Chapter 6 Chapter 1 Yaoji has gone for a thousand years

In the four hundred and seventeenth year of the Qingkui calendar, in the Xihui Hall of the Shenshui Garden outside the capital city of Ying, the flowers in the sky are as bright as the rosy clouds. A wisp of clear fragrance quietly floats out from the depths of Xihui Hall, like spring gossamer, warm and cold again, unwilling to make people wake up and willing to make people sleep.A dozen or so young warriors gathered under the eaves, all of them suppressed their excitement and remained silent.With twinkling eyes like a leopard, he couldn't help looking at the delicate and beautiful Tianluohua, which was full of branches and trees.

Qing Wang Qingren was wearing a cloth robe, leaning on a bamboo chair in the corner of the corridor, lost in thought.This year's Tianluo flowers are blooming extraordinarily brilliantly, and each branch has exhausted the essence in the backbone, vigorously, and does not teach the flowers to be thin.It seems that Luo Hua also made up her mind on this day, and she spent all her time, wantonly fighting for one day.Thinking like this, he poured himself a glass of green wine and slowly moved it to his lips. "Ahem..." The green wine spilled onto the robe. A female officer in a green dress had been watching King Qing silently, and when she saw this, she hurried forward.

Qing Ren smiled slightly, without changing expression, picked up a white handkerchief from her tray, and wiped the wine stains from the corner of her mouth.A blush had already landed on his robe along the corner of his mouth, and slowly seeped along the texture of the silk, like a concubine-colored sky flower blooming faintly between the sleeves. "Wang Ke wants to change?" the puppet Xie Li asked in a low voice. Qing Ren nodded, and slowly stood up while supporting Xue Li's shoulders.The youths who were competing over there hadn't noticed King Qing's gaffe, when a group of sparrows suddenly flew into the jungle, causing a burst of fluttering noises.The teenagers raised their bows and arrows one after another.There was only a burst of arrow rain, and then a burst of cheers spread among the crowd.

Qing Ren stopped and turned around.In the Tianluohua forest, an attendant had already rushed forward, wrapped the still warm swallow with a silk handkerchief woven with silver thread, put it on a gold-painted plate, and presented it to the Lord. Qing Ren looked at the swallow on the tray, with a specially made small golden arrow stuck in its chest, a ball of bright red soaked through the thin feathers, like a ball of falling flowers. Tianluo flowers and birds are the most agile elves in spring. "Reward." Qing Ren said. Qing Wang's annual spring hunting is also a good time for young generals to show off their martial arts and stand out from the crowd.Many years ago, spring hunting was held on Ogihara, north of Qingshui.The spring grass grows in the sky, the eagles fly in the pasture, the princes and ministers each lead their own soldiers and horses, and they come out from the east gate of Yingdu in a mighty way.Qing Wang personally leads the shot, and the prey rewards the winner in the competition.Therefore, spring hunting is also a good time to spy on the relatives and intrigue.

In the 394th year of the Qingkui calendar, Wu Xiang, the previous Qing king, died in an assassination, and Qingkui's empress, Mrs. Hunan, surrendered in fear of crime.Amidst the chaos, the twenty-four-year-old eldest son Qingren raised his troops to succeed to the throne and revived the imperial court.In the spring of the following year, in order to get rid of the murderous spirit that spread all over the palace city of Yingdu, Qing Wang Qingren invited Qing Kui's ministers and nobles to hunt in Ogihara.At that time, it was a grand occasion, with flags covering the sky and dust floating for thousands of miles.The young King Qing shot and killed the white-patterned Taotie, a water monster rampant in the Daze, and all the officials were shocked, thinking that the new king was young and heroic, with extraordinary bravery.Qing Kui was a martial artist, so Qing Ren used this to shock the hearts of the people, and since then established his rock-solid rule.

Although he was equally outstanding in martial arts and was once the bravest warrior in Qing Kui's army, Qing Ren was not as keen on conquering the north and south as his father was to expand the territory. After Wuxiang’s reign, Qing Kui conquered many tribes including Bingshemia Empire, Wanghai Kingdom, Xi Kingdom, Jiuyi Mountain You Clan, and the lower reaches of Qingshui. Qing Kui was an ordinary tribe in Qingshui Valley It has evolved into the largest country in Yunhuang, with its territory reaching Biluohai in the south, Jiuyi Mountain in the north, Tianque Ridge in the east, and directly connected with Jinghu, the eye of Yunhuang, in the west.Such brilliance has never been achieved by any tribe since the existence of humans in the Yunhuang Continent.

However, successive years of wars have also seriously consumed the country's financial resources.The repeated conscription has caused people's resentment to boil.Wanghai County in the south was the first tribe to be conquered.The blue shirt merchants there were engaged in maritime trade and were originally very wealthy, so they became the most exploited place by King Wu Xiang.In the 360th year of the Kui calendar, the merchants of the Blue Shirt Chamber of Commerce obtained weapons, and colluded with the Yuren to rebel, and even fought to the north of Qingshui.After suppressing the rebellion, Wu Xiang had no choice but to confer the title of Marquis Bai Ding to his confidant general Bai Li, who guarded the sea for many years.In the last years of King Wuxiang, the national treasury had become empty, and the imperial court dominated by powerful and powerful nobles fell into a quagmire of corruption and weakness. Mrs. Xiang tried to rectify it but had little effect, and offended many courtiers.Qing Ren took this opportunity to win the support of the dignitaries and successfully ascended the throne.

Once the throne was firmly established, he began to clean up all the accumulated abuses since the Wuxiang Dynasty.The first is the end of the 30-year-long expansion war, Qing Kui's iron cavalry no longer ran amok, and the prime ministers of neighboring countries celebrated.Qing Ren signed peace treaties with various countries, ordering the old and weak soldiers to disarm and return to the fields, allowing the people to recuperate, and exempting more than 30 items of taxes and labor.Funds were allocated from the maintenance cost of the palace to build embankments and dredge the river, thus ending the history of annual flooding in the lower reaches of Qingshui River. In the following year, craftsmen were organized to dig seven canals to irrigate the farmland.After this great water conservancy, the harvest of Muhe in the lower plains of Qingshui doubled.Within five years, the treasury's granaries were again filled with mountains of money, rice and grain.The severe drought in the 396th year of the Kui calendar caused almost no harvest in some state capitals, but it did not cause serious panic, all thanks to the relief of grain stocks in various countries.

With the improvement of national power and the pacification of foreign troubles, Qing Ren began to rectify the government.Compared with previous efforts, this matter seems to be more difficult.Although the newly enthroned King Qing is working hard, the old-school nobles are still strong.Some people said: "This Qingkui country is not the Qingkui of any one of his Qing Dynasty, but the pasture garden of the nobles." Although the bureaucrats headed by Qing Yannian supported King Qing's reform and new policies on the surface, they secretly set up difficulties everywhere. , refused to make any concessions on their own interests.The various families and factions are intertwined and intertwined, and the entire Qingkui bureaucratic system has long been infiltrated by them, like a monolith.Every step Qing Ren took was like wading through mud.However, the more this was the case, the more Qing Ren refused to admit defeat, and he fought against the bureaucrats with his own strength, but he never really lost the wind.After several struggles, the nobles also clearly saw that although Wu Xiang's successor was gentle and refined on the surface, he acted fiercely and fiercely.Even Qing Yannian, who was respected by him as a patriarch, did not dare to act too badly under his nose.In the three hundred and ninety-sixth year of the Qingkui calendar, Qing Ren took advantage of the drought to unceremoniously drive away the biggest staff member of the powerful nobles, the great witch, Wuxian, and executed the successor of the great witch in less than a year. Appointing his own confidant, the aunt from Bingshemia, to serve as the high priest, so that the nobles of Qingkui can no longer influence the country's sacrifices and theocracy.Even Queen Qing Fulan was placed in the cold palace in a disguised form, and as a father, Qing Yannian could only swallow his anger.

In the 403rd year of the Qingkui calendar, Ji Sun, the female leader of the You tribe in Jiuyi Mountain, went to Yingdu to meet King Qingkui.Qing Ren spread tents for ten miles outside the city of Yingdu, with thirty pillars, and decorated the city with lanterns and festoons. The candles were brightly lit all night, and he welcomed the queen who came from afar with national gifts.As the same ancestor as the Qingkui people, the You Clan suffered extremely bloody conquest when Wu Xiang was in power, and the two sides forged a deep hatred.Under the mediation of Mrs. Xiang, the survivors of the You nationality were saved from the disaster of genocide.After Qing Ren ascended the throne, following Mrs. Xiang's wishes, the You clan survivors were removed from their status as untouchables, and they were allowed to set aside land for self-government.Ji Sun's visit to Yingdu and received a grand and courteous reception became a symbolic event of Qing Wang Qingren's generous treatment of the aborigines in the conquered territories.

In the 410th year of the Qing Kui calendar, Qing Wang Qingren announced that he would no longer hold spring hunting.There are many criticisms in this court, Taoism is the rule of the ancestors for many years, how can it be abolished in a day.However, it was also a fact that King Qing's physical condition was getting more and more worrying at that time.Perhaps because of overwork, Qing Wang Qingren, who was just in his early forties, contracted lung disease early on, and often looked tired.The spring is scorching hot, King Qing needs to rest, and the ministers are hard to say too much.Qing Ren also ordered that spring hunting can continue under the auspices of the general.However, the spring hunting without King Qing's participation was useless, and it was canceled within a few years. In the 412th year of the Qingkui calendar, Qing Wang Qingren rebuilt the Xihui Hall of the Li Palace, and planted Tianluo trees in the garden.When the Tianluo flowers were in full bloom, King Qing had a grand banquet in front of the hall, inviting shooters from all over the country, regardless of their backgrounds.After drinking for three rounds, the shooting competition will begin.In the first year, only a dozen or so noble boys participated in the archery competition, but in the second year, hundreds of masters from all over the country gathered together.In the future, the annual Tianluo Flower Fair will attract a large number of warriors.As a result, Xihuitang's archery competition evolved into another kind of spring hunting, and became a grand ceremony for King Qing to search for talents.Since the Qing King must come to watch in person, many people hope to get the attention and promotion of the Qing King by shooting a small sky bird. In fact, there are indeed some people who cross the long road of military rank promotion, get exceptional reuse, and even become the Qing King His confidants. The sparrows in the golden plate became a symbol of glory and opportunity.Tianluohua and Tianluoque are not native species of Qingkui. In fact, no one in Qingkui had seen such a bright bird before Qing Wang Qingren brought this kind of Tianluoque into Xihuitang.Every spring when the sky flowers bloom, the sky sparrows fly up in the flower forest, and when the spring returns to the summer solstice, the sky flowers fall, and the sky sparrows disappear.The sky sparrow has the shape of a swallow, but its body is petite like a pink butterfly, and its blood-colored tail feathers spread out like a sky flower in the wind.According to the wizard's explanation, the sky bird is the soul of a magical plant called the sky flower. The flower leaves the branch and flies with the wind, turning into a strange bird. There was also someone who remonstrated Qing Wang Qingren, saying how small and colorful birds like Tianluo sparrow can be compared with Ogiwara's falcon and white leopard to test the warrior's shooting skills?Qing Ren smiled and said that it was originally something for young people to play for fun, so why not take it seriously.If what Wang said was not serious, no one dared to care about it. But in fact, there are not many people who can really hit the sky, only one or two a year.Over time, people have to admire Qing Wang's intentions.Those who conquered the falcon and the white leopard were certainly brave and tenacious, but today Luo Que tested the dexterity and resourcefulness of the warrior.In fact, this sky bird and sky flower are the same thing. A flower blown down by the wind is a bird, and a bird standing on a branch is a flower.This strange creature was produced in the depths of Jiuyi Mountain, and it was a national gift brought by Ji Sun to Qing Wang Qingren. It was a young man in green robe who shot the first sky sparrow this spring.The young man was thin and handsome, and judging from the splendor of his clothing and weapons, he was of an extraordinary background.However, Qing Ren felt that this young man was quite unfamiliar, and most of the children of the rich families in the court had seen him before, but he didn't remember that there was such a boy. The young and educated youth king was looking at him, but he stayed there for a while.Someone next to him quietly pushed him, urging him to come forward and thank him.He seemed to be in a daze as if possessed by a demon, his pink face was so red that it was even more beautiful than Tianluohua.Qing Ren was surprised: Why are you so cramped, as if you have never seen the world at all? A courtier came up next to him, urging him to come over and thank him.The young man fell on the ground and lowered his head, but he still refused to speak, let alone take a step closer to King Qing. Just as Qing Ren was about to ask questions, he suddenly saw the chief assistant, Qing Yannian, rushing in. His red and purple robes were dusty, and he seemed to have just rushed over from the city.Before he got close, Qing Ren saw the wrinkles on his face rolled up, twisting out a big word "remonstration", and felt a little impatient.When he came to the front, Shoufu didn't say a word, but knelt down at the side first. "Master Qing, get up quickly," Qing Ren said with a slight bow, nodding his head and smiling, "When do you have to kneel down and talk to me?" Qing Yannian stood up in response, still showing the anger of a veteran, and refused to speak first.Qing Ren became more and more impatient.In the past few years, Qing Yannian has grown older, but Qing Ren's attitude towards the Qing family's nobles is getting worse day by day.Although they are still excellent on the surface, they are gradually alienated in practical affairs.This made Shoufu's prestige obviously not as good as it used to be.Qing Yannian has always been used to honor and dignity, and he felt a little bit resentful in his heart when he was left out in the cold.He considers himself the head of the dignitaries in the court, and he is also a foreign relative, his position is as solid as a rock, and he will show his face to Qing Ren from time to time, and Qing Ren can't argue with him. For example, at this time, it was clear that Lord Qing was threatening him again, Qing Ren was clear in his heart, but he couldn't say anything about him. Qing Ren deliberately turned his head away, chatting with the courtiers beside him, "I remember that in the past, there was an elderly retainer in Master Qing's house, named Tong Li, who was a good archer. Luo Que. I have always intended to appoint him as a general, but it is a pity that he is loyal to Lord Qing and refuses to be an official. ——Why didn't he come this year?" The courtier didn't know how to answer, so he glanced at the stern-faced Shoufu and said, "Probably not in the city." Qing Yannian suddenly said in a deep voice, "Tong Li is in the city." "Oh?" Qing Ren laughed, "Then invite this strong man to compete with the young man who won the championship today?" Then he looked back at the boy just now.Unexpectedly, the young man didn't stay where he was, but took advantage of King Qing chatting with the ministers, slipped into the chaotic crowd and slipped away. Qing Ren was shocked and angry, and was waiting for someone to find him.Qing Yannian's tone was accentuated, and his words resounded, "It's a pity that he was in Tongli, and he will no longer be able to participate in the grand meeting of the Lord. Early this morning, he died in the temple." This time, it was Qing Ren's turn to be speechless, an embarrassing blush gradually appeared on his pale face. The commotion around also suddenly quieted down, all the courtiers and courtiers lowered their heads, not daring to look at King Qing's face.After a long time, an empty voice slowly rose, "Then, forget it." Qing Yannian waited for a while, and found that Qing Ren didn't intend to say anything more, so he raised his voice again, and said, "I thought it couldn't be done like this. I don't know if the Lord remembers, this is already the first life in the temple? From the Fengniang case in 410 years, there are a total of 16 people recorded in the case, all lost their way in the temple, and then passed away for no reason. None of these 16 cases have been thoroughly investigated. So people were killed again and again. I implore the lord, find out the real culprit, Huantongli's family will understand, and return the truth to those sixteen people, so that future generations will not be murdered again." Qing Ren closed his eyes and did not answer. "My lord, please show me the lesson." Qing Yannian said. "Isn't it - met a secret beast?" Qing Ren said. Qing Yannian's face turned pale, "The secret beast is just a side story of Aunt Wu, no one has seen it before." "Because everyone who saw it died." "This is ridiculous!" Qing Yannian couldn't help but shouted. Qing Ren glanced at him.Qing Yannian knew that he was impolite, so he had no choice but to shut up, but his face was still tense.After Qinghou's palace maid, Feng Niang, died suddenly in the temple because she secretly spied on Wu Gu's daily life, Wu Gu explained that Feng Niang had seen a "secret beast".This "secret beast" was found by chance during her travels abroad. It has boundless mana, but it cannot be seen by strangers, and it will die if it is seen.Therefore, it is kept in the temple and no one is allowed to approach it. I advise everyone to be careful. This statement sounded too much like some kind of excuse, and only Aunt Wu knew whether it was the truth or not.Most people suspect that Aunt Witch hides some ulterior secrets in the temple.Was smashed, murdered.But Qing Ren naturally believed in Aunt Wu, and never advocated a thorough investigation of this matter, which made people dare not speak out. Over the years, Qing Shoufu kept sending masters to infiltrate the temple, either they found nothing, or they died on the spot, and no one brought back even a single bit of news.This time, Tong Li, the archer, probably died in the same mission.Qing Yannian couldn't hold back anymore. The two sides were at a stalemate, and Da Situ on the side also spoke, "My lord, the temple is the foundation of the country, and it is a place to protect our Qingkui people, but now it has become a dangerous place. If things go on like this, I am afraid that I will be condemned by the gods." "Can't be condemned by the gods," Qing Ren said, "Aunt Wu understands better than us." "My lord, I have an idea." Da Situ didn't give in, "If the secret beast is really so scary and makes the temple a place that endangers our people, why don't you ask the witch to release the secret beast?" , don’t keep it any longer.” "That's impossible," Qing Ren said, "This secret beast is something that Aunt Wu values ​​very much." Da Situ smiled slightly, "Then I still have another way. Since Aunt Wu has boundless magic power, it's okay to let her remove the killing power from the secret beast. Since it is the beast she brought back, she can always tame it. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to support it." Qing Ren frowned, and was about to say something, when Qing Shoufu rushed forward and said, "That's fine, please send a decree from the Lord so that Aunt Wu can tame the beast and bring it out for everyone to see, so as to appease the hearts of the people." "What is this?" Qing Ren asked softly. "—Otherwise, it will be hard to convince the public, and I'm afraid things will get worse in the future. Please make an order immediately." Qing Yannian knelt down again. Qing Ren was stunned, Qing Yannian said that he was threatening him openly, and this was something that Shoufu hadn't done in the past two years.He smiled slightly and said, "What is the chief assistant doing—that is, I have to agree?" "My lord did not agree to my request, so I had no choice but to kneel down." Qing Yannian said in a deep voice. At this moment, Qing Ren's complexion suddenly changed, and he was about to walk away. Looking around, he saw the expressions of the ministers, and they all agreed with Qing Yannian.The secret beast of the temple has long been a knot in the politics of the Qingkui Kingdom.Because of Qing Ren's suppression, no one dared to touch it, but everyone wanted to untie it.Because many people believe that if this knot is untied, Aunt Wu, whom Qing Ren has always trusted, will fall.The post of high priest may return to the hands of noble children.Resentment has accumulated for many years, and now they all knelt down and demanded a thorough investigation.Qing Ren knew that this time, they were just unwilling to be kind, so he was concentrating on it for a while, not knowing what to do. In fact, only he knows what Aunt Wu's "secret beast" is, but he can't do anything about it. The two sides were at a stalemate, and suddenly a messenger came in from outside, sweating profusely and running to the chief of the inner warden, and whispered something in the ear of the chief of the inner warden.When the chief inspector heard this, his expression changed.Seeing this, Qing Ren couldn't help but frowned, knowing what was going on in his heart, he suddenly stood up. Everyone looked over with puzzled faces, and saw Qing Wang picking up an old black iron bow, nocking the arrow and stringing it, the bow was like a full moon. With a "whoosh", pink splashes.When it landed on the ground, there were three white and gleaming sky birds on the shaft of the arrow. The crowd was in an uproar. Even though he has been silent for many years, Qing Wang Qingren is still the best shooter in Qing Kui Kingdom. But the chief supervisor couldn't bear it anymore, passed through the congratulatory crowd, walked up to the king and knelt down in front of the king, with a dignified and solemn expression. "My lord, the queen—" "Needless to say," Qing Ren stopped him lightly, "I'm going back to the palace right now." King Qing got up and went out, ignoring the ministers behind him.People looked at each other.The chief assistant, Qing Yannian, who was still begging, had no choice but to stand up and sighed dejectedly. In Qingkui Palace Fenghua Garden, under Ruiqiong Hall, the maids all knelt down on the ground. It was the imperial physician Lu Xuan who cautiously withdrew from the inner hall.He hastily glanced inside the hall, and found that Concubine Xia was guarding outside the hall.The two exchanged glances and walked aside. "The king is inside?" Concubine Xia asked softly, with an unquestionable certainty in her deep and soft voice. This certainty made the imperial doctor calm down a bit.He nodded with a dazed expression, "Soon." "Yes." Concubine Xia nodded expressionlessly. Qing Wang Qingren stood outside the gauze tent, lost in thought, he didn't want to reveal it.The people in the tent sensed his arrival and called out slowly: "Qing Ren." Qing Wang was a little surprised.No one dared to call him by his name for many years, but when he heard the person in the tent calling him, it seemed that the "Qing Ren" came from the bottom of his heart. This feeling made him stretch out his hand involuntarily—the person lying in the embroidered tent was as haggard as a piece of paper-cut.A leaf-like hand was pressed under the thick brocade quilt, and the glazed beads on the wrist made a pair of dazed eyes even whiter—this decayed and dying woman was the current queen of the Qingkui Kingdom——Qing Fulan. Fu Lan stared fixedly at Qing Wang Qingren, "After I die..." What happens after she dies?Qing Wang secretly figured it out.After twenty years of living in close quarters, Fu Lan has always had a mean voice.She didn't want to say that after she died, Wang could breathe a sigh of relief. "Stop thinking about it," Qing Ren comforted. "A few days ago, the envoy from Bi Luohai came back and sent raw horseshoe crabs. I personally ordered the Imperial Hospital to concoct the phantom sea medicine..." "I have taken it, thank you Wang Longen." Mrs. Qing closed her eyes. Huanshenghaiyao is the last elixir in Qingkui's medical classic "Longshu Pu", which claims to bring the dead back to life.Whenever Qing Wang Qing Kui was seriously ill, he always ordered the imperial hospital to collect one hundred and eight rare and precious medicinal materials to prepare medicines to survive.Among them, the rarest one is the raw horseshoe crab from Biluohai. Qing Ren paused, and then said: "Wu Gu, the priest of the temple, will pray for you tomorrow." "Aunt Wu?" Hearing this word, Mrs. Qing suddenly had a strange smile on her face, which made her already swollen and yellowed face even weirder. "Witch Gu has boundless magical powers, she should be able to save you from danger." Qing Ren said lightly. "No need. Thanks to the grace of the Lord, I have lived for twenty years longer, which is enough." Mrs. Qing gritted her teeth and said, "In the past twenty years, those sorrows and joys have been turning, just thinking about Wang—— thinking about Wang and me, actually It’s the same situation, so I don’t complain about anything—I don’t complain about anything.” In fact, she was almost out of breath, and she was still deliberately aggravating the malicious meaning in her words. After Qing Ren listened silently, he said indifferently: "It's all self-inflicted, what is there to complain about?" Mrs. Qing stared at King Qing, looked and looked with great interest, and finally seemed to be unable to bear it any longer, and burst out laughing.This smile didn't matter, Mrs. Qing seemed to be distracted, she just grinned and laughed "giggling", but she couldn't stop, as if she had seen the funniest thing in the world. Qing Wang Qingren just looked at her coldly, watching her laugh wantonly, laughing until the breath like a gossamer could no longer continue, and finally died down. Are you out of breath?King Qing thought to himself.He stretched out two fingers and opened her eyelids.The pupils were clearly dilated. Suddenly, there was a roll in her throat, grunt.King Qing was taken aback. Still in shock, it seemed as if he heard a hoarse voice, "After I die..." what after i dieShe said it a second time. Qing Ren settled down and put his ear close to hear her finish.This is Mrs. Qing's last sentence, right? However, after a long time, the dead woman said nothing more.She finally didn't say it. Qing Wang Qingren shook his sleeves and pushed open the door of the bedroom. In the eyes of the maids, King Qing at that time was dressed in plain clothes with a pale complexion, and behind him was Mrs. Qing's deep and dark bedroom.King Qing didn't say anything, but his eyes, which were as still as still water, pushed his deep compassion to the entire Fenghua Garden. Then, like stones stirring up waves in the water, the sobbing sounds of the maids spread wave after wave, getting louder and more confident.An hour later, everyone in Yingdu knew the news of Mrs. Qing Kui Houqing's death. What was Qing Wang Qingren thinking at that time?He saw Concubine Xia coming over with tears in her eyes, put on a cloak for him, and begged King Qing to go back to the palace to rest, and his condolences changed.After King Qing refused, he quickly found Yousi to arrange for Mrs. Qing's funeral, with a grand ceremony.Then he walked out of Fenghua Garden slowly.At this time, the sky over Yingdu was covered with dark clouds, as if it was going to rain.Qing Wang Qingren stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath of the damp air, and felt refreshed. However, the delicate fragrance of Ruiqiongtang lingers in the cold sleeves. After a month, the funeral of Mrs. Fu Lan, the empress of Qing Kui, was finally over.At that time, it was already early summer, and the tung trees in the palace were shaded and green, and the tender warbler was melodious.Qing Wang Qingren ordered the supervisor in the palace to continue the mourning until midsummer, it seems that the memory has increased.But those who pay attention will know that although the mourning time for the queen in the palace is 108 days according to the etiquette system, in fact, since ancient times, when the queen died, the mourning time would be extended to show favor.The length of the extension varies from case to case, but generally gets longer and longer.This late mother's family is also a measure of the holy family's quilt.But when Mrs. Qing passed away, the mourning period was less than four months, which was too short. The palace is strictly forbidden, and King Qing's actions can be said to be strict, and he will never allow a word of gossip.However, under the seemingly calm surface of the harem, there are turbulent undercurrents.Twenty years ago, the murder case of Prince Chile was suppressed, so the parties involved would naturally not bring it up again, and the court ladies and internal eunuchs who knew about it had already been executed one after another.However, there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and the truth of the matter will always be guessed gradually. After that incident, Mrs. Qing was forced to plead guilty, admitting that she was "ineffective in governing", and handed over all the affairs of the harem to Mrs. Bai, the concubine of Chun.Since Mrs. Bai's natal family has a high position and authority, and she supports the army, she doesn't want to be tainted by criticism and be said to be a foreign relative who seized power, so she resigns because she is weak and sick.The next best thing is Concubine Xia who presides over the overall situation.So all along, the queen was emptied.On the surface, King Qing's love and respect to Mrs. Qing has not diminished by half.But anyone can see what King Qing's true attitude is. Now that Mrs. Qing finally passed away in loneliness, no one would think that Prince Qing would really miss her.And who will replace Mrs. Qing on the throne of the queen has naturally become the focus of discussion. So someone in the early court said that the harem should not be without a mistress for a day, and asked King Qing to establish a queen as soon as possible. Qing Ren said: "Of course the empress must be established." But nothing said when to stand.Right now, among the four concubines in spring, summer, autumn and winter, concubine Xia is the most popular.Concubine Xia is dignified and virtuous, knowledgeable and reasonable, and she is quite famous in the boudoir.In the past twenty years, he has ruled the harem on behalf of the queen, abided by etiquette and restrained himself, and never overstepped. He has always been King Qing's right-hand man.It's just that Concubine Xia came from a humble background. Her father, Cai Mengxi, was originally a small school secretary in Lantai Province. After his daughter became a concubine, she was promoted to the Tianguan Mansion under the care of the chief minister, Qing Yannian, and has been doing it ever since. The censor of rites and censors can be regarded as a powerful official in the court.However, some people also said that Caimengxi had no talent at first, and it was because after Qinghou lost his virtue, Concubine Xia took power in the harem, Qing Yannian, in order to win over Concubine Xia and protect Mrs Qing, took the mediocre school secretary as his party. Heavy use. In terms of background, Concubine Chun is the most prominent.His father, Bai Dinghou, is the number one vassal in the country. He has four elder brothers who are stationed in the southern sea area all the year round. The whole family is Qing Wang Qingren's capable arm and close friends.However, everyone said that Concubine Chun was calm by nature, always inactive, and lived in seclusion in her long leisure palace, caring nothing about the outside world, so she was not a good choice for a queen.Moreover, the relationship between King Qing and Concubine Chun is also confusing.Some people say that the only concubine that King Qing cares about most is Concubine Chun.But there is another way of saying that King Qing and Concubine Chun also have a grudge, and almost no palace people remember when King Qing spent the night in Changxian Palace. No one would mention the mad woman Concubine Qiu who was imprisoned in Zhilanyuan; and Concubine Dong was an extremely mediocre woman from all aspects. In the thirty years since she married into the palace, no one saw her come out for activities except for the year-end sacrificial ceremony. . The general situation is naturally that the mother is more expensive than the child.As long as the wife who gave birth to the prince is made queen, no one will say anything.It's a pity that Qing Wangqing's tenure is over half a hundred years old, and he is still empty.Twenty years ago, the little prince Chile who was born to the concubine Qiu died of illness, revealing the horrific inside story of Qinghou's murder of the pregnant concubine, which caused various changes.It stands to reason that the subsequent prince and princess can be born safely.But there are still no concubines to give birth to, so that the crown prince is empty so far.This has become the most important reason for the ministers to urge King Qing to stand up as soon as possible. Especially Qing Wang Qingren himself, it seems that he has no anxiety about it.A group of ministers are even more speculative.Qing Wang's mind has never been easy to figure out. Some of the subordinates, who were not so scrupulous, first cited the Xia Concubine Cai.Concubine Xia has managed the harem for many years, she has worked hard and made great achievements, and more importantly, she is in the same line as her predecessor. Concubine Xia's father is also the confidant of the chief assistant.Supporting Concubine Xia is supporting Guhou, and supporting Guhou is supporting Shoufu. Of course, there are also people who comment on Concubine Chun, thinking that Concubine Chun is of noble birth and her family has worked hard.The leader of this faction is Shi Huiming and others.Qing Wang Qingren knew very well that if it wasn't for the fact that the Grand Scholars Party didn't have too much real power at the moment and their voices were not loud, they would have fallen out with Shoufu long ago.But even so, they still have to hold Shoufu a little bit in everything.After Qinghou passed away, there was a small gap in the power circle of the first assistant. How could they easily let Concubine Xia follow to fill this gap?Of course, the people from the Shoufu faction mentioned that Concubine Chun has always been in poor health, which is not conducive to the continuation of the family. There were also one or two people who mentioned Concubine Dong. Strangely, the first assistant, Qing Yannian himself, was not keen on discussing Concubine Li Xia.Therefore, Qing Fulan fell out of favor and died later, or this was also the reason why he was unwilling to speak. Qing Wang Qingren maintained a serious smile all the time, but after listening to many opinions, he refused to express his opinion at all.According to the usual habit, he would ask Shoufu for his opinion, but he didn't say anything.With King Qing's attitude, fewer and fewer people made a clear statement, and everyone began to be vague.Under Qing Ren's modest and elegant appearance, there is a bottomless heart.People who have just met Wang may think that he is easy to talk to, and they can even speak freely in front of him.However, the veterans in the court felt that the longer they got along with him, the less they knew what to say, so they often kept silent.Shoufu's current silence is the most sensible thing to do in his mind, right? After retreating from court, Qing Ren slowly walked back to the bedroom.Twenty-five years later, everyone is still very excited about this Jade Throne empress Qing Kui.His father Qingwang Wuxiang was a martial artist and lustful, and there were countless beauties in the harem, many of whom were foreign women captured during the war—such as his biological mother, Mrs. Xi.There were not many disputes in the royal palace at that time.When it was his turn, he strictly abided by the rules of etiquette and only accepted one empress and four concubines, but it caused countless troubles. Of course, the former king had a powerful queen, Mrs. Xiang.He didn't and couldn't have.He looked up and saw that Cangwu Garden was still as barren as before, and there was a faint and misty fragrance of Angelica dahurica flower from inside the locked palace gate. Governing the country and keeping the country safe, making friends with distant friends and attacking near, Qing Ren can be regarded as an outstanding monarch.Twenty-five years of ruling the world, the river is clear and the sea is clean, the country is peaceful and the people are safe.Although there are still some divisions and entanglements in the court, the common people have been living a prosperous life and praise Qing Ren as a virtuous monarch.But this virtuous gentleman has a dead spot that he can't deal with.If Qing Wang Wu Xiang treats his concubines as he does, treating them purely as prey to be conquered, perhaps there will be less troubles.When he was young, he despised his predecessor Qing Wang Wuxiang, thinking that he was just a ruthless careerist and a brutal warrior.When he first came to the throne, he was ambitious to be a benevolent and wise monarch.After spending so many years, he finally managed the Qingkui Kingdom in a smooth manner, and finally won the praise and admiration of all people, but the feeling was not as happy as he imagined at the beginning.He will always be involved by various forces, because he is afraid of losing his balance and will not be able to stand firmly, and he is always worried about calculations.He himself finally realized slowly that there are actually things that can be done and things that cannot be done.The irresistible feminine side of his temperament made him burdened himself all his life. Qing Ren strolled to the Changxian Palace and saw the Spring Concubine Bai just getting up and combing her hair.He stood behind her, took the jasper comb from the handmaid's hand, and combed her long black jade-like hair.Bai Yongrong smiled slightly, and let Qingren divide her hair into small locks, braid them carefully, and then string them with colorful beads, just like a fisherman's girl in Wanghai County in the south.Bai Yongrong was about the same age as Qing Ren, when they fought the enemy side by side in the coastal areas, they were like two siblings.It's just that in the past twenty years, Qing Ren has aged very quickly.And Bai Yongrong, as a concubine in spring, was very popular with Qing Wang's favor, and never intervened in the concubine's fight, only wholeheartedly recuperating in the harem, without worrying about everything.Therefore, a woman who is half a hundred years old is maintained as if she is in her early thirties. "Yongrong," Qing Ren said, "someone wants me to make you the empress." "I'm not in good health." Bai Yongrong replied immediately. Qing Ren smiled, thinking that the news from her was fast. Bai Yongrong sighed and said, "My lord, please don't do this." "What's wrong?" Bai Yongrong turned around and slowly smoothed his braids, "Don't worry about me, I will naturally ask you for what I want. But what I don't want, you must not give it to me." Bai Yongrong is different from others, he never has any scruples when speaking.Qing Ren shook his head, "I'm not joking with you." "I know you're not joking. But, I really don't want to be a queen." Bai Yongrong suddenly lowered his voice, "I heard from my father." Qing Ren "hmm" for a moment, "When will your brother come to Beijing?" "Before the end of the month." Bai Yongrong said. "Then you bother so much." Qing Ren said with emotion, "It's thanks to you to deal with such a big matter." Looking around, Bai Yongrong said slowly: "My lord, why do you say such polite words. Yongrong owes you a great favor in this life, and even my family can't thank you enough. This gratitude is in addition to being loyal to King Qing .” Qing Ren knew that what Bai Yongrong said was from the bottom of his heart.只有他知道这病恹恹的春妃，其实是个丹心如铁的女子。旁人都以为，春妃和青王早先就是联剑疆场的一对，殊不知那时的白郡主曾经一口回绝父亲白定侯要她接近公子清任的暗示，而一心一意地爱慕父亲帐下的一个幕僚。谁也拗不过这个大小姐，最终将她许给了那个年轻文士。而对于公子清任来说，当时他压根儿也就没有注意过白雍容是谁。 后来机缘凑巧，他二人身陷敌营。白雍容被敌将扣下凌辱后，欲寻短见。清任得知她是白侯的郡主，于是拼命拦住了她，没让她死成，而后两人联手杀死近百名海上勇士，成功地逃出敌营。但白郡主失身的事情却被敌方俘虏传开。白侯帐下的那个年轻幕僚听闻此事，宁愿得罪于白侯，也执意要退婚。白定侯大怒，几欲拔剑砍了这穷酸。然而白郡主及时赶来拦住了他。白雍容铁青着脸，亲手将聘礼还给那人，然后向父亲求情。最终在白郡主的说服下，白定侯让那幕僚离开军营回郢都任职。那人是个有名的才子，一回郢都，就另攀了绵州庆延年的侄女成亲了。 而白雍容从此伤病连绵，离开行伍。她再不议婚嫁，也没有人上门提亲。 清任即位之后选择王后。关于白雍容的谣言在沉寂一时之后，又开始传得沸沸扬扬。清任决定立白雍容为春妃之后，白雍容曾私下里推辞。清任道：“我知你无意于权位，也不想嫁我为妻。不过，你我总算有当年同袍浴血的情谊，我为你留一个安稳的地方休养，一切由你自便，难道不好吗？”并颁下训令，凡诋毁王妃者皆论死罪。 清任待白雍容并不同一般妃子。旁人不知就里的，全然不解。这春妃明明是后宫中最散淡的妃子，却隐然是青王心目中极有份量的一个人，丝毫不逊于王后庆拂兰。 因为春妃白雍容的存在，驻守海疆、军权在握的白定侯，多年来一直是青王背地里的靠山，作为制衡力量，牵制着朝中以庆延年为首的门阀贵族。即使门阀贵族们笼络分化的手，一步一步伸向郢都左近的青王直属军队，他们对白定侯的海上雄师却也是永远都无可奈何的。在青王和贵族们的政治博弈中，春妃的白氏家族，永远是贵族们算不准的一步棋，因了这步棋的存在使得他们不敢公然逾矩，不会轻举妄动。在这个微妙的平衡中，清任才得以理顺朝政，安治天下。 所以，清任如此看重春妃，不仅出于故人知交的情分，更是盟友之间的默契。 “好的，”清任说，“你自己也要小心，我可不想你有什么闪失。” “我自会小心谨慎。”春妃倒是毫不介意的样子。 “事成之后，我会立你为后。”清任笑道。 “主上，”春妃缓缓道，“您若真心敬重我，就让我终身不要沾染那个后位吧。” "why?" “为什么？呵呵。她们不明白，我可知道——那个位置太危险，容易遭人忌恨，”白雍容微微一笑，“所以我退避三舍。” Is it really?清任怔了怔，“你是不同的，雍容。” 白雍容笑了笑。 “除你之外，后宫之中我想不出还可以信任谁。”清任动情道，“这些年你助我甚多，我……总觉得亏欠你。” “何以如此。”白雍容笑道，“雍容为主上做的事，都是雍容自己的意愿，不需要主上回报，更谈不上亏欠。若是想着凭借这样那样的功劳，来求你赏赐一个后位，反倒没意思了。做主上心中的第二个人，雍容已然幸甚。” “你已是我心目中的王后。”清任犹不罢休。 春妃心知清任此刻一心笼络她，不由得白了白脸儿。他敬重她是真的，他信赖她也是真的。但是说到王后的选择，他也不过是左右权衡之下，觉得立她为后最为有利。然则她明明清楚地知道，她也并不是他内心中的所愿。没有人可以、没有人敢于去替代那“第一个人”。所以，这种选择，无疑是将她置于万劫不复之地。她几乎要按捺不住，说出那句噎了很久的话——“你会憎恨所有的王后的，哪怕是我。” 然而她别过脸去，好歹忍下了。 “主上——”春妃犹豫一时，终于道，“真的如此信任我？” “你竟然还要问这种话？”清任皱眉。 春妃鼓起勇气，正色道：“那么——我提过好几次，神殿的十七个命案，还请主上追查到底。” 这回轮到清任的脸白了。 这当口儿，春妃煞风景地提到了这个，却像是将了他一军。 “你也认为，应当彻查此事？” “神殿是国家命脉之所在，出了这种事情，理应弄个水落石出。”春妃字斟句酌道，“否则总是有人不服，说三道四地有损主上的声威。” “说了又如何？”清任有些不忿。 “毕竟是人命关天。” 清任退开了几步。他开始意识到，春妃并非真的以为自己能够劝谏他，而是故意提到这件讳莫如深的事情，令他对自己不满。这个明慧的女子，她是认真地在拒绝这个后位。 “我会考虑的。”他离开长闲宫时这样说着。 青裙女官悄悄地站到他身旁。 “薜荔，你说我应当如何是好？” 薜荔微笑着摇摇头。 “呵呵，我倒忘了，”清任道，“她把你留在我身边，是不让你随便进言的。” 薜荔踌躇着说：“其实，主上有没有想到，如果后位一直悬空，未必不是件好事？” “呃？”清任眨眨眼，“一国怎能无后呢？” 薜荔低声道：“主上，春妃是聪明的。您会憎恨所有的王后，不止是庆拂兰。” 清任明白她的意思。他低了一回头，吩咐道：“去开了苍梧苑的门。” 薜荔说：“主上上个月前才去过，未免太频繁了，会伤身的。” 清任眼光一寒，“我要问问她，到底想将那秘兽怎么样——不可以么？” 薜荔依旧淡淡地说：“可以是可以的。只是巫姑不是早已有言，说永远不见主上？主上每次都固执着要去，其实也只能偷偷看看她而已。她不会听你问她话，也不会回答。这又是何苦？若有急事问讯，奴婢可以替主上传达。” 清任别过脸去，“你每次都这么说，然而我请你向她传达的话，她可有一次是回复了的？她根本视我如不存在。” 薜荔低下头，细声说：“巫姑只是视清任不存在，却没有视青王不存在。巫姑担任大祭司，尽职尽责。但凡有国家大事的占卜，无不悉心推祥。只是主上有些问题过于微妙，又纯是私人事情，巫姑觉得无法作答。” 清任知她所言属实，呆了一会儿，悠悠长叹，“二十多年都不肯见我一面，当初她为什么要回来呢？” “巫姑回来，自有她回来的理由。这些年，巫姑也为主上做了很多事情。”薜荔道，“只是过往的事情，多说也无益。眼下这样两不牵扯，不也很好吗？” 清任无语。 “那么……秘兽的事情，主上还要问吗？” 清任摇摇头。