On the way out of court that day, people kept coming up to me to greet me and congratulate me, and I had to return the greeting to each person, which made my waist very sore when I was 150 steps outside the Weiyang Palace.
Now I just wanted to go back and tell Yinling that I couldn't tell whether I was happy or upset, or both. Anyway, I felt very unhappy. So in the end, I just bowed according to my body's habit, not caring who they were. I think they must think I was very polite.
However, it took me half an hour to walk the several hundred steps from Weiyang Palace to the exit of the Imperial City Gate. By the time I came out, my back could hardly straighten up.
When I was almost at the post station, I was still in the middle of the night when I saw several soldiers coming out to greet me. As soon as they saw me, they hurriedly told me, "Princess Yinling has been captured!"
"What?" I was really shocked as I was about to dismount from my horse. I nearly fell off. I quickly let go of the reins and stood firm on the ground. I held my waist and shouted loudly: "Who is so bold? Someone dares to capture the wife of Pingguo, the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun?" Suddenly I felt that I was showing off my official power. Thinking that Yinling would never agree with me doing this, my tone softened in the end.
"This... seems to be your father-in-law. When Princess Yinling saw the white-bearded man, she was startled and called him father. Later, he ordered two Shanyue people to tie up the princess with ropes and forcibly took her away. The princess also forbade us to cut off our hands or to tell anyone about this matter. She only asked us to tell you... What were the original words?"
"I told you not to worry about her, and to work hard in the court. Tell the truth, and don't be too arrogant, or it will arouse jealousy. She will be back soon. You should focus on serving the country and don't worry about her." Another person scratched his head and repeated with some uncertainty.
"When and where did they go? How many of them were there and what did they look like?"
"An hour ago, an old man with a white beard and two Shanyue barbarians drove a black carriage to the east."
"Why didn't you come to see me earlier?" I knew that what I said was a little unreasonable, but I still shouted it out. Then I mounted my horse again and galloped towards the east gate.
On the way, I kept cursing Shui Jing both in my mouth and in my heart. He was a famous figure in the world, but he treated his own daughter like this.
He ran to the east gate and asked the city guard whether he had seen such a carriage and three people like that, where they had gone, etc.
The city guard answered confidently that no one had ever gone there, but he still told me that there were three city gates on the east side of Luoyang, and there were two more gates facing east to the south of this gate, so it was not certain where one could exit the city. At that time, I didn't think much about it and hurried over.
Normally, when faced with such a crisis in the past, I should have been extremely clear-headed, but this morning, I was even more confused. Perhaps something had happened to Yinling.
After an hour, I still didn't get any clues. To avoid causing trouble, I didn't order the city to be sealed off, but just went out of the city to ask Qingduo to send out more people to investigate. Then, when I was still aimlessly and panickingly looking for clues, the teacher sent someone to call me back.
When I saw the teacher, I told him the news that Yin Ling might have been captured by Sima Hui, and asked him what to do urgently.
"Ask me?" The teacher was surprised. "You should know the most at this time."
"I don't know. I feel very upset right now." I didn't even know who to look at, so how could I come up with a good solution
"Zi Rui seems a little absent-minded today. Is it because he was so excited about being named one of the four ministers in the morning that he hasn't recovered yet?"
"It shouldn't be, maybe something happened to Yinling." I'm not so greedy for fame, fortune and wealth, but I just didn't dare to bump into the teacher directly.
"Go and have a rest first. I'll help you investigate this matter. You'll only mess things up if you investigate now." The teacher was silent for a moment. "In Xiangyang, Yinling told me about her father Sima Hui. Mr. Shuijing Sima Hui is a man of great talent and erudition after all. Since he was captured when he was young, he will definitely come up with a perfect plan to leave Luoyang smoothly this time without you intercepting Yinling. Now is an extraordinary time, and we can't cause any more trouble. So you did the right thing by not ordering the city to be closed. It shows that you are quite patient. But maybe that's why Sima Hui came like this. He actually used this method to take Yinling away. It seems that your father-in-law is very unhappy with you and Yinling being together. He must think that you should marry Guo Pei, not Sima Yinling. Unless you marry Guo Pei first... maybe you can persuade him to marry Yinling to you."
Maybe the teacher was reminding me of something, that I should calm down and think about something.
After I left, I called the soldier who told me the situation at the door and asked him to repeat Yin Ling's words. No one could repeat Yin Ling's original words, but I always felt that Yin Ling wanted to tell me something, so I asked them to think about it carefully, but in the end they could only go back to the room to think about it with a few similar and different messages.
Devoted to the country, I'm afraid it's devoted to Guo. Yinling probably wants me to marry Guo Pei quickly, otherwise my father-in-law will never accept me as a son-in-law. The tone is too high, the highest is Gaizhu, and when he read Gaizhu, he moved his mind and wrote Wu on the ground with his finger. Yinling's mother is Shanyue, and there are also Shanyue people who came with Shuijing, so it is very likely that they went to Wu together. But how did Yinling know, maybe the two Shanyue people leaked it to her, or maybe it was her guess.
No matter how much more there is, I won't say it. I even doubt my own speculation, because the retellings of several people who heard Yinling's words had some deviations, and some parts were even completely opposite.
I know I need to stay calm, but I can't imagine that Yin Ling was forcibly taken away by her father. I don't know where they are now. I guess they must have changed their clothes, but how can they take the tied-up Yin Ling out? At this time, the city gates are strictly guarded. It is impossible to take a living person out like this.
Later I thought, I don't need to be so nervous. After all, Shui Jing is Yin Ling's father. Yin Ling's life is at least not in danger. But when I returned, I was still panicked and couldn't do anything.
My brothers also advised me, but I could only tell them not to worry and deceive myself that I was fine.
At noon that day, I was sitting alone and bored, but I heard the sound of a child crying, which made me even more upset. I strode to the child's room to see what was going on. When I was about to step into the room, Nalan stopped me. I asked why she stopped me, and she saw that I looked fierce and was afraid that I would do something.
"Don't be ridiculous. I came here to see how this guy is doing. Is he still sick?" I also felt that my attitude was not good, so I quickly returned to normal.
"I'm sorry, Lord. I, the servant Hu, deserve to be beaten." Seeing this, she bowed to me to apologize, and then said, "The child is hungry. Lord Wei asked to invite another nanny, but she hasn't come yet."
"Can't we hire one? Do we have to ask for permission every time the child is hungry? I'll pay for one." I knew it was useless to be rude to her, so I asked the soldiers to do it. However, they felt a little embarrassed, so Nalan came up and took the initiative to ask her to find one. "I know Luoyang well, I'll find one soon."
Half an hour later, Nalan had settled everything with the others. The child finally calmed down after eating. I ordered the grandmother to move into the inn. I felt that I had become a bit arrogant. However, I still smiled at Nalan, as a thank you for everything she had done. She smiled back at me, but she didn't say anything.
This somewhat thin baby is sleeping peacefully at the moment, and I have been watching her sleep beside her at noon.
Children at this age must have their own peculiarities, because when I watched her, from the time she fell asleep to the time she woke up, the irritability and panic in my heart disappeared without me noticing when.
When she woke up, she looked at me for a long time with her half-closed eyes, and suddenly smiled at me, which was very cute. I don't know what I looked like in her eyes, but she seemed to be happy to see me. So, I was pleased by her like this and slowly moved my face closer to her. Her arms seemed to be trying to break free from the quilt to stop me from getting closer, but she seemed to laugh even happier, and the sound of giggling was clearly audible.
But when my face touched hers, she suddenly started crying again, which made me feel a little embarrassed. But after a little thought, I immediately understood the reason with a touch of my beard.
He came out and called the grandmother to feed the baby so as to shut the girl's mouth. After thinking about the next plan, he went directly to the teacher.
"Adopt this child?" The teacher was frightened by me. "You haven't even officially married yet, and this daughter isn't yours. Why would you do this? How are you going to explain this to your future wife?"
"What else can I do? At least I can support her. Otherwise, her mother will not be able to rest in peace in the underworld."
"Don't you feel wronged? You are cleaning up other people's messes."
"It's okay, I like children."
"Liking children is not the same thing as this." The teacher was a little angry, "What if someone else brings a child that is yours in the future?"
"I will adopt this one because I remembered something." The teacher's words made sense, but I suddenly remembered another thing.
"What's up?"
I briefly talked about the story of Huang Yi and Huang Xin, and all I could hear was the teacher and the two elders behind him sighing.
"So that's how it is. Zirui is a really good kid." Master praised me again, and Uncle San also nodded. Although I could only smile foolishly, I felt happy in my heart.
"Then do it this way. Remember, your kindness will bring you trouble sooner or later." The teacher shook his head, but still agreed with my approach. "You are now one of the four regents. Just from the official rank, we are on the same level. You have to learn to make your own decisions in the future. Get up!"
"Once a teacher, always a father. Zirui will never dare to be equal to his teacher."
The master clapped his hands behind the teacher, which scared the teacher. "I like children like Zirui. If he were my son, I would let Yinling teach him and raise him to be like Zirui... Oh, Zirui, are you okay?" The master realized that his words might be a bit taboo, and knowing that he might have said something wrong, he interrupted his plan.
"It's okay, Master. Since her father is here to take her away, there's no need to worry about her safety. Since her life is not in danger and Yinling won't marry anyone else, once Master and I have settled Luoyang's affairs, I will go to propose marriage and marry her back."
"Well, Zirui has grown up and calmed down so quickly. Oh, in that case, what do you plan to name the child?"
I thought about it for a moment, and then said, "How about calling him Yi Yue?"
"Yiyue, that sounds good. Where does the word come from?"
"Isn't it a pleasure to have a friend coming from afar? She came from afar and is not related to me. When I say I am happy, I am actually happy. Even though she is not my biological child, I am still happy."
"Although it's a bit far-fetched and a bit punctuated, I will cheer for you again just for your sake. But, this kid is in a bad way."
"Yes, her biological father is unknown and her biological mother died young. It's a pity, but she won't know."
"That's not what I meant. My son or daughter is about to be born. After the birth, she will suddenly have an elder who is almost the same age or even older. Wouldn't that be miserable in the future?"
I can’t think this can be considered miserable, but when Yue’er grows up she will probably be really embarrassed to call people. Thinking of this, I suddenly felt that I had completely accepted her.
And just like that, on the 23rd day of the first lunar month of the first year of Chuping, I had my own daughter in an even more inexplicable way. I decided to tell the child in the future that her mother was Huang Xin.
Maybe God is still very powerful, and sometimes we can listen to his advice.
Starting from the 24th day of the first month of the first year of Chuping, I started to have more social engagements. Because I often discussed things with my teacher, father, and brother Meng De, I knew that I had the most social engagements among the four ministers. This made me feel very strange. I spoke the least in the court, but everyone came to invite me after the court was dismissed.
In this regard, I think it may be because I have the best temper. The teachers all have stern faces, but when I look down, I often have a smile on my face, which makes them feel that I am easier to approach. Zi Shi: It must be because of my age. Everyone thinks I am easier to deceive. Zi Yu gave a relatively most likely reason: Since the three of us always have stern faces, everyone may not be able to guess the relationship between the three of us, and don’t know if there are factions in the regent. Only I am an exception, because I speak well to everyone: one is my father, one is my teacher, and the remaining one, all the ministers have seen me treat Meng De with brotherly courtesy when I see him, and the two of us always call each other brothers when we talk, and we can tell from looking at each other that we have a very close relationship. Therefore, it is obvious that currying favor with me is the easiest and safest way to please the four ministers.
Together with my brothers, we cursed these officials and laughed. Suddenly, Li Zhen sighed, Ziyu will be promoted soon. I am already at the top, but he is still at the bottom. Ziyu lost his temper and said angrily, Zirui is always like this, never caring about this, and never using his status to pressure others. His words underestimate the character of brothers. Zishi was busy apologizing. I felt a little embarrassed, but I couldn't say anything. I thought about finding time to promote my brothers. Many of them are really capable, but they only let me climb so high.
I was looking at Yi Yue beside her couch, thinking about something in my heart. This guy couldn't think of any ideas for me. Just as I was thinking, Zi Yu suddenly said expressionlessly, "Someone is here to invite me to a banquet again."
I was constantly being questioned about the other ministers at the banquet, and I believed that Brother Ziyu was completely right. So, I said nothing. But that would make me look a little awkward, as if I was being led by others. After all, the emperor is my adoptive father, and the remaining three ministers are my teacher, my father, and my brother.
In addition to officials, I also attended the banquet with the princes of various towns. The ministers who hosted the banquet were different, and the princes were usually different. From this, I felt that there were some clues. For example, Taichang Yuan Kui was originally from the same family as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and Taiwei had a close relationship with Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. This day at the home of Grand Minister of Rites Dong Zhong, I ran into Ding Yuan, Han Sui and others who were related to him. It seems that the Xiliang lineage does have some relationship with the Dong family.
I didn't want to go because of Dong Zhong's surname, but my teacher asked me to go. I had to calm everyone down and make sure no one would worry before a solution was found, lest some trouble happen again before the situation was settled.
Therefore, recently the three of them have been discussing things together, while I have been busy attending banquets at various houses. My work as a regent has been lax and corrupt.
He always sits at the seat of honor, so this time, I sat down without any hesitation. I always feel that Dong Zhong on the chair is a bit like the Dong Zhuo brother I smashed to death, but he brought Tianlang with him to the banquet, otherwise, I think I have 100% certainty and confidence that I can go up and knock him down with a stick.
But looking at him like this, he thought I valued him very much, and he kept toasting me. I was indeed a good drinker, and I made Dong Zhong look crazy, so I looked in another direction, stepped forward and toasted Lu Bu, thanking him for the armor, after all, the armor was really good and saved me many times.
I talked to him again. I remember that the last time I talked to him, I always felt that his words were very profound, but this time I found that he could not talk about anything other than martial arts and battle formations. Thinking that he was also a rough man, he felt closer to me. I thought I must be sick.
I felt the presence of a hero beside Han Sui. The reason why I thought he was a hero was because he was very disdainful of me, but he looked straight at me without squinting, sat upright without bowing, and seemed to have a frank heart. He was different from Yuan Shu that day, who acted like a human being in front of me but turned around and spoke ill of me behind my back.
"I don't know who this person is..."
"My sworn brother Ma Teng. Shoucheng, come and meet the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun." (Not only the plot but even the character is completely different from the official history. In fact, Ma Teng was originally a subordinate of Dong Zhuo, and was very at odds with Han Sui. Later, he surrendered to Cao Cao, but Ma Chao was unwilling to stay in Xiliang. Later, Ma Chao and Han Sui rebelled against Cao Cao. After being defeated by Cao Cao, Cao Cao killed Ma Teng's three clans. The reason why the author decided to write about Ma Teng like "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is really for his ancestor - General Fubō Ma Yuan, and of course the brave horse. The author weighed the pros and cons again and again)
The man stood up and saluted me slightly, and I returned the formal courtesy.
"It's not easy to meet someone like Brother Shoucheng." He paid a little more attention to me, and maybe his impression of me changed a little. But I suddenly felt that what I said was not very good, and it was a bit biased. So, I quickly raised my glass again, toasted everyone, and called them old friends and Ma Teng a new friend.
"Marquis Ping'an Fengyun is now one of the four ministers and is adopted by the emperor. So, I have become his relative." These words sounded quite harsh and I felt that the master had bad intentions.
"Yes, Concubine Dong is the sister of the Minister of Rites. And you are also the uncle of Marquis Ping'an Fengyun." An official immediately stepped forward and spoke with a very bright smile on his face, which made me want to beat him up.
"No, no, we can't do that. Marquis Fengyun, don't mind it." Although Dong Zhong was refusing, there was a smug look in his eyes. It was very strange. I thought they would only flatter me, but from this attitude, it seemed that they didn't take me seriously.
"Can I ask where Mr. Dong is from?" I decided to get to the point I wanted to know.
"I am from Longxi."
"Does Dong Zhuo have anything to do with you?" I have nothing to hide.
"Brother." He also changed his tone to a cold one, as if he was very proud. "I know that my cousin, Lord Tianshui, has a grudge against you. But he is your elder after all, and his title is higher than yours. It seems a bit disrespectful for you to just call him by his name."
"He is not worthy of being the Duke of the Han Dynasty. He has committed wanton slaughter, burning, looting and seizing Han territory. Each of these is enough to convict him of a crime punishable by the punishment of all nine generations of his clan." I felt a little crazy for saying this in front of everyone.
After I finished speaking, the whole place fell silent and many officials immediately left due to personal matters.
Dong Zhong must have drunk too much, his face was red, and I seemed to be drunk, there must be something wrong with my brain, I actually stood up straight and faced him. At that moment, the two of us confronted each other in the hall.
"Marquis Ping'an Fengyun, what do you think?" The liver-faced Minister of Rites was not in keeping with his status as a minister in charge of etiquette.
"Go to Sichuan and kill the traitor Dong." The young man who always talks about killing seems to have nothing to do with the word peace.
"Okay, you must remember your words. Come on, show the guest out." Dong Zhong's personality is really to my liking. From the beginning, he didn't come to please me. It seemed like he was deliberately trying to intimidate me today.
"Don't worry, Lord Honglu, I will remember it, and you shouldn't forget it either." I did not back down either, so I clasped my fists and bowed before saying goodbye.
There was some wind blowing outside, and the rain was still drizzling. But this time I felt much more refreshed and sober, so I immediately understood one thing.
I made a mistake. If I were to cause discord with the people of Xiliang at this time, and even to the point of a war, my father, teacher, and Brother Meng De would surely blame me. I was really too rash this time.
My disturbance is likely to cause resentment among the Xiliang faction. If they cause trouble, it will be my fault. Dong Zhong relied on the Xiliang troops and the palace connections of Concubine Dong, and he was obviously well aware of the strength of the four regents, so he dared to do so.
But suddenly I laughed and thought to myself: Who made you so anxious? I know what to do. Anyway, I don't care about my official title and face.
So, after a while, I looked at my stepmother who was looking at me with a frown but still smiling, and asked her to ask everyone to leave. She did so, but in the meantime she asked someone to heat up the brazier.
"Zirui is getting bolder and bolder. He came to see me drunk and wearing wet clothes. Is he thinking of taking a concubine again?" She tried to maintain her demeanor, just covering her nose from time to time.
I bowed for a while longer and burped onto the mat to prevent her from smelling it and questioning me for my disrespect.
But she soon smelled it, and she used her sleeves to vigorously fan away the foul smell, then asked: "Did you eat leeks and scallions for lunch? People in Xiliang like this strong smell, but I am most afraid of this smell."
"I'm sorry, mother. Zirui has something to tell you. I hope you can forgive me." I tried my best to make my tongue strong, so that I wouldn't sound short or incoherent, as the aftereffects of the wine today were really strong.
"What's the matter?" Empress He returned to her serious expression, but still looked like she wanted to laugh.
"I drank too much today, and I have some things I want to keep secret, so I have to tell you."
"Come on, what's the matter?" She waved her sleeves again, a little impatient.
"I didn't kill that schoolmaster that day!"
"Then where did you let him go?" Her expression was calm, which was beyond my expectation.
"My fiefdom is Lelong. I told him to never lose anything, otherwise I would skin him alive. But you asked me to kill him, and I couldn't do it." I didn't do that at the time. I just wanted to show my human side.
"Since things have come to this, I don't care about that matter anymore. Anyway, I knew you didn't kill him." She was still calm, as calm as if nothing had happened.
"How did you know that?" But I was really surprised.
"Do you want everyone in the palace to hear it?" Instead, I needed her to calm me down. She paused and said, "You forgot that I asked for your thorn, and you showed me that there was blood on it. I found that you already had a wound on your hand that day, so I had doubts at that time. Later, when you lived in the palace, I asked them to take a little blood for me in a bowl while you were sleeping soundly, and then put it in water. Then I used hot oil to dissolve the dried blood and dripped it into the bowl. The oil floated on the water and the blood seeped into the water, but I found that the two bloods mixed because they were originally from the same person. Therefore, you didn't kill him at all." The terrible calmness made me shudder. I sobered up completely from the drunkenness immediately, and then I looked at her expression, and my heart moved.
"So, you adopted me as your adopted son just for this." I shook my head, pretending to be sad. In fact, I felt that she didn't blame me, so I wanted her to tell me the reason. I felt that I was still drunk because my words made me look too bold: "Then why don't you find a chance to poison me to death?"
"Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Am I a tiger?"
"But we are not mother and son."
"My eldest daughter is only ten days older than you, and you have never seen your biological parents." What kind of excuse is this, I thought to myself.
"This doesn't seem to be a reason, right?" I think it is necessary to point it out.
"Go rinse your mouth first. You're almost suffocating me." The first conversation was interrupted like this.
(I wrote this long paragraph while drinking on a day off to get a feel for it, but after getting drunk I only wrote this much and then fell into a deep sleep. After waking up I read this paragraph again and decided not to revise it. The author feels deeply guilty for delaying the update.)
"Huff... No, go again, and ask the palace maid to get you some vinegar to clean it up." Before the second paragraph even started, he was ordered out again.
It took a long time like this before I could sit down and talk to her again.
"I know you have never had parents. You were raised by a child who is only one year older than you, that is, my daughter-in-law. This makes your character simple and straightforward, very childish. Although you are smart, you are not cunning; although you are brave, you are not cruel. I saw that you didn't look at Cao Mengde at all in the court some time ago, but later you got along well with him. I guess Cao Cao must have found you and had a good talk with you. You must have been convinced by him. From this, I know what kind of person you are. I have seen you cry, and that was in front of me and Shen Gong. ", in fact, Brother Wang has this temper. I have heard about it since I married the emperor. Shanghe County Marquis has a famous temper, so my brother has never allowed him to take up a post in Beijing. When I looked at you at that time, I felt very sorry for you. Brother Wang talked to the emperor about this matter. He also felt very sorry for you, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Anyway, I thought at that time, this child is good, you don't want it, but I do." Later, Empress He felt like an aunt from Shanghe neighborhood saying hello, but at that time I was only moved. I was still wondering if I was too easily deceived.
She sighed and said, "Everything about me is completely different from you. Since I was old enough to understand, I only knew how to protect my appearance, learn etiquette, and learn how to guard against and harm others. Then I was selected to enter the palace, and all kinds of infighting began. Later, it was because my eldest brother was in power that I was able to become the queen safely and securely. How can I describe the filth during this period in just a few words? My eldest brother fell, and I was almost executed by the army. But I was too... When someone saved me, I was still thinking that the throne of the queen could not be shaken. When I met you and returned to the palace, I felt that maybe it would be a kind of happiness to find a place in the world where I could live peacefully until I grow old."
"I feel sorry for that schoolmaster, so when I found out that you might let him go, I actually felt relieved." She let out a long sigh, "But I admit that when I proposed to adopt you as my adopted son, I still hoped to use your strength at that time to secure my position. In fact, the emperor has feelings for me, and I shouldn't be so calculating. I now hope to accompany the emperor until his old age, but you have to manage the government well. The emperor has not been involved in government affairs for many years. Although he is a good husband, I am afraid that he will not be able to be a famous monarch. This has to be entrusted to the four of you who we can fully trust. You are the oldest among the four of them, so your future is the brightest and broadest. I hope you can put this world in order. I may be too nagging, but facing you, a child with an open heart, I can tell you all my true feelings, and I can also feel a kind of unprecedented relief, a sense of complete relief. Maybe it's so strange that after so long, I feel that I understand some things."
I was very moved by her sincere words, but it was not what I hoped for. After all this tragedy, she seemed to have seen through the mundane world and all fame and gain seemed to have nothing to do with her. She seemed to just want to live a plain and simple life.
"Mother!" I decided to let go of all my prejudices against her and said everything in my heart: "I'm sorry, I really hated you at first... I didn't want to lie to you... I must have hated you very much, but later I slowly changed my opinion, and today, Zirui no longer has any grudges against me. Zirui apologizes for my initial disrespect."
"My child, this is too direct. Can you use other words to describe it?" Empress He suddenly changed from being affectionate to being calm, with a faint smile still on her lips.
"Okay, I won't say anything else. I attended the banquet at noon today, but I found that Dong Zhong was very domineering and arrogant. It seemed that he relied on the Xiliang troops and Concubine Dong, and he had the intention of forming a clique. This is not only detrimental to the world, but also to my father, the emperor, and my mother." I exaggerated Dong Zhong's behavior a little, but I think it is better to use only these words together.
"Of course, my eldest brother has fallen, so of course he can do this. But can't you suppress him?"
"We don't have the strength to be absolutely sure of this, so I have a plan, please let your mother decide."
Empress He listened quietly, waved her hand and said hurriedly, "My child's plan is too dangerous. I don't want this. I don't mind losing my position as queen, but I'm afraid I can't bear to lose you, a child who can confide in me and think about others."
I was deeply moved by these words, so I bowed again: "If we don't do this, we can't get rid of this new evil trend. Even if you don't care about the position of queen, how can he care about your life?"
"and you… "
"I don't want to die either. Since I'm using this strategy, I must be more than 80% sure."
"That still leaves 20%. If it doesn't work, what will we do?"
"I was wrong, it's 100%." Why should I ask for 80%? It's too cautious and conservative.
"Kid, how can I trust you when you are so uncertain?"
"Because if there is a condition that you can satisfy me, I can definitely guarantee that it will be 100% certain." At this moment, my mind was working very quickly, so I was not afraid of her advances.
"Zirui, you have learned bad things and are making demands again. What demands?" Although the situation was tense, the queen still laughed.
I calmly stated my request and she nodded, but she wanted me to go and meet the emperor by myself.
Although the matter was successful, he was scolded again.
They also asked me why I hadn't seen my daughter-in-law recently. I was taken away by my father-in-law. I thought to myself that it would be more appropriate to use robbery.
In the evening, I discussed the matter with the teacher and Brother Meng De. They all agreed with my approach, but I did not go to my father's place. I hoped they would help me, but they asked me to go; I did not dare to. Finally, Brother Meng De went. Although he expressed his gratitude on the surface, he was sure in his heart that he had other hidden motives.
However, one of the teachers pretended to be sad and told me that if I did this, he was afraid that his two brothers would cause trouble for him.
That night, everything went smoothly. It was also that night that I learned that the beautiful maid was called Diao Chan. I suddenly felt that the name was very familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it.
That night I had time to go see Yiyue again, but Nalan wouldn't let me get close to her. A child of her age needs almost ten hours to sleep, so I was told not to disturb her. When I was bored, I suddenly remembered a bad guy who must know how it feels to be a father for the first time, but I always felt that he would make fun of me, so after hesitating for a moment, I gave up the plan to go to that person to ask for advice and exchange ideas.
Having only one Kong Ming at home is scary enough. I wonder if Yue Er will give me more troubles when she grows up and lives with her brother. I feel happy just thinking about it.
But when I was lying on the couch quietly that night, I began to think about my Yinling.
The next day, the sky was covered with dark clouds, but it did not rain. That day, the emperor specially summoned Ding Yuan, Han Sui and others, commended them for their contributions in stabilizing the Western Regions, and gave them a banquet.
The regents held a banquet in Wu Ning Mansion as ordered, but Cao Cao did not show up. There was only the teacher who was smiling all the time and the father who was always stern. It was really interesting that Brother Meng De chose such a place. I guess those who came here who knew the origin of Wu Ning Mansion were all in awe and had some grudges.
But today the main character is Lu Bu, we are only here for this person, and this day he really made Diao Chan, who was peeping in the house, see his eyes light up, and she never wanted to take her eyes away from the window pane. Seeing this, I was very happy, and after obtaining the girl's consent, I started my plan. Brother Meng De felt that I was too soft in this matter. If such a thing is forced, which maid dares not to obey. But after he saw Diao Chan, he was a little bit wrong, and I had to remind him that my sister and I talked about everything to persuade this brother to come back. I must admit that he has the characteristics of Jingzhou officials: lust.
In terms of appearance, Lu Bu is only slightly better than me, but the awe-inspiring aura between his brows is enough to make him stand out among the crowd. He actually puts me down by a wide margin. This makes me feel very inferior, and I always feel that being with him hurts my self-esteem.
Then, gathering a lot of jealousy, I rushed out to challenge him without caring about my image, only to find that he was actually taller than me.
"Brother Fengxian, you are the invincible flying general of Xiliang. I have heard about you in Jingzhou and I admire you very much. But please forgive Zirui's youthful arrogance, because I have never been defeated either. I wonder if we can pick a day to compete in archery and horsemanship in the training ground." I issued the declaration of war. As soon as I said this, the scene became lively. Most of these Xiliang people were warlike and brave, and most of them were very interested in watching such a big battle.
"As for the rumors spread by the Regent, I'm afraid there are much more than those spread by Bu, right? Fengxian wouldn't dare to do that." These words should be his performance beyond his level.
"You are unwilling to ride on horseback with a good warrior like me?" He challenged her again.
"My student has never met a strong opponent. Although it may be a bit abrupt for me to take the lead this time, General Lu, please agree to it."
"My dear nephew, please help me to put an end to my son's arrogance, so that he won't brag about himself in front of me." Fortunately, the two elders came to help at the right time, which made Lu Bu unable to refuse.
"Since both regents have come, I dare not resign."
I was immediately excited like a child who had found a treasure, and I became closer to Lu Bu. I stole a glance and noticed that Ma Teng was shaking his head and Ding Yuan was laughing strangely. I guess they were all laughing at this young man who didn't look like a regent at all. But in fact, if they saw how my two elders indulged me at this time, they could figure out that there was something wrong with it. However, it might be that they just thought I was a spoiled child.
After talking with Lu Bu for a while, there was really nothing that interested me, so I changed the subject.
"Brother Lu Bu is a great hero, but hearing about the recent death of my sister-in-law is really heartbreaking." But why was I heartbroken? Why could I say such a thing? Am I becoming sophisticated and treacherous? Just like my stepmother, my heart trembled for a moment, feeling a little sad, so I finished my next words hastily, which was a bit inappropriate: "A hero's journey, walking alone in sorrow, always makes people feel inappropriate. I have a new step-sister, she is only fifteen years old, extremely beautiful, well-educated and sensible, more than just brother Lu Bu, I would like to see her."
"Thank you, Lord Ping An Fengyun. I dare not go against your kindness, but my wife has just passed away. It would be untrue to the oath we made to talk about this matter at this time. Let's not mention it for now." He looked sad, as if he didn't want to mention it.
"Does Brother Fengxian have any offspring?"
"I already have one."
"How old?"
"Five years old."
"The young boy has just lost his mother, and his feelings are pitiful. Brother Fengxian should remarry, just for the sake of the child, who also needs a mother to take care of him. Besides, if my sister-in-law knew about this, she wouldn't want her child to be depressed all day long with no one to take care of him, right?"
My father said to me, "I know these few words are very good to me, at least I can get good grades."
"Look, Marquis Fengyun has already said that Fengxian will be my son. So I will take another step forward and find a mother who can take care of my son. My Lord Regent, please ask your sister to come out and meet my son Fengxian."
The most touching moment was when Yingying took her first shy step into the room, which made everyone fall silent for her. I was even afraid that Yinling would get angry if she knew how I looked at that time. But it was actually nothing. I just sat there in a daze with everyone for a while.
Without raising her eyes, she walks up with small steps; her chin is slightly closed, as if she has something in her heart to say; her hair is just becoming cloud-like, without any worldly thoughts; she glances back for a moment, searching for her lover, and her feelings are flowing.
Looking at Lu Bu again, he was standing tall and strong, his eyes straight ahead, and there seemed to be confusion in his eyes, but it was not sadness. Looking at this woman was like déjà vu, as if they had met before, as if somehow they had met at this moment.
Lu Bu said directly and openly without any reservation: "What a pretty and extraordinary woman."
But after these words, there was no further words. He seemed to be hesitant, or something else, but after a moment of silence, he took a few steps forward.
"Thank you, Marquis Ping'an Fengyun, for your kindness." There was not much excitement on his face, but the way he looked at me was different. I understood that my strategy was proceeding in the right direction. All I did next was to watch the two people looking at each other from time to time, but I was thinking about Yinling in my heart.
That night, Lü Bu really came. In addition to discussing the wedding date, there were of course some other things, which I will not mention here. But one thing worth noting is that he proposed to let his son learn from the scholars of Jingzhou. He did not want his son to be just a warrior like himself in the future. But he was not able to open his heart to me. Apparently, before he set off, an old fox named Ding Yuan had made some arrangements.
It was late at night and the empty pillow next to me made me feel lonely and desolate.
It is the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month in the first year of Chuping. There are still two days until the leap month. However, this day is not recorded because the leap month is coming, but because I will have a battle with Lu Bu in the afternoon of this day.
Uncle San felt a little regretful. If he had known this would happen, he would have brought the new weapon he made for me. I found it strange that there seemed to be some kind of pickyness about weapons in such a competition. Uncle San’s Heavenly Wolf was indeed an ominous creature that would not stop until it stained blood. It seemed a bad idea to use it at this time, as I always felt something would go wrong. He finally explained to me why he made a new weapon for me, “You are self-reliant in your bravery and you find it troublesome to have many people with you. You often go out alone, and you may be stabbed or ambushed. The Heavenly Wolf is too conspicuous, and carrying it with you may be harmful to you. Therefore, when you go into battle among thousands of troops, it is better for you to carry the Heavenly Wolf to encourage the entire army. When you are alone or have few followers, it is more appropriate for you to carry the weapon I made with you.”
"Zirui is learning from you. I wonder what kind of weapon Uncle San will make for you?" I was very curious.
"Go back to your own home in Jingzhou and have a look." Uncle San was still keeping it a secret, which made me curious but I had to keep it to myself.
But I was relatively curious, and I was even more nervous; although I told myself that nothing would happen, I was still nervous. Just like when the Queen asked me at the beginning what my chances were of winning against Lu Bu, I was like a child, embarrassed but honest and rather clumsy to admit: "I can't win."
Today, Zhou Yu asked her eldest brother with great concern what he thought of this fight, and I gave him my opinion: "I haven't fought him, but I have seen him and his men practice, and I am no match for him, by a long way." I should have stopped there, but I had to add one more sentence: "Even Master is a step behind me."
Then, I aroused the master's competitive spirit, and he then thought that I was the one who brought shame to him, and that the reason why I was so much worse than Lu Bu was because I never practiced well and my hands were not good enough.
I could only admit my mistake, but the master, who still had a childlike heart, wanted to practice with me. Finally, after everyone persuaded me, I finally got through. At first, the master was still insistent, saying that I had enough physical strength to tire a mouse to death, so there was no need to be afraid. If the teacher hadn't persuaded his brother who was getting competitive to stop, it would have been difficult for me to appear in the afternoon training ground completely.
On this day, there were no clouds in the sky, and I felt very comfortable basking in the long-lost sun. The training ground at the East Gate was originally the training ground for the Yulin Army. This afternoon, it belonged only to me and Lu Bu, in fact, only to me. I completed all the actions I had planned.
I asked the emperor to forgive us for any accidental injuries, saying that it was inevitable that there would be injuries in a martial arts competition. The emperor did as he was told, but he also expressed different levels of concern in our tone, which made us feel relieved. I stole a glance at Dong Zhong, but he didn't have any expression on his face, just looking at me coldly, which made me quickly look away, lest he become suspicious.
Then he took off his armor and put on only an ordinary short-sleeved jacket and a horse knuckle. He mounted his horse and casually picked up an iron spear from the weapon rack that had been prepared earlier. In fact, everything else was the same.
This surprised everyone, including the emperor and empress who already knew about it. They had no idea why they pretended to be so similar.
Lu Bu was originally very majestic in his full armor, especially the big earring that almost hung down to his shoulder, which was even more frightening. Lu Bu had Qiang ancestry, so this outfit only aroused people's interest and served as a topic of conversation, but they did not feel surprised.
I think it was the earrings that made him seem unstoppable, and I didn't know why I had this feeling. I touched my earlobes and felt that I had the potential to wear earrings, but I was afraid that Yinling would pull my earrings in the future, so I quickly gave up the idea.
At this time, Lu Bu seemed a little at a loss, but soon he took off his armor, revealing his already extremely broad shoulders, which made me feel a little inferior. Now I even think that my broad shoulders are only built on the basis of my too thin waist.
However, he still used his weapon, which was a single-sided Fang Tian Huaji. When Lu Bu adjusted his clothes, he leaned on it by his side. It was two feet taller than him.
I bowed to Lu Bu and then mounted my horse. I circled the parade ground. To be honest, my heart was beating very fast. I suspected that I was overthinking and was getting tired of myself.
As the horse circled around the parade ground, I waved the iron spear in my hand from time to time to try out the feel of this weapon. I felt that I was indeed feeling a bit naughty.
I quickly told myself that this was not a duel, but just to let Dong Zhong know that I had a close relationship with Lu Bu. He had to change his plan to use the Xiliang people to fight against us. But if you change your method, I have a trick up my sleeve. I felt a little proud, but still nervous.
I've heard a long time ago that Brother Fengxian is a man of great martial virtues. If he really gets angry and starts fighting, and I can't control the direction of my gun well, if we hit him head-on, I'll kill him in one blow, or at least half my life.
But when I think of this, I am not nervous anymore. I think I am just a bit of a jerk. Suddenly I remember that my last name is Fan.
I turned around again and found Fengxian also on a horse, riding in front of me. Fengxian's physique is much stronger than mine. I heard that people in Xiliang eat meat all day long, and their bodies are much stronger than those in the east and south. Compared with him, I feel like a completely weak scholar.
He rubbed his arms, which he thought were very thick, and then looked at the majestic Lu Fengxian in the Hu clothing. He finally felt that he was too weak, and his heart suddenly started beating violently again.
He made a circle and then stopped, and I stopped not far away opposite him.
No one gave us a signal to start, so after a little preparation, we rushed towards each other.
When we were really about to rush together, I really didn't feel nervous anymore, but more troublesome things happened. I suddenly thought of Yinling and just hoped that she could be there to watch me. If so, then I wouldn't care whether I won or lost, even if we really fought.
So, when I saw the crescent moon suddenly flash a few feet away, I was shocked and felt like my head was about to disappear.