female concubine

At the beginning of February in the 15th year of Qianyuan, the activity officer of Hanlin Academy of Painting summoned six art students and four members of Zhihou from Hanlin Academy of Painting to draw a map together.

"The higher-ups have explained that both maps must be drawn before the [-]th day of the New Year's visit. If you fail to complete the task by then, you and I will lose our heads."

"Why do you need so many people to draw this map?"

The officer waved his hand, and several servants unrolled a complete pair of sheepskin scrolls, spreading them on the ground dozens of steps wide.

"So big..."

"If you are marching and fighting, you won't need such a big map." The painters scratched their heads in confusion.

"It doesn't matter what you do, your job is just to paint." The activity officer scolded, and immediately took out the two maps that had already been made, "Just follow this one-fifth and one-tenth painting, and don't go out of your way. Now, the territory map is a secret. From now on, the painting courtyard will be locked, and you are not allowed to go out. People from the Dianzhong Province will be responsible for everything you need to do in daily life. Remember, wronging a city or a state is a crime of treason."

"Didn't the Academy of Painting draw a territory map a few years ago, it's only half smaller than this one..." The painter picked up another model, "This..." Immediately raised his head and wondered: "Isn't this a large map?" Song's territory map, right?"

"Aren't you illiterate?"

The painter lowered his head again, and saw a year number next to the map, "Longshuo three years." Suddenly realized: "This is the territory map of the previous dynasty. Do the officials want to send troops to destroy Liao?"

A crowd of painters formed a group, you look at me, look at you, the bustling and bustling provoked the officer to shout angrily, "What are you talking about, you are all talented people, I hope you remember not to be a gossip in this ban , otherwise, be careful that it is at stake."

The painters shut up one after another, put the map together, and discussed how to divide the work.

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In early February, Kunning Palace.

At this time, a few days had passed since the news of the envoy's assassination came back to Tokyo, and the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess entered the palace to greet him.

The prince entered the palace during the day and had dinner all the time. The emperor came back from the inner court and saw a group of young girls making incense around the table in the palace. lively."

"Officials." Xiao Youqing got up from the wooden couch.

"uncle."

"Daddy." Princess Fuqing ran in front of the emperor and pulled the emperor's sleeve, coaxing, "Daddy didn't come back at noon today."

The emperor raised his hand and gently touched Princess Fuqing's head, "Daddy has a lot to do these days."

The crown prince led his wife to get up, the emperor rubbed his icy hands, his nose turned red from the cold in just a short while from the Chuigong Palace to the inner palace, Xiao Youqing stepped forward and took off her outer robe, covering her face Holding her cold hand, "It's not long since I ordered the kitchen, it should take a while, the official should sit down and warm up first."

"it is good."

The crown prince stepped forward and bowed his knees, "Chen Weixu respectfully invites Sheng An," he put his left hand on top of his right hand and knelt down on the ground, "How is Sheng Gong today?"

"Ann." Sitting in front of the charcoal basin, the emperor raised his head, stared at the kneeling crown prince for a while, and then raised his eyebrows, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The emperor said again: "You don't need to be so cautious at home. Are there any outsiders here? The officials at Jingyan also told me about your performance in Zishantang, saying that you have good handwriting and good articles," the emperor said. Rubbing the hands that were callused from holding the pen all the year round, he raised his head, "When will you bring your writing over for me to see?"

The crown prince stared, then happily approached, "Yes."

"sit down."

The palace people moved a few stools and placed them in front of the emperor, and the crown prince helped his wife who was pregnant with Liujia and sat down cautiously. Looking at the paintings and tracings that my father made when I was young in the study, but I can't learn the essence, I am very ashamed."

After hearing this, the emperor turned his head and called out: "Six sons."

The servant stepped forward, "Official."

"Send all the calligraphy and paintings hanging in Qiandi's study to the East Palace."

"Yes."

The prince wanted to stand up and kneel to thank him, but the emperor stretched out his hand to press his shoulder, and the prince slowly sat down again, raised his hands that had no place to rest, stared at the emperor and whispered: "Daddy?"

The emperor patted him on the shoulder, "Everything in this world will be yours in the future, everyone and everything."

The Crown Prince lowered his head while pinching his hands in his sleeves, "My son heard about the assassination of the minister of the Ministry of Rites."

Hearing this, the emperor leaned over and raised his hand, putting his hand on his forehead seemed to be very painful and troublesome. After hearing this, Xiao Youqing got up slowly, and everyone except the emperor also got up one after another. Xiao Youqing walked up to the princess, "My Something to say to the bride."

The person who understood the meaning of the queen immediately nodded, and then Xiao Youqing took several twelve or thirteen-year-old girls out of the palace together to make a quiet place for the "father and son".

The hall quickly fell into silence, only the charcoal fire in the charcoal basin was sizzling. The Crown Prince squeezed his sweaty hands and said, "Beiliao and the Kingdom have been at peace for decades, and all the envoys sent by the Kingdom have Congratulations, how dare ordinary bandits and bandits assassinate court officials, so my son guessed that it was a targeted premeditation, and only a few big countries with comparable strength dared to do so. When Dad recovered Hexi, only Southern Tubo and Northern Liao is the most suspicious. Southern Tubo has been peaceful for hundreds of years, but it cannot be completely ruled out because of this. Both Master and Mr. Liu have said that the monarch of Southern Tubo is a talented and powerful ruler, and the vast territory of Southern Tubo has experienced Standing for hundreds of years, its national strength should not be underestimated, but my son thinks that Beiliao is the most suspicious. The problems faced by all countries are actually the same. Once there is civil strife, the weaker side will seek foreign aid. My son heard that the emperor of Beiliao He is self-willed and suspicious, and now the Northern Liao court is in chaos, and the monarch's suspicion will inevitably cause the ministers to panic. Earlier, the envoys sent a letter back. Our envoys had a good relationship with the kings of the Northern King's Academy in several months in the Liao Dynasty. The emperor of the Northern Liao Dynasty I am afraid that his subordinates will collude to overthrow his rule..." The crown prince raised his head and looked at the emperor, "The emperor of the Northern Liao Dynasty thought highly of himself and was not afraid to start a war. Waging war against foreign races can actually promote the unity of his country. He can use this to set the blame on the minister who wants to eradicate, so as to get rid of his future troubles."

After finishing speaking, seeing that the emperor was still silent, the crown prince quickly got up, stepped back a few steps and knelt down in front of the emperor, "In the system of the state, the prince's duty is only to ask for food and treat the court, and the minister is the crown prince who does not participate in politics. , Your Majesty will punish you for what you said today that violates the ancestral system of the country."

The emperor bowed his head and roasted the fire, looking at the fiery red charcoal in the charcoal basin, "Do you know why Taizong made this system?"

The crown prince shook his head, and the emperor withdrew his hand and sat up straight. "When the prince participates in politics, the courtiers tend to cling to him and cause cliques. If the father and son disagree in their political views, the father and son will be at odds, and the court will be more turbulent."

The crown prince stood up and stood back, "political disagreement..."

The emperor looked up and said: "I want to send troops to attack Liao."

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A few days later, until February [-]th, I hope to participate in the big living day.

The crown prince invited the emperor three times a day after the canonization ceremony by himself, and when the rooster crowed at the beginning of the new moon, he would rush to the forbidden center with his clothes and wait outside the bedroom door of the Kunning Hall.

At the beginning of the fifth watch, the prince who was standing at the entrance of the hall fell asleep, and was awakened by the sudden lighting of the lamp in the hall. An escort, Dianzhi, wrapped his head in a soapy towel and wore a purple fork and narrow shirt with a gold belt around his waist. After walking out, Dianzhi was not surprised to see the Crown Prince standing at the door, but instead stepped forward to be a man and said: "Your Highness."

The Crown Prince rubbed his eyes and asked, "How is Sheng Gong doing today?"

Xiaodian shook his head and approached: "Looking at the sun today, His Majesty stayed up all night last night, so the saint stayed with him all night."

"Didn't sleep all night?" The crown prince's expression changed, "Xiao Dianzhi is the most trusted person of His Majesty besides Qi Du, can you tell me?" The female internal official was once sent by the emperor to serve the late emperor on the sick bed with Zhao Ping, "Is the official meeting related to the things that are discussed in today's court?"

Abba Dianzhi bowed and crossed his hands again, "This villain doesn't know."

The crown prince lowered his hands and raised his brows to look at the cabinet holding the lamp, "Aside from state affairs and empress affairs, what else can the officials worry about."

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It was still pitch black at five o'clock, and there were noble officials with lanterns on the road to the palace gate and in the palace corridor.

"In this situation, His Majesty is probably going to send troops again." A group of officials walked on the road staggeringly carrying the lanterns of Yushitai.

"Your Majesty set up two armories, and asked the Ministry of Households to allocate half of the national treasury to build firearms. It's not for sending troops, but for what. This is just right, and the Ministry of Rites has an excuse to send troops as soon as the matter comes out."

"This is changed to the pre-Qin period when the enemy's country was in mourning, so how could they raise troops?"

"Do you think this is under the rule of Emperor Zhou? The soldiers are not tired of deceit. How can the war be stopped as soon as it is said to be a child's play? The territory of Liaotu is vast. The former emperor and the present emperor have been staring at each other for more than a day or two."

"Think about when the first emperor repelled Beiliao and regained Youyun, I was still a child..." The official stopped talking suddenly, and bowed to the military official who jumped off his horse to the side, "Marshal Dian."

All the bureaucrats bowed their hands one after another, "Marshal Dian."

After Zhao Luting nodded, he handed over the reins to the attendant, and walked in with the wat board. When he reached the last gate of the Zichen Palace, he was stopped by someone who came out from the inner court.

"Tarzan."

Holding the wat board, Zhao Luting looked left and right to see that there were few people, and then he caught up with him and bowed, "His Royal Highness." Zhao Luting raised his head in surprise, "Why is His Royal Highness here?"

"I'm here to ask An Shishan." Immediately, he took a step forward and pulled Zhao Luting's wrist back to the dark side of the palace wall. "I have a few words I want to say to Mount Tai."

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Princess Shion

After kneeling and taking a rest, the courtier Duanhu stood back to the queue. It was already a quarter of an hour before midnight, and the outside of the Zichen Hall was still gray.

Candles flickered in the hall, "I believe you all have heard of the military newspaper a few days ago."

"Your Majesty, let the minister lead the troops to destroy them!" The three generals behind Zhao Luting came out and said.

Zhao Luting looked sideways at Huo Qing's helplessness for his rampant temper, and then stepped out with the wat board in his hand, bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, the imperial court sent an official to Bei Liao to sincerely mourn, and your majesty even wrote a condolence letter, so It is already a great honor bestowed by the Son of Heaven, but the barbarians of the Northern Liao Dynasty dare to do such disobedient things, if they do not send troops to attack, what is the majesty of our heavenly dynasty?"

The emperor looked down at the commanders in front of the palace who had never made a statement but suddenly appeared today.

In addition to the main war faction, Song Ting also has the main peace faction. Both civil and military have different opinions, and they are not the same. Chao Yu assassinated Beiliao and even gave time to find out why, if Guo Chao sent troops because of this, it will inevitably be criticized in the future."

Fang Zhiyan, who knew the Privy Council, came out and said: "Your Majesty, the Privy Council has received news that the Northern Liao Emperor Yeluming's younger brother and younger brother led his troops to conspire with his relatives to rebel. The current chaos in the Northern Liao Dynasty is the best time to send troops."

"Private Fang is worthy of being a civil servant who was born in the army, and he is really the No. 1 instigating war in the country."

Fang Zhiyan retorted: "Duke Zhou's ceremony, the duty of the princes is to meet the emperor to expand the territory for the emperor, instead of shrinking in the court to use their tongues."

"Your Majesty, if you send troops to attack just because of this, it is inevitable that other countries will say that the country has ulterior motives and that sending troops is premeditated."

"What is mere? An envoy is an imperial official appointed by His Majesty. It is the face sent by the country. Can the dignified scholar-officials not even want their own face?"

"you..."

"Is your family finished?" the emperor who was sitting on the stage suddenly asked.

The ministers who came out of the line bowed and stood back in the queue. The emperor looked towards the gate envoy standing at the entrance of Duo hall on the east side. carry out.

Under the emperor's signal, the servants stood in two places and slowly unrolled the sheepskin rolls supported by red lacquered bamboo poles on both sides.

The emperor raised his sleeves and got up from his seat, got off the step bed and walked down the hall steps, lowered his head and walked out calmly between the two maps several feet wide, then clasped his pale yellow sleeves and raised his head and asked: "Your Excellencies, see, do you have any questions?" How do you feel?"