The family of Dalang and his father are going back to Lingnan, while Sanlang Yan is planning to go to Hexi and other places to look for opportunities, taking advantage of the opportunity of Wei Shu's return from his diplomatic mission and the court opening up trade routes with the Western Regions. It is good for the Yan family to have Erlang as an official and to go out and do things, and Sanlang Yan does not intend to follow the old path of his second brother.
Mrs. Sanlang couldn't persuade her husband, so she had to take her children and follow the other members of the Yan family back to Lingnan.
They only entrusted Yan Xiaozhou to Yan Shang and left him in Chang'an. The reason was self-evident, it was to find a good husband for Yan Xiaozhou.
Yan Shang had learned from Mu Wanyao about the entanglement between his sister and Yang Sanlang, and was shocked and entangled, not knowing how to talk to his sister about it. Because Yan Xiaozhou was very well-behaved and never showed any entanglement in this regard, and Yang Sanlang had also been engaged... Yan Shang had no choice but to keep his sister and discuss with Mu Wanyao to talk about marriage after Yan Xiaozhou forgot about Sanlang.
Mu Wanyao naturally agreed to this.
It's not like she and Yan Shang can't afford to support a girl now. Not to mention that she never lacks money, even Yan Shang is honest. He has been an official to this point. No matter how greedy he is, he can't be short of money. Moreover, Mu Wanyao secretly suspected that the reason why Yang Si was interested in Yan Shang's sister was because she and Yang Si always whispered about Yan Shang in private in the past, and exchanged their aesthetic tastes of the opposite sex.
It might be because she praised Yan Shang so many times that Yang Si particularly wanted a girl with Yan Shang's temperament.
Yan Xiaozhou is so innocent.
Therefore, Mu Wanyao tried her best to be a good sister-in-law and made sure her sister lived comfortably in Chang'an.
This brought up another problem - the Yan family was about to leave, so should Yan Xiaozhou live in his brother and sister-in-law's princess mansion, or live alone next door to the princess mansion? Now that Yan Shang didn't live in the mansion next to the princess mansion, should he sell the empty large yard?
Yan Shang felt that there was no need to spend a penny more. He could just keep an empty yard and let his sister live in his own home.
It doesn't matter if you rock in the evening.
Father Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's keep the yard."
He looked at Erlang's puzzled look and the princess's meaningless look, hesitated for a moment and then said, "If you two have a conflict or a quarrel, keep this mansion, and Erlang will have a place to go."
Yan Shang was startled, then his face flushed, he was angry and amused. What his father said seemed to be that if he and Mu Wanyao had a quarrel, Mu Wanyao would drive him out and not let him go home. However, although Mu Wanyao was a princess with a bad temper, she would never treat him like that.
Sure enough, it would have been fine if Yan's father hadn't said anything. As soon as he mentioned this, Mu Wan's eyes froze.
Mu Wanyao grabbed Yan Shang's arm and immediately made plans for the courtyard: "Sell it! It must be sold! We quarreled at the head of the bed and made up at the foot of the bed. No matter how badly Brother Yan and I quarrel, I will never allow Brother Yan to sleep in a separate bed from me."
Father Yan: “…There are always inconvenient times.”
Mu Wan shook: "There is no inconvenience!"
She threatened Yan Shang: "It's okay for us to quarrel, but I will never let you sleep in a separate bed from me."
As long as they didn't sleep in separate beds, half of the problem would be solved by sleeping, and sleeping a few more times would completely solve it. She now realized that skin and body contact were particularly important for problems between men and women. When she and Yan Shang were fighting the most, once they had physical contact, their attitudes would ease.
Only when the attitude becomes more relaxed will one be in the mood to communicate.
If two people like each other, they will definitely want to touch each other's body. If Yan Shang and she are used to sleeping in separate beds, and don't want to touch her at all, and have no desire for her, then there is a real problem between them.
Yan Shang was embarrassed by Mu Wanyao's decisive words. Although it was his idea to sell the yard, he and Mu Wanyao obviously had different ideas. He gently pushed Mu Wanyao, signaling her not to be too intimate with him in front of outsiders.
Mu Wan raised his eyebrows: You think your father is an outsider?
Yan Shang coughed lightly.
Father Yan couldn't help but smile when he saw the young couple flirting with each other, and he didn't comment on whether they should stay in the mansion or go there.
When he first came to Chang'an, he was worried. He was afraid that Erlang was marrying the princess in order to get a promotion, and he was also afraid that Erlang was forced to marry the princess by force.
He has been a coward for many years and dared not ask questions or express opinions on many things. However, when it comes to his children's life-long affairs, he would pray in his heart that his deceased wife would bless him with safety before he musters up the courage to take care of it.
He shamelessly lived in Chang'an for half a year, living next door to the princess's mansion, wanting to see how Erlang and the princess interacted with each other on a daily basis. If Erlang was forced, he would not let the children suffer any grievances even if he fled overseas with the children this time. After watching for half a year, he also realized that his Erlang and the proud princess were really as Yan Shang said, they were in love with each other.
The princess is such a proud girl that every time she is with her own Erlang, she will unconsciously follow him with her eyes, unconsciously exposing her determination to win Yan Er. Her words and actions tell everyone that Yan Shang is mine, my property, and my exclusive possession.
Mine, mine, mine!
No one can take him away from me!
His daughter-in-law is so domineering, but his son is so gentle and listens to his daughter-in-law in everything. This makes Yan's father feel very complicated, but he is also relieved.
So, after Yan Shang decided to let his sister live in the princess's mansion and sold the mansion opposite the princess's mansion, Yan Sanlang went to Hexi, while Yan's father, Dalang's family, Sanlang's wife and others got on a ox cart and returned to Lingnan.
Sitting on the ox cart, the sun was setting and the sky was full of red clouds. Father Yan looked back at the majestic Chang'an City, and he felt emotional and recalled many old memories.
For example, the year he took the imperial examination and became a Jinshi was the first year that the Wei Dynasty held an imperial examination;
He was lucky and won the first prize. He was the top scholar of the year. Princesses and noble ladies in Chang'an extended olive branches to him.
He was quiet and weak, even cowardly, but the most courageous thing he had ever done was to abandon the official position that was about to be obtained, elope with the girl, and then wander around the world with his children...
Father Yan thought of his deceased wife, sighed softly, and a look of sadness and tenderness appeared on his handsome face.
The spring breeze was cold and silent. He gathered his sleeves and turned his head away, no longer looking back at Chang'an or the old memories. People like him are already old, and the future of Chang'an is in the hands of young people like Erlang and His Highness.
Don't think too much.
-----
At Princess Luling's residence, upon hearing that Yan Shang's father had passed away, the princess sat up from the couch and snorted softly, but her eyes had a complicated look.
Because she felt that Chang'an was not peaceful recently, the princess became more cautious. She did not touch politics, but she would ask people to find out what happened recently. Mu Wanyao was her top priority for finding out information, so the servants would report to the princess even the news that Yan's father had passed away.
The eldest princess felt uneasy, thinking that the departure of Yan's father might indicate that Yan Erlang wanted his family to leave before he could find a job in Chang'an.
As for father...
The eldest princess' eyes were filled with memories, thinking of the long time ago, when her brother held the imperial examination for the first time, the third place winner that year seemed to be named Yan. At that time, all the princesses were fascinated by him. The third place winner Yan was young and fair-skinned, and the sensation he caused was far greater than that of the current Yan Erlang who was elegant and tactful.
More than 20 years have passed, and another cycle has begun.
After thinking for a while, the princess ordered her servants, "From today on, I will pray for my late husband and invite Taoist priests and wizards to offer sacrifices and prayers. I will stay indoors for a month and we will not get involved in anything that happens outside."
-----
When the results of the imperial examination were announced in March, the gate of Princess Danyang's mansion was almost broken down. People either came to Mu Wanyao to ask for recommendations, or they shamelessly came to ask Yan Shangxing for recommendations.
Yin Yanshang was the examiner of the Ministry of Personnel, and was responsible for the imperial examination. In his first year in charge, he changed the rules and the types of examination questions. The scholars who thought they were foolproof were a little panicked, and the noble families came to inquire about the situation.
Fortunately, Yan Shang was well-known, so no one dared to go too far.
Yan Shang was just trying to reform the imperial examination system - he had mentioned this to his teacher in the past, that the imperial examination system focused solely on poetry and prose, which was not fair.
At that time, Mr. Liu said he was willing to compromise for the sake of the aristocratic family.
Now Yan Shang had to break this monopoly little by little and try different directions. He didn't have to fight to the death with the noble families, he just needed to test it out little by little.
This year, the number of people from poor families who passed the imperial examination was 30% higher than in previous years. This ratio was acceptable to the aristocratic families, but the poor families were particularly excited. All this was just as Mu Wanyao had planned from the beginning. Only by controlling the Ministry of Personnel could the poor families have a chance.
Yan Shang did not mean to deny the noble families a way out, nor did he want to force them to fight to the death. The noble families also felt that since the poor families were destined to rise, it would be better to have someone as gentle and kind as Yan Erlang as their leader than to have a leader from the poor families who was swift and harsh.
Everyone knows the truth, and those who want to make concessions make concessions, and those who want to get a higher position get a higher position, and there is kindness and harmony everywhere.
After the imperial examination, court officials were transferred and Wei Shu was assigned to the Ministry of Rites. He was promoted to Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of the trade routes between Wei and the surrounding countries, and he used the money he earned from his diplomatic missions over the years.
In April of this year, a military riot broke out in Taiyuan Prefecture, and the governor of Taiyuan, the capital of the north, was killed by the rioters, which shocked the central government. The central government hurriedly sent officials from Chang'an to suppress the rioters, but the officials in Chang'an were unwilling to go. When they heard about the chaos in Taiyuan, they refused to go, fearing that they would never come back.
Yan Shang took the initiative to ask for permission to go to Taiyuan to quell the chaos and appease the people. After Chang'an selected a new Taiyuan Yin, Yan Shang would return to Chang'an.
Since no one in the central government wanted to go, Yan Shang wanted to go, so the transfer order was issued very quickly. Yan Shang went to Taiyuan as an inspector, and the court gave him 10,000 soldiers and horses to quell the rebellion.
The affairs of Taiyuan began to stabilize after Yan Shang left. The officials in Chang'an had mixed feelings as they listened to the continuous good news from Taiyuan, saying how Yan Er stabilized the situation, how he visited people from house to house, how he opened up government offices and lived and ate together with the people, how he changed policies... During this period, Yan Shang only mobilized troops once, and no one died in Taiyuan after he left.
People in the court had to admit that when it came to practical matters, Yan Shang had never failed to deliver.
In June, people in Chang'an no longer cared about Taiyuan. The central government sent a new Taiyuan Yin to take over Taiyuan and let Yan Shang return to the court. This month, the emperor went to the summer resort to recuperate as he did in previous years. The emperor made such arrangements every year, and everyone was used to it.
Before leaving Chang'an this time, the emperor still asked the crown prince to supervise the court.
Mu Wanyao was summoned by the emperor. People said that the emperor favored this young daughter who was married to him and always liked to take her to the summer resort to spend time with her. However, the real situation was probably known only to Mu Wanyao himself.
-----
The Summer Resort is at the foot of Mount Zhongshan. After a night, Mu Wanyao went to pay respects to her father. However, the eunuchs who served him said that his majesty was not feeling well and needed to rest, so they did not see the princess.
Mu Wanyao paused for a moment and asked, "Is Eunuch Liu not here?"
The eunuch bowed and said, "Eunuch Liu is in Chang'an on business and was not with us this time."
Mu Wanyao was impatient: "Then let Cheng An come to see me. I have to ask about my father's health, right?"
The young eunuch still smiled apologetically: "Eunuch Cheng is seriously ill and did not accompany you this time. Only dishes like me can accompany you."
Mu Wan raised her eyebrow.
The eunuch secretly raised his eyes and saw the princess curling her lips at him with a half-smile. The eunuch's heart was beating fast, and he almost thought that the princess had seen through these things. But Mu Wanyao did not ask any more questions, turned around and went back to his residence, which made the eunuch feel relieved.
Mu Wanyao chatted with the ministers for a few minutes and then went back to rest. Without her husband by her side, she felt a little bored. She read books for a while but found it boring, and played the zither for a while but no one appreciated it, so Mu Wanyao sat in front of the dressing mirror and started to put on her makeup again.
Now that Xia Rong is married, Qiu Si has officially become Mu Wanyao's capable maid. After Qiu Si came back from outside to inquire about the situation, she said to the princess worriedly: "The management of the Summer Resort is very strict this year. I can't go anywhere. No matter how much the eunuchs give me, they won't let me go."
Qiu Si: "Your Highness, do you think something will happen?"
Mu Wanyao stared at her own beautiful face reflected in the makeup mirror and said slowly, "I'm not afraid of anything happening. It would be strange if nothing happened."
Qiu Si immediately became nervous: "Ah?!"
Mu Wan lowered her head, and the ivory comb gently brushed her black hair. She was silent and thoughtful, and did not communicate with the maid. At this moment, a messy noise suddenly sounded outside, which aroused the curiosity of the master and servants in the house.
Fang Tong barged into the outer house without notifying the public, and said nervously, "Your Highness, something has happened! The King of Qin has led his troops to surround the Mountain Resort, and is talking about 'clearing the court' and 'eliminating the treacherous officials'!"
Qiusi, a fifteen-year-old girl, hurriedly opened the curtain. When she saw the blood on Fang Tong's body, her face turned pale with fright and she looked at the princess in a daze.
Mu Wan shook the ivory comb in her hand and sneered.
Mu Wan murmured, "Finally, I have taken this step."
The Qin King's rebellion was forced by her and her father. From last year to this year, they finally forced the Qin King to rebel.
Because he wanted to get rid of the Jiang family and couldn't let the Jiang family become powerful by relying on the King of Qin, the emperor had to trap the Jiang family, the most powerful aristocratic family, in his last few years. How could the King of Qin not resent and rebel? Aristocratic families, aristocratic families, were like the emperor's demonic obstacles -
During the emperor's lifetime, he must suppress the aristocratic families so that they have no chance to succeed.
Before he died, he wanted to make sure that the poor families would suppress the wealthy families.
Without waiting for the servants to ask again, Mu Wanyao slammed the comb on the table with a "snap" and stood up. She walked out with her sleeves flying and a fierce look. When she came to Fang Tong, she pulled out the sword from Fang Tong's waist, and the gauze curtain was blown by the sword and immediately broke into two pieces.
Qiusi and other girls felt at ease following this proud girl.
As Mu Wanyao walked out with his sword in hand, he ordered, "Go up to the corner tower and change the flags! Say that the King of Qin is planning a rebellion, and ask the princes from all directions to come to Chang'an to protect him!"
"Let all the ministers who are staying here come to see me! Tell them that the King of Qin has rebelled and there is no need to worry. Let them temporarily take over the general's position, command the troops and generals, and protect your majesty's safety. They will definitely benefit from it!"
Orders were issued one after another in an orderly manner, and everyone gradually found their backbone and was no longer panicked.
Fang Tong followed Mu Wan and said, "Your Highness, where are we going now?"
Mu Wan raised her eyes, and there was a hint of mockery in her icy eyes. She looked in the direction of the emperor's bedroom and said in a strange voice, "Let's go to my father's bedroom and take a look... Let's see what his purpose is for this trip to the Summer Resort this year, and how seriously ill he is that he dares not even see me."
Now there is no father-daughter relationship, only the relationship between the emperor and his subjects. Mu Wanyao wants to see if the emperor is what he thinks!
-----
Dust and fog were rising on Zhongshan Mountain. Soldiers who had been hiding there for days and months were raising dust and marching towards the Summer Resort under the leadership of their generals. These soldiers were affiliated with the Southern Court and were not much different from the private soldiers of the King of Qin.
With the help of Jiang's troops and roads, they will naturally be invincible!
The soldiers and horses were marching down, and the King of Qin was also wearing armor, holding a long sword, and riding a good horse. Since the defeat of the Li family, the King of Qin took over the Ministry of War and has been in charge for nearly ten years. He has managed the Ministry of War like an iron barrel, and only listens to his orders, not the emperor's orders. The emperor is pressing step by step, who is willing to retreat again and again.
The King of Qin waved his sword and led the way out of the villa. His personal soldiers killed the guards outside the villa. He shot the surveyor on the corner tower to death with an arrow, and shouted like thunder: "Commendous soldiers, you are all heroes of Wei! In recent years, my father has become old and stupid, and favored my sixth sister. My sixth sister is a girl, and she was deceived by a treacherous man like Yan Er.
"The government is controlled by them. For a while, the court only knows the famous ministers in the country, but not my father! Today, we are going to clear the court and rescue my father from the hands of the treacherous villains! My sons, if you believe in me, then join me in the fight!
"Today's work is done, and you will all be rewarded!"
The soldiers were inspired and their morale was even stronger. They were excited and fierce, and stared at the Summer Resort. They believed the words of the King of Qin and felt that they were doing justice. Led by the King of Qin's personal soldiers, voices of agreement came from all directions.
“The King of Qin is mighty!
"I will definitely not disgrace your highness's orders!"
The Summer Palace was in uproar and panic, and fell into chaos, watching them attack the city and swarm like locusts. The ministers following the emperor were panicked and hurried to find His Majesty and Princess Danyang who was in charge here.
-----
Less than ten miles away from Zhongshan, Yan Shang led his troops to hide in the wasteland and had been waiting here for more than a month. He left the capital under the pretext of the Taiyuan rebellion, but the real imperial edict he received was to guard against the rebellion of the King of Qin.
The emperor, Mu Wanyao, and Yan Shang all knew that if they pressed the issue so hard, the King of Qin would be forced to rebel. However, this move was necessary to eliminate the noble families.
The surveyor climbed the corner tower every day to look at Chang'an. One day, as soon as he climbed the corner tower, he saw the change of the flag in Chang'an. The surveyor immediately rode his horse to report to the Lord of the Mansion. Dust and smoke were billowing, and several horses were galloping on the plain. Yan Shang had already taken a deep breath and guessed the situation.
He has called up his troops and has made a decision.
At the same time, a messenger rode a horse and quickly arrived at Yan Shang's tent. The messenger panted and said, "My lord, this is a letter from His Majesty to you - it was written ten days ago! Please open it yourself!"
Yan Shang tore open the letter and read the letter without changing his expression. He handed the letter to Han Shuxing and asked him to keep it. Yan Shang still organized his troops and asked them to follow him to Zhongshan to rescue the emperor.
Han Shuxing was nervous: "Erlang, has the situation changed? What instructions did His Majesty give you?"
Yan Shang's eyes slightly curled up.
Few people noticed his subtle expressions, but if Mu Wanyao was there, he could see his emotional changes - mockery, fatigue. But he was also prepared and expected it.
Yan Shang told Han Shuxing: "His Majesty did not give me any new instructions. He just told me that my wife is in the summer resort under Zhongshan Mountain."
Han Shuxing didn't understand: "Hasn't His Highness always been with His Majesty? We already knew that. What does His Majesty mean by saying this?"
Yan Shang smiled as he looked at the rolling dust and smoke at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, and said, "He was afraid that I would deliberately delay the rescue and stall for time. Military matters are time-sensitive, and the situation will change rapidly with every delay. He just wanted to make sure that I would not use excuses to delay. He just felt that... I might use excuses to delay and not be willing to properly rescue the emperor."
Yan Shang sneered, "What he meant was that Yaoyao was the only one in the Summer Resort. If I don't save him, Yaoyao will die. He wanted to see whether I would save him or not."
Han Shuxing: "...The emperor of your Great Wei is too suspicious. Erlang has worked so hard for him, but he is still suspicious of Erlang."
Yan Shang didn't say anything.
He thought that it was not like this before, even three years ago, the old emperor was not like this. It can only mean that as the old emperor's health deteriorated, the old emperor became less and less trusting of everyone... It seems that only interests can last.
Yan Shang no longer thought about these things. He was tired of the court struggles and the intrigues with the emperor. He only did what he should do... If this gentleman is not reliable, he will just run away!
Yan Shang ordered his soldiers to drive to Zhongshan to rescue the emperor!
-----
The chaotic army broke in, burning, killing and looting, without any moral principles. The ministers hid in the villa, and after finding Mu Wanyao, they followed the princess in panic: "Your Highness, the Qin King's troops are like locusts, we can't stop them!"
Mu Wanyao walked away while speaking coldly: "We have to stop them even if we can't. You just need to hold out for a few seconds, and someone will come to save us."
She felt gloomy in her heart, thinking that this was a good opportunity to take over the Ministry of War... No one could stop her from saving the emperor!
Ministers: "Who? Has Your Highness sent people to Chang'an for help? Or have the princes from all over the country come to rescue you? Your Highness..."
Mu Wan shook his head and said sternly: "What does this have to do with you? You just need to be loyal to the emperor! The Qin king's troops have already arrived in front of the city, why are you following me? Why don't you mobilize the troops and integrate all the soldiers in the villa?
"If I have to do everything myself, what use would you be?
"The King of Qin has rebelled! Are you still going to join him in rebelling against the government?"
After sending the ministers away, Mu Wanyao, under the protection of Fang Tong and other guards, had already reached the emperor's bedroom. There were eunuchs outside the palace who stopped Mu Wanyao from entering. However, this time, Fang Tong and others took action directly, and Mu Wanyao rushed into the palace without any scruples.
She acted like a daughter and said, "The rebels have arrived! I will escort you to escape from here. Anyone who dares to stop me is a rebel and wants to kill me and claim the throne!"
The eunuchs panicked: "Your Highness, Your Highness, you can't barge in..."
You can’t barge in recklessly, Mu Wanyao also barged in.
Amid the clamor, Mu Wanyao pushed open the door of the palace where his father was staying. The palace was filled with a strong medicinal aroma, and plain gauze curtains were flying all over the sky. Mu Wanyao walked inward step by step, swinging his sword to split the flying curtains -
The whole house is empty and quiet!
The room is empty!
The emperor is not here at all!
The old emperor didn't come to the summer resort at all! He only used her as bait and dagger!
Mu Wan shook her head and sneered. She saw through the emperor's mind. The eunuchs who were blocking the way outside chased in. When they saw that the princess had discovered the secret, they turned pale with fear and knelt down. Mu Wan shook her head and ordered Fang Tong: "Give them weapons, and take them with the soldiers in the villa to fight against the Qin King's troops.
"You are following the orders of my father, the emperor. I will not kill you. But if you let me die, I will not spare you either... Go to the battlefield. Life and death are determined by fate! If you die, I will reward your family generously for your loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. If you live, I will not pursue what you did today.
"Let's just leave it to fate!"
The sword in her hand was pressed against the smooth tiles on the ground, her long clothes were blown by the wind, her thin figure was filled with infinite strength, and her eyes were burning with the blazing light of wildfire.
She was not afraid of the chaos at all. Hearing the bandits rushing in from outside, she felt as if she had returned to the night when she escaped from Wuman. However, today was different from the past. Today she knew that she was not fighting alone. Mu Wan raised the sword in her hand and pointed it out the window.
"My men, fight with me!"
-----
Tens of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of voices!
The entire Zhongshan Mountain was engulfed in dust and smoke. Chang'an trembled at the sound. The Northern Yamen began to mobilize troops! The Northern Yamen mobilized troops, but they did not leave the capital!
From Youzhou, Jizhou, to the interior of the pass, the vast plains were in full view. Yang Si led tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, rushing towards Chang'an like black lightning! Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers were under his feet, and a long white light flashed across the sky, and the world was bright.
In the East Palace, the prince stared at the chessboard in front of him in a trance.
In the Qingning Palace of the Chang'an Imperial Palace, where the former empress lived, the emperor was accompanied by the chief eunuch Cheng An, waiting for news from all sides.
-----
The city of Chang'an was covered with dark clouds, which enveloped the entire area.
Yan Xiaozhou and a few girls he was close to were walking in the streets, chatting and laughing. When they heard thunder in the sky, they couldn't help but look up.
At the residence of Imperial Censor Zhao, Lord Zhao asked about Concubine Zhao Lingfei's experiences over the years in detail. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Father will make the decision for you. Let Wei Juyuan propose to you. You have been together day and night for so many years. He should be responsible for you."
Concubine Zhao Ling blushed, then pursed her lips and smiled. Suddenly, she heard thunder and the lightning made her face look like snow. She turned her head to look out the window.
The storm is coming, don’t hide!
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