Records of the King of Xin'an County

As the night was getting darker and everything was still, the candles of a certain manor under the South Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing were gradually extinguished in the wind and snow.In the tranquility of the garden, only the heavy snow is falling profusely, and the soft rustling noise covers all noises, and also hides all dirty tricks.The pretty girl sitting in front of the window looking at Chang'an even had some illusions, as if all the plots were over, and she had come to a few years after the peaceful years.

Suddenly, the sound of cocks crowing and dogs barking faintly came from outside the manor.There seemed to be a horse neighing with its head held high, but after only a moment, these noises were quickly submerged in the wind and snow again.The handsome girl stood up vigilantly, listening carefully to the movement outside.However, although she learned some martial arts from her elder brother, she can only barely protect herself, and her five senses are still not sharp enough.Even if you listen carefully, you can only distinguish a few human voices.

There was a chuckle in the darkness, and the man who was over [-] years old lazily said: "A rare guest, no, it should be a distinguished guest." He lit the candlestick, reflecting a sleepy look, his eyes seemed to be closed but not closed, as if the next moment Then he will continue to immerse himself in his sleep: "Little lady, success or failure depends on one action, you must not do anything unnecessary in the last two days."

"Don't worry, Ah Lang, I'll save it for you." The pretty girl replied in a low voice, clearly her gestures and actions were extremely obedient, but she could vaguely hear a bit of persistence and unyielding, "After all, today is special. I just regret that I don't have the opportunity to go to the county. The palace is just to join in the fun." She didn't mention at all that she was vaguely worried about Wang Zixian, after all, although they have a brother and sister relationship, they are actually masters and servants.

But the man seemed to have misunderstood her, and raised the corners of his lips and said: "Since the king of the county can get married, he may not be unable to marry a wife and take concubines. With the love and trust between you, no matter how bright his future is in the future, he will not be married. Forget you in the clouds. Be at ease, the days are still long, the two of them will definitely understand, fairness can last forever."

The handsome girl's face turned livid immediately, and she smiled coldly: "Oh? Is it like A Lang and your lord?"

"..." The man—the former son-in-law of Anxing Princess Cheng Qing was speechless.He has never met such a bold and unscrupulous little lady, it seems that her whole body is covered with thorns, and many times she feels that this one in front of her is very troublesome.Back then when he was interested in the people behind Ah Yuan, he never expected that he would be choked speechless now.

The two stared at each other with big eyes and small eyes, until they heard footsteps coming from far and near outside the courtyard, and then they returned to their usual appearance.The handsome girl Sun Jinniang closed the window, and heard someone shouting in a low voice: "Miss A Yuan, Miss A Fang, can you wake up Mr. Cheng Lang? Your honored guest is here, sir."

Cheng Qing put on a big cloak, and walked out with a half-smile: "It's been today. Mr. Cheng will not disappoint the trust of Mr. Hurry up and lead the way, you can't tell the distinguished guests to wait for a long time." At this time Even though his clothes were not neat, his half-closed eyes were still sharp.The servants who came to pass the message did not dare to make any mistakes, and graciously led him the way.

Sun Jinniang turned her head, looked at A Yuan who came out in response to applause, and asked softly, "Has the carrier pigeon come?"

A Yuan handed her the sleeping pigeon that was tucked into her sleeve: "A Jin, the sage came to Xin'an County Prince's Mansion to attend a wedding banquet, and he seemed to be very dissatisfied with Hejian County King in his words. In addition, Tianshui County King and Du Chongfeng returned to the capital, also I wonder if this Mr. Zhou Jiyan knows the whereabouts of his proud disciple."

Sun Jinniang frowned slightly: "Their master and apprentice didn't really break up before - if Du Chongfeng came to visit, we must remind Alang and the county king to be careful. Tianshui County king is certainly credible, but Du Chongfeng may not be. By the way, I always feel that The identity of the guests who came tonight should be unusual... It is better to be cautious these days." Not only should the pigeons not be released easily, but the news should not be spread outside, so as not to ruin Cheng Qing's hard-won plan.

On the other side, Cheng Qing casually sized up the middle-aged man in his forties.This person is tall and strong, with sword-like eyebrows and star-eyed eyes, piercing spirit, with the air of a warrior in his gestures and gestures, yet elegant in his speech and words, and revealing a touch of arrogance and nobility.Although bright and easy-going is definitely not the true temperament of this person, his behavior and laughter are not hypocritical or abrupt, which should be a kind of talent.

Even though Mr. Zhou Jiyan did not intentionally introduce the two parties, Cheng Qing also tacitly exchanged greetings and laughed.The middle-aged man chatted with him for two hours, until dawn, and Fang sighed unsatisfactorily: "I only regret not being able to make friends with Mr. Cheng earlier. It is really a pity that I have been delayed for so many years. Otherwise, why should I worry about falling into the world?" Now what about the dilemma and the situation where you are at a loss?" Since he calls himself "solitary", he is blatantly admitting his identity.

Cheng Qing thought for a while and sighed: "Sages today are suspicious. Your Majesty was seriously ill on the way to rest and did not arrive in Chang'an. It is indeed easy to teach the saints to think more. However, the doubts in your heart may not be just groundless worries." He deliberately paused, Fang continued: "Before An Xing was about to die, he specially met with the saint. He heard that he wanted to exchange her life as a rebellious king, but the saint refused and ordered her to drink poison to kill herself that night."

"This is just a rumor. Who can tell what the truth is? How could the sage miss the opportunity to learn such important news? Even if he promised An Xing to exchange, he turned his back and turned ruthless afterwards, and An Xing also There is no choice. Therefore, I think that the king is really dangerous now."

King Hejian narrowed his eyes and raised his eyebrows as if he was thinking about something.Mr. Zhou didn't say anything before, but at this time Fang said lightly: "Your Majesty doesn't know something, just now the old man also received the news that the King of Tianshui County and Du Chongfeng will return to the capital - King Siyue will also return to Beijing before the year, and the King of Yue will return after the year After all, Guangzhou is too far away, and it was too late for him to receive the imperial edict."

"All the clans are returning to the capital, only the Gu is delayed...heh." Prince Hejian smiled, "The sage is forcing Gu... and also isolating Gu, so that no one dares to defend Gu Half a sentence. Let Gu fall into a situation of disloyalty first, and then he can dispatch troops at will to get rid of Gu in the name of righteousness." Thinking that it was very likely that Princess Anxing would reveal his identity, he then Can't help but gritted his teeth and said: "That poisonous woman, Gu really underestimated her!!"

"It's all because the old man was ineffective in his work and failed to get rid of his confidant's serious troubles as soon as possible." Mr. Zhou said, pondering for a while, then glanced at Cheng Qing, "I don't know what clever plan Mr. Cheng has, which can relieve the king from the predicament?"

Cheng Qing gave the two officials a sideways look with a half-smile: "Mr. Zhou seems to know what Cheng is thinking in his heart, and he is worthy of being Cheng's long-forgotten friend. Cheng also had a thought just now, the king just listen to it. Whether to take it or not depends on His Majesty's decision. Given the current situation, Cheng believes that His Majesty must enter the capital. Otherwise, what awaits His Majesty will definitely be a storm."

"Before the preparations are complete, if you don't follow the order and enter the capital, you will definitely put the king in an unjust position, and you will control the management of Shengzhou everywhere in the future. In Cheng's opinion, the king should enter the capital immediately. However, entering the capital will endanger the safety of the king. , I have to guard against it. For the current plan, the only way is to find a way to get the best of both worlds..."

Cheng Qing talked eloquently, and the Hejian County King sometimes frowned, sometimes smiled, and finally responded, "It's really a great fortune to have Mr. Cheng!" Zhou Jiyan, who was sitting next to him, showed a very subtle look With a look on his face, he suddenly remembered something, lowered his eyes and became silent.

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At dawn, thick clouds still enveloped the entire city of Chang'an silently.The wind and snow were mixed, and the Qinglu outside the main courtyard of the Xin'an County Prince's Mansion was already covered by snow.From a distance, the fluffy snow seems to have accumulated a small snow mountain, which has long been integrated with the nearby trees and pavilions.Zhang Fu's mother brought a few maidservants into the Qinglu to wake up the bride and groom, when she suddenly heard soft chatter and laughter from the bedroom.

Zhang Fu's mother raised her eyebrows, and told the maidservant to send a message to the stewards, and when the wind and snow calmed down, she would tear down the green cottage, and then she opened the door and entered the bedroom alone.I saw the king of Xin'an County wearing a thick sable fur, playing chess with Wang Buque in court clothes.And the newly promoted princess Du Shian of Xin'an County sat aside, watching the chess with her eyes down.The entanglement between the three should be very complicated, but at this moment they seem to be strangely harmonious, as if this situation is nothing more than normal.

Mrs. Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, and reminded: "Mr. Sanlang, it's time to go with the concubine to visit Alang and the lady. Besides, Mr. Wanglang should also go to court."

"Mother Fu, order Zhiyuan to be sent to the outer courtyard." Li Hui said.Wang Zixian has a courtyard where he usually lives in the outer courtyard of the palace. In name, he has always lived in that courtyard, not in the bedroom of the palace.After all, yesterday was his big wedding day, so the "friend" should naturally leave the mansion from the courtyard, not from the sleeping hall—or even from the green cottage.

"No need, I'll just go back quietly." The prince stood up and raised his brows slightly, "I'll go home first today and come back later. In addition, I should also bring the king of Tianshui County with me." Li Hui As a newlywed, the sage gave him more than a full month to rest and take a bath.But he still has to go to court every day, and he must not miss the Shuo Wang Dynasty and Chang Dynasty until New Year's Eve.Moreover, in front of the imperial court, you can't relax all the time.Therefore, even if they are also newly married, it is impossible for him to ask for leave to accompany them all the time, and he must not even act according to his will for a moment.

"Go ahead." Li Hui nodded.

Wang Zixian turned his eyes on him and Du Jialan, raised his lips and left.

Du Jialan couldn't help smiling slightly, and said in a low voice: "May the king tell me, what kind of food do parents, brother and sister-in-law like? What's the king's favorite? What about Shou Niang and Da Lang?" Recognize relatives, and wash your hands for soup.Although they are only a couple in name, these rules and customs are indispensable.

"Grandfather likes meat with a strong flavor, so roasted hump is good; Niang's taste is lighter, so you might as well have a stew soup; brother doesn't have a specific taste, but if you don't like too greasy for morning meals, goose meat soup is enough; Sister-in-law has a special body, so you might as well make some snacks for her and do your best; Shouniang and Dalang can also use some snacks such as Tianhua 饆饠 and five-color wontons, which is enough to satisfy their novelty." Li Hui replied. Very patiently, "As for me, just be casual, lest you feel embarrassed."

Zhang Fu's mother led them forward slowly, and another maid held an umbrella to cover the snow for them.Everyone couldn't help saying in their hearts: After the wedding night, the bride and groom are really close, and they think of each other everywhere they talk.In the future, the county prince's mansion will definitely be very peaceful.And Zhang Fu's mother couldn't help but think a little more: it seems that she doesn't have to worry about what Da Langjun and Da Niangzi will find out for the time being.

Just as Li Hui and Du Jialan were formally saluting Li Tai and Yan, the officials in the Taiji Hall who were participating in the Chang Dynasty also looked at Li Jing, the king of Tianshui County standing beside the king of Yong'an County, without any trace.Li Jing was still calm and at ease. After looking back at the ministers, he sighed: "There are so many new faces that I hardly recognize them."

King Yong'an laughed loudly: "This old man doesn't recognize any of them, he's so quiet!"

"It's really quiet." Li Jing nodded, not at all intending to greet his uncle who was in the corner with a complicated expression.

When the court meeting started, the sage seemed a little sleepy, he just pointed to Li Jing and said: "Jing Xing is back, he will stay by my side for these two days, when we return from a thousand miles away, we will arrange vacancies for your brothers together."

But Li Jing said: "Uncle, could it be that he forgot that if my nephew hadn't given himself to the clan's grandfather last night, my elder brother might not be able to marry my sister-in-law at the auspicious time. These days, let my nephew follow me Be next to the clan grandfather, and listen to the teachings of the clan grandfather."

Therefore, the sage smiled and said, "Forget it, serving the elders is also the right thing to do. The uncle of the family has not returned to Beijing for many years, so you might as well serve him around for a while." Between the lines, he seemed to have great respect for Yong'an County King.

The ministers were secretly trying to figure out the saint's attitude towards the clan and county king who held a heavy army. Another young minister from Zongzheng Temple hurried over and reported: "Saint, forgive me for coming late. King Siyue and King Hejian sent a message that the two kings will arrive in Chang'an tomorrow!!"

"Oh?" The sage laughed playfully, "It is indeed a joyful thing to reunite a family."