Zhou Yihan looked a little restrained, but it was not just an act as he usually did, he was really holding his breath subconsciously. The girl who was supported out was obviously only seventeen or eighteen years old, her facial features were gentle, but her eyes were deep, her temperament was as quiet and silent as a deep valley, giving people an unpredictable coldness.
She was dressed in plain white clothes, silk socks and black shoes.
There was a jade pendant hanging from her waist, but it was not as complicated as those worn by ordinary noble ladies. There was no golden hairpin or golden thread, only a black wooden hairpin to hold her hair together, which added to her plainness. When his eyes swept over her, there was an indescribable weight that made Zhou Yihan, who was used to being surrounded by wolves and tigers since childhood, nervous.
The girl flipped through the letter Zhou Yihan brought, and saw the words written on it. It briefly described a magical power called [The Method of Round Light Revealing Form], and also talked about the importance of the Seventh Prince. The handwriting of the young Taoist was simple, and his words were concise and to the point. He said that the Seventh Prince must not die. If he died, the world would be in chaos, monsters would invade the border, the military spirit would be low, and there would be a great defeat.
As for how to save Li Zhai, it can be answered in eight simple words.
【Hold it by name】
[Forced by force]
He then mentioned that if the emperor released Li Zhai, he had a message for Li Zhai.
Li Qiongyu put the letter away, her expression unchanged, she just smiled and said, "Thank you for the trip, young lady."
"No trouble, no trouble."
"It was just a coincidence. I have to thank the Taoist priest for not being angry."
Zhou Yihan took the initiative to mention the young Taoist priest he met.
Li Qiongyu raised her eyes slightly and said, "I don't know where I met him."
Zhou Yihan could not tell any joy or anger on Li Qiongyu's face. That face was like a statue carved out of fine white jade, and her eyes were like black gemstones, looking at her calmly. So Zhou Yihan did not dare to embellish anything, and had to tell her exactly how she met the young Taoist and how she was appointed by him.
Li Qiongyu sat there quietly, like a dignified mountain god.
The fair palm was covered by the wide sleeves of the white robe, and only the index finger tapped lightly on the table.
"I see……"
Li Qiongyu's voice paused slightly, and then said:
"So, Miss Zhou came here to ask for a way out for the Zhou family of Runan, right?"
Zhou Yihan paused slightly. She had not said these things before, or rather, such things were hidden deep in her heart and could not be said unless it was a life-and-death situation. She had not mentioned it before, but it was revealed by the woman in front of her. She could not help but paused slightly.
Li Qiongyu said: "Miss Zhou, you don't have to make any more choices. You can stay in the Qin Palace first."
"In the short term, nothing will happen to you, and nothing will happen to the Zhou family either."
But at this moment, the woman in green came here in a hurry again, and looked at Li Qiongyu, her face slightly losing her previous calmness. Zhou Yihan saw that her face was slightly pale, and the light in her eyes was shaking violently, but her reaction was stronger than when he told her that it was the young Taoist priest.
One is happy.
And now at this moment, it is pure shock.
Zhou Yihan quickly retracted her eyes, her face full of harmlessness and innocence, like someone who had fallen into an unfamiliar environment and was helpless and ignorant about everything, which made people not be on guard. Li Qiongyu glanced at her and called the green-clothed woman to come in. The green-clothed maid whispered a few words in Li Qiongyu's ear, her hands trembling slightly, and Li Qiongyu's eyes were calm.
"Miss Zhou, are you deciding whether to marry the Seventh Prince?"
"Why don't you go sit behind the screen for a while."
Zhou Yihan was stunned.
Seeing that Li Qiongyu's eyes were calm, there were ripples: "The Seventh Prince is just outside the door."
Zhou Yihan: “!!!!”
The seventh prince Li Zhai wore a hood to hide his thin face like a sick tiger. At dusk, he was brought into the Qin Palace by the servants holding red lanterns. After he was released, he staggered out and saw that the mansion, which had been sealed off with layers of blockades, was empty except for some money placed in a conspicuous place.
However, after leaving here, Li Zhai did not leave quickly as the emperor expected.
Instead, he went straight to the Prince Qin's Palace.
Under the setting sun, the red lanterns revealed a blood-like hue. Li Zhai walked to the lobby. When the door was opened, he saw the girl sitting at the top, still dressed in white with eyes as bright as stars. The two looked at each other, and Li Qiongyu's eyes rippled slightly. He said, "Seventh Brother."
"Qiong Yu, it's amazing that you can still recognize me."
"I was scared to death when I looked at myself in the mirror. Hahaha, what a horrible look this is."
Li Zhai laughed loudly and took off the hood used by military strategists. His face, which was originally full of vigor, had long been thin due to the illness in his heart, revealing the traces of cheekbones. However, his eyes were particularly cold and bright. He sat on a stool at the side, glanced at the cup of tea on the table, and said concisely without saying much:
"It was the Emperor who released me."
"He said he had his reasons and things he had to do to be in his position."
"I half believe what he said, because the best lies are always half true and half false, which is easier to deceive people."
"I was stunned. I didn't even know what was true and what was false. My father was really an actor. What a pity!"
Li Zhai laughed a few times, then sighed: "But, some things are true..."
Li Qiongyu did not say anything. She knew that Li Zhai came here just to explain some things. Li Zhai held the tea and was silent for a long time. He said, "I don't know what happened back then, or what the internal affairs were like, but I know that you came here to avenge your father and to clear his grievances. The ambitions of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, and the fourth brother's tactics, are all true."
"It is also true that the emperor's reputation has been reduced."
"That is to say, there is already a possibility of chaos."
"Hey, the envoys from the surrounding small countries saw me being arrested and thrown into prison. They are always short-sighted. I'm afraid there are hidden dangers at the border. No matter how many things the emperor said are wrong, there is one thing that is true. Once there is chaos in the country, the border will be lost. When the two are intertwined, there will be chaos and the people will suffer."
"I can't just leave this alone."
"Is it okay? No."
"Even though I guessed in my heart that he came to me to win me over and create confusion, and that he might just want the situation to be simpler and more under his control, so he asked me to leave the capital, I had to obey his arrangements. There was no way to avoid it. This was an open conspiracy. Even if I knew his purpose, there was nothing I could do."
Li Zhai drank the tea in big gulps and said:
"Your seventh brother is not a smart man, but I know that military strategy is not about fighting for the throne and becoming an emperor."
"It's about protecting the country and the people."
"Being an emperor? I have no interest in that. It would be more interesting for me to sit on a dirt pile on the grassland and watch the border residents pick up the dried cow dung and bring it back to burn for firewood than to sit on that chair."
"Besides, I don't have the brains for it."
The leader of the military strategists closed his eyes, as if he had seen the scenery at the border, and murmured: "I will be stationed at the border. As long as I am alive, I will not let the demons and other countries invade the border. But... please do not stir up chaos. Do not let countless people and soldiers lose their fathers just because you lost their father. Qiong Yu, this is my only request."
Li Zhai opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned forward. His eyes looked at the girl at the top calmly, but there was also an indescribable sharpness in them.
Once Li Qiongyu makes other choices.
He would kill her within seven steps.
At this moment, the leader of the military strategists, beyond the grand military situation, seemed to have begun to understand other schools of thought.
It's not just the youthful passion anymore, it's the kingly military strategy of using force to overwhelm the enemy.
The situation will be stabilized by force, and the country will not be in chaos, and it will be handed over to the Fourth Prince, and he will guard the border for the rest of his life.
Li Qiongyu looked at him and said quietly: "I swear."
"It will contain Ah Feng."
Li Zhai looked at her steadily, and the military leader's [Mirror Heart Method] reflected Li Qiongyu's heart.
So he scratched his head, just like the simple and honest man he was in Zhongzhou before everything happened, he laughed a few times and said, "Ah Feng listens to you the most, I believe you, then, Seventh Brother, I will leave, you can claim the throne and empress, I am afraid that I will not be able to add the title of "King" to my name after my death."
"It's good to be just a general until death."
Li Zhai waved his hand and stood up.
Li Qiongyu said: "Seventh Brother."
Li Zhai smiled and said, "Hmm? What's wrong, girl?"
Li Qiongyu said: "A Taoist priest I know well asked me to say something to you."
"Um?"
“Actions speak louder than words, and partial listening leads to ignorance.”
Li Zhai's eyes changed slightly.
Li Qiongyu said: "If Seventh Brother wants to know what happened back then, you might as well take the Jinzhou route when you go to the border."
Li Zhai recalled the emperor's words in his mind, narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded, and said concisely: "I will." He put on his hood again and walked out slowly. Li Qiongyu said in a soothing tone: "Miss Zhou, come out."
Zhou Yihan walked out from behind the screen, her face slightly pale.
Li Qiongyu said: "The emperor released him, so he won't do anything to your Zhou family."
"But, what are you going to choose?"
Zhou Yihan gritted her teeth. Between being the fourth prince's number one wife or concubine, and accompanying a man who was recognized as a hero to the border and never coming back, it seemed easy to choose, but it also seemed extremely difficult. Finally, she said, "I am willing to accompany the seventh prince..."
Li Qiongyu raised her eyes and said calmly, "It's a good decision."
"Then Miss Zhou, why don't you give me the seal of the Zhou family's envoy."
She smiled slightly.
When he smiled, he was not as cold as usual. He said:
"No matter who wins or loses in the end, the Zhou family will be safe."
If the Fourth Prince wins, Zhou Yihan is the Seventh Prince's wife, and because of their brotherly love and the importance of the border, her Zhou family will not be completely liquidated; if the King of Qin wins, then the Zhou family will be the great contributors who assisted the King of Qin in his fight, and the Zhou family can be safe, and she herself will be in a safe position no matter what.
Zhou Yihan looked at the cold and elegant beauty in front of him and said word by word:
"The King of Qin can also have the most valuable first aid when his power is at its weakest, right?"
Li Qiongyu asked: "So, what is your decision?"
Zhou Yihan took out a seal and gently placed it on the table, then she exhaled, turned around and left the Prince of Qin's Mansion, and then she rode a fast horse and chased after the Seventh Prince. Li Qiongyu held the Zhou family's seal in her hand, looking at the sunset outside, her shoulders thin and her eyes gentle. She took out the letter and gently brushed across the words left by the young Taoist.
The girl from the Zhou family, who appeared gentle on the outside but was decisive on the inside, was caught by the military leader who was an expert in anti-tracking.
The little face turned pale and said, "Stop, stop, stop!"
"No, don't kill me."
Li Zhai, like a sick tiger, said coldly: "If I hadn't sensed your aura at Qiong Yu's place just now, you would have died under my sword. Tell me, who are you?"
"I, I'm your fiancée!"
Li Zhai's expression froze: "Huh?!!"
"I, I'm from the Zhou family. I'm here to accompany you to the border."
"What?!!"
Li Zhai looked up and down at the weak girl, sneered, put away his weapon, and guessed that Qiong Yu was worried about him.
So he said lazily: "If you are not afraid of death, just follow me."
Historians are always fond of the legend of the brave and mighty King who rose from desperate situations. In an era when the imperial throne was shaken, this hero, who was extremely talented among military strategists of all dynasties, chose to retreat bravely, gave up the opportunity to sit on the highest position, and rushed to the border. However, storytellers from all walks of life are fond of the story of the mighty King and his queen.
The mighty king, who was once willful and romantic, fell in love with the descendants of Zhou who were overthrown by his ancestors eight thousand years ago.
That legendary event was compiled into countless stories and circulated in teahouses and restaurants in later generations.
These stories are always denounced by historians as romantic and unofficial histories.
But even the most rigorous historian must admit this.
To the mighty king who was so skilled in the battlefield and had never retreated a single step, the girl who appeared in his most miserable and lowest period of life was of great importance. She enabled the mighty king, whose martial arts had been abolished, whose mind was severely wounded, and who was as violent as a sick tiger, to return to the right path.
No matter what its original purpose was, at the end of the story, it is like a wisp of wind passing over the battlefield, or a colorful ribbon tied on the robe of the mighty king, and it is the most important existence that cannot be ignored.
The king is brave and mighty, but his wife is of childless origin, so it is difficult for him to have children.
The king never remarried.
——《The World's Famous Generals·Human Race·The Brave and Mighty King》
On the second day, the Emperor held a grand court meeting. This was the first large-scale court meeting after the Crown Prince was deposed.
After the crown prince was deposed, the whole world was changing subtly. Even the ministers in the court and the aristocratic families of the five surnames and seven clans were subconsciously choosing new supporters. In the end, they mainly gathered into two factions, one was the fourth prince Li Hui, and the other was the King of Qin Li Weifeng.
One recognized the title and power of the Fourth Prince, while the other recognized the power and title of the King of Qin, as well as the guilt he felt for what happened back then.
Even today, there is a clear distinction between civil and military officials.
"Go to court, all officials come to see the emperor!"
Accompanied by a very loud voice, all the officials, the King of Qin, and the Fourth Prince entered.
The emperor sat on the high throne, his face pale. He nodded slightly and signaled the eunuch leader on the side to read the imperial edict. Then, after a period of silence, a voice slowly said, "The crown prince has no morals and violated the country. He should be demoted. Now, the fourth prince Hui is young and talented, with both literary and martial virtues. Now, he is appointed as the crown prince!"
Then a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Fourth Prince Li Hui, and many civil and military officials were beaming with joy.
In the first imperial edict.
The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes and remained silent.
He ordered the Seventh Prince to leave, stabilized people's hearts and military borders, suppressed the Crown Prince, supported the Fourth Prince as the Crown Prince, suppressed the King of Qin, and liquidated the families that supported the King of Qin. In the end, the borders were still guarded by the princes, and the Fourth Prince was the Crown Prince, so he had no reason to oppose the current emperor. The emperor used methods to win over and divide, downplay, cultivate an heir, and stabilize the country.
But at this time, the eunuch took out the second imperial edict!
He said: "Today, Li Weifeng, the Prince of Qin, is promoted from the second rank prince to the first rank prince."
"Give me the sword and shoes to go to the palace."
"You can enter the court without bowing!"
The civil and military officials behind Li Weifeng, the noble families were also delighted, but the old prime minister suddenly opened his eyes, in disbelief, his scalp tingling, feeling the tit-for-tat between the crown prince and the King of Qin, and the division of the civil and military officials, his heart was chilled, this, this was not just a means of division, suppression, and winning over the emperor, this, this was for...
The old prime minister raised his head, and all the civil and military officials behind the King of Qin and the Crown Prince were excited.
It’s not that they can’t see the danger, but their attention is now drawn to the extremely bright future.
People die for money, and birds die for food.
The emperor sat high up, on the cold throne, holding the throne with both hands, his eyes lowered, and the beads of the twelve tassels of the crown spread out, covering his eyes and his face, making it unclear. It was as if he was overlooking everything, and everything was under his control.