The stars move, time flies, and with another year of snow melting, the spring of the tenth year of Zhaoping has arrived as scheduled.
In the past three years, natural disasters have been greatly reduced in China. Except for the locust plague in Shanxi and the flood in Anhui the year before, the rest of the country has had a bumper harvest, and the annual funds are sufficient, and the national treasury has a surplus for the first time;
Outside, the Hu people fought a battle three years ago and suffered a crushing defeat. After their vitality was severely damaged, they still feel terrified when they hear the name of Pei You'an. According to the contract, they will go north for five hundred miles. Capable of provoking borders on a large scale;
As for the clan, at the end of last year, the emperor also eliminated the last King Jing'an who was secretly accused of conspiracy. In the past three years, the last remaining seven or eight other princes, including King Jing'an, who were considered to be powerful or likely to imitate King Changle, committed suicide in fear of their crimes, either on conclusive or unwarranted charges. It was the cut noble who was reduced to the common people, and no one could get a good death. The firmness of Emperor Pingfan's heart and the iron and blood of his wrists can be seen. The rest of the surviving vassal kings are all trembling with fear, and they have voluntarily surrendered their troops for fear of prolonging the disaster. The imperial court completely withdrew the elite weapons from the hands of all the vassal kings outside, and strictly restricted the powers of the kings. At this point, the measures to limit the vassal that Xiao Lie had started after he ascended the throne, in the tenth year of difficult progress, finally achieved results and achieved outstanding results.
The new year is supposed to be a year of auspicious signs, for the prosperity of the country and the people. But just as the whole city was looking forward to the Lantern Festival, the atmosphere in the court suddenly became heavier.
The sound of firecrackers on New Year's Eve was still in my ears, and it was only two days before the news spread that the emperor was very likely to be unable to support it, perhaps it was a matter of these days.
The emperor's body has been deteriorating since he abolished the prince a few years ago. In the past two years, it has been even more oily and dry, but it has continued to survive until a few days before the end of the year. After coming, it may be completely relaxed. It is said that the emperor fell down that night.
This time, no matter how hard the imperial doctor tried his best, he could no longer be able to rejuvenate.
At the beginning of the year, the courtiers were all still on spring break. The news spread that ministers such as He Gongpu, Zhang Shiyong, Lu Xiang, and Liu Jiushao came to the East Pavilion where the cabinet was located every day to stand by. Knowing that in the past few days, most of the time, the emperor was drowsy and asleep, and the grains of rice did not come in, all relying on the medicinal juice and ginseng soup to continue.
In the past two years, the emperor has let go of the ordinary affairs of the court and handed it over to the cabinet headed by Pei You'an. In addition to the government affairs, Pei You'an also personally assisted the study of the imperial grandson. The imperial grandson has great respect for his grandson. The love of master and apprentice, family boxing and boxing.
The grandson of the emperor is not only talented and intelligent, but at a very young age, he has an air of austerity in his gestures. He, Zhang and others, who are full of civil and military skills, would not dare to do anything in front of this seven-year-old child. Want to celebrate. As for when he was established as a grandson, some of the rumors in the court about his inappropriate origins have long since disappeared, and no one has mentioned it anymore.
Everyone knew very well that the old dynasty was about to pass away, and that was the era of the imperial grandson, the grandson of the emperor, and his young emperor's student who needed supplementary education because he was a minor.
Everyone knows that on the night the emperor fell, Pei Youan entered the palace overnight, and the next day he was off spring break. Every day, apart from inquiring about the emperor's condition, everyone spent the rest of the day in the East Pavilion, dealing with the affairs of the pavilion as usual. The emperor's grandson and the emperor's grandson and grandson have a very good relationship. The emperor can't bear the illness, the emperor's grandson is sad and anxious, and it is difficult to fall asleep at night. Considering that the emperor's grandson is still young, he is afraid that he will be too sad and damage his body, and there is no aunt in the palace. The long guide, Pei You'an, who is Taifu, has brought his wife into the palace these days, temporarily taking care of the grandson and comforting him.
He, Zhang and the others naturally have no objection to his arrangement.
In the east pavilion, under the gazes of several cabinet officials around, Pei You'an was silent without saying a word.
It doesn't look much different from usual.
…
"Chirp—"
With the sharp sound of breaking the sky, a firework rose above the night sky of the lamp market not far from the east outer wall of the palace, bursting with gorgeous fireworks, the former one had not disappeared, and the latter one could not wait to fight Phases bloom, and gradually, fireworks all over the city compete with each other, illuminating the night sky of the capital in this Shangyuan Festival.
Since the emperor fell ill, he has not stepped out of the Chengguang Palace.
This palace is located in the direction of the palace next to the West Garden, and it is far away from the East City, but tonight, the city is full of fire trees and silver flowers, and the crackling sound that blooms in the distant night sky, crossed the high palace wall, and faintly drifted to this place.
Li Yuangui had been guarding for half a month before the emperor's sick bed. Extremely sleepy, he casually closed his eyes on the floor.
The imperial physicians have just left. The emperor has been in a coma for two days and two nights in a row, and it is difficult to feed the ginseng soup that has been alive today.
When the imperial physicians withdrew, they looked at the emperor who seemed to have fallen asleep on the dragon couch, and the fear in their eyes was about to come out.
Li Yuangui looked at the half of the pot of medicinal juice, suppressed the grief in his heart, called the palace servant to come forward, and was about to try to feed the medicinal juice into the emperor's throat again, when suddenly, the man on the sickbed, A double eyelid trembled slightly.
"call out-"
Faintly, outside the palace wall in the distance, there seemed to be another sound of fireworks.
The emperor's eyelids trembled more and more.
Li Yuangui saw it, rushed over, and hurriedly called "long live".
Xiao Lie's eyes finally opened slowly.
"call out-"
There seemed to be another sound in the distance.
Xiao Lie seemed to be listening, and after a while, his eyes gradually became clearer.
"Long live, are you awake? Long live the medicine! After taking the medicine, the long live disease will be cured!"
Li Yuangui's eyes were filled with excitement and tears, and his voice trembled slightly. He hurriedly picked up the bowl of concoction, scooped a spoonful with a spoon, and fed it to the emperor's lips.
Xiao Lie didn't seem to hear it, he didn't move, he only continued to listen to the crackling of fireworks above the night sky in the distance. After a long time, in a faint hoarse voice that was almost inaudible, he asked softly, "Is it Shangyuan tonight?"
"Yes. Long live, you have been sleeping for half a month..." Li Yuangui's voice choked again.
"I've been sleeping for half a month..."
Xiao Lie murmured and repeated.
"It's so fast... I just dreamed of the night of Shangyuan when I was fourteen years old... When I woke up, she had already left, and it's been more than 30 years in a flash... Fortunately, I'm leaving too, so I'm going to look for her. She's…”
He sighed softly, unable to tell whether it was joy or sorrow.
Li Yuangui lowered his head and wiped away tears.
"Go and get what's in my box."
Li Yuangui was stunned for a moment, then he understood. He hurried to a gold-painted dragon-patterned cabinet, took the key, opened the cabinet door, took out a box, took out the jade pendant placed in the box, and held it. Before the sickbed, it was carefully placed in the hands of the emperor.
The warm and beautiful jade fell into Xiao Lie's open palm. He closed his eyes, slowly tightened his five fingers, and finally squeezed the piece of jade tightly into his palm.
In his dream a moment ago, in that year, he was fourteen, she was thirteen, and it was the same night of Shangyuan, remembering the willow shoots on the moon, he secretly went out of the palace, the dragon horse was silver saddle, the youth was wandering, he With the jubilant horse, he deliberately rushed in front of the girl and smashed a rabbit lamp she was carrying.
She knew him naturally, and she had run into him frequently since she was a child. She knew that he had always been rambunctious in the palace because of the emperor's favor. She was annoyed, but because of her status, she didn't dare to scold him. When he was with him, he chased after him and quickly shoved the jade pendant that he had carved with his own hands a long time ago and hid it close to her body, with his body temperature in her palm.
She loved orchids, he knew.
"I'll pay you back, take it!"
He raised his proud chin and didn't care about the tunnel, but his heart was beating fast, and his face was slightly red.
Surprised and shy, she quickly stuffed the jade pendant back, turned around and left, as if it were something that could bite.
The young prince hung the jade pendant on the wicker and said to her back, "I'm hanging it here. Don't forget it!"
She ignored him and took a few steps, only to see his family members suddenly approaching from the opposite side, turning his head quickly, seeing that he was still standing beside the willow, his eyes shining brightly by the fireworks on the flower bridge opposite, just staring at him like that On the handsome face of the young man with high spirits, with an annoying smirk on his face, he couldn't help being flustered, afraid of being seen by his family, he hurriedly turned around, ran to the willow tree, and picked the dangling jade pendant. Down, quickly hidden in the palm of his hand.