The Time of Cloud Order
Five years. During these five years, under the leadership of Li Lin, Chen Yun and a group of wise ministers and brave generals, the Qiankun Kingdom created an unprecedented prosperous era and was extremely prosperous, which was recognized by foreign history books as the reign of Yunling.
During these five years, Chen Ying gave birth to the fifth princess, Li Meixian, and Li Jinye, who were respectively canonized as Princess Yuehai and Prince Haowen. However, Zhen Yin's daughter was not canonized and was secretly fostered in the Ye Ting Palace by her wet nurse, Madam Lin Shen, whom he frequently visited. In other words, Chen Ying now had the eldest son, Li Ziyin; the eldest princess, Li Xin; the fourth prince, Li Shengxi; the fifth princess, Li Meixian; and the ninth prince, Li Jinye.
Among other concubines, Yan Ruoxi gave birth to the eighth prince Li Jie and was canonized as King Yue.
The real Yang Ya has been found. In order to consolidate the relationship with the previous dynasty and control the activities of the remnants of the previous dynasty, he took the initiative to have sex with Yang Ya and canonized her as a concubine. A week earlier than Yan Ruoxi, he gave birth to the seventh prince Li An, and his son was canonized as King Chang Yan.
The eldest prince Li Mingqing was arranged by Li Lin to be a vassal in the frontier at a young age, which led his biological mother Wei Ningshuang to suspect that Chen Yun and Zhen Yin did it on purpose.
As for the Sixth Princess, she was the daughter of Lan Xixi who died of illness far away from home and was adopted by Chen Yan. Considering their past relationship, she was adopted as Chen Yan's daughter, renamed Li Lan, and canonized as Princess Yuzhang.
As for outside the court, Chen Feng fought everywhere, taking on all sorts of dishonorable things for the court, dealing with corrupt officials in various places, and dealing with all sorts of people with evil intentions in the palace, sharing a lot of trouble for Li Lin, and was deeply loved by Li Lin. Therefore, Chen Feng's free access to Kunning Palace was already something Li Lin tacitly approved.
That evening, Chen Yun and Li Lin were sailing on a boat on a lotus pond, releasing river lanterns. Though small, the glow accumulated into a luminous glow that illuminated the entire pond. Li Lin glanced sideways at Chen Yun and gently lifted his hair to prevent it from falling into the water.
When the lamp in his hand was released, Chen Ying looked back at Li Lin with a knowing smile.
At this time, Chen Feng and Shi Qiqi came over with Li Jinye, a baby of average size who was crying for food.
The two boats came together, and Chen Ying stepped forward to take over Li Jinye.
"Yingying, the more I look at this child, the more he looks like you! He will definitely be very beautiful when he grows up." Chen Feng joked and teased the child in his arms.
Li Lin was unhappy and said jealously: "I find that you two are more like a family."
Chen Feng realized that Li Lin was jealous and quickly explained, "We are family. Ah... I am the Queen's brother! Why are you jealous? But it's because Zhinu is so adorable that I got a little closer. Look how much it looks like your love masterpiece!"
Li Lin lifted Li Jinye up, looked at his round eyes and chubby face, and slightly suppressed his uneasiness: "Uncle, when there are no outsiders between us, there is no need for so many etiquette. But..."
At this moment, Chen Yun pretended to cry: "So, Second Brother doesn't like the fact that this young slave looks like me?"
Seeing Chen Yun's fake tears that looked like real tears, Li Lin was really afraid that she would cry, so he immediately hugged Li Jinye and said, "Ah! No, I! I...you and I are the masterpiece of love! Just like the princes and princesses, they all look like you. Look at Zhinu, she is so much like you, well-educated, kind-hearted, gentle and virtuous! When she grows up, she will definitely be able to assist Ziyin well! That's great!"
Chen Feng said on the side: "The Ninth Prince is a boy, you are using the words to describe..."
But Chen Yun immediately stopped crying. She touched Li Jinye's little hand and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, it's our masterpiece! Right! Ye'er, Aye is so cute, right?"
Chen Feng instantly realized he had come to the wrong place and quickly ordered the boat to leave. Shi Qiqi, who was standing by, smiled and said, "The Emperor and the Empress are truly in love."
When they reached the lake, Chen Feng sighed and said, "Even though I'm in love, there's rarely a chance for me to sleep with you in the harem."
Shi Qiqi said in surprise, "Wow! I'm in love with you. Do you really love me so much? Or do you want to take a second wife?"
"I want to accept it, but I'm afraid it will get into a heated fight like the Fourth Lady here."
"Oh? How is it in full swing?"
Chen Feng held Shi Qiqi's hand and said, "I'll take you to the back garden and you'll understand. It's more interesting than the storybook."
Arriving at the back garden of the palace, illuminated by candlelight, one can see Zhen Yin, Wei Ningshuang, Yan Ruoxi and Yin Banluo sitting under a pavilion, enjoying desserts and tea in this summer.
Zhen Yin said, "The Queen has asked the four of us to prepare for next month's Beijing Lantern Festival. Do you have any suggestions?"
Yan Ruoxi asked coldly: "I don't think Concubine Zhen Shu should intervene. Ah, sister, I'm not here to quarrel, but to consider your status so that you won't be impeached by the officials."
Wei Ningshuang said, "I really can't understand. The Zhen family, as a great family, actually disregarded the family's reputation and married the enemy who killed her husband and son. Do you really think that the clan will be safe and sound? I am different. I have no choice but to do it. Since I have the choice, why should I be so humble?"
Zhen Yin sipped a cup of tea and said, "Thank you, Concubine Wei, for your guidance. I just want to make sure the people of Qiankun Kingdom don't get into trouble because of the war. This kind of trouble... is better than having my ex-husband send troops to attack..."
Wei Ningshuang's eyes widened. Zhen Yin continued, "Or mobilizing a large number of people to serve someone..."
Yan Ruoxi raised one side of her face, and Zhen Yin continued, "Is it better to kill the prince's family?"
This one sentence directly offended all three of them, but Yin Banluo endured the insult and said sharply, "Yes, yes, yes, if a woman cannot observe the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, she will be suspected of remarrying, and children in their cradles will be sent away or imprisoned..."
Zhen Yin and Wei Ningshuang glared at Yin Banluo at the same time, thinking, "She's talking about me!"
"They can only cling to the rich and powerful, and their status depends on their children!"
Yan Ruoxi directly retorted: "But fortunately, having your Majesty's heir is better than having nothing. It also means that your Majesty still loves me."
Wei Ningshuang slapped the table with one hand, but said gently: "Let's not talk nonsense. Aren't we talking about planning the lantern festival?" Then she saw Chen Feng in the distance, "I found a good idea." Then Wei Ningshuang notified the people around her.
On the other side, Chen Feng and Shi Qiqi stood in the distance and watched the four people.
"Second marriages are suspected, and children as young as 12 or 18 years old are sent away or imprisoned?"
Chen Feng sighed and said, "It's not suspicion, it's taboo. As you know, Concubine Zhen Shu is the principal wife of Prince Yin, so just like Concubine Wei, any child not born by her will definitely be separated or controlled."
"So it was actually caused by a misunderstanding between the concubines? My ex-husband sent troops to fight, mobilized the army to serve someone, and killed the prince's family. What's going on?"
"It was Concubine Wei's ex-husband, Emperor Xuanyuan, who led his troops into the country to deal with the case of Concubine Yan Xian's family. And five years ago, the Seventh Prince Li Yuanfeng was murdered by Concubine Yin De's father."
"So bringing it up now has delayed the work the Queen arranged. What's the point? It's more comfortable for the four concubines to manage the harem well than to engage in intrigue every day. Why don't they understand?"
A palace maid came to Chen Feng and said, "Master Changsun, the four masters want to see you."
Chen Feng said, "Okay, let's go and greet them! Don't talk nonsense. The four of them are very powerful."
When they arrived at the pavilion, Chen Feng and Shi Qiqi bowed, and then Wei Ningshuang spoke.
"Master Changsun, the Queen has assigned the four of us to plan the Summer Lantern Festival. Here are four plans for us. Which one do you think is most suitable?"
Chen Feng felt a little regretful coming here. He hesitated for a moment before picking it up to read.
After looking at it for a long time, Chen Feng put it down and said, "Why choose one? The Queen asked the four concubines to plan it. The meaning is obvious at a glance, which is to pool the wisdom of all. If you all have your opinions combined, then there is no need to distinguish between you and me."
However, Zhen Yin persisted. "I asked you to choose one, and you're trying to reason with me? What's the point of you?"
Chen Feng smiled slightly and said, "Oh, the four ladies' aesthetic tastes are already higher than mine. At a glance, they shine like the sun. I and your wife are rough people and have never touched upon what beauty is."
Wei Ningshuang said, "In short, it's about integrating all the characteristics! Lord Changsun, go back first. We can also see the beauty of each."
Zhen Yin: "In that case, let's go back and arrange for the servants to work."
Chen Feng and Shi Qiqi separated to two sides, leaving a passage for the four concubines and their maids to leave.
At noon the next day, Wei Ningshuang went to her bedroom, and her father and mother entered.
Father Wei said, "Ningshuang, everything you ordered has been arranged."
Wei Ningshuang immediately poured two cups of tea and said, "Come on, have some tea. Mom and Dad have worked hard too!"
Mother Wei: "No, no. If it weren't for you, we would have been prisoners long ago. Xuanyuan Haonan was incompetent, but thanks to our ancestors' blessing, you made a mistake and became a concubine."
Father Wei said: "Yes, I have set up a household in the town next to the capital. I can still find the troops and connections you need."
"Thank you, Mom and Dad. We are finally a family. It's a pity Qingming is not here."
Wei's father said, "It's normal for the emperor to be wary of Qingming. After all, he's not his own son. But you, on the other hand, need to be favored as soon as possible and give birth to an heir to win his heart."
"My daughter not only knows this truth, but also knows that people in the palace cannot be trusted. Especially those three people."
At the same time, in the garden on the other side, Yan Ruoxi waved her folding fan to show her martial arts, and Li Feifei came to her side.
"Xianfei, I have already ordered the Twelve Armies to carry out the assigned mission as requested."
Yan Ruoxi said as she danced, "Just find a few people, right? There's no need to get so many people."
"You wanted to unite us into a group and support each other. Of course we agreed. We absolutely cannot allow the power of the three concubines to overthrow the court."
"General Li, I don't have much sense of justice to speak of. I just want to survive. You know how many people in the imperial court have the Twelve Cavalry Generals offended? My family cannot avoid being liquidated, so we must have rights."
Li Feifei smiled and grabbed Yan Ruoxi's hand, stopping her, then took out the military contract. "I finally got the military contract for the Yan Mansion. Now you can focus on dealing with the concubines in the harem."
Yan Ruoxi quickly took the military contract and looked at it again and again, then hugged Li Feifei excitedly.
At the same time, Yin Banluo was writing calligraphy and painting in the bedroom. The person who came to the bedroom door was Yin Banluo's brother Yin Afen.
"Sister, everything is done."
"Great. Next, we need to attract Tufan's resources to Qiankun for our use."
"No need to bother, we're already doing it."
Yin Banluo stood up in ecstasy and walked to Yin Afen, "Aren't you afraid of being executed?"
"You are not respected or given any status as a female official in Yanyou Country, and you are subject to Kakaroso's surveillance in Tufan Country. You are only respected in Qiankun Country, so of course you have to find a way to consolidate your position."
Yin Panluo said: "Brother, from now on, Panluo will definitely help you rise again."
Yin Afen patted her lightly and smiled slightly.
An hour later, in the inner palace of the Ye Ting, Zhen Yin's five-year-old daughter, Li Wanniang, was being taught by a scholar in the study. Zhen Yin sat quietly beside her, as graceful and elegant as Shuyun, her figure soft and gentle, her eyes drooping as if about to cry, her face pointed at the bottom and round at the top, her face slender and her figure curvy, a beauty still, her noble aura still unconcealed even in her seclusion.
The scholar was only a new ninth-rank official in the Hongwen Academy, but secretly belonged to the Zhen family. Emerging from the shadows was none other than Zhen A-dan, Duke of Ni, the father of Zhen Yin.
"Your arrangements have been made. Do you have anything else to do?"
"I need an assassin. Liu Heida once overpowered all the famous generals of Qiankun Kingdom and the Twelve Cavalry, but was unfortunately killed by Li Lin. His son Liu Yan has a legitimate reason to be a master, so we can send him. Dad, please contact him."
"You are now Consort Zhen Shu, how dare you rebel?"
"Dad, are you worried about me, your daughter?"
"My daughter is dead. Now I only have the notorious imperial concubine. Please do not mistake your noble status for someone else's."
"So are you helping or not?"
"If it's your order, Concubine Shu, of course I'll help. But if it's a matter that threatens the royal family and involves lives, I'll give it careful consideration."
"Now that you've chosen to betray Jian Cheng, you no longer want to be kind to others."
Zhen Ah Dan sighed deeply, then said, "Five years ago, I told you that if you wanted revenge, the Zhen family would help you. But we will also take care of everything from food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and education."
Zhen Yin raised her hand to stop him, then said, "The four concubines are all trying to secretly carve out their own power. I don't believe Li Lin will always be a good emperor. Sooner or later, he will be monopolized by these forces. When the beasts die, the birds and beasts enjoy. We are just getting there early."
At the same time, on the other side, Chen Ying picked up the brush in the study of Kunning Palace and wrote on the paper. Chen Ying leaned back and took a deep breath. Nanny Ming beside him picked up the small bottle and asked Chen Ying to absorb it.
"Now, the concubines in the harem have their own ulterior motives. It's time to prepare some concubines to replace these people."
Hearing Chen Yun say this, Nanny Ming asked, "Your Majesty, the four concubines all have powerful forces behind them. How can we quell these forces without affecting the people?"
"Desire, alienation, hatred, I wonder if the harem was the same before, but in these peaceful and prosperous times, we absolutely cannot mobilize a large force. So we can only attack the heart. Alas, but I don't know how to start. As rebellious as I am, I am much more restrained now. Humph! So I can only write this history to reflect on it."
Then he started writing again.
Li Lin wandered around the study in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
"Eunuch Li, how does my queen treat me? As a third party, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, I have been blinded by your love and affection. Furthermore, I have been very careful with the affairs of the court and have devoted much effort to the affairs of the harem."
Li Lin nodded in agreement and said, "Yes! The harem has not been peaceful in recent years. But the concubines have done nothing wrong. Only the Queen has gone against the grain and restricted the relatives of the emperor. Moreover, the Queen's words are truly beneficial to me!"
Li Lin couldn't help laughing, then quickly walked to the desk, picked up a pen and wrote:
The pen of history examines the past and present, the moon shines on your collar and the sun shines on you.
You are worried about the palace and planning good strategies, while you are thinking about the orchid's heart reflected in the red candle.
Chen Ying wrote:
In the past, women's words were unheard of. Empress Lü's rise to power wasn't solely due to her cruelty; it was also due to Emperor Gaozu's abandonment of his wife and his failure to rein in his relatives. This led to the massacre of concubines, the alienation of his sons, the conflict between the Liu and Lü clans, and the extinction of the Lü clan. The shadows on the palace walls depict the Lü clan's control over key positions. If they weren't reined in soon, the empire would be in jeopardy.
Li Lin wrote:
There is no need to fear the turbulence in the harem, the red candle can break through thousands of layers of darkness.
I wish to turn into thunder to protect the phoenix curtain, and accompany the phoenix's singing every morning.
Chen Ying wrote:
Now I have the honor of becoming the queen. I hope I will do everything right, learn from history, and work together with important ministers to help relieve your worries.
Li Lin wrote:
Since ancient times, beautiful women have been wise, and today's virtuous queen is more beautiful than a stunning beauty.
I wish we could fly into the sky together and guard the mountains and rivers together as we grow older.
When Chen Yun put down his pen, the old man's voice came from outside the door. "I didn't expect that your every move and gesture has already made you look like a phoenix."
The brush slipped from Chen Yun's fingers. She stared blankly at the old man with white hair and a youthful face outside the door. An old man walked into the room. Chen Yun stood up in surprise and shouted, "Master!"
That’s right, this person is Shoucheng.
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