Lianhua came to Kunning Palace in the afternoon to say hello. The Queen was there, the eldest princess of Ning Kingdom was there, and surprisingly, Zhu Yunwen was also there.
Zhu Yunwen frowned and forced a smile when he saw her; the eldest princess of Ningguo was crying with tears on her face, but stopped when she saw Lianhua coming in.
Lianhua was a little uneasy and hurriedly greeted everyone one by one and sat at the bottom seat from a distance.
The Queen Mother waved her hand impatiently: "Ruhua, ignore her, go on."
The eldest princess of Ning Kingdom looked at the lotus, hesitated and said: "When I arrived at their camp, the fourth brother and the seventeenth brother were very polite and welcomed me out in person. They spent a long time talking to each other. Especially the seventh brother and the fifteenth brother. I asked carefully about the situation of my 19th brother. My 17th brother also asked about Princess Yining."
Lianhua heard from a distance and her face turned red. It turned out that the eldest princess of Ning Kingdom had gone to Yanying! Prince Ning remembered that he had good intentions, but... he lowered his head and did not dare to raise it.
The Queen Mother snorted, looked at Zhu Yunwen, refrained from saying anything, and asked the eldest princess of Ningguo: "What next?"
The eldest princess of Ning Guo continued: "Then I advised them according to what the Queen Mother taught last time. The whole family is well, why should we fight like this? The emperor must be sad when he saw it. The fourth brother didn't say much, but the seventeenth brother was a little bit Excited, why the fifth brother moved, the thirteenth brother was demoted, the twelfth brother's family died tragically, etc. It means that His Majesty disregarded the feelings of flesh and blood." At this point, he looked at the emperor uneasily.
Zhu Yunwen's face turned pale, and he said slowly for a long time: "If everything could happen again, I would still deal with these uncles the same way." After King Yan raised his army, Zhu Yunwen reflected on it many times, but except for the edict of King Xiangxian, he did not draw up any of his own In addition, Zhu Yunwen did not think that he had done anything wrong. Thinking of Zhou Ada, I even felt that it was too late to take charge of the vassal king.
The Queen Mother waved her hand again: "What happened next?"
The eldest princess of Ning State said: "Then I asked them directly what their intentions were and how they would be willing to retreat. The fourth brother still didn't say anything. The seventeenth brother said that they would be Duke of Zhou and assist the king to return to power. The first thing is to eliminate The second is to rectify the treacherous evil, and the third is to restore the old system of Taizu."
The Queen Mother was nervous: "Being Duke of Zhou? Does that mean you refuse to retreat and must enter the capital?"
The eldest princess of Ning Kingdom bit her lip and said softly: "I'm afraid so."
The Queen Mother slumped back in her chair: "What should I do?" She looked at Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen's face turned pale and he was silent.
The Queen Mother came up with the idea to ask the eldest princess of Ningguo to go to King Yan for peace talks. She did not agree with it at first, but the Queen Mother said that it was convenient for them to talk about their deep love as brother and sister. Sure enough, it is convenient to say that we must attack the capital! How could I agree to purge evil spirits and rectify the imperial court? These courtiers worked hard with me and devoted themselves to the Ming Dynasty. What crime could they have committed
After a long time, Zhu Yunwen said slowly: "Thank you for your hard work, Princess. I understand."
The eldest princess of Ning Guo couldn't bear it: "Your Majesty! The prince-in-law is still in Huai'an. Do you want him to talk to the fourth brother? Maybe it's easy for them to talk to each other."
Zhu Yunwen shook his head: "No need. Nowadays, there is still the natural danger of the Yangtze River. Licheng Hou's hundreds of thousands of troops are defending the river. Even if the rebels cross the river, Yingtian Mansion's walls are strong and there are many urns, so it will not be easy for them to invade. . When the armies of King Qin from various places arrive, they will cut off the supply of the Yan army and attack from all directions. The imperial court may not lose." These words were partly true, and partly to comfort the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother didn't believe her: "Is it Master Qi, Master Huang, who is out to recruit troops to serve the king?"
Zhu Yunwen nodded, not wanting to say more.
The Queen Mother sighed. This child has been like this since he was a child. He distinguishes between public and private matters. He is unwilling to talk about anything in the court at home. Looking at her son's pale face, the Queen Mother thought for a moment and said, "Then we ladies will burn incense and pray for the army every day."
Zhu Yunwen forced a smile and said: "Thank you, Queen Mother!"
The Queen Mother waved to Lian Hua: "I will leave everything aside for the next few days, chant more, and ask Bodhisattva to bless my army with victory every day." Lian Hua quickly agreed.
The Queen Mother thought for a while and then said: "The Imperial Ancestral Temple in this palace is the Fengxian Hall. The Ai family and the Queen can just worship here. Li Cairen, you can go to Tianxi Temple. Leave early and come back late every day. Let the abbot call more Monks, let's chant sutras and pray for blessings together." Glancing at Zhu Yunwen and seeing his disapproval, the Queen Mother sighed again: "You are working hard at the front, and we ladies can only do this. At least we are united. Sincerity can move the sky. , maybe the Bodhisattva was moved to protect him a lot. What do you think, Li Cairen?" Lianhua said yes again and again, but did not dare to look at Zhu Yunwen. This was a big taboo in front of the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother was satisfied: "Okay! Then you can go early tomorrow morning! I hope my army will triumph soon!"
****************
On the first day of June, Chen Xuan, the governor of Jiangfang, rebelled and surrendered to Zhu Di. The Yan army had a large number of ships and naval forces for naval warfare.
On June 3, there was a battle with Sheng Yong's southern army on the Yangtze River. The Yan army won a great victory, Sheng Yong was defeated, and the Yan army successfully crossed the river from Guazhou.
Zhenjiang was captured on June 4th.
On June 5, Longtan was defeated, and Sheng Yong was defeated again at Liuhe Pukou. The Yan army finally arrived at the capital city.
Lotus sitting in meditation with eyes closed in the Guanyin Hall of Tianxi Temple. With the morning breeze, bursts of Sanskrit sounds came from the Main Hall. Abbot Xuanxin personally led the monks in the temple to chant sutras and pray for blessings every day.
However, the fighting situation in the past ten days has become worse day by day, and the Yan army has actually surrounded the city wall. Lianhua recalled that she and Zhu Yunwen visited the Jubaomen gate tower on New Year's Eve one year, and wondered when the urn city would be used. I didn't expect that we would have to rely on this city wall and urn city so soon.
Behind them, Zhien and Haishou were mumbling something
Yesterday, Hai Shou ran in excitedly and said that Li Tianqi came to the temple specially to tell the great king, Li Bangyuan, the current king of North Korea, that Lianhua should return to North Korea at any time, and the emperor was welcome to go if he wanted to.
Since then, Haishou and Zhien have been a little sneaky, looking at Lianhua with expectant eyes. Lianhua knew that they had been worried about her since the danger of the war, and if they returned to North Korea and Li Bangyuan was the king now, everything would be fine. Li Tianqi specifically said that the king took good care of Mrs. Cao.
But, how could I leave Zhu Yunwen behind? And with his arrogance, how could he be willing to entrust his life to a vassal state? Lotus didn't know what would happen if the city was destroyed.
Amid the confusion of thoughts, the voices behind him seemed to get louder. Lianhua couldn't help but opened her eyes and turned around, only to see someone standing next to Zhien Haishou, looking at her with a smile. He was wearing the uniform of a chamberlain, from the palace, but with a familiar smile, he turned out to be Ma Sanbao!
Lotus was surprised: "Three Treasures?"
Zhien smiled and said: "Princess, I was shocked when I saw Brother Ma just now." Then he took Haishou to the door to look out.
Ma Sanbao looked at Lotus. He was still as thin as before, but his complexion was much better. There was a little rosiness on his white jade face, just like the hosta. His eyes are still clear, and his clothes are still light blue.
Lotus looked at Ma Sanbao, but felt that it was completely different. His body shape and appearance have not changed, and his smile is still bright and bright, but he exudes a sense of majesty and strong murderous aura from the inside out. This is the momentum created by the accumulation of many lives on the battlefield. It can't be smelled or smelled, but it can't be blocked. Lotus couldn't help but frowned.
Ma Sanbao smiled and said: "Princess! Your Majesty sent me to see the princess." As he said this, he took out a light blue cotton handkerchief package from his arms and presented it to Lotus.
Lianhua's heart moved, and she gently opened her veil, and it turned out to be the Glazed Pagoda. It's just that the color is different from three years ago. It's almost transparent. The colorful light is slowly rotating in the tower. I don't know why.
Ma Sanbao continued: "The prince said that he was grateful to Princess Zengta for rescuing him. The prince said that he missed the princess every day and asked the princess to wait for the prince." Ma Sanbao finished speaking quickly in one breath and looked at the lotus uneasily. When Zhu Di asked him to take this message, he hesitated to say it, and turned his back to Ma Sanbao before speaking with difficulty.
The lotus stares at the glazed pagoda, with the pagoda's seven colors imprinted in its clear eyes, and the light flows. Ma Sanbao stared at the lotus, motionless.
Suddenly Lianhua raised her hand, raised the glazed tower and smashed it to the ground. Ma Sanbao was highly skilled in martial arts, and his hands and feet reacted faster than his mind. He subconsciously reached out and caught the pagoda, and looked at the lotus in astonishment.
The lotus flower couldn't be smashed, so it couldn't help but collapse and burst into tears. Ma Sanbao carefully stretched out his arms to hold her gently and called softly: "Princess!"
Lianhua burst into tears: "Why did you start this war? In the past three years, how many soldiers have been buried in Yandi and buried in Shandong? They are all the people of the Ming Dynasty!" Seeing Ma Sanbao bow his head and say nothing, he gave him another hard blow. Quan: "You! Tell me how many brothers you have killed? How could you do it?!" He couldn't stop crying.
Ma Sanbao had never seen Lianhua so excited, and couldn't help but panic. Seeing her crying and scolding her like an eldest sister to her younger brother, he felt a little sweet in his heart. He defended softly for a while: "Princess, there was really nothing we could do at that time. The imperial edict came to Peking to arrest the princess and bring the prince back to the capital. You know the prince's arrogance, how could you beg for mercy from people like Huang Zicheng and Qitai? Do you hope that the prince will Like King Xiangxian, who burned himself in the palace?"
Lianhua finally stopped crying and asked: "What happened next? How could we continue to massacre again and again? Hundreds of thousands of people!"
Ma Sanbao said softly: "There is nothing you can do on the battlefield. Either you die or I die. But after every battle, the prince led us to ask the prisoners one by one whether they were going or staying. In the past three years, only Jiangnan secretly released There are tens of thousands of soldiers, and there are hundreds of thousands who voluntarily stayed in the prince's army. Aren't all the soldiers in the imperial court dead? Many soldiers feel that this is a family matter of the emperor's family, and outsiders should not risk their lives for it. "
Ma Sanbao paused and then said: "The imperial court is dissatisfied with the vassal system and wants to cut down the vassal. Even if the prince endures and lives an ignoble existence, sooner or later other princes will not be able to bear it. At that time, they will definitely be more cruel and tyrannical than the prince. Even your majesty will have it. You might even be in danger of your life.”
Lotus remained silent. What Ma Sanbao said may have some truth, but after all, it was King Yan who raised the army now, not other vassal kings. What does the hypothesis say? However, I felt a little relieved to hear that most of the imperial army survived.
Ma Sanbao looked at the sky: "Princess! I can't say these truths well. You can talk to the prince yourself in the future! Their uncles and nephews will judge, and the princess will be the arbiter."
Lianhua shook her head: "I don't see him."
Ma Sanbao said anxiously: "Princess! Don't be upset. Whatever the princess asks for, the prince will definitely agree to it. Even for your majesty, the princess has to compromise."
Lianhua looked at Ma Sanbao and smiled slightly: "If you allow Lang to live, I will live; if Yunlang dies, I will die. There is nothing to feel wronged about."
Ma Sanbao was stunned, and then said after a while: "But the prince has been obsessed with you all these years, and you, the princess..."
Lianhua smiled: "Sambo, do you know when was the first time I fell in love with your prince?"
Before Ma Sanbao could speak, Lianhua himself answered: "I saw him handing out prisoners under the fiery red pomegranate tree. There were so many Mongolian Jurchens, and he asked them one by one. He was kind and compassionate, just like the Vajrapani Bodhisattva."
Lotus looked into the sky and spoke slowly, as if she saw the tall purple figure from the past, and the fiery red petals fell on his clothes. Lotus's eyes were full of nostalgia: "The person I like will always be happy with me. It's a pity that he has been blocked by time. I don't know if I can see him again in this life?" He sighed softly, closed his eyes and bowed his head, and said no more.
Ren Ma Sanbao, a very smart person, also didn't understand. Are you saying that the prince has changed? Are you waiting for the prince to change back? Ma Sanbao was anxious. He looked at the sky but had no choice but to leave, so he leaned over and said, "Princess, Sanbao has to take leave now. I'll come see the princess another day. Princess, take care of yourself!"
Lotus closed her eyes and didn't answer. Ma Sanbao gently placed the Glazed Pagoda in front of Lotus, clasped his fists in salute, and left gently.
Ma Sanbao left Tianxi Temple, thought for a while, and rushed to Cao Guogong's mansion. When the servant at the door saw that he was a palace guard, he did not dare to neglect and hurriedly informed him. After a while, he took Ma Sanbao into the Snow Bamboo Hall.
Li Jinglong was sitting in the hall. When he heard that the palace guards were looking for him, he casually invited him in. When he saw Ma Sanbao's face, he suddenly stood up and said, "You!"
Ma Sanbao smiled and saluted: "Ma He has met Cao Guogong." Li Jinglong waved his hand, and the servant retreated.
Ma Sanbao smiled and said, "Your Majesty asked me to come visit Duke Cao."
Li Jinglong snorted: "My defeated general, what's so good about it?"
Ma Sanbao still smiled and said: "Your Majesty said that your Majesty and Mr. Cao Guogong were young. They had fought a lot since they were young. What does it matter who wins and who loses? I can't remember that much."
Li Jinglong's face softened slightly: "Yes, I was beaten every day when I was a child. It's hard for your prince to remember." After saying that, he sat back in the chair and motioned for Ma Sanbao to sit down too. Ma Sanbao sat down on the chair at the west end and looked at Li Jinglong without saying anything.
When Li Jinglong saw Ma Sanbao silent for a long time, he felt a little uneasy: "Why did King Yan ask you to come?"
Ma Sanbao smiled and said: "Of course Mr. Cao Guo knows that the prince has surrounded Yingtian Mansion now? With the Yan army's current strength of 400,000, it can deal with less than 10,000 people in the Dudu Mansion. It is only a matter of time before they enter the city."
Seeing Li Jinglong's silence, Ma Sanbao smiled and continued: "It's just that the prince is considerate of the people and can't bear to injure the people of the Ming Dynasty in the capital, so he is a little hesitant. He specially asked me to come and discuss with Duke Cao."
Li Jinglong somewhat understood: "But last time I attacked Beiping, there were also Zhengcunba and Baigou River..."
Ma Sanbao laughed: "Your Majesty said that Duke Cao Guo was so brave and loyal to the Ming Dynasty that it was not yet time to reward him. How could he be blamed? The beatings were actually a family affair of the Prince and your Majesty's uncle and nephew. It was all in vain for you ministers to suffer."
Li Jinglong lowered his head and hesitated.
Since the Yan army came to the city, the emperor had added more people to guard the city gates. There were many people needed at the nine city gates, and there were few generals in the court. Even Li Jinglong was used. Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao State, Zhu Su, the acting king, and Xu Zengshou, the commander-in-chief of the Zuo Army, guarded the Jinchuan Gate. The three of them waited four hours a day. The Yan army had not yet attacked the city, so there was not much to do.
But once the city is attacked...
Li Jinglong couldn't help but close his eyes as he recalled the bloody storm of blood and flesh flying all over the sky. Are the people in the capital also going to suffer like this? So why bother
Ma Sanbao smiled again and said: "Did Cao Guogong see the wind and the dragon when he was at Baigou River?"
Li Jinglong was shocked and looked at Ma Sanbao blankly.
Ma Sanbao said: "It's the same for the prince's defeat of the Marquis of Licheng. If God's will is like this, how can manpower disobey it? Don't you hear that those who obey the heaven will prosper, and those who go against the heaven will perish?" At this point, the smile on his face disappeared, and his eyes were as sharp as The blade is very cold.
Li Jinglong couldn't help but shudder, and said in his heart: "Okay! But Master Ma has to work hard at King Gu. Governor Xu admires King Yan the most, so there is no problem."
Ma Sanbao nodded: "Don't worry, Mr. Cao Guo, King Gu has already contacted our prince, it's no problem." As he said this, he listened to Li Jinglong, and the two of them planned closely.
****************
In the middle of the night, Lotus Hua felt someone watching her in a hazy state. She opened her eyes in a daze, only to see Zhu Yunwen holding his arms and staring at her quietly, with tears in his eyes.
The moonlight in Silver Moon Palace is the best. At this time, a crescent moon is in the sky. The moonlight shines in through the soft smoke screen window as thin as cicada wings, making Zhu Yunwen's body covered with silver as if in the middle of the moon.
Lianhua was a little surprised and said with a smile: "Yunlang, it's still early, let's sleep a little longer. You should go to court later, but I will be the only one left again." After saying that, he leaned closer to Zhu Yunwen and stretched out his arms to hang on him. In his neck.
Zhu Yunwen hugged Lianhua, put his chin on the top of her head, and called softly: "Lianhua!" He was choked with sobs.
Lianhua hummed and pressed closer.
After waiting for a long time, Zhu Yunwen said softly: "Lianhua, I don't know how long the city of Yingtian Mansion can be defended, and I don't know how many troops from King Qin from various places can come. I said that that day just to comfort my mother."
Lotus didn't move: "I know."
Zhu Yunwen continued: "The King of Yan said that he wanted to be the Duke of Zhou, but King Zhou Cheng was two years old at the time, and I was already twenty-six years old." After a pause, he finally said: "Once the city is destroyed, I am determined to die for the country. Yan The king is so arrogant, is it possible that my majestic emperor is willing to live an ignoble existence under his lustful power?"
Lotus still didn't move: "I understand."
Seeing her indifferent reaction, Zhu Yunwen was a little surprised: "Do you understand?"
Lianhua raised her head and stared into Zhu Yunwen's eyes in the darkness: "I understand. I'm with you. You can't leave me alone and go first."
Zhu Yunwen was shocked: "But you..."
Lianhua raised her hand to cover his mouth: "Yunlang! I came to heaven originally for North Korea and for revenge. But Buddha was merciful and gave you Yunlang to me. In the past five years, I have been really happy."
Under the moonlight, Lian Hua's eyes were as clear as the day they first met in Langya Temple: "Yunlang, I want to be with you, not because of responsibility, but because I like to be with you."
Zhu Yunwen said nothing and hugged Lianhua tightly. Lian Hua turned around and hugged her tightly.
Is there any deeper love than living and dying together