That night, everything was silent.

A bright yellow flame suddenly burst out from a restaurant selling Hu Bing in front of the cross street. The fire quickly spread to the neighboring houses. In a blink of an eye, thick smoke billowed and flames shot up into the sky.

The guards of Wuhoupu and the patrol Jinwuwei rushed over to put out the fire. There was a chorus of sounds of gongs, drums, footsteps, shouts, and curses.

An ox cart was parked in the dark at a street corner, with a sheep-horn lantern hanging in front of the cart, and the Zheng family emblem on the lamp.

The driver looked nervous. He pushed the sullen-faced Du Sinan onto the carriage and urged him repeatedly, "Alang, hurry up! You can't stay in Jingzhao Prefecture any longer!"

Du Sinan's clothes were disheveled, his long hair was disheveled, his fu hat was tilted on his head, and the sash was tied in a knot, making him look like a wolf.

Before getting on the carriage, he looked back at the house in the distance that was being ruthlessly devoured by the fire, and his palms felt cold.

The prince actually tried to kill him.

Du Sinan knew that the prince suspected that he was too deeply involved with the second prince, but he believed that the prince was broad-minded and would not care about this matter. He was confident that he would be able to win the prince's appreciation.

Unexpectedly, he miscalculated this time, and the prince killed him so quickly.

Is the Crown Prince so wary of the Second Prince?

Or...the person the prince is really wary of is actually the Seventh Princess?

Du Sinan escaped death and his mind raced. He opened the curtain and looked at the strong guard standing next to the carriage.

He was sleeping soundly tonight when Xie Qing suddenly broke into the room, pulled him out from under the quilt, carried him on his shoulders, climbed over the wall and fled under the gate. He was about to call for help when he suddenly smelled a strong burnt odor in the wind. He reacted immediately and was frightened to death.

He is a conspirator who has never been to a battlefield and is afraid of death.

After surviving the disaster, Du Sinan did not want to lose his life in Jingzhao Prefecture, so he decided to leave the capital first to avoid the disaster and then look for a good opportunity.

Before leaving, he had a question.

"Does the princess have any advice for you?"

The Seventh Princess sent people to rescue him, and she would certainly use the grace of saving her life as a reward to force him to assist the Second Prince.

Xie Qing said expressionlessly: "No."

Du Sinan sneered.

He was in such an embarrassing situation today because of the Seventh Princess. Why should the Seventh Princess pretend to be so nice?

Xie Qing handed a badge to the driver and said, "Leave the city from the west gate. If anyone asks you, just say you are a servant of the Zheng family and that the Crown Princess wants you to leave the city to deliver a letter."

The driver was afraid that he would be burned to charcoal if he stayed any longer, so he nodded reluctantly.

Du Sinan sat in the carriage with a sarcastic smile on his lips, waiting for Xie Qing to make advances and try to keep him.

The wheels started to move and the carriage left the long street. After Xie Qing explained his affairs, he turned around and left.

Du Sinan waited for a long time, opened the car curtain, and his expression was stiff.

The driver advised: "Alang, the princess will not harm you. If the princess had not sent someone to wake us up in time, we would have been burned to death! Next time you see the princess, don't be so stern."

The princess had skin as white as snow and a face as beautiful as pearls and jade. Whenever she stood there and smiled sweetly, all the flowers in Chang'an were eclipsed.

Every time he saw the princess, he was so frightened that he dared not utter a word. But Alang was so cold to the princess. He really didn't understand romance!

Du Sinan couldn't figure out what Li Yaoying was trying to do. She neither captured him nor got rid of him, but instead tried to save him... What was she up to?

"What does she mean?"

The driver asked, "Ah Lang, have you not heard the rumors in Beijing?"

Du Sinan frowned: "What rumor?"

The driver sighed and whispered, "People in the capital say that the Seventh Princess admires your talent, but you are just a commoner with a humble background."

Du Sinan rolled his eyes to the sky. He hated others talking about his background the most.

The driver knew that his son did not understand his hint, and shook his head: "A Lang... Xue Wulang and the others said that the Seventh Princess wants you to be her husband!"

Du Sinan's pupils suddenly shrank and he was stunned.

The next moment, his handsome face suddenly turned blood red, like a shrimp thrown into boiling water.

…

Xie Qing saw Du Sinan off and returned to the palace to report.

Li Yaoying was sitting cross-legged in front of the corridor, looking down at the palace accounts. She was wearing a light blue silk shirt and a pomegranate red skirt, her breasts half-exposed and her skin as plump as snow.

Xie Qing asked: "Sir, why did you save Du Sinan?"

Yao Ying stood up and rubbed her waist. The string of gold bracelets with curly grass patterns on her wrist began to tinkle.

"Nothing, just a little effort."

Everything has not happened yet, and she doesn't want to cause someone to lose his life because of something that has not happened. In his previous life, Du Sinan was just following orders. In this life, he will not be able to gain Li Xuanzhen's trust again, and will not pose a threat to Li Zhongqian.

Yao Ying never expected that Li Xuanzhen would be so cruel as to attack Du Sinan.

In the eyes of the world, the prince was not a narrow-minded person. He was approachable, kind to his subordinates, respectful of counselors, and employed talents in an unconventional way. That was why so many generals from humble backgrounds were willing to follow him.

Why does he hate Concubine Xie so much?

Yaoying was distracted for a while.

As usual, Xie Qing stood quietly outside the half-rolled curtain in the corridor, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

Li Zhongqian came back from drinking outside, his steps were light and light, his clothes were half open, and wine was dripping on his honey-colored chest. He stepped onto the corridor with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

Yaoying asked the maid to bring him some sobering sugarcane juice and asked him to drink it.

Li Zhongqian walked over to her and sat down next to her. He swept the account books and documents on the table with the wide sleeves of his robe, and the calculator fell to the ground with a clatter.

Yao Ying gritted her teeth in anger, slapped his arm away, and reorganized her calculations.

"I calculated it to be more than an hour! Brother, please go sit somewhere else, away from me."

Li Zhongqian was drunk and laughing. The more Yaoying disliked him, the more he wanted to squeeze closer to her.

Yao Ying smiled and pushed him away: "Brother, you are drunk, go to the side and be quiet, don't bother me."

Naturally, her strength was not enough to push the tall and strong Li Zhongqian.

After a while, Li Zhongqian sobered up a little. He supported the table with one hand and held the silver bowl with the other. He drank a few sips of sugarcane juice, then glanced at Xie Qing's face and frowned.

"Xiao Qi, the emperor summoned me yesterday."

He put down the silver bowl and spoke softly, with no expression on his face.

Yao Ying's heart skipped a beat.

Soon after Li De ascended the throne, some ministers in the court advised him not to start another war, but to give the people a rest and resume production.

The land north of the Hetao in the west is barren and poor, and the various states in the farther western regions were occupied by different tribes decades ago.

Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

The nomadic people in the north are strong. If we send them some gold, silver and other valuables and keep them in a tether, we can turn hostility into friendship.

Why bother with the conquest?

To the south, Southern Chu, Baiyue and other places were separated from Wei by mountains and rivers. Their government was corrupt and filled with internal strife, so they certainly did not dare to go north to attack Wei.

Not a big deal.

Some time ago, Li De returned to Chang'an and held banquets for several days to entertain the tribal chiefs and envoys from various countries who had surrendered to him, and to deal with the accumulated government affairs.

The ministers were very pleased: now that the saint has ascended the throne and is no longer the general of Wei County, he should stay in the imperial city instead of leading troops to charge into battle as before.

They were satisfied, but Li De had other plans.

He had far-reaching ambitions and was not satisfied with just occupying Guanzhong. He was determined to capture Hetao in one fell swoop and then recover the Western Regions.

However, the opposition in the court was too strong and the treasury was empty, unable to support military needs. He was forced to lead his troops back to Chang'an after recovering several states and counties.

Li De was unwilling to give up.

The emperor could not leave the capital, but the princes could. The sons of the Li family all grew up on horseback and followed their fathers and brothers to fight on the battlefield since childhood. The crown prince, the second prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince were all brave and good at fighting.

There was a grand banquet in the palace the day before yesterday, and Li De gave armor, swords and other items to Li Xuanzhen, Li Zhongqian and other brothers.

At that time Yao Ying knew that her father was going to send several of her brothers to lead the troops into battle.

In front of the corridor, apricot blossoms are in full bloom, creating a hazy atmosphere.

Flowers bloom and fade, year after year.

People are different from flowers.

Yao Ying stopped calculating and asked in a trembling voice, "Brother, are you going to the war again?"

Li Zhongqian looked down at her and nodded slightly.

Yaoying felt heavy-hearted.

She could be careful to guard against Li Xuanzhen, but she could not affect the battle situation thousands of miles away.

Li Zhongqian pinched Yaoying's face and said with a smile: "Don't worry, this time I'm not the vanguard, I'm just responsible for transporting grain and grass."

Yaoying felt a slight soreness in her nose and her eyes turned red.

Every time Li Zhongqian went on a campaign, she would have nightmares.

He dreamed of yellow sand all over the sky. He was holding a blood-stained golden hammer and wearing tattered armor, moving step by step with difficulty.

The dark masses surrounding them were all Northern Rong cavalry.

His personal soldiers died one by one, and there were corpses lying around them.

□□ pierced his chest and blood spurted out.

The enemy was waiting for him to surrender, but he sneered and pressed his hammer against the ground, standing firm until he died of exhaustion.

The cavalry retreated, and he stood in the sand pile, already dead, but his figure remained motionless, guarding the vast rivers and mountains behind him.

Soon, vultures began to peck at his body.

The towering figure collapsed with a bang, leaving behind only the bones.

Yao Ying closed her eyes, concealing her sadness, and raised her hand to straighten Li Zhongqian's disheveled clothes.

"Brother, on the battlefield, swords and swords are blind and things change rapidly. You should listen to other people's opinions and don't act rashly."

Li Zhongqian agreed with a smile.

After talking for a while, he made up an excuse and asked Yaoying to help him find something. When Yaoying got up and went into the house, he turned to look at Xie Qing who was standing in front of the corridor, his eyes narrowed and his expression stern.

"You are quite skilled, why don't you follow me into battle?"

Xie Qing didn't move.

"Why don't you say anything?"

Li Zhongqian smiled, his eyes squinting and his brilliance shining.

At this moment, he did not hide his domineering attitude and his condescending attitude, and his arrogant tone.

"You are the descendant of the Xie family and have sworn allegiance to me. How can I not be your master?"

Xie Qing knelt on the ground, sweating profusely, but his back remained straight, and he said, "Your Majesty, I am the princess's bodyguard, and I only obey the princess' orders."

Li Zhongqian raised his eyebrows slightly, and his domineering aura was reduced a little: "A good man should gallop on the battlefield and make achievements. With your martial arts, as long as you join the army, you will soon be able to stand out. I will train you well, and within a year, you will be able to command a team."

Xie Qing had a serious face and said in a deep voice, "Everyone has their own aspirations."

Li Zhongqian's face darkened slightly, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Is your ambition to be the Seventh Princess's bodyguard?"

Xie Qing knelt in front of the corridor with a resolute look, and said loudly: "Yes, my ambition is to protect Qiniang's safety and follow her. This heart can be seen by the sun and the moon!"

Hearing that he had changed his name, Li Zhongqian frowned.

…

Xie Qing was the son of a general of the Xie family. According to the rules of the Xie family, the children of servants could participate in the annual competition from the age of thirteen. The winner would be sent to the army and promoted.

The Xie family was once powerful, but when the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. Many family members quietly changed their surnames and pursued their own careers.

Some people chose to stay. Some of them stayed in Jingnan to guard the Xie family's tomb, while others became Li Zhongqian's personal soldiers.

Xie Qing is the son of one of these families.

When he just turned thirteen, he challenged other boys who were older than him. He lost more than he won. When he was seventeen, he finally defeated everyone and won the competition.

Li Zhongqian asked him what reward he wanted.

He shook his head and said he didn't want any reward and just wanted to be Li Yaoying's bodyguard.

Li Zhongqian was furious, thinking that Xie Qing was committing treason and coveting Yao Ying, so he drew his sword and killed him.

Later the misunderstanding was cleared up and Xie Qing became Yao Ying's bodyguard.

His former defeated general rose rapidly in the army, but he remained unmoved and was willing to follow Li Yaoying.

…

Thinking about Xie Qing's performance in the past two years, Li Zhongqian's expression softened a little.

This boy is very stubborn and has no way of thinking. He is very loyal to Xiao Qi. He listens to whatever Xiao Qi says and always remembers his duty as a servant. He never oversteps the boundaries. He is usually clean and taciturn, does not drink, does not indulge in women, and practices martial arts all the time.

A loyal servant.

Since he is willing to stay by Xiao Qi's side as a bodyguard, let him stay for a while.

The rustling sound of a long scarf and skirt trailing on the ground came from the corridor, and Yaoying walked out.

Li Zhongqian waved his hand, signaling Xie Qing to stand up.

Xie Qing stood up without saying a word, returned to the corridor and continued his duty.

The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: I am impatient, Yanmei, don’t stay up late and hurt your body,