The prince in the cold palace

imperial capital.

The palace is gloomy, the news of the war has spread throughout the imperial capital, people inside and outside the palace are in panic, the news of the emperor's visit to the northwest front can no longer be concealed, it is rumored that the prince followed the emperor to the west, no one is in the palace, and the emperor sends a message In spite of this, the situation has become difficult to stabilize. All civil and military officials, and the heaven and earth, have not yet come out of the doubts that the emperor has not returned for two months, and they heard about the war that broke out in an instant.

How it evolved to this point, apart from the parties concerned, it is impossible to make a conclusion by letting outsiders guess.

The slender ten fingers plucked on the Guqin made of high-quality sandalwood, playing a tune that sometimes rushes and sometimes tactfully, the voice is curling and lingering endlessly.A slight frown between the brows shows that the master is absent-minded. However, he has reached such a level without any hesitation. It is also the demeanor of a teacher who is not inferior to his talent. Thinking of this, Du Ruo couldn't help but a little smile, and slowly took out a piece of it from his bosom. Ye Di brought it to her lips.

Accompanied by voiceless music, it is even more icing on the cake.

However, the unvoiced sound did not cease, but the sound of the piano stopped abruptly. He raised his eyes slightly in surprise, and saw the boredom on the prince's face, sweeping away the laziness of the past, and the eyes that were stained with anger were also very beautiful, but they were different from the old one. Beauty is different. Violence, jealousy, and arrogance are all buried with age. Today's calmness makes people tremble more and more uncontrollably.

trembling?Du Ruo was thinking like this, how long has it been since he felt the feeling that gave him goosebumps?

From the very beginning, he was fascinated by the ruthlessness and means in the eyes of this Highness. As he stayed with him for longer and longer, only he could truly see the changes in His Highness, and chose to follow him instead of Others, Du Ruo never felt that there was anything wrong. Although the scenery was no longer imposing, his charm was far better than the day before. No matter how stormy it was outside, he just played his qin in the mansion. The sound of the piano is generally ups and downs, and there are all kinds of tastes?

Zhi Qinjing took the delicate white porcelain teapot from the table and was about to add water to the cup, but was held down by Du Ruo who stopped the flute, "The tea is already cold, let the humble worker change the pot."

"It's okay, I'm only here to quench my thirst, not to drink tea, it's all right." Zhiqin's tone didn't have to be soft and sarcastic as usual, on the contrary, it made Du Ruo startled, and when he let go of his hand, he heard the water flow Inject the sound into the cup.

Looking back, time has not only raised the boy's figure, but also matured his mind, "...is this killing two birds with one stone, or is the drunkard's intention to drink?"

"Huh?" Hearing that the words were ambiguous, Zhi Qin, who had just sipped a sip of tea, looked at his former companion, and then read a clue from the expression of his former playmate, "You mean the emperor's decision to march west?  … ...I'm afraid he has planned it for a long time, as early as a few years ago."

"It was the time His Highness caused trouble?" Du Ruo smiled cunningly, knowing that this was a great shame for the King of Qin, but occasionally provoking the scars in his heart could inspire the opponent's fighting spirit even more, even though the anger might be high in the face of the beauty.

"How would this king know!" Sure enough, with a soft word, no matter how good the prince is, he could not conceal his inner anger, but Du Ruo didn't have the guts to make another move, so he kept silent.

Zhi Qin put down the teacup heavily, and made a crisp sound. The crisp sound when the porcelain cup collided with the table made one's heart tremble, and then he heard Zhi Qin almost gritted his teeth, "Father's layout, and what's next?" Who can guess it? His calculation is naturally better than any of us!"

... Is this resentment towards the emperor, or pure resentment recalling the past humiliation?

Du Ruo wanted to laugh, but he couldn't do so at this moment. He knew that doing so would add fuel to the flames, so he chose to change the subject, "Then what does the prince think about the matter of King Zhong temporarily acting as the monarch? The forces that King Zhong has cultivated secretly over the years No less than us, I am afraid that once he takes that position, even if it is only temporarily, it will become a bargaining chip, when the time comes..."

"Stop talking!" Zhi Qin closed his eyes, as if he was thinking about something, and then almost squeezed out the following words from between his teeth, "Break the see-saw of equal power between several princes, the father will not only kill two birds with one stone, he will support Zhi Zhong If it is, it is impossible to watch him grow up all these years, at least he will be controlled by him like a waste, so that he will be full of economics and governance strategies but unable to obtain substantial power..."

Opening his eyes again, Zhiqin resumed his usual graceful mask, and he was still a seductive young man with his gestures. He plucked a few notes on the piano casually with his fingertips, "What my father wants is to see who will sink first among us." Can't hold back, he allows the princes to be ambitious, but it also depends on whether we have the strength, power and strategy are not enough, patience is the first."

So even though his old scars were exposed, he was very angry, but he still did not get angry easily, which can be regarded as a success in patience.

Du Ruo nodded slightly, the prince is really a person that should not be underestimated.

"However, the person who should be worried is never the turn of this prince. Aren't there still many people in the palace who have already heard the news?"

Zhi Qin raised his vermilion lips, as if he was in high spirits, and concentrated on playing the qin in front of him.

People who can calm down when they hear the wind are more or less intelligent, but those who hear the wind and take advantage of the opportunity to make waves are another matter.

Of course, if you are calm, you are just calmly doing your own duty, clearing the door and burying your head in doing your duty. It would be dull, blind and boring.

And it seems that it is difficult for anyone to be able to wait and see the changes like Zhiqin, endure and keep a low profile under the premise of today's solemn atmosphere.If you don't move, someone will be watching you in the dark; if you move, you will challenge the whole world.

King Zhong didn't have time to think about whether to move or not. He was so absorbed in dealing with government affairs that he almost couldn't take care of himself. He moved to the palace, which used to be the prince's palace, and asked people to take care of it. , So simply let the palace people send all the memorials that need to be reviewed every day to his Prince's Hall.

Zhizhong has also been in contact with government affairs for several years. Judging from the current situation, in the past, he had only a few contacts. He has never seen how his father handles government affairs, but when he faces them alone, there are no details, no matter how big or small. All the memorials involved are enough for him to review, and he has to discuss political affairs with several important courtiers every few days, and bow his head to listen to the elders' lessons in front of a few wrinkled faces. some torture.

The hand holding the pen is already feeling sore, but still can't rest for a while, there are still a lot of official documents in front of him, and the teacup at the corner of the table has not been moved, and the palace servants let it cool down to change the heat, and then change it again after it cools down.

After finishing the selected stack of important memorials with great difficulty, Zhi Zhong rubbed his overworked eyes, and when he looked up, he saw the elegant young man standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I saw that you were too busy, so I didn't ask the palace to notify you." Zhiyu bowed, and sat down on the nearby recliner under Zhizhong's eyes, with a gentle smile. The old residence of the imperial brother, so I came to have a look, busy with business, did not disturb the imperial brother?"

"Where, this king is also going to discuss with you..." After pondering for a while, Zhi Zhong stopped hesitating, put down his pen, relaxed his shoulders, and called the palace servants to come over to pour tea, and his expression remained unchanged. Haggard, "I hope that the emperor can help to review some memorials. It is too busy to deal with it alone."

Zhiyu showed surprise on his face, but he still quickly digested Zhizhong's words, lowered his eyes to think for a while, and was about to refuse, only to hear Zhizhong say, "The old ministers in the court are also quite critical of this king's monopoly. With the help of my younger brother, I will be able to explain to my father when he comes back."

"But... the emperor personally appointed the emperor to take the place of the emperor, how dare you go beyond the rules with your words?"

"The situation is urgent. It's not like you don't know that people in the imperial capital are panic-stricken. The emperor is fighting on the front line, and ambitious people can take advantage of it. I really can't afford it by myself." Zhi Zhong smiled wryly. Calm, he may threaten the government, and he can't be completely at ease in the face of Zhiyu.

The three brothers are not fuel-efficient lamps.This point, Zhi Zhong, who gives the impression of being serious and upright inside and outside the palace, knows it well.

Because they are similar in age and talent, even after Zhifei became a prince and became king himself, he never got out of the vortex of fighting for power. The favored son of his family, although Zhiyu is gentle and refined, the forces behind it pose a great threat to them.

Because he is the eldest son of the royal family, he still restrained himself by the standards of a prince before the age of 15, but he did not expect that his father, who had been unpredictable for many times, would defy all opinions and choose to be abolished.

Defeat is also what I have seen since I was a child. His temperament, no matter what, can't be the king of a country. Ambition and strategy are not all that an emperor has. .

The emperor must be ruthless.

Sensing a flash of stern light in Zhizhong's eyes, Zhiyu remained calm, and slowly unfolded the paper fan in his hand. The ink and ink color caught his eyes with a chic and graceful look. Hearing an almost inaudible sound, Zhizhong walked out of his thoughts, He fixed his eyes on Zhiyu, "When the matter is like this, the emperor will not refuse any more."

It seems that Zhizhong has made up his mind, no matter how things turn out in the future, neither side can easily regret it.

Zhiyu shook his fan and smiled gently, "So, Zhiyu can't stay out of the matter, I just hope I can help Brother Huang."

After the matter was finalized, someone finally shared the heavy weight in Zhizhong's heart with him. He breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhizhong began to classify the memorials on the table.

Looking at the memorial in front of him who was so busy until dinner time, Zhiyu's hand holding the fan stiffened, and his smile became a little colder.

When they saw the urgent battle report of Babaili, both of them were shocked.

The emperor did not need to mobilize a large number of troops to encircle and suppress the Mu family. The reason for the panic of the people in the city was the emperor's personal conquest and the mobilization of a large number of troops. Unexpectedly, the ultimate goal of the emperor was not with the Mu family, but with the Mu family. Rong Li, the backstage of the collusion of family members.This action successfully provoked the fuse of the war between the two countries. The army suppressed the border, and the Rongli side seemed to have been prepared for a stalemate with the emperor's army. Several towns along the northwest line attacked repeatedly. It is estimated that the war will not be resolved in a short time.

Moreover, a quick victory does not seem to be the emperor's plan.

So is it true that the emperor will allow the court to have no rightful master for several months?

It is obviously impossible, so relieved, probably because the support from the generals on the sidelines will arrive soon, and he can send the prince Zhifei back to the imperial capital first.

It's just that they haven't heard of Zhibao's name for a long time. Whether it's on their respective intelligence networks or regular battle reports, they can't guess what kind of inside story there is.

When the war was raging, who could think of the King Xin who was forgotten in Xindu, and who could see the connection between King Xin and Zhifei?

Even the emperor thought that Zhi Fei was safely protected in Xin Wang's mansion.

But after hearing the report from the soldiers, even the experienced emperor couldn't help being stunned. The soldiers on the side lowered their heads in embarrassment and confusion. Why didn't His Majesty call people in for a long time? The deep voice of the emperor sounded, "Send him in." It was like an amnesty.

Not long after, the man's clothes stained with a little dust came into view, his haunted face was still handsome and calm, his expression was the same as before, peaceful and desireless, as if what happened before had never happened before.

Standing a few steps in front of the emperor, the young man respectfully knelt down and performed a complete monarch-official salute, "I bow to my father."

He is loud and full of energy, and it is difficult to connect with the frail and scholarly appearance in front of him, but that is exactly what Zhibao will do. Once he makes up his mind, his stubbornness can't even compare to himself.

The emperor was surprised and a little angry, "Father thinks that the emperor has heard it clearly, and there is no need for you to intervene in the Northwest War."

"My son is only asking, what is the purpose of the father to deliberately provoke a war between the two countries?" Zhi Bao's eyes were clear and firm, "The seven policies of Jiang Zuo have only been implemented for a few years, and the country has not yet fully flourished, and the people's lives are not good enough. Prosperity, the sudden war, where did the father put the hearts of the people and the treasury that was so hard to fill?"

Yin Wuyao squinted his eyes, and seriously looked at the young man in front of him who questioned him. Although he was young, although his talents and methods might not be as good as his brothers, and although he had never shown any concern for this country before, he At this moment, Yin Wuyao's heartbeat gradually became faster as if he had been completely reborn but was obviously the same person's obsession.

This kind of obsession is more charming and worthwhile.

With a smile on his face, the emperor looked into the bright eyes of the young man, "What I want is not the land where rice seedlings can grow in the Rongli, there are thousands of troops... just for a few people."

"How many people?" Now it was Zhi Fei's turn to be stunned.

It was still the same young man who unconsciously showed a defenseless expression, and Yin Wuyao's mood immediately improved, "Well... maybe it's one person, two people, or three or five people."

"Xiao Qi thinks, who will be the first person?"