Lu Lin came with several old ministers of Changsha State. After paying their respects, they said that they had just sent the special envoy of the Eastern Court to the posthouse to rest and had come back specifically to report.
Mu Fulan glanced at him and the other old ministers who were traveling with him, knowing that he had something else to say. She smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Lu Lin waved her hands repeatedly, saying that it was her duty, and said: "Zhao Xitai has stabilized the situation now. Not only does he occupy Huaiyang, but he also has the Yangtze River as a natural barrier. He may be able to counterattack. He took this opportunity of sacrifice to send envoys to Changsha to sincerely discuss the matter of joint resistance. My lady, why don't you consider it carefully? Xie Changgeng was born a big bandit, cunning and changeable, and cannot be trusted. If he destroys the Eastern Court, he will definitely wipe out Changsha. For the long-term plan in the future, we must unite with the Eastern Court and fight together. In this way, at least we can maintain the current situation and protect Changsha."
Mu Fulan said: "I will consider it carefully."
The few of them looked at each other. Lu Lin paused and stepped forward again.
"There is one more thing. After returning from the sacrifice today, many officials have asked about the issue of the vacant throne that we discussed earlier. I wonder if the princess has considered it?"
Another official continued, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. In the past few years, we have been fortunate to have the princess as regent. She knows how to appoint the right people, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe. Everyone in Changsha respects her. But for the long-term plan, we think that we should establish a king as soon as possible, so that we can stabilize the people's hearts. The crown prince should be selected from the sons of the Mu clan. If the person selected is young, we sincerely ask the princess to continue to assist in the administration, and we will also work hard to serve you. In this way, when the new king takes office in the future, the princess's contribution to Changsha will be respected by all the people, comparable to the sun and the moon!"
Lu Lin looked at Mu Fulan's calm face and said carefully, "Originally, there was the young master. He was talented and intelligent, and he was the best heir to my Changsha King. Unfortunately, due to his bloodline, if he was made the heir, I'm afraid it would be unjust and unconvincing, and he would not be able to convince the public..."
The remaining few people echoed.
Mu Fulan said calmly: "I already know what you mean. There have been a lot of things these days, and you have all worked hard, so let's leave it at that for now."
Everyone nodded and left, and Yuan Handing walked in.
"My princess, don't pay attention to them. Changsha has only been stable for a few days, and these people are relying on their seniority to make trouble out of nothing! If my princess agrees, I will lead the ministers to write a letter tomorrow to support my princess as king. No matter how senior they are, what can they do? One hundred thousand soldiers only obey the orders of my princess!"
After he finished speaking, seeing that Mu Fulan did not say anything, he thought for a moment and then said, "If the princess has no intention of becoming the king and wants to make the young master the heir, it is easy as pie. As long as the princess gives the order, it will be done!"
Mu Fulan pondered for a moment and said, "Let's talk about this later. The Eastern Court has sent an envoy to talk about joining forces to fight against Shangjing. What do you think?"
A year ago, facing the pressure from Xie Changgeng's troops and the precarious situation of the Eastern Court, Zhao Xitai succeeded his father as the chief, showing extraordinary courage and talent. He knew that the Eastern Capital was powerless to recover, so he cut off one of his arms, abandoned the Eastern Capital, and took the initiative to evacuate with wealth and population, relying on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and quickly re-established a foothold in Huaiyang.
The East Court, which was about to collapse, was revived. At this point, Xie Changgeng completely controlled the Shangjing Court and occupied all the territory except Changsha State and Huaiyang in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Not long ago, he had just destroyed the King of Zhao who had left the Eastern Court due to the chaos in the Eastern Capital. Rumor has it that he is now preparing to send troops to Huaiyang for the final battle.
Yuan Handing said: "Zhao Xitai is a man with great foresight. A few years ago, when the King of Qi was still confronting Xie Changgeng in Dongdu, he should have expected that Changping Pass would be difficult to defend and Dongdu would not be a place to stay for a long time, so he asked for permission to go to Huaiyang to manage the business. As expected, he was right. When he was in Huaiyang, he recruited talented people, trained the navy, and dredged the river to solve the flood disaster that had plagued the local people for many years. He was quite popular. With the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to rely on, it would not be easy for Xie Changgeng to capture Huaiyang in one fell swoop. Under the current situation, whether my Changsha Kingdom will unite with the Eastern Court or remain neutral depends on Xie Changgeng."
He looked at Mu Fulan and said, "My Lady, Lu Lin and his people are always too cautious and afraid of Xie Changgeng. But on this matter, I agree with them. Excuse me, once the Eastern Court ceases to exist, how can Xie Changgeng allow Changsha to continue to occupy the heart of Dongting Lake? His last target must be Changsha. Instead of dealing with it alone, it is better to form an alliance with Zhao Xitai now, and the chances of winning will be greater."
"Of course, everything is based on the princess's wishes. No matter what the princess decides, I will obey her orders!"
That night, Mu Fulan couldn't sleep again.
She still lives in the same palace bedroom where she lived before she got married. This room holds so many memories from her youth till now. The flickering candlelight illuminates her wandering figure. She stops in front of the window, her thoughts fluctuating, looking at the bright moon in the night sky for a long time, then turns around and opens a storage box in the corner of the room that she has not touched for a long time, and takes out an envelope.
This was the letter of divorce that person sent that year after he learned that the State of Changsha might be in collusion with the King of Qi.
At that time, she was coming back from Tianshan to get medicine. On the way, she took the water route to avoid the war in Pucheng. When the letter was delivered, she had not yet returned to Changsha.
"Our two hearts are different and cannot return to the same path. I have written this letter to each of us to return to our original path."
She was reading the letter by candlelight, with its illegible handwriting as if it had been written casually. As she was lost in thought, she heard the door being gently pushed open and raised her eyes.
Xier is here.
She hurriedly put away the letter, walked towards him, and said with a smile: "It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Xi'er was still wearing her sleeping clothes. "I just read a few pages of a book and wanted to go to bed. I saw that the light in mother's room was still on, so I came to see you. Mother, you should have a good rest and don't be too tired."
Mu Fulan looked at the bright-eyed and handsome boy in front of her, and recalled the scene when she met him in Huguo Temple that year. In a blink of an eye, the little boy back then had grown up.
Her heart was filled with infinite love and compassion.
She walked over, took her son's hand, and said softly, "Mom will take you back to your room. When you fall asleep, Mom will go to sleep too."
Xier shook his head: "I'll take you to bed, mother. After you fall asleep, I'll go to bed." He walked over.
Mu Fulan let the little boy hold her hand and followed him inside.
"Mother, please take a rest."
When Xier was about to leave, Mu Fulan stopped him.
"Xier, although you are my son, if I didn't intend to make you the king of Changsha, would you blame me?" She hesitated and asked softly.
Xi'er shook her head: "Mother, don't worry. I have never thought of becoming the king of Changsha. Mother, just make arrangements as you wish. I just hope that I can be useful in the future and protect you."
Mu Fulan smiled. At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside.
The maid came to report that an envoy from the Eastern Court had come to inform that Zhao Xitai had come here incognito and would arrive tonight. He had important matters to discuss and wanted to see the princess.
Mu Fulan hesitated for a moment, looked at Xi'er who was looking at her and said, "Mom has something else to do, so I'll go first. You go to bed."
…
Mu Fulan walked into the Xuanzheng Hall. Inside stood a figure wearing a night-walking cloak. The man heard the footsteps and turned around. It was Zhao Xitai.
After not seeing him for three years, he seemed to have changed a lot. This change was not in his appearance, but in the feeling he gave people.
Although his face showed a trace of fatigue from traveling at night, his eyes were bright. Although he was dressed in casual clothes, he had an extraordinary demeanor. Compared with the sickly Prince of Qi who had first come to Changsha to seek medical treatment many years ago, he was like a completely different person.
When he saw Mu Fulan appear, a smile appeared on his face. He walked quickly towards her and apologized to her for his presumptuous visit.
"I woke up the princess overnight. Thank you for meeting me here. I haven't seen you for three years. You are more beautiful than ever."
He stared at Mu Fulan in front of him with a sincere tone. In his eyes, there was no trace of darkness or vigilance, only the joy of meeting an old friend again after not seeing him for many years.
He seemed to have completely forgotten how he left Changsha.
Mu Fulan smiled and said, "I haven't seen you for three years. Your Majesty looks very refreshed. Your Majesty is a noble man, and you are different from before. Why did you come here in plain clothes? I know you were in such a hurry and I am sorry for the poor hospitality. Please forgive me."
Zhao Xitai smiled and waved his hand.
"My lady, there is no need to be so distant with me. I am still the same Zhao Xitai as before. My lady must also know that I am here to form an alliance."
His expression turned serious.
"The princess should have received the letter I sent to her earlier. To show my sincerity, I came here again three years later to meet her and discuss important matters. As for the current situation, there is no need for me to say more. The princess will make her own judgment."
"Xie Changgeng is about to marry Empress Liu's niece, and has long severed all ties with your Changsha Kingdom. Although he has not caused any trouble to you in the past few years, it is because he has no time to care about you. He just destroyed the King of Zhao. If I, Zhao Xitai, am also gone, your Changsha Kingdom will be the next to go."
"I have long known that Dongdu cannot stay for long, and I have been planning Yanghuai for a long time. I dare not say that it is unbreakable, but firstly, we have excellent soldiers and generals, and secondly, we have natural barriers to rely on. If he sends troops to attack, it is still uncertain who will win..."
He paused, walked in front of Mu Fulan, and lowered his voice.
"My lady, let me tell you one more thing. He has an important general under his command. He fell for my beauty trap and has secretly surrendered to me. As long as he sends his troops to attack, I will cut off his food supply and retreat."
He stared at Mu Fulan deeply: "My Lady, the current situation in the world and in your Changsha country are different from three years ago. I believe in you and will not hide anything from you. I believe you will make a wise choice. As long as you are willing to help me, when we join forces, I will be even more powerful. As long as Xie Kou attacks, he will prosper and perish in the water!"
…
Mu Fulan returned to the dormitory and saw Xi'er still sitting upright on the chair. He had not gone back to sleep, as if he was waiting for her. So she walked over and was about to speak when she saw him get down from the chair and stand in front of her. She asked, "Mother, is that Zhao Xitai coming here to persuade you to join him in beating Master Xie?"
Mu Fulan was stunned.
"Xi'er, this is a major event concerning my Changsha State. You are still young, and it has nothing to do with you. Go to sleep, and I will make the decision myself."
After she finished speaking, she saw that the child did not move, so she continued, "Mother, I am not a child anymore, I have heard some things. Not only the Prime Minister and his men want to form an alliance with Zhao Xitai, but even Master wants to do so. I know they are all considering Changsha. But mother, do you remember that three years ago, when Lord Xie came here, he promised me in person outside the West City Gate that he would never be an enemy of you again. He also swore. If he is not an enemy of you, he will definitely not send troops to attack our Changsha. Mother, please don't fight with the East Court coalition, don't fight with Lord Xie, okay?"
Mu Fulan was silent for a moment and said, "Xi'er, people change. As for what they said, it is impossible for them to remember it forever. Even if they remember it, they may not be able to do it. When you grow up, you will understand. Go to bed!"
"Mother!"
Xier looked anxious and knelt down in front of her.
"Mother, I believe in Lord Xie! He must remember what he said to me that day, and he will definitely keep his word! Mother, if you are worried, I will write a letter and you can help me pass it to Lord Xie! I will ask him to personally promise you again, then you can rest assured, right?"
Mu Fulan said: "Xi'er, be obedient and go to bed!"
There was still a smile on her lips when she spoke, but her tone had changed into an irrefutable command.
Xier stared at her blankly for a moment, slowly got up from the ground, and walked away with her head down.
The next morning, Mu Fulan had something to do, so she left without asking about Xier. Unexpectedly, at noon, Mu's mother came running to her in a panic, saying that the young master was missing.
Mother Mu wiped her tears and said, "Normally, the young master gets up early to practice martial arts and study. This morning, I didn't see him come out, so I thought he slept in for a rare time, so I didn't call him. At noon, he still didn't get up, so I felt something was wrong, so I went to knock on the door, but there was no response. The door was bolted from the inside, so I asked someone to break the door open, but no one was in the room. I guess he broke through the window and left only this note..."
Mu Fulan snatched the note, took a look at it, her face changed slightly, and she hurried to the north gate, where she was told that the young master had ridden out of the city early in the morning before dawn.
Because he often rode out of the city alone on horseback, the gatekeeper didn't ask him any questions. When he saw him coming, he opened the door and let him out.
The author has something to say: The description of the sister-in-law's pregnancy has been deleted. It was not necessary. At that time, I was reluctant to leave a son for my brother. Later, I thought it was unnecessary, so I deleted it. I am sorry for not explaining it in time and causing confusion. I hereby announce it.
Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
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