Chang'an [Rebirth]

Ruan Linshuang half-closed her eyes, and now she looked gentle and obedient, with no murderous aura leaking out.

She smiled, "The eldest princess has been missing for several days, no matter how deep Zhao Qian's mind is, he will be impetuous, and then he will hit me, so I asked His Royal Highness to contact Zhang Fan in advance, and asked Zhang Fan to find a way to understand the rebels. Mode of action...these people follow Zhao Qian's orders, but under the banner of Chai's army, they don't have much contact with the palace in order to prevent exposure, so there must be someone who takes the lead."

"According to His Royal Highness, these people often clash with the Ministry of Justice and the Forbidden Army, just to tarnish the reputation of Lord Chai and to create the illusion that Lord Chai is going to rebel. Once his aunt is arrested, they will even directly surround the palace. The Forbidden Army is to protect the emperor. , the head-on conflict caused casualties, and then Chai Guogong nailed it, which is a great crime to punish the three clans."

In other words, the purpose of these people is to fight against the imperial army. Zhao Qian deliberately set up an ambush to catch the eldest princess and kept it relatively secret. The news of the "rebel army" outside was blocked. Timing, release news to lure these people to open the way for the eldest princess... The trick of "attacking the other's shield with the other's spear" has been tried and tested.

After being silent for a while, Liu Chuan's mind turned around, and he sincerely sighed, "As expected of a military advisor."

Ruan Linshuang said softly, "Thank you Uncle Liu for your compliment."

Zhao Linlang was also very satisfied with her, so she asked, "What are you going to do next?"

Being a general must not only consider winning, but also consider reducing casualties. If Liu Chuan is asked to bring his own people to rescue today, it will not only expose these forces lurking in Chang'an City, but also bear most of the casualties. Ruan Linshuang's handling method is rather the best.

I haven't seen her for several years, and the little girl's handling methods are more comprehensive. No wonder Chai Zheng always talks about "Little Ruan".

"I intend to let Her Royal Highness the eldest princess inherit the throne," Ruan Linshuang said before Zhao Linlang refused, "I heard from Chai Zheng that the eldest princess does not care about the position above ten thousand people, but if you don't sit now, just sit If you can give it to Zhao Qian, you can save the Chai family and even stabilize the country only if you become the Queen of Dajing in a legitimate way. How to deal with the throne is your own choice, Auntie, and no one else can and has no right to interfere."

The first emperor could entrust the country to Zhao Linlang at will, so why not be willful again after Zhao Linlang ascended the throne, as long as there is no worries inside and outside, he will not be an emperor like Zhao Qian's embroidered pillow, which looks good for a few years and then finds out It's a piece of rotten wood, and the people of the world don't care how many emperors change in a day.

Ruan Linshuang, who was not persuaded by Chai Zheng, silenced the eldest princess with a few words, and agreed to Ruan Linshuang's decision by default.

"You don't need to call me Eldest Princess from now on. Since Chai Zheng has already married you, you can call me mother or mother whatever you want." Zhao Linlang said, "If you don't want to, I won't force it."

People in the Chai family have always had a straightforward temperament. Chai Zheng learned from her mother not to turn a corner when she spoke. After a long while in the dark, she heard Ruan Linshuang softly calling, "Mother."

"Well," Zhao Linlang smiled, "It's not convenient to give you a red envelope at this time, and I'll give it to you after all these things are over."

Ruan Linshuang's face was a little red, but fortunately no one could see clearly in the dark, Zhao Linlang said again, "Xiao Ruan, I brought you the Phoenix box and the book left by Chai Zheng, since they belong to the Dai family Handwriting must be related."

Although the eldest princess was not clear about the ups and downs, she made the right choice based on her consistent experience. In the darkness, the phoenix's tail feathers were still burning brightly. come out.

Fortunately, the phoenix box is brilliant but not penetrating. From the outside, there is nothing strange about it. It just allows Zhao Linlang and Xiao Ruan to see each other's expressions clearly.

Since Dai Xuan's death, the phoenix box has been closed, and no one else can open it or use it. Chai Zheng can control it, but with a thought, a sticky semicircle area spreads out around her. Fighting against Dai Xuan, before the phoenix box was opened, the sword's edge was already blocked by invisible things, but these things turned against each other, and now they became Chai Zheng's "friends".

Realizing this, Chai Zheng wrapped up the phoenix box and handed it to Zhao Linlang, hoping that she would keep it for her.

And that book was quietly held in Liu Chuan's palm, on the surface it seemed that there was nothing special about it other than being expensive and exquisite.

Ruan Linshuang once saw with his own eyes that this book of sages and sages was turned into a sharp weapon in the hands of Chai Zheng, and it returned to its original appearance after being successful...

"Since it's a box, there should be a keyhole." Ruan Linshuang's fingertips landed on the most gorgeous part of the phoenix's tail feathers, and the golden-red light was refracted from the place similar to the peacock's eyes.

The craftsmanship of the box is exquisite, the phoenix tail feathers on the surface are embossed, and there are delicate ripples where the fingers touch, suddenly Ruan Linshuang stopped with his fingertips, and said softly, "It really is."

She pressed the other hand on the page, and the seemingly hard book suddenly seemed to be blown by the wind. The title page moved, and it was sunken and bent from the middle, like miniature squares in movable type printing. , mosaic, combination... Finally, a huge book turned into a key——

A golden key.

The weight of the book has not been reduced, and the key looks thick and simple, with words branded all over it, forming a unique suicide note.

"It should be the last letter left by the late emperor to Mother." Ruan Linshuang said, handing the key to Zhao Linlang respectfully, and asked, "Do we need to avoid it?"

"No need," Zhao Linlang said aboveboard, "My old man has been dead for many years, even if he left something for me, to this point, everyone here is tied to me, so why should I cover it up?"

Borrowing a little light from the phoenix box, the key was slowly rotated in his hand, speaking a few words from top to bottom.

"Lang'er, father has felt a lot of guilt in his life, but he didn't want to take on Dajing, so he can only work hard on you. Your elder brothers are all wolfish ambitions and have to be eliminated. Father will arrange everything for you. Only on Zhao Qian, this child is ruthless and ruthless, he is a useful knife and a double-edged sword, if he wins, this key is the last guarantee I leave you."

There are so many bloody storms on the throne, and even death is not safe.

Zhao Linlang was calmer than expected. She didn't even have any extra expressions on her face. She didn't even read the late emperor's last words, so she knew they were all nonsense...

While the late emperor plotted against Zhao Qian, why didn't he plot against Zhao Linlang? He clearly knew that his daughter's ambition was not here. Time to force Zhao Linlang to take over.

The first emperor knew Zhao Qian's nature too well, and the volume of the will was a lead, leading his only remaining son to a dead end, and also leading his heart to be able to inherit the great rule. the emperor.

Zhao Linlang sighed, "After so many years, the corpses of his old family members will be turned into ashes, and we still can't beat him."

"That's not necessarily the case," Ruan Linshuang said, "There was still a time gap in the late emperor's plan. He didn't expect that the current emperor would tolerate you for so long. After so long, my mother is no longer the little girl she was back then."

Hearing this, Zhao Linlang suddenly reached out and rubbed the top of Ruan Linshuang's head, "Chai Zheng will grow into a great general. She is born to be a good material for this job, but her temperament is not stable enough, and she is not good at guessing people's hearts. I want to give the key to you." Leave it to you... But Xiao Ruan, you have to think about it before answering me."

"You are young, with such a heavy responsibility, I can only take it for you for a year or two at most. If you don't want to be chained for a lifetime, you still have the opportunity to refuse now, and become Chai Zheng's military adviser, or just take her to retire, and come here for selfishness." Said, I will use the authority in my hand to pave the way for you."

Ruan Linshuang's slightly cool fingertips covered it, and held the golden key together with the eldest princess.

"Mother, Chai Zheng and I have already thought it through," Ruan Linshuang smiled softly, "Children will eventually leave their parents and embark on their own paths. Maybe Chai Zheng and I will have a hard time in this life, but the whole world will not be happy." Who doesn't work hard, as long as we can rely on each other, life will get better little by little."

Zhao Linlang nodded, "You have always been firm-minded and able to make up your own minds, but as elders, I still have to ask again, will you never regret it?"

"I will never regret it." Ruan Linshuang's eyes against the phoenix's tail feathers were like fireflies in the darkness, and the key was finally inserted into the lock.

At this time, the palace has not yet calmed down. The fire is raging. The palace walls poured with tung oil brought the flames to every corner, and there were voices calling for firefighting everywhere, so the movement in this small room seemed insignificant. stand up.

The outermost vermilion wooden shell of the phoenix box fell off, revealing a complete golden inner embryo, and immediately the rectangular phoenix box turned into a square gold inlaid jade that was bigger than a palm.

Jade is not a good jade, it is not priceless, but it is not an inferior product.

Zhao Linlang gasped, "Chuan Guo Yuxi!"

"This is the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom, so what did I steal from the imperial study?" Yuan Si, who had been holding back all this time, finally got into trouble.

The old man originally thought that at his age, and a person who has traveled all over the world, he should have seen everything, and he didn't care about the mess of Zhao Linlang's family.

But today, the palace was burned first, and the dead man buried in the ground manipulated the situation, plus this jade seal... Yuan Si had brought Pei Niannian to be addicted to performing arts, and the man who wrote cheat books was writing an aria. Said to be "the most ruthless emperor's family".

"Usually there are three to four jade seals, engraved with the emperor's title, and used on imperial edicts or other memorials that need to be reviewed, but there is only one jade seal of the Chuanguo, which represents the power of the world. There is no emperor's title on it, only "天下" Jingping' four words."

As Zhao Linlang said, she picked up the jade seal wrapped around the phoenix, and there were indeed four big characters engraved on the base, "The world is peaceful."

"With this jade seal, I can command the imperial guards in the entire city of Chang'an. If they disobey, it is tantamount to conspiracy." Zhao Linlang changed his tone but said again, "But my brother is not a fool, although until now, no one has asked for it." He took out the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom to prove his identity, so he should fake one just in case, if the two sides really collide, even if we hold the real Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom, it will be difficult to gain the upper hand."

"Not only that, Zhao Qian has been the emperor for so many years, and he must win people's hearts. Most of the forbidden army are his confidantes. Zhao Qian has no fake jade seals, and the upper limit we can mobilize is probably only half."

Ruan Linshuang said, "Half to half, even if we win in the end, there will be heavy casualties. I need to know which of the forbidden troops will definitely stand on our side, which ones can be won, and which ones are loyal to Zhao Qian... as long as there is an absolute advantage , Casualties can be controlled."

"Miss Ruan already has arrangements?" Liu Chuan had already begun to demonize Ruan Linshuang in his heart, always feeling that his military adviser was still omnipotent in the palace.

"Not counting," Ruan Linshuang said with a slight smile, "Zhao Qian wants to use the Musang people to deal with us, and we can also use the Musang people to deal with him."

"I think yesterday's confrontation between the rebels and the forbidden army in Chang'an spread to Musang. Without fanning the flames, King Keqin would attack my coastal defenses, and Musang Liquor Office is best at assassination. At that time, Chang'an and Huanghai will work together. It is only natural that several leaders of the imperial army should be killed."

"The commanders of the Imperial Army are all chosen one in a hundred, Miss Ruan, you must not underestimate them." Liu Chuan was still a little worried.

From the moment he saw the Jade Seal of Chuanguo just now, his blood and arrogance for half his life have subsided. This is not his main battlefield. The late emperor, the sage, the eldest princess, Miss Ruan and the little general, any one of them can kill himself to death No body.

He secretly wiped the cold sweat off his brow, and he didn't even dare to call himself an uncle, so he could only advise "be careful".

"Don't worry, Uncle Liu." Every time Ruan Linshuang spoke, there was a soothing effect, "Unclearing the enemy's strength will be fatal at a critical moment, so you should stand still and investigate all the opponent's cards in advance. Uncle Liu, I have been back to the Prime Minister's Mansion for so long. It’s not for embroidering at home every day.”

"You... started planning when you returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion?" Liu Chuan muttered, and didn't dare to ask again. He still wanted to live a good life at this age. When he followed Chai Guogong back then, he knew that he shouldn't ask questions.

"Senior, Liu Chuan, please go out and inquire about the situation in the palace and the surrounding security. I want to light a candle and talk to Xiao Ruan about the situation in the court." Zhao Linlang finally spoke after being silent for a while.

Ruan Linshuang was just ten years old, and the eldest princess knew that she was not something in the pool. If Ruan Linshuang wanted to make meritorious service, she would be an immortal. , has encountered many changes... However, in this case, Ruan Linshuang still has no plans.

She put the reduction of casualties first, but she was merciless to Zhao Qian's people. Ruan Linshuang was an excellent decision maker, so good that Zhao Linlang laughed in secret.

"The girl Zheng'er has plotted against me."

Chai Zheng knows in her heart that as long as her mother can get along with Xiao Ruan alone, she will definitely realize that Ruan Linshuang is the best candidate for emperor in today's world. This is a two-way road. Xiao Ruan will get what she wants, and the eldest princess will also Can get out of the body.

The room was quickly cleaned up. Zhao Linlang lit a white candle and held it in his hand. Ruan Linshuang spent many, many years in Chang'an City in his previous life. She is far away from the Imperial Army, and she has been dependent on Chai Zheng all her life and most of them are in Mobei. She doesn't know much about the three parties' military power in Chang'an City.

The three-party military power in Chang'an City includes the imperial army, the city guard army and the yamen servants.

Yamen servants are not considered a regular army, but there are tens of thousands of people in the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Chang'an Mansion, and other law enforcement departments. Between the enemy and our brothers, tens of thousands of people are enough to control the situation of the battle.

"Most of the city guards are from Yuandao's old troops, but they have been severely weakened in recent years. Except for the head coach, many guard captains have been selected in martial arts over the years. They are young but inexperienced. Being loyal to Chai Yuandao is not considered loyal to Zhao Qian. If you haven't actually been on the battlefield, you will most likely be like a fool."

Zhao Linlang first talked about the simple factions, and finally sighed, "The imperial army has tens of thousands of people in Chang'an City, and the situation is extremely complicated, even involving the civil servants and aristocratic families in the court. Otherwise, Zhao Qian would have changed all these years. Cheng confidant, firmly grasping the largest guard army in his own hands."

"The Forbidden Army can be divided into five forces, of which there is only one that is old with me, and the other is the last protection left by the late Empress Zhonggong for the prince. This force will play by ear, but it will not be biased to a large extent. Instead, we have other thoughts, once the snipe and the clam fight and the city of Chang'an becomes chaotic, they will give priority to supporting the crown prince."

Ruan Linshuang nodded slightly, and she frowned slightly, as if she was thinking.

Zhao Linlang then continued, "The other two are complete Zhao Qian's confidantes. You have already met one of the commanders of the forbidden army, Sun Ruodian who was in charge of arresting me. Sun Ruodian is also the cousin of Sun Qi's mansion. Xue Kai, Zhao Qian has the kindness to know him and save his life, he is willing to die for Zhao Qian, he will never betray Zhao Qian, the last one left is King Xuan... our born with dementia, passed away eight years ago The family of my younger brother's mother is in control, and the current leader is King Xuan's uncle."

King Xuan's uncle is also an uncertain factor. He has no cards in his hand. No matter who rebels against whom, the eldest princess, the crown prince and the emperor are the orthodox heirs. He can't change the second King Xuan. Well, the blood of the first emperor has died so that only his brothers and sisters are left. He wants to support a puppet and there is no good candidate for him.

"Zhao Qian has been in power for so many years, and the composition of the imperial army is still so chaotic." Ruan Linshuang sneered, "Sun Ruodian is indeed capable, but he is the same as Sun Qi's mansion, framed Zhongliang, and he is definitely the first to bite anyone Zhao Qian wants to persecute. Those who go up, cannot stay, kill.”

Ruan Linshuang opened her thin lips lightly, and said again, "Xue Kai is not capable, reckless and impulsive, but he values ​​love and righteousness. He is useful and can stay, but not for a long time. After Zhao Qian's defeat, Xue Kai is willing to go with Zhao Qian without stopping him. If you survive, you can throw it to Mobei to defend the city. The power of the prince's side can't be kept either, Zhao Yan has a good character, but there are many people who want to take advantage of his identity, so keeping this side of power is a hidden danger."

Ruan Linshuang not only wants to change the dynasty and leave Zhao Qian with nothing, but also wants to take this opportunity to clean up the court and wipe out all the entangled forces.

But at this time, Chai Zheng was going down the river, heading towards the South China Sea. In this battle, the Dajing Border Pass would be suppressed for at least a hundred years and no one would dare to violate it.

The current is fast, and they can travel hundreds of miles a day along the river, and Kuanyuan and the others are good at controlling boats. In less than ten days, Chai Zheng's boat has arrived at the shore of the South China Sea and joined Xue Yu.

Mu Sang has been on the move for several days, and the news from the capital has spread everywhere—the rebels and the forbidden army finally clashed head-on, and both sides suffered heavy losses. Wang finally dragged his family property to the surface of the river. A round of bombing had just ended half a day ago, and Xue Yu looked a little embarrassed when he came to pick up the kite.

The old general was covered with gunpowder smoke and water vapor, and his iron armor was cold. He rushed into the cabin in a hurry. Chai Zheng was holding a medicine bowl in his hand. Needle, when Chai Zheng turned his head, the three silver needles trembled together.

The smell of herbs that hit his face made the usually healthy old general frowned. Xue Yu didn't expect such a situation, he was suddenly stunned, "What's wrong?"

"It's just a small injury." Chai Zheng smiled. Her complexion was still not good. The injury on her chest was indeed recovering. However, Chai Zheng hadn't had a good rest in the past six months. Many old injuries had recurred, involving the viscera. He also coughed up blood.

Zhang Xingzhong felt that he was going through a catastrophe since he met her, and this patient alone was enough to survive starvation for three to five years.

The strong smell of herbs almost infiltrated into the wood of the cabin, Xue Yu didn't believe it was a minor injury, but at this time the enemy was at hand, even if Chai Zheng was going to have a funeral today, he still had to grab the corpses of the people.

The old general was approaching with a big gift, and he half-kneeled on the ground, "My lord, six years ago when the New Deal was reformed, the Holy Majesty wanted to start with the South China Sea garrison, saying that he would allocate money to build a dock and expand the garrison. The recruits have not been baptized in the flames of war, and they are young soldiers, so they cannot be reused at all, while our ships pay more attention to their appearance and power, and are far inferior to Mu Sang in terms of practicality."

"The defeat is set, even if I risk my old life, at most half a month later, I will lose!"

The land of two rivers is not half of the country, but Dajing has always had the saying that "the grain of the two rivers feeds the people of the world". Now there is a famine in various places. If the two rivers are lost, Chang'an is in chaos, and the refugees have no food to eat. The entire Dajing may die overnight.

Chai Zheng was not in a hurry, she smiled, pulled out the silver needle on her head, ignored Zhang Xingzhong's warning eyes, and walked over to help the old general, "Don't worry, with me here, the Land of Two Rivers will not fall .”

"Young master really has such confidence?" Xue Yu grabbed Chai Zheng's forearm with his backhand.

"When I was eight years old, my father taught me a truth-whether you can win or not, the general is the backbone of the entire army. We need to let our soldiers know that when the sky falls, there are people who mend the sky. The ones who died were for the stability of the country and the defense of the homeland."

Chai Zheng patted the old general's outer arm in the posture of being pulled, "Besides, Dajing has a lot of mess, and Musang may not be in peace and prosperity."

"Does the little general have a good strategy to defeat the enemy?" Xue Yu finally had a gratified expression on his face after suffering for a long time.

Chai Zheng took the robe that Kuanyuan handed over, "It's not a good idea...go out and check the situation first."

"Chai Zheng!" Zhang Xingzhong yelled unbearably, and the two coaches and generals in the room, and a big bandit leader, all stared at him with wide eyes in fright.

Doctor Zhang calmed down, "Take the medicine, Kuanyuan, you go with her, don't let her get wet, and don't make any big moves to tear the wound."

"Doctor Zhang, how can I be so..." Chai Zheng was about to defend, but Zhang Xingzhong threw a bottle of medicine in front of him, and gave him a sentence, "Little General, I can only save the living, you have to want to live."

Chai Zheng relaxed her eyebrows, took advantage of the situation and put the porcelain bottle into her sleeve, and said, "I obey."