoke, he continued to wander around one store after another. Ma Sanbao had no choice but to follow closely.

Zhu Di was a little anxious when he couldn't find the fried cake, and his face started to get a little anxious. Ma Sanbao hurriedly interrupted: "Your Majesty! The princess has just arrived in Peiping. She has never eaten this donkey rolling, so she must like it."

Zhu Di laughed when he heard this: "You kid! You're right! She has just arrived in Peiping, and I have to find some delicious food in Peiping." As he said this, he began to study the donkey rolling in front of him with a smile. Ma Sanbao was helpless, so he quickly took out his copper coins, bought a bag and carried it on his donkey.

Zhu Di continued to chatter: "She has never been to Peiping, and I want to accompany her around. Sanbao, do you think she will like Xishan?" The last time Lianhua went to Peking, Zhu Di did not accompany her for sightseeing to avoid suspicion, and did not want to get into trouble.

Ma Sanbaoqiang said with a smile: "The princess must like it. There are many temples there."

Zhu Di smiled: "Yes. This silly boy can't walk when he gets to the temple." As he spoke, he saw pea yellow and poria cakes being sold on the roadside, and ordered Ma Sanbao to continue shopping.

The two of them were talking and shopping, and soon Ma Sanbao had his hands full of Peiping snacks. Ma Sanbao raised his sleeves to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Not that these snacks weighed much, but looking at Zhu Di's appearance was really worrying.

At this time, two horses came forward, with two officials, one civil and one military, riding on them, but it was Zhang Bing and Xie Gui. When they saw King Yan and Ma He, they were both stunned and surprised. They immediately got off their horses and handed them to the servants behind them. They greeted them with smiles on their faces: "What a coincidence! Why is the prince here to relax?"

Zhu Di chuckled: "Master Zhang! Thank you, General!" He actually remembered the two of them.

Zhang Bing and Xie Gui were confused when they saw King Yan's scary smile, and glanced at Ma He. Seeing him carrying a hand full of snacks, I didn't even know what was going on.

Ma Sanbao lowered his head and didn't look at the two of them. He didn't want them to know that the prince was out of his mind. He turned sideways to persuade Zhu Di: "Your Majesty, let's go home! We have bought a lot of snacks in Peiping. The princess should be impatient."

Zhu Di scratched his head when he heard this: "That's right. She's waiting." He turned around and strode towards Prince Yan's Mansion.

Zhang Bing and Xie Gui also scratched their heads, princess? What princess? Haven't you heard of anyone coming from the capital

The two of them were confused, looked at each other, and quickly followed behind King Yan. The imperial court instructed that there had been no news about King Yan since he left the capital, so two people were asked to come and have a look.

Zhu Di seemed to have disappeared and strode forward, thanking you. Zhang Bing felt a little out of breath as he followed, and shouted hurriedly: "Your Majesty!"

Zhu Di ignored him and continued walking straight. Ma Sanbao couldn't bear it and pulled Prince Yan's sleeve: "Your Majesty, Master Zhang is calling you."

By this time, both Zhang Bing and Xie Gui could tell that something was wrong with King Yan. Zhang Bing talked to Zhu Di and said, "Your Majesty! I have just arrived in Peking not long ago and want to do some sightseeing. What suggestions do you have, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Di smiled: "Temple, look at the temple! All kinds of Bodhisattvas, she likes it."

Zhang Bing was confused: "He likes it? Who?"

Zhu Di said with a smile on his face: "Haha, you are here to trick me! I can't tell you this." As he said this, he snatched the snacks from Ma Sanbao's hands and held them in his arms. He said warily: "This is for her. You Don’t even think about cheating!”

Zhang Bing saw that King Yan was excited and Ma He had tears in his eyes. He finally understood and hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I don't want it from you. The prince will take it himself."

Zhu Di hugged a pile of food tightly and still looked at Zhang Bing nervously. He smiled for a long time and said, "She likes sweets. The ones I bought here are all sweets. She must like them." He turned around and walked quickly: "I It needs to be sent quickly."

Zhang Bing wiped the sweat from his head and followed behind.

Xie Gui felt pity in his heart and turned to ask Ma He, "How long has the prince been like this?"

Ma Sanbao lowered his head: "It's been like this since I came back from the capital. It's better today. When I was strong, I didn't recognize anyone."

Xie Gui shook his head, feeling a little sympathetic. Xie Gui intercepted King Yan in Chuzhou out of his guard duty; but when he saw Zhu Di's sad and roaring look, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Filial piety comes first. When a father dies and a son cannot go to the funeral, it is indeed a tragedy in the world. Xie Gui guessed that King Yan's illness may have started at that time. This time in the capital, I met several younger brothers who were in trouble, and they must have been stimulated.

While talking, they had already arrived at Prince Yan's Mansion. Zhu Di went straight into the palace without greeting Zhang Bing to thank him. After entering the gate, he looked around and looked around.

Ma Sanbao understood in his heart, so he had no choice but to bow to Zhang Bing and Xie Gui, and then pulled King Yan aside and whispered: "Your Majesty! Mr. Zhang, General Xie is here, and we can't let them know about the princess! The court will take the princess with him Let’s go! Your Majesty, let’s deal with these two adults first.”

Zhu Di frowned and seemed to understand. Turning to Zhang Bing, Xie Gui smiled and said, "Sit down, sir, let's have a cup of tea."

In the warm breeze of May, under the bright sunshine, King Yan's smile made Zhang Bing and Xie Gui's hair stand on end.

The three of them were seated separately as guest and host, and the servants served fragrant tea. Zhu Di frowned and held the hand cup, his legs moved restlessly, as if he had something to say. Zhang Bing thanked you and sat down, looking at King Yan, not knowing what to do. Ma Heshi stood behind King Yan, tears filling his eyes again.

At this time, Xu Ying arrived in a hurry, surrounded by Wang Jinghong, Hou Xian and others. Normally, it would be difficult for a princess to show her face to the public, but King Yan was like this and her three sons were all in the capital, so she had no choice but to come out.

Zhang Bing thanked his guest and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Xu Ying coming. They all bowed and said, "Princess!"

With tears in her eyes, Xu Ying motioned to Wang Jinghong and others to help the two adults up. Just as she was about to speak, Zhu Di was overjoyed when she saw Xu Ying: "Yingmei! You are here!" He even called the princess by her nickname in public.

When everyone was stunned, Zhu Di asked with a smile: "Has the stove been lit?"

Xu Ying didn't know what she meant and replied vaguely with tears in her eyes: "Okay."

Zhu Di rubbed his hands: "It doesn't work here, it's still too cold. Get some more stoves quickly."

Everyone looked at the warm sunshine outside with some sympathy.

Seeing that no one was moving, Zhu Di became a little anxious: "Hurry! She will freeze to death! Go quickly!"

Ma Sanbao understood in his heart and hurriedly agreed: "It's coming!" He winked at the princess, Xu Ying nodded, and Ma Sanbao took Wang Jinghong and rushed to get the stove. Zhu Di looked up at the two people's backs and rubbed his hands repeatedly, feeling very anxious.

Xu Ying held back tears and said: "Master Zhang! Thank you, General! I made you two adults laugh." Zhang Bing and Xie Gui felt a little embarrassed. The court asked them to come and see what was going on with King Yan. Now they finally understood why there was no news. If he was sick and could still give orders to report, but his mind was broken, of course King Yan wouldn't be able to write any notes.

Zhang Bing comforted him: "Princess, don't worry too much. I guess that the prince is just sad for Taizu for a moment and it will be over."

Xie Gui also said: "Your Majesty is auspicious and will definitely get better."

Xu Ying wiped her tears with a silk handkerchief and choked up: "To be honest with you two adults, the prince has been like this since he came back from the capital. No matter how many times he has been seen by the doctor and how much medicine he has taken, he is still not feeling better. Sometimes, even I feel I don’t recognize it..." At this point, tears welled up again. Xu Ying hurriedly turned her face away, not wanting to lose her composure in front of others.

Zhang Bing and Xie Gui both felt a little pity. They looked at each other and wanted to say goodbye.

At this time, Ma Sanbao and Wang Jinghong came back with the stove. In the early summer weather, four stoves were actually lit.

Zhu Di was a little excited and raised his hand to test the temperature of the stove: "It's not warm enough."

Ma Sanbao coaxed: "Just light the fire now. The fire is still small. After a while, the fire will get bigger and it will be warmer."

Zhu Di was not easy to deal with: "No! Go get some more!"

Ma Sanbao had no choice but to go again with Wang Jinghong. Zhu Di took a fan, bent over the stove and fanned it, muttering: "It won't be cold when the fire is strong. Don't be afraid!"

Xu Ying saw Zhang Bing thanking you and was about to leave, so she quickly said: "Two adults! I have an unkind request. Could you please trouble me?"

Zhang Bing thanked Gui and said hurriedly: "Princess, you don't have to be polite, but please give me your instructions."

Xu Ying said with tears: "Your Majesty is seriously ill, and the doctor said I don't know what will happen if this continues. I am a female and it is difficult to report to the Holy Court. Now that the Crown Prince and his two brothers are in the capital, can you please report to Your Majesty?" "The prince is indeed seriously ill. Can the three dogs return to Peking? Maybe, maybe the prince will feel better after seeing his son." He wiped his tears again and said, "If it's too late, I'm afraid I won't even recognize him!" As he spoke, tears flowed down his face. Well out again.

Zhang Bing and Xie Gui looked at each other, and Zhang Bing replied: "Princess, don't worry! I will go to the court and convey the princess's wish."

Xie Gui also said: "Princess, please feel free! I also sent a memorial to tell the truth about the prince's illness, and then ask if the three princes can be restored."

Xu Yingying bowed: "Thank you so much, sir."

Zhang Bing Xie Gui hurriedly left his seat: "Princess, kill us!"

At this time, Ma Sanbao and Wang Jinghong came in carrying several more stoves and placed them in front of King Yan. In the Mu Hall, the fire was beating and it was quite warm, and everyone was sweating a little. Zhu Di was guarding a stove, fanning himself with a small fan, smiling. He mumbled something unknown.

King Yan, is this all you want

Xu Ying looked at her husband, tears falling down her face.