Chapter 30 Chapter 30: The Beginning of the Chamber of Secrets

After Mei Changsu saw off the guests at the gate of the house, Fang slowly returned to his own dormitory in the back garden. As soon as he entered the door, he smiled and said, "Brother Meng, you came back so fast." "I didn't go far," Meng Zhi came to help him close the door, turned around and frowned, "Did you forget that Xia Chun was here when you played this game today? I was really startled just now, and I was in a cold sweat. A well-known mechanism expert, how dare you let him rummage around the garden at will..." "This game is just for Xia Chun," Mei Changsu said with a proud smile on his lips, "The secret passage that even Xia Chun can't discover, that is the real secret passage... Besides, I specially designed the entrance to the secret passage. It has been rebuilt, even if Xia Chun finds it out, he can only see that it is a secret room. Besides, if I am not 70% sure of winning him, I will not take this risk."

"It's true," Meng Zhi let out a long breath, "When did you not do everything thoroughly?" Mei Changsu supported his arm with a smile, and said in a low voice, "Today is the first time, Brother Meng, would you like to accompany my younger brother to Prince Jing's mansion?" "Okay." Meng Zhi replied without hesitation, turned around and took a fox-fur cloak from the hanger, and put it on Mei Changsu's shoulders, "It's damp in the tunnel, you should wear more." "Do you really want to accompany me?" The light in Mei Changsu's eyes flickered, "Then if Prince Jing asks why you are with me, how would you answer?"

Meng Zhi really didn't think of this point, he was startled and said: "I thought he knew..." "He knows that you and I have a relationship, and he also knows that you appreciate me and favor me..." Mei Changsu looked into the eyes of the commander of the imperial army, "but he doesn't know the real relationship between you and me. If You accompanied me out of this most secret tunnel in the entire capital, which means that the relationship between you and me is ten times closer than he imagined. How could he not be surprised? How could he not want to Want to ask clearly?"

"Then..." Meng Zhi frowned and thought for a while, "Just say that you once saved my life, and I want to repay you, or that I have something in your hands, so I have to..." Mei Changsu smiled and shook his head, "Jingyan is not so easy to deceive. What kind of person are you, Commander Meng? If the relationship between you and me is just to repay a kindness, or just because you were threatened, then I can at most use you for a while. If it wasn't for the heart-to-heart, if it wasn't for the trust and inseparable brotherhood, how could I have told you all this secret path that is related to my success or failure?"

"Xiao Shu," Meng Zhi suddenly grabbed his hand tightly, "Why don't you just tell him everything, the real relationship between us, and your real..." Mei Changsu's expression suddenly turned cold, and his soft eyes froze like ice for an instant, covering all the flow of emotions under the ice, and even the tone of his speech exuded a faint chill. "Brother Meng, what I'm most afraid of is that you can't help this..." Mei Changsu gripped Meng Zhi's hand forcefully, his fingertips almost sinking into the flesh on the back of his hand, "From now on, Jingyan and you There will be more and more exchanges between them, you must remember that under any circumstances, you have to grit your teeth, and you cannot tell him who I am, and you cannot say a word!"

"Why?! Why do you have to support yourself? If Prince Jing knew all the truth, he would definitely..." "That would be bad." Mei Changsu cut off his words coldly, "Prince Jing's determination to seize the throne is still firm, no matter how he feels about my advice, at least he has listened to it all. He also cooperated with the plan and action one by one, and never resisted, do you know why?" "Because..." Meng Zhi muttered for a long time, but couldn't finish the sentence. "Because he has no distractions now, winning the title is currently the most important thing for him. Everything I do for him, he only needs to judge whether it is beneficial to winning the title. As for these things to May He doesn't have to care about the consequences that Changsu himself will cause." Mei Changsu said coldly, but a sad smile could not help showing in his eyes, "But once he knows that I am Lin Shu, the priority will be different. In other words, he can't help but want to protect me and leave a way out for me. If he does something like this, he will inevitably tie his hands and feet, and instead become a drag on each other..."

Meng Zhi also knew very well about Prince Jing's character and heart, he understood that what he said was true, and he had no way to refute it, he just felt miserable in his heart, with bursts of unbearable pain. "Actually, on the other hand, it's easier for me not to tell him." Mei Changsu took a deep breath and forced a smile, "Jingyan and I are very close friends after all. As Mei Changsu in front of him, no matter what I plan, I don’t feel that much, but once I change back to Lin Shu, I will inevitably feel sad, sad, and inexplicably irritable. If I succumb to such emotions, Not to mention seizing the throne, how many people's lives will be involved..."

"Stop talking..." Meng Zhi's hard-boiled man couldn't help but have red eyes at this moment, "I promise you, under any circumstances, I will never reveal half a word... It's okay if Prince Jing doesn't know, and there is me, too. Xiaoshu, Brother Meng will take care of you from now on, and he won't let you be wronged even if he dies..." Mei Changsu endured the turmoil in his chest, lightly patted his upper arm, and comforted him, "Don't worry, Jingyan is not the kind of indifferent person who can share adversity but not wealth, and I will not be wronged in the future." Where to go."

"That's true," Meng Zhi sighed, "Not good at maneuvering, not knowing how to change things, and putting too much emphasis on friendship, these are all the shortcomings of Prince Jing. It is really hard work for you to help him to the top." Mei Changsu slightly turned his face out of the window, his face was as clear as snow, and his lips smiled as coldly as ice, and said coldly: "In our Daliang Kingdom, don't we still lack the kind of mean and suspicious emperor who only knows how to play with the emperor's mind and control his subjects?" Is it? It is difficult to help Jingyan ascend the throne, but once he succeeds, with his unshakable determination, his keen eyesight to detect loyalty and treachery, and his clear and fair style of conduct, isn't he a good emperor? Only With less internal friction, only the monarch and his ministers can work together to cultivate a moral government. You have also seen in these years that the Korean and Chinese do not think about politics, and the military does not think about war. If you are healthy, you can barely hold up to this false pretense. If it continues to be like this next time, I am afraid that the national power will continue to decline. If you don’t try to cheer up, how can you deter tigers and wolves around you in the future, and how can you protect the land and the people?"

His voice was deep and mellow, and his tone was not impassioned, but when Meng Zhi heard it, he felt that the blood flow in his whole body seemed to suddenly speed up, and his chest was burning hot.It has always been the long-cherished wish of the eldest son of the emperor, King Qi, to purge the imperial court, eliminate the turbid and promote the clean.When Meng Zhi was in the Red Flame Army, he also heard the virtuous king describe his ideal court situation.But since his death, the talented people who gathered in Prince Qi's mansion also scattered and withered. Yu Yiyi was submissive and depressed, the emperor's likes and dislikes became the standard to measure everything, everyone was thinking about how to fight for power, how to maintain favor, and how to choose the right position for their own future.The crown prince and King Yu enjoyed it even more, and almost regarded playing with people's hearts as a treasure for governing the country.If anyone in the entire Daliang royal family can inherit some of King Qi's original philosophy of governing the country, it is indeed only King Jing who has been taught by Xiao Jingyu since he was a child.

"Brother Meng," Mei Changsu said softly, with a peaceful smile on his face as if he had read his thoughts from his eyes, "Do you understand now? There are many things that I can't let Jingyan and me Take it together. If you want to fall into hell and become a devil full of venom in your heart, then I can do it alone. Jingyan’s innocent heart must be preserved. Although there are some things he must understand, some naive thoughts He also has to change, but I will try my best to keep his bottom line and principles, and not let him be too black in the process of winning the throne. If he will be helped in the future, it will be someone who is the same as the prince and King Yu. The Emperor of Mind, Brother Jing Yu and the Chi Yan Army, really died in vain..." With mixed feelings in Meng Zhi's heart, he could only nod heavily, and was speechless for a long time.Although he had promised Mei Changsu many times not to reveal the truth, until now, he was truly convinced and engraved this promise on his heart. Mei Changsu's eyes had returned to tranquility and softness, he supported the desk next to him and said, "Brother Meng, I was joking when I said that I would invite you to Prince Jing's mansion with me today. If Jingyan is not to be suspicious, I'm afraid it will take you Walk from his side to mine." Meng Zhi didn't understand what he meant for a while, so he blurted out, "Where do we go from him? How?" Mei Changsu felt a little tired, so he sat down on the nearby wooden chair, and motioned for Meng Zhi to take his seat, Fang said slowly: "Recently, you have been suspected by the emperor for no reason because of the murder of the inner prisoner. The commander has been transferred away, and everyone is seeing all of this. Prince Jing naturally knows that you have been wronged. I will find an opportunity to speak to Prince Jing, and let him seize this opportunity to communicate with you more and send your subordinates Take care of him in his mansion. You also try your best to let him know your dislike for the crown prince and Yu Wang, as well as your miss for Qi Wang. You have a very good relationship at first, and when you get closer, you will pretend to find out by accident. You entered the tunnel entrance in his bedroom, forcing him to tell you the truth. At this time, you confess your heart and tell him that although you will never betray the emperor, you can support him in the battle for the throne. King Jing usually knows your loyalty and your bias, so he will definitely believe in it. Since you have discovered this tunnel, he can't hide it. When the time comes, you should accompany him. I was surprised to come to my side..." "You really are..." Meng Zhi couldn't help laughing, "Let's see how this brain grows. In this way, I will indeed become your confidant, but Prince Jing will inevitably be shocked first." ..." "If it's not necessary to let Prince Jing know that you are on our side so that we can act in the future, why should I sing this? In the future, we will be colleagues of the same lord, and there will be no conflicts in every article and military. No matter how good the friendship is Prince Jing won't be surprised at how much, wouldn't it be better than finding some excuse to repay your kindness?" "You're right, it's up to you. It's just that tonight, I can't accompany you for the first time." "I've been with the guests for a whole day today. I'm also tired. I don't have any urgent matters. I didn't plan to go there. It's getting late, and you should go back home, so that my wife won't worry about you at home." Meng Zhi took a closer look at his face, frowned and said: "Your eyelids are blue, it seems that you are indeed too tired. The tunnel is here, if you don't leave today, you won't fly away, so it's important to rest and recuperate. I don't I'm bothering you, go to sleep quickly." Mei Changsu really felt very tired, so he didn't need to be polite to Meng Zhi, he just nodded, and went straight back to the inner room, put on the quilt and went to sleep peacefully.Fei Liu, who was originally asleep on a small bed in the inner room, looked up to see him, only blinked twice, then closed his eyes and fell down again, not sure if he was awake or not. Amused by his cute appearance, Meng Zhi couldn't help but burst into smiles, but he tried not to make a sound, only carefully closed the doors and windows for them, blew out the candles on the table, and then quietly leave. It seemed like it should be a peaceful night.There is no wind, no rain, and the clear moonlight is soft and faint, covered with a layer of floating clouds as thin as a veil, and will not dazzle people's eyes with white flowers shining on the window lattice.Mei Changsu slept very peacefully, he didn't cough, and he didn't have chest tightness that made him have to get up and sit for a while in the middle of the night.Such a sunny spring season is suitable for sleeping peacefully. The charcoal fire in the room was just removed yesterday, and the air is extremely comfortable, and there is no sound of grass and insects in summer and autumn outside. thing. However, when the Venus gradually faded and the east had not yet seen white, Fei Liu suddenly opened his eyes and stood up.The boy didn't put on his cloak, but only wore a snow-white jacket. He walked to a bookshelf in the northwest corner of the bedroom, tilted his head to listen, and then turned around and came to Mei Changsu's bed, shaking his shoulders gently. . "Brother Su!" Unless it was a drowsiness, Mei Changsu had always been in a light sleep. He woke up after only a few shakes, half-opened his eyes in a daze, stretched out his hand to press his forehead, and said in a slightly astringent voice, "What's the matter, Fei Liu?" "Knock!" Even though Mei Changsu had always been able to understand all the meanings of Fei Liu's simple words without error, he couldn't help being startled at this moment, sitting up awake for a moment before he suddenly realized what he meant. He hurriedly got up and put on his clothes, loosened a bunch of hair casually, put on a mink velvet cloak, took the warm tea from Fei Liu, moistened his throat, wiped his face with a cotton towel, and then walked quickly Walking to the bookshelf, I tapped my toes on the smooth and unmarked ground like flowers, and a narrow passage for only one person appeared on the west-facing wall.Fei Liu was about to go in first, but Mei Changsu grabbed him and said in a low voice, "If you don't go in today, wait outside for Brother Su, okay?" The boy showed a reluctant expression, but still obediently obeyed the instruction and stepped aside.Mei Changsu dodged into the passage, somehow activated the mechanism inside, and the entire wall quickly returned to its original state.Fei Liu dragged a chair and sat down, staring intently at the corner with his two bright black eyes, waiting very seriously. Mei Changsu entered the wall, took the night pearl from his bosom to illuminate it, pushed the mechanism down a few feet, came to the entrance of a passage, turned and walked for a while, opened a stone door, and inside was a stone room with simple decoration.Commonly used tables, chairs and utensils are displayed, and the oil lamps placed on the stone walls have been lit. Under the yellowish light, King Jing, dressed in blue casual clothes, turned to Mei Changsu who walked in slowly, and nodded to him as a salute. "Mr. Su, I'm disturbing you." Mei Changsu bowed slightly to salute, and said, "Your Highness comes as soon as you are called, it is Su's duty, so don't talk about disturbing me. I just got up hastily, and my description is messy. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Prince Jing was clearly preoccupied, but he still forced a smile and raised his hand to signal Mei Changsu to sit down. When he came to visit in the early morning, there must be something difficult, but it is obviously not an urgent matter to speak politely when meeting, so Mei Changsu also followed his instructions, and after taking his seat slowly, Fang Xu asked: "See you, Your Highness." Su, what do you want to discuss?" King Jing frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Speaking of it... this shouldn't be Mr. Su's worries, but it has nothing to do with what we're planning now. It's just... I really don't have anyone to discuss it with, so I have to rely on Mr. Su's help." Zhizhu." "Since Su regards His Majesty as His Majesty's business, His Majesty's affairs are Su's affairs, and there is no need to say anything about it. Please make it clear that Su may have something to do, and he will do his best." King Jing obviously expected his reaction, so he immediately smiled back, and followed his tone: "Then I'll just say it straight. I entered the palace this afternoon to greet my mother, and sister Jingning came to see me , I cried as soon as we met, and begged me to save her, saying yes... Da Chu will have a marriage-seeking mission to Beijing next month, if the emperor agrees, she seems to be the only princess of the right age..." "Are you married to Da Chu?" Mei Changsu thought for a while, "With Princess Nihuang sitting in the southern border, Liang and Chu are in a stalemate with each other, and it is true that there has been no war for many years. Now that the marriage is repaired, Da Chu is of course free to go. To pacify Myanmar and Yi, but our Daliang can also take the opportunity to take a break from the silver shortage of the past two years, which is a good way. But since it is a marriage, it should be interoperable. If we have a princess to marry, they should also have a princess to marry, otherwise It becomes us sending off the lord for marriage. If Da Chu came here just to ask for a marriage, His Majesty may not agree, but if they propose that the princesses marry each other, His Majesty will probably agree." Prince Jing looked at the man who had immediately entered the counselor state with some dumbfounding, and sighed, "Mr. Su, I don't want to know how likely the father will agree, but I want to ask for advice. If the father agrees to the marriage, is there any chance?" There is no way to prevent Jing Ning from marrying her. You know, she has her own sweetheart..." Mei Changsu stared at the small shadow in front of his toes, and after a long time, he slowly shifted his gaze to Prince Jing's face, "May I ask, Your Highness, how many princesses are there at the moment of marriageable age?" Prince Jing was startled, gritted his teeth and said, "Only Jingning..." "Prince and Princess, is there anyone who is unmarried and who can be named a princess?" "The brothers from the father's generation were scattered when they succeeded to the throne. There are only three uncles, Ji Wang, Qian Wang, and Li Wang. There are about three or four of their princesses who are not married..." "Princess Mingzhu has a weak disease of coughing up blood; Princess Mingchen has a lame left foot; Princess Mingrui has been ordained as a monk for half a year; Princess Mingying seems to be in a state of madness. Since it is for the sake of marriage, what do you think Your Majesty Who among these princesses can be crowned?" King Jing didn't know much about the situation of the clan daughters, but since Mei Changsu said so, he couldn't be wrong, and his heart became heavier. After thinking about it for a long time, he suddenly thought of someone, and hurriedly said, "I probably remember that there was a famous lady in Uncle Li's family. Princess Jue, the same year as Jing Ning..." Mei Changsu sneered, "Don't do to others what you don't want yourself to do to yourself. Princess Mingjue had a relationship with a young man from the former Dazai Nangong's family, but it was temporarily postponed because of the death of the other party's mother before the engagement. This matter There are a lot of people in the capital who know about it, but your Highness was out at the time, so you don't know about it." Prince Jing listened blankly, and the muscles on his cheeks twitched slightly, "According to Mr., once the father agrees to the marriage, Jing Ning will have no room for maneuver?" Mei Changsu's expression was indifferent, but there was some pity hidden deep in the bottom of his eyes, and his tone was very cold: "Jingning is a princess, even if she doesn't marry outside, the marriage is doomed to be out of control. Hasn't she faced this fact yet?" "Having said that, it's really hard to kill people. Guan Zhen has been with me for a while, and he is indeed a good young man. I can't bear to see them being separated abruptly." "No matter how good Guan Zhen is, after all, he came from a humble background and has no great achievements to reach heaven. The word 'shang lord' can never be his turn. Princess Jingning is in the royal family. You should know that within the palace walls, you can What kind of love are you looking forward to? The reason that the heart belongs to you will not only fail to convince His Majesty, but will also damage the princess's innocence and bring disaster to Guan Zhen's entire family. So this is a favor, Your Highness, you can't help her. Not to mention the princess, how many folk women can choose their son-in-law according to their own preferences?" Prince Jing let out a long sigh: "I don't know what you said? But Jing Ning is crying like that, I really feel sorry for her, thinking that Mister might have some weird tricks, that's why I came here to discuss." Mei Changsu glanced at him, and suddenly said, "Since we are talking about this, Your Highness, do you only think of Princess Jingning?" Prince Jing was taken aback for a moment, apparently not understanding what he meant by that. "If there is a princess from Da Chu, she must marry the prince, and she must not be a side concubine. Think carefully, Your Highness, who will marry her?" "Ah?!" Prince Jing immediately heard what he meant, and couldn't help pressing the table, "Sir, you mean..." Mei Changsu said solemnly: "Great Chu is an enemy country after all, and among the princesses of Chu, I haven't heard of anyone who is as famous and talented as a neon phoenix. Your Majesty has always been suspicious. It is not a good thing for the princess of the enemy country to be a concubine after all, Su must try to fend off this good luck for His Highness." Prince Jing's expression brightened, "Since Mr. has a way to refuse my marriage, how come Jingning..." "The situation is different, isn't it? Among the princesses, only Jing Ning is suitable to marry, but among the princes, Your Highness, you are not the only candidate. The crown prince and Prince Yu already have concubines, and His Majesty would not let them marry the princess of the enemy country, so besides There are two of them. Of the rest, although the Third Highness has a slight disability, and the Fifth Highness shuts his doors to study and ignores political affairs, they are all real princes, and they have not yet continued. The more they look like this, they have nothing to do with the succession of the throne. Therefore, once His Majesty accepts the marriage, he will definitely choose among the three of you. Before getting married, you must first get married. Princess Jingning's horoscope will be sent to Da Chu for marriage. There is nothing we can do, but Princess Dachu's horoscope will be sent here to be tested by Li Tianjian. I can think of a way to make the result of the test match according to our wishes. It doesn't matter who marries her, as long as your horoscope is the same as yours. It’s fine if Princess Da Chu disagrees.” "Why, there are also people in Li Tianjian who take orders from Mr.?" "You can't say you obey orders, it's just that there are some means you can use." Prince Jing's eyes were deep, and he looked directly at Mei Changsu, "When Mr. Su first entered Beijing, he felt as if he was burdened by the reputation of 'Kirin Talent' and was forced to come here by the Crown Prince and Prince Yu. But now it seems that you are planning ahead, sir, and you seem to be prepared..." Mei Changsu smiled indifferently, and said frankly: "Su is conceited and talented, and he was not willing to submit himself to the world and do nothing. There is a way to support the country, and the name is Lingyan. It has always been a man's ambition. If it is not ruthless After putting in a lot of work and being somewhat confident, how dare Su Mou dare to abandon such easy shortcuts as Prince Yu and King Yu, and decide to wholeheartedly enshrine Your Highness as the King?" Prince Jing thought about these words in his mind, neither could he judge whether he was true or not, and he didn't want to really appreciate it carefully.Xiao Jingyan had never doubted that Mei Changsu really wanted to help him become a great treasure, but he was still confused about the real reason why Mei Changsu chose him in the end.However, at this moment, Prince Jing didn't have a deep obsession to find out the truth. After all, it was a difficult time for the future, and there were too many more important things to prioritize.For him, this enigmatic strategist is the sharpest sword in his hand, as long as it works well, as for how this sword was forged and why it came out of its sheath, he has no idea at this time. I don't care much. The secret room is not a tea house, and when the words are exhausted here, there is no reason to continue to sit down and chat.Although the purpose of coming here has not been achieved, Prince Jing also understands that Jing Ning has little hope of getting out, so although he is a little disappointed, he is not depressed.The two bid farewell lightly, and each went back to their rooms along the secret path. Although Xiao Jingyan built a mansion, had his own soldiers, and had a high prestige in the army, but after all, he was a concubine prince who only had the title of county king, and he did not enjoy many privileges like Yu Wang, so unless it was on Shuowang day, On special days such as solar terms, birthdays, mother's birthdays, memorial days, etc., otherwise they cannot enter and leave the harem at will without requesting an order.After Xiao Jingning begged him that day, he couldn't see the seventh brother's shadow for several days in a row. He couldn't help but feel anxious, so he ignored the strict palace regulations and sent a maid to bring a letter written by himself to go out of the palace in disguise to find him in Prince Jing's mansion. Guan Zhen, before he could walk out of Ding'an Gate, was discovered and stopped by the imperial guards.After hearing the news, Meng Zhi rushed over, only confiscated the letter, and put the court lady back into the inner garden, and then strictly ordered his subordinates not to reveal the matter to the outside world, and quietly covered it up.That night, he made an unannounced visit to Prince Jing's mansion overnight, showed Xiao Jingyan the letter, and advised him to let Guan Zhen leave the capital as soon as possible. King Jing knew that since the murder of the inner prison, Meng Zhi's control over the Imperial Army was no longer as monolithic as before. It would be great if this matter could be completely concealed, but if there are any clues that are known to Emperor Liang or the Empress, Guan Zhen will His life was hard to save, so he had to be sent to the border to hide himself.Sure enough, only two or three days later, Emperor Liang heard the news that the princess sent the maid out of court.He had always doted on this little girl, so naturally he was furious, and immediately ordered someone to summon Meng Zhi, and he lashed out at him with thunderous reproaches. Meng Zhi was already prepared, and when Emperor Liang finished his anger, Fang kowtowed and replied slowly: "Your Majesty sees the blame, and I deserve death. But since ancient times, the reputation of the palace is the most important thing. The commander of the imperial army, but after all, he is only a foreign minister. The maid is the princess' personal attendant, and the letters are sealed. First, the minister has no right to interrogate the inner palace people, and second, he cannot open the letter to peek at the secret. If he does not interrogate or read it, he will not know the authenticity If you don't know the truth, how dare you report this kind of thing to His Majesty? Therefore, I can only drive the maid back, silence the subordinates, and burn the letter. Only in this way can the matter be covered up and the princess's virtue will not be hurt. The minister has insight Rude, if there is anything wrong with this, please be punished by Your Majesty." After hearing his argument, Emperor Liang thought it was quite reasonable.This kind of private matter in the palace, naturally, it can be eliminated if it can be eliminated, and it can be avoided if it can be avoided. It is only to lose face if it is found out.Thinking about it this way, the anger gradually dissipated, and he ordered Meng Zhi to flatten his body, and after a few words of comfort, he recalled the servants who had just been sent to the princess's palace to interrogate on behalf of the sky, and only issued a secret order to the queen, ordering her to be more strict. Guan Jingning hastily covered up the matter. Meng Zhi had a good relationship with Prince Jing before, but this time he deliberately defended him, not letting anyone realize that the princess' sweetheart was taken in by Prince Jing, and he clearly showed great kindness.Prince Jing had originally been secretly advised by Mei Changsu to make friends with Meng Zhi, and this time he received this favor again, and his frequent contacts gradually increased. Although they were not frequent enough to attract attention, the degree of heart-to-heart confiding was far deeper than before. several times. At the same time, according to Mei Changsu's arrangement, Meng Zhi was very active and proactive.One day, taking advantage of the opportunity to attend the riding and shooting competition held by him in Prince Jing's mansion, he raised the topic under the pretext of looking at the double-stringed sword he had seized from King Beidi. Found the hidden tunnel entrance. In this way, Meng Zhi logically became the first courtier to know about the relationship between Mei Changsu and King Jing's subordinates, and took the opportunity to show King Jing that he would definitely support him in taking the heir apparent as long as he did not disobey the emperor's order. At this time, it is already April when the grass grows and the warbler flies, and the fragrance is gradually exhausted. Da Chu's proposing mission has arrived outside the imperial capital of Jinling with considerable gifts.Since Emperor Chu sent Yu Wenxuan, the nephew of his own nephew, as the official envoy this time, Emperor Liang paid respects according to the corresponding royal family standards, and King Yu was ordered to go to the city gate to welcome them, and arranged for them to live in the royal outer hall. Baocheng Palace. Judging from Da Chu's solemnity and Daliang's courteous attitude, it seems that this marriage has already been settled, and the meeting is only for negotiating details. The marriage between the two countries is a big event.Although there is no explicit decree to allow the marriage, the court has already been busy.On the fifth day after Liangzheng envoy Yu Wenxuan entered the palace to meet His Majesty, the inner court made two decrees in succession. One was to confer the title of Princess Jingning as the Princess of the Two Kingdoms of Jiuxi, and the other was to reward the fifth prince, King Huai, who built the new mansion first. seat.This seems to indicate that the candidates for the marriage have been preliminarily determined. Xiao Jingning, who had cried, fought, and gone on a hunger strike, finally gave in.As Princess Daliang, she actually understood from the very beginning that she was bound by the shackles and responsibilities that she could not break free from. Her disobedience to her father was just not reconciled to giving up the happiness she wanted to choose, but the result was naturally the expected coldness. .The queen sent her most confidant maids to watch over the princess day and night, and all the concubines in the palace also took turns to persuade her in every possible way.In this harem, where the will of the superior is the ruler, Jing Ning does not receive any public support.Because for most people who watched with cold eyes, what she endured was just the same fate as the princesses of the past. Although she was not luckier because of being favored, she couldn't be said to be more unfortunate. Prince Jing would visit this younger sister every time he entered the palace. Seeing that she had slowly accepted the reality, he felt a little relieved.Xiao Jingning begged him to support and protect Guan Zhen in the future, and he agreed without even thinking about it. Recently the crown prince has been blamed for not pre-empting political affairs, Yu Wang is extremely active in the court, no matter what is discussed in court, he will actively participate in it.If it is said that all the officials are willing to be loyal to him now, then of course it is far from true, but with his current status, as long as he is not too wrong, the officials will not refute his rhetoric.And for some reason, in the past month, even the members of the Prince's faction have been extremely submissive and no longer keen to fight against King Yu.In addition, this well-known prince is not mediocre, and the mansion is also full of talents, and there are very few cases where he is outrageously wrong in major matters, so it gradually gives people a feeling that the officials are agreeing.No one knew what Emperor Liang was thinking, at least on the surface he loved King Chongyu more and more, and when encountering difficult matters, he would first discuss with him and listen to his opinions.For a while, rumors spread everywhere, and everyone said that His Royal Highness King Yu would soon become His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This kind of wind inevitably reached the ears of Emperor Liang, and he asked Meng Zhi who was accompanying him.Meng Zhi said that he had never heard such rumors, although Emperor Liang appreciated his attitude of staying out of the matter, but he still felt a little depressed.When I got up and drove back to the harem, because I was bored, I abandoned the chariot and walked around with only a few personal attendants. "Your Majesty, are you going tonight..." Gao Zhan, the head of the capital of the Sixth Palace, inquired cautiously, so as to inform and prepare early. Emperor Liang froze his steps.The queen has always been dignified and disliked, and the concubine Yue has been weeping for the prince's affairs recently, and he doesn't want to see her.Although young beauties were charming and charming, he didn't seem to be interested in that tonight.So in the end, he just sullen his face and ignored Gao Zhan. Eunuch Gao, who had already become adept at observing words and demeanor, of course did not dare to ask any more questions, and bowed to follow behind the emperor.