Harem Fighting Strategy 10
Eunuch Yu, the chief eunuch beside Tao Yuan, walked to Eunuch Xu and whispered a few words in his ear. Then Eunuch Xu walked to Xiao Junye and whispered Tao Yuan's words to him.
Xiao Junye smiled and said, "Since you two are interested, please write your essays and send them over. Let..." Xiao Junye suddenly changed the subject and looked at Prime Minister Ye and said, "Let the Prime Minister judge who writes better."
The ministers all looked at Xiao Junye in confusion, not knowing what he meant. Xiao Junye neither explained nor continued speaking. Instead, he looked at the distant horizon, at the white line that was approaching rapidly.
The ministers also turned their heads to look. The tide was getting closer and the sound was getting louder. When it was far away, it looked like a white eagle soaring with its wings spread. When it was close, it looked like heavenly soldiers and generals riding on thousands of horses, with thunder and drums beating, deafening.
This spectacular and heart-shattering spectacle, seemingly earth-shattering, assaults both the senses and the brain. Some are left terrified and utterly terrified, while others are energized, their spirits suddenly rising.
It was also the first time that Tao Yuan saw such a spectacular and shocking sight of the high tide. Just now, Xiao Junye said that he wanted to let two top scholars in civil and military affairs write poems for the Luojiang tide. He immediately saw what Ye Rong was thinking, so he suggested in front of him that they each write one, and then let the emperor judge it.
Ye Rong initially thought this was just what he wanted, but after a while, he thought carefully. Tao Yuan had beaten him in poetry before, and this time he took the initiative to challenge him, probably because he was confident that he could beat him. Thinking of this, Ye Rong couldn't help but be extremely alert, concentrating his mind, and determined to give it his all this time.
Xiao Junye liked Tao Yuan's calligraphy, so he would ask him to write a poem from time to time, and he kept all of these poems as treasures. Ye Rong would also write poems occasionally, and if not compared with Tao Yuan's poems, his poems were pretty good, but they couldn't compare to Tao Yuan's poems.
Xiao Junye was very confident in Tao Yuan's literary talent, so he deliberately said that he would let Prime Minister Ye judge it, just to see what expression Prime Minister Ye would have.
Xiao Junye completely hated the Ye family. Every time he visited Ye Rong, he would pretend to be asleep, but in reality, he was wide awake. He believed that because he drank Tao Yuan's blood, the drugs had no effect on him. He could hear everything Ye Rong whispered to his attendant.
The attendant was Prince Yu's man, specifically responsible for delivering messages between him and Prince Yu. The Ye family wasn't completely unaware of Ye Rong's relationship with Prince Yu. Xiao Junye was furious. Even though he couldn't touch Ye Rong and the Ye family for the time being, he would definitely not let them go when the time was right.
Two hours later, Ke Mingji and Zhao Xiu had finished writing, and then Eunuch Xu took the tray to collect it and presented it to Xiao Junye.
After reading it, Xiao Junye thought that he still couldn't tell which one was better, so he asked the ministers to circulate it and choose the one they thought was better.
However, the ministers felt very distressed after reading it. If the writing styles were different, they could choose the one they liked, but the writing styles of these two people were extremely similar, making it difficult to tell them apart.
Ke Mingji and Zhao Xiu glared at each other, competing secretly with their eyes. They hated each other and wanted to defeat each other, but no matter whether they competed in literature or martial arts, they were always told that they were evenly matched, and they were very dissatisfied.
Tao Yuan and Ye Rong had also finished writing, and Tao Yuan asked Eunuch Yu to present it to Xiao Junye.
After Xiao Junye read what the two had written, he smiled and said, "Let the ministers have a look, and then let the Prime Minister have a say."
Ye Rong was very nervous. Whether he could write the fu on the Zhenjiang stone carving was also a very important task in the game. Whether he could get more support and popularity depended on this time.
"What beautiful handwriting! Look at this handwriting, it's like flowing clouds and running water, full of spirit, elegant and beautiful, with outstanding grace and grace."
"Let me take a look... It's really good calligraphy. The shape and grace are graceful, the brushwork is a combination of firmness and softness, it's subtle yet free and unrestrained. Good calligraphy, good calligraphy."
When the others heard their high praise, they couldn't help but gather around to see how good the calligraphy was.
"Such beautiful calligraphy is really rare to see."
"The aura between the lines is overwhelming, and just reading it makes people feel happy."
Xiao Junye had long anticipated that they would be amazed by Tao Yuan's calligraphy, so after waiting for a while, he reminded them, "My dear ministers."
"I am here."
The ministers quickly stood up respectfully.
"Don't just look at the words, read the content too. After you've finished reading, let the Prime Minister judge."
"promise."
Xiao Junye thought about it again and felt that with so many people reading the content, they would definitely be reluctant to let it go. If they were to pass it around to each other, it would take who knows how long it would take for them to finish reading it.
"Ke Mingji, Zhao Xiu," Xiao Junye ordered, "the two of you will each read out these two fu poems."
"I obey your command." The two answered in unison.
Tao Yuan's article was still in someone's hands, so Ke Mingji took Ye Rong's article and began to read it.
The ministers listened and nodded from time to time. The literary talent of this article was no worse than the ones written by Ke Mingji and Zhao Xiu just now, and was even better.
After reading it, Ke Mingji was filled with admiration in his heart and secretly felt very impressed.
Prime Minister Ye also nodded in his heart. He had already guessed that this was written by Ye Rong, and he was very satisfied with this fu.
After Ke Mingji finished reading, Zhao Xiu also picked up Tao Yuan's article and began to read.
The ministers were still reminiscing about the poem they had just read. As soon as Zhao Xiu finished reading a short passage, they immediately listened intently, each sentence leaving them marveling at its exquisite beauty. Turning their heads to gaze at the Luojiang River tide, they listened to the verses that reached their ears. Every line of description spoke directly to their hearts, vividly depicting the Luojiang tide. The artistic conception it conveyed gave them a deeper appreciation for the Luojiang River tide.
After Zhao Xiu finished reading, he was unable to recover for a long time. The ministers also felt that they had the ability to remember everything they heard, and every word was still lingering in their ears.
Xiao Junye took a sip of tea and waited for a moment before saying, "The first piece was written by the Emperor, and the second piece was written by the Empress. What do you think, my dear ministers?"
After Xiao Junye spoke, the ministers came back to their senses, but remained silent. No one spoke. Because even the military commanders could tell that Tao Yuan's writing was definitely better.
The military officers were simply waiting for the civil officials to speak, wanting to hear from them who had done a better job and how. The civil officials were almost all led by Prime Minister Ye. Now, the Prime Minister's personally raised grandson's literary talent was actually inferior to that of the empress, who was born into a military family. If they spoke, wouldn't that be a slap in the Prime Minister's face?
Seeing that they were silent, Xiao Junye said expressionlessly, "It's hard to tell which is better between Ke Mingji and Zhao Xiu's works. Are you also unable to tell which is better between these two fu? Or do you know the difference in your hearts but are unwilling to admit it?"
"Your Majesty is worthy of being the grandson of the Prime Minister. Your writing is brilliant and magnificent. However... I believe that your Majesty's work is even better."
"Your Majesty's writings are full of emotion and prose, and every sentence is gripping. I also think that Your Majesty's literary talent is even better."
"So do I."
"We, your servants, agree as well," the ministers said in unison.
Xiao Junye turned to look at Ye Chenxiang, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
"I think that what you have done is grand and exquisite, and your writing is as if inspired by God. It is a masterpiece that can be regarded as a masterpiece. If it is carved on Zhenjiang stone for future generations to admire, it will be a great blessing for future scholars." The Prime Minister stood up and said respectfully.
It was impossible for the ministers to lie with their eyes open in front of Xiao Junye, and the prime minister could not deliberately favor Ye Rong in front of Xiao Junye and the ministers, nor could he give a reason why Ye Rong's writing was better than Tao Yuan's.
"Then just as the Prime Minister said, let's carve the Luojiang Tide Fu written by the Queen on the Zhenjiang stone." Xiao Junye felt inexplicably proud, as if he had humiliated Prime Minister Ye and felt relieved.
If it wasn't too late to alert the enemy, Xiao Junye would have ridiculed them and said that Ye Rong, who was brought up by their Ye family, had evil intentions and didn't use his mind where it should be, so his literary talent was surpassed by Mu Xi, who was born into a family of military generals.
Xiao Junye asked Eunuch Xu to take back Tao Yuan's work. After taking it in his hand and looking at it, he handed it back to him and asked him to keep it properly.
Zhao Xiu was filled with conflict and hesitation. After watching the fu being taken away by Eunuch Xu, he finally mustered up the courage, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my audacity. I earnestly request Your Majesty to grant me the fu "Luojiang Tide" written by the Queen. I will study it day and night to improve myself."
The ministers were all stunned. They did not expect him to make such a request. However, thinking of the words and the content, if they were not written by the queen herself, they would also like to ask for them to be collected. But precisely because it was written by the queen herself, he did not have the courage to ask for it.
Zhao Xiu loved the poem so much that he was filled with admiration and wanted to treasure it. He risked Xiao Junye's anger and tried to ask for it.
Xiao Junye was also stunned for a moment, but he didn't get angry. Instead, he said calmly, "That won't do. This is something the Queen wrote in person, so only I can keep it. But I might allow you to make a copy for yourself."
"...Thank you, Your Majesty." Although Zhao Xiu was still unwilling, he did not dare to continue begging.
Ye Rong's hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched tightly into fists. He had lost again, and this time badly. He felt a mixture of resentment and resentment. How could a mere cannon fodder be such a formidable opponent? If this continued, he would become the Queen Mother, while he would be completely defeated. He couldn't just sit there and wait for death. If he couldn't defeat him, he would have to resort to other methods to defeat him.
Tao Yuan glanced over and just saw a flash of fierceness in Ye Rong's eyes.
………………………………
After watching the tide, Xiao Junye stood up and took everyone back to the royal villa.
When they arrived at the place where the carriage was parked, everyone stood respectfully at the back, waiting for Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan to get on first.
Xiao Junye turned around, extended his hand to Tao Yuan, personally helped Tao Yuan get on the carriage first, and then he got on the carriage himself.
The concubines, ministers and ladies in the back were all stunned when they saw this scene, and then they lowered their eyes with their own thoughts.
Those ministers and ladies of honor only now realized that Xiao Junye treated Tao Yuan and Ye Rong equally not because of Mu Yongsheng, but because his talent and appearance were both superior to Ye Rong's.
Some people speculate that Xiao Junye may like Tao Yuan more, and favors Ye Rong because of the Ye family and Prime Minister Ye.
However, more people think that Xiao Junye likes both of them. After all, both of them are stunningly beautiful and very talented. They think Xiao Junye must be very happy to be able to have two such people at the same time.
After returning to the royal villa, it was almost dark. Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan had dinner together, then washed and changed into sleeping clothes.
Tao Yuan was sitting in front of the dressing mirror while the palace servant was helping him dry his hair and then combing it into a style that would be easier for sleeping at night.
Xiao Junye was leaning on the bed, still reading the fu written by Tao Yuan, as if he could never get enough of it.
Xiao Junye ordered his men to work day and night to carve Tao Yuan's poem "Luojiang Tide" on the Zhenjiang Stone by the river. Even the highest tides never submerged the Zhenjiang Stone. From then on, the poem on the Zhenjiang Stone became another scenic spot for people to admire.
Tao Yuan combed her hair, raised her hand to signal the palace servants to leave, then stood up and walked to Xiao Junye's side.
"Your Majesty, it's still early. May I play a game of chess with you?" Tao Yuan said as he sat down on the other side of the throne.
"Okay, my dear minister, since you are in the mood, I will accompany you." Xiao Junye put the paper into a long flat wooden box, then called Eunuch Xu and asked him to take it away and keep it carefully.
The palace servant brought the chessboard and chess pieces, and the two began to play.
"Your Majesty, a few days ago, my father sent someone to deliver a letter to me. Although my father said in the letter that he was fine and asked me not to worry, I was still a little worried in my heart..." Tao Yuan said at the end, pretending that he wanted to ask more but did not dare to. What he wanted to ask was actually how the war on the border was going, but the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, so he could not ask too directly.
Xiao Junye put down the chess piece, held Tao Yuan's hand and said, "Your father is indeed fine, you don't have to worry."
Tao Yuan looked at Xiao Junye and whispered, "I don't know what I have figured out..."
Xiao Junye nodded, and the two of them looked into each other's eyes. Without any words, they had already communicated what they wanted to say.
Over the past two or three months, Xiao Junye had maintained a close correspondence with Mu Yongsheng, and even sent people to intercept and kill Prince Yu's real spies, and then sent someone to pass on false information to Prince Yu. Everything was going smoothly, and he felt that good news would come soon.
Xiao Junye kneaded Tao Yuan's slender fingers, looked at his fair face and seductive eyes, and felt warm in his heart. He pulled Tao Yuan to stand up, then pulled him into his arms and hugged him.
Tao Yuan leaned on him, the two of them rubbed their ears together and kissed each other from time to time.
Xiao Junye put his hand into Tao Yuan's collar and caressed him, then gently bit and licked his lips.
The night was so quiet that any sound was noticeable. Tao Yuan hummed softly because he was pinched by him, which sounded particularly pleasant to Xiao Junye's ears. In order to hear more of his voice, he used different amounts of force, sometimes lightly and sometimes heavily.
Tao Yuan hugged Xiao Junye's shoulders, and his eyes gradually became blurred.
Xiao Junye picked up Tao Yuan and walked to the bed. "No need to get off. Go to bed early."
Tao Yuan put his arms around his neck and only let go after he put her on the bed.
Xiao Junye kissed Tao Yuan's lips and sucked hard, while taking off his pajamas and stroking him hard.
…………………………………………
The next day, Tao Yuan woke up in Xiao Junye's arms. He half-opened his eyes and looked up, meeting Xiao Junye's gaze. He called out in a daze, "Your Majesty..."
Seeing his cute confused look, Xiao Junye couldn't help but smile. He loved him so much that he kissed him hard on the forehead, then kissed his nose, and then slowly moved down.
Although Xiao Junye did not have to go to court, he did not go to practice martial arts. Although he had woken up a long time ago, he still held Tao Yuan motionlessly. As long as he smelled the fragrance on his body, his body and mind felt particularly comfortable, so he did not want to get up.
The two of them entangled in bed for a while, and then Xiao Junye let the palace maid come in and help them wash up.
Because they were not in the palace, one of them did not have to go to court, and the other did not have to pay respects, so they both proceeded slowly and leisurely.
However, they were not going to stay in the Royal Villa all day today. They also had to go to Luo'an Temple to worship Buddha and have fun. Therefore, the concubines and ministers were up early and waiting, just waiting for Xiao Junye to give the order to set off. However, Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan were not in a hurry. After breakfast, they rested for a while before giving the order to prepare for departure.
Luocheng's prosperity is second only to the Imperial City. Nestled between mountains and rivers, it offers many breathtaking scenery. Luo'an Temple is a renowned temple, attracting many visitors from other places to worship and burn incense for peace. However, this temple is most famous for its patronage of marriage.
Luo'an Temple was very large, and usually attracted many tourists and pilgrims. However, as early as a month ago, they had already begun to clean up every area, and no one was allowed to enter the Luo'an Temple, just waiting for Xiao Junye to come and visit with his concubines and ministers.
There are many plants and trees on the mountain, the air is good, and the plants are well cared for. After Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan finished burning incense, they went to play on the mountain behind.
The host followed Xiao Junye all the way and introduced the scenic spots in various places on the mountain to him.
I walked to a relatively empty stone floor, with only two large trees in the middle, their trunks connected. The trunks were tied with red knots, and the area was surrounded by a wooden fence.
Xiao Junye stood with his hands behind his back, looked up at the two large trees with lush branches and leaves, and asked, "What kind of trees are these?"
"Your Majesty," the host replied after bowing, "This is the Husband and Wife Tree. Newlyweds often come here to worship it. It blesses those who are sincere in their hearts to be together forever and live together forever."
"Oh?" Xiao Junye was quite interested and asked, "How do you worship?"
"Write the couple's names on red paper, place it in a brazier and burn it with wine. Once it's reduced to ashes, bury it in the ground. Then, remove the two small pieces of the red knot, and tie the red rope around your wrists for nine days."
"The Queen and I have been married for less than half a year, so let's just consider it our newlyweds." Xiao Junye turned sideways, looked at Tao Yuan, and said, "My dear, are you willing to grow old with me?"
Xiao Junye asked this in front of so many people, which made Tao Yuan stunned for a moment, and then he said, "To grow old with Your Majesty is my lifelong wish."
"Xu Ming." Xiao Junye turned around and called out.
"I'm here." Eunuch Xu hurried forward and responded.
"Go prepare everything." Xiao Junye ordered, "The wine must be the best."
"Yes." After paying his respects, Eunuch Xu immediately turned around and left quickly to ask someone to prepare what Xiao Junye wanted.
The concubines looked at each other, and the ministers looked at each other, and there was surprise in everyone's eyes.
Although the Empress was the Emperor's legal wife, and there was nothing wrong with them wanting to grow old together, the phrase "合翼连枝" (like wings connected to branches) meant that both husband and wife had to survive together; neither could survive without the other. The Emperor was the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. How could he die without his other half?
Moreover, all the concubines were here, especially Ye Rong, the royal noble, who was standing not far behind Tao Yuan. The ministers felt that Xiao Junye did this without considering Ye Rong's emotions and Prime Minister Ye's mood at all.
"Your Majesty," a minister stepped forward, bowed, and advised, "This Husband and Wife Tree is an object of prayer for common couples. Your Majesty is the True Dragon Son of Heaven, and the Queen is the True Phoenix Emperor's wife. I'm afraid it's inappropriate to use this common object to pray."
"What's wrong with that?" Xiao Junye said, "Although it's something a common couple prays for, it only works if it's effective. Furthermore, it receives incense from the temple ahead and is often worshipped. It's possible it's already cultivated."
"Having said that, in the end..."
"What? You also have objections to my wish to grow old with the king and queen?" Xiao Junye interrupted him with an unhappy expression and a serious tone.
"That was not my intention. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." The minister immediately knelt down and said.
"Then stop talking nonsense!" Xiao Junye looked like he would not allow anyone to refute him, and he would get angry if anyone tried to persuade him again.
So the ministers did not dare to persuade him anymore.
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