Chang'an, Eastern Palace.

The summer is hot, plum trees are sinking and melons are floating. The low-lying Taiji Temple is particularly damp and hot this year. The steps of the corridor are covered with moss, and a thin layer of water vapor on the Capricorn-patterned tiles reflects the wet light.

Amid the noisy cicada sounds, the eunuch led a dusty young man in a green official robe through the winding corridors and arrived in front of the study.

There was already a eunuch waiting at the doorstep. Upon hearing the footsteps, he came forward with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Du, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been waiting for a long time."

Du Sinan didn't even look at the eunuch, nodded, and walked in with an arrogant attitude.

The eunuch kept smiling.

Over the past year, Du Sinan, a scholar from a poor family in Southern Chu, has made many great contributions. He defended Jincheng, killed the Northern Rong spies, and was sent as an envoy to Southern Chu and Western Shu. With his understanding of the courts of various countries and his eloquence, he forced Southern Chu and Wei to sign an alliance, which relieved Wei's worries. Therefore, he was summoned by Li De many times. Every time he was summoned, he could answer fluently, which pleased Li De very much. He promoted him many times. He rose rapidly, and in a blink of an eye, he had been promoted from a white-clothed scholar to a secretary of the Central Secretariat, participating in the discussion of memorials and drafting imperial edicts, and became the most trusted confidant of Emperor Li De.

Hearing that Du Sinan was still unmarried, the noble families in the capital vied with each other to hire official matchmakers to propose marriage, hoping to take this new noble as their son-in-law. Even Zheng Xianggong, one of the prime ministers, expressed his intention to personally act as a matchmaker for him. Everyone in the court was envious, but Du Sinan rejected all the official matchmakers who proposed marriage, saying that he was from a humble family and did not dare to marry into a noble family.

The eunuch did not understand the undercurrents in the court, but he had followed Li Xuanzhen for many years after all. Judging from the usual words and deeds of the father and son, they obviously relied more on officials from humble backgrounds. Du Sinan was now in the emperor's favor and was highly valued. No matter how cold and arrogant he was, the eunuch would not offend him.

For these lowly eunuchs, when to praise someone and when to ignore someone depended solely on the attitude of the emperor and the crown prince; everything else was none of their business.

There are several lush pomegranate trees in front of the window, and their open crowns cover half of the courtyard. There is a dark green in front of the window screen, and the light in the house is dim.

Du Sinan walked straight inside, passed several large floor-to-ceiling screens inlaid with mica, and arrived in front of the piano room.

The aroma of tea wafted in the air, and hot steam hung in the air. The little waiter knelt beside and pulled the small bellows, and red tongues of flame swayed in front of the stove.

Li Xuanzhen was leaning against the couch, his face calm and his eyes dark. He was dressed in the crown prince's uniform. The round-necked robe was crisp and wide, and the waist was cinched with a brocade belt, outlining his slender curves. He was much thinner than the last time Du Sinan saw him.

The prince has changed a lot over the past year.

In the past, he was kind to his subordinates, led the troops on the battlefield, never abandoned any soldier, was gentle and tolerant, and treated everyone with courtesy. However, he could not hide the gloom in his heart, and always tried to harm the Seventh Princess and the Second Prince. Moreover, as a hero cannot resist the temptation of beauty, he often did some incredible things for Princess Fukang, and even disregarded his own life, which attracted the attention of ministers in the court.

Now, Princess Fukang has disappeared, the Seventh Princess died outside the Great Wall, the Second Prince lost everything and left Beijing for the Great Wall, Empress Xie lives alone outside the palace, going crazy and stupid, the Third and Fourth Princes were imprisoned by Li De on charges of colluding with foreign enemies, the Crown Prince has taken revenge, his beloved has left him, his position as Crown Prince has been consolidated, and he seems to have become peaceful and stable, no longer fickle, and no longer hostile to the Xie family.

The ministers in the court were very pleased.

Du Sinan's eyes swept across Li Xuanzhen's handsome face and sneered in his heart: When a pot of water is about to boil, it hisses, but after it boils, the sound will become softer. The prince has not become calmer.

He bowed his head and saluted Li Xuanzhen.

Li Xuanzhen made a move to stand up but did not accept his greeting.

Du Sinan sat down and thought to himself that the Crown Prince was courteous and humble, and it was not an exaggeration, but the Crown Prince was also ruthless and cruel, too. At that time, the Crown Prince mistakenly thought that he was the second prince Li Zhongqian's man, and immediately killed him. This determination was definitely not that of a soft-hearted person.

Opposite Li Xuanzhen sat a young official with delicate features, also wearing a blue official robe similar to Du Sinan's. He was the prime minister's son Zheng Jing. There was a flood in the Jingnan area, and the two were just discussing disaster relief.

Zheng Jing nodded to Du Sinan and asked, "Mr. Du, is Nanchu easy to store again?"

Du Sinan came to his senses and said, "The Crown Prince of Nanchu let his horse hurt someone, and the court officials caught him. In order to save his reputation, the Crown Prince actually killed people to silence them and murdered the ministers in the court. Nanchu was full of discussions, and the ministers knelt outside the palace gate and cried. The Emperor of Nanchu had no choice but to change the crown prince."

Zheng Jing smiled slightly.

This transfer of resources in Nanchu was planned by him and Du Sinan.

As the saying goes, give someone a taste of their own medicine. After finding out the spies in Nanchu, they used those spies to find out Nanchu's intelligence network and spread false news to confuse Nanchu, making Nanchu believe that Wei did not dare to send troops south and wanted to divide the river with Nanchu.

Later, rumors spread that several generals of Southern Chu advocated war because they were originally from the north.

Southern Chu was prosperous, and most of its officials were content with their extravagant life in a corner, living a life of drunkenness and dreams. They were unwilling to go to war with Wei, and as expected, they fell into the trap and submitted memorials to impeach the pro-war faction in the court, saying that they were attached to their homeland, disregarded the lives of tens of thousands of Southern Chu soldiers for their own selfish interests, and were disloyal and unfilial.

The pro-war faction was weak and the emperor had no choice but to demote several generals who advocated war in order to appease the people.

After letting Nanchu destroy the Great Wall, Du Sinan then sowed discord between the Crown Prince of Nanchu and several other princes, exacerbating the conflict between the court officials and the Crown Prince. He fanned the flames and took advantage of every opportunity. In just two months, the Crown Prince, who had been enthroned not long ago, was deposed.

Du Sinan is not a military general. He doesn't care how vicious and sinister his methods are. As long as he can weaken Nan Chu, he will use all means.

To defeat the enemy without fighting is the best military strategy.

The small red clay stove made a crackling sound.

Du Sinan continued, "There are many noble families in Nanchu. The maternal ancestors of several princes in the court are all local nobles. In the past, several princes have been at odds with each other. In the past two years, the throne has changed frequently, and the ministers in the court are inevitably involved. Several noble families in Nanchu have been intermarrying for generations, and the relationship is complicated. No one can stay out of it."

"The hidden stakes we have buried are already prepared. When the time comes, we will work together inside and outside. I can be sure that within two years, there will be turmoil in the court of Southern Chu!"

His cold voice echoed in the piano room.

Zheng Jing continued his words: "The rulers and ministers of Southern Chu are guarding the Yangtze River, and they look down on our Great Wei. There are constant disputes in the court, and there are many contradictions between the southerners and the northerners. The emperor of Southern Chu cut off his own arm to appease the southerners, and the northerners are innocently wronged. We can just send people to persuade them to abandon the dark and join the light."

Regardless of whether those northerners are willing to defect to Wei or not, as long as the news that the northerners have close contacts with Wei is spread, Nan Chu will definitely not use them in the future.

After listening to the two men, Li Xuanzhen nodded and asked, "What if Western Shu and Southern Chu form an alliance?"

Du Sinan sneered and said, "The Meng family of Western Shu is short-sighted and cowardly. They don't have the strength to fight for hegemony, but they have the heart to fight for hegemony. The Meng family once fought with Southern Chu. The two countries have been at odds for a long time. Even if they form an alliance, it will not last for a few months. Before that, we can persuade Southern Chu to join us in attacking Western Shu. We only need to promise them Qianzhong Road, Shannan West Road and other places, and Southern Chu will definitely be tempted. Then we can secretly lobby Western Shu to let them join us in attacking Southern Chu and agree to divide Jiangnan West Road to Western Shu. Western Shu will definitely be hesitant."

"By then, we will deliberately spread the news and let Xishu and Nanchu think that they have reached an agreement with us. By then, will they dare to form an alliance with each other?"

Zheng Jing's scalp tingled after hearing this. After thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement: "Once we conquer Western Shu, the internal turmoil in Southern Chu will not end, but will intensify. When they are all hurt, we will be the winners."

Du Sinan thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and said, "The reason why I am so sure is because of one person."

Li Xuanzhen raised his eyes and asked, "Which master?"

Du Sinan said word by word: "Princess Wen Zhao."

Gurgle, gurgle, the water in the teapot boils and pearl-like foam rolls up and down.

The three men lowered their eyes at the same time, looking at the foam rising in the teapot.

After a long time, Li Xuanzhen broke the silence first: "Why do you say that?"

The voice was low and hoarse, as if he was restraining something.

Du Sinan said slowly, "The letter sent back by Princess Wen Zhao not only reminded me to beware of Bei Rong, Nan Chu, and Xi Shu, but also pointed out that there were many conflicts between Nan Chu and Xi Shu, and that we only needed to use the Qianzhong Road as bait to make the two countries hostile. It also mentioned the disputes in the court of Nan Chu. This time when Nan Chu changed its crown prince, I used Princess Wen Zhao's strategy."

"Princess Wen Zhao seems to know everything about Southern Chu and Western Shu. The reactions of the two countries are exactly the same as what she wrote in the letter. She said that the alliance between Southern Chu and Western Shu is not solid, and it only takes a little provocation to break the relationship between the two countries. Mr. Du believes that Princess Wen Zhao is very good at predicting things."

This time, Li Xuanzhen remained silent for even longer, and the curling mist seemed to cast a layer of dark clouds over his handsome profile.

Zheng Jing interrupted, "Princess Wen Zhao grew up in Jingnan, which is close to Southern Chu and Western Shu. The Xie family has been doing business in Jingnan for many years. It's not surprising that Princess Wen Zhao knows Southern Chu and Western Shu so well."

Li Xuanzhen hummed lightly and sat there in a daze with a blank look in his eyes.

Du Sinan couldn't help but ask, "What do you think of this plan, Your Highness?"

Li Xuanzhen came back to his senses, pondered for a while, and silently chewed over the conversation just now.

If the plan goes smoothly, Wei will be able to achieve the feat of unifying the world in the shortest possible time with the least consumption.

Then, when Wei pacifies the world and marches westward, it will have sufficient manpower to fight against the northern barbarians.

He made up his mind and said to Du Sinan, "Du Sheren is worthy of being the son of the emperor. He is good at planning and winning battles thousands of miles away."

Du Sinan said: "Your Highness is kind."

His tone was humble, but his expression was cold and arrogant, as if no one else could match him.

Zheng Jing shook his head secretly.

Li Xuanzhen went to the palace to meet the emperor and discussed the specific plan with Li De. The two said goodbye and left. Zheng Jing reminded Du Sinan: "Du Sheren has been too popular recently, be careful not to stand out in the forest."

Du Sinan sneered, "I am different from Minister Zheng. Minister Zheng is a son of a noble family. As soon as he entered the government, he became a close minister to the emperor. I, Du Sinan, was born in a humble family. I studied hard for ten years and worked hard all my life, but I can only serve as a wedding dress for someone like Minister Zheng. Now the saint relies on me in an unconventional way. How can I miss this opportunity to stand out? Even if the cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked, I, Du Sinan, will become a superior person, fulfill my ambitions, and make unparalleled achievements."

Zheng Jing was speechless.

Du Sinan is a knife in Li De's hand, a knife sharpened and ready to slash at the noble family. The aristocratic family was keenly aware of Li De's intentions and wanted to bribe Du Sinan and pull him into the aristocratic family's camp. For this reason, they did not hesitate to put aside the restraint of the aristocratic family and promised to marry him. They thought that a young man from a poor family like him would be overjoyed, but he refused without thinking.

Zheng Jing is a member of the Zheng family and has heard a lot of rumors recently. If Du Sinan insists on doing what he wants, the family will not show mercy.

"Has Du Sheren really made up his mind? The Saint and the Crown Prince can protect you for a while, but not for your whole life. Not to mention that when the rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. Throughout the dynasties, how many ministers like Du Sheren have had a good end?"

Du Sinan curled his lips and said indifferently: "Although Shang Yang was torn to pieces by five horses, he still succeeded in his reform and his name is recorded in history. Minister Zheng, you and I have different desires. How can you understand the joy of fish?"

Zheng Jing smiled, was silent for a while, and suddenly asked: "Mr. Du's reluctance to marry a girl from an aristocratic family, is it related to the Seventh Princess?"

Du Sinan's expression froze.

Zheng Jing smiled and said, "Mr. Du is proud of his talent, but his family background is humble. When he was in Southern Chu, he made a vow that he would not marry anyone other than a girl from an aristocratic family. That's why he is so eager to make a name for himself. A noble family in the capital is willing to marry a legitimate daughter to you. Why do you refuse?"

Du Sinan's face darkened, he glanced at Zheng Jing coldly, and retorted: "Minister Zheng is a son of a famous family, born in a noble family, with a promising future, but he has not yet married. He only has concubines in his house, and your cousin takes care of the food. Why doesn't Minister Zheng marry a wife?"

The smile on Zheng Jing's face faded little by little.

They were speechless.

Zheng Jing turned around, looked at the lush pomegranate tree in front of the courtyard, stood with his hands behind his back, and said softly: "I have seen a girl like the Seventh Princess, and I personally sent her to marry far away..."

She was wearing a ceremonial gown with flowery hairpins and boarded the carriage as the civil and military officials saw her off.

In this life, Zheng Jing will never forget that delicate and slender figure.

He could not remember when he fell in love with the Seventh Princess. At that time, he did not feel that his feelings were so deep and unforgettable. It was just the admiration and longing of a young man. After the Seventh Princess married and moved away, he thought that this feeling would slowly fade away with the passage of time. However, on the contrary, the regret did not fade away. On the contrary, it left a deep mark in his heart, leaving a scar that always hurt suddenly when he was not paying attention.

Like old wine stored in a cellar, it becomes more mellow as time goes by.

Zheng Jing only said half of his words, but Du Sinan could understand the rest of his words.

"I, Du, am of humble origins... I am not worthy of a girl from an aristocratic family."

Du Sinan was silent for a while and said slowly.

They were speechless for a moment.

After standing for a while, Zheng Jing walked down the stairs, looked around, and lowered his voice: "Wei Ming is gone."

Du Sinan's eyelids twitched.

Zheng Jing said calmly: "The one who did it was Duke Wei."

"Li Zhongqian? Didn't he go to Helan?"

Zheng Jing said: "Duke Wei knew that the Eastern Palace had stepped up its security, so he did not immediately start the attack when he returned to the capital. The person had been missing for a few days, and the one who started the attack was someone Duke Wei had left behind."

Du Sinan seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Duke Wei just wants to find the Seventh Princess as soon as possible, so that she won't be buried in a foreign land... Wait for Duke Wei to come back..."

Li Zhongqian would kill Wei Ming himself.

And then?

There is definitely more than one person he wants to kill, Wei Ming.

The two walked out of the corridor side by side. The atmosphere was a little stagnant. Zheng Jing suddenly changed the subject: "Will Sheren Du join the Eastern Palace in the future?"

Du Sinan's pupils shrank slightly, he raised his head and glared at Zheng Jing.

Zheng Jing looked normal.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Du Sinan curled his lips and sneered: "I was once suspected by the prince, and Wei Ming has repeatedly harmed me. There is already a rift between me and the Eastern Palace."

Zheng Jing narrowed his eyes.

Du Sinan snorted coldly and said, "Minister Zheng knows my reputation. In order to get ahead, I can do anything. Only when I have a firm foothold in the court will I have the confidence to negotiate with others."

The two exchanged glances, understanding each other tacitly.

They are all profit-oriented people, calm and rational, and everything they do now is to climb to the pinnacle of power.

Therefore, even though they were angry at Li Derang for marrying the seven princesses, they still entered the court for power and worked hard for fame and fortune.

The seventh princess's marriage to a distant place made them realize that only by holding power can they protect the people they care about.

Before that, they didn't care who they were loyal to or the background of the people they worked with.

As for whether the two of them will become enemies, that is a matter for the future.

At least, before Li Zhongqian came back, their interests were the same.

…

Li Xuanzhen reported Du Sinan's plan to Li De. In fact, these plans had already been secretly implemented. Now they needed to make a decision: whether to attack Western Shu?

Li De was afraid that the Northern Rong would turn around and march south, so he thought he could wait a little longer.

Li Xuanzhen said: "The reason why Haidu Aling could not be conquered after a long siege and the decisive withdrawal of troops was because their main forces were concentrated in the northern route of the Western Regions and the supply of food and military equipment was insufficient. Now that Southern Chu has just changed its storage and demoted several generals, it is impossible to mobilize troops and resign generals for the time being. If we promise them benefits, they will definitely stand idly by. Now is a good time for us to attack Western Shu. If we keep delaying and wait for the Northern Rong to turn around and march east, we will be attacked from both sides. How can we resist?"

Li De was still hesitant.

Li Xuanzhen stood up and said, "I am willing to issue a military warrant. If we cannot capture Chengdu within three months, I will leave it to Your Majesty to deal with us."

Li De frowned, raised his eyes, and his gaze fell on Li Xuanzhen's face.

He had been on the battlefield this month, and after returning to Chang'an he had been running around to attack Western Shu. He had lost a lot of weight and looked a little haggard, but his eyes were shining brightly, like two burning flames.

Li De sighed.

Just because Zhu Luyun disappeared, he went crazy like this?

This son grew up under his care... After weighing the pros and cons, Li De instructed the eunuch to spread out paper and grind ink to write an imperial edict to dispatch troops.

He couldn't stop his son.

The court began to make intensive preparations for the expedition. Du Sinan once again went on a diplomatic mission to Southern Chu to persuade Southern Chu and Wei to join forces to divide Western Shu. At the same time, he spread rumors that Western Shu was preparing to join forces with Wei to divide Southern Chu in order to delay time and prevent Southern Chu and Western Shu from forming an alliance.

Li Xuanzhen volunteered to be the vanguard and led the cavalry team out first.

Zheng Biyu sent him off to war with a heavy heart.

Last night, Li Xuanzhen instructed her: "If there is any news from Helan, you must send a fast horse to the front line. No matter whether it is a big or small matter, do not delay."

Zheng Biyu's heart skipped a beat: "News about He Yan?"

Li Xuanzhen glanced at her and said, "I'll send someone to follow Li Zhongqian. They will send back news every few days."

Zheng Biyu's hands trembled slightly: "Why did His Highness send someone to follow Duke Wei?"

Li Xuanzhen's narrow eyes were like dead water, without a single ripple.

"I wonder if he found it."

Zheng Biyu looked at her husband's face, which was almost eerily calm, and did not dare to ask any further questions.

Li Xuanzhen has changed.

He was like a manic person who was eager for quick success and instant benefits. He only wanted to conquer Western Shu as soon as possible. He didn't care about other things at all. Zhu Luyun had been missing for such a long time, but he didn't even ask a single question.

An ominous premonition lingered in Zheng Biyu's heart. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every day she sent people to inquire about the news from the front line, fearing that something had happened to Li Xuanzhen.

Within half a month, three armies set out one after another and attacked Western Shu in three directions.

The rulers and ministers of Southern Chu were indeed shortsighted. They agreed to join forces with Wei to attack Western Shu, and soon sent two armies to attack the southernmost important town of Western Shu by water.

The two countries suddenly attacked from both sides, and Western Shu was hasty to respond, so the Meng family had to divide their troops to meet the enemy.

Li Xuanzhen led an army of 30,000 to attack the northern outpost of Western Shu. He was unstoppable and fought fiercely. He captured more than ten cities in one month. Chengdu was in a state of emergency. The princes and nobles in the city packed up their belongings and fled. Civil turmoil soon broke out in Shu.

Half a month later, the enemy arrived at the city. In despair, the King of Shu killed his concubines and burned down the palace he had built himself, dying for his country.

Li Xuanzhen fought bloody battles and led the cavalry to cut off the last line of defense of the Shu army. He rushed up the cliff, holding his sword and standing on his horse. He was wearing a bloody uniform, his armor was torn, and his face was torn. He looked at the raging fire in the city, and there seemed to be two cold flames flickering in his eyes.

Qin Fei and his men hacked and killed their way along, and came up behind him. They looked in the direction of his sight, their hearts beating fast.

It was an unspoken secret among the generals that the prince was afraid of fire.

Several people looked at each other. Qin Fei smiled, and half of his horse's body moved forward. He said, "Your Highness, it's getting dark. The soldiers have been fighting for days and nights. Why don't we rest here first? We can go into the city tomorrow morning."

Li Xuanzhen lowered his head and wiped the long sword on his sleeve to wipe off the sticky blood.

"Pass the order and enter the city immediately."

Qin Fei was stunned and didn't dare to ask more questions. He turned around and winked at others.

Two days later, the news of the victory was reported back to Chang'an. Li De was overjoyed and rewarded the three armies. The civil and military officials in the court shouted "Long live the emperor".

Celebrate together.

Half a month later, Li Xuanzhen returned to the court.

The people of Chang'an were all smiling, still immersed in the joy of the army's victory, and looking forward to the early return of the cavalry.

Li Xuanzhen, dressed in ordinary soldier attire, walked through the crowded crowd and appeared in front of the palace gate.

The guards recognized him and were startled.

Li Xuanzhen signaled the guards not to alarm others and returned to the Eastern Palace.

Zheng Biyu was leading his grandson to play Cuju in the courtyard.

Li Xuanzhen walked down the corridor. When the palace maids and eunuchs saw him, they were about to bow and salute him, but he waved his hand. No one dared to say a word and retreated quietly.

Taisun was standing in the corridor kicking a ball, but he missed the kick and the ball rolled in a big circle and landed right under Li Xuanzhen's feet.

Li Xuanzhen looked at the Cuju at his feet with a dazed expression.

Zheng Biyu raised her head with a smile, and was startled when she saw Li Xuanzhen.

Li Xuanzhen picked up the Cuju, walked up to his son and touched his head.

The son was not very close to him and had not seen him for several months. He was also wearing a soldier's uniform, so for a moment he was afraid to recognize him. He timidly took two steps back and hid behind Zheng Biyu.

Li Xuanzhen shook his head and laughed.

Zheng Biyu realized something and was shocked. She closed her eyes and took the Cuju handed to her by her husband.

Li Xuanzhen looked at her, his lips moved a few times, not knowing what to say, and then he said, "Take care, Yu Niang."

Zheng Biyu's eyes suddenly turned red, and she smiled: "Da Lang, take care."

They have been married for several years and there is no love between them, but probably no one in the world understands each other better than they do.

Zheng Biyu had seen through Li Xuanzhen's plan a long time ago, but he just didn't dare to believe it. Now that Li Xuanzhen had conquered Western Shu, disrupted Southern Chu, promoted a group of brave generals, recommended dozens of children from poor families, and made arrangements for his son, he had fulfilled his responsibilities, and it was time for him to live for himself.

She was overwhelmed with emotions and had a thousand words to say, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.

Li Xuanzhen smiled at her, turned and left.

This smile was the first time Zheng Biyu saw him truly laugh in all the time she had known him.

She looked at his back, tears streaming down her face.