Chapter 40 Chapter 10 The Heart Belongs

Chapter 10, The Rebellion of Xiaoqiang, Part Two After the martial arts performance was over, Emperor Yong Li Yuan asked with a smile: "Changle, what do you think of Xiahou Yuanfeng?" Princess Changle said indifferently: "Not bad." Li Yuanxi said: "If you take him as the emperor's son-in-law, how would you like to do it?" Princess Changle said lightly: "Although he is a good person, his heart is like still water." Li Yuan said again: "Since you don't like this person, then there are so many civil and military heroes, Changle may have someone you like."

Princess Changle burst into tears, and went up and down to pay respects: "Father, although the son has to belong to the father, but he is still the queen of Southern Chu. The king is still alive, and even if the son has no shame, there is no reason for another husband to remarry. ." Li Yuan was furious, and said, "I'm determined to find a good son-in-law for you, but you are so stubborn." He stood up angrily, and was about to reprimand him, but he saw Princess Changle kneeling on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks, although Yurong couldn't bear it As haggard as when he first came back, but still without the brilliance that a young woman should have, Li Yuan sat down slumped, and said after a long time: "I shouldn't force you, emperor, don't worry, I will never make things difficult for you again."

When this matter got to my ears, for some reason, I was a little happy. Princess Changle is still as virtuous and courteous as I remembered. No matter how she treated the king, she still fulfilled her responsibility. Even if she really remarried in the future, I won't look down on her either. The matter did not subside like this. Although Li Yuan temporarily gave up his plan to let Princess Changle remarry, the others did not give up. Empress Dou, Concubine Yan Gui, and Concubine Ji all came to persuade them. I would like to change my mind. On this day, Concubine Yong Gao entered the palace. When she heard about this, she persuaded the eldest grandson Guifei to let the princess stay in Yong Wang's mansion for a few days, and then return to the palace on the fifteenth day.

Concubine Changsun didn't agree immediately, she glanced at Gao hesitantly, there are some things that only she knows, the matter of Princess Changle is that others don't ask, she has to ask, when she returned to the palace that day, she asked the maids around her if there was any Pay attention to who the princess pays more attention to. To her surprise, the maid Lu'e replied: "The princess is always indifferent, but when King Yong came, the servant saw the princess looking at the man next to King Yong and smiling very I was happy, but in a blink of an eye it was back to normal." The concubine Changsun knew who that person was, Jiang Zhe and Jiang Suiyun, if he went to the Cuiluan Palace, he would often see his daughter holding a volume of poems, which was full of Jiang Zhe and Jiang Suiyun. Some of the poems I wrote were written by my daughter, and some of them were written by a stranger. I asked about it before, but it was sent to the palace by Jiang Zhe in the Southern Chu Dynasty. It turns out that the person my daughter likes is actually that Southern Chu surrendered, but I once questioned the maids who served my daughter, and they all said that her daughter abided by the women's morals and palace rules in Southern Chu, and never violated the etiquette. Those poems were also sent to the palace after Chu Wan asked Jiang Zhe. My daughter loves that man's poems. Now it seems that my daughter has long been attached to her heart, but she didn't show it because of her status in the past. Of course, it is also possible that her daughter didn't have this thought at first, but now she mentions the matter of choosing a son-in-law. the idea.If you let your daughter go to Prince Yong's Mansion, maybe you can let her meet that man.

But Concubine Changsun frowned. If she was from Dayong, no matter how lowly her position was, as long as her character was good and her daughter liked her, she didn't care. After all, my daughter was once the Queen of Southern Chu. After thinking about it, Concubine Changsun thought to herself, no matter what, her daughter will definitely be able to relax when she goes to Prince Yong's Mansion. "It's good for Changle to go to your place to play, Lu'e, you are always cautious, and you also go with the princess. If the princess has something, you can come back and report." She made up her mind to let Lu'e secretly pay attention to Changle's behavior , to see what my daughter really thinks.

Princess Changle was also very happy to leave the palace temporarily for a trip. When she arrived at Prince Yong’s Mansion, the princess accompanied the princess to the garden to play. The garden of the Prince’s Mansion was divided into an inner garden and an outer garden from the lake, separated by flowers, trees, corridors, etc., and there was no clear boundary. , but the inside and outside are distinct, today the sky is clear, in the gazebo in the garden of the inner house, the princess ordered people to put out fruits, and let the servant girl take the eldest son Li Jun, the two concubine daughters and Roulan to play outside the pavilion, I took two side concubines to accompany the princess to watch in the pavilion. Not far away is the lake. The weather is clear at this time, and the lake is as clear as jasper. The children are laughing and playing, very innocent and interesting. Princess Changle watched it for a while , feeling very happy, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law Wang, I remember that when I left, Brother Wang had no children yet. Unexpectedly, he has one son and three daughters now."

The concubine smiled and said: "Princess guessed wrong, your brother and son are having a hard time, apart from Jun'er, there are only two daughters, the youngest is Roulan, the daughter of Jiang Zhe Jiang Sima." Princess Changle's hands trembled, and she said in a cold voice, "Oh, is Jiang Sima married yet?" The princess didn't notice the princess' uneasiness, and said: "This is Jiang Sima's adoptive daughter, she is very cute. I heard that the prince said that Sima was single. I was worried that he would not be able to take care of his daughter, so I sent her to the back house for me to take care of. I told the prince. , Jiang Sima is twenty-six or seven years old, and he should marry a wife, but the prince said that Jiang Sima was unwilling, as if it was because of the unfortunate death of his former fiancée, alas, such an infatuated man is really rare."

Princess Changle was sad again, but she was also faintly happy. After thinking about it, there was absolutely no possibility between herself and this person. Although it seemed free and easy from this person's poems, she was not a deviant person. If you want this person I am afraid that it is absolutely impossible for a minister to accept the emperor's wife.Thinking of this, Princess Changle is even more sad, this man whom she loves silently, has no fate with her at all, remembering that day when she read his poems and essays, she admired his talent in her heart, when Liang Wan invited him to see her, she felt even more He is in love with him, but the monarch and his ministers are different, and I never dared to show the slightest thought. Later, he was demoted, and I secretly rejoiced, thinking that I don’t have to worry about him being convicted by Dayong after the subjugation of Southern Chu, but unexpectedly he was still captured by Brother Wang and brought back to Dayong. Yong, I was worried about him all the way, worried that he would not surrender and be executed by Brother Wang, now that he has become a subject of Dayong, and I am worried that he will be implicated by Brother Two, but no matter what I think, it is impossible to be with him after all. He bonded and couldn't even reveal his affection for him.Thinking of this, Princess Changle forced a smile and said, "Sister-in-law Wang, bring Roulan here and let me have a look."

Princess Changle took a look at this little girl, and the more she liked it, she couldn't help holding her in her arms. Roulan hadn't learned to walk yet, and she had been playing on the carpet under the tree just now. Seeing the beautiful and elegant Princess Changle, she curiously stretched out her hand to grab the princess' hair bun, messing up Princess Changle's black hair, but instead of being angry, Princess Changle laughed and continued to tease the cute little girl.Her laughter made the princess very happy, but Lu'e, who was standing aside, understood the princess' thoughts.

Just when everyone was in harmony, across the clear lake, there was a faint sound of music in the distance. The sound was neither silk nor bamboo, but it was touching. When admiring the plum blossoms, I can always hear this song. This song is called "Shan Mei". Like washing, Samuume blooms, and the heart is open.Princess Changle was engrossed in listening to it. After a while, the song stopped, and she murmured: "Is it Jiang Sima? Is he missing Nanchu?" The concubine's heart moved, she looked at the princess, and said: "It's Jiang Sima playing the music, I don't know what kind of instrument it is? But I always feel that the sound is very old-fashioned. My sister is in good time today, it should be Jiang Sima playing in Linbo Pavilion to enjoy the scenery. In his free time, this Jiang Sima would go to the lakeside to enjoy the scenery from time to time. He just read books and played chess in the guest courtyard. , but weak crown age, handsome appearance, but with a hint of femininity, all the maids recognized him, without any hindrance, the young man walked to the front of the pavilion, respectfully said: "Princess, my son asked the servant to pick up Miss Roulan."

The concubine was about to agree, she glanced at the princess, and suddenly said: "Mr. Jiang is too polite, he has been in the palace for a long time, so there is no need to be so restrained, the princess is here today, she likes Roulan very much, and she is reluctant to let go, if she doesn't see you, you don't need to be so restrained. Let Mr. Jiang come over, the prince will come over soon, it's okay." Xiao Shunzi was taken aback, looked at the princess and the princess, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he still said: "The servant obeys." At this time, Yong Wang Li Zhi came from a distance, saw Xiao Shunzi, and asked with a smile: "Why, come to pick up Roulan again, your master comes to coax your daughter whenever he has free time." Xiao Shunzi said: "His Royal Highness, the princess said that the princess likes the young lady, so I asked the young master to come here once." Li Zhi was taken aback for a moment, but he believed that the princess must have her own plans, so he said, "That's right, go and invite your son over." Xiao Shunzi was even more surprised, his eyes quickly turned around, but he didn't see anything unusual. At this moment, his eyes fell on the princess, and he saw the princess hugging Rou Lan with a happy smile. His heart couldn't help but he changed his mind Thinking about it, I felt like I was thinking wildly.But he didn't hesitate anymore, and hurried back to Linbo Pavilion. I was drinking with Gou Lian at the Linbo Pavilion, when I saw Xiao Shunzi, I smiled and said, "What about Rou Lan, why didn't you hug me, Brother Gou still wants to see my good daughter?" Xiao Shunzi said: "Princess Changle went to the palace to relax today. She likes Miss very much and she refuses to let go. The princess said that the young master is not an outsider. If the young master is willing, he might as well go there. The prince is also there." I frowned and said: "This is not good, forget it, let's go another day." Gou Lian heard this, but said: "Suiyun, since the princess has already said so, you should go there, otherwise the princess will blame you." I thought, yes, if the concubine didn't say it, it would be fine, if I did, it would be a bit bad if I didn't go, look at Xiao Shunzi, he is also nodding.Then he said to Gou Lian: "I'll go then, Brother Gou, let's drink a few more glasses." Gou Lian smiled and waved his hand and said, "Go, brother Dong will come later, and I will explain to him for you." Li Zhi sat down, looked at Princess Changle, smiled and said: "Changle, it's right for you to come out to relax, the palace is very dull, if you like it, you can come here often." At this time, Rou Lan suddenly struggled, as if she was in a hurry to play, Princess Changle smiled slightly, handed her to the maid, asked the maid to carry her back, and said with a smile: "Actually, the palace is not dull. The younger brothers and sisters who were born after leaving are all cute, but the rules in the palace are too strict, not as easy as outside, brother Wang, I heard that Jun'er is going to Youzhou, and it is too young for such a young child to leave his parents. I'm cruel." Li Zhi said with a smile: "There is no other way. Jun'er is the heir of Prince Yong, and he has his responsibilities to fulfill. Changle, so don't feel sorry for him. How many of our royal family can be independent." Princess Changle's eyes were a little dim, and she was about to speak, when a young man came from a distance. He was dressed in a moon-white Confucian shirt, with such a carefree expression that made people feel happy and happy when they saw him. Like a shadow, it is clearly under the sun, but it is invisible.Everyone's eyes were focused on the master and servant, as if they also felt the joy in their hearts. When I got closer, I stepped forward and saluted: "I see Your Highness, Princess Wangfei." Li Zhi smiled and said, "I have nothing to do today, so don't stick to Suiyun, let's sit down together." I glanced at the princess and said with a smile, "Excuse me, should I be called the queen or the princess?" Princess Changle leaned back and said, "Master Jiang, I know that I am sorry for Nan Chu, so please forgive me." I didn't have any resentment towards her at first, but when I saw her like this, I reciprocated and said: "Your Highness, don't be like this, no matter if Your Highness is the queen of the past or the princess of today, you are always the king of the ministers, as long as the ministers respect you, then there is no resentment." reason." Princess Changle saw that I said it very sincerely, she was overjoyed, she broke her face and smiled, this smile was like a spring flower blooming, which immediately added a bit of radiance to her face. When Li Zhi saw it, his heart was moved. Could it be that the princess meant——, just as he was thinking wildly, I had already saluted: "Your Highness and the princess are entertaining the princess today, I don't want to disturb you, so I will take my leave. Please forgive me, Your Highness. "Finally, without waiting for their consent, he signaled Xiao Shunzi to hug Rou Lan, before turning around and leaving. Just as Li Zhi was about to persuade him to stay, he saw a court lady watching him, so he swallowed his words back. Looking at Jiang Zhe's back, Princess Changle was both happy and worried. Today, she finally learned that he did not blame herself. Joyful, but thinking that from now on, I will be locked in the deep palace, and I will never have the chance to meet again, and it is very sad. He is right, he and he are always monarchs and ministers, and it is absolutely impossible.When she was sad, but thought that she was still a married woman, how could she fall in love with other men, so she forced a smile so that others would not see the flaws.It's just that King Yong and Concubine Wang are careful people, and they can't see the clues.The princess was fine, but Li Zhi was lost in thought. According to his understanding, Jiang Zhe would never agree to this marriage, and no one would agree to it. No wonder Princess Changle never revealed a word. Zhe himself didn't know that the princess fell in love with him.Not to mention others, even I would not agree to it. If this matter gets out, the prince and the others will definitely be embarrassed. If they are allowed to provoke them in front of the emperor, Jiang Zhe's life may be in danger.If Zhao Jia passed away after he ascended the throne, is it possible?The more Li Zhi thought about it, the more he felt a headache. It would be a crime for a minister to accept the emperor's wife. Although Jiang Zhe had surrendered to Dayong, if he were to marry the queen, unless Jiang Zhe completely disregarded his reputation, it would be impossible. He thought so much, but the princess had a different opinion. She thought to herself, if the princess could be betrothed to Jiang Zhe, then Jiang Zhe would be her own. She knew that her husband valued Jiang Zhe very much. Convincing him, she didn't quite know how Jiang Zhe surrendered in the end, but she knew that her husband had a hard time sleeping because of this. If this could be achieved, then her husband would have an extra helping hand, and the princess would have her lifelong support. Relying on the sensitivity of women, the young man who respectfully professes his vassal in front of his husband actually has an aura that transcends the world. If he doesn't grasp it tightly, he will fly away one day. It will make my husband restless again. I didn't notice what happened at all, holding Roulan in my arms, I said to Xiao Shunzi: "Do you think I should marry a wife to take care of Roulan?" Xiao Shunzi said lightly: "If you want to marry a wife, it's a good thing, but what if you marry a wife you don't like? If you have someone you like, of course, if you don't, then don't force it. It's not that no one cares." I laughed and said: "Where is there a woman like Piaoxiang in the world, I want to marry an ordinary virtuous woman, it's fine, but you are right, if the words are tasteless, it is really painful, that's all, that's all." Xiao Shunzi suddenly said, "What do you think of the princess?" I was taken aback, then smiled and said: "What nonsense are you talking about? Her Royal Highness is honorable, and she used to be the mother of the country. How can I think so much about her? If it spreads, it would be a joke. Now there are several candidates for the son-in-law. Well, I'm afraid that the princess's son-in-law will be decided before the lord returns to Nanchu. Sigh." I sighed and said, "Actually, among those people, I like Wei Ying the most, and he will definitely make the princess happy." Xiao Shunzi curled his lips and did not speak. He was too lazy to talk to this master who was very confused about the little things around him, but he thought with a serious face, he must pay attention to this matter. The princess has affection for the son. It can be big or small, if someone hates the young master because of this, it will endanger the young master's safety, and if he gets too close to the princess, he may be in trouble. Thinking of this, he couldn't help regretting the matter of promising the young master to let the princess go. He knew that the woman Usually there will be a perception beyond reason, that she was very close to the princess at the beginning, if she sees through that she is the one who hijacked her back then, I am afraid that the son will be in danger.Alas, why didn't I think I would see the princess again at the beginning, it was really negligent.