then Li Sao

Yuanxu dismissed the guards in charge of Luoping's cell, and sat on the ground outside the cell door: "I saw you here before to discipline the prisoners, and those methods are more and more novel. How did you come up with it?"

Luo Ping said calmly: "Everyone's situation and mood are different, just prescribe the right medicine."

Yuan Xu thought for a moment, frowned and said, "Master Luo, what kind of medicine should I give you?"

Luo Ping looked at him and said nothing.

The original preface smiled bitterly: "My lord, don't think too much, I don't mean to torture you. To be honest, I have never seen anything more difficult than your case - you can't move, you can't let go , Your Majesty and King Ning are still competing..."

"Fifteen days." Luo Ping said suddenly.

"what?"

"I was imprisoned for fifteen days."

"Yes, today is exactly half a month."

"How is the war in northern Xinjiang?"

Luo Ping asked this question out of the blue, and the original preface was somewhat unexpected: "The day before yesterday, I heard that the King of Yue had defeated the Northern Ling Army and signed a truce agreement. He is about to return in triumph."

Luo Ping smiled: "This is great news. Both the emperor and King Ning will focus on this matter, so it's okay for Mr. Yuan to put Luo's matter aside for a while, and there is no need to worry about explaining it badly."

Yuan Xu was stunned and said: "...Luo Ping, is it God's favor for you, or are you really clever, and you can still be so calm and comfortable in prison? You see the situation in the court more clearly than I do." .”

Luo Ping shook his head: "I have nothing to do all day, just guessing."

Just as he was talking, Yuan Xu looked up at the steps, stood up and greeted him: "Your Highness the Princess."

Zhou Yan signaled him to be polite: "Thank you, Mr. Yuan, for making arrangements for me. Please let me have a private chat with Luo Ping."

"Yes." Yuan Xu stepped back respectfully.

"Luoping." Zhou Yan appeared in plain clothes for the first time in front of Luoping. She took off those complicated hair accessories, and only put her hair up in a high bun. She didn't put any makeup on her face, and her eyebrows and eyes carried the heroic spirit of the Zhou family.

She said, "Luoping, are you okay?"

Luo Ping rolled up the cuffs of the prison uniform: "I have no worries about food and clothing, and live a good life."

Zhou Yan smiled: "You really are a contented prisoner."

Luo Ping said modestly: "Your Highness is absurd."

Zhou Yan also sat on the floor where Yuan Xu had sat just now, and said in a casual way: "Do you know? At the beginning, Emperor Father had hidden worries about Bei Ling, and I was always afraid that he would let me make a marriage."

"Your Highness is worrying too much, the late emperor is absolutely reluctant."

"Yeah, that's why he gave me to General Zhenyuan Xu Rui."

"General Xu's grandfather was the founding father of the country. He had a prominent family background and was young and promising. Being a son-in-law is a good match."

"That's right, my husband is also very kind to me. As the daughter of the royal family, I don't have any complaints. It's just that since you were imprisoned, Mr. Luo, I've always felt a little uneasy."

"Why is Your Highness so upset?"

"I can't put it into words... I feel that the victory in Beijiang is obviously a great joy, but for some reason, the whole court is in turmoil. Secretly, there is a feeling of facing a big enemy."

Luo Ping remained calm: "The king of Yue holds the military power, so what His Highness thinks is not unreasonable."

Zhou Yan said awe-inspiringly, "What if he really harbors evil intentions? My husband is guarding the last line of defense in Mo City. Whether facing the ambitions of King Ning or King Yue, he will be the first to bear the brunt of the city's guards."

Luo Ping pursed his lips and remained silent.

He didn't know how to answer for a moment, Zhou Yan's sensitivity exceeded his expectations.

"Luoping, I want you to tell me, which side are you on?"

"Does it matter which side you stand on in the next step?"

"Yes." Zhou Yan said, "Maybe you don't believe it. In my mind, you are the most intelligent and wise person in the world. Although you were dumbfounded at the beginning, you were often played by me."

Luo Ping sighed, "I really don't dare to do it."

Zhou Yan waited for his statement.

Luo Ping stood up from the grass bed.

He walked to the prison door, looked at Zhou Yan and said seriously: "Your Highness, Luo is naturally on the side of the king of Dacheng."

"Really, the king of Dacheng..." Zhou Yan murmured softly, her eyebrows drooping, unable to see what she was thinking.

The orthographic characters drawn by Luo Ping on the wall are exactly five.

When Yuanxu came to see him that day, the first sentence he said was: "The king of Yue has raised his army."

Luo Ping didn't show any surprise: "I think he wants to clear the king's side."

"That's right, he is playing the banner of the Qing emperor." Yuan Xu said, "But he has the military power in his hands, and without discussing with the emperor, he wants to overthrow King Ning at this time...It's hard to let people down. suspicion."

"What is the emperor's attitude?"

"The emperor is also prepared. He is mobilizing the soldiers and horses in the hands of General Zhenyuan and General Lin'an to return to Beijing quickly. It is said that the fourth prince has also rushed back from Binzhou."

"Since this is the case, what can the King of Yue do? Even if he has outstanding military exploits, he has no power in the court. He can at most show off his bravery. It is not so easy to conquer the world."

While speaking casually, Luo Ping dipped his fingers in the water in the bowl and practiced calligraphy on the ground.

Different from the regular lower case script that he usually writes, he wrote this handwriting open and closed, and with his half-opened skirts, it is a bit of a legacy of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and it is a wild and unrestrained cursive script.

The original preface was far away, and he couldn't see what he wrote clearly. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "The ministers in the court also said that the king of Yue was weak in the court. Can't win people's hearts. But I think it may not be the case."

"Oh? What does Master Yuan think?"

"I'm thinking, in this court, he only needs one heart, even though that person is imprisoned in prison at the moment."

Luo Ping looked up at him, seemingly puzzled.

"Master Luo, after you were dismissed by the former emperor, I saw a child in Dali Temple." Yuan Xing said cautiously, "The child obviously found something, but unfortunately, the thing he was looking for is no longer there. .”

Luo Ping smiled: "Yuan Siqing, you think too much. The thing that the child is looking for is really gone."

Yuan Xu didn't say much, and left with his hands behind his back.

Luo Ping looked down at the writing on the ground.

The traces of water were about to dry up, and the detailed outline of those two characters could no longer be seen.

Luo Ping frowned slightly, dissatisfied—as expected, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't write the free and easy cursive script.

Or, for him, "Zhou Tang" would never be free and easy.

----

Zhou Tang came all the way back.

The army crossed the border, and the court failed to react at the beginning, and several cities were directly taken by him.

Since the guards of the city belonged to King Ning's faction, which indeed fit the title of "Qing Emperor's side", the guards of the nearby cities did not dare to support them.After that, King Ning dispatched back to the defense urgently, but he still couldn't stop the North Army from returning to the city.

When he was stationed in Huazhou, Fang Jin shook his head and sighed while looking at the panorama of Dacheng: "Without Luo Muquan, the little emperor is really timid in doing things. The so-called advisers in the court are all those who fear the world will not be chaotic. What's the matter?" They have to be divided into several factions to debate, and the little emperor can't make up his mind, so this is a missed opportunity."

Zhou Tang snorted coldly: "It's because they themselves don't understand the truth of the cold lips and teeth. They think that the king is such a loyal and honest man. If he helps them defeat King Ning, he will stop and surrender. Even if the little master is by his side, so what? The little master will help them. It's impossible for him to hit me."

"Oh, the lord is too confident." Zhou Tang didn't think about some things, and Fang Jin didn't dare to say them.

For example, Luo Ping has worked tirelessly by the little emperor's side for the past three years, besides paving the way for them, what else is there for?

"We will capture Yanzhou tomorrow." Zhou Tang pointed out the route on the map.

"My lord, Yanzhou is the place where King Ning controls the Six Princes. The generals who guard the city are all Prince Ning's people, but the real owner of the city is the Six Princes. The Third Prince and the Six Princes have enmity with King Ning. They should be counted as the little emperors. Power. After capturing the city, wouldn't it be better to return the control to the sixth prince?"

Zhou Tang raised his eyebrows: "Why should I give them the city I took? Just Zhou Yang, let him guard the imperial tomb with his brother."

"Well..." Fang Jin pondered, "My lord's doing this is obviously to weaken the little emperor. In this way, I'm afraid General Zhenyuan will be waiting for us at the foot of the imperial city."

"If you want to fight, you will fight. We have reached this point, and there is no point in hiding it." Zhou Tang said, "But Zhou Yang must not let it go easily. I will definitely make him suffer!"

"Why?" Fang Jin didn't understand, what was the relationship between Zhou Tang and the Sixth Prince?

"Because he once let the dog hurt the little master!"

Those bloody wounds on the little master's body, he will never forget them in his life!At that time, he was powerless to fight back, and it is not too late to take revenge now!

When Yanzhou was captured, for some reason, he was put under house arrest in his room. The sixth prince Zhou Yang, who was supposed to be safe and sound, was bitten by jackals who came in from nowhere, and was covered in blood when he was rescued.

Seeing this, the King of Yue immediately ordered someone to take him for treatment, and sent him far away to the Peizhou Emperor's Mausoleum on the grounds that the battlefield was dangerous.

He didn't ask the little emperor about all these things, and his heart was clear.

Until now, King Ning was really scared, and the little emperor had to face the fact that the Seventh Uncle wanted to take his throne.

No one wanted to sit still, so King Ning and the little emperor went to ask for help at this time, and they found different people.King Ning was looking for the fourth prince Zhou Ke, while the little emperor went to the dungeon of Dali Temple.

Zhou Heng's burning mood immediately calmed down after seeing Luo Ping.

"Luo Qing, I'll pick you up." He said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Luo parallel kowtowed.

On this day, the word "正" on the wall was drawn to seven and a half.

When Luoping regained his freedom, it was also when General Zhenyuan and Dingbei Army met for the first time.

General Zhenyuan's Royal City Imperial Guard temporarily recruited General Lin'an's [-] troops, a total of more than [-] people, and protected the royal city and its surroundings tightly.

Zhou Tang's army was divided into a part of each captured city, and the rest came with him, a total of [-] elite soldiers.

The two parties did not confront each other recklessly, they just took a break on their respective territories.

Luo Ping climbed to the top of the city wall, looking up, there were soldiers formations, like black clouds pressing down on the city.

The strong wind blew and tore Luo Ping's unconscious sigh into the sky: "It's finally here, my king."

Soon after, Zhou Tang received a letter from the Fourth Prince.

To his surprise, this is not a crusade letter, but a letter of appeal.

The letter said that King Ning had approached him and asked him to lead Binzhou's Ding Navy to help defeat King Yue's army, but he refused.

There is no other reason.

For one thing, he knew the strength of the Ding Navy, and sea battles were the strongest, and he himself was not good at land battles.

Secondly, he said that the second elder brother is jealous by nature and has a lot of suspicions. If he wins the throne, he will definitely not let each of them go. Just look at his attitude towards the third and sixth brothers.And he asked Zhou Tang to sign an agreement——

If he loses, needless to say, if he wins, then don't embarrass the brothers anymore, otherwise, even if he fights to the death, he will pull him down from the throne.

The promise he can give is that during this period, he will no longer intervene in any disputes between the DPRK and China.

Zhou Tang agreed.

Fang Jin said: "In terms of benevolence and righteousness, none of these princes can compare with Zhou Ke."

Zhou Tang glanced at him.

Fang Jin immediately added: "Of course, in troubled times, benevolence and righteousness will appear too naive. He doesn't support the little emperor, doesn't trust King Ning, but gives you hope. The situation of killing each other. He wanted to end it quickly, but he couldn't do it himself, so he chose you."

"...I know." Zhou Tang said, "I will not break the contract unless it is absolutely necessary."

"So, my lord, are you ready? Even if you want to bear the infamy of resisting the decree and killing the king?"

"Of course, I have been waiting for so many years for this battle."

For the "one day" that person said back then, for that person to see his brilliance at a very high place...

the same day.

"He came out." Zhou Tang said, "Now he is standing beside the little emperor again."

He suddenly found that he was not so confident.

Because on the piece of plain paper in his hand, the little master's handwriting clearly read: "I beg your lord, don't kill Xu Rui."

He used "beg".

It is not impossible to let the enemy general go. What Zhou Tang couldn't figure out the most was why the little master begged him for this man.

After a long time, he closed the plain note: "I won't fight this battle."

"..." Fang Jin's fan got stuck and he couldn't open it.

"..." Tingting swayed and almost fell off his seat.

"My lord...please think twice..." The general said this at the critical moment of the battle, even Fang Jin didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, Zhou Tang was still a little sensible. After the pent-up anger in his heart passed, he said: "Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything. Chi Ting, this king now appoints you as the general of King Qin, to attack the city directly and defeat King Ning." army!"

"Yes!"

"Fang Jin, find a way to sneak into the city and guide the group of people in the city. If they have the heart to betray me, get rid of them immediately!"

"As ordered!"

"As for General Zhenyuan Xu Rui... I will fight in person."

It was night, and Luo Ping slept in the side hall of Zhenyang Hall.

He couldn't fall asleep, and when he closed his eyes, he suddenly saw an endless sea of ​​flames, and his heart felt as if he was tormented in the sea of ​​flames.

The day before yesterday, Luo Ping helped the little emperor drastically cut off the rebellious and shrinking forces in the court.

He publicly scolded those corrupt ministers who were still comforting themselves by saying that the True Dragon Emperor would not perish: "At this critical juncture, we can only take the lead and fight to the death! What are you people who still want to make peace with?"

Naturally, abuse followed one after another, saying that he was overreaching, that he was sowing discord, and so on.

But Zhou Heng still believed in him unconditionally.

Luo Ping leaned on the couch, his thoughts were chaotic——

The little emperor is probably in the Zhenyang Hall next door, so he must have been up all night again.

He is always like this, when he is nervous, he can't eat well and can't sleep.

This child has worked so hard and worked so hard to be the emperor, what kind of state of mind will he face his betrayal...

Zhou Heng was not in the Zhenyang Hall.

In fact, he was right outside Luoping's door.

The dry and cold wind was blowing outside, making his lips turn purple.The serving eunuch came up several times to persuade him, but he waved him away.He sat on the stone steps with his knees hugged, like a wronged child.

He was holding a small purse in his hand, and the extra thread on it knocked his hands a little.

The whole palace was surprisingly quiet, he could hear the people in the room humming very softly.

It was a tune he hadn't heard before:

……

Phoenix, Phoenix.

A dream of prosperity urges young feathers to contend.

Don't you see,

Back then Yan Yan was sunny and sunny,

Get to know each other over a glass of wine.

Don't you see,

Now the phoenix tree is burning old,

Luohuang came to live late.